by D J Small
The threat mixed with her frustration had resulted in Eliza storming out of the room and going back to her desk to review the information they had on Angelique, Simon, Pleasure Inc., and Dax, and comparing the various notes they had taken on each. Though Dax’s story had checked out for the night of Simon’s murder, he still remained a person of interest due to his connection to the two victims.
Even when she had reviewed the information on him, Eliza knew he couldn’t have done it. Dax had said the three of them protected one another before the laws changed, and if it had become some sort of code between them, Eliza didn’t see him violating it. He seemed to be someone that was loyal to his friends and protected them fiercely.
Eliza trudged through her living room and headed for her bedroom. Undoing her shoulder harness, she groaned when she remembered that she and Billy had decided to interview a witness for one of their other cases tomorrow. They had planned to do it early in the morning so they could spend the rest of their day focusing on Simon and Angelique’s cases. Eliza let out a pitiful whine, regretting the decision.
She punched in the code for the gun safe sitting on her dresser and put her service weapon it, then proceeded to undress and get ready for her shower. Not wanting to bring the smell of the station to bed with her had changed her mind on saving it until the morning.
Eliza went into the bathroom and started the shower, getting into it a few minutes later, after she had brushed her teeth. The forceful, hot stream felt amazing on her exhausted muscles.
Eliza scrubbed herself clean as her mind flitted between various theories she had about her cases, but they were interrupted when her cell phone started to ring.
“Dammit,” Eliza swore under her breath as she quickly rinsed off the soap trailing down her body and turned off the water. She got out of the shower and reached for a towel. As she made a distracted attempt at drying off, she retrieved her phone off the bathroom counter and hit the answer icon before putting the call on speakerphone. “Yeah?”
“Detective Miller, Officer Lin.”
Eliza continued drying off as she said, “Yes, Officer? How may I help you at this hour?”
The officer cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to call you this late, Detective, but the individual involved insisted that we contact you.”
Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, Eliza said, “What are you talking about?”
“Ma’am, almost an hour ago, we responded to a 911 call at Dax Collins’s residence.”
Eliza froze.
“He reported—”
“Is that Detective Miller?” Dax demanded in the background, interrupting the officer.
Eliza heard the exasperation in Officer Lin’s tone as he said, “Mr. Collins, please let me finish—”
“No, let me speak with her.”
“Mr. Collins—”
“Officer, let me speak with her.” The severe tone Dax had taken with the officer put Eliza on alert. Officer Lin sighed into the phone, then Dax was on the line. “Detective Miller?”
The uneasiness Eliza felt worsened when his voice faltered at the end of her name. “Yes, Dax, what’s the matter?”
“I...I...” He stopped, and Eliza patiently waited for him to continue. After a second, Dax cleared his throat. “I came home after attending a party Pleasure Inc. was throwing at the Gemini Club. I got here around one fifteen, and the door to my apartment was open. When I entered, the lights in the kitchen were on, and that’s when I found a package sitting on the island.”
“Did you touch or open it?” Eliza asked quickly as she rushed into her room.
“No. I left my apartment and went down to the security desk. Mike called 911.”
Eliza jerked open one of her dresser drawers and pulled out a pair of jeans and pulled them on, not bothering to put on underwear first. “Okay, good. I’ll be there as soon as possible. If you are asked questions, please be cooperative and stay put.”
“I have, and I’m not going anywhere. Not until you get here,” Dax said. The tremulous nature of his voice caused genuine worry to flare up in Eliza.
“Dax,” she said softly, “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You have my word.”
“Okay,” he said in a low voice.
The faint voice he had spoken in didn’t alleviate Eliza’s worry, but she couldn’t do anything for him. At least not over the phone. “Put Officer Lin back on the phone. I need to speak with him.” She opened another drawer and took out a t-shirt, putting it on before Officer Lin was back on the line. When he was, she asked, “Did you get his statement?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Where is this package?”
“Ma’am, when Mr. Collins reported the suspicious package his floor was evacuated and the bomb squad was called in to recover it.”
“Shit.”
Office Lin cleared his throat. “It was analyzed by them and the terrorism unit. Both divisions cleared it. The package is now in the hands of the crime lab.”
A million thoughts were flying through Eliza’s mind, and she stopped and closed her eyes. Drawing in slow, deep breaths, she centered herself. After another second, she said, “Okay. Did crime scene clear Dax’s apartment?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Eliza nodded. “All right. Complete a walkthrough with him and see if anything is missing or out of place. I should be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Okay, Detective.”
Eliza ended the call and finished getting dressed, doing her best not to think about the danger Dax could be in. Someone trying to hurt him didn’t sit well with her for several reasons. The first was a professional one. The higher-ups in the department would be on her ass if another sex worker was murdered when there were already two active cases involving the profession. The other reason was personal and caused guilt to come over her. Eliza wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if something happened to Dax because she should have seen it coming.
Giving her head an absent shake, she moved to sit on the edge of the bed to put on her boots. She ran out of her apartment after grabbing her coat and took the stairs down to the lobby, not once losing her sense of urgency. As she walked out of her building, she called Billy.
