Good Chemistry (13 page)

Bernie kissed his neck playfully. Andrew’s concentration finally began to waver. He set the clipboard and pen on the end table next to the couch and, at long last, put his arms around Bernie.

Feeling his strong embrace enfold her, Bernie relaxed and melted into him. She leaned back so she could look into Andrew’s eyes. Then, tenderly, she drew her lips to his. Her breath sent a warm tickle across Andrew’s neck.

Bernie buried her fingers in Andrew’s thick, lush hair as she worked hot kisses into his mouth. His fingers lightly caressed her cheek as he hugged her snuggly to his chest.

Against her thigh, Bernie could feel Andrew’s manhood coming to full attention. Bernie worked her tongue around Andrew’s, moaning with anticipation.

Bernie hated what she had to do next. Suddenly she pulled back. She made her eyes roll back in her skull. She pretended to pass out and went completely limp. Andrew just sat there for a moment. Then after what must have been a brief deliberation he peeled Bernie off his chest and rolled her over into a sitting position on the couch.

Bernie continued to play like she was out cold. And Andrew was apparently content to let her. He picked up his clipboard and went back to making notes on his observations. Bernie opened her right eye just a sliver. She watched Andrew for a few minutes. It infuriated her. He acted as if nothing had happened. Bernie’s eyes popped back open. She pounced on Andrew knocking the clipboard out of his hand.

Bernie’s lips reattached themselves to Andrew’s. Bernie’s fury was whipping up her passion. The heat from between her legs felt hot like she was on fire. Bernie wiggled her leg over Andrew until she was straddling his crotch. Bernie’s breath became choppy as she ground her hips back and forth on Andrew’s raging hard-on.

Once more, it took every ounce of Bernie’s self-discipline to stop. She pulled off, fluttered her eyelashes, and passed out again. Andrew simply laid her aside like some sort of blow-up doll or something. He went back to work on his notes.

Bernie lay there, smoking hot pissed. Her mind was running a hundred-miles-an-hour trying to figure out a solution. Bernie popped her eyes open once more.

Andrew paused and looked at her, not knowing what to expect next.

Bernie looked at him with a heat burning in her eyes that she truly felt. “Just a second. I have to go to the bathroom.”

Andrew arched his eyebrows a bit but then nodded. Bernie bolted up the stairs. She opened the door so fast that Joanna and Lewis nearly tumbled down the basement stairs. They all backed up into the kitchen. Bernie closed the door to the basement behind her.

“Listen, this isn’t working. Apparently, he doesn’t mind passing out as a side-effect. He just keeps rolling me off of him like a sack of potatoes and going back to work.” Bernie looked imploringly at Joanna.

“Typical man,” Joanna put in.

“Hey, wait a minute, what’s that supposed to mean?” Lewis asked his wife with attitude.

“Oh, please! If she’d just fixed him a sandwich before she passed out you guys would declare her the perfect woman.” Joanna grinned at Lewis, daring him to contradict her.

“Oh whatever. What can we do to help?” Lewis shifted his attention back to Bernie, effectively throwing a bucket of water on the point she was trying to make.

“I’m going back down there. In a few minutes, I’m going to come tearing out of there like a wild woman. I need you two to get Andrew and then chase me around the neighborhood and tackle me, okay.” Bernie looked back-and-forth between them. The expression on their faces seemed surreal. Bernie half-expected their answers to come out in slow motion.

“Okay, whenever you’re ready.” Joanna patted Bernie on the back. Joanna wondered if this was a glimpse of what it would be like to have Bernie as a daughter-in-law. She smiled at the thought. She could use some adventure in her life.

Bernie made her way back down the basement stairs. By the time she reached the bottom she’d transformed herself into the love-starved vixen that Andrew was beginning to find irresistible.

She molded herself to Andrew’s side as she slid back on the couch. She began running her hand up and down Andrew’s inner thigh. Working her way nearer and nearer with each stroke. Then Bernie started massaging Andrew’s package. He flinched at first but then found it agreeable after his initial surprise.

Bernie ran her other hand through Andrew’s hair as she kissed his mouth with a hunger. She began running the tip of her tongue around Andrew’s lips in a wet ticklish circle. Andrew’s cock began to throb in Bernie’s hand. She had him right at the tipping point.

She knew she could get Andrew to make love to her right then. And God, how she was tempted. But if she wanted to keep his love, she knew she had to help him get his formula right or he would never forgive her for what she had done. What she did next, she did for love.

Standing up and looking at Andrew the whole while, Bernie slowly peeled off her sweater, her T-shirt, and then everything else until she was stripped down to just her bra and panties. Bernie stared passionate daggers at Andrew. She closed in on him like a tiger cornering its prey.

