by Linda Ladd
“But of course, you did,” she said, but she did wish she was there. What he was describing beat honky-tonk karaoke and vulgar tattoos all over the place.
“I miss you, too. Next time I’ll drag you along.”
“Next time you won’t have to.”
“I want to make love to you. Every night. All night long.”
Believe it or not, that turned her on. Maybe it was the gruff and longing desire in his voice. Maybe it was the mental picture she was getting of him in his swimsuit that day at her dock and all those hard ridges making up his six-pack. She decided not to mention any of that. “You must be Superman then, if you can do that.”
“If you only knew how you affect me.” There was a wry sound to that remark.
Claire smiled, had to. “Maybe we can do that when you get back.”
“Please tell me you’re serious.”
“I’m serious. I told you I miss you.”
“I can be in the air in under an hour.”
She laughed at that idea, but was secretly pleased. “Do your thing, Black, and I’ll do mine. I’ll see you on Tuesday. Then we’ll see how super in bed you really are. I suspect I can outlast you, just out of a coma, and everything.”
“If I’d known you were going to react to my absence this way, I would’ve come down here days ago.”
“Just concentrate on giving your speech and quit worrying about me. I’m fine.”
It was at that point that Claire saw a couple of familiar faces at a table in the far corner near the swinging kitchen doors. “Oh, my God, Black, guess who’s here?”
“Who?” He sounded alarmed.
“Captain Oliver Long and Kay Kramer. And they look pretty darn cozy. I can’t believe they’re out together this soon.”
“Who?”
“You know the victim out by the Falcon? The real estate agent. It’s Miriam Long’s husband, and he’s with her partner. Looks like a real heavy date to me. Think I’ll go have a little chat with them.”
“Are you armed?”
“Of course, don’t be silly. What do you take me for?”
“If you think it’s going to get nasty, call Bud for backup.”
“Give me some credit. I’m not going to slap them in cuffs on the karaoke stage. I’m just going to see how they explain this little night out on the town. They haven’t even released her body yet, for God’s sake.”
“If you need help right now, get Joe to help you. He’s a Marine. God, I wish I was there.”
“Don’t worry. I’m just going to talk to them. I gotta go, Black.”
“Well, call me back and let me know what happened. I’m invested now in your being in good shape when I get home. You know, lots of stamina. You’re going to need it.”
Laughing at him, Claire hung up and headed straight for her two new suspects. She still couldn’t believe they were out together in public so soon. Especially in a place like Jeepers.
By the time she reached their cozy little table and got a load of Captain Long’s face, however, her suspicions dwindled to dust. He looked sick and ashen and tears were running down his face. Kay Kramer was weeping, too, quietly and heartbrokenly. They saw her before she could reverse her engines, do a sheepish sort of back pedal, and leave them alone to console each other’s grief.
But the captain was immediately up on his feet, wiping his tears away with the back of his hand. “Have you got that bastard yet?” were the first words out of his mouth.
“No, sir. I’m sorry to intrude. I’m here with some friends, and I just wanted to tell you again how sorry I am about your wife.” Do I feel like a rotten, dirty dog, you bet your life, I do.
Kay Kramer took hold of Claire’s hand and pulled her down into the chair beside her. “Please, tell us, have you made any progress? Anything at all?”
Okay, this is why she didn’t like this half a day crap. How could she explain that little problem to them, huh? So sorry, but I’ve been in this coma, see, so I’m only working half-time on finding your wife’s brutal murderer. It made her sick to her stomach. Charlie was going to have to reverse that decision and let her get back to work, that’s all there was to it. Black would okay her working full-time now; she knew he would.
“We’ve been checking out all her listings, trying to find something suspicious. Where she might have gone that day, who might’ve seen her, talked to her. So far, we’re not getting many leads.”
