The Season of Sin (Peace In The Storm Publishing Presents) Read online

  She ran to her car.

  “Dylan!”

  She sped off.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  “Don’t protect him, Dylan.” Jasmine sat in one of the chairs Brianna brought out at the station.

  “Dylan what is it?” Steven sat on the edge of his desk.

  “Tell them.” Jasmine pushed her. “Tell them how Bruce attacked you.”

  “Aunt Jas please.”

  “Attacked her?”

  “That’s right, Detective Morris. She tried to give him a chance to explain and he lost his temper like he always did and scared her.”

  “It wasn’t like that. He was angry because he thought I was accusing him of killing Shannon.”

  “I’m lost.” Steven swung his leg.

  “Me too.” Brianna looked up something on her computer.

  “I went to Swaggert’s to talk to Bruce because…”

  “He got rough with her. Can you believe that? After what she just went through with that other creep?”

  “Stop twisting things, Aunt Jas. He kissed me, yes but I started to think about the attack. I got scared on my own. Bruce would never hurt me.”

  “I don’t mean to be rude.” Brianna rocked in her chair. “But could you please tell us what you’re here for?”

  “I have Shannon’s other earring.” Dylan twisted her purse strap. “I found it before at Swaggert’s garage.”

  “I see.” Steven stopped swinging his leg. “And you’re sure it’s Shannon’s?”

  “I found it before she was thought to be missing. I didn’t remember that it was hers at first.”

  Brianna chewed on her pen. “Uh-huh.”

  “I’m telling the truth. I wasn’t trying to hide anything or protect Bruce. I didn’t say anything because I had to make sure.”

  “And you thought Bruce would tell you the truth?” Jasmine laughed.

  “So what did Bruce say?” Brianna put her pen down.

  “The same thing he told you guys. He didn’t see Shannon that night. But of course he has to be lying. I know this is Shannon’s earring. It’s too much of a coincidence.”

  “It could be someone else’s earring.”

  “Oh come on, Detective Morris.” Jasmine hit the edge of the desk. “We all know Bruce killed Nadia and Shannon and I don’t know why he’s still running around free. Who’s it gonna be next, me?”

  “Dare we dream?” Steven whispered.

  Brianna grinned.

  “Oh.” Jasmine stood. “So this is funny to you? Our lives are a big game?”

  “No.” Steven cleared his throat. “I apologize. What do you think, Dylan? Is Bruce capable of these things?”

  “Of course he is.” Jasmine titled over. “We want him arrested!”

  “I was asking her. Dylan?”

  “I don’t want to believe it. But why was the earring there? And why did people say

  Shannon was going to confront him and now she’s dead?”

  “Where is the earring?”

  Dylan passed a plastic sack to Brianna.

  She held it up. “Well it definitely looks like the same earring.”

  “I want Bruce arrested.”

  Steven put the earring on the desk. “It’s not that easy, Jasmine.”

  “Oh bull! Bruce McNamara is dangerous. You see how he treated Dylan today! He had no remorse for what she’s gone through. He is violent, evil and cruel! He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants. He killed Nadia and Shannon. I feel it in my gut! Can you two deny that all this adds to Bruce? Why does his name keep popping up? I know you guys think he’s guilty. I can see it in your faces. He’s an animal. He needs to be locked up and stay there this time.”

  “What about the man who attacked me?” Dylan approached Brianna’s desk. “You guys heard anything on that?”

  Brianna leaned back in her chair. “No but we’re keeping close contact with Detective Harris.”

  “What’ll happen to Bruce?”

  “We don’t know,” Brianna said.

  Steven got off the desk. “It’s not looking good for him. I think you knew that. That’s why you were afraid to bring us the earring wasn’t it?”

  “Will you guys do me a favor? Please don’t let Bruce know about this. Even if he’s arrested, don’t tell him it was me that found the earring.”

  Jasmine stuffed her purse under her arm. “Why would you care? What is wrong with you? Are you still in love with Bruce? You can’t be after all he’s done.”

