Murder Stalks (23 page)

“
You can go mattress
shopping with me.”

“
You’ve got to be
kidding?” Marissa stopped her pacing and stared at Tony.

“
We need a new bed and
you’ll probably be sleeping on it at some point, one way or
another. So you may want to have a say in which mattress I
buy.”

“
What do you mean one way
or another?” The slant of Marissa’s eyes warned him he was treading
dangerous waters.

“
Let’s not get into that
right now, Marissa.”

“
You’re actually angry
with me,” Marissa shot out, her hands on her hips and anger
flashing in her eyes.

“
Why do you think
that?”

“
I can tell by your
posture, the way you’re just sitting there.”

“
Let’s just drop it and
get dressed so we can go mattress shopping.” Tony jerked his shirt
over his head.

“
No, I’m not going to drop
it.” Marissa pushed. She moved towards him and bent down, her nose
only a few inches from Tony’s. “What is your problem?”

“
Okay, you want to know
what my problem is? When were you going to tell me you were
pregnant? You know how much I--Damn it, I miss Ashley. How could
you keep this from me? It’s mine, right?” His crisp voice echoed in
their small room.

“
You really don’t know, do
you?” Marissa stepped back and began chomping on her muffin
again.

“
How could I? You left
me.”

“
No, that’s not what I’m
talking about. You really don’t know how much I loved you. You’re a
selfish pig, and I am not going to put up with this.”

“
You can’t leave.” Tony
jumped up and grabbed Marissa’s arms. Her soft skin left a burning
trail of desire across his flesh.

“
You can’t stop
me.”

“
I am not letting you out
of my sight until they catch this guy. You are not allowed to go
running around without me. And if I have to chain you to the bed, I
will.”

Marissa huffed and struggled to pull away
from him. Tony pulled her closer. She slammed into his chest,
throwing them both off balance. He landed on the bed and pulled
Marissa with him. The air stilled around them. Marissa ceased
struggling.

He could feel the beginnings of a bulge at
her waist, nothing significant, just a slightly rounded shape. He
brushed the hair back from her eyes and rolled her onto her back.
Marissa’s hand ran over Tony’s chest, her fingers pausing at his
waistband. Without shame, she ran her hand over his chest again,
flicking his nipples with her thumbnail. Tony sucked in air. Shock
mingled with pleasure heightened his sensitivity.

“
If you want me to, I’ll
stop right now and leave you alone. Oh God, I don’t want to, but
Marissa, I’ll do whatever you want.”

Her arms came around him, pulling him
closer, offering up her lips for kissing. “Don’t stop. I need you,”
Marissa whispered, her voice almost lost in the sound of their
heavy breathing.

Tony’s hand went immediately to her belly.
He kissed her hard, his tongue invading her mouth, calling her to
dance with him like they had in the past. He slid her underwear off
and pulled her top over her head. She was beautiful. Her body
glowed with life. Her breasts were fuller, rounder and pinker. He
lowered his mouth to one creamy, pink tipped mound and savored the
sweetness of it. Marissa groaned, running her fingers up his back
to grasp his head more firmly, pulling him closer, demanding
more.

Tony sucked in a breath as Marissa ran her
fingers over his chest to his abs. Her fingers dipped below his
waistband and he groaned.

Tony’s cell phone chirped. “Ignore it. I’m
not on call.” Tony reached down to push off his pants. A knock
sounded on the door. “Damn it. Who could that be?”

Marissa rolled off the bed, grabbed her
clothes and ran for the bathroom. The knock sounded again. Tony
cursed louder as he stood and pulled his shirt over his head. He
checked the peephole. Rex was up early and he didn’t look happy.
Tony whipped the door open, his breath still heavy from the
activity with Marissa. Why was Rex here?

“
Sorry to wake you, but it
is nine fifteen.”

“
We had a rough night.”
Tony blocked the door, not wanting Rex to see the disheveled bed
and comment on what did or did not take place.

“
Could you step out here a
moment?”

