Roll the Dice (6 page)

Wayne’s sister Darlene wouldn’t say anything at first. She checked
Aurora’s badge and let her in then hovered inside the wall she’d built around
her emotions.

Eventually, with Aurora soft persuasion, she opened up enough to admit
to having been continually harassed by Rhondo, but thankfully, he’d never
caught her alone. Terror had been her constant companion since he’d moved into
the next-door apartment. Visibly, she was relieved to see him gone. Relieved
but still fearful.

“He’s gone now, Darlene.”
 
Aurora
watched the disbelief flare. “You don’t think so? Why”

“He promised he’d… do things to me. He meant it. Until he’s arrested or
dead, I won’t be able to sleep. Wayne and I are planning to move but we just
can’t afford it until the end of the month. ”

“Look, here’s my card.” Aurora pulled one from a small leather holder
she had on the side of her purse. “If he shows up at any time, you get in touch
with me straightaway. Or call 911 and tell them to contact Officer Morelli.
Okay?”

“Nodding, the younger girl palmed the card and with a well-used head
motion, she flipped her hair back over her shoulder. Then for the first time
she looked Aurora in the eyes.

Fear mixed with hope shone out from the dark brown irises and had Aurora
reaching over to take her hand. Darlene’s youthfulness tore at her heart. The
thought of that animal touching a hair on this girl’s sweet head had her
bristling like a mama grizzly.
Not if she
could help it!
”

She decided to alert Cory to set up surveillance on the place and have
cops do a drive-by a couple times a night, just to be on the safe side.
Sometimes a hunch like this paid off. If he came back to settle unfinished
business, they’d be on him like velcro.

***

Aurora stepped into the apartment across the hall in time to see Kai
smash his open palm against the wall. He stood with his back turned to her, his
head down and his shoulders slumped.

She hesitated to disturb the moment, but he must have sensed he wasn’t
alone. He straightened and his hands automatically rested on his hips—a habit
she’d seen him do repeatedly.
 
Then he
turned.

Shock kept her quiet. The man was torn apart. She saw it in his eyes and
the way his lips were clamped tightly closed.

Are you reliving the other night?” Many of her pals on the force had
told her how hard they found it to return to a place where violence had
occurred. She’d never experienced this particular phenomenon personally, but
men much stronger than her had stories to tell.

“Shit! I’m trying to remember. It’s fading and pissing me off.”

“Wanna try and re-enact what happened. It might spark something.”

Interest lit up his eyes and the gray ice melted back to his usual
dreamy blue. His deadpan expression lightened and a grin appeared. A cheeky
grin she itched to slap off his face.

“I grabbed him and held him before he shot me. Still up for it?”

“Depends on where you grabbed him, you shmuck. And wipe that stupid grin
off your face. I’m trying to help.”

He scanned the room and then answered her in a creamy-soft voice.
“Sorry. I’m a tease. My sister used…” He blanched and swivelled but not in
time. She’d seen the pain he couldn’t hide. And she’d never envisioned such
sorrow in a person still able to function. His face had gone from playful to
shocked, as if a sharp object had driven its way into his heart.
 

In a soft tone that very few ever heard her use, she said. “We’re
partners, right? If you need to talk, I’m here. Just so you know.” Her hand
resting on his tensed shoulder surprised her. She’d placed it there
unconsciously—instinctively.

“Rhondo killed her…my sister. He raped her and she couldn’t live with
the pain. She hung herself. Only twenty-three years old. A lifetime ahead of
her. Her boyfriend, the fucker, couldn’t deal with it and left her. Her note
said she had nothing left to make life worth living.”

“The dirty bastard!
 
Hell, they
should both be shot.”

“Oh yeah! One will have trouble eating for a while, and Rhondo, he’ll
get his as soon as I catch—”

“I didn’t mean that literally. We don’t kill criminals in Nevada. Due
process means that we give them a trial and put them in jail.” Warnings rang
clearly because she’d meant for him to hear them.

“Okay!” He said the word, but his face was still turned away and the
tone didn’t reassure. She knew deep in her gut that as much as she wanted
Rhondo, her partner wanted him far worse.

“You still up for re-enacting what happened?” He deadpanned her, his
eyes guileless.

“Fine. I’ll go in the hallway. Tell me what to do after that.”

“I had my gun out, but down by my side in case he looked through the
peeper. I called out his name and said LVPD.
 
Before I could kick the door in, he’d opened it. At the same time Wayne
opened his—nosy kid. Then it all happened fast. I pushed the kid back into his
place and by then Rhondo was on me. We struggled a bit, and then backed into
his place. I’d grabbed the outside pocket of his backpack. I think that’s when
he shot me. All I know is, I wanted to keep him from running and I wouldn’t let
go of the bag.”

“I must have entered about that time, because I’d heard the shot but I
wasn’t far away.”

“Yeah! Now I remember, when we struggled, we pushed against the door and
it closed. Then I shoved him nearer the desk.”

“Okay you go out and let’s get started.”

Aurora put her purse on the desk and left the apartment. She closed the
door behind her and waited a few seconds. Then she called out “Police” and
pretended to push the imaginary kid away and sure enough Kai came at her. His
make believe gun was up and his directions were clear.”

“Push me backwards, your right hand forcing my gun upwards and your
other arm wrapped around my body.”

As soon as her arms went around him, he gathered her close for a hug and
whispered through her hair. “He smelled like cigarettes and garlic. Not sweet
and sexy all at the same time.”

“She shoved him away, and at the last minute pulled the punch aimed at
his chest. “Shut up!”

