Tonight You're Mine (28 page)

Nicole stood up. “I told you yesterday I needed to see Mrs. Dominic.”

“And I told you she doesn't receive visitors.” Her eyes narrowed. “You broke in here! You always were a sneaky little tramp who thought she could do what she pleased. Well, not this time. I'm calling the police and having you arrested for breaking and entering!”

“
No
.” Rosa turned back and looked at Mrs. Dominic who was struggling to sit up in bed. “You will not call the police.”

“This woman, this
slut
who ruined your son's life, has broken into
your
house—”

“Yes,
my
house,” Mrs. Dominic said forcefully, sounding much the way she had fifteen years ago even though Nicole could see the effort it was taking. “A judge hasn't declared me incompetent and you are not my guardian.
I
give the orders here, and I'm telling you no police will be called.”

Rosa glowered at her, then at Nicole, who put her hand on Alicia's arm. “I'm leaving now, Mrs. Dominic. Thank you for speaking with me.”

She started toward the door, the heavy, bull-like Rosa breathing loudly behind her when Alicia called, “Nicole?” She turned. “Remember, some loves are forever.”

2

As Nicole drove home, she thought about her talk with Mrs. Dominic. The woman had been visited probably as recently as last night by her son. Her love for Paul was clearly unqualified. But who was “the other one” to whom she disdainfully referred? The mysterious Javier, the man she'd loved and maybe spurned?

Nicole shook her head. The visit had answered two important questions. Paul was definitely in San Antonio and still cared for her. But it had also raised more questions than it had answered.

When Nicole reached home, she was dismayed to see Carmen's car in her driveway and Carmen sitting on her front porch. Normally she was always glad to see her friend, but today she had a lot of disturbing questions to ask Carmen and she already felt drained by her visit to Alicia Dominic.

She took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Good morning, Carmen.”

“I've had warmer greetings.” Carmen studied Nicole's face. “And you're not looking up to par.”

“No makeup and a rough couple of weeks.” She withdrew her keys from her purse. “Why are you here so early?”

“Your mother tried to reach you several times earlier. When she couldn't, she called me.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No. She said Shelley wanted to say hello to you, but when they couldn't reach you, your mother got alarmed. After the last gory disaster here, she didn't want to come by with Shelley, so she asked me to come.”

“I'm sorry, Carmen. What a millstone I've become to everyone.”

“No you're not. And it was no trouble for me to come this morning. Bobby took Jill to church. By the way, your mother told me about Roger's wreck.”

“Which he claims I caused.” Carmen looked blank and Nicole knew her mother hadn't given her the details. She opened the door and motioned for Carmen to enter. “He thinks I cut his brake line.”

“That's crazy!” Carmen exploded. “He was probably drunk.”

“No he wasn't. Ray came by last night and said the front line
was
cut.”

Carmen's face sagged. “You're kidding.”

“Hardly.”

“Well, the police can't believe you had anything to do with cutting it.”

“Ray doesn't. I don't know what everyone else thinks. I'm beginning not to care. Have a seat. I'll put on some coffee, then call the hospital. Lisa said she'd call last night with word on Roger's condition, but she didn't.”

“Big surprise,” Carmen muttered, sitting down on the couch. “She's so reliable and considerate.”

While the coffee brewed, Nicole called the hospital and was told Roger was in stable condition although he remained extremely agitated. Next she called her mother and gave the excuse of going for a drive for her absence early in the morning. “My, you've been going for a lot of drives lately,” Phyllis said dryly, and Nicole immediately remembered she'd used that excuse before. Quickly changing the subject, she described Roger's condition, spoke to Shelley, reassuring her that her father would be fine, and promised to call back later.

When she hung up the phone, the coffee was ready. She placed cups along with cream and sugar on a tray. At the last minute, she added a few cookies on a saucer. She hadn't eaten any breakfast and her stomach was growling.

“So, how is the charming Roger?” Carmen asked as Nicole carried a tray into the living room.

