Something to Dye For (Curl Up and Dye Mysteries, #2)

by Aimee Nicole Walker

  “Coincidence,” I said to Gabe, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he might be right. I did feel an ominous presence when I stood outside.

  “If Nate hadn’t turned up dead in our county then I would agree with you, but he did,” Gabe said. He took his coat off and tossed it over the arm of the couch. “Josh, I have no clue what Nate was into or why he appeared to be bringing it to me, but it can’t be a coincidence. I’d love to pin this on Deputy Small Dick, but in all fairness, this doesn’t seem to have his name on it.”

  Gabe was making serious accusations and basically telling me that my life could be in great peril, but all I could think about was how much I had rubbed off on him already. His Deputy Small Dick talk made me smile and brought happy tears to my eyes.

  A look of panic crossed Gabe’s face then he said, “Josh, don’t cry. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” He pulled me into his arms and said such sweet things to me that only made me shake harder, and at some point, Gabe realized I was trembling from laughter and not fear. “What can you possibly find funny about this situation?”

  “Deputy… Small… Dick…” I laughed so hard that I gasped for air between each word. “You might not look like me yet, but you’re starting to sound like me.”

  Gabe closed his eyes as he struggled to find patience with me. If he planned on sticking around long, and I hoped that he did, then he would need to discover a huge well of it inside him. “It’s late and nothing is going to get resolved by us not sleeping.”

  “You’re staying?” There was no disguising the hopefulness in my voice.

  “I’m staying.”

  Once we were tucked beneath the covers, I nestled up close to him and placed my head on his shoulder. He ran his hand up and down my back, but I wasn’t sure if he was trying to comfort me or himself. “Much better,” I said sleepily. The excitement was wearing off and I could feel sleep coming for me.

  “Why weren’t you able to sleep?” Gabe asked. There should’ve been a rule about asking questions when someone was tired and their guard was down.

  “You know,” I replied.

  “Maybe I want to hear the words,” Gabe said.

  I remembered the scared look in his eyes when he returned upstairs by himself and I wanted to do something that would ease his worry, even if it was just for the night. “Because you weren’t here,” I admitted.

  “I wasn’t sleeping either,” Gabe told me. He pressed a kiss against my forehead. “Just say the word when you’re ready to change our sleeping arrangements.”

  I knew he was talking about more than the frequency of sleepovers. I also knew I wasn’t ready for it yet. “You’ll be the first to know,” I simply said.

  “Probably not,” Gabe said. “I predict that I’ll be the…” he paused to count in his head, “third or fourth person to know.”

  “Fourth?” I knew that Meredith and Chaz were probably one and two in his mind. A while ago, he would’ve been right, but I discovered that I didn’t want to talk too much about my relationship with Gabe. For one thing, I didn’t think I’d be able to find the right words. Second, what we had felt too special to dissect over coffee with friends–not that I wouldn’t hesitate to turn to my friends if I needed help.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” he said. “The entire town will probably know about it before I do. You’ll do something cutesy like drop a change of address card for me at the post office early one morning and word will spread through town like wildfire before lunch.”

  “That sounds about right,” I said after mulling it over. “Wait, you’re the one moving?”

  Gabe snorted. “There’s no room for a pole dancing studio at my house.”

  “It always comes back to the damn pole dancing,” I said, but I couldn’t keep the smile out of my sleepy voice.

  “Go to sleep, babe,” Gabe whispered into the darkness. “You’ll have a busy day tomorrow reporting your claim to your insurance company and then making arrangements to have Princess towed to have new tires put on. Unless…”

  “I’ll take care of it.” I appreciated that he was going to offer, but I had the day off and was quite capable of doing the tasks he mentioned.

  “I’ll leave my Charger for you in case you need to drive someplace. I’ll have Adrian pick me up here in the morning.” Gabe loved that car with the remote start, heated seats and steering wheel. I couldn’t believe he’d let me drive it, but then I realized that I probably ranked higher in his life than even I knew. The scale was leaning majorly toward the thrill side, but there was still an edge of terror remaining when I thought about how close we’d come in so little of a time. Breathe, Josh. Don’t fight it.

