Take a Risk (Risk #1) (15 page)

‘The last one to see him alive?’ she asked. A sickness overcame her when she thought of Colt, because he was the last person she’d seen yesterday. ‘Who…? Who are you talking about?’

‘A man named, Mr Robert Julius.’

‘Bobby,’ she sighed out with a rush of relief that instantly made her feel guilty. Reorienting herself, she took in what had been said and all the positive feelings left her. ‘He’s dead? How?’

‘At this time we’re trying to establish his final movements,’ Detective Hoburn said, his colleague remained stoically silent, observing her and paying too much heed to the details of the room.

‘His final movements?’

‘He had an appointment with you yesterday evening, is that correct?’

‘Yes, he had an appointment at five o’clock,’ she said. Her fingertips were losing feeling and the ice continued up to her knuckles. She couldn’t quite bring herself to look at the police, she was too busy considering the possibilities.

‘It was in his calendar,’ Hoburn said, bringing a small notebook out of his pocket to take notes. ‘Can you tell us the nature of your work with him?’

‘I won’t discuss the specifics of his condition or treatment, but I can certainly answer any specific questions that you have relating to your enquiries.’

‘Did he tell you what his plans were after he left his appointment with you?’

‘He had a date,’ she said. ‘The woman’s first name was Deshana, but I don’t know her last name.’

‘We have her details and we’re trying to track her down now. They met through work?’

‘Yes,’ Lyssa said, meeting his eye now that the shock was subsiding and she mentally crept back inside her doctor’s cloak. ‘He’s a data entry clerk.’

‘Do you have any reason to believe that relationship was acrimonious?’

‘They had only been out a couple of times. He did stand her up on their last date, but he called her to apologise and reschedule. As far as I know everything was fine between them.’

‘Did he have any enemies?’

‘No,’ she said. ‘Not that he mentioned to me. He had a very difficult childhood, but he was an only child and his mother died several years ago. He has no other family.’ Talking of him in the present tense was incorrect and that reminder brought the numbness back to her extremities. ‘As far as I know he got along with everyone he needed to. He wasn’t very social because he had been isolated as a child. He lacked the social skills that many of us take for granted.’

‘So it’s possible he pissed someone off,’ Hoburn said. ‘That he was rude or disrespected someone?’

‘I don’t believe so,’ she said. ‘He tended to withdraw if he felt threatened. The only anger he exhibited was towards himself. If someone tried to start an altercation with him I would surmise that Bobby would choose retreat rather than attack.’

‘Did he discuss neighbours with you? Or friends?’

‘He didn’t really have friends,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry, but can you tell me what actually happened.’

‘We’re not giving out any details at this stage,’ Hoburn said and flipped his notebook shut. ‘Thank you, doctor, you’ve been helpful.’ He handed her a card as he and his partner stood up, she fumbled the card and mirrored their action. ‘If you think of anything specific, anything at all that may be helpful, please be in touch.’

‘Of course,’ she said.

The detective filtered out and held the door for her next patient to enter. The patient perked up after scrutinising them, then paused to frown at her. ‘Were they cops?’

‘I’m sorry, Lee,’ she said. ‘I have to reschedule, something has come up.’

‘Is everything ok?’

‘I lost a patient.’

‘That can’t be common in your line of work,’ he said. ‘What was wrong with him?’

‘It was unrelated to his treatment here, don’t worry about that. Do you mind if we reschedule?’

‘No,’ he shrugged.

Letting down a patient was the last thing that she wanted to do, but if she took him into her office then her mind would be elsewhere and she wouldn’t be doing him any favours by not really paying attention to what he was saying. They went about rescheduling the appointment and when that was done she cancelled her proceeding patient, and those due in the following morning because she had a feeling that she would need a drink tonight.

Calling Suzette still wasn’t an option and after her fight with Colt she wasn’t sure that he’d want to hear from her, except she had promised herself to call him after work if he hadn’t been in touch with her, which he hadn’t. At least now she had news, terrible as it was, and she could use his comfort right now.

