Skin

by Patricia Rosemoor

  He started as if shocked by the accusation. “Me? Why the hell would you think I would do something like that?”

  “You don’t like me.”

  “I think you’re reckless.”

  “And I bested you.”

  “Don’t fool yourself.”

  “Maybe you wanted to shake me so I would quit. Did you leave this in my locker, Gabe?”

  “Yeah, great. Not only do I have to deal with an ex-wife who spits on the job, now you are, and here I am, trying to find your sister and make sure you don’t end up like her.”

  Lilith backed down. “Okay.” Terrific. She really might have to get on that stage. She reached to pick up the photo.

  Gabe snatched it up by the edge, picked up a napkin from the bar and folded the photo into it. “I’ll take this to the station, see if we can get prints. Other than yours.” He put it in his pocket. “Is that it?”

  “Not exactly.” She pulled the chain from her pocket and set it before him. “The killer is definitely trying to shake me. I just found this in my makeup case.”

  Gabe eyed the chain but didn’t pick it up. “What would make you think the killer left that?”

  “Because it belonged to Hannah.”

  “It’s a chain. It could have belonged to anyone.”

  “No. See this little safety pin holding it together.” She tapped the pin to point it out. “Hannah broke the chain and I used that pin to fix it for her.”

  Joe set down another shot in front of Gabe and turned to Lilith. “Anything for you?”

  “Sparkling water with a squeeze of lime. Thanks.”

  Gabe waited until the bartender moved away to get her drink. “So your sister just wore a chain with nothing hanging from it?”

  “There was a heart-half. She wore it here at the club. Caresse saw it on her.” And had thought she was wearing Hannah’s necklace. “I saw it on Hannah the day before she was taken. If we could find the heart-half–”

  “You think you’ll nail the killer.”

  “Something like that.”

  “So where are you going to start, Detective Mitchell?”

  She shrugged. “That’s why I came to you. I thought you might have some idea of where to look.”

  “Start with your boyfriend. Wyndham.”

  He looked over his shoulder, and Lilith followed his gaze. Michael was sitting alone at a table, but rather than looking at the dancer on stage, he was staring at her. He didn’t look too happy seeing her with Gabe.

  In a low voice, she said, “Michael is not your man.”

  The bartender set down the sparkling water in front of her.

  “Thanks, Joe.” She drank half the glass, then asked Gabe, “Any other thoughts?”

  “Don’t dismiss the fact that Wyndham has shown special interest in you. Why do you think that is?”

  “I would like to think it’s not because he’s guilty.” But because he was truly attracted to her and felt the same connection she had.

  “I’m warning you; he’s dangerous.”

  “Dangerous how exactly?” Lilith asked, remembering her disagreement with Michael because he’d pressured her to quit this place, worrying about it being too dangerous. That didn’t sound like a man who wanted her dead. She regretted that she’d gotten her back up. “That’s all very vague, Gabe. Anything specific?”

  “His father is connected. I mean his real father. Wyndham’s adopted. I told you Pucinski has a file on him. I did some of the research myself. His father’s connection to The Outfit goes way back to before Wyndham was born. His mother’s no angel, either. Worked in a strip bar all her life. By the way, she’s tall, with long dark hair. Sound familiar?”

  “A lot of dancers are tall with long dark hair.” Though she knew he was referring to the victims. Michael had told her about his mother himself, if not about his father. Maybe he didn’t even know who the man was. “What’s your point?”

  “In case you’ve forgotten, your sister is the third woman who fits that description that this guy has taken. Killers don’t always victimize the people they want to punish. Sometimes they pick a substitute.”

  “So you think he’s punishing the mother who abandoned him over and over through other women?”

  Gabe shrugged. “There’s a certain perverted logic to it.”

  A logic that stayed with her. She didn’t want to believe that Michael was anything but what he seemed to be – a documentary filmmaker who was trying to make sense of his life. Gabe was so negative about Michael, so certain that he lived a far darker life than was apparent, that a tiny niggle of doubt plagued her.

  She had to know for certain.

  Which is why she worked her way over to Michael’s table. He met her gaze but his expression remained neutral, as if he was hiding his feelings.

  Not knowing how he’d react after their disagreement, she adopted a pleasant smile and merely said, “You look thirsty.”

  “I could use a beer.”

  “Coming right up.”

  She turned away, but he caught her hand, stopping her. “And some company later. If you’re not still angry with me.”

  His touch sent gooseflesh racing up her arm. Because he turned her on or because Gabe had made her wary of him?

  “I’m not angry.”

  On edge after Gabe’s lecture. Definitely.

  “Good. Then I’ll meet you out back when you get off. We can go to my place. Or yours if that makes you more comfortable.”

  Knowing those were the only options for a late-night date other than breakfast at some all night diner, she said, “Yours.”

  That way she could look for the heart-half.

  oOo

  HE WONDERED how she’d liked his gifts.

  He’d gone through a lot of trouble to shock her. She’d seemed a little off all night, like she was constantly looking over her shoulder.

  Good.

  He was getting to her.

  He pulled the bag from the back of his vehicle. It had been there all night, and no one had seen it.

