Collar (Changing Roles Book 3)

by Ellie Masters

I shook my head. “But it doesn’t make sense. Josh being alive is the only thing that does.”

  Kevin shook his head. “Even if it had been, BlackJack would have never abandoned Josh. We know for certain that his yacht went down in a storm. I’m sorry, but Josh is not alive.”

  I cried out with frustration, belting out my pain into the night sky. The circle of cops stopped talking and stared. Janice’s lip curled with her sneer.

  I regarded Pete, resolved I was right. “I don’t care what you think or what you believe. Tomorrow, I’m hunting a dead man. Pete, you with me or not?”

  Janice sauntered over. She didn’t say a word, but then she didn’t need to when her eyes spoke volumes about our shared dislike. Her chin jutted out. “We gotta go. Captain wants us back at the precinct for a debrief.”

  Pete closed his eyes for a count of three. When he opened them he answered, but he looked at me the whole time. “Now? Can’t we do this in the morning?”

  She gave a half shrug, turned on her heel, and called over her shoulder, “Captain’s orders.”

  “Sorry, Kate. I have to—”

  “Go,” I said, completing his sentence for him. “I know.”

  Kevin’s hand remained at the small of my back, supporting me. I ached to feel Jake’s hands on me again. Kevin gave a slight squeeze, trying to reassure, but I knew how to stand tall without help. I’d been doing that for the better part of my life.

  I spun around and gave Kevin a look, daring him to argue with me. “I’m going home.” I had work to do, and I needed Mitzy’s help. Hell, I would fly all the way to Thailand if needed. Concrete proof of one Josh Davenport’s death, or proof of life, is all I cared about.

  Only Thomas blocked me. He gripped my wrist and led me up the stone steps. “You’re not going anywhere, at least not tonight. Not in your condition.”

  The hell I wasn’t. I squirmed, trying to get out of his grip but found myself trapped within his arms. The heavy scent of leather, tobacco, and brandy filled my nose. I gazed into the fierce eyes of Jake’s friend and knew I was going to lose this argument.

  “Jake would never forgive me if you got into an accident, racing down these country roads in the middle of the night. You can stay here as my guest, or I can lock you in a room. Your choice. Regardless of what you choose, we have some strategizing to do.”

  “Strategizing?”

  “Yes, strategizing.” He took a step up the stairs. I had no choice but to stumble with him. “Jake will make bail. We need to work on his defense and start poking holes in this case. I already have people on it.”

  “You have people on it?” I couldn’t believe Thomas was able to act so quickly.

  “Darling, none of us believes he did this. We’ve got the best team of lawyers for your Master.”

  That was all well and good, but I didn’t care about his defense. I was going to prove his innocence. “I need to find the killer, not strategize.”

  Thomas guided me up the heavy stone steps to the manor. The crowd of onlookers standing on the expansive veranda filed inside and dispersed to their private rooms. All revelry for the evening had vanished with the arrest of one of their members. They gave slow nods to Thomas and Kevin as they passed.

  He moved Kevin, Lily, and me into the library. Lily crawled into Kevin’s lap and snuggled against his shoulder. Thomas filled three brandy snifters, handing one to each of us except Lily. He lowered himself into a large wingback chair and sniffed his drink before tossing it back.

  I asked the most important question of the evening. “Are you going to help me find Josh?”

  Chapter Five

  Kate

  “I told you. Josh is dead!” Kevin’s outburst nearly unseated Lily from his lap. She wobbled and nearly fell off, but Kevin gripped her hard and pulled her to him. “Sorry, babe.”

  Lily curled into his chest. “How can he be alive? I thought…”

  “But Jake didn’t do this,” I asserted. In my heart, I knew this statement to be truth.

  Thomas crossed his ankle over his knee and poured another finger of brandy and tossed it back. “If we make the assumption Jake is innocent, then we have to accept the impossible as being true.”

  “Or someone’s framing him.” That was the more likely scenario. I always went with what’s common is common when trying to solve a particularly nasty case that wasn’t making sense. “What kind of enemies does Jake have?”

