by J. E. Taylor
“He settled the case instead of taking a chance in court with me.”
“Man, that’s pretty arrogant thinking on your part. What if he took a closer look at the case and decided it was the right thing to do?”
“Jim never backs down unless he’s sure he’s going to lose, that’s when he starts offering deals.”
“Do you think he’ll be willing to take you back?”
“He likes having a winning record,” she said and shrugged. “So, you’ll meet me at City Hall at 8:30?”
Randy grinned, “You sure you want me to tag along?”
“No, but I think it’ll make you feel better about the whole painting and art show deal.”
“I don’t know about that, but I am curious. If you wait a couple of minutes, I’ll walk you to City Hall.” He grabbed his razor and started to shave.
“Sure,” she said and left him to finish his morning routine.
* * * *
Carolyn gave Randy a peck on the cheek and climbed the steps to City Hall. She paused at the top and sent a wave in his direction before turning and entering the building. She walked with purpose, steeling herself for a battle.
In the middle of the atrium, her vision wobbled, altering into another view that looked down at her. Her heart tripped in her chest. She locked gazes with herself, her eyes wide and an odd luminescent blue. Fear laced her mouth along with an underlying hatred that was as palatable as the metallic taste in her mouth. She blinked and her vision righted but there was no one looking down at her on any of the landing balconies.
* * * *
That bitch is alive?
I stared down at her and blinked rapidly at the hatred harnessed in my chest. I chopped her to bits last night, how can she be standing there as if I never touched her with my blade?
I stepped out of view for a moment and then I couldn’t help myself, I had to look again and snuck up to the marble ledge, peeked over, and she froze in the middle of the atrium. For a moment I no longer was looking down, but up at myself and my eyes had a luminescent glow like an unearthly devil. I moved out of her view, blinking until my vision righted.
Shit, she knows I’m here.
* * * *
He’s here. Oh shit, what the hell do I do now?
Carolyn’s heart banged against her rib cage in a beat that fueled her fear. She took a heavy step backwards towards the door and paused again. Running outside wasn’t the brightest of ideas. The fucker wouldn’t dare kill me in the middle of City Hall at this time of the morning—would he?
She stepped toward the stairs, her brain trying to wrap around the actions of her body, screaming to run, to get out, but stubbornness directed her toward Jim’s office, toward her original purpose. This was her battleground and she wasn’t going to back down. With each step, her mind categorized all personnel she had ever seen in the office so early and less than a dozen names floated to mind, but none of them jibed with the profile of a killer.
Carolyn scanned the halls and the few people she passed, none of them screamed murderer. Quite the opposite in fact, most had mundane thoughts, cataloging their to-do lists for the day.
Each stride closer to her destination brought both triumph and trepidation. Each corner presented a hesitation, a fear of the claw coming from nowhere and severing her head. Each door a traipse into hell, and when she arrived at Jim’s office, dread sank into her stomach; turning her morning toast into a rocket ready to launch. Yet she pushed the doors open and stepped inside to a cold glare and a greeting in the form of a grunt.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
She closed the door and took a moment to compose herself before addressing his question. “Don’t you think you’ve taken this far enough?”
“Get out before I call security.”
“Why’d you choose to settle the case instead of facing me in court?” She crossed the room and took a seat opposite him, ignoring his directive.
“You know why.”
“No, Jim, I don’t. Why don’t you spell it out for me?”
“Because it’s not in my best interest to try a case like that.”
“Afraid of losing?”
“It doesn’t bode well for my record to lose.”
“So are you going to do this every time you find yourself across the aisle from me?”
He crossed his arms and glared at her. “What do you think?”
“I think you should just swallow your pride and hire me back on the team so I can continue to make you look good.”
“Are you still under the watchful eye of the FBI?”
“I have a body guard of sorts.”
His eyebrows arched and he leaned forward. “Why is that?”
“Because the FBI suspects I may be the real target.”
Color drained from Jim’s face and he glanced out the window before returning his attention to her. His thoughts jumbled, confused and unclear, mingled with a low grade static that irked her.
“Why wasn’t I told?” he asked, his voice softening from the harsh rasp.
“Because it’s a new development and I’m working with the FBI in the hopes we catch this maniac before someone else dies,” she said and cleared her throat. “I also think the killer is in this building right now, or he was a few minutes ago.”
Jim picked up the phone and pushed the zero on the phone. “Security please.”
“What are you doing?”
“Getting a log of who entered the building today,” he answered. “Can you give me a description?”
“No, I didn’t actually see him per se.”
The phone slid back into the cradle and Jim stared at her. “Explain.”
“It’s one of those phenomena like my visions. I can’t really explain it.” Nor do I want to.
Jim rubbed his face and then studied Carolyn. “How do you know you’re the target?”
“Have you seen the victims?”
“Yes, but that still doesn’t explain how you know you are the target?
“Agent Williams seems to think there’s a connection somewhere along the lines and he thinks I’m the one the killer’s gunning for.”
“And he knows this how?”
“He’s a specialist in psychic events.”
