by Mimi Barbour
With a smile to show her understanding, Aurora added, “Have a good day!” She watched the senior shuffle to the elevator and push the button. He was a sweet old guy, but he had a big mouth. She wouldn’t look at Kai.
“I’ll check and see if Wayne’s sister is home, and then I’ll meet you in Rhondo’s place.” Without waiting for a reply, she walked over and knocked at the door of Apartment 207.
Chapter Seven
Wayne’s sister Darlene wouldn’t say anything at first. She checked Aurora’s badge and let her in, then hovered inside the igloo she’d built around her emotions.
Eventually, thanks to Aurora’s soft persuasion, the frightened girl opened up enough to admit that she’d been continually harassed by Rhondo. Thankfully, he’d never caught her alone. Terror had been her constant companion since he’d moved into the apartment across the hall. Visibly, she was relieved to see him gone. Relieved but still fearful.
“He won’t be back, Darlene.” Aurora watched the disbelief flare. “You don’t agree? Why?”
“He threatened to… he said he’d do things to me. Until he’s arrested or dead, I won’t be able to sleep. Wayne and I are planning to move, but we just can’t afford it until the end of the month.”
“Look, here’s my card.” Aurora pulled one from a small leather holder she kept on the side of her purse. “If he shows up at any time, you get in touch with me straightaway. Either that or call 911 and tell them to contact Officer Morelli, okay?”
Nodding, the young woman palmed the card and, with a well-used head motion, flipped her hair back over her shoulder. Then, for the first time, she looked Aurora in the eyes.
Fear mixed with hope shone out from those chocolate-brown pools, and had Aurora reaching over to take her hand. Darlene’s youthfulness tore at Aurora’s heart. The thought of that animal touching a hair on the girl’s sweet head had her bristling like a mama grizzly. Not on my watch! She vowed.
She decided to alert Cory to set up surveillance on the place, and have cops do a drive-by a couple times a night, just to be on the safe side. Sometimes a hunch like that paid off, and if Rhondo was stupid enough to came back to settle unfinished business, they’d be on him like Velcro.
***
Aurora stepped into the apartment across the hall in time to see Kai smashing his open palm against the wall. He stood with his back turned to her, his head down, and his shoulders slumped.
She hesitated to disturb the intensity of the moment, but he must have sensed he wasn’t alone. He straightened, and his hands automatically rested on his hips—a habit she’d seen him do repeatedly. When he turned around, shock kept her quiet. The man was torn apart. She saw it in his eyes and the way his lips were clamped tightly closed.
“Are you reliving the other night?” Many of her pals on the force had told her how hard they found it to return to any place where violence had occurred, particularly if they’d been involved. She’d never experienced that phenomenon personally, but men much stronger than her had stories to tell.
“Shit! I’m trying to remember… but it’s fading and pissing me off.”
“Wanna try and reenact what happened. It might spark something.”
Interest lit up his eyes, and the gray ice melted back to its usual dreamy blue. His deadpan expression lightened, and a grin appeared—a cheeky grin she itched to slap off his face.
“I grabbed him and held him before he shot me. Still up for it?”
“Depends on where you grabbed him, you schmuck. And wipe that stupid grin off your face. I’m trying to help.”
He scanned the room and then answered her in a creamy-soft voice, “Sorry. I’m a tease. My sister used to—” He blanched and swivelled, but not in time. Aurora had glimpsed the pain he couldn’t hide, and she’d never envisioned such sorrow in a person still able to function. His face had gone from playful to shocked, as if a sharp object had driven its way into his heart.
In a soft tone that very few ever heard her use, she said, “We’re partners, right? If you need to talk, I’m here—just so you know.” Her hand resting on his tensed shoulder surprised her. She’d placed it there unconsciously—instinctively.
“Rhondo killed her… my sister. He raped her, and she couldn’t live with the pain. She hung herself! Only twenty-three years old, with a lifetime ahead of her and she gave it all up because of that monster. Her boyfriend, the fucker, couldn’t deal with it and left her. Her note said she had nothing left to make life worth living.”
