“Yes, maybe, but not before he hurts another woman. Maybe several.” Drew wiped her eyes.
“That is, unfortunately, probably true. But Drew, you can’t go around playing cops and robbers, I’m—”.
“Fuck you,” she said a little too loud. “Sorry, but fuck, I’m not playing around—”
“Detective Turner called me today. You’re on the radar now about Friday night. You aren’t trained, you could get hurt, and he might end up suing you for harassment—”
“Fuck him if he does, I don’t—”
“Drew, you can call me. Anytime.”
“You know they aren’t going to put officers on him!”
“Please, honey, tell me that you’ll stop following him around?”
“I can’t promise that.”
“Drew!”
“Well, the police aren’t doing anything, so don’t worry, I’m not going to call them again. I’ll take some pictures, and at least if a woman goes missing again, we can see if there’s a connection. I hate what he did to me, and I really hate that he thinks he’s going to get away with it. I can’t stand that people think I’m lying...” Drew’s voice broke, her eyes were filled with tears, and she lowered her head.
“Come here.” Rick pulled her, chair and all, towards himself. She leaned towards him, and he wrapped his arms around her and planted a tender kiss on her cheek.
“So, you still believe me, don’t you?” she asked.
“Yes, of course, I do,” he answered. Rick took a deep breath and looked into Drew’s eyes. “Drew, we haven’t had a serious discussion about us. Our relationship. I knew you were going through so much, and work has kept me busy, maybe a bit distracted too, but I’m thinking that we should talk a little about our intentions?”
“Sure, of course.”
“And?” he asked.
“I’m into you, but let’s see how it goes after this ugly shit clears the air. It’s not like I’m seeing anyone else if that’s what you’re asking?”
“Yes, that’s what I was leading towards. I’m only interested in you; I wanted to make sure—”
“You’re good, Rick. Really.” She gave him a reassuring smile.
“Let’s eat. Spend the night later?”
“Yes, I need to snuggle.” Drew looked at him and wiped the last of the tears from her eyes.
Falling in love with a woman like Drew was probably more dangerous than chasing down bank robbers and terrorists, but Rick had made the decision to take the risk. A broken heart was probable, maybe inevitable, but not trying would haunt him forever.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
I'm not going to rape the woman!
Crossing your fingers, Neville? Knocking on wood?
He ignored that, beginning to suspect his mind of harboring an alien. Once he might have termed it conscience. Now it was only an annoyance. Morality, after all, had fallen with society. He was his own ethic.
Makes a good excuse, doesn't it, Neville? Oh, shut up.
~ Richard Matheson
Not doing good works and instead doing evil is something I cannot comprehend, but it’s fair to say that I was raised to be good. I didn’t know anything else until I started my FBI training.
~ Rick Stevenson
...................
Drew sat in the courtroom and felt grateful that she’d never considered a law career.
She had been served on campus, the paperwork handed to her by a professional process server who took a picture of her and walked away. She, in shock, had tried to imagine who could be suing her. When she’d looked at the documents, the name Professor Ryan Mills popped off the page and hit her like a misplayed fastball.
There are few things more unsettling than being in court, and Drew was glad she’d taken a Xanax. She fantasized about Ryan falling over from a heart attack in the middle of spewing his outrageous lies. She had never hated anyone more, not even the stranger in the woods who had threatened to kill her.
She was grateful for Rick. He had met her outside the courthouse, wearing a conservative dark-blue suit, and looking like he was ready to kill someone for her. She liked the sense of protection she felt in his presence. He reassured her that everything would turn out okay.
“I’ll be happy to sit in the dock,” he said. “If you need me to testify on your behalf...”
“Let’s play it by ear. I don’t care if he gets a restraining order against me, as long as it doesn’t affect my schooling. I’m the one who needs protection from him, not the other way around.”
Court business moves like the traffic between San Diego and Orange Counties on holiday weekends.
Drew was biting her lip when the judge called her case.
She hadn’t heard him the first time, and Rick nudged her with his elbow the second when her name was called again. She looked up, saw Professor Mills, and a wave of nausea hit her.
He wore an expensive looking suit that apparently had been tailor-fit. He sported a new haircut; white edges created an outline that bounced and jumped around his collar. He also donned an off-the-shelf arrogance, the kind that passive-aggressive divorce litigants couldn’t help but display to anyone unfortunate enough to be stuck in the same room with them. He seemed to be, to Drew, like a brain-dead peacock; fancy clothes and the outward appearance of a good citizen while underneath he was an animal.
Drew scanned the courtroom, and her eyes landed on Jessica Mills, a diminutive woman who sat near the front, who must have felt Drew’s gaze. She turned and glared, but Drew looked through her, refusing to turn her head.
The woman was married to a monster. Fuck her, too.
Drew stood and walked to her appointed position at the table.
There was a moment of confusion in the judge’s eyes, but after looking at his computer screen, he looked towards his clerk and nodded.
