“It’s actually very flattering,” Joe said, folding the newspaper back up. “He talks about your mean right hook. Could have been worse, you could have hit like a pansy.”
“Yeah yeah,” David said with his face in his hands.
Just then, the waitress walked up to their table. She had to be someone’s grandmother, since she was at least 70 years old. “What can I get for you guys?”
“Coffee,” David said through his hands. “The whole pot.”
“Anything to eat?” she asked.
The thought of eating made David want to heave, but since he hadn’t had anything for three days he figured he should eat something. “Just toast for now. I think that’s all I can stomach.”
“Ok,” she said, writing down the extensive order. She then turned to Joe, “And what about you?”
“I want the big bacon platter, eggs over easy. Coffee too,” Joe said.
“You want your bacon crispy or wiggly?” she questioned.
“Anyway I can get it baby,” Joe winked.
The waitress laughed and walked off to start their order.
“So what’s pending?” David asked Joe.
“Nothing much,” Joe answered. “The captain ain’t gonna give us any new cases. We have a few that we could clear up the loose ends on, but that’s about it. We could also clean up your desk.”
“Fuck that,” David answered. “I’ve got other ideas.”
Just then the waitress came back with their coffee mugs. She set one down in front of Joe and two down in front of David. “You look like you need it, sweetie,” she told him.
“Thanks,” he said.
He took a gulp of the steaming hot liquid and almost spewed at the heat that hit his mouth. He forced himself to calm down and swallowed. He knew that this is what he needed to help get rid of his hangover. That and about two million Advil.
David looked to make sure that no one was near and then leaned over to his partner. “I am not giving up the Harvester case. We can’t let Rosseti fuck that up. Not with the evidence that just came to light.”
Joe looked at David. “You can’t be serious David. The captain will be all up your ass if he even knew what you were thinking.”
“Yeah I know,” David said. “That’s why I have to do it on my own, and on my own time. Just need a little help with a bit of inside information. I have a couple of ideas, ones that Rosetti will never pick up on.”
Joe leaned in to hear what David had to say, “Yeah? Like what.”
“Well first off, it has to be a woman, and it doesn’t say that anywhere in my notes. So, twenty bucks says that Rosetti starts looking for a guy. Second, the new evidence we found Friday morning isn’t in the case file either. He doesn’t know about the fingerprints, and he won’t go looking for them. If we can get to the evidence before he does, then we have a leg up.”
Joe started to smile as he followed David’s logic. “Continue.”
“Well,” David went on, “Being about 99.9% positive that the killer is a woman, I am thinking she’s picking up these guys either at the conventions they are at or at the bars afterward. We need to do some undercover work. Case out the local bars.”
“Good idea,” Joe nodded approvingly.
Their breakfast arrived. Since he had downed 2 cups of caffeine and talked to his partner about a plan, David was feeling much better. He actually managed to smile as the waitress approached them
“You know what,” he told her. “Can I get a big bacon platter too? If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em.”
“Sure honey,” she said, rolling her eyes at the corny saying. “Crispy or soggy?”
“Whatever way you give it to me,” he flirted with her.
“Men and their bacon. Pigs eating pigs,” she said as she walked away from the table.
Joe and David both laughed at the outspokenness of their grandmotherly waitress. Joe dug into his eggs as David liberally slathered his toast with jam.
“I want you to see if you can get anything off the forensic side of this. See if they’ve come up with a match for those prints,” David told Joe between bites.
“K,” was the only reply he received.
“I’m going see if there are any conventions in town or going to be soon. Then we can plan our attack strategy from there,” David summed up.
“K,” Joe said again.
“Dude, you have a serious bacon issue, you know that?” David asked him.
“But David,” Joe looked at him, “it’s bacon.”
The two guys laughed and the waitress brought David his own bacon filled platter. The two men finished their breakfast in relative silence, with David excited by the possibility of what was going to happen next.
FOURTEEN
He was kissing her all over. He wasn’t much of a kisser, being a bit too sloppy. She could tell he was drunk since his hands were rubbing over every curve of her body. But she allowed it to continue. She let him paw her body, not sure why she was letting herself succumb to his animalism.
She closed her eyes and let her body go, just trying to enjoy the moment.
He entered her and she tried to respond physically; his thrusts a little too hard for her. But then there was blood, a lot of blood. It drenched her flesh, his body and the bed itself. She felt the warm ooze drip down her thighs and layer her with its stickiness.
“Lila,” he said. “Lila, make me cum.”
He kept going until he was calling her name, the blood still flowing endlessly. “Look Lila, I give all of myself to you. Everything I have.”
Lila woke up in a scream. She grabbed at the blankets, gripping them tightly in her hands trying to catch her breath. She had been plagued by nightmares for a long time, but the ones recently had been entirely different for some reason. Lately, she’d been having visions of strange men. Lila didn’t know who they were or why she was dreaming about them, and concluded that it must be from the stories in the newspaper. She knew that she needed to stop reading them, since the nightmares were starting to get to her. She slowly found her way to her feet and got ready for work.
