by WL Knightly
Eddie let out a long breath. “I’ll see what I can do, but maybe it’s time you start praying for a miracle. If it’s this hot tomorrow, we’ll have to call it off or move the service.”
Carter made a sound of frustration. They had never canceled service, and if they had to, he would surely lose a lot of money in the process. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“If it does, you can bet that the brethren won’t be happy. I’ll have to do a lot of damage control.” He stepped out the door and closed it behind him.
“That’s what you’re good at, Eddie,” he said, loud enough for the man to hear him through the door. He pulled out his phone and saw that his wife had called. Ignoring it, he went to the voice recorder on his device and took out his tablet. It was time to write a prayer that would have everyone digging into their pockets.
Chapter 4
Darek
Monday morning, Darek was surprised that Max had come in and hurried out with Darius. He didn’t mind being avoided, but while it was for the best, it wasn’t like Max. He had yet to confront Lizzy again, not wanting to ask too many questions, but her messing around with his friend bothered him on a level he hadn’t expected.
As he sat at his desk quietly working on the case notes from the most recent body dump, Lizzy took notice that something was wrong and confronted him.
“Are we going to talk about it?” she asked, leaning on the corner of his desk.
He shrugged, not wanting her to know just how much it had upset him. He really had no room to be upset, with Raven having been in the picture, but he couldn’t help the way he felt. And if the whole “she came onto him” thing was true, then that just made it all worse. “Talk about what?”
She held up her hands defensively. “Okay, if that’s how you want to play it, but know this. If you don’t talk about it now, then I don’t want to talk about it later.”
The office was empty, and he realized that she was right. It was better just to get it all out in the open and behind them. They had too many obstacles as it was, most she didn’t even know about, and he needed to seize the day and make the most of everything. If he had learned one thing by losing the other Zodiacs, it was that time was a precious thing. “I just don’t want us to have problems. Life’s too short, you know?”
“And that’s why I think we should talk about it and put it behind us, but hey if you don’t want—”
“Did you make the first move?” That was the only part he needed to be clarified.
“It wasn’t a deliberate strategized event. It just happened, but yes, if you must know. I kissed him first.” She crossed her arms. “You had found it so easy to move on, I guess I just wanted to see if it was possible for me, but I quickly learned that it wasn’t. Max took it as an invitation to more, and I said that I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t.” The you were hung silently in the air between them.
Darek got up to go and pour himself another cup of coffee, not really sure how to react, but Lizzy followed, knowing she wasn’t going to let him clam up again.
She rose from her place on his desk and joined him. “As I said, it was nothing, Darek. Nothing at all. I somehow don’t think that you could say the same about your friend.”
Darek didn’t open his mouth. He knew Raven had been about more. “That was all I wanted to know, okay? I can see how things happen, things we don’t expect. We put ourselves in a position, and things just happen sometimes, but it’s behind us.”
Lizzy reached up and put her arms around his neck. “I agree. Let’s leave it there.”
The two of them being alone in the room was a rare thing, and Darek was fully prepared to make the most of it. He leaned in and brought his lips down on hers. As their kiss deepened, nothing else in the world mattered.
Suddenly, Reed’s voice carried across the front office, giving Lizzy and Darek little time to break their lip lock at the coffee bar. “I want to know if that fool had anything to do with it,” he called back to the chief as the two went their separate directions and he entered the room.
Reed hadn’t seen Lizzy’s injured face, and she was a bit nervous about what his reaction would be. She gave Darek a hesitant look and then turned around slowly to greet the man who was like an uncle to her.
Darek watched as Reed’s face went white. “That animal did this?” he asked. Darek had told him what happened, but he must not have realized how bad it would look.
Lizzy brushed it off, still wiping her lips from the kiss. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“That bastard. I hope he gets his ass beat again in there. But in the meantime, I want you,” he turned to Darek, “to get me some information on his religious affiliations. Find out if he’s spoken to any member of the clergy, what church he used to attend, and if any of them have ever heard him talk about cults. This maniac didn’t just wake up one day with this idea. A seed like this is planted and tended, nurtured. He’s learned his tricks from someone, probably the best. The DA is actually starting to believe his story, and I want you to dig deeper.” He seemed as if he were shutting Lizzy out.
“Hey, are you talking to him or both of us? I’m right here.” She didn’t like being left out, and Darek knew that Reed was going to have a hard time putting her back out there where Ken Sin was concerned.
“I think you need a few days off. I heard about that stunt you pulled. The goading. You riled him up.”
“I riled him up,” said Darek. The look on Reed’s face told him the man wasn’t buying the story. “Okay, we both did. It was the only way to keep him. We didn’t want the case to fall stale, and we were hoping that if we kept him, we could sit and wait for the real killer to make a move. The man was making us look like fools.”
“Well, he’s bought himself some time with a real crime now,” said Reed. He put his hand on Lizzy’s shoulder. “He won’t get away with this. But I meant what I said. Go home, get comfortable for a few days. Rest your mind and heal. Let’s see what your partner here is made of.” He turned back to Darek, and he nodded, ready for the challenge.
