by J. D. Faver
Her expression became suddenly wary. “The third? I can’t remember that far back. Why do you ask?”
Oz slid the photo of her embracing Jason Best in front of her. She picked it up and gazed at it, her face became shuttered behind a well-controlled veneer. “I guess I was in the park. But surely you don’t think that I had anything to do with Lissa’s friend being injured?”
Oz held her gaze. “No. But it is a coincidence that you were in the park on the same day that her friend disappeared. I was told that you had a history with him.”
She looked startled. “Who are we talking about?”
“The murder of Randal Knox.”
“He’s dead?” Laurel’s voice cracked.
“Yes, his body was recovered in the lake, not far from where you were last Monday. I understand that the two of you were more than friends.”
“Who told you that?” Laurel’s temper flared, momentarily contorting her face into a twisted mask. “Those gossips at the spa? I’ll have them all fired.”
“You were photographed embracing a man in the park who turned out to be an employee of the spa you frequent. He worked with Randal Knox. I understand Jason Best is your Personal Trainer at this time?”
“He is.” She spat out the words, afterwards drawing her lips into a pout.
“And you engaged Mr. Knox in that same capacity prior to hiring Mr. Best?”
She nodded, her arms folded around herself.
“Just what does the position of Personal Trainer entail, Mrs. Jobe?”
“Helping me to work out. After the baby, I needed to get back into shape.”
“And Mr. Knox did that for you?”
She nodded.
“Why did you change to Mr. Best?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Jason was just...more pleasant to be around.”
Oz tapped the photo. “Yes, Ma’am, you do seem to be enjoying his company.”
“Look,” she hissed. “I’m married to a man old enough to be my father. A girl has certain needs. Hobart doesn’t mind as long as I’m discreet and it doesn’t interfere with our time together.”
“And where is Mr. Jobe?” Oz asked.
“He’s in Vancouver on business. It’s always business.” Laurel grimaced as though she was about to cry. “Sometimes, I feel like I’m in a box!”
Oz straightened. “A box?”
“Yes. Like I’m some pretty possession dressing my husband’s arm when we go out in public.” She dabbed at a tear with a linen napkin. “I’m so lonely, Officer. Surely you can understand that.” She squeezed his arm again.
He took a breath. “I understand loneliness,” he said. “I’m just not sure I understand the box.”
#
Oz returned to his apartment. He’d learned a little about the relationship Laurel had with her trainers, but it wasn’t anything that hadn’t been guessed.
Laurel hadn’t known that her au pair, Lissa had become involved with Randal Knox when she’d quit him.
Oz wondered how Laurel felt about that. He knew about the ‘girl code’ from his sister, Candy. If a girl broke up with a guy, all her friends were off limits. But then, Laurel and Lissa weren’t friends. Was Randal making a statement by hooking up with the much younger Lissa or did he want someone more pliable who didn’t own his ass?
Oz tossed his keys on the counter. He couldn’t imagine a situation in which he wouldn’t care if Micki had lovers outside of marriage. He couldn’t imagine Micki with anyone who wasn’t him. But he only had Laurel Jobe’s
word that her husband didn’t mind her indiscretions.
“Oz?”
He turned when he heard Micki’s voice. The first sight of her always caused a tingling sensation in his gut. Oz held out his arms and she rushed into his embrace.
“Micki,” he said her name and buried his face in her hair.
“I missed you so much,” she said. “It’s just that since we’re...”
Oz took a breath. “Back together?” He hoped that was what she’d been going to say.
“Together. . .I’m afraid something will happen and we won’t be...”
“Together. We will, Micki. We’ll always be together.”
“Because I don’t think I can take it if we break up again.”
“We didn’t break up, Micki. You dumped me and I still don’t know why.”
“I can’t explain it,” she said.
“It’s about the box, I know. I mean I don’t know, but I’ll try never to make you feel like you’re in one and if I did, I’m sorry.” He touched the side of her face with his fingertips.
Micki grabbed his hand and pressed her lips against his palm.
Oz cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lips over and over again as though he was starving and they were his only sustenance.
“Promise me one thing,” he said.
“Anything.”
“If you decide to dump me again, just shoot me in the head instead, because I don’t want to live through that kind of pain again. I can’t.”
“Oz, I’m not going to dump you, but you might want to take a good look at me because I’m a different woman than you think I am.”
He pulled back and gazed into her eyes as though the answer to some mystery might be there. He started to tell her that she was exactly what he wanted but held back. “How different are you?”
“I’m not your mother,” she said.
“I sincerely hope not.”
“And I’m not my mother. Oz, I have hopes and dreams beyond the neighborhood, beyond being somebody’s wife and somebody else’s mother. I want to fulfill my own dreams. I want to travel and I want to accomplish something on my own. Can you understand that?”
