Chapter 2
2
T ia crossed her legs and stifled a whimper.
An hour and a half ago, she’d finally chugged her twenty-ounce iced caramel macchiato like a sailor drinking whiskey on shore leave as they’d driven to their first call for a minor traffic accident.
Add to that the seventeen-ounce bottle of water she’d drunk after her morning workout and the usual cup of hot coffee. Her bladder threatened to detonate any second. It wouldn’t be a problem, but she was in the driveway of a home on Glen Cove Road, in Detective Kelley’s cruiser, with no access to—ahem—the facilities.
Tia groaned and pressed her thighs together. She should’ve used the restroom instead of waiting in the car when they’d stopped at the convenience store. And now, the detective’s stern warning not to follow him into a building reverberated in her head.
Adjusting the angle of her hips to relieve the ungodly pressure, she frantically pondered her options. C’mon . This stop wasn’t an armed robbery all-points bulletin. It was a routine call from a neighbor about a persistent barking dog.
Wincing in agony, she turned around to look for any signs of movement on the property. The calm air carried the sounds of early spring birds. Detective Kelley had been in the house for at least fifteen minutes.
Tires churned on the gravel to her right as a police K9 SUV dashed into the driveway. An officer jumped out, glanced her way, and gave a swift nod. Tia opened her door to let him know she needed a restroom, but his brisk half run had him at the front door in less than five seconds.
Her bladder pulsed in a relentless beat, reminding her every few seconds of imminent disaster. Tia checked her phone. She’d been sitting here almost twenty minutes now. Why hadn’t she hopped out quicker to tell the second cop she needed a restroom?
The property had scattered trees, but they were thin pin oaks with no coverage to hide her bare butt. And who knew if the neighbor that had called 911 for a barking dog was now watching the yard from afar with binoculars? Crap. This was no time for a lengthy inner discussion over the lack of facilities. As much as she didn’t look forward to the lecture she’d get from the detective, staying in the car was no longer an option. According to her throbbing bladder, she needed to act fast. Grabbing tissues from her purse, Tia swung out of the cruiser and gingerly made her way to the back of the house.
She spied a well-hidden spot between two huge bushes near the back door. Perfect. She hurried over and shimmied her pants down, braced one arm on the brick behind her, and lowered into a crouch while uttering a silent plea that she wouldn’t pee all over her clothes. With a sudden crackling of leaves, several mice darted between her legs, scattering through the yard. Choking back a scream, she yanked her pants up.
Dear lord, the pee is gonna come out. But the dog wasn’t barking anymore, which meant Kelley and company must have the situation under control. Right? She hobbled to the back steps and tried the door. It was unlocked.
Tia gave a quick knock. No answer.
She opened the glass door and slipped inside, but she kicked a small object and froze in fear. Had they heard the noise? With her heart thumping an erratic beat, she tiptoed through the kitchen, peering left and right. She really, really shouldn’t be in here. This had to be what breaking and entering felt like.
Maybe she could pee and get back to the car without them knowing she’d been inside. But what if she found a bathroom and they cornered her in a compromised position with their service weapons drawn? Well, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d been the punch line of a precinct joke.
Voices drifted from the hallway on her right. Sneaking in that direction, Tia quietly opened doors, hoping for a powder room, but discovered a coat closet and a pantry. She clenched her fists as a bladder spasm forced her to double over.
Once she’d recovered enough to stand up, she limped through a large archway into a great room with a vaulted ceiling. Rich wood panels warmed the decor, which included a black lacquered baby grand piano on her left and a massive stone fireplace at the far end.
The blood spatter on the white love seat was her first clue. The second was the broken glass and the objects strewn at odd intervals. Glancing down... her feet stopped short. She was standing in a puddle of scarlet. A woman’s lifeless body lay on the ornate Oriental rug in front of a glass-top coffee table. Detective Kelley was talking into his radio by the fireplace, and the K9 cop knelt on the floor tending to a bloodied dog.
She took a step backward, mumbled her need for a bathroom, and gaped at the woman’s body again. The poor soul was a mess. Tia’s right hand flew to her mouth. Nausea churned, and her ears rang. Her eyes locked onto Kelley’s as he leaped across an overturned ottoman and ran toward her in slow motion.