He suddenly felt like a string of luck might come his way, and he knew just the preacher to call in about Ken Sin. But then Reed’s words planted a seed in his own mind. What if Ken Sin had been nurtured? What if the person who planted the seed was the real killer hoping to deflect attention away from himself or to have someone do the dirty work for him? Carter Hamilton could have done just that. It was a longshot, he knew, but still, an interesting theory. Bringing Carter in would surely force him to reveal if his relationship with Ken Sin was more than he’d made it out to be.
Having Carter come and talk to Ken would surely help Darek get a leg up for his promotion. He had to do all he could to appease Reed, and with Lizzy sitting out a few days, he and Carter could talk more about what happened. He could feel him out.
He still had to figure out who the hit was put on, and while Justin seemed the most likely candidate, having been gunned down, he wanted to make damned sure no one else had a target on their back, or worse, had one on everyone else’s. With Carter staying behind after he’d said he was leaving, there was a good possibility it could have been to make sure the hit was carried out. Maybe he felt things were closing in. He could have wanted the Zodiacs out of the world completely so he would never be found out.
Darek looked Reed right in the eye. “I’ll get right on it, sir.”
“Excuse me,” Lizzy said, pulling Sam aside. “I’m not one to sit down on the job. I want to get back on my horse when I fall down, and you know it.”
“I also know you’ve been working hard and you need to take a day and make sure your head is on straight.”
“But we have a new victim, and we’re waiting on Cobb to tell us if this could be a part of our Zodiac case.”
“You’re talking about the girl who was found? The night you got your face slammed into a table?” He turned and gave Darek an accusing look. “You should have taken her home and checked out the scene yourself.”
>
Darek felt the need to defend Reed’s logic. “With all due respect, you and I both know Lizzy wouldn’t have gone home.”
Reed’s jaw tightened, the muscles twitching slightly. “Next time, call me. I’ll make sure she listens.”
Darek wasn’t going to argue with him, but there would be no way she’d have let that happen. “Yes, sir.” He looked over at Lizzy, who shook her head.
Lizzy was swelled up with anger. “I don’t want to take a day. Cobb will be calling soon, and I’ll need to go down and make sure this doesn’t link up with our case. Besides, the DA should be fucking happy about what we accomplished.” Lizzy’s voice was tinged with desperation and anger.
“Fuck the DA! You can call Dr. Cobb from the comfort of your couch for all I care, but you’re sitting out. That’s an order!” His temper was flared and his voice loud.
Lizzy grabbed her handbag and briefcase from under the desk and then shut off her computer. Without a word, she stormed out of the office.
“She’s not going to be happy,” said Darek, knowing that a break was only going to irritate her more than working would.
“I don’t care. It’s my call, and she should take a goddamned day. Robert would roll in his grave if he saw her face beaten like that. And I promised him I’d look after her. This is the only power I have over her, and one fucking day won’t kill her.” He turned, and after making a sound of frustration, he headed for the door. Once he got there, he looked back over his shoulder. “Make sure you don’t waste any time. Let’s get anything we can on this asshole.”
Darek waited until he was gone and then hurried out after Lizzy, who was driving away. At least Reed had provided a little time and an excuse to do a little digging on his own without Lizzy over his shoulder.
Chapter 5
Carter
Carter pulled into his private parking space Monday morning, knowing he was about to do a walk of shame of epic proportions. Not only had he missed another sermon, but he had made himself totally unreachable.
While he had no excuse for missing another Sunday service, he had prepared to tell the others that he had been in a long prayer session with the Lord and that he could not be disturbed. Who would argue with that?
“Where the hell were you yesterday?” asked Peggy as soon as he walked through the door. “I tried to reach you all day. We nearly sent out a search party, but someone saw your car at home.”
Leave it to Peggy. He started across the fellowship hall and into the auditorium as the woman stayed on his heels with a pastry in one hand and her Starbucks in the other. “I can’t help when the Lord wants to speak to me. And when that happens, it’s not like I can just turn him off and put him out of my head. You have no idea how hard it is to have the big man upstairs for a boss.”
She looked him dead in the eyes. “I’d imagine it’s easier than trying to shovel that load of bullshit at me and making me believe it.”
The woman had gone crass in her older years, and while Carter knew better than to try and fool her with his excuses, he sure hoped that they would hold water with the rest of the brethren.
He stopped to pull out his keys and unlock the door since her hands were too full to use her own key. “I’ll be in my office.” He walked past her desk and through the connecting door which he promptly locked behind him. He walked over to the door that led to the main hall, which he liked to leave open so that he could look out and see everyone coming his way.
Before he could get good and settled back in his seat, Eddie walked into his office. “Hey, Carter.”
