I took my keys out of my pocket and began shoving my apartment key in the door. I could do this! I opened the door and heard footsteps coming up behind me. I ran inside, locked the door and quickly and quietly walked away.
“Is that you, Cassidy? It’s Leticia. I was hoping we could talk. I want to talk to you about painting me. Come on, Cassidy. Don’t pretend you’re not home.” To my horror, the doorknob began to twist. “Cassidy?”
After a few minutes of calling me, she left me alone. The hallway got quiet, but I never had the courage to peek through the peephole. I couldn’t do it. I was almost certain now that Leticia was a ghost. Why else would she ask me to paint her? We’d never talked about that before. And I wasn’t calling Midas about this either. He needed his rest, and I hated the idea of being the perpetual damsel in distress. I was an investigator, for goodness’ sake. Time to get it together.
That’s what I said; what I did was another story altogether. I put a chair under the front doorknob, went to my bathroom, put a chair against that door and then turned on some quiet classical music and slid into the tub. Nothing weird happened, and no one bothered me; I didn’t even get a creepy feeling. Being home was good. After I washed my hair, I decided to get out, dry off and put on some comfy pajamas. Old, painted comfy pajamas, because tonight I was going to paint. I could already see who and what I was painting.
Yes, this felt right. I pulled down the shades so no one could see me. I rarely did that, but I craved privacy tonight. I filled my jar with water and reached for my palette and my favorite sketching brush. I dipped the colors together and watched them blend beautifully.
“Now, Mr. McCaskey, just like last time. Show me what happened. Can you do that?”
I didn’t hear an audible voice this time, but I felt inspiration rise as soon as my brush tapped the canvas. Oh yes, this would be a special kind of painting. Something like Noelle would have painted. Somehow, I knew I was about to paint a crime.
I hoped I could find a way to help the victims.
Chapter Twelve—Cole
“No, Vita! You can’t let him control you anymore. You’re to be my wife, not his. He’s your brother, for God’s sake! Now, tell him you are going to marry me!”
“Please, Cole. Don’t do this now.” Vita’s dark eyes looked around the room, and her powdered cheeks reddened. The speakeasy was full tonight, and everyone knew I was a “Copper” in the truest sense of the word. Like Don Myrick, the members of this unofficial and illegal club did not want me here. “Cole, listen to me,” she whispered, those perfect bow lips close to my ear. “I’ll come to you later, and we’ll make a break for it. Promise!” But then the piano began to jangle, and a few of Vita’s friends took to the dance floor and began doing the Charleston. Never one to resist a dance, Vita ran to join them. The crowds loved her, showering her with money as her feet shuffled in time. I took a step toward her—we had to settle this now—but a sturdy hand clenched my upper arm.
“Now’s your cue, Copper. Hit the bricks. Make yourself scarce.”
“You can’t keep her from me, Don. You can’t come between us forever. She loves me!” Then the two of us were tussling, and tussling hard. The music didn’t stop; the musicians didn’t even drop a beat. Our fight was like a dance to them. People moved tables and chairs out of the way to make room for us. I couldn’t see Vita through the throng that surrounded us. Myrick had rolled up his perfectly seamed sleeves and was raising his fists at me, threatening to thrash me the whole time. I wasn’t one to back down from a fight, but my mind raced. It was too late to stop this now. I was a cop—I couldn’t let this lowlife say the things he was saying and just walk away. No way, no how. I no longer hoped that one day he and I would be brothers-in-law.
Better to end this quickly.
I punched Myrick in the face, and he hit the ground. Hard. My blood raced, and my heart pumped furiously. I reminded myself to remain calm. Thankfully, no one else seemed willing to take on Copper. Vita clapped her hands and eased through the crowd to grab my hand. “He’s going to be awful sore at you when he wakes up. You didn’t kill him, did you?” We both watched as Magnus tried to rouse his boss. We had to get out of here—now!
“No, of course not.”
She led me through the crowd toward the door. There were two exits in this place; she opted for the door that led to the outside. Too many questionable characters upstairs, characters with guns. Smart move, Vita.
