Killer Spring

by Kay Bigelow

  “I guess I don’t really have a choice do I?” Rodrigo asked.

  They had the information they needed, so they took Longhouse out of the restaurant. Cots surprised them by giving Peony the address to an apartment she and Leah knew nothing about. He escorted Rodrigo up to the apartment. Since Cots was wired, they heard his conversation with their witness.

  “This place belongs to me. I have a list of everything that’s here, including the video games. If I find anything missing, I will hunt you down and take the price of anything and everything you’ve stolen one strip of skin at a time. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir, I do understand.”

  “Good. Now here are the rules. Do not play any game using either your real name or any recent aliases you’ve come up with including Rodrigo and Charlie. Here’s a phone you can use. Do not tell anyone, even your sweet old mother, where you are. I can’t keep the gangs from finding you if you’re stupid. I will be monitoring you twenty-four seven. I will know every game you play and your score, I will know everywhere you go on the various nets, even the darkest of them. I will know every call you make and receive. If you leave the apartment for any reason, you will be on your own. I will not, I repeat, I will not come to your rescue. Do you understand my rules?”

  “Yes, sir,” Rodrigo said, his voice telling Peony and Leah just how intimidated by Cots he was.

  When Cots returned to the car, Leah decided she wouldn’t ask him about the apartment and whose it was. Instead, she asked, “Who is Charlie?”

  “That’s the name he was using when he hacked into the database on the third-tier dark net.”

  “How do you know it was him?”

  “Because I followed him out and he led me to his home computer. Dumb shit.”

  “I’m starved,” Peony said. “Can we stop and get lunch on the way back to the office?”

  After stopping to pick up lunch, they returned to the office and sat at the conference table in Leah’s office. After they finished their sandwiches, Leah asked, “Do we know PiguTou?”

  “Not before ShaTin told us about him,” Peony said. “It took a while to figure out who the guy is since PiguTou is not his real name. His real name is Daichi Lei.

  “I found one reference about him in a newspaper article when his brother, Victor, was killed in a shootout with the police three years ago. I think there was a photo with the article showing Victor’s family at his funeral. With no additional hits on him, I assumed he was just the kid brother of a gang member.”

  “Get on him fast and hard. He sounds as if he has a better motive than anyone else, even the lovesick Rodrigo.”

  “What do you mean, Boss?”

  “The only reason we looked at ShaTin was because he’s a…what did Rodrigo call them, Peony?”

  “Gangbangers.”

  “ShaTin is a gangbanger, yes. But that doesn’t mean he’d kill Sarah for no reason we could find, so no motive. He has a rock-solid alibi, and he’s wealthy so he has no beef with Lionel except that Lionel wanted Sarah to marry someone ‘more appropriate.’ Plus, he loved Sarah.”

  “Rodrigo also loved Sarah. What’s his motive?” Peony said.

  “She rejected him,” Cots said.

  “Good, but if he killed Sarah, he has enough street smarts to know he’d die in prison on one of the penal colonies, and his life while he lived would be a hell on earth. You know the prison lords would use him as gifts to their members. The bottom line, I think, is that Rodrigo and ShaTin had more motives for killing each other than Sarah. We’ll keep them on the active suspect list for now. But let’s zero in on Daichi Lei, and see what we find.”

  Leah couldn’t help herself, she checked her phone to see if there were any messages from Jardain. Her disappointment was palpable when none appeared. Well, phuc. When the woman runs, she flat-out disappears. I’ll give her another day or two before I give up and try to get on with my life and stop lusting after her.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Leah left her office at six and went home. Rusty, as usual, met her at the door.

  “Can I get you a glass of white wine, Boss?”

  “That would be lovely.”

  “Are you dining in this evening?”

  “I am,” Leah said.

  “Will Dr. Bensington be joining you?”

  “Not this evening. Fix me something light and delicious. I’ll be ready to eat in about an hour.”

  “Yes, Boss.”

