“Would it matter if I told you I’m looking for a way to spend more time in Beaumont? Frankie and I are discussing the possibility of bringing much-needed industry to the area.”
“How come nobody told me?”
“It’s still in the planning stages.”
“What would you manufacture?”
“The same material my car is made of. It’s a newly identified polymer that is lightweight but has the durability of the strongest steel. Think if that same material could be used on other automobiles. It could save a lot of lives. I just need to find a way to make it more affordable to the consumer.”
“And you’d lower the unemployment rate in Beaumont,” she said, thrilled at the prospect. “Oh, Max, this is exciting news.”
“It’s confidential for now,” he said. “I don’t want it announced until we know it’s a sure thing.” He paused. “The main reason I’m telling you is because I want you to know I’m hoping to be around more. If that means anything,” he added.
Jamie’s stomach turned somersaults at the thought. “I could probably adapt,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
They arrived at the airport and boarded the plane. Once they’d taken off and were able to move about the cabin, Max and Jamie found themselves back in his bedroom where they made love until the captain announced they would be landing soon. They dressed hurriedly and took their seats in the front cabin. Jamie couldn’t stop grinning.
“Why are you smiling?” Max said.
“Why do you think I’m smiling? I’ve been flown to New York on a private jet, eaten at a fancy restaurant, seen Times Square, and I’ve been laid three times.”
Max laughed out loud. “The things you say. That’s what I like best about you.”
As Max drove Jamie home shortly after three A.M., she leaned her head back in the seat and sighed happily. “Thank you, Max, for a wonderful evening.”
“We should do it more often,” he said.
They arrived back at Jamie’s house, only to find Destiny’s car sitting in the driveway. Jamie frowned. “I don’t believe this,” she said. “What is she doing here at this hour? I’m beginning to think she’s following me.”
“I’m beginning to think the same thing,” Max said in annoyance, surprising Jamie.
Jamie suddenly felt afraid. “I hope it’s not what I think it is.” She rushed from the car as soon as Max parked.
“Oh, thank goodness you’re finally home,” Destiny said.
“What on earth are you doing here at this hour?” Jamie demanded.
“I’ve had several visions.” She suddenly sneezed. “They were awful.”
“We’re listening,” Max said, still sounding irritated.
“It’s about the next victim,” Destiny said, looking directly at Jamie. “She’s going to be somebody you know.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JAMIE FELT AS THOUGH HER BREATH HAD BEEN knocked out of her. “Oh, my God!” she cried. “Who is it?”
“I can’t get a fix on the person,” Destiny said.
“Come inside,” Jamie said, noting that the woman was trembling badly. There was fear in her eyes.
“Ronnie is with me.”
“He can come in.”
Jamie handed a silent Max the keys to her front door, and he started ahead of them as Jamie and Destiny waited. Once inside, Max, maintaining his silence, put on coffee.
“Now, tell me what you saw,” Jamie said.
Once again, Destiny sneezed. “Like I told you, the victim is going to put up a fight, and she’ll leave scratches on the murderer’s arms. I can’t get an image of a face or name. But I’m positive you know her.” Destiny began to wring her hands. “Do you have any friends who might answer a personals ad?”
“No one I can think of.”
They moved to the kitchen as soon as Max had the coffee ready. “Max, I think we should go ahead and notify the police,” Jamie said.
“Lamar can’t find out the kind of information I can. Muffin is working around the clock doing background checks.”
“Muffin is out of whack right now,” Jamie said, “since she talked to Dee Dee. She thinks she’s pregnant, remember?”
“She’s still able to do her job.”
“Your secretary is pregnant?” Destiny asked Max.
Max shifted in his seat. “She just thinks she is.”
“Has she seen a doctor?” Destiny asked.
“It’s a long story,” he said, “but she’s good at background checks. As a matter of fact, she did one on you.”
Jamie turned to the woman. “Max does background checks on everyone. He even did one on me.”
