Murder by Design

by J. P. Bowie

  “Oh, okay. We can use my office if you like.”

  “That’d be swell, Justin,” Jones said, all smarm. “Lead the way.”

  Justin gave Sam a wary look and Sam smiled at him, hoping he’d feel less nervous having to deal with Jones. He hadn’t figured Jones as a homophobe, but it was there. He most likely toed the department’s line concerning workplace ethics, but Sam bet that when Sanders was alone with his friends it would be a whole different story.

  They trooped into Justin’s office and sat around his desk. Jones produced a recorder and placed it in front of Justin. “State your name for the record, please.”

  “Justin Robertson.”

  “Place and date of birth?”

  “Uh, Kansas City, Kansas. October twelfth, nineteen ninety-three.”

  “Tell us in your own words what took place prior to you calling for police aid.”

  Justin told them what had prompted him to go check on Mrs. Esteban. “The sounds of her arguing with a man were so loud I could hear it in the break room over the TV. Mrs. Esteban is a very excitable woman, but this was kind of over the top even for her.”

  “Do you know what they were arguing about?”

  “Not really. It was mostly in Spanish.”

  “You told Detective Walker you saw a man leave the office after the argument.”

  “Yes, when I stepped out of the breakroom I saw a man walking really fast away from her office toward the emergency exit.”

  “What did this man look like?”

  “I only saw him from the back, but he was tall, over six feet I’d say, and dark-haired.”

  “That’s when you opened the victim’s office door?”

  “Well, I listened outside for a bit. She’d been so loud but then so quiet, I thought I should see if she was okay. So I went in and…” Justin shuddered. “Found her on the floor.”

  “Did you attempt CPR?”

  “No…I guess I should have, but she looked so, you know, dead. Her eyes and mouth open.” He shuddered again. “I did loosen the scarf, thinking if there was a chance…but she didn’t…” He stopped and put his face in his hands. “God, it’s just awful…”

  “Okay, son,” Harrison said, turning off the recorder. “That’s good for now.”

  “Wait.” Jones glared at Harrison. “I have a couple more questions. What was your relationship like with Mrs. Esteban?”

  “She was my employer.”

  “Did you get along with her?”

  “As a matter of fact, not really, but then very few of us did. She could be, uh…”

  Sam tried to catch his eye and Justin seemed to sense his warning. “She could be rude, I guess is what you’d call it.”

  “With everyone or just with you?”

  Justin stared at Jones with surprise. “Why would you think just with me? She was rude off and on with everyone at any given time. But I don’t think any of the employees would consider killing her because of it.”

  “All right, Mr. Robertson.” Harrison interrupted again. “We’ll be in touch if we have any more questions. You can go home. Thank you.”

  Jones didn’t look happy, but Sam ignored him and gestured for Justin to follow him. “Thanks, guys. I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”

  “I’m so glad you were there with me,” Justin whispered as they walked to the elevator.

  “You did good, very calm and honest.”

  “I think the tall one didn’t like me. He acted like I had something to do with it.”

  “Naw, he’s just a shithead. Can’t help himself, I guess.”

  Justin snorted out a surprised laugh. “You don’t like him?”

  “Not my type.” Sam grinned as they got in the elevator. “You want me to come back to your place?”

  “Yes, please. I feel like I need a drink, but I don’t want to go to a bar. I still can’t believe what’s happened. I know Maria was awkward…well, she was a bitch to nearly everyone, but someone hating her enough to kill her? I can’t imagine something like that.”

  “People kill for the craziest reasons. You said she was arguing. Did it sound like a lovers’ spat?”

  “She’s married, and not happily if what I hear from the gossip mill is correct. Paula, her secretary, told me he’d left her last week. That made her an even bigger bitch. Shit, I guess I shouldn’t talk about her like that now she’s…dead.”

  The doors opened on the garage level. “Oh, sorry,” Justin said. “I should’ve pressed the first-floor button.”

  “No, I want to walk you to your car.” They exited the elevator into the cavernous, dimly lit garage.

  “You think he might still be around?”

  “Probably not, but it pays to be careful. You said he headed for the emergency exit. Where’s the door down here?”