“Oh, and does he also have a crystal ball?” Sarcasm filled the room.
“No, I don’t.”
Carolyn turned to see Agent Williams leaning on the doorframe. He stepped inside the room and closed the door.
“You really shouldn’t have fired her because of my visit.”
“Steve, I didn’t ask you to come to my defense here.”
His blue-eyed gaze turned in her direction, silencing her and he turned back to Jim. “So, are you going to reinstate her or what?”
“For the record, I fired her because of insubordination, not your visit.”
“Oh, come on, you concocted that story just to cover your ass.”
“Stop helping me, Agent Williams,” Carolyn said after the shock of his blatant comment wore off.
“You need her on your team.”
“I don’t need the headaches this will cause,” Jim countered. “Visions aren’t something that are considered the normal course of business around here and I can’t have that staining the record of the district attorney’s office.”
“Now you’re discriminating against Carolyn? Interesting.” Steve turned toward her. “I think perhaps a press conference is in order, don’t you?”
She couldn’t believe the brazen attitude, nor could she condone it aimed at Jim. “Look, Jim isn’t like that…”
“Oh, yes, he is. He’s a political animal and they all go the CYA route as opposed to standing up for what’s right. He’d rather lose his best attorney and spare the office some embarrassment over your natural gifts than take a leap of faith in you.”
“That is not true. I have all the faith in the world in her abilities as a lawyer.”
“Then why isn’t she still on staff?”
Jim opened hi
s mouth to speak then popped it closed, his gaze traveling between Steve and her.
Steve leaned forward. “Tell me why she is no longer on staff.”
“Because I’m in love with her and she doesn’t feel the same way.”
Silence fell over the room and Carolyn stared at Jim, digesting the words and the implications behind it. “What?” The sharp edge of accusation in her voice made his head snap in her direction.
“The weird visions just gave me an excuse.”
“You son of a bitch.”
Steve straightened and stepped back, the thickness in the air evaporating and Jim glared at him.
“What did you just do?”
“It doesn’t matter what he did, the fact that you fired me without cause gives me enough ammunition to file a lawsuit against you. How will that look on your squeaky clean record?”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me Jim, just try me.” She turned, marching toward the door.
“Carolyn, stop.”
She stood with her hand on the doorknob and anger brewing in the pit of her stomach. The battle got uglier than she ever thought and the fact that she’d had no clue how he felt about her also rubbed her wrong. How could I not know this?
“He projects a great deal of static, so you wouldn’t have known.”
Carolyn met Steve’s gaze and then dropped her hand and turned toward Jim. “What about your wife?”
Jim looked down at his desk blotter and then out the window. “I’ve been sleeping in the guest quarters for the last few months.”
“Jesus Jim, why didn’t you tell me?”
He brought his gaze to hers and shrugged. “Would it have made a difference?”
She shook her head. Jim Britt was too much like a father to her for her to consider anything beyond friendship. Besides, Randy had swept in and taken over her thoughts on the romantic front. “We were friends, damn it.”
Jim laughed. “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
“So, because of your puppy dog crush, I have to give up a job I love? That’s insane.”
“Better that you’re out of the public eye than murdered by some psychopath,” he retorted.
“Oh, now you’re feigning being protective? That’s just great.” She threw her arms up in the air and turned her back on both Jim and Steve. “It doesn’t matter what any of you do, the killer will eventually find me,” she said and glanced over her shoulder at Jim, leveling a glare that could melt ice. “In the meantime, I’d like to still work and make a difference here if you don’t mind.”
For a moment, she thought he was going to say no, then he nodded and picked up a case file, holding it out to her. “You can act as co-counsel on this with me.”
“I’m glad we got that straightened out, now if you will be so kind as to finish that call to the security office to get a list of people in the building in the last hour, that would be even better,” Steve said.
“Why?”
“Because she saw the killer, or rather saw through the killer’s eyes just before she barged in here and I want to know who was in the building at the time.”
Chapter 42
Randy trotted up the steps of City Hall and entered the lobby, scanning the crowd until his gaze landed on Carolyn and Agent Williams sitting on one of the benches looking at a piece of paper. The presence of the FBI agent unnerved him and they looked up as he approached.
“Everything okay?”
“For the most part,” Carolyn answered and stood, giving him a peck on the cheek. “I got my job back.”
“That’s great.” Randy traded a glance with Steve. “Why’s he here?”
“I think the killer was here this morning,” she said.
“And I was already downtown when you left the apartment building,” Steve added.
“Were you following me?”
“I was until I got a bad vibe and doubled back to make sure she was okay.”
Randy didn’t know whether to slug him or thank him, so he turned his attention to Carolyn. “Why do you think the killer was here?”
“I had the same experience I had on the steps.”
“You saw through his eyes?”
Carolyn nodded and a stab of fear tightened his stomach. He glanced at the staircase in the great hall and the multiple levels lining the atrium.
“We’re looking at the list of folks who entered the building using their key cards,” Carolyn pointed at the piece of paper in Steve’s hands.
