Branded for Murder (Scott Tucker Series) Read online

  “Hi Lisa, she seemed nice enough to me.”

  “I would expect so,” she answered quickly. “Can we go?”

  “Sure. Let’s go.” I took her hand, but she didn’t really hold my hand as we passed by the guard.

  “Have a nice night you two,” he said, smiling at us as we passed.

  “Thanks. I hope so,” I replied. Holding the door open for Lisa, I wondered if my fear of her wanting to cool our relationship was coming to be. We didn’t speak as we walked to my car. I opened the door for her and she slid inside.

  *.*.*

  I quickly started the car, looking over to her. “Lisa, are you okay?”

  Her hands were clenched and she was slow to speak. “Scott, I’m sorry. You didn’t do anything. I guess I was a little surprised at Julie’s…well, her holding your hand.”

  I was surprised and relieved she was jealous. I guess I read what she was upset about, having nothing to do with the other night. “I guess I didn’t think anything of it. She was just introducing herself and telling me you were coming.”

  “I’m sorry Scott. I guess I missed you so, and then when I saw you holding someone else’s hand, I lost it.” She slid over in her seat towards me, leaned across the console and kissed me. When she put her cold hands on my neck, I jumped. “What’s the matter Scott, are you out of practice? Let’s try that again.” This time she was across the console, on my lap facing me. We locked lips. She took my breath away. “Like I said Scott, that’s the way to greet a lady.”

  I wanted to take her right to my place, right then. “Are you hungry?” I asked.

  “That could be a trick question. Let me assume you’re talking about dinner. I would enjoy a nice Italian dinner.” She put her arms around my neck, adding, “So what nationality are you?”

  I knew what she meant. I could devour her also. I knew we needed to eat dinner for our strength later, and replied, “I’m part Swedish.”

  She looked into my eyes not saying anything for a minute. “I’m so hungry, I could devour all of you…but what part is Swedish?”

  I might be stupid, but I knew we could head to my apartment right then, but decided not to. We kissed for some time. I finally said, “We need to get going.”

  She started biting at my ear and whispered, “I know you have your motor going…mine’s going too.” She jumped away and announced, “You need to get the defroster going mister. The windows are all fogged up.”

  I put the defroster on and smiled at her this time. “I thought it was already on.”

  *.*.*

  We ate at a small Italian restaurant in the Back Bay section of Boston. The red and white tablecloths reminded me of the pub, but the wine in coke bottles was a nice touch. Speaking of touches, the ride to my apartment was filled with anticipation. I was really enjoying my time with Lisa, but was concerned about her fear of being watched.

  She shared something else with me. “Scott, I think someone has been in my dorm room. I have a set of black underwear missing from my drawer. I noticed the drawer had been disturbed. I asked Judy if she was in my drawer and she asked why. She told me I must be wrong, that I must have left it that way. I went through my clothes basket, telling her the underwear set was indeed missing.”

  Now, I was even more concerned about things. First the guard, then the feeling she was being watched, then sensing someone was in her room and then the missing underwear. All of this could be explained, but right now I couldn’t help explain them. “Lisa, there’s probably an explanation.”

  “Scott, everything seems so confusing since we were together the other night. I’m not thinking straight, and maybe you’re right about there being an explanation.” Her face lit up from the reflection of my headlights on my apartment building as we headed down the driveway. I noticed the worried look on her face, but it seemed to melt away as we got closer to the building. She added, “Thank God we are finally here.”

  *.*.*

  As we silently went up the stairs, I was thinking about whether I had too much garlic bread. I knew I could brush my teeth as soon as we were inside. The stairs made their usual announcement of my arrival, but this time there was a duet.

  I opened the door to my apartment. Lisa took about two steps in, kicked off her shoes, turned and planted a wonderful kiss on my lips. She had her arms around my neck and I could feel the warmth of her body right through our winter jackets. I picked her up, carrying her right into the bedroom, placing her on the bed. I took off my jacket and then her pea coat. “Lisa, are we rushing things too fast?”

  “I’ll let you know if you get too far ahead of me. Right now you’re about a lap behind. She pulled my head down, biting and lapping my ear. “Scott seriously, my body reacts to you long before you even touch me. I want us to enjoy a night of love making. I could care less right now about getting any sleep.” Her fingers were already busy with my buttons.

  *.*.*

  As the light of the rising sun was coming in the bedroom window, I was still amazed by the sight of her. She was sleeping facing the window with her back to me, but the covers were someplace other than on the bed. Her back was as beautiful as the rest of her. I could see the curve of her spine against her skin. Her waist looked even smaller accented by the curve of her hips. I was amazed about last night, how comfortable we were with each other and how many times we made love. I could feel my heart thumping in my chest now just thinking about it.

  I kissed her shoulder lightly, surprised that she quickly rolled over. I looked into her eyes and all I could see was happiness. We stared at each other, saying nothing. Our eyes told it all. I knew long before last night I had found the love of my life. I just wished I could make her the happiest person in the world forever. I thought of my cousin Jackie and what she missed. She would miss this special sensation of loving someone. My eyes started to water, but I didn’t look away.

