Kill Shot (21 page)
Micki ran a loving hand over the camera. The Leica had been her first investment in her own business. She loved it as much as one can love a precision instrument through which one gains a more refined view of the world.
She needed to return the rental camera and the damaged case to Gus. She placed both cameras side by side on the bed in Oz’ parent’s guest room, hoping they would be safe and that no one would bother them. She almost wanted to hide them away from well meaning but curious people.
She held the Leica to her eye and looked around the room, randomly framing and focusing the lens.
Micki sucked in a deep breath when she realized that the new memory card was still in the camera. She’d changed cards when she’d been shooting Zondra’s pictures in the park. She remembered placing the filled card in the pocket of Oz’ favorite shirt and later that night, printing the two sets of proofs from it and making the back up CD. But she’d forgotten about the new card and the few pictures she’d shot after inserting it.
Luka had taken the filled memory card and smashed her computer, but the Leica containing the new memory card had been in police custody at the time he’d trashed her place.
She reviewed the photos on the card. They were just more of the same shots of Zondra and her mother. Micki needed to get these pictures saved and turned over to the police.
She started to call Oz, but she feared he’d take the card away from her. She took a deep breath.
Oz is my fiancé. I have to trust that he’s not going to run over me again
. She put both cameras in the bottom of a drawer and arranged a blanket over the top before sliding it closed.
She went to sit on the back porch before punching in Oz’ number.
“Hey, I was just thinking of you.” The happiness resounding in his voice reached out to wrap around her.
Micki smiled in spite of her fears. “Oz, Put on your emotional emergency brakes, because you’re going to want to steam roller me but I’m trusting that you won’t.” She waited for his reaction. “I mean, if we don’t have this, we don’t have anything.”
He cleared his throat. “What do you need?”
“I found something. You’ll want to rush home and take it, but I need you to be cool.”
“Okay,” he pronounced slowly. “I’m cool. What did you find?”
“The rest of the pictures from the park shoot. I forgot that I changed to a new memory card. There are only about a dozen shots on it, but there might be something there.” She heard him take in a deep breath.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Come pick me up and take me to get a photo CD made. You can take it to your lab rats and they can mangle it.”
She heard the grin back in his voice. “Is that all?”
“That will do,” she said. “Thanks, Oz.”
#
Oz left the car idling and raced onto the porch to snatch Micki up for a kiss. “I missed you,” he breathed into her hair. Holding her after even a short absence made his chest tight. She smiled when he put her down. Having her back in his life was even sweeter than the first time. He could handle this box thing. All he had to do was give her a little room and they’d be alright.
He drove her to the nearest chain pharmacy and she made 2 photo CDs from the memory card. She wrote U2 on one with a black permanent marker and stuck it with the music CDs behind his visor.
“Just in case,” she said.
Oz dropped her at his parent’s house and drove to the lab.
Aida was delighted that more pictures had turned up. “Can’t wait to see these. Maybe there are as many mysteries here as on the other one.”
“There aren’t that many pictures.” Micki said. “I was almost finished with the shoot when I had to change cards.”
“Let’s take a look. Here’s the happy bride and from the matching mustache, I’d guess that’s her mother.”
Micki giggled in spite of herself.
They all squinted at the screen as Aida examined different portions of the background.
“Who’s that guy?” Oz asked. “He’s looking directly into the lens.”
They all stared at the image of a dark haired Italian or Hispanic man who’d turned to face the camera. He was young, late twenties or early thirties and seemed inordinately interested in the wedding shoot.
“Can you bring it up a little?” Micki asked.
Aida made the likeness larger and enhanced it so that the image was sharp and crisp.
“He looks familiar,” Oz said. “Like someone I’ve met recently.”
“It looks like he’s packing. Is that the butt of a handgun sticking out from under his jacket?” Aida asked.
“Yep. I’m thinking we should run him by the gang task force and through the facial recognition system.”
“Will do,” she said. “I’ll go over the rest of the pictures with my proverbial fine tooth comb and let you know what I find.”
As Oz started to leave, Aida stopped him with her hand on his sleeve. “What’s going on? You look so happy.”
“Can’t a guy be happy?” He grinned down at her.
“Yes, but you’re glowing like a bride. What’s up, Oz man?”
“My girlfriend made me a promise,” he said.
“I thought you didn’t have a girlfriend.”
“I lied.”
#
“Can we please go home, Oz?” Micki hoped that she could convince him that she was no longer in danger. She ached to escape the old neighborhood and the scrutiny of their collective families.
As if reading her thoughts, he replied, “Because you can’t stand my parents any more?”
“I want to be alone with you on the first night that we’re officially engaged.”
“Hey, I like that a lot.” He ushered her to the car and started it. “Actually, the only reason I had you stay here last night was because I was working and I didn’t want you to be alone.”
“Like the helpless little female you think I am?” She tilted her head, giving him a look.
He shook his finger at her. “That’s entrapment.”
“Maybe,” she said.
He drove slowly, mired in the stream of heavy traffic. “Put your ring on and I’ll take you home.”
“That’s bribery.” She fished the ring out of her bra and slipped it on her finger.
“Seriously, Micki, you don’t think we’re going to keep this quiet very long, do you?”
“Maybe not, but I need a little time to ourselves. I don’t want any pressure to set a date or have anyone ask me if my period is late.”
He shot her a disbelieving glance. “They wouldn’t do that.”
