by W L Knightly
Marvin plucked at a stray thread on the blanket over his lap. “She’s going to be pissed off at me for telling you this, but she said that he would blindfold her at the hotel and then he’d take her elsewhere. He liked to pretend to kidnap her. It was a type of roleplay for them. But she said it got to be too weird, so she told him she couldn’t see him anymore. He lost it. They had a fight. She bailed.”
Darek wanted to punch the man. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me this earlier? We had a whole conversation, and you never mentioned that.”
“I knew that this time, it was for real,” Marvin said. “I thought if I told you that this was their weird roleplaying thing, you’d stop looking for her. I want to keep that asshole behind bars. He stabbed me, okay? And I don’t want anything to do with any of this shit anymore.”
“Mia wouldn’t let him leave you for dead,” Darek said.
“No, but she’s not in control. He is. He always was. That sick fuck, Bay, got her into that lifestyle, and she doesn’t know anything but how to go along with it. She went back to him as if it was the lesser of two evils, but evil all the same. I don’t want to be involved anymore. Could you please go now?”
Darek was stunned. “Are you fucking kidding me? Mia’s your friend.”
He shook his head. “She was. And I’m afraid she’s gone now. So if whoever stabbed me ever gets out, he could come after me again. I’m unfinished business.”
Lizzy sighed. “Don’t give yourself too much credit, Marvin.” She looked over the bed at Darek and gestured for him to wait outside.
He went to the hallway to find the violet-haired friend standing outside. “Are you done? Haven’t you guys questioned him enough?”
“No, apparently we haven’t,” Darek said. “But since you’re free, how about you tell me what made him change his tune? Did someone else come talk to him?”
The girl shook her head. “He just doesn’t want to be blamed for what happened to Mia. He said he doesn’t want to be involved.”
“I can respect that,” he said. “Did he ever tell you anything about his friend, Mia?”
She huffed. “That girl wasn’t ever his friend. I’m the one who had to explain that to him. She was just using him for his talent, and she got him into a bunch of trouble. His true friends are the ones who are glad he’s alive. We’ve taken turns up here to sit with him. He’s afraid the man who stabbed him is going to walk, and he doesn’t want to be alone.”
Darek frowned. “The man who did this? He’s all locked up. And he’s never getting out.”
With that, Lizzy appeared in the doorway behind him. “That was a lost cause,” she said. “My record for the day is in the gutter.”
The other girl rolled her eyes and went back into the room.
“How about we get something to eat and then pick this hunt up afterward?” Darek asked. Lizzy looked like she needed a break, and he could use a bite. She had dragged him out of bed and forced him to miss the most important meal of the day.
She nodded. “Fine, but you and I both know what this is going to lead to.”
Darek took her hand. “Sex at my house?”
“No, silly. We have to go through Max’s house. I need to make sure that there wasn’t something they missed. Who knows? We might have missed an important clue.”
He waited until they were alone in the elevator to give her a quick peck on the lips. “Sounds like fun. What did you say to Marvin?”
“I just wanted to see if maybe he’d open to me without you around, but it didn’t work. He didn’t tell me anything. I just reminded him that this is a criminal investigation and that he will continue to cooperate in the future, if not for Mia’s sake, then for his.”
Darek pulled her close and gave her another kiss before the elevator stopped. “That’s my girl.”
Chapter 11
Bay
Calling Lila to tell her about her sister would be one of the hardest things Bay had ever done, and like all the other difficult things he’d had to face in life, he sought counsel from Rose Marie before making a move.
She answered the phone, and her thick, rich voice gave him a calmness like no other ever could. “What is wrong?” she asked in her warm Caribbean accent.
“Now, how did you know something is wrong? And before you tell me that’s the only time I call you, let me remind you that’s not at all true.” He had been calling the woman at least once a week or more for his entire life.
“You have to ask?” She laughed. “You should know by now that I don’t have to be with you to know how you’re feeling.”
“I know.”
“Then why don’t you tell me all of your troubles?” Her voice was soothing, and he closed his eyes and imagined she was there with him.
“Mia’s missing. I think she’s dead.”
Rose Marie didn’t seem surprised, and her voice remained calm. “The old demons are coming home, aren’t they? I warned you they would.”
Bay never could dispute a word from the woman’s mouth, and she was still the only person that had steered him straight. “Yes, ma’am. You did. But now I have to tell Lila that her sister is missing without a trace, and I’m afraid for the first time in a long time. Afraid of what it will do to her and what that will mean for the baby.”
“She’ll be fine. The baby will be fine.” If Rose Marie said it, it was true. “She’s not had any problems, Bay. But I don’t think you’re going to like what I have to suggest.”
“You think I should have her come home,” he said. “I already know I have to let her. She should be safe now, and she needs to be here, close to me. The person I was worried about is locked up. I don’t think there’s a threat.”
Rose Marie sighed, and the sound of her breath sent chills down his spine. “You do know if she comes home, she’ll have to stay,” she said. “She won’t be able to make the trip but once. Her doctor is going to agree with me. All of the back and forth, it’s not good for her in the last trimester.”
