Chapter 7
ALICIA
What was I supposed to do?
I paced around my living room. It was obvious he was H.P. Emulsion, but could I really turn him in if he had a sick sister that depended on him?
That was it.
I would just have to talk to Caroline and find out if her brother was telling the truth or not.
***
The children’s ward was downright the most miserable place I had ever seen in my life. Little kids looked at me with sunken eyes. A few of them had skin so pale they looked like ghosts. Others were so thin, I could count their ribs.
“Excuse me.” I walked up to the nurse’s desk and flashed my badge. Technically, I was still off duty, but this was the easiest way to talk to his sister without being asked too many questions.
“Yes?”
“I’m looking for Caroline Price.”
The nurse nodded, “Last room on the right.”
“Thank you.”
Inside the room, there were two beds, both of them empty. One looked like it had been vacated recently, the other was still decorated with stuffed animals and various toys.
A door opened and a little girl emerged from the bathroom, dragging along an IV stand. She stopped and looked at me with beautiful big eyes.
“Hello.” I kneeled so I was eye level with her. “There’s no need to be afraid.” I showed her my badge.
“Are you a real police officer?” she asked, her voice sweet and innocent.
“I am.”
“Why are you here? I swear, I only took one extra cookie during snack time…” She looked extremely guilty.
I laughed, “I’m not here because of that.”
“You’re not?”
“No.” I leaned in closer. “If you want, later we can go get some more cookies. No one questions you if you reach into the cookie jar a third… fourth… or even a fifth time if you’re an officer,” I winked.
“R-Really?”
“Yeah. But, this doesn’t mean you should steal. Stealing is bad, okay?”
She nodded.
“So, Caroline, I have some questions about your brother.”
“My brother?” she asked in an innocent voice. “Why, is he in trouble? Are you going to arrest him?” Her eyes were wide and full of fear.
My heart tightened at the sight of her. Even if her brother was the man I had been looking for all this time, would I really be able to rip him away from his sister, especially when he seemed to be the only family she had?
Taking a deep breath, I helped the little girl back onto her bed, pulling the blanket over her slender body. She grabbed it and brought it all the way to her chin so only her head was uncovered. As she looked at me, her fingers toyed with the end of the blanket, picking at a loose thread.
I sat down beside her. “Do you know what your brother does for a job?”
She eagerly nodded, “He’s a photographer! He’s really good at it… but…” she paused like she was thinking something over.
“But what, honey?” I asked, trying to get as much information as possible.
“Sometimes, he doesn’t like his job. He gets really sad and doesn’t say much when he comes to visit.”
“Do you know why he sometimes doesn’t like his job?”
She shook her head. “No. He won’t tell me.”
“I see… and does this happen a lot?”
“No. Not a lot.” She thought for a moment. “Just… sometimes.”
I nodded, smiling at the girl. I picked up a stuffed penguin from the foot of her bed. “Who gets you all of these nice toys?”
“My brother.”
“That’s very nice of him. Is he always nice to you?”
When I offered her the toy, she hugged it tight against her chest.
I love you! It squeaked. Caroline giggled, squeezing it again. Caroline is my best friend!
The voice that emerged from the toy seemed familiar in a way. “Who’s that?” I asked.
“This is Mr. Emperor, because he’s an Emperor penguin, see?” She thrust it in my direction so I could have a better look. “My brother got him specially made for me…” She carefully ran her hands over the soft material, like it was her most prized possession. “…so I would never be lonely when I’m here all by myself.”
She squeezed the toy one more time.
It started to hum a lullaby as Caroline pressed it to her cheek, rocking slightly.
“Thank you, Caroline. You’ve been a great help.” I patted her head before getting up.
“So, my brother isn’t in trouble?” she asked. “You aren’t going to take him away?”
I bit my bottom lip, unsure of how to respond. On one hand, I didn’t think I would have the heart to tear them apart, but on the other, I couldn’t let Hector continue his killing spree. He had to be stopped, one way or another.
Caroline continued to stare at me with great big eyes.
“No honey, I’m not going to take him away,” I lied, unable to do anything else. This girl looked like she had been through so much, the last thing I wanted to do was crush the perfect image she had of her brother.
When I walked out of her room, I took a deep breath.
This was going to be hard, probably the hardest thing I would ever have to do in my life.
***
When I arrived at Hector’s house, I lingered in my car, wondering if I was making the right decision. I had already run him through the system to get his address so even if I pretended he wasn’t my prime suspect, someone would connect the dots and figure it out.
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, my nerves making me jittery. There had to be some sort of a mistake. How could a man who seemed so kind be a serial killer? It just didn’t make sense. There had to be more to this story and I was going to figure it out.
Knowing I had to face him sooner rather than later, I got out of the car. At the front door, I knocked a little harder than I needed to, an innate habit after so many years of working in the field.
After a short while, Hector appeared, wearing nothing more than a pair of sweatpants. They hung off his hips, teasing me with the subtle beginnings of what I could only imagine was an oh-so-sexy V. I bit my lip, trying to keep my mind from fogging up with lust. That was the last thing I needed right now.
“To what do I owe this lovely surprise?” Hector asked, leaning against the doorway, a dazzling smile painted on his face. “Just couldn’t keep away, could you? Went so far as to look up my address and pay me a little visit, did you?”
“Look. We have to talk.”
He narrowed his eyes slightly. “I’m not sure I like how serious you sound. I feel like I’m in trouble or something,” he joked, as carefree as ever.
