Murder Served Hot

by Nancy Skopin

  As I turned toward the windows I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and realized I hadn’t locked the office door behind me. A woman stood just inside the doorway. Five-foot-nine, maybe a hundred and thirty pounds. It was hard to tell because she was wearing a heavy jacket that was too big on her. She had short red hair and brown eyes, and she was standing next to a little Asian girl who was dressed only in an oversized cable knit sweater, the sleeves rolled up to accommodate her diminutive stature. The red-haired woman was holding the little girl’s hand, and they were both staring intently at me.

  What the fuck?

  “Can I help you?” I asked, not knowing what else to say. For Christ’s sake, it was three in the morning!

  “We need your help,” the woman said.

  I heard Buddy growl low in his throat, and turned in his direction. “Buddy, stay,” I said, hoping that for once he would obey. Something about the woman’s voice was familiar to me, and I felt a rush of adrenaline as I began to put the pieces together. Nina was back in town and had begun killing again. She would have changed her appearance. The woman in front of me had a child with her who was clearly not her daughter.

  “Oh my God. Nina?”

  I stood up, moving toward my fanny pack and the Ruger, but it was on the other side of the desk. Nina dropped the child’s hand and quickly moved to intercept me. She had her stun gun out before I took two steps.

  “Please don’t make me taser you again,” she said. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

  The Ruger was in my fanny pack, but I remembered I’d stowed the Glock in the holster under my lap drawer. I could have it out in a nanosecond if need be. I sat back down in my desk chair, taking in the situation. Buddy came over and stood next to me, looking curiously at our two visitors. I grabbed onto his collar to keep him away from Nina and her taser.

  “Where did you find her?” I asked, nodding at the child who was, once again, clinging to her hand.

  “That’s not important. Her name is Caifen. She’s an eight-year-old who was kidnapped, or maybe purchased, from an orphanage in Guizhou. I need you to contact child protective services and make sure she’s taken care of. Tell them to send a woman to pick her up. She’s been through a lot. She’ll need counseling, by a female therapist. Think you can handle all of that?”

  I almost laughed at Nina’s sarcastic sense of humor. If I was being honest with myself, I admired this woman for her mission, if not for her methods.

  “Probably,” I said. “Why did you bring Caifen to me?”

  “I couldn’t very well take her to the police, now could I? I respect Bill Anderson. If he’s in a relationship with you it’s a safe bet you’re not a complete idiot.”

  “Do you have Giordano’s client list?” I asked.

  “How do you know about that?”

  “FBI.”

  She nodded. “Look, I’m not here to answer your questions or to bond with you. I have to go now. Please don’t try to stop me.”

  I had the Glock in my hand and pointed at Nina in a heartbeat. She stepped away from the child and held her hands out in front of her. “You don’t want to do that. I’m HIV positive. If you shoot me, the blood spatter will hit Caifen. It might even hit you at this range.”

  The little girl looked up at Nina, then looked at me holding a gun on her hero, and began to cry. She dropped to the floor and curled into a tight ball, sobbing inconsolably. The sound almost broke my heart. Based on Nina’s history of targeting pedophiles, I had a pretty good idea what this unfortunate child had endured. I really didn’t want to make it worse. While all of these thoughts were running through my mind, my eyes trained on Caifen, Nina had slipped out the door and vanished. I hate when that happens.

  I released Buddy’s collar, walked to the open door and looked out at the marina grounds, then closed and locked the door and turned back to Caifen. Buddy stayed by my side for the moment, but looked inquisitively at the child.

  “This is my dog, Buddy,” I said. “He’s a very good dog. You aren’t afraid of dogs are you?”

  Caifen shook her head, now watching Buddy, who was wagging his tail and sniffing the air around her. I sat down on the floor next to her and said, “Buddy come.” It was the one command he regularly obeyed.

  My pup stepped forward and nuzzled the little girl’s ear, then gave her face a single lick. She wrapped her arms around his neck and began to sob again. Buddy allowed himself to be hugged, occasionally licking the tears from her cheeks as she continued to cry. I grabbed the Kleenex box off my desk and set it on the floor beside her.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked.

  She turned her red-rimmed eyes in my direction and nodded.

  I checked the mini-fridge in my kitchenette and came back with a boysenberry yogurt, a spoon, and a bottle of spring water. While Caifen was eating I called Bill’s cell and woke him up.

  “Hey, babe. Where are you?”

  “I’m in the office. Are you at home or on the boat?”

  “I’m on the boat. I was hoping we’d get a chance to see each other tonight. What the hell time is it anyway?”

  “It’s after three. Can you come up to the office, please?”

  “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, but I just had a close encounter of the Nina variety, and she left me something to remember her by.”

  “Holy shit! Do you need me to call dispatch?”

  “Nope. Just come to the office, please.”

  “On my way.”

  I turned back to Caifen and saw that she was holding the yogurt container in both hands as Buddy licked it clean.

  Two minutes later Bill approached my locked office doors. I opened them and ushered the man in my life inside, wrapping my arms around him for a brief moment before locking the doors again.

  Bill was staring at the child huddled on my floor next to Buddy, and she was staring back at him, her eyes wide with fear.

