Spoilt (8 page)

“
Sit down, Detectives,” he commanded. “I hear we have number
three. Is that correct?”

“
Yes, Captain.” Lucas took the floor. “We have just come from
speaking with her roommate.”

“
There is a lot of heat on us right now to get results. Where
are we on this?”

“
We’re about to go over all three and see if there’s a
connection. The only link we have at present is the first two
looked similar and the third girl’s roommate resembles the victims.
We also know all three were seeing a new ‘mystery’ man but we’ve
been unable to get a description. There were hairs found on Kate,
which luckily can be used for DNA comparison. We have flour traces
from two of the victims. We’re waiting for the results from Dave to
see if the same is true for the third.”

“
Good, keep focusing on how these girls could be connected and
I’ll get you some manpower to help with canvassing. They can also
re-interview all the friends and family.”

“
That would be a great help, thanks, Captain,” Maggie
answered.

“
Great let’s get to work.”

They had been dismissed.

Maggie headed off to organise CSIs and officers to search
Chelsea’s house and to allocate tasks to the detectives assigned to
help on the case.

Lucas strode back to his desk, determined to find something,
anything, no matter how small, tying these girls together. He
didn’t want to think about Maggie’s theory regarding Chelsea
regardless of their similarities. Just because he mentioned it to
Captain Shaw didn’t mean he wanted to consider it. The idea made
him uneasy and he didn’t know why.

Instead, he looked over the list of items retrieved from Kate
Miller’s house and found it wasn’t long. All items had been
fingerprinted. They had found no matches within the department
databases but they did match the prints taken from Libby’s house.
This confirmed what they already assumed; the same killer was
responsible for both murders.

Scanning down the page, he stopped when he came to a
Coffee Break
Café
paper
cup. It seemed familiar but even though he mulled it over for a
moment, he couldn’t place why.

Then he remembered.
That’s it!

While brooding by the door at Chelsea’s house that morning his
cop radar had still been active. He’d scanned the room and now
thought he’d seen the very same coffee cup on a table near the
stairs. Could this be the connection? Only one way to find
out.

Grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair, he bounded off
looking for his partner. He located her getting coffee in the break
room.

“
Maggie, everything organised?”

“
Yeah, bud, what’s up?”

“
I need you to do something while I check out a possible
link.” He gave her his crooked grin.

“
You know I can’t resist that smile, Lucas, what do you
need?”

“
Could you ring Amy Miller and Kelly Bradshaw, find out
whether Kate and Libby frequented the Coffee Break
Café?”

“
Sure, where are you going?”

“
To ask Chelsea the same question. I think I found a
connection.”

“
Lucas,” she called out as he turned to leave. “Are you sure?
I mean, after this morning and yesterday.”

“
I need to make up for my mistakes, Maggie. Make amends with
her.”

“
Ok, I trust you. Thousands wouldn’t. Keep me
posted.”

“
Will do,” he called out as he rushed out.

* * *

The sun streaming through the window stung Chelsea’s raw eyes
as she opened them. She blinked a few times as her head thudded out
its own drum beat. Disorientated, it took her a moment to recall
what had happened and why she was in bed, fully clothed.

Elle.

With dread, she dragged herself up and looked at the time. It
was still morning. She must have dozed off after the detectives
left.

Detective Lucas Hudson, so that was his name.

His gruff manner lingered from the previous day but that
didn’t reduce her attraction to him. Some things go beyond reason.
The way his eyes penetrated her, as though looking right into her
soul. Scary. Enticing. Unnerving.
He’s rude and abrasive, not you’re type,
no matter how sexy he is. Don’t be silly, he doesn’t even like
you.

He’d made that crystal clear.

The doorbell jolted her out of her reverie. Chelsea was
greeted by four Crime Scene Techs and two officers, who’d been sent
over by the detectives. She showed two of the techs to Elle’s room
while the other two fingerprinted the living areas. The officers
stood at the entrance.

Chelsea determined to do something with her day, to keep her
mind from wandering. Although she felt hollow and tears hovered
beneath the surface, Chelsea tried not to think about the aching
pain in her chest.

She proceeded to the kitchen to make some coffee. Perhaps
some caffeine would shake the fog from her head. She brewed her
favourite blend and the aroma lifted her spirits a little. Her mind
wandered as she prepared her coffee. She was running though her
orders for Bloom to ensure everything was completed for the next
day when a thought jumped into her head.
Mrs. Sheridan!

She dialled Clare Sheridan’s number to find her, as expected,
full of anguish.

“
Mrs. Sheridan, I’m sorry about Elle. If I’d gone to the
police sooner...”

Elle’s mum was quick to reassure her. “Chelsea, you couldn’t
have known. Elle ... well you know …” Her voice caught and she
cleared her throat.

“
I do. I ... if you need anything.”

“
I’ll ask.”

“
Yes, please.”

“
I will. You’re sweet. Thanks for calling, Chelsea. Take care.
Are you still in the house?”

“
Yes.”

“
Maybe it isn’t safe to be there.”

“
Mum and Charlotte are coming over and I am surrounded by
cops.”

“
Chelsea, are you sure? He could have keys,
anything.”

That scared her. He could. “I’ll think about it carefully,
Mrs. Sheridan.”

“
You do that.”

Talking to Elle’s mum had really upset her. Her heart ached
at the senselessness of the world that took such a wonderful
daughter and friend. And Mrs. Sheridan was right. He might come
back.
No,
why would he?

