The Devil's Water: Scenic City Murder Series #1 (19 page)

“David!” Tasha said in a loud voice raising a finger to motion him over.

He turned and looked at her. In a moment, his face registered recognition. “Tasha!” he answered. He hurried up to her and they embraced. “Take a seat.”Tasha told him.

“Sure.”

“So what do you want to talk about?”

“Well… I heard that this guy… Gary Berndt is responsible for the murders.”

“Well, that’s really old news but, yep. That’s what we got from the cops. He’s a really bad guy. He was a complete psychopath.”

“We did as much as we could at the morgue. I will tell you, however, that I have a hunch other hands were at play.”

“What do you mean? You think Berndt didn’t act alone?” Tasha asked, her eyes wide.

“I think so. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. Did you ever suspect that maybe there were two killers?”

“Well, I have to tell ya David. It is a theory that Clutch and I talked about. We ruled it out though. It’s pretty farfetched. At least we thought so.”

She stared straight ahead into his pretty blue eyes and long lashes. At that moment, Tasha realized that he would’ve been attractive as either male or female. Some people were just made that way. “Did you know that you look just like a guy in ‘Prisoner of Zenda?’” she asked suddenly.

“What do you mean?”

“It was a movie made back in the day. I mean, far back. Like black and white. It had this guy in it named Ronald Coleman. He was a silent star before the talkies but, unlike so many folks from that time, Ronald actually had a good voice. Smooth like silk. Plus he was devastatingly handsome.”

“So you think I look like this Coleman man?”

“No. You look like this other guy in the film who was even better looking than Ronald. His name was Douglas Fairbanks Jr. He was the son of Douglas Fairbanks and stepson of Mary Pickford. They, of course, were involved in movies themselves. They also were a part of heading up United Artists movie production company…” Tasha had gotten so carried away that she hadn’t even noticed the look on David’s face. When she came back to earth, she finally realized that David looked like he was going to take a nose dive right into his cup of cinnamon bliss tea. He was so bored, his eyes were beginning to cross.

Tasha blushed. “Sorry.” She said looking down at her lap. She felt like a complete idiot.

“Oh, no. That’s fine. I was just thinking that most people say I look like Anderson Cooper.”

“The news guy? Gloria’s son?” Tasha asked. Her brow creased and her eyes narrowed as she focused in on him.

“Nah. I don’t see it.” She finally said.

David smiled and brought the cup of tea up to his lips. “Yeah, I never really saw it either. By the way, I didn’t realize you were on a first name basis with Ms Vanderbilt.”

“Yeah, I’m just full of surprises. That’s me.” Tasha laughed.

“So… you have a strong link to Mclutcheon. How long have you been involved with the case?” David said, turning the conversation around.

“Since the beginning, pretty much. I mean, all that crap you read in the paper was true. Clutch and I have been bouncing ideas off each other for months now.”

“But it panned out. You got your man.” David acknowledged.

“Yeah, before he got me. I feel safe now.” Tasha took a sip of her coffee and noticed that David was smiling at her. Of course, she thought, he would have big huge wonderful dimples located perfectly beside his full lips.

“Well, no worries now.”He said as he leaned in closer. “So, enough about the case. Let’s talk about you.”

Tasha felt her pulse speeding up as she watched him take her hand and hold it in his own.

“I assume you got into law enforcement because of your father. You must’ve been pretty good because you climbed the ladder all the way to Quantico.” 

“I was good at what I did.” Tasha said, almost in a whisper.

“So what happened?”

Tasha could see that David’s eyes were focused intently on her. She never had liked being questioned about life during and right after the FBI but his warm hands felt gentle and soothing. He had an allure that was hard to resist and, as his eyes softened, a cherubic grin played across his melon colored lips.

She smiled back at him. “Life happened. Look David, I’ve made some good choices and some bad ones. Eventually, you reap the benefits or pay the piper. I had great fun with the former but, lately, I’ve had to do a fair share of the latter.”

“But you’re so good at what you do. I mean, you helped bring down the bad guy.”

“Yeah, and I’ve made a lot of enemies. Not just the sociopaths I’ve helped lock up  but also folks who depended on me. You know, guys who made a huge gamble on me and bet the farm. I let them down David.”

