by Tracy Sharp
“If it was a bad John and he killed Tyler, chances are he’s killed other kids, too.”
“Could be a serial. Sure.”
“I haven’t heard anything on the news about other prostitutes dying.”
“You wouldn’t. That’s a big reason why serials choose prostitutes. Nobody misses them. The death of a prostitute very rarely makes the news until it becomes apparent that there is a serial killer picking them off, and usually it’s been going on for years before that happens. Especially if the killer is a trucker, which, incidentally, is currently the career of choice for these guys. They pick up truck-stop hookers and dump them in another state.”
I shivered. “And nobody even notices.”
Jack shook his head. “Nope. Friends of the victim, fellow prostitutes, just assume the victim moved on to a better location.”
“You’re giving me the willies. How do you know this stuff?”
“I watch all the crime and forensic shows,” Jack said proudly.
“You know, I am so off track from where I started with this case.”
He smirked, “Doesn’t matter. Martin fired your ass.”
I snorted, coffee almost going up my nose.
“Oh, that’s perty,” Jack said in a pretty good Southern drawl.
“Seriously, though, Jack. What does all this have to do with Chloe?”
Jack looked out the window for a long moment. “Maybe nothing.” He looked back at me and shrugged. “Maybe everything.”
* * *
If anyone could find out if there were a string of prostitutes found dead, it was Mitch. I tried him at work but he wasn’t there so I tried his cell. He didn’t pick up so I left a message. The life of a reporter is a busy one. In the meantime, I headed back to Boy’s Town to talk to the kids there. They would know if their own went missing or were dying. Jack followed me in his truck.
I had an idea. I called him on his cell.
“Yo.”
“Don’t do that. You sound like a dork.”
“I am a dork. Just disguised as a badass.”
“Uh huh. Look. They don’t know you. Drive past them slowly as if you’re going to proposition them.”
“What!”
“Maybe they’ll talk to you.”
“Oh, sure. They’ll talk to a prospective John. They’ll tell me how much the going rate is, that’s about all.”
“You may have better luck than I had.”
“Kicks, what if I get busted?”
“You won’t. Come on, Jack. Give it a try.”
“I do that, and all I am to them from then on out is a pervert.”
I sighed. He was right. “Damn.”
“Let me go talk to them. Don’t park too close.”
I agreed and hung up, parking in the lot of a Laundromat. The place was close enough that I could see what was happening but far enough away that I wouldn’t draw attention. I leaned forward, placing my forearms on the wheel and resting my chin on my hands. I was tired, but I’d seen Jack work his magic with people enough times to know that he probably would get the kids to talk to him. I was street wise, but I have a confrontational way about me that doesn’t exactly endear me to people. Jack is strong and smooth, like fine scotch. He has a disarming way of relaxing people the second they meet him.
He approached them with an easy stride. The kids stood their ground but watched him carefully. He’s a big man and he was entering their territory uninvited. It was one thing to drive up to them, it was quite another to approach them on foot.
His arms moved as he spoke, and his head tilted a little when he listened. I smiled. This had been Jack for as long as I’d known him. I loved his mannerisms. He was the only person on the planet that I felt comfortable enough with to let it all hang out. Jack knows all my secrets. He knows me better than I know myself. I would trust him with my life, and have, many times. He has never, ever let me down.
After about fifteen minutes, Jack pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to one of the kids, who handed him something in return. He then walked down the street and turned the corner. I wondered what in hell he was doing but I stayed put. He knew where I was. After a few minutes he came back around the corner and I squinted, trying to see what was in his hands, but it was no good. He went back to the group of kids, handed the thing back to the one who had given it to him, and went back to his truck. He pulled away from the curb and headed away from Boy’s Town.
I pulled out of the Laundromat parking lot and headed back out onto the road.
My cell rang. I opened it and pressed the button to put it on speaker. A feature I’d forgotten I had. It’s illegal in NY State to talk on a cell phone while driving. You wouldn’t know it. I have to swerve away from distracted drivers on cell phones on a daily basis.
“Talk to me.” I spoke loudly to make sure he could hear me. I’d never used the speaker option.
“Quit yelling. You got me on speaker?”
“Yes. It’s illegal in NY...”
“Yeah, yeah, so I’ve heard. Listen, the kids say that there’ve been about five of their ilk to go missing in the last year. Tyler is the only one who has turned up dead, other than a couple of drug overdoses.”
“Missing, huh. That’s scary. They’ve got a death wish still being out here.”
“They’re trying to watch each other’s backs. Whenever one takes a ride, one of the others writes down the license plate number and make of car that picked him up.”
“Smart kids.”
“There’ve been enough of them to go missing that they’re getting scared.”
“That’s good to hear. They willing to let us make a copy of that list?”
“Already done.”
“Ah, that’s where you went when you disappeared around the corner. That copy place beside the smoke shop.”
“Yup.”
“Jack, I think I love you.”
I could hear the smile in his voice. “I know you do, Kicks. ‘Bout time you realized that.”
