Darice took the chair across from her giving her a smile. “Hello, Marie. I see you’ve ordered tea.”
“You’re ten minutes late,” she remarked in annoyance. “Did the simpering little rat call you?”
“She can be annoying with her calls and checking up on me.” Darice shrugged.
“You should be with me,” Marie said reaching across the table for Darice’s hand.
Darice slipped her hand inside her jacket pocket for a small vial she’d modified. It contained a small needle. She palmed it, knowing Marie wouldn’t see it.
Marie scratched her lightly. “Leave her, and I’ll make you happier than you can dream of.”
“How can I with someone trying to kill her?” Darice murmured.
“The person who’s behind it might stop if you leave her.”
“Might they?” Darice asked with a frown, as she fought not to electrocute Marie on the spot. “Would that person be you by any chance? So bent on showing me just how bad you want me?” she leaned toward her.
“I do want you,” she said. “I want you to leave her for me.”
“Answer my questions, Marie. I’m not taping the conversation. However, I am curious. I need to know if you want me that much.” She’d dropped her voice to a lower timbre and Marie’s eyes darkened.
“I did mention to a friend of mine I wish she was dead. Paul and I are close. Well, we were. He was killed outside the building your little rat works at,” Marie replied with a bit of a smile. “Can you shoot? That would make you even sexier to me.”
Darice chuckled as she ran her finger along Marie’s knee beneath the table. “You just casually mentioned it, and he decided to kill Chloe—what a friend.”
“I just told him I thought you would be more receptive to me with her dead,” she said, stroking Darice’s hand. “She doesn’t need to die as long as you’re with me.”
“Did you hire someone else to kill her, bad girl?” Darice teased, anger a current charging her blood.
“No, but Paul did work with a partner. She might have thought I’d pay her if she finished the job.”
“How much? I might match it. Then, I’d be free of her. No calls begging me to come back like before.”
“Last night, I told her I’d pay her a half million if she finished it tonight or last night.”
“Did you give her half up front?” She fought to keep the bite from her tone.
“No. I gave her a hundred thousand.” Marie chuckled wickedly. “She’ll be happy to get a bonus.”
Darice withdrew her hand and used one to work the cap of the vial free. The poison inside would act quickly, so she had to be dead on. That was part of the thrill for her though, it always had been.
“I told you before, Marie. If you fucked with Chloe, I’d kill you,” she murmured keeping her voice low. “I should have done just that the first time.” She allowed her hand to make contact with Marie’s thigh as a guide. “That was my mistake, but I fully intend to rectify that now.”
Darice pressed the sharp point of the needle that had been dipped in poison into Marie’s skin, held it there a second and then penetrated the skin, knowing Marie would die right before her eyes.
“Ouch.” She reached down, and Darice withdrew her hand, carefully replacing the small needle held inside the vial’s lid back into the bottle. “I—” Marie put a hand to her chest. She let out a pained gasp.
Someone let out a scream. “What are birds doing in here?”
“Marie?” Darice called.
Marie held her gaze despite the pain reverberating through her. She tried to speak and then fell forward onto the table. At the same time, a crow dived and pecked her before circling Darice’s head.
Three more birds joined the first one, and Darice got down, covering her head. The birds pecked at Marie, and Darice shooed them away. They flew around the room attacking people at random.
“Somebody, help,” Darice called. “Now.” She rounded to Marie’s side of the table and put two fingers to the side of her neck. She was dead. “Call 9-1-1!”
She didn’t suppose she could have asked for a more interesting moment. On the other hand, Darice was curious about what the dammed birds were doing there.
Chapter Nineteen
“I’m not surprised she called,” Chloe said to her mother.
“This woman you’re engaged to is a millionaire, and she’s a lesbian?” Her mother demanded.
Chloe laughed. “Yes. Darice is a lesbian—why else would she want to marry me?”
“I can’t believe a woman with that much money would be—I mean, I still think this is some kind of phase. I guess once you’ve gone all the way through with it, the gloss will start to wear off.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Mom, I’ll see you next week. I have a story I need to finish.”
“Your father thinks maybe we should stay with you while we’re in town. Justine said you have a big house and bodyguards and security.”
“Well, that’s because I was being stalked. Bye, Mom.” She quickly ended the call with a sigh. The phone rang again, and she growled as she snatched it from the coffee table. “Mom. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
“How can I not? Someone’s stalking you, and it’s probably because you think you’re gay.”
“How right you are,” she said testily. “I have to go.” Chloe disconnected, shaking her head only to have her phone ring again. “Mother, stop,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Your mother’s being a pain in the ass? You must have told her someone was trying to kill you,” Darice said in a teasing tone.
Chloe sighed. “Hi, honey.” She smiled. “I told her I was being stalked, and she said it was probably because I thought I was gay.”
“She’s entitled to her opinion, but I think it’s over,” Darice said.
“After last night, I hope so. Did you talk to Marie?”
“I met with her for lunch today,” Darice told her. “I think she got the message this time.”
“Are you going to tell the police?” Chloe had a sinking feeling the police would be involved, but not because Darice told them anything.
