Echoes of the Past (30 page)

Michelle stood by the counter and filled the sink
with liquid detergent and water while he scraped the plates and put the rest of
the salad in the fridge. The sense of anticipation he felt about what was to
come made each little domestic task seem marvelous.

I can see
myself doing this for the next two hundred years
.

He looked over at the door. “Why the extra bolt by
the way? You did add it?”

She nodded, and he watched some of the happiness
fade from her eyes. He was sorry he’d mentioned it.

“Whoever came into my room this morning had a key.
Their chain can be opened with a key from the outside too. I won’t feel safe
alone tonight without that extra chain.”

“Who said you’re going to be alone tonight?” He
cursed when she jumped at his words. Had he read the signals wrong? He watched
her teeth snag her lower lip and smiled. The gesture was a familiar one. He put
down the towel he’d been holding and pulled her against him.

“I think we have about two hundred years to catch
up on. I hope you aren’t planning on much sleep. Come on. Let’s finish this. I
can think of a few other things I’d like to do, and we still have plans to
make. I’ll take Jackson to collect the samples—I’m not sending him by himself,
so there’s no point in arguing about it.”

“I wasn’t going to argue. None of us should go
anywhere near the lake alone.”

He nuzzled her neck.

“Hey. If you’d rather we didn’t…you know,
tonight…It isn’t like this is the first time, right?” He felt her heartbeat
race as he kissed the pulse point in her neck. She threw her head back to give
him better access. “Are we done here?”

She turned and nodded shyly. Gone was the
take-charge woman who’d met with the parents.
In her place
stood the shy Mohawk maiden of his dreams.
He bent his head and claimed
her lips, the way he’d wanted to do for the last couple of hours. Her lips were
soft and moist, and he sipped them. He licked at them, begging for admission to
the sweetness of her mouth. She opened to him like a bud blossoming, and he
delved into her freshness. That flavor he’d come to crave filled him, and he
couldn’t wait any longer.

He lifted her into his arms, carried her into the
bedroom, and stood her beside the bed. He pulled his lips away from her
trembling, swollen ones. Her red lips pulsed from his kisses.

“You’re so beautiful. I want you. I’ve always
wanted you.”

He raised his hands and undid first one braid and
then the other. Slowly, reverently, he ran his fingers through her hair. He
claimed her lips again. He fed from her as if he’d never get enough. Her
response fueled his desire. He moved his lips away, rained kisses along her
face and neck.

“You’re wearing too many clothes.”

She giggled. “So are you.”

“I can fix that.” He moved away and quickly
stripped. His gaze never left hers as he disrobed until he stood before her,
naked and ready. He heard her heavy breathing and watched as her hand lifted to
untie the buttons at the neck of her sweater. He reached his hand out to hers
to stop her.

“No, let me. I want to see you.”

He stepped away from her and turned on the lamp
beside the bed. Her eyes were glazed with desire, and she licked her lips. He
moved closer to her and with utmost care, he removed first her sweater and then
her slacks. He kissed her shoulders and then the tops of her breasts protruding
above the delicate ivory lace bra she wore. Taut nipples begged for attention,
and he unclasped her bra, taking one and then the other in his mouth. She
moaned.

His hands moved down the sides of her torso, and
he could feel her skin burn beneath is calloused palms. He saw the flush of her
arousal as she stood before him in her panties and calf high buckskin
moccasins. She was lean and toned, half-modern woman, half-Mohawk maiden.
Carefully, he removed the last of her garments and stared transfixed at the
woman standing naked before him.

She was the same, yet different—if anything she
was more desirable than ever and he ached for her. Her skin had the faint tan
lines of a bikini, a concession to modern day, but it glowed as it had in his
dreams.

She devoured him with her eyes, probably intent on
seeing the differences. She smiled.

“You have fewer scars, than I remember and no
tats.”

“I can get some if you want.”

She giggled. “No, I like you like this.” She
raised her arms and put them around his neck, pulling him down to her. “Tony,
make love to me, Michelle, not your mystery woman.”