She opened her mouth to explain why she’d left the police car, but the words wheezed from her throat. Her hand slipped when she tried to steady herself on a nearby round mother-of-pearl door handle. Jerking her fingers away, she wiped crimson on her pants.
Detective Kelley tossed her over his shoulder. He should’ve been a linebacker. Total anarchy ensued as her stomach joined forces with her bladder. Gagging and dazed, she swiped at her breakfast on the back of Kelley’s uniform, but the attempt at cleanup was futile.
He unceremoniously deposited her into the back seat of the police cruiser, then everything went black.
Sirens wailed, and voices spoke in varying degrees of urgency, demanding assistance and stating facts. Murder. Crime scene. Brutal . The words swirled around her like morning fog, but her attention focused when a male voice commented, “Poor dog barked himself hoarse, tore the fur and flesh off his neck trying to free himself from the grooming apparatus. We should all hope for a dog that devoted.”
Tia squinted against the bright sunlight.
“Hey, how are you doing? You warm enough?” A female police officer stared down at her with a kind face and took her pulse
Tia tried to sit up, but the woman said, “Whoa, you’ve just had quite a shock. Let’s wait for the gurney and the fellas.” Feeling Tia’s forehead, she smiled. “Do you remember where you are, honey?”
“Yeah. I was on a ride along with an officer, big guy.” What the heck was his name? She honestly couldn’t remember right now.
“Yes, Detective Kelley. Do you remember what happened?”
“There was so much blood. I needed to use the bathroom, and I think I hurled on the guy.” She must’ve, because her mouth was sour. Heated embarrassment crept up her neck, scalding her cheeks.
“You walked in on an awful scene. Fact is, we haven’t had a murder around here in five years. In this ocean-resort community, we usually deal with drunk vacationers, speeding violations, and a few domestics. My name’s Odessa Wright. I’m a police officer, but I was a nurse first, so when anyone needs a band-aid, they call on me.”
Odessa surveyed the busy yard, shook her head, and muttered, “Here comes Dr. Fletcher. Don’t pay him any mind.”
Tia listened intently to a man yelling about someone puking on his crime scene. She moaned and forced herself up to see the man in question waving his arms while shouting a colorful stream of accusatory words at Detective Kelley and the K9 cop.
Two paramedics arrived with a stretcher, and Odessa moved to give them room. “Miss O’Rourke, Chief Carson insists a physician check you out before you go home.” Tia rolled her eyes at Odessa, who shook her head reassuringly and smiled.
“Just tell my uncle I’m fine. A little shook up is all. I don’t need to go to the hospital.” She anchored her feet on the driveway and stood, gripping the cruiser door for balance. The paramedics glanced at Odessa.
The older attendant spoke up. “Miss, we don’t want to tell the chief you refused medical attention. He’s already concerned that he sent you on a ride along to a tragic crime scene. It’s a smart idea to get evaluated by a professional.”
Tia waved them away. “I’m okay, see? Just let me stand here.” If they’d only give her a little space, she’d be fine. Her body wobbled slightly to the left, and the younger paramedic stepped closer.
Odessa peered into Tia’s eyes. “Here, honey, bend at the waist, and keep your head down. You’ll feel more stable in a minute.”
Tia rested her hands on her thighs and kept her head low to appease Odessa. Her pants were soaked almost to the knees. The realization set in that she had not only doused the officer with breakfast but peed herself to boot. The whole department would know she’d managed to contaminate a crime scene with bodily fluids, of all things. What a nightmare. This would make for epic-proportion gossip at the precinct.
On a startled gasp, she remembered where she’d seen Detective Kelley before. It was the beach bonfire the spring of her sophomore year in high school. Her cheeks flamed as she glanced his way. Yeah, that was him all right. He’d changed a lot in fifteen years. The boy she’d made out with under a blanket had grown a lot taller, bulked up, and become a man.
Officer Wright broke into her reverie. “It won’t take that long to get evaluated since you’ll be arriving in an ambulance, Tia.”
Oh, what the hell... she needed a ride out of this place anyway. It wasn’t like she was qualified to help, and the embarrassment of standing on the sidelines with wet pants was more than she could bear. One paramedic helped her onto the gurney, and the other fastened the safety straps.
In the short bumpy ride to the ambulance, Tia counted seven police and fire vehicles, including the one marked Coroner in bold black letters. That poor woman on the rug and that valiant bloodied dog. Who would do such a thing? What would become of the woman’s dog?