Adam walked through the house like he was on a mission. He was focused and had one thing in mind. If she was going to leave, she was not going to forget where he had been. Of course he would try to talk sensibly with her first.
Meeting him on the stairs as she was returning to the main living room, he stopped in his tracks. “Why won’t you consider staying?”
“I have considered staying and I chose to return home. It doesn’t mean that we can’t see each other, it only means that I will be living full time at my place. You are welcome there and I will come visit you, but living arrangements were never meant to become permanent residency.” She snipped.
“I suggest you watch your tone. You are free to do as you wish, but you won’t talk to me with that attitude.” He looked at her and she could see the iris’ darken in color.
“I didn’t do a damn thing to you. All I wanted was to go home to my world now that this monster was caught.” She told him, her voice toned down.
“Are you ready?” He asked her, changing his mind in regards to his earlier plan.
“Yes sir, I am.” She said knowing it would affect him.
As they drove back into the city they sat silently. Neither of them offering any argumentative material. Blue skies and puffy white clouds made for a picture perfect day. There was no point ruining that. This trip seemed shorter than their other ventures into the city. Whether it was due to the fact that neither of them truly wanted to part ways or he had drove faster than usual. He parked the car in the lot and they both stepped out.
“I’m going to walk you up to be safe.” He was the first to speak.
“That’s fine.” She acquiesced.
Opening the door to her apartment she could smell the odor a place took on when it was closed up for a lengthy time. She would have to open the windows and doors to air it out. He walked in immediately after her, this time checking everywhere for something amiss. When he was satisfied that the apartment was clear of danger, he crossed the room to her. She felt the weight of his hand on her shoulder and it sent a warmth coursing through her body. Turning her to face him, he leaned down and kissed her. “I meant it Priscilla, I love you. It’s fast I know, but I do.” He told her when his lips had parted from hers.
“Adam.” Was all she that she could manage.
“If you need anything at all, please call me right away. I’ll text and call you soon. I’m going to miss you Priscilla.” The sincerity plainly clear.
“I’m going to miss you too.” She whispered.
Closing the door behind him, she plopped onto the sofa. Her heart hurt and her head hurt. All she wanted was to be with him and yet here she was in this apartment.
Smiling to himself from the parking lot, the man in the Honda had went unnoticed as he pulled in behind them and parked the car. Now, he would wait. She would know what it felt like to suffer tonight. What she wouldn’t know, is that she would never have been targeted at all until she went to work at Nina’s. Even more exhilarating would be the look on her face when she recognized him. His plan had been flawless. She was at home and alone while an innocent kid sat in jail for murders he didn’t commit.
Watching the Mercedes pull away from the apartment complex he shook his head. “This really should not be this easy.” He thought to himself.
Priscilla went about opening the windows and the door to let some fresh air in to the closed up apartment. For the first time in a long time she had her music on and felt a wave of happiness wash over her. She knew that she had to call Nina to let her know she was home and to find out if she was going to reopen for the night. “Relax for a minute,” She was telling herself.
With the music blaring some Maroon 5 throughout the apartment, she barely heard the ringing of the phone.
“Hello? One second let me turn the music down, I can’t hear.” She answered it. “Okay, sorry, hello?”
Detective Mike Ward had called to check up on her, she considered it a thoughtful gesture on his part, considering the last interaction they had.
“Ms. Barnes, I want to offer my apologies for our last meeting. It was a stressful day for all involved and I let it get the better of me.” He offered her the apology.
“No worries,” She told him. “We all have bad days and those were exceptionally bad for everyone.”
“Will you be staying at your place now or still going to be out at the Linston Estate?” He questioned her casually.
“I’ll be here at my place. No reason for me to intrude anywhere else at the moment. Since you and Det. Tony have the man responsible.” She told him. “It was such a relief to know that it was over. Did he give any indication why he did this?”
“No, he’s declaring his innocence, but we all understand that everyone is innocent.” He said with a hint of disdain in his voice.
“Hopefully it will come out, I know how you feel about ‘strippers’ but we aren’t all like that. Those were good girls trying to support themselves and their families. It makes me sad to know that they are gone for no reason.” The sorrow filling her words.
“Alright, I wanted to check on you and offer my apologies.” He replied. “If you need anything do not hesitate to contact myself or Det. Tony.”
“Thank you. Good bye.” As she hung up the phone she thought it was nice of him to at least offer a somewhat half-assed apology. She knew what he thought about her, but it wasn’t very professional to come out and say it.
“Might as well call Nina while the music is off.” She said to no one.
With the phone ringing and no answer, she waited for it to go to voicemail. She wanted to at least touch base with her to let her know where she was. “Hey Nina, its Priscilla. Wanted to let you know that I am at home now. Was wondering if you were going to open tonight and if I should go ahead and come in. You know, try to get back to some kind of normalcy. Anyway, call me when you get this. Love ya. Bye.” Hanging up the phone she wondered why Nina hadn’t answered. She always answers. Oh hell…maybe she’s finally freaking relaxing after this mess. Priscilla could see the hurt in her eyes every time they were together. Three of her girls that she thought of as adopted daughters were gone. Ripped away unnecessarily.