  I knew so very little about Jake. I glanced between Thomas and Kevin, looking for answers. “A man like him has to have acquired an enemy or two over his lifetime. Successful businessman or not, you don’t walk around with that much money and not have some skeletons hanging in your closet, from your rafters, or hell, swinging in the entry foyer.”

  “Then how did they plant the evidence?” Kevin regarded me with a challenging stare.

  “You’re the doctor.” I lifted my glass and swirled the burgundy liquor. I wasn’t much of a brandy drinker, but I tipped the bottom all the way up and swallowed the contents. The scalding burn of alcohol lit my esophagus on fire. I hoped Thomas hadn’t wasted the expensive stuff on me. I didn’t taste a drop—not going down or in the coughing fit that followed. “There were multiple men in that video,” I finally wheezed out, “but only one DNA sample left behind. That seems too coincidental.”

  Thomas leaned over and refilled my glass. “BlackJack was the asshole. Jake is well-liked.”

  “He’s a lawyer, or at least he used to be.” I lifted the glass to my nose and sniffed the fumes. Still burned. “All lawyers make enemies.”

  “Pretty sophisticated enemies,” said Kevin.

  How could I forget? Just thinking about that first one had me practicing all my tricks to keep my PTSD at bay.

  Kevin continued, holding Lily tight to his chest. “There were four other men involved.”

  I’d always thought the single semen specimen odd. “The question is, why didn’t they all take part in the rape?”

  “Who’s to say they didn’t?” Kevin stroked Lily’s jet-black hair. The motion seemed to soothe her and help him think. “The others could have used condoms.”

  I tried to parse it in my head. “Five guys gang-rape a girl. Four stop to put on condoms, and one doesn’t? I don’t believe that was random. Either they all wore condoms to avoid leaving evidence behind, or none of them did because they’re all fucking idiots, or…”

  “Or what?” Kevin took a sip of his drink.

  I shrugged my shoulders, exasperated. “I don’t know. The one guy didn’t want to share and didn’t let the others rape them?” That made the least sense. The scene was a sadist’s wet dream. Whoever orchestrated that nightmare probably had control over the other men as well. “And let’s not forget: only Elizabeth’s body holds any real forensic evidence. The other girl’s body was found a month after her murder. It’s pretty useless from a forensics standpoint.”

  “Well, what we know is at least one man raped Elizabeth, and that sample implicates Jake,” said Kevin.

  “What about evidence tampering? Someone could have swapped out the samples.” That seemed the most likely scenario. Some person with a grudge against Jake would only need to have patience. As owner of a sex club, how hard would it have been over the years to have acquired a sample of Jake’s semen? As far-fetched as the idea sounded, I’d seen far worse in my years as a detective. People were vile creatures once stirred to action. Who knew what they were capable of when pushed?

  “I’ve got people looking into chain-of-custody issues as we speak.” Thomas cleared his third finger of brandy. This time he didn’t refill his glass.

  “How many people do you have?” Thomas must be a powerful man to have so many people on retainer.

  He gave me a sidelong glance. “Don’t worry, Kate. Your Master is being well taken care of. By the time he reaches the precinct, there will be a lawyer waiting for him. And he’s smart. He knows exactly what to say and what not to say.”

  “So what now?” I glanced
between Kevin and Thomas. Here I was, the private detective with years of experience, and I was at a total loss as to what to do next.

  Jake was in jail for a murder he didn’t commit. I tipped back my second shot of brandy, the liquid burning my mouth and throat. I needed to figure out who had killed those women or establish some reasonable doubt.

  “Can the DNA evidence be wrong?” I asked, turning to the resident expert in all things medical.

  Kevin shook his head. “DNA evidence is pretty cut-and-dried. Even if Josh were alive, differentiating twins is virtually impossible.”

  “But it can be done?” I licked the rim of my empty tumbler. The harsh brandy fumes lingered in the cup. “They have different fingerprints, right?”

