Lauren (17 page)

"No problem, partner, but I wish I was there."

"So do I, Jack. I'll see ya later."

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Lauren and Tom headed back to the city around 6:30 p.m. They wanted to go over the files of all the victims, as well as the jewelry found in Silver's home.

As they headed through the crowded city streets, Lauren thought more about Ben Silver, and his fixation with the fifties’ era.

The words he left on the note, beside the locket, still hummed in her head.
You're Mine, and We Belong Together
. Those were the words from a famous song. She knew a lot about the old rock and roll music. She grew up with it, and danced to many of the well-known songs with her father.

Two of the victims were found naked, wearing only black and white Hush Puppies cheerleading shoes, with white anklet socks.

At first, they had no idea what it meant, but now things were beginning to come together. They now knew Silver hunted for his victims in off campus bars, and the new rock and roll style restaurants. Some of them received supplies from the company he worked for. Silver made numerous deliveries, and had access to exit doors. He knew the regular routine at each location.

Then, there was his apartment. It was like entering a time warp. Silver decorated it in the fifties’ style. It appeared he lived two very different lives.

Lauren's phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. “Detective Phelps here."

"Hey, Lauren. It's Eddie."

Her heart beat faster for a moment, and she felt her face flush. Unfortunately, Tom seemed to notice it. He smiled and winked, as he continued to maneuver the Crown Victoria through the streets surrounding the 53rd Precinct, trying to find a spot to park.

"What's going on?” she asked.

"I just heard from Peter, over at Creek Valley P.D. He said they found an inscription on the locket. It reads:
To Elizabeth, Love Daddy
. None of the victim's names are Elizabeth, and no one has reported anyone named Elizabeth missing. So what do ya think?"

"I hope this doesn't mean he's struck again and has another victim."

"How do you want to handle this?"

"Well, for now, we just hold onto the information, and hopefully we'll make a connection. There's the possibility that the killer had it in his family? If no one by that name was reported, then there's not much we can do. The technicians will run it through the lab, in case there are any fingerprints on it. That will take some time. Anything on the tire tracks yet?"

"Not yet, but Peter will call me as soon as he knows anything."

"Sounds good, Eddie. I guess we'll touch base later, then."

"I could take a drive into the city tonight. Ken will cover things here, and there's not much more we can do right now. I want to see you."

"I understand what you're saying, and I have something I want to check into tonight. I won't get back until late.” She glanced at Tom. He appeared to be forming his own conclusions.

"I don't care how late it is. I'll only stay a little while. I want to see you."

"I'll call you, unless you hear something first. Bye."

Lauren closed up the cell phone and swallowed hard. She wanted to see Eddie, too, but she had such an uneasy feeling after the crime scene today. She just couldn't seem to shake it.

"What's going on?” Tom said, as he finally wedged the car in-between two patrol cars in a tight space.

Lauren filled him in on the locket info.

"Okay, so we wait until further word, and hope Elizabeth isn't being held by this monster already. Now, what about you and that Ridgeburgh lieutenant? How long has this been going on for?” Tom winked at her, and smiled, as they walked across the parking lot.

She was about to deny it, but it wasn't worth it. Tom had figured things out, and she couldn't lie to him. She stopped him by touching his arm.

"Listen, Tom, please don't say a word about this to anyone. It just kind of happened out of the blue, and I'm not sure if anything more will come of it. My focus is on this case right now. I really don't have the extra energy to entertain an attraction."

"Lauren, give me a break. First, I won't say a word. Second, he seems like a cool guy, a bit older than you, but that may be what you need. Third, you've been wrapped up in this job, homicide after homicide, never allowing anyone to get close to you. Allow yourself to open up a little. Take it from me, if you're not careful, this job can eat you up inside. I think this is great. I'm not going to deny that I'm a little jealous, but I guess I'll get over it,” he teased, and Lauren laughed, as they entered the building.

