“That’s the one!”
“Are you sure?” I asked, turning to scrutinize myself in the mirror. The dress was a deep plum color, with a halter top that gathered at my neckline, and an elegant keyhole just below my collar bone. The soft material gently hugged my body and I couldn’t help pulling on it. It wasn’t uncomfortable; it just wasn’t a style I was accustomed to wearing.
“Yes!” Kate gushed, “That color is amazing on you, and it fits perfectly. Now… for shoes and jewelry!”
She was rummaging through her closet again. I smiled as I watched her. It made me happy to see her so excited, so I played along, pretending to care about whether she could find a purse that matched the shoes, and joining her in musing about where we might go on our date.
“You know,” she said, when she was at last fully satisfied with my appearance and we were waiting in the living room for Brandon to arrive, “Norah has always wanted to be a flower girl…”
“Wow! I cannot believe you just said that!” I said, playfully throwing one of her strange, decorative pillows at her.
She giggled. “I’m just saying… first, Ms. ‘Emily Something’ agrees to go on a date, then she lets me get her all dressed up… I’m starting to think anything’s possible today!”
I exaggeratedly rolled my eyes.
“Are you sure you don’t mind me borrowing all this stuff?” I asked, trying to steer Kate’s mind away from planning my eventual marriage to a man we had both just met that morning.
“Oh, please!” she said.
I didn’t understand her response. Some aspects of modern dialogue still confused me, but before I could ask what she meant, the doorbell rang.
Kate’s eyes shone and she grinned at me. “Well!” she said, pointing to the door, “He’s not here for me. Answer it!”
I don’t understand why, but I felt a little anxious in that moment. I stood up, smoothed my dress and hair, and shot a nervous look at Kate. She nodded encouragingly. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that it was unlike me to worry about how a man may perceive my appearance, and opened the door.
Brandon greeted me with a pleasant smile, but sure enough, I saw his eyes lower as he glanced down my body. Disappointment flooded through me, and I was surprised at myself. I had known this would happen, it always happened; why was I disappointed? As I stood there for that fraction of a second, inwardly chastising myself, I realized that something was different. He was looking at my face again. He had taken in my dress, but he hadn’t lingered on my body.
“That’s a beautiful color on you,” he said.
I stared at him quizzically for a moment, half waiting for him to follow up his compliment with a lewd remark or gesture, but he just stood there, looking at me expectantly.
“Oh, thank you,” I said, a genuine smile pulling at my lips. There was a puzzling release in my chest, like the feeling when the sun first breaks through the clouds after a storm. Kate must have really gotten to me today with her enthusiasm; I had to be careful. Just because Brandon had managed to avoid objectifying me with the first words out of his mouth did not mean that he was different from any other man; he was just more patient. Prince Elisha had been exactly the same. Refined and dignified, his sugared words had given me butterflies, had made me feel safe, loved even. But his words had been a carefully laid trap. I would not fall victim to that ploy again.
The light went out of my heart and my smile. I reminded myself that I was doing this for Kate; not for myself, and certainly not for Brandon. I just had to get through this evening without falling for his deceit, then I could be done with him, and I would hopefully have my sights set on my next target.
Brandon held out his arm to me. “Ready?” he asked brightly, seemingly oblivious to the sudden change in my mood.
I turned to say goodbye to Kate and grimaced when I saw that she was grabbing her phone. “Wait! Don’t leave yet! I need a picture!” she cried. “You don’t mind, do you, Detective Pearson?”
“Of course not,” he said easily, “and please, just call me Brandon.”
He stepped in next to me for the picture, but he did not use the opportunity to press against me, and he rested his arm lightly on my shoulder, not on my waist or hip.
Despite saying she just needed ‘a’ picture, Kate snapped several shots, giving me grief the entire time for not smiling enough. I didn’t like pictures and found it hard to smile naturally for them. In my opinion, they were one of the stranger aspects of this new world. People seemed to be obsessed with images of themselves. Everywhere I went, people were always taking pictures; sometimes in groups, but oftentimes I saw them taking pictures of themselves doing inconsequential things. I didn’t understand the notion of putting on a show for the world, but I was willing to do it once in a while for Kate, even if I had to force a smile.
“Well, we should probably get going,” I finally said pointedly, tilting my head and raising my eyebrows at Kate to make my message clear. We had quite enough pictures.
“Of course! I’m sorry!” Kate said, “You know me, always taking pictures!”
Brandon waved goodnight as he stepped out the door, still smiling in his good natured way. “Kate seems really great,” he commented as we walked toward his car.
“She is,” I agreed, slowing my pace slightly so I fell a step behind him and could watch him for a moment. He was more relaxed than he had been this morning, and while he had been attractive then, I liked him better now. His smile was softer, I noticed he had a dimple on one side of his face, but more than anything, I was drawn in by his eyes. They were a disarming pale blue, and there was a softness in them, a kindness. I felt a flutter in my stomach.
‘Stop it!’ I silently reprimanded myself. These were some of the exact thoughts and feelings I’d had about Elisha before he had attacked me. I’d been young and foolish and I had allowed myself to be taken in by Elisha, but even so, he had been no match for me then, and no man had been ever since; they had all fallen before me. Brandon Pearson would be no different. He may not be my next victim, but I would not turn a blind eye to the many dangers he posed.
