“That's horrible!” Susan thought Jake might be right—Robb was getting more aggressive. “Did you tell that to the police?” Susan thought she'd never look at Robb the same way again.
“They never asked me about it."
“They didn't?” Susan was irritated that Jake had given her a big guilt trip when they hadn't even questioned all her neighbors, as he'd led her to believe. She was tempted to call him up and give him a little lecture. Maybe she would tonight. Susan hoped she wasn't making up an excuse to call him.
“They asked me where I was, so I said out with a date. Like I'd need an alibi? According to the papers, the guy was twice my weight if he was a pound. As if I'd kill some stranger in the laundry room.” Georgia looked offended. “Then they asked if I'd seen anything suspicious on Sunday so I said that yes I had. I told them that I saw Robb wandering around looking like he was up to something. I had to go out of my way to slip it into the conversation but it was worth it if someone questioned him.” Georgia laughed a little evilly at the thought of Robb facing the police then looked at her watch. “God, where does lunch time go? Too bad we don't follow the Mexican custom of siesta. I could use about three more hours to myself."
Susan said goodbye. She wasn't at all sure she thought it was a good idea to implicate your neighbor in a murder, even if he was an ass, but it was starting to sound like Robb was out of control. Maybe he was dangerous.
She got into her car and started the short drive back to her office. She only had to get through four more hours at work and then she would be free for the weekend.
Free to show up at Jake's place and jump his body again.
Susan stomped on the brakes reflexively. Where had that thought come from? God she was losing it. “No more Jake Matherly, Susan Rivers. That boy is poison. Skull and crossbones. Keep off. No touching. Period.” She repeated this for the rest of the drive, desperately trying to convince herself. The problem was that she didn't just want Jake's body, she wanted all of him. And she couldn't have that type of relationship with her True Seeing standing like a secret rock between them.
Still, she rationalized as she parked her car, she'd call him and at least tell him about her conversation with Georgia. She got out of her car and slammed the door. You're making this into a bigger deal than it is because you want to hear the sound of his voice. Pathetic, Susan, really pathetic.
* * * *
After work, Susan turned down her friends’ invitation to go dancing. Briles and Courtney were concerned for her and wanted to help take her mind off things, but she was beat. She hadn't been sleeping very well in the last week and she wanted to go home and curl up with a good book and a bottle of wine. It would help her sleep. And she could sleep in to cure the inevitable hangover wine gave her before she did her Saturday clean-the-apartment ritual.
She would now have to add laundry to her list, since she hadn't gotten it done last weekend. The thought of facing the laundry room had her debating whether or not she should take her laundry someplace else. She'd call Briles tomorrow and see if she could wash her clothes over there. For a moment, she considered taking her clothes to another building to do her wash, but then ditched that idea. All the basements probably looked the same and that would be way too creepy for her.
She also had a little niggling thought that Jim Daugherty's memories might be floating around down in the basement, almost like his ghost hovered there, waiting for her. She knew it was ridiculous to feel that way, but she still couldn't get it out of her mind. She would rather not have another peek at the end of Jim's life.
* * * *
Jake watched Susan's two friends as they walked into Buddy's later that night and spent the next ten minutes waiting for Susan to show up. He looked at his watch for the tenth time. A little after ten o'clock. Where was she?
“Hey Jake, want to give me an introduction?"
“What?” Jake looked at the rest of the men at the table. Except for Gordon, they were all on the prowl. Gordon was happily married to a nurse who would soon give birth to his second child. Gordon's wife was a saint. She had Jake over to supper every couple weeks and was very patient with Gordon's intensity and love for his job. Every time he visited, Jake felt jealous. Growing up in his aunt's house hadn't been bad but he had still been an outsider—someone thrust upon her without a choice.
He had always longed for a normal family. He wanted to marry someone wonderful and settle down in a house with a white picket fence. He didn't care that most men would laugh at him. Jake couldn't understand why so many of his friends were scared of commitment. He always thought it was because they didn't understand what it felt like to grow up without a family. Most people didn't appreciate what they had but Jake had long ago promised himself that he would always be grateful if he ever got a real home.
And he knew who he would like to see across the dinner table every night, if she would quit fighting him every step of the way. Jake had already decided that he was done going slow with her. Although he'd left without the answers he needed the other night and hadn't pushed her for a date on the phone yesterday. So maybe he was still going a little slow. And it disturbed him more than he liked to admit that he had let his feelings for her get in the way of doing his job, even though he didn't think that it was impacting the case. Yet.
“Earth to Jake,” one of the guys said, waving his hand in Jake's face. “Introduce me to the two hotties over at the next table."
Jake looked over at Susan's friends warily. “I don't think I can remember their names."
“You left with their friend the other night, Matherly. Surely you can get us an introduction?"
“You're on your own with those two. Just walk up and introduce yourself. That should be enough.” He watched as two of the guys took his advice and went over.
Gordon looked at him. “I thought you were sweet on the woman from the first murder scene.” His eyebrows were arched, his face interested. It was the look Gordon gave when he was trying to be friendly during an interrogation.
