her I leaked this to you too, you’ll never get another word out of me.”
“You’re on,” she said. “What is it?”
Late that night, Jennifer Carey lay facedown on Lucas’ bed and watched him undress, watched him unstrap the hideout gun.
“Do you ever use that thing, or do you wear it to impress women?” she asked.
“Too uncomfortable for that,” Lucas lied. Jennifer sometimes made him nervous. He felt she was looking inside his head. “It comes in handy. I mean, if you’re buying some toot from a guy, you can’t be packing a gun. They figure you for a cop or maybe some kind of nutso rip-off psychotic, and they won’t serve, won’t deal. But if you got a hideout in a weird place and you need it, you can have it in their face before they know what you’re doing.”
“Doesn’t sound like Minneapolis.”
“There are some bad folks around. Anytime you get that much money . . .” He peeled off his socks and stood up in his shorts. “Shower?”
“Yeah. I guess.” She rolled over slowly and got off the bed and followed him into the bathroom. The print pattern from the bedspread was impressed on her belly and thighs.
“You could’ve brought McGowan home, you know,” she said as he turned on the water and adjusted it.
“She’s been coming on to me a little,” Lucas agreed.
“So why not? It’s not like you’re bored by the new stuff.”
“She’s dumb.” Lucas splashed hot water on her back and followed it with a squirt of liquid bath soap from a plastic bottle. He began rubbing it across her back and butt.
“That’s never stopped you before,” she said.
Lucas kept scrubbing. “You know some of the women I’ve taken out. Tell me a dumb one.”
Jennifer thought it over. “I don’t know them all,” she said finally.
“You know enough of them to see the pattern,” he said. “I don’t go out with dummies.”
“So talk to me like a smart person, Lucas. Did this killer torture these women before he killed them? Daniel was pretty evasive. Do you think he knows them? How does he pick them?”
Lucas turned her around and pressed his index finger across her lips.
“Jennifer, don’t pump me, okay? If you catch me off guardand I blurt something out and you use it, I could be in deep trouble.”
She eyed him speculatively, the water bouncing off his chest, his mild blue eyes darkened with an edge of wariness.
“I wouldn’t use it before I told you,” she said. “But you never blurt anything out. Not that you didn’t plan to blurt out. You’re a tricky son of a bitch, Davenport. I’ve known you for three years and I still can’t tell when you’re lying. And you play more goddamn roles than anyone I’ve ever met. I don’t even think you know when you’re doing it anymore.”
“You should have been a shrink,” he said, shaking his head ruefully. He cut the water off and pushed open the shower door. “Hand me that big towel. I’ll dry your legs for you.”
A half-hour later, Jennifer said hoarsely, “Sometimes it gets very close to pain.”
“That’s the trick,” Lucas said. “Not going over the line.”
“You come so close,” she said. “You must have gone over it a lot before you figured out where to stop.”
Two hours later, Lucas’ eyes clicked open in the dark. Somebody was watching. He thought about it. The ankle gun was in the desk . . . Then Jennifer poked him, and he realized where it was coming from.
“What?” he whispered.
“You awake?”
“I am now.”
“I’ve got a question.” She hesitated. “Do you like me more than the others or are we all just meat?”
“Oh, Jesus,” he groaned.
“Say.”
“You know I do. Like you better. I can prove it.”
“How?”
“Your toothbrush? It’s the only one in the bathroom cabinet besides mine.”
There was a moment of silence and then she snuggled up on his arm. “Okay,” she said. “Go to sleep.”
CHAPTER
5
For the first twenty rings he hoped it would stop.
“You’re on,” she said. “What is it?”
Late that night, Jennifer Carey lay facedown on Lucas’ bed and watched him undress, watched him unstrap the hideout gun.
“Do you ever use that thing, or do you wear it to impress women?” she asked.
“Too uncomfortable for that,” Lucas lied. Jennifer sometimes made him nervous. He felt she was looking inside his head. “It comes in handy. I mean, if you’re buying some toot from a guy, you can’t be packing a gun. They figure you for a cop or maybe some kind of nutso rip-off psychotic, and they won’t serve, won’t deal. But if you got a hideout in a weird place and you need it, you can have it in their face before they know what you’re doing.”
“Doesn’t sound like Minneapolis.”
“There are some bad folks around. Anytime you get that much money . . .” He peeled off his socks and stood up in his shorts. “Shower?”
“Yeah. I guess.” She rolled over slowly and got off the bed and followed him into the bathroom. The print pattern from the bedspread was impressed on her belly and thighs.
“You could’ve brought McGowan home, you know,” she said as he turned on the water and adjusted it.
“She’s been coming on to me a little,” Lucas agreed.
“So why not? It’s not like you’re bored by the new stuff.”
“She’s dumb.” Lucas splashed hot water on her back and followed it with a squirt of liquid bath soap from a plastic bottle. He began rubbing it across her back and butt.
“That’s never stopped you before,” she said.
Lucas kept scrubbing. “You know some of the women I’ve taken out. Tell me a dumb one.”
Jennifer thought it over. “I don’t know them all,” she said finally.
“You know enough of them to see the pattern,” he said. “I don’t go out with dummies.”
“So talk to me like a smart person, Lucas. Did this killer torture these women before he killed them? Daniel was pretty evasive. Do you think he knows them? How does he pick them?”
Lucas turned her around and pressed his index finger across her lips.
“Jennifer, don’t pump me, okay? If you catch me off guardand I blurt something out and you use it, I could be in deep trouble.”
She eyed him speculatively, the water bouncing off his chest, his mild blue eyes darkened with an edge of wariness.
“I wouldn’t use it before I told you,” she said. “But you never blurt anything out. Not that you didn’t plan to blurt out. You’re a tricky son of a bitch, Davenport. I’ve known you for three years and I still can’t tell when you’re lying. And you play more goddamn roles than anyone I’ve ever met. I don’t even think you know when you’re doing it anymore.”
“You should have been a shrink,” he said, shaking his head ruefully. He cut the water off and pushed open the shower door. “Hand me that big towel. I’ll dry your legs for you.”
A half-hour later, Jennifer said hoarsely, “Sometimes it gets very close to pain.”
“That’s the trick,” Lucas said. “Not going over the line.”
“You come so close,” she said. “You must have gone over it a lot before you figured out where to stop.”
Two hours later, Lucas’ eyes clicked open in the dark. Somebody was watching. He thought about it. The ankle gun was in the desk . . . Then Jennifer poked him, and he realized where it was coming from.
“What?” he whispered.
“You awake?”
“I am now.”
“I’ve got a question.” She hesitated. “Do you like me more than the others or are we all just meat?”
“Oh, Jesus,” he groaned.
“Say.”
“You know I do. Like you better. I can prove it.”
“How?”
“Your toothbrush? It’s the only one in the bathroom cabinet besides mine.”
There was a moment of silence and then she snuggled up on his arm. “Okay,” she said. “Go to sleep.”
CHAPTER
5
For the first twenty rings he hoped it would stop.
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