Deadly Touch

by Heather Graham

  “How can your name be ‘Tiger’ when there are no tigers around here?” Len asked.

  “Family name. It’s just my name.”

  “Cool name,” Elly said.

  Axel shrugged, looking at Len. “And in a way, as common as Smith.”

  “Not that common,” Len assured him.

  “Maybe not quite as common,” Axel agreed.

  “And you’re half white—and half Native American? Miccosukee or Seminole?”

  “Technically, I guess. I’m a quarter Miccosukee, a quarter Seminole and a half mix-match of Northern Europeans through the centuries,” Axel said. “No conflicts in my life. My mom’s family loved my dad, and my dad’s family loved my mom.”

  Mya laughed. “Well, that’s great. My dad still isn’t sure about Len!”

  “Thinks I shouldn’t be a hands-on man,” Len said. Then he sighed. “That didn’t come out right. I’m a contractor. I believe he thinks that Mya should have married an attorney or a doctor.”

  “He’s coming around,” Mya assured him. “I think he’s actually glad you’re a big, strong guy. Protect his little girl, you know.”

  “So, Axel, this latest murder...seems as if the news stations are saying it was just like one that occurred some months back,” Len said, frowning. “Strange, because from what the news gathered, they were just kind of...killed. How does anyone get anyone else out to the Everglades to kill them and get away so easily?”

  “That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Axel said.

  Len lifted his beer glass. “Well, it’s good to have you with us.”

  “Thanks,” Axel said.

  “You think it’s because you were dating Jordan Rivera before?” Lucia suddenly wondered, looking at Mya. “And he saw how quickly he was rising in Fielding’s firm?”

  “You mean my dad not being sure about Len yet?” Mya asked, frowning, having moved on from that area of their conversation.

  “Yeah, sorry, I was thinking. I mean, we all love Len!” Lucia flashed him a smile. “But your dad always liked Jordan.”

  “We all like Jordan. He’s a friend we grew up with,” Elly said.

  “I get along fine with the guy,” Len said, shrugging. He smiled at his wife. “He was just a practice dude. I’m the real deal.” He looked over at Raina. “You dated his buddy, Tate, right? And you’re still friends.”

  “Yes, we agreed we were just friends. I think we both wanted to go to the prom with someone we knew since neither of us had a high school romance,” Raina said. She was surprised to feel a slight flush.

  It was so long ago.

  It was also something she’d never mentioned to Axel. Of course, she and Axel weren’t dating. And even if they were, they had surely each dated several different people by then, some relationships being closer than others. She still felt Axel by her side then, as if his heat had heightened or he had moved imperceptibly closer.

  “Right,” Mya said. “We all just played dating back then. Probably because we were all together so long. Long enough to know we had to grow up. It’s not that big a deal.”

  “He’s going to like me a lot once we have grandchildren,” Len said. “Your dad, I mean.”

  “True. So there you have it!” Mya said.

  “It was cool to see your friend tonight—Jeremy Gray,” Lucia told Axel. “He’s so interesting, like a walking, living, breathing description of dignity.”

  “He would like that. And he is an amazing man. Loves kids and thinks everyone has a story that should be shared,” Axel answered.

  “Did you know the other man? Larry Stillwater? He was nice, too. Had a great sense of humor,” Mya said.

  “I’ve known him. He’s a council member for the Seminole tribe. He reminds me a lot of Jeremy. Same kind of easy manner, accepting of all, open to new ideas. He, like Jeremy, seems like an all-around good guy.”

  “And you, too!” Lucia said.

  “Well, thank you, Lucia,” Axel told her.

  Titan barked. Axel laughed and patted the dog. “Thank you, too, Titan. I think?”

  He looked at Raina questioningly.

  “He approves of you. And he’s picky, so you must be a good guy,” Raina said, smiling.

  “What does he do when he doesn’t like someone?” Axel asked.

  “He’s never bitten anyone that I know of,” Lucia said.

  “But we met him when he was young, when Raina had just got him,” Elly said. “He thinks we’re relatives.”

  “He loves you, and as I said, he’s a good judge of character. No, he hasn’t bitten anyone, but he has warned a few people away from the door. When we’re out, if he doesn’t like someone, he stares at them and stays right by my side,” Raina explained.

  The waiter arrived with food. Even those who’d eaten earlier seemed to enjoy the wings, mozzarella sticks and nachos they’d ordered. Finally, the evening came to an end, and they all bid one another good-night.

  And as they did, Raina got her chance to hug Mya, Len and Lucia as they said good-night.

  She didn’t speak her thoughts aloud until she, Axel and Titan were alone in the car.

  “Nothing,” she told him. “Nothing at all. And I’m not sure that means anything. I might have convinced myself in some secret chamber of my mind that I see or feel things.”

  “Don’t discount yourself,” Axel told her. “And thank you,” he added.

  “I’m not at all sure of what I can do,” she told him. “But this matters so much to me. I mean, any murder is horrible, heinous, but Jennifer... I don’t know. I can’t help but take it personally.”

