Chapter 9

Connection

Thursday

Chelsea just couldn’t believe Elle was gone. Immediately, she felt very lost and alone. Disbelief overtook her. She slumped back onto the couch. Sobs wracked her body as she covered her face with her hands, unable to comprehend the reality.

How could this have happened? Who could have done this? Why?

With tears streaming down her face, Chelsea picked up the phone and called the only person she knew would give her some comfort.

“Mum,” she moaned.

“Chelsea?” Sarah said. “What’s happened? Are you all right?”

“Mum ... Elle ... she's been … she’s gone.”

“Gone, dear, where did she go? She didn’t run out on you? She’s always been a little erratic—“

“Mum,” Chelsea cut in, “she’s dead.”

“What? How can she be dead? Chelsea honey, what happened?”

“Have you seen the reports on the news regarding the murders?”

“Yes horrible. Dreadful for their families.”

“Well they think he got Elle.”

There was a heavy pause, a decisive pause. “Chelsea, I’m going to come and stay with you. You shouldn’t be alone right now. I can get a locum to cover for me at the surgery and I can be there by tomorrow. Charlotte will come with me.”

“Thanks, I really need you both.”

“We’ll be there tomorrow.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Somehow Chelsea managed to get to her room and climb into bed before she burst into uncontrollable floods of tears.

* * *

When they arrived at the station, Lucas and Maggie were called into their Captain’s office. Everett Shaw exuded superiority. With his large stature and booming voice, he could menace the bravest of men. He got the job done and expected the best from his detectives and officers. And yet his rugged looks and boyish smile could also charm almost anyone.

“Sit down, Detectives,” he commanded. “I hear we have number three. Is that correct?”

“Yes, Captain.” Lucas took the floor. “We have just come from speaking with her roommate.”

“There is a lot of heat on us right now to get results. Where are we on this?”

“We’re about to go over all three and see if there’s a connection. The only link we have at present is the first two looked similar and the third girl’s roommate resembles the victims. We also know all three were seeing a new ‘mystery’ man but we’ve been unable to get a description. There were hairs found on Kate, which luckily can be used for DNA comparison. We have flour traces from two of the victims. We’re waiting for the results from Dave to see if the same is true for the third.”

“Good, keep focusing on how these girls could be connected and I’ll get you some manpower to help with canvassing. They can also re-interview all the friends and family.”

“That would be a great help, thanks, Captain,” Maggie answered.

“Great let’s get to work.”

They had been dismissed.

Maggie headed off to organise CSIs and officers to search Chelsea’s house and to allocate tasks to the detectives assigned to help on the case.

Lucas strode back to his desk, determined to find something, anything, no matter how small, tying these girls together. He didn’t want to think about Maggie’s theory regarding Chelsea regardless of their similarities. Just because he mentioned it to Captain Shaw didn’t mean he wanted to consider it. The idea made him uneasy and he didn’t know why.

Instead, he looked over the list of items retrieved from Kate Miller’s house and found it wasn’t long. All items had been fingerprinted. They had found no matches within the department databases but they did match the prints taken from Libby’s house. This confirmed what they already assumed; the same killer was responsible for both murders.

Scanning down the page, he stopped when he came to a Coffee Break Café paper cup. It seemed familiar but even though he mulled it over for a moment, he couldn’t place why.

Then he remembered. That’s it!

While brooding by the door at Chelsea’s house that morning his cop radar had still been active. He’d scanned the room and now thought he’d seen the very same coffee cup on a table near the stairs. Could this be the connection? Only one way to find out.

Grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair, he bounded off looking for his partner. He located her getting coffee in the break room.

“Maggie, everything organised?”

“Yeah, bud, what’s up?”

“I need you to do something while I check out a possible link.” He gave her his crooked grin.

“You know I can’t resist that smile, Lucas, what do you need?”

“Could you ring Amy Miller and Kelly Bradshaw, find out whether Kate and Libby frequented the Coffee Break Café?”

“Sure, where are you going?”

“To ask Chelsea the same question. I think I found a connection.”

“Lucas,” she called out as he turned to leave. “Are you sure? I mean, after this morning and yesterday.”

“I need to make up for my mistakes, Maggie. Make amends with her.”

“Ok, I trust you. Thousands wouldn’t. Keep me posted.”

“Will do,” he called out as he rushed out.

* * *

The sun streaming through the window stung Chelsea’s raw eyes as she opened them. She blinked a few times as her head thudded out its own drum beat. Disorientated, it took her a moment to recall what had happened and why she was in bed, fully clothed.

Elle.

With dread, she dragged herself up and looked at the time. It was still morning. She must have dozed off after the detectives left.

Detective Lucas Hudson, so that was his name.

His gruff manner lingered from the previous day but that didn’t reduce her attraction to him. Some things go beyond reason. The way his eyes penetrated her, as though looking right into her soul. Scary. Enticing. Unnerving. He’s rude and abrasive, not you’re type, no matter how sexy he is. Don’t be silly, he doesn’t even like you.

He’d made that crystal clear.

