In the Middle of Love's Crime *BWWM Mystery Romance Thriller (5 page)
Read In the Middle of Love's Crime *BWWM Mystery Romance Thriller Online
Authors: ReNita A. Burgess
“Sadly, it isn’t. Just when you suspect people are nice it’s like they’re a two sided card.” Drew said.
“Tell me about it. It’s why I don’t really trust too many people.” Emily replied profoundly, resting a hand on her hips.
Drew seemed surprised. “Oh really? So what about that strict military boyfriend of yours? You don’t trust him either?”
Emily tucked a lock of her red hair behind her ear before looking around the office. “Yes, well, I trust him. He’s just the sweetest guy ever! Look at how affectionate he is.” She pulled her cell phone from her back pocket to show Drew a photo.
Drew couldn’t believe his eyes as he saw the photo. The photo revealed Emily taking a selfie in the bathroom mirror with her boyfriend standing behind her, kissing her neck. The shocking part was that her boyfriend was very familiar. Drew had seen him before, possibly because…. he was Simona’s fiancé, BENJAMIN.
“What? Why are you giving me that strange look?” Emily asked with a slight laugh. “Don’t we make a cute couple?”
Drew was tongue tied. He wasn’t sure what to say to Emily. He couldn’t just flat out tell her that the guy she was involved with was an engaged man. No! That would simply crush her. Instead, he just decided to keep calm and mind his own business.
Its best she found out on her own, but what about Simona? She didn’t deserve a cheater. He was going to come up with a plan.
“Nothing. It’s just that your boyfriend seems familiar is all.” Drew responded.
“You probably do! He’s a lieutenant over at Fort Claxton.” She said cheerfully. “Benjamin is taking me out to dinner tonight, but he has to be back early in the morning for work. I hate his job. He’s always two places every time. You would think he lived a different life.” Emily shook her head and walked off.
Drew really wanted to explain to Emily that the reason her military boyfriend was always so busy was because he was engaged to someone else. He sighed as he continued to work. It was a long day in the office even though the day had just begun.
In front of him were the documented folders of the Natalia Karpova case and the Amanda Stone case. Photos revealed to him were of Natalia’s and Amanda’s dead bodies. It was a disturbing sight to witness, but nothing new to him that he hadn’t already seen.
The photographs showed Natalia’s nose caved in, blood was splattered all over her pale face. Her wrists were tied together with a rope so tight that her flesh was purple and blue.
A slit neck was cut so deep beyond her epidermis, viciously at 12 inches deep, revealing the internal organs.
The other photo showed the autopsy, Amanda’s nude body was stretched lifelessly across the autopsy table. Drew took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, this was going to be a tough case to crack.
Chapter 10
“So you’re telling me that you’ve seen her boyfriend a few times? Have any idea who he could be?” Detective O’Brian asked the Asian massage therapist at Soft Skin Spa.
Drew was taking notes, jotting down the little information that they could get on Natalia Karpova.
The young Asian woman spoke little English, but she seemed reluctant with her responses. What was she hiding?
“Look lady, we don’t want any trouble, aight? We just want to find out who Natalia was dating since he was the last person she saw before she died. You would be helping your friend out!!” Detective O’Brian yelled, causing the other employees to stop their work.
“Be easy on her, O’Brian. You’re not going to get an answer out of her with that raging temper.” Drew stated.
The Asian girl looked up shyly. “She....told me not to tell.”
Detective O’Brian and Drew stretched their eyes, now she was talking.
“She told you not to tell? Well, why not?” Drew asked curiously.
The girl looked around with a nervous glare. Whatever it was, she was frightened of what she was about to say. She was holding something back, something that she didn’t want them to know.
“Just tell us the goddamn boyfriend’s name for Christ’s sakes! She’s making me feel like we’re on some friggin’ game show!” Detective O’Brian shouted.
“Hey!! Calm down, O’Brian! I want to know just as much as you do.” Drew told him.
Her quivering eyes looked up at the clock on the wall. “I have to go. My lunch break is over.” She said.
“Get back here! You know something that we don’t know and if you are withholding information then you can be behind bars!” O’Brian shouted again.
“Just let it rest, O’Brian. We’ll come back again to question her when you learn to calm down that Irish-Italian attitude of yours.” Drew stated, preparing to head towards the door.
O’Brian shook his head and slapped his fists together. He was eager to crack the case, but it seemed they weren’t going far with it,
“Let’s get ready for lunch and come back to ask a few other employees. Obviously they had to have known about Natalia’s boyfriend.” Drew suggested.
Biting his bottom lip with a deep frown on his forehead, O’Brian’s face was blood shot red. He had never been this stirred up over any case.
“I just want to know what the reason was for Karpova’s death. It had something to do with her boyfriend. I feel he was involved with it, Just wish we knew who he was.” O’Brian said.
“His name is Benjamin. Benjamin Myers.” replied the receptionist at the front desk.
O’Brian and Drew both looked at each other and then at the receptionist. If this was the Benjamin Myers he thought it was, then this was trouble..serious trouble. Drew swallowed hard and tried to study the receptionist.
“Can you give us a description of this Benjamin Myers guy? He’s in the military, right?” Drew reassured her.
The receptionist tilted her glasses and nodded her head. “Yes, he’s a lieutenant and he has medium blond hair. He’s around six feet tall, I believe.”
