Checkmate (Caitlin Calloway Mystery Book 2) (2 page)

“Fair enough.” CC dropped the shovel to the ground. Her aching hands were the only part of her that felt any sense of relief.

“I really do want to know how you figured it out. Tell me, what was my mistake?”

“You don’t know?” CC said. “Well, okay then. Your plan on the surface was brilliant. I’ll give you that. You know how I got involved. The funeral and then the beach, but what sealed it for me were the bees and the keys.”

  
CHAPTER ONE

Things had been set in motion long before CC found herself being held at gunpoint. On a chilly night in September, her wife had just come in from work. Jamie, a doctor, worked the late shift in the emergency room at Boylston General hospital. CC also worked the late shift, but as a homicide detective with the Boylston Village Hills Police Department.

Despite their demanding jobs, they led a quiet life. Most of the time. Sometimes life was anything but quiet. CC had no idea just how unsettled their lives were about to become. She returned from work, finished packing her travel bag, and set it by the front door.

“I hate that you have to go and do this,” Jamie said when CC found her pacing around their bedroom.

“James,” CC softly murmured the pet name she had given her wife almost two decades ago. “I know you hate this part of our lives. I’ll be on the first flight back.” She wrapped Jamie in a warm embrace.

Jamie pressed her body tightly against CC’s. “I wish we could stay like this forever,” she said with a heavy sigh. “How much time do we have before Stevie comes to take you to the airport?”

“Half hour.” CC shrugged. “I’m meeting her over at her place.  Whatcha’ got in mind, Doc?” she added, trying to turn the mood into a playful moment. She wanted to leave Jamie with a sense of security. She shivered from the feel of Jamie’s hands running up along her sides. “Emma,” she said to Jamie who was tugging CC’s shirt out of her jeans.

“She’s sound asleep at Stevie’s. I’m going over to their side of the house while Stevie is shuttling you to Logan.”

Buying the old Victorian house and converting it into two separate homes had worked out well for the unusual family. Stevie, CC’s younger sister, had built-in babysitters for her daughter, Emma, while CC and Jamie had privacy. Most importantly, the close-knit family could stay close without tripping over one another.

CC released a soft moan. Jamie had a way of completely distracting her
. After all these years, she still drives me insane
, she couldn’t help thinking when she felt the feathery touch of Jamie’s lips caress her shoulders. She was baffled as to how quickly her blouse and bra ended up on the floor.

“How did my clothes end up down there?”

“Shh.” Jamie flicked her tongue against CC’s nipple. “You’re leaving town, and I need to make certain that you don’t forget me.”

“With any luck, I’ll be gone less then twenty-four hours.”

“An eternity.” Jamie captured CC’s nipple between her lips.

CC caught the look in Jamie’s eyes. It was a mix of desire and impatience. She knew it would be foolish to argue. She laced her fingers through Jamie’s hair and pressed her closer. CC struggled to stand, giving into the feel of Jamie capturing her erect nipple between her lips. Jamie suckled her harder.

It was so easy for CC to give in to Jamie’s desires. From the first time to that moment, the passion between them only grew stronger.

CC whimpered in protest when Jamie’s attention was drawn away from her breast. She was about to voice her objection when she felt Jamie’s mouth delightfully move down her body. She released a throaty groan. Jamie blazed a trail down CC’s taut body. In the back of her mind, she realized they didn’t have that much time. When she felt the button on her jeans being released, she couldn’t care less if she missed her flight.

CC balanced herself, while Jamie tugged her jeans down her thighs. She murmured softly when Jamie placed feathery kisses across her abdomen.

“Baby,” she pleaded.

She parted her legs, allowing Jamie to lower her panties. She shivered when Jamie’s warm breath caressed her bare thighs. Jamie parted her with her tongue. CC reached down and pressed Jamie closer. CC trembled from the feel of Jamie eagerly licking her wetness. She cried out when Jamie suckled her clit between her lips. CC tried to speak and beg for more. She just couldn’t form the words. Instead she gave into the delightful feel of her wife suckling her engorged clit.

