Murder and Mayhem

by Hamilton, B L

  Danny was both surprised and amused by her frankness. “In that case we’re sure to get a nice quiet room.”

  “Oh, you bet. There’s only one other guest staying in the hotel so you can take your pick. Which one would you like?”

  “How about the one on the top floor, at the far end of the building, away from the freeway?”

  Melissa tapped the keyboard, and looked up. “You’ll be the first guests to stay in that room so everything will be nice and new with a bed no one else has slept in,” she said as she handed Danny his credit card. “Would you like two room cards?”

  “One is fine, thanks, Melissa.”

  Melissa coded the room key card, slipped it into a cardboard sleeve, wrote the room number on the inside and handed it to him. “Breakfast is served in the dining area between six thirty and nine thirty,” she said, and then smiled. “If there’s anything I can do for you please let me know.”

  “Thank you, Melissa.”

  “Can you suggest somewhere to eat?” Nicola asked.

  Melissa shrugged. “There’s not much around here except the diner across the road. The food’s okay, I guess.”

  Danny handed Nicola the room card. “I’ll get the luggage and meet you in the room.”

  When Danny returned to the lobby a short time later he noticed Nicola inspecting a large abstract mural that looked like something Pablo Picasso would paint. As he came up beside her he leaned in and gave it a perfunctory glance.

  “Mmm, not bad I suppose–if you like that sort of thing.”

  “Not my cup of tea,” Nicola said.

  “Mine either.”

  As they passed the front desk on their way to the elevator, Danny heard Melissa mutter, “Best place for something like that is in New York with the rest of the weirdos.”

  Danny leaned across the counter-top, and said, “I’m with you, Melissa.”

  The young woman looked up, and grinned.

  When the door to Room 301 opened, Nicola’s face lit up. “Oh, Danny this looks like something out of a decorator magazine,” she said as she trailed her hand over the bedcover and pillows trimmed with satin and ribbon.

  Danny dropped the bags on the floor, grabbed hold of Nicola’s hand and pulled her down onto the feathery softness. He looked into green eyes, bright with mischief, and said, “Do you want dessert now or later?”

  Nicola gave a small tinkling laugh. “Does that mean you are restricting me to only one dessert tonight?”

  Danny couldn’t take his eyes from hers. He reached up and touched her cheek, and cupped her face with his hand as though she were a delicate rose.

  “We could have an appetizer now–and dessert later.”

  “Sounds like the perfect solution to me,” Danny said, and then kissed her.

  “Take everything off,” he whispered as he removed his clothes and lay on the bed, his eyes never leaving her face.

  Nicola felt his warm breath on her skin, the touch of his flesh against her flesh. When she buried her face in the curve of his neck she felt the throb of his pulse against her cheek.

  He covered her lips with passionate kisses. Nicola moaned as her body responded. His eyes traveled every mound and valley, every plain and crevice, drinking in every inch. She was a Raphael painting come to life as the molten rays of the sun shone through the window on her hair and skin.

  “You take my breath away,” Danny whispered as he ran his hands over her breasts and watched the nipples harden. He bent down and kissed each one.

  Nicola responded to his touch; his hands on her body; his mouth on her skin; his teeth, gently nipping; his tongue against her teeth sent shivers of pleasure coursing through her body.

  “All day I’ve been taunted by the sense of you sitting beside me; the fragrance of your hair and skin. And when I turned my head I could see your profile, the softness of your lips, the curve of your neck, the outline of your breasts, and I wanted you,” he whispered. “I want to feel your body against mine, the rose petal softness of your skin as you lay beneath me, feel my hardness inside you. I want to drown in your love.”

  When he entered her Nicola wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him inside. She moaned with the pleasure. Danny reached down and cupped the cheeks of her buttocks in one hand and raised her up. When he looked in her eyes, it was like looking into her soul.