“Stable.”

“I assume you mean physically, not mentally. I suppose Lisa's sticking to him like glue.”

“Probably.” She braced herself and decided if she didn't bring up the subject of Lisa abruptly, she might lose her nerve and not get around to it at all. “Carmen, speaking of Lisa, we sat in the hospital waiting room yesterday while Roger was in surgery. We talked.”

“That must have been interesting.”

“It was. She told me you've known her since she was little.”

Carmen had been stirring sugar in her coffee. The spoon abruptly stopped spinning. “
What?
”

“She said Bobby's mother baby-sat for her. That's how the Vegas and the Mervins became friends. According to her, she was around all the time when you were dating Bobby and after you were married and living with the Vegas. Carmen, you said you didn't know her.”

“I
don't
. I mean, maybe Bobby's mother did baby-sit for her, but she would have been a child. Besides, she baby-sat for several children. I never paid much attention to them. First I was a teenager all wrapped up in Bobby. After we were married, I was pregnant, then the baby died. I honestly don't remember her or any of the other kids. They were just a mass of little anonymous faces to me.”

Nicole reached for a cookie, thinking about what Carmen had said. Hadn't she told Lisa the same thing—that she was only a child when Carmen was around her? No doubt Lisa's appearance had changed radically during adolescence. And when they were teenagers and Carmen was seeing Bobby, she'd never mentioned by name any of the kids for whom Mrs. Vega baby-sat.

Carmen was staring at her. “What's the matter? Don't you believe me?”

“Yes, I believe you, Carmen.”

“You sound strange. What else is wrong?”

Nicole took a bite of cookie although her hunger was gone, her stomach churning with tension. Should she even mention the other thing? She didn't want to offend Carmen, but she had to have an answer to Lisa's accusations. She took a deep breath. “Lisa also said she never bought a wolf mask. You told me she did.”

Carmen's eyes widened. “But she did! Bobby said so.”

“He told me she didn't.”

“But he told
me
she did. You misunderstood him.”

Nicole sighed. “No, I didn't. Someone is lying.”

Carmen set down her mug with a crash. “Nicole Sloan, how dare you! First you accuse me of lying about knowing Lisa, then you accuse either me or Bobby of lying about her buying the wolf mask—”

“I said
someone
is lying.”

“Well, you certainly didn't sound like you thought it was Lisa, even after all she's done to you and the kind of person you know she is!” Carmen's dark eyes blazed. “What the hell is
wrong
with you? You're doubting me, your best friend of nearly thirty years. You're romantically obsessing about Paul Dominic, a known murderer. You've never even cried over your own father, the man who doted on you and you professed to adore.”

“Carmen—”

“Save it!” Carmen rose. “I think you're losing it, Nicole. You don't trust me? Well, I don't trust you anymore, either.”

“Carmen!”

“I mean it!” Carmen shouted, stalking toward the front door. “Maybe
you
killed the cop and Dooley. Maybe you even killed Magaro and Zand.”

“Carmen, I know I've hurt your feelings, but how can you say such cruel things?” Nicole cried.

“Easy. You're acting so weird, just like you did back then, after your attack. Maybe that's because you killed Magaro and Zand on one of your midnight walks.”

“My midnight walks?”

“Your sleepwalking. Or are you going to claim you don't know anything about it? That would be convenient.” Carmen snatched her purse off an end table. “Oh, hell, what does it matter now?”

Nicole grabbed her arm. “It
does
matter! Tell me what you're talking about, Carmen,
please
.”

“Why bother? You think I'm a liar. You wouldn't believe me.” She jerked her arm from Nicole's grasp, opened the door, and stormed out onto the front porch. “Don't call me until you're ready to apologize. Better yet, don't ever call me again!”

As Nicole watched Carmen's car shoot out of the driveway and head down the street, her eyes filled with tears. How many more people were going to walk out of her life? How many more could she stand to lose?