But when she rang his cell phone there was no answer, so she tried Ruger’s, but there was no answer there either. Talking to Blaser wasn’t possible because he still didn’t know the truth about her profession. Instead, she went upstairs to change her clothes and then left the house to get a cab over to Colt’s place. Showing up might seem heavy handed and she hoped that she didn’t scare him off, but she needed a mission to distract her, and tracking him down was it.

Except he wasn’t at home either, no one answered his door, or Ruger’s, who lived next door. Blaser’s place was directly underneath Colt’s, so she went down there to knock, to no avail. Considering that Blaser might be at the garage Colt had mentioned, or even at Risqué, she was about to hunt further when a man poked his head out of the door at the unit next to Blaser.

‘Can I help you?’ he asked.

‘No,’ she said, wondering why he was trying to interfere. ‘You can’t help, Random Creepy Man Who I Don’t Know.’

‘That’s my name, how did you guess?’

He came outside and she backed away a step, Blaser’s door was under the external stairs and so she was kind of backed into a shadowy corner. ‘I know Colt,’ she said, hoping that if she made him aware of her association he’d be less likely to think of doing anything sinister.

He didn’t look like a particularly scary guy, his hair was too long, his body was stretched and lean, but his sense of propriety unsettled her. ‘That’s not Colt’s door.’

‘No, it’s not,’ she said. ‘But no one answered upstairs.’

‘I heard you knocking on Ruger’s door as well,’ he said, coming so close that he propped a shoulder on Blaser’s doorjamb. She shuffled back further until she was in front of Blaser’s kitchen window.

‘Is that a crime?’

‘No, but none of them are here.’

She could have told him that, usually unanswered doors meant no one was home. ‘Yes, I guessed that.’

‘Maybe they’re all avoiding you.’

‘Why would they do that?’

‘I don’t know. I’m guessing that you tried their phones and got no answer either. You’re in a pickle.’

Now he was playing with her and she didn’t appreciate it, or have the time for games. ‘Look, Strange Man, either you know where they are or you don’t. If you don’t, then I have to be moving along.’

Striding forward, she was going to pass him, except he spoke again. ‘Their mom hates cell phones, especially at the dinner table.’

‘Their mother?’ He nodded. ‘They’re at their mother’s?’ She didn’t know where that was.

‘You wouldn’t be Cherry by any chance, would you?’

That startled her. ‘How do you know my name?’ Though it wasn’t really her name.

‘Sexy girl, knows the brothers but hasn’t been in their lives for long… Plus, Colt talks about you, and Ruger likes to rib him about it. I haven’t heard Colt talk about a woman in a long time. Carrie fucking about with his partner really fucked his head.’

His wife had cheated on him with his partner, Lyssa speculated as to whether that could be the reason for him giving up his professional law enforcement career. ‘I don’t suppose you know where their mother lives.’

‘Auntie Pru lives in the same house she has done for all their lives.’

‘Auntie,’ she said. ‘You’re Gus Warner, their cousin. Your brother owns this building.’

‘He does,’ Gus said. ‘Never done a day’s work in his life though.’

If he owned a building then he must have done something to earn money in order to buy it, but she wasn’t going to question him about that. ‘Can you give me her address?’

The nonchalant expression that had been fixed on his face loosened, and slowly he began to smile. ‘You’re going to show up at their mother’s house?’

She wasn’t sure that she got the joke, or that she appreciated the sentiment of it. ‘I have something to tell Colt.’

‘Oh, please tell me that you’re pregnant.’

Still, the joke was lost on her. ‘What business is that of yours?’

‘Damn, Aunt Pru asked me over there tonight, I wish I’d said yes now. Hang on, I’ll get a pen and write it down for you.’

Gus went back into his apartment and she stayed out here on the stoop, waiting for him to return. Turning up at Colt’s mother’s house probably wasn’t a good idea, she felt a bit like Gus had goaded her into it. She couldn’t change her mind now or he might think she’d cowered in fear, and the last thing that Lyssa was, was chicken.

