Double Jeopardy (Entangled Select) (15 page)

“Wait a minute, if you don’t know me, you shouldn’t even care what happens to me. So why the warning?” Lauren demanded in a low voice.

She didn’t bother to turn around. “Because the next time you might not be so lucky.” She started to walk off.

“Why do you care about Josh?” Lauren called after her.

But her question went unanswered. She reached for her glass but found her hand shaking so badly she was afraid to pick it up. She concentrated on breathing deeply, willing herself to calm down before Gail returned. She didn’t want to be asked any questions she didn’t care to answer at that moment.

“I swear men are behind the lousy lighting in women’s bathrooms,” Gail grumbled, sliding into her chair. “How can they expect you to put on lipstick when you can barely see the end of your nose?” She flashed an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I guess I’m going through PMS or something. I woke up this morning hating myself and I haven’t been able to shake myself out of this ugly mood.”

“Then I suggest we do something to take care of that.” Lauren quickly finished her drink.

“Meaning.”

“Meaning shopping. New clothes, makeup, the whole thing. There’s nothing better to cure the uglies than spending money on things that are absolutely not necessary, but which can make you feel much better just knowing you have them.”

It wasn’t until late that afternoon, after Gail dropped her off after their marathon shopping trip, that Lauren realized she hadn’t told Gail about Mitzi’s warning. She wasn’t sure if her oversight was deliberate or if she’d just plain forgot. But she felt a voice deep inside warn her to keep it to herself for now. She made the decision to not even tell Josh because she was afraid how he would react to what sounded to her like a less-than-subtle threat. As far as she was concerned, she’d experienced enough violence to last her a lifetime.

…

Lauren was upset. Good. Lauren was worried. Even better. Too bad she couldn’t become so distraught that she felt she had to commit suicide. Wouldn’t that send the right kind of message to any other slut who thought they could take Josh away from her! She wanted to laugh and dance as she thought of the ways Lauren could hurt herself. Just as Celia had hurt herself in the end.

She thought of driving by Lauren’s house to see if Josh’s car was there and decided against it, for now. No, now she would just sit here and think lovely thoughts—of Lauren out of her life for good.

“But first,” she heaved the weary sigh of one who considered her next chore an exhausting one, “I must give Josh a call. Lauren didn’t listen to me, and so, as much as I dislike doing this, I must punish her for ignoring my advice.” She picked up her phone and tapped a number she’d committed to memory long ago. She smiled as Josh’s drawl instructed the caller to leave a message. “Hello, darling,” she whispered, in that husky voice she knew would drive him wild in bed. “Do you know the whole truth about Lauren? The woman ignored her marriage vows by flaunting her affairs to her poor husband. She passed her work on to her assistants and went out looking for cheap sex. She’s no better than a whore, lover. Is that the kind of woman you want in your life? The kind of woman you need? Look at Carol. She wanted you only because of your status. All she liked to talk about was how good you were in bed. And what about Celia?

“Dear, sweet, Celia,” she spat out the name. Her face turned red with the anger simmering inside her. “She was the worst of the lot. She thought she could give you what you needed, but she couldn’t, could she? I’m the only one who can, Josh. I just wish you could realize that. The others have. That’s why they won’t see you anymore. And now, if you come to your senses and realize I’m telling the truth about Lauren, you’ll know how wrong for you she is. And then we can be together. I’ll see you soon again, love. But don’t worry. I left a surprise for you that I hope will encourage you to think of me. I hope you liked the one I left this morning. Turquoise is such a passionate color, isn’t it?”

As she returned the phone to the cradle, she kept smiling at the newspaper photograph of Josh she’d carefully arranged in an ornate gold frame that she kept by her bedside.

She curled up against her bed pillows, comforted by the T-shirt she wore that was still imbued with Josh’s scent, since she’d taken it from the hamper when she last visited his house. The scent would soon be soaked up by her skin blending the two scents. It was all so fitting. And very soon, he would be all hers.

…

Josh almost threw his cell against a wall to silence the seductive whisper that still echoed in his mind.

“I’ll never understand what makes a woman think she can force a man to love her, sight unseen.” Kevin squatted on his heels so he could better examine the crystal paperweight that had been placed by the cordless phone sitting on the coffee table. The tiny figurines of a woman making love to a man made the paperweight an erotic art object. “It looks like she’s pulling out all the stops to keep you as her very own boy toy. And now she’s getting careless. I doubt you could buy this thing at your corner gift store.” He held up the paperweight.

