“For me to give back the engagement ring and marry a rich guy with a huge mansion in Jersey.” My chin may jut out a little and my tone could be interpreted as defensive.
My partner catches the subtle nuances and crosses his arms. “You tell him we got hitched?”
“He’d just see Father O and ask to have our wedding annulled.” I bite my lower lip. “Too soon?”
His brows crease and when he starts to close the door, I call out, “Suds, wait. I was just kidding. You know how I feel about you.”
I jump up and hug him. “You’re my everything. Don’t be mad. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Come back inside. Tell me what you’ve been up to.”
Chapter Twelve
Suds
I owe Sam an apology but if I do, she’ll want to discuss my little problem and jinx my cock into extinction. The more we talk, the bigger the issue will become. Actually, reverse that.
Fuck. Perhaps, I can pretend nothing happened and try again in a couple days. Maybe, I wasn’t healed from the damn virus. What if COVID did some permanent damage down there? Shit.
She sits down at the table, plugs in her spare monitor, and tilts the screen toward me. “While you were sick, I asked my dad if he could throw some consulting our way and he gave me a cold case. I think this killer committed a second murder.”
She shows me two driver’s licenses, side-by-side. “This woman was strangled last week while reading a novel on Facetime. Mr. Lee died in a similar manner over a year ago while attending an online business meeting. In each video, leather covered fingers reach around a neck and slowly suffocate the victim to death.”
A sales presentation fast forwards, then Sam stops, and points to a man with eyes wide. A few watching shout as the guy falls off-screen. Then, the feed goes dead.
The second murder is eerily similar. A woman in pearls reads from her iPad. Thick black digits circle under her chin and she dies in front of her fans while they freak out, filling the chat window with comments.
Sam clicks on another tab with a close-up of black gloves. “Jason said the hands could be the same size.”
I recall the last time the AI unit helped us and shudder. It’s too damn realistic for my liking. “What’s next? Can’t he find the bastard?”
Nodding, she opens new windows. “He did an exhaustive search but has yet to find anything meaningful in common between the two victims.”
“Elaborate.” Her thought process fascinates me and I wonder, not for the first time, why she married me.
Sam’s voice grows more excited as she describes the details. “Well, for example, they ordered from Amazon and have social media accounts, but that’s not uncommon.”
“Where did the murders take place?”
“The woman, an author, lived in New Jersey. The man, a sales specialist, had a home on Long Island. Both were loners and other than the gloved hands, no one saw anything.”
Huh.“And what about the bodies?”
“One washed up in The Sound, the other was found in a dumpster.” Hot on the trail, Sam’s eyes light up. “These murders were about a year apart but if I’m right, the next will happen in a couple of days.”
All the ways she might find trouble flash through my mind and suddenly, this case seems like a bad idea, especially with me not a hundred percent. “What makes you think he’s escalating?”
“The pandemic. I could be wrong but I believe having so many people online will be irresistible to him.” She pauses when our doorbell application ding-dongs.
Glancing down, she presses the icon on her phone and Joey shouts. “Yo, Vinny said to drop this off.”
My partner buzzes him in the door as I jump up and at the top landing, I wave.
Sam’s cousin grins and drops a large box at the foot of the stairs. “I thought you wuz dead. In fact, I was gonna ask Sammy if she needed help with a new logo.Just Sam’s Detective Agency. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
“Appreciate the thoughtfulness.”He’s a real comedian.
“Don’t mention it and don’t leave dis food down here for long, Killer rats are on the loose.” He glances out the door as if one is about to attack.
