The Mystery of Jessica Benson (12 page)

L
ed Zeppelin was singing about a stairway to heaven while Kyle
was feeling as though he was trapped in hell. Every time he
moved, it seemed, he walked into another land mine. The bombs
were fragmenting his psyche and it was getting more difficult by
the day to think straight or reason right. He ran his months with
Jessica over and over in his head. The closer he came to finding
some answers, the more devastating the next explosion.

He had always suspected Jessica’s agenda included men
other than himself. James had sure nudged him often enough
about it. But after their visit with Luke Arnold, the extent of her
betrayal — and Gloria DiAngelo’s as well — overwhelmed him.
It was no great shock that Jess got involved with another woman.
She had no inhibitions when it came to sex But the
two
of them,
each knowing of the other’s intimacy with him, besieged his
sanity. It struck him as being deliberately malevolent.

In retrospect, Gloria had given a flawless performance
when she spoke with him in the training room the other day. Her
words now mocked him.
I got no problems but then I never
dated Jessica Benson.
In her determination to throw Kyle off,
Gloria had implicated Arnold. Arnold would have ratted out his
grandmother to get James and Kyle off his back. The word
clusterfuck
came to mind.

Worse yet, that detective, Kaufman, had zeroed in on
Kyle and just kept hammering at everyone he spoke to about
him. The bastard was all about giving him a one-way ticket to a
lethal injection. The man was a train that showed no signs of
derailing.

Many of today’s athletes were far from role models, but
Kyle had always tried to be one. He had been raised with very
clear parameters of right and wrong, and with very few
exceptions, never crossed the lines. The past didn’t mean shit to
Kaufman, though. He was out to catch a murderer and Kyle
apparently looked like a good one to him.

Football
. For some reason it seemed even more
important that he make it to the playoffs now — as the team
leader. The closer it got to the season’s end, the more strongly he
believed this year would be his last.

This scandal served to push Coach Raymond to his
limits and he was set on Kyle retiring. Tyrell already smelled
blood and was circling like a vulture. But dwelling on his backup’s ruthless ambition would serve no purpose. He was
emotionally drained, but wanted more than ever to finish this
season out right.

Suddenly the room was silent, which brought him up
short. The CD had ended —
when
? He had not noticed. He
walked over to the system to set up some more discs when the
house phone buzzed.

The concierge announced that a Ms. Karen Brandt was
here to see him. Kyle hesitated only a second before telling him
to send her up. The need he felt to see her shocked him. The few
minutes they shared the other night had given him hope that
someone in charge was willing to get the evidence
before
crucifying him. But his anticipation now had nothing to do with
the case.

Kyle felt an incredible lure toward her. The grown up
Karen bore only a slight resemblance to the little girl that had
been Brett’s sister. She was now a sensitive, very attractive
woman. She was also a cool, competent professional, a cop who
held Kyle’s life in the balance. Yet there was much more. She
woke memories that he thought had died a long time ago, with
her brother.

It occurred to him that his interest in Karen might be a
result of her being the proverbial port in the storm. He wondered
if he was reaching out to her because she might be able to offer a
solution, rather than because he felt any romantic attraction.
It
didn’t much matter, though
, he figured. Any basis for sanity he
could find, he would take.

Kyle was headed toward his door, planning to walk
outside and meet her at the elevator, when he heard her soft
knock. She made the trip up quickly. It flashed across his mind
that she might yet be the bearer of more bad news.
I come to
bury Caesar, not to praise him.
Then what? His mind exploded
into millions of thought molecules, all bad. If he could just set
the clock back to the day he met Jessica, so he could run the
other way.

Karen looked up as he opened the door and gave him a
hesitant smile. She was wearing jeans and a short charcoal tee
that highlighted the soft gray of her eyes. Her hair was loose and
windblown and she smelled like the ocean. Kyle felt his chest
tighten and his heartbeat quicken.
No, these feelings have
nothing to do with the case
.

“Are you going to keep me standing out here, or do you
think you might consider letting me in?” She looked directly into
his eyes, unwavering.

Trying to pull his eyes from hers was like trying to break
a vacuum. Finally, he stepped back, found his voice and tried to
sound casual.

“Oh, sure. Sorry.” He tried being clever: “I’m just not
myself what with that murder rap hanging over my head and the
flames of hell lapping at my feet. I suppose you’re here to arrest
me?” But he immediately realized he sounded like an asshole.
“God, did I say that? Come on in.”

Karen cocked her head and leaned past Kyle into the
apartment. Uh, I’m here to see Kyle Sands. You must be his
mentally challenged twin?”

Kyle’s heart did a stutter step, and suddenly he smiled.
“Yeah, Kyle’s around here somewhere. He’s going to have a
drink. Care for a cocktail?” Then it hit him that this most
probably was not a social call and tried to recover from the gaffe.
“I mean, if you’re not on duty that is. I’m going with vodka,
straight up. But I have sodas, too. And juice. My refrigerator is
pretty well stocked. Mom made one of her mercy missions this
afternoon and filled it up with plenty of healthy stuff. She’s
afraid...”

