Kill Shot (29 page)
Micki was out of clean things to wear. She needed to go to her apartment for more clothes, or venture down to the laundry room in Oz’ apartment building. She reasoned that the laundry room was likely to be less crowded during the daytime than if she waited for Oz to return in the evening.
Sorting through her purse, she found a handful of change and shoved it into the pocket of her jeans. Since she had less than half a load to wash, she decided to add a few of Oz’ things to economize. Her mother never washed anything less than a full load and had drummed that into Micki’s head repeatedly.
She located Oz’ laundry hamper, grinning to herself. I must really love this guy. She was separating his towels from the socks and boxers, when a familiar odor met her nostrils. It was hard to place, but she’d smelled it before. Her hand lit on a blue tee shirt, stained with black and red smudges and held it to her face. It smelled of stale cigarettes and loud perfume designed to reach through an ocean of rankness. Last night, she’d first met this particular combination. It was when Oz said he’d gone out and then denied it just this morning.
An immediate image of Fawn jumped to mind. Fawn, of the big bosoms and pouty mouth. Had Oz really broken up with her or was he still sneaking out to meet her in the dead of night? A wave of nausea washed over her. Her gut twisted with pain that was physical and emotional. How could he deceive her?
Micki stuffed everything back into Oz’ laundry hamper and rose to her feet. She washed her hands twice to rid them of the stench she imagined clung to them.
She carefully dried her engagement ring and watched it sparkle in the bathroom light. Would Oz cheat? She’d heard lots of men did, but Oz was... Oz.
But then, she’d broken up with him and he’d replaced her with a sex bomb. Maybe his tastes in women had changed. Maybe he wanted something more exotic than plain little Micki Vermillion from the neighborhood.
A little something on the side
.
#
“I have a match for you, Oz.” Aida hailed him as he was heading out. “The man in your chauffeur’s photo is a cousin with a rap sheet.”
“That’s the guy.” Oz stared at the mug shot of a younger version of the man in the park photo.
“Isn’t that what I just said?” Aida gave him an eye roll with her hands on her hips.
“Forgive me, Aida,” he said with a grin. “I forgot who I was talking to.”
“Your guy is Israel Soto and he’s been a bad boy all his life.” She pulled up his rap sheet on her computer. “His juvenile record was sealed, but I talked to a buddy in the gang task force and he said Israel was a tool. Mostly assault and those gang-related charges where nobody will roll over on the guy who shot you so your boys can do a drive-by on his family. Israel was given a choice of enlisting or serving time and he enlisted. No actual record of crimes as an adult.”
“Sounds bad enough to me,” Oz said. “I wonder what he was doing in the park on the same day Laurel was having a get together with Jason Best.”
“Laurel’s rendezvous with Jason was pretty out in the open,” Aida said. “I thought you told me she usually met with her trainers in the penthouse. Why would she go from a private, safe haven to a public place where their tryst could be witnessed by anyone walking by?”
Oz looked at Aida. “You’re brilliant.”
“That’s true,” she said.
#
Micki had been upset all afternoon. After finding the shirt with the suspicious odors, Micki had spent the rest of the day in a stew. She thought there must be some plausible explanation, some reason that Oz would sneak out in the middle of the night and return smelling like a cat house, or how Micki imagined a cat house would smell. There might be some explanation, except that Oz had lied about it.
If it was innocent, why did he lie?
Maybe it wasn’t Fawn. Maybe it was some other woman who rubbed up against him. He was a cop. But he wasn’t working the streets any more. He was assigned to the case that had started with her car windows being shot out. But that had been Luka’s doing and he was gone, wasn’t he?
Micki paced around Oz’ apartment and fretted. Her gaze kept returning to the diamond ring on her finger, and her thoughts to the one unanswerable question. Why did he lie?
When she heard his key in the door, Micki stood waiting with her arms folded across her chest. “What have you been doing today?”
“No kiss?” He smiled and approached her, planting a kiss on her upturned face.
She watched him shed his jacket and loosen his tie.
“Why didn’t you answer me about what you did today?”
He turned and gave her an appraising look. “I thought that was just something to say. I didn’t think you wanted a blow-by-blow replay of my day.”
She felt her jaw twitch. “I’m just interested in how you spend your time now.”
Oz came back to stand in front of her. “Okay, what’s up?”
“Nothing,” she said. “Do you have any change?”
“Sure, Babe.” He dug all the coins out of his pockets and poured them into her palms. “Is this enough? If not, there’s more on top of the dresser.”
“I need to wash clothes. I’ll get your dirty laundry and put it with mine.” Micki headed for the bedroom.
“No, wait,” he said. “We don’t need to do that now. Let’s go out to dinner.”
“I could just run a load before we go,” she said. “I’d hate to be doing this late at night.”
“I’ll do it later. I’m really hungry so let’s grab a bite first.” He shrugged into his jacket again.
“Right now?” Micki felt a knot forming in her stomach.
“Sure, we can beat the crowd.” Oz wore his worried frown.
“Whatever you want,” she said.
She allowed him to draw her out into the hall and lock the door behind them. She gazed into Oz’ eyes as he managed a smile.
He really sucks at this lying thing.
#
Oz tried to make small talk in the diner, as they waited for the waitress. He was sitting beside her in the booth, but she wasn’t looking at him. Most of the time, her gaze was fixed on her engagement ring. That wasn’t a bad thing, but she looked sad. He wanted to know what was wrong, but then again, he didn’t.
He promised himself that he’d get rid of the stupid shirt with Fawn’s perfume on it and never lie to Micki again. He’d only done it to spare her feelings. No, he’d done it to keep her from raising questions about his foray into the night.
