Chapter Thirty-Nine
It was cooler on the mountain.
Once she and Braddock had rendezvoused at the cabin, he drove her to Hampton Cove to pick up dinner. It wasn’t like there would be any delivery service deep in the woods of the state park. And for the first time since she’d gotten Braddock’s phone call, she was hungry. Really hungry.
She’d eaten her fill of steamed vegetables and fried rice. Now she felt tired and satisfied to some degree. She had called Juanita about the key. She hadn’t answered so CJ had left a voicemail. One way or another she was getting in that clinic tomorrow.
There were many things about her sister’s life that she now understood. Like the deceit and the inability to depend upon those who were supposed to provide protection—law enforcement officers . . . and medical personnel.
Juanita and Cost had taken advantage of Shelley. Had used her like she was some disposable product manufactured for their entertainment. The idea made CJ sick. They wouldn’t get away with this. That was one thing she could ensure.
And Celeste. Poor Celeste. Nash couldn’t keep getting away with what he was doing to those women.
Braddock joined her on the couch. “You okay?”
CJ closed her eyes, drew in a deep, deep breath. “The one thing I’m certain of right now is that I’m not okay.”
“What those two did is criminal.”
Over dinner she had filled Braddock in on the confrontation between Juanita and Cost.
“I suppose”—CJ opened her eyes—“Carter Cost was the secret man in Shelley’s life.” It killed CJ to think that Shelley had been so happy. She’d thought she finally had a good guy. A guy who was somebody. And he’d only been using her.
Braddock nodded. “You know that makes him a suspect.”
He was right. “Oh my God.” The words he’d screamed at Juanita finally made sense. “He said something like, ‘You don’t know what you’ve done.’” Her gaze lifted to Braddock’s. “Do you think he could have killed her because he thought she was pregnant and would blackmail him or expose him?”
“Before Banks was murdered, I would have said that was very possible. But the MO used to murder Shelley was the same one used on Banks. I can’t see any reason Cost would have killed Banks.”
“True.” CJ made a disparaging sound. “I can guarantee he isn’t man enough to get close to that dog, much less use it as a murder weapon.”
“Sounds like you and Cost have a history.”
“Believe it or not,” CJ hated how this was going to sound, “back in college, Cost dropped Juanita and went after me for a while. Trust me, his motives were merely selfish. He dropped me soon after he had attained his goal. I guess Juanita still carries a grudge.” Poor Shelley.
How was she ever supposed to have gotten her life back with odds like this?
But she had been doing exactly that. There was no way to know if her determination would have withstood the pain of learning Cost had used her, had she lived.
CJ dropped her head on the sofa back. How could so many people associated with the village be so crazy? Evil? Maybe it wasn’t all of them, just the ones she knew.
What did that say about her?
That she’d grown up in a dysfunctional, drug-abusing household.
Sad.
“I’ll have Cooper haul Cost in tomorrow just to rattle his cage.” Braddock smiled. “When she gets through with him, he’ll be a far humbler man.”
CJ touched his arm. “Only if I can watch.”
Braddock looked down at her hand on his arm, then lifted his eyes back to hers. That desire was there again. She should have moved her hand. Shouldn’t have just sat there staring at him. But somehow she couldn’t.
He took her hand in his, gently explored it. She told herself to draw her hand away but she couldn’t. Then he leaned toward her, brushed his lips across hers. She eased into the kiss. Couldn’t resist.
Banging on the door had CJ jumping back.
Another round of pounding echoed through the small cabin. Braddock released her hand and went to the front window. He took a look, then opened the door.
Detective Cooper waltzed in, her arms loaded with bags. “I come bearing gifts.”
CJ felt her cheeks redden. Talk about bad timing. If Detective Cooper suspected anything was going on between CJ and Braddock, that could make them both look bad.
Braddock took the Walmart bags from his partner. “What’s that?” He nodded to the big Priority Mail envelope beneath her arm.
“Evidence.” She shot a look across the room at CJ. “I don’t know about you, but I could use some coffee.”
CJ ordered herself to relax. “Sounds good to me.”
“I know what that means.” Braddock set the bags aside and headed for the tiny kitchen.