“Funny, that’s what you said about the wig.”

Kevin ignored his friend’s sarcasm. He straightened up, wincing as his knees protested. “How did I know there were so many companies out there that make wigs? With the label cut out, it won’t be easy to find out where it came from. The right kind of lab could tell us, by examining the hairs, what wig company it came from, and I’m checking into having that done. Until then, we’re making calls just to see if we can get lucky. But they’re all demanding we put our request in writing for names and addresses of anyone from this area ordering a blond wig.”

“What I want to know is who this Celia she mentioned is?” Josh shook his head. “I’ve never known anyone by that name.”

Kevin’s eyes lit up along with his grin. “Buddy, I think we just got our first clue.”

“How easy will it be to find out who she is?”

“About as easy as this case has been so far, but I’ll take anything I can get.” He hesitated as if unsure whether to bring something up. “My contact got back to me. I don’t know how to say this except straight out, and I hope you don’t go for my throat in the meantime.

“The doc was beaten and raped a couple years ago. Story has it that she came unhinged for a while, brought guys home, had sex marathons, and was even coming on to guys in her department. Her husband got so fed up with what she was doing that he kicked her out. Then she was told to resign or else. She bargained with her superiors to keep the story under wraps so she could go elsewhere. She knew enough people to latch onto the position here.” The detective looked uncomfortable.

Josh experienced that now familiar red haze in front of his eyes. Right now, he wanted to do nothing more than beat the hell out of his best friend for saying such a thing. “Do you honestly believe that shit?”

Kevin shrugged, which could have meant many things. He never believed in tipping his hand to anyone. “I only believe the truth when it hits me in the face, Josh. I’ll say she doesn’t look like your typical nympho, but who knows what being raped could do to a woman’s thought processes.” He refused to back down from Josh’s warning glare.

Josh leaned forward, looking very dangerous as he ground out the words. “I’ve prosecuted enough rape cases that I can tell you the victims don’t turn into raving nymphos because of it. If anything, they shun any form of physical contact, especially a man’s touch. Which is why Lauren gives off that ‘touch me not’ manner to everyone she meets, especially members of the opposite sex. But then, maybe I’ve missed something and you’ve seen her throw herself at men. Which I doubt. The woman you’re talking about isn’t Lauren.”

Kevin held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. I’m only repeating the story they gave me. I didn’t say I believed it. Anybody can see Doc’s got too much class to turn into a nympho, rape or no rape. I think they were just stringing me along. But I did get something a hell of a lot more interesting about her ex. It appears he likes to play around with teenage hookers. That one I’d believe. While he’s considered a decent cop and has a number of commendations to prove it, he wouldn’t receive any good conduct medals as a human being. And this is from his so-called friends.”

“No wonder she got out of there if she put up with crap like that,” Josh murmured, looking down and finding his fists clenched. “He deserves to be thrown out with the garbage.”

Kevin reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a tiny case. “I want you to start keeping this with you at all times from now on. If anything happens, all you’ll have to do is push the button on the side here and it will activate my cell, alerting me that you’re in trouble. It’s faster than you trying to make a call if you don’t have a chance to. I’ve got one for the doc, too.” He pushed in the side button, which immediately set off his beeper.

Josh took the case and examined it. “What’s the range?”

“According to the guys who invented it, it should be far enough for our purposes. Call it a little bit of insurance. The doc asked for a special concealed carry permit.”

He shook his head. “I can’t see her request being approved.”

“She’s only asking for one until the woman is caught, and it’s under consideration. After all that’s happened, they’re figuring it might not be a bad idea.” Kevin watched Josh thread the case through his belt loops. “But they want her to try this first.”

“I’ll give it to her tonight.” Josh took the second case and tucked it into his shirt pocket. “While I admit I don’t like the idea of private citizens carrying weapons since they’re been turned on them so frequently, I’m beginning to see why Lauren would want hers with her all the time. Who knows what will happen next?”

Distaste flashed across his features as he looked down at the paperweight, with its glittering snowflakes floating about the figures. A tiny brass plaque attached to the base was engraved in an ornate script with the words “The Eternal Lovers.”

