Branded for Murder (15 page)

Chapter 37

When Mike went up to see Paddy, I decided to move all of my stuff back to my desk. I was organized enough now that I could work with it there.

“Hi Scott,” Colleen said, as I was passing. “I like the new call sheets. It seems like they could be helping us find the guy in the sketch.” She smiled, looking like she wanted to add something.

“Thanks Colleen. I feel good that I can work with them. It does seem to be helping the guys in the office.”

“Paul told me he liked what you were doing.”

She looked like she hadn’t planned on telling me that, and turned red. I tried to calm her. “It’s okay Colleen. Thanks for sharing that with me, but I heard it from him myself.” She immediately looked relieved.

“Scott, I don’t know whether I will ever be totally comfortable working with detectives. It seems like you guys have a sense and can pick up things, I mean, things not said…I think you know what I’m trying to say.”

“I know what you mean. I have the same feeling when I’m with Mike. He seems to pick up on things before I say them.” I smiled and she looked like she was more comfortable.

“Are you going to be working tonight?”

“Why? Did you want to take me out?” I smiled, and she immediately knew why I asked it.

“I was just curious and you need to work on that ‘sense’ a little. You’re not quite picking up the right feelings.”

“Colleen, I was just pulling your leg about a date…I know you and Paul have something going.”

No sooner had she heard the words, she turned red immediately, and hastily started to straighten out her desk. “Maybe you have developed that sense.” She smiled at me, and continued putting her stuff away.

“Have a nice evening Colleen. Thanks for all of your help.” She smiled again, and I walked back to my desk.

*.*.*

I looked around the office. It was a good time to call Lisa. The sound of dialing her number resonated loudly in the quiet office area. I didn’t like using the office phone for personal business, but I had to.

Shortly, there was a soft voice on the other end. “Chase school dorm. How can I help you?”

“This is Scott Tucker. Can I please talk with Lisa Anderson?”

“Sure Scott, I’ll get her.” I usually hear a different response along with the phone hitting the wall, but this time it was a more pleasant experience.

Just a minute or two later, “Hi Scott, this is Lisa. How are you?”

“Hello Lisa. I’m okay. Do you have any plans for tonight? I’m sorry to be calling this late in the day, but I’ve been busy.”

She answered quickly, “I’m sorry Scott I already made plans.”

I didn’t respond immediately, crushed that she had other plans.

“Scott, I’m kidding. I was hoping you would call. What did you have in mind?”

“Okay Lisa, you got me. I was thinking I called too late. I’m glad you’re available. Would you like dinner and a movie?”

She didn’t immediately respond, softly whispering into the phone, “How about a quick dinner and we put on a show?”

“Are you pulling my leg again?” I asked, feeling awkward after the words left my mouth.

“Only if you
want
me to,
” she said, making her voice sexy like Mae West’s.

I could tell she was feeling what I was. “Can I pick you up in fifteen minutes? I won’t bother to go get cleaned up. I’ll leave straight from the office.”

“That sounds fine with me, but why don’t you make it a half hour, then I’ll be in the reception area waiting for you. Anything special I should wear?”

I didn’t immediately respond, wondering if she was continuing to toy with me. After a long pause, I heard the click on the other end. I could tell we were going to pick up right where we left off the other morning. I quickly wrote a note for Mike indicating I was gone for the evening.

*.*.*

My hands were shaking on the steering wheel just thinking of being with Lisa in a few minutes. Everything else which had been filling my mind all day was long gone. All I wanted to do was to see her again. I know I was driving but I didn’t remember any of the turns along the way.

I felt my chin, realizing I needed a shave. Maybe we should pick up a pizza and go back to my place, where I could clean up.
Was that just a little forward of me, or did I sense she was telling me that. Colleen said we were developing a sense for things unsaid; maybe I was developing that sense. There was no doubt about what I wanted, and I didn’t want to waste any time.

I couldn’t find any parking space near the dorm entrance, having to park a block away. The air was cold on my face, walking to her dorm. I spotted several couples walking arm in arm and they looked so comfortable with each other. I remember our reflection in the dorm door when I picked her up the last time; we were like those couples, made for each other.

