The Lady Killer (11 page)

As they stepped out of the elevator, Ralph gave her a comforting smile. “One thing I’ve noticed about you over the years, you do not give up until you get your man.”

“Unless he gets me first!”

“That’s why I’m going to do something you can’t tell my wife about.”

“And what pray tell is that?”

“I am giving you jewelry!”

“Don’t you give your wife jewelry?”

“Yes, but I’m not supposed to give it to other women. This is a special bracelet that has a hidden tracking device, and the Captain will have the monitor. When he undresses them, he never takes jewelry, so I thought it would be the safest thing to give you. I know Burns and Murphy will be jealous, but just tell them that they’re not my type.”

“I’ll be sure to let them know. Let’s just hope you’re not Murphy’s type!”

“Hmmmmm, do I detect a bit of interest in that young man
not
being like someone else, who I won’t mention? And is that a blush I see on your face?”

“Yeah, it has crossed my mind. I don’t know, Ralph. Sometimes it would be nice to just have someone to hold me and spend time with. Then I get scared. For five years, I didn’t know about Alan. How can I ever
not
wonder about the next guy I’m with?”

“That’s a human response, but fortunately, not all men are like Alan. You just need to find one who will be honest with you from the start. It has been over three years now, and all your tests have come back negative. There’s no reason that you can’t explore a new relationship.”

“If we didn’t work together it would be much easier.”

“Can I give you a little fatherly advice?”

She grinned at him. “I don’t think you’re old enough, but go right ahead.”

“There’s nothing easy about life or relationships. It wouldn’t matter if he was from the moon. You are either compatible or not.”

“I’m not sure if he’s even interested in me that way.”

“Then you’re about the only one around here who isn’t!”

“Ralph, you are like the father I never had.”

“You had a father, silly girl.”

“Okay, then you’re the father I wish I had. The real one was abusive, and I hated him up until the day he died.”

“Laura, it isn’t good to hate, you have to let go of it someday.”

She reached over and pinched his cheek. “I’m still working on that one! Thanks for coming in on your day off to rescue me. See you tomorrow!”

She was laughing to herself on the way to the elevator. No matter what kind of mood she was in when she walked into the famous Dr. Foote’s lab, she came out smiling. Looking at the bracelet on her arm, she realized that it symbolized so much more than just a tracking device. It was the love and caring of the people who were closest to her, people who were worried about her safety. Maybe she had been wrong about not being missed if she was gone. Even though she tried to isolate herself for protection, she couldn’t deny that it felt good to be loved.

When she got upstairs, her two partners were waiting, and Burns looked excited about something. “Hey, I just got a call from Liz. You remember her, Julia White’s assistant.”

“What did she want?”

“Liz just remembered that they had an angry customer who used to come in there to complain about how high the prices were. She thought that Julia was ripping people off.”

“That’s interesting. Was it just the once?”

“No, she said that Julia had to throw the woman out of the store several times. She kept coming back and yelling at them. Finally, Julia threatened to get a restraining order against her.”

“What did she look like?”

“Tall brunette, with funky thrift store type clothing and way too much makeup. Liz said that the woman was very menacing and scared them both.”

“Not much to go on. Put an alert out to the beat cops in that area to be on the lookout for someone fitting that description. Too bad Julia didn’t go ahead with that threat, then we would have a name. It might be worth talking to her, but I can’t take that as a serious lead because she doesn’t tie-in to any of the other victims.”

“Okay, had to throw it out there. It was nice of her to call us back, most wouldn’t bother.”

“That’s for sure. We haven’t seen any of the other people, like Byron, flocking in here to help. Hey, I want you two to work on the crime scenes tomorrow. Run down the owners of each of the buildings, and see if we can tie them to anything like the security company the guard worked for, property management or any kind of janitorial service. I’m going to be in late, and Rutledge already knows about it. I think we can call it quits for today. We’ve been here several hours.”

“Thanks, Peterson, you and Burns go ahead and get some rest. I want to get a head start on that building summary, so I’m going to stay a couple of more hours. If you need anything don’t hesitate to call, even if it’s just because you hear a strange noise.”

“Thanks, Murphy, I appreciate the concern.”

Laura and Roy walked out to the parking lot together. He checked her car over carefully and then helped her inside. “You know, that need anything offer is good for me too, even though I think Murf would love to have an excuse to come to your place in the middle of the night. Sara and I are worried about you.”

“Thanks, Roy, I’ll be fine. It’s good to know that I have friends like you.”

“What’s going on tomorrow morning?”

She thought about telling him that she was seeing her former therapist, Dr. Andrea Walsh, and then decided to keep it to herself. “Something personal, I’ll be in by ten.”

“Go home and lock yourself in tight.”

“I will do that just for you! Goodnight.”

CHAPTER 8

“G
ood morning, Laura. I was very surprised to get a call Sunday from my answering service. This must be something important. How long has it been since we’ve seen each other, almost two years?”

“Yes, Dr. Walsh, it has been at least that long.”

“What’s going on?”

“This serial murder case I’m working on is bringing up abuse issues for me. Now, it looks like he’s hunting me, instead of the other way around.”

