Murder Stalks (25 page)

Still it hadn’t been enough. She wanted the
thick feel of a man between her legs, sucking her breasts and
rubbing against her flesh. Two nights ago she had gotten her wish.
She was still sore from Michael pushing into her. God, it had felt
so good.

That proved it. She wasn’t a man. She was a
woman.

Michael had shown her how much of a woman
she could be. His fingers had made her cry out, begging for all of
him. Wave after wave of release had brought her closer to being a
woman than she’d ever felt before. But now, two days later and no
word from Michael had Ally hearing the old lies start to surface
again.

Last night she had dreamt her dad was still
alive. He was in her room, watching her in bed with Michael. He
called her a fag, a damn homosexual for sleeping with a man. He
picked up a horsewhip and laid it across her bottom. His words from
when she was a child stung her, ‘You are not a little girl, you are
a boy’ repeated over and over until she stopped calling herself a
little girl. In her dream, Ally rose up to strike back at her
father. She looked down and her breasts were gone. She had a penis
hanging from her pelvis. She remembered crying in the dream. Her
sobs woke her at six this morning.

She ran to the club, worked out and helped
four clients, two of them new. Then she’d gone to the dressing room
to change into her swimsuit. She hated having other women watch her
undress. The feeling of strangers’ eyes on her bothered her. She’d
been fired from a club up north when she had punched a woman for
looking at her while she dressed.

Ally knew she had rage issues with other
women. Sometimes she hated working so closely with them. She hated
smelling their sweet bodies, feeling their weak arms as they tried
to bench press fifty pounds. Maybe her father had been right to
treat her like a man. Men were solid, strong, and emotionally
together.

Being a man wasn’t tough. Ally thought about
the feel of the fake penis hanging between her legs. She sighed,
knowing she would slip the device on before she went to see
Michael. Somehow, she would convince Michael he needed to see her.
Or maybe she would show up on his doorstep, naked under a trench
coat. She thought again about her tool, once she had it on, her
hand would search for it. She would rub her palm over the piece,
feeling its weight resting on her thigh. She thought about Michael
plunging his thick shaft into her. Her knees went weak, and the
tightness between her legs grew. She needed a release.

In the privacy of her own home, she could
get that release. She would lie on her bed with the harness
strapped on. She would rub her palm over the piece, feeling its
weight resting on her thigh, then use her vibrating finger tab to
orgasm. But when she came, it was never enough. Why couldn’t she
see the evidence of her orgasm? She wanted to see cum shooting out
of the end of her penis, but she didn’t really have a penis, and
she wasn’t really a man.

It always came back to that. The vein at the
base of her neck throbbed with pent-up anger. No matter how hard
she tried, she couldn’t be the man her father always wanted her to
be.

After running five miles to the natatorium,
Ally had swum until she couldn’t pull her arms through the water.
Now she hung on the side of the pool, unable to lift herself
out.

She heard the click-click of shoes on the
hard tile floor. Black shiny boots stopped in front of her. She
rolled her head to the side and looked up. Michael smiled down at
her. His face was a welcome reprieve from the torture that had
worked through her brain all morning.

“
I knew I would find you
here.”

“
Help me, I can’t get
out.”

Michael reached down, crossed his arms,
grabbing both of hers and pulled her up to sit on the side of the
pool. She slumped over, holding onto the starting block for
support.

“
What happened to you? You
run a marathon today?” Michael asked as he pushed a wet strand of
hair out of her eyes.

“
No, just worked out until
I was exhausted.”

Michael knelt beside her, took her hand in
his and kissed her palm. A shiver ran down her back and made her
shake. He laughed and pulled her up to stand next to him. Ally’s
legs gave way and she fell against him.

“
How long you been
swimming?”

“
About three hours, maybe
four.”

“
I’m taking you home and
giving you a full body massage.”