‘I have to go,’ Blaser said for maybe the fifth time since his mother had filled his coffee cup, but the Warner mother was no pushover.

‘Dinner isn’t finished,’ she said, filling his coffee cup again then seating herself at her husband’s side.

Colt wanted out of here too, the sooner he got out of here the sooner he could get to Lyssa’s, and that was where he wanted to be. He needed to apologise and he hoped she would understand from where his reaction had originated. Maybe she wouldn’t. But he wouldn’t walk away from their relationship because of one stupid fight. They’d barely had a chance to see if they could work together and he would give this relationship a fair hearing, Lyssa was worth it.

‘He has to go to work,’ Ruger said, but happily took another slice of cake from the centre of the table.

Prudence Warner wouldn’t let anyone leave the dinner table until everyone had eaten their fill. So as long as someone was eating, Blaser was stuck at this table, and Ruger knew it.

‘He works too much,’ Pru said. ‘He’ll never find a woman who will put up with that.’

A groan went around the table. ‘Jesus, mom, don’t start,’ Blaser said.

Taking her hand from her cup she held it up in surrender, but shook her head. ‘I just don’t see why three strapping, handsome men, in their thirties are all single. You should be married.’

‘Some of us have been,’ Blaser said, Colt didn’t look back when his twin pinned him in his sights.

‘Carrie wasn’t a keeper,’ Ruger said. ‘But it’s funny you should bring up women because Colt is actually seeing one, a pretty fine one too.’

‘Oh?’ Pru perked up.

Colt slammed daggers from his eyes into Ruger. His younger brother was the only one at the table who knew what had happened between him and Lys last night and yet he was bringing Lyssa up, a woman with whom he might not have any future at all.

‘I don’t think that now is the time to talk about that,’ Colt said.

‘I think now is probably the best time,’ Ruger responded.

‘Oh, yeah, why’s that? Want a laugh at my expense?’ Colt asked.

‘No, because she’s walking across the front lawn right now.’

Everyone at the table stood up to peer out of the front window which had a view of the long front yard and the street beyond. Their collective movement must have been visible from outside because Lyssa stopped, like a rabbit pinned by headlights, then lifted her open palm in a tentative wave.

‘She’s beautiful,’ Pru said. ‘I’ll make her coffee and we’ll—‘

‘No,’ Colt said, already shoving his way past his brothers. ‘I’m going to talk to her. You lot stay here.’

He didn’t know how she had found him, but the fact that she had worried him. Showing up at his mother’s was a bold action, and she’d shown no bunny boiler tendencies so far.

When he got out of his parents’ front door she was still on the lawn where she had been, but when she noticed him she began to move in his direction. He picked up the pace until they met.

‘Something happened,’ she panted out as though she was out of breath even although she hadn’t been moving that fast.

‘What? The stalker?’

She was already shaking her head. ‘No, not that, no… I… I lost a patient.’

‘Suicide?’

‘Murder,’ she croaked and he took hold of her shoulders, fearful she might keel over. As strong as he knew she was, he could tell this one had knocked her sideways.

‘Murder,’ he said. ‘What happened?’

‘The police wouldn’t tell me. They showed up at my office tonight asking questions.’

‘Which patient was it?’

‘Bobby,’ she said. ‘Bobby, who we saw last night… I didn’t tell them about what happened. I didn’t think and… they didn’t ask and…’

It seemed like she was trying to get out a mishmash of random thoughts that she hadn’t had time to process yet. ‘You’re shaken up.’

‘We saw him last night, he was my patient, and you shouted at him, you scared him.’

‘I didn’t scare him to death,’ he said, taking his hands away from her. ‘Is that why you came here? To ask if I did this? If I hurt him?’ A spasm in his gut took his body further away from hers.

