© Carey MacLean, 2012

Chapter 9

He cursed himself for having left her.  Thoughts of doubts filled his mind.  Had he pushed her into saying something too fast, too soon?  He knew he had to tell her.  The woman had been through too much in her short life.  She deserved to know how he felt.

But why do I feel like everything is crashing down?  He asked himself.

He threw his jeep in park, climbed out and stomped up the front steps to his house.  He paused with the keys in his hand.  Something told him that he had left too quickly.  He debated going back to her house but decided that the damage had already been done.  He might as well wait until the morning.

“What the hell are you doing?”  He heard from behind him with a slamming car door.

He turned, keys still in hand as he looked at his visitor.  There she stood, in her thin bathrobe, barefoot in his driveway.  It had been the first time he’d seen her that infuriated and he had to say that he kind of liked it.  The thought made him smirk.

“What are you doing here?”  He asked as quickly as he masked his contentment of her chasing him down.

“I’m here for you,” she told him and stayed beside her car.

His feet had apparently made his mind up and moved him in stride toward her.

“You drove here in that?  Where’re your shoes?”  He asked her.

“It’s not important.  Why did you leave?”  She questioned him.

“It seemed like the best thing at the time but now I’m not so sure,” he said and felt like utterly the world’s largest idiot in that moment.

Her being there was proof that he should have stayed. 

“I’m sorry,” he stepped up to her until he came toe to toe with her.

“You can’t tell me something like that and expect a typical response,” she told him and smiled as she grabbed his shirt and pulled him to her.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her forehead before pulling to look at her.

“And how do you feel about what I told you?”  He asked her.

“You’re right about telling me.  No, it wasn’t too soon and you were right in your analysis,” she said.

“What about my analysis?”  He wondered aloud but had an inkling of what she was about to say and so he smiled slightly at her.

“Can’t we take this inside somewhere?  All of a sudden, I’m feeling a little exposed,” she said with a nervous chuckle.

He knew she was regarding her current attire or lack thereof in this case.

“No.  Answer my question,” his smile broadened, bordering on cocky and he brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, keeping his other hand on her back, holding her to him.

“I can’t ignore what you make me feel, Xav,” she pushed her face into his chest.  “I’m terrified as all hell.”

“That makes two of us, Gorgeous,” he whispered as he touched his lips to the top of her head.  “Now let’s get you back home.”

They reached her house in comfortable silence.  Xavier had, from time to time, grabbed their intertwined hands and kissed her fingers.  She couldn’t quite believe what had transpired in such a short amount of time.  She laughed when he picked her up and carried her over to the front door.  Taking her keys, he unlocked the front door for her and followed her through the entrance.

She led them to the bedroom and helped him out of his clothes.  She found herself hungry for more of what his body had to offer but one glance at the bedside clock told her that if she didn’t go to bed soon, she’d pay the repercussions later seeing as it was closing in on one thirty in the morning.

Crawling into bed, she shimmied over and held the sheets up for Xavier.  She rolled onto her side, facing him and as quickly as the thought of wanting to be held invaded her mind, Xavier had pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her.

“Much better,” he mumbled into her hair before tilting her head up so he could kiss her softly.  “Goodnight, Gorgeous.”

“Goodnight,” she snuggled further into him, wrapping a bare leg over his and resting a hand over his bare chest as he rolled himself onto his back, keeping her at his side.  She felt the darkness of slumber taking her away and that warm blanket of security holding her firmly in place.

He had watched as she came home with that cop who’d been lurking about for the past week.  In truth, he knew almost everything he had to know about the woman who consumed every moment of wakefulness only to haunt his dreams whence sleep came.

For months he had taken to following her around, ensuring her safety which came in the form of freedom from the law.  He had been thrilled the day that her good-for-nothing husband had been carted away on the Medical Examiner’s gurney.  The bastard deserved what he got, ten-fold.

Less than fond of the suiters she had associated with since her husband’s death, he had come to realize that she had a hidden agenda.  Mika Stafford was far from a slut, a whore, a man’s plaything.  Yet, from time to time, she’d come and go with those little outfits that left much to be desired yet nothing extensive to the imagination. 

When rich men started dropping like flies, he realized that it was no longer a coincidence that those she would see would sooner rather than later be found dead within a matter of days.

