Indiscretions

by Barbara Winkes

  Compared to the woman locked in a dark basement, everyone’s problems became relative.

  Yet, there was something about piecing together, trying to solve the riddle that intrigued her. Of course, everyone’s objective was to put a dangerous man behind bars, bring justice for his victims. Ellie had sensed that kind of atmosphere working closely with Jordan, Derek and their colleagues. As much as it was their job, it was also a challenge. They were skilled, ambitious and bold, and they answered it.

  Ellie knew she belonged there. She would do whatever it took to make her place within this elite group permanent, sometime soon.

  Good intentions.

  Jordan was already there when she arrived at the station, her stance both distant and apologetic. Ellie could only imagine why, not that she wanted to.

  “I’m going to follow up on Chambers,” Jordan told her, and, pre-emptively, “You’re not being punished. I need someone on the phone here. There’s been another alert out for Judy Lawrence, and the phones are already going crazy. Jensen can help you with that.”

  Ellie shrugged. As much she aspired to become one, she wasn’t a detective yet, and if she wanted to work with them, she had to play by their rules. As long as there was a sliver of a doubt whether or not the man in the alley was their killer, she had to lay low.

  “Before I go, there’s something I need to show you.” Jordan had lowered her voice, and that worried Ellie a bit. Did she have any news she needed to break to her gently?

  “You can tell me now,” she said. “I swear I’m not going to break.”

  She wasn’t sure what to make of Jordan’s smile, but Ellie could hardly deny what it did to her. It was much too early in the day for that kind of tingle.

  “Come with me. This won’t take long,” Jordan promised and went ahead. Ellie hurried to keep up with her.

  “You didn’t make an arrest, did you?” she asked when Jordan opened the door to one of the interrogation rooms. Both the room and the observation area were empty. Jordan caught her off guard by pulling her into the corner next to the observation window for a deep, hungry kiss. Those were hardly the actions of a woman happy at home, Ellie thought, and then she stopped analyzing the situation altogether, letting sensation take over, the heat of Jordan’s body pressed against hers, her impatient, wandering hands. Ellie struggled to keep the sounds in. In all the time she’d worked in this building, she’d never once imagined doing anything like it, or how turned on she’d be. This would be over within minutes, for both of them.

  Jordan stepped back, catching her breath. Ellie decided she liked very much what she saw. If Jordan wasn’t quite begging her with words, her expression and tense stance did. Distance had gone out the window. “I need you.”

  Ellie was certain this wasn’t something people often heard from Jordan, and she wasn’t taking it lightly, even though it might not be the best basis for any kind of relationship.

  “You’re going to work late tonight,” Ellie said, the rasp of her voice revealing as to how close she’d come to abandon all reason. “Right? Maybe you’ll even have a good reason to drop by my apartment again. You’ll have me,” she added. The hopeful, almost shy expression on Jordan’s face was unlike the woman who, just a moment ago, had been about to ravish her, up against the wall. Even the thought made Ellie flush with sudden heat. Jordan was a woman with many facets, some of them complicated, all of them intriguing. Ellie wasn’t ready to let her go yet, not before she had learned each of them.

  “Go,” she said. “I’ll wait for a couple of minutes.”

  “Don’t be late,” Jordan said before she left.

  When she returned to the conference room, Ellie wished she hadn’t been so worried about appearances, because the door was already closed, and she was indeed late. Bristol was present, so were most of the detectives and a woman Ellie didn’t know. Given the slight frown on her face, not to mention the suit, Ellie guessed her to be FBI. Some clichés had their merits, and the unhappy glances shared between the detectives further confirmed her theory. She sent Jensen a questioning look, and he shrugged.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen,” Bristol said, “I’d like to introduce Dr. Roberts, a profiler with the Bureau. There have been some new developments, and Dr. Roberts’ expertise will give us a different perspective on what to look for. Which is even more important, because Seattle PD has a case with the same M.O.”

  “What?” At least, Ellie had said it under her breath, but the woman looked her way anyway, her gaze calculating, interested, and then it hit her.

  “My partner is with the FBI. A Profiler.”

  What were the odds?

  “I take it that so far, you’ve assumed our boy is local, and that’s how he chooses his victims. I happened to attend the autopsy in Seattle, and the details fit. The rope, strangulation marks that are likely from a leather collar. What we know about the victim’s…” She paused for a bit, “habits and lifestyle, is similar to your cases here. Apparently, he sees it as something punishable to have more than one sexual partner at a time. On which most people might agree. It’s just that we don’t go around killing anyone for it.”

  Nobody laughed, if that had been her intention.

  “How do you know it’s not a copycat?” Jordan asked, a hint of irritation to her tone. She barely looked at Roberts.

  “Seattle has a media blackout on those details, just like you do. Unless somebody has a special friend with the press, no one could know about it.”

  “I don’t believe there’s any reason to suggest that.” Bristol’s tone was calm, but final. Ellie had a hard time keeping herself from fidgeting. Even though most people in the room were bristling with the implied accusation, she still felt like being the unwilling center of attention—that of Dr. Bethany Roberts, anyway.

  “Good,” Roberts said coolly. “I also understand there’s been no arrest made so far.”

