Haunting Whispers (9 page)

“I tried. Sorry to wake you. I need to talk to you rather urgently.” When Audrey turned and walked back inside, Rae followed. Every step Audrey took rewarded Rae with a glimpse of her perfectly curved bottom under the tail of her short T-shirt.

Rae was so distracted she almost bulldozed a bright-pink kitten carrier in the middle of the floor. “Oh, this is new.” Rae knelt and offered her curled fingers to the little bundle of tabby inside the crate. The kitten licked and chewed her knuckles.

“Her name is CB.” Audrey gave the kitten a few strokes, promised food would be coming shortly, and turned to Rae. “Coffee?”

“That would be nice, thanks.” Rae sat at the counter and watched Audrey retrieve cups from the cabinet. She inhaled Audrey’s lingering perfume combined with a trace of her distinctive aroma. Arousal reared its elusive head, and its force surprised Rae. The form and scent of a woman had always incited Rae’s baser instincts, but she’d never been this excited without touching. Rae indulged in the sight and fragrance of Audrey Everhart a few seconds more, wishing her reason for being here was different. She’d suspected early on that friendship with Audrey wouldn’t be enough. As she sat in her kitchen, stimulated by her mundane activities, she was certain of it.

Now she was in the untenable position of evaluating and assessing Audrey on a professional level. The conflict between attraction and work could throw her instincts off, but add to it the shredded state of her psyche, and the fact that Audrey might be withholding something, and Rae couldn’t trust any of her feelings. She’d better stick with the facts.

“Aud—” A fair-skinned beauty exited Audrey’s bedroom wearing little more than Audrey and holding a terry-cloth robe. “I’m sorry, sweetie. Didn’t know we had company.” She flashed Rae a stunning smile. “Thought you might need this.” The woman held the robe open for Audrey and tied the sash as gently as a lover. After a hug, she turned to Rae.

“Good morning, I’m Yasirah Mansour.”

She offered her hand and Rae shook it with all the professionalism she could muster. Rae struggled not to immediately interrogate her about her relationship with Audrey. Under normal circumstances, she would’ve tactfully persisted, unearthing everything about the beautiful Ms. Mansour. However, now wasn’t the time for a personal digression. Sergeant Sharp’s urgent task demanded she stay on track.

“I’m Detective Rae Butler. Sorry to disturb your morning. I need to talk with Audrey, privately if possible.”

Yasi placed her arm protectively around Audrey’s back. Rae caught a momentary flash of something as it crossed Audrey’s face—concern, pain? “Audrey can speak for herself. However, I’d prefer to stay.”

Audrey and Yasi stared at each other several seconds, assessing and deciding. The look relayed so much emotion Rae felt like a voyeur. Then, without speaking, Yasi poured herself a cup of coffee and disappeared into the bedroom.

Rae couldn’t stop the unedited words that rushed out with too much emotion. “That was impressive. I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people communicate so clearly without saying a word. You’re obviously very close.”

Audrey placed a steaming mug in front of Rae without responding to the comment. “What exactly do you need to discuss with me? It is Sunday, after all.”

“Why does everybody feel the need to remind me of that fact? I’m aware it’s the weekend. Unfortunately crime doesn’t take a break, so neither do I.” Her words were sharp and unfriendly. Audrey’s failure to clarify the relationship with Yasirah Mansour bothered Rae more than she realized. It shouldn’t, but everything about Audrey affected her in some way. She sipped her coffee for a few seconds to regain her composure. “Sorry. I’ll get to the point. Did you visit a man named Jeremy Sutton yesterday?”

Shock registered clearly on Audrey’s face as she turned to stir sugar and cream into her cup. Rae tried not to read too much into the obvious stall tactic. When Audrey faced her again, she looked defeated. Rae placed her hand on her back to reassure her that she could trust and confide in her. Audrey’s response was not what she expected.

“Don’t do that. It hurts.” Audrey flinched as powerful emotions and pain coursed through her. It was the first time Rae had touched her, and she wasn’t prepared for her reaction.

“What did I do?”