  “YOU WANT TO TELL me why you didn’t call me last night?” I asked as I toweled dried my hair after a shared shower with Josh. I tried not to be insulted and offended or take it the wrong way, but it was hard to do. He needed help, I wasn’t the first person he turned to, and it didn’t sit well with me. At all.

  “It was a kneejerk reaction,” he said with a casual shrug. Truthfully, I felt he was way too nonchalant about the entire vandalism ordeal.

  “Kneejerk reaction.” I rolled his words in my mind while I repeated them out loud.

  “Yes, when there’s trouble you call 911.” He looked at me like I lost my mind.

  “But you didn’t the night that Oscar Davidson broke into your home to kill you. You called me,” I reminded him, as if he could ever forget. I sure as hell wouldn’t forget sprinting through dark back yards in my attempt to save him from a fucking mad man.

  “I did.”

  I hung up my towel and placed my hands on my hips. “Why?”

  “I can’t take you seriously with you standing there all naked and sexy looking,” Josh said. He was clearly stalling because he could barely stand up after the orgasm I had just given him, so there was no way he was ready for more. I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him my best menacing scowl. I was freezing my naked ass off, but I wasn’t budging from the topic. “That’s not helping because I can still see your dick.”

  “Josh.” My tone said I was done playing.

  “Fine!” He snatched his towel off the rack and began rubbing himself furiously. “I wanted to hear your voice one more damn time.” I couldn’t see his expression because Josh kept his eyes focused on what his hands were doing, but the flush on his body told me he was embarrassed. “Even then I knew there was something more between us, even if I didn’t want there to be. If those were going to be my last moments…”

  I closed the gap between us and tugged on his towel until he looked up at me then tugged until he was as close as I could get him considering the side of the bathtub was between us. “They were never going to be your last moments.”

  “How do you know that?” he asked skeptically.

  The answer to his question was simple: he was meant to be mine. At the time of his attack, I knew only two things about him: he drove me crazy and I couldn’t get enough. We hadn’t known each other long then and we weren’t sure we liked each other. I suspected that my move to Blissville was fated, but to be with him instead of Kyle. I wouldn’t tell him any of that right then because he wasn’t ready to hear it. Soon, I told myself. To him, I said, “I know these things.”

  “Yeah? But you didn’t see…”

  “… Blah blah blah,” I finished for him. The Wanda Honeycutt jokes were getting old. I wasn’t the only one fooled by her sweet church lady routine and at least I could say I’d only known her for a few months. The rest of the knuckleheads knew her their entire lives and never saw her devious nature.

  “Josh,” I said seriously. “Call me first next time.”

  Josh scrunched up his nose and frowned. “Damn, I hope there isn’t a next time,” he replied.

  “Me too, but if there is…”

  “… You’ll be the first to know,” he said obligingly. Josh lowered his voice and whispered, “We’re starting to finish each other’s sentences. Next thing you know, you’ll be w
earing…”

  “I’m not wearing skinny jeans,” I said cutting him off. I lightly bit his bottom lip then stepped back so he could get out of the tub and get warmed up. I couldn’t help but notice Josh’s nips were hard enough to cut glass. I noticed his hot, naked body even though he had milked every last drop of spunk from my balls in the shower. I figured only death would keep my eyes from feasting on his beauty, but I doubted even that would stop me.

  Josh pulled out one of my suits and ties from the depths of his giant closet once we returned to his bedroom. I watched as he opened his underwear and sock drawer and removed a pair of my boxers and dress socks that were mixed in with his stuff. My heart would’ve smiled if it could over the sweet, domestic moment.

  “I ironed this shirt after I laundered it, but it could probably use another pass,” Josh said, inspecting the pale blue shirt he held up in front of him.

