Lethal Affair (51 page)

He thought her enthusiasm was a
seduction all its own. Better yet, the diversion was chasing away
the shadows in her eyes.

“
I think you have some
winning ideas.”

*

Detective Ethan Crane brooded over his
coffee.

The young couple in Nanaimo had been
found by a woman out walking her dog. Hammond had tied the young
male to a tree where he'd been forced to watch the unspeakable
things done to the female. Her defensive wounds indicated she'd
tried to run, had been stopped in her tracks and dragged back to
the site. The severing of the calcaneal tendons just above her
heels had assured her attacker she wouldn't run again. It had been
their horrific fate to be targeted by a monster, tortured until
their bodies had given out. Most likely death had been a blessed
relief at that point.

Crane tried not to focus on their
names. Dehumanizing them helped to keep him from falling apart
emotionally. If he allowed himself the luxury of a breakdown it was
in the privacy of his home with a bucket of ice and a bottle of
malt liquor. Working this case however did not afford him the
indulgence of fogging his mind. He had to keep a clear head, had to
harden his heart and think like a killer. Not easy. He saw what
this was doing to Kylie Lambert and her clan, but wearing a badge
meant you had to maintain a neutral demeanor.

Sipping his coffee, Crane realized
that Hammond was a showman. A role player. A controller who got his
kicks by prolonging any given situation, then ending it with a
flamboyant display of carnage.

The highway incident hadn't panned out
for him. Nor had his plan to sequester Kylie Lambert in the cabin
or at Saxe Point. His attempt to kill Will Delaney had been
thwarted by a stranger walking into the washroom just in time. All
of these failures meant he acted on impulse, taking reckless
chances.

His first victim, Lilian McFarley; had
it been a practice run or a case of mistaken identity? And Gina
Kirby? Their logistics told them she'd surprised him in the act of
performing a dog-napping or murder. His other victims had simply
been in the wrong place at the wrong time, including Stacie Hoyle.
Or had she? Crane had noted how Hammond had taken offense to her
when they'd visited him in his apartment.

Some actions thought out, most a blind
fury. Hammond's mind seemed to be a swinging pendulum over a dark,
unpredictable abyss.

The grand opening gala was coming up
on Saturday night. Hammond had performed his latest scenario away
from his usual haunts after the incident at the coffee shop. Was
his need to kill escalating? Would he attend the gala in some kind
of elaborate disguise?

Crane got on his cell and called the
police psychologist to discuss the probabilities.

* * * *

CHAPTER TWENTY
SIX

“
I'm not wearing that!”
declared Kylie.

Jolene slumped in exasperation, then
tossed the frilly garment on the bed along with several others.
They were in their apartment going through each others closets for
ideas on what to wear to the gala.

In bra and panties and posturing in
front of her full length mirror, Kylie frowned, examining her too
slim figure.

“
My ribs are showing. I look
like a leftover from Hallowe'en.”

Jolene silently disagreed, eyeing
Kylie's white blonde tresses as they flowed down her back having
grown out throughout the summer. There were shadows under her eyes
but the violet irises glowed as vibrantly as ever. Her skin looked
flushed and healthy, undoubtedly from so much quality time spent
with Will, she mused.

Kylie went to Jolene's room and dug
into the recesses of her closet. And came out with the tight red
dress she'd worn to seduce Drew so many months ago.

She dropped it like a hot
coal.

Then hesitantly picked it up and held
it to her body. Jolene came in and they both stared at her
reflection in Jolene's mirror.

“
I've never worn it,” said
Jolene softly, mesmerized by its rich cranberry color and sleek
fabric. “The color clashes with my hair. I didn't figure that out
until after I'd bought it. It suits you so much better. That's why
I offered it to you in the first place.”

“
It's an inanimate object.
It's not its fault if it reminds us of you know who.” She threw the
dress down. “Too bad. Now that I've lost weight it won't be so snug
and probably look pretty damn good.”

“
Maybe this is what you
need, to defy the reminders and say to hell with him, I'm not going
to let him decide what I'll wear or not wear. A thumbing of the
nose, even if we're the only ones getting the joke.”

Kylie picked it up again. Slowly she
pulled it over her body and felt the silky fabric slither over her
curves and fall into place. It fit like a glove, not too tight now
but perfectly aligned to each aspect of her body and her persona.
She felt sexy and alluring, and best of all, classy. Definitely
Vogue.

She turned to catch Jolene's admiring
smile and asked, “Do you still have those shoes that go with this
little number?”

*

At sundown on Saturday evening, most of
the pertinent people to the diner's success were present, already
decked out to the nines.

Tonight the Village Diner staff would
join forces with Langford's new team to work the floor, circulating
with trays. Their new bartender was setting up the long mahogany
bar, giving instructions to two assistants brought in just for
tonight.

In a corner a contemporary band was
setting up their equipment and tuning their instruments. They would
set the pace for the early evening with easy listening music,
turning up the heat with dance tunes later on. The main dining area
had been cleared of tables and chairs for this express
purpose.

In the rear was a cordoned off section
for kids where presently two adult sitters prepped the area for a
small invasion with games, books, and kid friendly snacks. Dino and
Cookie wore bold blue and gold neckerchiefs in keeping with the
décor and danced about their feet in anticipation.

Will, Lyle, Kim and Tyler all wore
suits and ties. Tyler, their newest, flashed Kim a grin. “Never
thought I'd see the day a First Nations dude dresses up like Men in
Black.”

Kim flipped his long ponytail behind
his back and tipped his beer at Tyler. “Missing the dark glasses,
dude. Thank God Carrie and the kids are off island with her Mom.
She's into tradition. She'd have a fit if she saw me in this get
up.”