When he had watched her leave the Denton residence, he wondered what had been going through her mind.  She hadn’t been acting like her usual self.  Normally, she’d meet someone and act on her impulses right away.  With Lance Denton, she had taken over a week to set her plan in motion.  Her moments of solitude had him observing her bearing the face of confliction and indecisiveness.  He knew it all tied in with that detective who had been around as of late.

He had seen her suffering for far too long.  He knew her purpose and because of his love for her, he wasn’t going to let her lose what little happiness she had seemed to regain out of her life.  If that happiness was in the form of the detective, then so be it.  He would continue to love her from afar.  Maybe, even continue her mission seeing as he wouldn’t mind ridding the world of worthless scum like Denton and those who were his predecessors.

“I hope you liked it.  I did it for you my love,” he whispered toward her house as he saw the lights go out.

Driving off, he figured he’d better head home before someone realized he’d been gone for far too long.  After all, Detective Ryans was more than capable of handling their girl; of that, he had no doubt about.

It was five in the morning when the call had come through on Xavier’s phone.  He looked down and realized they hadn’t moved since they had both fallen asleep.  He smiled at the angelic face that was now perfectly framed by her lustrous head of silken auburn hair.  Reaching for his phone, he tried his best not to wake her.

“Hello?”  He whispered into the receiver.

“You better get your ass into the station now.  We have another,” he heard Captain Saunders saying in a sleepy tone as if he had just gotten the call himself.

“Give me an hour or so.  Who is it?”

“Lance Denton,” Xavier looked at Mika who was beginning to stir.

“Who the-” he started asking and then recollected the front page of the social section of the paper he normally avoids but for some reason read the previous week.  “Oh, the dude for the women’s shelter?”

“That’s right.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.  Message me the coordinates,” Xavier told him.

“Already done kid.  Already done.”

“I’ll keep you posted,” he told his boss.

“You’re right about that one, Ryans.”

He ended the call and set his phone down on the bedside table.  She must have sensed the tension in his body and perhaps his imminent departure because her hand rubbed soothingly at his chest before she wrapped her arms around him, pushing her body closer to him.  He couldn’t help the chuckle.

“Don’t go,” she whispered in a pleading manner and added a few kisses on his pecks.

“I don’t want to but I have to,” he kissed her hair.

“Break in the case?”  She asked.

“No.  The other way around.  There’s been another case added to my load.  Lance Denton’s been murdered,” he knew it was pointless to hold that information from her seeing as it was surely going to find its way into the morning papers and televised newscasts.

“What?”  She said and if she had been sleepy moments ago, she sure as hell wasn’t any longer.

“Relax, Sweetie.  Everything will be fine.  I’ll see you tonight,” he kissed her forehead and hugged her to him.  “Stay in bed.  I’ll be right back in before I leave.”

As soon as his body left the bed, she shivered.  She had wondered when someone would call it in.  What plagued her is that she wondered who had done her the favor.  Whoever the person was, she was thankful she hadn’t had to act on her impulses.  Even more that morning after everything that transpired between her and Xavier the night before.  The only thing she needed to do now was rid herself of the rest of the evidence.

That’ll be a little trickier, she thought to herself.

Ten minutes later, she lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling when Xavier made his appearance by her bedside after a quick shower, donning the same attire he had been wearing the night before.  He bent over her, smiling as he pressed his lips to hers quickly kissing her, his arms supporting him on either side of her.

A mischievous thought ran through her head and her core throbbed with excitement but she knew Xavier’s boss wouldn’t appreciate tardiness.  Saunders had been a hard ass the first time she had met him what felt like only yesterday but in reality, it had been four years since their initial meeting.  It had been the first time Carter had put her in the hospital.

Latching her hands around his waist, she pulled him down as he tried to keep himself at a hover above her.  She laughed when he had come crashing down, onto her.

“I can’t, Gorgeous,” he said with a certain huskiness to his voice.

“I know,” she giggled as she nuzzled his jaw before pulling away to look him in the eye.  “I just wanted to remind you of what was waiting for you tonight.  I can’t have you forget me.”

He chuckled and she grabbed his face, bringing his lips back onto hers in an effort to quench her thirst.

Xavier pulled away with a slight groan which made Mika smile with delight.  She had achieved the desired reaction.

“Have a good day, Baby,” she said in a sing-song fashion.

“After that, it’s impossible not to,” he smirked at her as he straightened himself up.  “About tonight.  Your place or mine?”