He picked up on the second ring. “Chilowski.”
“Billy,” Eliza said, hitting the button on the remote for her car to unlock it. “Meet me at Dax’s apartment as soon as possible.”
She heard movement on his side as she got into her car, and he asked, “What happened? Is he okay?”
The genuine concern in his voice made Eliza realize that Billy actually liked Dax, and it wasn’t because he had fed him good food. “He’s fine. Shaken up, but fine. I’ll fill you in when you get there.”
“Okay. I’ll see you there.”
The call ended, and Eliza started her car up. As soon as she was out of her parking spot, she threw the car into drive and took off for Dax’s.
◊◊◊
Eliza’s car came to an abrupt stop in front of Dax’s building less than fifteen minutes later. A frustrated swear came from her when she saw that police officers and specialized teams were still gathered in front of it. The scene was still a circus.
Resigning herself to her fate, Eliza got out of her car and walked over to a man and woman who were engaged in a deep conversation. “Detective Miller,” Eliza stated as she showed them her badge. “What’s the report?”
The woman gave her a tight smile. “Lieutenant Foster, bomb squad. The call came in at one eighteen about a suspicious package. The floor was evacuated, and a robot was sent in. No explosives were detected, so terrorism,” she gestured to the man with her head, “sent in a team. None of their onsite tests discovered any harmful or lethal agents.”
Eliza’s eyebrows knitted together as she held Lieutenant Foster’s intense gaze. “What was inside?”
“A letter and some pictures. I didn’t get a chance to look at the contents, but the crime scene guys have it all,” the lieutenant replied.
Eliza gave a quick nod. “Thank you, Lieutenant. I appreciate the information. Would you happen to know where I could find Officer Lin?”
“Yes, he’s in the apartment with Mr. Collins.”
Eliza thanked her once more, then went into the building. There were two officers speaking with the security guard, and Eliza hoped they got a detailed account from him. If this had been done by their killer, the sudden change in behavior disturbed her. It meant the killer was escalating, and they would probably move to deadlier tactics until they were satisfied, but Eliza doubted they would ever be.
Eliza got on the elevator and pushed the button for the thirteenth floor. When it rose without her swiping an access card, she figured the bomb and terror units must have ordered for the security system to be shut off. The moment the elevator doors slid open Eliza was greeted by officers with K-9s and a large team of crime scene technicians and investigators, which included both Devon and Jenna. As she approached, she called out, “Officer Lin?”
A young officer who looked to be around twenty-five and was of Asian descent broke away from a small group of uniformed officers. “Ma’am?”
“Detective Miller. Did you speak with the security guard in the lobby?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What’s the story?”
Eliza’s eyebrow arched as his Adam’s apple jumped a few times. “I’m not sure, ma’am. He wasn’t able to tell us much. I requested the security footage, access information, and visitors’ logs, but the company won’t relinquish the information without a warrant. I informed Lieutenant Foster of this, and one has been obtained. The security guard said we’ll have everything we requested by tomorrow morning.”
Eliza glanced to her right as Billy came to a stop next to her. “Nice of you to join me.”
She looked back at Office Lin. “Lieutenant Foster said something about a letter—did you see it?”
Officer Lin’s Adam’s apple danced again as his nerves got the better of him, then he said, “I did not, ma’am. Once the suspicious package was cleared by the bomb squad and the terrorism unit, the crime scene techs secured it and took it to the lab.”
“Dammit!” Eliza shook her head. “Thank you, Officer. If you’ve been—” She stopped short, realizing she hadn’t asked the most important question of all. “How’s Dax?”
Officer Lin’s lips twitched up in a sad smile. “He’s okay physically, but mentally, I think this is taking a toll on him. I think he’ll be glad to see you though.”
Eliza flashed him a tight closed-lipped smile at that. “Thank you, Officer Lin. If you’ve been cleared to leave, you can.”
As soon as he was a good distance away, Eliza turned to face Billy. “I want you to talk to Jenna and find out about this letter, but first call the captain and get Dax into protective custody. I want him in a safe house tonight, Billy.”
“Got it,” Billy said with a nod. “Do we have any leads as to who might have done it?”
“No, and we’re not getting the access logs, security footage, or anything else until tomorrow morning,” Eliza said. An aggravated breath followed the statement as she combed her fingers through her still-damp hair. Red tape during an investigation where the killer seemed to be escalating was irritating.
“You think...you think I should be the one to talk to Dax?” Billy asked with some hesitation.
Eliza glowered at him. “What?”
Billy held up his hand in concession. “I’m not trying to piss you off, but you two don’t have the best rapport.”
Eliza rolled her eyes. Yes, she had a tendency to snap at Dax and be slightly condescending, but she was still human, and could show empathy for his current situation. “I am not uncaring, Billy. I can talk to Dax.” She smirked. “Unless your newfound crush on him is the reason why you would like to be the one to speak with him?”
Billy’s eyes skittered away from hers, and it took everything inside Eliza not to laugh. The reaction would have been hilarious under different circumstances. “I don’t have a crush on him,” Billy countered. He shrugged. “He’s a cool guy that’s in a shitty situation. I don’t want you to make it worse for him.”