The captain leaned toward her. “I did come up with something, detective. I was too out of it the day you interviewed me to remember much of anything. I’m not sure whether it’s gonna help you or not, but Miriam did tell me that she had a listing in the name of her former employer, a guy named Larry Carter over in Springfield. I think she said it’s a probate property, a real creepy place, she said, but I can’t be sure about that. Some kind of crime happened there a while back, I think. She was in a huge hurry that day when she mentioned it. She goes a mile a minute all the time.” His voice went dead with renewed shock and horror about his wife’s murder, and he shut his eyes. Claire took a mental pencil and x’ed him off her suspect list as having anything to do with the crime. Nobody was that good of an actor.
“That’s right, I’d forgotten about that place,” Kay said, half shouting over the din. “It’s not our listing, and it’s way out in the woods somewhere. I really don’t know much about it.”
“Can you tell me where this house is? The address?”
“No, I didn’t have anything to do with it. It was a favor she was doing for Larry. You’ll have to ask him about it.”
“We will. Thanks for the tip.”
Captain Long said, “I want you to catch this guy, detective.”
“So do I, captain, so do I.”
Claire asked them a few more questions, but they couldn’t think of anything else that might be pertinent to the investigation.
“I had to get out of that house,” Oliver Long was telling Claire now. “Everything I see, everything I touch reminds me of Miriam. I was going to lose it if I didn’t get out of there.” He looked at Kay Kramer, who was still crying. “Kay thought coming out here might get my mind off things. She doesn’t want me to be alone. She doesn’t want to be alone, either. But it’s not working. Let’s get outta here, Kay.”
“I’m sorry,” Claire said. “I know this has to be terrible.”
Kay said, “I’m ready, Oliver. You’re right, this wasn’t such a good idea.”
They both stood up, in a big hurry now, and she shook hands with them and promised to give keep them posted on any developments.
Back at Claire’s table, Nancy was ready to go, too. Monica wanted to stay awhile with Jesse. Joe just watched and grinned.
“Okay, we’ll see you later,” Claire said to the table in general.
“I tell you, Claire, if I didn’t have to be down at Buckeye’s office so early in the morning, I’d hang around awhile. That McKay guy really rings my bells, he really does. What a hottie. He looks sort of dangerous, too. You know, like Jason Bourne, or Colin Ferrell.”
They both looked back at the object of Nancy’s lust as Burly Ninja One opened the door for them. McKay was watching them leave. He gave a little farewell salute with two fingers. He was pretty cool, she did have to admit.
“My God, he is so damn sexy,” said Nancy as they got into her big white Tahoe.
“Yeah, he’s got a certain charm, I guess.”
“Almost as sexy as Nick Black,” Nancy added. “But he’s taken, to say the least. Monica says he’s nuts about you, that nobody else has a chance with him.”
“Black’s got a certain charm, too.”
Nancy laughed knowingly and pulled out of the driveway.
Truth was, Claire was never so ready to leave a place in her life. Maybe hanging around with Black in his spacious penthouse 24/7 wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe she was beginning to feel about him the way he said she did. Maybe they were going see where this thing was going as soon as he got home. Until then, s
he was going to throw herself back into the Miriam Long case. She had to catch this guy for Captain Long, and this half-a-day stuff was going down like a load of bricks.
Jesse’s Girl
Present day
A few days after Jesse had spent time with Annie at Jeepers, he was on pins and needles, wanting to get the deed done. Everything was in place now. Annie had not regained her memory, didn’t recognize him even when they were only inches apart. Thank God for that. But she was back at work and spending a lot of time at her own house. And Black had gone to Florida, out of the picture for a while. Everything was perfect. At long last, the moment was at hand.
And Annie trusted Jesse now, so she’d let him come inside her house without blinking. That would make things so much easier for him to grab her. He was very familiar with her little A-frame cabin, too, had been out there several times to case things out. It would be quite easy to sneak up on her there, through the woods or off the lake. Either way, he could surprise her. Jules was friendly, too, and probably wouldn’t bark but just wag his tail. No, the dog wouldn’t put out an alarm. But if he did, it would be easy enough to wring that stupid poodle’s neck. He could always get Annie another dog, if she cried or was upset about it. Maybe she’d just be satisfied with Jules’s head on a saucer.