Priscilla went on with her day, cleaning out the refrigerator where food had been left when she fled from the apartment. The milk curdling in the container and a few other things that had become alien life forms, adding a grocery trip to her list of things to do. Adam Linston kept crawling through her mind, it didn’t matter what she was doing he was all she could think of. She knew that she was going to have to share her feelings with him one day. Priscilla Barnes, like it or not, had fallen in love.
“Have you lost your mind?” She heard that secreted away inner voice speaking to her.
Inside the mansion of the Linston Estate, Adam found himself sitting in his office chair, surrounded by every luxury that money could buy and yet he was miserable. For the first time in many, many years, Adam Linston was incredibly lonely. There was no laughter to be heard, no one to grab from behind and hold on to. It was himself and his staff. The staff which seemed to make themselves blend in with the woodwork, were unseen and unheard unless they were called. What could he do to make her understand how he felt? She lit up his world in a way no other had. Today had been the longest day of his life, starting with the words, “Can you take me home.”
Sitting with his phone in his hand all he wanted to do was text her. To see her name on the screen when she replied. Fighting the urge to appear needy, he sat there in silence. If she went to work tonight maybe he would go and watch. “No dumbass that would make you nothing more than a stalker.” In reality, he wanted her to come back and be treated like the queen she should be, no more men drooling over her with their sick, perverted fantasies. He knew it was only a job to her, but still, just the thought made him sick. If anyone were going to drool over her, it was going to be him.
Since Priscilla had not heard from Nina today, she decided to call it an evening and relax with a
glass of wine. Everything that she didn’t get done today, she could get done tomorrow. Now it was time for herself. Drawing a hot bubble bath she waited while the lavender scented water filled the tub. Lowering into the hot water she instantly felt her muscles relax. Closing her eyes, she pushed everything from her mind but right now. This moment was the only important thing she needed to concentrate on.
Being in the bath for only a short time, Priscilla heard the knock at the door. It could only be one of two people, Adam or Nina. She knew she had to answer it no matter which one it was. Grabbing her soft, purple robe that hung on the hook behind the door, Priscilla made her way to the living room. Checking the peephole she was taken by surprise. When she opened the door she exclaimed, “Detective Ward!”
“Ms. Barnes, I’m sorry if I caught you at a bad time. We are doing a line up this evening and needed to have you come in to see perhaps if you had ever seen this man before.” He told her.
“Oh. I don’t know if I want to do that. It’s unsettling enough as it is.” She hesitated.
“No one would be able to see you through the two way mirrored glass.” He assured her.
Worry instantly closing in, she shut her eyes to let it all sink in. “I thought tonight was going to be relaxing.” She sighed.
“It won’t take up much of your time and if you can say that you’ve seen him in the club before, it would be a big help to the investigation.” He prodded. “You could ride with me and I’ll bring you back or you could follow me in your personal vehicle.”
Knowing that she needed to do anything she could to make sure this monster was convicted she looked at Det. Ward and said, “Let me get dressed and I will follow you.”
“Take your time. There is no rush.” He assured her again.
Pulling clothes from the closet, she threw on an old pair of jeans and a hoodie. No need to dress up, she only wanted to get this over with. Finding her slip on shoes, she was as ready as she would ever be. How many people actually look forward to participating in a line up, to identify someone that may or may not have threatened to kill you…after killing three of your friends?
“I’m ready, Det. Ward, let’s get this over with.” She sighed, grabbing her keys and bag from the very countertop that had once held a death threat.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Beth Tony was sitting at home trying to enjoy the time with her kids. The exotic dancer case playing on her mind all day. Between the shrill screams and laughter of her children she was trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle of pieces from the files. Nothing added up. She was still convinced that this guy in fact had not committed those atrocities. Why would a money seeking drug addict murder three innocent women?
Dialing Ward’s cell number, she had a nagging question that she needed to ask him. It was the one piece that didn’t fit anywhere.
“Ward.” He answered.
“Hey, do you have a minute, I have something that I have to run by you and get your opinion?” She said.
“Shoot. Make it quick I’m in the middle of getting on the freeway. Headed out of town for a few days. Thought I would put those vacation days to use. You should do the same.” He replied.
“We have zero evidence. Even only the circumstantial evidence that puts this kid in a location with a girl that works at the same club. That could make him incredibly stupid without being guilty.” She continued, “It hit me while I was sitting here today, someone knows what we look for. What not to leave at a crime scene and how to get away with this.”
“Yes, you have a point.” He answered.
“Ward, what if it’s a cop?” She returned.
There was a hushed silence from the other end of the phone. “Ward, you there?”
“Yeah, I was running that through my head.” He told her. “I guess anything is possible, but I believe this dirt bag we have now is responsible. Look who his victim was, she would have been one of the next in line, other than Barnes.”
“We aren’t on the same wavelength with this one, partner.” She replied. “Anyway, go enjoy your vacation. I’ll see you in a couple days.”
“Later.” Was the only reply before he hit end call.