“
Your place?” Ally asked,
not wanting to be with Michael at her own house. A small part of
her feared her father really would show up if she slept with
Michael at her own house again. Some demons were harder to kill
than others.

“
Sure. I’ll draw you a hot
bath and let you soak in the jacuzzi tub.”

Ally leaned on Michael all the way to the
car. She fell into the seat and let him strap her in.

“
What about your
bag?”

“
I didn’t have one, just
my shoes, key and credit card.”

“
You travel
light.”

“
I try. What are we having
for dinner?” Ally asked, her eyes already closed and her head
resting against the headrest.

“
How about grilled
chicken?”

“
Sounds great, if I don’t
fall asleep first.”

“
If you fall asleep, I’ll
save it until tomorrow.”

Ally mumbled. Her mind disconnected from her
body and sleep came fast. She woke when Michael lifted her out of
the car.

“
I can walk.”

“
I know, but I thought it
would be nice to carry you.”

“
Are you sure? I’m kind of
heavy,” Ally said. At a hundred and forty pounds, she wasn’t a
lightweight.

“
You doubt my
strength?”

“
No, I’m
just...”

Michael swung Ally’s feet to the floor and
pushed his key into the lock. “Ally, you are the perfect size for
me. I wouldn’t know what to do with a woman who was all willowy and
spongy. I like the way your muscle’s bulge out, giving definition
where most women are soft.”

Ally giggled and blushed. Maybe there was
hope for her. Her father had been wrong. She wasn’t a man. The
strong tightening between her legs reminded her she really was all
woman. It just took a big, muscle bound man to prove it. Ally
relaxed against Michael and let him carry her to the couch. She lay
back against the cushions, her muscles screaming for release and
comfort. She’d pushed herself too hard today. Tomorrow she would
pay for it. In all likelihood she would drop three to five of the
pounds she had worked hard to obtain.

The sound of running water pulled Ally from
her musings. He was running a bath for her. That was a first. She’d
never had anyone fill a tub with warm water for her to enjoy. She
sighed and sunk down further into the couch.

“
What are you smiling at?”
Michael asked when he walked back into the den.

“
I’m happy. Just happy,
that’s all.”

“
Good, now get up and walk
into the bathroom. Your muscles need to be stretched. I’m going to
get something to eat, then it’s off to bed for you.”

“
Thanks,” Ally said as she
wobbled to her feet.

Her legs and arms ached but the warm salted
bath water felt wonderful. She relaxed her head against the built
in pillow and fell asleep. She woke just enough to be aware of
Michael pulling her out of the tub and putting her to bed.

It seemed like only moments later that she
rolled over and saw sun streaming in behind the curtains.

“
Michael,” Ally called
out. No answer, he was gone. Disappointment skirted her thoughts.
She reached a hand over to his side of the bed and found it cold.
How long had he been gone? Or had he even slept with
her?

She rose to stand and pain shot down legs
and her knees knocked together. She stretched out her muscles and
saw a note next to the alarm clock. It was almost nine. Ally
stumbled to the phone across the room and dialed the club.

“
Rickey here.”

“
Hey, Rickey, this is
Ally. What time is my first appointment?”

“
Your boyfriend called and
said you were sick today. We called all of your clients and
canceled. You only had two and none of them were new. They
understood and rescheduled for tomorrow. By the way, you’re booked
solid from morning until night with only a few hours break before
noon. I hope you’re better by then.”

“
I will be, don’t
worry.”

Ally flopped down onto the bed and smiled.
Michael considered her his girlfriend. She smiled, grabbed the TV
remote and flipped it on to the news.

“
Yesterday morning, a
dancer at the club, Diamonds ‘N Rubies, was found murdered in her
own home. Police believe this senseless killing was at the hands of
one of the club’s patrons.”

Ally flipped off the set. They’d found
another dead girl. She clenched her fists. She couldn’t think
straight. She didn’t want to hear about more dead girls. She wanted
it all to go away.

