Murder Stalks (21 page)

“
Somehow, I’m not
completely comforted by your assurances.”

Chapter 18

Marissa moved through the grocery store,
looking over her shoulder every few minutes. She wondered if Tony
would show up looking for her. Kicking him out had been a mistake.
She had lost her husband, her house, and soon she would lose her
dignity. If Tony had murdered that girl, she would be seen as a
murderer’s wife. Everyone would wonder how she hadn’t known. Did
she really doubt his innocence? Did she believe that he could
possibly do something so horrible?

Tony had a dark side. His time at the boys
home had scarred him. Losing both sets of parents had left him
alone with no one to call family. At night, Marissa heard his fears
shouted out in his sleep. Tony didn’t know he talked while he
slept, and she didn’t tell him. The pain and anguish he revealed
weren’t the kinds of things he would want to share. In the
beginning of their marriage, she hoped he would open up, but it had
never happened. Tony wasn’t into sharing his innermost feelings.
That, more than anything else, had ended their marriage.

Despair pierced her heart. Their daughter’s
tiny grave was being exhumed and questions would be asked. Was she
drugged? Had there been any past abuses? Did Marissa’s separation
from Tony have anything to do with this?

She fought back tears and placed a hand on
her belly. There was no evidence yet. She had maybe two weeks
before she had to tell him. She let a tear escape before she swiped
at her eyes, hiding her pain from the world.

The tickling sensation down her spine
returned. People were staring at her. She could feel it. Her
husband was supposedly being held for suspicion of murder. Of
course people were staring.

Marissa chose a bag of rice and tossed it
into her cart. She turned to pick up a package of pasta and Officer
Sally Gerrig’s body slammed into her. Anger shot through Marissa’s
veins, stiffening her spine.

“
Excuse me, I didn’t mean
to bump into you,” Sally apologized, ducking her head.

“
Are you following
me?”

Sally stared at Marissa for a moment before
recognition dawned on her face. Her cheeks flamed bright red and
she stepped away. Marissa was glad she had the decency to be
embarrassed. Marissa wanted to shove Sally into the display of
crackers at the end of the aisle. But violence against a cop would
get her in jail quicker than she could say ‘bitch.’

“
No, I didn’t even know
you were here.” Sally backed away from Marissa, knocking into the
cracker display, toppling three boxes to the floor. She bent and
picked them up, not meeting Marissa’s eyes.

“
Really, you haven’t been
spying on me? You’re some piece of work.” Marissa grabbed her cart
and left the aisle. She picked out a few more items before paying
and heading to her apartment.

After putting up the perishables, Marissa
dropped onto the couch, wondering where Tony was. She should call
him, but didn’t want to encourage him. Soon, she would have to make
a decision. A divorce would be quick, but did she really want
that?

She was angry. Running into Officer Gerrig
had hurt. Tony had said he hadn’t done anything but that letter.
God, she wished she’d never seen that note.

Growing up, her sister had told her night
after night she didn’t have what it took to catch a man and keep
him. Marissa had tried to ignore her sister’s words, but she hadn’t
been successful. She tossed the pillow across the room and jumped
to her feet. The club wasn’t busy in the afternoons and she needed
a workout. Wallowing in pity wouldn’t do her any good. Later, she
would stop by The Purple Patio for a cold chicken salad. She’d go
shopping too. Summer would be over before long and she needed some
new things before school started in the fall.

Chapter 19

Tony left Spade’s office at noon and stopped
for a salad, vegetables, and grilled chicken. He should have
settled for a burger and fries on the run. In the hour it took him
to eat his meal, a thunderstorm rolled in, blackening the skies and
turning the freeway into an oil slick.

A delivery truck full of beer skidded to
miss a small Toyota that had slowed to a snails pace. The truck
driver lost control and flipped. The trailer flew open, dumping
cases of beer bottles on the pavement, littering the freeway with
broken glass and foamy beer. Thus delaying Tony’s return even
further.

