Chapter 8
Friday, April 30, 1999
7:45 pm
>>>>>>>>

Cassy leaned over the side of the boat that functioned as a water taxi to Key Nuevo. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply of the cold ocean air. An ironic smile tilted across her features and the expression was so uncharacteristic that anyone who had bothered to look at her would notice even in the semi-darkness. The ironic smile was caused by the self-awareness that for once in her life she wasn't plowing ahead with a plan or a list.

Even during her tumultuous time as Tom's wife and she had made the horrible decision to leave him she knew exactly where she was going and how she was going to do what she needed done. Even after she was shunned by the Department for turning in Burkow and needed a partner she knew just what to do. There were always things or people to cling to during her life, her mother's disdain, her grandmother's love or her goals. And eventually, Tom's love. Without even realizing it, perhaps until this moment, underneath her fastidiousness and determination she had always had Tom's love and friendship to support her. Without those things she suddenly found herself adrift.

It was the irony of making that discovery while standing on the prow of a boat that caused the ironic smile. How many opportunities had she blown?

Harry had confirmed with their captain that a few hours ago Tom had himself taken this very boat to the island. The operator had also confirmed that Virginia, along with their mystery man from the raves that John had described had arrived there the day before and had been there many times before. Cassy was pretty certain that this mystery man was Archer, Virginia's husband. But instead of wondering how she would do damage control for Tom's emotional well-being or imagining a thousand tortures for the beautiful murderer or working out a strategy with her fellow officers she was, for once in her life, taking five minutes to ponder the possibilities and feel the timelessness of the world around her. What was the sense of looking where you were going when you had no idea where that would be?

Cassy closed her eyes and let the wind wash over her face and throw her hair out behind her. She was surprisingly glad that the sun was almost completely over the horizon. The sunshine wouldn't suit the darkness that had invaded her heart. Nor would it suit the job they had set out to do that night. If Tom didn't already hate her, and by his own words he seemed to, then surely he would hate her when she finished exposing his loving fiancée for the deceitful murderer that she was and hauled her off to jail. It brought her no satisfaction, no matter how secretly jealous she was of the woman to, once again, be responsible for humiliating Tom in front of his macho peers. The first time had been when she had left him. This time would be so much worse. This time she would reveal him not as a man who couldn't keep his wife, but now he would be seen as a cop who allowed himself to be taken in by a murdering con woman. Cassy almost hated herself for what she had to do even though she had no control over the situation. Except to have prevented Tom from being available to the woman.

If Cassy thought for one moment that it would make it easier on Tom if she just killed the woman during the arrest she would do it. Cassy knew two things for certain that made such thoughts futile. One is that it would only make things even messier than they were already destined to be. The second was that Tom would grieve over this woman. Even now she could feel Tom hoping against hope that Virginia was just a helpless victim in all this and that he could save her. Tom wouldn't be Tom if he didn't try and believe in the people he let himself love. He wouldn't be Tom if he didn't pour his heart and soul into his relationships.

Of course, there was also the matter of the drugs. If they could prove that Virginia and her druggist husband had been drugging Tom it would explain a lot about his behavior of late - how he would overlook Virginia's animosity and cruelty and why he was taken in by the femme fatale to the point he was ready to marry her. It might ease the sting? It did for Cassy's heart.

Cassy's eyes drifted to the bare ring finger of her left hand. She would never admit it but sometimes she felt the phantom weight of the wedding band that she had spent so little time wearing. Tonight was one of those nights. Even as far apart as she knew they were, she felt closer to him than she had in a long time. It was almost like she could see into his heart and see the pain he was going through. She wondered whether Tom had kept the matching one to the one she kept in her dresser drawer.

'Stop it!' she straightened her shoulders and squared her back. She would have plenty of time for maudlin thoughts after they took care of this case and Tom. Of course, she knew she would never allow herself such weakness again.

"Sykes, let me see that map of the complex again?" she requested in a crisp voice.

>>>>>>>

"Is this why you were brought into my life? You've done nothing but ruin it from the first day we met. You break my heart and betray my trust and now you're doing your best to ruin my relationship with Virginia. Just as you've ruined every relationship since we met! You talk too much about your partner Tom. You're partners with your ex-wife Tom? Why do you call her when I'm in the bathroom Tom? It's done. After this case Harry's going to have to find someone who's willing to work with you!"

The words he had spoken in the heat of anger and betrayal kept echoing through his mind. Even as he faced down the over confident and obviously steroid-reliant Sidney down to gain entrance to the Bernard Mundson's private casino resort where, according to the kid who ran the water taxi and who was more conversational when his father wasn't around, Virginia and her man often came and stayed.

