Deadly Touch Read online

  Well, he could be hard. He could grill her until she passed out. But that wasn’t going to happen because she had called her brother, Robert, who was a criminal attorney.

  Usually for the prosecution.

  But he was heading here now. She’d given up on trying to explain. She had never harmed another soul in her entire life, and it had never occurred to her that anyone might suspect her of having committed a murder.

  Now she realized such an assumption had been not just naive but entirely stupid.

  And in retrospect, maybe she wouldn’t have believed herself. What she was saying sounded ridiculous even to her own ears. She knew where a body had been dumped, which to most people would surely suggest she had put it there or at least knew who else had.

  “Yes. I know it’s hard for you to believe me. And I wouldn’t have called the police unless I believed...unless I believed it helpful. I’ve heard that several victims have been found over the past few months in the Everglades. I know it’s ridiculous! But I also know various police departments have accepted the services of mediums and psychics. I’m not psychic—not usually. I’ve never had anything like this happen to me before.”

  “Trying on a dress and looking in a mirror and seeing the mutilated body of a woman. And the sign for the airboat ride company and a mile marker and the whole bit,” MacDonald said as he shook his head slightly.

  He was speaking skeptically, but she replied earnestly. “It wasn’t as if I was looking in a mirror. It was more like a window. I’m from here, born at South Miami Hospital, and I’ve spent a lot of time out in the Everglades. I’m an animal trainer. I usually work with dogs, but I’ve also been called in to work with dolphins, horses, cats and even a few ferrets and skunks.”

  “Skunk whisperer, eh?”

  She sighed, trying once again for patience. “I really like animals and I believe I am able to comprehend what causes certain behaviors,” she said.

  “Is that why you killed her? She was a meat-eater?”

  This was getting worse and worse.

  “I have nothing against meat-eaters. We are omnivores. I don’t like the way we treat and kill many animals we use as food sources. But no, I don’t think people working for slaughter houses need to be murdered in turn.”

  He leaned closer to her. “She’s dead. She was found exactly as you said she would be. There was no way you could know that. Unless you knew her killer or killed her yourself.”

  Raina leaned back, suddenly angrier than she was frightened.

  “I was with a client and a troubled K-9 pup until almost ten o’clock last night. The woman is with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as is her dog, Jake. They came to me. I didn’t leave my apartment after that. We have cameras, so you can check. I left my house at nine this morning to go dress shopping. And then I called in what I saw, and the next thing I knew, I was being picked up. You can check out every move I made—something I assume you’re already doing. There was no way I would have had time to get out to the Everglades.”

  “She’s right, you know,” a voice said.

  Both Raina and Detective MacDonald started. They’d been so intent on one another that they hadn’t heard the door quietly open.

  They both stared at the man who had entered.

  Raina let out a soft gasp.

  She knew him.

  She hadn’t seen him in years and years, and he had definitely changed, but it was him.

  Axel? Axel Tiger? The storyteller she had met deep in the Everglades years and years ago?

  “Special Agent Tiger. To, uh, what do we owe the...pleasure?” MacDonald asked warily.

  Special Agent?

  Her mind was working in ridiculous circles. Axel. Here, now, in a blue suit, older, a man, filled out...special agent. Agent of what? Special—why?

  “Hey. Yeah, you know we were called in,” Axel said quietly, handing MacDonald a paper—something official.

  Very official.

  MacDonald shot her a hostile and suspicious look and rose, indicating Axel should take the chair.

  “Knock yourself out, my friend.”

  She wasn’t sure how sincere the “my friend” part of his words might be.

  But Axel nodded, thanked him and took the chair, watching grimly until MacDonald had left the interrogation room.

  When the door closed, he turned to Raina. She was surely staring at him just like a stereotypical deer in the headlights.

  “Hello, Raina.”

  She continued to stare. He gave her a weary grimace.

  “I’m FBI now,” he explained. She hadn’t asked the question. Maybe he could read her mind.

  She managed a nod. And then because she was worn down and exhausted and hating herself, she added simply, “Dear God, I did not do this, nor do I know who did. I called because I thought I could help.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

  “I realize that,” he said.

  Was he trying to trick her? She thought of all the shows she had seen on investigations and questioning. Was this good cop versus bad cop?

  She didn’t reply.

  “And I know,” he continued, “you’re wishing you’d never called. But you have done us a tremendous service. We both know the Everglades. We understand the landscape is brutal and that a body can be consumed by the creatures, the water and the vegetation there with amazing speed and certainty.”

  “I shouldn’t have called,” she said.

  “‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,’” he quoted. “You did the right thing.”

  “I don’t believe your colleagues see it that way.”

  “But I do. I know you’ve told your story again and again, but would you tell it one more time for me? I will listen with an entirely open mind, I promise you.”