Jamie held her captive, wasting no time before plunging two fingers deep inside CC’s warm wet center. She took her harder. CC fought to stay standing as her body quivered. Her knees began to buckle. Jamie feasted upon her harder. CC struggled to hold on. She cried out and gave in to the passion as she collapsed onto the bedroom floor. Her body shook while Jamie held her in a tender embrace.

CC began to caress Jamie’s body, only to have her hands stilled. “We don’t have time,” Jamie said. “You need to wash up again.”

“And whose fault is that, spoilsport?” CC managed to choke out the words from her raw throat. She struggled to her feet. “I left my bag over by the door, so you could repack it.”

“I’m not going to repack your . . . ” Jamie’s objection faded. “Okay, I am. You know me all too well. You just don’t know how to pack. I’ll meet you at Stevie’s.” She gave CC a quick kiss.

“I love you,” CC said with smile.

She took a quick shower and chose a new outfit that would be comfortable for the cross-country trek. She made her way downstairs, resetting the alarms along the way. She paused in the kitchen and noticed the chess set that was set up in the corner by the breakfast nook. For a moment, she studied the Disney characters that the chess set was composed of. She and her seven-year-old-niece, Emma, had an ongoing game.

She smiled at the move Emma had made. “Very clever.”

They had bought the chess set at the Disney store, and Emma proved to be a quick study. Secretly, CC wanted the heroes characters, but since Emma chose them, she didn’t want to appear childish in front of the second grader.

CC thought for a moment before moving Jafar, one of her bishops. She captured a Dalmatian, which was one of Emma’s pawns. Then she made her way over to the other side of the house to meet up with her sister.

Deep in her heart she wanted to stay. She wasn’t looking forward to this trip.

*   *  *

The flight to the opposite coast was not only uneventful, it bordered on tedious. The only high point was replaying the memory of Jamie kneeling before her. CC did love the way her wife gave her a proper send off, she just hated the reason for her departure. On paper, taking a trip to California every few years sounded like a dream come true. These trips were by no means a vacation. She flew to the opposite side of the country whenever Dr. Simon Fisher was being evaluated. The good doctor was incarcerated in a maximum-security, federal mental hospital for the criminally insane. Detective Caitlin Calloway was the reason why.

A few years back, little Simon was well on his way to becoming a full-fledged doctor when a little matter of his being a serial killer got in the way. His quarry was small, blonde, athletic types who reminded him of his high school sweetheart. He fell hard for these women, most of whom failed to notice him and, as luck would have it, turned out to be lesbians. It helped CC’s efforts to put him away for what she hoped was forever when she managed to get Simon to confess to where he hid his high school sweetheart’s body.

Dr. Amelia Richards, an FBI shrink who helped put him away, described Simon as a serial killer with only one victim. He was killing the love of his life over and over again. His girlfriend, Janie, had gone off to college and fallen in love with another woman. Unable to deal with the rejection, Simon killed her.

Fisher went on with his life, leaving a trail of bodies along the way. He only made one mistake. His mistake was choosing to complete his medical training in Boylston Village Hills, Massachusetts, a small town that was part of the city of Boston. There he crossed paths with Dr. Jamie Jameson who was a petite blonde with an athletic build and the love of Detective Caitlin Calloway’s life. When Simon tried to kill her girlfriend, CC took it very personally. In the decade that followed, Jamie and CC married and Simon spent twenty-three hours a day wandering around a glass-enclosed cell. He would have had a little more freedom if he hadn’t tried to escape on a number of occasions.

It pleased CC that Simon’s arrogance hadn’t waned. It kept him locked up tighter than ever. She and Jamie feared the day some idiot would declare that Simon was no longer crazy and set him free. Granted, if that unlikely event ever happened, she had a backup plan. For now, she had to go before the board and explain that Simon Fisher was a whack job. He was always nuts, and no matter how many drugs or hours of therapy he endured, he would remain a psycho who should never be allowed to walk the streets. Alas, there were laws that needed to be complied with.

CC and a list of others who had helped lock up Simon would say their bit. The prison shrinks would say their bit, and of course, Simon’s lawyer, who was usually new to his case, would say his bit.

