Once the appetizer was finished, the waiter returned with more plates, and topped off the wine. Carson looked curiously at the jumbo scallops that Steve placed in front of her and inhaled the slightly pungent scent of the balsamic vinegar. She speared one of the scallops and raised it toward her mouth. Erin didn’t notice that her own lips parted in anticipation as strong white teeth bit into the morsel and their eyes met across the table.
Erin stifled a moan and swallowed hard before she looked away.
Honest to God!
She grabbed her glass and gulped down a healthy swig of the wine. Then she picked up her own fork and sliced into the lamb, refusing to look at Carson for a few minutes until she got her impulses under control.
“How did you get into corporate law,” Carson asked conversationally. She continued eating, obviously unaware of the effect she had on Erin.
Thankful for the distraction, Erin said, “Through my father, actually. He was a corporate attorney and I guess he passed the bug along to me. I’ve always loved the intricacies of corporate law and the satisfaction of knowing that I’ve protected my clients’ interests.”
“You must be very good to be a senior partner at such a young age.”
Erin smiled at the idea that Carson considered her young, despite the fact that Erin was at least ten years older. “I try. What about you? What gave you the idea to start your own software research company?”
They finished their meals and then sat sipping wine while they talked.
“I have an affinity for computers and mathematics so it was natural that I would pursue a career in these fields. After I received my doctorate, I decided I would rather work for myself.” Carson smiled as though she were going to share a great secret. “I started the business in a rundown warehouse in a not so great part of town. Joyce and I worked almost night and day until we could afford to move to a better neighborhood.”
“So, brilliant and driven,” Erin commented. She tried to ignore an unpleasant stab of jealousy and asked in what she hoped was a casual tone. “Who is Joyce?”
Was she a lover? Was it already too late for her with Carson? Throughout the time at the museum and during dinner, Erin thought she sensed a mutual interest from Carson, but she couldn’t get involved with someone who was already taken.
What am I thinking?
She couldn’t get involved at all, regardless what Carson’s situation was.
“Joyce Collins is my best friend. I met her in college and when I started Delphi Technologies, she agreed to become my first employee. I have never met a more talented programmer or software designer. And she makes me laugh.”
Erin was relieved that Joyce wasn’t a lover, and she asked softly, “Is that so hard?”
Carson flushed and glanced at the table. “I am not an easy person to get to know.”
“So I remember,” Erin said dryly and thought of their meeting to show Carson the tenth floor of the Holcomb Building.
The waiter interrupted and put the empty dishes on a tray before he took their dessert order. Carson asked for crème brulee in bourbon with Madagascar vanilla. It came with sliced strawberries on top and she requested a café latte.
Erin ordered New York cheesecake with Michigan cherries and a cup of black coffee.
He left again and Carson said, “You’ve mentioned your father before. It sounds as though you’re very close.”
“We are,” Erin said softly. “Since he moved to Arizona, I don’t get to see him very often. I miss him terribly.”
“And your mother?”
“I lost her a few years ago. Cancer.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right,” Erin said, though it clearly wasn’t. “What about your family?”
“My mother died when I was very young. I hardly remember her. My father passed away six months ago.”
Carson took a hasty sip from her water glass, but Erin heard the pain in her voice. It didn’t sound like the pain of loss though. There was something more there.
“I take it you two didn’t get along?”
“My father had little use for a female child. After my mother died he provided a roof over my head, but little else.”
Carson tried to sound as though the neglect didn’t bother her but Erin knew better. Every child needed their parents’ approval, and the nurturing that only they could provide. From the sound of it, it was little wonder Carson built such a hard shell for others to penetrate. If he weren’t already dead, Erin would cheerfully have throttled Carson’s father for his selfishness.
She wanted to reach across and grasp Carson’s free hand where it rested on the tabletop, but refrained. What was it about this woman that threatened to crumble her carefully constructed world with ideas of passion?
As much as the idea appealed to her, Erin couldn’t let it happen. Her career was too important to jeopardize by becoming involved with a much younger woman. She would have to keep her surging hormones to herself until she could get control of them.
“That’s his loss.”
She caught Carson’s gaze and smiled at her. Carson’s eyes were bluer than they were at the museum and the air suddenly seemed electrically charged.
The dessert arrived, breaking the spell, and Erin turned to the sweets. She was slightly tipsy from the alcohol, and sipped her coffee slowly. She was enjoying the evening and didn’t want to do anything she would have to apologize for later. The cheesecake was incredible and Carson appeared to enjoy her crème brulee.
Pleasantly stuffed, Erin sat back and dabbed at her lips with a napkin. It had been a long time since she had shared a wonderful meal with an attractive woman.
“That was a fantastic dinner,” Carson said. “Thank you.”
Erin motioned for the waiter to bring the bill and reached for her purse.
Carson stopped her by saying, “Please, allow me to pay for our meal. It seems the least I can do in exchange for such a wonderful experience.”