“I have no evidence,” Darice replied. “Anyway, I just wanted to see how you were doing.”
“I guess there’s no way to get her to admit it on tape, huh?”
“I don’t think so,” Darice said. “Are you holding up okay?”
“Yes. I’ll see you before you go to that fundraiser tonight?”
“I’ll be home about an hour before that,” Darice said. “I want to finish up a few things so we can head out of town in the morning.”
“I’m really looking forward to that,” Chloe grinned. “I’ll see you tonight then. Maybe we can have dessert when you get home.”
“Tonight after the event?”
“Yes, silly,” she chuckled and glanced to the door as it opened to admit Cattail.
“In that case, what do you have in mind?” Darice murmured.
“It’ll be a surprise.” Chloe grinned.
“I can’t wait.”
Chloe ended the call, setting the phone on the desk. “Is everything okay, Cattail?”
“Fine. Slate’s gone to grab lunch,” she said. “Have you eaten? We could order up.”
“No.” She leaned back on the couch. “Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“Did you know Darice could do that with electricity?”
“Not until recently,” she replied. “Anyway, it wasn’t mine to tell.”
“What about Slate? Why was she naked? One of the cops said it looked like a big cat or wolf had attacked a couple of those people last night. Was that her?”
Cattail shrugged. “You’d have to ask her.”
“I’m asking you,” she said urgently. “I’m walking around in partial darkness here. I don’t want to say the wrong thing the next time to cops come calling.”
“I don’t know if she is or not,” Cattail said. “I am.”
****
Darice was thinking about Chloe as she snapped pictures of the cops and their dates that evening. She could have brought her along, but she wouldn’t have had time to spend a single moment with her.
Besides, she didn’t want Chloe to see the assassin at work in a setting like this where the death meted out seemed incongruous with its surroundings. Darice wasn’t sure their relationship was or would ever be ready for that.
“Hey.” Sabrina came up behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Hey,” Darice said throwing her a look. “Having fun yet?”
Sabrina sighed. “I’m working, too. I’ve interviewed the chief of police about the money from the fundraiser. He’s playing the sad song about the chief of detectives being killed the other night.”
“Really?” Darice asked dryly.
“Yeah.” She rolled her eyes.
“As if he really cares,” Darice muttered.
“He might,” Sabrina commented. “The sheriff’s here, too.”
“Yep, and he was having a bit of an argument with the chief. Apparently, he got a copy of that report from the coroner on the girl’s death along with the DNA results.”
Darice smiled. “I’m sure he’s explaining it away or trying.”
“He was. I heard about your interesting lunch. Any take on how those birds got in?” Sabrina asked.
“Not a clue. Ace said they must have been shifters. The crew that was killed at my house last night had a few other members of the flock who were taken by Ace, and some who just left town supposedly. They didn’t want any part of a fight with me.”
“Maybe someone told them Marie was the cause of all this. She was playing you against them just to get you to kill them off.”
“I don’t know. She wasn’t a shifter, was she?”
Sabrina shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m sure Ace or Devin does. This whole thing has gotten a little more interesting even though it’s about over.”
“Unless those jackasses come after me, it is over,” Darice said. “Marie’s dead.”
“It’s for the best that chapter is finally closed for good,” she replied. “I better get moving.”
Darice walked to the side of the hotel’s ballroom. The lights were softly beaming down on them. There was no alcohol, but the punch was flowing freely along with tea and lemonade. Chicken and steak were on the menu along with wine with dinner.
“Ms. McMasters.”
She turned. “Detective Whitehurst.” Darice let her gaze sweep over him. “Don’t you look nice. No gorgeous date to show off?”
“She’s talking to someone,” he said. “How is your girlfriend?”
“She’s bouncing back, but there’s not much else to do,” Darice replied. “She can sink into the depths of depression over a stalker or rise above it. Any leads?”
“To be honest, no.” Detective Whitehurst slipped his hands into his slacks pockets. “Nothing really makes sense if she’s not trying to off you for your money and has hired killers to make it look like someone’s after her when the real target is you. If you turn up dead, we’ll know.”
Darice gave him a little laugh. “Chloe doesn’t have any reason to kill me. She had no idea how much I was worth until last night, and she really still has no idea.”
He nodded slowly. “Maybe she does, and she’s just playing you. I mean, we’ve seen this kind of thing before. Money talks no matter the language or the sex.”
“It says a lot of nothing in this case,” Darice said.
“I know you want to believe that,” he answered with a sympathetic look in his eyes. “And I can see why. Your girlfriend is attractive, sweet, and seemingly innocent in some of the quintessential ways.”
Darice grinned. “Chloe is exactly what she seems and that is what drew me to her. She doesn’t even know how beautiful she is,” Darice said softly, thinking of Chloe. “She’s the kind of woman you dream of finding and you never let her go when you do.”
“I guess that translates despite the fact that I’m talking about women with a woman,” Detective Whitehurst said with humor in his eyes. “Which means if she’s that kind of woman, really, then we need a list of people who might have a grudge against you or her.”
“I’ll have to get that to you tomorrow before we leave,” she said. “I’m taking Chloe away for the rest of the weekend.”