  Raina stared at him, incredulous that a boy from her past was suddenly here now in a somber deep-blue suit. He wore it well. His features had matured, as had his frame. He was more striking than he had been in his youth.

  “I understand you grew up to be an animal trainer?” he asked.

  “Dogs, mainly. But other animals, too. Mammals, that is,” she added. “The occasional bird.”

  “They say you’re the best.”

  “I don’t know who ‘they’ might be, but I have a good work ethic and I love all creatures.” She winced. “Including human creatures. Mostly.”

  That brought a real smile to his lips.

  “And you grew up to be an FBI agent?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I joined the military, managed a college degree that way, and then a friend led me toward the academy and the bureau.” He looked at her kindly. “So, what brought you in today?”

  “I was planning on attending a fundraiser for a children’s foundation on Friday night. I’m speaking, and I was trying to find the right dress to wear. There’s a place I like on Sunset near the mall that carries local designs. Anyway, I tried on a dress, looked in the mirror and, instead of my reflection, I saw the crime scene. I know how ridiculous that sounds. But I’d heard that the body of a woman was recently found in the Everglades—or what remained of her. And a few months back, the remains of a man were discovered in a similar state. When I saw that...” She paused, looking down, wincing.

  “You’re a decent human being. When you saw her lying there, you had to call.”

  She looked up at him. “You believe I saw her in the mirror?”

  He nodded at her gravely.

  She sat back, staring at him skeptically. “Is this an act? If not, aren’t you worried about what your colleagues are going to think when they listen to the recording?”

  “We’re not being recorded.”

  It seemed he was telling the truth.

  He stood and said, “Come on. I’m going to get you out of here. Except I need you to
do me a favor. Will you come with me to where the body was found?”

  Again, she looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. She shook her head slowly and her voice came out as a whisper again.

  “I really don’t want to see—”

  “The body is gone,” he said softly.

  “I don’t know how that can help,” she said.

  “I don’t, either, but it’s worth a shot. We don’t know what’s going on. Let’s face it, the Everglades is an area that’s unique and wonderful in many ways with a fantastic history, but it also has a history of bodies being dumped. You heard about the latest victims. We believe these murders are related, we just don’t know how. At least, not yet.” He was quiet a beat, watching her before he continued. “I work with a special unit of the bureau. We are willing to look in just about any direction—with open minds. Have you ever had something like this happen to you before? The mirror thing?”

  “No!”

  “Then, who knows? To me, that suggests there’s a reason you did this time. You might be able to really help.”

  He was serious, she realized.

  Either that or she was being played.

  “Two things,” he continued. “I know I’m asking a lot. I know you have a life. What I’d like is to return to the dress shop. We’ll purchase the dress.”

  She frowned. “You want me to put it back on? No, no, no, no, no!”

  The door opened again; it was Detective MacDonald. There were a few seconds when she feared he was coming in to officially arrest her, then she saw her older brother, Robert, had arrived.

  Raina adored her brother. He was tall and lean with hair redder than hers that he kept neatly and closely cropped. He was a prosecuting attorney for the county, but he managed to keep that separate from his life. He was married, a great dad who attended T-ball every weekend, and had maintained a sense of humor.

  “I’m here to advise my sister of her legal rights. Oh, wait, you people have nothing. She tried to help you. You have nothing against her,” he said.

  Raina expected MacDonald to launch into the fact she’d known the exact location of the victim’s body.

  He didn’t get a chance.

  Axel had risen.

  “Robert, Raina is entirely free to go. But I’ve asked for her help.”

  “Axel!” Robert said with surprise.

  Raina looked at the two. They knew one another.

  “I’m really not up to speed here,” Robert said, addressing Axel. “I came because Raina called. Another body in the Everglades?”

  Axel nodded.

  “And Raina can help?”

  “Only if she’s willing.”

  No.

  No, no, no. She wasn’t willing.

  But then she remembered why she had called in the first place. Someone had been cruelly murdered. And she was annoyed that Axel’s quoting Edmund Burke had gotten into her head. If she did nothing... Was she helping evil? Turning her back on the poor woman she’d seen in the mirror?

  “Raina,” Axel said quietly. “Please. We could really use your help.”

  She looked at her brother.

  “Kiddo, your call. But he’s one of the good guys.”

  MacDonald let out a snort and left the room.

  “You two know each other?” she asked. Axel was five or six years older than she was; her brother only had her by three.

  “We’ve worked a case together before,” Robert said. “He found some evidence it seemed no one else could.”

  Great. If not in awe of the man, her brother greatly admired him.

  “Are you scheduled with clients today?” Axel asked politely.

  She was frowning again. She needed to say she was busy—already late for a training session.

  She wasn’t. She tried not to frown. She had purposely kept the day clear, thinking she was going to work with Titan, her Belgian shepherd, for the little show they’d be doing at the fundraiser. But it wouldn’t have been much work. Titan was an amazing dog. He seemed to understand when they were doing something important and he loved children. He’d be at his best.

