Locked in Temptation

by Brenda Jackson

  “That’s quite noble of you,” Joy said.

  “Thanks.”

  Joy wasn’t surprised he hadn’t picked up on her sarcasm. “What about friends? Although you mentioned her wanting to keep your affair a secret, did you know of any friends she was close to?”

  He shook his head. “No, she never mentioned any close friends. But then, whenever we were together, we didn’t spend a lot of time talking.”

  “I see.” At least she saw the picture he was painstakingly trying to paint for them.

  “According to her associates at the medical complex, Dr. Langley rarely worked late and never on a Friday night. Do you have any idea why she was still at the office?”

  He shook his head. “No, I have no idea, and they’re right. I’ve never known her to work late.”

  “How did you and Dr. Langley meet?” Acklin wanted to know.

  “At a local medical symposium two years ago.”

  “And as far as you know, no one else knew the two of you were seeing each other? No ex-girlfriends on your part or ex-boyfriends on hers that you know of?”

  “Not on my end, and I have no reason to believe there were any on hers.”

  Joy nodded. She clicked off her electronic notepad and Acklin closed his tablet. She handed Hopkins her business card. “If you think of anything else we might need to know, Mr. Hopkins, please give us a call.”

  “I will, but first I have a question.”

  “Yes?”

  “Kelly worked hard to keep our affair a secret. How did you guys find out about it?”

  Joy smiled. “Don’t you know there’s no such thing as a secret? Anything you do in the dark will eventually come to the light. Goodbye, Mr. Hopkins.”

  She and Acklin walked out of the office. When they were back in the car, Acklin glanced at her. “So what do you think, Lieutenant?”

  “I think he was being careful to be honest with us because he wasn’t sure if we’d catch him in a lie.”

  “Those were my thoughts, as well. But what could be his motive? It’s not as if he was flaunting the affair to make an ex-girlfriend jealous,” Acklin said.

  “First of all, if Dr. Langley was the intended target like we assume, I doubt an ex-girlfriend would have gone to all the trouble to hire two goons to take her out the way it was done. There has to be something we’re missing. I’m calling the chief to see if we can get a search warrant for her medical files,” Joy said, snapping her seat belt in place.

  “Good luck with that. She was a fertility specialist. She probably has sensitive information people like keeping confidential.”

  Joy shrugged. “It won’t hurt to try.”

  At that moment her cell phone rang. “Lieutenant Ingram.”

  “Lieutenant Ingram, this is Barron Driscoll. After you left I got up enough courage to go into my guest room, the one Kelly always used when she stayed overnight.” He paused a moment and then said, “I found a sealed package on the dresser. I probably wouldn’t have thought much of it but it has her name on it, which I’m certain she wrote. There was also a date under her name. It was dated the same day she died. I picked it up, but didn’t open it since it’s sealed. It feels like a bunch of papers are inside.”

  Joy glanced over at Acklin as she said, “Thanks for calling us, Mr. Driscoll. We’re on our way back to your place to get it.”

  * * *

  ANDERSON PACED THE confines of his office while trying to convince himself those detectives’ visit meant nothing. It was their job to investigate a homicide. And hadn’t that female cop said it appeared robbery was the motive? He hoped they kept thinking that. But then, he hadn’t liked that damn smart response she gave about secrets eventually coming to the light. He hadn’t liked that one bit. As long as Kelly did what he’d instructed and shredded her medical records, then he was in the clear. But what if she hadn’t?

  He stopped pacing when that thought flashed into his mind. He needed to stop thinking stupid thoughts. Kelly fancied herself in love with him and during that last conversation, he was convinced she believed his BS about wanting to protect her. Yeah, he was certain she believed him. So there was no reason to think he was a suspect in anything. No paper trail.

  Satisfied with that thought, he was about to sit down at his desk when his personal phone rang. Few people contacted him using this number. He pulled it out of his pocket and rolled his eyes heavenward when he saw the caller was Jerome Post. As far as he was concerned, things couldn’t get any worse.

  Anderson started not to answer it but decided it would be in his best interest if he did. “Yeah, Post?”

  “We need to meet.”

  Anderson drew in a deep breath, wondering. He decided to put the man off. “I can’t leave town again now. I just got back and—”

  “You won’t have to leave town. I’m in Charlottesville.”

  Anderson felt like someone had punched him in the gut. “You’re in Charlottesville?”

  “Yes, and we will meet, Hopkins. Tonight.”

  * * *

  JOY ENTERED HER home and glanced at the television. It was still on the station Stonewall had changed it to this past weekend. The sports channel. She smiled as she removed her Glock while remembering how they’d lain sprawled on the sofa together, watching a baseball game. He’d been surprised to discover that she enjoyed baseball as much as he did. Unfortunately they favored opposing teams.