“The dirty bastard! Hell, they should both be shot.”
“Oh yeah! One will have trouble eating for a while, and as for Rhondo… well, he’ll get his as soon as I catch—”
“I didn’t mean that literally, you know, Kai. We don’t kill criminals in Nevada. Due process means that we’ve gotta give them a fair trial, and then put them in jail.” Her warning rang clearly because she’d meant for him to hear it.
“Right. Due process.” He muttered the words, but his face was still turned away, and his tone was unconvincing.
Aurora knew deep in her gut that as much as she wanted Rhondo, her partner wanted him far more.
“You still up for re-enacting what happened?” He deadpanned her, his eyes guileless.
“Fine. I’ll go in the hallway. Tell me what to do after that.”
“I had my gun out, down by my side in case he looked through the peephole. I called out his name and said, ‘LVPD!’ Before I could kick the door in, he’d opened it. At the same time, Wayne opened his. Then it all happened fast. I pushed the kid back inside his apartment, and by then Rhondo was on me. We struggled a bit, and then backed into his place. I grabbed the outside pocket of his backpack, and I think that’s when he shot me. All I know is that I wanted to keep him from running, and I wouldn’t let go of the bag.”
“I must have entered about that time, because I was close by when I heard the shot.”
“Yeah! Now I remember! When we struggled, we pushed against the door, inadvertently shutting it. Then I shoved him closer to the desk.”
Kai’s hand motions helped set the scene. She nodded that she understood.
“Okay?” Kai asked. He watched her reactions.
“Fine. You go out, and let’s get started.”
Aurora put her purse on the desk and left the apartment. She closed the door behind her and waited a few seconds. Then she called out “LVPD!” and pretended to push the imaginary kid away. Sure enough, Kai came at her. His make-believe gun was up, and his directions were clear.
“Push me backward. Use your right hand to force my gun upward and keep your other arm wrapped around my body.”
As soon as her arms went around him, he gathered her close for a hug and whispered through her hair, “He smelled like cigarettes and garlic—not sweet and sexy all at the same time.”
She shoved him away, and at the last second pulled the punch aimed at his chest. “Shut up!”
His lips turned upward teasingly, but her anger stopped his hovering smile, and it faded. Shots of tequila invading her bloodstream gave her an identical sensation of weakened knees. Stunned at the streak of sensuality that flared inside herself, she had no idea what to do next.
Kai’s gaze trapped hers and searched, until she gained the strength to tear away.
“Sorry, partner. I was just playing. Anyway, uh… where were we?” His voice, surprisingly husky, now spoke in a businesslike manner.
Without asking, he maneuvered them back into the stance they’d been in before his joshing, and gave more directions.
“I tried to stop him from using the gun, but he had me pinned like this.”
They wrestled like in a sloppy dance routine, Kai being the leader. All of a sudden, he twisted his hand downward and pretended to shoot. “This is when he got off the shot. I shoved him toward the desk, with the bag pocket coiled around my hand.”
Aurora followed directions and soon ended up against the wall where Kai had gently placed her, rather than the way she was sure
Rhondo had manhandled him during the original battle. She pretended to hold on to his bag, by clinging to his shirt instead.
“He’d lifted his gun to shoot me again.”
Kai’s imaginary weapon came quite close to her face, which made Aurora wonder about the fear he must have felt when he saw death staring him in the eye.
“You broke in, and he turned away. I grabbed at him.”
She reached up at the back of his shirt one more time.
He gave one pull and told Aurora to let go, which she did. Then he ended up against the desk, pretending to stagger.
“I saw the first few papers fall out here, but he didn’t stop. He headed out onto the balcony and….”
“And what?”
“That’s what’s driving me crazy. Something vital happened, and I can’t remember.”