  Justin pointed to a far corner. “You can’t get through it from here. It’s locked on the other side.”

  Sam nodded. “Where’s your car?”

  “Over there.” He pressed the remote release and the lights flashed on his Audi.

  “Drive me up to the street then I’ll follow you home.”

  They got into Justin’s car and Sam took him in his arms and kissed him. Justin sighed into Sam’s mouth. “I was scared, Sam…when I saw her lying there, I mean.”

  “That’s understandable. A murder scene is not a fun place, especially when it’s someone you know, like them or not. You did really good, though. I was proud of the way you handled yourself.”

  Justin managed a chuckle. “I’d rather it was you handling me.”

  “Soon as we get to your place. Speaking of which, let’s go. Turn right at the end of the ramp. I’m right there.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Justin was subdued when they got back to his apartment. Sam took him in his arms and held him close, nuzzling his neck gently. “Can I get you something to drink?” he asked.

  “Please. I only have Scotch. Do you drink it?”

  “I understand it’s good for the soul, so yeah. On the rocks?”

  “The stronger the better,” he said when Sam released him and went into the kitchen. “It’s on the counter behind the cookie jar.” He watched as Sam found two glasses and filled them with ice and a generous amount of scotch. He sat on a barstool and studied Sam’s smooth, sure moves as he prepared their drinks.

  “Were you a bartender?”

  Sam smiled. “I’ve been many things, and yeah, I’ve tended bar.”

  “I can see it all now.” Justin did a fair imitation of a leer. “You’re wearing the tightest pants that showcase your beautiful butt. No shirt, so the customers can drool over your manly chest.”

  “What an imagination you have, young Justin.”

  “I’d be your customer every night just so I could stare at you and wish you were mine.”

  Sam put Justin’s glass in front of him then leaned over the bar and kissed him on the lips. “I am yours.”

  Justin lifted his gaze to Sam’s. “Truly?”

  Sam nodded. “I think it’s time I came clean and told you what I think you already know, but what we’ve been too nervous for one reason or another of saying to each other. I love you. Words I never thought I would say again in my life, I am saying to you, Justin.”

  “Oh, Sam. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to tell you I love you too. Is it wrong of me to feel so happy after—”

  Sam silenced him with another kiss. Not a light brushing of lips this time but deep and filled with love and longing. Justin reached over the bar, flung his arms around Sam’s neck and held him there, lips pressed to his, exulting in his heart that the man he wanted more than life itself was his…really his.

  “Uh, this bar…” Sam’s voice was muffled his lips pressed to Justin’s as they were, but they both laughed and Sam came around, lifted Justin off the bar stool and carried him into the bedroom, their drinks forgotten, other means of stimulation foremost in Justin’s mind.

  Feverishly, they rid each other of their clot
hes then hit the bed together, their arms and legs wound as tightly as they could around each other’s bodies, and Justin thought he might just die of happiness on the spot.

  “Sam…” He kept murmuring it over and over in his lover’s ear, not quite able to believe that after such a shit-awful day his man had him wrapped up in his arms and was smothering him with kisses, his rock-hard cock pulsing hot and strong between Justin’s legs. He moaned when Sam began a teasing torture with his lips and tongue, first Justin’s left nipple then his right, nipping on the sensitive nubs, sending thrilling jolts straight to his balls.

  He arched into Sam’s hard, muscular body, relishing every lick, nibble and caress Sam laid on him. It seemed as if Sam’s lips were everywhere, tracing erotic patterns over Justin’s skin and helping him to forget the horrors of the day. Sam skimmed a hand down the length of Justin’s body and gripped his cock at the base. Justin shuddered when Sam’s warm breath ghosted over the head and he cried out in ecstasy when Sam sucked it into his mouth, his tongue swirling around the slit. Slowly, he licked up and down the rigid length before taking it all to the root with one long swallow.