  Despite her previous thought of getting over Jardain, she found herself thinking about her. Why hasn’t Jardain called? She rushes out of the restaurant with an emergency at the hospital and she doesn’t call to let me know she’s okay?

  A half hour later, her thoughts about Jardain were interrupted by her phone vibrating. It was Cots.

  “I forgot to tell you, I found out what Jardain’s emergency was last night at the restaurant. Her grandmother is in the hospital.”

  “Do you know the cause?”

  “Cardiac arrest.”

  “Phuc. Which hospital is she at?”

  “Mercy. Third floor. Room three twelve.”

  “Thanks, Cots.”

  “Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  Leah retrieved her jacket from the bed where she’d tossed it when she entered her bedroom.

  “Rusty, cancel dinner plans. I’m heading for Mercy Hospital and don’t know when I’ll be back.”

  “I’ll have Seraph pick you up at the entrance.”

  “Thanks,” she said as she exited her condo. I hope I’m doing the right thing. She may not want me seeing her vulnerable. Too bad. I’m going to be there for her whether she wants it or not.

  Seraph was waiting for her at the front door when she exited the building. Leah had no sooner closed the car door than they were moving. She could see from the display in front of her that Seraph’s destination was Mercy Hospital. Not for the first time—nor for the last, she suspected—she thanked whoever invented self-driving cars.

  On the third floor of the hospital, she went down the long hallway until she found Room 312. She stood in the doorway for a moment. Jardain was standing with her back to the door looking out the room’s only window. She must have sensed Leah’s presence because she turned slowly toward her.

  Leah’s heart melted when she saw the pain in Jardain’s beautiful eyes. Leah saw Jardain’s cool exterior was merely a façade over what could be a myriad of deeper layers of feelings. She took a step toward Jardain, still unsure if she should be at the hospital. Jardain closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around Leah.

  “God, I’m so glad you came,” Jardain said, relief flooding her voice. “I didn’t know if you would and I didn’t want to know you wouldn’t, so I couldn’t call. How did you find out where I disappeared to?”

  “Cots. Where is everyone?”

  “Amara and Lionel are having dinner nearby.”

  “How’s your grandmother?”

  “She’ll be fine. They got her into surgery in time so there is no permanent damage. They’ve implanted a temporary heart until they can build her a new one.”

  “I’m so glad she’s okay. Have you been here the entire time?”

  “Yes.”

  “You must be exhausted.”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Are you going to introduce me to your new girl, Dani?” Jardain’s grandmother asked.

  “Danny?” Leah murmured.

  “Of course. I thought you were still napping.”

  “Hello, dear. You must be Leah. Dani’s told me so much about you. Come into the light so I can see you.”

  Leah reluctantly left Jardain’s arms to go stand by the head of the hospital bed.

  “You certainly are beautiful. I thought maybe Dani was exaggerating because she’s in love. But if anything, she understated the obvious.”

  “Grandmother…”

  Jardain was standing opposite Leah on the other side of the bed.
<
br />   “What? Leah doesn’t know you love her? Why is that, Jardain Lan Bensington?”

  Leah recognized the tone of the voice and the use of Jardain’s full name for what it was—both an admonishment and a warning. Her own grandmother had used that same tone and her full name on several occasions over the years.

  “You love me?” Leah asked.

  “I do love you, Leah Brioche Samuels. I know it’s only been a little while, but I think I’ve known since the day we met.”

  Amara, followed by Lionel, came into the room, and the spell was immediately broken.

  “Leah, how nice to see you again,” Amara said as she rounded the bed to give Leah a hug.

  “Why are grandmothers always the last to be told these kinds of things?”

  “You’re not the last. Lionel doesn’t know these things either,” Amara said.

  Lionel didn’t seem all that surprised to see his private investigator standing next to his mother-in-law’s hospital bed, and was clueless as to what the women were talking about, but apparently knew from past experiences he’d be told if he needed to know, so he held his tongue.

  “Now that I know you’re okay and your grandmother is recovering, I’ll be going,” Leah said.