She shivered and allowed a few tears to escape before wiping
them away. Tears for Elle or tears for herself? Both. Things were
never going to be the same. It hurt too much to think about it all
now.

She poured herself another cup of coffee as the first did
little to help her think. As she headed upstairs, to sit out on the
balcony, the doorbell rang again.

What now? Should she answer it? Of course she should. The
place was crawling with cops.

Chelsea opened the door to discover Detective Hudson standing
there with a solemn face and remorseful eyes. His attitude appeared
so changed from their previous meetings that she became
confused.

“
How can I help you, Detective Hudson?” she asked
cautiously.

“
Please, call me Lucas,” he replied with a crooked smile. “I
was wondering, if it’s all right, could I ask you a couple of
questions?”

What a smile. How could she resist that smile? Why hadn’t he
done that before? And his eyes seemed to have taken on an amber
hue.

Chelsea, what has gotten into you?

“
Sure come in. Would you like some coffee?”

“
Yeah, that would be great, thanks.”

“
I was just about to go upstairs and sit on the balcony, to
keep out of the way of ...” She pointed towards one of the techs.
“Do you mind if we sit up there to talk?”

“
I don’t mind. Wherever you feel most comfortable, Chelsea.”
It felt nice to say her name again.

Lucas watched her small, sexy form as he followed her
through the living room, which he’d only glanced at earlier that
day. The furniture was modern but welcoming and the couch just
begged to be snuggled into.
With her.

She walked into the kitchen which was separated from the
living room by the stairs running up the middle of the
house.

He passed the table he’d spotted earlier with the paper
coffee cup. His memory had served him well and the cup was in fact
from the Coffee Break Café and sat exactly where he remembered it.
Lucas gestured to one of the techs to bag the cup.

“
How do you take it?” she called.

“
Milky and sweet, thanks.”

She emerged with two steaming mugs of coffee, passed one to
him, their fingers touching as she did so sending a jolt up his
arm, before proceeding up the stairs. Lucas climbed up behind her
so transfixed by the lure of her body that his mind clouded over
completely, full of her.

Stop acting like a school boy with a crush, Lucas. You have a
job to do.

The stairs led up to a setting much like downstairs. The top
level was split into two halves with a bedroom on each side and
what appeared to be another bedroom and a bathroom in the rear. At
the top of the stairs, a large window gave a fantastic view of the
city.

He assumed Elle’s bedroom had been to the left as there were
two techs collecting evidence and fingerprinting there. He gave
them a nod as he went past while Chelsea went to the right, through
her bedroom and out a sliding door. Lucas strolled out behind her
to discover the same sensational view from her balcony as he’d seen
from the window.

“
This is a beautiful house you have here.”

“
Thanks,” she said with a weak smile. “I’ve always loved
living here but now well …”

“
It’ll get easier.”

“
I hope so. Now what did you need to ask me Detec ... I mean,
Lucas?”

The sound of his name on her lips was intoxicating.
She is
intoxicating.

“
I noticed a coffee cup from the Coffee Break Café
downstairs. Was it yours?”

“
Um no, it was probably Elle’s ...”

“
Do you know if she went there often?”

“
Yes, most days, I think. She started a new job a few months
ago in the same group of shops as the café. Um, Dazzle was the
place she worked. Anyway she used to go and have a coffee before
work or when she went on a break. She ate lunch there a bit
too.”

“
Do you think she might have met the new guy she was seeing
there?”

“
It’s possible. Now that you mention it, about a month ago she
told me about a blond guy who worked there or he might have been
the owner,” she paused. “Knowing Elle and it being a month ago, she
could have moved on. She was a ….free spirit.” She gave him a brief
smile.

His heart lifted into his throat. He cleared it and
continued.

“
Did you ever go to the café with Elle?”

“
A couple of times. She sometimes came and helped me at my
shop and we went and had lunch there. She always talked about the
food.”

“
You have a shop?”

“
Yes, I’m a florist.”

“
That would explain the gardens.”

She smiled again. “I guess it does but I’ve been neglecting
them lately.”

“
You can’t tell. They’re … nice.”

“
Why, Lucas, you do have a soft side after all.”

Did I just blush?
He cleared his throat again. “Thanks, um, can you
think of anything else about the café that might be helpful? Did
you ever see the owner?”

“
No ... Wait! I’m sorry, I just remembered. I haven’t been
thinking very clearly. She told me about meeting someone when she
was leaving one day. She said she ran into him as she was coming
out and she talked about him a bit that night. How could I have
forgotten this? I don’t know if it was the same one who owned the
cafe or a different man. I don’t remember what she said about the
café owner and it could have just been someone else that worked
there. I hope that helps.”

Stop rambling Chelsea.

“
Very helpful, thanks.” He smiled.

“
Do you have any more questions?” she asked as she placed her
now empty coffee cup on the table.

He followed suit. “Um no, I think that’s it for now. We’ll go
to the café and check it out. I might have more questions after
that.” He paused. “Um, this morning and yesterday, I was
rude.”

“
Yes you were, why?”

“
Because I … because …”

“
Because what, detective … ?” She cut him off and a little
frost returned.

He wanted to answer but his traitorous mind went blank. His
eyes moved to her lips and he wanted to taste them.

“
I don’t understand it myself.”

A playful smile danced on her face.

Does she feel it too?
He took a deep breath.