Trevar's Team 1 Read online

  We sat opposite one another, touching, embracing, rinsing, and viewing love. I considered that this Latina goddess had just confessed something very difficult for her fans to have believed. She had, in her late teens, been collected up by a North American superstar. The star had kept Lilia sexually sequestered in her own world. Emotionally, she was just as sheltered as she had been in the convent.

  The mystery behind Lilia’s dark eyes was her shyness.

  Within the confines of that sensual moment, I touched and encouraged her touch. A buffer of aloof sensuality that had once masked her innocence had fallen. Her facial coquetry was only a façade to hide her timidity. Now, the disguise had given way to honest radiance.

  Together we stood. We wrapped towels around one another, and then gently patted the other dry. When we crawled into the bed, she momentarily stalled. Her eyes filled with anxiety. With a warm garland of kisses, I soothed her. She eased back and guided my body over hers. Etched in soft light, her lissome, satiny frame moved with responsiveness.

  We traded moist kisses. Her eyes blazed with ravenous desire as we moved together. We were locked within a warm embrace. My kisses drifted the terrain of her lovely body. I delve the sweetness of her. With deliberate restraint, I allowed her passion to build. When love ignited, it was as if our hearts might light the world with some mystical, rhapsodic heat. She cosseted me in her embrace as we latched. Her fingers fanned across my back. Lilia canvassed my body with ardent passion.

  She rested her head against mine. We gazed into the satisfaction of one another’s eyes. I knew and accepted the idea of complete love. My love and trust were complete.

  There were no courtroom words. I understood only the poet’s heart. My skin felt to be wound in rainbows. Moonbeams circuited my veins. Of course, flowers blossomed in my soul. A sunburst honed in my heart. I felt lyrics, touched a symphony and love was a pastel brush stroke upon the canvas of joy. Love had overtaken me with the power of an ocean’s roar, with the brevity of a shooting star, the precision of a heart’s beat, and the smile that was actualizing within me. Love was an awakening like no other.

  I had allowed Lilia entry into my nucleus. Her eyes told me that she had also felt the earth leave its spindle. She had also felt the heavens first collapse and then explode.

  We shared the silence. There was only us. We were everything. We were one another’s treasure. It was the nearest I’d ever been to understanding my ability to love. I was the interior of a miracle I shared. My love was no longer detachable.

  I’d never visited that vicinity of my heart.

  12

  RETURNING TO THE Radclyffe Hull was bittersweet.

  Bitter in that I had failed in my attempt at doing surveillance slash snoop mission. The first sentences written into my daily report log were the following: I failed! Reason—non compos mentis, not of sound mind.

  Sweet because of my failure, Lilia and I were together.

  Lilia’s love was the eternal kind. Awakening with her was wondrous. Her face was draped in the pale sunlight. Her hair fluffed against my shoulder. I closed my eyes, recalling the soft budding of her womanhood against my lips. Her love was with the heat of a heavenly star’s core.

  Ex-lovers were now little more than a dash of memory. They have been discontinued. For now, there truly was the kind of warmth a poem means. Lilia read her favorite poem to me. ‘Intimate’ penned by Gabriela Mistral. The final line made me weep. Lilia had quoted, “For it is the kiss’ meaning, not the lips.”

  Rachel entered the office with a cup of coffee in one hand and a pastry tray in the other. She leaned over my shoulders to see what I’d put on the computer. She chuckled. “I assume you spent the night with Lilia. You are beaming, and your body has been soundly renewed.”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Fine. I just got a little shake, rattle, and roll reprimand from Cruz and Hammer.”

  “And Lilia’s therapy?”

  My morning blush of love was one that told of complete recovery. “Wonderful. Where’s Summer?”

  “Trying to keep tabs on Cruz.”

  “Hope she’s careful.” I opened the desk drawer. Inside was a 9mm Browning pistol. “This case is giving us plenty of confrontation. We need to get another Beretta or two. Weaponry and vehicles! Whereas, Cruz hides a stash of armament on her boat. Probably every bit of her heat is stolen. The damn boat is her Uzis-R-Us shop. Plus a stash of drugs.”