  Lisa saw what was happening and quietly asked, “What’s wrong Scott? It’s not about last night, or us, is it?”

  Tears were running down my cheeks and she kissed them away. “Scott I love you. There was something about you when I first saw you in the library. I knew I would be with you some day and hopefully forever.” She had no sooner spoken the words when her own emotions spilled forth in her eyes. I sensed she might be concerned I didn’t feel the same way. She asked, “Please tell me what’s wrong.”

  I hugged her, feeling the familiar warmth of her body. “I need to share something with you.” However, my body was talking faster than I was.

  She pushed against my shoulders, wiggled a little and said smiling, “You’ve already shared that with me.”

  She was incredible, but I needed to get serious. “We’ll get back to that later. Right now I need to share something with you and it’s not that. I need to be serious for a minute.” I rolled away from her, sitting up against the headboard. I found the sheet to make sure we had a serious talk. She pulled the other end to cover herself, but she looked like I was about to tell her we were finished.

  “Lisa, this isn’t about us. I want to be with you forever, but there’s something else I have to share with you.” My thoughts went to Jackie again and the tears started to well up.

  “You’ve got my attention. Scott you’re scaring me, what’s wrong?”

  I took a deep breath, rolling over to face her. “It’s about a specific strangler case and something I need to share.” She didn’t say a word, but I could tell her mind was spinning like crazy. “One of the strangling cases involved my family.” I tried to tell it unemotionally, but I couldn’t hold the tears back. I thought of Jackie, never feeling the love I was. “My cousin, Jackie, was one of his victims.” I wanted to say more, but the words wouldn’t come.

  “Scott, I’m so sorry. That must be awful.” She was kissing away my tears again and although I couldn’t entirely forget about Jackie, she was doing a good job of making me feel much better.

  *.*.*

  We were smiling over coffee that morning. I felt lik
e hell, not having slept all night. However, it had been a nice feeling cuddling, but all that had done was to light the fire again. We had finally called a truce as I poured the coffee, but her kisses on my neck almost kissed it goodbye.

  “Lisa, we need to finish breakfast and get going, or we won’t make Thanksgiving dinner.”

  She smiled at me again. I knew it was trouble coming. “So you would rather eat than have me, is that what you’re saying Mr. Tucker?”

  I considered my options before answering. “It would be easy to stay here with you for several days. Just say the word.” I let that sit with her for a moment. “How about we eat a quick breakfast, and then jump in the shower together?” She gave a playful smile, starting to unbutton my white shirt she was wearing. She got to the third button. I jumped up to put the bread in the toaster. I was about to butter the toast when I felt her pressing her body against my back.

  We ate the cold toast in the car on our way to her dorm. Neither of us complained about the lack of a real breakfast, as the shower was higher on the priority list. It was hard to think we were going separate routes in a few minutes.

  “Lisa.”

  “What Scott?”

  I wanted to tell her earlier, but I hadn’t been able to say the words. “Thank you for coming into my life.” I looked over at her, and she looked so angelic with her white beret and her blonde hair hanging over her shoulder.

  She smiled and came over closer. “Scott it must have been fate. There were so many things that needed to happen to put us near each other. I can’t tell you how happy you make me feel.” I could see the tears running down her cheeks this time.

  I put my arm around her, pulling her to my chest, “Lisa…I love you.”

  She answered quickly, “I know you do…I love you too. I want to be with you for the rest of my life.” No sooner had she said the words when I noticed her worried expression. She couldn’t hold her sobs back, hugging me with all of her strength.

  I could feel her body shaking and heard her crying. I thought of Jackie again and how her life was cut short by that madman, and the President’s recent murder. “I’ll take care of you…and we’ll have a long life together.” I thought about my promise to Jackie. “I promise.”

  We spent several minutes in the car after I parked near her dorm. It was hard to say goodbye, neither of us wanting to leave each other. I think I was stronger, finally saying, “Lisa, we both need to get going. I’ll miss you but we will be back together soon. Enjoy the time with your parents. I’ll call you Friday. Maybe we can see each other Friday night or over the weekend?”

  She didn’t answer. She just kissed me and kissed me. I finally had to literally push her away. I opened my door. I went around and opened her door, but she was pouting and wiggling her finger at me. We shared a long passionate kiss. I was very close to getting back in the car, taking her back to my apartment. I don’t know how I got the strength, but I pulled her out of the car and we kissed once more. “Lisa, I’m going to need a day to recover from all of this.” I smiled, starting to walk her to her dorm. She reluctantly joined me.

  It was cold outside, but it felt good. We climbed the dorm stairs. I started kissing her again, and she froze. She broke my hold and went inside quickly and didn’t even turn around. “Call me Scott.”

  She flew past the guard and the reception area, running up the stairs. I watched her cover the distance in seconds. I turned to leave, noticing the guard, who made Lisa uncomfortable. He was twisting a paperclip like he was riding a miniature bicycle. He had a big smile on his face.

  As the door was closing behind me, I heard him break the silence. “Happy Thanksgiving. Have a nice day.”

