Craving Vengeance (9 page)

Out of the corner of his eye he could see
Shannon’s cheeks turn as red as her dress.

Bernie obviously didn’t have a clue about his
dear little Shannon.

“I can’t believe you kids are running around
dressed like you are tonight with all that’s gone on today,” Bernie
whispered as he leaned toward Spinelli. “Are you undercover again,
just like you were with the Santa and Elf case at Christmas?”

Spinelli looked beyond Bernie. His clientele
seemed to have gone about their business and paid no attention to
Bernie’s question. He could feel Shannon’s sharp gaze burning a
hole through him. How was he going to explain this and the fact her
fiancé was dead, and she was a suspect? Guilt consumed him. He
hadn’t decided when he was going to tell her about Dr. Joshua, but
it looked as though the time was drawing near.

“What’s he talking about, Nick?” Shannon
asked. Her voice squeaked.

He knew he needed to look at her, but he just
couldn’t bring himself to do so. She tugged at his arm. “What’s
going on?”

He shifted his gaze to her. Her eyes pleaded
with him. “We’ll talk about it in the car.”

Chapter Ten

Spinelli held his
hand out. Shannon dropped her car keys into it. He opened the
passenger door to her vehicle, and she slid in. He climbed in on
the driver’s side.

He’d hardly shut the door before she began
questioning him. “What was Uncle Bernie talking about? Are you
undercover?”

Spinelli started the car and flipped on the
heater. He wasn’t sure why he turned it on, the heat emitting from
his pores was surely enough to heat the car. He cleared his throat
and expelled a breath. “I think Bernie was probably referring to
the cupids that were murdered today. It was all over the news.
Didn’t you hear about it?” he asked trying to keep it light.

“When would I have had time to watch the
news? I worked all day then I went to the church to help with the
fundraiser, and I’ve been making deliveries until now,” Shannon
snapped.

“So you worked all day?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t leave your office at all during
the day?” Spinelli questioned before considering the
consequences.

Shannon’s eyes watered and her lips quivered.
Did she know why he was questioning her? It certainly didn’t look
good that she knew one of the dead cupids and that he had seen them
leaving the government building together just hours before the body
was found. That coupled with the fact that Bethany put his time of
death at around 2:00 p.m. didn’t help matters either.

Spinelli thought about their first victim
who’d been found at 3:45 a.m. Bethany had placed his time of death
at shortly after midnight. Could Shannon have had anything to do
with the death of Mike Carter? Spinelli’s chest tightened. He had
arrived home at about that same time, midnight, to find Shannon
sleeping in his bed. He hadn’t been surprised to find her there
since they’d spent nearly every night together since they’d started
dating. He’d gotten home so late because he, Walker, and Marsh were
held up at the precinct closing a case. He wondered what time she’d
arrived at his house. He hadn’t given it any consideration earlier,
but a shadow of doubt now hovered over him. Exactly what time did
she arrive at his house? Where was she prior to that?

A vision of Tony Rosso’s dead body surfaced
in Spinelli’s head. Tony had been found at 8:00 a.m. Bethany
estimated his time of death at about 4:00 a.m.
Hah! Shannon was
in my bed at 4:00 a.m.!
He could verify she’d been in his bed
since at least midnight. There was no way she had anything to do
with Rosso’s death. Spinelli’s mind spun.
What in the hell am I
thinking? Get it together. This is Shannon. Sweet, innocent
Shannon. Good God, how am I going to tell her Joshua Meyers is
dead? Was he really her fiancé?
Shannon’s nostrils flared.
“Nick, why are you grilling me? Why are you really here? And why
were you such a jerk to me earlier today?”

He stared into her furious eyes, debating his
response. He glanced into the backseat to find the flowers and
candy they’d yet to deliver. She’d never be able to finish the
deliveries if he told her now of the death of Joshua Meyers or if
he confronted her about witnessing their kiss.

“Fine. Do what you always do. Clam up. If we
don’t talk about it, it will just go away, and you won’t have to
deal with it,” Shannon snapped as she shifted her body and stared
out the front windshield. She clicked on her seat belt and crossed
her arms over her chest.

