Force of Habit: A Falcone & Driscoll Investigation (22 page)

The glossy black rope
tying Blake’s wrists didn’t look like rope. Neither did the crimson fabric around his ankles.
Ties? Bathrobe sashes?

His dilated pupils hid much of his blue irises. Duct tape covered his mouth.

“Mr. Parker—” Giulia stepped toward him, hand out to remove the tape.

The door slammed behind her. She whipped around as a pair of hands jammed a metal-and-chain contraption into her doorjamb, locking her in her own bedroom.

A tall blonde put her back to the door. “Don’t touch him.”

At first, all Giulia saw was a gold satin push-up bra. Beneath it, a pierced navel with an emerald and gold charm. Beneath that, a matching satin thong above long, slim legs and manicured feet in lamé high-heeled sandals.

“Sandra Falke?” A dozen ignored clues collided in Giulia’s head.

Now what? She had to think. What kind of psycho problems did Falke show in her interview? What was up with the slinky underwear?

“Why are you—what is Mr. Parker—”

“We’re going to show you what a negligible piece of litter you are, sugar.” Her eyebrows matched her lipstick matched her “outfit” matched her shoes. Her bellybutton charm winked in the sunshine as she brushed Giulia aside and stood by Blake’s head. “And Blake will do it by showing me one of the ways I’m the perfect match for him.” Sandra ripped the duct tape off his mouth.

Giulia flinched.

“Ow!” Blake’s face contorted. Then he giggled. “Sandy, dolly, that hurt.” He puckered glue-speckled lips. “Kiss it and make it better?”

Giulia’s forehead wrinkled. That wasn’t Blake’s usual revolting style. “What’s the matter with him?”

Sandra picked up a gold and green knife from the nightstand. “Just a little something we added to Blake’s wine at supper.” The knife handle caught the same ray of sunshine as the charm.

“Pretty,” Blake said.

“Wait a minute.” Giulia wanted to get in Falke’s face, but the knife was still in her gold-manicured hand. “How did you get in? Ever hear of trespassing?”

“Like anyone would notice in this derelict neighborhood.” Sandra came closer, towering over Giulia in those heels. “Were you in a wet T-shirt contest this afternoon? I gather the sweater was your concession to modesty.” She laughed. High and tinkling, like tiny wind chimes.

“What I do is none of your business.” Giulia kept an eye on the knife. “By the way, you drugged and kidnapped an innocent man. That’s illegal, last I checked. I don’t think you’ll like getting sent to jail. Gold underwear isn’t state issue.”
Keep her distracted. Let her think you’re a clod. Get her to set down the knife.

“What an innocent you are. The only justice Blake will be seeking with me is a justice of the peace.” Another tinkling laugh. “Blake, you didn’t know I added wit to my accomplishments, did you?”

“Huh-huh-huh, Sandy, you’re funny.” Blake squinted like he was trying to focus with those dilated pupils. “You look pretty. Just like a Barbie doll.”

“I am not an empty-headed bimbo—” Sandra raised her hand.

Blake cringed. “No, Sandy, don’t hurt me, I’ll be good. I’ll make you happy again.”

Sandra sighed. “It’s time for the pill to wear off. You’re making me gag.” She picked up Giulia’s Bible from the nightstand. “That joke about a JP was just a joke, of course. We’ll have a cathedral wedding attended by select business and society contacts.” She flipped pages. “ ‘Come out, you daughters of Zion, and look at King Solomon wearing the crown, the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced.’ Blake’s mother always liked me. She’ll love putting a crown on you, won’t she, Blake darling?”

“Prince Blake and Princess Sandy.” Blake shook his head. “Ooh, dizzy.” He shook his head again, and his eyes lost their glazed look for an instant. “Sandra?”

Giulia hoped she kept the relief out of her face.
Keep after her. Distract her till his circuit breakers reconnect.
“What’s the idea behind the last message you slipped me, Falke? What makes me so important in your obsessive little universe?”

