by Linda Wisdom
Her face mask shifted as she smiled. “I’m almost finished here. Why don’t you wait for me in my office? There should be some coffee left in the pot.”
“I’ll see you there.” He didn’t hesitate in taking her up on her offer.
Ten minutes later, Lauren walked in her office to find Kevin lounging in the chair opposite her desk. He whistled an off-key ditty as he idly leafed through the contents of a manila folder. By reading the label on the folder, she knew it was one he’d taken from her desk.
“I swear, you cops are worse than a five-year-old child. Can’t you respect anyone’s privacy? Or is it just a habit with you that you feel you have to read other people’s reports?” She plucked the folder out of his hands and dropped it back on her desk as she walked around to her chair.
He shrugged, not the least embarrassed to be caught snooping. “There’s some pretty gory stuff in there. Judging from the pictures, I’d say his body was out in that house for quite a while. That’s the Thompson case, isn’t it?”
Lauren nodded as she opened a desk drawer and pulled out a tube of hand cream. “Chemicals are hell on the hands, even when you’re wearing gloves,” she explained, squeezing a dab in the palm of her hand and rubbing the lotion into her skin. The faint scent of vanilla mixed with the more tangy chemical smells. “There’s no evidence of foul play—nothing more than a straightforward heart attack. I’d say he’d probably been dead a good four or five days before anyone thought to check on him, and with the warm days, his body started decomposing pretty fast. Seventy-four years old, no family.” She shook herself out of her doldrums. “So what can I do for you?”
Kevin smiled. “No ‘Make an appointment with my secretary’ or putting me off like a big city hot-shit coroner would?”
“Since we’re not in the big city anymore, I don’t see why I should act like a big-shit coroner. And, knowing my secretary, she’d probably not enter you into my appointment calendar anyway. I also doubt you’d come down here unless you had a good reason, although I’m not complaining. It’s so seldom we get drop-in visitors who can still breathe and function on their own.”
She settled back in her chair and propped her feet on top of her desk with the ankles demurely crossed as she watched him with a steady gaze. If he didn’t want to get to the point right away, she wasn’t going to push the issue. She noted the sandy blond hair, bright blue eyes, and lightly tanned features of a man who would always look like a boy. She imagined he had no trouble soothing older women with his boyish charm or intimidating men with that darker hidden side of his. His teal polo shirt tucked neatly into khaki trousers that sported his detective’s gold shield lent to his boyish appeal.
He grinned. “I can’t believe it. A doc with a sense of humor. Can you cook? And if you can, will you marry me? I have this weekend free. We don’t need to have a big wedding, do we? I hate crowds, and white makes me look so washed out. Of course, we have to make sure not to let my wife know about this. She hates the idea of sharing.”
She stretched her arms over her head as she rotated her neck to relieve the tension. “This weekend looks good for me. I wouldn’t worry about wearing white. I’m sure if we searched hard enough we could find something in a nice, soft shade of cream for you.”
Kevin’s smile warmed even more. He knew this was one lady he could work with easily. The word was already out that she was whipping the department into shape, and reports were reaching detectives on time instead of their having to call down, demanding and making threats when they didn’t get them. “You’re not only prettier than ole Harvey, you’re quicker. Or maybe I should say that Josh is the quick one. He didn’t waste any time in snapping you up before anyone else had a chance to say more than hi,” he elaborated.
“From what I’ve heard of what happens to women snapped up by Josh Brandon, I don’t think I would consider it the chance of a lifetime.”
His only reaction was a slight narrowing of the eyes. “Do you listen to rumors, or did Josh tell you?”
“Josh.”
He leaned back in the chair, resting his clasped hands across his belly. “How much did he tell you?”
Lauren shrugged. “Enough to know there’s a woman out there making his life hell. She’s graduated from simple adoration to a bit of terrorizing his past lady friends, and she’s even starting to retaliate against him. I’m not an expert, but I’d say if she isn’t found and stopped soon, someone could end up badly hurt.”
