Dual Harvest

by Lori Michelle

  “No reason,” Amber said nonchalantly, hoping she didn’t look as irritated as she felt on the inside.

  Lila stood up. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go lay down after this weekend and today. My head still pounds and today’s stress hasn’t helped. I am not mad at you for what you did based on your reasoning, but please don’t ever do that again. I am a big girl and will date who I want.”

  “I know,” Amber said. “And I am sorry again.”

  Lila left the room and Amber started thinking. Son of a bitch, she thought, he lied to me the other day. Amber hated that men always lied. When would they learn to tell the truth? And Amber knew what she had to do. She had to go find him. No man was going to lie his way into her life again. She wasn’t going to give control to him. Never again.

  *

  David sat on the couch in his apartment with a stiff drink in his hand. The interviewing all day had drained him. And he was confused by the feelings he felt for a woman he had just met only today. One that looked like the woman who had made him muddled all weekend. He drained his whiskey in order to calm the confusion in his head. He had never felt this way before about any woman. Why would it start now with two different ones?

  He had thought about going out and searching for Amber again. He knew that he had to find her. Had to make sure the spark they had shared wasn’t just some fluke. He wanted to know more about her. But he was so tired, he knew that he didn’t have the energy to go bar hopping tonight.

  He then turned his thoughts to Lila. David knew where she was and could go over to see her. But since she was part of an investigation, he knew that would be a serious snafu, especially with IA up his ass. She might have gone to Starbucks recently, after all. He would have to wait until she was completely exonerated of all her charges. But he felt different about Lila than he had about Amber. He felt the need to protect Lila, put his arms around her and take care of her. It wasn’t the fire burning lust he had for Amber.

  He shook his head in confusion about how seriously screwed up his thinking was. How could he be so consumed with thoughts for these women he hadn’t even known existed until a week ago? David got up to refill his drink. He hoped that he could drink enough to forget about them without getting belligerently drunk. Then there was a knock at the door. He wondered who it was. He set his glass down and went to answer the door.

  He opened it slowly, expecting to see one of his neighbors. But it was her, the girl that had been plaguing his thoughts for the past few days. “Amber,” he said startled.

  She looked at him slyly. “I took a chance that you would be in town,” playing along with the lie that he had told her before. “I couldn’t wait any longer to see you again.”

  He opened the door for her. “Come on in. I wasn’t expecting you. But I am really glad to see you. I have been thinking about you.”

  “Well, I had a really good time the other night,” Amber said like a shy schoolgirl. “And I knew that I couldn’t wait to run into you again. You didn’t give me any way to contact you, bad boy.”

  “Yeah,” David said. “I could say the same about you.”

  He took her into his arms and kissed her. She tasted sweet, like no fruit you could get on this earth. More like heaven. Their kiss deepened. He could feel the response of his body as he held her close. Damn, he needed to get laid more often. He let her go, not wanting to appear too overanxious.

  He wondered how she had known that he had been thinking about her. Maybe she was a witch. He was just glad that she was here, in his arms.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” he asked her.

  “Yes please,” she said smiling back at him. “That would be nice.”

  Amber was pleased at the way he responded to her kiss. It was what she wanted. And the fact that he offered her a drink fit perfectly into her plans. She got out the little paper packet of powder and held it in the palm of her hand. He came back with two drinks and set them on the table. Amber feigned a sneeze.

  “Can I bother you for a Kleenex?” she asked.

  “No, no Kleenex. I’m kidding. Let me go get you some,” David said smiling at her. She even sneezed cute. He wondered if he would ever find any flaws in her perfection.

  He left the room in search of a tissue box and Amber used the opportunity to pour the drugs into his drink. He would never suspect a thing. They never did.

  He came back with a box. Amber looked at the design and raised her eyebrow warily. “Kittens?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “It was on sale.”

  They both laughed and picked up their drinks to toast one another. And then the unthinkable happened; Amber really did sneeze. Not only did she sneeze, but she had a fit of sneezing. She set her glass back on the table in order to keep from spilling it. David set his down to help her.

  “Goodness,” she said as she wiped her face. “I have no idea where that came from. I am so sorry.”

  He smiled at her. “Yeah you know, because you sneezing is such a huge taboo.”

  They laughed again and Amber went to pick up her drink. She froze, they both looked the same and she didn’t know which one was hers. David picked up a glass and downed it, saving her from making a decision. She had no choice but to pick up the other one. Maybe he wouldn’t notice that she wasn’t drinking it.

  “Bet you can’t down it in one gulp,” he told her. “Come on I dare you.”

  Amber knew that she couldn’t refuse to drink it now. He was watching her. So she gulped it and crossed her fingers that hers was the untainted beverage. She took it in one swallow. She looked at him as if to say HA.

  David set down his glass and took her in his arms again. “I can’t believe you’re here. I have wanted this so badly for the past few days.” He kissed her gently on the lips. “I have missed you so much.”

  “Here I am,” she replied in a whisper. She kissed back, knowing that he was playing into her plan. She liked the fact that he had been looking for her and needing her. It kept her in control. It was nice to be back on top of the situation. It seemed as if she had messed up every step with him so far. She needed to regain her power. And she knew the way to do it would be with her body; a weapon that never failed. She kissed him deeply, hoping that he wanted to continue.

