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Winston walked up to the back table of the police station lounge. “May I?” He gestured to the chair with his bean burrito.
“Sure.” Dee stirred her spaghetti.
“Man.” He sat down and took his burrito out of the wrapper. “Still trying to get used to things around here.”
Dee smiled and sprinkled parmesan cheese on her spaghetti.
“I gotta get used to this station being so much smaller, you know?”
“Yeah, that downtown station is colossal.” Dee chewed. “Every time I go down there I get lost.”
Winston tore open a packet of salsa with his teeth. “I’ve been a detective going on my sixth year. You?”
“Four.” Dee raised her fork. “Lisa loves to remind me she’s been on a year longer than I have.”
He grinned. “She’s something.” He squirted salsa on the greasy burrito. “Don’t you think so?”
“Yes, she is.” Dee wobbled her head.
“You’re close to her, right?”
Dee licked spaghetti sauce from her lips. “She’s my best friend.”
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find her very attractive.” He bit into the burrito, then laid it down. “I thought that the moment we met.”
Dee slurped spaghetti.
“But she’s...different.” He bit into the burrito again and wiped his mouth. “You care to share anything about her?”
“Ah.” Dee shook her fork. “You want me to tell you Lisa’s business?”
“No.” He took another bite of burrito. “Okay, yeah.” He laughed. “Yes, I’d like to know more about her.”
“Then why don’t you ask her?”
“Because I get the feeling she doesn’t like me very much.”
“It’s not that she doesn’t like you...she doesn’t trust you.”
“Oh.” He opened another packet of salsa. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” He grinned.
“I just meant that it’s nothing personal against you. It’s hard for Lisa to trust men even more than the average woman.” Dee sipped soda from a straw. “See, instead of seeing the good in men first, she sees the negative. Or at least she looks for the negative.”
“Did something happen to cause her to be so distrusting?” He wiped grease from the corner of his mouth.
“You’re gonna have to talk to Lisa if you wanna know more.” Dee set her fork down. “Just loosen up around her. You’re always so jittery around her.”
“Is it that obvious?” He sat back and chewed. “I really wanna ask her out. I was wondering if you’d put in a good word for me?”
“Are you serious?” She stuck her fork in the middle of her spaghetti.
“Why?” He wiped his mouth. “You don’t think she’ll go out with me?”
“You remember Jake, right?” She moved her fork through the air.
“So you’re saying that’s serious-serious?”
“And why wouldn’t you think it was serious?”
“I guess I was hoping in the back of my mind that it wasn’t.”
“Well, it is.” Dee balled up her napkin.
“Well, they’re just dating, right?” He laid the last chunk of the burrito back in its package. “It’s not like they’re engaged.”
“I gotta stop you there.” Dee stood. “I like you, Winston, but don’t go there.”
“Where?”
“You know where.” She pointed at him. “Lisa’s my best friend and I like Jake. They’re good together and they don’t need anyone ruining that.” She picked up her plate. “And I don’t appreciate how you tried to use me to get next to Lisa.”
“I wasn’t doing that.” He raised his hands. “I was just curious.”
“Make sure that’s all you are.”
****
“Well.” Lisa knelt beside Kay Herman’s couch. Someone had sliced her gown down the middle and hacked her up from the neck down. Lisa placed her gloved finger on the deep gash in Kay’s neck. “We don’t have to guess who did that, do we?”
“God,” Dee whispered.
Cuts and slashes covered the inside of Kay’s thighs.
“And there it is.” Lisa pointed to the “S” on Kay’s left thigh. “Wow.”
“How come every time I see a beautiful woman naked these days it’s like this?” Winston bent down beside Lisa.
Because he’d been skilled enough to catch two serial killers in his short career as detective, Lisa’s superior had insisted Winston help out with the case. Dealing with Winston’s flirting and lovesick gazes at the station was difficult enough. Now she had to deal with it in the field, too.
She looked at him.
The most annoying part was her fear that if she let her guard down, he just might get to her. She’d just found Jake and what seemed to be true love. She couldn’t throw that away on an asinine attraction to Winston Lewis.
And why did he have to be so gorgeous? If he were ugly, it would be so much easier.
“So what about how he got in?” Dee pointed to the front door. “There wasn’t forced entry. The front door was open but the lock isn’t broken or anything.”