  “One of Lori Gleason’s dates was seen with another missing woman. I’m going to see him once we’re done here,” Jordan explained.

  “No luck on Mr. Gleason’s alibi?”

  “He’s been stonewalling,” Derek said, coming to Jordan’s help. “We don’t have anything on him but the lie about the business trip.”

  “Now you do,” Bethany said. “We’re not yet sure it was a business trip, but there’s a reason why he wasn’t in Spain. Seems like he preferred rainy Seattle instead, if his email to the victim is any indication.”

  Jordan shook her head. “Where is all of this coming from all of a sudden?”

  “I’m sorry there was no time to send you the memo, Detective, as this is kind of urgent. I believe you’re going to pick him up?”

  Jordan jumped to her feet and picked up her coat in curt angry movements, before she left the room.

  * * * *

  “Chantal was a business partner. Yes, I went to Seattle, we had a meeting, I went on my way. I did not kill her!”

  “Why the big secret?” Detective Henderson asked. “Because that really doesn’t look too good for you right now.” Jordan stood leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest.

  “Are you kidding me? You were looking at me from the beginning, with Lori and everything. I have a business to run. I can’t have this kind of attention.”

  “Too bad. You have our attention now. You knew what Lori was up to in those chat rooms, and don’t even try to tell us your meeting with Chantal was all professional. There was some code in that email, but we figured out what it meant. The staff at the club recognized you. Rope and leather, go figure.”

  “You’ve got nothing,” Gleason spat. “That was all consensual. They should have told you that too.”

  “Then why did she wind up dead?”

  “I don’t know!”

  Ellie had trouble following the conversation. She had somehow managed to sneak in once more, uncomfortable, unable to stay away.

  “This must be tough on you,” Dr. Roberts remarked.

  You have no idea, was her f
irst impulse, before the implications of the woman’s statement hit home. Ellie turned to her, wondering if she should feel betrayed, if Dr. Roberts had a sixth sense, or if she was just fishing.

  “Coming back to work after an experience like that,” the profiler clarified. “You’re expected to move on, but there are triggers everywhere you go. I heard about your case. I was curious as to why the sergeant put you on this one.”

  “The department shri—psychiatrist cleared me,” Ellie said which sounded more defensive than she’d hoped. “I’ll be taking the detective’s exam next year. I can use the experience.” She didn’t know why she’d added that. It was none of Bethany’s business. Ellie’s mind was still reeling from the interaction between her and Jordan. Why were they even still together?

  “Good for you,” Roberts acknowledged. “It never hurts to form…connections early on.”

  Ellie chose not to answer that and instead direct her attention back to the interrogation, only she had the feeling it was her under suspicion.

  * * * *

  They were back at Jordan’s desk discussing what they’d gotten from Gleason, and the steps to take from here.

  “You knew. Why didn’t you tell me that’s why you were in Seattle?” In the course of the long and tiring interrogation, Jordan’s anger hadn’t abated a bit. Some of it was for a rational reason, she thought. However, it would be a lot harder to sell “working late” to her girlfriend now. Bethany, very much relaxed in an environment where she was not enthusiastically welcomed, sipped her coffee.

  “When would I have told you? My boss cleared this with yours. It didn’t impact the investigation in any way. If anything, I can help you speed things up a bit.”

  “Well. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Bethany gave her an indulgent smile. “Come on, don’t make that face. It will be like old times, you and me working together.”

  That was the problem, Bethany was longing for the old times, while Jordan had done what she could to get away from them. The tug of war continued, and Judy Lawrence didn’t have the time for their respective sensibilities. Gleason claimed he’d never seen her, and they couldn’t prove otherwise. She still thought it might be worth a shot to talk to Chambers again. Bethany’s presence was disconcerting to her in many respects, yet she would have to deal with it. Another reason to close this case as soon as possible.

  “Yeah. Great.”

  “He is involved somehow,” Bethany said. “It’s what your gut will tell you too if you care to listen.”

  “I need more than he’s looking guilty to you.”

  Bethany scoffed. “Pretending to go to Spain? Give me a break. He looks fine to me as the unorganized punisher, but let me have a go at him, lay out the possibilities.”

  “His lawyer will have your hide, and mine too. We can’t put him at the scene.”

  “Not yet.” Bethany acted in the professional context much as she did in their private lives—she didn’t take no for an answer.

  * * * *

  Too much, too close. Jordan breathed a sigh of relief when she was finally able to lay this workday to rest. Bethany had disappeared earlier, obviously dissatisfied with the D.A.s assessment of the situation, demanding more compelling evidence. In Seattle, the final test results of the autopsy on Chantal Perron hadn’t come back yet. Jordan had fled the scene, trying to make sense of clues that refused to come together.

  Two of the crime scenes, Eleanor and Isabel, were within walking distance. Close by was also the All Colors. Lori Gleason’s pin on the map was in another part of town in a more residential area. Not far from Ellie’s home, Jordan realized. Coincidence? The killer had moved Lori—but how did he pick his locations in the first place? Where was Judy Lawrence?

  A couple of blocks from the All Colors, a newer office building towered over its neighbors, the highest floor housing a restaurant and observation deck.

