Skin (11 page)

“Where’d you get that necklace?” Caresse
asked,
her voice soft. “Anna always wore it when she wasn’t dancing.
Said it had sentimental value.”

Lilith’s hand shot to her throat. Her mouth opened and closed, but she was so startled, she couldn’t think. Caresse was staring, waiting.

Finally Lilith blurted, “I found it in the back of a drawer in the dressing room. She must have left it there.”

Certain the lie was written on her face, she was relieved Caresse didn’t challenge her.

She could only hope the man who was holding her sister would.

oOo

LILITH MITCHELL was going to be a challenge worthy of him. More of a challenge than the one who called herself Anna Youngheart, though surprisingly, his current catch wasn’t
like
the others. She didn’t beg or whine for mercy.

Neither would Lilith.

How to set the right trap for her?

It was obvious she wanted him to, or why else would she have taken a job at the club if not to haunt him? He could be very accommodating. He would give her what she wanted and so much more.

Before Lilith was put to the ultimate test, he would have to do something about her confidence. He hated women who thought they could best him. One woman who had that power was enough. He’d learned how to deal with the others. It was kind of like a game of chess – knowing the right moves to make.

A little warped game playing would go a long way toward undermining Lilith’s confidence.

He was just the man to do it.

oOo

NAKED, HANNAH runs through the woods.
Runs for her life.

Wearing a hunting vest and cap pulled low, the killer follows. He carries a rifle, and a hunting knife is tucked into a belt. He hesitates a second and listens to thrashing sounds somewhere ahead.

Hannah trips and goes down to her knees, sobbing.

The killer checks for tracks, for broken branches in the bushes.

Hannah flies to her feet and plunges forward through a copse of trees.

The killer follows.

Running as fast as she can, Hannah takes a panicked look behind her. Her shoulder whacks a maple tree and she cries out in pain. Fear wells up in her, threatening to choke her.

The gap is closing – she knows the killer has no mercy. She stumbles again, turns to find her pursuer behind her, rifle pointed at her.

“Please, don’t! I’ll do anything, be anything you want. Please!”

The man in the hunting jacket raises the rifle.

Hannah can’t move. “I am a person! I am not an animal!”

She cries out when the rifle barrel explodes
.

Lilith whipped up in bed, her body trembling, her breath choked in her throat.
A dream.
It was only a dream.

Hannah was alive She had to be.

Turning on the nightstand lamp, Lilith slid her hand to the heart-half nestled in the hollow there and thought about their explosive argument before her sister had disappeared.

“Hang on, Hannah. I haven’t abandoned you this time.”

oOo

LILITH HAD BARELY started work that evening when she felt a hot breath trail along the back of her neck. Shivering, she flipped around to find a tall, lanky man with a pockmarked face grinning down at her. He was wearing tight black leather pants and a black silk shirt. A thick gold chain hung from his scrawny neck.

“Can I get you a drink?”

He laughed. “I’m not a customer, honey. Rudy Barnes, the club’s deejay.”

His pale blue eyes gleamed strangely as he stared down at her. She imagined him licking his chops.

“Waitress,” she said. “Lilith.”

“How about we get together after the club closes? I can show you the ropes around here.”

Lilith had the definite impression that ropes weren’t all he wanted to show her.

“I’m good,” she said, keeping it light, “but thanks.”

“You change your
mind,
you know where to find me.”

He pointed to the booth and backed off toward it, giving her a wink like he thought
he
was hot stuff.

“Stay away from that one,” a redheaded waitress named Allie said.

“Bad news?”

“Pervert.”

“You’ve had personal experience?” Lilith asked.

“Not me. He’s not into redheads. But I’ve heard the tales from a couple other girls.”

“Thanks for the tip.”

“No problem.” Allie picked up her drinks and headed for a table.

Gazing around the room, Lilith saw a few faces she already recognized – regulars, she supposed – but no Michael. So why did she feel disappointed? He unnerved her, so she should be glad he wasn’t there.

Gabe wasn’t around, either, which made her wonder if he was off the case. But halfway through the night, he was at his usual place at the bar.