  “Caifen, this is my friend Bill. He’s a police officer, and he won’t hurt you. Okay?”

  The tiny waif nodded once, then turned her attention back to Buddy.

  Bill and I stepped into the kitchenette and I explained what had happened.

  When I’d finished he said, “So she’s a brown-eyed redhead now?”

  “I think she was wearing a wig. Her face looks totally different, though. Unrecognizable, really.”

  “Well shit. I guess we’d better call child protective services and get someone over here to take care of Caifen.”

  “Ask for a woman, please.” I nodded toward the child on the floor still hanging onto my dog. “She’s going to be afraid of men for a long time.”

  Bill nodded and pulled his cell from his pants pocket. While he made the call I sat back down on the floor and gently rubbed Caifen’s back. She sniffled softly and turned to face me. I handed her a tissue and she quietly blew her nose.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, holding the tissue in one tiny fist, and gripping Buddy’s collar with the other, afraid if she let go he might slip away. Buddy eased his ninety-five pound frame down onto the floor and placed his head in her lap. Canine therapy.

  Bill finished his call and said he was going outside to meet the woman from child protective services in the parking lot. I locked eyes with him, wondering if there was any possibility Nina was still nearby.

  “Be careful,” I said.

  He nodded as he went out the door. “Lock this behind me.”

  So he’d had the same thought. I got up and locked the office doors, then returned to my kitchenette and made a pot of coffee. I had to be back at Brooke’s condo in about four hours. It looked like I wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.

  Bill was back ten minutes later with the matronly CPS woman in tow. I unlocked the doors yet
again, ushered then inside, and offered coffee.

  “Coffee sounds wonderful. I’m Melinda Tentrees,” she said, extending her hand. “And you’re Nikki Hunter, correct?”

  I shook her hand, which was soft, warm, and surprisingly strong. “I am,” I said. “How do you take your coffee?”

  “Black is fine, thanks.”

  Before returning to the coffee maker I stooped down next to Caifen and said, “Caifen, this is Melinda. She’s here to help you, okay?”

  Caifen was still seated on the floor with Buddy. She glanced up at Melinda for a moment, then turned her tear-stained face toward me. “May I have another yogurt, please? Buddy ate mine.”

  I laughed and went to retrieve the last yogurt from my fridge before pouring three cups of coffee. Bill seated himself at my desk and watched as Melinda moved to sit on the floor a few yards away from Buddy and Caifen. She was being sensitive to the little girl’s fear. Giving her space. Excellent.

  An hour later our coffee cups were empty, Caifen had finished her yogurt, and had shared her bottle of water with Buddy. There was a puddle of water on the carpet, but it was a small price to pay. Melinda had slowly moved closer to the child, and eventually reached out to touch her hand. Caifen had stiffened momentarily, until Buddy gave Melinda’s hand a lick, and then the little girl had relaxed.

  They were getting ready to leave when Caifen asked if she could use the bathroom. I looked at Melinda who nodded. I escorted the waif to my office restroom, and Buddy insisted on going inside with her. Fine with me, and it seemed to make her feel safe as long as he was nearby.

  “That dog of yours could do some real good at the local children’s hospital,” Melinda said when I came out of the hallway.

  “I’d never thought about that, but I suppose you’re right. He’s great with kids.”

  We heard the flush, and then water running. I wondered how long it had been since the little girl had been allowed to bathe. How long since she’d been cared for. Not only had she lost her parents, she’d been abducted by monsters who had taken her to a foreign country and sold her to a child molester. Not for the first time I wondered if Nina had the right idea.

  Caifen and Buddy came out of the bathroom, and Melinda held out her hand, waiting patiently for Caifen to respond. Finally the child gave Buddy one last, lingering hug, kissed him on the nose, and put her tiny hand in Melinda’s. Before they could get out the door I handed Melinda one of my business cards and asked that she keep me posted on what was happening with Caifen.

  “Maybe she and Buddy can have a play date sometime soon,” I added.

  Melinda smiled, looked down at the little girl who was now in her charge, and said, “I think that could be arranged. Thank you, Nikki. Anderson,” she nodded at Bill and escorted Caifen out the door. As they walked toward the parking lot, Caifen turned to look through the picture window and raised her hand in a wave to Buddy, a hopeful smile on her face.

  Chapter 32

  Nina sat in her rental car on the far side of the marina parking lot. She’d removed her wig and her shoulder length honey blonde hair was now cascading around her shoulders. She didn’t want to risk removing the jacket, though she suspected her shoulder wound had stopped bleeding by now.

  She watched as the CPS van drove into the lot, and Anderson waved down the woman who had arrived to take charge of Caifen. Nina scrutinized the woman through her binoculars. She looked tough, but had a kind face.

  Nina stayed in her parking place until an hour later when the woman came back outside holding Caifen’s hand. The little girl no longer looked terrified. Her posture was almost relaxed. While the CPS woman unlocked the van, Caifen took in her surroundings. Nina watched through the binoculars as the little girl’s searching gaze swept the lot and found her. Nina lowered the binoculars and their eyes locked, just for a moment. The child acknowledged the woman who had saved her with a nod, and Nina’s throat clenched. Then Caifen was lifted into the van, and driven away.

