A Touch of Murder

by Donna Raider

  “Mika,” Rachel said, “may we explore this planet before we return home?”

  “I don’t see any reason why we can’t.” She nodded. “Is that okay with you, Queen Mommy?”

  Leah nodded her approval.

  ##

  The planet was pristine, much like Earth had been when God first created it. Mika didn’t recall this planet being created, but God had painted the universe with a broad brush, and she was certain her Lord had made many things of which she was unaware. Mika also knew that God had created the universe long before creating Earth.

  “Adam, Rachel.” Mika walked between her son and daughter. “Can you collect any samples that will give us some idea of the age of this planet?”

  “We can try, Mika,” Adam said. “We need to find some rock formations.

  “If we can find rock formations,” Rachel agreed, “we can use radiometric dating when we get back home, to determine their age.”

  “It might be faster if we fly,” Sara suggested, “or we could float.”

  “Let’s fly,” Jacob said. “I love the way it feels.”

  The two wingless beings mounted the backs of their winged spouses and all soared into the air. They flew low, looking for rocks, craters, or hardened lava flows.

  “There is a mountain range to our right,” Leah pointed out to Mika. She banked sharply right, enjoying the feeling of Leah tightening her legs around her.

  They flew to the crest of the highest mountain and landed. It was covered with snow, and icy winds blew hard against them.

  “This won’t do,” Rachel yelled. “I saw a canyon like our Grand Canyon. Let’s try it.”

  They followed Rachel until she landed on the banks of a wide river that flowed through the towering canyon.

  “This is beautiful.” Jennifer looked around, in wonder, at the beauty of the landscape that stretched out before her.

  Rachel opened her backpack and took out containers to collect samples. Handing the collection tools to all her family, she instructed them to get samples from the various depths of the canyon.

  She handed Jennifer a set of tools and containers. “Would you collect samples from this level?”

  Jennifer smiled, pleased to be included in the project.

  “Would you like your mom and me to collect some water samples from the river?” Mika asked.

  “Great idea, Mika,” Rachel watched as Mika slid the sample containers into the pockets of her jeans and took Leah’s hand.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The river water was clean and clear. They could see the various aquatic species thriving in the depths.

  “There is life on this planet,” Mika said. “So far, we have seen fowl and fish. Let’s dive as deep as we can and collect samples from the very bottom of the river.”

  Instantly her wife dressed them in swimsuits, and they waded into the river. Leah was a little apprehensive but delighted to see her abilities worked as well in this world as they did on Earth.

  As they swam deeper into the river, they encountered various types of marine life. Much of it was almost like jelly, floating along with the current. Some were transparent and amoeba like.

  If this planet is in any way like Earth, it appears to be in the early stages of evolution, Mika thought.

  That would account for the lushness of the vegetation. Leah’s thoughts came back to Mika.

  The closer they got to the river bottom, the larger the aquatic creatures were.

  Be careful, I don’t know how quickly these monsters can move, Mika warned her wife.

  They located a place where clean, underground springs bubbled up into the river, stirring the sandy bottom. Mika scooped a sample of the sand into a container.

  Follow me, Leah pointed toward a cave.

  She scraped pieces of rock from the cave formation and placed it into her container. Lighting the way ahead of them, she entered the cave.

  After swimming for about thirty minutes, they emerged into an underground cavern. They swam to the surface. As they broke out of the water, scurrying feet drew their attention to a fire burning in the center of the cavern.

  They treaded water, trying to ascertain their situation. Leah filled the cavern with light. Beings dressed in loincloths and small tops watched them from behind rocks.

  They seem to be harmless, Mika thought.

  The pair swam to the edge of the river then walked out into the cavern.

  “We won’t hurt you,” Leah smiled. She tossed her head, drying her hair and letting it fall around her shoulders.

  She is glorious, Mika thought.

  Thank you, darling. Leah smiled.

