Sagittarius (Zodiac Killers Book 13), page 10
He felt like he was losing it a lot.
They got to the other end of the station, where the forensic team had been working tirelessly on the evidence. He took the cap off the bottle and washed down two pills. Then he gave them back to her to hold.
“Here, in case I forget later that I already took my pill for the day.” He felt like a child, or worse, like an old man. One who didn’t have sense enough to take care of himself. He felt like his mother.
“Of course,” she said.
“And I do love you,” Darek said. “I don’t really care who knows, and it’s something you need to remember.” God, please remember that. The evidence they were about to receive was going to put a big spin on everything, depending on how Lizzy took the news. There was no way his DNA wasn’t on the spoon, as well as Raven’s and possibly Lizzy’s as well. It was like one huge love triangle of DNA. His heart pumped, and his head grew lighter with the possibility of what could happen.
Her expression softened around her eyes as she reached out and took his hand. “I love you too.”
But under what condition? He was about to find out.
Chapter 16
Lizzy
Telling Darek she loved him had become so second-nature, she almost allowed herself to believe it wholeheartedly. But then she remembered, she didn’t really have much of a heart left. So why was she feeling so scrambled?
She did have feelings for him. At least, it was the closest she’d come to love since Robert was a part of her life. Fucked up was the only way she could describe it. Also fucked up? The closer they got to the evidence lab, the greener Darek grew around the gills, and the more satisfaction she got from watching him squirm.
They walked into the evidence lab and found Miles sitting at his desk. He glanced quickly from Lizzy to Darek. “Hey, you both came,” he said, acting as if he was surprised to see Darek.
Lizzy pretended not to notice, but she could see that Darek was a little off-put by the exchange. “Yes, you know we’re working on the case together, right?”
“We’re kind of a package deal,” said Darek in his own defense.
“Right,” said Miles. “It’s just, this evidence is a little sensitive. Maybe I could speak with you alone, Agent McNamara?”
Lizzy wasn’t about to send Darek out. He was so rattled with fear over what they would find. She had to watch this play out with him present. It was just too damned sweet not to. Planting something so obviously his at the scene was sending a message, and she wished she’d done it sooner.
Lizzy shook her head. “Anything you have to tell me can be said in front of my partner.”
Miles shrugged. “Okay, I just thought you should know. I ran the prints on the spoon, as well as a few DNA tests, and I got a couple of results.”
“Let’s see them,” said Lizzy, rubbing her hands together as if she could hardly wait.
“The first print is from a woman named Raven Bishop,” Miles said.
Lizzy knew to act shocked. “What?” She turned to stare Darek down, mostly because she liked the look of dread in his eyes. “How is that possible?”
“Perhaps you’d like to ask your partner,” Miles said. “The second print, as well as DNA, is from Detective Darek Blake.” He pulled up the computer results and held his breath, uncomfortable with Darek’s presence.
Lizzy smiled inside, especially when Darek shrugged, but she was careful not to let on that she was expecting it. She turned and gave him a steely look. “How is this possible, Darek?”
“Isn’t it obvious? The killer is playing games.” He took the spoon which was protected in plastic and gave it a better look. “Shit, this is the same pattern I have at home. The killer must have taken it from my house.”
“Then how come my DNA isn’t on there too?” Lizzy asked. “God knows I’ve been around your kitchen a time a or two.”
He shook his head. “Maybe it was taken during Raven’s time with me. You were less familiar with my place back then, and it’s not like you used every single spoon in my house.” His tone was defensive and bordered on angry.
“Then you think Raven is responsible for this?” she asked, wanting to keep him on the hot seat.
“No,” he said a little too quickly for her liking. “I just mean, whoever the killer is, they took it back when Raven was at my house. They must have gotten in somehow. It’s not unrealistic.”
“Nor is it unrealistic to think that she might have something to do with this. Her name and prissy little ass keep popping up in this case.” Lizzy didn’t mind sounding like a jealous girlfriend. It was the part she had to play. “She’s also had connections to the other victims, Darek. I know you want to protect her, but what’s to say she isn’t involved? You don’t really know her at all. Or what she’s capable of.”
Darek shook his head. “I know what she’s not capable of, though, and that’s murder.”
“You’re the one who bagged this evidence, aren’t you?” asked Miles. “Did you not notice that this was like yours at home at the time?”
“I didn’t,” said Darek with a hard tone. “I guess I was too upset by the fact that my friend’s eyes were missing.” He pegged the man with a look. “I didn’t have anything to do with it, and I don’t think Raven did either. This was a weak attempt by the killer to fuck with us. There was no good reason to remove Lane’s eyes. The killer just wanted to cut them out for fun because he’s a sadistic bastard.”
Lizzy shook her head. “He went for the eyes because Lane saw something. He was onto the killer.” She turned and looked at Miles. “Could you please excuse us?”
Miles gave a respectful nod and then walked away, leaving the two of them alone. “Give me a theory, Darek, or else this looks really bad. And I don’t know what we’re going to tell Reed about this. He’s going to be livid that I didn’t follow up on my earlier leads about Raven, and he’s going to pull us off this case.”