“Inside. Now.”
“Yes, officer.” He raised his hands to salute and walked into his home.
It was a pretty modest single family house. The hardwood floors needed some work. The rug in the living room needed a good cleaning, and the walls, a fresh coat of paint. Overall, however, it was nicely furnished and well-maintained.
“Do you want anything to drink?” he asked, playing the part of the host.
“You know, I expected you to still be angry with me.”
“Right, right. But, I know you went to visit my sister.”
“Huh? How do you know that?”
“Trust me, when you’ve been there as much as I have, that smell becomes distinct. You reek of it.”
“Oh…” I subtly sniffed my shirt, trying to figure out what he was talking about.
“Anyway, what did you think of Caroline? She’s quite the charmer, isn’t she? I’m going to have a hard time keeping the boys away from her when she grows up.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to chase them off the front porch with a shotgun.” I found myself relaxing in his presence, forgetting the reason for being here. It was just so easy to get caught up in Hector’s charm…
“You better believe it,” he chuckled. “They don’t stand a chance. No one is going to lay a finger on my baby sister.”
We had sat down on the couch, facing each other. Without thinking about it, I got a little closer to him, our knees touching. I looked down, my cheeks burning slightly.
“So, in all seriousness, why are you here?”
At his question, a knot formed in my throat, getting bigger and bigger until it felt like I was breathing through a straw. I adjusted myself in my seat, struggling with the turmoil that raged inside of me.
What was I supposed to do?
Hector chuckled, “Well, if you aren’t going to answer me, I’m just going to assume you missed my pretty face.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re so full of it.”
“I’m starting to think that’s one of the reasons you like me so much.”
“Who said anything about me liking you?”
“You’re obviously interested in me, on some level, aren’t you Detective Fox? Or is there something else you aren’t telling me?” his voice dropped to a soft, seductive whisper as he leaned forward, our faces gravitating together.
I tried to keep my objective in mind, but I just couldn’t bring myself to talk about H.P. Emulsion when I knew it would destroy what little family he had left. Besides, I wasn’t absolutely certain yet. What if I was mistaken and Hector hated me forever? I just didn’t want to take that risk.
Suddenly, I felt Hector’s fingertips caressing my cheek. Carefully, he pinned a strand of hair behind my ear. “Has anyone told you how beautiful you are?” he asked, his face so close that I could feel his hot breath against my lips.
Inside my chest, my heart started to beat faster and faster. It felt like it would explode at any moment.
Our eyes locked. I found myself trapped in his gaze, falling deeper and deeper into his beautiful blue eyes.
My heart beat even faster.
Slowly, the distance between our lips disappeared. At first, I didn’t know how to react. The rational part of my brain was screaming at me to stop, that I was making a horrible, horrible mistake, but my heart quickly silenced it, giving into the emotions I had been suppressing this whole time.
Naturally, my arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer.
His tongue traced my bottom lip and I obediently opened my mouth for him. Our tongues tangled together in an erotic dance that took my breath away. I shivered, feeling his hands on my hips, pulling me into his lap.
I straddled him, getting comfortable as our kiss intensified. My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling on it.
This seemed to drive him wild because his hands moved to my ass, squeezing it hard.
A moan escaped my lips, causing me to break away from the kiss. Breathing heavily, I pulled away but only enough that our noses were still touching.
Hector grinned at me, his bright blue irises sparkling with mischief. “I knew you would come around eventually…” he mused as his hand snuck into my pants, pulling on the waistband of my panties until the fabric rode up, digging into my folds.
I moaned even louder as I arched my back, my eyes rolling over with pleasure.
This was crazy. I shouldn’t be doing this. Not with him. Not now.
But I no longer had control of the situation. My body was working on autopilot and there was no way for me to stop it. I would just have to buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Without a word, he fell back, pulling me closer until I was lying on top of him. With one hand still in my pants, he continued to tease me by tugging on my panties.
In response, I couldn’t help but wiggle my hips, rubbing against him. His erection seemed to throb in his sweatpants, growing larger and larger. Just being aware of his member – of his arousal – turned me on even more. Before I knew what I was doing, I unbuttoned his pants, desperate to hold him in my hand, to have him inside of me.
Letting all my inhibitions melt away, I pulled down his sweats.
“Eager, are you?” Hector asked with his hands behind his head, looking like he was lying on a sunny beach, enjoying a vacation.
I glared up at him, but I didn’t stop. I was on a mission.
His pants flew off in a flurry, landing on the opposite side of the room. Then came his boxers, fluttering to the ground.
When I turned back to look at him, his cock was at full mast. I grinned to myself, licking my lips in anticipation.
It was only then that I realized just how long it’s really been since I was intimate with someone. To feel a lover’s touch. To be all tangled up and never want to be anywhere else.
“Why don’t we take this party to the bedroom?” he offered, running his fingers through my hair.
I grinned up at him, “I think I have a better idea.” I shimmied between his legs, my hands running up and down his thighs, teasing him.
“I like the way you think…” he groaned, spreading his legs for me. “A bit of warm up before the real deal.” He chuckled, “Do it right and I’ll make sure you get the time of your life.”
“I’ll believe it when it happens. Right now, you’re all talk,” I challenged as I grabbed his cock and squeezed it in my hand, not too hard, but hard enough for him to buck his hips into the air. My grin deepened, knowing that if all else failed, at least we would both have one hell of a time before our worlds came crashing down around us.