“So you think you know all about me, do you?” she said, anger having replaced the scared look in her eyes. “If you’re so smart, tell me what you’ve learned.”
Max didn’t hesitate. “I know that before you married into money you made your living as a fortuneteller in one carnival show after another. I know you were arrested more than once for operating illegally out of your home. You’ve changed your name several times.”
“My real name is Betty Sue Jenkins,” Destiny said. “Of course I changed it. Who’s going to take a psychic seriously with a name like that?”
Max looked at Jamie. “She’s been married five times, and the authorities exhumed the body of one of her husbands because his children suspected poisoning.”
Destiny hitched her chin high. “They found nothing. His kids were a bunch of spoiled brats who resented the fact I was awarded the bulk of their father’s estate. And do you know why I was awarded it? Because I was a damn good wife to him, and I was the one who cared for him when he was sick. His children couldn’t be bothered.”
Jamie realized she was staring and rubbing Fleas’s head frantically. The dog seemed as agitated as she was. She stood. “I don’t care about Destiny’s past, Max. All I care about is finding a killer. You’re the one who said we should use every means possible.”
“I don’t need you to defend me, Jamie,” Destiny said. “I’ve lived with this sort of thing all my life. I’m going home now and get some rest.” She paused to sneeze. “I’m sorry I bothered you.”
She was gone. Jamie sank into her chair and looked at Max. “What’s going on?”
“I’m beginning to have my doubts about her. She hasn’t given us anything we could go on. I wasn’t going to tell you what I found out at first, but I don’t appreciate her barging in at this hour and scaring you. And think about this. Suppose she did get away with poisoning her husband. That would make her a murderer. Luanne Ritter’s murder didn’t occur until after Destiny Moultrie hit town, right?”
Jamie gaped at him. “You’re not insinuating that Destiny killed Luanne? What would be her motive? She didn’t even know Luanne Ritter.”
“We don’t know that. She could have done business with Luanne.”
“She doesn’t need money; her husbands left her well off.”
“I just think it’s possible that Destiny might have ulterior motives. I’m not certain what they are, but her past speaks for itself.”
“My instincts are pretty good, and I believe Destiny has a good heart. Her only motive for contacting me was to write a column for the newspaper, but she got dragged into this situation when she had a vision about Luanne Ritter’s murder. Maybe it’s all been just one big coincidence after another, but I believe she saw something tonight. You saw how upset she was. The woman was terrified.”
Jamie got up and let Fleas out, then went about picking up dirty coffee cups. All at once she heard Fleas yelp. She and Max raced to the door.
The poodle next door was chasing Fleas across the back yard. “Oh, it’s that damn poodle again,” Jamie said, racing out the door, just as her neighbor, Barbara Fender, hurried over.
“Precious, come here this instant!” the woman cried, although the dog paid no heed. She and Jamie reached the dogs at the same instant. Barbara pulled her dog free, and Fleas took
off for the pickup truck parked close by.
“Jamie, I am so sorry,” the woman said. “Precious woke up having to go to the bathroom.”
Jamie noticed the woman had changed her big hair. It had been cut into a flattering style and colored, giving her a softer look. Jamie felt bad that she hadn’t tried to get to know her better; the woman probably didn’t know a soul in town. Then Jamie reminded herself she’d been too busy trying to catch a killer.
As though realizing Jamie was staring at her hair, Barbara touched it self-consciously. “What do you think?” she said. “I figured it was time for a change. New town, new people, new hairstyle.”
“I think it looks nice,” Jamie said. She smiled. “Tell you what. I’ll call you first chance I get. We’ll get together, and I’ll tell you about my dog’s emotional problems. Then you won’t feel so bad.”
“I’d like that,” Barbara said.
Max joined them. “Come on, Fleas,” he said, trying to coax the hound from the back of the pickup.
“He’s not going to get down,” Jamie said.