“I don’t know how it got there,” Darek said. “I say we go to my house and do some investigating there. Maybe we’ll find something. Maybe we won’t. But standing here accusing me will get us nowhere.”
“Maybe we should go to Raven,” Lizzy said. “That little slut keeps ending up in my face, and I don’t like it. I don’t need the constant reminders of her.”
“So, now I’m to blame because the killer is using me and Raven to burn you? Come on, Lizzy. You know I love you, not her. Don’t be some jealous schoolgirl. It’s so beneath you. Let it go. It was nothing but someone coming into the house and stealing something from my sink. I bet if you look at the other results, there was yogurt or some other kind of food she used it for.”
“You’re trying to protect her, aren’t you?” She put her hands on her hips. “You’re really not over her yet, are you?”
“What? No! That’s ridiculous. And if the killer wanted to dismantle our case by making this an issue, I would say he succeeded.”
Lizzy tightened her jaw. “You steered me away from her. You can’t deny that.”
“Maybe the killer knew that,” Darek said. “Maybe Max told them. Don’t forget about Max being in this person’s ear. It was a team effort, and I highly doubt that Raven was on his team.”
“What do you want me to do with this?” Lizzy asked. “Reed can’t know, but if I don’t tell him and he finds out, we’re fucked. I have three days to make a strong case for him, and maybe the Raven angle would be good enough to get him to pay attention. We need him off of our ass and to stop talking about sending us a third person. We don’t need it.” She could see Darek’s inner struggle. By now, she figured he could see his big dreams of the FBI going down the toilet.
“That’s bullshit,” Darek said. “She didn’t put that spoon there. You can’t do this to her over me. I know it would be the easy, more predictable thing to do, but imagine Reed learning that you’re letting jealousy make your moves. He’s already upset about our relationship, so I wouldn’t make it any worse if I were you.”
“I should be able to use any tool I have, jealousy or not. And for the record, hurt does not equal jealousy. I know you love me. And I know that one day, we’ll be together just like you want. I can’t wait for it, Darek, but I’m not her. I won’t share you.”
“I’m not asking you to,” he said.
Lizzy nodded. “Then you’ll understand if I call her in? I have to do my job.”
“Fine, you do what you have to do, but leave me out of it. I’m too close anyway.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she said. “That you’re still too close to that woman, and if she is the real killer, you’re going to get burned and dragged down with her.” She walked over to the door and tapped on the glass.
Miles looked up from the other side and walked back into the room.
Lizzy had all she needed but wanted to cover all bases for show. “Before we go, did you find anything else?”
Miles stepped up to the table and opened the folder to take out a paper. “There are several other things we took, just as a precaution and to see if there was any evidence. We are still working on these, and when we get them, I’ll let you know what we find.”
Lizzy perused the list and gave a nod, knowing that nothing on it would incriminate her. Then she saw the footprint cast listed. “What’s this? A casting?”
Darek spoke up. “Yeah, it’s from a footprint near the front window. I had the officers take a casting of it.”
“Interesting. It’s listed as a small, possibly female shoe print. I wonder if our girl would fit.” Lizzy felt a little shaken up at seeing her own print, but she wasn’t going to let it bother her. She could blame that on Raven until she had the time to sneak in and get rid of the cast.
Darek shoulders squared as he stood up a little straighter. “I doubt it’s Raven’s. I’ve only seen her in heels.”
Lizzy let out a groan under her breath as she turned to the other man. “Thanks, Miles. Hopefully, it shows someone we can’t dismiss.” She turned and stormed out, hoping Darek would think she was terribly upset.
Sure enough, he hurried to catch up with her. “Lizzy, what are we going to do now?” His voice was almost pleading, and she imagined her sister begging the man for her life.
“Well, I really don’t have a choice,” she said. “If I don’t take statements from both of you and put them on the record, then we can be in trouble for withholding evidence. I have no choice but to question Raven again, and naturally, this will take you out of the scenario because you are now a suspect.”
“A suspect?” His eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “You can’t be serious. The killer knows we’re involved. It only makes sense that they’re sending a message to us both. He’s fucking with us, Lizzy. And you’re playing right into his hands.”
“I have no choice,” she said. “It’s my job. You know I can’t ignore it. How would that look if Reed found out?”
“Fine,” he said. “But I won’t have my career chances ruined over this, Lizzy. I’ve worked hard to get where I am, and I’m not letting anything stop me.”
“Even Raven? What if sending her to jail is what it’ll take?” She put her hands on her hips and gave him a sideward look. “What are you willing to sacrifice?”
“If she’s guilty, no, I don’t have a problem putting her away for it. Why would I?”
Lizzy nodded. “Good, then you won’t really care if I drag her happy little ass in for questioning. I also want to administer a lie detector and put her through some serious interrogation. The gloves are coming off. I won’t let this case end with a single stone unturned. I can’t live with myself if I don’t do this right. I’m sure you can understand that.”
“I understand.” Darek clearly didn’t like it.