He nodded. “Then you know we’re talking about your typical fatal attraction here. The lady leaves no concrete clues, but she does make sure that Josh knows she was on his turf.”
Lauren thought of the day she’d sensed someone had been in her house.
Finding the open perfume bottle top on her dresser still bothered her, and she hadn’t been able to wear the fragrance since. She now took the extra time to make sure all the doors were locked securely before she left home and she made arrangements to have a security system installed. She offered the company a bonus if it was installed fast.
“Even without finding any clues, I would think you could come up with some idea of who she could be. Or has he been that popular with the women over the years that the list is practically endless?” She only hoped she didn’t sound as if she was fishing—even if she was.
“Josh works with a lot of women’s issues—spousal abuse, rape, you name it.” Kevin pulled out a pack of cigarettes and looked hopefully around for an ashtray. “Mind if I smoke?” He held up the cigarette and a lighter.
“Not allowed in here and if I were you I wouldn’t light up unless you want to end up on my table before the end of the day. I quit a year ago and still don’t have the willpower, not to mention tolerance, to sit around a smoker,” she told him, as she reached into a drawer and pulled out a squirt gun. “Just a little insurance, in case anyone doesn’t believe I mean it.”
“You reformed nonsmokers are a pain in the ass, you know that?” With one last, wistful look at the pack, he put it back in his pocket. “Okay, back to Josh. Because of all the women’s causes he’s worked with, Josh has a lot of ladies who’re grateful to him. We’re figuring one of them is behind this. As we’ve learned from past cases, it’s the overly grateful women who turn out to be the most dangerous ones.”
“They decide he’s done it for them personally, not because of the issue involved. They see it as a declaration of love.”
Kevin nodded. “Josh pulled a copy of the files. Said you have a friend who has experience in this area.”
“Dana has a pretty strong background in the subject. She was one of the first to follow some of the stories on stalkers and see patterns in their behavior just as there are patterns in serial killers,” she explained. “She’s written some informative articles on stalkers and has since become an expert in the field. I thought it might not hurt for her to look the case over and see if she has any suggestions. I realize I’m venturing into your territory, and I apologize for that, but I didn’t think you’d mind any help you could get.”
“It may be my territory, but I’m adult enough to welcome it.” He shook his head. “This bitch has me up against a wall. She’s so clever it’s downright scary. Sometimes I pray she’ll just disappear down some hole or move to another town. I figure she’ll make some other guy’s life hell. And become another cop’s nightmare. But next time around, someone might get lucky.”
Lauren tented her fingers, peering over the tips. “Is there a reason why you’re talking so openly about this case to a civilian?”
“The best kind of reason.”
“Meaning?”
Kevin didn’t believe in pulling his punches, and he figured the woman seated across from him was strong enough to take the worst he could throw at her. And if his hunch about her and Josh turned out right, she was going to need to know what could happen.
“We don’t know very much about this woman, but the few clues we have tell us she’s decided she’s put her brand on Josh and she’s go
ing to make sure anyone who tries to poach on her territory will get hassled in the process. She’s getting a lot nastier about it, too.”
She grew still. “Give me some examples.”
“What we once figured were nothing more than random vandalism and harassment to a few people we’re now giving more serious thought to. And that’s because each of them had dated Josh at one time. And they were usually the ones to call it off.” He didn’t need to pull out his notebook to refresh his memory. “It started out as little things at first. Prize roses cut. Paint thrown against front doors. Obscenities painted on outside walls. Phone calls in the middle of the night, then the caller hangs up. Two women Josh saw a few times had their tires slashed. When he broke up with them, the tricks stopped as suddenly as they’d started. The latest was a pretty nasty joke involving the lady’s job promotion. She now considers Josh lower than dirt.”
Lauren leaned forward in her chair and laced her fingers together, resting them on top of her desk. “This may not be anything at all, but you may as well know that one evening when I got home from work, I sensed someone had broken into my house. Except I couldn’t find anything taken.”