CJ moved to the table and watched as Cooper opened the envelope and pulled out a manila file folder.
By the time Braddock returned with the coffeepot and three mugs hooked on his fingers, Cooper had a number of photos and reports spread across the table.
“Thanks, partner,” she said as he set the cups and the pot on the rustic table amid her display.
CJ leaned down, took a closer look. “Crime scene photos?”
“That’s right.” Cooper poured herself a cup of coffee. “All believed to be Nash’s work.”
CJ shuddered, drew back. She noticed that there wasn’t one of Shelley. She was glad.
“Did you drive through the village before coming here?” Braddock wanted to know.
“I did. Chief Spencer gave us the two cops you asked for. Metcalf is watching the alley behind the Patterson house and Wallace has the front.” She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a folded-up envelope. “By the way, Lusk stopped by and stuck this on your door.”
“Why are they watching the house?” CJ had just assumed that since she wasn’t there, the surveillance wouldn’t be necessary. She accepted the envelope and opened it. “The key to the clinic.” Good. Part of her was glad she hadn’t had to face Juanita to get it.
Braddock passed CJ a cup of coffee, then poured one for himself. “If Nash gets any ideas about checking out your story, he won’t have any luck getting into the house.”
“Good point.” CJ hadn’t thought of that. Good thing she wasn’t a cop. She placed the key on the table. Braddock picked it up and tucked it into his pocket. “That’s one obstacle out of the way.”
“Okay.” Cooper gestured to her display of photos and reports.
“All of the murders, including Shelley’s and Banks’s, have similarities.
The murderer took a souvenir of sorts. Tongue, ear, foot, hand, et cetera.
With Kimberly’s murder, he did the same, but he also left a written message—like the E.
Noon or No One messages that have been left this time.
” Cooper shrugged. “Sort of, anyway.” She picked up the evidence photo of the note Braddock had gotten when his niece went missing and placed it atop the others.
“The one thing that these two recent murders have in common that none of the others do is the staging. That’s the part that doesn’t add up to me. ”
“Maybe he’s trying to be clever,” CJ suggested. “He gets off on making other people look stupid. Maybe he thinks this is like an in-your-face thing directed at Braddock and you.”
Cooper downed a slug of coffee. “That’s a definite possibility. He likes kicking us in the teeth. There is also the possibility that it isn’t Nash.”
“But when you consider the most recent victims,” Braddock offered, “the one thing all three have in common is Tyrone Nash.”
“And living in the village,” CJ added. “Each was involved in drugs and prostitution.” She steeled herself against the emotions that tried to pound her composure. “Shelley was turning her life around, but . . .” She moistened her lips. “Those activities were still a part of her recent history.”
Braddock tapped one of the photos. “The other sticking point is there was no signature at the scene where Celeste’s body was discovered.”
“Tyrone definitely killed her,” CJ protested. “He as much as said he did when he threatened me. Carter Cost had a motive for wanting Shelley out of his way, but even if he had killed her, like you said,” she directed at Braddock, “he had no reason to kill Ricky or Celeste.”
“Just because we haven’t found the signature yet doesn’t mean it isn’t there,” Cooper argued. “The ME may find something on or in the body that we missed.”
“True,” Braddock allowed. “What we need now is to make Tyrone believe that CJ has something real on him. Maybe get him in a better negotiating posture.”
CJ was counting the hours until her meeting with Tyrone. She tried not to be nervous, but her efforts were failing miserably. “He’ll want at least a glimpse of the tape as proof.”
“Exactly.” Cooper walked over to the bags she’d brought with her. “On my way here I stopped at Walmart.” She looked from CJ to Braddock. “We’re going to make some porn.”
“Okay.” Cooper sat back on the wood beam. “Hand the camera up to me.”
Braddock stood on the bed and extended the handheld video camera to his partner. “You need anything else up there?”
“That’ll do it.” Cooper flashed one of those cheeky grins of hers. “Everything else is up to you two.”
CJ felt her pulse skip. This had seemed like a really good idea when Cooper had come up with it. But now CJ wasn’t so sure.
“You’re still okay with this?”
