Sunny leaned back, and her kiss swollen lips curved. “I meant my house keys, big guy.”
****
As soon as Judson walked out the door, Sunny’s shoulders sagged and she plopped into a stool by the bar. The heart pounding sexual heat, his husky voice and persuasive lips and body were going to be the death of her. She needed to get her attraction under control, or solve this case and personally drive him to Montana before she ignited into a combustible flame and burst into a million pieces.
Sunny dragged in several deep breaths, patted the upsweep of her hair then proceeded to the back room in search of Benny.
Outside his office Sunny squared her shoulders, lifted her hand to knock, and clutched her throat wide-eyed when the door flew open.
Tasha stood before her straightening the hemline of her dress. She winked at Sunny with her smoky eyes as she withdrew her fingertip from her mouth stretching her wad of gum. “I was just leaving.” She opened the door wide so Sunny could pass, blew a kiss in Benny’s red faced direction and sauntered out of view.
“What was that all about?” Sunny looked from Tasha’s retreating back to Benny’s confused expression.
“I’m not sure you want to know. And I’m not sure I can give you an answer.” He chuckled and leaned back into his chair. “What can I do you for, sweetheart?”
Sunny took the seat across the desk from his, tucking an escaped tendril of hair behind her ear. “Judson just left and he said it looked like you and Slater had words. You okay?”
Benny’s features hardened and he forked his fingers through already ruffled hair. “It’s all good. Slater has a habit of saying and doing things he shouldn’t, that’s all.”
“I’ve had friends like that myself. Care to unload?”
“I told you some about Karina, right?”
When Sunny nodded, Benny sat forward to repeat his conversation with Slater in a monotone voice. The anger he held in check showed itself by the red tint staining his skin at the neckline of his shirt and disappearing into his hairline. He finished then slouched back in his chair shaking his head.
“Slater tries to be a good person, but he can’t pull himself out of the muck completely. Unfortunately his old lady is a lot of the problem in that regard,” Benny said.
To appear casual Sunny slipped the well chewed fingernail on her ring finger between her lips and resumed her work on shortening it. “Hmm, what’s his wife got to do with it?”
“Vivian, she’s quite the gal.” Sarcasm coated every word. Benny told Sunny the story about how he’d dated Vivian originally, met Karina, and then Vivian hooked her claws into Slater. “Poor Slater didn’t stand a chance. When Viv wants to work her magic, she can lay on the charm non-stop until she gets her way. But, underneath she’s bitter and hateful. One of the unhappiest people I know.”
Sunny finished the damage to her nail and lowered her hand, eyes wide. “Didn’t’ Slater feel like he was being used?”
The straight line of his mouth couldn’t get any thinner. “Slater always had a thing for Vivian, although he’d never admit it when she and I dated, but it was obvious. Vivian picked up on it right away.” His quiet laugh held no humor. “She used to make fun of him, but when I broke it off with her, she wrapped him around her finger quicker than you can spell A.”
Sunny grinned. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I almost feel sorry for Slater.” She meant it. As she listened to Benny she couldn’t help but see the genuine friendship he shared with Slater.
“Slater gets into trouble, but he means well deep down. Nobody was more surprised than me when they got married, but something must work for them. They’ve been together a long time.”
“How long?”
Their gazes met and the moisture in his eyes couldn’t be denied. Sunny adjusted her position in her seat, uncomfortable with herself for drudging up memories which hurt Benny. “Well, going on twenty-six years the month after next. They tied the knot not long after Karina was killed.”
There was nothing she could say, frozen in her seat, fingers crossed he’d continue. For Benny’s sake Sunny hoped she was wrong about Slater.
“To tell you the truth it always made me wonder if… No, forget it.” Benny closed his eyes then rubbed his temples.
“Made you wonder what?” Sunny pressed forward.
“Just a stupid theory I’ve wondered about over the years. It’s nothing and really not worth talking about, sweetheart, but thanks for offering.”
