15
Annabelle
Cooper encouraged Lucas to conduct half of the assigned interviews. After he listened and watched Cooper at work, Lucas was ready to take the next. They pulled up outside the residence of Annabelle Richardson. Her younger brother, a prolonged drug user who’d been in and out of rehabilitation, had overdosed on a bad batch of heroin four months earlier.
Having called ahead and arranged the interview, she would be expecting them. Cooper wanted Lucas to start with a female, as tact and courtesy were more important with the fairer sex. Being harder to interview than men he thought it the best start for Lucas’ interrogation and questioning lessons. Although asking questions and conducting interviews were part of a patrol officer’s duties, being a detective was a whole different thing again.
Their knock at the door was answered by an attractive girl in her early twenties. Medium height, with black hair cut short and pixie like framing dark penetrating blue eyes. She caught Lucas off guard for a moment. If he’d met her anywhere else, he would already be trying to get her into his bed. He took the opportunity, while Cooper introduced them, to thoroughly check her out and he liked what he saw. It would be a pleasure interviewing her.
He followed Annabelle and Cooper through to the sitting room and took a seat in the chair next to his partner and adjacent from her. Lucas was attempting to, unsuccessfully, erase the visions of exactly what he would like to do to her, when she spoke.
“How can I help you detectives?”
Lucas cleared his throat, shoved the thoughts of her envisaged nakedness from his mind and cleared his expression.
“Miss Richardson, we’re investigating the murders of three men who we believe may in some way relate to the death of your brother Billy.”
“Please call me Annabelle. What does this have to do with Billy?”
“The men were all known drug dealers and we believe they could have been murdered by a vigilante of sorts.”
“You really care about drug dealing scumbags who’ve been murdered? Do you know how many innocent lives are lost and destroyed by those people? They don’t care about the lives they destroy, why should you care about theirs?”
She crinkled her brow and set her mouth. The passion in her eyes caught him off guard again. He wanted to put a different kind of passionate look in her eyes.
“It is our job to investigate every murder ...”
“No-one investigated the murder of my brother,” she cut him off.
“Was your brother murdered?”
“In a way. The drugs were a particularly bad batch, mixed with toxic chemicals. They may not have injected the drugs into his arm but they willingly sold them to him.”
“Unfortunately overdoses are always deemed accidental.”
“Of course they are.” Her eyes filled with contempt.
“Do you know exactly who sold the drugs to your brother?”
“No, he had many dealers and the police were unable to ascertain where the drugs came from. I have no idea which dealer sold the bad batch to Billy. Some of the scumbags are arrested but the big guys, the main drug smugglers, they never get caught. The lowlifes never rat them out. Billy first started using when he was fifteen, wrong crowd and all that. He changed dealers every so often either because he got used to certain batches and wanted something new, stronger or because they were caught. There are always more, one gets caught, another takes over. I know the police do the best they can but it will never stop.”
Her legs jiggled as she spoke, her agitation evident in every movement. Lucas understood her distress and dissatisfaction over justice going unserved.
“Could you tell us the names of any of these dealers?”
“No, like Billy would ever tell me that. He was a drug addict, Detective, they lead totally different lives. If he did happen to slip out a name, it was never their real one. Spike, Funboy, Skull, stupid street names like that.”
“Do you own a gun, Annabelle?”
“No!”
“But it’s safe to say you have a grudge against dealers.”
“Of course I do. Those scumbags constantly fed Billy’s addiction until it killed him!” Her face contorted again in what appeared to be pain.
“Where were you last evening between the hours of four and eight?”
“Home.”
“Can anyone verify that?”
“No.”
“What about the third, it was a Thursday, around the same time.”
“I don’t know. I would have to check.” Lucas gave her a crooked grin. “Can you check now?” She sighed and went off to fetch her diary.
“Good work, Kiddo, she seems exactly like the angry, grief stricken relative who would do something like this,” Cooper said quietly.