  “It’s fine the way it is.” I hooked my finger in the knotted towel at his waist. “Thank you.” I kept the kiss chaste because I knew Adrian would be on his way and I didn’t want to keep him waiting. The only thing I paused to do was watch Josh pull on a pair of neon green bikini briefs. Again, there was no way I wouldn’t notice the way the fabric clung to the taut globes of his ass.

  “Keep looking at me like that and you’re going to be late.”

  I snapped my head up and caught Josh watching me in the mirror. “As if you don’t know how fond I am of your ass.” I resumed getting dressed before I pulled him to me for one last kiss.

  “Be easy on the gas pedal if you drive my car. It’s rear wheel drive so the power comes from the ass end. If you stomp the gas pedal you’ll spin the tires; it’s especially bad on wet or slick roads,” I told Josh.

  “I won’t hurt your precious car.” He rolled his eyes. I was surprised he didn’t make a crack about the power coming from his ass end too.

  “I wasn’t worried about the car getting hurt.” He could pretend that we didn’t have a similar conversation the night before all he wanted, but I could tell by the soft look in his hazel eyes that he remembered just fine. “See you tonight.” It wasn’t a question; it was a promise. He wasn’t the only one who had a hard time sleeping alone after spending so many nights together.

  “Big Daddy! Big Daddy!” Savage never failed to bring a smile to my face.

  “Dirty Bird,” I teased as I walked by.

  “Dirty Bird,” he repeated.

  I waited downstairs, and away from the temptation of Josh, for Adrian to pick me up. When he arrived, his smile was so big that I needed sunglasses to shield my eyes from the sun glaring off his white teeth. “Shut up,” I warned as I got into his car.

  “I didn’t say a damn thing,” he replied. “But if I was going to say something, it would be that you look remarkably chipper for a man whose boyfriend called the police instead of him.”

  “Good thing you’re not saying anything,” I said wryly.

  “Crazy week for you, partner. First your former fuck buddy gets killed in our county, then the drug bust, and now your boyfriend is getting harassed. What’s the likelihood that it’s all coincidental?”

  “Well, I think two of the three are related,” I told Adrian, but then I stopped to think it over. “Do you think Turner’s appearance in our county had something to do with the drugs?”

  “I think it’s something we really need to consider,” he replied.

  Captain Reardon was waiting for us when we arrived at the station. “Gabe, I need to see you in my office.”

  I exchanged a brief look with Adrian before I followed the captain to his office. “Yes, sir?” I asked once I was sitting across from him.

  “Are you aware that all incoming and outgoing email is monitored?”

  “Yes, sir,” I replied, but I wasn’t sure where he was going with his question. I knew that I hadn’t broken any police department policies regarding email conduct-well, not that I was aware of anyway.

  “What you might not know is that during the monitoring process emails containing certain words or phrases are flagged and directed to our IT department for further scrutiny,” Captain Reardon said. I raised my brows, still unsure of what was going on. “Apparently, an incoming email to you was flagged and forwarded for review.” He picked up a piece of paper and slid it to me. “Congratulations on having the first flagged email since the process was implemented a decade ago, Detective Wyatt.”

  “Um, thank you,” I replied hesitantly. I looked down at the printed email and couldn’t believe what I read.

  Gabe,

  I know you didn’t want to get involved in my situation, but I wasn’t sure who I could trust anymore. I did take your advice and contacted the Cincinnati Police Department about the threats against me and things went from bad to worse.

  Please call me. 555.0045

  Nate

  I looked at the date on the email and saw that it was dated a few days before he was killed. He was coming to look for me. “Fuck,” I said in disbelief. “Why are we just now getting it? What phrase in that email slowed things down rather than sped them up?”

  “As I said before, this was the first time an email showed up in the review inbox and it was overlooked. There’s been illnesses and… you know, it doesn’t matter. I’m not making any excuses because it’s entirely possible that Mr. Turner’s death could’ve been prevented. Internal Affairs will be launching an investigation into the situation, which will include you since you were the intended recipient.”

  “I understand, sir. I have nothing to hide,” I told him.