  “I don’t know what I am.” Dylan put her purse on her shoulder. “I just know that doing this has been the hardest thing I’ve had to do. Only time will tell if it’s right.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Jayce ignored Bruce’s denial of entrance and strutted into Bruce’s living room that night. He got a Penthouse Magazine off Bruce’s CD rack and relaxed on the couch. He met the burn of fury in Bruce’s eyes when he looked up.

  Tkk…tkk…tkk…tkk…tkk…

  Supposedly Bruce scared everyone he knew. Some of what people said seemed blown out of proportion. They acted as if the spawn of hell would snatch them in the middle of the night if they dared to speak about him.

  Tkk…tkk…tkk…tkk…tkk…tkk…

  Underneath those angry blue eyes seemed to be a man misunderstood. At least Jayce wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Everyone deserved that.

  Of course Bruce was lying but would Jayce be able to prove it? Should he listen to intuition or what people said about Bruce? Were those the eyes of a real monster or just a misguided man trying to get his life back on track?

  Tkk…tkk…tkk…

  Jayce turned the magazine sideways and ogled the breasts of a bikini model. “You should really get that faucet fixed.”

  “And I said you couldn’t come in here.” Bruce stood wide-legged with tight fists.

  “Yeah well I understand why you might be a little tired of me.”

  “A little tired of you? I’m sick of you, Morris and Kemp coming around hassling me. At least Detective Morris is better to look at.”

  Jayce flipped pages. “I’m sure she’d be flattered to know you thought that.”

  “You guys come to my job every damn day. Now you’re at my home. Every time I turn around there’s a fuckin’ cop in my ass.” He pointed. “Now I’m warning you.”

  “Warning me?” Jayce dropped his feet off the table.

  “If you keep messing with me I’m gonna turn your ass in for harassment. Is this how you guys solve cases?”

  Jayce switched magazines. “You should know right? Seeing how you were practically raised by the police department.”

  “Oh that’s funny huh? You attracted to me or something, Detective? Maybe you keep popping up to check me out for more than the case.”

  “That’s cute, Bruce. I’m not gay and even if I were, you wouldn’t be my type.”

  “You think you’re so tough don’t you…brother?”

  “Brother?” Jayce got up.

  “But I don’t give a shit you’re a cop.”

  Jayce put his hands on his waist. “Brother?”

  “I want you to leave me the fuck alone.”

  “I don’t give a damn what you want me to do. Until your name stops coming up at every turn I’ll be around.”

  “I’ll report you.”

  “Report me then. I won’t get in trouble for doing my job but you will if you try to stop me from doing it.”

  “So I’m supposed to respect your job but you don’t respect mine? You’ve asked your questions and I’ve answered them so leave. And give me my magazine!” He snatched it. “If you really wanna do some good then go out there and find who really killed Nadia and Shannon and leave me the hell alone. Get out!”

  “I’m giving you a chance to be honest.”

  “No matter what I say it’s not good enough. You wanna come see me again then come with some kind of warrant.”

  “Hold on.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “You ne
ed to hear what I gotta say about Shannon.”

  Bruce threw the magazine. “I’m sick of hearing about fuckin’ Shannon! What you got? You keep saying that she was coming to see me with a gun. Well she never did! I haven’t seen Shannon in months!”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “I don’t give a damn what you believe.”

  “We know Shannon was at the garage before her disappearance.”

  “What?”

  “Shannon’s earring, the one that was missing, was found at the garage.”

  Bruce went pale.

  “Oh what’s the matter?” Jayce cocked his head to the side. “Was it something I said?”

  “You’re lying. You didn’t find her earring at the junkyard because it wasn’t there to find.”

  “Sure about that?”

  “If there was an earring, which I doubt, how do you know it belonged to Shannon?”

  “Because it’s the exact same earring she was wearing when she was killed. It matches the other perfectly. Know what else?”

  “I’m sure you can’t wait to tell me.”

  “There was gravel underneath Shannon’s boots. Looks like the gravel at Old Swaggert’s junkyard.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Course we can’t be sure. We had some officers get a sample from the garage and we’ll analyze it to make sure. We want all bases covered you know?”