“Yours.  I like it better,” she smiled and remembered their first night together along with the sense of home she had felt there.

She watched him as he pulled his keys out and began to release one of them from his many rings.

“Here.  I’m not sure what time I’ll be done but when you’re done work, come over.  I know I’ll need to see your beautiful face by the time this day is over,” he told her and she found herself on the verge of a blush.  “You’re so beautiful when you blush,” he bent over quickly and kissed her chastely.  “Have a good day Doc,” he added and winked as he made his way towards the hallway.

“Wait!”  She got up and covered herself with her bathrobe as he turned toward her.  “How the hell are you getting to work?”

“I texted Connor and he should be waiting out front for me.  Actually, he’s probably been here ten minutes already,” he grinned.

“In that case, run along!”  She shooed him with a dismissive wave of her hand.

He laughed and walked to her so he stood towering above her.  She loved the feel of his calloused hand when he barely touched her as he caressed her cheek.  As gentle and almost non-existent as that touch was, the tenderness behind it was like nothing she had ever felt with anyone before him.

“Bye,” he whispered on her lips, letting his breath do the caressing instead of those luscious lips of his that she was already craving to feel on hers, not to mention other parts of her anatomy.

“Bye Detective,” she winked at him.

Connor had been sitting impatiently outside of this beautifully large brick home.  He thrummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited when he saw Xavier walk out with a huge grin.

“Please tell me that I haven’t been out here for nearly fifteen minutes while you were indulging in some-” he began but never finished.

“Shut up,” Xavier interrupted and sucker punched him in the arm.

“Spending the night so soon?  I guess all remnants of your old ways haven’t left you altogether,” he chuckled.

His best friend shook his head but couldn’t conceal the smile that played at his entire face.  He was thrilled to see him so happy.

“It’s a good thing I showed up last night,” Xavier told him.

Connor gave him a questioning look to urge him onward.

“When I got there, I could hear yelling and so I walked in to find her both scared and raging mad at that Mark Sutter guy that she works with.”

“What happened?”  Connor found himself asking.

“The idiot pretended like there was nothing wrong and that it was all a misunderstanding,” he paused.  “The guy’s been terrorising her at work for a while now.  Pushing himself onto her.  Quite the sleaze from what I understand.  Mika got him temporarily suspended last week.”

“Wow,” Connor rubbed the side of his face.  “So what made you spend the night?”

“Connor!”  Xavier scolded him but couldn’t keep a straight face.

“Ah!”  Connor chuckled.  “As good as you’ve hoped?”

He pried, knowing he was risking another hit from his buddy but he simply had to ask and Connor knew that Xavier was used to his way of being.  He knew that woman wasn’t like any other that Xavier had had the pleasure of indulging in.  The way his best friend had spoken of her told him she wasn’t a possession to conquer or some exploit.

“Better,” Xavier divulged.  “It’s better every time.”

“Shit Xav!  Don’t chase the woman away with your urges!”  Laughing, Connor put the car in gear.

"It was only once, last night,” he told him.  “And then I thought I had lost her,” Connor threw him another inquisitive look as he slowed the car at the intersection.

“Too much, too soon?”  He asked.

“No.  Why am I telling you this when I should be talking to Suzie,” he shook his head.  “Everything turns to sex with you.”

“Not true,” Connor corrected him.  “It starts that way but I can be really deep when I want to be.”

“I know,” Xavier paused.

“So what is it?”

“Something told me I needed to let her know how I felt.  Anyway, I thought I had moved too fast, that I had asked too much from her and so I left,” he explained as Connor listened.

“You left?  Dude!”  Connor scolded him.  “You never leave.  Give the woman time.  Go to another room.  Just don’t leave the house.”

“Learned it the hard way.”

“So I guess you went back,” Connor tried to piece the puzzle together.

“Actually, she came and found me.  She must have been tailing me ‘cause she got there before I had even opened the front door,” he explained.

"Xav, your life is like a thriller one minute, a horror the next, and some sappy romantic comedy all wrapped in the same movie.  I guess she feels just as strongly?”  Connor asked him and Xavier nodded.  “Oh Suzie’s going be doing back-flips when she hears about this!”

The block was surrounded by CSI’s, nosy neighbors, news vans, the coroner’s people, and other law enforcement officials when they had arrived at the Denton residence.  The mansion towered above them and for a moment, Xavier found himself wishing that they had something the size of a hotel room to contend with.  He let out a loud huff and walked forward into the main entrance after ducking under the yellow tape.  Cameras were flashing in a room adjacent to the foyer and he followed the flickering of lights.

