***Two weeks later***

The boutique was busy every day, and Jennifer was still spending 1-2 days a week up there, going through everything. She was amazed at how well things were selling.

She came home to Willow Pond, and found Jonathan waiting on her.

"Hi darling. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"

She went to him and kissed him.

"Hi yourself. Have a good day?"

"Yes, just busy. Glad to be home".

She sat in his lap and he handed her a cocktail.

"Well, tonight is all about relaxing. We are going to have dinner delivered, we are going to soak in the hot tub, and we aren't going to have any distractions, or interruptions".

"Oh, that sounds heavenly. Peace and quiet, just me and you".

She leaned forward and kissed him.

"That's the general idea".

He kissed her again.

"Dinner will be here in about an hour. I ordered your favorite from L'Orangerie, and there is a bottle of champagne chilling in the refrigerator".

"You think of everything".

She took a sip of her cocktail.

"How was the board meeting today?"

"Fine. They followed my recommendations and we are making adequate progress on the Todd Electronics merger".

"That's wonderful. Are you still going to be able to get away and take a vacation next month?"

"Looking pretty good".

She smiled at him and tweaked his nose.

"Care to give me a hint on where we are going?"

"Nope. It's a surprise".

He leaned forward and started kissing her neck.

"Jonathan, this isn't going to work".

"Just give it a minute".

She chuckled at him.

"I'm serious. No hints".

"Jennifer….I need to know what to pack".

"You will know what to pack….don't worry".

He continued to kiss her neck.

"I need to know if I need my passport".

"You will know that too".

"I need to know how long we will be gone".

"I will tell you everything then, I promise".

She leaned forward and set her cocktail on the coffee table.

He pushed her to lay down on the couch and laid on top of her.

"What if I told you that we were going to lay here till you told me a hint about where we were going?"

"I would tell you that you were crazy, and that I can hold out longer than you can, Mister".

"Oh really?"

She nodded.

He started to unbutton her blouse and move his kisses lower.

She took a deep breath.

"Jonathan, this is doing absolutely nothing for me".

"Just give it a minute…. You love me, you know you do. And deep down, you want to give me a hint, you really, really, do".

She started to unbutton his shirt. "Nope, I'm good".

She kissed his chest, and ran her fingers through his hair.

"No hints, darling. I'm sorry".

He quickly took her shirt off her, and kissed and suckled on her nipples some.

She reached down and started to unbuckle his pants.

He resumed kissing her neck.

"Are you ready to give up that hint yet?"

"Almost".

Their hips met, and she guided him to where she wanted him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as their bodies joined together. He kissed her nice and slow, as they tenderly made love right there on the couch.

After they were both spent, they laid there a few minutes, holding each other.

He pulled her on top of him, and gave her a fingertip back massage, and covered them with a blanket.

"Jennifer, it's time".

"It's time? Time for what?"

"Time for the hint".

She cracked up and playfully swatted him.

"Ok, I suppose you can have one hint. But that's all".

She sat up and propped herself up on one elbow, and looked at him.

"We are going to the…."

She kissed him.

He was eagerly awaiting her answer.

"Where, babe?"

The gate buzzed.

She cracked a smile and wrapped the blanket around herself and went to answer it.

He was putting his clothes on.

"hello?"

"Delivery from L'Orangerie".

"Come on up".

She went upstairs to get a nightgown on, while he paid for the delivery and accepted it.

She found him in the kitchen, and wrapped her arms around him.

"I am starved….."

"Jennifer, you didn't finish the hint".

He was putting their dinner on plates.

"I didn't? I could have sworn I did".

He stared at her.

"Ok, you win. We are going to the Maldives".

"Are you serious?"

She nodded.

He picked her up and spun her around.

"Just you, me, and the crystal blue waters".

"it will be amazing".

They ate dinner, and then soaked in the hot tub, where he gave her a real back rub, and she gave him one too.

They had just come in from the hot tub when the phone rang. She went to get it.

"Hello? Oh hi, Lindley. No, you aren't bothering me, what's going on?...What? Are you sure?...Oh that's awful. Yes, you did the right thing…. I will be there tomorrow, it's going to be ok. Try to get some sleep….Ok, goodnight".

She hung up the phone and looked at Jonathan.

"One of the girls that works at the boutique was murdered".

"Murdered?"

"Yes. Lindley and Kelsey had just moved in together. Kelsey worked the last shift last night, and when Lindley got up this morning, she wasn't home. She said that the police were waiting on her when she got home tonight, and told her that Kelsey had been found dead. She was concerned as to whether or not she should have called me".

He wrapped his arms around her and held her for a minute.

They turned the lights out and went upstairs to bed.

***The next morning***

Jonathan followed Jennifer to the boutique.

Lindley was there to open. Jennifer went over and gave her a hug.

"Have her parents been contacted?"

Lindley nodded. "She was from Texas, so they are coming up this weekend to pack all of her things and they said they were going to have a funeral for her back in Texas".

Jonathan took a deep breath.

"Lindley, do you know if she ever made it home from working that night?"

"I don't think she did. If she did, she didn't stay there. Her bed was definitely not slept in. I had done laundry, and I placed her towels on her bed, and they hadn't been disturbed".

Jennifer decided to be proactive.

"Ok, girls, I want you to start leaving here in groups. From now on, there will be two people working the closing shift. You all should leave together, so nobody walks out by themselves. And I want all of you to put this in your purse, and use it if you need to, no matter what time of day". It was a business card with her and Jonathan's names and their phone number.

