A Familiar Star (Romance Mystery) (8 page)

"I'll go.
" Paul shifted his weight.

"No, it’s fine.  I'm sorry.  I just..."  S
he didn't know what to say.

"It's alright Kylie.
You need to rest."

She pulled her pillow in close to her and tried to focus on his shadowed face.

“I’m sorry, I’m just so tired.”

“Then sleep.”

Kylie didn't think she was able to sleep anymore. She tried to relax, let the tension run of her system. Her eyes closed but her mind was an amusement park.  Visions of people dancing and laughing, faces with strange eyes closing in on her, flashed through her mind.  Then she was speeding down a dark road, overly tall trees towered above.  Then a man dressed in black came towards her with a knife.  Her body jumped and she opened her eyes!

"Are you okay?
"

Oka
y was a thing of the past, she thought.  She was sure she would have the creeps for the rest of her life.

"You don't think he'll come back do you?"

"No, I don’t think he’ll come back."  Paul hugged her small frame to comfort her.

She closed her eyes shut again and focused on the light rain that was hitting the roof. 
She listened quietly, thinking about everything that had happened in the past few days.  She became increasingly aware of Paul's body next to hers.  She didn't really know him, why did she let him get so close.  She wished she could tell him to leave, but she wasn't sure that's what she wanted either.  She felt bad for stopping his advances, after all, it was her who called him in to her bed, but something just didn't feel right.

She thought about the night before, how easily she had given in to Max.
Images of him began to take the place of reality and she could feel herself being pulled back into his arms.  Her mind was restless, the rain became a downpour, bringing with it muggy heat.  Thunderheads closed in and Kylie tossed and turned with each rumble.  The relief she sought was nowhere in sight.  Her body was too edgy and tired to get comfortable.  Just when she thought she would never sleep again, Paul began to stroke her head.  She clung to him in an attempt to numb her thoughts.

"It's
all right baby."  He repeated in a whisper.

Kylie listened to his c
hant then let go into the night; falling into the deep water once more.  This time, splashing and swimming for her life, entwined in something that was pulling her under.

Light sparked from the crack in the door.  Kylie opened her eyes and looked up at Paul who was coming out of the washroom with a towel wrapped around his mid drift.

"Hope you don't mind, but I really need to get into town and I've got no time to go home."

Kylie felt like a truck had run her over.  She rolled to the edge of the bed and dropped her feet down.  It was morning all right but what an awful day.  The mist off the lake was so thick you couldn't even see the dock.

Plus, s
he had awakened with the realization that life as she knew it had changed, it was now a complicated, disorganized place.  She wiped the sleep from her eyes and remembered that she hadn't taken her makeup off.  Feeling a need for support, she glanced up at Paul.

"So how do you feel?"  He grinned.

"Lousy," she said weakly.

"How about some coffee
?  I think Max made some, I can smell it."

"Max!”
Oh my God, this can’t be happening. “Are you sure he's here?"

"Yeah, I heard his car about an hour ago.
  What’s wrong?"

“Nothing.”

Paul was bringing his clothes into the washroom when Kylie jumped off the bed and sped across the room.

"We don't have to go down yet," she said
, winding her arms around his bare chest.

"I really do have to go into town Kylie, its crucial we catch this guy."  He kissed her lips.  "You pamper yourself today, get some sleep and I’ll come back and see you tonight i
f you want."  He hugged her, kissed the top of her head and released his embrace but she clung to him.

There must be some way to keep him here until Max went to sleep.
"Could you wait until I take a shower?"  She asked.

"Sure, just let me get dressed."  Paul disappeared into the washroom.

Kylie paced the room.  She opened the bedroom door a crack and listened for Max downstairs.

Paul came out of the washroom and picked up his gun.
"On second thought, I really do have to go."  He grabbed his wallet and buttoned up his shirt. “Max is home, so at least you’re not alone.”

Panic was setting in;
she didn't need anything else going wrong. "I'll get dressed and go down with you."  She flipped through her drawer and pulled out of black bra and a pair of shorts.  With her back to him, she slipped on the shorts then pulled off her long T-shirt and slipped on her bra.  This ought to keep him here for a few more minutes at least. She felt sick to her stomach when she turned around.  What in God's name was she doing?

She strolled over and lifted her fa
ce to his.  Then she kissed his lips long and hard without touching him.  He placed his hands on her waist, feeling her silky skin.

"God, you feel good.  If I didn't know better
, I'd think you were trying to keep me here."