Micki made a scornful noise in the back of her throat.
“I promise not to say a word.” He grinned, but she knew he didn’t take her seriously.
When they reached his apartment building, Oz drove down the ramp to the underground parking and pulled into his assigned space.
“Wait!” A strangling sensation blocked her throat. She gripped his arm.
“What’s wrong?”
She expelled a breath. “I’m having a flashback. Luka zapped you with a taser right here.”
“Don’t worry. He’s in jail.”
She tried to quell the uneasy feeling in her gut. “I’m feeling a little antsy.”
“I understand, but it’s not likely we’ll be attacked a second time.”
She nodded and peered out through the car windows, following Oz as he came around to open her door.
He ushered her to the elevators and once inside pulled her into his arms. “See, no bogeymen.” As their lips met the doors opened. Oz managed to shove Micki behind him and draw his sidearm at the same time. The startled tenant dropped his briefcase and stared, openmouthed.
Oz holstered his weapon and motioned for the man to enter the elevator, but he backed away, shaking his head.
The doors closed again and the elevator safely began its ascent.
Micki burst into a fit of giggles. “Smooth move, Quick Draw. That poor man.” She tried to control it but more giggles assailed her. “I’ll bet he peed his pants right there.”
“I feel like an idiot,” Oz said.
“It was my fault,” she said. “I got you nervous.”
“But, I’m not supposed to do that.” He grinned at her. “I’m Oz. I’m always cool.”
#
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Soft and warm.
He traced the line of her ribs down to her hipbone and brushed his fingers over her thigh.
Smooth.
While Micki slept, Oz held her cradled against him. He wanted to remember this night; the night he’d first made love to his fiancée.
He’d never thought they would get back together. She promised him... someday. He hoped she wouldn’t take too long to set a date. At least she had taken the first step with him.
He didn’t know how he’d talk her into staying with him once she got her insurance settlement. She could replace her equipment, but there wasn’t room for a darkroom in his open plan kitchen and she loved to mess with those old black and white art photographs. It was some sort of connection to her dad.
Oz pulled the sheet over them, but kept her folded in his arms for the rest of the night. When he awoke she was still curled up beside him, her hand resting lightly on his.
We’ll never break up again, Micki. No matter what.
#
Micki drove the rented Avalon back to Gus’ shop to return the Leica and pay for the ruined camera case.
“You lost the case?” he asked.
“Not exactly,” she said. “The police have it. I sort of crushed it on someone’s face. It had DNA evidence on it so I had to give it to them.” She looked at him brightly. “But I really like the case. Whenever they return it I’m going to use it. I don’t mind that it has a couple of dents on the outside.”
Gus collapsed against his worn and scratched glass case, laughing hysterically. “Stop it, Micki. You’re going to give an old man a heart attack.”
She drove to her apartment. The queasy feeling in her gut escorted her up the stairs. She paused outside the door, recalling the day Luka had been on the other side.
He’s in a cell. He can’t hurt me now.
She shoved the key in the lock and turned it, but hesitated a moment before turning the knob. The door swung wide, revealing only her sunny apartment with no bogeymen hiding behind it.
A week’s worth of mail lay on the floor and the debris from Luka’s attack had been gathered into a pile.
Micki sorted her mail, putting some bills in her purse while tossing the junk. She organized the other items from the break-in and ran a dust cloth over the hard surfaces. Stepping back, she reflected that it still looked like her little place, except for the missing computer and all her cameras stashed at Oz’ apartment.
It’s still my place.
#
Oz returned to the Golden Coast Spa, flashed his badge and asked to speak to Jason Best. He watched through the glass as the receptionist summoned Jason. He was working with a client on a slanted board. The woman, probably in her late forties was doing crunches as Jason held his hand to her lower abdomen.
Whatever good that does!
Jason glanced up to meet Oz’ gaze through the glass and leaned down to speak to the woman with a smile. He patted her briefly and walked through the doors to the reception area.
“Officer Osmond, isn’t it?” He wiped his hands on a small towel before offering one for Oz to shake, a thin smile in place.
“That’s right, Mr. Best.” Oz gestured to the deserted lobby where they couldn’t be overheard. “I just had a few more questions for you.”
“Anything I can do to help, officer.”
“Can you account for your whereabouts on Monday the third?”
“Not right off hand,” Jason said. “Why do you ask?”
“That’s when Randal Knox died.”
Jason gave him a somewhat theatrical look intended to denote surprise. “You don’t honestly think that I had anything to do with Randy’s death, do you?”
Oz lifted the corners of his mouth in a smile. “It’s not my job to interpret the information, Mr. Best. I’m only gathering data. Where were you last Monday?”
“I was with Laurel...Mrs. Jobe.”
“All night?”
“That would be correct.” He winked at Oz. “The old man was out of the country.”
A sense of loathing roiled in the pit of Oz’ stomach. “Will Mrs. Jobe confirm this account?”
“I can’t think why not,” Jason said. “Just don’t ask her in front of the old man.”
“Mrs. Jobe tells me that Mr. Jobe knows about your involvement with his wife. Is that true?”
Jason ran his fingers through his longish bangs, brushing them out of his eyes. “I’m afraid so. I let something slip in front of him.”
“Was he upset?”
“Not so that you’d notice. He just got a little tight lipped and left.” Jason looked around as though someone might hear. “I’m in love with Laurel, you know. She’s in love with me. She’s going to leave Hobart so we can be together.”