“I sure don’t like the idea of her using the word ‘eternal’,” Kevin said, carefully easing the paperweight into a box that wouldn’t smudge any fingerprints, although he doubted the lab would find any. They hadn’t before. He sealed it shut with several strips of Scotch tape and wrote his initials across it. “It has a final sound to me.”

Eternal, as in forever.

Josh was never so glad as when the paperweight was tucked out of sight. He’d given up the hassle of changing his locks and changing the alarm codes. She seemed to find a way in anyway, so why should he bother? If he thought it would help, he’d just put out the welcome mat and wait around until she showed up.

“Yeah, I’m not too fond of the sound of it, either.”

Chapter Fourteen

“Do you think she wanted you to think of the figures in the paperweight as the two of you?” Lauren walked out of the kitchen carrying a glass of white wine. On the way to the couch, she paused by the stereo to insert another batch of CDs in the carousel. Humming along with the music, she walked over, handed Josh the wine, and curled up on the couch next to him. She leaned back against his outstretched arm resting along the back of the couch. She tucked her bare feet up under her body.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what she meant.” He downed half the wine, then offered his glass to her. “From the very beginning, she seems to have visualized us as estranged lovers. What I don’t understand is her reference to a Celia. It doesn’t make any sense. Which makes me think of Heather since it wasn’t long before she didn’t make a lick of sense.” He frowned in thought. “Heather once mentioned playing some kind of sick game with a girl in college where they’d see who could score the most guys in a weekend.” He twisted his face in an expression of distaste. “That’s when I knew what a mistake she was.”

“And here Heather sounds so cute and cuddly, like a kitten,” she cooed. “I even heard that she used to call you all sorts of cutesy names.”

“Yeah, a kitten with the morals of an alley cat.” He shook his head. “It just sounds like the kind of sick joke she’d enjoy playing. Maybe Celia was her friend in college.”

“From what you said, it sounds as if she was so upset she slipped up without realizing it. Maybe this will be your first break. She just might do it again.” She absently tapped the glass rim against her teeth as she mulled it over. “When all this first began, did you ever try to find out her identity? Didn’t you want to get in touch with her to find out why she was sending you notes and gifts? Explain to her that there couldn’t be anything between you?” She peered at him over the rim of the glass as she sipped the tart liquid before handing it back to him.

He sighed as he recalled that time. “Even in the beginning, she didn’t talk to me directly. She always confined her messages to my voicemail or sent typed notes. When the flowers and gifts started arriving on a regular basis, I put Ginnie on the trail. She’s better than a bloodhound in finding out something, but even she couldn’t come up with a name. The orders were paid in cash, and the person wasn’t memorable. It wasn’t long before the deliveries turned into a joke around the office. I got kidded about my secret admirer, and the women even worked up a dibs list as to who got the next delivery of flowers.” He drank the rest of the wine, then studied the now empty glass. “I think whiskey would be better right about now. Wine doesn’t numb the senses well enough.”

She shook her head and settled back more firmly in his arms with the intention of not getting up again.

“Just as well, since you can’t numb anything right about now. Besides, I can’t drink whiskey because of the antibiotics I’m on.”

“Then you shouldn’t be drinking wine.”

“Who’s the doctor here? Besides, I didn’t drink all that much.”

He leaned forward and set the glass on the coffee table. “Some doctor you are, if you think you can rationalize safely drinking wine while taking those pills, while you refuse to drink anything stronger.”

“I never hear my patients complain about my methods.”

“How can they? They’re dead!” He started to laugh, suddenly feeling more relaxed than he had in a long time.

He cradled her more closely in his arms as he idly combed his fingers through her hair, watching the way the lamplight highlighted the tawny strands to gold, dark blond, and ash shades. A faint scent of vanilla from her shampoo clung to his fingers. It wasn’t the first time he wondered how a battle-weary guy with a dark past like him got so lucky as to find someone as special as Lauren was. He wasn’t about to question it too closely for fear something would turn horribly wrong and she’d disappear from his life just when he’d discovered how much he wanted her in it.

“When this is all over, what would you say about going off somewhere quiet and remote for a few days where we can just kick back and be ourselves?”