“He’s been drinking all day, Cole. He’s not himself. Not at all. I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately.”
A champagne glass somehow ended up in her hand, and together we stumbled out of the speakeasy. I wanted to get in the car and head for home or the station, but Vita was having none of it. Instead, she led me to the swimming pool, her favorite spot at the Blue House. She held my hand as we walked, and I loved every minute of it, even though I spent most of my time looking over my shoulder.
“He probably knows I want to marry you. He’s probably heard. Have you told him about us?”
“Oh, Don knows how I feel.” She emptied her glass and set it on a nearby table. So like Vita to never answer the eternal question. I had to know, and I had to know now.
“Let’s do it, Vita. Let’s get married! I’ve got the license and everything. I think we should do it.”
“Hush, now, Cole. Let me help you with those pants.”
“Here? Right here by the pool? People will see us.”
“Yes, darling. Let them see that Vita loves Cole!” Her fiery lips were on me, and I found my desire growing.
Would I do such a thing as have sex in a public place? I was a law-enforcement officer, after all. “Come to my house with me, please.”
“I can’t wait that long, lover boy. Let’s go upstairs.”
I knew that going back inside the house was the last thing I should do, but I wanted her like Samson wanted Delilah. I knew she was bad news—Detective Gifford had been right—but I couldn’t let her go. I couldn’t abandon her, even if it meant I might lose everything. I knew that now. My love for Vita ran deep…and dangerous.
I pulled her close to me; her big dark eyes looked up into mine, and her soft arms melted against me. How was it that I had fallen in love with such a wild creature? “You’ll be the death of me, Vita. You will.”
Her beautiful eyes were shining. “I love you, Cole. My own Copper. I love you. Don’t say that. Let’s go find a quiet place—I want you, Cole.” She kissed me and pressed her body against mine. I felt every bit of her and couldn’t resist her offer.
She took my hand again, and we walked inside the Blue House and up a flight of stairs. Vita gave me an intense look, like a starving woman. And I was her food. I liked that. Someone was tumbling out of a room, and she barked at the girl, “Take a hike, and don’t tell anyone where I am.”
For the next hour, we made love like two people always should, with complete attention and commitment. She looked like a gypsy with her sweaty curls around her face. Her dark eyes enchanted me. I wanted to ask her again to marry me, but I was too tired, too unwilling to end the moment. But the moment did end. And not the way I expected.
“Hey, that’s an hour. You owe for an hour, Copper.”
“What? What are you talking about? I came to be with Vita, Magnus.”
“You know how it is. Boss says to go collect, I go collect. I need twenty-five dollars. Right away.” He wasn’t going to leave, and Vita finally intervened.
She was smoking one of her long cigarettes that she’d pulled out of the nightstand drawer. “Beat it, Magnus. He’s my friend. Myrick has a problem with that, he can tell me himself.” Magnus didn’t argue, but he shot me a look that let me know this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
“Come back to bed, Cole. Come sit with me.”
As I stared at her, I knew the truth. “You lied to me, Vita. You lied about what you do here. You let me believe that you loved me! How could you do that? You made a fool out of me, Vita. But no more. I’m
done with you!”
She jumped out of the bed and wrapped herself in a kimono. “I am no prostitute, Cole. They charged us because we used the room, not because I’m a working girl. Have I ever charged you for anything? Of course not. Stop being a fool! You know I love you to the ends of the world. I love you.”
“If you really love me, leave with me.”
She chewed on her lip and smiled. “We wrap our filming tomorrow. I have to see it through, Cole. After we wrap, you and I will leave. Come pick me up, and then we will go wherever you want. We will leave this place and never come back. The future is ours, Cole. Only don’t say you don’t love me anymore. I couldn’t stand it if you said that, not if you really meant it. Tell me you love me.”
She wept now, and her tears moved me. How could I have believed that she, my Vita, would do such an immoral thing? Even though I loathed myself for doing it, I did as she asked; I put my arms around her and pledged my love again.
And she was happy—so I was happy.
