Kill Shot (15 page)
Oz asked for Lissa who appeared quickly wearing a white terry bathrobe and carrying a spoon in her hand.
“Oh, you can’t be here.” She looked nervous and cast a glance over her shoulder to where Javier lurked in the archway leading deeper into the flat.
Oz gave her a smile. “I hope I’m not inconveniencing you, Miss Montgomery. I just had a few more questions. You don’t mind, do you?”
“No, but...”
“Who is this delicious young man, Lissa?” Laurel Jobe had come to stand beside Javier. She wore a lacy peach negligee that swept behind her on the floor.
Oz approached her, displaying his badge. “Mrs. Jobe. I apologize for disturbing you. Miss Montgomery’s friend was killed in an unfortunate accident. I’m trying to close it out.”
She smiled, displaying a set of perfect white teeth.
“That’s too bad. Come in officer. We’re having breakfast. Won’t you join us?” She turned and led the way to the breakfast room.
Lissa looked terrified, as though she was being choked. She gave Oz a frown and trailed behind Laurel Jobe to the breakfast room.
A wall of windows banked the far wall and a jungle of tropical plants softened the hard surfaces.
A toddler, ensconced in a high-chair, rubbed oatmeal into his hair. He gazed delightedly at Oz and threw his spoon. “Gah!”
Laurel gestured to the chair beside hers. “Please sit down, Officer. Coffee?”
Oz nodded, grinning at the toddler.
“He likes you.” Laurel handed Oz a delicate porcelain cup filled with coffee. “We’ll have to arrange a play date.”
“I love kids,” Oz said.
Laurel Jobe laughed deep in her throat and tossed her hair over her shoulder.
Lissa looked stricken. She took her seat beside the child and offered him a spoonful of cereal. She seemed to be studiously avoiding Oz’ eyes.
“What happened to Lissa’s friend?” Laurel asked.
“We don’t know yet,” Oz said. “He seems to have suffered a head injury and fallen in the lake.”
“Oh, my.” Laurel’s eyes danced with mischief. “Lissa, did you bop your friend on the head?”
Lissa’s eyes widened. “No, Mrs. Jobe. I wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Laurel laughed again, a musical sound this time. “Of course you wouldn’t Liss. I was just kidding.” She turned back to Oz. “Ask your questions, Officer. I’m sure Lissa has nothing to hide.”
Oz thought she was enjoying the young woman’s discomfort too much.
“Miss Montgomery, did you know that your friend was using steroids?”
Lissa’s eyes opened wide and her mouth formed a round O shape, although no sound came out.
Oz and Laurel stared at her.
“No, I don’t know about that.”
“It could account for his periods of anger,” Oz said. “When did you first notice his change of behavior?”
“I guess it was a couple of months ago.” Lissa looked thoughtful as Hobart Jobe III rubbed more oatmeal in his hair and onto his cheek. “He wanted to compete in the Mr. New York City body building competition. He said he needed to bulk up.”
“And after that you noticed his temperament was different?” Oz asked.
Lissa nodded and wiped ineffectually at the baby’s face. “I have to get a wet cloth for this.” She stood and turned to leave.
“Why don’t you take Trey with you and give him a bath? He needs to be submerged.” Laurel gave Lissa a steady look, stating clearly that she wanted to be alone with Oz.
Lissa colored slightly, but kept her gaze averted as she wrestled the toddler out of the high chair. She didn’t look up as she left the room.
“Do you have children, Officer?” Laurel asked.
“I’m not married yet,” Oz said.
“Is there a significant other?” Laurel untied the ribbon at the top of her negligee, allowing it to fall open and reveal her perfectly bronzed cleavage.
“Some sweet little adoring thing who thinks you hung the moon?”
“There’s a goddess in my life.” Oz grinned at her. “I hope she thinks I do something right.”
“A goddess, huh?” Laurel looked a little miffed, as though she wasn’t used to having a man worship another woman in her presence. “I hope things work out for the two of you.”
“From your lips to God’s ears,” Oz said, using one of his grandmother’s favorite sayings. “Mrs. Jobe...”
She stopped him with her hand on his arm. “Please call me Laurel. I’m not much older than you are.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Were you in Central Park a week ago on Monday the third?”
Her expression became suddenly wary. “The third? I can’t remember that far back. Why do you ask?”
Oz slid the photo of her embracing Jason Best in front of her. She picked it up and gazed at it, her face became shuttered behind a well-controlled veneer. “I guess I was in the park. But surely you don’t think that I had anything to do with Lissa’s friend being injured?”
Oz held her gaze. “No. But it is a coincidence that you were in the park on the same day that her friend disappeared. I was told that you had a history with him.”
She looked startled. “Who are we talking about?”
“The murder of Randal Knox.”
“He’s dead?” Laurel’s voice cracked.
“Yes, his body was recovered in the lake, not far from where you were last Monday. I understand that the two of you were more than friends.”
“Who told you that?” Laurel’s temper flared, momentarily contorting her face into a twisted mask. “Those gossips at the spa? I’ll have them all fired.”
“You were photographed embracing a man in the park who turned out to be an employee of the spa you frequent. He worked with Randal Knox. I understand Jason Best is your Personal Trainer at this time?”
“He is.” She spat out the words, afterwards drawing her lips into a pout.
“And you engaged Mr. Knox in that same capacity prior to hiring Mr. Best?”
She nodded, her arms folded around herself.
“Just what does the position of Personal Trainer entail, Mrs. Jobe?”
“Helping me to work out. After the baby, I needed to get back into shape.”
“And Mr. Knox did that for you?”
She nodded.
“Why did you change to Mr. Best?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Jason was just...more pleasant to be around.”