Sandra’s eyes narrowed. “You need to learn some respect, little investigator wannabe. My family background puts you in the class of, oh, hired help. And when I marry Blake, you’ll sink to the level of illegal-alien migrant worker.”

Giulia aimed
wake up
thoughts at Blake and gave a deliberate laugh. “The mistress of the manor shops at Frederick’s of Hollywood? If you can’t keep a man without imitating one of your own Barbie-doll creations, you ought to look into self-esteem counseling.”

Sandra slapped her. “Watch your mouth, she-camel! That was my favorite message to you, you know. After what you did with Blake, I wanted to rip your eyes out. But my teacher reminded me that you don’t matter. You don’t matter at all.”

“Teacher?”
So Sandra wasn’t in it alone and didn’t take the photographs. Did a personal assistant qualify as a teacher? Who would Sandra trust enough to take their doctored photos as gospel?
“That explains it. Your fluffy blonde brain couldn’t hold enough of the Bible to choose the appropriate verses.”

Giulia expected another slap. Instead, Sandra crossed her arms and produced a game-show host smile. “Our Lady of Sorrows Boarding Academy for Young Women, eighth through twelfth grade. Bible study every morning and evening taught by dried-up old women in black serge. When I left there, I swore I’d never wear a plaid skirt or a Peter Pan collar again.”

The verse came to Giulia’s tongue. “ ‘You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, “No one sees me.” ’ ”
Blast. What was the rest of it?

Sandra closed her eyes just for a second, then opened them and said, “ ‘I will pull up your skirts over your face that your shame may be seen.’ ” She threw the Bible across the room. It hit the mint and basil pots, knocking over the stand and scattering dirt and leaves on the rug. “It doesn’t matter what happens to you, Miss Wannabe, but Blake needs to be taught a lesson. My teacher told me the best way to make him obey was to make his latest piece of ass part of the lesson.”

Scent from the bruised herbs filled the room. Giulia finally noticed the closed window.

“Ooh, Sandy, you said ‘ass.’ You never... What’s wrong with...” Blake shook his head in repetitive bursts. “You never swear. Ooh... head stuck in maple syrup.” A giggle, petering out.

Keep at her. He’s almost back to normal.
“News flash, Falke: Blake Parker doesn’t care about anyone but himself. If you think humiliating me in front of him will show him what a powerful consort you are, it won’t work.”
Consort. Gross.
I still have too much Scott on the brain
.

“Sex is power, little nun.” Heels and all, Sandra climbed onto the bed and straddled Blake’s legs. “You thought I’ve been acting in ignorance, didn’t you? I researched you after your pathetic attempt to interview me. You’re one of the frustrated bitches who hate real women. You have no life, no friends, no anything but your job and your bookshelf of fairy tales.” Sandra cupped her hands beneath her push-up bra and jiggled. “This is real. This is power and pleasure, and those two things are all that’s worth having.”

Blake whistled. “Nice tits, Sandy.”

“Thank you, dear. Ready for your lesson?”

Blake pouted. “Don’t like school. Knife isn’t pretty anymore.” Another series of jerky headshakes. “Sandy? Where are we?”

“We’re in bed, Blake dear. You’re going to consummate our relationship again.”

“Consumm... You wanna have sex?” Blake’s eyebrows met. “We’re not together anymore, Sandy. I promised Pammy I wouldn’t.”

“Forget that inbred, condescending bitch!” Sandra whisked the knife beneath Blake’s chin.

Giulia held her breath as the tip sliced into Blake’s neck. If Sandra was out of control already, Giulia had to tackle her for the knife. Then she realized Sandra’s hand was rock-steady: Blake’s chin was doing the quivering. Blood trickled down the side of his neck onto Giulia’s bedspread. The haze vanished from his eyes as Sandra pressed the knife deeper.