Charmed, Erin smiled and closed her purse. Normally she would have protested, since she didn’t like to feel as though she owed anyone. However, somewhere along the way, their outing had sparked a very new and possibly enduring friendship, and she had no desire to ruin the mood.
“All right.”
It was difficult to pull her eyes away from Carson’s too blue gaze, but it was inevitable that the waiter return with Carson’s credit card. She signed the slip and it was time to go.
Chapter Seven
THE DRIVE BACK to Erin’s apartment wasn’t long and before she knew it, she was standing in front of her door trying to figure out how to invite Carson in. On the short journey from the restaurant, she had become more and more occupied with thoughts of being alone again. Spending time with Carson, she was actually able to forget the horrors she had endured in the office building. Nevertheless, with the prospect of being alone in the apartment, those memories were returning in full force. Erin didn’t want Carson to leave, but how in the world could she possibly ask her to stay?
The bloody elevator flashed into her mind and with it a fragment of a nightmare from last night. Carson threaded through the dream, woven intermittently with the visions of the dead. Several times Erin had come awake with a scream on her lips and Carson’s severed head in her mind.
Erin dug the key card out of her bag to open the door. She was afraid Carson would suddenly leave and she blurted out, “Can you stay for a bit? I have a very nice wine that I haven’t opened yet.”
“Is it the same kind we shared at dinner?”
Her enthusiasm made Erin laugh. At least she’d found a way to keep Carson around a little longer.
Carson walked into the apartment right behind her. Erin closed the door. “Actually, it’s another white, Beyer Eguisheim Riesling Alsace ’95, but I assure you it’s just as good.”
“I’d like to try it.”
While Carson settled comfortably on the sofa, Erin got out the wine, a bucket of ice and a couple of glasses. She felt a li
ttle silly for giving in to the nameless dread that made her ask Carson to stay, but she was glad she had agreed. Erin was well aware that Carson seemed to be making a lot of concessions for her this weekend. After all, she was the head of a major technologies company and must be very busy. Yet through all this, Carson was there when Erin needed her.
This is the last time, Erin thought in disgust. Tomorrow I’m going to have to go to work, and I have to pull myself together.
Erin sat beside Carson and unloaded the accompanying wine paraphernalia before she sat the bottle on the table and picked up the corkscrew. She opened the beverage and poured a small amount into each glass, and then handed one to Carson. Erin sat the wine back in the bucket, watching her companion closely for her reaction. For some reason it was important to her that Carson enjoy the wine. In this setting, in the comfort of her home, it would be so easy to imagine this was an intimate exchange until Erin looked up and noticed the innocent curiosity in Carson’s eyes.
Her expression showed none of the desire that burned through Erin’s veins.
“What shall we drink to?”
What indeed, Erin considered. She had already decided at the restaurant that she couldn’t afford to take chances with her heart. Her clients would never accept a lesbian attorney and it had been six long years since someone had betrayed her on a personal level...since Rose. She just couldn’t go through that again, but what she could do was cultivate the tentative bond that was growing between them.
“How about to new friends?”
Carson tapped her glass to Erin’s lightly. “To new friends.”
After the first sip, Carson looked up at Erin. “This is just as good as the other. You seem to know a lot about choosing wine.”
“It’s a bit of a hobby. One of the few vices I allow myself.”
“That and the black sludge you drink for coffee,” Carson teased.
Erin shrugged. “It keeps me sharp,” she said lightly.
They sipped at the wine for a few moments and Erin could feel the evening drawing to a close. She tried to think of something to say that would extend their time together and finally asked the question that had been burning in her mind all weekend.
“Why do you think he did it?”
Carson lowered the glass to rest her forearms on her knees. She looked as though she preferred not to discuss the subject. “I don’t know,” she said softly, “Maybe it was just a random event.”
Erin shook her head. “I don’t think so. If that were the case, it would be a lot easier to choose a less secure location. If he was just after money, there’s an endless selection of convenience and liquor stores he could have hit.”
“I agree. He wasn’t after money. But what could be in your building that would make him willing to kill?”
Erin smiled. “It’s your building now too, remember? But, yes, he must have had a reason.”
“What’s in Holcomb that could be so important? If we could figure out what would make such an attractive target, we might be able to figure out who he is.”
Erin wanted to point out that they weren’t detectives, but the prospect of identifying the killer outweighed her common sense.
What would a little idle speculation hurt?
“There’s not really much in there, a few law firms and such. They gutted the eleventh floor for renovation so there’s nothing there. Marsters Research has a lab on the twelfth floor. There are even a couple of stockbrokers in the building, but no actual cash.”
“Well, it’s obvious why he would take out the security guards, but he killed someone else.”
“Yes, Ed Cupper.”
“Was he someone that could have been a logical target?”
Erin experienced another tug of guilt for making fun of Ed right before he died, but pushed the feeling away for the moment. “He was one of the owners of the building, but he was basically just an office worker. The only thing significant was that his pass card worked on all the floors. Since the murderer cut the power, I can’t see how that would be important enough to kill for.”