Kylie smiled then crept
closer.  If she only knew that Max was asleep, she could slip Paul out without Max ever knowing that he was here.

Her
head was spinning like a whirlwind.  Why couldn't she have thought of something better than this?  Something had to happen, she couldn't keep this up, it was getting out of hand.  Just as he pulled her in close, Kylie's door opened.

"I thought I heard you getting up...."
Max couldn't finish the sentence; he stood there with his mouth wide-open.

"What in the hell are you doing?
"  Paul exclaimed, moving in front of Kylie to hide her.

But
Max let out a bitter laugh.  "I've seen and felt more than that, so don't think you're hiding anything."  Spinning around to leave, he glared back at Kylie and spat out, "me the night before, this guy last night.  Should I expect some other guy tonight?"  His look was murderous as he slammed the door shut.

Paul and Kylie stood there in silence for a moment, the tension mounting with each second.

"I've got to go," Paul said quickly, turning away from her.

"Wait, let me explain," she demanded.

She grabbed his arm.  He was moving out the door but whirled around instead.  "Save it for later Kylie."  His voice was bitter with emotion and his eyes were misty with hurt.  He broke past her and raced down the stairs.  She heard the front door slam and after a couple of seconds, the jeep drove away.

Kylie stood there in
shock.  The silence was striking.  What just happened; happened way to fast.  Her head began to spin yet again, until her body trembled.  She was going to be sick.  She steadied herself on the bureau and took a deep breath.  The reflection in the mirror was certainly hers except worn to a thread.  She heard Max coming up the stairs and pulled on a T-shirt.

He knocked on the door before opening
it a crack. "Can I come in?"

"What do you want Max?"  Kylie said spiritless.

"I'm sorry.  It's really none of my business who you sleep with.  It just surprised me that’s all.  I thought maybe after the other night we had something going."

"Something going Max, you
mean you just wanted to sleep with me!"  She plopped herself down on the bed.  “Well if it makes you happy I didn’t sleep with him either.  I’m not sleeping with either of you.”

"Ok
ay, good.” He breathed out a deep sigh of relief. “But even if I do want to sleep with you, so did he… I’m just glad you didn’t."  He shrugged his shoulders then sat down next to her.  "Every man does.”

“Every man does what?”
Her brows knitted in confusion.

“Every man wants to sleep with you.”
He said flatly then his eyes hardened and turned bitter.

“Oh
, good. That’s makes me feel better. You’re just a bunch of pigs so it’s not my fault,” she mumbled.

“
I wouldn’t say that.”

“Well
, didn’t you notice the jeep outside before you came barging through the door?”

“I thoug
ht maybe you had a friend over; a girlfriend.” He added, getting up off the bed and changing the subject. "By the way what happened to the patio door?”

Kylie explained everything to him even though she just wanted to be alone.

"He chased him?  I bet he didn't catch him."

"How do you know he didn't catch him?"

"He doesn't look like a good cop that's all.  He's too scrawny; too short and skinny."  Max sneered.

As usual the male ego was a barrel of laughs.  "You're jealous!"  Kylie said.

"Of him?  You must be kidding baby, he’s got nothing on me!” Max tried to be funny.

Thrown back in time, Kylie
suddenly felt Paul's hand stroking her head.  "It's all right baby," he was saying.  She wanted to be sick.  She was so tired, exhausted actually, and she couldn't see a way of fixing things. And if she did patch this up with Paul, what would that mean?  Did she really see them together?  Thinking about it was making her head ache even more.

"Are you okay?  You look a little green."

"I'm fine," Kylie slurred.

"Do you want to take bath I'll get it ready for you?"

"Good God Max, you would probably fool around with me right now, wouldn't you.  Even if I do look
green
," she emphasized the word green.

“No.  A
ctually, I like you when you’re a nice, light shade of pink. I was just trying to be gracious despite what just happened.”

Kylie shrugged her shoulders.  “Please g
et out Max,” she snapped unconsciously, “I’m in no mood for this.”

Max shook his head before turning
towards the door. “All right, I’ll see you later, I’m tired too,” he stopped in the doorway.  “Kylie, don’t waste your time on him, he’s not for you; I can tell you that right now.”

“I’m afraid to ask but how do you know that?”

“I just know,” he looked at her seriously. “Besides, if you want a good relationship you don’t have to look very far.”

“Right,” Kylie mumbled but Max had already walked out the door.

The door shut a minute after he left because of the draft and a darkness came over her.  She tried to clear her thoughts to think straight. What a mess she’d made. Perhaps it would be wise to call Lucy and have Frank talk to Paul and explain. But explain what? Anyway, she didn’t think she had the energy to explain anything to anyone right now. Maybe it was wiser if she got a little more sleep.

