Chapter 7: A Kiss Divine
It took a little less than ten minutes for Jake and Sara to reach the Plaza Hotel where the second murder had taken place. Anastasia was already standing guard at the door, her face pale white as she stood with her arms cross over her chest, her body rocking back and forth.
"You," Sara said, pointing to Jake, "take her away from here and start questioning her. I'll check out the crime scene."
Jake nodded, not questioning Sara, and gently nudged Anastasia away from her post at the door. Sara, on the other hand, went into the forth floor hotel room and began her initial investigation of the crime scene. Scanning the room, she found the dead man lying near the window, his head severed from his body. She knew she was now dealing with a serial killer; there was no doubt about it.
Jake slipped into the room as Sara continued to stare at the dead body. He tapped her shoulder and she nearly jumped. "Shit, McCarty," she yelled, turning towards him.
"Sorry, Pez," he replied, taking a step back. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"So, what did you find out from Anastasia?"
"Well, a maid found the body when she was getting ready to clean the room. She called Anastasia. Anastasia then called you," Jake explained.
"What was the guy's name?"
"Leonard Smith. Everybody called him Lee. Anastasia also says that you shouldn't confuse him with Darren's bassist, Lee Novak. Um. He didn't have very many friends. Like Ryan, he was also a loner. Seems like we have a killer who knows the people he's killing. Maybe someone on the crew or the security staff," he summed up, starting to walk around the crime scene.
"But with this murder, he might have left a little more evidence than before," Sara said as she stared at the body.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the hotel has surveillance cameras on every floor by the elevator and stairs. We could take a look through the tapes from today and yesterday, and weed out the suspects."
"Good idea, Pez. I'll go down and get them now."
Sara nodded, her eyes never moving from the body as she examined it. As she moved a little closer to it, she caught something shimmering through the corner of her eye. Moving her head in the direction of the light, she found something in the corner of room. Taking out her gloves and a pair of tweezers, she bent down and extracted the little piece of metal from the carpet. It was almost golden in color, but a bit too dark. 'Bronze maybe,' she thought.
"McCarty, get me an evidence bag!" Sara called as she got to her feet again. "I think he left more evidence than we expected."
*~*~*
Nearly four hours later, Sara was back at the precinct, videos and the tiny piece of metal in hand. Her first stop was Vicky's office to get the metal examined, then back upstairs to start watching the surveillance videos from the hotel. It was going to be a long night for both her and Jake.
"Vic!" Sara called as she entered the morgue.
"What, Pez? I thought you were still pissed at me about earlier to day," Vicky replied from her desk as she stared down at the manila folder in front of her.
"Now why would I still be pissed about that?" Sara retorted as she threw the piece of metal onto her desk. "I need you to analyze that and get me the results ASAP."
"Is this from the other decapitated guy that they brought in earlier?"
"Yep. I'll see you later," Sara said, quickly exiting before she had to answer any more questions. She was still a little angered by the fact that Vicky had spilled almost everything about last night to Jake. At least no one else had found out, otherwise she would have taken hell from everyone that entire day.
"McCarty, hope you got a VCR in there. We need to get this finished by tomorrow," Sara yelled as she walked to her office. She pushed the half open door and stepped inside to find someone sitting on her chair, back turned towards the window. "How many times have I told you to stay out of my chair?" she asked, thinking it was Jake.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," came the Aussie accent from behind it.
A puzzled look came over Sara's face as the chair turned to reveal Darren sitting in it, his arms holding a bouquet of nearly two dozen red roses. Her jaw nearly dropped as he stood up and handed them to her. "I know I'm a little early, but I couldn't wait until seven to see you," he said.
"Darren, you. you. you really didn't have to," Sara stuttered, taking the roses and taking a whiff of their intoxicating aroma. A smile crept onto her face as she gazed into his deep sapphire eyes.
"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you look when you smile?" Darren asked as his hand slowly made its way to her cheek, caressing it gently with his thumb. Sara blushed. Darren grinned. "You've been on my mind all day, and it didn't appear that you would leave until I actually saw you."
"Stop making me blush," Sara retorted, unable to wipe the smile off her face even if she tried. She put the flowers down on her desk.
"I'm not even trying," he replied. She laughed lightly. "But there's another reason why I'm here."
"And that is?" Sara asked, noticing the gleam in his eyes.
"This," Darren answered, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in for a kiss deeper than any she had ever experienced.
At first Sara was surprised, almost wanting to pull away and slap him, but soon she closed her eyes, her body telling her that this was right and that she shouldn't be afraid. She laced her fingers in his hair, keeping Darren in her grasp as their tongues entwined. His hands gently made their way beneath her shirt. She could feel the delicate touch of his fingers on her skin, the desire to experience more burning deep within her soul.
