Scene of the Crime

by M. J. Williamz

She hung up.

  “Where are you going?” Cullen said.

  “To Sara’s house. I’ll be right back. I promise.”

  “Can I go?”

  “Sure. But stay in the car, okay?”

  “You got it.”

  Julia drove carefully through the snow. She waved to the uniformed officers at Sara’s house and went inside. She found the officer who’d called her, Officer McKinney, in Sara’s room.

  “Where’s the paper?” she said.

  “On the dresser. Don’t worry, we took pictures of it before we touched it. It looks like a list of some sort, handwritten.”

  Julia picked up the small piece of paper. It was indeed a list. There were names, neighborhoods, and phone numbers, and Julia planned to call each one. At first glance, the only one that stuck out to her was Sherry in Mount Tabor. She’d have to check the phone number to be sure it was the same Sherry, though she had little doubt.

  Then she saw the name Donnie at the Delta Iota Kappa house. That must be Montague. This list might turn out to be priceless.

  “Great job, McKinney. Go ahead and bag this and take it to the evidence room. I’ll look into it more tomorrow.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She got back into the car.

  “Anything exciting?” Cullen asked.

  “I think so. Looks like she might have left a list of clients behind.”

  “Is that right? That’s great, isn’t it?”

  “You’d better believe it.”

  Cullen was happy for Julia. She wanted to see her succeed. She knew she was a determined, hard worker, and she deserved to move up the ranks if that’s what she wanted. She realized that she didn’t know anything about Julia’s hopes and dreams. She made a mental note to ask her as soon as they got home.

  They were in the middle of a game of Texas Hold’em when Cullen remembered her question.

  “So where do you see yourself in five years?” she said.

  Julia laughed.

  “Are you interviewing me now?”

  Cullen laughed, too.

  “No, nothing like that. I just realized I don’t know what you aspire to. Like, do you want to be police chief someday or what?”

  “Hell no! I don’t want the headaches that go with that job. I just want to be the best damned detective I can be.”

  “Yeah? That sounds worthy.”

  “Thank you. What about you? What are your hopes and dreams?”

  “I want my own ad agency someday.”

  “Really? That would be cool.”

  “I think so.”

  “What did you want to be when you were a kid?” Julia asked. “I mean, I can’t imagine a young Cullen dying to run her own ad agency.”

  Cullen laughed again. She couldn’t help it. Julia was funny which was a good thing. She needed humor in her life. Maybe she and Sara had laughed at some point in their relationship, but it didn’t seem like it. They’d had a lot of sex, at least in the beginning, but toward the end cocaine had become more important to Sara than anything.

  “Hello?” Julia said. “Earth to Cullen. Were you going to answer the question?”

  “Sorry.” Cullen blushed. She didn’t need to be comparing Julia to Sara. That wasn’t fair. “I wanted to be an author.”

  “Really? What did you want to write?”

  “Mysteries.”

  “Do you still want to do that? I mean, is the dream still intact?”

  “I don’t know. Sometimes I think I should and other times I don’t know if I have it in me.”

  “Really?” Julia said. “Why not?”

  “I don’t know. It just seems like so much work.”

  “Maybe we could write a book together.”

  “How so?”

  “Believe me, I have plenty of fodder for mystery books. Or maybe you could write about you and Sara.”

  “Nah, that’s too close to home for me.”

  They tabled the conversation and focused on cards for the next couple of hours. They were pretty much even when Cullen’s stomach growled loudly.

  “Sorry about that.” She was embarrassed.

  “You’re hungry? How is that even possible?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You want to go grab some food?”

  “I’m so tired of eating out all the time. Let’s go grocery shopping. We’ll fill my cupboards and then I’ll make something for dinner.”

  “That sounds good to me, except I want to make dinner. If you can wait, I make a mean lasagna.”

  They brainstormed together and Julia wrote out a shopping list. They got in Cullen’s truck and she carefully navigated the snowy streets to the grocery store.

  “I love how everything is so close here in Bidwell,” Julia said.

  “Yeah, it’s convenient. That’s for sure.”

  The parking lot for the store was practically empty. The cars that were in it were parked all willy-nilly since the lines were covered with snow. Cullen gently tapped her brake until she came to a stop.

  She felt good wandering the store with Julia. She took her hand and squeezed it at one point. She wanted to hold it the whole way through the store, but Bidwell was a conservative town and she didn’t want trouble. She could handle herself and was comfortable Julia could too, but she wanted this to be a pleasant experience without ugliness of any sort.

  They got home an hour later, and Julia excused herself to the kitchen. Cullen cleaned up the cards and poker chips and set the table for dinner. The house smelled good, like garlic, which was one of her favorite smells. She went into the kitchen to see how Julia was doing.

  “Do you need any help?” she asked.

  “Nope, I’m good. I’m just putting it in the oven now. What do you want to do while we wait?”

  Cullen could think of a million things she wanted to do with Julia, some of which involved eating. But now wasn’t the time.

  “Why don’t I open a bottle of wine? Then I’ll get a fire going and we can chill in front of it.”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  Cullen got the fire roaring then poured them each a glass of wine. Julia was already on the couch, so she handed her glass to her and stood there contemplating where to sit. Normally, she’d sit in the recliner to avoid temptation. But now that they were dating, she could sit next to Julia, right?

