Part of her wanted to slough his hand off, free her from the slight touch that made her guts clench, but another, growing, part of her wanted to lean into the pressure, making the touch stronger and more intimate. Trying to decide which voice was more rational, utterly confused by the new desires swirling in her mind, she almost jumped when the doors slid open. Standing guard in the elevator was a uniformed officer. She surprised herself when she felt her heart sink a little at the thought of not being alone with him. Shaking her head slightly, she pushed the thoughts to the side. She needed to focus, needed to concentrate, for Pam and Carl.
“Detectives, the Lyski apartment has been secured, but we haven’t entered yet.” The uniform pressed the button for floor four and stepped back against the wall. She looked at Matthew, wondering how he had known where the victims had lived. He met her gaze and to her amazement, he seemed to read it.
“Grace identified them to the first officer on scene. They ran the name before we got there. When she latched onto you, I went in to inspect the scene and they told me. I had a uniform come here to sit on the apartment until we could get around to it.” Noticing her eyebrows pinch, he added, “You’re not mad are you?” She almost laughed at the apprehension in his face.
“No, Matthew, I’m not upset, just remembering Grace’s bear hug…I’m not used to being…grabbed like that, it startled me.” His face flushed slightly, and she remembered the fleeting hug she had leveled on him just minutes after. He knew exactly what she meant and the idea made her pink a little, too. The lurching stop of the elevator rocked them forward, freeing her from the electricity in his eyes. What was she going to do? Only a week and she was so taken with him that given the chance she might just ruin her plans to avoid getting involved with a man, in fact, she wanted to break that vow more and more each day. “Third door on the left,” she said before the uniform had a chance. He nodded and followed her out of the elevator and down the narrow hallway to the victims’ rooms. Another uniformed officer stood guard and, seeing them approach, withdrew the key he had no doubt gotten from the manager. He unlocked the door and pushed it open for them, returning to his stiff-postured post.
Elizabeth walked through the familiar apartment with a sad and apprehensive pace. Everything was exactly as she remembered it. Nothing seemed out of place or missing, no signs of a struggle. There was still the smell of fresh coffee in the kitchen and soapy steam in the bathroom. The bed had not been made and street clothes were laid out neatly on top of it, as if prepared before hand for when they got back. “Looks like they had a pretty normal morning, coffee, showers, even laid out clothes for after their gym visit.” Matthew’s voice called to her from the bedroom as she stood in the small living room, reliving a moment just over a week old. A moment that saw the three of them sitting warmly in this living room talking about the weather and work, a shallow but pleasant conversation, after a delicious meal. While she had heard him, she didn’t respond. Concerned, Barrow had come up behind her.
“We sat right here last Friday night. Talking about the weather, if you can believe that. I never was very good at conversation. What did I really have to share ‘So yeah, I let my self get attacked by a rapist in the park last night, how was your day?’ They were probably the only people who knew me in this city and they didn’t even know I was a cop.” In that moment she was filled with regret. Would it have been so terrible to have let them in just a little bit? To have confided some small parts of her in them? Feeling his warmth beside her, she decided that she wouldn’t be that reserved anymore, starting with her new partner. He knew what she did already, and it seemed they would be spending more and more time working together. It might actually be nice to have someone she could call when she needed a companion. Looking up at him, her throat tightened. Letting him in might be dangerous.
Shifting her eyes away quickly, she noticed the answering machine was blinking. She pointed to it and they both moved closer. Using the end of a pen, she pressed the play button. A series of messages, some a week old, filled the apartment. Their dry cleaning was ready, Carl’s laptop had been repaired and was ready for pick-up, Pam’s sister was confirming their visit in two weeks, adding snidely that they might want to look into a hotel if they planned to bring ‘that dog’, and then there was Bruce’s voice. His message was short, asking them if they minded taking Liz’s class that very morning as she was too tired to make it. His was the last message, time-stamped at five thirty am. Remembering the dog, Elizabeth looked around the room. Whistling, she called out, “Bucky! kiss-kiss Bucky!” Somewhere back in the bedroom came the sound of clinking dog tags as a small West Highland White Terrier trotted into view and right to her. Bending down, she lifted the dog into her arms and giggled slightly as he struggled to lick her face. He seemed exceedingly lonely but well fed and there were no signs of dog mess anywhere in the apartment so she just assumed he had been expecting his owners to come home to him so much sooner than they would now. Sadness washed over her face as she snuggled the familiar beast, comforting grief he would never feel.
Watching Elizabeth snuggle with the white fluff ball made his pulse race. It was licking her face, flicking his tongue lazily over her chin, cheek, and neck. Matthew forced the lump in his throat down with a firm swallow. “What do you plan to do with him?” She looked up from the dog with sad, murky green eyes and he had to look away. He needed to be serious, professional, not emotional. “I would suggest the sister, but it didn’t sound like she was a dog lover.”
