“Harm, call me, Babe. Miss you.”
When Alex reached for the phone, Shelley Ferguson, AKA Bella Winters, did not flinch or resist. Ending the call, he took a seat in the chair next to the couch.
“I’m sorry Ms…” he paused and took a breath. When she reached out to take his hand, Alex almost pulled back, knowing that it was not the most professional thing in the world. For some reason, he could not pull back. Something inside Daddy Alex took over and, for a moment, all he wanted to do was help this poor girl. A lost soul who, by all accounts had one person in the world. And that one person was no more. Though it might not have been very professional of him, Alex held her hand.
She did not wail. She did not scream. She only wept. Without having heard the words, she knew.
“Who?” she whispered, her throat spasmodic in the attempt.
“We’re working every angle,” Alex said, “I need to ask you some questions. It’s not going to be easy. But I have to. I need to find who did this awful thing.”
“What do you care?” Bella said, in a flash of white-hot anger. “You know what she was. I’m sure you’ve seen her record. Why do you care?”
“Bella,” Alex said, “It’s my job to care. Your friend did not have to die. Someone is killing women who are—uh, professional escorts—“
“I’ve been called many things, but never a professional escort!” Bella laughed.
“Bella, look, what you have done or what line of work you’re in is for another day, to be honest. You’re a woman who has lost a friend and, yes, a potential witness. I do care. I saw your friend. She was beautiful. And I can tell that she was strong.”
“Not strong enough,” Bella whispered, turning her gaze back toward the window.
Not wanting to push, Alex remained silent, allowing Bella Winters – AKA Shelley Ferguson – to have her moment.
“Did it hurt?” Bella asked, her voice still quivering as more tears suddenly flowed. “Did she suffer?”
“All I can tell you,” Alex said, leaning forward, “Is that she fought with everything she had. She got some of his skin under her nails. She kicked and clawed and punched and did everything in her power to escape, but…”
“But it wasn’t enough.” Bella finished.
“Again, I am very sorry. Is there anything you can tell me about where she was last night? What she might have been doing? Who she might have been with? Did you talk to her or—”
“Oh my God, no!”
Bella shot up from the couch and headed toward the window, Instinctively, Alex gave chase, thinking she was trying to make a break for it. When she stopped at the window, Alex stopped, stared at her and slowly approached, realizing she had suddenly burst into hysterics.
“Bella, what’s wrong,” Alex said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “What is it?”
“It should have been me!”
She turned to meet Alex’s face. Her eyes were red. Her face near purple. Tears soaked her cheeks and her nose was beginning to run.
“I’m sorry,” Alex repeated. “But there was nothing you could have done if you’d been there. You’d have been killed too.”
“I should have been!” she screamed, collapsing to the floor. Burying her face, she erupted with tortured screams. Approaching her, Alex could see her back and shoulders spasming under the weight of the news. “Oh my God, I killed Harmony!”
Chapter 19
Friday, October 14
11:07 a.m.
When Bella Winters recalled speaking to someone the night before, Alex had to fight back an almost giddy excitement. Hoping to play it safe, Bella and Harmony had agreed to always log the conversations they had over the computer, especially with potential clients. The world had gotten very dark, Bella had lamented to Alex – a comment he found ironic on many levels.
“Oh no!” Bella screamed, sifting through the list of chat logs from the past month. “I didn’t log it! I must have forgotten to turn it on!”
Trying not to show his frustration, Alex forced a comforting smile, “It’s okay. Rest assured we’ll work the case with every whisper of evidence we uncover.”
“Wait!” she screamed, feverishly toping and tinkering with various windows on the desktop. She opened several folders, scanned, closed them before Alex could scarcely tell what she was searching.
“I found it!” she said, nearly jumping out of her chair as the image began to open. It was a man with dark hair. A square jaw the only manly feature about his otherwise soft face. His hair was thick black and the complexion was Mediterranean.
