Suicide Bomb

by Bobby Nash

  It was warm in the cozy little apartment she shared with Kal, a goldfish from the planet Krypton she had adopted. Sam had deduced that the little orange guy could not have possibly been from this planet with all the times she had forgotten to feed him. Still, every time she came home, there he was, hale and hearty, if not a little thin. After dropping her two bags of groceries on the kitchen counter and her briefcase on the sofa, Sam made sure to drop some fish food into Kal’s tank before she forgot again. She even apologized to the fish for her earlier lapse in memory. Again.

  “I must be getting CRS,” she joked. “Can’t Remember Shit.” The fish just stared at her as usual, her joke falling on deaf ears. Do fish have ears? she couldn’t help but wonder. Or does he just not care for my excuses?

  With Kal taken care of, she moved into the kitchen and started looking through cabinets for what to make for herself. She had considered ordering a pizza, but quickly dismissed the notion. Now that she was back on the active list at work, she had to keep herself in fighting trim shape. She was determined to drop at least twenty more pounds before she was happy with her weight. Scarfing down a large thin crust with pepperoni and extra cheese, while tasty, would do little to help her reach the desired goal.

  Her first day working for Corwin had gone pretty much as she expected, long and arduous, much like the man himself.

  Corwin put her through the paces, as she knew he would. If nothing else, her profiling ability was as strong as ever. She had nailed Corwin perfectly. He fancied himself the Alpha Male and had done everything in his power to hammer that point home during her first day back. Despite the fact that she could run circles around him in an investigation and in the field, he wanted her to know who was in charge. He wanted to make sure she remembered that he was the boss.

  Message received.

  She was simply happy to be back in the game. There was a time when she suspected that a second chance to redeem herself was a grand delusion.

  At the rate he was going she half expected an actual pissing contest tomorrow. If it came to that, she’d already decided to let the little runt win. No way was she jeopardizing this second chance because she knew there would not be a third chance to redeem herself in the eyes of the Service. No matter how insufferable Corwin could be, she was determined not to blow it this time. If putting up with Corwin’s insecurities was what it took to get herself off the Service’s shit list, she would deal with it.

  The day had started with a reorientation briefing, followed by three hours of procedural updates to get has back up to speed. Plus, it took two hours to process her new security clearance, which was actually considered speeding it through the process because the guy owed Corwin a favor. In one day, Sam was introduced to more people and shook more hands than she did in all her years working protection. It was a little daunting to say the least and there was no way she would remember every name thrown her way, but she smiled, uttered numerous greetings, and thanked her lucky stars she was there. Home sweet home.

  But now that the day one bullshit was behind her, the real work could begin. She looked forward to a day of rest on Sunday before it all started over again bright and early Monday morning. As annoying as all of the security checks, meet-n-greets, and playing catch up on current operations had been, once they were behind her, the real work would begin.

  She couldn’t wait to get started.

  Sam was never as happy as when she was neck deep in a juicy investigation. Not even her marriage had made her feel as good as working a tricky investigation, even during the happy times. Not that there were that many, as she was sure her ex would quickly agree. Sorting through the details, pulling at elusive strings, taking apart a mystery and recreating it piece by piece, corroborating testimony, getting to the truth, solving a puzzle. These were the things that got Samatha Patterson’s juices flowing.

  God, how she had missed it.

  And as much as she hated to admit it, she had Bob Corwin to thank for it.

  A fact she knew he would never let her forget.

  “Okay, Kal, how does steak sound? I’m in the mood to celebrate.” Using the remote, she clicked on the CD player and filled the room with the throbbing beats of Latin flavor. She had picked up the CD from a local band that played at a club not too far from her building. She discovered it while taking dance lessons and her sometime class partner, Lee Burns told her it was a slammin’ club. She assumed that was a good thing and went.

  She was not disappointed.

  At least twice a month, Samantha made it a point to hook up with Lee and go dancing. At first, she had been reluctant to accept his invitation. Having come off of a particularly nasty divorce the last thing she wanted to do was get involved again so quickly. To her surprise, Lee wasn’t after anything other than friendship and a dance partner. Once she realized that he wasn’t trying to get in her pants, Sam grew more comfortable with him and the dance improved. Lee was a magnificent dancer and she was learning so much from him. It was nice to have a guy friend to hang out with and talk to without the usual tension in the air. It made her wonder if that whole ‘men and women can’t be friends’ thing was just so much bullshit.

  Getting into a rhythm, Sam danced around the kitchen, pulling out the ingredients for dinner. It had been a long time since she’d been this happy. She had a good feeling about this new job. It’s not often people in her profession got a second chance.

  She had been given what everyone dreamt of out of life.

  Another opportunity. She didn’t plan to screw it up.

  Not like last time.

  ###

  Dinner was wonderful.

  After firing up the small grill that she kept out on the balcony, Samantha went to work chopping vegetables to pop in the oven. Though she was far from chef material, she had picked up a few recipe secrets during her sabbatical. A little garlic and olive oil, not the extra virgin stuff for her because she didn’t like the taste of it, and a dash of salt and pepper coated the variety of veggies she had chopped. Together with the steak and a small salad, it was delicious. She had contemplated a baked potato to round out the meal, but decided it was best to lay off the carbs for the time being.