  It didn’t take long for them to progress further and without much prompting, they were back in the bedroom. He worshipped her body with his mouth and hands, and Amber let him, knowing that soon he wouldn’t be able to control himself any longer. But before she could turn the table and drive him wild, he had laid her back on the bed and slid himself deep inside of her.

  Amber cursed herself as she realized she was losing control of the situation once again. It was all happening so fast. She didn’t want that. She knew that she had to find a way to get him in her hands again. She set herself to turn him over so she could be on top. But she never had a chance, her body betrayed her and she orgasmed again with him. She couldn’t take any more, and all thoughts of control fled her mind. Amber and David became one person and one soul as he rocked himself deep inside of her.

  David had never felt so in touch with anyone before. It was as if they were meant to be together. Her body fit perfectly under his. He wanted to explore her more, but knew that he couldn’t wait much longer or he would explode. He watched the wild abandon in her face as she orgasmed. It was a look of pure enjoyment and ecstasy. David knew that he wouldn’t last much longer as he held her body close to him.

  Amber felt his release and it made the wave of pleasure wash over her again. She couldn’t ever remember a man making her feel this way before. It was a new feeling and one that Amber couldn’t contain. It was as if her whole awareness had been altered. It was a totally different experience. But she knew that she couldn’t trust this new feeling; all men were the same. And it wouldn’t take long for David to hurt her like everyone else had. She had to make sure that she never got hurt again.

  David lay down next to her, his body spent from the thrill of it all. He
held her close in his arms and breathed in her scent. He didn’t want to let her go, knowing that her showing up here was a gift. He had to make sure that he didn’t lose track of her again. There was something special about this girl that made him want to shout from rooftops.

  “David,” she said sleepily.

  “Yes baby?” he answered her softly.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were a cop?”

  David stiffened next to Amber, but when he went to answer her, she was sound asleep. He looked at the sleeping angel in his arms and kissed the top of her head. Untangling himself from a twist of arms and legs, he went out into the living room to make sure that the door was locked. He then swiftly turned off all the lights and went to find his angel again.

  Holding her close, and never having known such peace, he fell asleep with her gently snoring in his arms.

  But part of him wondered, how had she found out he was a cop?

  TWENTY-SIX

  Lila woke up late. She looked outside and saw that the sun was high in the sky. She wondered why her alarm hadn’t gone off. Quickly she got dressed and ready for work. Of all days to be late. She wasn’t even sure that she had a company to go to. And with her still being a number one suspect, she wondered if her job was still hers. Everything was so up in the air.

  It scared Lila to know that she should have been the last one to see Carl alive. What if she had gone out with him? Would he have been killed anyway? If so, would she have been arrested immediately? Or would she have been a victim too?

  So many questions and no answers. Lila shook her head, trying to rid herself of the overwhelming sleepiness she felt. She had never been so tired. And she couldn’t remember even climbing in bed the day before. It was if she had been dead to the world.

  She drove to work. The traffic was almost non-existent this time of day. She parked in her usual spot and went in. Every worker stared at her as she passed by. She knew that she would get some looks, but she didn’t expect to be the object of such scrutiny. Embarrassed, Lila went into her office.

  On her desk there was a memo from the vice president of the company. It assured the workers that he would do all he could to keep the company going, and that they didn’t need to fear for their jobs. He went on to say that he was going to rely on the employees heavily until everyone was up to speed. At least Lila didn’t have to worry about the company going under yet. It sounded like things would continue status quo. That was a bit of a relief.

  There was another handwritten note on her desk from the receptionist. It said, Police officers here to see you and ask a few more questions. Please call them at your earliest convenience. Lila blew her breath into her bangs and wondered what they had to ask her. She didn’t have any more information. She had told them everything.

  Well not everything, Lila thought. She had completely omitted the part about Amber hitting her over the head. She hoped that her wild roommate had nothing to do with her boss’s death. Lila knew Amber had said that she hadn’t gone over there, and Lila had to believe her. She wasn’t sure why she should believe Amber, it just seemed like she should.

  Lila sat to think about what she really knew about her roommate. She didn’t know how she got her money, or know where she was even from. Lila wasn’t sure if Amber had any friends or any family. She really didn’t know anything about her. Lila knew that she wasn’t going to tell the police any more about Amber either. They would probably think it was strange that she didn’t know anything about her roommate of three years.

  Lila saw the blinking light on her phone indicating she had voice mail messages. By the looks of it, she had a lot of them.

  “Ms. Patterson, this is Detective Rosetti from the Heavensville police department. I have been asked by the police chief to do some routine follow up on the investigation into Carl Olberman’s passing. Can you please give me a call at your earliest convenience? 555-5674. Thanks.”

  Lila wrote down the phone number, even though it was also on the note on her desk. She knew she needed to call them soon so this whole fiasco could be behind her. The next message clicked on.

  “Ms. Patterson, Detective Rosetti again. I really need to talk to you. Please give me a call at your earliest convenience. Thanks.”