Ironically, and inconveniently, his overriding goal wasn't to confront Virginia or her husband or solve the serial murder case he was entrusted with or to save his career, no all of that were things he needed to finish with so he could find Cassy and ask her if there was any way she could forgive him. Cassy was tough, but she wasn't all that strong and he knew just how much his words must have hurt her. Especially coming from him, someone who rarely ever said hurtful things to her. He who gave her Valentine's Day gifts even in the midst of a painful divorce that included a hand carved keepsake box and coupons for his kisses. Words he had said to someone who saved that box and the coupons. Someone who had kept the wedding band she had claimed to have sold to make investments.

Someone he had been hoping would come around and admit she still loved him and wanted to give their romantic relationship a real chance, until he had met the woman who, by all appearances, had used him, drugged him and might just be one of the murderers he was looking for.

No Sidney wasn't going to stand in his way of finding Virginia or getting back to Cassy.

>>>>>>>

"What's the chance that we can walk up to the reception desk and ask for the room numbers of their registered murderers and renegade cops?" Detective Steve Mason asked.

"I think then they would just point you towards the guest rooms given their clientele," Sykes said dryly.

"Maybe you could use your identification and pretend you're Virginia's brother?"

No one bothered to comment since it was unlikely she was checked in with her "stage" name rather than her husband's name. There was, however, an uncomfortable silence that Harry finally broke.

"We might have jurisdiction but I'm sure Mundson knows enough to try and shield his clientele from police presence during their temporary stay at his safe haven. He'll cooperate. I agree with Cassy that it's unlikely he would dirty his hands with something so insane and without financial return. I doubt he's even aware that his friends are involved in these activities, or if he knows of their propensity he'd turn over on them in a minute if we come knocking," Harry broke the silence.

"Our largest concern is going to be Virginia and her partner. They are not only con artists but murderers. We need to go in there assuming that they're armed and not very well balanced. We also have to presume that Tom has found them. He might be a prisoner or he might be working some way of capturing them. We are facing many unknowns until we are on the ground. Someone needs to make contact with Mundson, we need to case the place and we need to find Tom, all at the same time," Cassy felt a minor sense of ease that her mind was once again focusing on the "case."

>>>>>>>

It didn't take long for Virginia to appear.

Tom had decided against trying to ascertain her room number knowing she was there with her husband. Despite his suspicions, he didn't know that she was involved with the murderer they were looking for. The only thing he knew is that she wasn't where she said she was and hadn't been for weeks, maybe for the entire time they had known each other.

Well, there was the matter that she already had the husband. But after four whole months of loving each other Tom felt he had to give the benefit of the doubt. What if she was being forced into this con by the man who was her husband? Tom at least owed her the opportunity to explain herself and offer her assistance, as a police officer.

Tom turned halfway on his barstool when he heard her laugh.

Dispassionately his eyes ran from the flower in her hair, to the eye makeup, which was more heavily applied than he had ever seen on her, and down her luscious body. And her body was luscious, he acknowledged, but somehow that knowledge seemed to come from some other person's mind. For the first time since he had seen her his body wasn't stirring at the sight of her. He remembered the first time he saw her like it was yesterday.

They had been at a private party at a club downtown. He hadn't been dating anyone at the time, in fact, he hadn't been dating anyone since before he had been shot five months earlier. He had been waiting and hoping that Cassy would finally break down and admit that she still loved him and wanted to try again. He had even gotten a kiss at the stroke of midnight at New Year's Eve a month earlier and he had thought they had finally gotten there when the evening didn't end with just a kiss. By the time he had woken up the next morning Cassy was gone. Later she had apologized for both leaving and letting herself get carried away. She had told him she had been lonely and tipsy and hadn't meant to use him. Not bothering to call her a liar Tom had shrugged it all off. So there he was living out his annual resolution to get over Cassy and find someone else to love. Then he had seen Virginia.

Across the crowded dance floor she moved with a confidence and audacity that fascinated him. Her long hair, arms and legs combined to make a picture of a goddess dancing in their midst. Emboldened by his resolution and his favorite, new, jacket he made his way to her on the dance floor and without a word pulled her against him and turned her solo into a more intimate ritual. From that moment they hadn't been apart.

Except when she was away on photo shoots.