Spinelli grabbed the clipboard where he’d
fastened the paper containing the additional addresses Sister Pat
had given him. The next delivery was several blocks away at another
restaurant. He hoped there wouldn’t be as many patrons in this
restaurant as there were in Billy’s BBQ. He was so embarrassed
singing in front of all of them. He wasn’t in the mood for singing
love songs when this whole escapade started, let alone now.

He parked in the parking lot next to the
restaurant and had hardly cut the engine before Shannon bolted from
the car. Spinelli grabbed the flowers and chocolates from the
backseat and in a couple of quick steps was on her heels. She
stepped up to the hostess station and asked for Naomi. Her tone was
soft and sweet, far different from the last time she’d spoken.

He went through his routine. He’d never get
used to this. Only one more to go then he could get on with dealing
with Shannon and Dr. Joshua Meyers.

They climbed back into the car. Shannon’s
smile had disappeared along with the warmness in her eyes. Spinelli
grabbed the clipboard from between the seats. He couldn’t help but
chuckle.

Shannon’s cold eyes cut to him. “What’s so
funny?” she asked in a tone sharper than a samurai sword.

Spinelli’s throat constricted choking off his
chuckle.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. “The
next stop is at Madam Layla’s Lingerie Shop.”

Shannon shook her head and shifted her eyes
forward.

Spinelli pressed the accelerator to the
floor. He wanted to get this over with.

He parked on the street in front of the
store. Through the plate glass window he could see several
customers milling about. Both men and women shuffled through the
racks of lingerie. Last minute shoppers he supposed.

Shannon opened the door and sprang out like a
jack-in-the-box on speed. Evidently she wanted to get this over
with as well.

He followed her into the shop and zoned in on
the older woman behind the counter. He assumed her to be Madam
Layla.

He figured her to be in her early sixties.
She stepped around the counter to help a young gentleman with his
lingerie choice. Her leopard patterned leggings and matching
five-inch spike heels caught his attention. She looked like an
ex-Las Vegas dancer with her long thin frame, tall flowing hair,
and heavily painted face. Her tight black sweater clung to her
large breasts and small waist.

When she finished ringing up the young man’s
purchase, they approached her. She raked over Spinelli, not just
once, but twice. “What can I do for you?” she asked, keeping her
gaze fixed firmly on him as if Shannon weren’t even there.

Shannon cleared her throat drawing Madam
Layla’s attention. “We’ve been sent here by Harold.”

The woman let out a girlish giggle. “That
sweet man. Will he ever give up?” she asked as her eyes floated
back to Spinelli.

He handed the bouquet of roses to her. She
leaned over the counter and took them from him as she eyed the
entire length of him. He broke into what had become his routine. He
wasn’t even nervous this time, of course the store wasn’t nearly as
occupied as the restaurants and bar had been.

During his entire performance, Layla’s
seducing eyes never left him. When he finished, he handed her the
box of chocolates. She reached forward and snatched the chocolates
with one hand and set them on the counter. With her other hand, she
latched onto his wrist. “I’ve got something for you,” she glanced
at Shannon, “and for your cute little friend, too.”

Layla kept her grip on him and pulled him
along. Shannon hesitated but followed.

She led them to the back of the store and
sifted through a few garments hanging on a clothing rack. “Ah ha,
here they are. These would be perfect for such a nice looking young
couple.”

Spinelli instantly hardened at the vision of
Shannon wearing the skimpy garment Layla held high in the air. He
could easily see the hot pink lingerie contrasting against
Shannon’s milky white skin, and her small, pale, round breasts
partially exposed over the top of the low-cut fur-lined bodice. He
imagined the smooth feel of the fabric under his fingertips. He
pictured himself plunging his hand between the silky material and
her soft smooth skin. His groin tightened with need.

Layla’s other hand held a hanger with a pair
of silky red boxer shorts. Large, hot-pink, heart-shaped buttons
held the fly shut. Hearts, the same color and size, lined the
waistband. He wouldn’t be caught dead wearing those. He
reconsidered. Perhaps if Shannon agreed to her garment, he’d agree
to his. The vision of her wearing the lingerie with a pair of
thigh-high fishnet stockings and spiked heels would likely make him
agree to anything, especially if she were to add a set of wrist
cuffs and a rose tipped whip like the ones he saw on the shelf near
the checkout counter.

