by Kieran York
She rapidly searched her lover’s eyes.
“Burke, I’m going to count to three and then, unless you drop your gun, we’re going to open fire.” Royce’s eyes linked with Hertha’s. Those brown eyes had registered with Royce’s plan. She understood, Royce was convinced.
“If you don’t let my Native American friend free, we’ll shoot on the count of three.” Royce’s glance went downward toward Hertha’s left. Again, she was certain she’d seen that glint of recognition. The consequences of a misdirected or misinterpreted glance would spell Hertha’s death.
“You won’t shoot,” he spat. He didn’t believe a woman was capable of violence or of surprise. Royce depended on that and saw it in his face.
“I’m going to begin counting.” Royce’s trigger finger was poised. “One,” she shouted.
Hertha gave a kick backward and struggled as she thrust to her left. It was only a slight window, but Royce fired. Burke’s neck snapped back as if a harsh hammer-blow had struck when Royce’s bullet hit his head directly. She heard the pop echo from the sharpshooter’s rifle. Another bullet struck Burke between the shoulder blades, and his body was jolted forward as his weapon discharged. A sharp spurt of gunfire followed. Burke crumpled, disjointed, to the ground. A blast rang. From the stalker’s gun had flashed an errant bullet. Royce looked around to where a deputy had been located. He staggered backward into the bushes. Royce heard his body thump. She rushed to him.
“I’m okay.” He gave a cough. “Just winded.” He pulled his jacket and shirt away. A small amount of blood trickled from the chest area beneath his flak vest.
Royce bent and lifted the panel of the vest. She felt shock waves in her knees. “Close call.” She squeezed his shoulder. “You’ll be fine.”
Hertha remained on the ground. Royce moved quickly to her side and knelt beside her shivering lover. Her hand reached to unwind the noose of electrical cord from around Hertha’s neck. Royce’s fingertips felt the cord’s indentations in the skin of her lover’s neck. She put a jacket around Hertha’s shoulders, and her arms gathered Hertha into an embrace. Their cheeks brushed, their bodies touched, and Royce kissed the side of Hertha’s mouth.
“Royce, they’re watching.”
“I don’t care,” Royce’s hand pressed the back of Hertha’s head to her face. “I really don’t care.” Her other hand cupped Hertha’s chin. “I only care that you’re safe.” Royce looked up at the surrounding deputies.
The deputies dispersed self-consciously.
***
Before the ambulance and coroner arrived, Royce handed her gun to Nick. “You’ll need to give this to forensics for testing. I’ll be placed on suspension for a couple days while the court completes a review.”
“It won’t be long. Not with two unsolved murder cases,” Nick encouraged. “And it gives you an extra day to campaign. I’ll take your statement.”
“Right. Hertha’s giving hers now. She said while Burke was driving, he boasted about all the women he’d killed. He gave names; places. She said she’d be able to recall most of them. The Florida authorities will appreciate knowing, so some of their files can be closed.”
“He was a nut case. Complete psycho.”
“Why would he come to this place?“ Royce mused, looking around at the clearing. “It’s two hundred yards to the density that he would have needed to escape.”
“One of the deputies went back in the bushes to take a leak. Said Burke had dug a shallow grave. A recently dug narrow rectangle of earth is behind that snowbank.”
Royce was suddenly staggered by the thought of it. “I’ll give them a hand with reports,” Royce offered. “I don’t want them thinking I’m just a soft woman. The Department’s weak sister.”
“You really think you need to prove your courage to us now?”
“Thank them all for putting their lives on the line. For their restraint; teamwork,” Royce said. “Everything.” Her shoulder sagged with fatigue. She wished her adrenalin would kick in. “I’m grateful. And I’m proud of you all.”
