Kobe (11 page)

              "You picking up another shift tonight?" Austin kisses her forehead.

              "It's Sunday. Poker night" She nuzzles her neck against his collar bone and strokes his skin.

              "One day I'll get to go to that poker game."

              "I feel so bad for you," she sticks her bottom lip and makes a pouting face, "the poor whittle boy who has to sit at the kiddie table."

              "Fuck off," Austin chuckles.

              "It's just a bunch of old guys drinking and playing cards, do you really care?" Krystal rolls onto her side and leans on her elbow. Her tan stomach offset by an indigo belly ring. "Speaking of parents, does your aunt care that you're here every day? I mean, has she said anything?"

              "She won't. She knows I smoke pot and drink. I'm pretty sure she knows you take the D."

              "You're such a dick." Krystal grabs half of a joint out of the ashtray and lights it. She takes a few pulls and hands it to Austin.

              "So what're you getting out of this?"Austin accepts the joint.

              "You just said it." She laughs. "You bring me pot, and give me the D."

              "You know what I mean."

              "Why does it have to mean something, Austin?" She takes the joint and finishes it. "Every time it means something it gets complicated." She puts the roach out.

              "Yeah, but we've been doing this forever."

              "So?"

              "Never mind."

              "Really? Don't act like that." Krystal wraps her smooth fingers around Austin's iron jaw. "It's not that big of a deal. Do you know what you want out of it?" Krystal lays her head in between his pecks. Her hair flows across his chest, in between his biceps, and under his armpits.

              "I don't know, kids, marriage, long walks on the beach," he grasps her hand and kisses the top of her knuckles, "a nice two story house with a white picket fence."  He guides her hand down to his stomach.

              "Oh yeah?" She lets him take the lead, keeping her wrist loose as it moves over his groin.

              "Yeah. Or..." He puts her hand on his crotch.

              "Or?" She smiles. "We could just keep what we have now." She grips his satin covered cock and rubs it until the sheets stick straight up.

              "I like this other idea much better," Austin says.

              Krystal ties her hair back in a bun. "Hand me your water."

              Austin reaches over and grabs an ice cold glass .He takes a long sip and hands it to her. She drinks it down, and catches two ice cubes between her thick, padded lips. Krystal smiles and sticks her head underneath the covers.

              Austin breathes heavy. "Oh my God, you're good at that," he says. His whole body curls from the cold ice and her hot mouth. Slowly, she takes more of his ten inches deep into her velvet throat, suctioning, until it makes his eyes roll up into his head.

              She comes up for air.

              "I like that ice trick,"

              Krystal grins, "I thought you might." she presses her hands onto his chest and straddles him between her sun-soaked thighs. Austin rubs it against her as she guides him inside. Like pushing a couch through a small hallway, eventually it fits.

              "Don't bite too hard this time," Austin tells her, "it feels really good, but it almost looks like you suck the damn blood out of me. Then I..."

              "Cum?" she laughs.

              "I guess it helps," He chuckles, "but I damn near black out."

              "But you taste so sweet," she nuzzles into his neck, kissing, maneuvering down near his nipple. Her strong teeth sink in, breaking the skin enough for her to feed.

              Krystal sucks furiously on the wound as he becomes submissive, letting her drain him until they both explode with passion.

              With every drop of blood, she learns a little more about her small town lover.

Chapter XIV

Porcelain

            
 
Judd joins Travis in the watchtower, the room on the other side of the one-way mirror. Travis continues to watch Quinn fidget through the glass.

              "Hey hoss," Judd says.

              "Hey Judd, you know that kid?"

              "Yeah, he hangs out with my sons." Judd curls his lip in and shakes his head. "Good kid, shame about his mom."

              "Damn shame," Travis turns a fan on, "it's hot as hell in here!"

              Judd smiles, "It ain't hot, yer just a fat I-talian fulla hot peppers."

              Travis taps his fingers on a metal table similar to the one in the interrogation room. "What the fuck happened in that little apartment, boss?" Travis asks.

              "Cocksuckin' junkie killed his mama," Judd says, "You already heard most of it," he places his cup of coffee on the table next to Travis.

              "Do you think it has anything to do with Katie O'Malley?" Travis wipes his sweaty brow with a handkerchief and shoves it into his pants pocket.

              "We need a break on the O'Malley case that's for sure." Judd sits in the chair next to his friend. "I don't think it was that asshole that killed her.
If
she got killed, the jury's still out on that one."

