Now & Forever 3 - Blind love (21 page)

“But if you doubted me, what will the police think?” Mac said,
letting her go, heading for the kitchen and a cup of coffee.

“Dave Williams knows you’d never kill someone in cold blood.”

“He’s the chief of police, he has to follow the evidence.
Deena was part of a team or group blackmailing us. People kill for less. He’s
going to have to come here and talk to me or drag me down to the station. I met
Deena at The Wet Tee Shirt. The bartender saw me and during our conversation…”

“Make out session…” Callie put in.

“Whatever! Someone frightened Deena. That person also saw me,
but I didn’t see him…or her. Perhaps it was the killer?”

“Someone frightened Deena?”

“Suddenly she looked scared and got off my lap,” Mac said. “The
person was behind me.”

“Did he or she say anything?”

Mac shook his head.

“Must have been her partner. If we could only find out who it
was.”

“You’re not going to go snooping around are you? This person
is a killer. A cold blooded murderer. What makes you think he won’t kill you if
you become a threat?”

“Okay, I’ll let the police handle it,” Callie reassured him.

“I wish I could believe you.” Mac drew her into his arms
again.

“I’m worried, Mac.” Callie hugged him.

“As long as you believe me, then I know everything will be
all right. I didn’t do anything wrong, so I have nothing to hide,” Mac said,
planting a kiss on the top of her head.

“I do believe you, Mac. But we do have something to hide,
blackmail.” She rested her head on his shoulder.

* * * *

In the afternoon on the way home from school, Jason found the
glass.

“Hey, Mom, what’s this glass on the floor?” he asked.

Callie looked over the back seat as Jason was reaching for
the glass.

“Don’t touch!” she yelled.

He froze.

“Geez, Mom. You don’t have to yell.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s on it; leave it till we get
home.”

When they got home, Jason and Kitty went to play in the
backyard. Callie looked at the glass and saw a lipstick stain…bright red. She
never wore bright red lipstick. Then she remembered seeing Deena put on bright
red lipstick in her dressing room. Perhaps this glass had something to do with
Deena’s death. Callie got a plastic bag and put it over her hand when she
grabbed the glass. She went inside, put the glass in the bag on the table and
dialed Steve Michaels, their lawyer.

At nine o’clock, Mac and Callie prepared for bed as usual,
except it hadn’t been the usual day. Mac pulled down the bedcovers and sat
down.

“Dave Williams called today.”

“Oh?” Callie stopped brushing her hair.

“He wants me to go down to the station and answer a few
questions.”

Callie put the brush down and joined Mac on the bed.

“Steve told me to bring the glass with me. This isn’t going
to be pleasant. Tomorrow I’m bringing in evidence that’ll make me look guilty.”

“Ridiculous. You didn’t do anything.” Callie rested her hand
on his shoulder.

“There might be fallout on you and the kids. Suspicions of
people in a small town…it isn’t pretty. Dad should take you and the kids back
to South Africa for a while.”

“Please don’t ask me to. We’d suffer more being away from
you. My love for you is blind, unconditional and forever. It doesn’t stop for
road blocks or hard times.” Callie reached over and cupped his rough cheek with
her palm.

Mac bent his head over and covered his eyes with his hand.

“Was hoping you’d say that.” He got into bed and pulled up
the covers.

She cuddled up to him and closed her eyes. They drifted into
uneasy sleep.

Chapter Thirteen

“Coffee?” Dave asked Mac as the tall, slim man eased himself
into a chair facing the policeman’s big desk in his private office in the
Willow Falls station house.

“No, thanks Dave.”

I’d prefer a cup of
arsenic if you have any.

“Then I’ll get to the point. You were seen with Deena Johnson
the day she died.”

“That’s true. I went to see her.”

“The bouncer there said Deena was sitting on your lap and you
two were kissing. You know, Mac, I’ve always thought you and Callie had the
ideal marriage.”

“We do.”

“Then why the hell were you kissing Deena Johnson at The Wet
Tee Shirt?”

“It’s a long story, Dave…” Mac began, his hands fiddling with
a pen.