“I feel like a scumbag badgering her like this. She’s right about them.”
“She might well be but no-one is allowed to take the law into their own hands. You know that.”
“Yeah I do but if I were in the same position, I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same thing.”
“You wouldn’t, you would arrest them.”
Annabelle returned ceasing further talk on the subject. Would he arrest the punks who killed his parents or would he do as this murderer is doing and seek revenge? He wasn’t sure he could answer the question the way Cooper had. It appeared his partner had more faith in him than Lucas had in himself.
“The third ... um, nothing in my diary so I don’t know, probably home. I finish work at three and I usually come home before I go anywhere else. I might have been out with friends. I go out a lot on Thursday nights.”
“How about the fifteenth of last month?”
“I had a party that night from about seven.”
“What about before the party?”
“Probably setting up and making preparations, it would have been Billy’s twenty first and I was having a party in his honour, his memory.” She paused and looked down at the diary in her hands as tears threatened to spill over. “You don’t really believe that I had anything to do with these murderers do you?” She finally spoke again in barely a whisper.
“We have to cover all bases, Annabelle. We’re sorry to take up your time. If you happen to remember what you were doing on these dates or have any further information which could be of use, please give me a call.”
He scribbled his number on the back a business card and handed it to her. The department hadn’t issued him with personalised cards as yet.
“I will, thanks. As much as I would be happy to see drug dealers, smugglers and all the scum involved eradicated from the world, I wouldn’t do this. Nothing will bring Billy back.”
As they were driving to the station, Lucas’ mind drifted and he envisaged himself in the same position as the gunman, finding his parent’s killers and what he would do. He would want to extract his own revenge, an eye for an eye. This would be his initial reaction but he knew deep down, he would do the right thing. He respected the law and no matter how much he despised them, he wouldn’t kill them. He wasn’t a murderer. Was the delectable Annabelle? No, it wasn’t possible. If only she wasn’t a person of interest, he would like to help ease her pain ...
“Hudson,” Cooper spoke loudly bringing him back. “What gives?”
“What? Sorry I was somewhere else.”
“I noticed. What did you think of Annabelle? She definitely appears to fit the profile.”
“She might be grieving and hate all drug dealers, with good reason, but I don’t believe so. Two of the fathers you interviewed this morning are more likely suspects to me.”
“Don’t let a pretty face fool you, Lucas, it could be your downfall.”
“It wasn’t because she was so ... I just don’t think she fits.”
“Murderers come in all forms.”
Lucas’ mind buzzed with images of pretty girls with black hair and blue eyes while he tried to sleep that evening. As much as he liked the idea of getting to know Annabelle personally, he knew it was taboo. Nevertheless he couldn’t erase her from his mind. Maybe if he got laid, as it had been weeks since his last tumble, he could push her from his mind. He glanced at the time. It’s was only ten so he thought it wasn’t too late to head over to his favourite haunt.
He was stepping out of the shower as his phone rang. He wrapped a towel around his hips and thought it was probably Carrie checking on him. Pregnant again and almost ready to burst, she was particularly cranky and moody at the moment. He smiled as he thought about being an uncle again. Mabel, just gone two, was the love of his life and his adoration for her grew every time he saw her. With her long blonde hair and big bright blue eyes she was the sweetest little girl in the world, well as far as he was concerned anyway.
“Hudson.”
“Hello, Detective Hudson, this is Annabelle Richardson.” Oh shit.
“Hi, what can I do for you?”
“I’m sorry to call so late but I have further information to share with you. Perhaps we could meet and talk.”
“Sure, my partner and I could call around tomorrow ...”
“Can you come now? I ... found something while going through some of Billy’s things after you left today. It’s a list of names and addresses, maybe it can help. I know it’s late ...”