Sara didn't dare pull away fearing that if she did, she'd lose Darren. This kiss was the kind she had waited for all her life. It was perfect in every way, sensual, and downright exciting. Her heart was pounding as her lungs burned for air. Finally, she pulled away, breathless and dizzy. Stepping back with an uneasy foot, she nearly tripped, but his hold prevented her from going anywhere. As she dangled limply in his arms, she gazed up into those sapphire eyes, their mesmerizing sheen urging her to kiss him again. Pulling herself back to his lips, he kept her away by whispering into her ear, "Maybe we should save this for later."
Sara turned around to find Jake and almost every cop in the homicide division staring at them, their jaws dropped, their eyes almost popping out of their heads. She pulled herself out of Darren's grasp and walked over to the door. "There's nothing to see here. Go back to work!" she yelled at them. They started to scatter, all except for Jake. He stayed at the door, still dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events. "I wasn't just talking to them. You too," Sara said as she pushed him out the door and closed it behind him. Walking back to Darren, she added, "There's never any privacy around here."
"It's the same way on the tour bus," Darren replied. "So, shall we continue?"
Sara desperately wanted to explore another kiss, but her mind told her not to. "Not until you tell me why you did that," she answered, still standing beside the closed door.
"Because it's been on my mind since I woke up this morning. I've been having these dreams, and somehow, they're all coming true. Like last night, I dreamed that I was kissing this beautiful woman in a garden by a fountain. And here I am today, kissing you in your office in front of all your coworkers. Does that make any sense to you?" he desperately tried to explain.
"Actually, it does," Sara replied, looking down as she remembered her own dream. "The same thing is happening to me. Same dream too."
Darren looked up at her sharply. He was beginning to put things together in his mind. The connections were so clear to him now. He knew what was happening, and the thought almost scared him out of his mind, but something deep inside told him not to be afraid. Everything was going just the way it was supposed to.
Sara was also coming to her own conclusions. She knew that Darren was someone from her past, and was actually willing to bet that they had probably been lovers in a previous lifetime, but wasn't ready to say anything just yet. She had to make sure that he was "the one," and there was only one person in the world that could possibly confirm her theory.
"Then I'm not the only one?" Darren asked. "Then there is something deeper between us than just physical attraction?"
"Maybe," Sara quietly responded, her mind still trying to process everything. She looked up at him, her eyes catching his. They stared at each other for a couple of moments before breaking their gaze. She turned towards the door and began to open it.
"Where are you going?" Darren asked in what seemed more like a whine.
"Don't worry, I'll be back. How about I meet you later on tonight at your hotel?" she suggested.
"Alright," Darren replied as she rushed out of the office, her thoughts turning to the person she was about to visit.
It took a little less than ten minutes for Jake and Sara to reach the Plaza Hotel where the second murder had taken place. Anastasia was already standing guard at the door, her face pale white as she stood with her arms cross over her chest, her body rocking back and forth.
"You," Sara said, pointing to Jake, "take her away from here and start questioning her. I'll check out the crime scene."
Jake nodded, not questioning Sara, and gently nudged Anastasia away from her post at the door. Sara, on the other hand, went into the forth floor hotel room and began her initial investigation of the crime scene. Scanning the room, she found the dead man lying near the window, his head severed from his body. She knew she was now dealing with a serial killer; there was no doubt about it.
Jake slipped into the room as Sara continued to stare at the dead body. He tapped her shoulder and she nearly jumped. "Shit, McCarty," she yelled, turning towards him.
"Sorry, Pez," he replied, taking a step back. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"So, what did you find out from Anastasia?"
"Well, a maid found the body when she was getting ready to clean the room. She called Anastasia. Anastasia then called you," Jake explained.
"What was the guy's name?"
"Leonard Smith. Everybody called him Lee. Anastasia also says that you shouldn't confuse him with Darren's bassist, Lee Novak. Um. He didn't have very many friends. Like Ryan, he was also a loner. Seems like we have a killer who knows the people he's killing. Maybe someone on the crew or the security staff," he summed up, starting to walk around the crime scene.
"But with this murder, he might have left a little more evidence than before," Sara said as she stared at the body.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the hotel has surveillance cameras on every floor by the elevator and stairs. We could take a look through the tapes from today and yesterday, and weed out the suspects."
"Good idea, Pez. I'll go down and get them now."
Sara nodded, her eyes never moving from the body as she examined it. As she moved a little closer to it, she caught something shimmering through the corner of her eye. Moving her head in the direction of the light, she found something in the corner of room. Taking out her gloves and a pair of tweezers, she bent down and extracted the little piece of metal from the carpet. It was almost golden in color, but a bit too dark. 'Bronze maybe,' she thought.
"McCarty, get me an evidence bag!" Sara called as she got to her feet again. "I think he left more evidence than we expected."
*~*~*
Nearly four hours later, Sara was back at the precinct, videos and the tiny piece of metal in hand. Her first stop was Vicky's office to get the metal examined, then back upstairs to start watching the surveillance videos from the hotel. It was going to be a long night for both her and Jake.
"Vic!" Sara called as she entered the morgue.