He flipped through the radio stations,
searching for news of the storm and for help with an alternate
route. All he heard was disk jockeys decrying the loss of all of
that beer.

Tony settled in for the long wait. Turning
the evidence over in his mind, he ticked off the points of the
case. He wanted, no needed, this to be solved. At around four, the
traffic finally started moving.

The storm still pounded the south Texas
area, leaving Tony with little choice but to drive under the speed
limit. His bed at the motel was calling his name, but where should
he go first? He needed to take another look at his house. Marissa’s
apartment was on his list of places to go, but first he needed to
stop by his motel to change clothes.

The sun hung low on the horizon by the time
he made it back to his motel. Sticky from the humidity, Tony hopped
into the shower. The warm water cascaded over him, relaxing his
muscles and his mind. The cuts on his back felt better and had
stopped oozing.

Something felt wrong. A warning. Or maybe it
was just his over active imagination working double time. He turned
off the faucet and stood in the shower letting the water run in
rivulets down his body. Then it struck him. Marissa, what if she
was next?

The UNSUB had struck out at Tony. Now would
he strike harder? The one person Tony valued the most was Marissa.
She was in danger. He felt it deep in the pit of his stomach.

Tony jumped out of the shower, not bothering
with a towel. He pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He
grabbed his keys and slid on some flip-flops. He called Marissa on
the way over. Her line rolled to voice mail.

Tony saw no lights in her window when he
pulled up at the complex. He took two steps at a time. Sweat
dripped down his face and his heart raced. What if something had
already happened to her?

He pounded on the door. No answer. He
pounded harder, calling out to her as he banged. A sound penetrated
the thick door. He placed his ear against the solid surface.

He heard something. A scream?

He pulled out his key ring. He didn’t care
if she was angry at him for having the key. He needed to get in
now.

Fumbling with the keys, he chose the wrong
one first. She yelled again. His adrenalin kicked in as the lock
released. He pushed the door open. Before he could step into her
apartment, a huge hulking form hit him square under his ribs,
lifted him up off the ground and threw him against the wall
opposite Marissa’s door. Tony sunk to the floor. His breath came in
gasps and his vision blurred.

He opened his eyes to see a man, dressed in
all black, fleeing the scene. He knew he couldn’t catch up with
him, and at the moment he didn’t want to. He crawled through the
apartment’s door and stumbled into her bedroom. When he saw her,
his breath caught in his throat and for a second he thought he
would pass out. Her arms were tied to the bedpost but her legs were
free. She’d pulled them up next to her body.

A scream ripped through the room, stunning
Tony into action. He leapt towards the bed, but stopped before he
touched anything in the room. Maybe there was a fiber or hair
follicle somewhere. Screw police procedure, he grabbed her up into
his arms and cuddled with her.

He breathed a sigh of relief. She still had
her bra and pants on. The bastard hadn’t raped her. Once he knew
she was safe he flipped open his cell phone but before he could
dial he heard a siren blasting its way closer. A neighbor must have
called when she heard him outside banging on the door.

Tony pulled away from Marissa. She whimpered
and her eyes filled with tears. He crossed the room, opened the
closet door and grabbed a shirt for her. She slipped it on as
Dickey Farris burst into the room, his gun drawn.

“
Get away from her,” he
yelled, his eyes wide with fright. “Get on the floor
now.”

Tony complied. The rough carpet pushed into
his cheek as Farris cuffed him.

Rex ran into the room, his face soaked in
sweat and his shirt untucked. He bent down next to Tony. His breath
smelled of Mexican food. “Shit, Tony, what did you do now?”

Shame and anger washed over Tony again. He
hadn’t done anything, but telling it to the cops wouldn’t do any
good. No matter what he did, his situation kept getting worse, but
he’d saved Marissa. They could lock him up as long as Marissa was
safe.

Tony heard Marissa speak. Her shaky voice
ripped his heart to shreds.

“
I came home and he was
here.”

“
Who was here, ma’am?”
Officer Farris asked, his eyes darting angrily towards
Tony.

“
The man in
black.”

“
Tony Santos, your
husband?”

