Roll the Dice (5 page)

Aurora hadn't moved. Thoughts roared through her mind as if she were
clicking pages on her computer screen. She regressed back to the night.

It had happened on their "junk and drunk" date—eating junk and
getting drunk—which they'd planned after closing the case they'd been working
for months. Since it had been her turn to pay, she'd picked up the pizza and
wine and had headed over to Debbie's apartment, only to be stopped at the door
by a blood-curdling scream.

 
She'd burst in with her purse
gun cocked and ready, only to find her partner on the floor partially naked,
clothes ripped and hanging open. Cuts and bruises decorated her face and naked
chest. One eye was already partially closed and her jaw raw from being
battered.

Thoughts raced at double time and one caught hold and wouldn't shake
loose. A mental image of how Debbie lay twisted in a foetal position; bruises
on legs pressed together—shaking.

Half-dressed, Rhondo had fled the scene through the window onto the fire
escape and Debbie who'd pulled herself to a sitting position had urged Aurora
to go after him. In fact she'd pleaded for her to get the prick. Now it was
clear why. She'd wanted that time to get herself cleaned up so the rape
wouldn't have been obvious. A cop knows how the procedures work. Who better to
twist the story and fix the evidence?

"Why lie? Deb. You didn't do anything wrong?"

"I'm a cop. I didn't want the rest of the department to assume I
couldn't handle myself. All I could think of was to wash him out of me. To rid
myself of anything to do with that dirty…." Another sob escaped and she
stopped. Aurora had her arms around her before the next tear fell.

Once both girls had finished grieving and their faces were washed, they
sat huddled together while Aurora drank strong coffee and Debbie her weak
herbal tea.
 

Aurora took a sip and decisively put the cup down on the glass-topped
coffee table in front of her. "You have to tell Cory. You know that, don't
you?"

"No! I can't and I won't. He never has to know because everything
in me believes this is his baby."

A happy thought struck. "Did you take a Morning After pill?"
Hope sprung in Aurora's heart. She knew her optimism had been premature when
Debbie wouldn't look at her.

"No. I'd just finished my period a week before and figured I'd be
safe. Then a few nights later when Cory returned to town, he’d come to see if I
was all right and, as you know, one thing led to another. It would have been
the perfect time for me to conceive. So I know it's Cory's baby. I know!"

"Will you promise to get a paternity test done after he's born? If
you say yes, and you're proven right, then I'll agree that you won't ever have
to say anything. But, if it turns out the other way—"

“How do you know it’s a he?” Debbie used old tactics to change the
subject, but it had never worked with Aurora and it certainly wasn’t going to
cut it now.

First Debbie answered grudgingly. "It won't." Then she tried
to stare Aurora down and failed. "Fine! I promise."

Aurora couldn’t wait to pursue the only lead they’d found at the
scene—the business card for the clinic downtown. Aware they'd be closed, no
treatment centre other than a hospital would be opened on a Sunday, Aurora
agreed to stay. Debbie had been hard to dupe, but eventually after resting one
day, Aurora had whined and coaxed until the other woman couldn’t take any more.

“Oh for pity’s sakes, leave already. I can’t stand watching you pace.
You’re wearing down my hardwood. I know you want to follow your lead, and I’d
go with you if I could. But Cory would kill me.
 
Look, I want to know what you find out.”

Shaking her head didn’t stop the blonde from making her point. “I’d do
it for you Aurora. You know I would. We’re still partners and I need to know
what’s going on with this guy. I need it! Tell me you of all people
understand.”

Flagging, her sympathy for what she now knew her partner had suffered
eating away her resistance, Aurora nodded once and didn't bother speaking the
words. It was enough.

Debbie thrust a pharmacy bag into her hands. “Here’s the pills you need
to keep with you. Take them if the pain gets bad. And look after yourself.”

With that bit of encouragement and a hug Debbie forced on her, Aurora
had high-tailed it to the office only to stop at the sight of Kai working
diligently at his laptop.

“What the hell are you doing here? You should be in hospital.”

His eyes lit up when she stepped into their crowded office, and for a
very few seconds she wondered if he might be glad to see her. He shot that down
pretty darn fast.

“Hey you’re here. I was just trying to find your cell number. Do you
have the stuff that Rhondo dropped from his backpack? I couldn’t find it on the
board or with the other evidence.”

“I have it here. She pulled out the business card enclosed in a plastic
bag and put it in his outstretched hand.”

“That’s it? That’s all you found?” His disbelief was palpable.

Bristling, her temper riled and close to erupting, Aurora let her distain
cover her face.

“Hey, we searched everywhere around that desk and other than garbage in
the waste basket, this is all we found. You think I’m holding out on you?”

“No, I don’t think you’re holding out on me.” He wiggled his head like a
modern teen as he reiterated her words. It was so annoying she wanted to slap
him silly.

“Then why the hell are you questioning me with such a pissy attitude.”

“Because I’m disappointed!” This time his voice had risen and his hands
tried to brush through hair that wasn’t there anymore. Instead they rubbed a
bald surface. “I could have sworn I saw papers and a small book fall out.”

“You did. See the papers. They were contracting advertisements torn out
of the newspaper.”

“Like building contractors?"

She nodded.

"What was on the other side?”

“Crazy stuff like birth announcements and obituaries for animals. The
only other item we found was this business card for a medical clinic downtown.
Ham got me a list…”

Kai’s eyes questioned.

You know Hampton, the Irish cop, tall, bushy eyebrows, likes to make
jokes.”

“Right, the one who warned me you were a ball-buster.”

“He didn’t!”

“He did.”