He needed no further invitation. He pushed her
back onto the bed and worshiped her body with his hands and his mouth, branding
her, searing the memory in his mind. If he’d thought the dream sex had been
good, it was nothing compared to making love to this flesh and blood woman. Her
hands scorched his flesh, taking him higher and higher. When he couldn’t stand
it any longer, he sheathed himself in her, filling her, and finding his
completeness. She bucked beneath him as the climax gripped her, and he fell
into her, joining her in an earth-shattering release.

* * * *

Michelle awoke to the sound of Tony’s even
heartbeat pounding under her ear. He held her tightly in his arms, cradled
against his
chest,
almost as if he were afraid she’d
disappear if he let her go. She smiled.
Not
much chance of that.

How many times had they made love last night? It
had been the most incredible experience of her life. She felt his engorged
penis against her stomach and sighed. She was slightly tender, but she’d gladly
open to him again. He shifted slightly, and she knew he was awake.

“Good morning,” he whispered and placed a chaste
kiss on her hair.

“Hi.” She felt shy despite the way they’d explored
one another’s body during the night. Audra had been right—a dream lover
couldn’t hold a candle to the real man.

“As much as I hate to say this, we have to get up.
I’d much rather stay here and make love to you again, but it’s almost eight. I
told Jackson I’d take him for those samples at nine.”

“Damn!” She moved quickly out of his arms. “Eight!
I have to get to the morgue. I need to be there when Milo and Jamie come in. I
want to make sure no one’s messed with my corpses again. I’ve got to shower.”

She bent her head, kissed him tenderly, and pulled
back.
“Rain check tonight?”

He laughed and gave her a quick peck.
“Tonight and every other night from now on.
I’m not letting
you get away this time, Doctor.”

“And I have no intention of going anywhere.” She
jumped out of bed. “I’m late. Can you separate the samples for me while I get
ready?”

“Sure thing.”
He laughed,
and his voice followed her to the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, Michelle stood in the
kitchen gulping orange juice and eating a granola bar.

“You’ll be careful getting those samples from
Ron’s place. I don’t want anything to happen to either of you.” She kissed him,
grabbed the samples he’d prepared for her, and hurried out the door. Tony would
lock up when he left. He’d call her cell after he took Jackson to the train so
she could get the samples from him to give to Chad. By the time he called, she
hoped to have news for him.

As soon as she was on the road, she contacted Chad
and arranged for him to meet her near the airport where she’d give him the
samples Tony and Jackson had collected yesterday. The lab could get busy on
those while they waited for the rest. She felt like James Bond at the moment
and almost tingled with excitement. Between the thrill of a night spent in the
arms of the flesh and blood man she loved and the satisfaction of fulfilling
her obligations to The Three Sisters, she had more energy than she’d had in
months. The hand-off to Chad went well, and the rest of her ride to the morgue
was uneventful. She arrived at the hospital at ten to nine, surprised to find
Jeremy
Runions
in the staffroom. She hadn’t expected
to see him today. He looked haggard.

“Wow! You look like you’ve had a tough weekend.”

He ran his hand through his disheveled red hair.

“You don’t see me. I’m hiding. Tough weekend would
be an understatement—disastrous would be closer to the truth. The hospital
security system went down yesterday morning. They didn’t get it back on line
until after six last night—some kind of computer glitch. They’re inventorying
the narcotics now. My biggest problem involves the staff. No employee time
sheets registered yesterday—they may have punched in, but the system was dead
and none of it got recorded. I’m trying to input the information manually, but
the program is giving me all kinds of grief. George, the coroner should have
been back today, but he called and apologized. It seems he’s been delayed. He
should be here tomorrow. I can help you later, but I really have to get this
straightened out. My first time in
charge,
and this
happens.”

“I’m sure you’ll get it fixed. I’ll leave you to
it. I can manage on my own today.”

