The woman took it and stared up at her. “You’ll find her, right?”
Oh, there was no doubt that they’d retrieve the body. It was only a matter of time. “Yes, I believe we will.” She kept it light, not wanting to stress the woman out any more. Unfortunately, she would find the truth out, soon enough.
Leaving, she pulled out her phone to call her partner. It was past dusk, and Vivian knew that they had started early. When Tom answered, he was driving.
“You heading out for the night?”
“Yeah,” he answered. “The boyfriend didn't change his story once, and I called his place of employment and his boss confirmed it. Tomorrow, they’re going to be starting a search for her.”
“Are we going to the scene while they look for Tawny?”
“Yeah, we need to monitor it. The boss doesn’t want this turning out to be some media circus. We have the use of three officers, plus both of us to coordinate and monitor. You know it’s a priority if the boss is going to lay down the law and intercede.”
“Great.” She told him what she had found out from the missing woman’s friend and the art class, as she got into her car. “We don’t have anything more than that.”
“How about we meet at the abduction site first thing? I want to get our bearings before they start tearing those woods apart.”
“Did the three officers you sent out find anything?”
“Not a thing,” he answered. “They didn't find a trail or disturbed leaf. It’s looking more and more like he grabbed her and took her, possibly by car.”
“Yeah, that driveway was obstructed by a lot of trees.” Vivian hated lying to her partner, but what choice did she have? She was well aware that the woman was lying at the bottom of a stream.
“Okay, kiddo, see you tomorrow bright and early. Get some sleep or have a drink. You looked like shit this morning and that’s going to scare people.”
“Tom, you’re such a sweet talker.”
He laughed and disconnected the call.
Vivian started up the car and glanced over at the clock. It wasn’t too late, and she assumed the Littlemoons would all be working. She didn't think it would be advisable to leave a detective vehicle in the private investigator’s parking lot, so she opted to drop it at home and walk a couple of blocks.
It would just be better that way.
And safer…
As she parked her car, she pulled out her phone and sent Justin a text. Hopefully, he would still be at work.
When she received her answer, she began the trek down the street. Now, she could focus on something more than the image of the woman who was still vivid in her mind.
It was now time to focus on the living.
Chapter Eleven
As she walked into the office, he was standing there waiting for her. Immediately, her heart reacted to his close proximity. Justin crossed to her, and ran his fingers over her cheek.
“Your face is cold.”
She grinned up at him. “I parked the work car at my place and walked. I don’t need anyone driving by and seeing it in the parking lot.”
That was logical.
He took her by the hand and led her into the room they were using to discuss the case.
Vivian smiled at the people who she was getting to know. After their easy acceptance the other night, it was hard not to like them. Tori Littlemoon seemed like a genuinely sweet person, and was madly in love with her husband. Rarely, was she far from his side. Even as they sat together, her hand connected them in some way.
It still astounded her that Julian and Justin looked exactly the same. Even when they stood side by side, they were the identical height, and from the back, if it weren’t for the hair difference, no one could tell them apart.
The only other way was when looking into their eyes. It was evident. When Vivian stared into Justin’s, there was this sense of completeness that was lacking when she did the same with his brother.
Apparently, something in the one man attracted her, and it wasn’t their looks. It was deeper and more encompassing. What she wanted with Justin was more than skin deep.
It ran right to their souls.
“Hey, Vivian,” Tori said, grinning at her. “How was your day?”
“Busy,” she answered as Justin helped her out of her jacket. He took it to the medium sized closet and hung it up. “I did a few interviews,” she added, as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. “I started at the art class.”
“Yeah, with the naked man,” muttered Justin, just before he took his seat.
Vivian could detect the unhappiness in his voice and glanced over at him to reassure him. “Yeah, he was naked, but I’ve found that I’m more into Native men than Russians. There’s a huge difference.”
That eased his tension.
Julian started snickering and got a slap on the arm for his audacity. The look from Tori made him laugh even more. It was good to see his brother all flustered. Usually, he was the one who struggled with the woman issues. Never before had Julian seen his brother this stirred up over anything in his life.
It was amusing.
“Back to the lecherous Russian man,” she began, only to be cut off once more at her choice of words.
“What do you mean by that?”
Tori rolled her eyes. “Uh, Vivian’s beautiful. I think we can all deduce why she called him that.”
“He wanted to take me to dinner, but I wouldn’t stress it. Really, he’s not my type.”
“You know, this conversation is making me more and more irate as it goes on,” stated Justin, as the overwhelming need to kick someone’s ass was building in him. “How about we skip this part and just go with the specifics?”
Vivian took his hand under the table and stroked his knuckle with the pad of her thumb. “Anyway,” she began, and let them in on everything that they had discovered, “I headed over to the best friend’s house and talked to her.”
“How did that go?” Julian asked.