Lila was prepared. She had gone over the Mulroney file front and back, determined to make a good impression on her boss. She didn’t want him to notice her finally, only to fail in front of him. The morning seemed to crawl by as she anticipated the meeting. She decided to go to the bathroom one more time before heading to his office.
She looked at herself in the mirror and decided that maybe she could live with her curly hair. Ever since Amber had said that she had liked it, Lila had stopped trying to tame the curls so much. She knew that she looked more like her wild roommate when she let the curls go, but she wasn’t going to let them get as unruly as Amber’s were. Lila hoped that Amber didn’t think she was changing just for her.
She smoothed her skirt out one more time before heading up to her boss’s office. She waited in the foyer until she was called in.
“Lila my dear,” he called out. “Good to see you. Have a seat sweetie.” He gestured to the chair in front of his desk.
“What questions did you have for me, Mr. Olberman?” Lila asked quietly.
“Please,” he said. “Call me Carl.”
“Yes sir … Carl,” she stammered. She was flustered by the sudden familiarity of the man who barely knew that she was alive for the past couple of years.
“You know what,” he said, smacking his desk with his hands. “I’m starving. Would you like to go with me to lunch?”
“Sure,” she said, wondering why he would want to have lunch with her. Lila hadn’t been out to eat with anyone since she could remember. She hadn’t been out to eat at all lately. She was normally content eating her bagged lunch, but she was excited by the prospect of having a decent meal that she didn’t have to prepare.
“I’ll drive,” he said, grabbing his jacket and putting it on.
Lila was not going to argue. She drove a white POS, but it was what she could afford and what the people of the state had helped he
r to purchase. It served its purpose, but she would have been embarrassed to have her boss in it.
They walked in silence down the hall and into the parking lot. He led her to a cute little BMW and opened the door for her. Then he got in and started the car. The engine roared to life.
“This is a beautiful car,” Lila told him.
“Thanks. It’s a little too frou frou for my tastes. I’d rather have a Corvette,” he said with a grin.
Lila smiled. All men and their fast cars. She had a brief flashback of a red Camaro, but then it was gone.
“How’s Italian food?” he asked her.
“That would be fine,” she replied. She couldn’t remember the last time she had pasta. But she did love it.
Again, they lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Lila wasn’t sure what to say. She spent most of her time trying to be unobtrusive and quiet. She wasn’t much for making social conversation.
“How long have you worked for me Lila?” he asked.
“About three years, sir. I started off filing and have moved my way to facts and figures,” she answered.
“Your work is meticulous and I am glad to have you. Please call me Carl,” he said smiling at her.
“I’m trying sir … Carl. Old habits are hard to break.” She smiled back.
“You should smile more often,” he told her. “You have a beautiful smile.”
Lila blushed furiously, “Thank you.”
“Where did you work before you came here?” he asked her.
“To be honest, I am not sure I did work before.”
“You’re not sure?” he questioned incredulously.
“Yes,” she replied. “I don’t have many memories from when I was younger. I was in an accident and it affected my long term memory.”
“Oh, that is so sad. You don’t remember anything?”
“Just bits and pieces,” she said. “I know what my name is, and I remember that I had a family. But I also know my mother and father have both passed away and that I have no other kin.”
“Wow, that is truly amazing. I am not sure what to say to that.”
Lila laughed. “I don’t think there is a right thing to say to that.”
He joined her in laughing. “I think you’re right. It’s not your normal Hallmark moment.”
They arrived at the restaurant and he helped her out of the car. They went inside and sat at the table. He ordered her a glass of wine against her protests.
“I’m the boss and you’re going to drink a glass of wine with me,” he told her.
Lila smiled back shyly. “Yes sir,” she said in a teasing tone.
They ordered lunch, and talked about the business and his future plans for it. Lila listened and agreed with what he thought would be good for the growth of the company. Overall they had a pleasant time and the lunch passed quickly.
Leaving the restaurant, they spent a couple minutes standing on the sidewalk in order to let their eyes adjust to the bright sun.
She turned to her boss. “Thank you for lunch, Carl. I had a very nice time.”
“Me too,” he said, looking at her. He turned to go get the car.
As Lila was waiting for Carl to pick her up a cute brunette ran up and grabbed Lila in a big hug, planting an open mouthed kiss on her lips. Lila stood back horrified.
“God I hope that I see you tonight. Are you going to be there?” the young girl asked.
“Excuse me?” Lila asked. “Do I know you?”
“It’s me, Kristy, from the club. I met you last week. You told me to be ready for a good time.” The poor girl looked crestfallen.
“I think you have me confused with someone else,” Lila said.
The girl looked up at Lila, inspecting her facial features critically. “I’m sorry,” she said. “You may be right. But you look so much like her. You could be her twin. Please forgive me.”
“It’s ok,” Lila said smiling. “Just I haven’t been out in a very long time. And your kiss kind of caught me by surprise.”
The girl blushed. “Well if you were the other girl, that’s what she would have liked.”
“It’s all good. Have a good day.” Lila turned and her boss was standing there open mouthed. He helped her get in the car.
“Sorry about that,” Lila said as he slid into his seat.