“Gordon, no one uses the word ‘sweet’ anymore.” Jake grinned at him, taking a swig from his beer. “It's like the word ‘courting.’ That's not used either."
“I don't know why. Courting is very descriptive. I would have said you were courting Miss Rivers, but I guess I was wrong."
“What's your definition of courting?” Jake had a niggling suspicion Gordon's definition might be different from his own.
“Between dating and getting married. Going steady, if you will."
“Whoa, now. That's extreme.” Jake took a more cautious sip from his beer bottle. “Actually, it was Miss Rivers that I escorted home.” Jake flashed another grin, pleased that he had worked in the old-fashioned word ‘escorted.’
Gordon's eyes sharpened a tad into a look Jake had seen many times before. This was the first time it had been used with him, though. “And why did you do that, Jake? Did it have anything to do with this case?"
Jake suddenly had the feeling that Gordon knew something was up; that possibly he knew Susan's statement was off. Gordon wasn't the type of detective to let something like that drop. He sighed, glad that the two other guys at the table had left them alone to investigate the apparent success the first two were having with Susan's friends. He took a long, bracing drag of his beer and faced Gordon. “I had another round with her about her statement.” Gordon's shock was real, so real that Jake cursed himself up, down, and sideways. His partner hadn't suspected something was off on her statement. But now, thanks to his big mouth, he did. “Shit. You prying bastard."
“What's wrong with her statement, Jake?” Gordon's voice was low and patient. And angry.
“Shit.” Jake took another sip of his beer. Full confession time. “Something's up there. I know her well enough to know she's holding something back."
“Any idea what?"
“I don't know.” Jake shrugged. “I almost had her the other night before she kicked me out of her apartment.” That wasn't exactly true,
but when he'd decided to give Gordon a full confession, it didn't include what had happened on the sofa. That was none of Gordon's business.
“This is what happens when you date people involved in your cases, Jake,” Gordon said piously.
Jake was incensed. “How in the hell was I supposed to know she'd leave my place and go find a dead body in her apartment laundry room? It's the same as if your wife found him."
Gordon looked at him, interested again. “You are comparing her to my wife?"
Jake's gaze locked onto his. “I guess I am, Miles.” Jake took another sip of beer. “I guess I am."
Gordon grinned. “Courting, Jake."
“Shit,” Jake said, this time with a sad undertone. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be courting someone who withheld information from him. He didn't want to date someone with secrets, even though he felt somewhat like a hypocrite because he had a few secrets of his own.
Gordon's face turned serious. “Any idea what she's holding back?"
Jake was glad that Gordon was getting them back on solid ground. “I don't know. I could be wrong about her hiding something, I guess.” Jake mulled it over for a second. “But I don't think so. Her reaction was off. And she reacted with guilt when I said that we were out of leads and a murderer could go free."
“It's true that we are out of leads,” Gordon said, taking a small sip of his red wine. Gordon knew quite a bit about wine, Jake thought. But somehow, he never came across as wimpy, for all that. Prim, almost fussy, but wimpy Gordon was not.
“She's stubborn as hell, though. If I push her too hard, she won't give me jack."
“You sound like you know that from experience."
“Come on, Gordon. Eleven months of striking out for a date is experience enough. The lady has stubborn down to a science. But she'll do the right thing, eventually.” Jake drank the last of his beer. “Takes too long to come to the right decision, though. All I can do is be patient and keep nudging her in the right direction."
“If it comes down to it, maybe I should give it a try,” Gordon suggested in his mildest voice.
Jake looked at his empty bottle. “Let's give it a couple days and see what I can get from her."
“If we're right, then we may have a couple of days. But if we're wrong, and the same perp did both victims, then we might have another body on our hands soon."
“Gordon, you know the same person didn't do both victims. My God, who ever heard of someone switching up that much? They like to kill people the same way when it's as violent as the first vic. They weren't even killed using the same knives.” The ME's report said the woman was killed with a hunting knife, the type with huge serrated jags on both sides of the blade.
“The papers think it's the same guy,” Gordon said, playing the devil's advocate.
“The first guy was butchered. Someone really went after him, but the second only had her throat cut. What are the chances it's the same perp?"
“About ninety-nine to one. We better hope the one doesn't win."
Jake nodded. “Speaking of which, I had an interesting conversation yesterday with yet another woman that Robb Connors has been harassing. That guy really gets around. He's without an alibi for the hours during the first murder and he lied to me. I think maybe we should both go pay him a visit this weekend so you can let me know what you think about him."
“I hate liars. They make everything take ten times longer when you question them."
“The best part is that every time I challenged him on something he'd lied about, he rearranged his story."
“Harassing women doesn't mean he's a murderer."
“True. But he's got so many issues, I don't think we can rule him out. And he was there that night, right in his apartment."
“Any connection that you've been able to find between Robb and the victim?"
“Besides both shopping at the local grocery store? Nope. Not a thing. Daugherty's girlfriend told me he switched buildings every other week when he did his laundry, too. Which makes me think that Robb and our victim hadn't met in the basement. The thing that bothers me is that no one had any motive to kill Jim Daugherty."
“So we start from the beginning again. Reread the file. Re-canvass.” Gordon paused to take the last sip of his wine. “But first, we'll go talk to Robb again."
