A Kiss With Death

by Frances Hoelsema

  “Thanks. I’ll look it over and let his sister know.”

  Conversation over, he focused on getting to the station as fast as he could. This was something he had been waiting for.

  Once there, he parked his car and quickly hopped out. He hustled inside and to his office. Sure enough, on top of his L-shaped desk was a brown folder. He took a seat, straightened his navy-blue tie, and immediately took a peek.

  He skimmed through the basics and quickly made his way to cause of death. Heart attack. That was interesting. He examined further. He was pleased to know that the medical examiner was going to do a toxicology report. Knowing Ben was at the bar, perhaps the alcohol triggered something in him because there was a history of a heart condition. He made a mental note to check Ben’s medical records to see if that was true as soon as he had a free chance.

  Just as he was about to consider the case closed, even though there wasn’t really a case to begin with, something caught his attention. One of the marks disclosed on the report was a prick in the neck. Red flags went up. Trey Cooper’s report flashed through his mind.

  There’s no way the two of these men could have a mark in the same spot and die in the same way. There had to be something behind this prick. He was convinced now more than ever that something had been injected in these men to make them experience heart attacks.

  Detective Kojak looked at some of the other things in the report. All of Ben’s personal items were already given back to his sister. However, apparently something else had been found. There was a card. He took it out to examine it. When he saw #2 and the name Margaret next to a kiss, he had his answer. Trey and Ben had been murdered, and this Margaret was the killer. These cards were her signature.

  Only question was, who was this Margaret?

  If he could figure that out, he could stop what was going on. He could put all of this to rest. If he couldn’t, no telling how many more she would go after. And when.

  This was his town. He wasn’t going to stand for it. He was going to act fast.

  Detective Kojak tapped the signature card on his desk, thinking. He looked at it again, the lips standing out. There was something about them.

  The lightbulb went on in his brain. Laura from earlier wore the same color of lipstick. He allowed that thought to sink in a little to see if maybe it had some kind of meaning.

  There was something else from Laura that struck him. Her hair was brown. That was a dark color like the one that showed up on the security feed from Tommygun Tavern.

  And thinking of the video, Laura’s body fit the mold. With her form-fitting pant suit on, he could tell she was thin. Beautiful. He could definitely see her being the one Trey danced with. Maybe even the one that was whisked past the dance floor right before Trey’s final breaths.

  Could he have gotten that lucky? To have found the answer this fast?

  But the card said Margaret. Not Laura. And Laura didn’t seem like the murdering type. She didn’t act nervous. And she was helpful. Not something he’d expect from a murderer.

  Detective Kojak leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. He took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. He knew that none of that technically meant anything. She could still be the culprit, just using a fake name and putting on a good front. Or it could be someone else entirely. Many women in Crimson Shores would fit the mold he was looking for.

  It was time to get to work. The first thing he would do is make some phone calls. He was going to get forensics to try and see if they can figure out this card. Maybe get the type of lipstick that was used and match that up with women who bought it. It was a longshot, but worth a try.

  He then was going to call other members of the book club Ben attended. If they all had the same story, that he and Laura never got along, that’s all the more reason to believe she was guilty. Still nothing concrete, but a better start than he originally had.

  Finally, he was going to get the word out that there was a serial killer on the loose. One way or another, this was going to end.

  CHAPTER 9

  L

  aura rummaged through her dresser drawer, looking for something to put on so she could sit in the hot tub and relax. She had been doing a lot more of this lately, which wasn’t so good for her bathing suit supply. Most were now in the wash. She hoped she could find an old one to use.

  In the back she found a small gray plastic bag. Curious as to what was in there, she yanked it out and opened it up. It was a brand-new bikini that she had bought last fall when all the suits had gone on clearance. She remembered it was the one she had seen earlier in the year and drooled over all summer. But at the price they were asking, there was no way she’d ever own it. Until they wanted to get rid of them all, and there just so happened to be one left in her size. She had no idea how she could have forgotten about this cute little number until now. Things like that really blew her mind.

  She took the tags off, and then proceeded to slip on the pink bottom. It was a tiny piece, held together by a single tie on both sides by the hip. The top was just as tiny. No straps, and again, held together by a single tie in the front. The cute thing fit perfectly. She admired herself in the mirror.

  The sound of her doorbell almost scared her. Quickly, she grabbed her red silk robe and threw it on. She tied it tightly around her waist as she sprinted to the door.

  When she opened it, there stood a man in jeans and a thin, green, long-sleeve shirt holding a bouquet of sunflowers, purple asters, and pink tulips in front of his face. She knew who it was, though. She could tell his body from anyone.

  Connor was finally home!

  Elated, she screamed, and stamped her feet in a small, quick fashion. All the bouncing threatened to undo her robe. The top was now loose enough to hang off one shoulder. She finally closed the gap between them and threw her arms around him. His fresh scent made her toes tingle.

  After letting go, he lowered the vase to reveal sad, puppy dog eyes like he knew he was in trouble and hoped the flowers would pacify any anger. She planted a big kiss on his lips to prove all was fine.