Tom's hand clenched around his double of whisky. The condensation dripped down his hand almost sizzling against his palpable rage. Despite his newest resolution to listen to her explanation suspicions blared loudly in his head. Could she have drugged him that very first night? Had she already chosen him to be the dupe? He took a last slug of his drink as his eyes burned into her bare back. At least he was pretty sure this drink wasn't drugged. And even if it was he didn't care, because to suddenly feel no desire for the woman that he had believed he would spend the rest of his life with was almost more painful than her betrayal. It was as if he had betrayed himself.

Without any more hesitation Tom slid off his stool and made his way toward the crowd of men surrounding her.

>>>>>>>

"So why don't you explain?" Tom forcibly let go of Virginia's arm as soon as they entered his room. He watched, without sympathy, as she stumbled over her heels. He almost wished she had fallen on the floor so he could tower over her. He didn't bother to turn on the lights.

"What are you doing here?" she asked breathlessly, again. She had asked him that when he had appeared in front of her. He didn't know whether to be satisfied or disgusted by her reaction. Her eyes had widened, her pupils dilated and her breathing had noticeably sped up, at least to him and probably the other men standing around vying for her attention. He would have thought it was fear if he hadn't seen her nipples harden under the thin cotton material crisscrossing her full breasts. She had asked him then how he had ended up there.

"Actually, that's my question dear fiancee," he carefully modulated his voice, and stayed so that he blocked the door. His eyes darted to the french doors behind her and noted that one of them was unlocked. Slowly he advanced on her and made sure she couldn't go in either direction.

"My shoot was moved here," she said breathlessly, running her eyes over him in a seductive manner he couldn't mistake even in the darkness of the room. It did nothing for him.

He walked until he was brushing against her body. He held himself stiffly as she pressed herself against him. As her arms circled his neck his teeth clenched and he slid an around her waist and held her firm. Then he reached behind her and snapped on the table lamp. Then he pushed her away.

"It's time to shed a little light on this situation don't you think?" Tom practically growled. He felt himself finally reacting to her, he was bitterly satisfied at the startled and fearful look that spread across her face as she looked at him.

"What's wrong? Did you think I was always affable and easy Tom Ryan? I am a cop. I don't catch murderers by smiling at them and charming them into surrendering," he mocked.

"I know you're a good cop Tom. You found me didn't you?" Virginia flipped her hair back over her shoulder and looked up at him.

"I did. Not that you tried to hide your whereabouts very hard. Never thought I would be onto you did you?" Tom asked.

"Actually, I thought it would be your partner who would try and check me out. She never liked me Tom," she managed to hiss and whine at the same time.

"You're not too far off the mark. It was Cassy who first suspected you might be a murderer," Tom studied her closely for a reaction.

"A murderer?" Virginia repeated in shock.

Tom had to hand it to her. Either she had no involvement or she was a real pro.

"The case I'm working on," he prompted.

"Those women. You think I murdered them? I thought they were raped," she looked confused now.

"Where is your husband Mrs. Archer?" Tom's lips widened into a feral smile.

>>>>>>>

"According to the bellboy that's Archer over there," Sykes pointed to a man standing with a group of other men in the outdoor patio of the hotel.

Cassy and Sykes were standing to on the path surrounding the densely forested atrium. Harry and Mason had split off from them and were talking with Mundson and "requesting" his cooperation with their taking the Archers into custody and bringing them back to Palm Beach.

"He doesn't look that old," Sykes observed.

"To a bunch of college kids I bet he does," Cassy pointed out as her eyes bored into the man who was probably responsible for the deaths of probably countless women. A simple DNA test would cancel out the probably.

"We need to get him alone, his associates are probably armed," Sykes's expression was just as determined as Cassy's.

Before either of them could suggest a plan Virginia appeared and lured her husband away from the crowd.

Sharing a silent glance Cassy and Sykes followed.

>>>>>>>

"There must be a way in to that room from the outside," Cassy said as they heard Virginia's door close behind her and her husband.

"Climbing up the balconies," Sykes didn't sound thrilled by the prospect. "Why don't you go find Harry and Mason and I'll try and climb in. You can bust in with them."

"Or we you could find Harry and I'll climb up," Cassy said with raised eyebrows.

"Fine, wait ten minutes first all right? And don't cheat, I've heard about you Jane Wayne," Sykes warned.

"Is that from now or when I get outside?" Cassy asked with a wink.

>>>>>>

Cassy looked at her watch again, still another seven minutes.

Despite the darkness, it was still hot on this island. If she wasn't already jonesing to hop up the balcony to the second floor just to get her hands on Virginia, she would be just for the air conditioning, she thought as she wiped the perspiration off her forehead with the tail of her shirt.

Before she dropped her shirt, a hand suddenly grasped her neck and a needle silently entered her arm.

Then all was black.

End of Chapter 8