  Julia patted the couch next to her as if reading Cullen’s mind. Cullen sat next to her and ran her arm along the back of the couch as Julia snuggled against her.

  “This is nice, isn’t it?” Julia said.

  “Mm, very.”

  “This wine is very good, too. Who knew you were such a connoisseur? I have a feeling I’m really going to enjoy getting to know you better, Ms. Matthews.”

  “Think so, huh?”

  “I do.”

  Cullen couldn’t believe the turn of events. One minute, she was practically begging Sara to quit coke, which she now knew she had no intention of doing. The next minute, Sara killed some woman for an as yet unknown reason. And now? Well, now she was cuddling on the couch with a woman she’d been pining for since she was a sophomore, nearly thirty years ago. Life was definitely looking up.

  “What are you thinking?” Julia rested her hand on Cullen’s thigh, and it seared through her jeans and into her flesh. She rested her hand over it.

  “Just thinking about life and all its crazy twists and turns.”

  “I’m glad those twists and turns brought us to where we are now.”

  “Amen to that.”

  Cullen tore her gaze away from the mesmerizing fire to look into Julia’s deep blue eyes. Her lashes were long and full. She didn’t need makeup, and Cullen was glad she didn’t wear any. Julia’s eyes sparkled in the firelight and seemed to beg Cullen.

  In that moment, Cullen wanted nothing more than to taste Julia’s lips. Something she’d dreamed of since she was a kid in school. Julia’s lips were full and parted, and Cullen wondered just how slow Julia wanted to go. She could always
ask or she could say to hell with it and just find out.

  Cullen looked into Julia’s eyes which seemed to darken as she stared at her. She lowered her gaze to Julia’s lips again. This would be their first kiss, and she wanted it to be perfect. What could be more perfect than this moment?

  She was only vaguely aware of the crackle in the fire and the smells of lasagna wafting through the house. She leaned closer to Julia who turned her head up to meet her. Cullen watched Julia’s eyes close before she closed her own and touched her lips to Julia’s.

  The shock wave that tore through her was unexpected. She’d anticipated it being wonderful, but her heart was beating so hard she thought it might pound its way out of her chest. Julia tasted sweet. She tasted like wine and snow and her own unique flavor. Her lips were soft and pliant, and Cullen couldn’t help but kiss her harder.

  She was growing lightheaded and needed more. So much more. How much was allowed though? How much was too much?

  Cullen ran her tongue along Julia’s lips, and Julia opened her mouth to welcome her in. Their tongues danced together for what seemed like an eternity. Cullen wanted to run her hands over Julia’s body, to explore every inch of her. Instead, she wrapped her free hand around Julia’s back and pulled her into her.

  The feel of Julia’s small, firm breasts pressed against her made her even dizzier. She leaned Julia back until she was on top of her on the couch. And still the kiss continued. Cullen was about to bring her knee up to press into Julia’s center when she came to her senses. She needed to end the kiss before she did anything they weren’t ready for.

  She closed her mouth and sucked on Julia’s lips before kissing her nose and opening her eyes. She sat up and helped Julia to a sitting position. She held her close and kissed the top of her head.

  “You know how to kiss,” Julia whispered.

  “As do you.” Cullen almost didn’t recognize her own voice. It was deep and husky and full of need. “As do you.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Julia was shaking as she fought to catch her breath. She could have lost herself with Cullen and was so appreciative Cullen had stopped when she did. The sound of the timer cut through the lust induced fog in her brain.

  “Oh, shit. Dinner’s ready.” She jumped off the couch and hurried to the kitchen.

  Cullen sauntered in shortly after.

  “What can I do?” she said.

  “Where do you keep the plates?”

  “Right here.”

  Cullen handed the plates to Julia, who served lasagna and salad to them. They carried their plates to the table and began to eat.

  “So, was that okay?” Cullen said.

  “What?”

  “The kiss. I mean, am I allowed to kiss you?”

  “Of course. You didn’t hear me saying no, did you?”

  “No, but I just wanted to check. You know, make sure we’re okay.”

  “We’re fine, Cullen. As a matter of fact, we’re excellent.”

  After dinner, Cullen got the fire going again and they sat on the couch alternating kissing and watching the fire. It was a wonderful evening. One Julia didn’t want to end, but soon she was yawning against her will.

  “Is it time for bed?” Cullen said.

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Will you stay here?”

  “I’d like that very much. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll hit the guest room now.”

  “Why not stay with me?”

  “Cullen.” Julia was frustrated that Cullen would think she’d have sex with her. Did she not hear her statement about taking things slow? Just because they’d kissed didn’t mean she’d fall into bed with her. Not that she didn’t want to. She just knew it wouldn’t be right. Not yet. “I meant what I said about taking things slow.”

  “And I understand and agree. We’d just sleep. I promise.”

  “I don’t know…”

  Cullen disappeared into her bedroom and came back bearing some sweats.

  “Here, we’ll each wear sweats to avoid any temptation,” she said.