“I don’t even see how that’s possible.”

“Well, it was definitely possible. Once I started down the path it moved from that to probable and then to a fucking sure thing.” Tasha smiled but the sadness in her eyes betrayed the expression.

“But now you’re a teacher. That’s an admirable profession. You teach all these young minds the tricks of the trade. I’m sure you’re an invaluable faculty member.”

“I teach part time. I deal with kids who think they’re going to be the next Alex Cross or Lucas Davenport. Most of them won’t even pursue a career in law enforcement. Other times, I deal with students who take my courses thinking it’s going to be just like working a case with Mariska Hargitay or Jeri Ryan. They take my class as some form of entertainment. They think police procedure is one great big fucking TV show. Out of those two possibilities, I’m not sure which is worse.”

“But what about the kid who actually does get something from you? The kid who is willing to stick it out and just might be police chief some day. You do it for that kid, Tasha. That’s why you got in it in the first place.”

David was talking low and soft. His eyes were still focused intently on Tasha.

“Actually David, I got into this line of work because I needed something to supplement my savings and the inheritance my folks left me. I’m really not as good a person as you seem to think.” She smiled and David chuckled in response which relieved her. Tasha was really needing some levity.

 As if he could read her mind, David let go of her hand and leaned back in his chair. He grinned, heaving a huge sigh. “Sorry.” He said. “I didn’t mean for our discussion to get so heavy.”

“So what’s your story?” Tasha asked. “Tell me all about yourself. It’s the least you can do since Hank Gamblin let all the people of Chattanooga know my story.”

“My story isn’t nearly as interesting. I’ve worked as an autopsy assistant for many years now. I’ve always been involved in the medical field one way or another. This job that I have now is the best though. Limmel is a great guy to work for.”

“He just seems so prim and proper. A perfect southern gentleman.”

“Yes. He has an amazing mind. He isn’t always so prim and proper, though. Sometimes, he can let his hair down. Especially if he has a glass of really good Scotch.”

“Oh my God. I can’t even imagine!” Tasha said, laughing.

“Well, it is sort of hard to imagine until you’ve seen it in person.” David agreed.

“Ok. Change of subject. Clutch tells me you’re unattached. Have you ever been married?” Tasha asked. She had decided that David was having a good time with her and she knew she was having a good time with him. Why not be upfront and direct?

“No. Never met the right one. I have strange work hours and, truth be told, I’ve just never had enough time to put into a relationship.”

“I guess that’s my story too, more or less. Most of my relationships haven’t been serious.” She answered quickly, wincing inside when the words came out of her mouth. It had dawned on her that he might consider her easy. Too late now and, as her mama used to say, the truth will stand when the world’s on fire.

To her surprise, David Campbell laughed. “Yeah, that’s me.” He said, glancing at his watch. “Look, I really hate to go. I’m having a lot of fun here but duty calls.”

“Oh, sure. Hey, don’t let me keep you.”

“I really would like to stay, though.” He said, smiling as he stood up.

“Well, how about giving me a call when you have some time again.” Tasha answered, feeling bolder by the moment.

“I’d love that.” He reached out to her as she rose from the table and took her in his arms. She felt his rock hard biceps squeeze her at the waist. Tasha could feel herself overheating and sent up a silent prayer to the gods that her face wasn’t the color of a summertime tomato.

David pulled back, looking her directly in the eyes. His hands were resting on her hips. “We’ll be in touch.”

“Oh, absolutely.”

God, I need a drink
Tasha thought as she sat behind the steering wheel, gripping it with everything she had. It was 11:45. Almost noon. She had played and replayed her meeting with David over in her head focusing heavily on their embrace. The way he touched her gave her gooseflesh. Tasha noticed her breathing was a little rapid, even now, thinking about it. Strong emotion, particularly the sexual kind, made her want the bottle. She was somewhat conscious of the fact but unwilling, or unable, to fight the beast that would insist on taking more and more. Instead, she pushed the horrid truth of it to the back of her mind and told herself that she would think about that some other day. Some day she would be better equipped to deal with it but not right now. Right now, she wanted a motherfucking drink. Luckily, she was en route to Tino’s Wine and Spirits and only five minutes from her destination.