  It was too late to respond, but I felt goose bumps. I sensed him watching me descend the stairs to the sidewalk. As I turned to walk to my car, the cold air felt very uncomfortable.

  Chapter 35

  It was nice to see my parents for Thanksgiving dinner. They invited my aunt and uncle from next door. It was the first time I’d seen them since Jackie’s funeral. They were happy to be with us. I’m sure it took their mind off her not being there. At least they gave that impression. We played cards after dinner. I remembered Jackie teaching me how to play cards.

  When Dad and I were alone, he asked me how the case was going. I told him we were making progress, and that I had found a lead which might turn out to be the strangler. He told me their local newspaper carried the sketch of the man wanted for questioning in a rape case. He told me he was proud of me, and Jackie would be too.

  I wanted to share with him that I had met somebody special, but for some reason I didn’t bring it up. My mom wanted to know how I was keeping busy. I couldn’t tell her about being on the task force. I told her I was doing some research which would help my career. It wasn’t a lie, and she didn’t push for more details.

  Going to bed that night in my apartment, all I could smell was the scent of Lisa. I switched pillows and the scent was even stronger. I had trouble falling asleep. This surprised me, since I hadn’t really slept the night before. My mind was wrapped around Lisa, the Strangler, the new process and Lisa’s comments about someone possibly taking her underwear from her dorm room. I finally curled up to a pillow, talking myself into making believe it was her.

  Whatever sleep I did get must have been a deep sleep. I was up early, taking a long shower until the hot water ran out. Everything I did, or touched, now reminded me of Lisa. I smiled when I saw the crumbs from the toast I had made us for breakfast. While I was getting dressed, I decided to wear the white shirt Lisa had worn. Her scent was on the shirt, so she would be with me all day. Many times on the way to work, I recalled her image in my apartment. I wanted to call her and make plans for tonight.

  At the office, only a few people had arrived before me. Colleen was not at the reception desk. The new form I reviewed with her was still there, but there was a stack of them. She must have made copies before she left. When I reached my desk, there was a small stack of new forms for me to review. Nobody was around at the moment, so I started going through them.

  *.*.*

  As I read the first sheet, it listed a call from a woman who said the guy in the sketch was her butcher, and she was not going to shop there anymore. She left her address and phone number, as well as the name and address of the delicatessen. I thought about not capturing that information on my summary document, but realized it might just be true.

  I spent the next hour reading the sheets. It reinforced how I might be able to tie this different information together. Two separate calls talked about the guy being a door-to-door salesman selling vacuums. One of those women had the guy’s name and phone number. I was getting so excited about the few sheets I was reading, I realized I wasn’t consolidating them the way I planned.

  I started back through the forms, numbering them and consolidating them correctly on my summary sheet. I made references back and forth where two separate calls could be related. Eventually, I thought I could let Mike, or someone he chose, know which calls should be investigated first. I felt the process was rewarding.

  Hearing Colleen’s voice at her desk, I went to talk with her, but she was still on the phone. She smiled, giving me the thumbs up sign. I noticed she was busy filling out a new sheet. I smiled back at her, silently mouthing good morning. I wondered why she decided to come in…she was supposed to have the two days off. I heard Mike say something to Paddy, as he headed down the stairs.

  “Good morning Scott. How was your holiday? I thought I gave you the entire four days off.”

  “I had a good time with my parents. How was your holiday?”

  I followed him to his desk, and turning, he shared, “Well, I managed to spend a couple of hours with my family for dinner, but we’re getting inundated with calls about the sketch in the paper. When the other calls get referred here, we’re going to be even more swamped.”

  I started to say something, but he beat me to the punch. “Those new call sheets you designed ar
e really going to be an aid to us. I saw your procedure and how you plan to cross-reference them. Have you done anything with the ones we left on your desk?”

  “Well I’ve read all of them and I’ll try to summarize them right now. I can see some that are pointing to the same person. I think I’ll be able to give you some suggestions to follow up on shortly.”

  “Good…that sounds like what we need.” He reached into his top desk drawer, bringing out a two inch stack of completed forms. “I got these early yesterday, never putting them with the others we filled out yesterday afternoon. Now, do you still think you can consolidate them?” He smiled, knowing it was a rhetorical question.

  I took the pile and the others on my desk and went into the conference room to spread them out. I knew I was going to need a lot more room to work this. I was logging and assigning numbers and summarizing the call information when Mike stuck his head in.

  “Scott, I have Paul and Phil looking for leads they can follow up on. Do you have any you can give me where the information is similar?”

  I went to three which pointed to the vacuum salesman. “Mike, here are three separate calls, all talking about the same vacuum salesman. One of them has the guy’s name and phone number.” I handed him those call forms, and he started reading them. Mike, there’s one other guy…let me find the sheets, which mention a neighborhood butcher.” I handed him the sheets.

  He stopped reading the sheets. “Scott, we’ve been doing this for years. I have to tell you, your way of organizing them is going to help us. I can see how a computer could really help too, but that’s down the road. Thanks for your help.” He waved the sheets, leaving the conference room.

  Colleen came in a second later asking, “Scott, where do you want the new sheets?”