The clerk swore them in. The case proceeded. There wasn’t much to testify about; Drew admitted calling the police after following Ryan to his boat.
He claimed that she was violating the stalking laws.
She argued that she was a concerned citizen and that he was a rapist.
“Objection, that’s hearsay,” Ryan shouted.
“Your ass it is,” Drew shouted back.
“Order. Calm down. Both of you.” The judge spoke in a calm, grandfatherly voice.
“Yes, your honor,” Ryan Mills said.
He sounded like a sickly brown-nosing, ass-kissing, piece of shit to Drew.
She didn’t speak.
Drew believed the judge sounded compassionate and fair. But what did she know? Maybe she should have hired an attorney?
She bit her lip.
The judge was reading.
“She can’t just stand here and slander me. Your honor, please,” Ryan said.
“Hold on. Since you are both without attorneys here today, I’ll be a little informal. First, it’s not hearsay if she’s testifying about her own experience. That doesn’t mean it’s factual, and it could be slanderous, but it’s not hearsay. If you’d like to counter her testimony, Mr. Mills, you may. But, before we get carried away, would either of you object if I give you my thoughts after reading your summaries?”
Neither objected.
The judge explained that he’d read their summaries and without any prejudice towards either of them, and he felt it was best to grant mutual restraining orders.
“I’m going to exempt the University. It’s neutral ground. Stay away from each other on campus. In all other situations, stay a hundred yards apart. Do not contact the other party using any method, telephonic, email, regular mail, carrier pigeon, or by using a third party. Is that clear and acceptable?”
“I...” Ryan started to speak but then stopped himself.
He remained silent for another moment, but then he announced he had no objections.
“I agree, your Honor,” Drew said.
They had an accord.
...................
Drew and Rick went to lunch
together after leaving the court.
“God, that man is a complete sociopath and a major asshole,” she said.
“I see that.”
“Do you really?” she asked.
“Hey, I’m an official government profiler. I see everything.” Rick spread his arms out and smiled.
“Okay, what am I thinking?” Drew winked.
“I can’t say out loud, but I know it’s dirty. I have to go back to work—”
Drew slugged him in the shoulder. “Thank you for coming. I know it’s not fun sitting in court, but your support meant a lot.” She winked again and said, “I’ll be extra special tonight if you’re up for company?”
“How can I refuse an offer like that?”
“You’d better not. I have a lot of frustration to get out of my system.”
“You sound like a horny teenaged boy—”
“A bad thing?”
“Hell, no.”
They finished eating and ordered coffees. Rick’s brow wrinkled.
Whenever he had a serious issue he wanted to talk about he’d be silent for a minute, his eyes would wander, and his forehead would scrunch.
She looked him in the eyes. “Yes?” she asked.
“I was just thinking.” He sounded serious, like a parent about to lecture a child.
“I can see that.”
“I don’t want you to continue stalking him.”
“I wasn’t stalking him. Don’t use that word again, please. I was watching him. I know what he did, and I know he’s not going to stop. Maybe he’ll be more careful. Maybe. But he’s not stopping.”
“I’m not arguing that. I think you’re right. But, you realize he could go months, maybe years, without killing again? It’s not uncommon. We’ve got open cases across the country, Drew. Hundreds of missing young women. Some are drug addicts and prostitutes. Some are innocent girls that were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m not telling you that you’re wrong. What I’m saying is that you could get into legal trouble if you continue following him and much worse, you could get hurt. What if the watched becomes the watcher?”
“I know. But I’m not afraid of him.”
“You should be,” he said.
“I have you.”
“You do. And you can call me anytime. But if he finds out your stalk—I mean—if he notices you watching him, he might come after you. I need you to be safe; I’d be devastated if anything happened to you. I care about you, Drew, I’m not trying to be your parent. I’m not even trying to be law enforcement professional here, I—”
“Well, the judge said one hundred yards. So, I’ll be safe. I can’t promise you anything more than that. Can’t you find a way to work on this some more?”
“Not really. It’s not a hot FBI case because of what’s happened evidence wise. There is no link from Mills back to McCormick. We don’t have a body in that case. The other missing woman, the one that kind of cleared Mills, at least as far as the press is concerned, it’s a little too early to say what will come of that. She could show up tomorrow. I wish I could do more, but my department is over-taxed and under-staffed. I’m sorry, Drew. If something new comes up, I’ll be right there. And personally, I’m at your beck and call. I’ll take a vacation day or two. God knows I have a few accumulated. But I can’t officially work on this case; I’d be putting myself in jeopardy at work. If someone suspects I’m working for you personally on company time and neglecting my officially proscribed duties, I’ll be in deep doo-doo.”
“You mean shit?”
“Yeah.”
“You can’t fucking cuss, can you?”
“I can. It’s only—well—you’re a lady, Drew. If I cussed in front of you, my mother would feel it, and I’d be getting a phone call.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“Exactly. I think she has him on speed dial.”