“
Fine, what’s
up?”

“
I thought you’d want to
know, a body was found this morning. Arisa Fink. She was a dancer
at a club just outside the city limits. The club’s manager found
her. Apparently she hadn’t showed up for the last three nights. He
drove out to check on her and found her dead on the floor in her
bedroom. The house is spotless, except for her dead
body.”

“
Is there an ‘H’ on her
anywhere?”

“
Too early to tell.
Sekorski says he’ll look once they get her to the
morgue.”

“
Anything else?” Tony
cringed at the dark shadow under Rex’s eye. He shouldn’t have hit
him.

“
Nothing.”

“
Sounds like our guy. So
that makes four with at least two more to go.”

“
I was going to see if the
chief would drop your administrative leave. You know, get you back
onto the force.”

Tony’s shoulders dropped. He shuffled from
one foot to the other. Could he go back? Whispers and strange looks
were sure to follow him. He’d be a joke in his own department.
There was nothing he wanted to do other than law enforcement. The
pull of his old job outweighed any embarrassment he felt. He loved
police work and would be lost without it.

“
I’ll come down and talk
to Chief Randall today. See what his thoughts are.”

“
Tony, we need you. I’ll
be by later today to drop off more reports in case the chief
doesn’t let you come back. Here’re a few more from
yesterday.”

“
Thanks. Rex?”

“
What?”

“
I’m sorry about the
shiner.”

“
It was bound to happen to
one of us sooner or later.”

Rex looked him in the eyes. Tony saw no
anger or condemnation from his friend. Relief coursed through him.
He hadn’t wanted to lose this with everything else he had lost.
Tony felt as if a piece of the puzzle had clicked into place. Maybe
he and Marissa could make amends too.

Tony shut the door and his eyes fell to the
bed. Marissa was sitting with her back against the headboard, her
eyes shut and her face set in a scowl, there would be no making
love now. Tony moved the chair next to the little table that served
as a desk and TV stand. He wrote the names of all four women on a
sheet of paper in big bold letters.

Angela Longfellow, Kelsey Ingles, Latisha
Enzer and Arisa Fink.

All four women cut down before their time.
No one had rushed in to save them at the last minute. Their life
had ended alone, with only the UNSUB watching.

“
I heard what Rex
said.”

“
Which part?” Tony popped
his head up, wondering where she was going with this.

“
Another woman died. Arisa
Fink. She danced at Diamonds ‘N Rubies.”

“
Yeah. How do you know
about that place?”

“
Please, Tony, I’m not a
child. Everyone knows about Diamonds ‘N Rubies. Chatrice Carpenter
sells the outfits most of the girls wear, or don’t wear. Chatrice
approached a few of the women’s groups, asking if we were
interested in having a fashion show.”

“
Really, did you buy
any?”

“
No. I thought my big
belly would be a distraction.”

“
Oh.” Tony turned back to
his sheet of paper, and tapped his pen on the desk.

“
You don’t have to sound
so disappointed. I won’t force this baby on you.”

Tony stood, knocking over his chair. His
fists balled at his sides. “Don’t you get it, Marissa? I want to be
part of this baby’s life. I would never give up my chance to know
this child, our child. We can never replace Ashley, but this baby
can be a fresh start. And I’m not disappointed that you’re
pregnant. I’m disappointed you didn’t buy an outfit. For the
record, I think you’re damn sexy when your belly is sticking out
about ten inches.” He rolled his shoulders and popped his neck.
“I’m taking a shower. We have work to do.”

“
I thought you were
suspended.” Marissa moved to the end of the bed. She looked up at
him, her eyes shiny with moisture.

For a moment, Tony wondered if he could take
this opportunity to make love to her, but Marissa wouldn’t be
manipulated, plus work called. “I may be off the force, but that’s
not going to stop me from investigating this latest murder. We’ll
stop by a shop on the way out of town to get you some new clothes.
Until they’re finished with your apartment, you’re not going back
there.”