They all nodded.

Jonathan looked at Jennifer.

"Darling, if you want to hire a security firm, we can totally do that".

"Not just yet. I think that might scare off customers".

He nodded.

"I am going to call the owner of the strip mall and see if they have a security patrol".

"That's a good idea. I would feel better if they could call someone to watch them go to their cars at least".

The detectives investigating Kelsey's case came and asked a few questions.

"Detective, can you tell us where she was found or how she was found?"

"Well, she was found in an alley behind a strip mall about 4 miles from here. She appeared to have been running errands before she was killed, as the bag of her purchases was still in her hand. She had been strangled. The word 'impure' was carved into her chest".

"Oh that poor girl".

Jonathan put his arm around Jennifer.

The detectives reminded everyone to be vigilant, and then told Jennifer he would be in touch, and left.

The store was about to open. Jennifer walked over to Lindley.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes ma'am. I'm just sad".

"We all are. But this could have happened to any of us, and there wasn't anything we could have done to prevent it".

Lindley nodded.

Jonathan came over.

"Babe, I'm headed to the office."

She walked him to the door.

"I love you, see you tonight".

"Be careful. Love you too".

He kissed her a few times, and then left.

Jennifer busied herself by restocking some of the shelves and going over the books in the back office. She worked till 4, told the girls to call her if they needed her, reminded them to be careful and left.

She was walking to her car when she was approached by a man.

"Excuse me, ma'am? Can you please give me directions?"

"Where are you headed?"

"I am trying to get to West Alameda Boulevard and Webster Ave".

"Oh that's easy. Just turn right at the light, and go three traffic lights down, and take a left, that's Webster".

"Thank you, so much".

She got in her car and headed home to Willow Pond.

He got in his car, and made some notes, wrote down her license plate number, and then drove off.

***4 days later***

Sloane and Lindley were working the closing shift at the boutique. The store closed at 7, and they were finished closing by 8.

They walked out together and Lindley locked up. They both reached their cars at the same time.

After bidding each other goodnight, they both drove off.

Sloane called her mom as she drove, and they chatted a bit.

"I am going to run to the pharmacy and pick up my prescriptions, and then I am going to soak in a tub tonight when I get home. I cannot wait to be home in 3 weeks. Ok, gotta go. Love you momma".

She hung up, and parked outside her pharmacy.

She went inside, ordered her prescriptions, shopped a little bit and then picked up her prescriptions.

"I see you live at the Village Square Apartments- I looked at those, do you like them?"

Sloane nodded at the guy ringing her up.

"Yes, I do. Very nice, very quiet".

"How is the parking? Where I live, there seems to never be enough parking".

"Parking is ok. I usually park on the street and use the alley by my building to get to my apartment. It's quicker".

"Great idea. Well, maybe one day we will be neighbors".

She paid and then headed out.

She ran to the grocery store, and then headed home. She pulled up and parked on the street outside her building, and grabbed all her bags, and took the alley towards her apartment.

She didn't see him hiding in the bush next to the alley. She didn't hear him quicken his pace behind her. By the time she realized he was there, it was too late. He had already wrapped the cord around her neck, and pulled it tight.

She dropped her packages as she fought for air, but ultimately, she gave up the fight.

Before he ran off into the night, he carved the word "unclean" into her chest.

***Willow Pond***

It was almost 10 p.m. when the phone rang. Jonathan and Jennifer were in bed, reading.

Jonathan picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Jonathan, it's Lt. Gray".

"Hi, how are you?"

"Listen, I wouldn't normally call you this late at night, but I thought you would want to hear it from me. Dispatch was called to an apartment complex, and there was a young girl found deceased, and your phone number was on a business card in her purse, and had the word emergency written on it. Her name was Sloane McCallum. Did you know her?"

"Yes, she worked at my wife's boutique".

"We think the murders of Sloane and Kelsey Newton might be related. Like they might be targeted for some reason. I don't, at this time, think that the boutique is the reason, but it can't hurt to protect yourself and pass it on to the other employees".

"We will do just that, I assure you. Thanks Lt."

He hung up the phone.

Jennifer was looking concerned.

"Jonathan, what is it?"

"Sloane, from the boutique. She was killed tonight. Lt. Gray thinks that she and Kelsey might have been targeted, but he can't say for certain if it was because of the boutique."

He wrapped an arm around her.

"Jonathan…. We have a duty to them to keep them safe".

"Yes, we do, and we are doing all we can. This happened at her apartment, after she left the boutique".

"She still could have been followed, Jonathan."

"Yes, she could have."

She put her head on his chest and was quiet for a bit.

"Maybe we should hire security".

"I will do it first thing in the morning".

He reached up and turned out the light, and held her as she fell asleep. He hoped that he had eased her worries, but he wasn't sure.

***Across town***

The man was in a dingy, gloomy apartment. He was sitting on his couch, eating ice cream and watching TV.

The news came on, and the lead story was about Sloane's murder. He finished his ice cream as he watched the story, and his expression never changed once.

He got up, took his bowl to the sink, and headed to the second bedroom.

On the wall, he had pictures of all of them. The blondes from San Francisco, the brunettes from when he lived in San Jose. Now that he lived in LA, he was trying hard to not typecast himself. Kelsey had been his first red head. He had added her picture a week or so ago. He walked over to his computer, and went to the website of the local news station. He printed off the picture of Sloane that they had used in their story, and taped it to the wall. He picked up the red marker and drew an 'x' over her face.