3 Can You Picture This? (6 page)

“Well, I’m kind of neat, but not overly so, believe me. I have housekeepers who come in every two weeks, and I have to put things away so they can dust and sweep. I am not a neat freak.”

“Good. ’Cause I’m not either.”

“I know,” he said with a grin on his face.

We continued the tour. His bedroom was on the main floor, and the bathroom sat between it and a second smaller bedroom he’d turned into an office. He told me that on the second floor there was a loft bedroom that ran the length of the house, and he’d added another bathroom up there.

“And my next project is to redo the basement for yet another guest room and bath.”

“Wow. There’s a lot of depth to you. I had no idea.”

His face got serious. “We might as well deal with this now. Sleeping arrangements.”

My heart rate increased.

“I’d like you to stay with me in my bedroom, but I don’t want to push you. Staying together for a few days or more is a little different than the times we’ve slept together. What do you think?”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” was all I said.

He stepped toward me, then took a deep breath and turned toward the kitchen. “It’s about dinnertime. Let’s put your stuff in the bedroom, and I’ll make dinner.”

“All this and you cook too. How did I get so lucky?”

George made a pasta and vegetable dish, with vegetables from his garden and some fresh mozzarella.

“I can’t believe you fix up houses, cook, and garden…‌plus you’re a damn good cop and a wonderful boyfriend.” I paused to look at him and smiled. “You might want to take notes, George. I’m not always going to be this nice.”

He laughed as he made iced tea, and I worked on a salad. It wasn’t long before he dished up the pasta to accompany the salad. We sat in the kitchen while we ate, and chatted about everything except sleeping together and murder.

“Remind me to call the office in the morning and tell them I’ll be out a few days.” I looked up at him as I spoke.

He nodded, mouth full of food.

Then suddenly I yelled, “Omigod, where’s Clancy?”

We both jumped up to search and we found her stretched out on George’s bed. Staking her claim.

“Hope you have Animal Planet, so we can distract her while we…‌get busy.” I whispered because I really didn’t want Clancy hearing this.

“I can’t believe you said ‘get busy’ instead of have sex, make love, or one of a thousand different ways to say it.” He hugged me, laughing. “And yes, I have cable, so we can keep Clancy busy while we get busy.”

“Stop making fun of me.”

“That’s the way your entire family communicates. I was just practicing,” he said. As he walked out of his room he answered his buzzing cell phone. “Lansing. Yeah. I don’t know. Maybe sit in the street in a car. I’ll keep the floodlights on in back so no one can sneak up on us. Okay.”

Before I could ask about the call, he said, “Your brother. Said he’s the only one who can watch the house tonight. Mansfield is assigned elsewhere. So I told him to stay in front. But now I’m second-guessing myself about the decision to relocate. We probably should have stayed at your house where’s there’s only one entrance. I don’t know.”

“It’s okay.” I hugged him. “The murderer probably doesn’t even know about me. And if he does, he doesn’t know where I am. I feel safe with you.”

He hugged me back, but his mind seemed elsewhere.

I tried to distract him by walking seductively toward the kitchen.

George said, “Something wrong, hon? You look like you’re hurt.”

I ignored the unintended jibe and said, “Nope. I’m fine. Let’s clean up the kitchen,” and muttered under my breath about men who can’t tell the difference between sexy and hurt.

We worked together, putting food away and doing dishes. I soon forgot my pique and relaxed, thinking about how great it was to be staying with the man I loved.

After the kitchen was cleaned, he said, “I’m going to take a shower. See you in a few minutes.” He gave me a quick kiss and went to his bedroom.

I sat at the kitchen table for a minute and Clancy came up to me. She nuzzled against my leg, and I petted her absentmindedly.

“I know I’ve been ignoring you, girl. I’m sorry. I’m just not used to having a boyfriend, and then there’s this whole stupid murder thing. I feel like crap. Richie got stabbed and I don’t know what’s going to happen or how long before we can go home.”

She talked back in doggie talk. Her soft growl was comforting, but then she added another element to her message. She had to go out. I knew I had a few more minutes before George was done, so I put the leash on her and went out to the back yard.

