Page 13 of Craving Vengeance
“Not taking that?” Walker asked.
“It can wait,” Spinelli said as he placed the phone back in its holder. He wasn’t ready to talk to her yet. He needed to get his thoughts in order before he confronted her, but the cupid case prevented him from doing so. Maybe he’d never be ready to talk to her. He shook his head.Freaking women.
Spinelli shifted his gaze to Marsh. “Tell me about Cupid.”
Marsh shot him a frown. “What?”
“Cupid, in general, what’s the deal with this cupid character? You know, historically. Maybe we can find some sort of connection there.”
“How the hell should I know?” Marsh questioned.
“You always seem to know this kind of useless information.”
“Cupid is the son of Venus, the goddess of love, but I wouldn’t expect someone like you to know anything about that,” Bethany’s shrill voice sounded behind Spinelli.
A chill raced down Spinelli’s spine. His body tensed. What was she doing up here? He dreaded having to face her. She hated him with a passion. He never meant to hurt her, but it just wasn’t there for him. Spinelli spun on his heel, “Bethany.”
“Detective,” she responded in a tone so cold dry ice would have warmed it.
He caught the glances exchanged between Walker and Marsh. He suspected that they probably wanted to disappear as well.
Bethany pressed on. “Supposedly, a person who is shot by cupid’s golden arrow is filled with uncontrollable desire. I doubt that even cupid’s arrow could penetrate your exterior.”
Marsh chuckled.
Her angry gaze shifted to him. “What in the hell are you laughing at, Marsh? You’re no better,” Bethany snapped.
He pinched his lips together.
God, she’s bitter.“Bethany, what can we do for you?” Spinelli asked in the softest voice he could muster.
She glared at him. “Nothing. I just thought you might want to know that Chad Williams was poisoned in the same manner as Carter and Rosso. All three ingested cyanide.”
“How do you think the killer did it? Did he slip into a drink or something?” Walker asked.
Bethany shrugged. “Could have I suppose, or perhaps it was something they ate. All their blood alcohol levels came back negative.”
Bethany stepped closer to the crime board and studied the photos. There were several photos of the dead bodies and one each of the men prior to their deaths. She glanced over her shoulder at the three detectives. “Have you guys noticed anything odd about your three victims?”
They all edged closer to the board.
“What do you mean?” Walker asked.
She smirked. “They all look like Spinelli.” She fixed her gaze on Spinelli. “Hmm. I wonder if that means anything. Might make for an interesting Valentine’s Day for you. What kind of company have you been keeping?” Bethany questioned with a smirk just before she sauntered off.
Spinelli eyed the photos more closely.What in the hell was Bethany talking about?“Do I really look like them?”
“Sort of, I guess,” Marsh responded. “Maybe I should cross-reference some of your lady friends with theirs.”
“What?”
“Well, look how pissed Bethany is. Maybe we’ve got a scorned woman on our hands. Maybe she’s trying to send a message,” Marsh added as he pointed in the direction Bethany disappeared.
A hint of unease coiled in Spinelli’s chest. Was Marsh right? Right now, his theory was as good as any. His mind drifted to thoughts of Shannon.Freaking women! In the event they don’t kill you, they stomp on your heart and tear you into pieces. I don’t need this shit!
