FIRST ONE DOWN: A Paul Sutton Novel

by R. J. Belle

  Sutton flipped back through the case file and located Nate Warner's phone number. He hadn't had his gut talk to him at all on this case. That was what frustrated him most. His gut led him in a direction early on in almost every case he had worked over his thirty-year career - but not on this one. Well, now his gut was talking to him, loud and clear. After locating Nate's cell phone number, Sutton picked up the phone and dialed the number.

  "Hello."

  "Mr. Warner, hello, this is Detective Sutton. We had some new evidence emerge recently on the Laura Carmichael homicide, and I would like to ask you a few more questions. I know it's been almost two years, and I apologize for putting you through this again. Just going back and covering all of our bases with previous witness statements. Could you come by the station sometime today?" Sutton asked, knowing that if Nate was the offender, he would be too interested in learning about the new evidence to say no.

  "Well Detective I have a full plate today, but I can meet with you tomorrow morning," Nate said his voice cool and calm.

  "Sure Mr. Warner, tomorrow morning is fine. Say, nine down here at the station. Just ask for me when you come into the main building entrance, and I will come down and escort you up to my office," Sutton said knowing that taking any type of control away from this man would make him uncomfortable. That is exactly what Sutton wanted. He wanted this guy to come into the interview room as uncomfortable as possible.

  Sutton ended the call and looked back through the file to find Nate's home address. Writing the address down in his notebook, he gathered up his things and headed out to his department issued Crown Vic. He plugged Nate's home address into the navigation system, then made his way to the I5. During the drive to Nate's, Sutton called Ryan to fill him in.

  "Hey partner," Ryan said as he answered the call.

  "Hey Ryan, did you go through the offender profile on the Carmichael case?" Sutton asked.

  "No, did it say something that got your gut talking? I know that tone in your voice - you found something, didn't you?"

  "I'm not sure yet but the gut is talking all right. I am going to check out Nate Warner's neighborhood. Going to see if there is any interest in a Neighborhood Watch program," Sutton said as he cracked a sideways smile.

  "Shit man, you are not! You don't have any reason to go roust up that man’s neighbors. What did you find? What are you following right now?" Ryan asked.

  "I’ll fill you in this afternoon. I just wanted you to know where I was, so you didn't worry your pretty little head over me," he said and let out a chuckle before he ended the call.

  Sutton did have something to go on. He had a gut feeling that Nate Warner knew more than he had previously stated the two times he was interviewed. That damn gut might turn out to be the break this case needs. Sutton was going to follow it wherever it led him, and at the moment it was leading him right to Nate Warner.

  CHAPTER 13

  Walking in to Words By The Cup, the finest coffee house in San Diego, Kali got in line to order her favorite drink. As she stood there waiting her turn, she reached her hand down into her green tote bag and ran two fingers along the glossy outer cover of the journal she had with her. It felt abnormal to carry an old journal around, but it was the only tangible connection she had to Nate Warner. She felt foolish carrying memories of the past everywhere she went, like a baby carrying a security blanket. She clung to those journals as if they were the only things that made her feel safe and whole. The reality, she knew, was that Nate did not make her feel safe. He made her feel lonely, insecure and full of self-loathing. But, he also made her feel alive in a way that no other person ever had, and she doubted that anyone ever would in the future. It was what it was, and the reality for Kali Hanson was that she was in love with a man who was bad for her in every possible way, and she didn't care. It was that simple. And, it was that complicated.

  Trying to get over Nate was a futile effort for her. She felt his presence all around, she heard his voice in her mind, she could smell his masculinity as if he were standing right next to her, and she found it impossible to let his memory go. The past twenty-two months had been like a living hell for her. The way she felt with him absent was borderline frantic. Everything about who she was and how she acted had changed since she left Nate. If she was honest with herself, she had begun to change drastically during the time she was with him. The experiences she had had with Nate had opened her mind up to a world she hadn't known existed. She had fallen into a world that consumed her and feelings that made her different inside. She knew there was no going back, and that she was forever changed. That knowledge is what drew her to him, still. She didn't know how any other man could ever accept or love what she had become, or overlook where she had been. She was damaged and the only man who could understand the parts of her that were damaged now, or how to put her broken pieces back together and make her feel whole, was the same man who had broken her in the first place.

  "The usual, Kali?" asked Carmen, the sweetheart of a barista behind the counter.

  "Yes please," Kali said.

  Her usual was a large cappuccino with non-fat milk and three stripes on top, and Kali loved how they made it. The small bookstore-coffee house was one of Kali's favorite places in all of San Diego. She spent time there every week drinking cappuccinos, looking at books and thinking. Being at the coffee house and running were the two places where she was able to clear her mind. Clearing her mind wouldn't happen today though. Thoughts of the journal waiting in her tote bag had weighed on her mind all day while at work. She wanted to read herself through the first night that Nate had shown her his world. Being a girl who always over-analyzed everything, Kali was constantly trying to fit the pieces together of her time with Nate in a way that would make sense to her. In a way that she could wrap up in a nice, pretty package, understand, and get past. She knew this was unrealistic. Truthfully, she was lying to herself, giving herself an excuse for wanting to read through the journal entries. Really, she just wanted to feel close to him.