Karen burst out laughing. “Stop! Please, stop already.
Vodka is good, but if it’s not frozen, throw in an ice cube for me,
and some lime if you have it.”

They both laughed and Kyle said “Always keep my
vodka in the fridge.” He headed toward the kitchen and
beckoned for her to follow him.

She told him to relax. She had no plans to make any
arrests tonight. She added that she was off duty and the visit was
to be considered off the record, as well.

Relieved, Kyle opened the freezer, took out a bottle of
Grey Goose, and put it on the counter. He hesitated, and then, as
though struck by divine inspiration, reached up to a high shelf
that displayed exquisite crystal tumblers. “Baccarat, only for my
special guests,” he said.

Karen watched as he gently placed two tumblers next to
the bottle. He looked at her once more, as if expecting her to say
something, then got a fresh lime from the refrigerator. He neatly
sliced it and slipped it on to the rim of one of the glasses.
Carefully he poured the two highballs to less than a quarter of an
inch from the top. He wrapped the bottom of her glass with a
cocktail napkin and handed it to her. He then picked up the
second drink and led her to the living room.

The lights were dim which gave the space an ethereal
glow. The windows reflected pitch black. Karen moved toward
them to look outside. Kyle stepped close to her and said, “There
isn’t much to see out there at night. An occasional star or
satellite maybe. A cruise ship heading out to sea, if you’re
lucky.” He pointed upwards toward the sky, and continued. “See
the halo around the moon? That’s the best light, anyway.”