  Curled up on her sofa, Samantha sat in the dark and ate her meal, the only light in the room coming from the TV or through the sheer blinds that covered the window and balcony door. As usual on a Saturday, there was nothing on. Even the movie channels were playing movies she had already seen a few dozen times each or something that looked less than interesting. She tried to read, but she found her mind unable, or unwilling, to focus on the latest Beverly Conner mystery novel she had picked up the week before.

  Sam’s brain was doing somersaults between tired and invigorated. Focusing on anything for any extended period of time seemed next to impossible. Her mind had already raced ahead to Monday morning. She couldn’t wait to get back to work.

  She thought about calling Lee to see if he was interested in hitting the clubs, but she realized he was probably already out and about at this hour and didn’t want to disturb him.

  Finally succumbing to the inevitable, she clicked off the television and her apartment fell into darkness. With excellent aim, she tossed the remote onto the nearby recliner where it slid between the armrest and cushion so she would have to search for it later. It wasn’t late by any stretch, but she was physically and mentally drained. It had been a long, busy day. She could not even muster the energy to put her dish in the sink. Stretching out her legs, Sam laid her head back against the pillow and closed her eyes.

  An hour later her cell phone jingled and vibrated across the coffee table. It woke her easily. Samantha was many things, but a sound sleeper was not one of them. She answered on the second ring, her head still lying against the pillow.

  “Patterson,” she said calmly. Whoever was on the other end of the line would doubtless be unable to tell he had woken her.

  “It’s Corwin,” her new boss began without any apologies for the lateness of the hour.
Not that she would expect any such considerations. She was now on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty-five days a year. All part of the job.

  “There’s a meeting at the office tonight at nine,” Corwin told her. “I want you there.”

  “Understood,” she said, stifling a small yawn.

  “You okay?”

  “Fine,” she said, surprised by his concern. “I’ll see you at nine.”

  “Don't be late.”

  As she carefully deposited the cell phone back on the coffee table, Sam closed her eyes once more. “A nine o’clock meeting on a Saturday night?” she said aloud. “Well, girl, you did ask for this. Be careful what you wish for.”

  Somewhere in the back of her mind a still small voice reminded her that you just might get it.

  eight

  Washington DC

  Saturday

  Catherine Jackson felt the warmth envelope her.

  After hanging up with Daniel, Jacks hopped into the stall for a quick shower. However, once inside, the hot water was so soothing that she ended up taking a little longer than she had planned. She let the hot, steamy, water roll across her sore shoulders and down her aching back. The shower was wonderfully soothing and exactly what the doctor ordered to work out the kinks. She felt the tensions flow from her neck muscles, her pores opening up as the steam caressed her silky skin.

  Relaxed, her thoughts drifted to Daniel. She knew that with his manly hands he could easily massage away any built-up stresses that threatened to knot and twist her muscles past their breaking point. In fact, just thinking about him helped her relax, but she had to push those thoughts away for the time being.

  A similar activity only yesterday had led to her waking up in a strange house this morning. Not that she hadn’t enjoyed every moment of the evening. Far from it. Jacks was hardly a prude or anything. In fact, if anything, she was quite the opposite. She enjoyed a healthy sex life, when she allowed herself time to enjoy her life, usually beginning with a well-rehearsed “no strings attached” speech she had learned solved a lot of messy problems later on.

  No, sex was not one of her problems.

  Commitment on the other hand...

  Agreeing to a second date the very next night was pretty near the top of her list of things not to do, but she had surprised herself by agreeing to dinner without hesitation. And why not? She asked herself. Surely, she deserved to be happy. Of late, her social life had been on life support, a terminal case. It had been that way for quite some time and the family waiting alongside her bed just looking for a reason to yank the plug right out of the socket.

  Maybe Daniel could change all that.

  Not only was he gorgeous, but he was also a cultured and well-respected member of the community. And that wasn’t just her opinion. She heard the way some of the women in court spoke of him. The boy was definitely a big flirt, no doubt. Jacks had been on the receiving end of many of his charming smiles. But he wasn’t just a player. He seemed to take his love life seriously, she noticed. He was a polite gentleman the night before. Well, at least until they got back to his place, but by then all bets were off and the two of them pounced on one another like wild animals. She smiled at the memory.

  Catherine Jackson, the lovelorn homicide detective and purveyor of broken hearts, found herself actually considering a future with this man, which was very unlike her. Not only was it a sobering thought, but one that came completely from left field and smacked her right between the eyes. It also scared her just a little bit.

  It wasn’t just the idea of a relationship.

  He scared her a little too, but in a good way.

  “Okay, Jacks, it’s been one date. Get over yourself,” she told the reflection in the bathroom’s full picture mirror. “You don’t go all girly like this over a man,” she told her mirror image. The face that stared back at her did not look as tired as she felt. The lack of sufficient sleep on top of dealing with a homicide, no, make that four homicides, in one morning left her feeling worn out. For the briefest of moments, she thought about calling and cancelling dinner then crawling into her nice, soft bed for several solid hours of blissful sleep.