  “I believe you, Gabe. Regardless, you will have union representation during any interview,” he firmly said. Then he did something so uncharacteristic of him. He broke eye contact and fidgeted with the buttons on his sleeves while mumbling something beneath his breath that sounded a lot like, “pompous old goat,” but I couldn’t be sure.

  “Sir?”

  Captain cleared his throat. “Internal Affairs will also be keeping a close eye on the detectives with the sheriff’s department too since they’re investigating Nate’s homicide.” Ahhh, the “pompous old goat” comment was directed at his father-in-law.

  “Fair enough,” I replied. I tried to modulate my voice so the dread I felt over potentially dealing with Billy Sampson again didn’t show. “I assume they’ll be looking in to CPD as well.” It wasn’t that Nate said the police department was corrupt, but the vague comment could be construed that way, so an investigation was the only thing to do.

  “Oh, you can bet on it.” Captain retrieved Nate’s email and slid it back into the file. “I’m waiting for a call from your union rep, Jillian Rosewood, to see when she’s available for your interview. I’ll let you know when everything is set up.” I could tell by his brisk tone that our conversation was finished and he was ready to move on to other tasks.

  “Yes, sir.” I rose from my seat and exited his office.

  Adrian nodded his head toward the coffee station that was set up in the rear of the room. “What’s going on?” he asked when we were out of ear shot from everyone else. Adrian listened intently as I told him about the email and the pending interview with IA. “That’s some serious shit.” Adrian rubbed the back of his head in shock. “Someone has to be held accountable for overlooking that email.”

  “Agreed.” There wasn’t anything I could do to help Nate Turner any more, unless I somehow was called upon to investigate his homicide, but that was highly unlikely. I could, however, make sure that Josh stayed safe, and by doing so, potentially solve Nate’s case.

  I tried to convince myself again that morning that it was a fluke, a coincidence. I wanted to think it was Sampson’s jealous tantrum, but my gut was telling me it wasn’t him. My fears were confirmed when the desk sergeant stopped at my desk with an envelope for me.

  “This was dropped through our mail slot and is addressed to you,” O’Malley said. He set it on the corner of my desk and walked away. All I could do was stare at it while a strong sense
of foreboding snaked its way up my spine and burrowed inside my brain.

  “Partner, you look like you’re about to get sick,” Adrian said when he returned from the bathroom. “What’s this?” He reached down to pick up the envelope, but I stopped him.

  “Gloves,” I told him. I opened the bottom drawer of my desk and pulled out two pairs of black latex gloves. My heart was in my throat when I picked up the envelope with gloved hands. My name was written crudely in blood red marker on the outside.

  “I don’t like this, Gabe,” Adrian said.

  “That makes two of us.” I released a deep breath and opened the envelope. Inside were several photos of Josh. “These were taken this week.”

  “How do you know?” Adrian asked.

  “These running tights are brand new,” I replied. Josh loved the bright aqua blue stripe down the side of the gray pants and I loved the Andrew Christian jock in the same shade of blue he wore beneath them that day. “Oh, God,” I said when I came to the last picture. “This was last night.” It was a photo of Josh standing in his driveway with a shell-shocked expression on his face. “He flattened his tires and then purposely set off the car alarm so Josh would come out.”

  Confirming my worst fears that the person who stalked, threatened and killed Nate had moved onto Josh didn’t make me feel better. There were times in life that a person wanted to be wrong, but Josh was in danger and the pictures proved it.

  “Whoever killed Nate thinks you know more than you do,” Adrian said, confirming my thoughts. Fear gripped my heart and made it nearly impossible for me to think. “We need to bring Captain up to speed.”

  I knew Adrian was right, but all I wanted to do was find Josh and hold him tight before I put him on a plane to a destination far from here so I would know that he was safe.

  AS MUCH AS I hated how quickly word got around a small town, it sometimes had its perks; such as my insurance agent calling me before I had a chance to call her. “I heard you had a bit of trouble last night,” Holly Givens said over the phone not five minutes after Gabe left for work with Adrian.