by Advocate
She forced herself to relax and take a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "Get a grip, Liv."
Suddenly, she felt a cool rush of air that sent chills skittering across her skin, lifting the hairs on her arms as if a tiny current of electricity had shot through her. Then, as quickly as it had come, it disappeared. "Oh, boy." She shivered in pure reaction and began inching towards the door. "Hey, um… Kayla?" Liv picked up her pace. "Wait up!"
* * *
"Okay, another one in that corner." Kayla pointed, while Liv fished another infrared motion detector from the metal trunk and headed across the room.
She bit her tongue and her eyes narrowed slightly as she considered its exact placement. I wonder…. "Kayla?"
"Mmm?" Kayla’s eyes remained trained on the detector in her hands. She gave it a little shake and the green activation light popped on. "Piece of—"
"What if I put it here instead?" Liv stepped sideways three long paces and put the small device on the ground, angling it between the doorway and where Kayla was crouched. "Then the beam should not only cross with yours but the one shooting in from the hall. We can avoid that gap you were complaining about before."
Kayla glanced up at the doorway to the hallway. She cocked her head slightly as she gauged the distance and angle. Her face broke into a proud grin. "Yeah, that should work." She gave a satisfied nod. "Great idea. I was just going to lay down another detector. Now we’ll have a spare for upstairs." The house had more rooms than Kayla had anticipated and she wasn’t pleased with the spotty coverage she was going to have to settle for in some places.
Liv grinned. "Cool." She stood up and dusted her hands off on her jeans. They’d been placing motion detectors, and video and sound recorders, around the large house for nearly three hours. It was pitch black outside and Liv could hear Kayla’s stomach growling from where she was standing. But they still had one final room to set up in before they were done for evening, the room where Mr. Keith had awoken to strange noises and a very gruesome sight.
Kayla stretched her arms high over her head. "I need to do some thermal readings next," she began idly. "But I think I’ll wait until tomorrow morning and see if we pick up anything strange tonight." She yawned. "This place is huge and hopefully it will focus us on where we need to test." Kayla grabbed the last three motion detectors and the rest of her video cameras. "Ready?"
Liv gave herself a quick, silent pep talk, then nodded. "Ready."
The Keith House’s master bedroom was enormous, taking up a full third of the second floor. The taller woman’s nose twitched as she entered the empty room and flicked on the light.
Again Liv was surprised. This room was not just empty, it was antiseptic. "Fresh paint." Even the door appeared new.
Kayla’s eyes darkened as she approached the mysterious wall, her sneakers silent on the bare floor. She had expected to see lurid streaks on the walls… Not this. "Dammit, Glen!" she exploded. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?" Liv joined her and lay a calming hand between her shoulder blades. Heat was radiating through her sweater.
"How does this change things, Kayla?" Liv slapped away a fly that was buzzing around her head.
"The place has been scoured. Shit," Kayla muttered. She turned towards Liv, consciously tamping down her irritation. "I needed to test to see whether the blood was human, animal, or some other substance altogether."
"And now you can’t," Liv surmised.
Kayla sighed and rubbed her temple. "We might still be able to tell whether it was blood or ketchup or something. But not whether it’s human. Luminol—"
"That’s used by the police on crime scenes, right?"
Kayla looked a little surprised.
Liv shrugged. "I saw it on America’s Most Wanted the first night I was back from Africa. Sorry. Go on."
"S’okay." Kayla smirked at her lover. "Anyway Luminol, as you may already know—"
Green eyes rolled.
"—is a chemical that can show the presence of trace blood evidence even under paint. But the test to determine whether the substance is human or not requires more than a bare trace. We’re limited by our equipment."
Liv nodded her understanding. "You could send it to a big lab someplace…"
"But it would take weeks to get the results," Kayla finished unhappily.
"We can still run the other tests, right?"