‘No, what? No, that hadn’t even occurred to me… I came here because… because I didn’t know what to do. I was distressed and I thought I might feel better if… you would hold me.’

That was the truth. She didn’t come here to question him, she came here for support, she chose him above all others and she took a risk in pursuing him to this personal location, especially after their fight last night.

His own anxiety fled and he stepped into her, pulling her into his arms, against his chest, to hold her firm. She sagged against him and released a long exhale. ‘All night long,’ he whispered into her hair.

‘I know we were fighting and—‘

‘That doesn’t matter,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry for being a jerk.’

‘You were a jerk, but I shouldn’t have reacted in anger.’

‘Lys, Mom wants to know how you take your coffee,’ Ruger hollered, and while holding her Colt turned so they could see his younger brother hanging out of the front door.

‘I shouldn’t go in,’ Lyssa said. ‘There are too many questions.’

‘Are you kidding? There will be more the next time you’re here if you don’t come in now. I’ll field the questions, you’ve got enough on your mind. But if you’re up for it then you should come in and say hello. It’s just Blaser and Ruger.’

‘And your mom and dad,’ she said.

‘Yeah, but my dad won’t say much. My mom takes care of the talking in their relationship.’

‘Smart woman.’

Hooking her under his arm he took her across the yard and into his parents’ house. He’d have to call Chavez, and his contacts in homicide to get the details on what happened last night. Colt didn’t like this development at all, there were too many coincidences here and his hunch was that they weren’t coincidences at all.

‘A doctor, you’re a doctor,’ Blaser said when they were in the car travelling away from his parents’ house an hour later.

The questions hadn’t been so bad, but Colt had done as he’d said and dealt with most of them. After a brief, whispered conversation with Ruger, in which she imagined Colt filled in his brother about what had happened last night, Ruger did his part in diverting his mother’s attention when he could.

But no one could prevent one thing, Blaser finding out the truth, or at least part of it. And although he hadn’t questioned them in front of his parents’ it seemed now was the time for him to say his piece.

‘Yes,’ Lyssa said.

Ruger was driving and Blaser was in the passenger seat, giving her and Colt the backseat to themselves, but Blaser was hanging over the shoulder of his chair, glaring at them.

‘So all this time you’ve been what? Studying us?’

‘Not you specifically,’ she said. ‘But the customers and your employees, yes, I suppose you could say that. But I think of it as research, you’re not like lab rats.’

‘Forgive me for struggling to see your point of view. You came in and gave me a sob story,’ Blaser said, then smacked Colt in his gaze. ‘And you knew about this?’

‘Me too,’ Ruger said. ‘You were the only one out of the loop.’

‘You’re not helping his anxiety,’ Lyssa said. ‘Don’t you think that maybe this is why there is animosity in your relationship? Maybe if you all trusted each other—‘

‘You don’t know the history,’ Blaser said, flopping back into his seat to stare forward. ‘You’re fired by the way.’

‘I figured that out,’ she said.

‘You can’t fire her for having a qualification,’ Ruger said. ‘She’s a good worker.’

‘Actually she’s not, she’s kept her job because she’s sleeping with my brother. Her mind is never on the job, she has ducked out of more shifts than she’s actually seen through to the end, and she never keeps on top of her tables.’

He had a point. ‘You’ve been very kind to me, Blaser. I appreciate the opportunity that you gave me.’

‘You got shot at outside of his club, then one of your patients was murdered, and you’re being gracious to him?’ Ruger asked.

‘One of your patients was murdered?’ Blaser asked, twisting around again. ‘How?’

‘I don’t know, the cops wouldn’t tell me.’

‘Shot,’ Colt said. ‘He was shot.’

‘How do you know that?’ she asked, bringing their joined hands to her abdomen.

‘He still has contacts in the department,’ Ruger said. ‘Who has the case?’

‘Hoburn.’

‘He hates you,’ Ruger said.

Lyssa couldn’t imagine why anyone would hate Colt. ‘The feeling is mutual,’ Colt said.