She crawled back into bed and lowered her head to the pillow.
As soon as it made contact she was out.

Once he was in his room downstairs, he collapsed
on the bed.  He stretched his spine and rubbed the back of his neck. He was exhausted from a long shift. Part of him was furious for finding that guy in her room, but he knew it was none of his damn business. After all, she owed him nothing, but that’s not how it felt. What they did the other night had meant something.  It wasn’t a one night stand.  She wanted him, and he’d wanted her.  God, he wanted her, except there was something else there, something he hadn’t felt with anyone before. From the minute he laid eyes on her, she had bewitched him.  It was ridiculous, but every time he saw her his heart galloped.

Nonetheless,
he was on equal ground with this guy. They were both new in her life and she was only with him last night because of the break in. If only he could beat the guy to a pulp, he would feel better, he laughed.

He took off his clothes and lay back on the bed.
God help him he wanted to go back upstairs and be with her, but first, she had to trust him. The anxiety twisted in his gut, but he had to let it go. He didn’t own her, he didn’t even own this house; he could lose it all at the throw of a dice. There was only one thing to do now; that was to pull back and let her come to him.  If they were meant to be together, it would happen, some way, somehow.

The sound of voices annoyed Kylie awake. Now who was in her house? She checked the time. Two in the afternoon. She felt so much better, just hungry. The gray skies had all but disappeared and the air smelled fresh and green from the rain. A quick bite and a swim would make her feel normal again. Then she could focus on the matter at hand.

A knock on the door caught her by surprise.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me Lucy.
Let me in.”

Kylie hopped out of bed and opened the door for her sister.
“Hi.”

Lucy came rushing in.
“Are you alright?”

“I’
m fine.  Did you speak to Paul?”  She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

“No.  He’s at work with Frank
.”

“Did he tell Frank what Max did?”
She bit her lower lip.

“Oh no, what did Max do?”

“He pretty much told Paul that I slept with him the other night.”  She feigned a sigh while looking through her drawer for her bathing suit.

“You must’
ve wanted to kill him.”

“He apologized.”
Kylie shrugged.

“You’re being very forgiving today,” Lucy raised her
eyebrows as she watched Kylie get dressed. “Have you figured out which one of them you want?”

Kylie struggled to get her bikini top done up.
  “It’s Paul. Its Paul I want. Do you even have to ask,” she snapped at her sister as the bikini snapped in place.

Lucy eyed
Kylie in disbelief. Something put her in a bad mood, except it was more than what Max had done. It was Max himself.

“Well it’s
a good thing Paul was here last night. That guy might have broken in when you were alone. Did you get a good look at him?”

Kylie stood still for a minute and stared out the window.
“Good question,” she contemplated, “you know what? I don’t think it was a him.”

Her sister looked shocked.
“Are you sure?”

“I’
m not sure of anything, I was pretty drunk.”

“
Why is that a reoccurring theme these days?”

“I don’t know.”
Kylie brushed her off.

“Did you sleep with Paul?”
Lucy asked. She kept her voice cheerful to hide her worry.

“Nooo way,
one mistake a week is plenty.”

Lucy’s smile faded away
. “Why would it be a mistake?  I thought you said its Paul that you wanted.”

“You’re annoying, you know that?
Anyway I’ve had enough excitement for a while, don’t you think?”

“Yes,
I suppose your right.” Lucy laughed, then hugged her sister and thanked God she was safe.

Max was walking around in his bathing suit when the girls came downstairs.
Kylie stole a quick glance and it made her heart race. Damn it.  Did he have to be so tall and muscular? The thought of the other night lingered in her mind for a few seconds until she pushed it away. Max might be an incredible, sexual turn on but there was more to a relationship than that.

Paul was quite sexy too, plus he was
nice and thoughtful at the same time.  Except things were a mess, she reminded herself. 

Max
grabbed his bottle of water off the counter, passing so close that she could smell his scent.  Her body tensed and he raised his eyes to hers just long enough to make a connection.

She hissed out a breath.  It was unbelievably irritating to think that he believed that he had any kind of effect on her
.

“I’m going to crash down by the lake if anyone’s looking for me,” he stated
flatly.

“Gr
eat,” Kylie muttered to herself, sloshing coffee onto the counter and over the tip of her little finger. She swiped at it with a dish towel then continued to wring it to death over the sink.