  She entered the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, deciding a beer sounded good. She and Acklin had returned to Barron Driscoll’s home to get the package. Since the judge hadn’t approved a search warrant, they couldn’t review the contents inside. Before returning to headquarters they had grabbed sandwiches and drinks from a deli. She had eaten at her desk while going over information Taren had sent her on Beautiful Creations. She had a gut feeling the connection between that agency and Dr. Langley was more than a coincidence, but so far she hadn’t found anything. She did notice that over the past year Dr. Langley had made more referrals to Beautiful Creations than the other agencies.

  She was about to take a swig of her beer when her phone rang. She hoped it was Acklin letting her know they’d gotten the search warrant to look through Dr. Langley files.

  “Yes?”

  “Hello, Joy Elyse.”

  Joy didn’t have to wonder who it was. Nobody called her Joy Elyse but her father and one other man. “Omar, this is a surprise.”

  “I arrived in Charlottesville today and was hoping I could see you.”

  Joy’s eyebrow’s rose. “You’re in Charlottesville?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “For a business meeting.”

  “Oh.”

  “So can we get together...for old time’s sake?”

  She had no interest in seeing Omar, but she knew he’d been paying her parents frequent visits. Maybe she should find out what that was about. “Fine. You can tell me where to meet you.”

  “I can come to your place.”

  No, he couldn’t. The last man who’d been here was Stonewall, and she didn’t want Omar’s presence to diminish those memories. “I prefer meeting you somewhere. Tell me where.”

  “Okay. I’m at the Lakeside Hotel downtown. Room 876.”

  Did he honestly think she would come to his room? “There’s a bar and grill across the street from your hotel. Pearlies. I’ll meet you there in an hour,” she countered.

  He didn’t say anything for a moment, and then he said, “Alright. See you later.”

  * * *

  ANDERSON DIDN’T LIKE where Post suggested they meet but decided not to complain. He could understand the man not wanting them to be seen together, but the abandoned warehouse gave him the creeps. He glanced around and then checked his watch. Post had said they would meet at eight
and it was eight. Where was the man?

  He was about to call him when he heard footsteps. He turned and it was Post and the man who always followed him around like he was his damn bodyguard. He probably was.

  “Why did we need to meet, Post?”

  Jerome Post threw down a cigarette. The minute it hit the concrete, the man beside him crushed it. “Why didn’t you tell me you had arranged a hit on the doctor?”

  “I didn’t know I needed to tell you everything. She was a problem, and I took care of it.”

  A deep frown settled on Post’s face. “You didn’t take care of it. You made a bigger mess of things. Do you think the cops won’t eventually put two and two together? I know they paid you a visit today so they are already onto something.”

  Anderson wondered how he’d known. “No, they aren’t onto anything. It was a routine visit. There is nothing to link Dr. Langley with the organization.”

  “You’re a fool if you think so. Otherwise the cops would not have come snooping around. You should never have killed anyone—Mandy Clay or Dr. Langley—without consulting me.”

  “I didn’t kill Mandy Clay. She killed herself by escaping. And as far as Dr. Langley, she’d gotten a guilty conscience.”

  “And you should have let us take care of her,” Post snapped.

  “She was my problem to handle.”

  “You don’t have the authority to make such decisions on your own. You went too far. Now we have to clean up your mess.”

  Anderson began feeling uneasy and didn’t like the way Post was looking at him. He took a step back. “There is no mess to clean up.” Fear suddenly began crawling up his spine.

  The man beside Post pulled out a gun and pointed it at Anderson. “I beg to differ.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  JOY HAD SHOWERED and was getting dressed to go meet Omar when her phone rang. She checked caller ID. It wasn’t Stonewall like she’d hoped but rather Acklin. “Please tell me the judge approved that search warrant we asked for,” she said.

  “Yes, we just got it. We also got something else.”

  “What?” Joy asked, sliding into her panties and remembering how much she loved it whenever Stonewall would take them off her.

  “Another murder. And you won’t guess who, Lieutenant.”

  Joy sat on the edge of the bed. “Who?”

  “Anderson Hopkins.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath as she stood. “When? Where?” She wouldn’t be wearing the dress she’d placed on her bed earlier. And she wouldn’t be meeting Omar.

  “About an hour ago. His body was found near an empty warehouse in the Hennery area,” Acklin said.

  “Text me the address. I’m on my way.”

  While getting dressed she phoned Omar. “Sorry, something came up and I can’t meet with you, after all.”

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  Joy rolled her eyes, annoyed and thinking some things never changed. She really didn’t need this from him.

  “Glad it doesn’t surprise you. Goodbye.”

  “Hey, Joy, wait!” he said before she could click off the phone.

  “What, Omar? I have a job to do.”

  “I’ll be here until Sunday. I hope you’ll make time for me before I leave.”

  Make time for you? With this kind of attitude, like hell. “I’ll be busy. You know, murders to solve. Have a nice flight back to Baton Rouge. Goodbye.”

  And good riddance. Again. She quickly finished dressing.

  A short while later she was halfway to the crime scene when her phone rang, and the ringtone made her smile. She clicked on her Bluetooth. “Hey.”

  “You sound out of breath. Rushing to a fire?” Stonewall asked.

  She couldn’t help but smile. “No fire. Another murder. And it might be connected to the ones that happened Friday.”