  With each pleasurable thrust she rose up to meet him. Her fingers kneaded his back. His teeth nipped her lips. His tongue licked her throat. When she reached up and touched his face, Danny moaned.

  Faster and faster, harder and harder, their bodies slapped together as he rode her. Suddenly he tensed. Danny felt a white light explode inside him as Nicola cried out and shuddered beneath him.

  His breathing was heavy and labored, his body throbbed inside her as he waited for the pulsing to calm– then there was only the beating of their hearts, the moist touch of their skin, the softness of her smile-and her warm breath on his face.

  Danny caressed her flushed cheeks with the back of his hand.

  “You make my head spin and my heart pound. I love you so much, half the time I don’t know which way is up.”

  When he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, Nicola was so profoundly shaken by the intensity of her emotions, she had to bite back the tears.

  * * *

  Danny sat on the edge of the bed and slipped his feet into a pair of black sneakers. He watched Nicola run a brush through her hair and apply a fresh coat of lipstick, and thought how beautiful she looked in the aquamarine top and champagne-colored jeans with the late afternoon sun coming in through the window touching her hair with gold and bronze highlights.

  “Well, babe, this is the last one tonight. After this there won’t be any more bike mates to catch up on, at least, not on this trip.” When Nicola turned and smiled he reached out and took hold of her hand and pulled her onto the bed. He kissed her.

  She snuggled into him as a desolate feeling swept over her. She hated the thought of him leaving, not knowing if, or when, she would see him again.

  “I don’t want you to go.”

  Danny laughed. “I’ll only be gone a couple of hours, then I’ll be back,” he said.

  “I don’t mean tonight. I don’t want you going back to Australia.”

  He caressed her cheek. “I have to. But I’ll be back. I just need to sort out some things and then I’ll come back, and when I do, we can make plans for the rest of our lives. I promise you Nic, we’ll be together.”

  * * *

  As they strolled hand in hand down the gravel driveway kicking up plumes of dust with their heels, Nicola looked to the western sky where the molten sun dripped through the trees like liquid gold and tinged the clouds pink and orange. A flock of swallows rose out of the shadows, dipped and turned and flew into the softening light.

  A short distance away, a black SUV sat on the grassy verge partially hidden by a copse of pine trees. The driver removed his cap, tossed it on the back seat and raked his fingers through his hair. He lifted a take-out cup to his lips and gulped down half the contents before replacing it in the cup holder, reached into the pizza box, removed a slice and started to eat. He picked up a napkin and wiped the string of cheese that dripped from his mouth as he followed the progress of the young couple as they walked down the driveway and crossed the road, his eyes never leaving them till they disappeared behind the large door.

  * * *

  The restaurant, decorated country-style with baskets of dried wheat and hay decorating the walls, had a buffet bar down the center of the room, surrounded by people piling unbelievable amounts of food onto oversize plates.

  When they were shown to a table they declined the, ‘really good, $7.50 all you can eat buffet dinner’ offered by the round-faced waitress with dimples on her elbows and knees.

  “Obviously not from around here,” she muttered as she headed to the kitchen with their order.

  “I notice you never drink spirits or hard liquor,” Nicola said a
s their drinks were placed on coasters in front of them. “Aside from the Margaritas we had in Portsmouth.”

  “Me? No. Beer and wine are my only drugs of choice. What about you?”

  “I prefer wine. Occasionally I’ll have something else, but not often.”

  “At home I’ll have a stubby of beer at night, but that’s all. There’s no point in opening a bottle of wine when you’re on your own because you’ll just keep on drinking until the bottle is empty. I nearly fell into that trap once.”

  “You! I don’t believe that! You always seem to be in control.”

  Danny looked around the restaurant at nothing in particular, and said, “You don’t know the half of it, Nic.”

  “I’d like to, Danny,” Nicola said as she reached across the table and placed her hand on his.

