Blake
“There.” I plugged in the final string of lights and stepped back to admire my creation. I wasn’t very good at this stuff, but there was something about Spencer that made me want to try harder. Kim had mentioned that Justin had screwed up her drive-in date a few years ago, and she never got to see her movie. Well, today, since she’d been through so much, I thought I’d do something special. I had Kim call her over to their house while I set it up.
I had the entire living room transformed into a forest, with thirty fake trees placed along the walls. In the center, a paper road led straight ahead to a huge screen hung on the wall. A projector mounted on the fireplace was ready to go. Strings of twinkle lights lined the ceiling, and a round light acted as the moon just above the screen.
With some help from Jaci, who had scored an old bench-style back seat from a car, I had things about how I wanted them. Jaci even made some tasty food that was now placed on the seat on the mini table tray.
Blake: Ready.
Kim: She’s on her way.
I quickly dimmed the lights, fiddled once more with the red curtains next to the screen, and took a deep breath.
Please don’t be lame.
The door opened, and in walked Spencer. Her face lit up and glowed when she looked around.
“Oh, my God!” Her hand flew to her mouth while she shrugged off her jacket. “How did you do…I mean, when did you…wow.”
I couldn’t help but beam with pride. As hard as it was to set this up, it was worth it just to see that smile appear.
“Come on.” I waved her over, and once she was close enough, I took her hand and kissed it gently. “Your seat, miss.” I helped her onto the bench seat and handed her a glass of wine. I joined her and clicked the button to start the movie.
“You know, Justin took me to a drive-in once,” she started to mutter but stopped when the title came up. The Notebook. I watched the side of her face blush, then she turned to me with happy tears along her bottom lids. “How did you know?”
“Remember, Kim mentioned it when I first met her?”
“You remembered that?”
I leaned over and brushed her hair away from her face, careful not to touch the bandage that protected her stitches. “I remember a lot of things about you, Spencer.”
She smiled, kissed my lips, then settled in under my arm as the movie started.
“Thank you for this,” she whispered. “It’s the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“Yeah, and no rain.” I couldn’t help but grin as I kissed her head and let my lips linger for a moment as I settled in happily beside her. I was a lucky man to have found this girl.
Spencer fell asleep in my arms right as the movie ended, so I carried her to bed and wrapped myself around her. With my gun strapped to the side of the bed, I felt relieved that we were together tonight. I’d stay up all night if that was what it took to get her to rest. I didn’t think I’d ever shut my eyes again, if she asked me. My eyes soon closed as I fell asleep to her heavenly smell.
It had been three days since Spencer had her encounter in the woods and since our drive-in date. The fact that the blood samples that had been rushed through the lab earlier were from our latest victim proved she had indeed been attacked by the same killer. I felt I was going in circles, and nothing seemed to lead anywhere.
I flipped on the TV while I pulled a silk tie loose.
“If you are just tuning in, we are here outside the Syracuse Police Station waiting for Lt. Sinclair, the spokesman on the case, to hold the first press conference on the Whiskey Lake Killer.” Donna Polly, our local reporter, pointed behind her.
Spencer emerged from the bedroom in my t-shirt and eased onto the couch. With my coffee in hand, I made my way over and stood by her.
The lieutenant stepped up to the mic, and the crowd settled to a dull tone. The sound of cameras and someone coughing were all that could be heard.
“Why are they bringing in the press?” Spencer ran a hand over her thigh.
“It’s becoming a bigger case. We need to set the narrative ourselves before social media takes off in a direction we don’t want them to.”
“What if he’s watching? Won’t this spook him?”
“No.” I sipped my coffee and squinted as the steam clouded my vision. “I’m sure he’s been waiting for this moment.”
“Sick bastard,” she growled.
“While he’s thriving on this, we’ll use the public as watchdogs.”
The camera turned to Donna as she made her way to the front. “Let’s see what he has to say about the Whiskey Lake Killer.”
“Hm.” Spencer made a noise. “Suitable name.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
Sarge: You won’t believe this, but Will wants to talk to you.
What? Why would her brother want to talk to me? I glanced at Spencer, who was glued to the TV.
Blake: On my way in.
“I have to go in, Spence. Do you want to come in or stay here?”
She joined me in the kitchen, but I could tell she was still tuned in to the press conference.
“I have to finish some work and have a few other things to do. I can meet you later or something.”
“Okay.” I pulled her toward me and stared into her beautiful eyes. She may not have verbalized her stress, but it was there tucked into the corners of her soul. I knew well enough to leave it be. When she was ready, she’d come to me. “Shannan will be over in…”
“You better not have clothes on.” Shannan burst through the door with her hands covering her face, but her eyes peeked through her fingers.
Spencer huffed with a laugh as she rolled her eyes.
“Come on, now.” Shannan pretended to scowl. “You knew I was coming over.” She shook her head at him. “Not even a little nip action, Blake?”
“Sorry, you missed the show earlier.” I chuckled and I dipped down and kissed Spence softly on her warm lips. “I’ll call you later.” I hated to leave, but Will had my attention, and if he knew anything about the case, I needed it. I grabbed my keys and left.
Spencer’s scent lingered on my clothes and drove me nuts all the way to work. Damn, she was intoxicating.
I flashed my badge at the camera of the jail and was buzzed in through the steel doors. Most of the inmates were in bed, while some made comments and kissy noises as I made my way to the back of the hallway. Paint flaked off the walls, and the steel bars were rusted in spots. It didn’t need to be nice because it was a holding cell until the judge decided their fate.
I needed to play this right. I knew how these guys worked, so I pulled out the package of Marlboros I’d picked up and rested one on the horizontal bars.
“You wanted to see me?”
Will pushed himself off the squeaky mattress. He looked like shit, but detox would do that to a person. He leaned forward, took the cigarette, and held it so I could light it. “I did.”
“And I’m here.”
“I didn’t hurt my sister.”
I squinted as he hit a nerve. “Okay.”
“I know what happened, and, man, I had no part in that.” His tattooed hands rose. “I’m fucked up, yes, but Spencer was the best part of my parents. I got no beef to hurt my sister.”