The first reaction she had was to grab him by the shoulders and shake him until it hurt. She sat on her hands to stop herself as she considered how she could get him to talk. He’d been about to share something important. The knot in her stomach confirmed it.
“I’ve always had a suspicion in the back of my mind that Vivian or Slater knew something about Karina’s murder.”
Sunny’s breath lodged in her chest and she coughed to restart her heart. Apparently keeping your mouth shut was all you had to do to keep him talking.
“Why?”
How interesting that two people in a matter of days had the same impressions of Vivian and Slater. Not just any two people, but friends and family that were probably the closet people in their lives.
“I have several reasons, but I’m afraid they’ll sound stupid.”
“Give it a shot. We’ll debate your theories.”
Benny chuckled and Sunny held her breath.
“All right. First off Vivian hated Karina. She’d leave the room as soon as Karina stepped through the door.”
“Okay, I can see that. She was jealous and—”
Benny held up his hand. “Let me finish. Karina and I went out for dinner the night before she was killed. For my sake Karina wanted to get along with Vivian. She knew Vivian and Slater were together, Slater and I were friends, and she didn’t want to be the one that caused Slater and me to drift apart.
“Makes sense.”
“That last night at dinner she told me Vivian called her. I guess Vivian didn’t want to be her best friend, but she wanted them to be able to tolerate each other, so things wouldn’t be so tense.” Benny smiled at the memory. “Karina was so excited when she told me about it. Her biggest thrill being they’d meet the next day so Vivian could apologize in person.”
“So the day Karina was killed she met with Vivian?” Sunny dug her fingers into the edge of the seat.
“That’s just it. A few weeks after Karina was killed, after I played our last night together in my head for the millionth time, I wondered about their meeting. When I asked Vivian about it, she said she’d called Karina to meet up with her that morning, but never got an answer.”
Sunny stayed silent, willing Benny to continue.
“According to the time of death the police came up with, Karina was killed early afternoon. And I know for a fact Karina was home all morning, so if Vivian had called, she would’ve answered. I think Vivian lied to me.”
“How do you know she was home?”
Benny covered his face with the palms of both his hands, kneading his forehead with his knuckles.
“Hey, we don’t have to go over this now. I know it’s hard.” Sunny hated to say it, but she couldn’t take his pained expression.
“No, I’m all right. It’s just not something I enjoy thinking—”
“I’m sorry.” Her voice a mere whisper she was unsure if Benny had heard until he looked at her with a shaky grin.
He took a deep breath. “After dinner that night, Karina didn’t feel well. I had an exam the next day. I offered to stay with her, but she wanted me rested so I’d ace my test, and she was sure she’d be up and down all night. So, I went home after I dropped her off, but I called her before class to make sure she was feeling better, and we talked for awhile. She was home, and she had no plans that day except waiting for me to get out of class to spend the evening with her.”
“Interesting. Maybe when Vivian called, Karina was in the bathroom, or shower or picking up her
mail.”
“But why wouldn’t she have left a message? According to the police report, which I have read over and over again, the only messages on her machine from that day were her father and me, and those calls were made after she’d already been killed.”
An uneasy excitement chilled Sunny to the bone as their conversation grew hushed.
“Some people just don’t like answering machines.”
Benny shook his head. “Vivian isn’t one of them. She likes nothing better than the sound of her own voice. It wouldn’t be her style not to leave a message.”
“Even though it’s suspicious and out of the ordinary, it doesn’t mean Vivian had something to do with Karina’s death.” She not only wanted to convince him, but herself. Slater and Vivian knew something about the murder, of that she could be certain.
“Okay, try this theory.” Benny exhaled a long breath before he began. “Within a week or so of Karina’s murder, Vivian started coming around, trying to be supportive and comforting. The odd thing about it was she would wear the same cologne Karina had, mimic the way she spoke, and worst of all she started dressing like her. And, I can tell you they didn’t have the same fashion sense at all. Karina wore feminine dresses and skirts and Vivian liked her leather jacket and jeans.”