Kevin’s gaze sharpened. “Is this feeling something like a woman’s intuition? Was there proof someone had been in there even if nothing was taken?”
“Have you ever been somewhere and had the hair stir on your arms or on the back of your neck because something just doesn’t feel right? It was that kind of feeling. I couldn’t find anything concrete, nothing even looked out of order in my drawers, but the stopper to one of my perfume bottles was lying on top of the dresser next to the bottle. I normally would have thought I’d done that myself except I hadn’t worn that fragrance that day. I had all the locks changed the next day and a security system will be installed tomorrow.”
He nodded his approval. “Did you tell Josh about this?”
She shook her head. “No reason to. Mr. Brandon and I are not an item, no matter what anyone thinks.”
Kevin muttered a curse. “That doesn’t mean his ‘friend’ doesn’t think so, since she has a habit of jumping to quick conclusions about women Josh so much as talks to. I suggest you start acting a hell of a lot more cautious when you’re anywhere on your own.”
“I’m not foolish enough to think I’m invincible, but I’m not going to look over my shoulder every thirty seconds, either,” she retorted, thinking back to a time when she’d done just that and, as a result, ended up a nervous wreck. It took a lot of inner strength for her to take back her life. “I can’t imagine why this woman considers me a threat.”
Kevin pushed himself out of his chair. “Maybe it’s her woman’s intuition at work. I want you to call me if you ever again think an unwanted visitor dropped by. Next time, we’ll dust for prints and see if we can find anything.” He dropped a white business card on her desk. “Changing your door locks is a good idea, but I’ll warn you now that she’s gotten around new locks and security systems before.”
She nodded.
“Dr. Hunter, Pete needs you.” A bored-looking Sophie appeared in the doorway. “Now.”
Kevin shot Lauren a sympathetic glance as he walked past the secretary. “Good luck, Doc.”
“I should have listened to my mother. She wanted me to be a dermatologist,” she muttered, dreading to think what problem her assistant had gotten himself into.
…
She wondered how long it would take them to discover the paperwork mix-up. Considering how inept Pete Ignatius was at times, it was incredibly easy. Which was why she’d made sure the all-important file error would be blamed on him. How far would he get before he realized the error? And his only recourse would be to tell Lauren what had happened. It would throw their precious schedule off for good, which would then throw the blame on her. Yes, she even made sure of that happening.
Her chuckle stopped cold at the reminder of why she’d chosen to make this woman’s life miserable. They had no idea she’d seen them at the restaurant Saturday night. She tried to tell herself it was a business dinner. Until she saw the way Josh looked at Lauren. A look of wonder, as if he couldn’t imagine a woman like her could ever come into his life. As if he was the luckiest man in the world to have her with him. That was when the pain struck. A pain that sent white-hot darts through her body as she watched Lauren look back at him with that same faint wonder. How dared she think she could seduce him away from her?
She knew that type of woman. They liked to tease a man, lead him on, and promise him all sorts of things. Look how all the others did just that to Josh. They were nothing more than trash. She made sure to show him exactly what they were like. She wanted him to see how evil they could be. And, in the process, she’d let him know how devoted she was to him by rescuing him from these women.
“Hi, haven’t seen you in a while. JoAnne and I are going over to that new salad bar. Want to come along with us?” Lauren laughed, walking up to her. “I even promise not to talk about how my morning went or how I spent it!”
Her lips stretched in a natural smile as she looked at the object of her hate. Her expression was so bright and cheerful as she gazed at Lauren that the coroner could never guess how much she really despised the woman. “Thanks, Lauren, lunch with you and JoAnne sounds like something I really need. You would not believe the crazy morning I’ve had.”
…
“The bastard came by the school this afternoon and told the office that he was supposed to pick up Brian for a dental appointment!” Mitzi sobbed, twisting her purse straps between her fingers.