  He shifted in his seat, repositioning Lily in his lap. “Yes, their fingerprints are different, but we’re dealing with DNA. There are slight genetic differences between identical twins, but it requires specialized testing. Not something the local police are equipped to handle, and you have to have samples from each twin. With Josh’s death”—he stifled a yawn—“it’s difficult.”

  Well, I didn’t know about them, but I wouldn’t be getting any rest tonight. I wanted to know more about this specialized testing Kevin mentioned, but trapped at the Edge without access to the Internet had my hands tied. “What about the members?”

  Thomas glanced at me. “What do you mean?”

  “I came here for business.” Even though we hadn’t done any work on the case. “I need to interview the members. We’d planned on something discreet, but I think we can safely say things have changed. I want to speak to everyone who was here tonight.”

  Thomas rose from his chair and rubbed the back of his neck. “We can arrange something for the morning.”

  “No, now,” I demanded. “I want to start now.”

  He shook his head. “No one is going to talk to you tonight. The evening is over, and the Masters have taken their slaves to bed. Which is where you need to be. Besides, you’ll think better in the morning with a clear head.” He held out a hand and gestured for me to follow. “Come. I’ll show you where you’ll be staying. Good night, Kevin.” He patted Lily on her head as he passed. “Lily, make sure you take good care of your Master.”

  Her eyes lit up, beaming with pride. “I always do.”

  Tonight, the Asian beauty would take care of her Master’s every need, whereas mine would languish in a cold and unfriendly cell.

  Kevin and Lily excused themselves, but I didn’t move.

  Thomas came back, hunched down, and looked me in the eyes. “Kate, you need to go to bed.”

  “I’m not going to bed. There has to be something we can do.”

  He pulled me out of my chair. “There is, and we’ll do it tomorrow.” Serious eyes regarded me with fondness. For a moment, it looked like he was going to hug me, but I bristled. He must have sensed my unwillingness to be comforted because he drew back. “My team is on it. You need to be patient. We will get him out.”

  “How is that? They’ve charged him with murder.” I knew how these things went. Bail hearings took time. Days, weeks even.

  I’d finally found a man I could belong to, and he’d been torn from my grip.

  The Mistress of Pain demanded action. There was one lawyer I trusted more than the connections Thomas claimed.

  When Thomas led me to my room, I found my things had been moved in. My phone barely held a charge, but it was enough for what I needed. I dialed the number of the cockiest criminal lawyer I knew, a man who had once knelt at my feet. Thomas might have ordered me to my room, but I’d have to go to my car to get my charging cable or my phone would be dead in the morning.

  Bryce answered on the third ring.

  Chapter Six

  Kate

  Four days later, I visited with Lily in her bedroom at Stripes, where she lived with Kevin on the top floor. We sat on her bed with a mass of bridal magazines spread out before us. I’d taken up temporary residence in Jake’s half of the tenth floor while waiting for his bail hearing to happen today. I wanted to be with him, providing moral support, but Bryce thought my reputation would detract from Jake’s case. He was trying to downplay any link to the kink community, and with my history, I had a huge target painted on my back.

  I gave Thomas and his army of lawyers credit. They’d been hard at work, securing the early bail hearing with the judge. Even Bryce had been amazed the hearing had been set within a matter of days. I think a little bit of strong-arming was going on behind the scenes. Nothing illegal, but definitely favors had been called in.

  I had stayed at the Edge the day after Jake’s arrest and, with Thomas by my side, I’d interviewed all the members, trying to figure out if Jake’s twin might have been around. My intent was to build up a timeline. If Jake had been here and someplace else at the same time—and I could get corroborating witnesses—then I would have established reasonable doubt. I didn’t need Josh’s body, or lack thereof, at all.

  Thomas couldn’t help his chauvinistic tendencies and tried to take charge of the initial interviews, posing leading questions and generally giving away my strategy. After the first few disastrous conversations, I took him aside and laid down some ground rules.

  He may have had decades of experience over me when it came to the domination game, but I knew my job. I think I impressed him too by how much information I extracted with seemingly innocent questions. He finally sat in the corner, happy to let me lead.