He saw no malice in the eyes of the man pictured. He didn’t get a cold chill or feel as if he were staring into the eyes of some reincarnated Hitler. Yet there was something about the picture that left Alex uneasy. Searching the eyes on the screen before him, Alex’s mouth worked faster than his brain.
“I got you now, sucker!” he whispered, catching a raised brow from Bella Winters. “Can I get a printout of this photo? And while you’re at it, can you E-mail it to me?”
“Sure,” Bella said. Alex gave her his E-mail address. “There you go,” she said, just as the printer warmed up.
“You’re good with computers,” Alex said, almost absently.
“Everyone’s good with computers these days,” Bella said, grimacing.
Chuckling, Alex shook his head, “Not me, kid. I’m an old dog. This stuff is way past me now. Of course, I’m still better off than my boss. Well,” he caught himself. “My ex boss I mean. My best friend.”
“Dead?”
“What?” Alex asked, shaken out of his unconscious thought of Danny.
“Your friend. Ex-boss. He dead too?”
“Wha— Oh no. He’s um. Well, it’s a long story. Short version is he got injured in the line of duty.”
“And you got his job.” Bella finished, when Alex trailed off.
Without answering, Alex stepped over to the printer and retrieved the freshly printed photo.
He sighed to himself.
“We can’t be sure this is him,” Alex said, more to himself than anyone. When he looked up, he saw tears swelling in Bella’s eyes.
“We can hope,” Alex said, mixing honesty with reassuredness. “You’ve been a great help, Miss. I’ve troubled you enough for one day. If you need anything else, please, call my office.” He took out his business card and handed it to her.
“Shouldn’t you take me into custody or something? With a killer on the loose? I mean, isn’t that how they do it on TV? Doesn’t this make me a witness or something?”
Chuckling, Alex said, “Yes, I suppose it is how they do it. But that will not be necessary. At the risk of crossing a line I did not intend to draw, could I ask you to, um, stay home from work for a few days?”
“A gal’s got to eat.”
“Make you a deal,” Alex said. “You’re a material witness. You stay away from work for a few days and I’ll make sure the department foots the bill for your necessities. Stay out of trouble and I’ll toss in a makeover and spa day personally when this is all over. Deal?”
“No strings?” she asked, suddenly suspicious.
“No strings,” Alex said, crossing his heart. “You have my promise. You just lay low for a few days and we’ll make sure you’re taken care of, okay? I’ll post a guard if you want. Or just have a couple of patrols. You are right. You’re a witness.”
“You’re sweet.”
“Just doing my job, Ma’am.”
“Everyone else must have been out sick today.”
“Why do you say that?” Alex asked.
“It’s not every day we get a police Captain out this way.” When a confused expression crawled across his face, Bella continued. “The badge. I’ve seen enough to know the difference. Yours said Captain.”
“Well, I’m a Lieutenant at heart, truth be told. Enough of a desk jockey to be bad in the field, but enough of a poor diplomat to be a poor Captain. Truth, this is only a temporary assignment till the real captain heals fro
m injuries. My partner had a long night so he’s resting. I’m an old dog trying to learn new tricks. I’m an okay cop. But I’m a lousy captain.”
“Could have sent another cop out here yanno? If you’re the guy in charge.”
“Well, like I said, I’m a lousy captain. And one of those weaknesses is delegating. If I don’t do it myself, I am always concerned it will not get done right. And this case is too important to muck up.”
“You have kids?” Bella asked, warming slightly.
“Two.”
“Well, be sure and tell your wife that I said she has a very sweet husband.”
Smiling, Alex said, “I’ll do that.”
Chapter 20
Friday, October 14
2:11 p.m.
It was the end of Alyson’s shift. A shift which served to do little more than give her a headache and make the drive home likely to be a very difficult one.
Rubbing her neck, she stood, stopping for a moment to twist left, then right. Eric grimaced when the sound of her back popping rose above the relative quiet in a room filled with little more than computers humming and fingers clickety-clacking away at varying speeds. Chuckling to herself, she stretched her tight leg muscles, first left then right.