“Good. She was pretty shaken up about it all. I even dug into Josh Devaul and Tawny’s relationship. It appears that they were victims of love at first sight and have been together for over two years. From what she said, everything was more than perfect.”
Julian thought about that and stared at his wife. “That doesn’t add up for me.”
Tori was getting that vibe too. “Yeah, if you meet someone, and they’re your soul mate, why aren’t you at least living together after two years.”
“When I met Tori, I would have followed her to hell and back. She’s the one that ran from me, or we would have lived together from day one.”
Justin stared at Vivian, and in his mind, he was wondering what her thoughts were on that.
“I can see where you’re taking this. So, they meet and fall madly in love and going into three years, they aren’t living together or engaged,” Vivian said, as she could feel Justin’s eyes on her the entire time.
God, he was making it damn hard to think.
“Yeah,” Julian stated. “The minute Tori was released from the Vet hospital, we were getting married.” Minus the few hours when he accused her of being a cheating heartbreaker. The rest of the time, they were locked at each other’s hips.
“So, maybe we all see the perfect couple on the outside, but underneath it’s rocky?” Vivian asked.
Both Littlemoons nodded.
It was something to think about.
Justin watched her carefully for any sign that she would be receptive to them having a more permanent relationship. Then, he glanced up at his brother who was smiling wickedly.
The best part about having a twin was the constant best friend to have your back. There was nothing closer in life than an egg that divided and two lives that resulted from it in the womb.
The worst part? Knowing that the other person was likely going to know everything about you, including what you were thinking at that time.
Yeah, Julian knew. He could see it in his eyes.
H
e was going to bust his ass mercilessly. After all, he would have done the same damn thing to his brother. In fact, when his brother wanted his help to get Tori back, he’d tricked him into getting a giant tattoo across his chest.
Yeah, he was certainly screwed.
Payback was on the horizon.
Vivian loved how expressive Justin’s face was. It made it easy to read him, and right at that moment, he was deep in thought. It warmed her heart, as she hoped that he was thinking exactly what she had been pondering.
It was hard not to think about Justin, and being with him for a long time. It had been ages since she felt the need to be with someone in the long term.
Here it was once more.
Finally, Vivian was able to refocus, when everyone began snickering at the table. Apparently, she and Justin were staring at each other for a quite a while in silence.
“After the art class,” she continued, “they headed to a bar to grab a drink.”
“Do we know the name?”
She flipped through her notes and found the name. “Lori Wilmont said that it’s called ‘Entourage’.”
That had Justin’s attention and set alarm bells off in his head. “I was just there interviewing the bartender regarding Melissa Lagerfeld.”
Tori was excited at this newest piece of the puzzle. This could be a break for them. “So, we have two women who were taken after leaving the exact bar?”
Julian pulled out his phone and searched, just to make sure they weren’t chasing their tails. “There are twelve bars in Delta Falls, so, it’s not like it is the only one to go to. Two missing women from the same place is suspicious.”
Justin knew what that meant. He was going back to face the lecherous waitress. Maybe he could bring backup this time. He wouldn’t mind watching Vivian’s reaction to see what she was feeling. “It looks like I’m going to be heading there later in the afternoon.”
Tori shook her head. “No. This time, we’re going. You already made an appearance there and got the minimum. Let’s see if I do the interviewing, if I can find out something new.”
“Wait, what’s that supposed to mean?” Julian asked, hoping she wasn’t going to flirt with a bartender.
“I’m going to use my charm and personality.”
He stared at her. “I hope your charm and personality are going to be well covered,” he quipped, pointing at her chest.
Now, it was Justin’s turn to enjoy his brother’s distress. This is what they lived for as twins. “It’s all fun and games when it’s not your girl being checked out,” he stated, and then realized how proprietary that sounded. As he glanced over at Vivian, she was grinning at him.
Oh, she knew exactly what he was implying, and didn't freak out. Justin couldn’t help but believe that was probably a good sign.
Before Julian could lose his mind, there was a chime from the door being opened. Then, Mayor Lagerfeld called to them, announcing himself.
“Shit! I can’t be found here, especially by him!” Vivian exclaimed in a hiss.
“Closet!” Tori replied, jumping out of her seat.
Vivian rushed towards it and prayed that this worked. Justin was right behind her.
If his girl was going to hide in a closet, he was going to keep her company. Once they were both in, Tori closed the door.
Justin had never been happier in all his life that the closet had very little room. It meant that Vivian had to remain pressed against his body. She was so damn close that he could feel her gun at her hip against his own side.
Since they were relatively the same height, Vivian’s lips were relatively close to his. Her hands were braced on his shoulders as they remained pressed intimately together.
“You smell amazing,” he whispered in her ear.
“God, so do you,” she replied, just as quietly.
His mind wandered to the Russian who was hitting on her. It fired up his blood and made him want to do absolutely ridiculous things in response.
Vivian was having a hard time concentrating. Maybe it was the fact that he was right there, waiting for her to make a move, or that they were pressed together and could feel his excitement.
