Loves Redemption (5 page)

After he arrived at Imani House, the door opened and he came face to face with the nosy

neighbor who’d interrupted his intimate encounter with Maya on Friday.

“May I help you, Detective?” she asked in a husky voice.

“Yes, ma’am. I came to speak with Dr. Maya Richardson on official police business. Is

she available?”

“She is conducting group counseling at the moment. When she finishes, I will let her

know you are here, Detective.” The woman indicated the small waiting room that stood adjacent to a much larger room, where Mark could hear feminine laughter drifting from its walls.

“Thank you, ma’am. I’ll wait here for Dr. Richardson.”

Left alone, he drifted toward the slightly opened door. Moments before he’d heard muted

laughter, now he was straining to hear a single voice that had already imprinted itself into his brain. Without feeling the least bit guilty, Mark watched through the pane and listened to Maya as she perched on the edge of a table at the head of the room, speaking to the gathering of women.

* * * *

“Before we wrap up, I’d like to thank everyone for the consoling notes regarding the

death of my sister. This is a very difficult time for me, and I won’t pretend otherwise. Your emotional support is really important to me, and I feel blessed to have such a group of

courageous woman around me.” Maya had to clear her voice several times as she thanked the

women.

“Thank you all. I will see each one of you throughout the week for our individual therapy

sessions, and see you all back here next Monday for group,” she said, ending the session.

As the ladies began filing out, each one stopped to hug her. As she turned back to her

desk to gather her paperwork, she missed seeing Mark slip inside the doors.

Closing the door, he advanced further into the room and leaned against the wall right

behind her, waiting for her to notice him.

She made a visible start when Mark came into her line of vision. “Detective Halstan, I

didn’t know that you were here.”

“I arrived fifteen minutes ago. When I saw the ladies leaving I thought your session was

over.”

“Did you find out anything new, Detective? About the investigation? Did they find my

sister’s necklace?” She asked with a hopeful look.

“Unfortunately, Allison wasn’t wearing the necklace; it wasn’t found on her by the crime

techs.”

Seeing the disappointed look on her face, Mark felt compelled to continue. “Do you

know where she’d been recently living? Maybe she has it in her personal belongings. I’m sure that it meant as much to her as it did to you.”

As he’d been talking, Maya had been leading him away from the room. “Why don’t we

continue this conversation in my office?”

Mark followed her as they walked through the conference room toward the kitchen. In

the middle of the large kitchen standing before the butcher-block counter was a small dark

complexioned man. He was humming and chopping vegetables on a cutting board, and brushing

them into a gently bubbling stockpot.

The small man turned and smiled at the sound of Maya’s voice. The wide grin slid off his

face as soon as he noticed Mark. He turned back to his work, his shoulders stiffening and his singing coming to an abrupt end.

“If you are hungry Senora, then I will find something for you to eat. This is for dinner,

but I will heat for you what the other ladies are eating for lunch.”

“Jorge I would like for you to meet Detective Halstan. He’s with the SAPD, and he’s one

of the detectives investigating the death of Ally. You may be seeing him around the House once in awhile. We were on our way to my office so that we could discuss the investigation.” Maya’s voice was gentle, as though she were talking to a child.

“Detective Halstan, this is Jorge Gonzalez, chef extraordinaire, to whom the ladies and

myself of Imani House are blessed to have here to prepare our meals and help us make our house a home.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jorge. Whatever you’re making smells great.” Mark cast hungry

eyes in the direction of the pot.

Jorge stole a shy glance in Mark’s direction. “Why don’t you stay and eat? When Jorge

cooks there is never a shortage; everyone is satisfied. I will bring a plate for you and the detective, Dr. Maya. Now you two may leave my kitchen.” Shooing them both out of the

kitchen, a smile returned to his face, reanimating his somber features.

Maya laughingly nudged Mark out of the kitchen and walked through the house with

Mark close, his admiring glance taking in everything as they made it to her office.

“I’ve never been inside Imani House but I have to complement you on the overall feeling.

You’ve put a lot of hard work and time in, and it shows. How did this all take place?” They’d reached her office and Mark cast approving eyes around the office.

Although files were scattered on the desk and her small trash could stand being emptied,

the room reflected the same comforting feeling as the rest of the house. One large print featuring two little girls with curly hair in ponytails holding hands dominated one of the walls.

An entire wall was a built-in bookshelf. From what he could see she had very eclectic

taste. There was everything from scientific and medical books to popular best-selling works that he had read. Hanging from a corner wall was large lush fern. As he was settling back in his seat a knock sounded on her door.

“Excuse me please, Mark. Come in,” Maya called out.

Jorge brought in the promised lunch for the two of them. “Oh Jorge, thank you so much.

It looks delicious.”

With a smile he accepted the compliment. “Thank you, Dr. Maya. When you and the

detective are finished, place the tray outside. I will pick it up.” He gave a timid smile in Mark’s direction before leaving her office.

“I wanted to thank you for the way you handled the situation with Jorge in the kitchen.

Jorge is the only male resident of Imani House.”

“He was a prostitute?” Mark guessed.

“Yes he’s a former prostitute. Jorge came to the U.S. as an illegal immigrant. He worked

as a migrant farmhand, working seasonally, and moved often, trying to avoid the INS. He was approached by one of the other workers who told him he knew how to make more money

without having to work sixteen hours a day. Once he started he couldn’t stop. The money was better than his migrant work, and he was afraid of his pimp. He was known on the streets for being cruel to the young boys who worked for him, and the men that he catered to were equally sadistic.”

Mark knew that to be true. In his days as a uniform officer, he’d brought in more than his

fare share of beat up young men from the streets.