“You outta here?” Eric asked. Alyson smirked a little, very aware of the slight nervousness he fought so hard to mask.
“Yep, it’s my time. You behave.”
Blushing, he nodded, averted his eyes. Tried desperately to hide his nerves behind a mask of business.
Patting him on the shoulder, Alyson said, “You’re in charge till I get back, E.”
His nervous laugh echoed in the room.
“Yeah, I’m not in charge of nothin’”
The door opened. Two young female volunteers entered, still giggling about whatever inside joke they’d just shared. Looking back at Eric, Alyson noticed a growing blush. She waged a brief, futile battle against a chuckle, cleared her throat and logged out of the time clock on her computer before resetting it, thus changing its settings for the next person who would use it for their online patrols.
“Alyson?” Eric said. Nervous, he cleared a frog from his throat. “Alyson, can I ask you a question?”
“Just did, E. Want to ask me another one?”
When a surprised look settled on his face, Alyson rapped him on the shoulder.
“Whatcha wanna know, E?”
Turning more directly toward Alyson, Eric’s face suddenly dropped. Nervous, he seemed fascinated by his shuffling feet.
Waving her hand in front of Eric’s face, Alyson playfully snapped her fingers.
“Up here, E. What’s up?”
Raising his face, Alyson saw fear in his eyes. Uncertainty. Nerves beyond nerves.
“Would you date me?”
Stunned, Alyson’s eyes flashed big. Trying not to make Eric more nervous than he obviously already was, Alyson carefully considered her reply.”
“Well, E, yanno I—“
“No,” he said, the blush returning to his cheeks. “I meant, like, if you were single, would you date a guy like me? A geek?”
Moving to a chair immediately next to Eric, Alyson took his hand. When he flinched, she squeezed his palm to prevent him from escaping her grasp.
“Honey, I want you to know something. You and I are about the same age, right?”
Unable to speak, he just nodded. Bit his upper lip. Alyson could tell he was holding his breath.
“Breathe, E.” She chuckled, patting him on the forearm, rubbing gently. “You are a good guy, Eric. You’re still young and you have time to find that special gal for you. And when you do, you’ll be glad to know that suddenly every other woman in the world will see you in a new light.”
“Huh?”
She gave a soft smile.
“Honey, it’s a little-known fact that there’s nothing more attractive to a woman than the forbidden fruit. It goes back to Eve. Just tell a woman she can’t have something and that’s the one thing we want. As soon as you find that one woman who God has for you, you’ll look around and realize that all these gals looking past you right now will suddenly see the guy you really are. A smart, funny computer geek who knows who he is.”
“I have no idea who I am.” Eric whispered, embarrassment blanketing him.
“You know what you’re good at.” Alyson said, lifting his chin. “Same thing.”
“Do you believe in God?”
“Well, uh, yeah. I do.” Alyson stammered. “Why do you ask?”
“Do you really think God forgives sins? If we truly mean it when we say we’re sorry? If we really want to change, do you think God really forgives us?”
“Eric, you want to know what I believe? I believe that man looks at your actions. They look at what they see. And they judge by appearances and prejudices. God, in my opinion, looks at the heart. If you’re not really sorry, I don’t think He can forgive you. I think God can only forgive true repentance. Now, having said that, I should say I’m not the best person to ask. My dad was a pastor, so I do know my bible, but I strayed for a number of years. Rebelled against Dad’s authority. We all do that, I guess, but I missed out on some really good teaching when I was young. If you really want to know God, have a good relationship with him, I’d suggest you read the Bible.”
“I have,” he whispered. “I do. Well, occasionally. Barbara, my sister, bought me one after Mom and Dad died. I think she hoped I’d find answers. I don’t know. That I’d find closure with their murders. Peace maybe? What I found was that we played church for a while, but the Bible talks about a God I know nothing about. I think Mom knew Him. Maybe. I dunno. But I don’t.”
“You want to?” Alyson asked.
Eric nodded.