  “This is the last and I mean last time I am going to say this. I didn’t see Shannon before she disappeared. I don’t know shit about an earring.”

  “You know whoever shot her is not as smart as they think they are.”

  “Get the hell out of my house, Detective Matthews.”

  Jayce shuffled to the door. “Sleep well, Bruce.”

  “Fuck you.”

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Marley Blake cleared trash off her couch and invited Brianna to have a seat. Brianna cringed at the rotting odor from the kitchen. She wouldn’t embarrass Marley by asking what it was. She seemed embarrassed enough by just living here.

  Brianna hadn’t noticed how thin Marley was the last time. Did she eat at all? A plate with an apple core and half-eaten granola bar sat lopsided on the table.

  “You on a diet or something?”

  “No.” Marley threw balled up tissues in the trash. “Just don’t eat much. I don’t get very hungry. Uh, please sit down.”

  The puke-green couch sat on bricks and took up half the tiny room. Grease and smudge tarnished the wallpaper. The carpet peeled up at the edges and bunched up around the wall. Dead roaches popped up every time Brianna walked.

  Calling this place a dump would have been a compliment. What brought a woman like Marley who seemed intelligent and able to a state like this?

  Brianna sat down. She wasn’t here to figure out Marley’s problems. She needed info about Shannon and Nadia’s relationship.

  Marley’s blond hair fell like limp spaghetti around her pale face. Air filled out the shoulders of her sweatshirt. Even her petite-sized jeans seemed too big.

  “You want something to eat or drink?”

  I barely wanna inhale in this place.

  “No. I’m sorry I popped up unannounced.”

  Marley’s chapped lips spread into a smile. “I’m glad you came. If I can help you I want to.”

  “You cared about Shannon a lot didn’t you?”

  “We were very close. She was like a sis…” She covered her eyes.

  “Oh, hey.” Brianna moved Marley’s hair out of her eyes. “Hey. I know. I’m so sorry.”

  “Nobody understands that Shannon wasn’t a bad person. They’ve been saying all this shit in the papers about her being a drunk. Yeah so she had problems. Who’s perfect? She was a good person and had a good heart. She was always there when you needed her. That’s one thing you could always say.”

  “I’m sorry if you feel the media has been a little rough. I know how I’d feel if my friend was killed and berated for all to see.”

  “It just ain’t right for them to be calling her a lush and drunk when they didn’t even know her.” Marley wiped her eyes with the bottom of her shirt. The skin on her stomach looked like a white sheet over train tracks. “Can’t they understand that you can’t help it if you’re an alcoholic?”

  “Meow!” A black and white cat jumped into Marley’s lap and pressed its head in her chest.

  “Aww. Well who’s that huh?”

  “This is Harmony. She’s my other friend.” Marley wiggled Harmony’s paw. “Say hi, Harmony.”

  “Hi, sweetie.” Brianna scratched Harmony’s ear. “Oh she’s precious. I love cats I have one of my own. Davis. I’ve had him since he was a kitten. May I hold her?”

  “Sure.” Marley handed her the cat. Harmony settled in Brianna’s arms as if she belonged there. “She likes you. I think cats can tell when someone is a cat person.”

  “Yeah I think so. Hi, baby.” She stroked Harmony’s head. “Remember I told you I’ve been reading Nadia’s journals?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Harmony stretched her paws against Brianna’s bosom.

  “Well I found out something kinda surprising. Shannon got pregnant sometime last year didn’t she? And Nadia wasn’t too happy about that am I right?”

  “Yes. Nadia made her get an abortion. Told Shannon there was no way she was gonna let her have that baby.” Marley pushed her hands between her emaciated thighs. “What else did you find out?”

  “Not enough.” Brianna bounced Harmony on her lap. “Nadia didn’t say who the father was in her entries.”

  “Why is that important?”

  “It might not be but I wanna know.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “Shannon only slept with the guy once,” Marley said. “She wanted to make Nadia commit to her. She felt sleeping with someone else especially a man would make Nadia realize what she had.”