After giving a detailed report, Royce scanned it carefully and then signed it. She turned around and viewed the madman’s body. She walked in silence to where Richard Burke’s corpse was sprawled in the snow. She would never forget the ugly thud of his body when it hit the ground. She would never forget the sounds, sights, and smells of that moment. She looked down into his face. It was evil, even in death. Frothy cardinal bubbles were on the corner of his lips. A spider web pattern of spotted blood had sprayed across his stubbly cheek. A pool of red was expanding slowly beneath his head and melted the snow beneath him. The warmth of his body was seeping away, as was his hatred. He would kill no more.
“Okay?“ Nick asked.
“I’ve never shot anyone before. Never killed anyone. He nearly killed the person I love most on this earth.”
Richard Burke had stalked and tormented Hertha. He had victimized her. And Hertha had never harmed anyone in her life. She was about healing. She was about love. That he could harm anyone, much less someone so fine, angered Royce. She hated him for that. She contemplated about how her own vengeance should be sated. But she only felt sickness. A physical aching. Royce glanced up from her introspection, and she pivoted around. She inspected the tired, frightened eyes of the woman she loved. She would also never forget the terror within those lovely dark eyes.
“I’ll take Hertha home now.”
***
Royce had intercepted the myriad of phone calls. Molly had brought dinner to the women, but they had only picked at their food. They wanted to be alone in their cottage with the safety and love that only they could provide one another this night.
Royce watched as Molly walked down the path away from the cottage. Then she returned to the kitchen, where Hertha was seated at the table. Royce poured herbal tea and sat beside her lover. Her hand became a warm layer over Hertha’s.
“I love you so,” Royce whispered. It was barely audible, but it came from the deepest recesses of her emotions.
“It happened so quickly. One moment I was handing a cat back to her delighted owners. The next, he was there. I tried to fight him, but when he’d looped the cord around my neck, it began to choke me. All the time, his gun was pointed at my face.” Her eyes dimmed with pain. “Royce, I felt such an overwhelming revulsion. I thought about how terrified my mother must have been when she was attacked.”
“I finally understand why you feel the way you do, Hertha. I understand the way you feel about hatred directed at your race. You could have been killed just because of your race.” Royce cast her glance downward at the tabletop. “I was looking for a reason for racial bigotry. There is no reason except raw hatred. It transcends reason. Richard Burke hunted down women because of their skin color.”
“It’s been hunting season on women of color for a very long time. It isn’t as though today is the first day I’ve been a hostage. I was born a hostage to social bigotry.”
“A white man would have killed you.”
“But a white woman saved my life. And half a dozen white men were at her side. Each of you put your life on the line to save me.”
Royce watched the great pools of tears appear in Hertha’s eyes. There was no way that a victim isn’t severely traumatized, Royce considered. “I’m so sorry you had to go through it.” Her own eyes were damp. “I want you to feel safe.”
“Royce, we both learned from this. I now have a clearer understanding of something you’ve been saying. You said we should live today rather than in the past. When I feared for my life, and yours, all that mattered was that moment. Now. Living in today. Now.” Royce leaned to kiss Hertha.
“No,” Hertha said as she pulled away. “I’ve brushed my teeth and rinsed my mouth a dozen times, but I still feel tainted. Dirty. He pressed his lips against my face.” Her teardrops spilled. “I feel grimy.”
“Let’s shower together,” Royce suggested.
“No. I’m not ready to be with you yet.”
Their eyes linked. Each woman was in a shell of pain. Royce felt her own tears warmly drizzling down her cheeks. “We are with one another. We need to be together more than ever before. Now.” Royce stood and her hand reached toward Hertha.
Hertha rose and walked into Royce’s embrace. She sobbed against Royce’s shoulder. “I am so in love with you, Royce.”
“I’ve fallen more in love with you than I ever knew was possible. It’s pain beyond endurance to think about living without you. And today that thought forced its way into our lives. I hope I can always show you how much I love you. Every day we live.”
Royce led Hertha to the shower. While they waited for the water temperature to warm, they disrobed. Royce loosened the tie around Hertha’s hair, and it fell softly to her shoulders. They entered the steamy waterfall, and Royce spread a cloak of suds over her lover’s body. She tenderly cleansed Hertha. Then Royce replaced the soap in its tray, and the two women wrapped each other in an embrace. Royce felt Hertha’s fingers going through Royce’s short hair. Hertha’s lips seared Royce’s. When they parted, their eyes explained the healing.