  As Leah stood on the dry land, a dozen beings rushed to her and fell on their knees, prostrate before her. She was shocked by their appearance. They all looked just like Mika. Pale blonde hair, Caribbean blue eyes and honey-colored skin. They were all beautiful.

  “Why are they worshipping me instead of you?” Leah asked.

  You are different. They appear to be teenagers, Mika thought.

  “Do you understand me?” Leah asked.

  “They do not,” a voice thundered through the cavern.

  Mika fell to her knees. “My Lord, have we ventured somewhere we should not be?”

  “No, Mika, your presence and that of your queen is welcome.” The voice seemed pleased. “They are innocents, as are your own children. Please, stand.”

  “As you know,” Mika said, standing slowly, “you have allowed our daughter Rachel the knowledge and ability to come to this planet.”

  “There is another planet I prefer she visit.” The voice was softer now. “It has no inhabitants but is very much like Earth.

  “Guide her away from this planet. I am trying to get it right this time. So far, these people are good. Like the humans on Earth, I have allowed them free will. I will neither save them nor destroy them. I will only love them. They have not yet disobeyed me. They have not eaten from the tree of knowledge.

  “Please, guide Rachel to the Rachelon Solar System. You should return now. Your children are frantically searching for you and Leah.”

  “Yes, My Lord.” Mika bowed and took her wife’s hand. They waded into the river.

  “Mika,” the voice echoed, “I am pleased with you, your wife and your children. You chose your mate wisely. Her faith is strong. You are doing my will.”

  “Thank you, My Lord.”

  ##

  Leah was silent as they joined their children. They formed their circle, holding hands, and Mika prayed. She thanked God for blessing them and communicating with them. Instantly, they were in Leah’s office.

  Rachel gathered everyone’s sample containers.

  “Rachel,” Mika said softly, “may we speak with you, alone?”

  Rachel’s excitement was almost uncontainable. “Sure, Mika. I just want to get these to my lab as soon as possible. Is anything wrong?”

  “There is a solar system named Rachelon,” Mika said. “God wants you to go to a planet there instead of Regina Madre.”

  “What is the planet’s name?” Rachel asked.

  “You will discover it. You get to name it,” Mika said.

  “I will call it Reine Mère,” Rachel stated emphatically.

  “That is French for Queen Mother.” Leah smiled shyly.

  “Yes, it is, Mother.” Rachel bowed her head to her mother.

  “There is only one problem.” Rachel frowned. “There is no such solar system as Rachelon.”

  “When you discover it, it will be named after you.” Mika smiled. Mika pulled Leah’s notepad to her and wrote on it. “Start with these coordinates. You will probably have to tweak your telescope. It is further away than Regina Madre. I am certain you can figure it out.”

  “May I ask why I can’t go to Regina Madre?”

  “It is inhabited,” Leah said quietly, “by beings that look exactly like Mika. God said they are good, and He doesn’t want mankind to corrupt them.”

  “That is why you were go
ne so long,” Rachel said.

  Leah nodded.

  “It is back to the drawing board for me.” Rachel grinned. “I have to get the earthly powers to let me change my exploration. Mika, may I process the samples we brought back? Just for my own information.”

  “Certainly, but just for your own knowledge,” Mika said. “I don’t have to tell you what would happen if humans landed on Regina Madre.”

  ##

  That afternoon, Rachel received an urgent phone call from NASA. The planet Regina Madre had disappeared. They couldn’t find it even using her most powerful telescope. They wanted her to cut her vacation short and report to the base immediately.

  “I can’t,” Rachel informed them. “I am working on something here. I promise you when I return, we will have an even more exciting planet to explore.”

  After a long conversation, her project manager reluctantly agreed to let her complete her vacation. Secretly, he missed her and wanted her to return to work. He also knew she was very close to her family and long overdue for a vacation.

  ##

  “You are being very quiet, my love.” Mika laid her head in her wife’s lap and listened to their children’s hearts beat. “Are you okay?”