Oz tapped the photo. “Yes, Ma’am, you do seem to be enjoying his company.”
“Look,” she hissed. “I’m married to a man old enough to be my father. A girl has certain needs. Hobart doesn’t mind as long as I’m discreet and it doesn’t interfere with our time together.”
“And where is Mr. Jobe?” Oz asked.
“He’s in Vancouver on business. It’s always business.” Laurel grimaced as though she was about to cry. “Sometimes, I feel like I’m in a box!”
Oz straightened. “A box?”
“Yes. Like I’m some pretty possession dressing my husband’s arm when we go out in public.” She dabbed at a tear with a linen napkin. “I’m so lonely, Officer. Surely you can understand that.” She squeezed his arm again.
He took a breath. “I understand loneliness,” he said. “I’m just not sure I understand the box.”
#
Oz returned to his apartment. He’d learned a little about the relationship Laurel had with her trainers, but it wasn’t anything that hadn’t been guessed.
Laurel hadn’t known that her au pair, Lissa had become involved with Randal Knox when she’d quit him.
Oz wondered how Laurel felt about that. He knew about the ‘girl code’ from his sister, Candy. If a girl broke up with a guy, all her friends were off limits. But then, Laurel and Lissa weren’t friends. Was Randal making a statement by hooking up with the much younger Lissa or did he want someone more pliable who didn’t own his ass?
Oz tossed his keys on the counter. He couldn’t imagine a situation in which he wouldn’t care if Micki had lovers outside of marriage. He couldn’t imagine Micki with anyone who wasn’t him. But he only had Laurel Jobe’s
word that her husband didn’t mind her indiscretions.
“Oz?”
He turned when he heard Micki’s voice. The first sight of her always caused a tingling sensation in his gut. Oz held out his arms and she rushed into his embrace.
“Micki,” he said her name and buried his face in her hair.
“I missed you so much,” she said. “It’s just that since we’re...”
Oz took a breath. “Back together?” He hoped that was what she’d been going to say.
“Together. . .I’m afraid something will happen and we won’t be...”
“Together. We will, Micki. We’ll always be together.”
“Because I don’t think I can take it if we break up again.”
“We didn’t break up, Micki. You dumped me and I still don’t know why.”
“I can’t explain it,” she said.
“It’s about the box, I know. I mean I don’t know, but I’ll try never to make you feel like you’re in one and if I did, I’m sorry.” He touched the side of her face with his fingertips.
Micki grabbed his hand and pressed her lips against his palm.
Oz cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lips over and over again as though he was starving and they were his only sustenance.
“Promise me one thing,” he said.
“Anything.”
“If you decide to dump me again, just shoot me in the head instead, because I don’t want to live through that kind of pain again. I can’t.”
“Oz, I’m not going to dump you, but you might want to take a good look at me because I’m a different woman than you think I am.”
He pulled back and gazed into her eyes as though the answer to some mystery might be there. He started to tell her that she was exactly what he wanted but held back. “How different are you?”
“I’m not your mother,” she said.
“I sincerely hope not.”
“And I’m not my mother. Oz, I have hopes and dreams beyond the neighborhood, beyond being somebody’s wife and somebody else’s mother. I want to fulfill my own dreams. I want to travel and I want to accomplish something on my own. Can you understand that?”
Oz nodded. “I can see that Micki. I watched you taking photos at the wedding. You were completely professional when you were working. You photographed everything and you knew exactly what to do. You were all over the place and even when that guy threatened you, you didn’t step back. You followed through because you had a commitment to do it right. I didn’t tell you then, but I’m telling you now, I’m very proud of you.”
“That means a lot to me, Oz.”
She looked like she was fighting tears, so he kissed her again. “The Lieutenant said I’m supposed to bring you to the station house to look at mug shots.”
She nodded. “I can do that.” She grabbed her purse and the rented Leica in the aluminum case.
“Why are you taking the camera?” Oz asked. “I don’t think you’ll find anything to shoot at the station.” He swung the door open for her.
“You never know.” She ducked under his arm and stepped into the hallway.
“I guess I have to get used to the new you with a camera growing out of your arm like a transformer.”
“Good analogy.”
#
Micki and Oz embraced in the elevator and she leaned into the curve under his protective arm.
She swung the camera case. It was so much lighter than her duffle and more resilient. She liked that the camera fit snugly into the case and was protected by foam padding.
They rode down to the underground parking and Oz opened her car door, shutting her inside and going around. Micki leaned over to open the driver’s side and saw the pony tail man behind him. She screamed as Oz collapsed against the vehicle and slid to the concrete.
Micki got out and ran around the car to kneel beside Oz. The pony tail man stood over them with a gun in his hand.
“You killed my boyfriend!” A rush of anger filled her chest. With her teeth gritted together, Micki stood up, swinging the aluminum camera case as she rose. She smashed the pony tail man in the face and when he went down, hit him again. She screamed and hit until she heard the elevator doors open. The pony tail man wasn’t moving.
A couple on the elevator peered out at her anxiously and then closed the doors again.
Micki returned to Oz, but didn’t see any blood. She dropped the camera case and groped for the pulse in his neck, drawing a ragged breath when she found it beating strong.
“Oz?” she said. There was no response.
The pony tail man was on his feet, wiping blood from his mouth. “Man, I coulda’ gone for you. You got a mean streak a mile wide.”
“What did you do to my boyfriend?” she screamed.
“Taser.” He held up the weapon for her to see.
“Why isn’t he moving?” she asked.
“I gave him a heavy jolt. That’s a big boy you got there.”
“You didn’t have to hurt him.”
“He’s a cop. Now why’d ya’ hafta bring a cop into the mix?”