Both exasperated and annoyed by Billy’s fondness for Dax, Eliza said, “I’m not going to make it worse for him. He’s been dealt a shit hand lately.” She smiled again. “Don’t worry, I’ll treat your boyfriend like gold. The captain might want to reassign you if you can’t stay objective.”
Billy narrowed his eyes. “You are an evil woman.” He pointed at Dax’s apartment door. “Go do your job.”
Eliza chuckled softly as she began to make her way to Dax’s apartment. Putting him through more hardship wasn’t something she planned to do. Dax was going to need time to process everything and gather himself, and after their phone conversation, Eliza knew just how badly he would need it too. She nodded to the officer standing by the door as she entered the apartment, her boots softly thudding against the hardwood floor of the small, narrow foyer. To her right was a wall that blocked it off from the rest of the apartment.
When Eliza reached the end of it, she came to a standstill. “Holy shit,” she muttered, completely in awe of how incredible Dax’s apartment was.
The hardwood floor that she currently stood on extended out to the living areas of the apartment, which was in an open floorplan. Huge floor-to-ceiling windows took up the entire left side of the living room and most of the dining area, ending right before the kitchen.
The living room itself took up a decent amount of space, and the black fabric furniture that occupied the space looked enticingly comfortable. A large maroon rug protected the hardwood floor from the furniture, and separating the living room from the dining room was a baby grand piano. It sat at an angle in front of the large windows, the lights of the city shimmering on its glossy finish. Eliza fleetingly wondered if Dax knew how to play the instrument.
Turning, she found a set of stairs next to the wall that separated the foyer from the rest of the apartment, and made a mental note to ask if anyone had found anything suspicious on the second floor during the walkthrough. She took in the rest of the apartment. The dining area would have been simplistic if it weren’t for the lavish crystal chandelier hanging above an onyx dining table. Even the kitchen had a persona of its own. It was large, open, and looked like one you would find at any celebrity restaurant in the city.
Because the building itself looked expensive, Eliza had assumed Dax’s apartment would be lavish, but this exceeded the definition of the word. She tried to figure out how he could afford it; there was no way he made enough as a sex worker to afford such an incredible living space.
Searching for Dax, Eliza moved further into the living room, and found him sitting on the end of a chaise lounge beyond the dining area. He stared out of the large window in front of him, holding a glass. Eliza sighed and approached him slowly.
Seeing the vacant expression on Dax’s face as she drew closer caused an intense wave of compassion to come over her. She waited for him to notice her, but he didn’t—a big indicator of where he was mentally.
She used the time to take in his appearance more carefully. His body showed several signs of distress. The fingers he had wrapped around the glass tumbler held onto it tightly, his lips were drawn together forming a grim line; and several emotions danced in his eyes. It was the fear in them that had Eliza moving closer to the chaise.
“Dax,” she called out softly, but she received no response. “Dax?”
The second time she called out his name, he started, then turned to look at her. His body relaxed slightly at the sight of her, but the conflicting emotions still played in his eyes. A false smile flickered on his face, then disappeared.
“Detective Legs, I’ve been waiting for you,” he said. His voice was flat and held none of the suggestive undertones that usually laced the loathsome nickname.
Eliza couldn’t bring herself to scold him for using it as she sat down next to him. “How are you holding up, Dax?”
Hand shaking slightly, Dax brought the glass to his lips and took a drink of the clear liquor inside of it. Eliza knew it was vodka by the smell. Her nose automatically scrunched up, but she quickly schooled her features.
Dax blew out a breath as he lowered the glass. “I’ve had better nights.” He glanced at her. “What’s going on?”
Eliza exhaled a deep breath and ran her hands over her jean-clad thighs as she gazed out of the window. “Billy is working on getting you into protective custody. I’m not going to let you stay here.”
“I figured,” Dax said. The acerbic nature of his tone took Eliza by surprise. He had never spoken like that around her before. “For how long?”
She watched him take another long drink from his glass, then replied, “I’m not sure. While the investigation is still ongoing, I want you as safe as possible, especially if this is linked to Simon and Angelique’s murders.”
Dax grunted and shook his head. “Some nut job has it out for sex workers and I have to go into hiding. I’ve been doing this for eleven years, and I have never had to deal with something like this.”
Eliza treaded carefully with her next question. As afraid as Dax was, he was also angry, and she didn’t want him to get distracted by his anger. “I know you gave your statement to the officers, but can you let me know what happened?”
A long moment went by while Dax stared out of the window. He cast a sidelong glance at her and remarked, “You’re lucky I’m a sucker for a pretty face.”
Eliza scowled at him. “Dax...”
He sighed. “Okay. I got home a little after one. I had just come back from the Pleasure Inc. party.”
“Were you drunk?”
“Does it matter?” Dax shot back in a clipped tone.
“Yes, it does.”
Dax’s shoulders dropped as the fight left him. “No. I don’t drink often, and when I do, I’m stressed...or trying to forget.” He cleared his throat and took another drink of his vodka. “The door to my apartment was open a crack.”
“Did you see anyone on your way in?” Eliza asked.