She tilted her head to look at him better. “What, and go crazy with boredom because we’d have nothing to do?”

He nuzzled her ear as he whispered, “I’m sure if we put our heads together, we could come up with something to keep the excitement level pretty high.”

“Yes, I’m sure you could.”

He rested his chin on top of her head as he twisted to wrap his arms around her. “I thought it might be nice if we got out of town for a while and found an out-of-the-way place where we wouldn’t have to worry about phone messages or uninvited visitors.”

“A place on the beach,” Lauren said promptly. “I want to fall asleep hearing the ocean in the background.”

“I’ll find us one. Just don’t count on doing a lot of sleeping.”

They sat together for several moments, content to listen to the music in silence.

“I’m going back to work tomorrow,” Lauren said in a low voice. She spoke quickly to forestall Josh’s protests. “I can’t hide away, Josh. I did too much of that before, and it only left me afraid of my own shadow before I began to fight back. She’s never tried anything there.”

“What do you call stealing Norman? I’d say we have pretty strong proof that she was the one who took him.”

“I think that was more a show of power. She wanted to show me she could get into my office anytime she wanted to without being seen. She steals into our territory because she thinks it gives her an edge. It’s as if she likes us to know she can go through our personal things any time she wants. I’ll be fine working in the morgue. I can’t imagine she would want to go in there too often. There are plenty of days when I’m not too happy about going in there.” She wiggled out of his arms and turned around to face him. “So far, you and I have been able to carry on our lives pretty much as usual. That means my going back to work so I can prove to her she hasn’t won.”

“And here I’d thought about taking a leave of absence. I hoped things might calm down if I wasn’t around the courthouse so much.”

“Considering the workload you carry, you’d go crazy within a few days if you didn’t have anything to do. Besides, I don’t think that would help.” She softened her voice. She didn’t want to explain to him that there were times when she felt as if his unseen admirer could hear everything they said. As if she knew what was going on before even Lauren and Josh did. “We’ll just go on as if she doesn’t matter.”

He reached for her, laughing when she edged her way backward. “As far as I’m concerned, she doesn’t matter. So why don’t you come on back over here and we’ll discuss the proper way to dissect a frog.”

“If you want to talk about dissection, I can always tell you about my first autopsy.”

“Gory?”

She grinned. “The kind little boys go nuts over.”

“Then I’m all ears.”

Lauren grinned. “Good, because the victim had had his penis cut off, along with a few other parts of his anatomy I’m sure he once considered just as important.”

He winced. “Ouch.”

“I’m sure he protested a lot more than that.”

Josh stared at Lauren for several moments.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” She started to lightly rub her chin, then crossed her eyes to stare at her nose. “What’s wrong?”

He still studied her face. “You could have been badly scarred from the ground glass and the caustic agent, yet you haven’t seemed to worry about it. In fact, all you’ve done is complain about your face itching. People would think you’re merely getting over the chicken pox.”

“I don’t see any sense in worrying about something that didn’t happen,” she said, dragging a throw pillow onto her lap. “As it is, I doubt I thought about the consequences, even in the beginning. At that time, all I cared about was getting rid of the burning sensation because it was so strong. You’re the second person to bring that up. Gail talked about that today, too.”

Josh grew still. “Gail talked about it?”

She nodded. “She asked me about it when we went to lunch. And later, she brought it up again when we went shopping. She didn’t seem to think she could have handled the whole situation very well if it had happened to her. I tried to tell her you never know what will happen until it does. There’s no reason to worry about something that may never happen. And if it does, you just have to roll with it. I also think it has to do with growing up in an impossibly normal family. My mother was a statewide beauty queen when she was a senior in college, and my dad was a star athlete in college. They believed what was important was what was inside a person, not what they looked like on the outside.”

“So you’re saying I must have something pretty good inside me, since I don’t have anything else to recommend me?”

She couldn’t resist teasing him then. “I guess I did think of you as some aging cowboy who should have been riding the trails as a Texas Ranger instead of spending his days indoors, even if he was a prosecutor. But I figured I’d give you a chance anyway.”

“Aging cowboy?” He advanced on her with the intention of getting even.

“You’re already turning gray, how could I think otherwise?” She laughed so loud there was no doubt Josh wasn’t frightening her. She scrambled backward over the side of the couch and continued backing away from him. “Now Josh, just remember that you’re bigger than I am, so anything you’re thinking of doing wouldn’t be fair.”