Taking his other hand in hers, Alyson bowed her head.
“God, I don’t know the right words to pray. You know as well as anyone that I’m not the right one to lead Eric’s eager mind to You. I want to thank You for Eric’s truth and for his confession and I ask You now to put a real leader in his life. Someone that can lead him to a real relationship with You. Lead us both down the right path, Father and let us develop a deep relationship with You. Let us know You better every day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
“I’m not worthy of God,” Eric said, his voice trembling. Alyson looked up to see a tear welling up in his eye.
“None of us are, Honey,” she said, hugging him. “That’s what makes His love so awesome. We don’t have to be worthy. We just have to want it. Really want it.”
“I’m not a good person though.”
“Don’t make me slap you.”
They both looked up when a throat cleared next to them. Catching sight of the two teenage girls that had entered giggling a few minutes before, Eric let go of Alyson’s hands.
“Hi,” the young Asian girl said, blushing as the word forced its way from her throat.
“Uh, hi,” Eric said. Alyson could tell that he was trembling, even without touching him. Easy, Kid, she thought to herself. This is your moment.
“I’m Katie,” the tall brunette said, “This is Dae.”
After a tongue-tied Eric failed to respond, Alyson chimed in.
“I’m Alyson. This is my buddy Eric. Y’all go to school around here?”
“Graduated last year.” Katie said. Alyson couldn’t help but notice Dae blushed as Eric’s eyes met hers for all of a second. “I go to Kilgore College now. Dae will start there in January.”
“I just moved here from South Korea,” Dae said, a slight southern drawl lilting her words. Noting Alyson’s confused look, Dae grinned. “My dad is in the Marines. He met Mom in Seoul. A year later, along came my sister. Then me. Daddy taught me all about Texas Twang.” She finished off with an exaggerated drawl that would have made Vivian Leigh jealous.
“Yeah, so,” Katie interrupted, “Are you guys a couple?”
“What?” Eric said, jerking back from Alyson in his chair. “No, we’re uh, she has a man. I mean. No, we’re jus
t…”
“What Stammering Sam is trying to say is that we’re friends and I’m involved. Unless I missed a memo, Eric is single at the moment.”
A slight growl parted his lips as he looked around the room nervously. Tossing his arms in the air, as if stretching, he said, “Nah, I’m as single as it gets.”
Alyson loved how he fought to maintain composure. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that even she knew the girls weren’t buying it. It didn’t matter. Young Dae could see his nervousness but obviously found it cute.
“Yeah, um,” Dae stammered. “Well, cool.”
Laughing, Katie interrupted, “What Stammering Sally means is that she wanted to know if you wanted to go to a movie sometime.”
When Eric didn’t immediately reply, his gaze too nervously locked on Alyson to budge, she cleared her throat and motioned her eyes toward the girls. Not leaving his gaze, Alyson finally spoke up.
“I think Sam would enjoy that very much. Dae, if you’ll give Eric your number, I’ll make sure he calls you to work out the details.”
“Wha— Uh, yeah.” Taking a pen from the desk next to Eric, Dae scribbled furiously. Blushing beet red, she handed the paper to Eric, whose hand trembled visibly as he retrieved the note.
“Okay, cool,” Katie said, “See? Told you that was easy enough. Well, see ya. You better call her. I know where you work, young man!” Smiling, Katie winked at Eric. Noticing the wink, Dae smacked her in the chest as they walked away.
Snatching the paper from Eric, Alyson smiled. “Told ya so.”
Snatching it back, Eric asked, “Told me what?”
“Told you that all you had to do was get a girl and you’d have other girls all over you. Those two saw us holding hands and suddenly saw you in a different light.”
“Yeah, but we were just praying. Heck, I’m surprised they said anything.”
“Did you read what Dae wrote?”
“Yeah,” Eric said, she wrote her number.
“Read it again, Sport. Dae Brennan. God Bless. That gal got interested because she saw you praying. Looks like our little prayer session was answered already.”
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