  Justin thought he might pass out from the overwhelming rush of sensation Sam’s mouth was creating around his cock. Every tug of his lips and amazing glide of his tongue brought Justin closer and closer to the edge. He squirmed under Sam, gasping out his pleasure. Sam drew back but held Justin’s erection in his hand, pumping slowly as he turned his attention to Justin’s balls, taking them one by one into his mouth, sucking on them gently. Justin fisted the sheet underneath him and bit down on his lower lip in an effort to control the climax that threatened to erupt at any moment.

  “Sam,” he whispered on a breath. “I’m so close. I want to come with you inside me.”

  He didn’t quite catch Sam’s reply, which was muffled by the fact he was nuzzling Justin’s taint. He raised Justin’s left leg and pushed farther in, the tip of his tongue teasing Justin’s hole. Justin groaned and raised his ass to let Sam in. Sam took advantage of the invitation, diving in to thoroughly rim Justin, licking, probing deep enough to penetrate and drive him out of his mind. Sam added a finger, finding Justin’s prostate, stroking it, bringing moans and whimpers of delight from his lover.

  Sam raised his head and smiled at Justin. “Love it when you make those noises. Makes me feel I’m doing it right.” He reached for the lube and a condom.

  “Oh, you’re doin’ it right all right.” Justin gazed up at him through hooded eyes, his lips parted as if awaiting another kiss. “Couldn’t be righter.”

  Once he was sheathed, Sam lubed his fingers and inserted one then two inside Justin, stretching him just enough to allow him entry. Justin swung his legs over Sam’s shoulders and pulled him down into the kiss he hungered for twenty-four seven. He moaned into Sam’s mouth at the first thrust from Sam’s cock as it slipped past his resistance then slowly filled him with its heated girth. Justin wrapped his arms around Sam’s neck and deepened their kiss, tangling his tongue with Sam’s, exploring every part of his mouth. Sam was moving inside him now, long steady strokes that seared Justin’s flesh with pleasure each time Sam’s steel-hard erection grazed his prostate.

  He was going to lose it at any moment and he clung to Sam, pressing his cock against the ridges of Sam’s abdomen, relishing the hot friction between their sweat-slick bodies. He clenched his ass muscles around the base of Sam’s cock, holding him tight, increasing the pressure inside him. Sam’s girth seemed to expand, impossible though that might seem, but Justin had never felt so full, so completely sated.

  “I’m coming, Sam!”

  Same groaned out an incoherent reply as he thrust harder, deeper and Justin keened out his ecstasy, falling into a star-studded darkness as his orgasm overtook him.

  “I love you, Sam…love you so much.”

  Sam’s body tensed and shuddered in Justin’s arms and a wrenching cry was torn from him as he came, burying his face in the fevered, hot skin of Justin’s neck. They lay still and quiet save for their heavy breathing while their bodies calmed and Justin’s brain stopped its giddy spinning.

  “Wow,” Sam whispered and kissed Justin’s shoulder.

  “I think my bones melted. I can’t move.”

  “Well, not with me lying on top of you.”

  “I like it. I feel safe and protected.”

  “You are, and always will be.”

  * * * *

  Sam was in a good mood when he entered the precinct the following morning…a really good mood. Last night had been fantastic, despite the underlying trauma of Justin finding his boss’ dead body in her office. Justin had wanted him to stay over, but he wanted an early start on the day. As it was, the sky was beginning to clear by the time he left Justin’s apartment.

  In a way he was glad he didn’t have to deal with the Esteban case. Jones and Harrison were welcome to it. Although Jones’ attitude had been surprising, he felt sure Bob Harrison could keep him in check. Regardless, he was going to have a word with Hoskins at some point during the day.

  His cell pinged and he smiled as he read the text from Liz.

  Grouchy bear moving out of ICU this morning, thank the Lord. Be over there with the kids most of the day.

  Sam replied. Great. Be there too later. XX

  Hoskins called to him from his office door. “Sam, come in here, will you?”

  “Sure thing, Captain.”

  “Sit down, Sam.”

  “What’s up? You look serious.”

  “You know a Justin Robertson?”

  A queasiness hit Sam’s stomach as he nodded. “Yes, he’s the friend I mentioned yesterday.”