“You’re one to talk about fair. You’re the one with the evil mind, not to mention easy access to sharp medical instruments, and you are accusing me of being unfair? Tell me another story, Doctor.”

Figuring on faking him out, Lauren feinted to the left, then quickly reversed to the right, except Josh guessed her move and tackled her. She shrieked, more with laughter than fear, as they rolled on the floor until they ended up with Josh sprawled on top of her.

“Josh, I can’t breathe! You have to let me up.”

“First you have to admit I won this round.”

She shook her head. “You won only in your imagination.” She pushed against his chest. “Let me up, Josh.”

He shifted his body so his legs straddled hers. “Nah, I think I like you this way.” He lowered his head. While he initiated their kiss, he allowed Lauren to control it. At first she seemed to want it soft and cuddly, with light, teasing touches. But it wasn’t long before it changed as they each wanted more. Josh nibbled on silky, soft skin while whispering in her ear equally teasing and outrageous ideas.

Lauren wasn’t sure if it was something she heard, or a flicker of movement in front of the patio door she caught in the corner of her eye. She froze and dug her nails into his arms. Keeping her expression that of a woman only interested in what was happening, she raised her head to whisper in his ear.

“I could be wrong, but I’d swear I saw something, or someone, go past the patio door.”

Josh quashed his first inclination to jump up and investigate. He cradled her head against his shoulder so he could look as if he was doing nothing more than whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

“Don’t look around or say anything. Act as if nothing’s wrong.” He made a point of nibbling her earlobe. “If she’s out there, let’s give her a show she won’t forget for a long time.”

“Don’t expect me to give her too much of a show, darling.” She did some snacking back. “I prefer a little privacy when I indulge my wilder side. Besides,” she breathed in his ear, “isn’t what we’re doing a bit dangerous? What if she doesn’t like what she sees and decides to do something about it?”

“Then maybe we’ll get a chance to find out just who is behind all this.” He wrapped his arms around her and rolled until they were farther from the patio door and the partially drawn drapes. He hoped he could angle his body so he could reach the beeper. “I’m going to try to reach the alert button for Kevin.”

“What if it’s all in my imagination?” Now she was worried for another reason.

“I’d rather have a false alarm than do nothing and have her out there playing peeping Thomasina.” He made sure to keep his back to the large glass door.

Lauren kept her eyes half closed, trying to look as if all her attention was for Josh while she was really trying to catch a glimpse of what might be out there. The trouble was, Josh’s wandering hands were making it difficult for her to concentrate on anything else but him. At the same time, anger was growing inside at the woman for doing this to her and to Josh. She tamped it down before it erupted. Wouldn’t she enjoy watching Lauren begin a fight with Josh that, in a way, she’d initiated?

She sensed more than saw his hand reach the plastic case at his belt.

“No.” She quickly covered his hand. “She’s gone. I can sense it.” She moved out of his arms and quickly crossed the room to close the drapes all the way. “This is ridiculous. I’m afraid I’ll soon start jumping at shadows. That I’ll always be looking over my shoulder anytime I’m out in public. At this rate. I’ll turn into a nervous wreck. I don’t like this feeling, Josh.” With a quick look over her shoulder at the secured drapes, she moved away from the door. “See, I do it in my own home. Not anymore, Josh. We have to fight this. We have to start fighting her with everything we’ve got.”

Josh grasped her hand and pulled her down onto the floor beside him. “Kevin and I have thought of that but couldn’t come up with a good enough idea we thought would work. Do you have an idea?”

“Of sorts. There’s only one way to do this, and that’s by sheer gall. We literally smoke her out. We spend all our free time together, make sure there’s plenty of gossip about us circulating that she’ll be sure to hear. Mainly do anything and everything to force her out into the open.”

He was shaking his head before she finished talking. “The last time she did something, you had ground glass and caustic powder in your face cream. Next time, it could end up in your food. No, I don’t want you to take that chance.”

“Too bad, Counselor, because I don’t intend to allow her to rule my life any longer. The more I think about this, the angrier I get. What gives her the right to force us to change the way we live because of her insane whims? The only way we’ll win this battle is to force her out into the open.”