“I’ll be back, then. What time should I come, and where will you be?”
“The last of the shooting will be out by the pool. I’m a siren, Cole, a beautiful siren. And the entire world will fall in love with me. Come see me at four o’clock. We should be done by then, and then you and I will be together always.”
“Please, Vita. Don’t lie to me. Don’t lead me on. I have to know. Will you be mine?”
“I will be yours, Cole McCaskey. I will always be yours.”
***
After hours of waiting, I headed back to the Blue House. I chose to believe her. I had to. She would be mine, only mine. She wanted me to rescue her—she wanted to leave her awful half brother behind. I told myself this as I walked down Edgar Street, past Shannon Park to Winter Place. Yes, but you didn’t believe her enough to drive to the Blue House. You walked. You know how this will end. That’s what my detective’s mind told me, but I refused to listen. Even to my own self. It was a warm day, nearly four o’clock, the time Vita and I agreed she would be ready. I hoped she had her bags packed. I would hate to have to punch Myrick in the face again, but I would if I had to. Who was I kidding? I would love it if I had the opportunity to punch Myrick in the face again. And just in case I needed backup, Tyrell Hamilton, my closest friend on the police force, had agreed to meet me there. Just for show, I told him. Tyrell had agreed, but he wasn’t taking anything for granted. He brought a piece with him but kept it in his trunk.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw his car out front at the Blue House, but my smile quickly faded when I saw the other cars too. There were police cars everywhere, eight of them. Their blue and red lights shone, and there was even a wailing siren going. “What the hell is going on?” I muttered. Were they being raided? Could I have picked a worse time to rescue Vita? How was I going to get her out of this one?
Tyrell ran up to me with his hands out. I knew it couldn’t be good. “You don’t need to go over there, Copper! You need to stay here. I mean it, there’s nothing you can do—”
I didn’t hear anything else my friend said. I practically knocked him down getting past him and made it to the black wrought iron fence that surrounded the pool before he caught me. “No, brother. You don’t want to see this. You don’t!”
“Vita!” I screamed. And then I saw her. My Vita, lying face down in the water, wearing only a sheer black gown and her feathered headpiece. “No!” A few of the officers jumped into the pool and dragged her to the side where they hauled her up to the pavement. Her body was pale and unmoving. The cop in charge turned her over and beat on her back, hoping to get her breathing again, but her blue lips told me everything I needed to know. She was dead. Myrick had murdered my Vita.
Chapter Thirteen—Cassidy
I woke up around ten in the morning feeling groggy; my eyes felt like the sandman had tossed in a few extra handfuls. But that was probably because I couldn’t fall asleep when I got home late last night and had to resort to taking an allergy pill for a sleep aid. I felt thirsty, so I shuffled to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. I drank the entire thing and was still thirsty. I quickly put on a pot of coffee and grabbed a few eggs from the fridge. I needed food and coffee, since I promised Midas I’d be at the office around noon. As the smell of coffee began to fill my apartment and eggs fried on the stove, I felt more human. I popped a piece of bread in the toaster, and once my food was finished, I plunked down at my bar and enjoyed my solo meal.
Despite the promise I made to myself to take a few minutes to think about nothing before getting started with my day, I began to toss around Beverly’s warning. Clearly, something was amiss here in my building. I wondered what the heck she had meant about negative entities. I had no idea, but I had every intention of asking her a few questions. I might have misheard what she suggested…in hindsight, I didn’t think she was suggesting that Midas and I move in together, but it sure felt that way then. I couldn’t help but wonder what life would be like living with him. I hadn’t lived with another person since I moved out on my own. Mike, my horrible ex, spent a lot of time at my loft, but he’d never officially moved in. Midas hadn’t invited me to move in with him, but Beverly’s warning last night had me thinking about it.
Then I saw my painting—the painting of Vita, Cole and Myrick. I couldn’t believe it, but Vita’s face shimmered as if she were shedding tears. She was half hidden by Cole’s muscular body, but I could see her eyes quite perfectly…and yes, they were wet. I couldn’t believe it.