Bernie slipped her delicate, ivory-white body onto Andrew’s. Her hand found its way back into his shirt. Andrew squeezed Bernie tightly to his chest.

Then Bernie, with every ounce of will she could muster, slumped over against his chest like she was out cold again. But this time as Andrew was about to lay her back against the couch she started shaking violently like she was having some sort of epileptic fit.

She wrenched herself free from his arms, jumped up, and let out the most blood-curdling scream she could muster. Let Andrew explain
that
to the neighbors when they think he was in there killing Heidi.

Bernie bolted up the stairs. Stopping quickly, she whispered to Joanna, “Ready?”

Joanna went to the basement door. “Andrew, get up here and help us chase down Bernie. She’s gone out the back door and she’s almost completely naked.”

Bernie dashed out the back door but had to wait and run in place for a minute while she surmised Andrew was scribbling the last of his notes and waiting till his penis allowed him to move about freely again. Finally, he ran up the stairs.

“It’s about time!”

“Where is she?” Andrew begged.

Just then, Bernie backed up to get a good start and then ran right past the back door. In a flash, she was loose and running all over the neighborhood.

“There she goes!” Lewis shouted.

The three of them lit out after her. The chase was on. Bernie launched herself over a neighbor’s fence and into their backyard. The elderly woman who lived there was already calling the police when three more sets of hands appeared pawing at the top of her fence.

Andrew managed to climb over but Joanna and Lewis had to give up and walk around the block to cut her off. Bernie led them a merry chase—over fences, through bushes, dodging angry dogs. After about twenty minutes, Bernie started leading the band back in the direction of their house.

When she came around the corner of the block, she saw two police cruisers sitting in front of the McGee’s house. Bernie clattered to a halt but it was too late. They had her surrounded and in no time were loading her into the same ambulance they had used to haul Judy away.

Bernie’s parents weren’t behind this the way Judy’s had been, but this was worse. This was the system getting a hold of her. It was a good thing her best friend was already in the loony bin, they might be staying a while.

Chapter 14

Deb sat on her couch with Phelix curled up in her lap looking up at her expectantly. He head-butted her under the chin. That got him set on the floor. Debra was reading the file on the bombing case. Such a high profile case and she had next to nothing to go on except three dead bodies cooked beyond the point of even a chemical analysis, an explosive of unknown origin with huge destructive capabilities, and two people of interest who had conveniently vanished off the face of the earth.

Debra flipped the file closed. There was nothing more she could do tonight. Besides, now was her time to work on the Doc Robber case. Tonight’s assignment was easy. Just stay home and lay a trap. If Debra had this guy pegged the way she figured, then he was just arrogant enough to come right to her house.

Debra changed into the little black dress she bought at Versace’s. She double-checked the fiber optic camera she had hidden in the window blinds. The camera angle centered on the couch, but it took in the entire living room. Debra would get a usable photo, if he dared show his face.

He was right about his prints turning up nothing. When Debra ran them, she didn’t get a match in any of the databases. Debra double-checked her crime scene kit. She had the right stuff to get a perfect set of prints and a DNA sample if he really got careless. She closed and latched it. She put it back in the closet and sat down on the couch. Nothing to do now but wait.

She felt a little silly to be all dressed up and just sitting on the couch watching the occasional set of headlights float by. Times like this made her consider buying a television. The distraction value was unparalleled.

Suddenly Debra heard a clanking noise coming from outside. She jumped up and peeked out the blinds. There was no one there. She scanned back and forth. Stopping to peer deeply into the pool of shadows that won out between the streetlights.

Debra let out a huff of frustration. She had herself convinced that all of this was merely bait to catch a thief and get him off the streets. Yet, Debra couldn’t block from memory snippets of that night at the charity ball. The sensation of his rock-hard body holding her came to mind. She tried not to dwell on it. She pushed it away and reminded herself that he was just a con-man doing what con-men do. Debra shook her head dismissively at her thoughts.

She scanned the front yard and street one final time. She turned to go back to the couch but ran smack dab into Johansen Davenport’s chest. Debra bounced off him and reeled backwards. She could feel her plump ivory-white breasts jostling around in her spaghetti strap dress as they threatened to pop out.

“What the hell? How did you get in here?” Debra shouted as she regained her balance.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I read about your father and came to pay my respects.” Johansen handed Debra a bouquet of white and yellow roses. In the other hand, he had a bottle of wine. This was exactly what Debra thought he would do. It was just a hunch, but Debra’s hunches were usually right.

“Thank you, I appreciate that.” This was the big moment. Debra had her gun hidden beneath the middle couch cushion. “Would you like to have a seat? I’ll open this and pour us each a glass.”