My cell rang just as I was pulling into my driveway. Jack was already there. He sat on my porch swing, long legs stretched out and crossed in front of him.
I looked at the number shown by my caller I.D. It was the newspaper’s number.
I felt breathless when I spoke into the phone. “Mitch?”
“I’ve got something for you.”
I grinned. “Boy, how many times have I heard that one.”
He was silent. The boy needed to work on his sense of humor.
I sighed. “What have you got?”
“After I got your message I called my police source. It took him a couple of hours but he found what you were looking for.”
I stepped on to the patio and sat on the swing beside Jack. “There have been other murders. Other young male prostitutes have been found?”
“Yes. All strangled and dumped, but not from the same street. Close by, though. One in Troy last year. One in Colonie. One in Vermont. One just across the state line in Massachusetts, and one in Lake George.”
“He’s being careful not to fish in the same pond. It might draw some attention, even if they were only hookers.”
“Is he?”
“What?”
“What about Chloe?”
If there was a serial killer out there murdering male prostitutes, would he be the same man who killed Chloe? She was in a job that would attract and enrage self-righteous freaks. “Can you come over so we don’t have to talk about it over the phone?”
“Actually, I have to go shopping. It’s Lilly’s birthday party on Saturday, which reminds me, Lilly would like you to come to her party.”
I was stunned. “Really?”
“Yeah. I mean, you don’t have to. She really likes you and asked me to invite you.”
“Oh. Sure. I’ll come.” In that case, I needed to go shopping, too. “Can you shop and talk at the same time?”
He hesitated. Shopping for his daughter’s birthday and talking about dead kids di
dn’t exactly mesh well.
I cringed silently. “Never mind. Bad idea.”
“How about this? You come shopping with me, then we’ll go grab a bite after and talk.”
“Sounds good. Where will you be shopping?”
“Wilton Mall? Six o’clock?”
I was so glad he hadn’t said Crossgates. That place is a madhouse. “Front doors?”
“All right. See you then.” I closed my cell and stared into space for a moment.
“Kicks.”
I was startled to see that I’d forgotten that Jack was sitting right beside me. “Sorry. Went somewhere else for a minute there.”
“No kidding. What’s up?”
“Mitch’s police source told him there have been five bodies of young male prostitutes in the surrounding areas.” I told him which areas, and that they’d all been strangled and dumped.
“Jesus Christ.”
“So I’m meeting Mitch at the Wilton Mall to shop for his daughter’s birthday party, then we’ll grab some food and talk some more about it.” I looked away from Jack’s gaze, but I didn’t know why.
“Oooh, Kicks.”
I looked back at him. He was shaking his head.
“What?” My tone was defensive.
“You know what.”
“What? You think we’ll get romantic talking about dead bodies over dinner?”
“You’re going to his kid’s birthday party?”
I shrugged. “She invited me.”
He grinned.
“What?” I said again, even more defensive than last time.
“Nothing. I just think I see a train wreck about to happen.
* * *
I got there before Mitch did and stood outside the front doors. I was nervous. For some reason he had that effect on me. I found myself glancing at my reflection in the window glass, brushing back unruly locks of hair and wishing I’d run a brush through it. The natural wave made my hair kinky and it always looked like I’d just gotten out of bed.
I wore mid-calf low-heeled leather boots and my favorite boot-cut Levis over them. A half second after Jack had left my house I’d run upstairs and changed my top. I’d been wearing the other one all day and I just felt like wearing something clean and fresh, so I’d chosen a red long sleeved T-shirt with button snaps down the front. It was soft and comfortable, but it was a little sexy, too. Why did I care about being sexy on this particular night? I didn’t know. But I did. So I wore it.
My leather jacket was a daily staple in my spring/fall wardrobe, and I even wore it on warmer winter days. I loved it, and it showed. It was worn but comfortable and I love the feel of leather. It had been a birthday present from Jack many years ago, and I’d likely wear it until there was nothing left to it but the collar and zipper.
I caught sight of Mitch’s truck pulling into the parking lot and my heart sped up. I straightened my posture and took deep breaths. I shook my hands out to get rid of some nervous energy, but it just made me feel more nervous. I slowly paced back and forth, watching for him to come into view. Finally his head and shoulders appeared, then his chest, waist and finally his legs. Oh, mercy. The boy was built nicely. He was tight and well muscled, and I wondered when he found the time to work out with his busy schedule. I also wondered if he ever had time for other things. Like women.
I dropped my gaze and busied myself with nonchalantly picking at a fingernail. Then decided that I was being too juvenile for words and lifted my eyes to him just as he was coming through the doors.
I lifted my hand in a wave and gave him a little smile. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He stopped in front of me. “You ready to do some shopping? Silly question. You’re a woman. Of course you are.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “Excuse me? Do I look like the type of woman who spends hours shopping?”
He gave me the once over. “No. Actually you don’t.”
Now I was insulted despite myself. I turned on my heel and headed into the mall “Let’s go.”
“So what does she want for her birthday?”
We seemed to be wandering aimlessly in the mall. Mitch was overwhelmed. “She says she wants money so that she can buy her own thing, but I really want her to have something to open.”