“I remember when you were dating Callie…remember the night I
interrupted you two with the dorm fire?” He chuckled.

“How could I forget? It took me a month to…what’s your
point?”

“What were you doing with Deena, Mac?” Dave asked, opening a
fresh notebook and picking up a pen.

“It’s not what you think. Believe me, Dave. I have Callie at
home, in my bed. Why would I be looking for anything else?”

“Beats me, Mac, but plenty of guys do.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll tell you. I’m being blackmailed, Dave and I
think Deena was a part of it. I was there to get information from her and only
information.”

“I gotta know what she was blackmailing you about. Was it
about you and her?”

“There wasn’t anything between us.” Mac tried to avoid
revealing the truth.

“Then what was it?”

“Do I have to tell you? It doesn’t concern me or Callie,
Dave.”

“Then who are you protecting? I have to know.”

Mac knew he’d have done the same thing in Dave’s shoes so he
related the whole story to Dave.

“I was trying to get Deena to tell me who she passed the
information to.”

“And did she?”

“She refused. At one point, toward the end of
our…uh…conversation, she saw someone, recognized someone standing behind me.
She became afraid and clammed up, exactly when I thought she’d spill the
truth.”

“How far were you willing to go to get the truth, Mac?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, Mac. You know what I mean.”

“Would I have slept with her? I wouldn’t have. Why do you
ask?”

“Just covering all the bases, checking to see if Callie might
have had a motive…”

“Callie! Now wait a minute…” Mac said, rising from his chair.

“Okay, okay, calm down. Just being a cop, here. I have to ask
these things, put the pieces together, even if it gets uncomfortable. I’ve
known you for ten years, Mac, trust me, I’m not enjoying this any more than you
are.”

Mac remembered the glass.

“Callie wanted me to give this to you,” Mac said, pulling out
the glass encased in the plastic bag.

“Where did you get this?”

“Jason found it in the backseat of our SUV the morning after
Deena was killed. We don’t know where it came from. We don’t have any glasses
like this in our house.”

“I’ll have it analyzed.”

“So where do I stand, Dave?” Mac’s mouth was drier than an
August day in the desert.

“That’s hard to say, Mac. Where were you the night Deena
died?”

“I was at home, making love to my wife.”

“Can she corroborate that?” he asked, smiling.

“Call her right now and ask,” Mac said his mouth set in a
grim line, his sense of humor failing him.

“Look, if this glass has something to do with the murder,
we’ll have to talk again. I wish I could tell you you’re out of this, but I’m
afraid I can’t. Please don’t leave town. I’ll call you when I get the results
on the glass.”

“And if it has something to do with the murder?”

“Since you brought it in voluntarily, it kinda makes you look
innocent. But clever people have tried to misdirect the police before…to divert
suspicion and you certainly are clever. To be honest, Mac, I find it hard to
believe you’d kill a fly, let alone Deena. But I have to follow the evidence,” Dave
said, closing his notebook.

“You’re not going to lock me up, are you?”

“Goodness, no! Of course not, Mac. You’re free to go. Were
you worried?” He replaced his pen in the penholder on his desk.

“A little,” he admitted, blowing out his breath in relief.

“We need solid evidence to lock you up. There’s no evidence
against you, yet.”

“You make it sound ominous.”

“I don’t mean to. I want to be up front with you, since we’re
friends.”

“Thanks, Dave.” Mac stood up to go.

“Mac, one more question…did you kill Deena?” He tried to
catch Mac off guard.

“No, of course not,” Mac said, maintaining eye contact with
Dave.

“I had to ask.”

Mac called Callie when he got to the car.

“So are you coming home for dinner?” she asked, chewing her
lower lip.

“Thankfully. But we’ll see what the glass says. I’m not out
of the woods yet. Dave told me not to leave town.”

“Can you come home now?”

“I’m on my way.”

“I’ve made pot roast. I figure you need a little comfort.”

“Good, but I was figuring on a different kind of comfort
tonight.”

“Oh, that’s on the menu too…for dessert.”