"What, Pez? I thought you were still pissed at me about earlier to day," Vicky replied from her desk as she stared down at the manila folder in front of her.
"Now why would I still be pissed about that?" Sara retorted as she threw the piece of metal onto her desk. "I need you to analyze that and get me the results ASAP."
"Is this from the other decapitated guy that they brought in earlier?"
"Yep. I'll see you later," Sara said, quickly exiting before she had to answer any more questions. She was still a little angered by the fact that Vicky had spilled almost everything about last night to Jake. At least no one else had found out, otherwise she would have taken hell from everyone that entire day.
"McCarty, hope you got a VCR in there. We need to get this finished by tomorrow," Sara yelled as she walked to her office. She pushed the half open door and stepped inside to find someone sitting on her chair, back turned towards the window. "How many times have I told you to stay out of my chair?" she asked, thinking it was Jake.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," came the Aussie accent from behind it.
A puzzled look came over Sara's face as the chair turned to reveal Darren sitting in it, his arms holding a bouquet of nearly two dozen red roses. Her jaw nearly dropped as he stood up and handed them to her. "I know I'm a little early, but I couldn't wait until seven to see you," he said.
"Darren, you. you. you really didn't have to," Sara stuttered, taking the roses and taking a whiff of their intoxicating aroma. A smile crept onto her face as she gazed into his deep sapphire eyes.
"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you look when you smile?" Darren asked as his hand slowly made its way to her cheek, caressing it gently with his thumb. Sara blushed. Darren grinned. "You've been on my mind all day, and it didn't appear that you would leave until I actually saw you."
"Stop making me blush," Sara retorted, unable to wipe the smile off her face even if she tried. She put the flowers down on her desk.
"I'm not even trying," he replied. She laughed lightly. "But there's another reason why I'm here."
"And that is?" Sara asked, noticing the gleam in his eyes.
"This," Darren answered, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in for a kiss deeper than any she had ever experienced.
At first Sara was surprised, almost wanting to pull away and slap him, but soon she closed her eyes, her body telling her that this was right and that she shouldn't be afraid. She laced her fingers in his hair, keeping Darren in her grasp as their tongues entwined. His hands gently made their way beneath her shirt. She could feel the delicate touch of his fingers on her skin, the desire to experience more burning deep within her soul.
Sara didn't dare pull away fearing that if she did, she'd lose Darren. This kiss was the kind she had waited for all her life. It was perfect in every way, sensual, and downright exciting. Her heart was pounding as her lungs burned for air. Finally, she pulled away, breathless and dizzy. Stepping back with an uneasy foot, she nearly tripped, but his hold prevented her from going anywhere. As she dangled limply in his arms, she gazed up into those sapphire eyes, their mesmerizing sheen urging her to kiss him again. Pulling herself back to his lips, he kept her away by whispering into her ear, "Maybe we should save this for later."
Sara turned around to find Jake and almost every cop in the homicide division staring at them, their jaws dropped, their eyes almost popping out of their heads. She pulled herself out of Darren's grasp and walked over to the door. "There's nothing to see here. Go back to work!" she yelled at them. They started to scatter, all except for Jake. He stayed at the door, still dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events. "I wasn't just talking to them. You too," Sara said as she pushed him out the door and closed it behind him. Walking back to Darren, she added, "There's never any privacy around here."
"It's the same way on the tour bus," Darren replied. "So, shall we continue?"
Sara desperately wanted to explore another kiss, but her mind told her not to. "Not until you tell me why you did that," she answered, still standing beside the closed door.
"Because it's been on my mind since I woke up this morning. I've been having these dreams, and somehow, they're all coming true. Like last night, I dreamed that I was kissing this beautiful woman in a garden by a fountain. And here I am today, kissing you in your office in front of all your coworkers. Does that make any sense to you?" he desperately tried to explain.
"Actually, it does," Sara replied, looking down as she remembered her own dream. "The same thing is happening to me. Same dream too."
Darren looked up at her sharply. He was beginning to put things together in his mind. The connections were so clear to him now. He knew what was happening, and the thought almost scared him out of his mind, but something deep inside told him not to be afraid. Everything was going just the way it was supposed to.
Sara was also coming to her own conclusions. She knew that Darren was someone from her past, and was actually willing to bet that they had probably been lovers in a previous lifetime, but wasn't ready to say anything just yet. She had to make sure that he was "the one," and there was only one person in the world that could possibly confirm her theory.
"Then I'm not the only one?" Darren asked. "Then there is something deeper between us than just physical attraction?"
"Maybe," Sara quietly responded, her mind still trying to process everything. She looked up at him, her eyes catching his. They stared at each other for a couple of moments before breaking their gaze. She turned towards the door and began to open it.
"Where are you going?" Darren asked in what seemed more like a whine.
"Don't worry, I'll be back. How about I meet you later on tonight at your hotel?" she suggested.
"Alright," Darren replied as she rushed out of the office, her thoughts turning to the person she was about to visit.