Every nerve ending in Audrey’s body seemed to coalesce at the point of contact and beg for more. The feeling almost paralyzed her. Rae’s touch had the depth of a mother’s affection but was profoundly more sexual. She searched for an explanation. The sensations in her body overruled reason. She’d never experienced anything like this—and she couldn’t allow it now.

Audrey focused her awareness on the physical pain radiating from the injuries on her back. The discomfort was preferable to the unexplained feelings Rae’s touch conjured up. She backed away from Rae and immediately regretted her action.

“You’re so flushed. What hurts?” Rae stood next to her looking like she’d tipped the ashes out of Aunt Tilley’s urn.

“Where you touched me.” Audrey felt silly and light-headed. She had no viable excuse for nearly passing out from a touch. The truth poked at her insides, demanding release. “It’s my back. An injury from the assault.”

From the look on Rae’s face, Audrey knew she’d said the wrong thing. “Mind if I see for myself?”

At least Rae had focused on something tangible and not Audrey’s fragile emotional state. “You certainly may not.” The last thing she wanted was Rae Butler’s hand on her naked flesh, yet it was the only thing she wanted. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

“What if it isn’t? Please, Audrey. This could be important.” Rae crossed her heart with her fingers. “I promise this isn’t a ploy to see your naked back, though I’m sure it’s quite spectacular.”

Audrey’s pulse doubled at the thought of Rae Butler looking at any part of her exposed flesh. However, if she resisted further, she would only increase her anxiety and extend the unannounced visit. “Okay, just a glance, no touching.”

Rae waited as she lowered the robe to her waist, tied it off, and raised her skimpy T-shirt. “Jesus H. Christ. What the hell?”

When she looked over her shoulder at Rae, her eyes had gone dark and cold. Her jaws worked in time to the kneading of her hands at her sides. She looked like she wanted to hit something. “Rae, you’re scaring me. What
is
it?”

“You were hit by a stun gun.”

Rae’s fingers traced a light path across her back and sent chills up Audrey’s spine. Then she pressed against a tender spot below her shoulders and the pleasurable sensation turned into a pulsing ache. Audrey almost came off the floor. “You’re touching.”

“The marks are pretty obvious on your lower back.” She gently touched the area again.

Audrey struggled for a response that didn’t reveal how long she’d withheld this piece of information. Any comment at this point should clarify the truth, not cloud it further. Before she could respond, Rae stared at her, brows furrowed, lips tightened into a thin line.

“You already knew.” The look in Rae’s eyes signaled more pain than accusation, as if Audrey had attacked her personally, in some way offended her sense of integrity. When she spoke again she clearly sought understanding instead of information. “What have I done to make you distrust me?”

Audrey was unsure how to answer such a simple question. She hadn’t done anything wrong, hadn’t violated any law or hurt anyone, until now. She wanted only to find answers—her way. It should be so easy to tell the truth. She couldn’t. Instead she watched with disbelief and apprehension as Rae reached for her cell phone.

“I need to call the lab to get some pictures of this.”

“Wait a minute.” Audrey pulled her shirt back down and squared off with Rae. “Hold everything.”

Rae stopped as her finger hit the Send key.

Audrey didn’t like this part of herself, but she had to draw the line. “Put down the phone, Rae.”

“Let me get Trevor on the way. We need to document these injuries.”

“Put down the phone.”

“What’s going on here?” Yasi exited the bedroom, her deep-brown eyes almost glowing with anger. It took a lot to rile her, but seeing Audrey scared and obviously rattled was enough. She stepped between Audrey and Rae, the sight almost comical. Rae towered over Yasi by at least four inches, but she didn’t back down. “Get away from her. Right now.”

Rae closed her cell and stared at Audrey—probably trying to figure out whom to address first—Audrey for her reluctance to pursue her attacker or Yasi for her threatening stance. “Why are you fighting me on this, Audrey?”

How could she convince Rae to let this go? Did she really want her to back off or did she want and need her help? No, she couldn’t pull Rae into her quagmire of a life. It might lead to other revelations she couldn’t and wouldn’t share. Audrey struggled for a compromise that would allow them both to get what they wanted. “If I let you take these pictures, you have to promise they’ll never leave your possession.”

