Melody: A Novel Part 9

"So, enough about me. How are you, girl?" Aileen grinned. "You haven't been coming by as much. I miss my girl. Lately, I've been thinking of all the crazy s.h.i.+t we used to do. Remember that time we skipped school with Craig and Lucas?" They laughed. "We played chicken on that train, remember?"

Melody grinned. "How could I forget. I can't believe we did something so stupid and dangerous!"

"h.e.l.l, we were teenagers. What do you expect?"

"And I can't believe you of all people went along with it, Leen. You always seemed to be the one telling us not to do things, like you were our mother or something. What got into you on that day I wouldn't know." Melody cackled.

"Remember Lucas slipped and almost fell off?" Aileen shook her head. "Man, it was scary as h.e.l.l back then, but it's funny now!"

"Yeah." Melody sat back. "We've been through a lot, Leen. It's amazing that after all this time, we're still friends."

Aileen's laughter settled into a calm smile. "And we always will be. You're my sister, Melody. I love you so much."

"Oh Leen, I love you, too." They hugged. "That's why I'm so worried." Melody moved away. "I know I nag you, but I want you to be safe."

"And I will be." Aileen pushed Melody's hair behind her ears. "So how are you, Mel? I sensed the strange mood the minute we started talking. What's the deal?"

She chewed her tongue. "I'll be working at Caper Enterprises." She braced herself for Aileen's excitement.

"Caper Enterprises? You'll be working for Lucas's father?"

Melody nodded.

"Oh my G.o.d! Melody, Caper is one of the most successful advertising firms in the nation! How did you go from not having a job to all this?"

She shrugged. "Sarah and Lucas had been talking about it behind my back, and Lucas presented the idea to me. I need a job and his dad said I was qualified to work as an a.s.sistant, so there."

Aileen grinned. "Uh-huh. So you'll be working with Lucas, huh? Now that's gotta cheer you up."

Melody grinned. "Why do you say that?"

"Come on, Mel. You were in love with Lucas back then, and you're in love with him now."

"I am not!" She chuckled. "How can you be in love with someone you haven't seen in years?"

"You tell me." Aileen winked. "Be honest, girlfriend. Doesn't working with Lucas, and the thought of being around him every day excite you?"

Aileen didn't know the half of it. Lucas had to be the main reason Melody entertained the thought for a second. She must have been in love with him if she were willing to put up with being around Keith Taylor every day. She s.h.i.+vered. Aileen gaped. Melody gripped the table and she took a deep breath.

"Oh goodness, it's okay, Mel." Aileen held her. "Panic attack?" Melody nodded. She heaved for a moment, then her breathing returned to normal. "I thought you said you didn't have these anymore." Aileen rocked her.

"Well, I haven't...for a while." She exhaled. She touched her chest. "Just...when I get...frightened."

"Mel, what's the matter?" Aileen pleaded. "You're shaking like a leaf. You're splitting in two before my eyes. Look at me, honey." Melody did. "What's going on? You know, you can tell me anything. Did something happen to you?"

"Where's...Dan...Danielle?" Melody wheezed. She glanced around for the adorable two-year-old.

"She's sleeping." Aileen got a gla.s.s of water. "Here drink this, Mel. Take your time, honey." Melody sipped the water. She leaned back in the chair. "You're sweating a river, Mel. You're burning up." Aileen felt her forehead. "Maybe you should go to the doctor."

"No, I'm all right, Leen. It's just a panic attack." She sipped more water. "I'm doing fine, now." At least she thought so before she began thinking of Keith again. "Just so much on my mind, you know?"

"This stuff on your mind...it's the reason you rushed down here in the middle of the day, isn't it?"

Melody scoffed. "I didn't rush." She finished the water.

"Mel. Talk to me." Aileen took her hand.

"You're gonna think it's silly if you're anything like Sarah."

Aileen grimaced. "Please don't compare me to Sarah." They grinned. "Seriously, tell me what's going on. You know you can talk to me, if no one else."

"Well, Sarah has a new boyfriend and..."

Aileen gaped. "Wait a minute." She sat up in the chair. "Sarah has another boyfriend? Was she born with some radar that attracts every Tom, d.i.c.k and Harry in New York?"

"No, but it sure seems like it. Anyway, his name is Keith and he works at Caper. Oh, Leen." Melody shook her head. "Girl, something is really wrong with this guy. He's not right in the head and I seem to be the only person who sees it."

"Well, what's going on, Mel?" Aileen propped her feet on the table.