Or, it was both.
Running her hands up his neck, she slid them into his hair. “This is torture,” she admitted.
He could honestly say that she wasn’t the only one suffering. Justin was thinking about their love making the previous night and that wasn’t helping the situation out.
“I’m sorry, Vivian, but I can’t help it,” he murmured, right before he brought his lips to hers for a very sensual kiss.
Why fight it?
They were stuck in a closet and had nothing else to occupy their time. Vivian fell into the kiss and everything in the world dropped away. All that was left was the feel, scent, and taste of Justin Littlemoon.
It was official.
She had died and gone to heaven…
Tori barely had time to make it back to her chair. As she dropped into it, the man walked into the room.
“I have your phone records,” he said, softly.
All life was void from his face. This was taking its toll on him.
Everyone in that room wished they could offer him something to give him hope, but they knew they couldn’t tell him what they believed to be true.
“I saw the news. Is that other girl’s abduction related to Melissa’s?”
If they said yes, he could panic and spill it to the news or cops. If they said no, and he found out, they looked like idiots. Julian’s back was against the wall on this one.
Tori took over. “We don’t know, Mayor. We’re not working that case. Right now, we’re focused on Melissa and her disappearance. We work for you, not the police.”
That seemed to mollify him. “Okay.”
“Do you want us to continue?” asked Julian.
“Yes! Please! I need closure. I heard today on the news that after forty eight hours, the likelihood of a live retrieval is almost zero percent.”
Tori rattled off the names of famous victims who were prisoners for years before they were free. “We have no proof that she’s dead, and we’re working it that way. As far as we’re concerned, we’re searching for a living, breathing, Melissa.”
He nodded and rubbed his eyes. “Thank you for that, Mrs. Littlemoon. Sometimes I just need a pep talk.”
“Tomorrow we’re going to be helping out with the search party,” Julian stated, just to let the man know their plans.
“Why? I thought you said…”
Tori once again offered some soothing words. “If this is the same man doing this, and it’s connected, we may find something to tie it together. Plus, often the criminal will return to the scene of the crime. He could be there under the guise of helping out.”
Mayor Lagerfeld sighed. “Yes, of course you’re right.”
“You have our full attention on this, sir. No worries,” Tori reassured. “We’ll work on getting Melissa back.”
He dropped the papers on the table and walked out of the room. When he was gone, the melancholy seemed to remain.
“I wish we could tell him something,” stated Julian.
“Yeah, me too.”
Christina spoke up. “Uh, do you think you should let those two out of the closet?”
Julian knew his brother. No one wanted a glimpse into that closet at just that moment. If it were he and Tori in there, Julian would want them all to just walk away quietly and leave him to his devious devices.
“No, I’m sure he’s occupied,” Julian stated as he tried to keep a straight face.
Tori was giggling.
“How about we take the phone records and work from my place?” Kane offered, before grabbing them from the table. He too knew what Justin was likely doing, since he had once pulled Christina into a closet at the police station on the Rez.
“Good idea,” Julian replied, pulling his wife to her feet. “Let’s head upstairs. He’ll figure it out eventually.”
The
y all vacated the room, and Julian shut off the lights as he exited.
He couldn’t help but smile.
Julian was happy for his brother. He knew love when he saw it, and the two hiding out in the closet were definitely entangled in something far deeper than infatuation.
Lust had its limits.
Love, on the other hand, was endless.
Kissing Vivian was like nothing that he had ever felt before in all his life. The warmth wrapped around him and pulled him into its depths. It was as if he was drowning in the feel and taste of the woman in his arms.
This was probably the pinnacle of his life. As her hands slid up under his shirt to his back, he knew that if he didn't stop, they would be trying to figure out a way to have vertical sex in the already cramped quarters.
“Vivian,” he moaned into the kiss. God, he never wanted this sensation to stop.
She heard her name, but his mouth was robbing her of all her sanity. When his one hand grabbed her ass to hold her to his body, she nearly melted right then and there.
Without a doubt, Vivian knew the truth. Her heart was already gone. In two short days, she had fallen hard for this man. Everything about him called to something deep within her. It was far more than just sex, it was something primitive and imprinted into her soul.
Plus, there had been the dreams.
They never lied. That was the final straw to her letting go of her well-guarded life. She could trust him with everything that she had to offer.
At her name, she forced her mouth away from his. His lower lip was still trapped between her teeth.
“You’re going to make me insane,” he whispered.
She couldn’t see his face, but if his heavy breathing was any indicator, then he definitely wasn’t lying. “I feel the same,” she whispered.
Justin rested his lips against her throat and tried to listen for any sound outside the door. “I’ll walk you back to your place,” he stated softly. “I can leave my truck here.”
She wouldn’t argue with that plan. “Want to order dinner, and then make out some more on my couch?”
Blood Red Rage (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 1) Page 18