He gave a nod as if Rose Marie could see him. “We need to make sure she’s comfortable and get her home. I want her to have the baby here. I’ll make all of the arrangements to have things in order.”
“I agree. And it would be my honor to help with the delivery.” Bay knew that Lila wouldn’t like that, but he wasn’t going to tell his Rose Marie no.
“I’ll arrange it. I’ll beef up security here too. I’m hoping that they’ll at least find Mia’s body by the time she comes home. It will be easier to offer her some kind of closure. Where is her mother?”
“She’s gone to the big island to chase after another man,” Rose Marie said dismissively. “I don’t know when she will be back, but she needs to come home as well. You know it’s only right, and as much as I hate to say it, Lila will need her mother.”
Bay’s anger spiked, but he wasn’t going to argue with Rose Marie. “She’s never been a fucking mother to those girls. Lila practically raised Mia. Hell, you raised Mia more than she ever did.”
“Yeah, and I hate that the precious girl is gone.” Her voice was soft, and Bay thought he heard it crack.
“She is gone, isn’t she?” He knew Rose Marie would know. Instinctively, she just knew things. She always had.
Rose Marie sniffled. “Let me put it this way, sugar. She’s not coming back. I don’t feel like we’re going to see her again.”
“I’m going to make sure I take care of it.”
“Won’t be long now and you’ll be a father. You can’t be taking care of things like you always did.”
“Lou is dead,” he said. “Someone has to do it. I’m out of options.” He still had to find someone who would take care of Max in jail. He had his feelers out and expected to hear something soon. At least, he hoped.
“There are always other options, Bay. You’ll listen to me one day.” She paused a breath, and Bay wanted to tell her that he always listened to her. “Maybe the day your baby comes. It’s going to change your heart. Awaken it. Stir somethi
ng deep inside of it that only you will know. It will be a proud day for the family, and I can’t tell you how excited I am that we can all celebrate that together.”
“That would be nice,” he said. There was so much on his mind, especially what Otis had told them about the dark-haired girl.
“I can tell there is something else bothering you, Bay. Tell me what it is so that I might ease your soul.” She had always wanted to make everything comfortable for him.
“It’s nothing. Just a hunch.”
“You know what I’d tell you to do with a hunch.”
“Trust it,” said Bay. “I know. I will.” His words were mostly to pacify her, but he was going to have to look into it or it would eat at him. “I’ll call Lila later. I just needed to run it all by you first.” He heard footsteps coming down the hall. “Someone’s coming. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay, love. You take care.” She hung up the phone, and Bay got to his feet as Lane walked into the room.
“Hey, sorry to bother you,” he said. “Were you about to leave?”
Bay shook his head. “Nah, I just finished up a phone call. I’m not going out until later. I thought you’d be over at Nona’s.” He thought Lane was going to finish packing her things and shipping them out.
“There’s too much to do and so much in my brain. I just needed a break.”
Bay could tell there was something bothering him, and he wondered if it was the same thing he’d been thinking. “What’s on your mind?”
“It’s the woman,” Lane said. “I can’t get past what Otis said about his brother’s girlfriend.”
“You think she sounds a bit familiar too?” Bay had thought about it since they’d spoken with Gough with day before.
“Wait, you think she sounds familiar?”
“Yeah, I do. In fact, my gut tells me that we know her.” He had learned from Rose Marie to always trust his intuition. She had always considered it a very powerful tool.
Lane frowned. “I was just going to suggest that maybe the girl was the first victim. Is that what you’re thinking?”
“No, I think Max had help before then. Someone to help him plot out what they were doing. If you think about it, the crimes are so complex, and with Max being on the force, he had to be two places at once for a good part of the time. The only way to do that is to have a partner.”
Bay had done things like that long enough to know that a good partner was important.
Lane raked his hand through his hair. His expression was wary, and Bay could tell that he hadn’t been thinking the same thing. “So, who do you think it is?” he asked.
“Who is the only dark-haired beauty we know? Someone who doesn’t mind a lot of kink?
“Wait, you mean Raven?” Lane’s eyes widened.
“As soon as Gough mentioned her, that’s who came to mind. I mean, think about it. She’s been around the Zodiacs enough to know all of our moves, she’s one of the only loved ones who has survived an intended attack, and she’s fucked just about every one of the guys and then was friends with them at the times of their deaths. She could be the kind of person who could have told Max exactly where all of us were and when we were there.”
“Damn, that’s hard to believe,” Lane said. “She was so nice back in New Orleans. She seems like such a good girl.”
“And Max seemed like a good cop,” Bay said.
Lane nodded. “I can’t argue with that.” He paused. “But Raven got shot at just like the rest of us. If she was working with Max, that would have put an end to it, don’t you think?”
“Unless it was all part of their plan,” Bay said. “A bit of misdirection. The killer couldn’t possibly be someone who got shot at too, right? That’s the kind of thing the killer would want us to think.”
Lane look like he’d seen a ghost. “Darek’s not going to like this theory.”
“That’s all it is. Just a theory. So, let’s not go and say anything to him. I’ll find out where she is and check up on her. We want to make sure she’s still at Ethan’s place and that she stays there. And if not, we’ll need to take her out.”