Jesse had been working out his plan for weeks now. As a Cedar Bend Lodge employee, he had access to all employee break rooms and the basement work areas, where the resort’s laundry was located. That’s where they washed and bleached the expensive sheets Black provided for his guests. Better yet, that’s where they washed and ironed Black’s personal belongings. He had gotten into Nicholas Black’s own dirty laundry bag and stolen a couple of his pricey monogrammed shirts. He had already filched an expensive black leather belt that Black left lying around in Annie’s bedroom when she was still in the coma. Jesse had taken goblets off the room service trays that Black had used, all covered with his fingerprints. He had accumulated all sorts of incriminating evidence against Black. And now, at long last, the time had come to put the second stage of his plan into action.
Jesse was supposed to move into Monica’s new house tonight. He was there already, having wiped the house clean of his own fingerprints. He was just waiting for Monica to show up. When her Sebring finally pulled up outside, he picked up a hammer so she’d think he’d been working and not wonder why he had on work gloves. He walked to the front door to meet her. He was so filled to the brim with eagerness, excitement, that he could barely draw his breath. Monica had been more than helpful; true, he had been lucky as all get out to find her. He had to admit that, but it was time for her to die. Stuffing Nicholas Black’s belt in the back of his pants, he opened the front door with a big welcoming grin.
“Hi, sweetie,” Monica said brightly. He’d never seen her look so happy, so pretty. She was carrying two bags of groceries in her arms. “I’m so glad to be home at last. Just think, we’ll get to be together all the time now. I just can’t believe how fast all this happened.”
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment, too,” he said with his most gentle smile. “Every single night.”
Hurrying to the dining room table, Monica put down the grocery bags and pulled a small gift-wrapped box out of the top of one. “I got a little housewarming present for you,” she gushed, so very happy. “Just because I love you so much.”
“Baby, you shouldn’t of done that. I really do love you so much, too.”
“Oh, Jesse. I’m glad that Nick got me that job at Canton County Medical Center. I didn’t want to go back to St. Louis without you.”
“We’ll be together forever. I want you to meet Miss Rosie soon. She can’t wait to get to know you.”
“I can’t wait to meet all your family.”
Jesse opened the box and found it contained a beautiful silver band with one big diamond. “Wow, Monica, this is really awesome.”
“It’s a promise ring. I had to guess at your size. I’m going to wear one just like it.”
“That’s so neat. You are just the sweetest little thing,” Jesse told her, truly admiring the glittering ring. He was pleased. He would take Monica’s matching ring and give it to Annie. It would make the perfect homecoming gift for her.
They embraced, and then he kissed Monica one last time, a good-bye-forever kind of kiss that she’d never forget. Then he pulled the belt out from behind his back as she clung to him. Then very quickly, he pushed her away from him and looped the leather belt around her neck. He jerked it tight and twisted it and kept twisting it, harder and harder. Monica looked shocked in that first instant, and then she started struggling, desperately clawing at the belt cutting off her air and feebly trying to hit him in the face.
Leaning back away from her blows, he smiled the whole time so she’d feel better about giving up her life for him. She was stronger than she looked, but she was way too little and too weak for him. It would take him a while to strangle her unconscious, at least ten or twelve minutes, he bet. His arms would get tired—
Suddenly she dropped to her knees and threw his death grip off balance. The belt loosened a notch as she fought like crazy and tried to scramble free. She got to the table and knocked off the grocery bags, spilling everything all over the place.