  Kali walked to the upstairs sitting area and curled up into her favorite rocking chair. She set her cappuccino on the small, round table nearby and retrieved the worn black journal form her tote bag. She flipped through the pages until she came to the entry she had been waiting all day to read.

  July 7, 2008

  "WOW, what a weekend! I don't even know where to begin. I am just going to take you through it from the start.

  Nate picked me up on Friday morning and took me to Sunset Bay Resort in Coronado. We checked in, and he took our luggage to our room, which he did not allow me to see, so I waited in the lobby for him for what seemed like forever. When he came back, he took me to the spa at our resort. We had a fabulously relaxing couple’s massage, changed into our suits and spent the day on the beach laughing, touching, kissing and talking. I don't think we have spent that much time just being engaged in random conversation since we met! I learned so much about him and, he opened up and shared the horrors of his childhood, ones that he had only alluded to previously. My heart broke for him as he was telling me his story, and I can't help but wonder how a child can survive such horrors. It also makes me understand where that brokenness in him comes from and his oddities make more sense to me now. He seemed different that day, I saw the cracks in his armor clearly, and his face appeared more real, more human and less forced. Even his smile appeared genuine as I watched him completely relax. Having him become that vulnerable with me made me feel special; it made me feel as if he does feel for me on a deeper level than I thought he did. Towards the end of the day his demeanor grew more serious, and the atmosphere between us shifted severely. I don't know any other way to explain it to you other than by giving my best effort at a full recounting of what happened from that point forward.

  Nate asked me if he could take our relationship to a deeper level and course I said yes. Immediately, upon hearing my answer, he took me back up to the spa area where he led me by the hand into an oversized, private changing room.
There was a beautiful white cocktail gown lain out on a red, velvet settee at the far corner of the room, and on the floor next to the settee, sat two white boxes adorned with silver ribbon. As I stood there admiring the room, Nate quietly shut the door behind us.

  "Kali, I am going to undress you now," he said as he gently put his hand on one of my shoulders and turned my body around to face him.

  I was looking down, a bit scared and unsure of what was about to happen, and he softly tugged my chin up so I was looking into his eyes.

  "I said I am going to undress you now, okay?"

  "Okay," I whispered.

  He untied both strings of my black, satin bikini and pulled it off, watching it fall to the carpeted floor. Then he bent down, and taking the sides of my bikini bottom with both hands he slowly pushed it all the way down, leaving me standing naked before him. Returning to his feet, he stood up straight and looked into my eyes briefly while moving my hair off of my shoulders and tucking it back on both sides away from my face. Reaching his hand around towards the back of my head, he tangled his fingers into the mass of my hair giving it a little yank, forcing my chin up and my eyes back on his. The look in his eyes had changed and it seemed as if a darkness took over. I was scared but also beginning to become extremely aroused, and I followed his lead not really knowing what else to do.

  "Kali, I want you to do as I request for the remainder of the night. If we are going to be together, I need you to learn how to play my game. If you want to continue seeing me, I need you to understand how to give me pleasure. Can you do that?"

  The question hung in the heavy air between us for a moment, and I was both frightened and intrigued. I do want to be with him. I am in love with him. I knew I was going to say yes before the words came out of my mouth and, just before I was going to answer, he yanked my hair back again-this time with force. I let out a gasp, I couldn’t help it, and he spoke again but in a tone that was harsh and cold.

  "I will ask you only one more time, Kali, will you do as I request for the remainder of the night?"

  "Yes," I said, my voice sounding weak and frail.

  With that he quickly turned me around so I was facing a full length mirror hung against a dark, mahogany wall, and then he bent me over while taking both of my hands and placing them on the mirror. I felt every inch of him penetrate me, and I let out a sharp cry and instantly his hand reached up and covered my mouth pushing hard against my lips. His other hand found the curve of my hip, and he used it to force me against him as he thrust his rock hard erection in and out of me over and over again. He stopped abruptly and pulled out yanking my hair back, hard, so I was looking at myself in the mirror. I stared at my own reflection, a look of shock on my face, then I looked up at his face in the mirror. His eyes had softened. His fingers uncurled a little easing the tension on my hair. He wrapped his muscular, tanned arms around me and looked at me through the reflection in the mirror. A charming smile washed over his face as he bent his face down and kissed the top of my head.

  "Now I want you to get dressed and meet me in the lobby in ten minutes," he said, pointing towards the settee at the dress and boxes on the floor. Then he pulled his shorts up and left the room.

  I walked over and picked up the smaller of the two boxes. Inside I found a white lace thong, a matching strapless bra and a tube of pink lipstick. I then opened the larger box and found a pair of clear silver Stuart Weitzman heels. I quickly dressed as Nate had instructed.

  I was in the lobby waiting and watched as he strolled confidently down the circular staircase towards the lobby area. He was a magnificent sight. He looked incredibly handsome in his black suit. His eyes had a sparkle in them and the little green specs in his eyes seemed to dance around playfully, urging me to get lost within his gaze. I think I fell in love with him all over again in that moment and I hadn’t thought that possible.