  And she had till Friday night.

  But the dress!

  He wanted her to put it back on. He wanted to buy the damned thing. Fine, then. They’d buy it. She’d put it on, and then she’d burn it!

  She lifted her hands, tempted to touch her face and smooth out the wrinkles she had surely put there permanently.

  “You’ll come with me?” Axel asked.

  Again, she looked at Robert.

  Some protector!

  He seemed all for it.

  “Um, I guess,” she said softly.

  Robert looked at Axel. “I’ll leave her in your hands, then.”

  That was it. She stood. “Robert, I don’t need to be left in anyone’s hands, thank you. I’ll do what I can to help. But please, that was—”

  “Sorry! Sorry!” Robert said. “It’s just, well, I have to get back to work. I was worried—”

  “Thank you. And I’m fine.”

  Her brother grinned. “Love you, sis! I’m out of here.”

  He was gone, and suddenly she was alone with Axel again.

  “Come on,” he said.

  “We just walk out of here?”

  “We just walk out of here.”

  She nodded. He waited, holding the door open for her. She walked out the door, and then through the station, anxious to be outside, afraid someone was going to stop them, that robotic or alien arms would reach out and drag her back.

  Some of the officers did watch them as they left.

  But they stepped outside at last. It was summer and the sun was high overhead, so bright she blinked against it. She hadn’t known how cold she had been until she felt the warmth of it on her skin.

  A hot summer’s day. Humid. The kind they often whined about.

  And it was perfect and beautiful.

  “I’m across in the lot,” Axel said, indicating where he was parked.

  They walked together. And then, when they reached the car, she turned around to stare at him.

  “I don’t get it. No one believed me. The more I tried to explain, the more I doubted myself. The more ridiculous I sounded. But you believed me. Why?”

  He’d put sunglasses on and she couldn’t see his eyes.

  But she did see the slight twist to his lips.

  “Because you saw it,” he offered. “Because you saw the pirate ship, sailing over our great river of grass.”

  Two

  “Is that it?” Axel asked.

  The friendly clerk in the dress store greeted Raina politely, probably assuming she had returned for the dress, unaware of Raina’s reasons for abandoning it earlier. When she had seen what she had seen, she must not have screamed or done anything that alerted anyone to the fact something else might be going on.

  She’d gotten out of the dress—and out of the store.

  Now, watching her, Axel was certain she was hoping the dress had been sold, or it had mysteriously disappeared.

  It had not. The clerk, a pretty round woman of about forty with a nice if slightly nervous smile, beamed with plastic pleasure when they approached her.

  “I thought you’d be back. Oh, with the date this time, eh? Having him check it out?” the clerk asked. “It’s perfect on her, just right with those curves, and that little waist. I had a feeling you’d be back. In fact, I was so certain, I set it aside! After I picked it up off the floor of the dressing room when you, uh, ran out,” she added, a slight touch of reproach slipping into her voice.

  “I’m so sorry. I realized I had, um, somewhere to be. But yes, we’re back for the dress,” Raina said.

  “Wonderful, dear. I have it right here!” The friendly clerk turned around to a rack of clothing, riffled through it for a mi
nute and produced a blue dress. She then asked with a wince, “Did you want to try it on again, dear?”

  Axel glanced quickly at Raina. She didn’t give away much, but she was going very pale, which was really something since her skin was like porcelain. Her hair was a dark auburn, framing the lightness of her complexion. Her eyes, he realized, he had remembered through the years. They weren’t brown, green or even hazel, but rather a shade that was like a true amber, unusual and striking, and now, again, adding to the pale shade of her face.

  “I—uh...”

  She was stuttering, so Axel answered for her.

  “We don’t need her to try it again. We’ll just take it.”

  “Oh, thank the good Lord!” the woman said, her words whispered and barely discernable.

  Raina turned to stare at him, something incredulous in her expression now, a touch of color rising to her cheek. She moved awkwardly to ease her shoulder bag to the counter, ready to produce her credit card.

  Axel smiled, not sure if his words would make it harder or ease a burden. “My gift to you, darling!” he said quickly, handing the woman one of his own credit cards.

  The clerk took it, babbling away about how beautiful Raina was going to be and what a lovely couple they made. Raina just stood still, saying nothing.

  But he needed more from the place. “This is a very special dress. I would imagine not many people have tried it on.”

  “The only woman I know of who tried it on is your lovely little lady here,” the clerk said. “But I’m not always here, of course. There are three of us during the late shift and on Saturdays and Sundays. Someone else may have tried it on. I don’t know. But I assure you, there’s nothing wrong with it. Clothing is often tried on. It’s good to know it fits.”

  “Oh, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the dress.”