The floodlights hadn’t been turned on yet, so I leaned back through the door and turned them on. As I did, I heard a rustling sound. Clancy growled then barked. A moment later I saw a blue hoodie running from the bushes near the back porch out to the alley. The first thing I thought of was that George was going to be pissed.

And I was right.

TEN

“W
hat in the hell were you thinking?”

“Obviously I thought I’d get away with it, and I wouldn’t have to explain myself.”

He stood there with a towel around his waist and I was distracted. Even though George had a “middle aged spread,” he didn’t look bad. Not bad at all. I found it difficult to concentrate on my transgression.

“I’m sorry, George. I really am. The truth is that I didn’t think. I forgot I was in trouble and just felt like I was at my boyfriend’s house because I want to be here, not because I have to be here.”

“You could have been killed, Sam. I’d never forgive myself if you were hurt on my watch.” He grabbed me and held me close for a moment, then quickly backed up. “I better go get dressed,” he said with a red face.

I laughed. “It’s okay to just put on pajamas if you want. It’s getting late.”

“We’re still going to talk about this,” George said, and pointed to a chair. “Now sit and do not move. Or I’ll take you with me.”

I raised my eyebrows and showed him an evil grin.

He was back in two minutes wearing a T-shirt and gym shorts—the same thing I’d brought for myself. That made me feel warm.

He paced the dining room as he called Rob to tell him of the guy in the yard.

“I don’t know if he is involved in what happened to Richie or not, but we better be alert.” Rob must have said he’d go around to the back as well as the front of the house. “Sounds good, Rob. Glad to hear it. And if you are walking around the house it’ll keep you awake.” Then a soft chuckle.

“That was really stupid.” He was all business as he sat on the love seat in the living room and pointed toward the other end for me to join him.

“I know. I didn’t think. I’m really sorry.”

“You can’t do it again,” he said as he grabbed my hands, and held them as if by holding them he could keep me there and keep me safe.

“I won’t,” I promised. “I’ll let you take Clancy outside, or at the very least we’ll do it together. Okay?”

“Okay to the first. I’ll do it. And if you noticed, all the blinds are drawn. I want you to stay away from the windows. Oh, and Rob said there would be two guys overnight after all, so I’ll be able to sleep.”

“I promised you I’ll be careful and I will.” I added and moved closer. “Shouldn’t you turn on Animal Planet in the living room now?”

For different reasons, he and Clancy both smiled. And that night I enjoyed some very personal protective custody indeed.

The next morning, I woke up with a smile still on my face. I turned to hug George, and found that Clancy had maneuvered her way in between us. So I hugged her instead. I laughed as I did so, which woke up George. He leaned on his elbow and looked at me over Clancy.

“This is cozy,” he said.

“Yes, it is. Maybe you should get a king-sized bed.”

He laughed and said, “I don’t think it would fit in this room. The bedrooms were built small in bungalows. Guess you were supposed to spend your time in the living room and not the bedroom.”

He stood up and said, “I’ll give you the shower first. I’ll take Clancy out.”

“Thanks.” As I gathered my things and went into the bathroom, I thought that even in the midst of this mess, I was happy. Very happy.

Before I jumped in the shower I called my office and said I’d be out for a few days. Clara Schmidt, the receptionist, said she’d call my clients and reschedule them. With that finished, I was able to get ready for another day that I got to spend with my sweeties. I counted Clancy.

George brought Clancy back in, and while he was showering I was able to spend time with my sweet dog. I fed her and gave her fresh water, and we had time for “girl talk” while I made breakfast. She isn’t much of a conversationalist, but we understood each other just fine. She stayed right by my side, standing guard as I chopped up onions and green peppers. The pungent odor kept me alert. The thought of George kept me happy.

When George entered into the kitchen he came up behind me and hugged me. I leaned against him and inhaled his clean, manly scent.

“What’s that aftershave you use? It reminds me of high school.”

“You recognized that? I bought it just for you.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “It’s Hai Karate. Same thing I used to put on back when we first dated. Not easy to get now, but it was worth the effort since you noticed.”

“I appreciate it.” I turned long enough to give him a quick kiss, then got back to my task. “I hope you like hash browns.”