I was on time, bounding up the steps to the entry door to the dorm. I could see her standing on the far side of the reception area talking with Judy. There was a different guard on duty. I gave him my name and who I wanted to see. He pointed to her, standing in the reception area.

“Hi Lisa, Hi Judy, how have you been?”

“I’ve been fine. It’s nice to see you.” She smiled, giving Lisa a peck on the cheek. “You two have a nice evening.”

I looked at Lisa who was wearing a white fur coat with matching beret, contrasted with black ski pants and black fur boots. All that was missing was the skis and she would be ready for the slopes. “You seem like you’re lost in thought Scott. Are you okay? Do you like what you’re looking at? Hello by the way.”

I knew I was now attracting attention of the other coeds in the room, and my face was turning red. “I’m sorry Lisa…I guess you just took my breath away. You look great. Are you ready?”

She smiled, giving me a quick kiss on the lips. “You bet I am.”

Once we were outside on the sidewalk, I turned her to me and gave her the kiss I really wanted to.

She held her beret, leaning back in my arms, “You almost have that greeting down pat, but I think you still need a little practice.” She put her arms around my neck, trying a much deeper kiss.

I could see coeds clapping their hands in the dorm window. “I think we’ve attracted some attention.”

Lisa looked over at the dorm window, and waved. “I guess we better go, or we will waste the night.”

“Can we give it a few seconds? I need a moment to calm down.”

She smiled while moving her hips. “I guess I don’t have to ask if you’re ready now. Right?”

*.*.*

We walked to my car, but it didn’t seem that far at all. We were now like the other couples I had seen earlier. She fit so nice at my side, like two skaters dancing together.

I unlocked the car door and she slid in. When I got around to the other side, she was already facing me. We kissed again, and it felt so right. I was so happy. She broke the kiss and the embrace, pushing on my shoulders. “How do you feel about picking up a pizza on the way over to your place?”

I smiled, then laughed out loud. “Yeah, it’s a shame the pizza will take twenty minutes. I don’t know if I can wait that long.”

She looked into my eyes and then said, “I can’t believe how much I’ve missed you. All I think about is being with you again. Can we skip the pizza and just go to your place?”

“No. Let’s get the pizza. I want you to think some more about being with me.”

I started the car, pulling out onto the road, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see what she was doing.

Chapter 38

She loved to excite Scott. She could feel the cold bucket seat against her naked back. She had taken off her coat and turtle neck sweater and was about to reach around to unhook her bra, when Scott finally broke the silence.

“Okay Lisa you can stop there. I get the point; we’ll just stop at the McDonald’s drive-thru and pick up hamburgers. Are you going to put your clothes back on, or give the clerk a show?”

“Scott I’ve never felt like this before. I don’t care what I do if it will excite you. Do you want me dressed or undressed?”

“That’s a trick question. I want you undressed, but dressed for the drive-thru.” I looked over again at her and she had unhooked her bra and taken it off. She started twirling it over her head. I looked around to see who was watching. “Why don’t you just put your coat on and we’ll keep it our secret when we pull through the drive-thru. Is that okay?”

She didn’t answer, but put her arms into her fur jacket. She didn’t zip it up and turned for my benefit.

“I like already, I like. What have I done? I think I’ve created a monster.”

“Scott, I’ve just waited so long to feel like this. I want you excited when we get to your place.”

“I’m excited, and will be when we get there. We’re at McDonalds, why don’t you zip up?”

*.*.*

She purposely did as she wanted and watched Scott squirm. She loved the new power she had, but she surprised herself. Judy had shared some of her intimate moments with Neil, and she realized again how much she had missed. She shared what Scott and she had done. Judy said that was a very good first session. She challenged her to make this date even more memorable. She thought she was doing a good job of it so far.

She grinned again when she leaned across Scott to ask the clerk for some catsup. She wasn’t embarrassed about her behavior, but was somewhat surprised by it. She tried to understand what had gotten into her. Even in the limited light she could see Scott’s color change.

She liked the feel of her coat against her, but couldn’t wait to take it off at Scott’s.
Should she leave it on while they eat their burgers?
She had teased Scott enough,
or had she? Is she falling in love with Scott, or is it just this new found sex that is clouding her mind.
All her life she had been focused on getting into college, giving only a small amount of thought as to what to do after that. She knew she wanted to be a nurse. The last few days, all she could think about, was being married to Scott and having a family.

