After bowling, they went to a dark bar and had a couple of beers.
“You know,” Julia broached the subject she’d been dreading. “You may be called upon to testify at the trial.”
Cullen choked on her beer.
“Me? Why?”
“Character witness. It would do Sara a world of good to be seen in a relationship with someone as successful and together and law abiding as yourself.”
“A lot of good that did her. She still was a common criminal.”
Julia reached across the table and took Cullen’s hand.
“Yes, she was and I’m sorry all that happened to you, but I want you to be prepared.”
“Okay. Well, what do I say? I’ve never been to court. That’s not my thing.”
“And I get that. All you can do is answer as honestly as you can. I can’t stress that enough.”
“Won’t I be under oath? Of course I’ll be honest.”
“That doesn’t mean much to some people,” Julia said.
“It does to me. I’m not about to lie under oath.”
“Good. I would expect nothing less from you.”
They finished their beer and Cullen stood.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. Suddenly my mood has soured.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put a damper on the day.”
“I’ll get over it. Let’s go buy some beer and head back to my place.”
“Okay.”
They got back to Cullen’s house and Cullen was still quiet.
“Cullen, babe, talk to me. I’m sorry I ruined the day. I just thought you should know. You know, mentally prepare yourself. Tell me what you’re feeling.”
“I don’t know. What if my testimony springs her? What if it puts her away? That’s a lot of responsibility.”
They sat on the couch and Julia turned to face her.
“There’s going to be a lot of damning evidence, Cullen. She’s not going to get off. Besides, I thought you wanted her put away.”
“I do. I just don’t want to be the one who does it.”
“No,” Julia said. “That’s my job and the prosecutor’s. We’ll make sure she’s locked up. You just tell the whole truth regardless of who asks you what, okay?”
“Okay, I guess.”
Julia turned so she could snuggle against Cullen, who draped her arm across her shoulders and pulled her close.
“What would I do without you?” Cullen said.
“I hope you never have to find out.”
“Do you mean that? I mean, honestly?”
Julia looked into Cullen’s eyes.
“Of course I do. I’m in this for the long haul, Matthews, so you’d just better get used to it.”
She watched Cullen’s eyes darken as they looked into hers. She saw her glance down at Julia’s lips as she licked her own. Julia knew what was coming. She braced herself for it, for the onslaught of emotions and hormonal responses. But still she wasn’t ready. When their lips met, her heart galloped like a runaway horse. She thought it would burst out of her chest.
Cullen applied more pressure to her lips and Julia opened her mouth and welcomed her in. Their tongues romped together and each stroke of Cullen’s tongue along her caused her lower lips to swell more. She was a swollen, wet, hormonal mess and she never wanted the kiss to end.
Cullen must have been feeling it too as she was soon lying on top of Julia. She brought her knee up and pressed into Julia’s center. Without thinking, Julia ground into her. It felt so good and if she did it for just a little longer, she knew she’d find relief. Cullen came to her senses before Julia and sat up.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Cullen, you don’t have to apologize. We’re two consenting adults here. This isn’t all on you.”
“I know. I just want you so badly, but I don’t want to make a mistake, and it’s no fair for me to keep teasing you like I do. You’re only human.”
“I am, but I’m feeling everything you are, babe.”
“Are you?” Cullen said. “Are you really? How can you be sure?”
“Tell me what you’re thinking. Tell me what you’re feeling. Then I’ll tell you if I’m with you or not.”
Cullen ran her hand through her hair. She hated talking about her feelings. Wasn’t it obvious how she felt about Julia? But then, maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it looked like she was only after her for one thing. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Julia was waiting for her to say something.
“I like you, Julia. Like, really like you, but I’m scared. I don’t want this to be another short-lived disaster in my life.”
“Okay. That’s a good start, I’m with you so far,” Julia said.
“And I want you. God knows I want to taste and touch every inch of you. It’s so hard not to give in and just say fuck it and please you. But I can’t. I’m not ready. I don’t think either of us is.”
“Again, I’m with you one hundred percent.”
“And then I do something stupid like touch your boob or press my knee into you. I could feel how hot and wet you were and wanted to be inside you so desperately.”
“And that’s where I want you. I want you so deep inside me I don’t know where you end and I begin. But you’re right, it’s not time. We both need to be sure this is right before we do that.”
“But it feels so right, so fucking right. I don’t know how it could ever get more right, you know? And then I do those stupid things when I get carried away and I worry you’re going to seek release from someone who’s not afraid to give it to you.”
Julia smiled at her and her heart grew.
“We’ll know when the time is right, Cullen. When you can talk about Sara without clenching every muscle in your body. We’ll know. And in the meantime, you can relax. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m certainly not looking for a quickie from anyone. You’re the only one I want.”
“Are you sure, though? It’s got to get old to have me take you down that path and then draw you back.”
“It doesn’t get old because I know why you do it. It’s important that we wait. But it’s also important we keep the lines of communication open. That way we both know where we are in relation to the other.”