“
No. Tony saved me. A man
was in my apartment. He attacked me from behind. I never saw his
face. He hit me and pulled me into this room. He had my hands tied
to the bed before I knew what had happened. I kicked him once. Oh
God, he asked me to hit him again. I couldn’t get away--” Marissa’s
shoulders shook violently as her sobs filled the room.

“
Hey guys, could you take
off the cuffs and let me up?” Tony asked.

“
Tony, I’m sorry man. The
neighbors said you were acting like a maniac out here, breaking
down the door and stuff.” Dickey Farris apologized as he took off
the handcuffs.

“
Thanks.” Tony ignored the
pain in his wrists, taking Marissa into his arms and holding her
close. Her body shook against his chest. He pulled her tighter,
placing her on his lap. Marissa curled up like a child, hiding her
face against his neck and drawing her legs as close as she
could.

“
Tony, I think we need to
take a quick trip to the hospital,” Rex interjected from the other
side of the room.

“
Marissa, you up to
it?”

“
She needs to be checked,”
Rex insisted, his phone already open, ready to dial for an
ambulance.

Marissa’s large eyes reminded Tony of a
helpless puppy. He pulled her closer, wanting to protect her from
harm. “Marissa, if you say no, then you don’t have to go right now.
I’ll take you to your doctor tomorrow.”

“
It’s okay, I’ll
go.”

“
You sure about this?”
Tony asked. His wife hated hospitals.

“
Yes, as long as you ride
with me.”

“
Sure, I’m not going to
let you out of my sight.” Tony ran his hands through her hair. She
winced as he touched the right side of her head. He pulled his
fingers away and found blood. Clenching his teeth, trying
desperately not to blowup, Tony held onto his wife. He had almost
lost her today.

Tony tossed Rex the keys to his car. “Get it
there for me.”

“
No problem.”

The ride to the hospital was bumpy but
quick. Sirens still worked wonders in south Texas. Cars cleared the
road, making way for the ambulance and two police cars.

The admitting nurse asked Tony to leave but
he held firm. He wouldn’t leave Marissa’s side until he knew she
was safe. The nurse began asking medical questions and Marissa
seemed to withdraw. Tony feared the worst. What if this guy had
achieved penetration then pulled her panties back on? He squeezed
Marissa’s hand, encouraging her.

“
Tony, could you get me
something to drink? A bottle of water.” Marissa eyes were moist
with tears.

“
Sure, baby, do you want
me to wait until after the nurse finishes?”

“
No, could you go get it
now?”

“
I’ll be right back.” He
smiled and kissed her on the head before he left the
room.

Tony pulled a dollar out of his pocket as he
wound his way through the halls and out to the reception area.
After purchasing two bottles of water, he headed back into the
heart of the ER. He paused outside Marissa’s room and breathed in
deeply. He needed to be solid for her. He couldn’t fall apart now.
With his hand on the door ready to push through, Tony heard the
nurse speak and paused to listen.

“
Don’t you worry, darling.
We’ll get an ultrasound up here and check for the baby’s heartbeat.
That does mean the pain medication we were planning on giving you
is going to have to wait. The doctor will use a mild local
anesthetic if he has to stitch up your scalp. It’ll be all right,
you just wait and see.”

Tony’s vision blurred. He ran a quick hand
over his face, steadying himself before he digested the news.
Marissa was pregnant. Inside her, his baby grew. A sliver of fear
wormed its way into his thoughts. What if the baby wasn’t his? He
leaned against the wall and pain erupted from his back and over his
shoulder blade.

Tony jerked away from the wall and grabbed
his arm. Disturbing thoughts ran through his mind. He couldn’t go
in there and face Marissa. How far along was she?

He walked away. He wandered around the
halls, head down, unable to look other people in the eye. How could
Marissa not tell him? She was the love of his life. He needed her.
He wondered if she would have ever told him. A beat of fear
thrummed in his chest. The killer could get in here, and he could
take Marissa away from him forever. The problem about her pregnancy
could wait.