by Jenna Byrnes
“Nope. Dix, check out her simple black dress and shoes. She doesn’t look like a hooker, more like a business woman out for an evening on the town.”
He glanced at the victim’s left hand. “No indentations from a wedding ring, not that she’d still have the ring if she was wearing one.” He looked in either direction down the alley they were standing in. “Who knows how many people were through here last night?” He turned to the uniformed officer who’d been first on the scene. “No sign of a purse or handbag of any kind?”
“No, sir.” The officer shook his head.
“Let’s keep looking. Have your team scour every inch of this area, including the dumpsters over there. Our perp may have taken what he wanted and ditched the bag.”
“Look for cigarette butts, too,” the ME added. “We might pull some DNA off them.”
“We’re on it,” the man answered, then headed to confer with the others on his detail.
She made notes in a small book. “Very similar MO to the last vic, pretty, mid-thirties, long, light-colored hair. If it is the same guy, he’s definitely got a ‘type’.”
Dix waggled his brows. “Better watch out, then. You just described yourself.”
She tucked the notebook into her pocket while rolling her eyes. “Thanks, dude, but the ‘thirties’ door slammed on me a few years ago. And these gals had blonde hair, not shades of gray. Of course, the color could have come from a box. ” She tucked a wispy strand that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear.
Facing her, he ducked his head and said quietly, “Your hair is a beautiful, shiny shade of silver, not gray, and I hope you never use bottled color on it. And as for the ‘thirties’ door being closed”—he shook his head—“well, Abby, you could have fooled me.”
His gaze scanned up from her military-style boots to the unattractive navy jumpsuit she wore at crime scenes. It sported large KCPD letters on the front and back, and the boxy style successfully hid whether the wearer was male or female.
Abby laughed. “Dix, if I didn’t know you were gay, I’d either have to jump your bones or bring you up on sexual harassment charges. Can’t decide which would be more fun. I’d love to watch you squirm.”
He grinned. “Which one of those two choices might make me squirm? Never mind, not sure my heart could take it. It’s been a long dry spell since Raph left. You’re starting to look pretty good to me, jumpsuit notwithstanding.”
“You are hard up! Sexy beast like you shouldn’t have trouble finding a man. Everybody loves shaggy brown hair that perpetually looks overdue for a trim and a three-day beard growth like yours. And those puppy-dog eyes have the tiniest little crinkles around the corners when you smile. Damn. Now I’m making myself horny.”
He feigned a horrified expression. “Eye wrinkles? God, that is sexy.”
“I said crinkles. They’re very sexy on a man. A woman, not so much.”
“Yeah,” he grumbled. “Got those when that ‘thirties’ door slapped me on the ass on my way out.” He glanced up as his partner approached.
“Got a witness who says he saw the vic coming out of a bar last night around midnight.” He glanced at the ME. “Hey, Abby.”
“Mac,” she acknowledged. “If that’s the case, this woman died shortly thereafter. Probably wasn’t time to kill her somewhere else and dump the body.”
“So she died here,” Dix repeated. He glanced at Steve MacDonald, his partner for the past three years. “Want to let the unis know that? Might make a difference how they process the scene. You and I should take her picture to that bar and see if anyone recognizes her.”
“Let’s do it. I’ll talk to the unit commander then meet you down at the end of the block. Bar’s just around the corner.”
“Sounds good.” Dix watched Mac walk off before turning back to Abby.
“How’s his wife doing?” she asked. “Last I heard she was starting chemo.”
He nodded. “The doc thought he got all the cancer with her lumpectomy, but there was something about a suspicious lymph node. So yeah, chemo. It makes her sick as hell for a few days. Mac said this round is really kicking her butt.”
“I’m sure it’s rough, but it’s the best option for a good outcome. I’ll keep her in my thoughts.”
He batted his lashes. “Me too?”
Abby chuckled. “Always. Go do your thing and let me finish up here. I’ll text you when I have results, or phone you if we get lucky.”