Lifting her feet into the white wicker chair next to her, she was trying to understand why he hadn’t told her, his partner of years that he was taking vacation days. It wasn’t her issue, her issue was with his attitude about the entire case. A disturbing fleeting thought ran through her mind. Without vocalizing it or even trying to rationalize it, she brushed it off. “No way, not even a consideration.” Leaving work with that phone call, she jumped into the pool with her kids. She had always enjoyed the night swims with them.
Miles away in a home so big he didn’t have to have any human contact if he chose not to, Adam felt the walls closing in around him. Going stir crazy, he made the decision to simply go see her. He didn’t have to bring her back he only wanted to spend time with her. Making his way to the garage he hoped he would make it in time before she went to bed.
Following Ward out of her parking lot, Priscilla Barnes had a wave of anxiety spread through her. Where did it come from? “Come on woman, you’re going to try to identify a person who killed three women. Maybe that’s where it came from, you aren’t stupid.” She told herself.
Making the left turn on to the freeway onramp, she had no idea how much she should have listened to that inner voice. Less than a mile on the freeway and her car started to make an odd noise. While she was completely unfamiliar with anything mechanical even she knew that this wasn’t good. Ward was ahead of her by a few car lengths, she would have to call him because she had to stop. Pulling to the shoulder area, she reached for her phone. “Damn it,” she cried to herself. She didn’t have his number and his business card was at home in a different bag.
Mike Ward watched through his rearview mirror as Priscilla pulled to the side. He was too far ahead of her to pull over himself. He took the next exit off of the highway. She watched him exit and hoped that he had seen her and would circle around. They were still a few exits from where they needed to be, that played in her favor. Once she turned the car off and tried to restart it, it was dead, wouldn’t even turn over.
As he swung the car into the parking lot he was all smiles. He missed her even after only a few hours. His surprise visit was going to do one of two things, it was going to make her smile or it was going to piss her off and he would see the angry her again. Adam didn’t care, he had to see her. Not that he wanted to see her upset, but he would take whatever he could get. The grounds surrounding her building were blooming into lush, green areas. The shrubs and the grass filling in to make a beautiful cover for the older buildings. He knew that while she couldn’t afford a lot when it came to living expenses, she was proud of what she had. These buildings did not appear run down in anyway, the groundskeepers did a remarkable job with the landscaping.
He knocked on her door and waited. It wasn’t very late so he wasn’t worried about her being asleep already. With no answer, he knocked again. He hadn’t thought to check the lot for her car and he completely blanked out the fact that she was returning to work tonight. “Fuck, Linston get your shit together.” He said to himself, disgustedly.
In the parking lot he realized that her car definitely was not there. He would have to go to Nina’s to see her, he hadn’t drove this far to turn around and go back. Nina’s wasn’t far from her apartment and it would only take a few minutes for him to reach the destination. Stopping along the way to pick up some flowers, yes…even from a convenient store they were still flowers, he hurriedly drove the remaining distance.
The club wasn’t as crowded as it had been on his previous visits and he found parking with relative ease. Taking care of the cover charge he made his way indoors. The music with the heavy bass thumping in his ears encompassed him. There was a dancer on the stage that he didn’t recognize, of course that was understandable with the events of the last few months. His eyes scanning the darkened crowd looking for her, after al
l, bottle service is how he finally met her. With no luck, he had to convince one of the bouncers to find Nina for him. Leon wasn’t too difficult to win over when it came to getting Nina, which was a good thing. He was kind of tired of not succeeding at anything tonight. All he wanted to do was walk back and get Priscilla himself, but knew that wouldn’t fly, with security, the girls and Nina. So, he waited.
“Adam, it’s good to see you and much better back in the real world.” Nina said with a smile as she wrapped him in a hug. “How is my Priscilla doing? Tell her I tried to call her back, but there was no answer.”
Adam stopped and looked at her, “What, she isn’t here?” He asked.
“No, she’s not been here at all. I missed a call from her earlier today, got busy and forgot to call her back. I tried a couple of hours ago but it went straight to voicemail.” She replied.
“That’s not like her. My guess is that she got tired of being kept away from the outside world and is enjoying some time to herself.” Adam tried to convince himself.
“Obviously you’ve tried her apartment.” Nina said out loud. “If her car wasn’t there then it makes sense that she is just out and about.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Well look, if you see her, don’t tell her I came looking for her. I don’t want her to think that I was stalking her.” He said with half a laugh.
“I won’t. Let me know though when you hear from her.” She smiled at him. “Now, I better get back there and make sure these new girls know what they are doing.”
Smiling at the older woman he told her he would have Priscilla call her as soon as he talked with her. They said their goodbyes and parted ways. He had to give her room and showing up unannounced at both her home and work on their first night of separation was not giving her any space. Deep inside he had a terrible apprehension that something was wrong, without any definitive information, he had to go home and quit hunting her down. She wasn’t his, she hadn’t said anything about loving him, and he had been the fool to admit that. He had to let her go until she came to him. It was the hardest thing he could face. Or so he thought.
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