Ally hung out at Michael’s after a quick
trip to take care of some business. No word from Michael had
drained some of the euphoria she felt earlier. His note said he
would call at around noon, but she had to step out and must have
missed him. She tore off a bite of her sandwich and chewed slowly.
Maybe if she were different he would call.

Chapter 24

Tony and Marissa sat around a box of fried
chicken. His diet would have to change soon. Junk food felt good
going down, but his waist wouldn’t be able to take it for long. His
pants were still loose around his stomach, but soon the tell-tale
signs of overeating would catch up to him.

Rex had left Tony another report, this one
showing the approximate time of death for each victim. Tony picked
it up at the front desk, along with another memo from Jackson
Spade. He was to call Spade in the in the morning.

“
So, Angela Longfellow
died on or before the morning of the fourth. Then Kelsey was
murdered on July fifth in the evening.” Marissa swallowed hard,
keeping her eyes on the food in the box. “There were two days it
looks like the killer was inactive. Then he murders Arisa Fink, but
she isn’t found until the twelfth.” Marissa stopped and grabbed
another piece of chicken.

Tony thought she looked like she was in
heaven. He remembered how much she liked eating when she was
pregnant with Ashley. “Ms. Fink’s lifestyle and her location kept
her from being found earlier. Latisha Enzer ends up in my bed. I
wake up on the ninth and she’s there. Then on the eleventh, he goes
after you. That means he was active on the fourth, the fifth, the
eighth, the ninth, and again on the eleventh when he attacked you,”
Tony said as he reached for more food, trying to keep up with
Marissa.

“
He seems erratic. If
there were a pattern, the police should find another body. But
maybe there hasn’t been enough time. What if he kills two days in a
row then takes a two day break?” Marissa said, wiping grease from
her lips. Tony breathed in deeply as tightness filled his groin.
Watching Marissa eat was almost erotic.

“
He only took one day
between Latisha Enzer and you.” Tony interjected, his mouth full of
chicken. Marissa gave him a stern look, she didn’t believe in
talking with your mouth full.

“
That disproves my theory.
What if it’s a different algorithm? Two on, two off, then two on,
one off. Next would be two off.”

“
You and your
math.”

“
What do you
mean?”

“
I don’t think I’ve ever
heard algorithm used in a police investigation, but you’re doing
great. Thanks for helping me. I know it’s not your
thing.”

“
I want to help. I can’t
stand doing nothing.”

Tony swallowed over the lump in his throat.
He loved his wife more than he thought possible. “Your theory makes
sense, but maybe his pattern isn’t based on the date but something
else. Maybe it’s based on when the victims are alone?” Tony wiped
his mouth. He was done with food for now, the longer they talked
the less he wanted to eat.

“
You’re probably right. If
he’s cleaning up after he does the deed, then he needs an hour or
two for cleaning. The victim has to be alone for the night.”
Marissa took another bite of chicken.

“
That helps us a bit, but
what about you?”

“
He thought I would be
alone. You only recently started showing up at my apartment and not
on a regular basis.”

“
He’s watching his
victims, looking for patterns, finding a way to get them when
they’re alone. He’s not done yet, and we have no clue who this guy
is.”

“
Maybe Rex and his team
are having better luck,” Marissa said.

“
I’m going to go take a
shower, and then I suggest we get to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be
a rough day.”

“
Why do you say that?”
Marissa asked.

“
I’m going to ask for my
job back.” Tony shut the door to the bathroom and rested against
the cool wood. Randall might not see things the way Tony saw them,
but putting Tony back on the force would only help the police
department. Unless Randall actually thought Tony could have killed
the Enzer girl.

The hot water ran over his shoulders,
loosening them up. The stress from this case had wound his body
tight. He stretched each muscle group while the water pounded down
on him. His mind came up with nothing while he was in the shower.
Marissa was at risk, he was at risk, and at least two more women in
the city were at risk.