Lane got a panicked look in his eyes. “I don’t think she’d come back to town. According to Darek, she’s getting things set up for Noah.”
“Well, then for the kid’s sake, I hope I’m wrong. Because if he did witness something, maybe he’s not safe either.”
Lane’s face fell. “Damn. That’s fucked up.”
“Yeah. Let’s hope I’m wrong.” He knew he’d have to go and find her. For her sake, he hoped that she had nothing to do with it. Then again, it might be better to be safe than sorry.
Chapter 12
Darek
“We’ve had the worst luck today,” said Lizzy as she and Darek walked out of the station. “First the damn weapon. Then Marvin was a bust, dinner was terrible, and now the press is sniffing around.”
“Don’t worry, baby. We got them off our ass.” Darek was more worried about the press getting access to Max somehow. “I’ve given orders that no one gets in to see him. The reporters can try, but they won’t succeed. Besides, they are way off.”
The media seemed to think that a homeless man had been arrested for the murder spree, and Darek couldn’t help but consider the irony.
“It’s only a matter of time before they aren’t way off, Darek. Then what?”
“Look, when that happens, we’ll be ready for them. Don’t sweat it in the meantime. We have to make sure we’re not being tailed and get to Max’s house.” They would have gone earlier in the day but were called back in when the press tried to get in to see the person arrested for the Zodiac crime. Thankfully, all of the department was keeping things under wraps, but Darek had no idea how long they’d be able to keep it up.
“Fine, but can you drive again?” she asked. “I’m going to read over the file and see if there is anything from the past that might give us a clue for Mia. I pored over these papers last night but found nothing. Maybe today? Who knows?”
“Fresh eyes can’t hurt. I’ll drive.” He took the keys, and when they got out to the car, he opened her passenger door and then went around to get behind the wheel.
After a trip across town and into the suburbs, they pulled up to Max’s place. The house was about as nice as Darek’s, and he parked out front, thinking about all the times he’d been there in the past. If Max had something to hide in the house, Darek would have never known it. He had never stumbled upon anything strange.
“Let’s get this over with,” said Lizzy. “I’m starting to think you were right. We should have just stayed home in bed this morning.”
Darek smiled. “I’m telling you. One day, you’ll listen to me. We could have had hot, kinky sex. Instead, we went to work. I think there’s something seriously wrong with your brain, baby.”
“I’ll ignore that remark,” she said teasingly.
They walked up to the door, and Lizzy cut through the police tape to get in. “This is a case where ladies first doesn’t appeal to me,” she said as she stepped aside and let Darek go inside ahead of her.
“Are you afraid of an empty house?” he asked, the teasing tone still in his voice.
She followed and then stuck her tongue out at him before she headed to Max’s kitchen ahead of him. When he came in, she checked the drawers and accounted for all of Max’s kitchen knives.
Darek made a pass through the laundry room. “There’s nothing in here,” he said, after looking around. He went back to where Lizzy stood over a counter full of knives she’d dumped from a drawer.
“Yeah, you’d think with all of these, there’d be one that looked like it could be used, but nope.” She sifted through them, handling them carefully.
“I’m going into his bedroom,” said Darek.
He went to the other end of the house and opened the door to Max’s master bedroom. There was a hole in the wall that Darek had never seen before, and it looked like it was the size of a fist. Darek walked over and looked at it,
but he wasn’t convinced that it meant anything other than Max had been cracking up and losing his mind.
He dug around in some of Max’s drawers, most of which were already empty due to the police search. They hadn’t cleaned up after themselves, and it made it easier for Darek to see there wasn’t anything to find.
Darek headed out as Lizzy walked across the kitchen floor, and she stopped short as her heels made a strange sound. “Did you hear that?” she asked.
Darek had heard the sound of something hollow beneath her feet, where Max had always had an ugly grandmother’s house-looking rug. “Yeah, when you walked over here.” He pointed to the area.
“The rug has been moved. Look at the faded part.” Lizzy pointed out how the rug had been slid over a tad. There was a distinctly darker area where the rug had protected the floor beneath it for years. “Let’s move it.” She knelt down, and Darek walked over to help her roll it back. As they did, it became clear something was hidden there. “Is that a door?”
“Yeah.” Darek looked at the hatch. “I never knew this was here. Max never mentioned it.” He thought of all the talks they’d had about man caves and basements through their long time on the streets together. Surely, he’d have mentioned an underground room.
Lizzy opened it up and stood back. “That’s a root cellar.”
“What do you want to bet that’s not what our friend used it for?” Darek hated to be macabre, but there was no telling what else he didn’t know about his ex-partner. The man was liable not only to have Mia down there but other bodies as well. Just how big was his killing spree?
“You want to go down there first? It’s full of boxes.” She shined her phone’s flashlight down into the hole.
“I’ll go.” He had to be the man and make sure all was well, although he was nervous about what he might find down there. With a sick fuck like Max, there could be anything.
Darek stepped on the first rung and hoped the ladder would hold. The house was old as dirt, and if it was part of the original construction, it could be terribly eroded. The ladder creaked, but he managed to make it down without breaking his neck.