  “I’m going to be talking to people tomorrow morning, and meeting up with Andrew and Nigel in the afternoon at Andrew’s place. It’s our easiest venue for saying things we don’t say in front of others. You’re welcome to come. Titan, too.”

  “Thank you.”

  “That’s a yes?”

  “Definitely.”

  They arrived at her house. She started to open the car door when Axel stopped her. “Wait. I’m not risking getting into any trouble with your brother. I’ll walk you to the door and make sure everything is okay,” he told her.

  She waited while he walked around. Together, they walked to the front door and she unlocked it. Titan bounded inside.

  Raina lingered on the porch next to Axel. They stood almost touching.

  This was the moment, she thought. They were growing closer. Not just by the bizarre circumstances. She was extremely attracted to him, so much so she wanted to run her fingers down the front of his dress shirt.

  But she didn’t move. And neither did he. She could swear fire or electricity or something snapped and crackled between them. But he didn’t move and she couldn’t allow herself to, either.

  At last, he smiled and stepped back.

  “You’re not going to check under the beds?” she asked, smiling wryly.

  “The way Titan rushed in? You have an amazing alarm system right there. But please, make sure I’m on speed dial, okay?”

  She nodded.

  “I’m not sure of the time for tomorrow. It’ll be sometime after noon—”

  “I’ll be ready whenever,” she told him.

  He lowered his head, smiled and nodded, then turned to walk away. Raina watched him go, closed and locked the door and looked at Titan, who was wagging his tail, awaiting her next move.

  “You were a very good boy. And now, it’s time for bed!” she told him. “Just a second. I have to text Robert.” She pet Titan with one hand and, with the other, sent a quick message to her brother, letting him know she was home safely.

  The events of the day seemed abruptly to wrap around her and sap her of all energy. In her room, she didn’t bother to change.

  She fell back on her bed. Her eyes closed. She wasn’t sure if she drifted or not.r />
  She jerked up as Titan suddenly began barking, the sound of it ferocious and insistent.

  Bolting out of bed, she ran to the living room. She’d left a night-light on in the kitchen, but the house was otherwise dark and in shadow.

  Titan came tearing around from the back to the front, continuing his tirade.

  Raina hurried to the back door. Both locks were in place. She ran back to the front just in time to hear a car revving up in the distance.

  Had someone been there? Sneaking around her house?

  Why? That was ridiculous. Who could possibly know she was seeing things? And if they did, why on earth would they believe it?

  She stood in the living room, shaking and afraid. She ran into her room for her purse and her phone, ready to call Axel.

  But she didn’t. She couldn’t call him every time her dog barked.

  She sat there, holding the phone, awake and frightened for a long time.

  She turned on the television for the company, not even aware of what was on. Then she walked through the house, grateful all the glass was stormproof and secure, and that her two doors were also double-bolted.

  No one was in the house. If someone had been outside, they were gone now.

  But she stayed awake until nearly dawn.

  Because she couldn’t shake the feeling.

  The feeling a killer somehow knew who she was. That a killer had underestimated her home and her canine alarm system.

  That a killer might now be plotting a way to find her away from home, away from Titan and away from Axel Tiger.

  Eight

  It didn’t take long for Axel to be thoroughly convinced Dr. Herbert Wong was entirely innocent when it came to the death of Jennifer Lowry.

  It was a Saturday morning when Dr. Wong usually had office hours, but he’d closed for that morning. He wasn’t taking patients, but he had called his staff in so that Axel and Nigel could question him and his staff.

  “I don’t know what, but maybe someone knows something that will help,” Wong told him.

  The dentist was about five-ten and lean with dark hair and eyes that watered whenever Jennifer’s name was spoken.

  Axel wondered if they’d been having an affair.

  But he doubted it. Wong was just extremely shaken.

  Jennifer had come to work the day before she’d disappeared. They and other staff members had joked with her about a date she had planned for the following weekend. “It was supposed to be tonight,” Wong said, shaking, tears burning his eyes again. “She left as she always did, smiling and waving. I think it was close to seven. We try to close earlier, but things back up sometimes. She never minded. Never once complained. I pay overtime, of course, but she was just cheerful no matter what. A wonderful person. Then she just didn’t show up for work. We have no clue as to what might have happened. She just left work as usual. I don’t know if she got home. We all left her saying, ‘See you tomorrow.’”

  Wong paused, his eyes once again burning with tears. “She was just a beautiful young woman, shy, stayed home. Oh! She did sometimes write opinion pieces. She was a big believer in equality, that kind of thing. Passionate.”

  “So she might have had enemies?” Axel asked.

  The dentist shrugged. “She never insulted anyone. She didn’t get political. She just wrote about the wonder of people—all people—citing good things. I can’t imagine she acquired any enemies that way.”

  “Thank you,” Axel told him. He hesitated. He and Nigel had decided they would both question everyone in the office separately just in case something was said to one of them that wasn’t said to the other.

  Wong hadn’t been offended by that; he had thought it a good idea.

  “Please. I wish I could think of something, or someone...”