              "It's looking less like a missing person case by the minute," Travis says.

              "Say Skaggs did kill her. Say he broke into the coffee shop to boot. Well, that'd really tie everything up in a big pretty bow, now wouldn't it?" Judd chuckles, "but this is real life Travis, shit doesn't just fall in your lap."

              "Not Skaggs, then?" Travis strokes his mustache.

              "I don't think Skaggs has the ability to kill two people without gettin' caught. He put a sheet over the victim's body and left the scene of the crime for fuck sake," Judd takes a sip of his coffee, "Now he may've pulled off the Kool Bean caper, but that ain't a hard gig."

              "So we know Skaggs killed Tina McDermott?" Travis asks.

              "We got enough witnesses to put this guy away for life. We don't need DNA, but I'm sure when the lab comes back it'll confirm our assumptions."

              "Well, if Skaggs didn't kill her, we go back to the prime suspect, the boyfriend."

              "Curt?" Judd asks.

              "I don't wanna think it neither, but he ain't been at work, he ain't been at the Pitt, why's he hidin'?" Travis removes a thin comb from his breast pocket and skims through the little bit of hair left on his head. "Originally we thought she skipped town, maybe went to visit some friends or family. Now it turns out all of her friends and family are looking for
her
."

              "Just a misunderstandin' that's all," Judd says, "he might've gone to bed with her, but I don't think Curt's a killer. I'd bet the house on it. Skaggs or Rupert McDermott, whoever the fuck he is, might've done it. Hell, this Leroy character everyone's talkin' bout mighta done it. Who knows? Could be anyone."

              "We got the prints back on the Kool Beans job, it was Leroy Brown." Travis says.

              "No shit? I've been hearing a lot about this asshole." Judd raises his eyebrow. "Skinny punk rocker from the Bay, right?"

              "Yup. I talked to Washington this mornin' and he says this jerk's been on his radar for a while now. We got a warrant out for him, but now with the hatchet head murder, we ain't had too much time." Travis looks away from his boss and stares through the mirror at Quinn.

              "Hatchet head murder?" Judd asks.

              "It ain't like we get too many of these, Sheriff. We gotta have a little fun," Travis chuckles.

              "You're one sick fuck, Travis," Judd laughs right along with him.

              "I'm goin' out to your brother's house today," Travis says, "I know you two had a hard way after..."

              "You ain't gotta say it," Judd says, "I know you woulda been there if you could. For Christ sake, when my dad and I got the call we all just thought it was a drunken disorderly." Judd sits in his black computer chair." You need to stop beating yerself up about it."

              "Have you?"

              "That's different."

              "Always is, Judd."

              Judd sighs, "we'll go out today and talk to him. I'm gonna take Quinn to my house and I'll meet you at Curt's cabin."

              "It's become more than a coincidence that girls disappear every year during about this time." Travis stands up and fixes his tie."If we get him for this..."

              "We'll have to look into the other disappearances too. I know." Judd doesn't break his concentration from the mirror.

              "When Emmaline left, it ain't like we didn't see it coming," Travis says, "still, she was gone like a fart in the wind. She left that letter, and we had all the evidence that she went to Europe, but she also left her only son here to get raised by his uncle, she knew it would break Curt. It never seemed right, but everyone let it slide.

              "No one wanted to know the truth. That was a long time ago, this ain't Mayberry no more. You said it yourself, Facebook and Twitter are going insane over the O'Malley disappearance. I've had at least twenty calls about it, and her family's talking about organizing a search party. This ain't like Reagan, and it sure as hell ain't like Emmaline."

              "You finished?"

              Travis watches Judd's motions, unsure if he's gonna scold him for talking out of turn, or congratulate him on putting his boss in check. "Yes, sir."

              "Fuck it." Judd wipes the corner of his mouth. "I'll ride with ya. Have Bert buy Quinn a burger, not some piece of shit from McDonalds either, get it from Pete's Pancake House. Make sure Bert brings back a receipt."

              "What if Curt squirms, or confesses?" Travis asks.

              "Brother or not, if he looks guilty we'll bring him in."

* * * * *

              The sizzle of eggs, onions, and garlic liven up Krystal's kitchen as she cooks a late breakfast. Her brown ponytail rests between her shoulder blades.

              Austin walks down the stairs. His green basketball shorts and shaggy blond hair bounce with every step.

              "I was just about to wake you up."

              "That smell woke me up," he walks through the decadent living room into the large kitchen," scrambled eggs, potatoes,
and
pancakes? Damn, you're gonna make me fat."