“Has he threatened you in some way?”

Laura fidgeted in her chair. “Yes, with a rose and a letter, which he returned to a crime scene that I thought we had staked out with surveillance.”

“So, he risked getting caught to deliver his message? How did you know that it was for you?”

“It was addressed to me. I brought you a copy of it.”

Dr. Walsh put on her glasses, read the letter and then paused in thought. “I don’t want to alarm you, Laura, but I would take this very seriously.”

“I am and so are my partners. The problem is that it appears the guy is on our police force in some capacity. I just don’t know who I can trust, or who to suspect.”

She smiled gently at Laura. “Who is your gut telling you to trust?”

“At first no one, because I was so frightened. Now that I’m thinking straight, I know I can trust my partners and my Captain. I also trust my ME, Dr. Ralph Foote. We’ve narrowed it down to someone who has moved into our city within the last year. So, basically, I might be able to trust anyone who has been here longer than that. But it’s really hard getting out there, now that I know he’s watching me. You know the issues I have with trust. Between my father and Alan, I have very little left. Then there are all the feelings I have about the mistreatment of women in society, and these crime scenes look like they are straight out of a sadistic porn movie! This guy is pushing every button I have!”

Dr. Walsh made a note on her pad. “How are you handling all of those different feelings?”

“When I’m working I’m fine. I’m focused on the case. It’s when I’m home alone with my thoughts that it’s hard to cope. Now that I’ve been threatened, I’m wearing a tracking device and have to inform Captain Rutledge of my every move. That’s also bringing up my independence issues.”

“Whose idea was it that you come here?”

“It was mine. I know when I can’t handle things on my own. You taught me that.”

“Good, if you were coming here because you got forced into it, that wouldn’t be healthy for you. As I remember, one of your issues was being able to ask for help without seeing it as a form of weakness. I’m happy to see that you picked up the phone on your own.”

“I still think of it as weakness, but now I can recognize that my own stubborn attitude gets me nowhere, fast. Do you think it’s weakness to be frightened by this man?”

“Considering that caution is never a weakness, you already know the answer to that question, don’t you?”

“Yes, I need to respect the danger as if it was a rattlesnake, but not let the fear incapacitate me to the point where I can’t do my job. It’s just that I don’t want to appear vulnerable at work right now. We have no idea who this killer is. He could be anyone, and I don’t want to show weakness around my adversary.”

“What have you done that you consider showing weakness?”

Laura looked down at her lap. “I cried in front of Dan.”

“I’ve never heard you talk about him. Who is Dan?”

“He’s the new detective in our department.”

“And do you suspect him of being your killer, because he’s new?”

“Oh no, not Dan! He’s been on our force for several years. He just transferred into Homicide a few months ago. I feel completely safe around him, maybe a little too safe.”

“What does that mean?”

“Everyone thinks he’s sweet on me. I’ve been having these romantic thoughts about him lately and then scolding myself in the mirror.”

“Your HIV tests are still coming back negative?”

Laura shook her head vigorously. “Yes, fortunately.”

“Then you could start a relationship.”

“That’s what Ralph has been telling me. I just don’t know if I’m ready to take that risk again. I still have mornings when I wake up hating Alan for what he did.”

“I understand, just keep working on that. Only you will know when you’re ready. In the mean time, is there a rush to make a decision?”

She shook her head back and forth slowly. “No.”

“How did it feel to cry in front of him?”

“It felt surprisingly safe. I feel more comfortable around this man than I have ever felt with anyone. He understands me. Maybe because he had three sisters and knows how women think, but I feel like I could tell him anything.”

“Have you told him how you feel about him?”

A look of panic came across Laura’s face. “Absolutely not!”

“If you can tell him anything, why haven’t you told him how you feel?”

Laura thought for a moment. “First, because I would have to leave myself open for rejection, and I’m not sure that he feels the same way about me. Second, I think it might start up a relationship that I’m not ready to handle. What if we started dating and this psycho saw Dan as a threat of some kind. He’s watching me, and I wouldn’t want to see him hurt someone I care about.”

“I think from your answer that you care more for this man on a subconscious level, than you are willing to admit on the conscious. That’s something you should explore, but I also agree about not fueling the hatred of this psychopath.”

Laura sighed deeply. “You’re right about the caring, and that scares me more than psycho man. I keep convincing myself that I’m better off alone, because then no one would miss me if I got killed on the job. But I think the real issue is that I don’t want to go through the pain of losing someone I love. Losing Alan was my choice, I threw him out. But it still hurt and sent me to a year of therapy with you. Having someone taken away from me, because of some psycho, is a whole different thing to deal with.”

“I think that’s a fair assessment. However, it wasn’t your choice to have Alan cheat on you, so it’s still a loss, and loss is part of life. This Dan is special to you?”

“Yes, he is so cute, kind and considerate. I feel safe and protected when he’s near me. Then the part of me that doesn’t want to be dependent on someone else kicks in, and I turn away. He has this innocence about him that is so endearing. I’m afraid if I let myself go I will fall in love with him, and then what would I do?”