Dual Harvest

by Lori Michelle

  “Well,” Lila started. “I met Amber about three years or so ago. The state agency that helped me get the house suggested I get a roommate to help pay for the rent and utilities. So, I had placed an ad in the newspaper for a roommate and she answered.”

  “Do you know her whole name?” David asked.

  “I am ashamed to say that I don’t,” Lila answered, her face turning a brilliant shade of vermillion. “I stupidly never asked her for references. But she has always been on time with the rent and I have never had any complaints with her.”

  “Do you know where Amber works?” David asked next.

  “I have no idea,” Lila said, breathing out heavily. “She always seems to be home during the day and goes out at night. I always wondered if maybe she was a bartendress or a stripper or something. I hope she isn’t a prostitute.”

  “How does Amber pay you her portion of the rent?” was David’s next question.

  “Actually, Amber always pays me in cash. I never thought about it much before, because I thought the cash was easier since it cleared the bank faster. But she has never paid me with a check or money order. Always in cash.”

  “Lila,” David continued, “how do you get a hold of Amber if you need to talk to her about something?”

  “I don’t,” Lila said, kind of shocked that she never did have to call Amber or speak to her about anything until recently. “In all honesty, Amber and I don’t talk very much. We have never conflicted about anything. She stays in her room and I tend to stay in mine. In most ways we are the perfect roommates for one another.”

  “Hmmm,” David said. “Lila, we sent an officer over to the house to get Amber so that we could talk to her. She wasn’t there. Do you have any idea where she might have gone?”

  “I don’t know if she has any friends,” Lila admitted. “I do know that she has stayed at this one guy’s house before. I want to say his name is Ace, but I am not sure that’s right. And I have no idea where he lives either. But no, I have no clue where she would have gone.”

  “Lila,” David said. “Can we talk about something else for a while?”

  “Sure,” she said warily. “I guess so. What did you want to ask me?”

  “This might be a little painful for you to talk about,” David said gently as he placed his hand over hers. “But I want you to be as honest as you can. The more open you can be with us, the quicker we can get through all of this and hopefully come to some resolution.”

  “Ok,” Lila agreed wide-eyed. “I’ll do what I can.”

  “Lila,” David said, taking a deep breath. “Can you tell me about the accident you had a few years ago?”

  A wave of painful reality overtook Lila. It wasn’t any clear recollection of anything.

  “Well,” Lila started, “I’ll be real honest. I don’t remember much about it. I know that I was in the hospital for several weeks. They told me that they weren’t sure if I was going to survive or not.”

  “Well,” David said, “we like having you here so it’s good. Please continue.”

  “I don’t know any more about it,” Lila said matter-of-factly. “I know that I had massive head trauma, and I know that they had to let the pressure off of my brain. I had a broken leg, and several ribs were fractured.”

  “That must have hurt,” David said sympathetically.

  “I don’t remember,” Lila said. “They had me really drugged up on pain medications. Even when I came out of the coma, I don’t remember the weeks after. I remember some people from the state coming to see me. They helped me get set up in my house and my job.”

  “Did you ever have any family or friends come to see you in the hospital?” David asked.

  “No, I was alone,” Lila replied sadly. “If anyone ever did come, it was before I had any recollection of being awake.”

  “Didn’t that strike you as odd?”

  “Well, at the time, I really didn’t think much of it. Sometimes I wonder what happened to my family. Do I not have any? But other times I remember that my mom and dad died a long time ago. And I must not have had any friends. I don’t have any friends now either, so maybe that’s just my personality,”

  “Lila,” David continued, “tell me how you had your accident.”

  Lila looked down at her feet and took a deep breath. She had been asked this before by the doctors in the hospital. Then the people from the state had asked her. She didn’t know how she had it or why she had it. She couldn’t remember much from before the accident. It was all a blur.

  “Well,” Lila said hesitantly. “I don’t really remember anything. I don’t remember how I ended up at the hospital. I don’t know what happened. I don’t remember driving a car, I don’t remember being hit by a car or truck or anything, so I don’t know. Was I struck? Did I get hit? Did I fall off a building? No one would tell me.”

  “I want you to relax and close your eyes,” David said softly. “I want you to go back to that time. I want you to tell me anything you feel or remember from then.”

  Lila took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I remember being probed by doctors everyday, making sure that I responded physically to everything. I remember always feeling exhausted. They made me go to physical therapy after my leg came out of the cast, and I had to learn how to walk all over again.”

  “Go on,” David prodded.

  “I know I had to learn how to eat all over again, and write too. The brain trauma had messed up some of my fine motor skills. I didn’t forget how to read and talk though, so I am thankful for that.”

  “Yeah it would be horrible to have to learn that over again,” David agreed.

  “I asked them everyday to tell me how I had gotten there. I wanted to know why I couldn’t remember where I had come from. I wanted to know why I had no one come see me. But no one would tell me what happened, or why I was there, other than the obvious. Every time I asked, they just turned and walked away. Shaking their heads and looking down at me with pity, like some kind of ruined dog. I felt so helpless. It really discouraged me from further investigation.”

  “What happened after that?” David questioned.