  “Someday,” he offered as he tried to hide the fear that hovered around his heart like a noxious vapor–and changed the subject. “When I get home I’ll cut back on my coffee intake. I usually only drink a couple of cups a day, not like here when I need the caffeine fix to keep me going. What with your antics keeping me up all night, and driving all day, I need a minimum ten cups or I’d collapse in a heap.”

  Nicola laughed as the waitress placed their meal on the table, topped up their water and brought them fresh drinks.

  A waitress rushed past, her arms laden with a juggling act of perfectly balanced dishes that she dealt like a pack of cards to the family of seven as a man wearing a cap pulled low on his head sat at the counter, and ordered pie and coffee.

  *****

  The day had started out like any other. As the sun rose in the east, the birds outside my window heralded in the morning. I’m sure there must be some sort of law against noise at that ungodly hour. But in Marin, I think they do things differently.

  I breakfasted on Corn Flakes, my sister–Vegemite toast with the crust removed and cut into little soldiers she dunked in her tea. Out the kitchen window a slight breeze riffled through the leaves of a maple that was already changing to gold, and red, and russet. Winter would be on us in no time at all.

  As I sipped my tea, it dawned on me that Ross and I had been here five months–almost half a year.

  I looked at Rosie. Her skin was pale and sallow; dark shadows ringed her eyes, lines had formed on her brow and at the corners of her eyes; her cheeks, slightly sunken, the bloom of youth long gone. Like the season, we were both in the autumn of our years–with the dogs of winter snapping at our heels.

  Rosie looked up and saw me watching her. “What’s the matter, Bubbie? You look so sad.”

  I smiled. “Pensive is all.”

  “What about?”

  “The changing season,” I said, and then smiled.

  “Now what are you thinking about?”

  “The Macy’s shoe sale,” I said tapping the advertisement in this morning’s newspaper. What I didn’t tell her was that it reminded me of last night…

  Ross had wandered into the guestroom where I was hunched over my laptop, reading aloud to myself as I typed. He dropped his Pillsbury body onto the bed, and listened for a while, then said, “We’ve been to a few places like that, haven’t we, Bee? It’s called the American heartland.”

  I nodded.

  “Great news about your friend, Louanna, they sound like good people,” he added.

  I looked at him leaning against the headboard, his legs splayed out across the bed, a familiar smile on his lips as he watched me working.

  “They are,” I said.

  “How is Rosie doing these days?”

  “She’s doing okay. She puts on a good front, but I know it’s wearing her down. I just wish there was something more I could do. I feel so helpless.”

  “I think you being here is the best medicine you can give her.”

  I sighed and closed the laptop.

  How’s the book coming along?”

  “All fun and games.”

  He laughed. “Speaking of fun, how about we have a little fun of our own?”

  “Why, Sir, whatever do you mean?” I said coyly, batting my eyelids.

  Ross reached into the closet, removed the purple stilettos and knelt on the floor. “How about I put these on you for starters–and then work my way up from there?”

  “Ohhhh… Ross!”

  *****

  It was nearly one in the morning when he arrived back at the hotel and was not surprised to see no one at the front desk. Everything was quiet except for the muzak that played in the lift. He opened the door cautiously, trying not to make any noise as he slipped into the bathroom. He closed the door and turned on the light.

  Danny stood in front of the mirror and inspected his face, then he stripped off his clothes and stepped under the shower. When the water jets hit their mark he winced. He soaped up his body and scrubbed vigorously wanting to remove all telltale signs of the night.

  When he stepped out of the shower, he dried himself off, taking extra care to avoid the raw open wounds. When he wiped the condensation of the mirror and peered at his reflection Danny was shocked to see the jagged lines of raised welts running down both cheeks. Short of covering them with make-up or large dressing, there was nothing he could do to disguise them. He decided to forgo shaving for a couple of days to give the wounds a chance to heal.

  He picked up his clothes, turned off the light, opened the door and tiptoed across the room. He placed the blood stained garments into a black plastic bag and buried them at the bottom of his bag.

