Page 47 of Rookie Days

“Why not?”

“Because it would be ridiculous. She’s much younger than me, for starters. Obviously at a very different stage in her life. And I don’t know what I’m doing at the moment either. From one minute to the other, I think a different thing!”

With her eyes intently on her face, Lia did not miss a beat.

“It’s scary, isn’t it? To not feel in control?”

“I’m not scared,” Janet insisted, while her stomach twisted uncomfortably.

“But you enjoyed kissing her.”

“I enjoy kissing a lot of women Lia.”

“But it’s different with her.” Lia could not prevent a grin, prompting Janet to stare hard.

“Are you going to feed me back every word I said?”

“No…” Lia’s grin widened. “But I’ll tell you one thing, Jan. If this is anything like what happened between me and Quinn, life won’t give you a chance to escape.”

chapter 15

By the end of the week, Ellie felt as if she’d become an intimate friend of Bryn O’Connell’s. She had spoken to all who knew her, explored her apartment, read through the private journal she kept on her computer, and mapped out her entire existence. The diary made her smile, chuckle from time to time, and her heart ache all the way through. O’Connell was sharp, warm, and often ironic in her comments. But she was always quick to spot the positive in people and in her experiences. It was hard not to like someone like her, or to feel a kinship for the woman. Still, she did not mention anything obvious that would be helpful to the case. Ellie continued to refer to her by her last name, even in her own head. An ability to empathize with the victim was helpful in this job, but she still had to be a bit careful. She knew she must be doing well when there were no more flashbacks. No dreams either. Her loss of control with Jorge Gonzales had been a good warning about complacency, a lesson Ellie would not forget in a hurry. Now, as Quinn said, all she had to do was catch a killer. That night, she decided to pay a visit to some of the bars where O’Connell liked to spend her evenings, according to her journal. She was off-duty, officially, though it was never really the case. Ellie justthought she’d take a look at a few places, switch off her brain, get more of an intimate feel for that scene. Basically, she wanted to immerse herself in the world of her target. Try to see through his eyes and maybe learn something new in the process. She took an Uber to downtown Lewiston. Late Friday night, and it was busy as usual. Once upon a time, this area could never have been called trendy. It was seedy and sometimes lethal after dark. Drug deals were done openly on every street corner and prostitution was rampant. Some of that stuff still took place, though maybe not quite so in your face. Overall, the atmosphere was okay. People having fun, relaxing at the end of the work week. A little too much for some, fueled by too much alcohol and whatever else they may have ingested. Just up ahead, Ellie spotted two patrol cars on the curb and officers keeping a bunch of brawling guys apart. Nothing unusual. Everything was under control, so she let the uniforms get on with their job. She did stop further on to help a woman in vertiginous heels and a dress so tight that Ellie wondered how she could breathe, maintain her balance as she teetered down the street.

“Whoops!” The woman yelped, turning to her with a tipsy grin on her scarlet lips. “Rough seas out here tonight, uh!”

“You bet,” Ellie nodded. “Are you okay?”

“Seems champagne is getting to my head, darling. But I’ll live.”

Blond hair, blue eyes, with the same sort of friendly attitude O’Connell must have displayed. It would be just that easy, Ellie reflected, for the monster she was after to make a victim out of this woman.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Home.” The stranger giggled. “Been celebrating!”

Ellie did not ask for details about the occasion or even what kind of idiots she had been partying with. She knew for sure that she would never leave a friend on the street on her own like this,intoxicated or not. It never ceased to amaze her how careless and naïve some people could be. Then again, she was aware that her job colored her perspective.

“Hey, you’re nice,” the woman slurred, smiling and leaning sideways.

“Thanks, you too,” Ellie chuckled.

“Want to come home with me, gorgeous?”