They stepped from the warm fog and began patting one another dry. Torrents of yearning overcame them both. They again clutched tightly. Royce lifted Hertha’s chin. Her warm mouth traced Hertha’s lips. Together they walked to the bedroom and slid beneath the flannel sheets. Royce swamped her lover’s body with kisses and tears. There was tenderness, and an urgency. As if their wounds could only be healed by intimacy, the women pressed nearer.
Chapter 23
Royce was upset that Gwen hadn’t attended the rally. Nadine had carefully coached Royce in staying behind to shake hands. But when Royce hadn’t seen Gwen, she insisted on leaving immediately after the rally ended.
Nadine was quick to object. “If you put in your appearance, state your qualifications, and leave, it looks as though you’re weak. Running.”
“No. We’re going to the Times to find Gwen. Then we’re sitting down to talk.” Royce’s walk was a quick march. “The people know me. That’s enough. Or it isn’t.”
“We aren’t following strategy. You even left Hertha back there. And now Granger has the remainder of the evening to boast.”
Royce made a quick leap onto the wooded sidewalk and flapped open the door. “Gwen,” she muttered as they entered. “We’re going to talk.”
Gwen glanced up from her galleys. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the rally?”
“I gave my speech. I told the crowd that they could be proud of the way their deputies performed during the confrontation with Richard Burke. They executed the maneuvers with precision and skill. As they rehearsed. I also told the citizens that they have every right to expect that level of performance from their law enforcers.”
“That was it?“ Gwen quizzed.
“Yes,” Royce responded. “There was no reason to stay. I already know that the deputies are going to support Dillon Granger. He was strutting as if I might as well hand him the badge. The Family Morals Coalition were really smooching his rear. I’m sure the deputies don’t want to begin his term in his bad books, so they’ll back him.”
“Except for Nick,” Nadine inserted. “Amazingly. When Granger said that he was sorry he missed the shootout, Nick stung him. Nick mentioned that those long coffee breaks can cost you the action. The crowd heard it and laughed. I thought Granger was going to swallow his mustache the way he began blustering.”
Gwen laughed. “I can just imagine. I’ve had a go with Granger. You know my peppery temper. I don’t suffer fools gladly. The time I zapped him, I acted as though I was eating out of his hand. But his gloves weren’t thick enough.” Gwen paused. “Funny, Nick doesn’t seem the sort to be anyone’s guardian.”
“Nick,” Nadine repeated. “Royce, that reminds me. I have a message for you from Nick. He said to tell you the photos you requested arrived. The ones from the newspaper that supplied you with only a contact sheet. He said he didn’t know why you needed them since there are dozens of other photos to examine. But he’ll put them through your mail slot.”
“Great. I need to check something I thought I saw, but couldn’t tell from the sheet.”
“Oh, you’re still on the case?“ Gwen asked with mock surprise. Royce leaned across the desk. Her glare was fire. “Sit down, Nadine. The three of us are having a talk.”
“I thought you wanted to solve the case?“ Gwen’s voice was icy.
“Enough,” Royce said with commanding precision. “I’ve had it. I want to know what’s going on with you two. Why my campaign has become a wedge between you.”
“It began with her snappiness,” Gwen accused.
“Royce, I explained, it wasn’t the election,” Nadine relayed.
“I asked you to be my campaign manager, and everything began to change. Why?“ Royce repeated to a somber Nadine, “I want to know why.”
“What’s really got her goat,” Gwen interrupted, “is that she knows you would have selected me. But you knew I couldn’t because of my affiliations. So now she’s been busting her tail to show me she could do the job just as good as I would have done.”
“That’s what started it?“ Royce asked with disbelief.
Nadine’s head lowered. “Maybe that is how I feel. I admit it.”