“Fuck me.
“Well, I intend to. I think the spirits will spare my poor mother on that score. She’d really freak if she knew I was so hooked on a heathen like you.”
“I’m sure your family is nice.”
“I hope you’ll meet some of them soon. Look, let’s get through this whole thing. I’ll be on the lookout for ways to help the case if I can. I just need to be careful not to be showing you some kind of favoritism or using company time to act on your behalf.”
“I get it. I’ll be careful. Just don’t ask me not to care.”
“I won’t.”
“Good.”
“How about a weekend away? You and me? Nothing but fun. No business. We can drive down to Rosarita Beach. We’ll eat lobster. You can show me how much you appreciate my hard body, and we’ll sleep in.”
“You’re not going to have a hard body for long if you keep eating lobster dinners.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
It is a public scandal that offends; to sin in secret is no sin at all.
~ Molière
A veteran cop has heard so many variations of lies, half-truths, and ridiculous excuses that a bizarre account of something true is hard to accept at face value. But we must always remember that it’s very difficult to construct a seamless and complex lie. Seek the loose threads and pull.
~ Detective Jerry Turner
...................
Rick asked Drew if she knew more Spanish than he did.
“How much Spanish do you know?” she asked.
“Oh, taco, burrito, alto, enchilada, tamale, and a few swear words.”
“So basically you’re a bad tourist.”
“A bad tourist? Why am I a bad tourist? My money’s good.”
“You could at least learn donde está el baño and a few other polite things. Like moocha grab my ass.”
“I’ll grab your ass.”
“You’d better.”
They’d made it to Rosarita earlier that day, got their room, and unpacked.
“Would you like to eat early, or stay in and make love first?” Rick had asked.
“Make love? Are we an old married couple now?”
“I didn’t want to say fuck—it sounds so crude—and I don’t use cuss words, remember?”
“Do you want to fuck me?” she asked in a Marilyn Monroe whisper.
“Okay, it’s not crude when you ask like that.”
Rick took her in his arms and looked into her eyes. “I’m glad we did this. You needed to get away, and I want to pamper you.”
“How about a little massage, then, before we, you know make love?” she whispered in his ear.
Rick pointed to the bed. “Get undressed and lie on your stomach.”
He dug into his overnight bag, retrieved an exotic massage oil, and began at her shoulders.
“That’s heavenly.”
Rick moved his hands down her spine and back again. He did each arm, her legs, and her feet. He then gently rolled her over and began working her stomach. After massaging her thighs, calves, and shoulders, he left to wash his hands.
When he came back into the room, Drew appeared to be asleep.
But she stirred when he began lightly massaging all the tiny muscles around her eyes.
“Wow, that’s so relaxing. Forgive me if I fall asleep.”
“Relax. Don’t worry, if you fall asleep, sleep. Let the tension out.”
He massaged her jaw, around her ears. He moved to her neck.
She reached up and pulled him to her face.
They kissed.
Rick had never experienced this kind of sensuality in a partner, Drew was a new experience for him in every sense of the word. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever dated, but that wasn’t her even best quality. She was a generous lover, a fully present friend, and compassionate intellect. Sometimes he forgot she was a girlfriend when they were discussing politics or arguing about sports, because she could handle herself like she was one of the guys. He knew he was always the luckiest guy in the room wherever they went.
Drew tugge
d at his shorts, and he finished undressing.
They coupled their bodies in the most intimate way possible.
After Drew climaxed the second time, she spoke softly into his ear.
“Love you.”
“I love you, too,” he said.
...................
After returning from a decadent lobster dinner, Rick turned on the television.
“Do you mind if I watch the news for a little bit?”
“Sure go ahead. It’s going to be murder, mayhem, terrorism, and something really inane that will be blown out of proportion and talked about as if it’s of major importance. I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll probably produce something as high quality—”
“Crap, Drew. You talk like a truck driver sometimes.”
“Yeah, well, I’m a centerfold, white-trash American girl. What do you expect?”
“You are so damn sexy when you talk dirty.”
“Stop. Watch the news.”
Rick channel-surfed until he found the American stations and stopped on CNN. Drew’s premonitory prediction proved precise.
The news was murder, mayhem, terrorism and a Senator had said something dumb, but innocuous, and it was being made into news by being talked about endlessly.
When Drew returned, he congratulated her clairvoyance. He went through the local San Diego stations; the evening newscasts were on repeat.
“Wait, go back,” Drew said.
He aimed the remote and stopped on a newscast that was showing a picture of Drew.
“Drew Stirling had made the national news just last year with her accusations against Congressman Lance Boyd, a politician that would later admit he’d had an affair with the model. Some are now saying that her latest accusations are yet another case of a shocking publicity stunt.”
The news channel cut to a commercial.
Undressed At Sea: A Psychological Thriller (Drew Stirling Book 2) Page 25