Josh handed her a tissue. “The school is aware of the restraining order you obtained. Did they call the police?”
She nodded, taking several deep, calming breaths. “The secretary was alert enough to write a note to one of the clerks to call the police while she stalled Steve by claiming she didn’t know what class Brian was in and would have to look up his file. He got suspicious and started screaming that they were keeping him from his son. When the police showed up, he was running down the halls, yelling Brian’s name and frightening the children, especially the smaller ones.” She covered her nose with the Kleenex and blew noisily. “By the time I got there, Brian was in hysterics. He…”—she stopped to catch her breath—”he thought Steve had killed me and had come to kill him.”
“Shit,” Josh said under his breath, easily visualizing what had to be a chaotic scene as he glanced over the notes of the incident. He knew the official report wouldn’t be written up yet, and therefore, he’d asked Ginnie to get any information on it she could. Naturally, she came through with flying colors. He decided Mitzi wasn’t ready to learn that the officer who arrested Steve found a loaded handgun in her ex-husband’s jacket pocket.
“Mitzi, the man was uncontrollable when the police officer tried to arrest him. He was taken to the hospital because his behavior was so erratic and they thought at first he might be on drugs. He’s since been placed under psychiatric observation, so you have nothing to worry about.”
“Until he gets out.” She swiped at her tears with her fingertips. “I can’t live this way, Josh. I’m always afraid that he’ll show up again. Afraid that he’ll break into the house one night and hold a knife to my throat, the way he did that one night. I’m so scared he’ll lose what little control he has.”
Her words ended in a sob. “What if he turns all that anger on Brian? He’s just a little boy, and he sometimes acts as if he’s lived through a major war. He jumps at the slightest sound. He has nightmares. He’s suffering emotional problems at school. His teachers understand, but it can’t keep on this way,” she appealed to him, grabbing hold of his hand. “Josh, you’re the only one I feel safe saying these things to. It’s times like this I’m embarrassed to work in the public defender’s office. They work to keep people like Steve out of jail when I’m begging the system to keep him in there!”
“Honey, it’s their job to worry about a person’s rights,” he soothed, uneasily aware she was right.<
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Ginnie slipped inside the office and placed her hands on Mitzi’s shoulders. “Come on, honey, let’s wash your face. You’ll feel much better.” Her gentle voice was at odds with her usual acerbic nature. She pulled the younger woman to her feet and led her out while shooting a telling look at Josh over her shoulder. Okay, hotshot, do something!
He picked up the phone, at first having no idea who he was going to call or what he was going to say. He only hoped he could come up with something in the next few minutes that would ease Mitzi’s mind. “Why not just come right out and ask for a damn miracle while you’re at it? That might be the easiest thing.”
As Josh quickly made several calls, a question nagged at the back of his mind. Could Mitzi be the one behind these nasty jokes? Could she have misunderstood his assistance for something on a more personal level? The idea of his not daring to trust any woman he came in contact with, no matter how casual, wasn’t a pleasant prospect. He didn’t consider himself a perfect individual, and the hellish limbo he felt himself in at times wasn’t anything he was used to.
“Dr. Hunter’s on line two for you,” one of the other secretaries called through the open door. “Shall I tell her you’ll call her back later?”
“No, I’ll take it now. She can’t have any worse news for me than what I’ve already been hearing,” he muttered, picking up the phone. “Lauren?”
“One and the same.”
He grinned. “By calling me, you’ve made my day. What can I do for you?”
“It’s more what I can do for you. Kevin sent over copies of the reports last week and I immediately faxed them to Dana, my psychiatrist friend. She called me last night and said if you’re available, she’d like to get together with you next Friday afternoon around three to discuss what she’s come up with. Shall I tell her that’s all right, or would you like to call her directly?”
He turned the calendar pages until he came to the appropriate day and scanned his schedule. “There shouldn’t be a problem, as long as you’re free, too, and I don’t need to talk to her ahead of time.”