She was about to check in with him when the dancer named Irene stopped her and handed her a folded piece of paper.

“From an admirer.”

“Thanks. I think,” she murmured.

Lilith quickly opened and scanned the note.
I request the pleasure of your company at my table for a drink.

“Paul Ensdorf?” She gave the other dancer a questioning look.

 The blonde pointed to a nearby table whose occupant avidly watched for Lilith’s reaction. She remembered the first time she’d been at the
club,
he’d tripped a stripper and then had put his hands all over her to help her up.

“Um, I’m supposed to be selling drinks.”

“Get him to buy a bottle of champagne, and Sal won’t care what you do with him. The idea is to bring in money, honey.”

Lilith grabbed the martinis Joe pushed at her. She served the drinks, then, taking a deep breath, she headed for her new admirer.

Already standing, Paul Ensdorf was a bit shorter than she was in her heels. Not that it seemed to bother him. He was all boyish smiles to go with the sandy hair, a lock of which fell onto his forehead. And, like a true gentleman, he held out a chair for her and said, “I’m delighted you could join me.”

Lilith remained standing. “I can only stay for a moment. My job is to serve drinks.”

He sat. “What if I bought a bottle of champagne?”

“Well, if you’re planning on buying a bottle, the least I can do is share a toast.”

“Then a bottle it is.”

Nodding, she headed back to the bar, noting that Michael had finally shown up. His smile made her stomach tighten. She steeled herself against the attraction. She needed to focus on one thing only. Figuring out who had her sister.

So when Michael started talking to one of the dancers, reached in a pocket and handed her what looked like a business
card, why did that
bother her?

By the time she got to the bar, Joe was already setting out a bottle of champagne and two glasses.

“Uh, how did you know?” she asked.

He shrugged. “It’s for Ensdorf.”

“So he’s here a lot?”

Joe laughed. “Nearly every night his sister Melinda works.”

He indicated the dark-haired dancer on stage, nude but for a g-string, thigh high stockings, elbow-length gloves and a tattoo of big red lips in the middle of her right butt cheek. Her brother was fixated on her, his expression tight. Lilith watched Melinda walk right over to Paul and shake her naked breasts in his face. Then, seeming satisfied that he was near apoplectic, Melinda strutted away from him as her music segued to that of the next dancer.

When Lilith got back to the table, Paul was still flushed. He pulled out two hundred dollar bills to pay her and refused to take change. Then he insisted she sit with him for that toast.

“I want to get to know you better, Lilith.”

“I told you I can only stay for a few minutes.”

“Over tea,” he continued. “High tea is so civilized, don’t you think?” Staring at her cleavage, he leaned forward and slipped a hand over hers. His palm was sweaty, making her skin crawl. “And I can tell you are the kind of girl who appreciates class.”

Was he for real? Lilith laughed as she removed her hand and fussed with the vest, and inadvertently, the heart-half. “What? I have ‘
class’
written across my forehead?”

Paul’s gaze was caught by the movement, and then he stared up into her face as if judging her. A cunning expression quickly flickered across his features.

“I want to take you to nice places.” He spoke as if her going out with him was a done deal. “We can start with The Plaza, say tomorrow afternoon.”

“You want to go to a hotel?
For tea?”

He suddenly seemed off a beat, not quite the nice boy-next-door. “And finger sandwiches. I like the watercress and cucumber, don’t you?”

He licked his lips, and she swore he giggled. Both of which gave her the creeps.

Whatever she’d been expecting, it hadn’t been this. Anxious to get away from him, she sought an excuse.

But before she could find one, he said, “Anna was nice, too. You remind me of her.”

The reference to her sister grabbed Lilith’s full attention. Her smile faded. She was no longer amused. Too thrown to stay at the creep’s table, she needed to process this.

What if he was the one?

She rose and looked for an escape. “A customer is waving me over.”

“Meet me in the lobby of The Plaza a little before four. And wear something conservative.”

Lilith walked off, muttering to herself.
“High tea at The Plaza.
Either this guy’s
nuts,
or... this guy’s nuts.”