Max finally picked up Fleas and carried him into the house. Jamie and Barbara said good night, and Jamie headed for her house. She found Max inside feeding the dog cheese curls. “There you go, spoiling my dog.”
“He deserves it after what he’s been through. That’s the ugliest poodle I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
“Are you okay, boy?” Jamie asked her pet. But he was more interested in the cheese curls. Finally, Max poured the rest of the bag into Fleas’s bowl.
Max checked his wristwatch. “Wow, it’s almost four A.M. I’m beat, how about you?”
“Exhausted,” Jamie said.
“You need to get to bed.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
He slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her lightly on the lips.
“I’m just so confused, Max. I don’t know what to think anymore. If Destiny is right—” She paused and shuddered. “I don’t even want to think what might happen.”
“I should get going,” Max said, although he looked reluctant. “You need your rest.”
“Yeah, like I’m going to be able to sleep. I’m afraid, Max.”
His look softened. As if to ease the tension, he suddenly smiled. “If I stay, your neighbors will think you’re a floozy.”
She knew he was trying to lighten the mood. “Everyone already thinks I’m a floozy, not to mention the town drunk.”
“Frankly, I liked seeing that side of you. I hope to see more of it.” He released her.
The last thing she wanted him to do was leave. “Um, Max?”
“Yeah?”
She made a poor attempt at trying to return his smile. “If I let you stay, will you still get the doughnuts after we wake up?”
WHEN JAMIE AWOKE IT WAS AFTER TEN O’CLOCK. She bolted upright on the bed, just as Max came into the room with a tray of doughnuts and coffee.
“Don’t panic,” he said. “I called Vera and told her you would be late coming into the office.” He set the tray on the bed. “Breakfast is served.”
Jamie suddenly realized she was naked. Then she recalled that, despite both of them being tired when they’d gone to bed at four A.M., they had made love again. She had needed him desperately, had needed to feel his lips on her body, feel him inside her. Only Max could chase away the fear in her heart and give her something good to cling to. Exhaustion had forced her eyes closed afterward, but at dawn she had jerked awake in the throes of a nightmare. Max had gathered her close, coaxing her to sleep once more with his steady voice at her ear.
Now with the sun up, she felt less afraid. What she did feel was self-conscious at being stark raving naked. She pulled the sheet higher over her breasts.
“No need for that,” Max said. “I’ve already seen every square inch of you, and I like it.”
Jamie blushed and reached for her cup of coffee. “How do my eyes look?” They felt gritty from lack of sleep.
“They look very blue and beautiful, as always.”
She noted Max was dressed in casual clothes. “You’ve been up a while.”
“Yeah, I drove over to my hotel and showered. I needed to change clothes.”
Jamie quickly ate two doughnuts and polished off her coffee. “I’ve got to grab a shower,” she said. She glanced around. “What happened to my sleep shirt?”
“I have no idea.”
“Max?” Her voice was stern. He’d probably tossed it in the trash. “Oh, what the hell.” She climbed from the bed and turned for the door leading toward the bathroom. She could feel Max’s eyes on her. “Take a picture, Holt,” she called back over her shoulder.
“Don’t need to. I’ve already burned your image in my brain.”
Jamie was thankful when she reached the privacy of her bathroom. She turned on the shower, waited for the water to heat up, and climbed in. She thought of Destiny’s visit the night before and experienced the same sense of dread. She tried to push it from her mind. Maybe Destiny was wrong. Hadn’t she admitted that her predictions weren’t one hundred percent accurate? Maybe this was one of those times. Jamie prayed that was the case, but she still remembered the look of fear in the woman’s eyes.
She shook her head, trying to clear it. Since when did she believe in Destiny’s visions anyway? Anybody who claimed to have a dead spirit following them everywhere they went had to be a little kooky, didn’t they? Didn’t they?
She was too wrapped up in the case, Jamie told herself. She and Max had done nothing but work on it since he’d hit town. She needed a break. She needed to check her schedule so she could have lunch with Maxine Chambers. Or maybe she could get together with her new neighbor. Barbara was probably anxious to start making friends; and she most likely needed a break from all her unpacking.
