Kiss of Deceit

by Patricia A. Rasey

  “Go to hell, Chad,” LeAnne said, as she meant to walk around him.

  He grasped her upper arm in one hand and backhanded her across the face with his other. Her head snapped backward as her cheek and the side of her mouth seared in pain. She placed her hand over the area. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

  “My God, babe,” he whispered, suddenly aghast. “I’m so sorry.”

  LeAnne shrugged from his grasp, and exited the kitchen. She walked into the bathroom, still smelling the scent of Snake within its small perimeter. In the mirror, she could see her cheek and lips already starting to swell. Chad stood behind her, full of remorse.

  LeAnne could hardly believe Chad had struck her, especially since he had told Snake otherwise, making him no better than her father.

  “Forgive me, babe. I don’t know what came over me.”

  LeAnne spun around. “Sure, you do, Chad. You don’t stop to think. You never do. Did you ever think to wait for an explanation? No, you just come in here all accusatory.”

  His ire rose again. She could see it in the flaming of his cheeks. “You can’t turn this around on me. I’m not the one who was standing her a few minutes ago, contemplating screwing a biker.”

  “Excuse me? Who said I even entertained the idea?” Heat flushed her cheeks at the small lie. “Snake Gallego came here because he was hurt.”

  “Snake Gallego came here because he wanted in your pants.”

  LeAnne flinched at hearing Snake’s own words spoken on Chad’s lips. Somehow, Snake’s admission now made her sick, not full of desire. Hearing them on her fiancé’s lips, dirtied them, brought them down to a low level. The worst part was, she had considered the idea.

  “You’re full of it, Chad. Did you see his face? I really don’t think he was in any position to get my pants off.”

  “So you would have let him, otherwise?”

  She knitted her brows. “Would you stop turning my words against me? I only meant to say that was not his reason to come here. He needed medical attention.”

  “Then you go to a hospital, for chrissake!”

  She lowered her voice, the fight going out of her. Her cheek and mouth throbbed. “He didn’t want to go to the hospital. Believe me, I offered to drive him.”

  “So, what’s this about a rain check?” Chad hissed as he advanced on her.

  LeAnne glanced at the floor. “As you recall, I didn’t agree.”

  No,” he said, his angry eyes baring down on her. “You didn’t say anything. Not a denial or an admission. Tell me, babe, what would have happened if I would have been able to sleep tonight? I tossed and turned in that big, lonely bed, thinking about being with you. So instead of a sleepless night, I elected to come here and see you.”

  “As I said, Chad, nothing would have happened.”

  “Because Gallego was in no position. What about next time?”

  “There won’t be a next time.” A tear slipped down her cheek. “I’m marrying you, Chad. You’re the one I love.”

  His eyes softened slightly, but nowhere near surrendering his anger. “Love has nothing to do with sex, LeAnne. What happens when you no longer desire me? Are you going to give in to that biker?”

  Hell, she was not far from it now and Chad had hit the nail on the head. What happens when they settle into a comfortable marriage? Would her temptation of Marcus end just because they signed the marriage certificate?

  Doubtful.

  “I want you to be my husband,” LeAnne said, opting for the truth. She doubted she would be able to voice not wanting Snake and have it come out believable. “That fact is not about to change.”

  “But who do want in your bed?”

  She glanced briefly back to the carpet. “I’m only human, Chad. Desiring another is not something I can control. But I can tell you this, I would never act on it, knowing I would lose you.”

  Obviously mulling her admission, Chad paced the small area, hands on his hips. LeAnne wished he would say something…anything.

  Finally, he turned to her, his eyes now calm and controlled, almost icy. Gone was the near hysteria she had seen earlier.

  “I suppose I can understand. We cannot control the way we think. After all, even as a man, I can see the allure Snake Gallego could have on a woman.” He paused, advancing on her. “But control must come from inside. Maybe you need to reflect on what life might be like without me, before we can move forward. I’m going home. After you’ve thought about your actions, you may call me tomorrow. Hopefully, we can get past this one mishap.”