Two things worked in CC’s favor. Simon would never admit to killing anyone. He claimed that CC had framed him in an effort to steal his girlfriend. The doctors and lawyers would point out that Jamie was never his girlfriend. Dr. Jamie Jameson was now CC’s wife. All nice and legal, thanks to the laws in Massachusetts. Simon’s stoic demeanor would quickly unravel, and he’d start ranting like a complete lunatic. His lawyers would claim CC baited him. The panel would only hear Simon’s insane ranting. Detective Brooks and CC would feel vindicated then grab dinner. She could set her watch by it.

CC went through the process of entering the secure facility for the mandatory hearing. Once inside, she took a moment to collect her thoughts. Seeing Fisher was never easy. The only good thing about looking into his beady little eyes every few years was the knowledge that he was locked up.

“Detective,” an uneasy voice said from behind her.

A long time ago, Caitlin had learned there wasn’t a polite way to greet someone who had lost their child to senseless violence.

Richard Jensen blamed her for not sending Simon to prison instead of getting the little psycho locked up in a federal loony bin. He wanted Simon to pay for his daughter’s life with his own.

“I can’t believe we have to go through this again.” His words were quiet, yet CC could feel the pain behind them. She had to agree. She wanted Simon locked up somewhere dark and for someone to lose the key.

“I know.” It was the only thing she could think of saying.

“My wife passed on coming this time. It takes too much out of her. Seeing that smug little bastard sitting there acting as if he’s the victim.”

“My wife feels the same.” CC struggled with the words. “She stayed in Boston.”

“Look, Detective Calloway. I know I’ve said things in the past. I understand you did the best you could to get him off the streets. I was angry. Hell, I’m still angry.”

“Mr. Jensen, you have a right to be angry. At me for not getting enough evidence to lock him up. At him for doing this. At the cops here and in all those other cities for not stopping him sooner. Please trust me that if for some bizarre reason he gets out of here, he won’t get away.”

“Why didn’t we see it? Why did I trust him with my daughter? Why didn’t she trust us enough to tell us that Simon wasn’t the nice boy we thought he was? Why didn’t she tell us she was gay? We would have kept loving her.”

“Tough stuff to deal with when you’re so young.” CC tried to comfort him.

“How did your parents deal with it?”

“They threw me out of the house. It was complicated.”

“Shame on them,” he said. “At least they know that you’re alive. Shame on them.” He turned away and entered the room where Simon’s review was to be held.

CC wasn’t surprised that he chose to sit alone in the back corner. Richard Jensen would more than likely spend the rest of his life searching for answers.

She tried to make herself comfortable in the hard plastic chairs that had been provided. Brooks took a seat next to her. He was a big man, his graying hair thinning despite his attempts to cover it up. She did notice he was looking much fitter than he had in the past.

“Always thought it was a shame they didn’t send the little shit to Pelican Bay.” Brooks snorted with disdain.

“You’re looking well,” CC said.

“Quit drinking and smoking.” He smirked. “I even took up jogging.”

“All of your bad habits at once.” She was impressed. Brooks lived to chain-smoke. “Couldn’t have been easy.”

“Easier than I thought. After you caught the little snot bag, my life got a whole lot easier. Even seeing my kids on a regular basis.”

“Good for you.”

“Life’s been so good, I’ve turned in my papers.”

“No,” CC whispered so she wouldn’t disturb the proceedings. “Must be going around. My partner’s doing the same.”

“Max? You’ve been together a long time.”

“I rode with him when I was a rookie and for a while after that, until he got his gold shield. Then when I got mine, he asked to partner with me. He’s been by my side forever. I think our last case got to him.”

”How’s life treating you? Enjoying married life?”

“Can’t complain.” CC fought against the blush that crept up along her neck.

“I see Jamie passed on attending again,” he said softly.

“It’s too hard on her. The whole thing brings back too much pain. Besides, we have a new house that needs everything fixed. Apparently, despite my butch exterior, I suck with power tools.”

“Another myth destroyed. There’s Malcolm.” He nodded towards Simon’s father.

“I can’t imagine how hard this is on him,” CC noted.

“At least he isn’t in denial like the old lady.” Brooks jerked his thumb to the opposite side of the room where Simon’s mother was seated.