  “And here we are, replacing our rods and our hotrods by the day. You lost your best gun, your car is a chunk of scrap metal, and your brains got scrambled. Think it might be a good idea to call in your partners next time you go exploring?”

  “Point taken. Vi et armis. Trespass with force and arms. Next time, I’ll call you first,” I promised. Brooding, I said, “What they did to my car was a sin. That was a classic muscle car. It’s becoming a personal vendetta to see Cruz and Hammer in cuffs.”

  “They can restore your car, and we can replace your favorite gun. The important thing is that you lived to love again. How was last night? Step into my confessional box and spill your details.”

  “It was as if I fell into her kiss.”

  “Going to be coy?” Rachel’s tranquil voice asserted with a question. She crossed the room to perch on my desktop. The papers she carried were pitched down. “Here’s the estimate on your car. It’s been towed. It’s going to take a couple of weeks to repair the extensive bodywork. Your rental car will be delivered sometime this morning.”

  “Thanks, Rach. Anything else?”

  “Our insurance agent wonders why you don’t stop pissing people off.”

  I gave a hearty laugh. “I just can’t help myself. I sure pissed off Hammer.”

  “How did your escape go?”

  “I went for her midsection. Like a battering ram. Stomped her foot on my way. Her tootsies must have a few nerves in them. She didn’t like my dance. It wasn’t a pretty win, but I’m here.”

  “All that action, then you’re smacked by love’s cudgel.” Rachel continued to excavate. “Beryl, are you certain Lilia isn’t playing the situation because she needs the case resolved.”

  “That’s Summer’s theory, too. Can’t anyone around here believe she actually loves me?”

  “Second question. Are you certain you can handle a permanent bonding kind of love?”

  “Yes.” My voice was resolute. “Rach, I know you and Summer think she’s manipulating me. But she isn’t the kind of woman who tampers with hearts. And yes, the floorboards went right out from under me.”

  “We all need one woman to be the great love of our destiny.”

  I asked, “And yours was Meg?”

  “Yes. I’ve never told you much about her.”

  “Want to tell me now?”

  “We were rookie cops. That relationship cords two people together in a unique way. We became lovers. When we went undercover, she got lost. She wanted to make the biggest drug bust in history. Wanted to make herself look authentic. She sniffed a line or two. That hooked her. Job-related stress, and soon she was hiding her addiction. She was vulnerable. And I lost her. If she’s still alive, she’s out there as sick and terrified as the rest of the addicts.”

  “You couldn’t have prevented it.”

  “Right. It’s too late to save my ex-lover, my sister, anyone really. Fate was too late or perhaps too wrong for both Kim and Meg.”

  I reached up and touched her cheek. “We can make a difference.”

  “We’ve got a double homicide. Cruz and Hammer are playing a blood sport. And if they killed Sylvia, proving it is going to be difficult.”

  “Secretly, I was hoping Jeremy was the killer. When a key suspect is shot to death, it narrows the field. Sometimes, Rach, I feel as though we’re in a killer’s holding tank.”

  “Jeremy’s still is on my list as someone who might have killed Sylvia. Everyone purportedly loved Sylvia. Jeremy loved her least. He had a million enemies. Gambling
debts might have been his final enemy. Who killed him? Evidence supports the theory it was a woman.”

  “Yes. It had to have been something to do with Sylvia.”

  “For now,” Rachel said with a sigh, “the best we can do is stay on top of our suspects.” She giggled. “I guess you’ve really been on top of yours.”

  Chuckling, I turned my head. “Rach, you are bad from the ground up.”

  “And you had a close call yesterday. Why not take a day off. Take Lilia somewhere special.”

  “You’re saying I’m suffering from battle fatigue?”

  She leaned toward me. “You really do love her?”

  “It’s like seeing the inside of my heart for the very first time.”

  “Beryl, I warn you, love is a very treasonous emotion. It’s best left to the professionals.”

  We looked up as Summer entered the office. “Trev, you actually spent the night with our client,” Summer indicted.

  “Since when does my love affair require your imprimatur?” I retorted. Her rankled face and angry words were displayed.

