Killer Summer

by Kay Bigelow

  “The hairs on your neck?” Dani asked.

  Leah nodded and dropped her bag on the couch. She took out the small zippered bag holding the scanning device Peony had given her the day before. She scanned the kitchen, but there was nothing. She went from room to room with no results. When she entered their bedroom, the device lit up. She quickly found the listening devices in the bedroom and the bathroom as well. She even found a small camera embedded in the wall across from their bed where the wall met the ceiling. She looked around to find something to stand on so she could remove the camera near the ceiling. Finding nothing she could stand on, she smiled when Dani moved to her side, laced her fingers together and acted as Leah’s ladder. It only took a second for her to pop the camera out of its hiding place. She made a mental note to plug the hole so it wouldn’t be so easy to plant another camera there. When she was on the floor again, Leah dropped everything she had into a secure bag and zipped and locked it.

  Dani was clearly furious at the invasion of their privacy. She went into the bathroom, took two large fluffy towels from a shelf in the linen closet. “Come with me,” she said.

  When they were outside, Leah asked, “Where are we going?”

  “Someplace safe and secure.”

  “Tell me where the sunniest place is here.”

  “What? Why?” Dani asked, clearly surprised by the request.

  “You’ll see.”

  Dani led them to the back of the house near the lap pool. “This area is in the sun from sunrise to nearly sunset.”

  Leah went to a small table and put the clear evidence bag in the middle of the table, turned it once, and walked away from it.

  “What did you just do?”

  “The listening devices are disabled by the bag, but the camera is still enabled and can ‘see’ what’s going on around it. Now, the person who planted it will be blinded by the sun in her eyes.”

  “Why not disable it?” Dani asked.

  “I want to know where the feed is going. Whoever is doing this probably won’t check it again until this evening. By then, we’ll know where the feed is.”

  “You think its Camryn, don’t you?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Because she’d be my first choice, too.”

  “We’re on the same page, then.”

  “Let’s go to my secret hideaway,” Dani said.

  “Let me get my bag, then we can sneak away.”

  Dani led them around a bend in the walking path away from their bungalow. Leah didn’t see anything special about the place except that the lake couldn’t be seen by the casual hiker. Dani took something from her pocket and suddenly a small cabin appeared. It was tucked into the woods near the lake. Leah hadn’t seen it as they approached it on the path they’d taken to get there.

  “What is this place?” Leah asked.

  “After my first few times on Wild, I found I really needed a space of my own, with no housekeepers, gardeners, and others paying too much attention. I had this place built without Camryn’s knowledge. So I can come and go without her looks of disappointment and condemnation following me everywhere I go.”

  “She’d stalk you if she could?”

  “She stalks me here. Haven’t you noticed she’s always hanging about no matter where I go on the resort? She had no business coming to me when the body was found. Stanhope should have been her first choice. Stanhope should have been the one to interrupt our vacation.”

  “What are you going to do about her?”

  “I’ve been interviewing replacements, but honestly I can’t find more than two people who would be good at living here year-round. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s kind of isolated.”

  “Kind of?” Leah asked with a smile. “Perhaps Cots can help you find more candidates. Shall I ask him? Do you have a list of qualifications you want the candidate to possess?”

  “Do you think he’d mind doing something so mundane?”

  “I think he’ll be thrilled to be asked to help you.”

  “I don’t have a written list of qualifications, but I can make one fast enough if I can borrow your computer.”

  While Dani made her list, Leah looked around the cabin. The cabin was stark and calling it minimalist would be overstating its décor. There was a bed and a chair.

  “Why hasn’t Camryn found your hideaway?”

  “It’s covered with a security net. It can only be detected when I come on the grounds because I have to turn the net off. Someone would have to be watching at that very moment to see an after-ghost of the cabin.”

  “How did you turn it off when we got here?” Leah asked.

  Dani reached into her pocket and pulled out a very thin black slice of metal. She handed it to Leah, who gasped when she saw it, but studied it carefully before handing it back to Dani.

  “What did you see?”

  “I found something very similar beneath the victim yesterday morning. Is there another one of these little houses?”

  “There shouldn’t be. We don’t allow alterations to anything here. We made an exception for one of the full-time residents, but she only wanted to add a window to her bungalow so she could see the mountain from her study. We coordinated the installation for her.”

  “Hmmm,” Leah said as she thought.

  After a few minutes, Dani pulled her onto the bed and began undressing her. All cogent thought left Leah’s head as her mind converged on Dani’s hands on her body.

  Leah awoke, she thought, three hours later. Dani was lying with her head on Leah’s shoulder and her hand cupping her. Leah decided it was surprisingly intimate without being sexual. She wondered how long they could lie like this. She smiled as she imagined the headlines on the vidnews: Heiress Found Dead with Woman Ex-Cop, the story would detail how their desiccated bodies had been found and it would end with the line, “Both women had smiles on their faces.”

  “Holy cow, I didn’t intend to fall asleep,” Dani said as she came awake. “Why are you smiling?”

  “It’s called being happy, silly.”

  “Is this what happiness feels like? I’ve always wondered.”