 
“Idiot!” She turned away and hid
her grin. “Anyway, he compiled a list of all the doctors who work out of the
building. I’d decided to pay them a visit today. See if I could shake anything
loose. Gotta start somewhere.”

“Fine but I’d like to start at Rhondo’s apartment and take another look
around.”

“If it’ll make you feel better.” Aurora had no intentions of talking the
man down because she herself had followed hunches in the past that had paid
off. If he wanted to go back to the scene where he’d been shot, then that’s
what they’d do.

***

Driving up to the same building pulled her back to the night of the
incident. She remembered the lobby and scaring the bejesus out of the poor
older couple in an apartment on the second floor. Maybe she should stop by and
apologize—see if the department had fixed them up with a new door.

The manager, who was outside clipping the hedges, let them in. They
slowly walked up the stairs to the second-floor hallway where the yellow police
tape still blocked off the crime scene.

A youngster came towards them. His face wreathed in smiles as he stuck
his hand out. Once Kai grabbed it, he forced an inside shoulder hug and beamed
when Kai allowed it.

“Glad you’re here man. I wanted to thank you for saving my ass the other
night. Hell, if it wasn’t for your quick reflexes, that creep woulda plugged me
instead of you.”

“Yeah, no problem. Have a few questions for you though if you don’t
mind.”

What the hell was the kid talking about?
Aurora had a few questions of her own, but
obviously they’d have to wait. She zoomed in to pick up their conversation.

Kai had taken out his small notepad and a pen. “First I need your name
and age.”

“Wayne Kupa, I’m fifteen and I live here in apartment 207.”

Did you know Rhonda? Talk with him at all?”

 
“The creep who shot ya? Yeah!
He’s been trying to come onta my older sister Darlene who’s eighteen. She's
scared silly of the dude. We’d decided to move cause the prick wouldn’t stop. I
caught him one night playing with the door handle and told him to bugger off or
I’d call the cops.” The kid acted brave now, and who wouldn’t once the danger
had passed.

“Thanks Wayne. If you think of something else that might help us find
him, I’ll give you my card. Call anytime.” Kai leaned to the left and tugged
one out from his tight jean’s pocket to hand over.

The kid strutted toward the stairs, his back straight, walking tall.

“So what’s this about you saving his ass?” Aurora had a mental picture
and wanted collaboration. She figured he owed her since she hadn’t told Cory
that the injury she’d gotten the other night was a bullet wound from her own
partner and not a cut from Rhondo’s knife. She’d saved them both a visit with
SIU so it had worked in her favour as well.

When Cory had questioned her that night, she’d told him Kai had shot his
weapon toward the criminal in her defence, and she’d wrenched away from his
hold only to get cut.
 
One of the
ambulance attendants had looked curious at the time but shrugged and said
nothing.
 

Kai, not being too stupid, had used his own injury as a reason that he'd
forgotten a lot of what had gone down that night. Or so Cory later told her.

She still waited in front of her partner as he loomed over her. Arms
crossed and foot tapping, she hoped he recognized she wasn’t about to let him
pass without an answer.

He cleared his throat and looked up the hall before letting his gaze
settle on her face. Then his eyebrows rose, those full lips quirked upwards,
and his mouth twisted in a sexy way to the side before he spoke.

“Fine—okay! The night in question, I identified myself at Rhondo’s door
with intentions of smashing through right away. I know he’s slippery so I
wanted the element of surprise. Except, he turned the tables on me. He opened
the door holding his gun just as the kid came out of his place. Had no choice
but to push the kid out of the way and force Rhondo back inside so the kid
could make himself scarce. For a second I got a glimpse of an older girl, must
have been Wayne's sister Darlene, and she looked like Rhondo’s type. Got me
thinking.

“You figured with his rep, he’d have given her a bad time.”

“Oh yeah! I just hope the rat never got to her.
 
Since he only arrived back in town, maybe he
didn’t get the chance but it wouldn’t hurt for you to question her. You know
woman to woman.”

“Woman to woman? You’re serious?”

“You fit the description.” His blue shockers skimmed her body, and she
felt as if caressing fingers had made the trip. It was all she could do to tamp
down the desire that shocked the shit out of her or let him see her breathing
quicken.
What the hell?

Before they could move, the door on the left opened and an older man
stepped out. Aurora recognized him immediately and was glad for the rescue.

“Good morning officer. Looking to scare the piss out of someone else in
the building?” The twinkle in his eyes conveyed his words were a joke and
Aurora gladly accepted the teasing.

“No sir. Just wanted to make sure your heart hadn’t given out.” She
quipped back. She noticed Kai’s puzzlement but wouldn’t embarrass the older man
with an explanation. Seems the senior could read expressions also. He turned to
Kai and explained.

“This officer kicked the door of my apartment in the other night,
frantic to find her partner who she suspected could be in danger. Never saw a
woman so determined. Not that I mind. Have to admit telling this tale has
gotten me a lot attention at the senior’s center.” He nodded his head as if he
wanted affirmation for his words.

“I see they fixed your door. Have to apologize again for the damage.”
Aurora still felt repentant.

“Needed replacing anyway. Didn’t have a peephole and the wife has been
nagging me to get one installed for quite some time. So as they say—no harm, no
foul.”

 
With a smile to show her
understanding, she added. “Have a good day!” Aurora watched the old fellow
shuffle to the elevator and push on the button.

She wouldn’t look at Kai. Old guy had a big mouth. “I’ll check out and
see if Wayne’s sister is home, then I’ll meet you in Rhondo’s place. Not
waiting for a reply, she walked over and knocked at the door of apartment 207.