O’Brian grinned as he scribbled in his notebook. “You just became a hero today, lady. We’ll be in touch.”
“Wait. We need to know more. How are you sure that this is the right guy she’s been dating? He could have been just a friend. We need proof.” Drew said.
“That’s why we need to go find the bastard and put him under pressure until we get answers, Slater.” Said O’Brian.
The receptionist, with her hair in short dreadlocks, rolled her eyes and folded her arms. “Hey, I’ve seen him come here a few times during Natalia’s lunch break. She didn’t want anyone to know because he was already engaged.”
“Engaged to whom?” asked O’Brian.
Drew quickly interrupted, not wanting to get Simona’s name into any of this. He really did care about her.
“Do you have any sort of proof that they dated? Any whatsoever?” Drew asked.
The receptionist looked up at the ceiling, she was beginning to get annoyed. “Look, the guy made a scene one day because she was taking too long with a client. We were all afraid that he was going to start trouble. You know how those military guys are….some are crazy.”
“You didn’t answer the question. Do you have any proof that they dated?” Drew calmly asked again.
The receptionist massaged the temples of her forehead. “There is a computer in the back office that we are allowed to use on our breaks. Natalia used to read some of the emails that Benjamin would send her.” She pointed to a door in the back. “It’s back there. I believe we can dig some of them up if her password is saved in the system.”
O’Brian raised an eyebrow. “Sure. Let’s go check this bad boy out.”
The receptionist led them to the back office as eyes watched their every move. The manager wasn’t paying any attention as usual, she was chattering on her phone with someone and laughing.
When they made it to the gloomy storage office, Drew noticed that there were old items-beauty creams, body oils stuffed in dusty cardboard boxes.
The receptionist pushed the boxes away as she sat in front of the computer, powering it on and typing into the system.
“Looks like she never logged out her email.” She said.
Drew felt a sigh of relief, but was worried of discovering what the emails foretold. “Click on them and see what they read.”
The receptionist checked over her shoulder before doing what she was told.
I miss you so much. I’ll be glad when you get out of this engagement with Simona. I’m ready for you to be with me.
Why aren’t you responding, Ben? I’ve tried calling you but I guess you are with her. I am going to tell her so we can get this over with!!! You promised! I’ve waited too long!
Natalia, don’t you dare tell her anything! Are you trying to make this hard for us both? Leave it all to me! If you tell her then you will regret it. I swear! You’ll be sorry!
The receptionist looked up from the computer and looked at Drew. She took a deep breath, feeling relieved to finally shed some light on the case. “These messages were sent the night before she was killed.”
“Is there a way for us to have printed copies of this information?” O’Brian asked.
“What’s in it for me?” the receptionist asked, holding out her hand.
“Are you serious? We’re FBI detectives.” O’Brian stammered.
The receptionist closed down the laptop. “Ok, well, I’m done. Good luck with solving your murder case, Mr. Starsky and Hutch.”
Drew groaned, not believing that she was putting them through this. She really was trying to manipulate them. He opened his wallet from his pocket and gave her a twenty dollar bill.
She snatched it from Drew’s hand, holding it up into the light and stuffed it down her bra. “There’s a printer over there. I’ll print these out for you right away. There are also some photos of them together in the emails as well.”
“Great! Now we’re on to something.” O’Brian threw his fist in the air with victory.
Drew warmed together his hands together, for some reason he was feeling excited about this case.
He only hoped that cracking the case would bring him and Simona together, even if it meant breaking her heart of her realizing that her fiancé’ is a cheater. He wanted Benjamin out of the picture; even if it meant making it seem as though Benjamin was the murderer.
At that moment, Drew knew how Natalia felt; he too wanted Benjamin and Simona’s engagement to come to an end.
Chapter 11
The pink and purple neon lights glowed over the curvaceous glasses filled with margaritas and Long Island ice teas. The sexy Hungarian bartender juggled bottles in the air and caught them behind his back as he gathered a crowd around him.
Cosmo’s Lounge and Bar was rowdy at nine o’clock pm. A group at the pool table cheered in the distance as an eight ball ran into the hole of the corner pocket.
Simona laughed over the loud music with her two friends, Kristen and Jamika.. They all discovered that they were involved with military men and found out they had more in common than expected.
Whenever one had a problem, they would all meet and talk it out until the other one felt better. It was one of the rules of their military spouses club.
Kristen, the 6ft tall, strawberry blond realtor, raised her glass. “Cheers to having robotic army spouses and the little bit of sex we receive from them!”
The ladies clashed their glasses before taking a shot.
“Cheers to our vibrators! Apparently, they’re always there when we need them! Woo hoo!” Jamika added, dipping her head back with the drink.
Simona had to put in her thoughts as well. She slurred on her words, but still managed to keep her composure. The three of them had been laughing all night and drinking like sailors.
“Hey, sometimes the vibrator isn’t available when the battery dies. SEE, OUR MEN AREN’T THE ONLY ONES WHO ABANDON US!” Simona joked.
“That’s a good one! Check this out, at least my vibrator lasts longer than my soldier. Ever since Joe came back from Afghanistan, he can’t even last over three minutes!” Kristen complained, rolling her green eyes. Her diamond wedding ring was sparkling in the dim lit room.