‘I need to check my messages,’ she said.

‘You can do that from my place, you’re staying with me tonight.’

No question, just a command. ‘What if the police need to talk to me again?’

‘Then they’ll track you down,’ he said. ‘They’re the cops, if a detective can’t locate a woman at her boyfriend’s house then he’s not worthy of carrying the badge.’

When he put it like that it made sense. ‘Ok. I cancelled my morning patients, so we could go out for breakfast.’

‘Or have a long lie,’ Ruger said.

‘I have an early meeting,’ Colt said. ‘But you can stay in bed.’

‘An early meeting with who?’ she asked though it was none of her business.

‘You got one of your spooky hunches, brother?’ Ruger asked him, glancing in the rear view mirror.

‘Something isn’t sitting right with me about this. I want to check out a few things.’

‘He wants to solve the mystery,’ Ruger said. ‘You can rest easy, Lys, you and this Bobby dude. Once Colt has something in his teeth he won’t let it go.’

‘I don’t want you getting involved,’ Lyssa said, bending to look at him, she lowered her voice. ‘You were fighting with Bobby last night. If the cops find that out—‘

‘We’re not going to hide anything from them,’ Colt said. ‘Just because I was fighting with the guy doesn’t mean that I killed him.’

‘You were fighting with him?’ Blaser asked. ‘How come?’

‘He got a hard-on staring at Lyssa’s tits.’ Jabbing an elbow into Colt’s ribs, she frowned at him. ‘What? That’s why I was fighting with him.’

‘Sounds like a reason to take a guy out to me,’ Blaser said. ‘Where were you last night?’

‘Your girlfriend’s apartment,’ Colt sneered, then leaned down to her. ‘I’m kidding, he doesn’t even have a girlfriend.’

‘Colt and I got drunk last night,’ Ruger chimed in. ‘Solid alibi, must be a couple of dozen people who saw him.’

‘No one suspects Colt of anything,’ Lyssa said.

‘Only because you haven’t told them the truth yet,’ Blaser said. ‘You didn’t tell them about Colt’s tête-à-tête with the dead man, did you?’

‘No,’ she said. ‘I didn’t think about it. I just answered their questions.’ Lyssa hoped that by omitting the details of Bobby’s return to her office, and the ensuing outburst, she hadn’t made things more difficult, or seem more suspicious, for Colt.

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Colt said. ‘We’ll clear it up.’

‘I can’t believe that he’s dead.’

‘Yeah, you lose your second job and a patient. You’ll have to tighten your belt,’ Blaser said.

‘Hey.’ Colt dived forward and shoved his brother. ‘You want to be a jerk, you aim your shit at me.’

‘Great, now you’ve had a go at me,’ Blaser said, facing the windshield. ‘Wonder if I’ll turn up dead tomorrow.’

Bobby was dead and as far as she knew he hadn’t achieved his goal. She wanted to know if he’d gone on the date with Deshana, and if there had been any success between them physically. After all of the therapy that they’d worked through together she really hoped that he had found what he was looking for before he lost his life. To die without accomplishing it would make his demise all the more tragic.

When she and Colt were alone she would ask him these questions. If the cops had a time of death and a location, then those facts might answer her questions. But answering the material questions didn’t answer the biggest questions of all: who would want Bobby dead, and why?

Spending the night with Colt was just what she needed. He made dinner for her, and then they put on a movie. Neither spoke about the argument last night, which she was grateful for, because she didn’t want to think about more drama, she just wanted to relax and feel. Colt obliged and then some. A gentle, soothing massage in front of the movie quickly became something more and the heat of his certain hands surrounded her with security. With Colt she was safe and she was treasured.

Turning toward him, she took hold of his hands and pushed her mouth onto his. At first she was uncertain about what she wanted to do with him, because she wanted to do everything all at once. She wanted to kiss him and touch him, she wanted to taste his body and his dick as much as she wanted to feel him move inside of her. But he took control and she didn’t have to think anymore.