The doorbell jolted her out of her reverie. Chelsea was greeted by four Crime Scene Techs and two officers, who’d been sent over by the detectives. She showed two of the techs to Elle’s room while the other two fingerprinted the living areas. The officers stood at the entrance.

Chelsea determined to do something with her day, to keep her mind from wandering. Although she felt hollow and tears hovered beneath the surface, Chelsea tried not to think about the aching pain in her chest.

She proceeded to the kitchen to make some coffee. Perhaps some caffeine would shake the fog from her head. She brewed her favourite blend and the aroma lifted her spirits a little. Her mind wandered as she prepared her coffee. She was running though her orders for Bloom to ensure everything was completed for the next day when a thought jumped into her head. Mrs. Sheridan!

She dialled Clare Sheridan’s number to find her, as expected, full of anguish.

“Mrs. Sheridan, I’m sorry about Elle. If I’d gone to the police sooner...”

Elle’s mum was quick to reassure her. “Chelsea, you couldn’t have known. Elle ... well you know …” Her voice caught and she cleared her throat.

“I do. I ... if you need anything.”

“I’ll ask.”

“Yes, please.”

“I will. You’re sweet. Thanks for calling, Chelsea. Take care. Are you still in the house?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe it isn’t safe to be there.”

“Mum and Charlotte are coming over and I am surrounded by cops.”

“Chelsea, are you sure? He could have keys, anything.”

That scared her. He could. “I’ll think about it carefully, Mrs. Sheridan.”

“You do that.”

Talking to Elle’s mum had really upset her. Her heart ached at the senselessness of the world that took such a wonderful daughter and friend. And Mrs. Sheridan was right. He might come back. No, why would he?

She shivered and allowed a few tears to escape before wiping them away. Tears for Elle or tears for herself? Both. Things were never going to be the same. It hurt too much to think about it all now.

She poured herself another cup of coffee as the first did little to help her think. As she headed upstairs, to sit out on the balcony, the doorbell rang again.

What now? Should she answer it? Of course she should. The place was crawling with cops.

Chelsea opened the door to discover Detective Hudson standing there with a solemn face and remorseful eyes. His attitude appeared so changed from their previous meetings that she became confused.

“How can I help you, Detective Hudson?” she asked cautiously.

“Please, call me Lucas,” he replied with a crooked smile. “I was wondering, if it’s all right, could I ask you a couple of questions?”

What a smile. How could she resist that smile? Why hadn’t he done that before? And his eyes seemed to have taken on an amber hue.

Chelsea, what has gotten into you?

“Sure come in. Would you like some coffee?”

“Yeah, that would be great, thanks.”

“I was just about to go upstairs and sit on the balcony, to keep out of the way of ...” She pointed towards one of the techs. “Do you mind if we sit up there to talk?”

“I don’t mind. Wherever you feel most comfortable, Chelsea.” It felt nice to say her name again.

Lucas watched her small, sexy form as he followed her through the living room, which he’d only glanced at earlier that day. The furniture was modern but welcoming and the couch just begged to be snuggled into. With her.

She walked into the kitchen which was separated from the living room by the stairs running up the middle of the house.

He passed the table he’d spotted earlier with the paper coffee cup. His memory had served him well and the cup was in fact from the Coffee Break Café and sat exactly where he remembered it. Lucas gestured to one of the techs to bag the cup.

“How do you take it?” she called.

“Milky and sweet, thanks.”

She emerged with two steaming mugs of coffee, passed one to him, their fingers touching as she did so sending a jolt up his arm, before proceeding up the stairs. Lucas climbed up behind her so transfixed by the lure of her body that his mind clouded over completely, full of her.

Stop acting like a school boy with a crush, Lucas. You have a job to do.

The stairs led up to a setting much like downstairs. The top level was split into two halves with a bedroom on each side and what appeared to be another bedroom and a bathroom in the rear. At the top of the stairs, a large window gave a fantastic view of the city.

He assumed Elle’s bedroom had been to the left as there were two techs collecting evidence and fingerprinting there. He gave them a nod as he went past while Chelsea went to the right, through her bedroom and out a sliding door. Lucas strolled out behind her to discover the same sensational view from her balcony as he’d seen from the window.

“This is a beautiful house you have here.”

“Thanks,” she said with a weak smile. “I’ve always loved living here but now well …”

“It’ll get easier.”

“I hope so. Now what did you need to ask me Detec ... I mean, Lucas?”

The sound of his name on her lips was intoxicating. She is intoxicating.

“I noticed a coffee cup from the Coffee Break Café downstairs. Was it yours?”

“Um no, it was probably Elle’s ...”

“Do you know if she went there often?”

“Yes, most days, I think. She started a new job a few months ago in the same group of shops as the café. Um, Dazzle was the place she worked. Anyway she used to go and have a coffee before work or when she went on a break. She ate lunch there a bit too.”

“Do you think she might have met the new guy she was seeing there?”

“It’s possible. Now that you mention it, about a month ago she told me about a blond guy who worked there or he might have been the owner,” she paused. “Knowing Elle and it being a month ago, she could have moved on. She was a ….free spirit.” She gave him a brief smile.