Lisa chewed on her lip. “You think the Sandman knew Kay personally and she let him in?”
“Well, what other explanation could there be?” Dee put her hands on her waist. “All the other victims’ homes had been broken into. So either Kay knew the Sandman, or she was dumb enough to let a stranger into her house.”
Lisa scoffed. “You’d be surprised how many people do.”
“Look at her fingers.” Winston turned Kay’s hand up. “Black.”
The photographer snapped another picture.
“He burned her.” Winston let Kay’s hand go. “Why would he burn her? Is that normal for the Sandman?”
“I’d say anything is normal in his sick mind,” Lisa said. “But, no. He’s never burned other victims. I don’t understand it either.”
Dee lifted Kay’s gown. “God. You think he cut her in the—”
“We’ll know soon enough, won’t we?” Lisa grew woozy. “I need some air.” She walked quickly past forensics officers and out of Kay’s front door.
Dee and Winston stepped out on the porch with her.
“You okay?” Dee patted her back. “Having a panic attack?”
“I can’t...” Lisa fanned. “I can’t let this go on.” She bent over. “Don’t you see that he’s even sicker than before? I have to stop him this time. I’ve got to.”
“And you will.” Winston rubbed her shoulder. “Personally, I think this is just too much for you. Maybe you’re too close to everything.”
“I have to be close!” She knocked his hand aside. “You don’t know the fear I went through when this happened before. It took a toll on me physically and mentally. Then I had to go home every night and deal with Ma...” She exhaled. “I have to stop the Sandman or nobody will.”
Her phone rang.
Lisa checked the caller ID. “What the hell?” Her knees shook at the name.
“What?” Dee peeked at the phone. “Jesus Christ.” She snatched it. “What the fuck does he want?”
“What?” Winston asked. “Who is it?”
“I can’t talk to him, Dee.” Lisa shivered. “I can’t. It’s the last fuckin’ thing I need.”
The phone rang again.
Dee looked at the phone. “Then don’t answer.”
“But why would he be calling me?” Lisa fidgeted. “Why?”
“Uh...hello?” Winston raised his hand. “Can one of you please fill me in on what’s going on?”
“I...I can’t talk to him!” Lisa rocked, rubbing her hands. “Answer it, Dee.”
“I don’t wanna talk to his ass either.”
“Please!” Lisa grabbed her arm. “Please.”
“Shit.” Dee clicked the button to accept the call and put the phone to her ear. “Mason, this is Dee. What the fuck do you want?” She put her hand on her hip. “Well, she doesn’t wanna talk to you and frankly I don’t either.”
“Who’s Mason?” Winston whispered to Lisa. “Is everything okay?”
Lisa breathed into her hands.
“Yeah, well, that’s fine and dandy,” Dee said into the phone. “But you’re the last one that needs to worry about Lisa. Do us both a favor and lose her number or drop dead. I’m sure Lisa prefers the second option.” She clicked off. “I can’t believe I set you up with that turd.” She handed Lisa the phone. “I must’ve been outta my damn mind.”
Lisa’s shivering hand caused the phone to gyrate.
“Whoa.” Winston laid his warm hand on hers. “You’re scared to death. Who was that?”
“Mason Crawford.” Dee rubbed her eye. “The devil incarnate.”
He tightened his grip on Lisa’s hand. “The defense attorney?”
Lisa unintentionally slipped her fingers through his. How he held her hand proved that he truly cared. Her nerves settled the longer she held his hand. She lifted her head and met the gaze of his sparkling eyes.
She let his hand go.
“What’s up with you and Mason?” Winston kept his hand in the air as if he still held hers. “What’s the bad blood about?”
Lisa turned to Dee. “What did he say?”
Dee flicked her weave off her shoulder. “Said he’d heard about Mya Riley and because of the similarities to the Sandman case, wondered how you’re handling everything.”
“Handling everything?” Lisa almost threw the phone. “That bastard almost ruined my life and he has the nerve to ask me how I’m handling something?”
Dee took off her white gloves. “Claims he’s worried about you.”
“Oh, that’s a stretch!” Lisa motioned with the phone. “He must want something. Why the hell would he call me if he didn’t?”
“How did Mason Crawford almost ruin your life?” Winston asked.
Lisa stuck her phone in her pocket. “Mind your own damn business.”
She marched off the porch.