She turned to him and reached her glass to touch his. “It
is enchanting. To the moon.”
“To the moon,” he replied. He took a couple of long
sips. “You smell like the sea.”
“I walked along the beach for a while before I came up. I
was working up the nerve to see you, I suppose.”
“I know you didn’t just come here to share the night sky,
right?”
“No I didn’t, but since I’m here, it doesn’t seem like
such a bad idea.” She sat down on the sofa and a whoosh of air
from the deep leather cushion made her stop talking for a minute.
Kyle sat next to her.
“Not a bad thing at all,” he added. He was having
trouble relating to the situation.
Incredible night, exquisite
woman, good vodka and a murder mystery
. It might have been
perfect, were he not the murder suspect and she the cop. And
although she was kind enough to be flirtatious, he knew the case
was on her mind, and was, realistically, why she was here.
“Truthfully? The ambience is intoxicating... or is it the
alcohol? But Jessica’s murder is what brought me here. This case
has the entire unit monopolized, Kyle. Whoever the killer is, he
or she was smart enough to clean up afterwards, almost to a
fault. Our crime scene guy recovered
nothing
from her
apartment. The only solid information was from your friend
James. He gave us Jessica’s ‘personal’ trainer, but he didn’t
seem to have a clue either. It all keeps going back to you and the
argument you had with her at Utley’s that night. The way I see it,
you’d have to be dumber than a brick to have a knock-down
drag-out in front of the whole world and then take her home and
kill her. But stranger things have happened.”
“I understand what you’re saying.” He nodded, and
added, “Feyzi. The trainer. He was no help?”
“Nope. Both Will and I had at him. He was nervous, and
I couldn’t help but feel he was holding something back. Just my
gut, you know, but my gut is usually pretty accurate.” She
looked at him as though expecting a response, and when he
remained silent, continued. “I guess I’m here because you’re our
only viable suspect — still. As a cop that should make my job
easier. But as a person, I can’t accept it.”
Kyle drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’ve
been doing a little research as well. Have you spoken to Gloria
DiAngelo?”
“Yeah. But she had nothing to give us. The good news is
that she seemed to be in your corner all the way. Told us you
would never hurt a woman and she knew it for a fact. Sounded
like you had more than a player-trainer thing going with her.
Why? You think she knows something?” She raised an eyebrow
at Kyle, waiting for is response.
“Well, it seems when I try to find out something from
anyone, it implicates someone else. Boggles my mind. To begin
with, Gloria mentioned something that didn’t sit right with me.
She said she had seen Luke Arnold and Jessica arguing in the
parking lot at the complex the night before the murder. Gloria
and Luke never had a close working relationship. And off the
field they were barely civil. Ha! That’s some kind of an
understatement. She couldn’t stand Luke. I probably wouldn’t
have paid any mind to her bad-mouthing him if my life weren’t
on the line.”
“That’s strange. She never mentioned anything like that
to us. Pretty big oversight,” said Karen.
“Yeah, really. But she said she got sidetracked because
your partner was pushing her so hard to incriminate me. She got
a case of nerves.”
“Come on, Kyle. I don’t care what kind of pressure she
was under. That’s a crock. A fight only one day before the
woman is killed and she forgot? Bull!”
“Oh, it gets better. James and I decided to pay a visit to
Arnold and get his side of the story. When we told him what
Gloria said, he couldn’t wait to rat her out to us.”
He drained the rest of his drink. It had done its job and
he was considerably more relaxed. Karen’s glass was pretty
close to empty as well. Without asking if she wanted a refill,
Kyle took it from her, and before she could protest, he headed
for the kitchen. “Tincture of vodka. Good for what ails you,” he
called back.
“Well it does the trick sometimes. You aren’t by any
chance trying to get me drunk are you?”
He was smiling when he came back to the sofa. He
handed her the drink and sat down beside her once again. “Yes,
officer, I guess I am.”
“Mmm,” she sighed. “Try to finish telling me about your
talk with Arnold first.”
Kyle was suddenly reluctant to continue. Although he
wanted to believe there was a growing attraction between them
—
he
certainly felt the pull — the thought crossed his mind that
she was learning plenty by keeping him drinking and talking. He
had been planning on relating this all to her anyway, but was
bothered by the thought that she was pumping him in such an
intimate manner. Yet it was much easier to be with her alone
than trying to get a word in edgewise while her partner pounded
on him.
“Luke told us that he was arguing with her to protect me.
Protect me! Ha!”
“Wait a minute! Neither Gloria
nor
Arnold mentioned
the argument to us, but then they go and tell you about it? That’s
whacked.”
“Well, it just slipped out when Gloria was talking to me.
And as far as Arnold, James has a way of convincing people that
he’ll get to the truth, by whatever means necessary. Most people
react instantaneously when he’s dictating the forum.”
“Alrighty then. So what’s this about Arnold
protecting
you?”
“Well, it seems Luke was making his rounds of the
complex one night in the not too distant past, when he comes to
an unlocked door with strange noises emanating from within.
Being the Cracker Jack security head of the team that he is, he
took it upon himself to
investigate
. Imagine his surprise when he
finds Gloria and Jessica locked in a passionate embrace, wearing
nothing but their birthday suits.”
“Gloria and Jessica?
Together?
I mean, I understand that
they were ‘together,’ but jeez!
Together
, huh? What’d they do
when they saw him?”
“That’s the thing, Karen. He says they were so involved
with one another — and he gave us a little too much information
about that — they never even heard him come in. Neither of
them looked up. He told us that he took off out of there and
didn’t look back. But he didn’t let it go, either. He went to
Jessica — who was apparently one of the few people who treated
him like a human being around here — in some ridiculous
attempt to defend my honor, or that’s what he was trying to sell
James and me.”
Karen’s mouth was open. She shook her head and took a
long swig of her drink. “This is too weird,” she said, her words
getting a little slushy. “Why’d he think you needed
his
help?
And if he was so damn concerned about you, why didn’t he
come to us with his story?”
“Excellent question,” Kyle said as he raised his glass in
salute. “You should consider a career in law enforcement. And
the answer is, he has no idea why, and neither do I.”
“That’s it? He didn’t talk to Gloria?”
Kyle shook his head. “They don’t get along so well,
remember?”
“And neither of them told any of the cops that
interviewed them, huh?”
“Nope.”
She looked at Kyle with slightly unfocused eyes, and
leaned forward reaching for his hand. “I’m going to find out
what’s going on. This case is ugly from every angle, except the
one I’m looking at right now.
“You know I shouldn’t be here,” she sighed. “It’s
against every rule in the book, and if this were to get out, I’d be
through in the Department. I told you that already, though, didn’t
I?”
“Yeah, you did.” He gripped her hand and put his arm
around her shoulder, pulling her to him.
She snuggled deep into him and softly kissed his neck.
He sighed, and in his own vodka haze, put his lips to hers.
Her mouth opened for the kiss and he felt her with every
raw nerve in his body. He knew she’d had a crush on him all
those years ago, and wondered if any feeling remained. He was
having trouble getting past the thought that she was playing him,
but he couldn’t stop.
Kyle kissed each of her eyes and rested his lips on her
temple. He whispered, “I want you,” and then he reached under
her shirt and touched the breasts he had known were bare. The
two explored the inside of one another’s mouths while the
temperature in the room rose.
Kyle lifted her shirt over her head and pulled it free. The
sight of her swollen nipples made his knees go weak. She
moaned softly and he realized that whatever the consequences,
he had to have her. He stood, lifting her from the sofa and
carried her straight to his bedroom.
“I can’t believe I’m here with you. I dreamt about this so
many times when I was younger,” she whispered as they reached
his bed.
“I’m glad I could finally oblige.” he responded as he laid
her down on his bed.
Karen woke during the night. Kyle was wrapped around
her—still asleep. They were both naked and she had no desire to
leave his bed. She was surprised to realize that she had no regrets
about what had happened. It had been far too long since a man
had taken her to the places she had gone with him.
He told her he loved her body, that it was perfect.
Lies
,
she thought, although she had told him the same about his, and
meant it. Though he was considered old for football, his body
bested most of the men she had known. She would have
awakened him and asked for more, but doubt gnawed at her.
What if he doesn’t feel the same way
? She was afraid it had been
only a night of too much vodka for him. Or did he want
something she could not give?
Kyle stirred. His eyes opened and Karen held her breath.
He drew her to him and kissed her one of those hot, deep hungry
kisses that she hadn’t been able to get enough of earlier. She
could feel him against her, hard and ready.
“More,” he whispered in her ear.
“Me, too,” she gasped.