“A complete one-eighty. Now that’s creepy.” Sunny’s lips pinched.
“I was in such shock it took me awhile to recognize what was going on, but she was trying to imitate Karina hoping her and I would hook back up. Then to top it off, I find out while she’s trying to get me back, she’s engaged to Slater.” Benny stood, opened the second drawer to his file cabinet and pulled out the Karina folder.
Sunny’s heart raced as he shuffled through the photographs, pulled one out and placed it on the desk in front of her. It was that damn picture again. It seemed like everyone had a copy. She eyed the picture of Benny and Karina, the earrings hanging from her lobes. Before she looked up, Benny had plopped another photograph on the desk, this one was the picture of Slater and Vivian taken on their one year anniversary. Again, the same earrings sparkled from Vivian’s ear.
Benny’s voice weakened as he continued, “They end up getting married and even though I acted as best man, I don’t remember anything about the day. But one year later, Slater’s mom decides to have an anniversary party.” With force he pokes the picture of Slater and Vivian. “The only thing I could see and the only thing I remember of that whole day is that my Karina’s earrings, the earrings I had made for her, and her alone, were hanging from the ears of my best friend’s wife.” Benny’s voice rose in volume until he was almost yelling across the desk at her. “How the hell did she get them?”
Sunny shrank into her seat wide-eyed, dry mouthed, but an excited flutter pumped in her chest. The best part of Benny’s rant confirmed he hadn’t been the one to give Vivian the earrings.
Chapter Eleven
As Sunny entered her apartment Chocolate jumped from the back of the couch and brushed by her as she tossed her car keys onto the table by the door. She bent down to scratch his head. He meowed, yawned, and then ambled to her bedroom. Now that she’d arrived home he could resume his normal routine and go to bed.
She kicked off her shoes, one bounced into the wall, the other landed with a thud underneath her coffee table as she walked across the room. The door of the office stood ajar, she pushed it open with one finger. Judson lay in a heap on the futon, his arm thrown behind his head, one leg stretched out hanging off the edge of the wood frame, and the other propped over the top of the back cushion.
Sunny shook her head and winced. He’d be sore in the morning.
Even though she’d called before heading home, Kelly had stopped at an all night grocery to pick up a few things. So instead of being home within thirty minutes it had taken closer to an hour. No wonder he fell asleep.
She tiptoed to the bathroom linen closet to grab a pillow and blanket. Her bare feet shuffled down the hall to her bedroom closet. The storage tote on the floor had a few more items of clothing that belonged to Paxton, and she chose a pair of red flannel pajama pants, then a black tee shirt with a silhouette of a busty lady riding a motorcycle. She held it out to inspect it, grinned, and headed back to the office.
The folded clothes were put into a neat pile beside his makeshift bed. Her insides softened at the sight of his sleeping form. He looked so cute stretched across the small futon. She slid her hand down his cheek in a light caress, and he stirred, smiled, pulled her hand to his lips then kissed the inside of her palm.
Unable to move, Sunny tingled from head to toe. She bit her lip.
He rolled to his side freeing her hand. She lifted his head and slid the pillow underneath him. Sunny moved to the end of the futon, slid his shoes off then covered him with a light cotton sheet.
At the door she flicked off the light he’d left on and exhaled the breath she’d held as she tiptoed around the room.
“Goodnight, Sunny. Sweet dreams.”
Her heart caught in her throat at the realization he was still awake.
“You too,” she squeaked.
The door clicked closed, she leaned against it with shaky legs. “As if.”
Back in her bedroom, Sunny sat on her bed and thumped her pillow.
Get ready for an all-nighter, girl, your hormones are too overloaded to sleep.
****
Sunny rolled over and punched her pillow for the twenty-seventh time. Not that she’d counted. Sunlight peeked through the white lace curtain over her window, she groaned, eyeing the clock on her bedside table.