Her mind drifted to their love making. It was great. They were learning from each other. Judy asked her what they were using for protection, and shocked when she said they weren’t using any.
Could she actually ask Scott to stop and buy condoms? He obviously knows we’re going to have sex, so it shouldn’t surprise him for the subject to come up. Maybe it’s already too late. What would she do if she found out she was pregnant?

“Lisa, are you okay? Are you upset about my reaction to what you did?”

She thought about how she could answer that. “I’m not sure what got into me. I never thought about doing anything like that…let alone actually doing it.” She considered her earlier thoughts. “Scott, can we stop at the drug store? I need to get something.”

“Are you going in with just that jacket on, or are you going to put your things back on?”

“I’m going in like this, but I’ll zip it up, unless you want to go in there for me?”

“I’ll go in for you. What do you need?”

“It’s not what I need, it’s what
we need.
”

“I got it…I mean…I’ll get it…I’ll get them.”

“You’re such a smart detective. Scott, what would happen if I was already pregnant?”

“I would have to marry you.”

She heard the words and it struck her wrong. “Have to. Is that what you consider it?”

“No. That didn’t sound right.”

“You’re damned right it didn’t,” she barked, quickly.

“Lisa, please don’t do this. I love you. I would want to marry you. I would want to marry you even if you weren’t pregnant. I have found the love of my life. All I can think about is you.”

“That’s nice, I love you too. Let’s forget the drug store and take in a movie. Okay?” She thought of her recent nightmare when Judy woke her up. What would she ever do if Scott was killed?

*.*.*

I pulled the car off to the side of the road, finding a parking area. “Lisa, I didn’t mean to upset you. Let’s start again. I love you and want to be with you for the rest of my life. If you’re pregnant, that only changes the timing on how soon we get married. I want you in my life forever. Now that I have gotten to know you its even harder for me to think of my life without you. The sex is nice, but it’s not everything. I could go without making love from now until we get married.”

She knew she was over-reacting to his earlier response. “Did you just propose to me?”

“I would have said those words in the near future. I’m serious about your being in my life forever. I don’t have any desire to see or be with anyone else. So, yes…I’m asking you to be my wife. I love you. You certainly fulfill everything I’ve ever dreamed of. The only decision we would have to make, if you were pregnant now, is what to name our child.”

She couldn’t hold back the tears, reaching for Scott. “I’m sorry Scott. I guess I overreacted. I too have found what my life is all about. If you really want to marry me, I’m yours. I’m yours now and forever.”

I wiped away her tears and we kissed again, and again.

She finally broke the kiss and looked around. “I guess it’s just a coincidence you pulled into a drug store parking lot?”

I gave her a deep passionate kiss and then opened the door. I closed my door and blew her a kiss. She quickly unzipped her coat and added a big smile.

*.*.*

I was gone a few minutes trying to make my first ever decision about what condoms to buy. I tried not to be nervous talking to the druggist, who most likely saw the same scene every night. I picked a box of a dozen and the druggist grinned, telling me the amount. I fumbled with my wallet, almost forgetting my change.

I wished I wouldn’t turn red, but this was my curse. I rushed back to the car, opened the door and Lisa wasn’t there. I checked the back seat area and she wasn’t there either. Looking around the parking lot, I thought I saw something over between two other stores. I heard the sound of a garbage can and went running into the darkness. Then I heard Lisa’s scream and ran faster.

The first thing I caught sight of was Lisa’s coat near the entrance. I heard her scream again. There was a scuffle. Two guys were trying to hold Lisa against the wall. They were both very tall. In the limited light, I could see that Lisa’s arms were being held out above her head, and her chest was exposed. The guys were trying to undo her ski pants. Lisa was jumping up and down, really creating difficulty for them.

With a head of steam, I jumped into the closest guy, sending him back sharply against the wall. He must have hit his head, as he quickly slid down the brick wall. The other guy let go of Lisa, taking a swing at me. I couldn’t tell if he hit me or not, but I did a quick kick to his groin. He made an awful sound and doubled over. I grabbed Lisa. As we were running out of the small alley, I grabbed her coat. She put it on, but I didn’t wait for her to zip it up. We jumped into my car. I roared out of the parking lot, into the street, without any concern for traffic. Seconds later I heard the sound of a siren and saw flashing lights.