  Nina continued to sit in her rental car, considering what had just happened. The only illumination in the large parking lot was from the street lights, and Nina’s car was now in a dark corner, not where she’d parked when they’d arrived. How had the child known she was there? Nina was tired, and her shoulder throbbed, but what she’d seen in Caifen’s eyes made everything she was doing worthwhile. Perhaps they shared a bond greater than most humans ever experienced.

  Before she could think too deeply about that bond, Nina started her engine and motored back to her hotel. There were still five names on her list.

  Chapter 33

  After Melinda and Caifen left, Bill and I locked up the office and walked Buddy out onto the lawn before going down to the boat. He watered a few shrubs, and then suddenly lifted his head at the sound of an engine catching on the far side of the parking lot. Bill and I followed his gaze and saw a beige sedan driving toward the street. When the car was out of sight we turned to face each other.

  “You don’t suppose,” he began.

  “No. She wouldn’t risk waiting around just to make sure Caifen was taken care of. Would she?”

  Bill shook his head and yawned. “Let’s get some sleep.” He slung an arm around my shoulders and we strolled toward the locked gate. If I was lucky I’d get a couple hours of sleep before I had to be up again for my meeting with Brooke, and Stanley’s funeral was this afternoon at 2:00.

  Since Faulkner had Cross in custody, there was probably no further risk to Brooke, but the Archer issue remained. If Michael could get me his home address I planned to pay him a visit.

  I was toweling off from my shower on Saturday morning when I heard the land line ring. Bill came into the head and handed me the phone, a quizzical look on his face.

  “It’s Michael,” he said.

  I smiled and took the phone, “Hey,” I said. “Thanks for getting back to me.”

  I dropped my towel and went into the galley to find a notepad and pen. Bill grinned at my naked body wolfishly, but kept his hands to himself for the moment.

  “I tried your office and your cell first,” Michael said. “I’ve got that information you wanted.”

  “Of course you have,” I laughed. Michael was amazing.

  “Are you ready?”

  I had the pen poised over the notepad. “Go,” I said.

  He read me an address in an affluent neighborhood in the Belmont Hills. Then, for good measure, he gave me Archer’s social security and driver’s license numbers.

  “Wow. One of these days you’re going to have to show me how you do that.”

  “I could, but then you wouldn’t need me anymore. Good luck, Nikki. And be careful please, this guy is connected to some very unsavory characters.”

  “I will. Thank you, Michael.”

  I placed the receiver back in the galley charger and folded the page with Archer’s information on it before Bill had a chance to read it.

  “I need to get going,” I said.

  Bill was sitting at the galley counter sipping coffee. He just looked at me.

  “Brooke’s expecting me at nine,” I said.

  I was moving toward the stateroom when Bill’s hand shot out and gripped my wrist. “Are you doing something that could get you hurt?” he asked.

  “Not at the moment,” I hedged.

  “Remember our deal?”

  I did remember. We’d agreed that I wouldn’t keep secrets or lie to Bill about my work, and he wouldn’t throw a fit when he didn’t approve of my tactics.

  “Yes, but I don’t have time right now. I’ll fill you in later.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.”

  The wolfish grin returned to his face as he looked me over in a way that nearly changed my mind about my obligation to my client. Before my hormones could get the best of me I scooted into the s
tateroom and got dressed for the day.

  “Hey,” I called out while zipping up my boots. “Can you feed Buddy and take him for a walk?”

  “Maybe.”

  “You don’t have to work today, do you?”

  “I have two open cases, but we both know who the killer is. I’ll take care of your dog if you’ll meet with an artist so we can get an identikit drawing of Nina’s current face.”

  “Deal.”

  I rushed through my usual grooming routine, kissed man and dog, and sprinted up to shore.

  When I arrived at Brooke’s complex I found Jim, Robbyn, and Brooke all drinking coffee in the parking lot. Robbyn was telling Jim about life in North Carolina, and Brooke was looking radiant and slightly amused by her cousin’s antics. Jim, who is a redhead, was blushing visibly, probably because Robbyn was standing very close, and Robbyn is very lovely. He looked up and spotted me approaching. His look said, “Thank God you’re here.” His lips said, “Morning, Nikki.”

  “Good morning, Jim.”

  Robbyn turned to me with a grin. “We thought our protector might need some coffee,” she said, and laid a hand on Jim’s arm.

  He looked uncomfortable, so I decided to put him out of his misery. After all, he was doing this job as a favor to me.

  “I’ll take it from here,” I said. “You go get some sleep.”

  “Good idea.” Jim nodded, handed his empty cup to Robbyn, perhaps to give her something else to do with her hands, and said, “Ladies,” before ducking into the white Mazda Protégé—one among many in his fleet of non-descript cars.

  “Let’s go inside,” I said. “Can I get some of that coffee? I only had time for one cup and I didn’t get to sleep until five this morning.”

  “Oh, poor baby,” Robbyn crooned. “Did that detective of yours keep you awake, or was it work related?”