  “I am just beginning to realize who I have married,” Leah said seriously.

  Mika looked up at her. “We were married thirty-three years this month. You have given birth to an even dozen of my children, with two more on the way, and you are just beginning to realize who I am?”

  “On one level I knew, but you are so humble.” Leah struggled to explain the sheer awe she felt. “I have always just taken you for granted.”

  “Being taken for granted is not a bad thing.” Mika smiled. “It means I have become a fixture in your life. Something you would miss if I weren’t here.”

  “You have no idea how much I miss you.” Leah leaned down and kissed Mika’s lips. “Every time you leave my side for a moment.”

  “Reine Mère, have you no idea how much I adore you?” Mika moved, pulling Leah to lie down beside her. Leah rested her head on Mika’s shoulder. “God is right. I did choose my mate wisely.”

  She pressed her lips to Mika’s and kissed her slowly, exploring every sweet taste of her. “I want to make love to my angel.”

  “Not as much as I want you to, my queen.” Mika gently pulled Leah on top of her.

  ##

  “Mika, darling, come look at these floorplans.” Leah had the plans spread out on the conference table in her office.

  Mika entered the room, carrying two glasses of lemonade. She leaned down and kissed Leah before handing her a glass.

  “Umm,” she hummed as she sipped the cold drink. “I needed that. The kiss and the lemonade.

  “Honey, the schematics we signed off on originally weren’t followed in this final architectural rendering. The angle of the steel beam, here, is wrong. It won’t hold the weight being put on it.

  “The original schematics called for four such beams, braced against each other. One won’t work. The entire left side of the building is supported by the beams and cement walls located here.”

  Mika studied the plans. “You are right. It is wrong. It is good you caught this. This would have been a catastrophe.

  “Do you want to contact the construction company and set up a meeting with them, or should I?”

  “I will do it.” Leah smiled as she sat down her drink and moved into Mika’s arms for a more intense kiss.

  “Mom.” Rachel entered the room. “Oh, I am so sorry. I—”

  “Nonsense, dear.” Leah smiled. “You act as if you have never seen Mika kiss me.”

  “Truthfully, Mom, I had to overcome the urge to yell ‘Back, horsey, back.’” Rachel wasn’t sure she would ever erase that image from her mind.

  Matt and Leah followed their sister into the room, laughing.

  “How could you give me such smart aleck children?” Leah grinned at Mika before stepping from her arms.

  “I am glad all three of you are here.” Leah smiled. “Let’s go over these engineered plans one more time before I call the contractor. I have found several problems. One very serious flaw.”

  The five studied the plans and made notes on things that were not right. A construction undertaking of the magnitude of the hospital and research facilities required close adherence to the plans, so they had to be correct.

  ##

  Lexi Cole had fought her way to the top in a man’s world. A gifted architectural and structural engineer, she had won the Texas Structural Engineer Award on several occasions and Best Project of the Year for the past three years. Landing the job in Godly had been a godsend. She had briefly wondered why anyone would build such a complex in the God-forsaken town, but really didn’t care, as long as they paid the bills. She knew for certain the project would breathe life back into the dying little town. Most importantly, the complex would be the crown jewel in her career. Apparently, the foundation underwriting the construction had limitless funds and very exacting standards. They had selected her as their builder because her architectural designs and reputation had impressed them. The center would not only be functional, it would be a beautiful masterpiece of engineering art.

  Lexi accelerated as she pulled onto the Chisolm Trail Parkway. Lexi had not met Leah Cross in person, but the woman sounded incredible on the phone. Her smoky, rich voice made Lexi think of making love on a rainy afternoon. Not to Leah, of course. Lexi was definitely straight.

  Until today, Lexi had been dealing with a person named Mika and a woman named Rachel. All her interaction with them had been over the phone and emails. They had been easy to work with but were not entirely happy with the final drawings. She decided Leah was the big gun they sent in when they wanted things done right.