Layla glanced about the store. “Hmm,” she
flipped her long poufy hair over her shoulder and then fixed her
eyes on Shannon. “You know, dear, I’ve got the perfect accessories
over here to go with these,” she said as she motioned for them to
follow her.

Shannon hesitated and stepped back. Her
normally pale cheeks were as red as the boxer shorts Layla held in
her hand.

“Oh, sweetie, you need to loosen up a bit and
have some fun,” Layla said as she shifted her gaze to Spinelli and
winked, “and I bet this handsome fella here would be more than
willing to help you along with that.” She undressed him with her
eyes again, “If I were thirty years younger, I would be giving him
an open invitation before someone else did.”

Spinelli took the garments from Layla’s
hands. “We’ll take these. What else is it you want to show us?”

He didn’t need to look at Shannon to know her
disapproving gaze was on him. He welcomed her discomfort, just as
she welcomed his during the whole singing cupid thing.

He followed Layla to the display he’d seen
earlier, the one that held the wrist cuffs and whips. It was as if
Layla could read his mind. She snatched them off the shelf and set
them on the checkout counter.

Spinelli reached into the small makeshift
pocket sewn into the inside of his toga costume. It was barely
large enough to hold is badge, ID, two bills and a credit card, but
he was thankful it was there so he didn’t have to wear his badge
around his neck during this cupid escapade.

His groin had nearly made him forget he was
angry with Shannon and that they still needed to resolve the Dr.
Joshua issue. But he was too far into the purchase to turn back
now, so he slapped his credit card on the counter. He knew Shannon
was glaring at him, but he couldn’t bring himself to return her
gaze. She sighed heavily.

Madam Layla bagged the items and handed the
bag to Spinelli. She flashed him a wink. “You kids have a nice
Valentine’s night.”

“You, too.”

Spinelli spun on his heel and headed out the
door. Shannon huffed behind him. If she wasn’t pissed enough
before, she was surely pissed enough now.

By the time he’d tossed the lingerie bag into
the back seat, Shannon had already slid into the passenger seat.
Spinelli climbed into the driver’s seat and cranked the engine. The
smoke billowing from her ears made it difficult for him to see out
the windshield.

Spinelli signaled and pulled into traffic. He
drove fast. He glanced at the clock on the dashboard. He pressed
the accelerator closer to the floorboard shooting over State
Street; the street he should have turned on in order to head back
to the precinct.

Shannon fixed her confused gaze on him.
“Where are we going? We’re done with the deliveries. Isn’t your
truck at the precinct?”

“Yeah, it is. But I have one quick stop to
make yet.”

“Where?”

Spinelli’s cheeks heated. He’d wanted to make
this particular stop earlier in the evening, when he was by
himself, but time just didn’t allow for it.

* * * *

The car shot over Juneau Street before
Shannon realized where they might be heading. Was he really going
to the foster home of the Washington kids?

The Washington home was the first home she
and Spinelli had visited when he’d been assigned to help in the
Social Services Department. At that time, the Washington kids lived
with their parents in a dilapidated apartment building on Cherry
Street, a gang infested area. Not only was their dad a drug dealer,
he was also physically abusive to their mom. And though he beat
her, she’d refused to leave him because she needed to keep close
ties with her cocaine dealer. As a result, Shannon and Spinelli
removed the kids from the home on that particular day and brought
them to their new foster home where they’ve lived ever since.

Shannon recalled Spinelli’s evident
apprehension during the entire process. Certainly, nobody is happy
or comfortable when removing children from the home of their
parents, but Spinelli’s anguish during the whole ordeal was like
none she’d ever seen before on such a call. She’d later found out
that Cherry Street was the very same street where he grew up; in an
environment not so different from the Washington kids.

A few days after the kids were placed in
foster care, the foster mom had brought them to the mall to visit
Santa. Spinelli just so happened to be playing Santa that day
because he was working his undercover assignment. Somewhere during
this chain of events, Spinelli and the eldest of the Washington
kids, Lesha, age seven, had developed some sort of bond.