Jeremy nodded. Whoever had been in the morgue had
covered his tracks well. She rushed to get ready. When she crossed to the
autopsy room she’d been given, Jeremy was busily cursing his computer. Milo and
Jamie hadn’t arrived. She hurried over to Aaron.

“Any more visitors?”
She
touched the corpse.

No, it’s
been quiet since you left. How long will I hang around here?

“Not long. Once your killer’s been caught, you’ll
move on to the spirit realm.” She closed the drawer and waited for her techs.
Jamie was the first one in.

“Morning, Michelle. Milo’s been called to help
count inventory, and the coroner won’t be in until tomorrow. Dr.
Runions
is busy. Can you manage with just me for a while?”

“Of course.”
As a
diener
, his main function was to move the bodies and clean
them.

She’d planned to do Lindsay’s internal, but it
could wait.

“Do you want to do the external on the boy now?”
he asked.

He seemed eager. Was he the leak?

“Sure. Why don’t you go and get him.”

Jamie went to the drawer, pulled out the body, and
moved it onto a rolling table. He stopped beside her, his brow furrowed.

“What’s the problem?”

“I don’t know. The body looks different—almost as
if it’s been searched.
My imagination, no doubt.”

“He does look a little disheveled.
Probably from when we separated them.
Shall we get started?”

Michelle, with Jamie’s help, catalogued each item.
He didn’t seem surprised when the pockets yielded no mysterious notes, the
knuckles no blood, and the jacket no hairs.

“Do you want me to send these to the police lab
like we did hers Saturday?”

So, he hadn’t caused that delay either.

“No, I’ll take them myself. I want to see if they
found anything we missed on hers. Let’s brush the hair and clean his
nails,
and I’ll take those with me too.”

* * * *

They’d just finished cleaning Aaron and had
returned the body to its drawer when her cell phone vibrated. She pulled the
phone out of her packet and picked up the call. It was Tony. Heat suffused her.

“Just a sec.”
She turned
to Jamie. “I’ve got to take this call, and then I’m going to leave for a while,
deliver the evidence and stuff. Why don’t you take your lunch and come back
around one?”

“Sure thing.”
She waited
until the autopsy room door closed behind him.

“Hi. Did you get what you needed?”

Tony’s voice came across the line. The warmth in
it made her wish he was here with her. Her hands itched to touch him. He was
soft and hard in all the right places.

“We did. I have the samples with me. What do you
want me to do with them? We managed to sneak onto the slaughterhouse property
too. I’m in Belleville. Jackson’s train just pulled out.”

“I’ve made arrangements to meet my RCMP contact at
Papa Joe’s, a coffee shop near the reserve. Do you know where it is?”

“I do.
When?”

“Half-an-hour?”

“Sounds good.”

She hung up, just as Milo came into the room.

“Hey, doc.
How was your
morning? I’ve been counting pills.”

“So I heard. I won’t need you until after lunch. I
have errands to run this morning.”

He pointed to the evidence bags.

“Find anything good?”

“I think so. Is there anything else? I have
paperwork to complete.”

He was visibly upset about being dismissed.

“I guess not. Just wondered what you’d found, but
I guess I can talk to
Jamie.
See you after lunch.” He
eyed the evidence bags. “I can take those upstairs for pick-up for you.”

“Not necessary. I’ll deliver them myself.”

With no excuse to stay, Milo waved and left. He
didn’t look happy. Did he have more evidence to plant?
It looks like I found my snitch.

Michelle waited until he was gone, grabbed the
evidence bags, and hurried across to the break room. She quickly changed into
her regular clothes, sprayed cologne on herself, and prayed there was no scent
of
decomp
attached to her.

She walked briskly to her car, evidence bags in
her arms. These were all going to Kingston, and it would be interesting to see
who’d object to that. Chad and Tony were waiting for her. It was time the two
men met.

* * * *

By mid-morning
Thursday, Michelle was more confused than she’d been all week. She stood in the
ladies’ locker room, her phone pressed to her ear, watching the door to make
sure no one entered.