“Although he was afraid, he took the first step and came to me. He’s been with us ever

since, and is now employed here.” Mark could hear the pride in her voice.

“I can imagine how hard that was for him to take the first step. Most don’t.”

“I know. In the time he’s been here, Jorge’s self-esteem has been restored. It’s been an

emotional uphill process, but he’s getting there. Whenever we have a man enter the house, I introduce him to Jorge. When he sees the newcomer with me, it helps him to accept that he’s safe and the newcomer won’t hurt him.”

After finishing his lunch, Mark set it aside to look across the room at the woman he was

growing to admire with each passing moment in her company.

She was such an amazing person, and he’d bet his last dime she didn’t see herself as

special. Both her pride and commitment to her work were evident from the way she spoke. She cared for those under her care and it showed as she went out of her way to ensure their comfort and safety above all else.

Mark became aware for the first time how long he’d been there when he glanced at his

watch and recalled his reasons for the visit.

“I admire what you’ve done here, Maya. I’d like to learn more about what you and your

staff provide for the residents of Imani House when you have time. Have you found out anything more about Ally from any of your sources?”

“I haven’t had the opportunity to find out where Ally had been staying before she was

killed. Most of the women here are well connected with what’s going on in the community, and I should be able to find out something that can help.”

“Have you made any arrangements for her?” He referred to her burial as delicately as he

could.

“Yes. When I came in this morning, I started making calls. Allison once told me she

wanted to be cremated, so I’ll honor her wishes once her body is released to me.”

“That should be soon. The coroner has completed the autopsy, and you’ll be contacted

soon. In fact I’ll find out when they’ll contact you.”

“Thank you, I would appreciate it.”

“No problem.” After a brief pause he continued, “Maya I’ve been doing some thinking.

You have an insider’s understanding of this community. Not only do you have the knowledge,

you also have the trust and respect of the women as well as the men,” he added as he thought of Jorge. “I’d need to speak to Lieutenant Hernandez, but I think that you could provide invaluable information that would give us some insight into the psyche of this killer. We’ve already

established that the killer is either a prostitute, or is able to blend in with the other prostitutes.”

“Exactly what are you asking, Detective?”

“First, that you please call me Mark, and not ‘Detective,’” he asked with a beguiling

smile. “Second, if you would consider lending the department your expertise by acting as an informal consultant. You’d be compensated. Anything that would help us is needed at this point.

We’ve been batting zero.” Mark held his breath, waiting for her response as he watched her

consider his proposal.

“Most of the time I feel like I’m running to keep up in my normal day routine. Imani

House takes a lot of my time and energy. But, anything that I’m able to do to help capture the person who killed my sister, I’ll do. As far as the monetary compensation, it would be accepted on behalf of the House. It takes a great deal of money to keep the programs running and fully staffed,” she said, accepting his proposal.

“Great. I’ll speak with Lieutenant Hernandez, but like I said, we’re budgeted for outside

consultation.” He let out a low breath in gratitude, relief coursing through him when she agreed to help. He wanted her aid and knew she could be valuable to the investigation. He also wanted to be around her as often as possible so he could get to know her.

“I’d better get going. I didn’t get a chance to ask you, but were you able to get your car

back without too much trouble?” he asked as she followed him to the door, bringing Friday night into the conversation to see her reaction. The flush on her golden cheeks gave him the answer he was looking for.

“Thank you, I did. Dalia brought me to work, and I drove myself home.”

Maya gave him a side-glance from beneath lowered lashes. She wondered at the sudden

turn of conversation. Memories of the kiss they’d shared replayed itself with ongoing regularity in her mind, which made it hard for her to get any real work done.

She was the first to admit she wasn’t used to the intense sexual thoughts she’d been

having because of Mark. Instead of feeling guilty, she thanked God for them because they kept her mind occupied and away from thoughts of Ally.

She glanced at the man at her side, the one that was the cause for her errant thoughts, and instantly her nipples peaked when she saw the way he was watching her lips.

He was looking at them like he wanted to eat them. Before she could react, he bent his

head on level with hers, took her chin between his fingers and boldly did what his eyes had been promising.

He ran his tongue along the seam of her mouth, encouraging her to open for him. After

she obeyed his silent request, he took advantage and pressed his tongue deep into her mouth.

With a deep groan, he settled her closer and deepened the kiss.

With a moan, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck, standing on tiptoe to

get closer to him. He withdrew his tongue from her mouth, only to lightly bite her lower lip.

Maya shivered at the unfamiliar sensations.

She was restless, feeling like she couldn’t get close enough to him, her body strumming

hard with desire, making her shake.

He broke contact with her mouth, his breathing harsh as he rested his head close to hers

and took deep even breaths. Bereft, she instinctively reached up to touch his mouth before

bringing her hands back down to her sides, ashamed of her neediness.

He took her hands in his and brought them to his mouth. Closing his eyes he began to

softly kiss each finger, rubbing the backs of them gently against his lips. Goose bumps tingled up her arms with his touch. The burgeoning sounds of the house began to slowly make its way into their temporarily private world, and he lowered their joined hands to his chest.

“What is this? This feeling, this whatever, I’m not even sure what to call it,” she asked

shakily, trying in vain to withdraw her hands from his much larger ones. Finally she stopped struggling, allowing him to keep them where they were, nestled between his.

“To tell you that I understand what this is between the two of us would be a lie. I can

honestly tell you I’ve never in my life felt like this.” He turned her back around to face him when she tried to turn away.

“I’m serious. I know it sounds like some type of line, but it’s not. From the moment that I laid eyes on you when you were outside the lieutenant’s office, I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind, Maya.” He wracked a frustrated hand through his hair, spiking it in all directions.