  “Chad…”

  He raised his hand, staying her words. “I’ve said all I have to say, babe. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  He left the house through the front door. LeAnne heard his car back out of her driveway. Her heart ached as strong as her jaw, but for whom, she no longer knew.

  Chapter 18

  “Good God Almighty!” Sheriff Drake said, whistling through his teeth. “The sheriff’s office hasn’t had this much activity since it’s been founded.”

  He walked an arc around the sprawled, prone body, lying face down on the floor. Because of the fixed lividity, they knew the victim died face down. Purple bruising surrounded the pale, virgin-like skin of her neck, telling of strangulation. And by the looks of it, there hadn’t been much of a fight. Either the killer out-powered her, or she knew him and willingly invited him into her home. In which case, he snuck up from behind. A blitz-style attack.

  Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, nothing taken. Her purse lay beside the sofa, undisturbed. Everything appeared in its place. No, this wasn’t a common robbery. Whoever gained entrance, came here with the intent to take this woman’s life or she severely pissed somebody off the minute they had arrived.

  The woman who had placed the call sat in a flowered chair by the door, blowing her nose into a well-used tissue; her eyes red and swollen.

  “I don’t think this is the work of our perp,” LeAnne told the sheriff as she glanced away from the weepy woman. “Do you think we should call BCI in on this?”

  Joe ran his fingers through his mussed hair, attempting to make some order of it. “I think we could still use the BCI’s expertise. Give them a call, tell them the specifics. We want someone here pronto— before somebody from the coroner’s office gets any idea to come in here and move the body.”

  “They can’t move the body until we tell them to. I’ll leave it here all damn day, if I like.” She winked at Joe as the two men waiting for the corpse grumbled by the door, shook their heads, and stepped out into the bright sunlight. The coroner himself had yet to arrive, but LeAnne knew it could be another couple of hours.

  She flipped open her cell phone, put a call in to the BCI, giving the case’s specifics, then punched in Bob’s pager number. LeAnne returned her attention to Joe, who shook his head in disgust.

  “We have a dead stripper, a dead doctor’s wife, and a dead caretaker—all presumably related. Now this. Look, you get this damn scene done. Fingerprints, shoe prints, tire prints, fibers, whatever the hell you can find. You and Bob help the BCI process this scene, and then get back to the sheriff’s office. I think it’s time we had a serious meeting.”

  LeAnne shifted her stance. “I really don’t think this scene is related to the other three. Probably a pissed off boyfriend—on any account, I’m betting it’s a man.”

  “Great deduction, LeAnne,” the sheriff said, sarcasm dripping from each word. Anger flared in Joseph Drake’s eyes; she was about to take the brunt of it. He raised his voice. “This woman’s been strangled to death, and I’m saying it’s a close enough link to at least look at the possibility of a connection. I’ll see you at the office.”

  With that said, and not giving her a chance to defend her thoughts, the sheriff stormed out of the house. There would be hell to pay when she got back to the office. She was just glad he hadn’t commented on her own bruise, though his gaze had traveled to the spot on her face frequently. Thanks to her big mouth an
d poor judgment, LeAnne sported a welt on her cheek and jaw line the size of a mole hill and bruising to go along with it. At this point, LeAnne hadn’t prepared an answer for anyone on how she received the mark. But she knew, once back at the office, the question would come up.

  Of course, she was an idiot. She had run into a doorjamb and nothing more.

  If they didn’t want to believe her story, then it would be their problem.

  Aside from the two deputies measuring the room and triangulating the body, the only other sound came from the soft sobs of the woman in the chair. LeAnne would have to question her and send her on her way, ASAP. This poor woman had gone through hell.

  Her cell phone rang, disrupting her reverie. She flipped open the flap. “Hello.”

  Hearing Bob Reese on the other end, she quickly told him the specifics and location of the crime. Bob said he would be there within fifteen minutes. LeAnne ended the conversation, then replaced the phone in her jacket pocket.