  A little moan, and the contents stirred as he hefted the bag over his shoulder.

  His anticipation was building. The pressure was becoming unbearable, made him feel like he was ready to explode. But now he had extra incentive for Lilith to do exactly what he wanted.

  Entering the dark room where he kept the sister – that’s how he thought of her now, because Lilith was the one who really turned him on – he heard her scramble upright on the cot to which he had her handcuffed.

  “What is it you want?” she asked. “Tell me what you want.”

  “I don’t negotiate.” He drew closer, made his voice more menacing. Set his burden down on the floor next to a rusted old radiator. “I want to do things to you that no one has ever done. I want to make your sister watch.”

  “My... what sister?”

  “Don’t play coy. She’s working at the club.”

  The bitch laughed.

  “Yeah, right.”

  “She took the waitress job there the night after you disappeared.” He freed the contents of the bag. “She changed her hair and makeup. Could be your twin.”

  The laughter faded fast.

  “You’re serious.” She hesitated a second, then said, “Let me give you whatever it is you want and then let me leave. I haven’t seen your face, so I don’t know who you are. I can’t tell.”

  She’d already tried anger. Now she sounded like she was at a bargaining table.

  “I know.” He used the gravelly half-whisper that disguised his voice. “You’ll never tell.”

  And then he turned on the battery-operated light he’d brought and grinned down at her. He’d used camouflage makeup to disguise his face.

  Though the light was dim, she’d been in the dark so long she was having trouble focusing. When she did, she gasped. “Who is that?”

  “An additional enticement,” he said, handcuffing the girl, who was just regaining consciousness, to a radiator. “Lilith thinks she�
��s going to trap me and find you. Maybe I’ll let her. Then I’ll have you both. She can watch what I do to you... and then I’ll do it all to her.”

  “Leave Lilith alone!” Her gaze shot to the girl who was stirring, trying to open her eyes. “Leave them both alone! They aren’t like me–”

  “Lilith is exactly like you. A whore who tries to control men. She needs to be taught a lesson, to be put in her place. Then she needs to be finished. Just like you do.”

  “What do you want to let us go?” She couldn’t stop looking at the girl on the ground. “Tell me what you want. I’ll do anything. Anything! Please!”

  So she finally resorted to begging. How disappointing.

  “I might let this one go,” he said, poking the girl with his foot. “She’s of no interest to me. But doing you and your sister together... nothing I want more. Killing two of her at the same time... I could never top that.”

  That would be the ultimate cum.

  oOo

  Chapter 16

  LEAVING THE CLUB in the middle of the night, Lilith fought her exhaustion with the thought of taking action. Not that she wanted to nail Michael as a killer; she wanted to eliminate him as a suspect. It would be so much easier if she could simply get into Paul’s place and find Hannah’s half of the heart there. She’d tried to wheedle an invitation from Paul, but he’d been adamant about waiting until Saturday. He’d left the club more than a little annoyed with her.

  She didn’t know how she could stand the waiting. Maybe when she didn’t find the piece here, she could talk Pucinski into getting a search warrant for the Ensdorf home and mortuary. Gabe had left before she’d been able to ask him about it. And when she’d had his attention, she’d forgotten to ask him if Rudy Barnes was a suspect.

  Her pulse rushed a little faster as she ran down the stairs into the alley and looked for Michael, who’d disappeared with Irene halfway through the night. To interview her? Irene had returned looking none the worse for wear.

  Thumbs hooked casually into his jeans pockets, Michael leaned against the Jaguar where she’d parked it. Lilith stopped several yards from him. They stood there, silently taking each other’s measure for a few seconds.

  Then she asked, “No SUV?”

  “If we take your car, you can leave any time. If you need to get away from me this time, that is. I wouldn’t want you taking public trans before daybreak again. I can get mine in the morning. No problem.”

  Did he hope she would still be at his place in the morning?

  Her pulse threaded unevenly at the thought.

  Grateful that she had an easy way out in case things got uncomfortable – or dangerous – Lilith pulled the keys from her bag. Michael put his hand over hers.

  “Let me.”

  She let him drive without an argument. Better to take the drive time to get her bearings. She needed to play this right. Go in with a plan. No matter how much she hoped Michael was innocent, she had to know the truth. If that heart-half was stashed in his place, she meant to find it.

  Realizing the silence had become deafening, she asked, “So what do you do when you’re not at the club?”

  “Work.”

  “Making documentaries?”

  “Sometimes. I mostly freelance with production companies.”

  “And that pays enough for your lifestyle?”

  He laughed. “Lifestyle? Pretty much all I do is work.”

  “The club–”

  “Is work. Whether or not you believe it. It just happens to be my passion for the moment. Making documentaries,” he clarified. “And a couple beers a night isn’t going to break the budget.”

  Despite all the negativity Gabe had tried to implant in her, she wanted to believe him. Despite being put off by Michael at first, she wanted to believe that this was the real him. And maybe it was. While she’d seen him talking to women, she’d never seen him pay for a lap dance or for a dancer’s time.

  “Do you always do the documentaries alone?” she asked.