Brandon stopped at the passenger side of his car and opened the door for me. Offering him a smile of appreciation as I ducked down into the car, I peeked back over my shoulder, expecting to catch him checking out my ass in my short skirt. To my shock, I saw that he was looking off to the side. It was so unexpected that I followed his gaze down the road to see what had distracted him, but it was a quiet evening and the street was empty. He turned back to me, probably wondering why I hadn’t sat down. Embarrassed, and unable to explain my awkward pause, I just smiled again and slid into my seat so he could close the door behind me.
As we pulled away from the curb, Brandon began asking me about my experience ‘waking up’ that day about six months prior. Since I had already gone over my contrived story with Kate, a few members of the hospital staff, and the police, the lies flowed easily and almost felt like real memories.
“I know it sounds like something off a soap opera,” I said, borrowing a term I had once heard Kate use to describe my story, although I did not fully understand what a ‘soap opera’ was, “but I literally woke up in a field with no idea of where I was, or when I was, or even who I was, really.”
“You knew your name, right?” Brandon asked.
“Yes, but only my first name.”
“What do you mean, you didn’t know ‘when’ you were?”
My cheeks flushed a little, this always felt like the harder part of the story to sell. “Well, it’s hard to explain. I didn’t know what day it was, or even what year it was. But the strangest part of all was that even though I could remember words and the names for most things, there were a lot of things I couldn’t remember at all.”
“Like what?”
I blushed again. “Like airplanes. The field I woke up in was actually by an airport and I spent the whole day just staring at them in amazement.”
He whistled. “That must have been quit
e the feeling. What else?”
“Basically everything modern. Cars, TVs, microwaves… you name it. The doctors could never explain it. It was horrible. Poor Kate had to teach me how to use a phone!”
“How is it that you found yourself living with Kate and her daughter?” Brandon asked. “I saw that they were the ones to find you, but not many people would take someone in your position into their home, let alone end up living with them for six months.”
“It was really my good fortune, I guess,” I said. “It was almost dark and I was wandering around, all alone, with no idea of what to do or where to go, when this guy came out of nowhere… I thought he was going to attack me.” I threw in a fake shudder for Brandon’s benefit, painting myself in the light of the helpless female. “Suddenly Kate was there honking her horn. She nearly gave me a heart attack but she scared the guy away. When she realized the state I was in, she offered to take me to the hospital.”
“But she didn’t,” he said.
“Well,” I began and paused, thinking over my words. This was the part of my story that was true, but it was actually the hardest part for me to believe. “She did take me. But it was obvious they couldn’t do much for me, besides maybe putting me in a group home. Kate didn’t want to leave me, so she took me in. She didn’t know me at all, she didn’t have anything to gain; in fact, she had everything to lose.” This was the part of the story that no one ever asked about. It was unrehearsed. Even though I knew the sacrifice Kate had made for me and was constantly grateful, it was overwhelming to say it out loud, and my eyes watered. Blinking away the tears, I continued in a stronger voice. “Anyway, I guess we just clicked somehow. I still don’t remember my past or my family, but I feel at home with them. It doesn’t feel like we’ve known each other for just six months. Kate feels like a sister already, and I love Norah like she’s my own.”
I hadn’t even noticed that we had arrived at the restaurant while I was talking, and Brandon had already parked. He was giving me his full attention, apparently captivated by what I was sharing. “Kate must be a special woman to have done that for you, but there must be something about you that helped build that connection too. She seemed so genuinely happy for you tonight, and that’s not something you feel for a stranger. You must mean a lot to her as well.”
“Thanks,” I said. It wasn’t the kind of compliment I was used to receiving, but it was the best one he could have given me. Kate was the most important person in my life, and it meant the world to me to hear him say that I meant something to her as well. It showed that Brandon was really listening to me, and he cared enough to say something truly kind. What’s more, he had been paying attention to more than just my body back at Kate’s house. Then it dawned on me, Brandon was a cop. It was his job to read people, and manipulate them when necessary. I couldn’t trust anything he said. He had either asked me here to garner information about the case, or to get me into bed. Why did I keep letting my guard down around him?
I needed to steer the conversation away from me. “You’re too sweet. Tell me about yourself. What made you want to be a police officer?”
Brandon thought for a moment before replying. “I get asked that a lot and I never know quite what to say. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, ever since I was a kid. Something about justice has always appealed to me and every time I watched a bully push someone on the playground, I always wanted to be the one to put them in their place. That was actually the cause of most of my issues growing up. I ended up in fights at school trying to defend kids who didn’t deserve to get picked on. Now, I kind of get paid to do that.”
“Do you always ask women you interview out on dates?” I teased.
“No,” Brandon laughed. “No, this is definitely a first for me, and my partner thought I’d lost my damn mind. There was just something about you that I couldn’t get out of my head. I hope that doesn’t sound weird. You’re gorgeous, for sure, but it was something else. The way you looked at me, and your story... Something about it all together just stuck in my mind.”