“Good morning, Eddie. You’re here early.” He hadn’t expected to see him so soon but had a feeling it had to do with the fact that the church didn’t feel like the depths of hell. “You got the air fixed I see. Just in time for Sunday service I presume.”
“Yeah, and you’re not going to like the bill when you see it. Rush jobs on weekends cost a hell of a lot more than scheduled ones during the work week.” He walked over and moved a chair back to get around it and then sat across from Carter. He reached into his pocket and handed Carter a slip of paper he’d folded into a nice tight rectangle.
Carter unfolded it and read the damage. “This is nearly thirty grand!”
“Yeah, as it turns out, you needed more than one air handling unit for that large of an area. They worked into the night trying to get us ready for the Sunday service, and we would have lost more than that if they had needed to close us down.”
“I guess we’re lucky that’s all it was.” Carter shrugged and passed the bill across to Eddie, who could barely meet his eyes.
“Well,” he said. “That’s not all it cost unfortunately.” He folded the paper and put it back in his pocket.
Carter eased back in his chair. “What now?”
“I’m afraid the brethren voted to stop paying for the private jet dues. They think it’s impractical and said if you wanted one, you could buy it yourself.”
“Clearly, they think I have a lot more money than I do.” Carter was well off, but owning a jet outright was much more expensive than co-leasing with others.
“They know what you’re bringing home, which is well above what they think you’re worth at the moment.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means if you miss another Sunday, they just might hand your reins over to Todd.”
“I was lost in deep prayer—”
Eddie held up his hand. “Save that bullshit for the brethren. I’m not buying it. It’s harder and harder to defend you, Carter. You’re getting worse than your old man, and that’s saying a lot. I never thought anyone could be worse than him. I told you not to miss again.”
“Fine, I’ll make sure not to miss again. It’s just hard staying in the same damned routine month after month and year after year. When we’re not filming, I like to have a little break. And now you’re taking away the private jet, it’s not like I’ll have any desire to fly anywhere.”
“I think that was the point. The elders and deacons thought that this might be the best way to clip your wings. You keep it up, and they’ll make you sell the car.”
“Noted,” said Carter. His temper was flared, and he felt like a scolded child. “I still think they need to be reminded who the money maker is around here. And now I’m just going to cost them more airfare when I’m invited to speak.”
“You’ve been getting fewer and fewer invitations, Carter. I’m telling you, they are doing their homework, and they are tired of your antics. Heed my advice. I never steered your father wrong.” Eddie got to his feet and walked to the door. “I’ll be down the hall if you need me.”
His phone rang, and while he didn’t feel much like talking to anyone, he noticed that it was Ava. She hadn’t called that early in ages. She had grown much bolder though, and he was going to have to put a stop to it. He answered the phone and kicked back with his feet up. “Hello, Ava.”
“Carter, hey.” He could hear the sound of covers shuffling and her bed letting out a squeak. He imagined her in her bed still, lying between the satin sheets with nothing on but a smile.
“It’s early, you know? I might have still been at home with Adrian.”
“Yeah, but I know she’s still on her little mission trip, and since you missed the service yesterday, I imagined you’d want to go in early and do some damage control.”
“You do know me like a book.” Which was part of the problem. Ava had learned too much about him and his habits.
“Well since your wife is gone, we should make use of the time. It’s not often I get to be with you this early in the morning.” She gave a little giggle.
He hadn’t allowed her to stay the night because he didn’t want her getting too comfortable. Too late.
“I had hoped we could meet for lunch today. There’s a lot I need to talk to you about.”
“It’s not a good idea. Every elder and deacon of my church is out to get me, and I have to be on my best behavior.”
Ava let o
ut a sound of frustration. “Sneaking is all the fun. You’ve said so yourself.”
“Yes, it usually is.”
“Then come on, meet me for lunch,” she said. “You won’t be sorry, and I’ll give you something special for dessert.” The offer was quite enticing as he did like fucking Ava. But he thought his time would be better divided between playing up to the church staff and making a good impression.
“Please,” she added. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Fine, I’ll meet you. But just for an hour. I need to get back and try and behave.”
He looked at his watch. He had a few hours to kill before lunch and decided to make the most of it. “I’ll see you then,” he said.
“Soon, baby,” she said, ending the call.
Ava had been a fixture in his life for some time, and when the two had first started messing around, it was much the same as all the others. They had been content to sneak touches and share small secret glances across the crowd. The thrill of them having a secret together made their encounters intense, especially when his wife was around.
In fact, it had gotten to a degree where he was thinking of her so much, he had totally put his feelings for his wife aside, and while he didn’t care much for Adrian after their I dos, it was a dangerous game to play. One that could end in divorce and dent his bank account.
He had quickly recognized the slip and corrected it, but they still continued to sneak around, their relationship redefined by their intent which was solely to get each other off.
But despite all of his efforts, the woman had still become so familiar with him, she knew him better than Adrian.
She was becoming a problem, but there was only one way to get rid of problems, and he knew better than to think he could afford to pay her off to get rid of her.