What the…
I slid off my barstool and slowly walked toward the painting. Without hesitation, I put my fingers on the wetness. I sniffed it and couldn’t detect any specific smell. I looked at the ceiling, but there were no visible leaks. I detected no paint thinner. Nothing at all. But this should have been completely dry by now.
“Vita, what are you trying to tell me?”
And that was all I needed to say.
***
“The sun is too hot out here today, Donnie. Can’t we do this another day?” Vita whined as she glanced over her shoulder toward the wrought iron fence. She never could lie well. I knew what was going on here. Magnus had overheard them, the two plotters. I knew she was leaving me. She was waiting for that damn Copper, and she was worried that he’d find her out here with me, doing what we do. Which at the moment was only taking a few pictures and then doing some filming. I knew a great many people who would pay top dollar to watch Vita nude sunbathing, her body glistening in the sunlight, her pale skin creamy and perfect.
Cousins kissed, didn’t they? What about half brothers and sisters? How many times had I tried to steal a kiss from Vita? I knew she liked kissing; she’d even kissed Magnus once, when she was very drunk, until I threatened him with serious bodily harm. He avoided her now, for the most part. Smart man. Unlike this Copper. This damn Copper! She had artfully avoided my attentions, promising me that she loved me as a dear sister. But that wasn’t enough for me. That kind of “love” would never be enough.
Until I had her.
“Now, Vita, remember your part, my dear. You are a siren, remember? And what do sirens do besides lure their victims to their death?”
“You know I can’t sing, Don.” She frowned, looking worried now.
“They can’t hear you. Someone at the movie studio will play your part; you just be your lovely self and let me worry about all of those details. Here, let me help you climb upon your rock, my lovely siren. Now, I don’t want you to get sunburned. Magnus, go find our star a parasol. We can’t have her turning red on us. And Magnus,” I continued, dropping my voice to a whisper, “take your time coming back. Don’t come back for at least an hour.”
“What are you saying to him, Don?” Vita asked suspiciously. “You said no one would be out here watching. I don’t want the world watching me.”
“No one is coming, unless you invited someone,” I said with a pleasant smile. “I told him that we need champagne and two glasses, and then he will be gone. It will
be just you and me, making a beautiful film that the world will love.”
She giggled and lay on the raft, waiting for me to push her out on the blue water and begin filming as she posed and sang some song they liked to sing on occasion downstairs. She was right, she couldn’t sing, but I found her charming nonetheless. I couldn’t believe how easy it had been to convince her to pose nearly au naturel for me.
Oh, my Vita, how vain you are! And it’s your vanity that will be your undoing!
What did she think her Copper would say about this? Did she think he would be thrilled with the idea that his sweetheart’s body would be on display in every red-light district in the country? I tinkered with the oversized camera and pointed the lens at her. Like an obedient child, she did as I asked.
“That’s right, now part your gown and show the world that beautiful body, Vita. Tilt your head back and sing, my dear. Oh yes, that’s the shot. That’s the one. You’re a stunner, Vita baby. A stunner! Now turn on your side—no, the other side—and put your hand on your hip. Let the gown fall open slightly. Remember you are a siren, darling Vita, a temptress of the seas.”
And at that, Vita fell off the rubber float and into the water. “Damn it,” I fussed at her. Now she’d have to fix her makeup and hair, but maybe this unexpected dip hadn’t been a complete loss. Maybe filming her swimming would be more sensual. Yes, I could convince her to do that. Uncaring that I wore a vest, trousers and a shirt, I dived in after her. She was only a few lengths away, and I closed the distance quickly. I was there to hold her as she popped back up, sputtering and laughing. Everything was a joke to her.
“There, I’ve caught you, and now you won’t drown,” I murmured as I held her close.
After she stopped laughing, she pushed at me. “You know I won’t drown. I am a siren of the sea, remember?” She blinked those dark eyes at me, and I felt my desire rise like the unseen tide. The stars were aligned now. This was the moment, the moment I wanted.
Haunted on the Gulf Coast (Gulf Coast Paranormal Trilogy Book 2) Page 18