  “Fair enough. I think I’d love to sleep in your arms.”

  “I know I’ll enjoy it.”

  Cullen’s arms were strong and sure and felt so right wrapped around her. Julia slept better than she had in a very long time. When she awoke alone in the morning, she was disoriented then disappointed. Where was Cullen?

  She stretched then got out of bed and followed the smell of coffee to the kitchen, but Cullen wasn’t there either. Julia helped herself to a cup of the fresh brew then went into the dining room where she found Cullen working on her laptop.

  Julia kissed Cullen good morning. It was a brief kiss that made her heart do somersaults. She had it bad, there was no doubt about that. But was it just lust or did she have feelings for Cullen? She thought she had true feelings for her but knew only time would tell.

  “Whatcha working on?” Julia said.

  “Just a campaign for a client. I figured since I didn’t work yesterday I’d better take a look at things today.”

  “Ah, no rest for the wicked, eh?”

  “Exactly. And what about you? Any plans to work today? It’s Saturday, after all.”

  “Yes, it is, but murder investigations don’t wait. I need to go into the office at least for a while. Did the snow stop?”

  “Yeah, but it’s still white outside. It’s probably icy. I’d rather you not drive in it.”

  Julia rested her hand on Cullen’s shoulder.

  “I appreciate that, but I need to make an appearance. Besides, I’ve got work to do. I need to get ahold of those people on Sara’s list. I need to learn all I can.”

  “Right. Well, the Ducks play at four today, so I’d like it if you were home by then.”

  “Home, huh?” Julia laughed. She loved Cullen’s house and she loved being with Cullen. But she had her own house in the city. One that she loved as well.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I do. Maybe I’ll stop by my house and get a change of clothes or something to keep here, if that’s okay?”

  “That would be great.”

  “Okay, I’m going to get dressed and hit the road.”

  “Please be careful.”

  “I will.”

  Julia white knuckled the steering wheel as she slid this way and that on the icy roads leading to the freeway. The freeway had been plowed, fortunately. Although it was littered with cars that obviously hadn’t reached their destination the day before.

  She made it to her house where she took a shower and changed into black jeans and a black sweater with a purple long-sleeved shirt underneath. She put on her coat and drove carefully through the streets until she reached the station.

  There weren’t a lot of people in due to the road conditions. She greeted the skeleton crew before going to the evidence room where she collected Sara’s list and headed for her desk. The first thing she did was call the number for Sherry on the list.

  The phone gave a message that the number had been disconnected or was otherwise not in service. While it wasn’t absolute proof it was the dead woman’s number, it was pretty damning. She called Sherry’s husband.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello. Mr. Bergstrom? This is Detective Stansworth. I’m really sorry to bother you, but can you tell me what your wife’s phone number was?”

  He gave it to her.

  “What’s this about?” he asked.

  “As you know, we’ve got a suspect for her murder. We’re just accumulating as much evidence as we can. And I came across that phone number in the suspect’s belongings.”

  “Nail her to the wall, Detective, please.”

  “I’ll do my best. Thank you for your time.”

  “Good-bye.”

  She looked over the rest of the list. Donnie was there, but Sara’d admitted she knew the kid. His case was still open and growing cold and Julia needed to catch a break there. She decided to start at the top of the list and work her way down.


  The first name was Molly who apparently lived in the South Hills. That was where Sara had been pulled over for DUI and where she’d been busted for possession. Was there a connection? Clearly, she’d been dealing that day, otherwise why would she have had so much coke on her? Julia needed to talk to this Molly woman to learn all she could. Not today, though. She wasn’t about to drive up those roads in the ice. She’d wait until Monday, but she could call her now.

  “Hello?” The voice on the other end was high-pitched, nasally, and annoying. Julia reminded herself she needed this woman’s help.

  “Hello? Is this Molly?”

  “Who’s asking, please?”

  “My name is Detective Stansworth with the Portland Police Bureau. I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

  There was a pregnant silence on the other end.

  “I’m not sure why you’re calling me, Detective,” Molly finally said.

  “I believe you had some dealings with a murder suspect.”

  “A what? I’m sure you’re mistaken.”

  “Still, I’d like to come by and question you. Would Monday morning work?”

  “What time?”

  “Say ten?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “We could always bring you down to the station for questioning.” Julia hoped her intentional manipulativeness didn’t come through in her voice.

  “No, you can come here. Ten o’clock Monday. I’ll be here.”

  “Great, thank you. Now, can I get your address, please?”

  Molly gave it to her and Julia hung up the phone. She dialed the next number on the list.

  * * *

  Cullen laid out the ad campaigns for two clients. She felt productive and that was a great feeling. She checked her phone. It was three o’clock and Julia should be home soon. She thought so, anyway. Cullen hopped in the shower and dressed in her Duck gear.

  She popped a beer and sat in front of the TV. There was still time before kickoff, so she got up and made a fire. The temperature had continued to drop all day and, while her house was nice and warm, a fire would help make it cozy.

  Cullen had just sat back on the couch with ten minutes to spare when there was a knock at the door. She opened it to see Julia standing there looking breathtakingly beautiful.