  She wasn’t even sure what exactly she was looking for, but this was how the image emerged sometimes, looking at the bigger picture, finding out what they had missed.

  Women being judged for their lifestyle. Their entertainment centering around chat rooms and one particular venue. Jordan took the elevator up to the observation area, taking out the copy of the map she carried with her. They had checked on the owners of the abandoned office building, the firm who had finalized the sale of the house where Lori had been found, and the buildings around where Hayes’ body had been dumped. The real estate firm was here in this tower, actually. They had talked to employees, traced the steps of the sale, but nothing had come up.

  Jordan stood in front of the sign longer than she meant to, a thought forming that wasn’t related to the case at all. If she went down that road, did it mean defeat? She straightened her shoulders and pulled the door open. She wasn’t going to commit to anything, not yet. It wouldn’t harm to have an alternative.

  There was a woman in her fifties behind the desk, looking up with a friendly smile when Jordan entered the office.

  “Good evening. How can I help you?” Her choice of words alerted Jordan to the fact that they were probably closing soon, and she might have more questions than could be answered in a few minutes.

  “I didn’t realize how late it was. I’ll come back another time.”

  “That’s no problem,” said the man who walked inside through a door from the back. “Liz, you can go home. I’ll take it from here.” He was a bit younger, dressed in a grey suit that looked crisp despite the late work hour, wearing the same cordial smile as his receptionist. “Let’s go over here...” He pointed at his desk. “Detective.” His expression turned somber. “We spoke to your colleagues a while ago. I hope this doesn’t mean bad news? I recognized you from your picture in the newspaper,” he clarified. “Jonathan Darby. Then again, you know that already.”

  “Jordan Carpenter. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. This is private. I am thinking about buying a condo, or a house even. Actually, I have no idea what I’m doing, that’s why I’m here.”

  His relief was visible. Jordan could relate. She would prefer to be able not to talk or think about this case for some time either, not that she had the luxury.

  “Why don’t we sit down and you tell me what you are looking for? I’m sure you have some idea of what you need in a home.”

  “Maybe I should come back.”

  “Don’t worry. We don’t slam the door in anyone’s face, just because it’s closing time. Would you mind if I had a coffee though? I could offer you one too. I guess we both had a long day.”

  “Sure, why not?” Jordan returned his smile, oddly excited about having this little secret all to her own. For now. Until she walked into this office, she hadn’t even considered the opportunity, but now she couldn’t help thinking what it would be like to settle down in a space that was her own. Without Bethany. Without anyone at this point, because as much as she was attracted to Ellie and couldn’t wait to be with her again, she needed room to breathe. Maybe Mr. Darby could provide her with some.

  He returned with a small tray, two cups of coffee, milk and sugar. “I have the suspicion though that you might take it black. Call it a hunch.”

  “Your hunch is accurate.”

  “I read about that poor woman,” he said. “It’s such a relief she’s alive. Anyway, have you considered some specifics? A house, a condo, how many rooms?”

  A blank stare was all she could offer him. She really hadn’t thought this through.

  Darby laughed. “This is how most people start out, unless they have bought before. The most important thing is to find what you can’t live without, and we narrow it down.”

  The more she thought about it the less certain Jordan was that she wanted to take this on as long as the investigation was still going on. Then again, there’d be another after that. She might never leave. The thought was depressing.

  “I don’t need that much. I want it to be private, not too far from the city, and move-in ready. I don’t have a lot
of time—” She laughed wryly. “Or patience for renovations.”

  “That’s a start,” he ascertained. “Are there any deadlines you need to observe? How soon would you like to move?”

  Yesterday? The truth was, she dreaded this move as much as she anticipated it. This conversation was making it real.

  “Soon. I guess. It’s a bit…complicated at the moment. I don’t have a deadline though. I thought you might be able to show me a few properties. Doesn’t have to be super modern, just functional.”

  “Sure, we can work with that.” He handed her a business card. “Why don’t you let me take your information, and if you can think of anything else, email me? I’ll call you for an appointment.”

  “Sounds good. Thank you.”

  “Have a good night, Detective. I hope you’re off the clock now?” She hoped he wouldn’t waste that charming smile on her for anything other than trying to lay the ground for securing a sale.

  “I am.” Not counting the hours she’d lie awake going over every single aspect of the workday, of course. “Thanks for seeing me.”

  Back in her car a few minutes later, Jordan considered her options. She could go home and pretend nothing had changed. After this day, she didn’t think Ellie would even still expect her. She also didn’t feel like getting scolded again, for professional and other reasons. What did she have to loose? She was halfway out the door already anyway.

  * * * *

  Ellie had most definitely expected her. A bluesy tune was playing in the background. Ellie opened the door to her in a short satin robe, under which she was naked. They were past the point of pretending this was anything they were willing to stop. At least, here, nobody could walk in on them, Jordan thought as she sank back against the door, feeling the day’s fatigue leaving her body rapidly. Thank God Ellie felt much forgiving about Bethany’s untimely appearance, or about any other way Jordan had screwed up in the past days. Her judgment might be clouded by helpless desire, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this appreciated.