Jamie did not hear the door open, but the shower curtain suddenly parted and Max stepped in as naked as the day he was born.
“What the—”
He smiled. “I’ve often wondered what it would be like to take a shower with you.”
“Isn’t this your second for the day?”
“Yeah, but who’s counting? Give me your soap and washcloth.”
“I can do this myself, you know.”
“Come on, Swifty, give a guy a break.”
Jamie did as she was told. Max lathered the washcloth and started at the nape of her neck, working his way down to the heels of her feet. The feel of his hands on her body did wonderful things to her insides, made her forget things.
“Okay, turn around,” he said.
She turned. Max busied himself washing her breasts, leaning forward to tongue each nipple once he rinsed them of soap. Jamie was suddenly enveloped in a world of sensations and tingling nerve endings. “I usually shower in half this time,” she managed.
“Yeah, but think how dull it is to shower alone.” He worked his way down her abdomen, her flat tummy, and finally between her thighs where he explored her with deft fingers. Jamie moaned; all logical thinking ceased, worries dissipated like smoke in a breeze. She grasped his shoulders for support as he brought her to the height of pleasure.
She was trembling by the time she climbed from the tub and toweled herself. She caught the glint of desire in Max’s eyes, the slight tilt of his mouth. He knew damn well what he did to her. She glanced down at him.
“As you can see, the feeling is mutual,” he said, drying himself. He smacked her behind lightly and chased her into the bedroom.
Jamie giggled like a schoolgirl. It felt good to laugh. “I have to go to work,” she protested.
“It’ll wait,” he said. “Besides, I’ll be there to help you.”
They fell onto the bed together. Jamie suddenly felt less shy with him. She ran her fingers over his chest, and nipped one of his nipples playfully.
He shivered.
“You’re asking for trouble, Swifty,” he said.
“You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet, bubba.” She toyed with his chest for
a moment before lightly running her fingers down his stomach where the hair thinned slightly, and then she moved lower. She stroked him. Finally, using the very tip of her tongue, she tasted him.
“Oh, God, I’m a dead man,” he said.
Jamie smiled and put him in her mouth. Max gazed down at her with a look of dazed passion. The husky moan he gave prodded her onward.
Jamie swirled her tongue around him. It was exhilarating to know she could wield so much power over a man who was accustomed to calling all the shots.
Finally, he pulled away, eased her gently onto her back, and using his own tongue, brought her to the edge of orgasm. She moaned and reached for him, and he entered her. Their sighs of pleasure rose like music.
Max moved against her slowly at first, but soon they were caught up in an erotic dance, and Jamie’s cries were stifled by Max’s kisses.
Afterward, Max gathered her in his arms, where Jamie snuggled against him like a soft kitten. She felt safe and secure.
“A man could get used to this, Swifty,” he said.
She nodded, reveling in the fact that she had Max Holt spent and naked beside her. Her hand on his chest measured each heartbeat, and she remained quiet until his breathing slowed. She could smell the heady scent of their lovemaking mixed with Max’s soap and aftershave.
Jamie rose up on one elbow and gazed down at him, a self-satisfied look on her face. His own expression was lazy and contented. “A woman could get used to this, too, Holt.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She knew she was grinning too broadly for any sane woman; that Max would take one look at her goofy expression and guess the truth. Just as she had expected, she had fallen head over heels in love with him, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
IT WAS ALMOST NOON BY THE TIME MAX AND JAMIE arrived at the newspaper office, with Fleas in tow. Vera was dressed in a fire-engine-red pantsuit and tall heels that she seemed to have trouble maneuvering. She handed Jamie a large stack of mail.
“I have to leave for a while,” Vera said, “because a bunch of women from my church are picketing Maxine Chambers’s lingerie store this morning. I want to be there to take pictures.”