“Well, Carl never mentioned any family and Pam only had the one sister. I guess I can take him till we can find a home for him.” He watched, envious, as she hugged the little dog and put him back on the floor. “It doesn’t look like anything is out of place here, so why is it that it feels all wrong? Who doesn’t listen to their messages for a week, yet feeds and cleans up after their dog, makes coffee, and takes showers?” He had to give her credit. The answering machine was the only thing in the apartment that didn’t seem to fit. All other evidence was that of a normal morning lived by a happy couple, all but the answering machine. He had left messages on his machine before, needing to get the number or the directions written down later, but in every instance he had listened to the messages first. These messages were mostly mundane, non-informational drivel, things that most people would erase immediately. What’s more, the flashing light meant that the messages had never been played in the first place.
“We’ll take the machine.” Calling to the officer in the hall, he listed the items in the apartment that were to be taken into evidence as he watched Elizabeth gather up a small box of the dog’s things. “I think we’re done here. Before we head back to the precinct do you want to drop the dog off?” At first the surprise on her face confused him until he realized that dropping the dog off meant taking him upstairs to her apartment. His heart skipped a beat at the idea of getting a peek into her highly guarded private life.
“Yeah, okay, just let me finish gathering up his stuff, unless you think all of it needs to go into evidence?” The idea turned over in his head, and his training kicked in. If the last week had been abnormal, that meant that someone else was taking care of the dog. Seeing the box of toys already gathered in her arms, he sighed.
“Actually, I think we should. Set the box down. I’ll get the C.S.I.’s to collect all his stuff right away and process it first. He should be fine in your apartment for a few hours while they clear it. You can take some food out of the bag for him, but wear gloves.” She smirked at him as she wiggled her fingers in the air. How had he not noticed she was wearing gloves already? Was he really that distracted around her? Leaving her to ready the dog, he stepped out into the hallway. He had a few more instructions for the uniform, but more importantly he needed to clear his head. A feat impossible to accomplish in her presence.
“Six, right?” A few minutes later they were standing in the elevator again with the other uniform. She nodded and he pressed the button and took a step back, coming close to
her side. Bucky leaned toward him and sniffed at his gray sport coat. The little guy was cute, he had to admit. He liked dogs, though his tastes usually ran to the big slobbery kind. Smiling at the white fluff-ball, he scratched behind his ear absently as the elevator lurched and the doors opened again. Holding the baggie of dog food under his arm, he followed his k-9 laden partner down the hallway to her door. He watched as she rummaged in her small bag for her keys and as the door swung open, he stifled a gasp. Her apartment was nothing like he had pictured, though in truth, his imaginings were somewhat unrealistic to start with. He had pictured cold, uncomfortable, and sparse furniture, with more punching bags than pillows. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Her apartment was plush and stylish. Comfy and elegant tan furniture was accented by light blue walls and a variety of colorful throw pillows. A well equipped kitchen opened onto the perfectly appointed living area. The only thing that didn’t seem to fit the HGTV-esque space was the huge, built-in shelving unit covered in DVD cases and surrounding an erection-inducing wide-screen, flat-screen TV.
“Is there something wrong with my apartment, Detective Barrow?” The amusement in her voice was tinged with a little impatience, as she let the door swing open for him to follow her inside.
“It’s…great, just not what I expected, that’s all.” He cleared his head and moved into the entry, closing the door behind him. The idea that he was standing in her place, where she spent her evenings, where she slept and relaxed, was almost more than he could stand. Moving quickly, he slid into her kitchen and put the baggie of dog food on her counter. Watching her welcome the dog made him tense. The scene before him was far too familiar, too casual. He was having a hard enough time controlling his attraction when they were on the job, but here, in such a private setting, his feelings were becoming more than he could hold back. “So, if you’re finished I think we should get going.” Looking up from the dog she was furiously petting, her smile hit him like a bullet. She nodded and stood up, as if to move to the apartment door. Snapping her fingers she changed direction and opened a closed door along the far wall. Remembering the layout of the apartment they had just left, he pinched his eyes closed for a split second before forcing them open again. Sure enough, it was the door to her bedroom, the last room he felt comfortable taking in just now. It was soft and fluffy and feminine. A thick, enticing, down comforter, covered in a pale lavender print duvet, spread messily over a large queen-sized bed. Around it on the floor lay intimate articles of clothing and the distinct smell of her shampoo and perfume wafted out to him. In an instant he was rock hard and panting. Holy shit, that’s her bed, those are her P.J.s from last night. He nearly rushed her, drug her into his arms, wanting to fall upon her, a man in heat.
“I just need to grab something first. I’ll be right out.” Her voice carried from somewhere inside the hidden part of the room she had just opened. Oh thank god, she didn’t know, hadn’t seen his utterly vulgar, masculine reaction. Rushing to the sink, he ran the cold tap and splashed a bit into his face. Hearing her returning, he pulled his hand across his still smoldering features and rushed out into the hallway. He had already been struggling with sensual dreams and fantasies about her, now it would be unbearable. He knew what her bed looked like, knew that she wore to sleep, a skimpy tank-top and shorts set made of silk, both images that he knew would come back to him tonight as he stood in the cold rain of his shower shamefully caressing himself in her stead. Her voice shattered his thoughts as she brushed past him in the hallway heading for the elevator. He hadn’t heard what she had said, but he had certainly felt the brush of her shoulder against his. Looking up confused, he found her pressing the elevator button and staring at him with that wonderfully casual smirk of hers. Perfect. Now that she was comfortable with the idea of being his friend, he was decidedly not.