  “The people from the state that I told you about before came in to see me. They didn’t have any answers to my questions either. They only seemed to have more questions for me; ones I had no answers to. But they did get me moved into my house. And like I said before, they did help me get the job at Olberman Holdings. Apparently they knew more about my job history than I did.”

  “Did you ever try to find out what had happened?”

  “I did at first,” Lila said. “But who was I going to ask? No one knew me, I didn’t remember anyone, and I never found out anything about it. After a while, I stopped looking for answers.”

  David took a deep breath, changing the subject yet again. “Lila, do you know someone by the name of John Patterson?”

  No, John, no …

  Instantly Lila was overtaken by a flash of disoriented memories. She could remember pain, yelling, and a lot of crying. She could hear someone screaming, “No John, please don’t! Think about the baby!” Physically her body began to curl itself into a ball in response to the horror.

  David watched as Lila cringed at the mention of the name. He could see that she had withdrawn into herself and was reliving some painful memories. He reached out to touch her and bring her out of her reverie. “Lila?” he asked.

  Lila opened her eyes and tears came spilling out. “I don’t know why, but that name conjures up a lot of painful memories. And not clear ones either. Just flashes of pain. I assume that I should know the name. Someone I am related to?”

  There was a loud knock at the door and David, Lila, and Joe all jumped out of their chairs. David got up to open it to see who was on the other side and what they wanted. They all dropped their jaws as Amber strolled through the door.

  “I’ll tell you who John Patterson was,” she said firmly, walking into the room and sitting down in the chair. “I’ll tell you exactly who John
Patterson was.”

  THIRTY-THREE

  “Amber?” David looked at her quizzically. His heart thudded in his chest. Here she was, the girl of his dreams standing in front of him, the one place he dreaded ever finding her. “Is that really you?”

  “Yes David, it’s me,” Amber said looking at him. “Does it shock you?”

  “No not really,” he said shaking his head. “But I do have a lot of questions to ask you, if you don’t mind. You can tell me what you know about John Patterson, for starters.”

  “Certainly,” Amber said, clearing her throat. “He was a good for nothing arrogant asshole who beat the shit out of Lila on a daily basis. Nothing she ever did was good enough for him and he almost killed her by bashing her with a Louisville Slugger when she didn’t have dinner on the table at the usual time. He was responsible for killing her unborn child and rendering her infertile for the rest of her life. That’s who John Patterson was. He deserved what he got.”

  “Amber, I need to ask you a few more questions.”

  “You ask away,” she said, waving her hands in his direction.

  David grabbed her arms and looked at her eye to eye. “Amber, I want the truth, can you do that?”

  “You think I won’t tell you the truth?” she answered back evenly.

  “Amber, if you tell me the truth here, then I will see what we can do about protecting Lila. If you lie, then the judge will give her the maximum sentence. She’s been charged with the deaths of nine people. We might be able to get her a reduced sentence if you tell the truth,” David cajoled her.

  He could see Amber weighing over the options in her mind. Finally she looked at him and spoke, “If I answer your questions, do you promise me amnesty?”

  “I’ll do everything in my power,” he said.

  He was overwhelmed by the fact that she was here. Her beauty swayed him and her scent intoxicated him. He knew that he had to separate his feelings for her from the case that he had been investigating, and he was having a hard time. He looked at the vibrance in her and wanted to capture the girl’s complete essence. He wanted to hold her, kiss her and make love to her. He really needed to get laid more often.

  She looked up at him and into his eyes. “This goes against every grain in my body, but I trust you. So ask me what you want, and I will answer honestly.”

  “Amber, did you knock Lila over the head the night that she was to meet Carl Olberman for dinner?” he started off.

  “Yes I did,” she answered back.

  “Can you tell me why you did it?” he asked her.

  “I knew how Carl operated,” Amber said evenly. “I knew that he was a womanizer and preferred his women cheap and easy. He had gone through all of the other women in the office and Lila was the last one that he hadn’t bagged. I couldn’t let her be hurt again. I didn’t want her to be used like a piece of Kleenex. He didn’t even know she existed until he needed someone to warm his bedroom. Lila needs more than a one night stand. She needs someone who cares for her. I don’t think that will ever be any man. There’s not a man that’s perfect enough in this world. At least not yet.”

  “Amber,” David continued, “did you meet Carl for dinner that night?”

  Amber tossed her wild mane of curls, “Yes I did. Asshole didn’t even know that it wasn’t Lila sitting at the table in front of him. He was so blinded by his own wonderfulness, he didn’t even pay any attention to his companion. Never before have I dated such an arrogant creep. It was all I could do to keep from throwing my wine in his face.”

  “Amber,” David continued, “what happened after that?”

  Amber smiled deviously, “I stroked his ego of course. He thought he was God’s gift to women. I had to show him that he wasn’t the one in control. Men never are, it’s always the women. No man should ever control a woman.”

  “Tell me more,” David said. “Tell me why you feel that way, Amber.”

  “Men use their strength to control women,” she said matter-of-factly, looking at him without blinking. “They need to be taught that they can never really control us. Never.”