  “If you feel like I do, you no longer need wonder what it is.”

  “Shit, aren’t we supposed to be meeting the team for lunch?”

  “Yes, we are. It can’t be time to meet them, can it?”

  “I think it is, sweetie.”

  Leah, and then Dani, took quick showers and then hurried to the big house. Everyone was there. Two of the teams handed her their interview lists. The others said they were close to finishing their interviews as well.

  “When you finish your interviews, you’re done for the day. I would like for you to meet with the rest of the team for dinner, though. Any questions?”

  No one had questions, and the talk turned to what the planet had to offer in terms of entertainment. When the teams that hadn’t completed their interviews finished eating, they left the dining room. The fact Leah had given them the afternoon off once they finished their assignments proved to be a huge incentive to concluding their interviews.

  Leah watched as the dining room emptied. That meant she and Dani had the afternoon off, too. She liked the idea of spending quality time with Dani. She stifled a yawn, hoping Dani hadn’t noticed.

  “I think we should head back to the bungalow for a well-deserved nap,” Dani said with a smile.

  “You don’t mind?”

  “I’m feeling drowsy myself. I’m loving our vacation. Sometimes it feels strange not having anything to do but nap and make love. And other times I feel like could get used to doing nothing but making love to you and napping.”

  I hope our vacation won’t be spoiled going forward because I’m beginning to love this vacationing thing, too. If I’d known what it was like, I would have taken one years ago. Or maybe not. What makes this vacation so very special is being with Dani.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After sleeping most of the afternoon interspersed with making love,
Leah awoke and glanced at the clock on her tablet. They were going to be late if they didn’t hurry. Another shower was in order. They arrived with two minutes to spare, but they weren’t the last to arrive. Peony and Alex arrived after them. When Peony looked at Leah, she shrugged her shoulders. Leah raised an eyebrow and looked at Alex. Alex couldn’t meet her eyes. I wonder what those two have been up to this afternoon. It better not be the same thing Dani and I were doing. If they are, I hope they can keep it out of the office. And how will Cots react? Not well probably.

  After dinner, Leah caught Peony’s attention and nodded toward the door. She and Peony left the building and went into the shadows across the road from the front door.

  “What do you have for me?” Leah asked. “Did you find anything interesting at the crime scene?”

  “No. We checked a couple of dozen trees near where the body was, but there was nothing on them besides bark and leaves.”

  “How’d your interviews go?”

  “We got nothing there, either.”

  “Well, phuc.”

  “I know. But don’t despair yet. We brought a new imaging program Cots has been working on for a while. When we scanned Anabel Cooper’s bungalow, we found some interesting things,” Peony said.

  “Interesting how?”

  “It looks like she’s got three guests staying with her. I took a look at her registration card, and it lists only Cooper, no mention of additional guests. There’s something strange about the guests, too. They’re all in a small room near the back of the bungalow, but a schematic of the bungalow doesn’t show the room. And the people are huddled together.”

  “Interesting indeed. Did you interview Cooper?”

  “No. She said only Jardain had enough, and I’m quoting here, ‘oomph’ to interview her.”

  “Oh, good Lord. What a prima donna.”

  “Alex wanted to force her to talk to us, but I told her it would be so much more fun watching you interview her.”

  Leah smiled. She hated bullies of any ilk, and she’d seen and met more than her fair share. This particular bully was rising fast toward the top of her list of the ones she hated the most.

  “What do you want us to do next?” Peony asked.

  “Nothing. Do you know who Stanhope, the security chief, is?”

  “Yeah. She’s really nice.”

  “Send her out here to me, please.”

  “Will do, Boss.” She paused. “Is there a rule about fraternization at BOI?”

  BOI was what the employees called Leah’s investigative firm, Black Orchid Investigations.

  “No. You should know that what with you and Cots…”

  “Uh, Boss, Cots and I aren’t exactly together anymore.”

  “Really? I thought…Never mind what I thought,” Leah said.

  “Well, the reason I asked is that I really, really like Alex.”

  “Does Cots know about that yet?”

  “No. We really hadn’t done anything until last night.”

  “Peony, as long as your work doesn’t suffer, I don’t care who you…uh…Oh, drude, you take my meaning,” Leah ground to a halt.

  “Is ‘fuck’ the word you’re searching for?” Peony asked with a grin. “We’ll be the soul of discretion at work, and you don’t have to worry about either of us.”

  Leah heard Peony chuckling as she turned away to return to the building behind them. A few minutes later, she watched as Stanhope headed her way.

  “What can I do for you?” Stanhope asked.

  “Is there any way of disabling Cooper’s shuttle without being caught so we can keep her here? I want a little added insurance she won’t be able to make a run for it.”

  “Already done, ma’am,” she said with a grin. “It will appear one of her stationary batteries died.”

  “Thanks for doing that. Why did you do it?”

  “There’s something off-center about the woman other than her incredibly bad manners. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end every time I’m near her.”

  “Yeah, mine, too,” Leah said. Once a cop, always a cop. “Keep an eye on her. If she wanders off the beaten path, let me know where she goes and who she talks to. And you and I need to talk. Let’s find some time sooner rather than later.”