Oz nodded. “I can see that Micki. I watched you taking photos at the wedding. You were completely professional when you were working. You photographed everything and you knew exactly what to do. You were all over the place and even when that guy threatened you, you didn’t step back. You followed through because you had a commitment to do it right. I didn’t tell you then, but I’m telling you now, I’m very proud of you.”
“That means a lot to me, Oz.”
She looked like she was fighting tears, so he kissed her again. “The Lieutenant said I’m supposed to bring you to the station house to look at mug shots.”
She nodded. “I can do that.” She grabbed her purse and the rented Leica in the aluminum case.
“Why are you taking the camera?” Oz asked. “I don’t think you’ll find anything to shoot at the station.” He swung the door open for her.
“You never know.” She ducked under his arm and stepped into the hallway.
“I guess I have to get used to the new you with a camera growing out of your arm like a transformer.”
“Good analogy.”
#
Micki and Oz embraced in the elevator and she leaned into the curve under his protective arm.
She swung the camera case. It was so much lighter than her duffle and more resilient. She liked that the camera fit snugly into the case and was protected by foam padding.
They rode down to the underground parking and Oz opened her car door, shutting her inside and going around. Micki leaned over to open the driver’s side and saw the pony tail man behind him. She screamed as Oz collapsed against the vehicle and slid to the concrete.
Micki got out and ran around the car to kneel beside Oz. The pony tail man stood over them with a gun in his hand.
“You killed my boyfriend!” A rush of anger filled her chest. With her teeth gritted together, Micki stood up, swinging the aluminum camera case as she rose. She smashed the pony tail man in the face and when he went down, hit him again. She screamed and hit until she heard the elevator doors open. The pony tail man wasn’t moving.
A couple on the elevator peered out at her anxiously and then closed the doors again.
Micki returned to Oz, but didn’t see any blood. She dropped the camera case and groped for the pulse in h
is neck, drawing a ragged breath when she found it beating strong.
“Oz?” she said. There was no response.
The pony tail man was on his feet, wiping blood from his mouth. “Man, I coulda’ gone for you. You got a mean streak a mile wide.”
“What did you do to my boyfriend?” she screamed.
“Taser.” He held up the weapon for her to see.
“Why isn’t he moving?” she asked.
“I gave him a heavy jolt. That’s a big boy you got there.”
“You didn’t have to hurt him.”
“He’s a cop. Now why’d ya’ hafta bring a cop into the mix?”
“I told you, he’s my boyfriend,” she said.
The pony tail man nodded and licked the blood on his lip, glancing at Oz. “He’s out of it, Chickie. It’s just you and me now.” He motioned for her to step forward.
“What do you want with me?”
“The money for the back up. All copies. Everything and I give you the cash.”
Micki took a deep breath. “I didn’t know you’d be down here. I don’t have it with me right now.”
“When can you get it?”
“Tonight at midnight. I’ll sneak back down here when Oz is asleep.”
“I like that,” he said. “A secret rendezvous with a feisty chick. I can do that.” He looked at her with a grin gathering on his face. He reached out to grab her wrist, pulling her against him.
Micki braced herself with her palms flat against his chest while he gazed deep into her eyes.
He grazed the side of her neck with the taser leaving gooseflesh in its wake.
She stared steadily into his eyes as he leaned down to give her a rough kiss.
“Midnight,” he said and strode away disappearing among the parked cars.
Micki wiped the kiss off with the back of her hand and knelt beside Oz, calling his name. A siren sounded as two squad cars squealed into the parking garage.
Oz grunted and blinked his eyes several times before struggling to a sitting position. A uniformed officer approached with his hand on his weapon.
“We got a disturbance call,” the officer said.
Micki stood up. “Someone attacked us.”
The officer spoke into a two-way radio on his shoulder and the other officers came forward.
“What hit me?” Oz asked.
“It was the pony tail man,” she said. “He got you with a taser.”
“No,” he said. “I’ve been zapped by a taser before during training at the academy and it was nothing like that.”
#
CHAPTER TWELVE
Micki explained some of what happened to the officers and within the hour she and Oz were in Lieutenant Qualls office, looking at the security footage for the second time.
“Look, here it comes.” Qualls pointed to the monitor.
“Good one, Oz,” Vinnie said as they watched Oz sink to the garage floor again.
Oz grinned good naturedly. “Shush, here comes the best part. Mighty Mite beats up the bad guy.”
They watched Micki swing the camera case into the attacker’s face.
“Atta girl! Look at her go.” Qualls made punching motions.
Micki sat across from Qualls looking down at the floor. “It’s not funny, guys.”