"Yeah," Kayla grunted. "We still can." Her face grew pensive. Something didn’t feel right about this whole thing. Something was niggling at the back of her mind, just out of reach. Her eyes shifted downward and she saw Liv studying her intently. Her lover was trying to puzzle out what was going on with her and it reminded Kayla that she was going to have to voice her thoughts more often, something that had never been a concern in the past. She had been, and to a large extent still was, very content to live inside her own head. "I have a weird feeling about this job, Liv," she confided uneasily.
Liv’s brows drew inward and she snorted softly. "Is there eversomething not weird about this job?" Kayla’s sudden stillness told Liv she’d gone too far. She winced inwardly. "Hey," Liv curled her fingers around Kayla’s wrist, feeling the strong pulse, "I was just teasing. I’m sorry."
"Don’t worry about it," Kayla said brusquely as she moved to set out the video equipment.
But Liv didn’t relinquish the hold on her wrist. "Kayla," her voice was low and apologetic. "Please."
Kayla exhaled loudly. Stop being so sensitive. "What?"
"I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings." Damn that was stupid. I forgot how sensitive she is about this job and her abilities.
Kayla gave herself a kick in the ass and purposely lightened her tone. "S’okay. It’s not you. It’s me."
Liv pursed her lips but decided not to pursue things. They’d barely skirted an argument earlier that afternoon and now it was happening again. Part of it, she knew, was that they were still tired from their travels. And she knew by her partner’s body language that she was hungry. "How about this? How about I let you set up this room while I go get something to eat and bring it back to our Bed and Breakfast?" A little time apart, wouldn’t be a bad idea either. "Then we can chow down there and hit the sack early."
A relieved look washed across Kayla’s face. "That’s a great idea."
"I thought so." Liv smiled tentatively. "But before I forget, what is it that seems odd about this job? Since I haven’t ever been on one before, I don’t have anything to compare it to."
"When Glen meets with potential client there’s a list of information she always gets from them, as well as a set of instructions she gives them if she accepts the case on my behalf." Kayla reached out and drew her finger along the pristine, white walls.
"Kayla?" Liv prompted after a moment.
"Oh, sorry. One of those instructions is to never mess with something the client believes has been in contact with or has anything to do with the supernatural."
Liv began to gesture as she worked things through in her head. "Some people don’t wait though, they go ahead and clean up if there’s been a mess. It probably freaks them out so they move to fix it right away."
"Sometimes that does happen." Keep going….
"And he saw the blood about three weeks ago, when we were on Cobb Island." Glen had phoned Kayla and asked that she cut her vacation short in order to come to Edinburgh. Instead, Kayla had insisted Mr. Keith be put off for a few weeks. She’d surprised Liv by telling Glen that if he couldn’t wait he could find himself another researcher. The women had used the extra precious time to get to know each other, spending part of it at Kayla’s grandmother’s ranch in West Virginia and the other part in Washington, D.C.
"Yes, again." Kayla grinned. Now put it together.
"So he didn’t get all creeped out by the blood and hurry up to paint it. He waited until after he was told not to and then did it right before we arrived in Edinburgh." Liv looked at Kayla for confirmation.
"Exactly."
"Wow, I knew all those Nancy Drew
mysteries would pay off someday." Liv stood a little straighter, proud of herself for reasoning that out. "Of course, I was really only thinking about kissing Nancy… but something must have rubbed off."
Kayla groaned dramatically. "Figures."
"I can see why that doesn’t seem right. It doesn’t fit with the man we met yesterday who really seemed liked he wanted us to get to the bottom of this."
Kayla set her jaw. "He’s going to get his wish."
Liv nodded slowly. "I don’t doubt that at all, Kayla." Their eyes met and they shared a moment of profound determination, which was rudely interrupted by the rumbling of Kayla’s stomach. Liv laughed. "Okay, okay, I’m going."
Kayla ducked her head sheepishly. "I am hungry. And," her head swayed back and forth for a moment. "I’m sorry about before. I get really moody when I haven’t eaten." She glanced up and was met with understanding eyes.
"Me too." Liv mentally added a grocery store to her stops. I won’t be caught again without some trail mix or something.
Kayla handed Liv her cell phone. "No walking around at night alone, okay."