  As we sat through a magnificent dinner together talking and laughing, my thoughts drifted back to the dressing room. I was so confused and nervous about what plans he had for us, what plans he had for me. During dinner, he seemed like he had earlier that day on the beach, relaxed and open. The logical part of my brain was telling me to run away, but the other part was telling me that everything was fine. Honestly, it didn't matter what either part of my brain told me, I was in love with the man sitting across the table from me, I was in love with all of him, including the parts that I don’t understand. I realized that day, while he was showing me the pain he held behind that mysterious mask that he wore, that he loved me too. That was all I needed to know.

  When dinner was over, we headed up to our hotel suite. At the door Nate stopped and pulled a white satin blindfold from his suit pants pocket.

  "I am going to put this over your eyes, Kali," he said and lifted the blindfold up to my face tying it in back careful not to tangle my hair in the knot.

  He grabbed one of my hands in his and I could hear him opening the door to the suite...

  "Kali...Kali?" a familiar voice jarred her from her journal and away from her memories.

  She looked up from the rocking chair and saw Carmen smiling down at her.

  "Would you like another? We are going to close in twenty minutes."

  With a heavy sigh, Kali shook her head, no. Realizing where she was, she looked down at the clock display on her iPhone. 8:40 p.m. Feeling a deep sadness come over her at being pulled away from that night with Nate, she reluctantly returned the journal into her green tote bag and gathered up her things. As she stood the room tilted slightly and a wave of dizziness washed over her. That night with Nate was the turning point in their relationship. She had thought it was the beginning of experiences that would bind them together for the rest of their lives. She never saw what was coming. That night she had felt as if her world would forever include Nate, just not the way it did today. Being able to experience him only by reading old journal pages was not the way she had envisioned their future together.

  She shook her head trying to clear both the disorientation and thoughts from her mind and walked down the creaky wooden stairs to the bottom floor. She placed her coffee cup behind the back counter, almost dropping it to the floor.

  "Goodnight, Carmen," Kali said.

  "Goodnight, are you okay?" Carmen asked.

  "Yes, thanks," Kali said and walked out the door, without another word.

  She got on the I5 and headed home, still lost in memories of that July night. When she finally made it home, she washed her pale face, brushed her teeth and got into bed. She lay very still, listening to the faint sound of the waves crashing on the shore outside her condo and wondering if responding to Nate's text earlier in the week had been a mistake. She desperately wanted to go back to him but she was terrified that returning to him one more time might obliterate what was left of her soul.

  CHAPTER 14

  Sutton pulled into the residential neighborhood where Nate lived, parked the Crown Vic and looked through the case notes again. Having virtually nothing to go on, Sutton got out of the car and headed to the end of the block. He decided he was going to do this the old school way and just start knocking on doors to see if anything shook out.

  By the time Sutton had knocked on every door up the street side opposite Nate's house and made his way half way down the street on Nate’s side, he had come up with zilch. Feeling discouraged and a bit weary, he walked back to his car. Opening the trunk, he pulled a cold bottle of water out of a yellow cooler he kept there. He closed the trunk, leaned back against it and took a couple of small sips. Looking back at the other side of the street towards Nate's house, he noticed a woman in her front yard watering some shrubs that separated her property line from that of her neighbors. He pulled back a few more swigs of water, ran his hand through his unruly hair and began walking towards the woman.

  "Good morning ma'am," Sutton said.

  "Morning officer," the woman said, looking Sutton up and down.

  The woman walked towards the side of her house and turned the wat
er off at the spigot before walking back towards Sutton.

  "Ma'am, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

  "Sure, fire away," she said with a questioning expression on her face.

  "Did you live in this house in 2009?" he asked, pointing in the direction of her house.

  "Yes, my husband and I bought this house twenty something years ago."

  "Do you recall if you were home on Christmas Eve in 2009?"

  She thought hard for a moment and then answered, "Yes, I was. My son was home from college to visit that year, and we had several family members over for an early Christmas dinner. Parking was a nightmare. The street was packed, and the rain was coming down like the devil."

  "Do you recall anything out of the ordinary that night? Any people milling around that didn't belong to this neighborhood? Anything at all come to mind?"

  "Only the red car that I called you guys about," she said her tone full of accusation.

  "Red car, ma'am?"

  "Yes, the red sports car. Jesus, I gave you guys the plate number. When you didn't come, I called again and by that time I was worried that the woman sitting inside might be in trouble," she said, her tone becoming tight.

  "The woman, ma'am, can you describe her please?"

  "I told you, she was young looking, with short, curly blonde hair and she kept rolling down her window and peering through some sort of goggles at that house," she stated, motioning to Nate's house.

  "Goggles, ma'am? What type of goggles?" Sutton asked.

  "Don't you guys know anything?" Exasperated she held her hands up to her eyes as if she were looking through a set of binoculars, "These kind of goggles, you know, to see far away things."