  “Will do, Boss,” Stanhope said as she headed back to the big house.

  Leah saw Dani come out on the porch and look around for her. Leah stepped out of the shadows and watched a very sexy smile spread across Dani’s face. Can the woman be any more beautiful and sensual? Leah loved the confidence Dani exuded as she walked down the stairs and headed toward her. It’s like there’s a tunnel between us and she only has eyes for me. Aren’t I the luckiest woman in the galaxy?

  When Dani reached her, she said, “I missed you. It’s like the air changed when you left the room.” Dani kissed her lightly on the cheek. “Are you done for the day?”

  “Not yet. By the way, does Cooper stay in the same bungalow every time she comes here?”

  “I believe she does. Do you want me to check?”

  “Not yet. How often is she here?”

  “She’s not on a schedule or anything, but she makes it here at least every other month or so. What’s going on? What have you found out about her?”

  “One more question, I know you said you don’t generally allow guests to alter their bungalows with the exception of the additional window. But have you altered any of the other bungalows to fit your guests’ needs?”

  “No.”

  Why, then, is Cooper’s bungalow different? What is she up to? Why are her three guests huddled in a small space that’s not on the schematics?

  “One more last question. Does Camryn have the authority to make executive decisions while you’re not here?”

  “Yes, but anything costing more than five thousand credits she usually runs by me.”

  “Usually?”

  “My auditor is savvier than my so-called former security firm, and has come across several…how shall I put it? Several unusual expenditures in the ten-thousand-credit range that she didn’t run by me.”

  “I see.”

  “You see what?”

  “There’s a heat source showing up on an infrared scanner indicating there are three people in an enclosed space in Cooper’s bungalow,” Leah said, not mentioning she thought the small space could be a cage of some sort because when she looked at the images, she didn’t see any walls indicated.

  “Like a bedroom?”

  “No. Like a tiny room.”

  “There are no tiny rooms in any of the bungalows. The smallest room is the bathroom.”

  “And the closets? Maybe she needed more closet space,” Leah said, trying to distract Dani.

  “But why would there be people huddled in a closet?”

  “I don’t know, Dani.”

  “Well, let’s go find out why right now.”

  “Dani, we can’t.”

  “Why not? I own the damn planet.”

  “I know that, but we need a lot more evidence before we move in on Cooper. Based on what we have, no judge will grant me a search warrant. I want all our ducks in a row before I even try to get one. If she killed our victim, I want to nail her for it. If she’s a proximate cause of the death, I want to know what those women—if they are all women—are doing locked up in her bungalow.”

  “We can’t not do anything, Leah.”

  “We can and we will. We’ll get her, don’t worry.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because my team and I are very good at our jobs. And, look at how much more we know now than we did just twenty-four hours ago.”

  “Okay. I’ll try to be patient, I promise.”

  “Thank you. I need to check with the doctor to see when she’s going to perform the autopsy. I want to be present when she does it.”

  “Please, please tell me I don’t have to go with you,” Dani said.

  Leah laughed. “No, you don’t have to watch. I’ll handle that b
y myself, wimpy girl.”

  “It’s not that I’m a wimp. It’s that…” Dani ran out of steam. “It’s that I’m a big wimp.”

  Leah laughed. “I love you even if you are a big wimp,” Leah said as she moved into Dani’s embrace.

  Leah reluctantly stepped out of Dani’s arms a minute later and headed back to the big house.

  “Would you like to go dancing with me?” Dani asked. “Not necessarily tonight, but before we leave Wild?”

  “Dani, if I had my druthers, I’d rather do a horizontal dance with you.”

  Dani laughed. “Horizontal dance? Does that mean what I think it means?”

  “I sure hope so.”

  “Do you know where our car is?” Dani asked.

  “I don’t have a clue. On my way to the doctor’s office, I’ll check the lot out back to see if it was moved there. When I find out when the autopsy is going to be, I’ll let you know when we can go dancing.”

  “I’ll go find some place quiet and think about our upcoming date.”

  Leah found the doctor in a small lab near her office.

  “Reagan, when will you be performing the autopsy?”

  “I was just about ready to call you. I’m ready to do it now. Can you act as an assistant or are you squeamish about handling human organs?”

  Leah smiled. “As long as I don’t have to touch them with my bare hands, I think I’ll be okay. Any idea how long it will take?”

  “No more than two hours, I should think.”

  Leah texted Dani to let her know how long the autopsy would be. She suited up using an extra scrub set the doctor provided and used InstaSeal on her hands and added surgical gloves on top of that.

  Reagan turned on the recording app on her computer, used InstaSeal on her hands, picked up a chart, and began. “Present for this autopsy is Reagan Dominier, M.D. and Leah Samuels, the investigator in charge of this case. This is Case Number 35-WI001, Jane Doe. The body is that of an approximately eleven-year-old, borderline malnourished pan-Asian female with natural blond hair and blue eyes. The body is fifty-six inches long and weighs seventy-eight pounds.”