“It’s okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Standing outside her door he pondered the wisdom in his decision. Should he be here alone? Maybe he should have called Cooper, but he hadn’t wanted to disturb him at home with his family. This could break open the case. A list of dealers could lead them to suspects. If they could link dealers to overdose deaths and subsequently their families, then they could find the murderer. Just because he found her attractive and had fantasised about doing all sorts of things to her, didn’t mean he couldn’t help along his career by talking to her. What would it hurt? He would get the information he needed and then hook up with a girl as intended. He rang the bell and waited.
Wearing only a short satin robe in a deep sapphire blue, over who knew what, and a smile, Annabelle sent his heart into his throat. His groin tightened as he took in her bare legs and imagined where they led. What the hell was she doing? What was he doing here? He cleared his throat and tried to push his lustful thoughts aside.
“Come in, Detective, sorry about my ...” She gestured to her robe. “After I called you I continued to look through Billy’s stuff and lost track of time. I just got out of the shower.”
This brought more indecent thoughts to the forefront of his mind. Concentrate.
“So, what did you have to show me?” he asked and realised his voice was thick with lust. Perfect, really professional, Lucas.
“I’m afraid I lured you here under false pretences.”
“So, there’s no list?”
With a shake of her head, she said in a husky voice. “Only this.”
She pulled open her robe to reveal a sensation body. Her large full breasts held fully erect large nipples. Her smooth, flat stomach and olive skin beckoned to him, while her sensational legs ... well he was imagining them elsewhere. Lucas groaned.
“Annabelle, I … this is really inappropriate.”
His mouth said one thing but he was certain his eyes said another. There was no way he was leaving without having her.
“I’m sorry but when I saw you today ... you’re so hot.”
Consequences being damned, he stepped forward and kissed her hungrily, desperately. He kneaded her generous breasts, which felt much better than they looked, and rubbed his thumb against her nipples. She groped at his clothes and removed them swiftly and as he moved his hands down her back to pull her against his bare chest, he realised her robe was long gone. He lifted her up, cupping her behind and felt her eagerness and readiness against his fingers.
“Where’s your room,” he asked hoarsely in her ear before trailing his kisses across her face and neck. She indicated with her head and he carried her to the bed. She pulled him down with her and urged him onto his back. She began her own trail of kisses down his body as her incredible breasts preceded her lips, sending his crazy.
As they slid over his readiness it was almost too much and when her lips closed over him, it took all his self-control to hold on. She brought him to the brink and he moaned loudly. She stopped.
“Do you have protection?” He asked, desperate to be inside her.
She reached over to the table beside her bed and pulled out a condom. Then with slow deliberate movement she put it on. Her hand almost caused him to blow.
Rolling her over, he lifted her ankles to rest on his shoulders and plunged inside of her. She met him thrust for thrust, she was insatiable. As she writhed with each wave and as he headed to the peak of his desire she would change for him, on her hands and knees, on top, every which way. He’d never seen a fireball such as this before. Finally, she allowed his release and he fell beside her spent but satiated.
“Wow you’re ... words can’t describe.” His satisfaction and lack of breath cleared his mind of everything.
“Thanks, but I’m not normally quite that forward. There was just something about you that brought out the animal in me.”
“I’m flattered.” He paused. “I probably should have told you this before .... but I don’t do relationships, at all.”
“Now you tell me.”
He turned to look at her and was relieved to find her smiling as she lay on her side gazing at him. Her pretty face flushed from exertion and excitement. A sheen of sweat covered both their bodies. He almost didn’t perspire this much at the gym.
“If what you just gave me is all you have to give, then I’ll be a very satisfied girl indeed.”
“Just so you understand.”
“Perfectly. Do you want to stay?”
“I shouldn’t but yes I do. I really want to do that again.” He grinned. “Just give me a bit, you almost spent me.”
“I’m sure I could help you with that.” She ran her hand down his torso and stroked him lightly.
“I have a better idea.”
Lucas eased on her back and fed hungrily for a few moments on her rosy nipples. Her moans grew louder as he intensified the pressure. Then he brought his mouth down to rest between her legs and teased her slowly with his tongue until she cried out. Now he was ready.