  “You’re letting down your guard because of Lilia,” her tirade continued. “It was absolutely irresponsible to board that boat alone. You deserved to be pitched in the damned ocean on your wallet.”

  “I escaped, didn’t I?” My teeth were grinding with my words.

  “And you got laid.” She icily added, “Rather than laid out. Lucky you.”

  “Which is also none of your business. And I’d hoped for a bit more regard for a woman than a remark like that.”

  Summer’s fingers raked her short temple hair. “Beryl, I’m upset. We have a past and that makes you my business. You’re always saying we’re family.” Her face was cloistered in abandonment.

  “Summer, that’s why it’s important to me that you’re pleased for me.”

  Her eyes were stones. “Why should I be pleased?”

  “Because I’m happy.” My litigious voice emerged. I wanted to suppress the tone, but I couldn’t. “My falling in love was not designed to harm you.”

  Rachel stood in the doorway shaking her head. “Come on, Summer. Remember we’re friends and partners. We’re a team. We’ve got to stick together.”

  “Do we?” Summer strolled to her desk. She plunged into the chair. Her feet were flung onto the top of the desk. “We had loyalty to one another. That’s what made our team special. Not now.”

  “Nothing’s changed between us,” I tried to correct.

  “Sure it has,” Summer accused with a pinched scowl. “But then you hide your past from us. Why not exclude us from your present, too?”

  “Back off, Summer,” Rachel interceded.

  “Fine. Fine. But you know it’s true.” There was a sulk in Summer’s voice.

  “I haven’t attempted to hide my past.” An acquittal at the moment was needed. But Summer’s glare told me it would be a long time coming.

  “Summer, you’re out of line,” Rachel’s words quickly bulwarked.

  “Rach, Trev does things she knows will tick me off,” Summer accused.

  I quizzed, “What did I do to tick you off?”

  “You speak legalese all the time. Why can’t you just use the F-bomb once in a while instead of all that legal babble?”

  My back went rod-straight. “Okay, you asked for it. It may not be grammatically correct, but here goes. “Fatue te ipsom et cabalum tuum!” I seethed.

  “You’re hiding behind mumbo-jumbo again,” Summer charged.

  “But at least I gave you half of your request. I told you to go fuck yourself and the horse you rode in on.”

  Summer’s thin hand covered her eyes. It appeared that she might have burst into tears. I wanted to comfort her, but I was her current enemy. Then she glanced over at Rachel. They both burst into laughter. Mine joined theirs.

  “Listen, I have an idea,” I declared. “We aren’t getting anywhere when everyone is alienating one another. False security, it’s helped us before. Let’s approach this from another angle. Why don’t we get to know one another’s women?”

  “Sure,” Rachel spoofed. “We could throw a dinner party and bring the suspect of our choice.”

  “That’s it. A party.” I mulled the prospect over.

  “Are you serious?” Summer’s eyes expanded. “We’ve got a soap star, a shady con artist, and a druggie. How the hell is a confession going to happen with guests like that?” Summer’s eyes expanded.

  “Why not?” I asked. “We can have a romantic dinner party aboard The Radclyffe. We can observe them all. It will be a methodical study as they interact. We’ve been waiting for someone to slip up. They’d all be on edge,” I reasoned. “And with our forces working together, we might break the case.”

  “The way they all hate one another, we might be risking a third murder,” Summer remarked. Her bewilderment was beginning to ease. “We’ve got some pretty volatile hatred.”

  “They were polite to one another at the attorney’s office,” I said. “We might see the turmoil of an accretion disk, but it’s worth it if someone breaks.”

  They nodded in agreement. I went to Summer’s desk, bent and kissed her forehead. The three of us then locked in a cluster hug. The squeeze was good.

  “So when do we have our little party?” Rachel asked.

  “I thought I’d take the remainder of the day off. Lilia mentioned she enjoys sailing. I thought we could rent a craft and spend the afternoon, and tonight, getting away from it all.” I shrugged. To Summer, I added, “Rachel suggested I take a little romantic excursion. And it sounds great. Lilia and I can return tomorrow morning. I can plan the dinner, shop, and cook, and be ready for a party tomorrow night.”