I pulled over, jumping out of the car. One cop had his hand out towards me and the other hand on his pistol. The other cop was at Lisa’s side of the car. The closest cop yelled, “Get down on the ground. Get down on the ground now.”

I flopped down on the ground, and yelled to him, “I’m sorry officer. We were just attacked back there.”

I felt his knee in my back. He pulled my hands down as he cuffed me. He yanked me to my feet, bringing me over to the front of his cruiser. The other cop had Lisa out of the car. Fortunately, I noticed her coat was zipped. “We stopped you because you were driving too fast, and came out of that parking lot without stopping.”

Lisa had tears running down her face, which was dirty from the alley. “Officer, please. Two men attacked me and Scott saved me. They’re probably still in the alleyway or the lot. Please, let’s go over there and look. They’ll get away if we don’t go over there.”

The cop holding Lisa was also holding her bra and white sweater. He held it up for the other officer. “I suppose they took these off you and left them neatly in the car too?”

Lisa was shaking her head. “No. Scott went into the drug store and they came over and yanked me out of the car.” She looked like she was finished talking, and then added, “I took them off earlier. Please officer it was awful. If Scott hadn’t saved me, I don’t know what they would have done. Please go look. We’re not the bad guys here.”

The officer holding the bra and sweater held them up and said, “I know you’re obviously not the bad
guys.
” The two cops laughed. We were drawing a crowd. They decided to check out the parking lot.

I still had cuffs on, but as we turned the corner of the drug store I spotted the two guys walking to an old car. “There they are,” I yelled. The two guys starting running to their car. The cops left us standing there while they ran full speed toward the car. Before they could reach the car, the men started it, speeding towards the approaching officers and us as well.

The officers pulled their guns, pointing them at the approaching vehicle. One of them yelled something and fired his gun in the air. The car flew between the two officers. Lisa and I dove out of the way. They tried to run all of us down, but they luckily didn’t hit anyone. We saw their leering faces as they flew past, one of them giving us the finger. The two officers didn’t fire at them since we were close enough to get hit.

One of the officers ran to his patrol car, giving pursuit. The other officer took off my cuffs. “From the looks of things, you two were very lucky. We recognized the car. Those guys are part of a gang we’ve been after for months now. Had you not intervened for your girlfriend, they most likely would have taken her with them. You’re both very lucky. I’ll need to take statements from each of you. I’m sorry we detained you. Are you both okay…do you need any medical assistance?”

Lisa was the first to respond. “I’m okay, just a little shaken at the moment. It all happened so fast, I’m glad we’re both okay. Scott, are you okay?”

I was breathing rapidly. “I’m okay. One of them is going to have a serious headache the way I knocked him in the head. The other, I’m surprised could even move since I kicked him in the nuts.”

The officer took our statements. The cruiser came back into the parking lot, followed by another cruiser. “There are no charges against either of you. I wish we had your car…we might have caught them. I’m surprised they didn’t steal your car
and
your girlfriend.”

Lisa smiled for the first time. “When I saw them running to the car, I threw the keys on the floor. I didn’t have time to lock both doors. I locked mine, but they opened the driver side door. They quickly had me out of the car and carried me into the alley. I couldn’t scream since one of them had his hand over my mouth.”

“Could you identify them if you saw them again?”

I spoke first. “Absolutely. I work with the strangler task force and I would just love to meet them another time when Lisa isn’t with me.”

Lisa added, “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to forget what they looked like.”

*.*.*

It wasn’t too long before Lisa and I were smiling about the earlier events. It could have been very serious, but maybe making light of it is part of dealing with our trauma.

She was proud of me, coming to her rescue, taking care of both of them so quickly. She was concerned about some minor scrapes, but I put some cream on them. We also both learned about the application of condoms, finally getting that right as well.

Lisa told me about her discussion with Judy. Judy offered her some advice for our next session.
Lisa may have some things to tell her, but I will have to thank Judy when I see her.