By 8:30 p.m., Lauren and Lizzy were exhausted and frustrated. They'd been searching the computer records, and found a relative of Ben Silver's. It had taken hours just to find that information. They hoped that this would lead to a possible hideout location.

They were soon disappointed, when an address in Florida came up.

"There's no way he's there,” Lizzy said.

"Damn, and I thought there was a chance."

"Let's check it out, anyway. Get someone from the local department down there to check the location. We'll run the phone records to be sure."

Lauren sighed, then leaned back in the chair. She rubbed her eyes and the back of her neck. Lizzy stood up to stretch out her legs and her back.

"You're doing a good job, Lopez. I hope you're not mad that I got you assigned to this case?"

Lizzy squinted, and put her hands on her hips, showing a confident attitude. “Are you kidding me? I've been waiting for an opportunity like this. I'll never forget that you gave me it."

Lauren smiled. She knew exactly how the rookie felt. “Well, it wasn't too long ago that someone gave me the same opportunity."

"You mean McNulty?"

"Yep, and he's been there for me ever since.” Lauren held her hand over her mouth, trying to hide a yawn.

Lizzy did the same thing.

"Listen, why don't you call it a night, and get back here tomorrow morning? I'm going to head home to shower and change."

"If you need me to come back, I can. I'll just run home and do the same. It's not like I have a date or something."

Lauren grinned. “There's no need, really. We probably won't hear back from anyone until tomorrow, during regular business hours. If I'm not here yet, then just get started. I have something that I want to check out at Silver's job."

"What's that?"

"I've been trying to come up with a profile for this guy. He's definitely a sexual offender. I think he's been working, up to this point, for a long time. We figure his first kill was over a year ago, with the case you located.

I'm sure he's engaged in some pretty off the wall sexual fantasies, especially in relation to his fixation with the fifties and sixties. I want to go to the restaurant supply company he worked for and ask the employees some questions. There were a few young women there, one in particular, who tried a bit too hard to act like she hardly knew Silver. There may be something there."

"Sounds interesting. I guess I'll meet you back here tomorrow morning."

"Good night, Lopez, and, again, good job today.” Lauren headed out twenty minutes later, after Eddie called and said he was at her house.

Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was happy Eddie showed up at her place again, even if their time together was limited. She just needed a few hours of rest, then she could head back to the precinct to work on the case.

"Hey, I thought you were never going to make it here,” he said, holding the storm door open, while she unlocked the front door. They entered the house, and locked the door behind them. Lauren laid her keys on the front table.

"Want something to drink?” She headed toward the refrigerator. It was her regular routine to grab a bottle of water first thing.

Eddie grabbed her hand.

"Come here. I want you next to me,” he told her, taking both of her hands into his, pulling her body against his own.

"I see Tom didn't drop you off. You planning on going back there tonight?"

"No, he didn't, and yes, I am. I have things I want to do first thing in the morning. I need to stay focused on this case. That damn locket thing is bothering me."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, still holding her hands in his. “I know what you mean. I hope we don't get a call soon, saying that a woman named Elizabeth is missing."

"I hear you."

"Tom's not going to come knocking at that door is he, or perhaps some other guy?” he whispered, while he leaned down and kissed her neck.

The touch of his lips caused her entire body to respond, but she held her ground. “Eddie, we shouldn't do this."

He paused, to whisper in her ear, “Yes, we should. Unless, there's someone else?"

He turned her around, pinning her against the front door. His lips continued their path across her neck, to her chin and cheek, then to her lips.

Her eyes were closed. She didn't answer. All she could think about was Eddie. He let go of her hands, as he kissed her deeply, wildly taking her tongue inside his mouth. He pulled her leg up, by the thigh, and grabbed hold of her backside.

She held onto the waist of his pants with one hand, while the other grabbed a handful of his dark, navy blue shirt. His eyes took on a wild, animal-like expression. She wondered if her eyes expressed the same desire.

They stared at one another. No words were spoken, as if they mutually knew exactly what they wanted, what they needed.