Will slapped him on the back. “Then
drink up pal, 'cuz we're gonna be in the papers, suits and all, and
Carrie will see what you're up to then, won't she?”

“
I think you look very
GQ.”

Kylie's comment came from the front
door where she and Jolene had just stepped in.

Everyone went still.

They looked like a pair of models
straight off the runway. Kylie, in her sleek red dress with
matching stiletto heels, her blonde hair fashioned into a French
twist that trailed down her spine in back, and Jolene in deep
forest green, the color complimenting the tamed copper curls that
tumbled over her shoulders.

They strode toward the gaping group
and it was Will who stepped forward first to take Kylie's hand and
spin her around.

“
No words do you justice,”
he murmured into her ear, bringing her in close. He wanted to
nibble on her power-red lips but thought better of it.

She took in his tailored black suit
and tie over a crisp white shirt, his shoes gleaming in the low
light, his hair neatly trimmed and lightly slicked back. A sigh
rippled through her.

“
Not too shabby yourself,
buster,” she tossed out, then turned to the group. “At the risk of
sounding cliché, let's get this party started!”

Will ceremoniously uncorked a bottle
of champagne and poured flutes for everyone. He held up his glass.
“To our illustrious chef Lyle, his brilliant side kick Kim, and
newbie Tyler for working like hellions for the past three days so
we can all take a night off!”

Everyone cheered and toasted, then
dispersed as the first guests began to arrive.

Will steered Kylie to one side. “Are
those your jitters or mine I'm feeling? Promise me you won't stray
far. I'll need to know you're safe.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Is that
because of our ghastly nemesis, or is it this dress doing its
job?”

“
What job is
that?”

“
To make you crazy with
lust.”

His eyes never left hers. “Oh that
part works dress or no dress. But now that you ask, my sixth sense
is tingling. Just stay close, okay?”

She respected his earnest plea and
decided not to play the vixen any longer. This was serious stuff.
Looping an arm through his, she said, “Champagne gives me a
headache. Got a good red at that fancy bar of yours, Mr.
Delaney?”

“
Coming right
up.”

From their vantage point at the bar
they watched their invited guests arrive with others in tow, Lyle
and Jolene greeting them as they came in. Those who knew them
drifted over to say hello.

Rita and Joe stepped up with Lydia and
Frank Barrymore.

“
Frank,” marveled Kylie,
“your ear looks perfectly natural.”

He winked at her. “It should. It's an
original, after all.”

Brad Humphrey introduced them to his
wife, Carla, with sons Jay and Steve, and their daughter Teresa who
was indeed around Kylie's age.

Al Saunders, looking uncomfortable in
a too tight blue suit loosened his tie and toasted Will with his
beer glass. He waved his wife over. “Will, you know my better half.
Kylie, meet Missy, my guiding light in this crazy world.” An
elegant woman by comparison to her toughened work-worn husband, it
was clear they adored each other.

“
Missy's an interior
decorator,” Al explained. “I put up buildings, she makes them look
snazzy.”

“
I understand you did the
decorations here,” Missy told Kylie. “I love what you did with the
driveway. All those blue fairy lights; it's like driving through a
mystical night sky.”

“
I got the idea from one of
our employees at Valley Farms. She works wonders with her own
garden at home.”

“
Well you know what they
say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” Missy purred,
warming up to shop talk.

“
Here she comes now,” Kylie
said, spotting Olivia and Stanley Hammond through the developing
crowd. Olivia was all elegance in shimmering silver, while Stanley
stood militarily erect in his tailored dark gray suit. Arm in arm,
they made a tight unit. If there was one good thing their son had
done, it was to bring these two misguided souls
together.

Kylie murmured to Will, “I hope you
don't mind that I invited them. They're good people who deserve a
break.”

Will met her gaze. “It's just another
thing about you to love. You're forgiving. I'm glad you thought to
invite them.” He held out his hand as they approached. “Hello Mr.
and Mrs. Hammond, so good of you to come.”

Stanley shook his hand, then Olivia.
“Nice place, Mr. Delaney. I think you'll do well here. Our firm
handles your accounting and our numbers show that your Village
Diner is a success. We'll be checking you out for dinner there
soon.”

“
I'm surprised we haven't
met before now, sir.”

“
My partner handles your
account, but I have a finger in each of our pies.”

Missy turned to Olivia. “I understand
your home gardens are the inspiration for the driveway lighting.
What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?”

“
Well, I... I've done some
work with arbors...”

The two older women stepped to the
side to converse.

“
You're an accountant?” Al
queried Stanley, having caught the last few snippets of their
conversation. “I'm looking for someone who doesn't have sticky
fingers. We just fired ours and we've filed a lawsuit against him
for embezzlement.”

Stanley was all ears. “Oh? Which firm
is it?”

Al's laugh was rueful. “No firm, just
a guy starting out. Got off on the wrong foot, didn't he? Tried to
pull the wool over our eyes but I caught him
red-handed.”

Stanley handed him a card. “I see your
glass is empty. Why don't we discuss it over a beer?” The two men
settled at one end of the bar while Missy steered Olivia toward the
cornucopia ice sculpture at the buffet table.

True to her prediction, Margie Farmer
teetered on her high heels as she made her way over with a sizable
party of workers from Valley Farms. Despite their attempt at glamor
they made a motley crew, tugging at ties or hemlines.

Introductions were made all around.
Margie, resplendent in a pink and white lace cocktail dress with
matching pearl pink heels, clucked like the mother hen she
was.

“
Ohmigosh,” gushed Kylie,
“you're wearing makeup. Your dress, those shoes, all
perfect.”