"Noooo problem. I was planning on calling a cab." Liv leaned forward for a little kiss. "Mmm." She smacked her lips happily when they parted. "See you in an hour or two?" She had already learned that Kayla was meticulous about setting up her equipment and she correctly assumed that once she left the lanky woman alone, Kayla’s natural anal retentiveness would take over and she’d feel the need to check everything one more time.
Kayla fondly cupped her cheek. "Two would be great." You already know me too well, don’t you? Then she found herself unconsciously holding her breath as she watched Liv’s eyes flutter closed and a look of concentration overtake her face.
A few heartbeats later and Liv blinked, a little startled. Then she let out a slightly nervous laugh. She hadn’t been expecting that and though she hadn’t exactly heard the words, she somehow knew what Kayla had been thinking. She turned and kissed the warm palm still resting on her cheek. Then she winked. "Darn right I do. See you in two."
Kayla’s eyebrows lifted as Liv walked happily out of the room. "Oh, boy." She shook her head but couldn’t manage to feel anything other than wonderful. "I am in so much trouble."
* * *
Kayla had just locked her equipment trunk when she heard soft footsteps behind her. "Found a take-out place around here, did ya?"
"No. But if you’re hungry I’m sure that something can be arranged."
Startled, she whirled around at the unexpected voice. "Glen." Kayla straightened and took a long look at the petite woman, who was, as always, dressed immaculately. She was also carrying an expensive black leather briefcase. "I thought you were—"
"Liz?"
Pale blue eyes went a little icy. "It’s Liv."
Glen cocked her head to the side and spoke casually, completely unfazed by Kayla’s stony gaze. "Ah, yes. That’s right. She was," the Asian woman stepped closer to Kayla, bringing with her the strong, musky smell of her perfume, "a surprise."
Kayla wrinkled her nose and stuffed her hands into her jean pockets, thinking that couldn’t be the same perfume Glen had worn during their brief relationship. "I know. I probably should have said something."
A perfectly manicured, black eyebrow lifted in censure. "Probably?"
"Don’t do this, Glen. I’m not in the mood."
"Since when do you need another partner?"
"She’s not ‘another partner’, she’s my only partner," Kayla corrected her flatly. "You are paid on commission for your services by me. We’re not business partners or any other type of partner for that matter. And never have been."
Glen’s grip on her briefcase tightened convulsively. "You can be a real bitch, Kayla. You know that?"
Kayla chuckled wearily. "Remind me, Glen, why it didn’t work out between us. I seem to have forgotten."
That earned her a small smile. "Yes, well, my memory on that subject tends to fade a little when you’re this close to me." Glen reached out to touch Kayla’s arm.
Kayla stopped her with a quick hand; giving Glen’s fingers a quick squeeze before letting them go. They were soft and warm and despite herself, Kayla was reminded of at least one thing she’d found attractive in Glen.
"Maybe we weren’t partners but I was still your mentor." Glen could feel herself growing angry, and a slight flush began to work its way up her neck. "It was me who showed you the ropes in this business. So don’t act as though I’m some hired hand!"
"And then it was you that decided to only handle the business end of things," Kayla reminded her pointedly. "How many other researchers hire you to do the same thing I do?"
Glen gathered hold of her emotions again and straightened the corner of her dark silk blazer. "My other business affairs aren’t important." She tapped her briefcase impatiently with her index finger. "Do you have some results that I can pass along to Mr. Keith yet?"
"What?" Kayla looked at her as if she was insane. "I haven’t even started yet!"
"Jesus Christ, Kayla, what’s there to start? This was obviously some ridiculous delusion. Do a quick run through and be done with it." Why must you always be so difficult?
"Cut the bullshit and tell me why I’m here, Glen," Kayla ordered unceremoniously.
The angry flush returned to Glen’s neck. "You’re here because you’re a big name in the field." Because of me. "And when you say there is nothing out of the ordinary going on, people will believe it and then Mr. Keith will pay us very handsomely."
Kayla looked hard into Glen’s eyes. "I want to see the contract."
Glen looked shocked. "What?"