Lucy
poured herself a cup and brought it to her nose. “Thank God for coffee.”  She tried to change the mood.

“Amen.
” Kylie took a sip from her cup.  If anything, there were still the small pleasures in life.  Or perhaps every pleasure should be experienced the same way, big or small, excluding the regrets.

“So
, I don’t have much time, but I’ll help you pack some things and you can come back for the rest later.” Lucy said with an anxious tone.

Kylie heard her voice like a faraway echo.
“Did you say something?”

“Yes, I said get your stuff tog
ether. You can come back for your other things after, but get going Kylie. I have a four o’ clock appointment at the salon with Mrs. Troy, and she gets very snooty if she has to wait to have her hair done.

Kylie still hadn’t absorbed the first part.
“Doesn’t she live around the lake?” She asked.

“Yes that’s right.”
Lucy answered.

“Good I’m coming with you!”

“All right but…” Lucy didn’t bother finishing her sentence. Kylie had already spun around and was running back upstairs.

Kylie washed Mrs. Troy’s hair while introducing herself cheerfully.
The suspicion in Lucy’s eyes was all too apparent.  She knew her sister hated working at her hairdressing salon, let alone conversing with the clients in a way that would make Ms. Manners seem inadequate.

“Oh yes I love living up at the lake.
I’m so happy I moved here.” Kylie said with a smile.

“But what about the murders dear, haven’t you heard about them?”
The elderly woman asked, fluttering her fingers which displayed a multitude of diamonds.

“Y
es I have, but I thought they caught the man.”

Lucy turned her head so quickly her neck cracked in protest.

“Oh no dear, he’s still on the loose, you’ve been misinformed.”

“
Oh.  Well do they have any idea who it might be?”

“We all have our strange ideas
, but the police are still investigating they say, so I leave it up to them.” The woman spoke as slowly as a turtle.

“How long have you been living around the lake?”
Kylie was casual, as she combed out the older woman’s hair.

“A
lmost 40 years. My late husband and I bought our house as a retirement home, but he passed on a ways back. So I live there with my two sisters now.”

“
I’m sorry.  Still it’s nice that you’re not alone.  You must know everyone in the area?” Kylie kept up her inquiries.

“Well
no, not everyone because some people have sold and the newer residents tend to keep to themselves, you know. Also, when we first moved here, there were fewer homes and people were friendlier.”

Kylie stopped combing and spoke quietly to Mrs. Troy’s reflection in the mirror.

“Do you think it’s someone from around the lake who’s committing the murders Mrs. Troy?” She said with a nosy expression.

Lucy looked over at Kylie disapprovingly.

“I know it is and I can tell you who I think it is too.” The older lady said in a hushed voice.

Kylie smiled at her.
That was exactly what she wanted to hear. She moved in closer and was going to say who, when Lucy’s 4:30 appointment, Mrs. Holloway, walked through the door.

The woman plopped herself next to Mrs. Troy and began to talk.
Lucy took over for Kylie motioning her to get Mrs. Holloway comfortable. Kylie offered the woman a cup of coffee then tried to continue her inquiries.

"We were just talking about the murders up at Forest Lake," she said casually.

The attractive woman in her late fifties turned up her nose. "Oh, it's old news. I'm just so sick of hearing about it. Lucy have I told you that my son William won a scholarship to Brighton. He’ll be leaving next week."

The woman went on and on until all was lost and Kylie could stand no more.
So she cleaned up a little and decided to leave. "I have to be going Lucy."

Lucy was cutting Mrs. Holloway’s hair.  She stopped and
gave her sister a sly smile. "Thanks for your help Kylie, and please come over and stay with us tonight whether Max is home or not."

Kylie nodded in agreement
then turned to Mrs. Troy. "It was nice to meet you Mrs. Troy, maybe we'll meet again some time."

The old woman was half asleep under the dryer and it took her a minute to respond.
She looked up and crooked a finger at Kylie. Kylie walked over, leaning down to hear her over the sound of the dryer.

"What is it Mrs. Troy?
Can I get you something to drink before I go?"

The old woman shook her head
, snagging Kylie’s sleeve to keep her there. "I know what you want to hear." Her eyes narrowed to small slits. "Are you going to the summer party at the Hamilton’s this weekend?"

"I suppose so
." Kylie nodded.

"Good, then
we'll talk there," she blinked.

Kylie straightened up slowly and forced a smile
, but the old lady didn't smile back. She narrowed her eyes again, pushing out from under the dryer, she heeded a warning. "Be careful my dear, it's not what it seems."