“I suppose I should be flattered.”
“Definitely!” Brandon responded emphatically. “I mean, I could lose my job for this. That has to mean something!”
There it was. That was his hook. He’d risked something for me, so in his mind, I probably owed him something. Normally, I would pounce on a statement like that; force him to admit his true motives. A dark parking lot would be the perfect place… but I’d promised Kate. I wouldn’t tear his secrets from him tonight, but I would see if he would spill them on his own.
“And how should I respond to that?” I asked, almost sweetly, daring him to tell me how I could show my gratitude.
His answer was not what I was expecting. “By letting me get to know you.”
I stared at him, waiting for the catch, but he seemed serious. I felt something rush out of me, suspicion maybe.
I must have given him a strange look.
“What?” he asked playfully, “I’m serious, you’re fascinating, and I’d really like to get to know you better.”
I sighed. Brandon Pearson was good. It was so tempting to take him at his words; to let myself believe, if only for the evening, that he was a decent man, like my father had been. I didn’t often take time anymore to remember my parents, especially my father. For the longest time, I had thought that my father had perhaps been the last good man on earth, but somewhere along the way, an unspoken fear had taken hold of me. Had he really been good, or had he just died before I was old enough to understand him? I would never really know, but every corrupt, contemptible man who proved himself to be nothing more than a filthy stain on this earth gave me one more piece to the puzzle.
I would let Brandon play his part tonight, and I would play mine. Just for the night. I would let him pretend to be some sort of gentleman, and I would pretend I didn’t know any better. I reminded myself of my ulterior motive – finding my next victim. If he was going to unwittingly direct me to anyone, I would need him to have his guard down. It probably wasn’t information that he was allowed to just give out; it would have to slip during our conversation. If I wanted that to happen, I would have to be friendly, and open, and really make him think that things were going well.
I smiled at him, and let myself giggle. “You want to get to know me? Someone who only has six months of memory? Quite the challenge you’ve set for yourself, Detective Pearson! What’s next for you?”
“Well, I don’t like to brag,” he retorted jokingly, “I was originally thinking I might spend the evening at the park, beating children at basketball… but I would settle for dinner with you. What do you think?”
“Hmmm,” I said, “tough choice. I’m also taller than many children, but I think I could settle for dinner too.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He came around and opened my car door for me. “Shall we?” he asked, holding his arm out towards me once more.
I accepted his arm, and once again felt a real smile tugging at my lips. Brandon didn’t look down my shirt as he helped me out of the car, and we walked the short distance to the restaurant in comfortable silence. It was a lovely evening. The restaurant was one of several that sat in a charming stone courtyard. Each restaurant had a small patio on the courtyard with tables set up for two. The air was filled with the din of quiet chatter from the couples dining at the outdoor tables and the soft gurgle of water from a fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Wrought iron lampposts dotted the scene, giving off a warm glow as the cool colors of twilight chased away the sun.
I would almost say that it was romantic. I stole a glance at Brandon at the same moment that he looked over at me. Our eyes met, and we both laughed awkwardly, but neither of us looked away. Brandon’s eyes were so captivating. It wasn’t just the unusual pale shade; he had a strong featured face, his jaw was wide and angular, his nose straight, even the line of his neck and shoulders was strong and rigid, but his eyes were soft. Expressive. He looked like someone who had laughed o
ften. I liked his eyes.
“This is a nice place,” I said, “which restaurant are we going to?”
Brandon gestured to the farthest one, a small place nestled in the back of the courtyard. It had a large patio, nearly overflowing with potted flowering plants, and each table flickered with candlelight.
“Giada’s,” I read, “it’s beautiful, I hope we can sit outside.”
Brandon requested an outdoor table, and we were soon seated, each with a glass of wine, waiting for our plates of pasta. We talked amiably. I drove the conversation, asking about Brandon’s parents, siblings, and childhood, until we seemingly naturally drifted onto the topic of his work.
“Have you been partners with Cafferty long?” I asked, trying to ease my way into asking about what I really wanted to know.
“A couple years, yeah,” Brandon said, “he’s a good guy. He comes across brusque sometimes, like at Kate’s house, when he jumped on her over the length of her date with Mr. McMurray. It’s hard not to, I mean, we see the worst of the worst, but he just doesn’t have the same intuition I do, you know? One look at Kate was enough to tell me she was no murderer."
“Yeah, he was a little intense!” I said. “Poor Kate, she wouldn’t hurt a fly. But, I understand what you mean, you guys must see some truly terrible things.”
I took a sip of my wine and looked at him expectantly, wondering if he would take the bait so easily.
“We do,” he agreed, taking a sip from his own glass.
Just then, the waitress arrived with our food, distracting him from anything else he might have been about to say. Anger twisted in my stomach like live snakes, now I would have to work our way back to the subject a second time, and it would be doubly hard to make it seem natural!
The waitress laid my plate in front of me, then turned to serve Brandon. She bent over unnecessarily as she did so, giving Brandon a view right down her blouse. Straightening up seductively, she brushed her blonde braid behind her back, and said, “Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you.”
Evil Unbound- Death's Mistress Returns Page 9