3

Nicole lay on the couch, listening to music, when someone knocked on the door. She jumped up, hoping it was Carmen returning to patch up their earlier falling-out. Instead, Lisa Mervin stood on her porch. Nicole was so surprised, she said nothing.

“I knew you'd be overjoyed to see me,” Lisa quipped tartly. “Roger wants me to bring Shelley to visit him.”

“He does, does he?” Nicole returned, finding her voice. “She's not here.”

Lisa shrugged. “I told him you wouldn't let her come.”

“Lisa, she really
isn't
here. But even if she were,
I
would take her to see her father. I wouldn't turn her over to you.”

“Look, I don't care one way or the other,” Lisa snapped. “I'm just doing what Roger asked.”

She turned to go. “Lisa, wait. If you'll come in, I'd like to talk to you.”

Lisa looked back. “You want to talk to
me
? About what? Cutting Roger's brake line?”

“I didn't cut his brake line,” Nicole said tiredly. “I don't know why, but I have a feeling you believe me.” Lisa merely stared at her, but she knew she was right. Nicole held the door open wider. “Please come in.”

Lisa took a deep breath, her large breasts straining against her skintight sweater, and walked inside. “Nice house,” she muttered.

“Thank you. Have a seat. The couch and chair are Roger's.”

Lisa looked at the brown monstrosities, and for the first time a ghost of a smile crossed her face. “Wow. Talk about ugly. I can't imagine him buying furniture like that.”

“I think it must have been during an LSD flashback,” Nicole said dryly.

Lisa laughed out loud. “Miguel said you were funny.”

“You're friends with Miguel?”

“He dates my friend Susan.” She looked edgy. “Why are you asking about Miguel?”

“No particular reason,” Nicole lied. Lisa's nervousness spoke volumes. She was attracted to Miguel at the least.

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

“Carmen. She was here earlier. She swears she didn't know you—that when her mother-in-law baby-sat for you, she never even knew your name. She also swears Bobby told her you bought the wolf mask from him.”

“Have you asked Bobby about the mask?”

“Yes.”

“And he says I
didn't
buy it, doesn't he?”

“Well, yes,” Nicole said reluctantly.

Lisa tucked her long hair behind her ears, looking bored. “Nicole, I
told
you I didn't buy that mask. I also told you Carmen's a liar. I think she's nuts. It wouldn't surprise me if
she
was looking in your windows wearing that mask.”

“Lisa, that's ridiculous! Why would she do that?”

“I don't know. To make
you
look crazy.”

“That's exactly what she said about Roger.”

“Well, he sure didn't cut his own brake line. And what about those murders a long time ago? You know, those guys who raped you.”

Nicole looked at her in shock. “Magaro and Zand?”

“Yeah. Bobby's mother said if the band hadn't broken up, Bobby probably wouldn't have married Carmen, even though she was pregnant. Without Ritchie Zand, there wasn't a band anymore. Zand's death was pretty convenient timing for Carmen, wouldn't you say?”

Nicole drew back, horrified. “Lisa, my God, you think
Carmen
killed Magaro and Zand?”

Lisa stood. “It's just a theory, one I'm sure you won't give a second thought because it came from me. But she's jealous as hell of you. She always has been.”

“I don't believe that,” Nicole said staunchly.

“Believe what you want. Roger says you never see what's right in front of you. So what do I tell him about Shelley?”

“What about her?” Nicole asked blankly.

Lisa sighed in exasperation. “Will you take her to
visit
him? That's what I came here for, remember?”

“Yes, I remember. Tell him I'll bring her tomorrow.”

“Okay, but he'll be mad.”

Lisa didn't say good-bye and neither did Nicole. She sat motionless on the couch after Lisa left, replaying Lisa's words:
Zand's death was pretty good timing for Carmen, wouldn't you say?

1

Nicole was furiously vacuuming the living room. She let out a little shriek when the front door opened and she saw a man's face before she realized it was Ray.