“Okay. What does she like?”
“She likes ... jewelry. Barbie dolls. Anything pink.”
“A girly girl. Okay. Let’s go get her some girly things.”
I helped him pick out a gold chain with a floating heart pendant, and Lilly’s ears are pierced, so matching earrings. Then it was my turn.
I’ve always been a tomboy. I can’t relate to girly things. Choosing the jewelry had been the extent of my girly girl shopping, so I went into an arts and crafts shop and got Lilly fancy looking coloring pencils, some markers, a couple of coloring books, a sketch pad and some molding clay.
“Wow, you gonna wrap all that?”
“Ha! You’re a funny man. No, now I go to that card shop on the other side of the mall and pick up one of those large gift bags and stuff some colored tissue on top. Looks much prettier than wrapping paper any day.”
“And I can re-use the bag.”
“Sure. Cuz you know how hard those gift bags are to come by. And Lilly will never notice.”
“Okay, smart-ass. Let’s go get some food.”
We went to a place in the mall that had various animal heads mounted on the walls, as well as a singing fish and a talking moose. I hadn’t been there before.
I sat back. We were in a booth in a corner, away from the other patrons. “You’re trying to impress me, aren’t you?”
“Is it working?”
I stared at him, speechless.
He grinned.
I almost sighed with relief. “Wow. You have the driest sense of humor of anyone I’ve ever met. It’s impossible to tell if you’re joking or serious.”
He snickered. “You should’ve seen your face. You looked terrified.”
“I did?”
“Oh, yeah. Note to self, don’t ask Leah Ryan out.”
I thought this was interesting, considering how my body reacted to the guy.
“What? You’re thinking.”
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
“Yeah. Something. What is it?”
“Were you considering it?”
“What?”
I rolled my eyes. “What? What do you think? Asking me out.”
“Maybe.”
“Well, we’re out now, aren’t we?”
He sat back and grinned. “Yes. But this is not a date.”
“It was a shopping date.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Oh, really? I thought we were going to talk about your case.”
That brought reality crashing down on me. “Yeah.” I watched him for a moment, as if I were looking at a hot fudge sundae that I’d ordered but suddenly had no time to eat. “So what do you have for me?”
“Well, actually, I already told you everything I had to tell you.”
“What?”
“On the phone.”
I stared at him. “You have nothing else to tell me?”
“Nope.”
“Then why did you invite me to come shopping with you?”
“Because I needed your help buying a birthday gift for Lilly, and I wanted to ask you out but didn’t know how.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.”
I didn’t know what to make of that.
“Are you going to ditch me, leave me humiliated in front of all these stuffed animals?”
“No. But not because I’m agreeing to this being a date.”
“Then why?”
I opened my menu. “Because I’m hungry. Let’s order.”
* * *
We went back to his place to talk about his findings. We really did. But the minute I pulled into his driveway and saw him leaning against his truck waiting for me I felt my mind go foggy. It was dark out, but the stars were shining and the mo
on was almost full, so I could see him perfectly.
It was a warm night and I’d had my window open as I’d driven to his place. My hair had been whipping around my head the entire drive, and I was sure I looked like the wicked witch of the west. I could hear Jack drawl ”that’s perty” in my mind, and I wanted to reach for my brush before I climbed out of the Jeep, but I refused to primp. That would be way too girly a thing to do. Especially with Mitch standing there watching me with those big, dark eyes of his.
I got out of the Jeep and slammed the door too hard, trying to act natural. I have to be the biggest spaz on Earth, and each time I try to act normal I end up looking like more of jackass than I would’ve before trying to act normal.
The air smelled like rain and I knew another storm would hit. At that moment I didn’t care. I walked over to him, my boots crunching on the gravel. His driveway was just dirt, like mine. I liked it. I don’t like things being too neat. Too pretty.
But he was looking mighty pretty to me right about then. I stood almost eye-to-eye with him, but he was leaning. We didn’t say anything. Just stood there looking in each other’s eyes. I had the feeling he was letting me size him up, make the first move. He’d brought us this far and the ball was in my court now. I really had planned on being professional.
Oh, who am I kidding? I wanted him. Badly.
I took one step closer. I stood mere inches from his face, and the scent of him sent quivers through me. He smelled distinctly male, an intoxicating combination of soap and a musky hint of sweat. I stood there gazing into his eyes and breathing him in, wanting to kiss him but afraid to begin something I didn’t know if I could finish.
He wasn’t helping. He didn’t move, but instead just kept leaning against that truck, gazing back at me, waiting for me. His eyes looked a little sleepy, kind of half-lidded, and he wore a lazy grin on his face. I was sure I was wearing the same expression. But I’d also seen that look in Callahan many times. His lips a little fuller than they’d been before. The look he got when he wanted me.
Damn you, Cal. You’re not ruining this for me.
I pushed Cal’s face from my mind, then stepped forward and softly pressed my lips to his. His hands came up and rested on my hips and his touch was so heavenly that I sighed, a little moan escaping me.