"Is there anyone else?” he asked her, one final time.

Breathless, she answered, “No."

His lips covered hers, all over again. He held her face between his hands, kissing her all over, as if he desired every section of her mouth, before nibbling on her bottom lip. The sensation of his hands caressing her shoulders, spreading the fabric of her silk blouse, forcing it to spread wider, sent her body into a wanting frenzy. They grabbed at one another's clothing, tossing weapons, handcuffs, badges, and undergarments around the front entrance, their desire apparent in their haste.

The lustful emotions were too intense for Eddie. He lifted her into his arms. She straddled his hips. He licked and nibbled on her neck. In his mind, he lost his sense of direction. Where was a couch, a bed, something? She moaned, and he couldn't take it anymore. He wanted to be inside her, make love to her.

They never made it to the couch. Instead, they tumbled to the beige carpeting, Eddie on top, grabbing hold of her chocolate-colored locks, and desperately kissing her.

Their hips rocked and swayed, a sure sign they could no longer wait. There was no need to ready one another, as he entered her, immersing himself, falling into warm, intoxicating bliss.

Lauren arched her back, taking Eddie fully inside. Her need was as apparent as his own. His mouth glided over each breast, then her neck, before covering her mouth.

Eddie could feel Lauren's hips push harder against him. He surged forward, answering her call for more of him.

They grabbed at one another, rocking back and forth, both trying harder than the other to satisfy each other, and to be deeply connected. Each thrust, each sway of motion, destroyed all feelings of loneliness, replacing it with true love and desire.

They held on tight, gazes locked, bodies one, as they groaned simultaneously, satisfied and complete.

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Eddie stood in Lauren's kitchen. They were dressed, and ready for the day. He hadn't planned on spending the night, but after their lovemaking in the living room, there was no way he was leaving her.

He watched her, while she engaged in her morning routine. She was sexy, feminine yet tough, and authoritative. Especially with her hair pulled up tight and professional looking, her gun and badge clinging to her muscular, trim waist. Next to that were her handcuffs.

Her abs were impressive. She had to engage in some extreme workouts to get abs like hers.

He eyed her from head to toe, while he took a sip from the ceramic mug of coffee. Of course, it was a NYPD police mug. She was so gung ho, and all cop.

Today, she wore a pair of black pinstriped, slim-fitting dress pants, and a sheer green blouse that accentuated her jade eyes.

Lauren must have sensed him staring at her, because she looked at him, smiling. “What?"

He took a deep breath, and pulled her into his arms. “You're breathtaking, and so damn sexy.” He kissed her, pressing his body against hers, pinning her against the front of the kitchen counter.

He moved his mouth across her chin, then to her neck. For a second, she seemed lost in the power of his kisses, then she stopped.

She placed her hands against his shoulders. “We'll never get out of here, if you don't quit that. I've got a lot to do this morning, and you're not supposed to be at the department until 9:00 a.m."

Eddie reluctantly let her go. “You still want me to meet you there?"

"Yes, then we'll go over what we have with Jack and Tom."

"Fine.” He stole one last kiss.

They ventured out, in separate directions.

Lauren headed to the old restaurant supply building, in search of Salina Bard. The owner said she would be away for a few days, and there was no sense in trying her apartment downtown. She wasn't there.

She decided to head back to the precinct, to work on investigating Silver's family.

Eddie was with Tom, trying to track down some guy Ben Silver used to share an apartment with. Two hours into it, and no new clues. Everyone he was related to was deceased, it appeared.

"Still nothing, Lauren. I've tried the last two people, and they've either disappeared or died. Complete low lifes, really,” Lizzy told her, then took a slug of soda from the can.

"I hear you. Let's take a break. Do you want to grab something at the deli down the block? I want out of here, and it's gorgeous outside."

Lizzy agreed.

A couple of the male officers eyed both Lauren and Lizzy, as they made their way out of the building. Neither acknowledged it, until they were outside on the streets.