“Well, you coming?”
If only….
Chapter 13
The ride back to the precinct had been awkward, though she wasn’t really sure why. For one blissful moment she had actually felt comfortable letting someone, a man, into her life, but immediately after leaving her apartment he had turned cold, distant. Fear gripped her. Had he seen something in her apartment that he found offensive, or worse, repulsive? She had gone back over her rooms in her mind as he drove them to the office. Maybe he didn’t like dogs…no, he had petted Bucky in the elevator and it had appeared genuine. Her movie collection maybe? Surely that wasn’t it, most of her titles were action thrillers and scifi classics. What man doesn’t like those? Her bedroom? Oh god, the bedroom. She hadn’t pushed the door closed when she had gone in to run some water in the tub for Bucky. He had gotten an eye full of her most private place. Going over what might have been visible from where he stood, she took each item in turn, starting with the duvet. Though lavender was perhaps not the most serious color, it was her favorite, and after all, she was a girl. He couldn’t possibly have been caught off guard by that. There had been cloths on the floor and the bed wasn’t made, maybe he thought she was a slob. That made more sense than anything, but it wasn’t true. Normally she was very tidy. Part of her wanted to break the silence by declaring that, as she had already told him, she had been up late and that she only barely woke up in time to meet him that morning for coffee, let alone clean up her morning mess.
“So, I was wondering if you wanted to do a little combat training with me tonight? I know you were just joking around earlier, but I think it might be good for us to know what each other is capable of, physically speaking.” His voice had started out strong, but the strangely ambiguous ending had been accompanied by a strain in his tone. She didn’t really care if his meaning had been shady, she was just so relieved that he wasn’t frosty anymore.
Smiling slightly out her window, she answered in her most nonchalant voice. “Sure, but when I kick your butt you aren’t allowed to seek revenge.” His snort of derision had them both laughing and her heart fluttered into a feverish beat. Just when she felt the wall around her heart starting to crack, they pulled into the parking deck under the precinct building and the moment was lost. Twenty minutes later they were sitting in the contemporary office of Detective Arrons, listening to his preliminary findings. She flinched when he confirmed that the same phrase had again been carved on the victims’ chests under their clothes and that the weapon appeared to be the same from the last murder.
“We’ll know more when the coroner finishes his autopsy. Those findings should be on my desk around six this afternoon, but there are three bodies ahead of your case. As for the coat you found in the podium, Cord, it is definitely from your building and the name tag on it read Barry.” Elizabeth nodded, recognizing the name.
“Thanks, Jack.” Hearing Barrow’s voice beside her curled her fingers, it took so little for him to affect her. Their appointment that evening kicked her in the heart. It was one thing to hear his voice as he sat next to her, dressed in a suit, in front of a colleague. Here she could maintain a professional facade. It was quite another to be dressed sparsely and wrestling around with him on exercise mats. For a moment she thought she should back out, say she had other plans or needed to go home early. Bucky would make a great excuse and it would be so easy to squirm out of the appointment, but she didn’t actually want to. As much as the idea frightened her, it also excited her, more than she cared to admit.
After leaving Arrons’ office, he had taken her to a late lunch, but their conversation had been limited to the case and clues. It had been exceedingly pleasant and for the first time she actually felt like a normal, socially healthy, young woman. She was excited to think that she was fully capable of having a friendly professional relationship with a member of the opposite sex. It was a feeling she didn’t know she craved until she had a taste of it. Now she longed to feel that way all the time, and since she had only felt it with him, it made her want to be around him even more. After lunch, he had taken her by a pet store so she could pick up some things for Bucky, but when he took her back by her place to drop the
m off, he had waited in the car. It had bothered her, but she decided that she wouldn’t push it.
They spent the remainder of the afternoon interviewing Carl’s co-workers at the insurance firm he worked for. They described him warmly and confirmed both that they hadn’t heard from him in a week and that that wasn’t out of the ordinary for him. He was an independent claims adjuster, which meant he worked from home almost exclusively. They called him when there were things he needed to look into and it had been a slow week. In truth, he could have been dead for a week and they wouldn’t have realized it. With Pam being a housewife, their witness list was exceedingly short and had provided them with little information. Bruce had not been much better. He didn’t see them come in that morning and, aside from the message he had left on their machine, he hadn’t been in contact with them directly in over a week. As for the tampered with surveillance camera, that was the first he had heard of it and Elizabeth was quite sure that if she hadn’t been standing there he would have accused Barrow, and the rest of the force, of being the ones who broke it.
Little Belle Gone Page 6