* * * *

Alan rushed home with a batch of papers to be corrected, his
first written assignment of the semester. He separated the boys’ papers from
the girls’, bringing home the girls’ first. He poured a glass of red wine and
settled into a comfortable armchair. This first batch should tell him who he
could expect to be having sex with soon.

At midnight, Alan took off his reading glasses and put the
papers away. It was time to get to bed and dream about the bodies of the three
girls who were obviously in danger of failing his course. Rex wasn’t home,
which was typical. Alan turned out the light and went to sleep.

* * * *

Rex returned at two thirty in the morning and swiped Alan’s
keys. He went to Alan’s office and checked his cameras.

“Crap!”

There was nothing on the cameras. He was impatient, wanting
to get the goods on Alan. Rex wanted to control Alan, bend him to his will. He
reset the cameras and went home to put back the keys and get some sleep.

“I’ll get you…eventually.” He glanced toward Alan’s bedroom,
then turned out the light.

* * * *

Marcia had given up hope of good news weeks ago; each day all
she hoped for was no bad news. But it was October and Dr. Cho saw the end was
near. Jay had little strength and could barely smile at her when she came into
his room. Marcia got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she tried to
smile and be warm and positive for his sake, even if she didn’t fool him.

Dr. Cho pressed her about hospice.

“Don’t wait until the last minute, Mrs. Wilton.”

She nodded at him without hearing.

Her sister plagued her about funeral plans, warning her when
the time came, she wouldn’t be up to handling it all. Marcia made excuses,
preferring to avoid the inevitable.

Exhaustion sapped her strength on this blustery fall day. She
could barely drive home.

* * * *

Waiting for her arrival, Jakub saw her pale face and
faltering steps and hurried to the door. He arrived barely in time. Marcia put
her hand on his strong forearm and her knees buckled. He carried her to the
sofa.

She was hardly able to sit up but Jakub brought in the tray
of food anyway. Marcia tried to eat but after three bites, she couldn’t swallow
more. With no strength left, she couldn’t move. Jakub picked her up in his arms
and carried her up the stairs and put her down on the bed gently. By now, she
was asleep. He couldn’t leave her dressed and on top of the covers, so he took
off her shoes and socks. Then he unzipped her charcoal sweater and unbuttoned
her pink blouse, removed both, folded them and put them on a chair. Sliding her
black pants off was not as difficult as he thought it would be because she
didn’t weigh much. She barely stirred. Jakub pulled the covers down and lifted
her tenderly into the bed. He looked down at her and realized she couldn’t be
comfortable wearing her bra to bed.

He leaned over her and unhooked her bra and slid it off
gently. Moonlight came in the window and rested on her thin, pale body, giving
it a glow of warmth and life. He looked at her breasts, even though he knew he
shouldn’t. As thin as she was, her breasts were still beautiful and her short,
dark hair gleamed in the moonlight.

She gonna know when she
wake up I undress her. What she gonna think?
Jakub worried about losing her
good regard. He wanted her friendship, and he wanted something more, but she
was married and too young for him anyway.
What
she want with old man like me? Nothing. Hope she not mad.

Jakub thought how long it had been since he had made love to
a woman other than Nika and wondered if he still could without fumbling and
being embarrassed. He pulled the covers over Marcia to protect her from the
chill in the room and tucked the quilt snugly around her small frame. He kissed
her forehead then went home.

* * * *

Ten days later, Dr. Cho suggested Jay’s hospice care should begin
on the first of November.

“I’m sorry, Marcia. He’s running out of time.” Dr. Cho placed
his hand on her forearm.

She nodded again, not completely hearing him. The time to say
a final goodbye to Jay was coming quickly. He was weaker than the week before,
but he still smiled when she came in the room. They had discussed everything
about their lives together, including what to do with money, his will and even
a little bit about her life after.

“Don’t die with me, Marcia,” Jay had said.

She knew what he meant, but she was numb, barely living now
as it was. She didn’t expect it to get any better after he was gone. She had no
idea what she was going to do or when or with whom. She couldn’t face thinking
about it.