At 12:30, she pulled out of the parking lot with her newest haul. She could hear the bottles of cheap red wine clink together as she drove home. She smiled as she drove because she was proud of herself. She hadn’t bought any of the hard stuff. Yep. That just might be the ticket. Stick to wine. After all, didn’t the French drink it all the time? Come to think of it, didn’t the Europeans all drink like sailors? Hell, they were healthy. The key to anything was moderation. She just needed a couple of drinks to take the edge off. After all, hadn’t today been red letter? Tasha remembered the old McDonald’s jingle:
You deserve a break today.
Well, didn’t she? Damn straight.

She pulled into her space at the apartment complex several minutes later and got out of the car. Opening the back door of her sedan, she grabbed the bag which held the bottles of wine from the back seat. She walked carefully to her door making sure not to drop them. Turning the key in the lock of her front door, she kicked the door open with her left foot since her hands were full. Once she had the bottles safely on the granite countertop in her kitchen, she took a deep breath and exhaled. Whew. It was cold outside but a trickle of sweat dripped from her temple and landed on her dark blouse. She moved to the foyer, closing her front door. She was home. Tasha glanced into her kitchen and, once again, looked at the bottles of wine. A grin played at the corner of her lips.
There’s no time like the present, is there Mr. Pinot Noir?
Walking back into the kitchen she made a bee line for the drawer which held her corkscrew.

CHAPTER 37

Fuck.

Somewhere close to her, the phone was ringing. Tasha Yoder barely opened her right eye and peeked at the clock sitting beside her bed. It read 10:42. The red digital colors seemed very severe and made her wince. The sky was black outside her window. It had to be night time but Tasha had no idea which night it was.  Fumbling for the receiver, she brought the phone up to her ear. There was silence for a full 15 seconds while she tried to get her tongue to work. It seemed to be stuck to the roof of her mouth.

“Yeah.” She finally whispered.

“Hey, why the hell didn’t you call me?” Clutch started in a somewhat accusatory manner.

“When?”

“This evening! I thought you were going to call and tell me how the date went. Why didn’t you?”

“Dunno. I guess I just got caught up and decided to turn in early.” She said reaching for a glass of water on her bedside table. Her tongue was as rough as a cat’s and her head was hurting. She took three long swallows and wiped her mouth on the bed sheet. Out of habit, she reached over to make sure there was no one lying beside her.

“Well…?”

“Well, there’s not that much to say. I think he likes me and I like him. Maybe it’ll go somewhere.”

“Did you all talk about the case?”

“Maybe a little.” She said sitting up on the side of her bed. God, her head was throbbing. “Hey, can we talk about this tomorrow? I’m really beat.”

“Yeah, I guess.” There was silence on the open phone line.

“What is it?” Tasha asked, trying hard not to lose her temper.

“Well, it’s about Carol Shipley. She seems to be improving a little. Limmel was over there today when I showed up. Her parents are over the fucking moon.”

“That’s great.” Tasha said, trying hard to camouflage a yawn. “Look, we’ll talk later. OK?”

“Sure. Call tomorrow and we’ll catch up.”

“Bye.”

Tasha hung up the phone and lay back down in bed. Unfortunately, she was wide awake now. That made her head hurt even worse. She reached up and massaged both her temples. Damn Clutch. Why the fuck was he calling her so late? She reasoned that he was just excited about Carol. Of course, he was also nosy about her ‘date’. Her head was buzzing and the pain shot through it like a lightning bolt. She felt like her brain was just a mass of exposed nerves bathed in ice cold water. She needed to make a memo that red wine had that effect on her. She tried to recall how she ended up in bed. The last thing she could remember was looking at the clock at 3PM. Bed probably came much later than that. Still, though, she could remember that at three, something had happened. She had been working on her second bottle of Pinot and a feeling had consumed her. A dark, scary feeling. Tasha couldn’t quite put her finger on it but she knew the feeling was real. She thought back to her conversation with David Campbell. He had told her that he thought other hands were at play. Maybe there were two killers. Maybe they weren’t out of the woods after all. Was that why she had a sense of doom and gloom? She wasn’t quite sure. Tasha felt her eyelids growing heavy. She knew that it was too much to worry about now. She turned over and within minutes, she was snoring.