“I’ve never had to use a card to get in here,” Randy said and traded glances with Steve.
“It’s a place to start,” Steve said. “We’ve got some camera footage to take a look at too.” He pointed to the camera’s covering the entryway.
“I guess I ought to thank you for keeping her safe,” he said and shifted his weight, irked that he wasn’t the one there for her when she needed protection. He glanced at his watch and raised his gaze to Carolyn. “Don’t you need to be at that artist’s studio at nine?”
“Yes,” she said and popped up from the seat. “Can I meet you back here after lunch?”
“I have some leads to follow up on today. I’ll bring the footage to your apartment this evening along with Chinese, okay?”
Carolyn nodded and Randy offered his hand to Agent Williams. After a quick handshake, they headed toward the subway lines.
“Why didn’t you call me?” Randy asked as they waited for the uptown 6 train.
“I just wanted to get somewhere fast and I didn’t think I was in danger in the middle of City Hall.”
“What if you were wrong?” Randy spoke even though he knew she heard his disturbing what if scenarios passing through his mind.
“You need to relax a little, honey,” she said as they stepped onto the crowded subway heading for Bleecker Street and Damon’s brownstone in the outskirts of Greenwich Village.
Relax, yeah right, I won’t relax until this bastard is safely behind bars. Randy glanced at the crowd surrounding him wondering if the killer was in their midst. He put his arm around Carolyn’s waist and pulled her against him in a protective move that she didn’t fight off.
They approached Damon’s apartment at just shy of nine and Randy glanced at Carolyn’s profile. The bump from the previous night had turned a pale purple under the makeup and he pushed a stray hair out of her face while she rang the doorbell.
“Are you sure…” he started to say but the scraping of a chain interrupted.
When the door opened, Damon’s sleep tousled hair and bare chest greeted them. His gaze jumped from Carolyn to Randy and back, and the confusion manifested itself in a crease between his eyes and a slightly opened mouth. He glanced at his bare wrist and then over his shoulder before putting a smile on his face. “I seemed to have overslept,” he said and waved them inside.
Randy didn’t know what to make of the man in the doorway. He wasn’t the stereotypical starving artist he envisioned, this man was closer to a Greek Adonis, and the fact he answered the door shirtless didn’t sit well with him.
He rubbed his eyes and studied her for a moment and then his eyes went wide. “What happened to your forehead?” His hand reached out tracing the bump and she winced, pulling away from him.
“We bumped heads last night,” she said and waved toward Randy. “Damon, this is Randy Kincaid.”
Damon smiled and extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”
“The painting is for him and I thought he’d like to see the outfit I’m going to wear in your art show.”
“You’ve made up your mind,” he said, beaming at the answer.
“Yes.”
“What exactly will this entail for Carolyn?” Randy asked, crossing his arms.
“I will show you once I get something more suitable on,” Damon said and disappeared from the sitting room.
Randy turned to Carolyn. “I don’t like this at all.”
“I admit he’s a little different, but…”
“
That’s the thing, he isn’t different and I’d bet a month’s salary that he planned this, this, I don’t know what to call it except seduction.”
“He overslept.”
“Bullshit.”
“Randy, he’s a professional.”
“If he was a professional, he would have been up and had everything ready.”
“Come with me,” she said and grabbed his hand, pulling him through the apartment into the studio, stopping at the entrance.
Randy stared at the exquisite painting of Carolyn and his breath caught in his chest. Both awe and irritation brushed his skin and he exhaled. “I thought you said he hadn’t finished yet.”
“He wasn’t nearly this far when I left yesterday.”
“I spent most of the night on your painting,” Damon said and Randy turned, glaring at him. “I know she’s busy, and I had the snapshot…” He pointed to the Polaroid clipped to the easel frame.
“Right,” Randy said trying to keep his temperature in check.
“Do you need me to uh, change?” Carolyn asked still staring at the painting.
“No, Bella, I don’t need you to change today,” Damon said and gave Randy a nervous smile. “I probably should have cancelled but I was anxious to hear your decision on the art show.”
Randy crossed his arms, balling his hands into tight fists of aggravation.
Damon grabbed his elbow, pulling him forward. “Come, let me show you the concept of live art.”
Randy let Damon lead him into the back room the size of a warehouse and Randy looked around from the floor to the rafters. “You gutted a brownstone?”
“Yes,” Damon smiled. “It gives me more flexibility for photo shoots and studio space for these shows.” He waved toward the dozen painted mannequins.
“So tell me how this works,” Randy said, wandering through the maze, stopping and studying each work of art along with the clipped photo of the final product.
“I’m almost finished with all the base outfits, so on the day of the show, the models come here and we put on the final touches. I have both Olivia and Carolyn’s pieces and the remaining models are divvied up to the most talented students in my art classes.”
Randy stopped in front of the mannequin tagged as Original Sin. He whistled tunelessly at the drawing clipped to the palate next to the bodice. “Wow.” He glanced at Damon. “Okay, I’m officially impressed.”