  “First time,” he said. “I don’t always have a crew. I rarely have a big budget for payroll. It all depends on the project, but I’ve always had someone working with me. Skin happens to be personal, so it’s out of pocket; and I’m flying solo on this one, at least so far.” He paused for a second, then asked, “Will you talk to me on camera again?”

  “As long as you don’t push me too far.”

  “The second the discomfort gets unbearable, put on the brakes.”

  Lilith wondered how long that would take.

  oOo

  TWENTY MINUTES LATER, she was sitting in front of the camera, Michael in its shadow once more.

  “How do you feel about working at the club now that you’re done with your training wheels?” he asked.

  “Since I’m not a dancer, where’s the interest?”

  “Waitresses get nearly as much male attention as the dancers. It’s a sexist atmosphere. Usually I ask if this lifestyle was your choice or if you were you forced into it, but I highly doubt you’ve ever stepped foot in a gentlemen’s club before walking into Club Paradise.”

  “You’re right.”

  “So that makes me even more curious. I still haven’t figured out the attraction for a woman like you.”

  So he wanted to know what made her tick. Because he was guilty? Or because he was actually interested in her? She wanted to believe the latter. Maybe if she gave up some information, so would he. Gabe had said his real father was connected, giving her a place to start.

  “My stepfather was abusive.”

  Michael seemed startled, as if that was the last thing he’d thought to hear, but he picked right up on the revelation. “So you ran away.”

  “I got out of that house by going away to college. My younger sister ran because I failed her.”

  Michael didn’t respond.

  He was waiting for her to open up, something she’d only done with the therapist she’d seen in college. And with Elena. But talking to the camera rather than to a person – once more Michael was enveloped in shadow, almost removing him from the room – freed her.

  “Marlon Aldrich hated me from the moment Mama brought him home. First he slapped me if I mouthed off to him when he got drunk and mean. Then he hit me harder if I got between him and Mama. Pretty soon, he used any excuse to beat me. I ended up in the ER numerous times.”

  “What about the police?”

  “What police? My mother covered for him, backed up his lies about accidents, about my being too clumsy. She used to tell me not to argue with him, that setting him off like that was my fault.” She took a deep breath. Licked her lips. The pain was old and yet fresh. The rest came out in an agonized rush. “I had to leave before it went further. I had some very dark thoughts. I started sleeping with a knife under my pillow. You can understand that, can’t you? I was a terrified seventeen-year-old. When I went away to school, my sister wanted to come with me, but how could I take care of a twelve-year-old? Besides, my sister was so timid, Marlon always just ignored her. I swear to God I didn’t think he would ever put a hand on her.”

  “The physical abuse...” Michael’s voice was thick, as if he was angry in her stead. “...how did it affect your life?”

  “By making me determined never to let it happen again. I learned to protect myself. Ever since college, I’ve been in a program called Street Survival, something I will be involved with forever. I take the class over and over every year to stay fighting sharp. My version of going to AA, I guess. Not that I was a pain addict. I just always want to be able to protect myself, to make sure a man never has the upper hand with me again.”

  Not even long enough to make her dance for him. She was still worrying about that, hoping against hope that he would be caught and Hannah saved before she was forced into the limelight to strip for a roomful of strange men.

  Wanting to know if what Gabe told her about Michael was true, she asked, “So what about your father?”

  “He’s a sociologist. The kind
est, gentlest man you’d ever want to meet.”

  “You don’t have to sound so apologetic about it. I mean your birth father. Last time you said you were adopted and your birth mother was a stripper, but you didn’t tell me about him. Your mother did tell you about the man who fathered you, didn’t she?”

  “Not at first and not easily. Tony isn’t what you would call an upstanding citizen. No surprise considering where he met my mother. Not a gentlemen’s club where they have fancy areas for bachelor and bachelorette parties. A strip joint. Old school. One that was run by The Outfit.”

  So he was connected. Gabe hadn’t exaggerated.

  Her pulse tick-ticked when she asked, “Did you meet him?”

  “I was curious.”

  She wished she could see his face. Not that she would get anything off him if he didn’t want her to. He was fully capable of hiding what he was thinking or feeling.

  “What about focusing on your father’s lifestyle in a documentary?” she asked.

  “About mobsters?” He laughed. “Sorry, but you have to be kidding. That’s been done before. Nothing new to mine. Besides, I like taking chances, but not with my life.”

  “So your real father is dangerous.”

  “I’m told he was. I don’t know about now. Most of those old mob guys went legit years ago. They took the money they earned illegally and put it into legal businesses. None of them want to make the state pen their retirement home. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t have someone step in to protect their ‘good names.’”

  Again, the laugh.

  “So what does he do?”

  Michael gave her an odd expression, then said, “You did it again, turned the conversation around. We weren’t supposed to be talking about me.”

  Which meant he wasn’t going to answer. “To tell the truth,” she said, “I’m all talked out tonight.”

  Lilith slid off the stool and walked over to the cart near the fireplace where he kept his liquor. She took a quick look to see what he didn’t have, and when he asked, “Can I make you a drink?” she returned, “I would love a glass of red wine.”