  Jardain’s grandmother held out her hand to Leah. “Now that I know you’ve captured Dani’s heart, I want to see more of you. You must be extraordinary to do that. I’ve always been taken with extraordinary women.”

  “You will, Grandmother. Once you’re home and doing better, we’ll come over for dinner,” Jardain promised.

  “Leah, take Jardain with you, please. She hasn’t left this room in twenty-four hours, and frankly, she’s beginning to smell bad,” Amara said, smiling gently.

  “Mother, must you?”

  “I must.”

  “Come with me, Jardain. Rusty was just about to fix my dinner. You can join me.”

  “Dani, go with your girl and tell her what you told me. I’m okay here by myself. We all need a few hours of sleep tonight.”

  “Oh all right,” Jardain said. “But you’ll call me if anything changes?” she asked Amara.

  “Of course, dear. Enjoy your evening,” Amara said.

  As they walked out of the hospital room, Jardain reached for Leah’s hand. She held it tightly until they got to the car and then let it go reluctantly. On their way home, Leah told Seraph to tell Rusty there would be two for dinner. She put her hand on Jardain’s thigh because she needed the contact with her.

  “You have a robotic car that talks to you?” Jardain asked.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Damn, I have to spend more time with you so I get to know all your toys,” Jardain said with a grin.

  “If I were you, I’d be careful of calling some robotics ‘toys.’ They might take offense otherwise.”

  “Oh, yeah. And since we’re in a car going ninety-five, that would not be a good thing.”

  Leah knew they were going nowhere near ninety-five, but took Jardain’s point with a grin of her own.

  Seraph dropped them off in front of Leah’s building. When they entered Leah’s condo, Rusty was waiting for them.

  “Good evening, Dr. Bensington. I’m so pleased your grandmother will recover from this scare.”

  Jardain looked at Leah for an explanation for why and how Rusty knew about her grandmother.

  Leah shrugged her shoulders as if to say, “I have no idea.”

  “Cots?” Jardain asked.

  “This time it’s probably Seraph.”

  “Should I know who Seraph is?” Jardain asked.

  “No. Seraph is my car.”

  “When should I serve dinner?” Rusty asked.

  “Give us twenty minutes,” Leah said. “We’ll be in my office.”

  Leah led the way to her office where Jardain sat down on the couch. She sighed heavily and leaned back. Her eyes closed.

  “I was so afraid I was going to lose her last night. It was touch and go for a while. But her surgeons performed a miracle and saved her life. Are your grandmothers still alive?”

  “My paternal grandmother died several years ago. My maternal grandmother is still going strong, though. Can I ask you a question?”

  “Yes, of course. I’m tired of hiding from you. My grandmother says if I want you to love me, too, I need to talk to you and answer your questions honestly. So shoot away.”

  “Why does your grandmother call you Danny?”

  “She doesn’t care for the name Jardain, so when I was little, at her insistence, the family called me Dani with one N and an I. When I left home to attend Oxford, I decided I’d be known as Jardain. I think I was a bit full of myself then.”

  “How did you know my middle name was Brioche?”

  “Cots isn’t the only one who can find things out.”

  “Do you love me, or was that just for your grandmother?”

  “Since the moment I saw you, I sensed you were someone I needed and wanted to have in my life. I wanted to spend time with you. Then I realized I wanted more from you than only sex. It turned my world upside down. I think I will love you more than I can ever show you.”

  “Why did you tell your grandmother before you told me?”

  “The nurses told me I should talk to my grandmother when she came out of surgery even though she couldn’t respond. It has something to do with a surgical patient knowing someone is there who cares for them. So I did, and found myself talking about you. Apparently, she heard some of it. When she came out of the anesthesia fog, she suggested perhaps I was in love with you. As I was talking to my grandmother, I was trying to explain to her how you move me. The proverbial light bulb came on over my head.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Sure enough to know I want to spend my life with you.”

  Rusty took that moment to enter the office wheeling a cart. She went to the small table near the fireplace and began moving things from the cart to the table, including placemats, covered plates, silverware, and two glasses of white wine. When she was finished, she said, “Dinner is served.”