  The project managers had leased space in one of the empty buildings across from Lucile’s diner. Lexi parked her car in front of the door that sported a sheet of paper with “Hospital” written on it. She gathered her original schematics and plans that had been signed off on and mentally prepared herself to take on Leah Cross.

  As she entered the office, Lexi felt as if she had been transported into another world. The offices looked like something out of Interior Design Magazine. Everything in the room was beautiful, inviting, and perfect. She had certainly not expected this in Godly, TX.

  “I have an appointment with Miss Cross,” Lexi informed the receptionist. The nameplate on her desk said Trudy James.

  “Please, follow me. She is expecting you.” Trudy led Lexi to an office at the end of a hallway.

  “Mrs. Cross, Miss Cole is here,” the receptionist announced Lexi.

  Leah slowly raised her head from the floor plan she was studying and appraised Lexi as only one beautiful woman will appraise another. She smiled slightly and motioned for Lexi to sit down.

  “Thank you for coming so quickly,” the raven-haired beauty said. “As you know, we are anxious to break ground on this project as soon as possible.”

  Lexi nodded, trying not to stare at the incredibly gorgeous woman across the desk from her. She was dressed in New York chic. Lexi knew without looking that she would have on high-heel shoes that showed off her legs. Her long, black tresses were thick and shiny. Her face was flawless with dark brown eyes under perfectly arched brows. Aphrodite would covet her full, red lips. Her dangling earrings completed the look of old money worn comfortably. She was the most beautiful woman Lexi had ever seen.

  Lexi had never been physically attracted to women. She had a feeling that would change if Leah Cross were interested.

  “Well?” Leah raised her eyebrows questioningly. “Do I meet with your approval?”

  “Oh, I…uh…” Lexi stuttered like a teenage girl caught crotch watching.

  “Never mind.” Leah waved her hand as if dismissing a gnat. “Please, look at these renderings. There is something critically wrong in the supporting structure.”

  Lexi spent the next two hours going over the plans with Leah. She w
as amazed at the brunette’s complete comprehension of the architectural and engineering concepts and processes.

  Lexi was appalled to discover the final rendering of the floorplans excluded three critical support beams and braces that were in the original schematic Mika Cross had approved. “I have no excuse for this.” She frowned. I will fire my entire team, she thought as she inhaled deeply— something she instantly regretted as the scent of Leah’s perfume washed over her, inflaming her senses.

  Leah stared at her, obviously expecting an answer to a question Lexi hadn’t even heard.

  “I-I’m sorry,” Lexi stammered. “What did you say?”

  “I said you look a little pale, Miss Cole,” Leah repeated.

  “Yes, well, I am extremely upset that these plans reached you with so many errors.” Lexi cleared her throat.

  “You signed off on them.” Leah tapped her pencil on Lexi’s signature. “Didn’t you look at them?”

  Lexi studied Leah for several moments. The woman was as formidable as she was beautiful. “As I said, I have no excuse for this.”

  “Perhaps we should have selected a contractor who pays closer attention to detail.” Leah’s eyes held Lexi’s. “I don’t want to be looking over your shoulder the entire time this construction is taking place. I’d like to think you are responsible enough to make this happen without constant supervision. I do not intend to be at your side every step of the way.”

  I wish you would, Lexi thought. Her mouth said, “Please, give me the opportunity to fix this. I will do everything myself. I can have a complete set of revised, engineered plans to you by six, Saturday afternoon.

  “I will be on site every single day during construction to supervise and make certain the facility is constructed to your exacting standards.”

  Leah nodded. “Until Saturday, then.”

  Leah pushed a button on her cellphone. “I am finished, darling. Lunch,” she said sensuously. “I was hoping you would suggest that.”

  Lexi knew she had been dismissed. She left the room wondering how the woman had made lunch sound like sex.