“I do.”

“I make them with lots of stuff—onion, peppers, tomatoes, and cheese. I learned that when I volunteered in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. Every mile or so they had a Waffle House which made the best hash browns I’d ever tasted. You had some veggies left over from dinner.” I moved around the kitchen opening cabinets until I found plates and glasses. “I scrambled up a few eggs too. One of my many vices is that I love salt and pepper. I went light on the salt, but put in a lot of black pepper. Hope it’s okay. I’m not much of a cook.”

“It smells great,” he said. “It’s nice having someone cook for me.”

“Will you pour the coffee? And butter the toast? Everything is just about ready.”

I had to admit that breakfast was wonderful. It felt like a little family. George, Clancy, and me. I felt comfortable. And loved.

Then damn reality had to insert itself.

George answered his cell while he was still eating. He became serious immediately. “Yeah, I’ll be right there. Don’t move the body.”

I gasped. “Another body? Another murder?”

“Yeah,” he said, wiping his hands and mouth with his napkin after taking one last bite. “You’re coming with me. I can’t leave you alone.”

I didn’t argue. And didn’t even ask if I could take Clancy. Of course, I’d take her, no question about it.

We left everything on the table and went dressed as we were. I had on jeans with a short sleeve cotton sweater and he had on jeans and a St. Francis High School T-shirt.

“Where did they find him…‌it…‌the body?”

“The exact same spot. In the alley, against the John Wood Mansion. Same as the first man who was murdered, and same as where Richie was found.”

He parked illegally on 12th Street, and I told Clancy to stay in the car. I knew I wouldn’t be allowed to stay in the car without George, plus I didn’t want to. I was anxious to find out what had happened.

When we reached the spot, I saw that a screen had been placed to shield the body. I took a deep breath before moving around it.

The sight made me gag. Every reason I didn’t go into the medical field surfaced. A man in a bright blue hoodie, also wearing a previously white T-shirt, jeans, and brown boots. Something horrible that looked like it might have come from his brain was splattered on his left side, and a handgun lay on the ground near his right side. The smell of gunpowder along with the coppery smell of blood sickened me.

It looked like a suicide. I hoped I was right and I hoped the guy was the murderer. If so, I wouldn’t have any more worries about him hurting me too.

I stood off the to the side while George talked to the uniformed cop by the body. I noticed another cop standing near me. It was Jimmy Mansfield, this time in uniform too, and he said he was assigned to me for the day. I gave him a half smile, thanked him, then quickly turned back to watch what George was doing.

A few minutes later, George nodded, and the other guy placed a covering over the dead man.

“Well?” I asked, when George walked back to me.

“We’re not sure of anything yet, except that it looks like a suicide,” he answered.

“It’s hard to say, but he looks about the same size as the guy in the picture. Damn, I wish I knew where that picture was.”

“Probably totally gone. No use worrying about it,” George said. “Let’s go back to my house.”

“Okay. Don’t you have work to do on this case?”

“Yeah, but I can do it at home. Cell phone, computer, Skype. That’s how I’ll stay in touch, because it’s more important that I keep you safe. Once we have the body identified and have some evidence he’s the murderer, then you’ll be free.”

“That’ll be nice, but I do kind of like this protective custody thing.”

He grinned as he opened the car door. He nodded at a cop in a car behind us as we took off. That was the first time I noticed we were being followed. I saw that it was Jimmy, the cop who told me he was assigned to me. Guess Rob was busy or maybe off today after working all night.

As soon as my thoughts went to Rob, my phone rang and it was him. I said, “Hi,” and told George we could go ahead and drive home, that the phone call was from Rob.

“I just heard,” Rob said. “Was it the murderer?”

“Don’t know for sure. He was about the same size, but in the picture I just saw him mostly from the back. I saw some of his side, but nothing of his face. It was just awful seeing the body.”

“I know. It never gets easy.”

“Will you please tell the others? Especially Pete and my kids? I don’t really want to talk about it any more.”

“Sure thing, sis. Love you. And be careful.”

“Love you too.”

We pulled up to a red light, and George turned to me. “I love that about you.”