He’d been kicking himself ever since he’d answered the phone to Eddie. Why had he felt compelled to rush to Fawn’s rescue, anyway? Oz knew the answer to that. He’d felt guilty about dumping Fawn so unkindly when Micki reappeared in his life. He’d never told Fawn he loved her. He’d never led her to believe there would be a future with him, but still, he knew she’d fallen for him and he hadn’t meant to hurt her. He knew how that felt.
Micki ordered a cup of soup.
“Is that all you’re eating?” he asked.
“I’m not very hungry,” she said.
“Oh, well, me too, then,” he said.
She turned to him with a disbelieving look on her face. “I thought you were starving?”
“Yeah. Give me a cheeseburger with the soup.” He handed the waitress the menu and stretched his arm around Micki’s shoulders. “Hey,” he said, giving her a little squeeze. “I love you.”
She made eye contact with him and her lips twitched in something that was supposed to be a smile.
No, I absolutely can not go through losing her again.
Once back at the apartment, Oz headed for the bedroom. “Let me get my laundry and we can go to the basement.”
He stuffed the shirt behind the dresser and brought his hamper with him.
She was looking at him funny when he came back into the living room. He thought she looked angry, but then again, she looked sad.
He kissed her forehead and inclined his head towards the door. “Let’s get it over with.” They rode down in the elevator in silence.
When they entered the laundry room only a couple of dryers were spinning.
Micki threw her clothes in a washer and stood back. “Here, let me help you.” She reached for his hamper and opened the lid. She spread everything on the sorting table. “Let’s see, you can toss your jeans in with my darks and what else? Oh, yes, where is that blue shirt you wore with these jeans. Don’t tell me it got lost.”
Her eyes were filled with sadness when she looked up at him. No, it was disappointment.
“Maybe it wasn’t dirty,” he said. “I probably stuffed it back in a drawer.”
“I forgot the detergent,” she said. “I’ll be right back.” Micki headed out the door, stopping to look back over her shoulder at him.
“Wait,” he said. “I’ll go with you.”
“Stay here with our stuff,” she said. “I’ll just be a minute.” She turned and ran out of the room.
Oz waited and after twenty minutes returned to the apartment.
Micki had taken her purse and she was gone.
Oz stared at the bathroom mirror where she’d left him a message in lipstick.
Liar.
#
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Oz was in a state of shock. She’d left him. Micki knew about Fawn and she knew he’d lied about seeing her.
She didn’t take any of her things from his place, only her purse. Where could she have gone? There was her apartment and her mother’s place. Oz checked the apartment first and then drove to her mother’s house.
The Vermillion house was dark and the rental car was nowhere to be seen. He drove back to her apartment and paused outside. The lights were off, but she might be asleep.
Two blocks away, on a side street, he found the rental car. Oz returned to her apartment and knocked on the door but she didn’t answer. Pushing a note through the mail slot, he turned and trudged down the three flights of stairs.
He had to go to work in a few hours. He was on assignment. He couldn’t just curl up and die because Micki Vermillion had dumped him again.
He drove to his apartment without seeing and, once inside, stripped and climbed into the bed he’d shared with her. Oz lay in the dark, staring up at the ceiling.
Wait!
He jumped out of bed and turned on all the lights. He searched every surface in the apartment and then searched them again.
She’d kept the ring. She hadn’t thrown it at him and she didn’t leave it behind. Wherever she was, his ring was on her finger, at least for now.
Oz paced around absently, searching for the things she’d left behind.
He realized how little Micki had brought to his place, a few changes of clothing and toiletries. There was nothing she couldn’t live without and nothing she couldn’t easily replace if she decided never to see him again.
No, he wouldn’t let that happen. He’d find her and make her listen to him. He’d explain. He’d get Vinnie to explain.
A couple of sheets of paper had notes written in her handwriting. A reminder to follow up with a possible wedding shoot and a note about a surprise fiftieth wedding anniversary party given by the couple’s children. He flipped to the second page and a card slid to the floor. Oz stooped to pick it up and recognized the same lettering as in Hobart Jobe’s rolodex.
Extermination Services.
A cold knot of fear settled in the pit of Oz’ stomach. He flipped the card over and read the message written in the same precise, engineer’s block lettering as in the threatening note Luka left in his car
. I’ll be waiting for you
, it read. Luka was waiting for Micki.
A gut wrenching fear washed over Oz. Could Micki possibly have gone to Luka? Was there something she hadn’t told him?
Luka was attracted to her, but was she attracted to him? Micki was pretty naïve, but could she romanticize Luka’s lifestyle and overlook the fact that he was a stone cold killer?
Oz was strangled by fear and indecision. He wanted to shake her. He wanted to protect her. Most of all, he wanted her back.
#
Micki had driven around the city for a couple of hours, a lonely ache wrapped around her. She kept her eyes forward and didn’t notice the other drivers. When she snapped out of it she was driving in an area of the city she didn’t recognize. Finding her way back to her apartment she approached from a side street and entered the building from the alley.
If Oz wanted to find her, she knew he would, but she couldn’t bear to look at him right now. She ran up the three flights of stairs to her apartment, her own private haven, and unlocked the door.
Micki secured both locks behind her, and leaned against the door, desperate to keep the world on the other side. She collected the pile of mail that had been pushed through the slot, carrying it along without turning on the light.
Walking to the bay window, she peered down into the street, and then drew the drapes tight.
She pulled the blackout drape across the kitchen and turned on the light before taking a soft drink from the refrigerator. Sorting through the mail, she found an envelope from Arnold Meyers and ripped it open.
A check slid out. She read the amount and took a deep breath. This would replace her equipment and pay her back for Gus’ services. Her car was still locked in the police yard as evidence in whatever had happened to her. When it was released it would be repaired and she would try to go back to her life as she knew it before Luka had shot out her windows.