  I took charge with tenacity. I questioned the hell out of the members, especially those who had played in those woods within the last week. I searched their responses, looking for clues and irregularities. No one had seen anything odd. I showed pictures sketch artists had drawn from the videos, but no one had seen anyone matching the sketches. No one had seen Jake around Edge grounds in the past few weeks either, which frustrated me. If I could pinpoint a moment in time when Jake was at the Edge and somewhere back in town at the same time, then I could establish reasonable doubt.

  Thomas and I combed through what little surveillance footage the Edge allowed. I would need to do the same at Stripes, interview the employees and members. Mapping out every minute of Jake’s life over the past few weeks had become my top priority.

  Thomas even brought in the support staff to question. Each one passed my directed questions. By the time we worked through every person who’d touched the grounds of the Edge, I was left with a list of Jake’s visits, which needed to be matched against the rest of his timeline.

  My greatest thanks went to Bryce. He’d answered my call that horrible night and charged right into the fray. Evidently, he and Jake knew each other professionally, and Jake agreed to allow Bryce to represent him. The two of them had been working on Jake’s defense nonstop while I waited in the wings. I sent my information to Bryce, but Jake corroborated every date and time. Finally, I was forced to accept the truth. The Edge was a bleak dead end.

  And I hated it.

  Bryce had advised me to keep my distance and let Jake focus on his defense without the distraction I would provide. Bryce was right. But I belonged by Jake’s side as he fought this. Being forced to stay away frustrated me and had me aching with Jake’s absence. I couldn’t comfort him. I couldn’t serve him—except in the training I had received as a cop. If there was any validity to Bryce’s concerns, if my presence might worsen Jake’s chances, then I would stay away. No matter how much it hurt.

  I continued my investigation.

  I’d interviewed everyone at the Edge. I filled my empty hours doing what I did best. I questioned everyone associated with Stripes. I established the timeline of Jake’s life. And while I’d run into roadblocks at the Edge, there were a few irregularities I’d uncovered at Stripes. I couldn’t corroborate my suspicions, but my gut told me Jake was being set up. I dug deep until I ran out of leads to chase.

  So, here I was, sitting idle in Lily’s room at Stripes, going stir-crazy while perusing Lily’s wedding planner and the mounds of bridal
magazines covering her bed. We were also putting away her box of slave memorabilia by Kevin’s decree. While excited about becoming a wife, she desired to live the lifestyle as his slave. Kevin refused, though, wanting a traditional union with the woman he loved. In his mind, honoring her meant taking her as his wife, and only occasionally as a slave within the bedroom. I sensed a stormy future for those two.

  Lily lifted a thin metal collar and handed it to me. “I bought this, hoping he would collar me with it.”

  I took the traditional slave collar from her. A simple and elegant piece, the cool metal warmed quickly in my hands. “It’s very pretty. Don’t you think you should have let him buy it?”

  Like an engagement ring, Masters typically picked out their slave’s collars, not the other way around. It wasn’t a hard-and-fast rule—just like many couples picked out engagement rings together.

  A wistful expression passed over her face. “He never would have bought one. I thought if I got it, he wouldn’t have a choice but to collar me.”

  And there was the heart of their problem. Kevin didn’t like Lily trying to control him. “You should speak with him. Seems like you’re giving up a lot.”

  “He likes the Master/slave dynamic, just short-term and time-limited.” She pulled her silky black hair over her shoulder and twirled it in her fingers.

  “Can you be happy with that?”

  “Well, of course I want more. I want a 24–7 lifestyle. But I’m not willing to lose Kevin over that. I love him.”

  I handed her the collar back. “Well, that’s a very pretty piece.” I doubted she would ever wear it.

  Her expression brightened as she pulled something else from the box. “It’s nothing like this, though. I bought it after he said no to the collar. It’s not quite as traditional as a collar, so I thought he would allow it. I wanted an anklet, but when I saw this, I fell in love. I call it my guilty pleasure.” She handed me a banded bracelet, then frowned. “Kevin was livid. Biggest fight we ever had.”