  She approached the woman and knelt in front of her. “Mrs.…”

  “Duncan,” she sniffed. “Samantha Duncan. Cora…Cora is—was my friend.”

  New tears washed down her cheeks as she used the damp tissue to wipe them away. Moisture gathered in her nostrils. She quickly blew her nose, then gave LeAnne her full attention.

  LeAnne needed answers and Samantha Duncan’s cooperation. With a dead body only a few feet away, she wasn’t about to get that here.

  “Mrs. Duncan, why don’t you follow me into the next room, and we’ll let my deputies do their job.”

  LeAnne ushered the woman into the kitchen, where she closed the pivoting door behind them. They sat across from one another at the table, a potted fern between them. After extracting her note pad, she flipped back several pages, and took out a pen.

  “Mrs. Duncan.”

  “Please, call me Samantha.”

  “Okay, Samantha. Can you tell me the exact time you found Miss Smith?”

  Samantha dabbed the corner of her eye with her fingers, then used the same hand to rub her temple. “It’s not like I checked my watch. But I think it was somewhere around eleven.”

  “A.M.—about an hour ago?”

  “Yes, of course. I wouldn’t have waited all night to call you, for God’s sake.”

  “I’m trying to get the facts as perfect as I can, Samantha. This is a murder case, and it is imperative that the facts are completely correct. Even though it is ridiculous to think you found Miss Smith last night and didn’t call the sheriff’s office until eleven today. We must never assume.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m a little shaken.”

  “And understandably so. Now—so I can get back in there and do my job—I’ll make this as quick as possible. With the understanding, though, that I would like you to come down to the sheriff’s office for a more extensive interview as soon as you feel up to it. The sooner, the better.”

  Samantha nodded and glanced at the table surface where she clasped her hands in front of her, blanching her knuckles.

  “Miss Smith…Cora, did she have any enemies? Someone who might have wanted her dead?”

  She shook her head. A tear dropped to the table. “Cora was beautiful. She had a lot of friends. I mean, that’s the whole reason I came over.” She glanced up at LeAnne. “Someone from where she works called me, concerned because Cora rarely missed work. She loved her job.”

  “Where did Miss Smith work?”

  “The hospital. She was a receptionist.”

  The hairs pricked at the back of LeAnne’s neck. “The Henry County Hospital?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did she know a Dr. Frank Holliday?”

  “Of course. As a matter of fact, I think she liked Frank a lot; talked about him all the time, how cute and nice he was. I think that was one of the reasons she liked working at the hospital so much. She thought one day she might even marry a doctor. But she never went out with Frank. I mean he was married and all.”

  “So Cora never dated married men?”

  “Not him, anyway. He was head over heels in love with his wife and Cora knew it. You know, it was too bad his wife died like that.” Her eyes widened and she placed her fingers over her mouth. “There’s not a connection here, is there? I mean, wasn’t the doctor’s wife strangled?”

  “No, Samantha, I don’t believe these cases are connected. I’m not at liberty to discuss the other case with you, but I can tell you, the only similarity is that both women were strangled.” LeAnne was not about to bring up the sheriff’s own feelings about the possible connection, so instead, she changed topics. “Was there any one man in Miss Smith’s life? A jealous boyfriend perhaps?”

  “Cora didn’t have a steady, if that’s what you’re getting at. She dated a lot of men; she liked to keep her options open. You don’t think one of them…?”

  “It’s very possible, Samantha.”

  The door to the kitchen swung open and one of the deputies poked his head through. “Coroner’s here,” he said, “and Bob Reese, too.” LeAnne glanced back at Samantha as the deputy left them alone.

  Samantha blew her nose.

  “Why don’t you allow me to have one of the deputies drive you home. We can question you later at the office.”

  Samantha’s eyes welled up with tears. “I’m fine…really.” She choked on a sob.