Switching off the vacuum, she yelled, “Have you ever heard of knocking? You nearly scared the life out of me!”

Ray held up both hands. “
Sorry!
I knocked about five times.”

“No, I'm sorry,” Nicole said, regaining her composure.

“The door was unlocked. It's not such a hot idea to leave yourself so vulnerable when you're being stalked.”

Nicole ran her hand across her forehead. “It was damned foolish. My only excuse was that my last visitor upset me badly.”

“It couldn't have been Roger.”

“No, it was his sweet young thing, Lisa Mervin. Sit down and I'll get you something to drink.”

Ray came over and put his hands on her shoulders. “No,
you
sit down and I'll get
you
something to drink. I know where the refrigerator is.”

Nicole smiled into his dark eyes. “Thanks. Iced tea. The glasses are—”

“I know where they are.”

Nicole sank down on the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table, an act unheard of in her mother's house. She glanced over at the fish, swimming in their beautiful, perpetual tranquility. Shelley had every one of them named, but at the moment Nicole could only think of half of them.

“Here you go,” Ray said, carrying two tall glasses. He sat down on the couch about a foot away from her. “Why was Lisa here? Begging you to take Roger off her hands?”

Nicole managed a wry smile. “Even
she
knows that would be an impossible sale. Roger wanted to see Shelley and expected me to turn her over to Lisa for the afternoon. I told her that even if Shelley were here, I wouldn't do that.”

“It must have been a short visit.”

“Not as short as you might expect. I told you she said Carmen knew her and that she'd never bought a wolf mask. Well, before Lisa's visit, Carmen was here. I asked her about those things.”

“Oh, no,” Ray said. “No wonder you look so depressed today. I can guess Carmen's reaction.”

“She was outraged. Then she went off on this tirade about how weird I've been acting, not even crying over my father's death. Finally she said she wouldn't be surprised if
I'd
killed Officer Abbott and Izzy Dooley, even Magaro and Zand.”

Ray looked stunned. “She said all that?”

“Yes. Very loudly, very angrily.”

“Phew!” Ray shook his head. “I can understand her being offended by your questions, but talk about an overreaction!”

“That's what I thought. Considering what Lisa said this afternoon, I believe it was a suspicious overreaction.”

“What do you mean?”

“Carmen was pregnant when she and Bobby married. Lisa said that if the band Bobby was in, The Zanti Misfits, hadn't broken up, he wouldn't have married Carmen, pregnancy or not. If Ritchie Zand hadn't been killed, the band wouldn't have collapsed. She said Zand's death was awfully convenient for Carmen.”

Ray turned his glass in his hands, watching the ice cubes move. “So she's implying that Carmen killed Zand and Magaro?”

“Yes.”

“Bullshit.”

“You think it's out of the question?”

“Don't
you
?” Ray looked at her intently. “Nicole, I'm surprised. She's your best friend.”

“I know I sound terrible, but considering her reaction—not to mention the things she said to me…well, I guess I'm just hurt.”

Ray reached over and took her hand. “I know. But what would Carmen have to do with the deaths of Abbott and Dooley? Dominic is the man, Nicole. Fifteen years ago
and
now.”

Nicole still didn't believe that. She hedged. “I suppose she upset me the most by implying she suspected me. She talked about my bouts of sleepwalking.”

Ray's eyebrows rose. “Do you sleepwalk?”

“Not that I know of. But she said I did after my rape. She said I could have killed Zand and Magaro while I was sleepwalking. And about a week ago, I started having these strange dreams in which I hear Magaro and Zand talking
after
they were cleared of my attack. I'm always in Basin Park, near where they raped me.”

Ray looked at her steadily. “Nicole, your hand is trembling. For God's sake, do you really think you killed those guys fifteen years ago and hung them in trees? Do you think you killed Dooley and Abbott? Or cut Roger's brake line?”

“No, but the dreams…”

“Do you see anyone in the dreams except Magaro and Zand?”

“No. I don't even clearly see them. I just hear their voices.”