  “So Shannon planned to do this from the beginning?”

  “Hard to tell with Shannon. Sometimes she just did things and thought about them later like a child. She slept with the guy when Nadia went to New York City with Dylan to her friend’s birthday bash.”

  “Zoë Peron?”

  “Yeah that’s her. She was having some huge birthday bash up there with celebrities, artists and stuff.” Marley rolled her eyes. “You know she use to model?”

  Brianna groaned. “You don’t say?”

  “She’s gorgeous. I’ve never met her in person but saw her in some photos. She probably doesn’t even look that good in person.”

  “Oh she does.” Brianna ignored the invisible stake in her heart. “She definitely does.”

  “Peron is her “stage” name she started using for modeling. Shannon says she picked it because of Eva Peron.”

  “I see.”

  “Anyway, she invited Dylan up there to meet some art people so Dylan could score a deal for her paintings. Shannon was upset because Nadia wouldn’t take her. That was one of the main issues with their relationship. Nadia hid it from everybody.”

  “She wanted to hide she was gay?”

  “No that’s what her family thinks. Nadia didn’t want people to know about how she manipulated Shannon into sex and all the freaky things they did. If people found out her career would’ve been ruined.”

  “Freaky?”

  “Nadia would get on Shannon about drinking, but when she wanted to have sex, she’d buy Shannon all the liquor and dope she wanted just so Shannon would give it up.”

  “Wait a minute. I can’t believe Nadia would buy someone dope just to get them into bed.”

  “A lot of people wouldn’t but it’s the truth. I’ve seen with my own eyes when Nadia gave Shannon pills and stuff. And I’d try to tell Shannon she was being used but she wouldn’t listen. She lived and died for Nadia. Nadia only wanted to keep Shannon doing what she wanted in the bedroom. She didn’t love her or anything. It was sick.”

  “Sick?”

  “Oh man the stuff they did. They used to
go to sex clubs and have sex in front of people. Nadia use to pimp Shannon out and video tape her having sex with other women.”

  “What?”

  “They’d meet people online in chat rooms and have lesbian sex parties. Shannon invited me to one. Can you believe that? I almost smacked her for suggesting it. Shannon even said Nadia was into bestiality.”

  “You expect me to believe all this about Nadia?”

  “It’s true. Nadia was a pervert. Bet she didn’t put that in her journals did she?”

  “Why couldn’t Shannon just give Nadia an ultimatum about their relationship?”

  “That wasn’t Shannon’s way. She did things so you’d pay attention to her so she knew if she slept with a man, it would piss Nadia off. Nadia hated men. I guess you can’t blame her.”

  “Why?”

  “She was treated horribly by every man in her life. She was sexually abused by her oldest brother until she was a teenager.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah and her other brother was horrible to her. The dad was a womanizer who was barely home and the momma a drunk. I don’t know how her sisters did but Nadia had a terrible childhood. Then she got married to Clay Hollister, a sadist. He beat Nadia for years then died a drunk.”

  “She told me about her marriage but I had no idea she’d been abused when she was a kid.”

  “Shannon said that’s why Nadia went into psychiatry. She wanted to help others.” Marley got the cracker box off the table. “But Nadia hadn’t dealt with her own demons.” She chewed a cracker. “You can’t heal someone if you haven’t healed yourself.”

  “Meow.” Harmony curled up in Brianna’s lap.

  “Who was the father of Shannon’s baby?”

  “Bruce McNamara.”

  “Steven.” Zoë walked from around Steven’s car when he came out of the police station.

  The wind blew her coat up. Her sweater dress accented the best parts while leaving wonders to the imagination.

  “Hey.” He got out his keys.

  “Hey. Did I scare you?”

  “No.” He greeted some officers who passed. “Uh is something wrong?”

  “Someone was following me home. I’d gone to NYC to check on something this afternoon. Well I just got back into town and when I was on my way to Jasmine’s, I noticed a car behind me. I didn’t think anything of it but I realized it was following me. I felt it was smart not to go to Jasmine’s so I came here.”