“So you think Mr. Cupper was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time?”
Erin nodded sadly. “The thing is, I’m sure I’ve seen him before.”
“Of course, you probably saw him every day.”
“No, not him. The killer.”
“What?”
Carson jerked in surprise and sat her glass on the coffee table. “Why didn’t you mention this before? You have to tell Detective Hutchins.”
“I didn’t remember before. I guess I was just so frightened by what happened that I didn’t realize it at the time, but ever since...I keep getting this feeling that he’s familiar.”
“And the reason you haven’t told the homicide detective?”
Carson sounded a little angry and Erin was touched that she was so concerned for her safety.
“I tried to call him this morning, but he’s off duty. It is Sunday, you know.”
“You will call him first thing in the morning.”
Erin laughed at Carson’s demanding tone. “Yes, ma’am,” she said, and saluted playfully.
“This is not funny. You do recall that he has seen you, and knows that you work in the building?”
Erin relented a little. Carson was just worried for her, and she was right. The fact that the killer knew what they looked like was one of the things that had concerned Erin most since the whole nightmare began.
“I know. But, honestly, I doubt that he would come back to the building after the police have been swarming all over it. I’m sure security has been beefed up as well, and I promise that I’ll be careful.”
“Very well,” was Carson’s reply, but her expression made her look as though she was chewing on a lemon and the tone said, if you insist.
“Just promise me one thing,” Carson continued. “Promise me that you will leave work before it gets dark outside.”
“I can’t promise that. I have appointments all week long, and I can’t just suddenly cancel them. What would my clients think?”
“Fine, don’t cancel them; reschedule them. Just until the police catch him. Please, Erin.”
It was the softly uttered ‘please’ that made her break. Her schedule wasn’t really that busy since this was Christmas week, she just hadn’t wanted to give in. She could easily reschedule the few appointments that she did have, and this wouldn’t be for long. Surely, the maniac had left enough DNA evidence and fingerprints that the police would catch him quickly.
“All right. But only for the time being.”
“Thank you.”
Erin took a small sip from her glass and then ran a finger around the rim. She was distracted with the thought that Carson was so concerned for her, but maybe it was natural that two people would cling together after such an ordeal. Nevertheless, was Carson so unaffected by what had happened on a personal level that she was only concerned with Erin? Hadn’t Carson felt something, fear, anger and even a little helplessness? It was true that she kept a shell in place to protect her feelings, but she wasn’t completely untouched by such a trauma.
“Do you have nightmares, too?”
Erin’s voice sounded frail, and she realized that she had admitted to certain vulnerability because of how she had worded the question.
Carson sat back against the sofa and stared at her feet. “Yes, of course. I do have a heart. But Erin, there is nothing weak about experiencing nightmares. You knew these people, so it is only natural. To be honest, I would have to question your humanity if their deaths left you unaffected.”
Erin’s hands shook slightly and she hoped Carson wouldn’t notice. To cover the tremors she reached for the bottle and refilled their glasses. Some of the wine slopped over the edge of a glass and Carson reached out to take the bottle from her.
“Erin, are you okay?”
She took a deep breath, tempted to reveal her inner turmoil. Finally, she clamped down on the urge. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Cars
on looked doubtful, but didn’t challenge her. “With all the nightmares, you must not have gotten much sleep?”
“Not much,” Erin admitted reluctantly, and wondered where Carson was going with this.
“Me either. I didn’t even know them, and I don’t know how I would have survived if you hadn’t been there.”
It had been a long day and the alcohol on top of that had to have Carson exhausted. It seemed too good an opportunity to be true, but she was still worried about being alone in the apartment. “It’s late, but I must admit that I’m concerned about you driving home.”
“I am tired, and perhaps a little off balance.”
Erin smiled gently. “I have a spare bedroom. You could stay, assuming that you don’t have other plans, or an early morning appointment.”
“One of the nice things about being the owner of a company,” Carson said slowly, “is that I will be where I wish to be, when I wish to be. And no, I am not supposed to meet anyone else.”
Had Carson just admitted that she wasn’t seeing anyone, or only
that she wasn’t seeing anyone tonight? Erin was compelled to find out and asked her. “But surely there’s someone who must be wondering where you are?”
Carson suddenly smiled. “Why Erin Donovan, are you fishing?”
Erin blushed scarlet and looked away while Carson laughed aloud.
“I’m just curious,” Erin said defensively. “There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”
“No, I guess not.” Carson still had a smile on her face. “If we are going to be friends, it’s only natural that we know certain things about one another. Very well, no, I’m not involved with anyone. To be truthful I have never been involved.”
“Ever?” Erin was more than a little surprised. Carson was a gorgeous woman and could have anyone she wanted.
“No,” Carson chuckled again. “School and my company have taken all of my time.”
Now You See Me Page 10