Perfect. You’ve had all of three hours sleep.
No way would she get anymore rest, if she wanted to call it that. Her mind couldn’t stop the instant replay of her kiss with Judson. She sat up and fumbled along the side of the bed with her foot to find her slippers on the floor. Mission accomplished, she shuffled to the kitchen and her beloved coffee pot.
The dark brown liquid gurgled and chugged as it brewed and she licked her lips in anticipation. Sunny yawned, leaned over the counter and rested her head on her forearms.
“Good morning, sleepy head.”
With heart pounding, Sunny spun around. “Geesh, you….you scared me. I…I didn’t even hear you.”
Dressed in the clothes she’d laid out for him, Judson stood in the doorway to the kitchen.
He looked delicious. Too bad her nightgown consisted of an old tee shirt that belonged to one of her brothers. It hung down to her knees and she’d cut the long sleeves off so they ended above her elbow. If only she’d remembered to throw her robe on.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. The smell of coffee drew me in.” Judson’s gaze rolled over her as he strolled into the kitchen. His eyes were alert and he had all his motor skills. Her jaw tightened. Morning people annoyed her.
Sunny stumbled to the cupboard and grabbed two mugs. One slipped from her grasp, bounced off the corner of the counter, then shattered across the floor.
“Damn it.” She dropped to her knees, picked up some of the larger pieces, and piled them into her free hand.
“Where are your broom and a dustpan?” Judson stood over her.
She looked up at him, dazed. Her mind still hadn’t hit function mode, as a matter of fact, neither had her body. “Um—it’s in the closet by the back door.” Standing, she threw the broken pieces into the trash below the sink. Being as tired as she was the journey across the adequate sized kitchen to retrieve the dreaded broom and dustpan seemed like a trek across the desert.
The coffee machine beeped.
“Coffee’s done,” he said. His cheery voice grated on her and she clenched her teeth.
Her head throbbed as she turned from the closet, clean up equipment in hand, to see Judson grab another mug from the cupboard.
She grimaced, bending to clean the mess on the floor.
“Here, I’ll help.” Judson took the broom from her and swept while she knelt on the floor with the dustpan and yawned.
“Well, isn’t this just the picture of domestic bliss?”
Sunny’s head snapped up at the same time as Judson’s. Derek leaned just inside the kitchen entrance dressed to the nines in a dark blue suit and close cropped hair. The thin silver frame of his glasses didn’t hide his hardened gaze. His mustache and goatee were trimmed to perfection. He dangled her spare key on the crocheted cord she’d attached it to in one hand, and the other rested on his hip pulling his suit jacket back to reveal his revolver. He screamed authority.
Any color on her face ran down the length of her body and settled on the floor as she stood. Could it get any worse?
“What the hell are you doing, Derek?” The empty dustpan in her hand hit the counter with a thud. She held onto the tiled edge for support.
Derek’s jaw ticked. “Exactly the question I was going to ask you, little sister.”
With the last two words, he issued Judson a hard stare.
Sunny licked her lips. “You can’t walk into my house anytime you want.”
Her brother lifted his brow, his expression stern. “You insisted I have a key. Remember?”
Her fuzzy slippers crunched on the broken mug pieces when she walked over it. “I didn’t give you a key to come and go as you please.”
“We’ll talk later, Sunny.” He dismissed her to give his attention to Judson. “I’d like to speak with lover boy here first.”
“Damnit, don’t start—”
“I said later,” Derek bit the words out.
Judson leaned up against the counter crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t get the wrong idea here, Derek. I can see exactly where your mind’s at.”
Sunny almost choked when his lips twitched. Damn him for thinking this was funny. He didn’t know the trouble coming his way. She’d seen too many boys, and then men, run away with their tails between their legs over the look Derek shot Judson.
Some Like It in Handcuffs Page 13