“Why don’t you play yourself and I’ll be Rhondo getting away?” She picked up her purse and slung it over her shoulder. “Is this the way he was carrying the backpack?”
Kai slid down against the wall and nodded. “Yeah. Over his left shoulder like that.”
She staggered, then dashed to the balcony as if she might hurl herself over the railing.
“Stop! I remember!” In one smooth, fluid move, Kai stood and was suddenly beside Aurora. “Before Rhondo put his legs over the balcony rail to jump, a book fell out. Slim and black, it looked like a journal.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes! It has to be here somewhere.”
“The officers were all over this place, Kai. They wouldn’t have missed something that big. Are you certain it fell out here? Could it have come out as he went over the rail?”
Kai’s face cleared like sunshine breaking through a dark cloud. He reached over, grabbed her face on both sides, and kissed her cheek. Then he leaned over the balcony as far as he could without risking a header.
“You’re absolutely right. It came out when he was leaping over. It must be below somewhere.”
While she stood glued to the spot, her hand on her pink cheek, he headed toward the door. How long she stayed there, sensations rioting, she’d never know. Eventually, he called and snapped her out of the dreamy maze. She leaned over the railing, waved to him, and inspected the area from above. There, on the neighbor’s balcony directly below, stuck between a big pot of red geraniums and the black iron railing, Aurora saw the edge of the black book.
Chapter Eight
Under Kai’s control, the vehicle moved toward the medical clinic without once breaking the speed limit. He drove with confidence, skilfully, as if the powerful engine needed to be coaxed and not forced.
Aurora relaxed and gave him directions. Then being careful to wear her gloves, she perused the plastic-encased journal they’d found.
“You’re right. It’s like a diary. For the love of Pete, this idiot detailed all his conquests in his own handwriting. Each girl has her own page. Is he crazy?”
“He must be. Evidence like that could put him away for life.”
Aurora remembered the statement Rhondo’s old cellmate had made when she’d questioned him after the attack on Debbie. He’d told her that when Rhondo got released after serving his eighteen months, he’d vowed to never go back; he’d rather die first.
“According to the dude that the schmuck served with, we’ll have to kill him. He swore he’d never return to prison and be locked up again. Guess we’ll just have to prove him wrong.”
“Or prove him right!”
“Look, don’t you start with that crap again.”
“Sorry! Anyway, how many girls do you think are in there?” He pointed at the book she’d been waving around to change the subject, a trick she often used herself. This time, she let it pass.
“Jesus! He even has the different cities broken down with dividers. It’s like a personal trophy manual, a log of details. One he started years ago. What a sicko! I count at least a dozen in Vegas, and as many in L.A., a few in Reno, and even more in between. It’ll take us forever to question them all.”
“We’ll have to pass the names on to the other detachments and let them follow up. What kind of information did the piece of shit write down?”
“Do you believe the son-of-a-bitch wrote detailed descriptions? Of his performance, what he did to each of them, and how it felt for him personally. God, it’s all I can do to read this without throwing up. He’s worse than an animal. At least they only hurt others in their need to survive.”
“Any method as to how he chooses his victims?”
“Yeah, says here if it’s a Monday, he likes blondes. Tuesday, red heads and so on. On the weekends he likes them young or male.”
Aurora forced herself to keep reading. Eventually, one page came up that made all the others pale in comparison. At first, Rhondo’s conquest had fought back and had almost gotten away. But he’d won, and in the end his victim had begged. The slime-ball had liked that—until he’d gotten interrupted.
Sickened, with her digested lunch threatening reappearance, she flipped again and saw another name that stood out like a flashing neon light. Lawson. She’d also fought back, and Rhondo had made her pay.
Aurora slammed the book shut. A shiver crawled out from deep inside and seized her body with its power. Dizziness followed, and she had to gulp in breaths to fight it back.
Kai quickly pulled over to the curb. “Are you all right? You’ve just gone from pink-cheeked to white-faced. Maybe you need to get outside for some air?”