  When he climbed into bed, Nicola’s voice was groggy with sleep. “Did you get what you wanted?” she asked.

  “Yes. Go back to sleep,” Danny whispered as he rolled onto his side and turned his back to her.

  Half asleep, Nicola shuffled into the warmth of his body, nuzzled her cheek into his back, reached over and caressed the side of his face. The tips of her fingers touched the rough surface, hesitated, explored further and found the jagged edges of the deep welts that ridged his cheek like freshly ploughed furrows. Danny winced and drew back. Nicola touched the area again, as if to confirm what she had felt. She sat up and switched on the lamp.

  “What happened to your face?” She gasped.

  When Danny touched his face, Nicola noticed similar marks on the backs of his hands.

  “My God, Danny what happened?” The skin along the angry red welts stood proud and inflamed as speckles of blood oozed and gathered in the furrows from tiny pin-prick holes.

  “It’s not as bad as it looks,” he said trying to make light of the injuries. “Sledge had a Siamese cat that took a distinct dislike to me when I tried to pat it.”

  Nicola jumped out of bed. “I’ve got some disinfectant in here somewhere.”

  She rummaged through her bag searching for the tube she knew was in there somewhere. When she found the red and white tube she told him to lie down, then she unscrewed the cap and squeezed the salve across the tips of her fingers. Danny flinched when she touched the raw wounds.

  “Ouch! That hurts.”

  “Don’t be such a baby.”

  “Boy. That stings.”

  “You’ve only got yourself to blame. I hope you’ve learnt your lesson. This is what happens when you go messing around with strange felines. In future confine your fondling of females to me.”

  When Nicola finished applying the salve, Danny inspected his face in the mirror. “Do you think it’ll leave a scar?”

  “Probably for a couple of weeks, but they should gradually fade. Lucky for you they’re only surface scratches.”

  Danny turned his head this way and that, looking at his face from different angles. “Hmm... A couple of scars might make me look kind of…err… sexy. What do you think?”

  Nicola laughed. “In your dreams, lover boy.”

  Danny pulled her down onto the bed and kissed her, playfully. Then he reached down and began to stroke her. Nicola moaned.

  “Soft, so soft,” he breathed.

  Suddenly, without warning, he turned her on
to her stomach, put his hand on her back and entered her savagely from behind.

  They made love with such intensity it was a brutal act, completely devoid of love, driven solely by a need so strong it consumed them both. As Danny held her down, he realized that her desire for this brutal act was just as intense as his need to inflict it on her. As he savagely thrust inside her, she cried out as the pleasurable pain surged through her body like nothing she experienced before. Nicola pushed her body against his, wanting more, until neither could hold back as every nerve in their body cried out for release. Then the fires consumed them.

  Their naked passion had been such an intensely violent act; it shocked Nicola like nothing before. As Danny slept peacefully beside her, she lay awake until well into the night trying to understand what had taken place between them. Finally, she drifted into a troubled sleep, haunted by demons that rose up from the past.

  * * *

  They slept late and breakfasted in the hotel dining area saying nothing about what had occurred last night. When they finished, they hurried upstairs and packed. While Nicola put the finishing touches to her make-up, Danny carried the luggage to the car.

  He opened the door of the SUV and slid the bags across the back seat, unzipped his tote and removed the black plastic bag hidden at the bottom. He carried it to the dumpster at the back of the hotel and tossed it inside. He picked up some flattened cardboard boxes lying propped up against the back of the dumpster and tossed them on top. He hurried through the back door and up the fire escape stairs. When he walked in the room he could hear Nicola in the bathroom singing.

  “How are you doing, Nic? Nearly ready?” he called through the door. His eyes skimmed the room and noticed the pillow he slept on had dark red smudges where his face had lain. He flipped it over and tossed another on top, in casual disarray.

  “Just checking to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything,” Nicola said as she wandered into the room and looked around. “Have you seen my purse?”