There, on the den’s floor lay Lance Denton, gifted businessman, avid do-gooder, dead at the age of thirty-two.  Xavier wondered if he would ultimately add woman beater to that short résumé that could describe the deceased’s life.

The coroner had just finished removing the temperature probe from the body as Xavier walked up.  Carl turned to look at him and shook his head.  Xavier had his confirmation that he should add another head to his count of eleven, making it twelve.

“How was he poisoned?”  Xavier asked bluntly.

“Ingestion by the looks of things.  I’ve screened his body for any puncture marks.  His nasal and respiratory tract seem clear.  Same for his ears and eyes,” he stared down at the various canister testers that lay on the floor between him and the cadaver.  “I’ll have to run a tox screen on his stomach contents but I suspect that that’s where we’ll be finding concrete proof.  She’s one vindictive woman, Xav.”

“You said it,” Xavier stated.

As vindictive as she is, she’s doing their women justice, he thought to himself and wondered where that thought had come from.

Mika flashed through his mind along with the brief story of her past with her deceased husband.  He shook it all away and concentrated on the task at hand.

“Oh, we’ve run a more in depth analysis on the poison that’s been used and it seems to be a plant extract,” Carl had told him.  “It seems to be from the same plant all around.  Whoever this person is, they’re quite the chemist and knows what they’re doing.”

“What plant?”  Xavier asked him relieved that in over two months, they finally were able to tailor down their research to identify the exact type of poison used.

“A white oleander,” Carl told him.

“Do you know how common those are around here?”  Xavier asked him.

“That’s all I can give you,” Carl said.  “I’m sorry I can’t give you more but your suspect will have means to the plant itself and evidently knows how to chemically extract the poison properly for its full potency.  This stuff wasn’t purchased.  It was domestically created.”

“That doesn’t help me in the slightest,” Xavier mumbled.

It was true.  His only viable list of suspects was of the staff that worked the ER at Kensington General Hospital and even then, he’d have to look into Lance Denton and his wife’s past to make sure those pieces still held up.

If it were a true drug, it would have been easier since ways at acquiring such things are more limited.  A naturally built poison, on the other hand is literally impossible to track unless you know the exact plant it came from and are able to match the plant’s DNA.  He wasn’t about to start digging up people’s gardens.

“Where is Mrs. Denton?”  Xavier asked the ME.

“They haven’t been able to locate her as of yet,” Connor informed them as he came to join them both.

Xavier had an uneasy feeling sinking into his gut.

“Check the hospitals.  Start with KGH.  There has to be a reason as to why she wasn’t with Denton at the fundraiser he held last week,” Xavier remembered reading the article.

“Detective?”  Xavier turned to see one of the CSI’s with a middle-aged woman who wore an apron and carried a tea towel.  “This woman tells me that Mrs. Denton had been taken away by ambulance last week.”

Xavier smiled his cocky smile which told anyone that knew him well enough that the lady had confirmed a suspicion of his.

“Thank you ma’am.  Do you mind telling me if you’ve noticed anything else in the neighborhood until this morning?”

Xavier knew this sort of person.  He had grown quite thankful for the nosy busy-bodies.  With the lack of things to do, they always turn to quietly and inconspicuously look in on their neighbors to see what they could report at their next community meeting, special function, or simply around the dinner table with their friends and family.

“Two people dropped by yesterday.  I’ve never seen them around,” she divulged.

Xavier wondered if this was going to be his opportunity to put this case to rest once and for all.

“Connor, take this woman’s statement and give me your keys.  I’m heading to the hospital starting with KGH.  Something tells me that’s where I’ll find Mrs. Denton,” Xavier stated with authority.

Connor didn’t hesitate reaching into his pocket and handed his keys.

“Keep her safe.  I’ll hitch a ride with the ME to the hospital and meet you there later,” he assured him.

Xavier hurried to the car and jumped in, squealing the sports car’s tires as he sped out of the cul-de-sac, onto the main drag that would lead him to the freeway toward Kensington General.  For his own sanity, he prayed that Mrs. Denton was indeed there, as his instincts had been telling him.

                                          *************************************

If you've enjoyed what you've read, please vote and comment on every chapter.  I enjoy the feedback and support.  Thank you!