“Air? Are you insane?! It’s in the nineties out there. Buddy, there is no air this time of the year in Vegas.” Yelling helped dispel some of the emotional impact from the book, her personal technique for getting over shocks. It worked for her every time.
“Maybe you’d better let me see that book for myself.” His voice had turned cold.
Aurora looked at him and, in a much softer voice, she said, “Your sister is listed. If you want, I can leave for a while and get some coffee for us. There’s a café on the corner. Maybe you need to be alone to read the details.”
“She called me right after it happened and told me what he did to her. I already know the details.” He reached for the journal and tugged it from her tight grip. Then motioned at her to lend him her gloves. “But thanks, Aurora. Seriously. Coffee sounds good.”
Aurora took her time getting the hot drinks, then returned to slide into the car and fit the two coffees into the drink holders.
Kai never moved. He slumped with his head back against the rest, his eyes closed, and his cheeks still damp.
Aurora didn’t even know her sob would break through, but it did. “I’m so, so sorry, Kai.” Her hand met his as he reached toward her. They gripped each other until she thought the pain would make her cry out, and then he relaxed. A huge breath filled his lungs, and when he released it, she heard the wavering sound. That did it. Her control broke, and she turned away, biting her lip. Her right hand snuck up to wipe away the salty evidence.
Seconds after Kai tossed the disgusting piece of trash back into Aurora’s lap, his fist slammed against the steering wheel. “What’s that address for the clinic again?” he growled. “I want to talk to every son-of-a-bitchin doctor in the place until we find the one he called. Aurora, you gotta know I’m gonna get that fucker if it’s the last thing I ever do.”
The menacing tone evoked another series of shivers, only this time, she didn’t feel the need for any cautionary talk.
Chapter Nine
Kai couldn’t sleep. He sat out on his balcony, garbed in nothing more than a pair of khaki shorts and a bad attitude. A cooler of beer and three empty cans decorated the ground next to him.
Furnished apartments were a dime a dozen in such a bad economy, so the first day he’d arrived, he’d found exactly what he wanted. Other than the alcohol, junk food, a coffee maker, and his clothes, nothing else belonged to him. And if one got picky about ownership, he guessed the empty pizza boxes, fast food wrappers, and Chinese holders strewn all over the kitchen
would be considered legally his as well.
Exhausted from endless nights of roaming the streets, hoping for a sighting, shut-eye had eluded him and still did. Even when the gravel in his eyes and his fuzzy brain warned that he was reaching his breaking point, he couldn’t dispel those victim’s images of horror and pain long enough to relax.
The sounds of the city could be heard in the distance, and they soothed him almost as much as the palm trees silhouetted against the blackening night sky. He saw the odd star when he looked in the opposite direction of the strip. The full moon caught his attention and seemed so close. Swirling images formed on its milky white surface, and his mind slipped back to when he and Tamryn, his baby sister, used to make up stories as to what those formations meant.
He’d always thought his sister’s imagination so lyrical. Once, she’d determined the darker and lighter tones were a reflection of good and evil energy radiating from Earth. The few darker spots representing evil, and then of course, the more prevalent lighter swirls would signify the good. In her beautiful mind, the lightest simply had to stand for the virtuous in the world.
No matter how many times he’d tried to warn her that people weren’t perfect, Tamryn would argue. “They don’t have to be perfect,” she’d said. “As long as they’re decent most of the time, that’s enough.”
Naïve, child-like creature! He’d loved her more than anyone else in his world. His parents had doted on her also, and were still mourning her death. Now, their once happy home sheltered two sad souls with one terrible memory that negated so many good ones. The image of that horrible Sunday when the three of them had arrived home from church and found her, wiped out any chance of future happiness.
Eventually, Kai had convinced them to sell the place and leave. Move to Palm Springs like a lot of their contemporaries. He’d hoped then, they’d learn to laugh again, and he’d be able to visit without the guilt that rode his back—a constant reminder that he hadn’t yet caught her killer.