  The two of them made their way into the duplex. Connor teased, “Now if I knew I’d be greeted like that, I would have come home much sooner!”

  Laura noticed the smirk on his face. She smacked him in the ribs with her elbow. He deserved it. “What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t supposed to be home for two days yet!”

  “Everything got done earlier than planned. When I found out I’d be home early, I thought I’d keep it a secret to surprise you.”

  “Well, it worked! I’m so happy to see you!” She planted another kiss on his lips. This one sultrier than the first. She could tell he was pleased by the tiny, deep moan he exhaled.

  Grabbing the flowers, Laura thanked her boyfriend for them. He always did a good job of picking out something she not only loved, but that looked good in her place. She set them down at the kitchen table, a much better centerpiece than the nothing she had before. Decorating was not her thing. These flowers spruced things up.

  Connor looked her over. “So, what did you have planned for tonight?”

  Remembering she had her bathing suit on, she replied, “Oh, well, I wasn’t expecting you so I thought I would just hop in the hot tub for a little while. Care to join?” She bounced her eyebrows and smiled. Flirting with him was something she missed. There was only so much she could do over the phone.

  He chuckled. “Sounds good, but, uh...” He opened his arms out wide and looked himself over. “I didn’t bring anything with me.” There was a twinkle in his eye.

  Laura drew herself into his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. Looking into his steel gray eyes, she whispered, “That hasn’t stopped you before.” She smiled so wide, practically all her teeth could be seen.

  “And it won’t stop me now,” he replied in a deep, husky voice.

  “Good.” She stood on her tip toes and planted a quick peck on his thin lips, and then walked to the back toward the patio,
holding on to her boyfriend’s hand the entire way.

  She let go to uncover her tub. Touching the water, it was at just the right temperature. The next step was to set the color theme and jet style. While figuring it out, she could see Connor starting to undress. His green shirt off, she couldn’t help but stare at his chest. How she missed those strong, tight muscles!

  He noticed her gazing and smirked. “Like what you see, huh?”

  “Oh, stop it. You know you have the body of a Greek god.” She finished her settings.

  Connor laughed.

  Until she took her robe off. That stopped him cold. His mouth stood open, transfixed on her body.

  Now it was Laura’s turn to laugh. “You might want to close your mouth before a bug gets in there.” She stepped into the tub, taking a seat where she could see the beach before her.

  “You’re threatening to undo me, woman. You’re drop-dead gorgeous. Where have you been hiding that?”

  Laura grinned. “In the back of my dresser drawer.”

  “What else you got in there?”

  She laughed some more.

  He began to unbuckle his jeans. “Now I’m sorry I ever left.”

  “Would you just hurry up and get in here?” She couldn’t stop giggling. But inside she was serious. There was no way she was going to miss watching him getting naked. She thanked the landlord for putting a wall between her and that pesky neighbor of hers, and thanked the stars above for a boyfriend daring enough to bare everything when there was a chance for others to see. If it weren’t for these things, she’d be sitting alone. Or wouldn’t have gone in, in the first place.

  Connor did a double take before removing his boxers. The beach was almost quiet. There were a few stranglers out there waiting for the last remaining rays of light to disappear before calling it a day. But they all were faced the other way. He was good. He quickly slipped out of them and jumped into the hot tub, rocking the waters a little.

  “Ooh la la,” Laura remarked as Connor took a seat across from her, his back to the beach.

  He smiled. Letting out a sigh, he rested his head backward on the tub. Laura mimicked him. The two sat without saying a whole lot, letting the warm water loosen their muscles and calm their bodies. A few seagulls gawked now and then. Otherwise it was just the humming of the jets that could be heard.

  Once they were all relaxed, Laura was the first to speak. “So, how was your trip?”

  “Oh, man, it was amazing! You wouldn’t believe the people I got to meet and the things I got to see!”

  His excitement thrilled her. “Yeah? Like?”

  Connor sat up in his seat a little. “Well, in our first meeting, the President and CEO of the company showed up. That was unexpected.”

  Laura opened one eye toward her boyfriend. “Oh, that’s cool.”

  “Yeah, and I saw a few celebrities filming a movie.”

  “What? When?” She sat up straight. That bit of news was more fascinating than the first.

  “Oh, we had a few nights between meetings, so we did a little sightseeing.”

  “Lucky.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, it sucked being gone a long time, but it was a great experience. I never realized Central Park was that big!”

  “Oh, I’d love to go there!”

  “You’d love it. I should take you there sometime.”

  “YES!”

  When Connor had leaned back and closed his eyes again, Laura followed.

  “Well, I’m glad that you had a great time. Did you, uh, seal the deal?” she asked.

  “Nailed it, baby!”

  Laura was back to sitting straight up. “You did?”

  “Yep.” There was a large smile on his face.

  “Congrats! I’m so proud of you!” She found his knee under the water and patted it.

  Connor opened his eyes. “Thanks. We’re all excited.” A few seconds later, he asked, “But enough about me. How have you been doing lately?”

  “Ugh. Don’t get me started.”