Johansen sat on the couch as Debra went into the kitchen to pour the wine. Johansen pulled up the middle cushion and pulled out Debra’s gun. He admired the craftsmanship and then put it back a split-second before Debra came back in the room.

She handed him his glass of wine and took a sip from her own. She sat down on the couch at one end, Johansen at the other, with the gun under the cushion in between.

“You’re not going to arrest me on the spot?” Johansen presented his wrists after he snapped his arms through his jacket sleeves.

Debra smiled. This silly arrogant bastard had stepped into her trap, yet Debra just sat there marveling at Johansen’s chiseled jaw line and deep, penetrating eyes. He broke the spell when he raised his wine glass.

“A toast. To your father, may he rest peacefully.” Debra let out a little snort and shook her head with an air of disgust.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to touch a nerve.” Johansen scooted over next to her on the couch and put his hand on Debra’s knee.

Debra had promised herself that if the creep ever touched her again without permission she would shoot him. This time, he had his hand on Debra’s knee drawing little circles on the inner part with his fingers.

“Oh, wait, I almost forgot. You’ll need this.” Johansen moved just enough to reach in and grab the gun before sitting back down.

“Here.” Johansen handed her the gun, holding it by the barrel so he could put it right in her hand.

“Now, the way I see it, you can either arrest me right now or we could put a pin in the whole cop and robber thing for a while. What do you say? A twenty-four-hour truce?” Slowly, Johansen raised his hand and gently put it back around the gun’s barrel, and left it there.

After a few seconds, Debra opened her hand and let him take the gun from her. He set it on the coffee table and held his wine glass up once more.

“To your father.”

Reluctantly, Debra raised her glass. She eyed Johansen warily. She knew now that whatever he wanted, it did not fit into any con-job she’d ever heard of.

“Nice dress, by the way. Were you expecting company?”

Debra blushed as she remembered choosing to wear it in order to lure him.

Johansen had turned the tables on her. The thought of sex with him felt completely different. Suddenly, she felt herself blushing like a schoolgirl. The spot where he was rubbing her knee caused her to quiver all over. Part of her was fighting with all her will to override her feelings and grab that gun. Yet, as Johansen brushed his fingers lightly over her cheek, all she could do was melt into his arms once more. Johansen pulled her in tight to his chest as though she were a warm blanket.

Johansen leaned down and kissed her. For a second, she clamped her lips shut.

Johansen stopped. He gazed softly into her eyes. If she wanted him to stop, he would. How far this went was entirely up to her. Debra leaned back in and kissed him longingly.

They slowly peeled off each other’s clothes. Johansen pulled Debra to him. Her sensitive nipples crashed into his solid chest. Johansen cupped her head in his hands. His mouth tickled hers as he worked his hands down her beautifully sculpted back.

Johansen’s hand found its way to her butt. Debra caressed Johansen’s arms as his kisses found their way to her lovely neck. Johansen scooped Debra up and carried her into the bedroom. He tossed her onto the bed and threw himself on top.

Debra worked her fingers through his wavy hair as he drew his tongue slowly down her navel. Debra’s breathing started coming in short halting gasps as Johansen ran his tongue around her clitoris in little, wet circles as he nibbled.

Debra’s back arched wildly the first time she came. Debra gripped a handful of sheet in each hand as she screamed. “Oh God! Oh . . . oh . . .oh shit. Yes.”

Then Johansen entered her. The stiff weight of his body crushed down on her. He was so solid and heavy. Debra turned away, embarrassed to have him see her face when she completely lost control. Another powerful orgasm ripped through her. Debra closed her eyes with ecstasy.

A thin line of hot sweat ran across Johansen’s forehead as he rhythmically slammed all of his weight into Debra. He balanced on his toes as he slingshot himself into her. Debra began to writhe and twitch as orgasm number two blurred into number three.

Her face distended wildly. As her orgasm gripped her, she dug her fingernails into Johansen’s back with each jolting spasm. Johansen came along with her, as her fourth orgasm shook her bones. He collapsed down on top of her panting wildly trying to catch his breath. Debra wrapped her powerful legs around him and flipped him over on his back. Johansen lay panting for air as Debra pushed his arms up over his head so he could grab the headboard.

Debra clutched him on either side by his shoulder muscles. She got herself in position like a jockey riding a horse and then did. “Oh . . . oh, God . . . oh . . . yes.” Debra moaned as she slammed her ass down on Johansen.

After a few more kisses, Debra finally collapsed down on top of him and rolled over onto her back pulling him over to cuddle against her.

Debra drew little circles on his stomach and asked playfully. “So, are you ever going to tell me anything about yourself?”