“Yeah, it is, Mick,” Vinnie said. “Big Oz goes down and Micki steps up.”
“I thought you were dead, Oz,” she said. “You could have been.”
Oz’ eyes narrowed. “Now that’s not funny.” He jabbed his finger at the screen as the pony tail man kissed Micki.
The lab techs had taken a DNA swab of the blood and saliva on her face before Micki washed off all traces of the pony tail man. The camera case had more blood and tissue samples to nourish the lab techs feeding frenzy.
Qualls cleared his throat. “The attacker seems to have taken a shine to your girl, Oz. Seriously, I think you should move her to a safe house.”
Micki stood up and glared at each of the three men. “If you gentlemen are through humiliating me, I have something to say.”
“Sorry Micki,” Oz said. “We got caught up in it.”
“By all means, let the lady speak.” Lieutenant Qualls waved his hand and sat back in his chair.
She cleared her throat. “It may interest you to know that I made a date with that man.”
“What?” Oz rose from his chair, his brows knotted together. “I’m going to kill him.”
“I have a date to meet him in the parking garage at midnight with my park photo back up files.” She let her gaze travel from man to man. “He’s going to give me one hundred thousand dollars for them.”
“You made a date to meet with the guy who zapped me?”
“After I knew you weren’t dead.”
“Micki, so help me, I...”
Lieutenant Qualls was grinning. “No, this is great. The guy is coming to us. You did a good thing, Micki.”
Aida Bounds tapped on the glass of Lieutenant Qualls office door. She entered the compartment and tossed photos on his desk. “Phillip Luka, international assassin. Ex-Army Special Forces. We trained him.”
Micki suppressed a shudder as she stared at the photograph of a much younger Phillip Luka. His military haircut and boyish grin didn’t hint at the evil he was capable of performing.
“He doesn’t look so menacing in this picture,” Micki said.
“Don’t go getting soft on him.” Oz tucked Micki under his arm.
“There’s your sniper.”
“That’s what he was trained for,” Aida said.
“But why would he shoot at me in the first place?” Micki looked from person to person.
“Maybe you should have asked him,” Oz said, “seeing as how you’re such good friends.”
#
Micki examined the rented Leica and found it to be in mint condition, thanks to the heavy padding inside the aluminum case. She’d thrown a fit in Aida’s lab and wrested the camera from the tech before surrendering the case. Now the camera hung from a heavy strap around her neck with its lens cap in place and extra lenses and filters bulging out of her purse.
Walking her back to his car, Oz ruffled her hair affectionately. “You’re really somthin’, Micki.”
“I’m not feeling too good about this,” she said.
He pulled her into his arms and snuggled her for a moment before dropping a kiss on top of her head.
“I’ve known you since you were seven and I was nine and I’ve never even seen you squash a bug before.”
“What’s your point?”
“The way you went after Luka was awesome.”
“I thought he’d killed you. I thought you were lying there dead or injured.”
“And you went after him.” Oz grinned down at her.
“And you think that’s funny? I attacked another human being. I made him bleed.”
“Micki, Luka is not a good guy. He’s the one who shot at you and he punched you in the face.”
Micki touched her cheek, just now having regained its normal color. “I know you’re right, but I’ve never felt so angry, so filled with rage.” She pressed her face into his chest, inhaling the clean man smell. “I scared me.”
Oz held her, cradling her head in his hand. “You don’t scare me. I feel that way all the time. Ever since I met you, when anyone was mean to you, I wanted to pound on them.”
“But I did pound on someone. I smashed a metal case into his face.”
He grinned again. “And why did you do that?”
“Because I thought he’d hurt you.”
“Exactly. Now do you understand how I feel about you and why I want to put you in a box and keep you safe?”
“Oh.” She slid her arm around his waist and they continued walking to the car. “I see,” she pronounced solemnly as he opened the door for her.
#
Oz left Micki at Gus’ Camera Sales and Repair Shop. She was going to work on printing the proofs of Zondra’s wedding pictures.
He’d admonished her to stay put and promised to pick her up after he made a follow-up call at the boat rental place in the park.
He parked and strode across the grass toward the lake, taking the most direct route as opposed to the more picturesque. He walked along the dock, noting the names and numbers of the boats tethered there, before seeking the man behind the counter who told him that the boat he sought wasn’t a rental, but belonged to the park custodial service.
Locating the head of Park Maintenance took the better part of an hour. Oz hoped that Micki would live up to her promise to wait for him and not strike out on her own.
Following directions from the boat rental man, Oz knocked at the door of a green metal shed marked ‘Maintenance’. He heard music playing softly and the sound of a chair scraping against the floor.
“Yeah, what do you want?” The speaker was a short older man with a week’s growth of graying whiskers on his face.