Chapter 10            

Nicholas

 

Sophia's assessment of Dvorak's physical fitness came as a confirmation. It bothered me since ever since I met the guy. The victims were tied up and they had too many shallow cuts. Some of them even had defensive wounds. None of the five slim young women should have been much of a challenge for him. My instinct still told me he was the killer, but something was not as clear cut as I had first thought.

I went into the kitchen to make myself another coffee and to prepare something for Skye, like any loving father would. Speaking of my temporary partner, I remembered her little trick with the water yesterday when I was in the shower. I've been through some rough stuff in my life, so a sudden cold shower didn't make me scream, but that didn't mean I was above some payback. I turned on the hot water in the kitchen full blast and in a few seconds I heard muffled screams and curses from upstairs. It sounded like she could dish it out, but she couldn't take it. 

I had some healthy snacks laid out for her, but even in that clean, bright kitchen I couldn't get away from my thoughts. I thought about the dead girls again, and the strong healthy body of the man I saw exercising the other day. The man I saw run away with my new partner. I missed Katherine. I would still worry about her safety but she had proven time and again that she could take care of herself. This girl worried me. She wanted to prove herself so badly I could taste it. She might be all sunshine and smiles, but she was going to bait the monster into coming after her. I knew it in my bones and I had no way of turning back. No, that was a lie. I could stop this operation. I'd make a fool of myself for doing it. Even more than that, I wanted to know the son of a bitch in jail where he belonged.

She came into the kitchen was wearing yoga pants and a hoodie. Her hair was a little wet and it looked a shade darker because of it.

"You're having doubts?" she asked me, but I didn't want to answer that particular question.

"What did you think of him?"

She sat on the bar stool and gnawed on a celery stick before answering. She made a face and put the stick back on the tray, then went on foraging for something tastier. She didn't look at me as she spoke.

"I didn't get a feeling of violent maniac. He seemed very… controlled. The murders were all frenzied attacks, right?"

"Yes. Anything else?"

"I think he's not the guy. And I think he's the guy. The way he looked at me at the end…"

My heart sped up and my whole body tensed. It wasn't possible. She couldn't have been in danger, could she?

"How did he look at you?"

"Like I was prey."

I clenched my fists and tried very hard not to shake her. That was not the way to make a name for herself. Putting herself in danger was not a good career move. Except, of course, it was. Not a smart one, but in our line of work, bravery is more often praised more than intelligence or strategic thinking. I hid my anger and my fear deep, so that no trace of them bled into my voice.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing really. I pretended to stumble when he looked at me."

That would do it. Especially if she looked at him a certain way. This girl had no idea how little it took for some monsters to be unleashed.

"You have to stick to the script, Skye. I know it's tempting to goad the killers into exposing themselves but there's a time and place for that."

"Relax, Woods, I don't have a death wish."

The way she said my name embarrassed me. I had used her first name, which was a breach of etiquette between colleagues who didn't know each other all that well. I treated her like a child, but I needed to get to her somehow.

"I'm serious. We're here to keep an eye on him, not to engage him."

She looked at me with a raised eyebrow, but she pursed her lips instead of saying anything. That was unexpected. If I read her right, she was used to speaking her mind. That was not a good way to build a strong partnership. Again, I wished Katherine was here instead of her.

"Break's over. I'm going back to the study to watch the house."

 

*

I heard the music through the door. In the living room, Skye was practicing Tai Chi with a black scarf tied over her eyes. She was wearing the same grey yoga pants as before, but the hoodie was on the couch. Her electric blue top accentuated her tan. The material molded onto her curves. The sports bra didn't do much to hide the ample forms of her breasts. The low sensual music was not a good fit for her exercise. Her movements were precise, crisp, completely out of sync with the breathy voice of Nina Simone. I wondered if she realized how inviting was that music. I was watching her carefully and I caught her shiver when Nina Simone sang "What's the matter daddy, come on, save my soul. I want some sugar in my bowl". I saw her nipples hardening and I heard her breathing change. Her movements lost some of their grace, for a moment. She went on with her practice and the playlist eventually skipped to the next song.

I went back into the study. I had tried very hard to ignore the small signs. I couldn't afford to hide from reality any more. It was as bad as it could be. Not only I was attracted to a girl twenty years younger than me, but whether she knew it or not, she was attracted to me.

It wasn't a shocking revelation. My ability to read people had always been one of my strong points and I had already noticed and catalogued quite a few of her reactions around me. It was unfortunate that I couldn't remain indifferent. My body wanted, although my mind and my affection weren't engaged. She was too beautiful to keep my distance from her and too upbeat to fall in love with her. Maybe after this job was over, we'd have the chance to get this attraction out of our systems. She wasn't my type, and I wasn't hers. All would take was one night or a few nights together and then we'd go back to our lives.