He kicked at a pebble in his path then headed toward the end of the alley. Over his shoulder he replied, “I won’t hold my breath. I haven’t gotten lucky in a very long time.”
“You’re due!” she called after him.
Dix grinned to himself and kept walking.
Mac was speaking with the captain on scene when Dix approached. His partner looked tired, with definite lines creasing his forehead and the skin around his eyes. Wrinkles, nothing that could be called ‘crinkles’. Worry lines. Lack-of-sleep lines. Dix figured he could take his pick. He couldn’t imagine caring for a spouse with cancer and counted his blessings that the disease hadn’t touched his life. “Ready to do this?” he asked Mac.
“Yeah.” They fell into step and headed around the next corner. “Place is named Last Call Bar and Grille. Ever heard of it?”
“No, but I don’t frequent this neighborhood.”
“Like I do.” Mac rolled his eyes.
Dix grinned. His buddy’s longish-blond hair and tweed jacket with patches on the elbows made him look more like a professor than a cop. Mac had three daughters, six granddaughters and a one-year-old grandson who was sure to be spoiled beyond belief. The family was a great support system for his wife Cecile, who’d been stoic since her diagnosis. Dix knew Mac would love to retire and spend more time with his wife and family, but police work didn’t pay that well. He’d work the streets or shove papers around on a desk right up to retirement age, as would Dix, who had a few years longer to go than Mac.
He paused in front of the neat little sign identifying Last Call and checked it out. “Nice place. Not what I expected.”
“Yeah,” Mac agreed, opening the door. “Seems decent enough.”
They stepped inside. The bar was dimly lit, but Dix could tell it was well-tended. “Pretty clean, too.”
“Yeah. Could have fooled me, ’cause the neighborhood sucks.”
Dix thought so, too. He hadn’t figured the bar would be more than a dive, commonplace for the area. This place was no speakeasy—it seemed like more of a restaurant. And from what he could smell, a good one.
“Afternoon,” the bartender greeted them. “Sit anywhere, as you can see we’re not too busy today.”
“That’s no shit,” Mac mumbled under his breath.
There were ten to twelve tables in the joint, and only one was occupied by a young couple eating burgers and fries. A lone man sat at the bar, thin with straggly gray hair. Dix wondered if the old guy was still breathing or if he’d kicked off and no one had realized it yet.
He couldn’t help noticing the bartender, a handsome man about his own age with similar brown, shaggy hair. Something shined in his eyes, weariness for one thing, but Dix couldn’t put his finger on what else. “Afternoon.” He stepped up to the bar and flashed his badge. “I’m Detective Dixon and this is Detective MacDonald of the KCPD. We’re investigating a murder that took place near here last night. Have you ever seen this woman?” He held up a photo of the deceased.
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About the Author
Jenna Byrnes could use more cabinet space and more hours in a day. She’d fill the kitchen with gadgets her husband purchases off TV and let him cook for her to his heart’s content. She’d breeze through the days adding hours of sleep, and more time for writing the hot, erotic romance she loves to read.
Jenna thinks everyone deserves a happy ending, and loves to provide as many of those as possible to her gay, lesbian and hetero characters. Her favorite quote, from a pro-gay billboard, is “Be c
areful who you hate. It may be someone you love.”
Email: [email protected]
Jenna loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.totallybound.com.
Also by Jenna Byrnes
Convincing Cate
Second Time Around
Carnal Collision
Taking Control
Secret Santa
Night Shift
Stroke of Luck
Practice Makes Perfect
Legal Maneuvers
Unexpected Love: Nothing to Lose
Unexpected Love: Worth the Risk
Unexpected Love: Having It All
Cattle Valley: Truth or Dare
Cattle Valley: Fool’s Gold
Rose and Thorn Society: Switching Seth
Rose and Thorn Society: Never Say Never
Kansas City Heat: Dixon’s Duty
Lasso Lovin’: Fortune’s Way
Pleasure Bound: Aloha Kaua
My Secret Valentine: Secret Rendezvous
Frost Bite: Night Fall
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