  The messages went on and on. They all seemed to be from this detective that was trying to get a hold of her. The more they went on, the more agitated they seemed to get. She knew that she was late for work, but she didn’t expect him to call her so many times in the past four hours. The last message caught her attention.

  “Ms. Patterson, this is Detective Rosetti again. I have tried to contact you all day yesterday and half of the day today. We have gone to your office, and gone by your house. If you don’t contact me today, there will be a warrant issued for your arrest. I suggest that you call me at your earliest convenience.”

  What did he mean he had tried to contact her all day yesterday? She had been here most of the day, only leaving after she had talked to the officers that had interviewed her. Just then Brenda walked by.

  “Lila!” she exclaimed. “Where have you been? We’ve all been worried about you.”

  “I know,” Lila said. “I was a little late for work today. I can’t shake this feeling of sleepiness.”

  “A little late,” Brenda snorted. “You skipped all day yesterday. What the hell have you been doing?”

  “I didn’t skip yesterday,” Lila said defensively. “I was here until I was interviewed, and then I went home.”

  “Lila,” Brenda said patiently. “That was Monday. Today is Wednesday.”

  Lila looked wide-eyed at Brenda. Was it true? Had she really lost a whole day of her life?

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  David sat at his desk thinking. This new case had him baffled. He wasn’t sure what avenue to pursue next. No one had seen Carl Olberman since he had left the office the night before. Yet, he had gone to dinner, so it was just a matter of trying to find what restaurant he had gone to and find out if someone had been with him. Unfortunately, the captain had assigned Rosetti to this duty, so David knew that nothing would ever be found there. Sighing, David’s thoughts turned once again to Amber.

  The previous morning, he had woken up with her hair in his mouth. He extracted the stuff from his tongue and looked down at the sleeping girl beside him. He kissed her softly and got up trying not to disturb her as he got out of bed.

  He had showered and dressed for work, liking the warm fuzzy feeling that being with Amber gave him. It made him feel alive, and he liked it. He had gone back into the bedroom, gently shaking Amber, trying to wake her. He wanted to talk to her before he had to leave. But she had been dead to the world, and nothing he did seemed to wake her.

  David had left her a note, telling her that he needed to talk to her. He hoped that she would read it and contact him. But he hadn’t heard from her and when he went home, she was nowhere to be found. He hated that she had disappeared on him again. He went into the bedroom to smell the sheets where she had lain. Her sweet scent was still there, haunting his feelings.

  Shaking his head in sadness at the loss of the girl again, he saw Patrano come through the door.

  “Any news?” David asked his partner.

  “No,” Patrano said. “But word is Rosetti has been trying to get a hold of Lila Patterson. Seems he thinks that sweet innocent girl might have something to do with the Harvester slayings. But she isn’t at work, she isn’t at home, she doesn’t answer any of her calls. It’s like she disappeared, which I am afraid, makes her look guilty.”

  “Yeah,” David agreed, “it does. Tell Rosetti to keep his ass out of our case, he has his own missing bartendress case. And let’s keep trying to get a hold of her. Lila Patterson was hiding something yesterday, I know it. And I want to get her before Rosetti can fuck it all up.”

  Just then the phone rang, “Balducci,” David answered.

  It was the medical examiner. “Hey, I’ve got some off the record news if you want to come down here.” />
  “Patrano and I will be right down,” David said hanging up the phone. “The Padre has some news for us. Maybe we’ll get a break after all.”

  Joe and David walked in silence down the hall. Joe was the first to break the silence. “Still haven’t heard from her?”

  “No,” David answered despondently. “It so pisses me off that again I let her get away without knowing how to contact her. Joe, she haunts my every thought.”

  “She’ll come back,” Joe comforted his partner.

  David looked at his partner. It was the first time in a long time that Joe hadn’t tried to give David a hard time. “Thanks man,” he said quietly.

  “Any time, girlfriend.”

  They got off the elevator in the morgue. “Hey Padre,” David called out.

  “David,” the ME nodded towards him. “First the official business. There were traces of Gamma Hydroxybutyrate Acid in Carl Olberman’s system, which does follow the normal pattern of the Harvester Killer. The tox report does show that he had been drinking before his demise. But there’s nothing significant about that. He didn’t die of alcohol poisoning. We would have checked him for vaginal secretions, but well you know, his whoo hoo was missing.”

  Again, David had to hold his tongue to keep from laughing at the word whoo hoo. He was sure that the medical examiner would have a more scientific word like penis, and it tickled David’s funny bone to hear a word a three year old would use coming out of the doctor’s mouth. The ME continued.

  “The knife wounds in his chest, however, are consistent with those of our Harvester Killer in the fact that the same type of knife has been used. While this death was a little different than the other ones that fall within the ‘norm’ of the Harvester Killer, certain aspects are the same.”

  David and Joe looked at each other. They had figured this much before, but it was nice to have some corroboration. “We have got to find where Olberman had dinner that night cause obviously Rosetti hasn’t done it yet,” David told Joe, “and we have to find out if he was with anyone that evening.”