  “Why did you take his penis, Amber?” David asked softly, expecting her to deny it.

  “Fucker needed to be taught a lesson,” she answered coldly. “He wasn’t going to use his instrument against any woman ever again.”

  David shivered. The tone in her voice was unnerving. It scared him how serious she was. It was as if she wasn’t herself. He watched the playful light leave her body, and leave this eerie automaton in an Amber body. He decided to switch subjects.

  “Amber, did you know Milo Hedgehog?” He asked.

  “Of course I did,” she answered brightly, acting more like the Amber that he knew. “He was one of my good friends. I miss Milo.”

  “When was the last time you saw him alive?” David questioned.

  “The day I cut out his tongue I believe.” Amber smiled tightly. “I didn’t go to see him in the hospital after that. I couldn’t stand to see his girlfriend there fawning all over him.”

  “Amber,” David looked at her seriously, “if Milo was such a good friend, why did you cut out his tongue?”

  “Milo was my friend,” Amber started, “he was always there for me. Then he started to date that stupid bitch, Candy Blossom, and he changed. He had helped me to get things that I needed. Then he was going to tell on me. I couldn’t have that. No man was going to control my actions again. So I cut out his tongue, so that he wouldn’t be able to tell anyone what I was doing. That’s also when I decided I needed something better than the lousy kitchen knife.”

  David was shocked that this woman he had loved and wanted was so cold-blooded deep inside. It scared him that her passion had disappeared inside this monster sitting before him. Her voice had even changed. It had become low and guttural rather than the fun lilting voice she normally possessed. David’s world was completely shaken up. He was going to need a long vacation after this.

  “Did you take anything else from Milo?” he asked, not sure if he really wanted to know the truth.

  “Yes, he had a nice stash of drugs, including the one I had asked for,” Amber answered easily. “He was uncomfortable getting it for me, and that’s why he was going to squeal.”

  “Which drug was that?” David asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Gamma Hydroxybutyrate Acid, of course.” Amber tossed her head again as if she just told him her favorite color was green. “I would have thought you being the detective would have known that already.” Her voice had become taunting.

  “Just making sure,” David said quietly. “Amber, can we talk about Jesse Masoner?”

  “Sure,” she said. “What about him?”

  “Why did you pick him?” he questioned.

  “Wasn’t planning on it originally.” Amber said. “But the more the night went on, the more I knew I wanted part of him.”

  “You took his feet,” David said. “Why would you take his feet?”

  “He was a good dancer.” She said matter-of-factly, as if the reason should have been obvious. “But I could tell that he thought he could have any girl with his moves. I had to show him that he wasn’t in control of women. Just like the rest of them. Please try to follow along, David.”

  “How did you manage to give him the drugs?” was the next question.

  “You guys are so easy to trick,” Amber laughed. “Just takes a quick flash of cleavage and you don’t notice anything else. While he was being entranced by the thought of boobs, I palmed it into his drink. It’s so easy.”

  “Was it your intention to steal all of his valuables originally?” David asked.

  “Nope,” she said shaking her head. “It just seemed like a good idea after he was gone. After all, he wasn’t going to use or need that stuff anymore. I figured it would just be the best way for me to make some money. Have to pay the rent somehow, and it’s better than prostitution.”

  David looked at Joe. Joe shrugged as if to say, dude this is your girlfrien
d. David turned to look back at Amber. She was sitting relaxed in the chair, her one leg crossed over the other. She was bouncing her top leg like she had no cares in the world. David knew that he should be horrified by what was coming out of her mouth. But looking at her, he still felt the same wanting wash over his body. Dammit, he should be able to control his feelings better than that. This woman was liable to rip his heart out (literally) if given the chance.

  David took a deep breath knowing he had to retrieve the full confession out of Amber, but not really wanting to hear anymore. “Let’s talk about Derek Moore. How did you meet him?”

  “Actually, I met Derek twice,” Amber said. “He told me the first day that he was here on some convention, but who the fuck stays at a La Quinta when their company is paying for a convention? I knew that there was something fishy about him. So I followed him the next day.”

  “What did you find out?” David asked, interested in what Amber would consider detective work.

  “He didn’t have any convention to go to,” Amber said triumphantly. “He was in town just to fool around. So I met him again the next night.”

  “And what happened?” he said.

  “I tried to get him to admit to the fact that he was just here to cheat on his wife. He wouldn’t at first, but I used my, well, let’s just say, feminine wiles on him,” Amber said, sliding her hand up her leg seductively, giving David a nice flash of her thigh. “He finally told me the truth. But it was too late for him. I knew I couldn’t let him hurt his wife like that anymore. Even if she’s a bitch, no woman deserves to have a man like that.”

  “And the intestines?” David questioned. “Why would you take his intestines?”

  “The man had no guts,” Amber said. “He was here for one purpose and wouldn’t admit to it, so I had to remove whatever few guts he had. Did you know that the large intestine is smaller than the small intestine?”

  David looked at her incredulously. Here she was admitting to one of the most heinous crimes that the city had seen in the past ten years like she was telling him high school biology facts. It was almost surrealistic.