Oh, dear!Safety conscious, this one definitely was not. Since anything that she might say was likely to fall on sloshed ears, Ellie ignored the question and just kept a steadying hand on the woman’s elbow. She steered her toward a line of waiting cabs. Female driver behind the wheel of the first one.Even better.Ellie opened the back door and got her charge settled in. She flashed a smile at the driver.

“You get her home safe, okay?”

“Guaranteed.” The driver answered with a thumbs-up.

“Bye, angel!” Her inebriated friend blew her a kiss from the back seat.

Ellie kept at it, roaming from bar to bar and soaking in the atmosphere. She carried her weapon on her hip under her jacket, and her badge in her pocket. Feeling detached and hyper aware as she floated through the crowds. No one would be able to tell that she was a cop, and that she had her own agenda for being among them tonight. She was sure that it would be the same for the killer. He would enjoy this, she supposed. Anonymity, and the freedom to move around undetected. No doubt it would give him a sense of power and control. Make him feel special.Son of a bitch.It was close to one a.m. when Ellie decided to call it a night. And because she ended up in front of a place called‘G4GIRL’, she walked into the exclusively lesbian bar. Certainly, she was not looking to hook up with anyone there. This would be more of a comfort thing, really. Sort of like a reward after spending the evening looking at women as prey,with the eyes of a killer. Now she’d have one beer, settle herself, and go home. She was not prepared to find Janet there, and froze instantly at the sight of her. Fox was on her own, leaning casually against the bar with a glass of wine in hand as she observed the room. Dressed to kill, in Ellie’s opinion, in tailored leather pants, elegant red heels, and a somewhat loose, white linen shirt laced up in the front. She wore her glasses tonight, and her dark hair brushed back. She managed to display sultry sensuality and raw intelligence in one devastating package, and Ellie was grateful to be in the shadows. Because all she wanted to do was stare. She had ignored Janet in her orbit for so long…Wonder how I managed that.Ellie had also succeeded in keeping the memory of their evening together from intruding as she focused exclusively on her work and pushed herself during her morning runs. Quieting the thoughts and the questions, not allowing herself to go down the rabbit hole of her own emotions. Scared of getting lost and entangled. The truth of it was that she had kissed the woman, and wanted to do it again at the first opportunity.Maybe now….Ellie unconsciously wet her lips at the thought. In a bar full of attractive women, Janet Fox still managed to look a hundred times more alluring than anyone else. Elegant… Sophisticated.Hot.But then, Ellie sighed in irritation.For goodness sake!Seemed like it might be time for the reality check that Janet had mentioned the other night.

???

She was feeling nicely switched off as she sipped on her glass of wine. Over on the dance floor, under a set of hazy lights, women moved intimately to one of Sade’s many languorous tunes. Janet had no intention of participating tonight, and she had already declined a couple of invites from interested strangers. But she liked to observe the ebb and flow of connection as it took place in front of her. She appreciated thevibe of this entirely female space and the sense of easy belonging that she always felt here. Her relaxation came to an abrupt end when she caught sight of Ellie across the room. All of a sudden, Janet jolted back to full alertness. Her pulse quickened. Her vision sharpened.Oh, wow.She had to stare. The detective was wearing her usual blue jeans but she had swapped the running shoes for a pair of biker’s boots. Black shirt under an attractively well-worn and scuffed leather jacket. Raven-black hair obviously left to do its own thing, which happened to be enticingly wild. And those brilliant grey eyes to finish it all off, which were currently fixed on her like two heat-seeking missiles. Here was a supremely fine hunk of a woman, Janet decided, who did not look at all under the weather like she had been in recent times. Ellie oozed magnetic energy tonight. Accordingly, she received many glances when she cut across the room. And as pretty much always, appeared totally oblivious. Women noticed her and looked on admiringly, even as they moved swiftly out of her path. Janet drew pleasure at the realization that Ellie was making her way directly toward her, and only seemed to have eyes for her. Her reaction struck her as shallow, bordering on pathetic again. Just as well, she did not give a damn this time either.

“Good evening, Detective.”

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