“They’ll be evidence in your case when I catch this guy. I’ll have to turn them in.”

“Rae, you’re off the case. I don’t want to pursue it any further. There’s no need for photos. If you insist on taking them, you’ll have to meet my terms.” Audrey didn’t think Rae would agree. Without a case, photos were unnecessary. Rae would have to concede the wastefulness of utilizing city funds for useless “evidence.”

Yasi nodded and her stare dared Rae to question Audrey’s logic.

“Okay, you win.” Rae raised her fingers in the Scouts’ honor sign and started to reach for her cell phone, but a knock at the front door stopped her.

Audrey couldn’t believe Rae actually agreed to her conditions. She’d played a bluff, and Rae had called her on it. Now what?

“Why don’t I answer that?” Yasi said, shaking her head at Audrey and Rae’s stare-down. She opened the door for a Kramer Police CSI with a digital camera and evidence bag. “Looks like we have another cop-type visitor,” she called over her shoulder.

Trevor answered Rae’s question before she could ask it. “When you punch a number into your cell phone, hit the Send button, and the other person picks up, they can hear you. I asked the dispatcher for your location and voilà. Besides, I was in the area on another case.”

Rae waited until she and Trevor stood in front of Audrey before giving him his instructions. “Look, this is pretty sensitive. I don’t want anybody else to see the pictures you’re about to take, and I do mean
anybody
. When you finish, put the camera card in an evidence envelope and give it to me. Understand?” She obviously wanted to make sure Audrey was as comfortable as possible and that she kept her word.

“No, but since when does that matter? I do as I’m told,” Trevor said.

Audrey sat on the sofa and wrapped the robe as tightly around her as possible. Her insides quivered as if cold had settled deep inside her. Feeling lost and very much alone she took a deep breath and mentally distanced for the invasive touching about to take place. She seldom allowed anyone to touch her, especially not strangers. The only person in this room who had any idea of her agony was Yasi.

Without being asked, Yasi settled beside her on the sofa. “Here, sweetie, let me hold up your shirt.”

While Audrey clung to the robe covering her chest, Yasi eased her T-shirt up and Trevor snapped several pictures of the injuries to her back. It was taking too long and Audrey grew irritated with Trevor’s dawdling. The skin over her abdomen stung with cellular recall at the touch of fabric. She flinched, wanting desperately to remain covered but feeling the terry cloth like a weapon against her flesh. It was difficult to determine which was more painful and insidious, the stranger who touched her back now or the memory of another who’d defiled her before. Trevor dropped his hand to Audrey’s waistline and rubbed.

“What the hell are you doing?” Rae asked as Audrey lurched forward out of reach.

“Sorry, I was making sure there weren’t any injuries farther down. This one is pretty close to the waistline.” He pointed to the lower mark. “You okay, Audrey?”

“I’d appreciate a little warning next time.”

“All finished.” Trevor clicked a last shot and stepped away from the sofa. He removed the camera card, dropped it into an envelope, and handed it to Rae. “Anything else?”

“No, thanks, Trev.” When the door closed behind him, Rae knelt in front of her. Audrey could tell she wanted to touch her, to reassure her but kept her distance. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Are we done then?” Audrey gathered a pile of papers from the floor beside the sofa, shuffled into the kitchen, and threw them into the trashcan. The waves of emotion that she’d held back hit her full force. A strange man’s hands on her body, an appealing woman kneeling in front of her—the combination of revulsion and desire rolled through her like a blast of heat. She opened the refrigerator door and stood in the cool air praying it would ground her in the moment. Clinging to the sides of the refrigerator, she mentally wiped her mind of the images.

“Are you all right, sweetie?” Yasi asked, hovering nearby.

“I’ll be fine.” She stood in the cool air a few minutes longer before turning again to Rae Butler. “Now what?”

“If you’re up for it, I have a few more questions.”

“And if I’m not, will you go away?” The words sounded harsh and accusatory, but Audrey didn’t have the emotional energy to be tactful.