  “I’m sure you are.” She paused before adding, “I’m going to need a list of men Cora went out with, anyone you can think of, especially in the last six months. Right now, Samantha, I need to go in there and finish my job.” LeAnne checked her watch. “Can you meet me at the sheriff’s office sometime after supper?”

  “Around seven-thirty?”

  LeAnne nodded. “That would be fine.”

  “I’ll have my husband bring me.”

  “I think that would be a wise idea. I can have a deputy give you a ride home. You can pick up your car later.”

  “No. I can drive. Really.”

  “I’m sure you can, but I don’t want you backing out of the driveway and ruining any possible prints.”

  When she finally escorted Samantha and a deputy out of the house, LeAnne saw Bob Reese standing over the victim and Dr. Ahmad Rao checking the victim’s body temperature.

  “She’s been dead a good long time,” Dr. Rao said, looking at the thermometer. “I’d say she died around eleven or twelve last night. I’d like to get her into my office as soon as possible to do the autopsy. I’ll be able to give you a more accurate time then.”

  “Give us another few minutes, and we’ll be ready to transport,” Bob said. He dismissed the coroner with the turn of his back and approached LeAnne. “Same guy?”

  “I think we have a pissed off boyfriend instead.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “She willingly let the perp in, turned her back, and that’s when he attacked. I haven’t checked for a latent yet, but I would say it’s a pretty safe bet we won’t find much. By the looks of the scene, she allowed him in the front door, and he blitzed from the back. When she was dead—he went out the way he came in.”

  “You think he left the door wide open?”

  LeAnne chuckled. “I think he was smarter than that. He closed the door all right. No one knew she was even home until Samantha found her.”

  “Then if our guy is no pro, we’ll find a latent.”

  “Samantha already destroyed what prints we might have found on the door handle when she arrived. She said she ran back out the front door and called from a neighbor’s, touching both the inside and outside doorknob.”

  “What about the lamps? Was there a light on?”

  “No.”

  “That means he shut off any lights when he left.”

  LeAnne pondered aloud. “A light left on all night might attract attention.”

  “We’ll check the light switches, the back of the door, and anywhere else he might have touched.” Bob paused and glanced at her swollen cheek and lip. “What happened to your face? It look
s like you hit the side of a semi.”

  LeAnne rubbed her tender jaw. She glanced away. “It’s nothing, really. I didn’t turn on any lights when I got home last night.” She chuckled nervously; she knew how lame her concocted story sounded. But what else could she say? Chad struck her because Marcus Gallego offered her a rain check on getting laid? “I ran into a door jamb, that’s all.”

  Bob gazed at her skeptically. “You’ve lived there for how long and you still don’t know where your doors are—even in the dark?”

  “I know, pretty silly.”

  LeAnne grasped her fingerprinting kit and put herself to work, wanting to divert Bob’s attention from her face and her life.

  “Must have hit it pretty hard to get that size of welt.”

  She knew he didn’t believe her for a minute. But lucky for her, he followed her lead and went to work, helping dissect the scene before the BCI arrived with their crew of technicians.

  * * *

  “What the hell is going on here?” Joe nearly screamed. In the few years Joseph Drake had been sheriff and his years as a law enforcement official before, LeAnne had never seen him this irate. “We have four dead bodies and not one goddam suspect. What the hell are you doing out there, LeAnne? Having a goddam party on the tax payers’ money?”

  Bob had already gone to the lab in BG and left her alone to deal with this. She would have to remember to thank him when he finally managed to make his way back to the office.

  “I’m sorry, Joe, but I really don’t think this is called for. It’s not like I’m not trying.”

  Joe stopped his pacing long enough to glare at her, fists on his hips.

  His sheriff’s pin glinted from the overhead fluorescent lights.

  “Oh, really?” He advanced on her. “No, what it looks like is you’re having enough personal problems of your own”—his gaze stopped on her swelled cheek and jaw—“that maybe you aren’t paying enough attention to this case.”

  “Personal life aside—I’ve been spending hours on this case, going over and over what we do have.”