“Then what’s your problem?” Lizzy asked.
He shook his head. “Bay thought it was her too. He even confronted her. It got ugly.”
Lizzy’s eyes widened. “And you didn’t tell me that? You didn’t think it was important that I know about it?”
“It can’t be true, okay? It’s not the woman I know.”
“And Max wasn’t the best friend you knew either,” Lizzy said. “So forgive me if I’m not taking your opinions of others into consideration.” She knew Bay must have really pissed Darek off by mentioning his theories about Raven. She wished she could have seen the heated exchange. “So you just ignored it?”
“No, I didn’t ignore it. I confronted her. Last night. I’m sure it’s not her.”
“You were with her last night?” Lizzy didn’t know why, but that hurt her deeply. You’re in love with him, you fool. And he is so clearly not over that little bitch.
He nodded. “Yes, but only to do my job. I’ll always do what’s right, no matter what it takes.”
“Good. Then we’re on the same page. Because I plan to do the same.” She walked away, wishing she could see inside his mind.
Chapter 17
Darek
As Lizzy walked away, Darek stood there a moment. Had he really just thrown Raven under the bus? And could she have manipulated him into thinking she wasn’t involved when she was? He didn’t know whether his foolish feelings were justified or not, but he sure had let Raven convince him that she was innocent.
Perhaps it was because he really wanted her to be. With Noah in the picture, he couldn’t believe the worst, or else he’d just done everything he could to put the child in the hands of a killer. The kid deserved so much better in his life.
Darek headed back out to the station alone. Lizzy had already gone far ahead of him, and he knew he better let her go and give her some space. The little bomb he’d dropped had not only pissed her off, but it had wounded her deeply. He had seen it in her eyes, even though she’d tried to hide it.
He needed to clarify what happened, and he contemplated telling her everything so she might realize how much he really was in love with her. Could she know the truth about him and still care? Would she still love him if all signs pointed right back at him and what happened with Emily all those years ago?
He got to the door of his office and ran into Lizzy, who pulled him inside and shut the door. “Are you still seeing her behind my back?”
“God, no,” Darek said. “I went to talk to her because Bay said she was Max’s partner. I tried to call you to talk to you, but you didn’t answer.”
She frowned. “You were going to tell me you were on your way to see her?”
Darek knew he wouldn’t have done that, but there was no point in telling the truth. “Yeah, I wanted to discuss lots of things.”
“So, then why didn’t you tell me about it sooner? Did you fuck her?” She poked him in the chest.
“Ouch, no! It wasn’t that kind of a visit. I questioned her, Lizzy. I told her that Bay suspected her.”
“And why did Bay suspect her?” Lizzy asked. “What was his reasoning?”
Darek couldn’t explain it. Bay’s reasoning was based off new details and things she hadn’t heard of before. “The same reasons you have, I guess.”
“You guess, or you know? Darek, you’re not making sense. If you want me to be with you like you say, then you’ll stop this. You’ll be honest with me right now! I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me.”
“There’s not,” he said, lying. “Look, you make me uncomfortable talking about Raven. I don’t want her to come between us because she shouldn’t. That part of my life is over, and she doesn’t mean anything to me anymore.”
“But she did. You were in love with her?”
“No, I’m in love with you,” he said.
“You never loved her? That’s what I’m asking you, and I want an honest answer, Darek. Did you love her?”
Darek took a deep breath, and while his hesitation could look like guilt, he needed to reassure Lizzy that she was the only woman he loved. “No, I only love you.” Saying those words felt like another lie.
Lizzy sighed. “I know I broke your heart when we split up, and you went to her fast. I can’t help but think you’re lying to me. You didn’t leave her; she left you.”
“Yeah, she did. But you’re here with me now. And I love you. That should be enough.”
“It is,” she said. “Okay? Don’t worry about it. I guess I’m insecure. I don’t often put my heart on the line.”
Darek sighed. “I know what you mean. I’ve got mine out there too, and this fighting between us isn’t helping me.”
“Me either. Look. Let’s start the day over. We have evidence that we have to follow, and we’ll just follow protocol. I have to. I won’t buck my responsibilities, and it’s not a personal attack. It’s how the cards fell, and now we have no choice but to play them.”
“Fair enough. But I don’t want to fight anymore.” He reached for her, and she stepped closer and embraced him. With the door shut, he leaned in and kissed her full on the lips. He knew taking a chance like that at work was a huge move, and now maybe she would believe in him. “I have a lot I want to talk about with you when this case is done. I hope you meant what you said about being with me when this was all over someday.”
“I did. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.” She took a deep breath and then fell into another kiss.
They stood there, not talking, but letting their mouths say everything. Knowing that she had been thinking of their futures meant everything to him. Not only did he think she might marry him, but with any luck, they could have a family too.
It didn’t escape him that every time he considered the words family, he thought of Noah. He hoped that Raven could take care of him on her own, and he hoped to have a kid as wonderful as him in his life someday.
As their lips broke free of one another, Lizzy smiled and brushed his hair back. “That is so much better than fighting.”
“I agree.”