              "You burned a lot of calories this morning," she coos.

              Austin wraps his arms around her stomach and places his chin on her shoulder. They rock back and forth a few times in perfect rhythm without the guidance of music. Her brown eyes gaze into Austin's baby blues as she arches her neck to kiss him.

              Moments later her attention wanders back to cooking, but Austin's brain stays in the gutter. The tips of his fingers creep up the bottom of her tank-top, settling by the sapphire ring in her belly button for a few seconds, then he slowly eases them towards her perfect breasts. Before he advances too far, Krystal slaps him with the spatula.

              "You got enough lovin' this morning." She swats a second time and hits his leg. "For Christ sakes you're dick should need life support by now."

              "You can give it mouth to mouth," Austin smiles.

              "I could also burn it with bacon grease," she rocks the skillet back and forth. "Move real quick." she removes the frying pan from the flame and flips a pancake a few inches in the air, "check me out."

              "Impressive," Austin hops on a counter behind Krystal.

              "But wait, there's more!" Krystal uses her best infomercial voice. She flips the pancake a foot in the air and catches it.

              "And for my finale," She flips the pancake over her shoulder and puts the pan behind her back. The buttery brown pancake eventually follows the rules of gravity and falls behind Krystal's back onto the floor.

              "Five-second rule," Austin jumps off the counter and picks the pancake up off the floor.

              "Eww," Krystal scrunches her nose.

              "It's fine," he looks down at the pancake, "except," Austin brings the pancake close to his face and examines it, "look at this."

              Krystal leans in.

              Austin slaps her playfully on the face.

              "Asshole," Krystal laughs.

              "Even with a little dirt, it's still delicious." Austin jumps back onto the counter and devours the pancake.

              "You know what else is delicious?" Krystal stirs more pancake batter in a large bowl.

              "What's that?"

              She puts the bowl down on the counter and loads up a spoon, arches it, and launches batter across the kitchen onto Austin's chest.

* * * * *

              Three loaded weapons itch to be squeezed on Roc's coffee table.

              "I got a Chopper, a Nina, and a Forty cal. Whatchu want?" The big bald gangster asks.

              The two men look like little kids about to play war. Both with virgin trigger fingers. Like everyone else's first time, they're nervous, excited, and ready to bust at first sight.

              "Whatchu think I want?" Billy asks. "Gimmee that A-K."

              "Aiight." Roc hands Billy the gun. "But we can't get it outta here right now." Roc pulls the gun back. "Fuck it, take the forty and I'll ride wit dat nine-milly." Roc puts the AK-47 back in his coat closet for later.

              "What the fuck man?" Billy shouts. "You're gonna tempt me with an assault rifle and make me settle for a fuckin' handgun?"

              "If any a dem Po-lice see you wit dat chopper you gettin' taken to jail and you ain't killin' nuttin'," Roc nags.

              "I'll take the forty." Billy picks up the gun and pops out the clip. "I need you to drive, I'm ridin' shotgun. As soon as I see this asshole I'm blasting."

* * * * *

              "I love you," he says, "I'm so sorry. I don't know why I do it. I find a beautiful girl, we hang out, and I always end up back here." He puts his hand on top of hers. "I'm just so afraid of losing you."

              Katie sits across from Curt.

              Her pale skin is fragile with veins that decorate her body like Henna tattoos. A nice coat of candy apple red polish covers the corpse's chipped fingernails.

              The happy couple enjoys grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch.

              "I knew you would run away so I froze you in time, now we can be together forever," he removes his napkin from the table and puts it in his lap, "they always run away.

              "Emmaline left me for a seventeen-year-old busboy," Curt stirs the thick red soup and sips a spoon full. "I didn't want to believe it. She would always say she was working late, or that she picked up extra shifts.

              "The entire time she was fucking him in dirty motels and honeymoon cabins," Curt dabs his mouth with another white cloth napkin, "I knew you wouldn't do that to me, Katie, neither did Reagan."

              The sandwich rests between Katie's fingers. She looks like a mannequin left in out the rain too long.

              "I had to lose them, but I'll never let you go." Curt takes a bite of his grilled cheese then dips it into his soup. "Why aren't you eating my love?"  He looks at his post-mortem princess with a naughty glare.

              "Oh, Katie," his eyes widen, "are you serious? Again? That's all you can think about."

              The life-size doll smells like bug spray and Eternity by Calvin Klein. The flies circle her despite the deterrent.