"You heard me, Glen. I want to see the total fee you negotiated and the terms."
Ruby lips twisted into a snarl. "Are you implying I’ll take more than my commission?"
"No. I’m not implying a damn thing, other than I want every scrap of paper having to do with this job and I want it now."
Glen stiffened. "I see." She closed her eyes briefly, before refocusing on Kayla. There was nothing she could do. If Kayla quit now, Mr. Keith’s trust in her would be shattered. She had no choice. "You’ll have it tomorrow."
God, I’m already tired of this. "Thank you." Kayla breathed an inward sigh of relief. "And as far as my report for the house, you’ll get as soon as its finished. Just like always."
Glen swallowed her anger and ducked her head. "Of course."
Kayla made a conscious effort to soften her tone. "Do you have the other files I asked for?" She gestured towards the briefcase.
The small woman held up it up in front of Kayla’s face, her brightly painted nails standing out against the dark leather. "The interviews with the housekeeper and her daughter are all here. Though I’ve already briefed you on what you’ll find. Time is of the essence. That’s why I conducted them while you were off play—" she paused and swallowed, "—while you were still in the States."
"Humor me."
"Don’t I always?"
Kayla fought the urge to smile. "You’ve always done right by me, Glen. I don’t want you to think I’m hinting otherwise. But there’s something odd here…"
Glen’s pulse quickened. "Odd? How?"
"I don’t know," Kayla replied honestly. "But I do know that we need to talk."
"Sadly, I can’t stay." But her coal-black eyes didn’t reflect a hint of disappointment. "I have a late dinner appointment."
"You’re going to be late, Glen."
Glen could hear the challenge in Kayla’s voice and wisely backed off. For now. "I guess they’ll have to wait." She glanced around the empty room. "There’s a pub down the street. And I’m hardly dressed to sit on the floor. Okay?"
Kayla glanced at her watch. "Yeah. Let’s go."
* * *
Liv sat on a soft blanket on the beach, listening to the waves roll in. The lights from the houses lining the sea and the soft twinkle of stars above provided enough light so that she felt safe in her surroundings. When she’d asked Mrs
. Thicke, their B&B proprietress for a blanket she could use, the woman was only too happy to oblige her. She also gave her a thermos of mulled apple cider to ward off the chill.
The linguist took a long sip of the sweet liquid, letting it slide down her throat and warm her guts. Then two long arms wrapped around her, heating her from within in ways the cider never could. Soft, warm lips landed on her throat and kissed her tenderly before nudging Liv’s chin upward for better access. Her skin was slightly salty and cold from ocean spray.
Liv reached up and threaded her hand through thick, dark hair. "Mmm… That’s nice. But you’d better hurry up, my girlfriend was due here an hour ago." The lips stilled for a long, charged second, then dipped playfully, biting Liv’s throat. She squealed and laughed, but didn’t try to dislodge her phantom attacker.
"Your girlfriend is a very lucky woman." Kayla plopped down alongside Liv so that they were facing each other. "Are you sure I can’t convince you to forget about her?"
Liv looked into eyes that shone silver in the moonlight. "What girlfriend?" she mumbled dreamily.
Kayla snorted. "I’ll have to remember that." She leaned forward and brushed her lips against Liv’s, tasting the spicy tang of the cider. "Mmm. That makes me even more hungry," she growled, moving to deepen the kiss. A hand on her chest stopped her.
"Hold your horses."
Kayla froze immediately and Liv grinned, letting her know this was no rejection. "I’m glad you’re hungry," Liv said. "Because I’ve got tons of food up in our room that is getting cold." She reached up and tugged on a strand of Kayla’s gently blowing hair. "I was starting to worry."
"Sorry about that. I had an unexpected visitor about an hour after you left."
Liv’s eyebrows disappeared behind wind-blown bangs. "A ghost?"
"Hardly," Kayla scoffed. "Glen."
"Oh." Liv made a face and Kayla chuckled. "I know she’s your friend and all, Kayla. And I’ll be nice to her out of respect for that. But I gotta tell you, she didn’t impress me too much yesterday."
