Killer Scents (5 page)

Randy
caught a flash of disappointment in his new partner’s eyes. He stepped up to stand beside her. “Are the
y
something
you carry
here?”

“I don’t keep orchids in stock, but I can special order them, that is if you’re not in too much of a hurry.”

“No, that’s fine
.
We
’
re in a
time
crunch. Thanks for your
help
.” She took back the picture, refolding it on her way out of the store.

Randy
held the door open and followed her outside. “One down
, how
many to go?”

Becca offered a weak smile. “Too many.”

He tasted the b
lood dripp
ing
from the corner of his mouth, and Jeffery Dunn lay at his feet, out cold.

“Did you really think you’d get out of your punishment so easily?”

Despite the fucker’s lame attempt to overpower him, the butt end of his gun connected with the side of
the man’s
skull hard enough to render him unconscious.

There will be no second chances for you, buddy.

H
e bound his hands and feet, even tied his knees together for good measure before dragging him over and
up
onto the couch
. Next, he secured
his head
with heavy tape
.

Jeffery mumbled incoherently, struggling against the rope. His eyes flew open. “What the hell is going on?”

He tilted back his head and laughed. “If it wasn’t for guys like you, I’d be with my one true love, and she’d
still
be alive.”

“Who would? You must have the wrong guy. I have no idea what you’re talking about. How about you untie me and we’ll just forget any of this ever happened?”

From his bag
,
he pulled out basketball netting. “Maybe this will give you a clue. Do you remember the last time you saw one of these?”

Jeffery
’s face turned beet red.
“You’re fucking nuts! You’re
talking crazy-talk.
”

“I’ve heard enough from you.” Before Jeffery could say another word, he stuffed the netting in his
victim’s
mouth.

Anger and fear dueled in
the guy’s
bulging eyes. He struggled against his bindings
as
he gagged and made a futile attempt to spit the netting out.

“Do you remember watching a kid shooting hoops with his dad...
and
how jealous you
were? Do you recall how you were
angry enough to aim your car at the little guy later that night?”

Jeffery froze—a hint of recognition in his too
-
bright eyes.

“It’s going to give me great pleasure shutting your mouth for good.”

The last two lines of the journal entry urged him on.

If the boy
hadn’t
jump
ed
into the bushes, he’
would’ve been
seriously hurt, or even killed. Should I be scared? Is Jeffery envious of me?

The needle slid through his lips easily
.
He’d
become quite
the accomplished tailor.
A slow smile of satisfaction played on his lips
as
Jeffery’s eyes roll back in his head. After
ward,
he meticulously cleaned up around the stitches
and then
took out his revolver.

The sound of him smacking Jeffery’s cheeks
broke the silence
. “Wakie, wakie
!
Y
ou don’t want to miss the grand finale, do you?”

Jeffery opened
his
eyes
to
stare
down
the muzzle of
the
gun.
His eyes brimmed with tears as he watched The Florist take position at the end of the sofa.

“Paybacks are a bitch
,
asshole.”

She s
uddenly spun around, reaching for her gun.

“Whoa!” Randy raised his hands.

Becca
gulped for air, struggling to catch her breath.
“Don’t
sneak
up on people. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

He
stepped back. “Sorry, I just wanted to ask if you’d like
some
coffee
, but a
pparently caffeine is the last thing you need.”

Blowing out a rush of pent
-
up frustration
,
Becca lowered herself to the curb and pushed her fingers through
her
tangled hair.
What I need is sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, the crime photo
s
of
all those vacant
eyes haunted her
,
the disturbing image of
their
mouth
s
sewn shut, emblazoned
in
her memory.

Randy sat on the curb beside her
,
his
musk
y scent comforting
and titillating at the same time
. “Listen, I’m not going to tell you how
you should
feel. What I will tell you is
that
I’m in this for the long haul. We will find the son-of-a-bitch
together
. You are not in this alone.” He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly.

Becca blinked back the threat of tears and shrugged his hand away. There was no denying the attraction between them, but a relationship with this man wasn’t an option.
I
’
m poison
to those I love, plus
everyone close to me dies. First Jack,
then Darla, and
now Susan...
She took a deep breath and pushed herself up from the curb.

“Thanks. I guess we won’t find him sitting around here all day.”

Much to her relief, he
let it go without further discussion and ambled over to his bike with an air of quiet confidence.

Becca followed suit and prepared to head out. “Maybe we’ll get lucky this time.”

Randy pulled his hair back in a ponytail before putting on his helmet. “Alrighty then, let’s rock
and
roll.”

Within minutes both engines rumbled beneath them. Randy put two fingers to his forehead and smiled, rais
ed
his foot from the ground,
and then
took
off
.

Maybe it’s time I let someone else
lead
.
The corners of her mouth twitched as she checked
him
out from behind
. He’s definitely the epitome of a hot biker
, and he definitely knew exactly how to
make
her body sing
.
She heaved a sigh.
Please let the next shop give us something—anything
—that
might bring
us
closer to finding The
F
lorist.

Randy lifted his coffee
to inhale the rich aroma and noticed Becca did the same thing from the edge of her seat. A braided silver band on her pinky finger
,
the only jewellery of any kind he’d seen her wear
,
glinted in the sun.
From what he could tell
she wasn’t seeing anyone special.
Is it an heirloom?

A sign hung in t
he flower shop window
:
Gone
to
Lunch. His watch read ten minutes to twelve, giving them a little time to sit in the sun and enjoy a cup of java.

“You know, if this
is
another dead-end
, maybe we need to
look at the
growers
nearby
. There are a few
nurseries
outside
the
city limits.”

Becca nodded. “I agree. Somebody
has to know
something. I’m realizing you’re average home gardener wouldn’t have the resources to grow these types of flowers.”

The jingle of keys
stole their attention.  The
store owner
stood at
the door to her s
hop
.

“Excuse me, miss. Could we have a minute of your time?” Randy jogged across the parking lot with Becca on his heels.

He introduced them, dropping the guise of planning a wedding.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to realize
they’d hit another brick wall
.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help
,
”
the proprietor stated.

Randy’s pager buzzed, and he raised a finger. “I’ll be right back.” He walked away, taking his cell phone out and keying in the precinct number.

“Randy,
The Florist
struck again. I’m on my way over there now. “

“Do you want us to meet you there
, Chief
?”

“
How is Becca holding up
?”

“
She’s doing
okay.”
He
opened his notebook and
scribbled
down the
address
the chief rattled off.

Becca crossed the distance between them, a genuine smile on her face as she waved a piece of paper in the air.

“
The owner
thinks we need to visit a Professor Olsen Davies. He’s a professor of horticulture. If anyone has the answers, it will be him.” She stopped short
and looked sideways at him
. “Is there something going on I should know about?”

“He struck again. Chief Thomson wants us on the scene right away.”