But she couldn’t forget about the doubt he’d put into her, couldn’t forget the comment about
Anna
. Had it been deliberate? Or had he just been babbling? She might never know. Why, oh why hadn’t she stayed put? This was the first lead she’d gotten, and she’d blown it. She could take care of herself, so why had the little creep gotten to her?

When she pulled herself together, Lilith vowed, she would try to find out whether Paul Ensdorf was merely weird... or capable of murder.

Somehow she got through the next couple of hours. All the while, she was aware of Michael watching her work. Eventually she got used to it and simply ignored him.

She couldn’t help but wonder if one of the dancers knew something about the predator at the club. Did they all have the same attitude as Hannah? Did they all crave power over the men who lusted for them? It didn’t seem so. As far as she could determine, Mariko was all about the money. To Caresse it was just a job. Melinda seemed to be trying to prove something to her brother. And the big surprise was Irene, who apparently saw stripping as an artistic challenge.

When the last dance of the night was over, all the women gathered backstage in various states of undress. Several had tattoos, but one dancer had more ink than virgin skin. Unable to fathom why she’d want to look like a freak, why men would be attracted to tats on a near-naked woman, Lilith slipped out of her waitress uniform and into Hannah’s dress as quickly as possible. Still uncomfortable with the reality of these women’s lives, she dressed with her back to them.

Why did they do this? They made enough money to get out and find a better life, so why didn’t they?

Part of the answer was obvious. The place reeked of marijuana, and one of the dressing tables had some leftover powder. Did they all waste their money on drugs? Did Hannah?

Removing her makeup looking in the room-length mirror, Irene asked, “So what did Paulie want, Lilith?”

“Uh-oh, he didn’t waste any time, did he?” chirped Mariko.

“Does he always hit on the new servers?” Lilith asked, hoping she sounded casual.

“Only the really tall ones.”

“Tall ones with dark hair,” Irene amended, patting her own blond curls.
“Dancers, too.”

“He isn’t the only guy who likes tall brunettes.” Mariko glanced pointedly at Caresse.

She and Irene laughed as if sharing a joke. Lilith didn’t get it. Were they intimating Caresse was gay... or something else?
Only guy?
A transvestite?
Caresse glared at them and didn’t crack so much as a smile.

“There’s something really weird about the little geek,” Caresse told Lilith.

“I know what you mean,” Lilith said.

She stood in front of the mirror, playing at fussing with her hair so she wouldn’t have to leave just yet. These women might all be acquainted with the murderer. If so, she had to know what they did.

Mariko snorted. “Caresse don’t have
nothing
good to say about
men
in this joint.”

The black dancer gave the smaller woman a threatening look that made her back off. To Lilith, she said, “You think real good before you socialize with
anyone
you meet here.”

“Miz Paranoia.”
This from Irene.

“I got reason to be paranoid. We all got good reasons, huh?
Three of ’em.”

“Two. Only two are dead!” Lilith insisted.

The room went quiet, each of the women suddenly concentrating on getting out of there.

“Do any of you have reason to suspect one of the customers?” Lilith asked.
“Or how about one of the employees?
What about that Rudy?” She hadn’t forgotten him. Allie said he didn’t like redheads. “Is he into blondes or women with dark hair?”

“He’s not into me, thankfully,” Irene said.

If anyone knew anything more than that, she wasn’t talking.

Frustrated by the silence, Lilith said, “We need to watch each other’s backs.”

All that did was to chase the dancers away, leaving behind the smell of fear. The only one left was Caresse.

“If one of them knew, she wouldn’t talk, Lilith. She would be afraid of being the killer’s next target.”

“He’s not done with Hannah yet. Not according to the police.”

“You mean Anna.”

Lilith nearly choked on her gaffe. “That’s what I said – Anna,” she lied.

“Uh-huh.”

Caresse jerked open a big leather shoulder bag and threw in her makeup kit. Lilith caught a glimpse of a handgun before the flap descended to hide the weapon once more. She guessed Caresse had good enough cause for arming herself – who wouldn’t want protection under the circumstances?