  “He’s downstairs with Jones and Harrison. Harrison asked me to let you know they brought him in for further questioning about the murder of a Maria Esteban. His employer, I believe.”

  “Why would they do that? He gave a very clear statement of what happened yesterday.”

  Hoskins nodded. “Trouble is Jones and Harrison questioned the employees when they arrived for work this morning.” He looked down at the notes on his desk. “According to Paula Downs, who was Mrs. Esteban’s secretary, Esteban and your friend had a…and I quote…a stinking row week or so ago. He accused her of trying to steal his designs, he called her names, threatened her, told her to go fuck herself. She fired him, but he called the next day begging her to take him back. She did, but it wasn’t long before they were at odds again. The night Esteban was murdered, she and Justin Robertson were alone in the building.”

  “So, based on the word of one person, Justin is now a person of interest?”

  “Sounds like she was privy to the rows.”

  Sam grimaced. “People have rows—doesn’t mean it ends in murder. He told me about his relationship with Maria Esteban. He had no qualms about calling her a bitch. She gave him a rough time, and this Paula Downs, the secretary, commiserated with him, asked him not to leave. Esteban did fire him, but she begged him to come back. There was no begging on his part. He told me he had started looking around for something else. When he agreed to go back to work, she tried to fire him again. They certainly had their differences, but I will bet my life on the fact he had nothing to do with her murder.”

  “Strong words, Sam. I hope you’re right, he obviously means a lot to you.”

  “He does. And what about the man, tall, dark-haired, Justin saw leave her office in a hurry?”

  “We only have his word for that.”

  “What about CCTV cameras?”

  “We’ll have those checked out, of course.”

  “Captain, you have to help me here. Bob Harrison’s an okay guy, but Jones…he already showed his bigoted side when he found out Justin and I are friends. I told him I wasn’t going to stand for any bullshit from him, and maybe I shouldn’t have. He might take it out on Justin. Give him a harder time than necessary.”

  Hoskins grimaced. “I’ll make sure there won’t be any heavy-handed shit from him.”

  “Thanks,
Captain. Did he ask for an attorney? Can I see him?”

  “Let’s see if they’re through questioning him for the moment.” He picked up his phone and punched in a number. “Hey, Bob, what’s the deal with Justin Robertson? Okay…right. I’m bringing Sam down to see him. Tell Jones to mind his mouth.”

  Sam gritted his teeth as he and Hoskins made their way down to the interview room. There was not a chance that Justin had murdered the Esteban woman. Jones and Harrison were way off base with this. I’d know if he’d had anything to do with it. Not that I’m psychic, but there are signs if a person is guilty…little telltale signs, shiftiness, nervous tics, jumpiness…and Justin had displayed none of that. He displayed a lot of things last night. Sam smiled at the memory. But nothing remotely like the conscience of a murderer. Unless he is the world’s greatest actor…

  Whatever, they are not going to take him away from me. Not now, not ever. Not when I’ve found the perfect man for me.

  They had put Justin in a small ante-room next door to the interview room. Sam peered through the glass and saw him sitting at the table, his head in his hands. He looked so dejected and Sam’s heart went out to him.

  He turned to Harrison. “Has he asked for an attorney?”

  “He said he didn’t need one, because he hasn’t done anything.”

  “I would believe him,” Sam said, looking at Jones. “Save you from making a false arrest.”

  Jones sneered but, after a glance at Hoskins, said nothing.

  “Okay if I go in, Captain?”

  “Yeah, go ahead while I talk to the detectives here.”

  “Thanks.” He opened the door and stepped inside. Justin looked at him through red-rimmed eyes then lurched to his feet and stumbled into Sam’s arms.

  “Oh, Sam, I prayed you’d show up. I can’t believe what’s happening.”

  “Were they rough on you, babe?” He kissed Justin’s cheek and held him tight.

  “That Jones creep just can’t stop being an asshole, but the other one, Bob, I think, he’s okay. But that’s not what’s scaring me, Sam. It’s Paula.” He eased himself back a little and stared at Sam. “What she said, I mean. They made it sound like she thinks I did it. I can’t believe she’d do a thing like that. I thought she was my friend.”