“Might not be a bad idea, but if you turn up dead or get into a bad accident, then we’ll know you were wrong about her.”
“Darice.” Rebecca came to join them before Darice could agree. “Hello, Detective Whitehurst.”
“Hi, Becky. You guys did a great job.”
“Thanks,” she gushed. “Darice came highly recommended by a few sources and one of them was Marie St. Claire. It’s too bad she died this afternoon. That was so strange. Birds in the country club, I’m just glad I wasn’t there, but Darice I heard you were there having lunch with Marie.”
“I was,” Darice said and knew Whitehurst was already trying to make some kind of connection, but even with that prick in Marie’s skin, they’d never tie anything to her not even the purchase of the cyanide and belladonna. “We were talking business.”
“Did those birds really attack her?” Rebecca asked, eyes wide.
“They did.” Her reply was bland. “It was a memorable moment.”
“I imagine,” Rebecca said. “You should have brought a date and gotten in a few dances to flush that scene out of your mind. I would have had to.” Rebecca shuddered. “Are you and your subordinate getting some good footage?”
“I think so,” Darice replied. “Would you like to see some of the pictures?”
“Yes,” she exclaimed excitedly.
Darice had decided to use digital because it would be easier to make any adjustments to imperfections like less than white teeth.
“Oh, these are really good,” Rebecca said. “Can you come take a few of the Chief with the mayor?”
“Certainly. I’ll get Zyra to join us. That way we can shoot from two angles.”
“Okay.” Rebecca nodded. “Good idea.” She sashayed away, and Darice headed for Zyra who was taking pictures of couples on the other side of the room.
“Rebecca wants us to take some of the chief and the mayor,” Darice said when Zyra had finished taking a few shots of two separate couples.
“Sounds good,” Zyra said giving her a look.
Zyra didn’t ask questions, she merely followed her across the room where they were introduced to the Chief of Police and the mayor.
Zyra shook hands with him first, and she all but jerked her hand back and glared at him for the way his thumb caressed her wrist.
“Chief.” Darice extended her hand, but he had no interest in her which she was thankful for.
“It’s nice to meet you ladies,” he said. “It’s too bad you’re working, but maybe you’ll still save a dance for me, Zyra.”
“Sure,” she said with an eye roll.
They took several pictures of the two and their dates before Darice said she needed something to drink. Zyra was led out to the dance floor after giving Darice her camera.
Darice got a drink of lemonade after putting the equipment down. She sipped it as she watched the Chief attempt to charm Zyra. With a smile, Darice set her drink aside and slipped out to the patio. It was empty, and she checked for surveillance cameras.
Finding none, Darice slipped her hand inside her jacket pocket and removed a small dart and straw she’d cut to the right size and inserted the dart inside. Going back inside with her weapon hidden in her palm, Darice found the Chief and tracked his every move.
She’d have to be precise in order to avoid hitting someone else. “Is it a go?” Darice asked softly. She wore a tiny communications device in her ear.
“Go,” Ace murmured.
The Chief moved as the song ended, and Darice pretended to cover her mouth to stifle a cough. As she prepared to put the straw to her lips, she realized the Chief was sitting
down at a table with two others, and Zyra was coming toward her.
“That guy is a pig,” Zyra muttered when she reached her. “He grabbed my ass twice. I’m going to the bathroom.”
“Okay.” Darice moved closer to the table after picking up her camera.
Again, she turned her head away pretending to cough and cover her mouth. Darice put the straw in her mouth and used her thumb to carefully remove the cap from the dart. She turned back to the table and blew hard sending the dart sailing toward its mark.
The Chief’s hand went to the back of his neck, and Darice snapped a few pictures of him and the beat cops and he drew his hand away.
“Chief? Chief.”
She watched him fall forward before falling from his chair to the floor and was quickly over slipping her hand into her jacket pocket for a handkerchief so she could safely pick up the dart.
“Is he okay?” she asked kneeling and setting her camera down.
“No! Call 9-1-1!” The cop snapped.
“Move,” a man ordered Darice. “I’m a doctor.”
She moved, dragging her foot as she did, and then bent, pretending to untangle the camera’s strap from her foot. In so doing, she started to pick up the dart, but felt as if eyes were on her, so she left it and cleaned her nose as she straightened.
“I think he’s had a heart attack,” the doctor said gravely. “He’s gone.”
“What’s that?” Darice asked. “It looks like a dart.” Even in a case like this, the best defense was a well-played offense.
Chapter Twenty
Chloe stirred at the faint rustle of clothing. “It’s late,” she said without opening her eyes.
“The police chief was killed, and they questioned everybody.”
“What?” Chloe did open her eyes now. She sat up and turned on the bedside lamp. “Darice! God. Was someone shooting or—?”
“No, he just dropped dead,” Darice said. “The doctor who was there thought it was a heart attack, but they’re probably going to autopsy the man.” Darice vanished into the bathroom and returned moments later to climb into bed with her. “Sorry about your plans, but we can do that tomorrow night.” She leaned to Chloe and kissed her softly.
Blood for Her Page 11