“True. It’s just so hard for me to talk about my feelings,” Cullen said.
“Well, I hope it’ll get easier, because I like to hear how you feel. Words are important to me. Actions speak louder, of course, but words are crucial.”
“I’ll try to remember that.”
“Good and now that we’ve moved forward, I’m hungry and should think about heading home. Let’s go get dinner then I’ll be on my way.”
Cullen kissed her, a deep, passionate kiss that promised so much in the not too distant future.
“Okay, let’s go.”
They drove separate cars to the restaurant, and Cullen already missed Julia. She knew she’d be busy in the coming days preparing for the trial and everything. But she hoped they’d still have time together every day. It was critical for Cullen. She needed her time with Julia.
After dinner, they climbed into Julia’s car and made out for a half hour or so.
“I’m bummed you have to go,” Cullen said. “I mean, I get it and all, but I miss you already. This has been a great weekend.”
“Mm, it really has. I love spending time with you, babe.”
“I can’t get enough of you.”
“Well, you hold that thought. I’ll see you tomorrow after work, right?”
“For sure. We’ll do dinner?”
“Yep, we’ll order Chinese. Sound good?”
“Sounds wonderful.”
“Okay,” Julia said. “I should go and you need to get out of my car since you’ve succeeded in fogging up my windows.”
“I’d say I’m sorry…”
“I know better.” Julia laughed. “You’re not even slightly sorry.”
“Okay, I’ll get going. Good night, baby.”
“Good night,
babe.”
“Drive carefully.”
“Always.”
Cullen arrived back at her house and felt antsy. She had a ton of pent up energy and no way to expend it. She knew how she wanted to, but Julia wasn’t there, and even if she was, it wasn’t going to happen.
She stripped down to her boxers and undershirt and attacked her home gym again. She felt exhausted and exhilarated when she was through so she took another shower and went to bed.
As soon as she lay down, her mind kicked into overdrive. She couldn’t turn it off. She thought about Julia and their relationship. About how it felt so right but how her past, including Sara, made her drag her feet.
And then she thought about Sara and the fucking trial. She didn’t want to see her, but now knew she would. What would that be like? Would Sara think she was trying to help her? If she got off, would she pursue Cullen again?
That would mean barking up the wrong tree. That train has left the station. All Cullen wanted now was Julia. She rolled over and forced herself to think of all the fun they’d had over the weekend and finally fell asleep.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Julia’s meeting with the DA went very well, and the ball started rolling toward the trial. Sara’s case would go in front of a grand jury later in the week, hopefully Thursday, and then the real trial would start. Julia was excited and proud. She’d solved two murders, and the woman who’d committed them would spend the rest of her life in prison.
She wanted to scream it from the rooftops, but instead walked back to the station to see what else had come up. A dead body had been found under the Burnside Bridge. It was a homeless man, but he’d been stabbed, so Julia was asked to go look into it.
The case would probably never be solved, which didn’t make Julia feel good, but it was something to do to take her mind off Sara. She arrived at the scene and found a young man in his mid twenties lying on his back. The front of his shirt, which had been cut away, was covered in blood, as were his hands.
“Is all this blood his?” she asked the CSI team.
“Probably, but we won’t know until we have Mike run some tests.”
“Fair enough. What else can you tell me?”
“Not much. What you see is what you get. Caucasian male stabbed just under the sternum. Likely he bled out. It’s doubtful the murder weapon killed him instantly. Again, we’ll know more after the autopsy.”
“Great, thanks for the info. Please keep me posted. Does the vic have a name?”
“Dustin O’Hara, age twenty-six, address in Beaverton. No telling how long he’d been on the streets.”
“He’s too young,” Julia said.
“No doubt. A preliminary report shows a laundry list of mental illnesses.”
“Poor kid.”
She excused herself and approached a group of uniformed officers.
“What have you found out?”
“Nobody saw anything. Nobody has ever seen the kid before. The usual.”
“Keep asking. Someone saw something. I want a report on my desk by morning.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She went back to her desk and sat quietly researching Dustin O’Hara. The kid was a mess and now he was dead. Normally, they didn’t waste a lot of resources on homeless victims. They did their best, but those crimes were hardly ever solvable. But there was something about the young man that spoke to her though and she wanted his murderer brought to justice.
Julia heard a ping and checked her email. It was from CSI. They’d found the murder weapon. Excellent. They’d catch the killer and it would mean another murder solved. Julia could almost see the pay raise coming, almost. It probably wouldn’t come, but she knew she deserved it. Solving murders wasn’t easy, but she was on a roll and she deserved more money.
Her stomach rumbled, and she realized she hadn’t eaten yet that day. She checked the clock and it was already four. That was a good enough time to leave. Cullen would see Leslie that day so she’d be over a little later, but Julia could pick up some wine and beer and meet Cullen at her house.