  “Who was she going on a date with?” Axel asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know. But I figure you might find out through her cell phone or her computer, maybe.”

  “Techs are working on her home computer.”

  “You’re welcome to the work computer system, too. Anything and everything on the system could be read by anyone here. The system was to keep up with patients and treatments, but my employees could do personal business from work during their breaks,” he said, giving his head a little shake. “My people are good. When they need to do something and they have the time to do it, I have no problem with them doing it at work, or as I said, through the computers.”

  “Thank you. I will get that work computer to the right people. They’ll find something, if it’s there.”

  “No texts on her cell phone?” Dr. Wong asked.

  “We haven’t found her cell phone.”

  “It’s probably at the bottom of a canal somewhere,” Wong noted.

  “Quite possibly. What about her other relationships? Dates, friends or anyone out there you know about?”

  “She spent a lot of time here. She was dedicated to the job. Jennifer was an introvert, great on paper when blogging about the downtrodden, but an introvert. The date was a big deal because she didn’t go on dates. If she had a boyfriend, it was before she worked for me.”

  “I guess we’ll switch around, then, Dr. Wong. Thank you for your help, and for going out of your way to accommodate us.”

  “I want to know who did this,” Wong said. “She was a lovely young woman with so much to live for. This was too horrible.”

  Axel nodded and left him, passing Nigel in the hall.

  They looked at each other and shook their heads. “Dr. Wong?” Nigel asked.

  “Ready for you. And you—?”

  “One at a time. Marci Alonso, Roger Martinez and Belinda Douglas. Coworkers. All loved her. Or so they say. They come off as sincere.”

  Nigel passed Axel and went on in with Dr. Wong. Axel entered the staff office.

  Marci was a dark-haired woman who was surely once beautiful; she was aging now, but doing so with a subtle finesse. Roger was young. Medium in height and build with close-cropped hair and a serious expression marring what was probably a decent face. Belinda Douglas was small and thin, a tiny blonde with big blue eyes, which were red and bloodshot now.

  They all looked at him without guilt.

  Then he’d never thought her coworkers were guilty. He had just hoped they might somehow point him in the right direction.

  “Are we all right here? Detective Ferrer talked to us one by one. We just gathered...instinctively, I guess,” Roger said.

  “Then maybe it’s good we all talk together,” Axel said. “Why don’t you just talk? Draw me a picture of Jennifer. Let me see her through your eyes.”

  “Kind,” Marci said.

  “Never a complainer,” Belinda offered.

  “No, not at all!” Roger said.

  “She’d cover for any of us,” Belinda said. “She gave up one of her vacation days when I called in because my daughter was sick. I mean, Dr. Wong is a decent man, but I knew the schedule that day. And Jennifer was supposed to be off, but she covered for me without blinking an eye.”

  “Did you guys ever hang out?” Axel asked.

  “Sure,” Roger said.

  “When we could,” Marci added. “Belinda and I have kids and husbands and babysitters. But every other Friday night we would hang out. Went to a little place down the street that’s quiet. The kind of place Jennifer liked. She’d only gone to a club once, when she’d gotten out of high school. Or anyway, that’s what she told us, and I never knew her to lie. She hated crowded places, so...”

  “She really didn’t have much of a life. No family here,” Roger said.

  “None anywhere. Her parents were killed in a car accident years ago,” Belinda told him.

  “We were her family,” Marci added.

  “What did you talk about when you were out? Did she tell you all anything about a dat
e she had planned for tonight?” Axel asked.

  “She did talk about going out with someone,” Belinda said.

  “Do you know where she met him?”

  “I wish I did,” Marci said. “But they were definitely going to meet somewhere. She said she didn’t give her home address to anyone.”

  “Where were they going to meet?”

  Marci looked at him. “Um, I think the same place we go as a group. Maybe. I mean, she didn’t tell me, but it’s a place she would trust. It’s called Sunshine and Moonlight. It’s quiet, just a softly playing jukebox or sometimes a couple of musicians. And there are only about ten tables there. Still, safe and public, you know. We told her she had to be careful about people she just met.”

  “Yeah, well, at least she met him in person. You never know with people you meet online,” Roger said.

  “I guess she won’t have to worry about him being different than what he wrote,” Belinda said, sobbing softly again.

  “Were you aware of her being upset with anyone, or anyone being upset with her?” Axel asked.

  “When she got angry—patients can be jerks—she never let it show. The patients here loved her,” Marci told him.

  “Did she mention any problems with anyone else? Anyone outside of work?”

  The three looked around at one another.

  “She was such a pretty girl and so sweet, but—”

  “She was one of those people who was always careful. She didn’t believe in online dating. Said she had read too much about bad things happening. I tried to convince her otherwise,” Belinda said. “I met my husband online!”

  “But she must have had other friends,” Axel suggested.

  “Not even a cat,” Roger said. “She loved working here. I mean, of course, you never really know someone, but she was just shy. We were her friends and family.”

  Belinda sobbed softly.

  “And you don’t know anything more about the man she was supposed meet tonight?” Axel asked.