“And you're in Basin Park, where they raped you. Doesn't it make sense that you'd dream about that place?”

“After all these years?”

“After all that's happened. Your husband left you. Your father committed suicide. You're being stalked by Dominic, who
did
kill Magaro and Zand. That's why the dreams started. Stress and reminders of the past.”

“I don't know, Ray,” Nicole said doubtfully.

“Listen, I really came here today to tell you some news that I know will ease your mind.”

“Good. It could use some easing.”

“It seems some teenagers were out near Roger's parking lot the night he was in jail, the night his brake line was cut. Two of them claim they saw someone hanging around a Ford Explorer. Roger is the only tenant with an Explorer.”

“Did they get a good look at this person?”

“No. Not at the face, anyway. There's some dispute over the height—one witness says the guy was about five foot ten, the other at least six feet. But they both agree on long dark hair and some kind of bulky jacket.”

Nicole swallowed. “Long dark hair?”

“Yeah. The description matches that of the person seen talking to Abbott in a patrol car before he was shot. It's Dominic, of course.”

“Maybe. Don't forget that Miguel Perez also has long dark hair.”

“Nicole, I haven't found out one wrong note about Perez. Not even a parking ticket.”

“Okay. Did these teenagers say they saw this person actually
do
anything to Roger's car?”

“He was on his hands and knees beside the car. The police are taking that seriously.”

“But there's still no proof that this guy did anything to the brake line, is there? I mean, no fingerprints or anything.”

“No.”

“So I'm still not off the hook, either with the police or myself,” Nicole said dismally.

Ray was still holding her hand and he squeezed it. “Nicole, you are a beautiful, gentle, loving woman. You are
not
a murderer.”

“Do you really believe that?” she asked tonelessly.

“I
know
it.” Ray leaned closer to her. “I
know
you would never hurt anyone.”

They looked into each other's eyes. Ray's face was so close to hers she could feel his warm breath on her face. She felt like leaning toward him, letting him hold and kiss and comfort her the way she knew he wanted to do. But something held her back, some deep irrational reserve kept her from letting Ray get any closer.

“I'm starving,” she said abruptly. “Would you like a tuna-salad sandwich or something more sophisticated?”

She couldn't miss Ray's fleeting look of disappointment. “A tuna sandwich is fine,”

2

That evening Nicole looked out the window a dozen times, wondering if she would spot Jordan, but there was no sign of the big dog. She thought about calling her mother to see how Shelley was faring but was afraid Phyllis might start another campaign to get her to move home. And she certainly couldn't call Carmen.

She considered calling Ray, but rejected the idea. He'd seemed vaguely unhappy during their lunch, and she knew it was because she had nearly pushed him away earlier when they sat on the couch. That action still puzzled her. She was attracted to Ray, and he'd certainly been kind and gentle to her, a champion throughout this whole mess. But she wasn't ready for a new man in her life. Also, she felt guilty that she hadn't told him about her visit to Alicia Dominic. She promised the woman the conversation was just between them, and she meant to keep that promise. Besides, Alicia hadn't told her anything pertinent that she and Ray didn't already know—that Paul was in town. The revelation about her affair had nothing to do with the case.

Around ten o'clock, Nicole again glanced through the yearbook Carmen had left behind. She turned to the picture of them in the Thespian play, wearing the hoods. If their names hadn't been under the photo, she wouldn't have known which of the three hooded witches she was. Then she looked closer and recognized a pair of shoes she'd owned in high school. And Carmen was so much taller than she and the other girl playing the witch. She was only a shade shorter than the boy portraying one of the judges.