She arrived at her house and poured herself a glass of wine. She took it into the bathroom where she took a shower to wash off the grime of the day. She always felt dirty after visiting a crime scene. She rinsed off then allowed herself some time to soak in the tub.
Julia felt amazingly relaxed between the wine and the bath. She put on sweats and called in an order for dinner. She had just poured another glass of wine when she heard Cullen pull into the driveway.
She greeted her with a kiss before stepping aside to let her in.
“How was your day? How was Leslie?”
“Ugh.” Cullen took the beer Julia offered and collapsed onto the couch. “My day was brutal, but Leslie was good.”
“Oh, no.” Julia sat next to her. “What was wrong with your day?”
“I had lunch with a client today. It was a case I took over due to layoffs. The client hated it. I mean, he hated the campaign I worked up for him. It wasn’t at all what he wanted.”
“Oh, babe, I’m so sorry. What did you do?”
“What could I do? I started from scratch with him. I interviewed him like he was a new client off the street and dug deep to find out what he was looking for. He was right. I totally missed the mark, but the notes on his account had been sparse at best. Ugh. Oh well, I started a new campaign for him which he insists I need to be ready to share with him Friday. Friday, Julia. That’s not very long to put together an ad campaign.”
“No, it’s not. So you’ll be busy this week.”
“Right. I probably won’t see again you until Friday night.”
Disappointment flooded over Julia. She didn’t want to wait that long to see Cullen again. But work got in the way. God knows she knew that. Sure, she had time to spend with Cullen now, but if another big case showed up, things would be different. She had to be supportive and not sulk and pout like she wanted to.
“The customer’s always right. Isn’t that what they say? You do what you need to do, babe. I’ll still be here.”
Cullen kissed her. It was a soft, chaste kiss, but it sent her heart racing.
“Thanks, Julia. You’re the best.” She took a swig of beer. “So, tell me, how was your day?”
Julia couldn’t hold back the smile.
“I met with the DA today. Sara’s case will be presented to the grand jury before the week is over. After that, we’ll move ahead with the trial.”
“Yay you. That’s great.”
“Yep, and then I caught another murder case. A kid, homeless, but we got the murder weapon so I’m hoping we’ll find his murderer soon.”
“I hope so, too.”
Dinner arrived and they ate in comfortable silence. Julia was inhaling her food and barely taking time to breathe, much less talk and Cullen seemed lost in her own thoughts.
After dinner they sat at the table with their drinks.
“Did you want to tell me how things went with Leslie?” Julia said.
“She thinks I’m healing well. She’s seeing progress, which is a good thing. She tried to warn me about depression, but it seems I’m already there—less sleep, less appetite. So I’m making my way through my grief and that’s a good thing.”
“Oh, Cullen, I’m sorry you’re depressed.”
“I didn’t really realize I was. I mean, it’s taken an act of God to get me to do any work, but I just thought I was burned out you know? From burning the candle at both ends? But apparently lack of motivation is also a symptom of depression. So, I’ll get through this and then I’ll be at the acceptance stage and I should be good to go. I don’t know that I’ll get there for a while, but you never know.”
“Right, I get that.”
“And now, my dear, it’s time for me to go. I’ve got a long few days ahead of me. Kiss me like you mean it.”
Julia was happy to oblige. She leaned in so her body melded with Cullen’s as they kissed good-bye. The feel of Cullen’s tight body pressed a
gainst her made her dizzy with need. Her head felt like it would float away while her briefs grew damper with each passing minute.
Cullen finally decided they’d kissed long enough. She was throbbing and knew she was about to cross the line again, so she slowly closed her mouth and hugged Julia close. The feel of her soft body against Cullen had her wishing they could fall into bed right then.
Soon, she told herself. Very soon now. She just needed to power through this last stage of grief and they’d be home free. She couldn’t wait. She released Julia and took a step back.
“Okay, sweetheart, I’ll see you Friday night. Let’s plan on doing something fun.”
“Sounds good. Call me when you get home.”
“Will do.”
* * *
The next few days flew by. Cullen got to work at seven each morning to work on the campaign and worked on her laptop each night until close to midnight. She was afraid she’d fall asleep driving to work Thursday morning. She was exhausted, but the campaign was almost complete and ready to present.
Her work was interrupted midmorning by a text from Julia.
Grand jury says she can stand trial. Woot!
That’s great. Congrats.
Thanks. She should be going to court soon.
Excellent news.
Okay, babe. Don’t work too hard.
See you tomorrow.
She worked hard the rest of the day and felt the campaign was finished when she left to go see Leslie. She could feel a spring in her step as she followed Leslie back to her office.
“You look happy,” Leslie said. “What’s going on? Talk to me.”
“Lots of good things. The client I told you about Monday? Well, I think his campaign is done. I’ll present him with it tomorrow. I’m exhausted, which means I need my sleep, which I think is a good sign. And the grand jury found enough evidence for Sara to stand trial. So life is good right now, Leslie, real good.”
Scene of the Crime Page 21