“It’s nothing,” he said. “It’s just not everyday you see one of your female workers being French kissed by another female.”
“Haha, it was a case of mistaken identity,” she assured him. Lila touched her lips thinking about the kiss the girl had just given her. She knew her mother would have probably called her a whore, but Lila found the experience somewhat pleasant. A little shocked, Lila wondered why she liked the idea of the young girl kissing her. It was totally against her nature to feel this way.
“Well, no matter,” he said, driving back to the office. When they returned, he led her into his office and she sat back down in the chair.
“Now, what is it you wanted to see me about originally?” she asked.
“Bring your chair over here and sit next to me,” he told her, patting the desk. “That way, we can look at the file together.”
Lila agreed and moved the chair next to his. He shifted so that their bodies were almost touching. He opened the file and pointed to a column. “Can you explain these numbers to me?” he asked. “I am not sure I understand their place in this spreadsheet.”
Lila smiled as she began her explanation of how she felt that those numbers belonged there instead of their normal spot, and Carl was shaking his head in appreciation of her clever thinking.
“Yeah that makes a lot of sense,” he said, sliding his hand up her thigh.
Lila stiffened, as she felt his masculine fingers slightly gripping her leg. His fingers were rough compared to her soft skin. She hadn’t been touched by a man in a long time. And her hazy recollection recalled pain at a man’s touch, not pleasure.
Carl’s mouth was close to her ear, “It’s ok Lila, I am not going to hurt you. Just want to have a little fun.”
She turned to look at him as he leaned in to kiss her, whispering, “Let me taste what that girl at the restaurant tasted.” Terrified, Lila jumped up and fled the room. She grabbed her purse and ran out to her car. The last time she had been kissed by a man, it had led to violence and unpleasantness. And she remembered she had vowed to never allow another man to get close enough to hurt her ever again. No matter how nice they seemed, they always hurt her. In tears, Lila drove home and hid under the covers in her bed.
FIFTEEN
Amber was looking forward to the evening. She had been since she visited the Fluff n’ Stuff last time. She wondered if the young girl would be there waiting for her. She hoped so. She was looking forward to molding Kristy into another version of her. It would be nice to have a protégé, especially one as willing as Kristy seemed to be.
Deciding not to wear a skirt, Amber poured herself into a pair of jeans and a skin tight t-shirt. She applied her make-up a little darker than normal, and ran her fingers through her wild curls. Deciding that she looked hot, she spritzed her signature perfume on and was out the door in a breeze.
Amber saw that Lila had come home early, and disappeared into her room. She wondered why she had come home from work so soon. It wasn’t like Lila to be that carefree with her time. But Amber had noticed that Lila had changed a little lately. She wondered what had caused the girl to come out of her shell. Then she changed her thoughts about her roommate because she simply didn’t care.
Amber drove the streets to the all-girl’s club and walked through the front door. Thelma, the bouncer, teased her about coming twice in one week. Sticking her tongue out at the big boned woman, she sashayed into the club. Her eyes had to adjust to the haziness of the room, and she walked up to the bar.
“Hey sexy,” Melanie greeted her.
Amber leaned in to give her a kiss. “You were fabulous last week. Thank you.”
“It’s easy when you h
ave a good partner.” Melanie winked at her. “So what do we owe the pleasure of having the great Amber in our club twice in one week?”
“Remember the noob?” Amber asked her.
“Yeah, fresh meat.”
“I’m gonna make her my slave,” Amber said dramatically.
“Haha, good luck with that,” Melanie teased. “You want your normal?”
“Yes please. Thanks babe.” Amber turned to scan the room. It was pretty empty and Kristy was not there yet.
She sat back and closed her eyes. She was feeling a little tired lately and wondered if maybe she should slow down. But she knew that her motto of living fully was going to follow her to her dying day. No longer was anyone or anything going to tell her how to live her life. She was going to live the way she wanted to.
“Amber,” she heard, breaking through her reverie. She opened her eyes to see the cute young girl standing in front of her.
“Hey Kristy,” she said with a smile.
“I am glad you’re here,” Kristy said back. “I had the most interesting thing happen to me earlier today.”
“Oh yeah?” Amber asked. “Let’s grab a drink and you can tell me all about it.”
Amber ordered a fruity umbrella drink for Kristy. Internally she giggled at the idea of spiked fruit punch, which is basically what Kristy was drinking. But Amber didn’t care. If that’s what she wanted, then that’s what she wanted. The girls took their drinks and headed for a table in the corner where they could at least hear one another.
“So what’s up?” Amber asked.
“Well the weirdest thing happened earlier,” Kristy started. “I was downtown and I saw this girl. I swear, she looked just like you.”
Amber was puzzled, “Really? Tell me more.”
“Well I was really embarrassed,” Kristy continued. “I could have sworn it was you and I walked up and kissed this girl open mouth right there on the street. She was a little shocked.”
“Yes well it is not everyday that you get kissed on the street by a stranger,” Amber agreed.
“Well, luckily, the girl was really cool about it and didn’t freak out or anything. But she looked so much like you. You guys could have been twins. You don’t have a twin do you?” Kristy teased.
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