"You should see him. The dude looks like he stepped off Jet Set magazine or some s.h.i.+t. He wears these posh suits and he drives this fancy car. He looks like he has money coming out of his a.s.s. Worst of all, he acts like he's G.o.d's gift to women. He's obnoxious beyond belief."

"Is he fine?"

Melody shrugged. "I guess, if you like that Wall Street-yuppie look."

Aileen grinned. "Come on and give it up. He's got it going on, huh?"

"Okay, he's one of the most attractive men I've ever seen. But I am not attracted to him at all, Leen. I can't stand him." Melody walked around the kitchen. "On the surface he seems like the perfect guy. I can see why Sarah would fall for him. I mean, she has no idea how he acts when she's not around."

"And..." Aileen turned in her chair to face Melody. "How does he act?"

"He acts one way with her, and another with me." Melody filled her gla.s.s with ice and water. "He just does the craziest things."

"Like what?" Aileen's bottom lip hung open.

Melody looked at her. "Like sneaking up to my room to see me undress."

"Say what?" Aileen grimaced.

"Yeah, and he grabbed me this morning in the kitchen. Sarah was right upstairs getting dressed."

"Define "grabbed.'"

"He put his hands around my waist, and he wouldn't let me go."

"Well, did you tell him to stop?"

"Yeah, I screamed for him to get the h.e.l.l away from me. He didn't seem to care what I said, as long as he could get his point across."

"Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh." Aileen shook her head. "What kind of s.h.i.+t is he pulling?"

"I don't know. All I know is that I have never felt this way around someone before. You ever have that feeling that something is out of place, but you don't have the power to fix it? Like a recurring dream when you're drowning, and the only person who can throw you a life preserver...won't. Get me?"

"Uh, no. But keep talking." Aileen cradled her knees to her chest.

"He's gone way out of bounds with me in more ways than one. But that's not the most important thing here." She bit her lip. "Leen, Keith Taylor is no good. He's hiding something, I can feel it. You should see how he acts with Sarah, too. It's so sickening, how she coos over him when he seems to think of her as just some object. Every little thing she does now is to suit him."

"Well, you know Sarah's one of 'those' women who drops everyone else in their lives when they get a new man." Aileen finished her grape soda. "Unfortunately, she seems to have a new man every week. Can you say, 'stank'?" She chuckled.

"Hey, watch it." Melody grinned. "That 'stank' is my sister." They laughed. "Seriously, Sarah is not a stank; she's just looking for love in all the wrong places. See, Sarah looks at a guy's material worth and s.h.i.+t like that. She doesn't know a d.a.m.n thing about a man's heart."

"And you do?" Aileen grinned.

"I know more than she does. If she wasn't blinded by Keith's persona, she'd see the kind of man he is."

"And what kind of man is that?"

"A dangerous one." Melody sighed.

"Have you discussed this with Sarah?"

"If she listened, would I be discussing it with you? Besides, with the way Keith's acting I'm beyond convincing Sarah. I have a feeling that this is going to really get out of control. It's just the way he makes me feel. You know how some people make you feel frightened?" Aileen nodded. "And when you feel that way, then something is really wrong."

Aileen stood. "If Sarah won't listen, you gotta just handle things yourself. If Keith continues to act this way with you, you gotta be firm, Mel. Let the f.u.c.ker know that you're not taking his bulls.h.i.+t. See, he's doing this because he knows you're taking it." Melody nodded. "Seems to me he's a manipulator, Mel. I bet he's pulled this s.h.i.+t with tons of people, except they fall for it. But you don't."

"That's right. I think that's the main reason he's f.u.c.king with me. He knows I can't stand his a.s.s, and he wants to control me like he does Sarah." She set her gla.s.s in the sink. "I forgot to tell you another thing. This evening, he kissed me." Aileen gasped. "That's why I came over here. I really need some advice."

"So he's attracted to you?" Melody shrugged. "What did you do when he kissed you?"

"I told him to get the h.e.l.l out of my house."

"Didn't Sarah hear?"

"No, Sarah was at work. Keith had the day off and he was in our house when I got home. Sarah gave him a key."

"Oh wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." Aileen rubbed her face. "You mean this guy, with the way he's acting has the opportunity to go in and out of your house, at will? How long has Sarah known this guy?"

"Probably a couple of months, if that."

"Oh no, this isn't right, Melody. There's no way in h.e.l.l he should have a key. He shouldn't be able to just waltz into your home like that. Melody, you gotta take care of this, even if Sarah won't. Keith is taking control of Sarah's life, little by little. If you don't put an end to what he's doing now, he'll take control of yours, too. You gotta stand up to him, Melody."