  “That bad?”

  She noticed the concern on his face and waved him off. Getting back into a relaxing position, she elaborated a little. She at first mentioned the possible promotion.”

  “Baby, that’s awesome! Why aren’t you more excited?”

  “I am, but that’s as good as it gets.”

  “What do you mean?” Connor asked.

  Laura didn’t know where to start or what to include. But mentioning her illness seemed worthy and safe. That and how frustrated she was at her recent book club meeting.

  “I’m sorry to –”

  In a whisper, she interrupted with, “Oh, but supposedly Ben died.”

  Connor’s face twisted. “Really? What happened?”

  She told him everything she knew.

  “Wow.” He blew out some air.

  A loud, obnoxious booming made both of their heads turn in the direction it was coming from.

  “And then there’s this!” Laura voiced frustratingly, raising her hand to point in her neighbor’s direction. “He doesn’t stop!”

  Laura got up to grab the closest thing she could find. It happened to be a bottle of hot tub cleaner. Throwing it toward the wall, she yelled, “Turn the music down!” Thank goodness it was now dark enough so that others on the beach wouldn’t see her cause a scene.

  Connor grabbed Laura’s hand and gently said, “Come here.”

  She slowly lowered back into the water next to him. He gave her a slow kiss.

  “Let me help you relax,” he murmured.

  Skootching over a little, he reached for Laura’s foot and began to gently massage it. After a few minutes, he grabbed the other to do the same. On this one, he gently raised it high enough to kiss her big toe. She giggled. He smiled.

  He moved up her legs, little by little. A gentle rubbing was given to every inch. When he reached behind the knee, he knew he hit a ticklish spot because she tried to break it free from his grasp. He went even further up. Her thighs were one of her sweet spots. He teased her, going as high as she would let him.

  Done with that area, through the dim lighting the hot tub emanated, his eyes beckoned her to move in front of him. She listened, nestling her way on top of his lap, her back against his firm chest.

  Connor started on the small of her back, kneading in small circles. He followed her spine to the top. His strong hands covered her shoulders and then her neck. This was feeling way better than anything the hot tub could have done alone. She allowed him to work his magic, moaning to urge him on.

  He got a little frisky by reaching over her shoulders to the front, gently rubbing her upper chest. Daring to go further, he wrapped his arms under hers and around to her front. He caressed her stomach. With his fingers, he walked upward. Slowly. Playfully. Finally, he cupped her.

  As he carefully massaged the little bit of skin that was covered by her bikini, he whispered in her ear. His voice was low and raspy. “I really missed you.”

  He couldn’t see it, but her lips were curled up. “I can tell.”

  Gently nudging her off him and turning her around, he guided her into a straddling position. His eyes lusted for her. She could tell what he was looking for. And she was willing to give it.

  Connor brought her lips to his, starting simple. Seeking more, his tongue forced its way to hers, deepening the kiss. Both of them moaned.

  When he quickly broke free from her, Laura arched her neck back for him to lavish her there with his mouth. His sensual touch made her body yearn for more. She enjoyed his soft, passionate kisses as his hands began to again cover the little bit of her that was covered in front.

  Laura felt her boyfriend play around with the tie that held her top together. One tug and the tie loosened. In no time, she was completely free; her top was now tossed out to the side.

  With his deep voice, he softly said, “I’m going to make you feel really good.” He kissed her again with a carnal passion, his hands massaging all that was caged just seconds befor
e. Bending backward, she allowed him to tenderly kiss her neck and then trail downward. He landed along the mound of flesh cupped within his hands.

  She moaned. It did feel good. He felt good.

  He kept every word.

  She felt the best she had in weeks. No longer did she feel stressed out. No longer did she think of all the low points. No more were book-club Ben or neighbor Sammy bothering her mind.

  And though the sounds of next door continued to reverberate into her space with such intensity, she no longer heard it.

  CHAPTER 10

  A

  couple of weeks had gone by. They were rather uneventful. Still no word had come on who would replace the dean’s chair. Having been almost four weeks, Laura thought she would find out soon. And though nothing exciting had really happened, she relished the monotony. Anything was better than nightmares, anxiety attacks, and bouts of lapses in memory. She had still not told a single soul on that one.

  Laura was happy. Tomorrow she had plans to go with Marissa to a Zumba class. Apparently, there was a new instructor in town that she ‘just had to see’. Zumba wasn’t her forte, and she was fairly certain she’d look like a fool, but time with her best friend was priceless. Afterward, she was going to go to this book fair held at the middle school. Between the two, she was more thrilled to go to the book fair, even though that made her feel like a nerd. She couldn’t wait to check out ideas to use in her book club.

  Looking at the clock, Laura realized she had fifteen minutes left of her last class of the day. She addressed the class, letting them know they could close their books and put their pencils down. She wanted their full attention.

  “There is going to be a test next week Wednesday.”

  Cue the grumbling.

  “Now listen, this will be the last one before the final exams. You will need to study chapters fifteen and sixteen. Make sure to pay attention to the formulas mentioned, as well as the compounds discussed.”