His heart lifted into his throat. He cleared it and continued.

“Did you ever go to the café with Elle?”

“A couple of times. She sometimes came and helped me at my shop and we went and had lunch there. She always talked about the food.”

“You have a shop?”

“Yes, I’m a florist.”

“That would explain the gardens.”

She smiled again. “I guess it does but I’ve been neglecting them lately.”

“You can’t tell. They’re … nice.”

“Why, Lucas, you do have a soft side after all.”

Did I just blush? He cleared his throat again. “Thanks, um, can you think of anything else about the café that might be helpful? Did you ever see the owner?”

“No ... Wait! I’m sorry, I just remembered. I haven’t been thinking very clearly. She told me about meeting someone when she was leaving one day. She said she ran into him as she was coming out and she talked about him a bit that night. How could I have forgotten this? I don’t know if it was the same one who owned the cafe or a different man. I don’t remember what she said about the café owner and it could have just been someone else that worked there. I hope that helps.”

Stop rambling Chelsea.

“Very helpful, thanks.” He smiled.

“Do you have any more questions?” she asked as she placed her now empty coffee cup on the table.

He followed suit. “Um no, I think that’s it for now. We’ll go to the café and check it out. I might have more questions after that.” He paused. “Um, this morning and yesterday, I was rude.”

“Yes you were, why?”

“Because I … because …”

“Because what, detective … ?” She cut him off and a little frost returned.

He wanted to answer but his traitorous mind went blank. His eyes moved to her lips and he wanted to taste them.

“I don’t understand it myself.”

A playful smile danced on her face.

Does she feel it too? He took a deep breath.

Then something surprised him. She took a step forward. “What is it?”

He knew she now wanted him to touch her. She does feel it too.

“I … no, I really can’t explain …”

That smile again. Encouraging him.

“… I can only show you …”

Her hand reached out towards him, bridging the short distance between them before returning to her side. “Show me what, Lucas?” Her tone suggested she understood and her eyes reflected his sentiment.

It was now or never.

“This.” He took the final step towards her and placed his hands lightly on her waist. Pulling her towards him, he stooped down to kiss her softly but he craved more. She feels and smells so good. He wrapped his arms around her, lifted her slightly from her feet, bringing her tight against his body and deepened the kiss.

Chelsea’s mind went blank as she melted into his arms. He feels so good. How does he do this to me? She lost all control of her hands as they wound around his neck. Her fingers dove into his hair.

He groaned and she felt his tongue ease against hers. Her tongue came to meet his and she moaned audibly. Her pulse raced as a fierce surge of electricity shot through her. His tongue against hers, his soft lips and hair, his strong arms around her waist, caused desire to overcome her and she groaned again. At that moment she couldn’t even imagine their lips parting.

Stopping abruptly, he lowered her to the ground.

“I’m sorry,” he said with a husk laden voice. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

His sudden backtracking shocked her to inexplicable outrage and she fixed him with an icy glare. “That’s right, you shouldn’t have. I hope you got what you came for. You had better leave before I report you.” She wasn’t sure whether she meant it or not. She was lost.

So was Lucas. He stared as her for a second, mumbled an apology, and left.

Chelsea stood there visibly shaken, as shaken as she had been when she had been told that Elle wouldn’t be coming back. She knew exactly what the emotions were that he had stirred within her, but it had been a long time since ... However, this was no whimsy. She’d let him in and now she was on fire. How could he make her feel ablaze one moment and then like ice the next?

Chelsea decided this could not happen again. She was not going to get involved with this gruff detective and then hurt by him, no matter how sexy he was.

* * *

Lucas stormed out to his car. What was he thinking? She was part of an ongoing investigation. He had just put his job on the line – for what, green eyes and milky skin? Well, there could be worse reasons but, no, he wasn’t going to get involved. He wasn’t going to get close to anyone and certainly not someone relating to a case. It’s just chemistry. She’s out of my system now. Wasn’t she?

No, he realised she wasn’t, not now that he’d tasted the pout of her lips. She wasn’t going to leave his mind in a hurry, however much better it would be if she did.

* * *

Lindsay has turned out to have no fight at all and this is making me more anxious to have the real thing, the real spoilt bitch. She just sobs and her screams are just not the right ones.

I must be patient, make it right for when I have my way with the princess.

I think it’s time to make my presence known to her with a nice little chat.

She’s home, so now might be a good time to see how she has been affected by her loss, to see how she feels about losing someone she cares about.

Ah here she comes now, out on the balcony. It’s so convenient that she likes to sit out there so I can watch her. Who is that with her? Oh, the detective who thinks he’s going to find me. Well think again!

Wait, what is she doing? Is she kissing him? That tramp, I knew she wouldn’t be waiting for me to come to her! What a betrayal, I think that has just bought her an extra day of pain.

I must keep it together. I have to go to my mundane job, keep up appearances otherwise someone may get suspicious if I don’t turn up. If it weren’t for that drab job I wouldn’t have found all these lovely ladies to play with now, would I?

I have to go now, princess, but soon I’ll get to see your blood spill.