“What do we do now?”
“What do we do? We say goodbye. That’s what we do. I’ve listened to your story, now I’m calling the police to report what you told me. I’ve no choice. There’s not a chance in hell I’m going to avoid police questioning, thanks to you.”
“You’d turn me in? That’s a rotten thing to do.”
“Hello! You got me over here and displayed me to the world. There are a dozen witnesses outside that door ready to testify we met here. If you’d whispered your secret to me out on the street somewhere, I’d have a choice but not now. Don’t you get it?”
“But no one knows I was there. I can get away with it if you’ll just keep your damn mouth shut.”
“Well, you won’t. Murderers always fail to notice something. For one thing your prints are on the murder weapon.”
“No, don’t think so. I grabbed his hand not the gun.”
“You just told me you grabbed the gun. Which was it, his hand or the gun? You see the police will jump on little things like that. Your DNA is on his body if you struggled. I don’t know. Or they’ll find out you bought a gun. Something. Where did you get his address? Tammy gave it to you, didn’t she?”
“Don’t remember.”
“Police will find out she gave it to you. Bingo, you’re tied to Barner. You need to call Tammy. She has to report the rape. Going to her doctor would be good even if too late for treatment. Photos of her bruises would be great.”
“The doc will find old bruises.”
“Really!” That stopped him. Who are these people? He hadn’t considered that kind of reckless lifestyle. “Tammy into drugs or something?”
“She’s into showing off her boobs.”
That didn’t answer the question. But drug use would explain the loose sex and the destructive behavior. Toss drugs into this mess and proving rape would be impossible, he thought. And a trial for Loraine would be disastrous. If drugs are involved, the police will not only question him, they’ll test him for drug use, and tear up his apartment. No question now, he should run the other way. “Okay, forget the medical exam. But, you do need evidence to support your story of why you lost it and went after him.”
“I don’t get it. Why is Tammy reporting the rape so important? I still shot the bastard.”
“If there’s no rape why did you shoot him? The rape has to be there. The rape is what set you off. The rape is why you went after him. The rape explains everything. Have you tried to reach her?”
“She didn’t answer. Don’t know where she is, hiding I guess.”
“Well, keep trying. Once she reports the rape then your retaliation becomes justified in the minds of most people. Some will even consider you a hero for avenging the wrongdoing. You’ll be the darling of the feminists. You’ll be on TV. You can write a book.” He tried to keep it light, but she didn’t seem to get it.
“It’ll be tough with the police,” he continued, “but your attorney will handle that part. You’ll be all right, self-defense with no premeditation. They might even acquit you—but not without a reported rape.” He didn’t entirely believe everything he was saying.
“Will you at least help me find Tammy?”
“You mean will I delay calling the police and implicate myself?”
She started crying. He moved to the bed, sat beside her and tried to calm her. “With those legs you’ll look great on the witness stand,” he said trying to make her smile.
She did smile but with a calculating look. She sat up, and as she leaned forward, the bikini top slipped off. She watched his eyes fasten on her breasts. She took his face between her hands, drew him closer, kissed him, and slowly ran her tongue across his lips. “I didn’t get to do everything I wanted the other night.”
“I can’t imagine what you overlooked.”
“I know you’ll help me,” she whispered. “Don’t call the cops.” She pulled his head down. He was filled with the musky scent of her drying perspiration blended with the perfume he remembered from his bed after she left his apartment last week. He pulled back and stood, yet his eyes couldn’t leave her.
She frowned, leaned back on the pillows, and studied his face. Then she reached down and pulled on the little bow at the side of the bikini bottom. She slowly raised her hips, and with a bounce, the bottom slid off and dangled around one leg. She raised the leg high, and watched his eyes moving over her body as she reached out and slipped the bikini bottom off her ankle. She laid back and twisted for a moment, as though the movement was necessary to find a comfortable position.
He gazed down at her soft touchable skin. “This teasing routine isn’t making it easier.”
“I’m not going for easy.” She reached out her hand. “Getting you going?”
Could he stop himself if she touched him? He took a step back and looked down at her. Her tan hadn’t started yet and she was wonderfully white, naked creamy white, stretched out with her long red hair flowing across the pillow.
She gave him a sweet, pouty look. “I'll let you do anything you want with me.” Her tongue moistened the pink gloss on her lips.
He was unable to focus on anything else. He felt his heart beating and a rising wave of heat.
“Come on,” she said softly, “whether we play around on this big bed for an hour or so isn’t going to make any difference to anybody.”
He had a warm growing feeling that she made perfect sense. The warmer he got, the more sensible she sounded. He wasn’t part of this situation anyway. He could do whatever he wanted. They could lose themselves in bliss for an hour and drift away from this damn situation.
She ran the palm of her hand playfully around her nipples. “I say when it comes along you gotta take it.”
She was right. He’d be an idiot to pass this up. They’d done it before, so they do it again, would make no difference at all. He’d never be in a situation like this again. Besides, he deserved it. It was the only reasonable thing to do.
“Be smart, Ray. Come closer.”
He fought back the intense feeling. He blinked hard and shook his head trying to do away with the thought. At last, he caught his breath and inhaled deeply. He backed up, still shaking his head.
His head was clearer now. It was back to business, the business of getting out of this woman’s life. He checked his watch. “Look, it’s eleven now. I’ll make you a deal. I’ll wait until three before I go to the police. That’s four hours. You can spend the time squirming around on that bed deceiving yourself about whether they’ll catch you. But I suggest you get dressed and go find a lawyer.”
Mercifully, she closed her legs, sat up, and brushed her hair back with her hand. “So, you’ll try to find Tammy?”
“Okay, I’ll try to find her and explain what she needs to do. Then you turn yourself in.” That would be one way out of this, he thought, and it might work. Once Tammy reports the rape then Loraine would feel better about coming forward. If she doesn’t, then he’ll go to the police anyway and explain what he knows.
She seemed to go along with it. “I don’t know where Tammy is now. Maybe she’s scared, maybe she ran. I’ll give you her address and unlisted phone number.” She pointed to a motel note pad. “You can nose around. Could be she left a message with a neighbor or something. What’s your cell?”
“Let’s exchange numbers.” He wrote down the information. “Her friend Norma Martin could back this up. How do I reach her?”
“Not sure, I think she’s a waitress at the Jardin Café.”
“You’ve got four hours, Loraine, until three, okay? I’m giving you four hours.”
She grinned. “Hey, if you aren’t in the mood now, why don’t we get together tonight? I don’t want this to affect our relationship.”