“You are going to learn obedience. The nuns taught me that a lesson is infinitely more effective in front of witnesses.” Sandra stroked the knife point across Blake’s neck, but didn’t cut him again. “I came back from summer vacation with cherry-red hair to start my junior year. I did it myself, of course, and cross-hatched the sides with a razor. Remember Cyndi Lauper? Everyone loved my daring new style, except the nuns. I was wicked, bound for Hell, and God told them to purge me.”

Not good. Falke’s working herself into retaliatory anger, and she’s already got me pegged for vicarious revenge.
Giulia aimed stronger
Wake up, pretty boy!
thoughts at Blake.

“They dragged me into the bathroom and shaved my head. The entire junior class got squeezed in with us to watch. I spent every lunch period for the next month saying the rosary on the chapel floor.” Sandra stretched out one leg and ran a hand over her smooth knee. “The calluses didn’t fade till spring.”

“Look, Falke, I’m not a nun anymore. And I wasn’t one of the nuns who shaved your head. I don’t need to see you punish Blake.”
Was that going too far? Will Sandra come after me with that tortoiseshell knife?

“He’s Mr. Parker to the hired help. Don’t forget that.” The knife left Blake’s chin.

“Sandy, why can’t I move? Where are my clothes?”

Giulia and Sandra looked. Blake’s pupils retracted to near-normal, and he was frowning instead of giving Sandra a loopy smile.

Sandra put a finger on his lips. “I promised I’d make you forget what this cheap whore did with you in this bed. Now’s the time to fulfill that promise.”

Blake spoke around Sandra’s finger. “Sandy, are you off your meds again? You know how you get—”

Her fingernail dug into Blake’s lip, drawing blood. Blake stopped talking.

Giulia stepped forward. “You’re not doing anything with him in my bed, Falke.”

“You have nothing to say about it, little nun.”

“Sandy, what’cha doing?” Blake’s eyes tried to glaze over again. “Mmmm.”

Argh.
“How many times do I have to say this? Those photos are fakes.”

“That you, sugar? You both gonna do me?” Blake’s voice came thick, like Scott’s when he was unbuttoning Giulia’s sweater.

Sandra grasped Blake’s face in both hands. “She’ll never come near you again.”

“I never came near him at all,” Giulia said again. “We never had sex.”

“You don’t lie well, little nun.”

“I am not a nun anymore!” Giulia grasped her own hair and just said it. “I’m still a virgin.”

Blake’s voice cleared. “You’re a virgin? I could’ve had a virgin?” His weak laugh filled a momentary silence. “All I’ve ever had is used goods.”

Sandra’s quick breath frightened Giulia more than the screech that followed.

“You sexist piece of meat! If virginity is so important, why didn’t you keep yours?” Sandra punched Blake’s head. “You think I’m used?” She slapped his face. “You think an intact hymen is better than a killer blow job?” She punched the other side of his head. “I’ll give you something—to forget you—ever—slept—with her!” Sandra’s bony hand slapped him at every pause. Blake’s lips split, and a welt appeared under one eye.

Only when Sandra stopped did he try to speak. “Sandy, doll, no one I’ve ever slept with comes close to you. You’re one hot babe. You didn’t have to drug me to get me close to you.”

“Don’t whine, Blake. It doesn’t go with your manly image.” Sandra wiped her blood-speckled hand on the bedspread. “I thought you might not have the spine to teach this cheap whore a lesson, so I took a few precautions.”

Set down the knife, Falke.
Giulia forced herself to look away from it, redirect Sandra.
Set it down. I’ll grab it and call 911.

“The pill my teacher slipped into your last glass of wine made you happily wasted. When we brought you here, you attracted exactly the kind of attention we planned. All the neighbors think the little nun’s having a party.” Sandra draped herself over Blake’s prone body. “It’s also an aphrodisiac. Now I’ll show my teacher how well I’ve absorbed my lessons.”

Show?
Giulia tried to keep her face neutral. Had Sandra set up a video feed? Hidden a camera? That’d be evidence. Any kind of camera would give the police evidence. Where? Behind the clock radio? On the bookshelf? Giulia moved her eyes, not her head, in case Sandra was watching.