His lips turned upward teasingly. But her anger stopped the hovering
smile and it faded. Shots of tequila invading her bloodstream gave her an
identical sensation of weakened knees. Stunned at the streak of sensuality that
flared inside, she had no idea what to do next.

His gaze trapped hers and searched until she gained the strength to tear
away.

“Sorry, just playing. Okay, where were we?” His voice, surprisingly
husky, now spoke in a businesslike manner.

Without asking, he manoeuvred them back into the stance they’d been in
before his joshing and gave more directions.

“I tried to stop him from using the gun, but he had me pinned like this.

They wrestled like in a dance routine, Kai being the leader. All of a
sudden, he twisted his hand downwards and pretended to shoot. “This is when he
got off the shot. I shoved him towards the desk with my hand twisted in the bag
pocket.

Aurora followed directions and soon ended up against the wall where Kai
had gently placed her rather then the way she was sure Rhondo had manhandled
him during the original battle. She pretended to hold onto his bag by clinging
to his shirt instead.”

“He’d lifted his gun to shoot me again.”

Kai’s imaginary weapon came quite close to her face, which made Aurora
wonder at the fear he must have felt when he saw death staring him in the eye.

“You broke in and he turned away. I grabbed at him.”

She reached up at the back of his shirt one more time.

He gave one pull and told her to let it go, which she did. Then he ended
up against he desk pretending to stagger.

“I saw the first few papers fall out here. But he didn’t stop. He headed
out onto the balcony and….”

“And what?”

“That’s what’s driving me crazy. Something happened and I don’t
remember.”

“Why don’t you play yourself and come here and I’ll be Rhondo getting
away.” She picked up her purse and slung it over her shoulder. “Is this the way
he carried it?”

Kai slid down against the wall and nodded. “Yeah, over his left shoulder
like that.”

She staggered, then dashed to the balcony as if she would hurl herself
over the railing.

 
“Stop! I know what it is.” In
one smooth, fluid-like move Kai stood and rushed over. “Before Rhondo put his
legs over the balcony rail to jump, a book fell out. Slim, like a black
journal.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. It has to be here somewhere.”

“The officers were all over this place, Kai. They wouldn’t have missed
something that big. Are you certain it fell onto the floor here? Could it have
come out as he went over the rail?”

Kai’s face cleared like sunshine breaking through a dark cloud.
 
He reached over, grabbed her face on both
sides and kissed her cheek. Then he leaned over the balcony as far as he could
without risking a header.

“You’re right. It came out when he was leaping over. It must be below
somewhere.”

He headed toward the door while she stood glued to the spot, her hand on
her cheek.
 
Hearing his call, she leaned
over to spy from above. There! On the neighbour’s balcony directly below, stuck
between a big pot of red geraniums and the black iron railing she could see the
edge of something that looked like a book.

Under his control, the vehicle moved toward the medical clinic without
once breaking the speed limit. He drove with confidence, skilfully, as if the
powerful engine needed to be coaxed and not forced. She relaxed and gave him
directions. Then she scanned the journal they’d just found.

“You’re right. It’s like a diary. For the love of Pete, this idiot has
detailed all his conquests. Each girl has her own page. Is he crazy?”

“He must be. Evidence like that could put him away for life.”

Aurora remembered the statement his old cellmate had made when she’d
questioned him after the incident with Debbie. He’d told her that when Rhondo
got released after serving his eighteen months, he vowed to die before he’d
ever go back.

“According to the dude he served with, we'd have to kill him cause he's
sworn never to return to prison. We’ll just have to prove him wrong.”

“Or…prove him right!”

“Now don’t you start that crap again—”

“Sorry! How many girls do you think are in there?” He pointed at the
book she'd been waving around to change the subject, a manoeuvre she often used
herself. But this time, she let it pass.

“Jesus, he even has the different cities broken down with dividers. It’s
like a personal
trophy manual
. What a
sicko! I’m counting at least a dozen in Vegas and as many in LA, a few in Reno
and more in-between. It’ll take us forever to question them all.”

“We’ll have to pass on the names to the other detachments, let them
follow up. What kind of information does he have listed?”

“Son of a bitch wrote detailed descriptions of how he performed, what he
did to each of them, and how it felt for him personally. God, it’s all I can do
to read his words. He’s worse than an animal—they only hurt others in order to
survive.”

“Any method as to how he chose his victims?”

“Yeah, says here that if it’s a Monday he likes blondes. Tuesday, red
heads and so on. On the weekends he likes then young or male.”

One page came up that made all the others pale. His conquest had fought
back at first and had almost gotten away. But he’d won in the end when she’d
begged. The slimeball had liked that—until he'd gotten interrupted.
 

Sickened, she flipped again and saw another name that stood out like a
flashing neon light…Lawson. This girl had also fought back, and so he’d made
her pay.

Aurora slammed the book closed. A shiver crawled out from deep inside
and seized her body with its power. Sickness followed and she had to gulp in
breaths to fight it back.

Kai quickly pulled over to the curb. ‘Are you all right? You’ve just
gone from pink-cheeked to white-faced.
 
Maybe you need to get outside for some air?”

“Right! It’s in the nineties out there. Buddy, there is no air.” Yelling
helped dispel some of the emotional impact from the book, her personal
technique for getting over shocks. It worked for her every time.

“Maybe you’d better let me see for myself.”

Aurora turned to him and using a much softer voice, she said. “Your
sister is listed. You sure you’re up to it? If you want, I can leave for a
while and get some coffee for us. There’s a café on the corner. I think you
need to be alone to read the details.”