“Well, it depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether our truce is still only for twenty-four hours.” Johansen chuckled. “What do you want to know?” Johansen sat up in bed interlocking his fingers behind his head.

“I don’t know. The usual stuff.” Debra got up and went to the kitchen to get two glasses of water. She handed him his glass. “None of it will be true anyway right?” Debra smiled but quit the instant she saw the look on Johansen’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean you were a habitual liar. I just know you can’t tell me your real name.”

Johansen pulled Debra down on the bed into his arms. He sat up and looked deeply into her eyes.

“You just don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?” Debra suddenly felt awkward.

“Whatever you think my motive is, you’re wrong. You think this is all some sort of ploy to interfere with your investigation. But it’s not.” He paused and squeezed Debra’s hand tightly in his own. He gazed into her eyes with an expression of adoration.

“It’s not what you think, Debra. When I heard you speak, something about you went straight to my heart. It’s just bad luck that you’re a cop and I’m the guy you were talking about. And now that I’ve met you in person and had a chance to talk to you a little the feeling has only grown stronger.”

Johansen paused. “This may sound totally nuts but I think I’m falling in love with you.” He pulled her back to his chest and kissed her tenderly before she had a chance to reply.

Debra hugged him tightly. As she kissed him fireworks went off in her head. The rest of the world fell away completely. It was a perfect moment in time as the two lovers silently held each other.

Debra beamed a bright smile at Johansen. “So what can you tell me about yourself?”

“Well, I was born in Bakersfield, California. I was raised by my uncle. He taught me everything I know.” Johansen paused and kissed Debra again.

“So, is this all you’ve ever done?”

“No, in fact, I stopped for almost fifteen years.” Debra could sense an unmistakable sadness when Johansen spoke.

“So why did you start up again? Did you need the money?” A completely different tenor came over Johansen. He became very quiet and guarded. Clearly, this was something that had affected him profoundly.

“I just don’t care to talk about that, if it’s okay.” Johansen looked at Debra with a pleading expression.

This was something that really hurt him. “Sure, no problem. I wasn’t trying to pry. I was just. . .”

“Trying to understand me?” Johansen cut in.

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

The pair chatted for a few more hours until Debra finally fell asleep. Johansen wasn’t asleep, but he had pretended to be until Debra dozed off. Then he quietly dressed and slipped out the door to disappear once again.

The next morning, Debra awoke refreshed and in a better mood than she had been in since the harassment began. She was not surprised to find Johansen gone. That was what she figured would happen. In her mind, Debra kept mulling over the facts. She worked and reworked all of the angles. She simply couldn’t figure out what this guy’s deal was.

The picture just didn’t fit together in her head. To her heart, if she would ever stop and listen, there was nothing odd about it at all. Some guy had fallen head-over-heels in love with her. She saw it all the time with the way she looked. But this time something was different.

When she looked into Johansen’s eyes, she could tell he wasn’t like the others. When others said, they fell in love they really meant lust. However, when she looked into Johansen’s eyes when he said love she knew he meant it.

Debra got ready for work after her usual run. She pulled the card from the camera she had trained on the couch. She was still telling herself that she was going to arrest Johansen. Eventually. She just needed to gather more evidence to make the case against him rock-solid.

Debra pulled in and parked. She took the elevator up to the squad room. Kane and Meacham weren’t in Frazier’s office for once. Debra uploaded the card and began to look at the images one frame at a time, to find the best angle of Johansen to run through the facial recognition software.

At last, she found the one she wanted. She copied the digital image to her computer. The facial recognition software analyzed all the tiny unique angles of the face and ran it through every available database.

Debra began tapping her fingers as she stared at the screen. Finally, it found a match, but not from any database related to the criminal justice system. It hit on a newspaper article.

The computer brought up a picture taken at the trial between Alexander Valentine and Global Coverage One, a huge insurance company. Debra drew in closer to the screen as the Doc Robber’s true identity unraveled before her eyes.

There he was—Johansen Davenport. About a decade younger and ten pounds lighter but it was definitely him, or rather, Alexander Valentine. There was no question in Debra’s mind as she studied the picture.

Then she read the accompanying article. The story was about Alexander Valentine suing Global One for causing the death of his son Henry. Nine years ago, Suzanna Valentine was driving along state highway fifty-seven when a drunk driver veered into her lane forcing her off the road and head-on into a guardrail.

Suzanna died on impact but their son, Henry, survived the initial accident. He ended up needing an emergency liver transplant, but never got one. Global One had been Suzanna’s insurance company. Since she had been dead a full week before the claim was filed, Global One asserted they had no responsibility in the matter.