  “Sounds like a bad situation.”

  “Nothing I can’t handle.”

  “Not for one minute do I think you can’t,” he said. “Other than another murder that you can handle, are you okay?”

  “Yes. No. Maybe.” Knowing she’d probably confused the hell out of him, she explained, “Omar is in town on business. He asked me to meet him for old times.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  “No, you don’t see, Stonewall. I was only meeting with him to tell him that I’m tired of him using his relationship with my parents to try to get me back.”

  “Is that what he’s doing?”

  “I think so. Hell, I really don’t know. That’s why I agreed to meet with him—to find out. Anyway, I didn’t meet with him. I got the call about the homicide and I’m on my way there. I canceled, and he didn’t like it.”

  “You have a job to do.”

  “Yes, I do.” She sighed in relief. “Why are you always so understanding?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve been with you before and had to leave to do my job. You didn’t give me grief about it.”

  “No, just like I know you wouldn’t give me grief about my job.”

  No, I wouldn’t. “Enough about me. How are you doing?”

  “Fine.”

  “And your client?”

  “Mondae is fine. I don’t want to hold you up. Be careful.”

  “I will, and thanks for calling me.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. I think of you all the time.”

  “I keep saying it, but it sounds like you have a lot of time on your hands,” she said, trying to keep her heart beating steadily.

  “I’d rather have you in my hands. My arms. Lying beside me.”

  “That all sounds good to me. Hold those thoughts until I see you again. You’ll still be back Tuesday?”

  “Yes, if nothing comes up.”

  And she was hoping it didn’t. “Bye, Stonewall.”

  “Bye, Joy.”

  * * *

  “HERE’S WHAT WE know so far,” Joy said to the people assembled in her office. It was a little past three in the morning. All of them had been with her at the crime scene that night, including Sanchez. She had called him right after Acklin had contacted her.

  “First of all, we know Anderson Hopkins was having an affair with Dr. Langley. We also know he has an alibi and wasn’t in Charlottesville at the time of her murder. We know whoever killed him last night definitely wanted him dead.” Anderson had been shot four times and according to Lennox, two of those shots had been fired after the man was already dead.

  “The judge has approved our search warrant, and we’ll be going through the doctor’s files today because I have reason to think what happened to Dr. Langley is connected to Mandy Clay.”

  She saw surprise light some people’s eyes. She had discussed her theory with the chief and after hearing her rationale, he had given her the okay to pursue it.

  “And how do you think Beautiful Creations plays into all this?” Sanchez asked, sipping on another cup of coffee. It had been a long night for all of them. None of them had gone home since leaving the crime scene at the warehouse. The media had found out and they had to be dealt with. Joy’s team also had to notify Hopkins’s next of kin.

  “From the reports I’ve reviewed so far, we know that Dr. Langley was referring clients to Beautiful Creations. They were patients who wanted to participate in embryo transfers using surrogates. We know Mandy Clay was a surrogate who worked for some agency, yet none claim her.”

  She paused to let all that she’d said sink in. “There has to be a motive for what happened Friday night and last night and we need to find it. Go home, get some rest and tomorrow morning be ready to go at this full speed.”

  Sanchez stood and glanced at his watch. “It’s already three in the morning,” he said, grinning.
>
  “All of you deserve some sleep. An exhausted person makes mistakes. I can give you at least six hours. If you think you need more, let me know.”

  An hour or so later, Joy was entering her own home. The voices from her television were always a welcoming sound to her. She removed her Glock and went to the bedroom to undress. A short while later, after taking a shower and slipping into her nightgown, she glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was four in the morning and she was determined to be back in the office by nine. She had ordered that Oliver Effington be brought in for questioning.

  After sliding into bed, she stacked her pillows a few times but still couldn’t settle down for the sleep she desperately needed. Grabbing her cell phone off the nightstand, she texted Stonewall. You up?

  His response came back immediately. Yeah, I’m up. I’m also hard.

  She couldn’t help but giggle. Bad boy.

  He texted back. What U need?

  That answer was easy. 4 U 2 talk dirty 2 me.

  Her cell phone rang immediately and she clicked it on. “Hi.”

  “Hi, yourself. I miss you. And do you know what I’d be doing right now if I was there with you?” he asked her in a voice so sexually charged she felt electrical currents spike her body.

  “No, what?” She tightened her legs together in anticipation of what he would say.

  “I would...”

  As he told her, she closed her eyes and imagined him doing every single erotic and explicit thing he said. She was convinced she could feel him touching her. She moaned when she felt her body become sensitive as sensations began overtaking her.

  Joy knew she was being hurled toward a mind-blowing orgasm. She gripped her bedcovers and screamed out his name when her entire body exploded into a trillion molecules of red-hot sensations.

  “I love it when you scream my name, baby.”

  She drew in several deep breaths as she tried to recover. It was hard to believe she’d had a full-blown orgasm from phone sex. When she was finally able to speak, she said in a raspy voice, “I can’t wait until you come back home. I’ve been dreaming a lot about you.”