Jumping on top of her, Jesse used his body to hold her down and control her. He forgot the belt then and put both his thumbs on the base of her throat and pressed down with all his strength. Monica fought him a few more minutes, her eyes wild and bulging, and she seemed to take forever to die. Tears wet her cheeks, and Jesse put his face next to hers and licked them off. They tasted salty and really good. He backed away a little, watching her face as he choked her. Then he glanced at the clock on the wall when she finally went limp, and then looked back down at her. She had lasted a full twelve minutes before the light in her eyes died away and turned black, and she lay still and dead underneath him, still looking up at him. Panting with exertion himself, he got off her body and sat there on his heels a few seconds, catching his breath.
Standing up, he glanced around, ready to stage the crime scene. Their struggle had overturned a side table beside an easy chair and broken a lamp. Groceries were scattered all over the floor. Oranges and apples and cans were everywhere. But that was okay. That would go along nicely with his scenario to frame Nicholas Black for her murder. Black was due back sometime today. Monica had told him that much, and he was probably coming in later that night. And Annie was staying at her own house. Everything was going according to Jesse’s plan.
Staring down at Monica’s body, he watched to make sure she didn’t start breathing again. Sometimes people fooled him after he strangled them. But she wasn’t, and then he got up and walked into the kitchen. He found some leftover homemade pizza in the fridge, and he took it out and stuck it in the microwave. He picked up an apple off the floor, washed it thoroughly in the sink, and ate it while he waited. Man, Monica had been a good cook; he was going to miss that about her. He switched on the TV to Cardinals baseball and ate at the dining room table where he could keep an eye on Monica, in case she moved and he had to finish her off again.
After that, he went out to his car, picked up the box of evidence incriminating Black, and then he placed it all around her house in the appropriate places. Oh, yes, Nicholas Black’s fingerprints and DNA were going to be all over Monica Wheeler’s crime scene. If that didn’t work, the personal diary he’d typed into Monica’s laptop would certainly do the trick. Nicholas Black was gonna be out of the picture for good. And then, and only then, would Annie be all Jesse’s. Then she would no longer be able to be with Nicholas Black. The bastard would either be in prison or executed for Monica’s murder. Either way, he’d be out of the picture forever. Even if Black had a good alibi in Florida, it would still take his lawyers a long time to explain how all his stuff got inside Monica’s house. Long enough for Jesse to grab Annie and cross into Mexico, and that was the important thing. Once they were out of the country, then everything would be al
l right. Then she and Jesse would live happily ever after.
Chapter Seventeen
Just after noon on the day Black was scheduled to get back, Claire got into Bud’s white Bronco at her house, and off they went toward the listing on the lake that Captain Long had told her about at Jeepers. She had spent the last few days at her own place, because Black didn’t know what time he was getting in and there was a possibility that he’d have to stay an extra day. She had enjoyed getting used to her personal property and had spent some time down the road at Harve’s. Truth be told, though, she really missed Black and couldn’t wait to see him, for more reasons than one.
Claire smiled to herself, thinking about it, until her phone started up with “The Mexican Hat Dance.” She grabbed it out of her bag, thinking it would be Black giving her his ETA, but caller ID said “Charles Ramsay,” so she picked up in a big hurry.
“Yes, sir, Sheriff.”
“Where are you?”
“Bud and I are heading out to check out one of Miriam Long’s property listings. Her husband gave me a lead on it the other night. Said a crime was committed there a while back. But nobody here knows where it is. We called her former boss in Springfield to get a bead on it, a guy named Larry Carter, but he’s been on vacation, but should be there today. We decided to go down and interview him and his staff in person, so we can get the key and permission to enter the property, and see if anything appears suspicious about this guy. Carter could be a viable suspect.”
“Well, turn around. We got another murder, and I want you two on it.” He paused. “You know that girl who helped Black when you were sick? The nurse? Name of Monica Wheeler?”
“Yes, sir. What about her? She okay?”
“She’s dead, Claire.”
That shocked Claire enough to force out an audible gasp. “Monica Wheeler’s dead?” She choked it out, hoping she’d misheard him.
Hearing that, Bud hit the brakes, swerved over onto the shoulder, and slammed to a stop, every bit as shocked as she was.