“What about Paul Parker?"
“Him, too."
Jake thought about Gordon's threat to talk with Susan as he got his wallet out to pay the tab. He wasn't about to let Susan face Gordon, if he could help it. Gordon may never raise his voice or lose his temper but he could bring a giant to tears and a sociopath to a confession. And Jake didn't like the thought of Susan in the interrogation box with him.
Jake knew he had to work a little harder to uncap the lid holding down all her secrets. Gordon wouldn't wait much longer.
Chapter Eight
Susan heard the knock right as she poured the last of the bottle of chardonnay into her glass. Company now would not be a good idea. She was three sheets, or maybe even four, to the wind and she demonstrated that by knocking into the coffee table as she went to get the door.
She had to concentrate a little to undo the lock, but only a little, so she swung the door open with a sense of triumph. Who says I can't hold my alcohol! Her triumph was immediately squashed by Jake's furious voice as he charged past her into the apartment.
“You didn't even check to see who it was!” He swung around and glared at her as she stood in mild shock at the whirling dervish that had exploded into her apartment. “A man gets killed in your building last weekend and you don't even check to see who you're letting in your apartment. I should make you take Safety for Idiots!"
Susan slammed the door shut and walked toward Jake, irritated by his irritation and the intrusion into her quiet night. “Get a new attitude, Jake, or leave. You're ruining what had been a very nice wine buzz.” She walked over to the couch and sat down, picking up her wine glass in hopes of salvaging her evening.
Jake walked over to pick up the empty bottle. “Having a little party for one, huh?” He raised an eyebrow at her, his mouth turning up then down, as if he couldn't decide whether he was amused or not. “Looks like you weren't kidding when you said you had a buzz."
Susan looked at him over the rim of her glass as she took another sip and then said primly, “There's only four and a half glasses to each bottle. I'm not toasted, just a little brown on the edges.” She felt mellow, relaxed and floating. Wine always affected her this way, which was why she tended to drink beer. She didn't feel out of control like this when she drank Miller Lite. If she had known that she was having company, she would have made a different alcohol selection. “Go away if you can't be civil. I'm in too good a mood for you to spoil it right now."
“Looks like it.” Jake sat down on the coffee table in front of her.
Susan flared up immediately. “Don't sit on my coffee table you heathen! People sit in chairs and on sofas, not on tables."
“My, you do get school-teacherish when you get loaded, don't you?” Jake didn't seem worried by her show of temper.
Susan drew herself up, offended. “I am not school-teacherish! I just wasn't raised in a barn, like others I know."
Jake caught a wisp of her hair that had fallen forward across her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. “My aunt would be aghast to know you think my manners are lacking. She tried hard to raise me right. But since I'm already in trouble for my manners, I think I'll go ahead and earn your bad opinion of me.” Jake grabbed the back of her head with a hand and kissed her, a soft brush of lips that immediately made her want more.
Stop this, Susan. Don't give in to this. You need space from this man, not more intimacy. Jake's tongue slid into her mouth to touch hers enticingly. Oh shut up brain. Who needs you anyway? The mellow, floating feeling the wine had given her flooded back with a vengeance and Susan gave herself up to it, pulling him down to the sofa with her.
* * * *
They made their
way steadily across the room and into her bedroom, shedding clothes along the way. Pinning her body against the wall beside her bathroom door, Jake pulled her legs around his body, ramming deep inside her. Moisture poured off their bodies as they came together. Susan painfully twisted her hand in his hair. He hissed at her and slammed home, making her moan with the impact. They both came together, with a quick violence that left them breathless.
“Shower,” he said, when he raised his head to take a breath. “I want to see you wet."
He carried her into the bathroom and turned on the tap without putting her down, his shaft still semi-erect inside of her. He released her slowly, sliding her down along his body to the floor. She leaned over to light the big candle on the back of the commode while he adjusted the water temperature.
She stepped into the shower and then turned to watch him get in. She thought he looked amazing covered in a sweaty sheen. His body was perfect, she thought, as he leaned back with his eyes closed to wet his hair and back. Firelight danced over him and made his brown eyes amber as he met her gaze.
Susan shampooed her hair and then his, pulling him down to his knees so she could reach him without having to stand on her tiptoes. He groaned with delight as she massaged his head. Susan couldn't help but laugh, he was so easy to pleasure. She washed the soap out of his hair and then forced herself to be still as he soaped her up. Desire washed over her as his hands ran over her breasts, down her ribcage to rest on her waist. She looked up into his face, letting him see her desire.
His eyes were full of wanting and she nodded without even realizing that she had answered his silent request. Liquid heat pooled in her stomach and between her legs. Jake turned her around so that she was facing the wall of the shower. He leaned his fully aroused body into her, and ran his hands to her wrists. He placed her palms on the wall to balance them, running his fingers back down her arms, sliding over her breasts. He picked up the soap and began to wash her back, then her buttocks. He ran his hands down to the top of her thighs and then rotated inward. She gasped as his soapy hands touched her core from behind. One thumb dipped into her and her body jerked around him.
True Seeing Page 8