So much taller. And now heavier than she had been as a teenager. Nicole's mind spun back to Ray's description of the person who had been seen hanging around Roger's car the night his brake line was cut. Long, dark hair, wearing a bulky jacket, and between five foot nine and six feet. Carmen was five foot nine and would have been even taller wearing shoes with any kind of heel. Ray had also told her Newton Wingate saw a tall, dark-haired person talking with the young patrolman Abbott the night of the murders. And what about the prowler wearing a wolf mask? Carmen claimed Bobby said he'd sold one to Lisa. Both Lisa and Bobby denied this. But as Lisa had pointed out, Carmen had access to the masks all the time. She'd also said Carmen had always been jealous of her and maybe wanted to make her appear crazy.

But why would Carmen want her to look crazy? Nicole leaned forward on the couch, putting her head in her hands and thinking hard. Could it be because Nicole was back in San Antonio claiming that Paul Dominic was, also? Even Ray believed he was here. But Carmen, usually so open-minded, steadfastly rejected any such notion. Was she afraid if given a chance Paul could prove his innocence? What would Carmen have to lose if it turned out he could?

Nicole abruptly lifted her head from her hands. Everything, if the case were opened again and, as Lisa insinuated, Carmen herself had killed Magaro and Zand.

But as things stand now, what if the case
were
opened again soon? Nicole thought. Who might the police look at first? Carmen? Of course not. They would focus on the unstable woman whose enemies had been experiencing violent accidents or deaths.

Her stomach turned over at the thought. Carmen? Carmen, who had been her friend for
so
long? Could she have planned such a complicated, diabolical scenario? No, it was impossible. Carmen might have been obsessed with Bobby Vega, even desperate to marry him because of her pregnancy, but she didn't have it in her to kill Magaro and Zand, much less Abbott and Izzy Dooley.

I'm tired, she thought, so tired I'm even entertaining Lisa Mervin's theories. If that's not a sign of a brain on overload, I don't know what is.

Exhausted, Nicole fixed some warm milk, checked all the doors and windows, then went to bed. She propped pillows behind her, intending to read, but within ten minutes her head had slid sideways.

It was night. A warm breeze blew her pale, silky robe around her legs. She walked through the brush, which pulled her robe aside whenever it snagged on a twig.

Voices floated toward her. “She thought she had us,” Magaro was saying.

“She almost did.”

“No she didn't. It would have been better if we could have killed her like I wanted, but she still couldn't hurt us. I got too many friends, man. I
told
you I'd come up with an alibi.” Her right hand squeezed around something metal. It fit perfectly within her palm. It gave her a feeling of power.

Now she was closer to the voices. “I should be on drums.”

“Vega's on drums.”

“Get rid of him or he might meet an unfortunate fate, worse than the girl's. At least she lived, although I'd still like to get this knife in her throat for all the trouble she caused.”

And then there was a crunching in the grass. Someone was approaching the two men, someone tall, someone she couldn't quite see. Her fingers tightened on the object in her hand…

Nicole jerked up in bed, drawing in her breath so sharply it hurt. She trembled all over and she felt perspiration dampening her hair, trickling down her temples.

A dream, she told herself. Ray had said after all that had happened to her the past few weeks, it was no surprise she was dreaming of Basin Park, of Zand and Magaro…

But this wasn't about the rape, she reminded herself. It wasn't even about that night.

“Maybe you killed Magaro and Zand on one of your midnight walks,” Carmen had said to her just that morning. Oh, God, Nicole thought. In the dream there had been something in her hand. Could it have been a gun?

She glanced at the clock beside her bed. Eleven-fifteen. Very late to be calling her mother, but she had to know.

Phyllis's voice was crisp and alert when she answered. “Nicole! Do you know what time it is?” Before Nicole had time to say anything, Phyllis exclaimed, “Oh, my God, what's happened now?”

“Nothing, Mom,” Nicole said. “I hope I didn't wake up Shelley, but I just had to ask you a question.”

“The phone in your old room, where Shelley is staying, has a different number.”

“I'd forgotten,” Nicole breathed. “Did I wake you?”

“No. I was reading. Now what is this all about?”

“Sleepwalking. Mother, after my attack, did I sleepwalk?”

There was a slight pause. “What would make you think that?”

“Because Carmen told me I did.”