  “Thank you. I’m famished,” Jardain said. Leah was sure that if a gynoid could blush, Rusty would be bright red, and that was an image Leah wanted to remember for those times when she felt intimidated by Rusty’s intellect.

  Jardain pushed herself up from the couch as if she’d been glued to it. Leah knew she was exhausted if it took that much effort to stand.

  After they were seated, Rusty removed the covers from their plates. She had fixed them omelets with bacon, cheese, and spinach. She’d also made biscuits like Leah and Jardain’s grandmothers made. Jardain all but inhaled her food, and Leah wasn’t far behind her.

  When they were finished, Rusty returned with her cart and cleared the dishes away. “Will there be anything else?”

  “No, Rusty. We’re done for the night.”

  “Thank you, Rusty. I think that was the single tastiest dinner I’ve had in forever,” Jardain said. Much to Leah’s amusement, Rusty couldn’t look at Jardain and just smiled shyly. Oh my God, Rusty does have a crush on Jardain. Is there anyone the woman can’t seduce?

  “I need to get back to the hospital,” Jardain said wearily.

  “No, you need to take a shower and get a few hours of sleep. You’ll be no good to your grandmother if you drop over from exhaustion.”

  “But…”

  “No buts. A shower and a few hours of rest will do wonders for you, to say nothing about you smelling better and not offending your mother.”

  “Do I really smell bad?”

  Leah moved closer to Jardain and sniffed the air. There was a hint of jasmine with a hint of something citrusy. “No, you smell divine.”

  “Thank you, I’m glad you like the way I smell,” Jardain said with a smile. “Okay, I’ll stay for a few hours. I don’t think I could make it home without falling asleep anyway.”

  Leah held out her hand and Jardain took it in her own. Leah helped Jardain to her feet.

  In Leah’s
bedroom, Jardain’s exhaustion prevented her fingers from being able to deal with the buttons of her shirt, so Leah pushed them aside and took over unbuttoning Jardain’s blouse. She watched Jardain’s face. She saw a spark of desire that faded quickly away while her own desire was blooming into a raging fire.

  “When was the last time you slept?”

  “Uh, I don’t know. Somewhere in Tazmania?”

  “Tazmania? I thought you at least slept on the flight home.”

  “I don’t sleep well on flights. And there was a woman.”

  “Of course there was. I don’t need the details.”

  “I was kidding, Leah,” Jardain said with a smile. “There was no woman. Please don’t believe everything you’ll hear about me.”

  Leah finished undressing Jardain. Jardain was beautiful fully clothed, but naked she was beyond anything Leah could have imagined. She was flawless. All Leah wanted to do was ravish Jardain as she kissed every centimeter of her. That particular fantasy would have to wait, though.

  “Where did you get that scar on your face?” Jardain asked, running a finger across Leah’s left cheekbone.

  She also interrupted Leah’s lusting, although the mere touch of Jardain’s finger set off an avalanche of desire.

  “Leah?” Jardain asked, drawing Leah’s attention away from her raging hormones and back to Jardain.

  “A mass murderer hit me and his ring tore me open.”

  “Your last case in New America City?”

  “Yes. Now let’s get you into the shower.”

  “Will you come with me?” Jardain asked.

  “Next time.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yes.”

  While Jardain was in the shower, Leah changed into a T-shirt and cotton pajama bottoms. She also pulled the covers down so Jardain could sleep between the sheets.

  When Jardain emerged from the shower, Leah was waiting for her. As she moved to enter the drying tube, Leah stopped her. She used an oversized towel to dry Jardain. As she moved down Jardain’s body with the towel, she wanted so very much to arouse Jardain with touches and kisses. As she was drying Jardain’s legs, Jardain put her hand on Leah’s head. Leah was so aroused, she wanted nothing more than to run a finger over Jardain’s clit to hear her response. She restrained herself, but just barely. When Jardain was dry, Leah watched as she used another towel to dry her hair.