  Summer snickered. “To hell with planning a menu. I need time to secure reality TV rights.”

  With a reciprocal grin, Rachel lifted her eyebrows. “I’ll take care of the table. Handcuffs dangling from a candlestick for the centerpiece.”

  “Yeah,” Summer agreed. “We could bust the first one who orders bread and water.”

  “And we’ll have ‘Get Out Of Jail Free’ cards instead of place cards,” Rachel suggested.

  Summer gulped for air as she guffawed loudly. “Or how about ‘Go Directly to Jail’ cards.”

  Rachel asked me, “Beryl, what’s on the menu, besides cooked goose?”

  We were nearing hysteria as we planned. Summer choked trying to capture her breath. “I got it, devil’s food cake for Helene.”

  Rachel continued, “And ‘pot’ pie for Debra.”

  They looked at me and in unison asked, “What’s for Lilia?”

  “Angel food cake. Delicious,” I said with a smirk.

  “What if Hammer and Cruz try to crash the party,” Summer asked.

  I quickly answered, “Bull in the blanket for Hammer and barracuda sushi for Cruz.”

  Summer rolled her eyes, and Rachel moaned. I took my leave. Before getting to the galley, I heard them sputtering. “And the horse I rode in on,” they repeated in unison.

  A menu needed to be created. And an ingredient list to write. Snapper Alicante with garlic was one of my specialties. Something was needed that would loosen their lips, I thought. The term falsi crimen came to mind. Fraudulent subordination or concealment with designs to hide the truth. I would keep my menu to myself.

  For now, I would concentrate on Lilia and a proposed sailboat ride of romance. Lilia quickly agreed to the plans. Intimacy was my most holy affection. Arrangements were made.

  The afternoon and evening at sea were just what we needed. I had charted our trip up the Gold Coast with romance in mind. Being alone with Lilia was a Sapphic script written exclusively by the goddesses. I’d rented a twenty-eight-foot luxury yawl.

  We met dockside. I placed my skipper’s hat on her and teased that she was the captain of my heart. We shoved off immediately. From the time we left the yacht basin, the afternoon was bright and the sea was still.

  All afternoon, we cradled together on a sunny deck. We t
raded memories of other outings on the sea. When she spoke of sailing with Sylvia, she became somber. I gave the moment time to baste. She had spent her entire young adulthood with the legend. Lilia wasn’t the type of woman to have stayed if not for love.

  She hugged me tightly to her. “I shall always miss Sylvia. But you know about that. You have also had losses in your life. Your parents.”

  “Yes. And it still hurts to think about my mother.”

  “Perhaps she left you behind because she needed to go.”

  “I’ll always remember the day she left. That morning I’d poured her coffee. I was trying to sober her up. She was at the kitchen table. She just sat there. Her eyes were desolate. She told me that if she hadn’t gotten pregnant with me, she never would have married. She might have been saved.” I paused, reflecting the sorrow. “It was my fault they stayed together. My father would have left early if I hadn’t been born. I didn’t know what she meant by ‘saved.’ And I was destined never to know. She left that afternoon.”

  I gazed across the horizon, viewing the great magnitude of the sea. I recalled how my mother’s eyes narrowed to threads. Her head sagged into the loop of her arm. I was never to see her again. When I returned home from school, I found she had gone. On the counter was her letter in a sealed envelope. It was leaned against a drained bottle of vodka.

  Lilia interrupted my scorching memory. “People do and say things when they drink. Sylvia was very cruel when she drank. Your mother may have felt it necessary to leave. You were only a child.”

  I sipped fresh lemonade that Lilia had made. “And now I’m a woman. A woman in love. Speaking of loving you, I want my partners to get to know you better. I want to invite you as my guest. We’re having a little dinner party aboard The Radclyffe. My partners, I warn you, are inviting Helene and Debra.”

  “The three of us together?” Her question was one of incredulous astonishment.

  “I know it sounds absurd, but it will give us all a chance to get to know one another. Two murders have been committed. I wonder if there are two murderers. Maybe Sylvia and Jeremy were killed by separate people. Maybe Jeremy killed Sylvia. Maybe one of the others killed him.”