  Well, you gotta eat, she told herself.

  She dressed rather quickly, considering it normally took her quite a bit of time to go through the routine. First, she rubbed lotion on her arms and legs. Then, she had started combing her long wavy hair, before giving up and deciding that a ponytail was the way to go. Well, she had asked for causal so hopefully he wouldn’t mind. Putting on pair of jeans and a nice beige sweater meant that tennis shoes were acceptable, but it was still a date so she opted for her favorite pair of sexy boots that she didn’t get to wear often enough.

  She was just zipping up the first boot when her doorbell rang.

  Of course, he’s punctual too.

  “Coming!” she shouted as she half hopped, half ran to the door. She realized she must have looked silly trying to zip up her boot and walk at the same time.

  Flipping the doorknob lock, Jacks pulled open the door without checking the peephole.

  And there he stood.

  Daniel Benson was easily six foot two. He was ruggedly cut, but not chiseled like a body builder. She knew from their many conversations that he hit the gym when he had the chance, but his job, much like Jacks’ own, left much to be desired in the way of free time.

  “Come on in,” she said, letting the door hang open as she turned back the way she came. “I’ll be just another minute.”

  “Take your time,” he said. Although she couldn’t see his reaction, she could hear the smile in his voice as he said it. He was enjoying watching her hop/walk across the living room.

  “I saw you on television today,” he said, making chit-chat from the living room. “Looks like you had a busy day?”

  “Every day is a busy day around here,” Jacks called back. “How about you?”

  “Not too bad. I managed to get caught up on some paperwork this morning. It’s funny, but I get more done in half a day on Saturday than the entire Thursday and Friday put together. Go figure.”

  “Probably because the office is empty and the phones don’t ring,” she said with a giggle. “I wish I could say the same thing happened around here.”

  “Yeah, that must be it. I’m only a week behind now.”

  “I’m jealous. My backlog is about three weeks deep. My Captain’s going to have a coronary if I don’t get caught up soon.”

  “Maybe you need a secretary,” Daniel called out.

  “Yeah. Right. We can’t get funding for a full time Special Victims Unit and you think they’re going to let me have a secretary? That’ll be the day.”

  “You’re probably right. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Less than five minutes after her date had arrived, Catherine Jackson walked out of the bedroom, as ready as she was able. “Well?” she prodded, holding out her arms so he could get a good look at her.

  “You look fantastic,” he said, which was, of course, the right thing, the only thing, to say.

  Smart man.

  “I’m feeling underdressed now,” he said. He was decked out in simple khaki pants, a black sweatshirt that hugged his neckline and accentuated his black hair that was just lightly sprinkled with bits of gray. He topped it off with a sports coat.

  “You?” Jacks nearly shouted. “This is your idea of casual?”

  “Considering how I dress for the day job, yeah.”

  “You stinker. I should change.”

  “You look fine, Jacks. Really.” He smiled as he said it.

  “Uh huh.” She did not sound convinced.

  “What do you feel like for dinner?”

  “Anything is good. I’m famished. I haven’t eaten much of anything today.”

  Grabbing her leather coat off the rack beside the door, Jacks flipped the lock on the knob and the deadbolt before closing the door once they were in the hallway. She did not carry a purse, as she never f
ound much use for one. She owned one, a fancy Christmas gift from her mother a few years back, but had only used it once. Her wallet and identification stayed in her coat pocket most of the time and her cell phone was nestled in her pants pocket. A purse was just one more accessory to keep track of that she didn’t need.

  They rode the elevator down pretty much in silence. Not awkward at all. Daniel whistled along to the unrecognizable Muzak tune as the car descended. In true gentleman fashion, he let her lead the way out of the elevator car and opened the door leading to the street for her.

  The crisp air from the morning had not diminished, instead it seemed to grow colder as darkness encroached. The weatherman had mentioned a possibility of snow in the next couple days and the chill in the air leant credence to that prediction.

  “Where did you park?” Jacks asked, not seeing Daniel's Lexus anywhere nearby.

  “Down the street a bit,” he said, pointing. “I can swing back by and pick you up if you don’t…”

  “No. It’s okay. It’s a nice night for a walk. I don’t mind.”

  “Whatever Madame says,” he agreed with a bow and flourish. “Might I escort you?”

  She placed her arm through the loop of his and they moved casually down the street.

  It was nice. Catherine had not been on a real, honest to goodness date in a long time. Daniel’s flirtations had given her an inaccurate first impression of the suave district attorney. She had been expecting something more grandiose. After last night’s wild and highly unpredictable evening, which was just sex and really didn’t count as a date in her mind, she was surprised by how chivalrous Daniel was being tonight. Perhaps romance wasn’t dead after all, she thought. In her experience, once she slept with a man, he usually stopped trying and expected her to be ready whenever the mood struck him.

  That was usually the beginning of the end of the relationship.

  It seemed Daniel Benson played by a different set of rules that Jacks found rather refreshing.

  As they reached his silver Lexus, the gentleman opened the passenger side door for his guest. “Most gracious,” she told him as she stepped inside.