CJ met the question in Braddock’s eyes. Suffered a moment of doubt. Why was she second-guessing herself? It was the right thing to do. “I’m good. Let’s do it.”
“You’re going to have to look naked,” Cooper reminded from her position on the ceiling beam.
Yeah . . . that was the problem.
Just stop. Do it and stop thinking. CJ peeled off her tee. Thankfully her bra was a nude color. Once she was standing there with nothing but the bra and her jeans, she didn’t give herself time to think. She climbed beneath the quilt on the bed and pulled it up to her chin.
“You’ll need to keep your face over hers,” Cooper said to Braddock. “The hair color is the same, but we don’t want him to get a glimpse of her face.”
“Uh-huh.” Braddock started unbuttoning his shirt.
CJ stared at the ceiling, just past where Cooper sat on the beam. She could do this. They had kissed just a little while ago. Only a few days ago they’d had sex. It wasn’t a big deal. Cooper would be watching. The video camera would be rolling.
It wouldn’t be real.
Maybe that was the problem. Maybe she wanted it to be real.
The bed shifted. Her breath caused the air to evacuate her lungs. Braddock slid beneath the quilt. His leg brushed against hers and heat shot through her veins.
She blinked. His trousers were still on. They weren’t naked. It wasn’t a big deal.
“Jesus, Braddock,” Cooper said, “you’re going to have to get on top of her so her face doesn’t show.”
His dark gaze collided with CJ’s. “Yeah, yeah. I got it.”
He sounded as nervous as she felt. This was ridiculous. They’d had sex, for Christ’s sake. They were adults.
CJ thrust her arms around his neck and, deciding there was no turning back now, pulled his face closer. “We have to make this look real,” she muttered.
“That would be nice,” Cooper shouted down.
CJ felt her face flush. She hadn’t meant for Cooper to hear the comment.
“Real,” Braddock echoed. “Yeah.”
He dipped his head, brushed his lips across hers. She didn’t mean to, but she made a little sound . . . just a soft sigh. And she shivered.
He drew back, stared down at her.
She blinked. God, this was so awkward!
He stared at her mouth a moment, then dove back in with his.
The kiss went on and on. Deeper. Soft at first, then harder. CJ forgot about Cooper up on the ceiling beam. Her entire focus was on his mouth . . . the feel of his muscled body pressing into hers.
“I’m sorry, guys,” Cooper announced.
CJ’s eyes flew open. Braddock’s lips drew away from hers.
He turned his head. “What?” The single word was rough, thick.
CJ wasn’t the only one feeling the tension.
“The kissing is great,” Cooper explained, “but you’re going to have to move around some if you expect this to look realistic.”
Braddock turned his face back to CJ’s. He stared a long moment. The desire in his eyes made her heart thump harder.
“Gotcha,” he mumbled.
And then his mouth came down on hers. His body started to move, mimicking that up-and-down, grinding motion of lovemaking.
CJ lost herself to the rising sensations. She didn’t even want to think how long she’d been without sex until a few days ago. Her legs wrapped around his and she lifted to meet his movements.
Waves of pleasure washed over her, started her toward that plunge of release. She tried to hold it back . . . couldn’t. Braddock’s breathing was heavy between kisses. His body tense.
“That should do it.”
Braddock froze. CJ bit her lip to hold back a whimper. She blinked. Tried to catch her breath. Her entire body pulsed.
“Help me out here,” Cooper called down to Braddock.
He scrambled from under the quilt, climbed up to take the camera.
CJ scooted off the mattress. Grabbed her blouse and pulled it back on. Her body was still strumming with pleasure. She was so close to . . .
“I need some air.” Braddock stormed out of the cabin.
Cooper dropped down onto the bed. She shook her head. “Men. They just can’t take the heat.”
CJ managed a shaky smile. At the moment, she wasn’t exactly taking it too well either. She rammed her fingers through her hair. Straightened her clothes.
Cooper prepared to copy her camerawork onto a videotape and ensure it was good to go.
As soon as the images flashed on the small television screen, CJ was out of there.
“I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee,” she mumbled.
“You might want to put some ice in that,” Cooper called behind her. “I think you both need to cool off.”