"And if that doesn't work?"

"Then go to the police the next time he lays a finger on you."

Brianna couldn't believe she loved being a policewoman. She'd started on the police force at twenty-two. She'd outranked many of the officers in the academy. She made detective at thirty. Now, at thirty-five, she felt at ease. She'd had her share of frantic and tragic moments over the last fourteen years. But that hadn't outweighed her love for the job. In fact, she'd grown more respect because of the danger she'd encountered.

She couldn't see herself doing anything else on this earth. People were always shocked to find out that she was a detective. She scanned her latest report about the Albany Predator. Maybe people were right. She could have picked a more glamorous lifestyle. She was beautiful, but she liked to think she was s.e.xy. She was inquisitive with tons of potential. Yet catching s.e.xual predators had been the only thing on her mind.

She struggled to block out the sounds of the noisy police station. Despite all of its faults, she wouldn't have given up her career for anything in the world.

Especially now. She flipped through the sketch artist's drawings of the supposed Albany Predator. Brianna hadn't wanted to nail someone so much. It hit too close to home. Her desire grew from a place she couldn't recognize. Even if she hadn't been black, she'd want the b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Steven laughed from across their adjoined desks. Detective Pete Cunningham once again entertained Steven with his regular pastime of telling dirty jokes when he should have been getting the d.a.m.n phone.

"Cunningham!" A detective waved from eight desks down. "Get your d.a.m.n phone!"

"Huh?" Cunningham struggled to hear beyond a sea of over fifty detectives walking to and fro. Their chattering voices resembled the sound of a thousand typewriters. Brianna shook her head. How she'd gotten used to this, she'd never know.

"I said answer your phone!" the guy hollered.

"Huh?"

"Answer the f.u.c.kin' phone!" A detective sitting next to Cunningham left for the soda machine. Cunningham scoffed. He took his time answering it. Steven leaned back in his chair, grinning. He noticed the gravity of Brianna's lovely face.

"Really been working there, huh?" He leaned to see the sketches. "Too bad he looks like your average soap actor. Sure as h.e.l.l would help us if he didn't look like he walked off a poster."

Brianna chuckled. "Yeah, he looks just like you." She held up the picture.

"Say for real!" Cunningham got off the phone. Another detective stopped to see the sketch. A group began to tease Steven within minutes. "Morris is right, he does look a little like you, Kemp!" Cunningham guffawed.

"He sure does!" A fat middle-aged detective grabbed one of the sketches. "Hey, maybe that's why you can't find him!" They laughed. "Been holding out on purpose, huh, Steve?"

"Funny." Steven looked at Brianna. "See what you started, huh?"

"s.h.i.+t, it's not Bree's fault. d.a.m.n." Cunningham squinted at one of the sketches. "No joke, he looks just like you, Kemp. Where were you last Friday?" They laughed.

"Okay, enough with the teasing, huh? Don't you guys got something to do?" Steven chuckled. The cops slowly milled back to their desks.

"Good eye, Morris." Cunningham walked off.

Brianna grinned. "They're just playing, Steve."

"Well, it's not that funny to me. I don't want to be compared to that a.s.shole." He rocked in his chair. "Going over the victims' statements again?" She nodded. "I've been over them about twenty times and can't pick up a d.a.m.n thing. I think I'll contact Monica again."

"Just give her time, Steven. She'll contact us if she knows anything. I believe that. I don't think she'll want this man walking around if she can help put him away."

"But we got sketches, statements, even some witnesses who have seen this guy, yet we still come up with s.h.i.+t." He sighed. "He's a smart son of a b.i.t.c.h, I tell you. He s going from neighborhood to neighborhood, and we don't have a clue where he'll strike next."

"I've been thinking." Brianna twirled her pencil. "We know his pattern, right? He rapes and rapes for days straight, then he stops for like weeks." She shrugged. "We can't get a handle on anyone who looks like him." Steven nodded. "I'm thinking he's coming from somewhere else."

"What, you mean you think he doesn't live in the city, but is coming to Albany to rape? That wouldn't make sense. He knows too much about the city's navigation. He's obviously staking out his victims, Bree. You have to live in a city to have that kind of time. Anyway, I don't know if anyone would start raping long distance."

She shrugged. "Just a thought, even though it does seem pretty farfetched." She straightened her papers.

"What's farfetched?" Cunningham returned to his desk with a cinnamon roll.

"I was talking to him." She gestured to Steven.

"Oh, excuse me, Madam." Cunningham pretended to be offended. Brianna chuckled. "I'm going to relieve my bowels."