Chapter 22

The drive out to Diamonds ‘N Rubies was
quiet. Marissa had thanked him for the clothes and then sat
silently in the passenger seat.

“
I’ll be right back.” Tony
popped his door open. The heat was almost as oppressive as the
silence in the car had been. He grunted, wishing he hadn’t brought
her with him for this part.

“
You aren’t leaving me out
here alone?” Marissa asked.

Tony almost gave in. She shouldn’t be alone,
but Diamonds ‘N Rubies was no place for a woman like Marissa. Even
if there were no customers, he didn’t want his pregnant wife in
that atmosphere.

“
Yes, I am leaving you out
here. You aren’t a trained police officer. Just stay in the car and
keep the doors locked.” He tossed Marissa the keys before he walked
off. She would be comfortable in the air-conditioned car, but he
still felt guilt at leaving her alone.

Tony’s eyes adjusted to the dim interior.
Old beer and stale cigarettes let off an offensive odor, reminding
Tony of a time long ago before he met Marissa and learned he
preferred the ‘settled down’ lifestyle.

“
Can I help
you?”

A slightly overweight, middle-aged man stood
behind the bar. Tony studied him, wondering if Arisa Fink’s death
had any ties to this man and the underground gambling ring he ran.
The police had known about the ring for months, but their hands
were tied. They needed clean evidence to make any conviction
stick.

“
I’m doing some further
questioning on the Fink murder.”

“
I already told the boys
in blue everything I know.”

“
Anybody strange hanging
about the night Arisa was murdered?” Tony leaned against a post and
crossed his arms. This was a casual questioning, and he wanted the
manager to view it that way.

“
Everybody that comes to
Diamonds ‘N Rubies is strange. What are you going to do, arrest the
entire lot of them?”

“
What about any
incidents?”

“
Listen, buddy, I already
told the officer earlier this morning that nothing happened.
Nothing out of the ordinary ever happens here. The girls get up on
stage and take off their clothes. They strut around, flash their
boobs and then go back to the dressing room. That’s all that ever
goes on here. No one touches the girls.”

A chill slid up Tony’s back. The manager was
lying. “Did you ever have relations with Arisa?”

“
Arisa was a clean girl.
She didn’t mess with anyone. She did her dance and left after her
last number.”

“
Thanks for your time.”
Tony would love to be back on the force to bust this guy. He’d find
the evidence they needed to break the gambling ring. Damn, he hated
when the bad guys won.

The bright sun cast the parking lot in a
yellow haze, making everything look flat and muted, but he couldn’t
mistake Marissa sitting on the hood of the car. His temple throbbed
and he reached up to rub the headache away.

She was writing on a sheet of paper and her
mouth was drawn into a flat line. He was ready to yell at her when
she looked up at him and smiled. He held back, keeping his anger in
check.

“
I know you said to stay
in the car, but one of the dancers showed up for work. Her name was
Liza Abernathy. I told her I was attacked by the same guy but
lived. She opened up real big.”

“
Get in the car,” Tony
commanded. The hurt look on Marissa’s face made him stop. He caught
her by the arm and pulled her close. “The manager is a real jerk. I
don’t want him to know we talked to one of his girls. If she tells
him, that’s one thing, but I don’t want him to overhear what you
found out.”

Tony used his finger to turn Marissa’s face
to him. Pride surged through him. He smiled down at her, hoping she
knew how much he valued her. She smiled back tentatively causing
Tony’s heart to squeeze in his chest. Could he trust her again?
Tony’s gaze shifted down, to her overripe breasts and her still
flat belly. Soon she would blossom into full pregnancy. But she
hadn’t told him. His emotions were raw and he wanted to push
Marissa away, punish her for not telling him about their baby.
Instead, he kissed her forehead, and led her to the passenger side
of the car, helping her in.

Once they were in the car, Tony started the
engine and drove out of the parking lot, heading back into
town.

“
Tell me more, Marissa. I
need to hear what you have.”