Royce slid into the chair. Her head shook. “No, Nadine. That wasn’t my reason for selecting you. Nor for not selecting Gwen. I don’t believe this. You actually thought you were my second pick?”
“Of course,” Nadine answered. Tears formed in her eyes. “Gwen is the mover and shaker. She gets things done.”
“That means she is a heck of a good editor, and president of the city council.” Royce stopped. She leaned toward Nadine and took her hand. “I selected you because you are well-liked and respected by everyone in the community. Gwen has her followers, but also her detractors. Everyone loves you. That’s why I selected you. For my own selfish reasons. I knew you could do the better job for my campaign. And you have. You haven’t excluded anyone. You haven’t alienated anyone. I needed someone to reflect my own spirit. That was you.”
Gwen stood, leaning to within inches of Royce’s face. “You wouldn’t have selected me?”
“No. You’re wonderful at what you do. But you’re a tad on the irascible side.” Royce expected Gwen to fume. But Gwen sat quietly, as if a magnet drew her back into her chair. “Well?”
Gwen stole a look at her lover. “You selected the right woman for the job. Nadine, I concede, you have done a much better job than I would have done.”
Nadine’s lower lip bobbled. “You mean that?”
“Yes. Absolutely. Hell’s bells, I’d have had murder charges against me if I’d had to deal with those Coalition bigots.” She laughed, “Absolutely, it was the right decision. Not that all of Royce’s decisions have been correct.”
Royce shuddered. “Nadine, would you mind fixing us a cup of tea? I think Gwen and I should talk.”
Royce watched as Nadine exited slowly. She waited for Gwen to begin her tirade. Gwen only asked, “What’s your problem?”
“What’s our problem?”
Gwen’s eyes began to tear. “Royce, what hurts worst of all is that I must have failed to communicate my love to Nadine. She went to you. She told you about being displeased with me. She kept it from me. And so did you.”
“I honored her request to keep her conversation confidential. She said that she always felt she got second billing. That where our friendship was concerned, she felt second. I couldn’t perpetuate that feeling by running to you with her secrets.”
“She never came under the heading of second. Not with me. How could she not know that she means everything to me? She’s been my strength?”
“Maybe she just found that out.” Royce stood and walked to the door. “I think you just told her that she’s not only allowed to be first, but that you believe she is first.”
“Royce . . .” Gwen’s words seemed jammed in her throat. “Nothing. Just w
ant to tell you that you grabbed the headlines with the abduction and shooting.”
Royce smiled. “I hope you give Smoky a mention.”
***
Royce returned to the cottage and bent to give Smoky a hug. She picked up the packet of photos Nick had slipped through the door slot.
“I wondered where you went,” Hertha greeted her.
“A confab with Gwen and Nadine.”
“I thought it might have been that.”
Royce gripped the envelope.
“Would tea help replenish the gray cells? I was just getting ready to put some on.”
“No, not for me,” Royce answered with preoccupation as she ripped open the envelope. “Maybe I will have a cup to warm me up.” She began thumbing through the photos as she walked to the study. By the time she sat at the desk, her eyes snagged on something. She examined the photo that had been taken after the murder of Sandra Holt. “Yes,” she murmured to herself. “They’re off.”
“Let it cool first,” Hertha cautioned as she placed the herbal tea on the corner of the desk. She leaned over and kissed Royce’s cheek. Her arms wound around her lover. “I’m going to bed. It’s been a long day. And with the election tomorrow, it’s going to be an even longer day. Coming?”
“No. Not yet, hon.”
“Are you okay, Royce?”
“Fine.” Royce pulled out a stack of files and began rummaging through them. “I’ll be in later.”
“It’s later now. I’ll warm the bed for you.” She walked to the door and then turned. “Royce, don’t stay up too late. Remember you have a victory coming up tomorrow.”
“I doubt it,” Royce brooded. “But thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Royce, you will be elected. I truly believe that morality is a state of heart. The people in this county know they can rely on you. You’ve affirmed their belief in you time and again. They won’t forget that.”