"Well, how about dinner?"
Sarah set the beer down and walked over to her. "Let"s not."
Rae took the towel off her head and stared at her. "N-no? Well, aren"t you hungry?" She took a protective step back. Sarah smiled and gently pushed her into the big chair by the fireplace. Rae looked up in disbelief.
"Sarah." She let out a halfhearted protest. Sarah took the towel and walked behind her, gently rubbing the towel through her hair. Rae sighed and put her head back.
"My, you have a soft touch." Rae let out a contented sigh.
Sarah smiled slightly. She leaned down and whispered in Rae"s ear, "And you have a hard head."
Sarah saw the shiver as her whisper sent chills through Rae, hardening her nipples through the soft fabric of her robe, which Sarah was happy to see. She ran her fingers through Rae"s hair as Rae laid her head back once again and sighed openly.
"You have a definite way about you," she murmured. She gasped as Sarah"s hands wandered down the front of her robe, ma.s.saging her shoulders.
"You really are tense, Rae, relax." Sarah kissed her earlobe.
Rae"s breath was nonexistent as she shivered uncontrollably. This woman"s manner had a good deal of experience behind it. Her feather-like touch was quickly arousing Rae. She sighed as she felt Sarah"s warm fingers lightly dipping inside her robe.
Off in the distance, they heard bells ringing. Rae frowned and looked around, as did Sarah.
"I hear bells," Sarah whispered sensually. "Could it be...?"
"s.h.i.t," Rae cursed loudly. It was the doorbell. Sarah laughed quietly as Rae stood, struggling to tie her robe. "Un-f.u.c.king-believable."
Rae marched to the front door and yanked it open. It was McGrath.
"Oh. Good evening." Rae stepped back.
McGrath walked into the room and noticed Sarah. He raised a curious eyebrow and nodded. "Professor..."
Sarah nodded but said nothing. He turned to Rae, who stood there in her robe. "Gee, am I interrupting?"
Rae glared at him. "What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"
"Well, there"s no other way to say this. We found the body of Amy Davis this morning in the Chicago River. A couple guys were fishing."
"In the Chicago River? For what?" Sarah asked with a grimace, but she walked around the couch to stand next to Rae.
Rae sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead. "How long?"
McGrath eyed her suspiciously. "We can"t be sure until the autopsy is done. Possibly two to three days."
Rae"s mind was racing as she remembered the few crime scenes she"d seen in the navy. "Did they find anything on her body?"
"Well, the only thing she had on her person was her wallet and a business card...Your business card, Miss Jefferson."
Rae shot him a look but said nothing. She knew what he was implying. "I don"t remember. I must have given her one," she said honestly. Frantically, she tried to remember that night. When did she give her a card? Sarah watched but said nothing. She inched her way closer to Rae.
"Do you know where Miss Whiting and Rodriguez are?"
"No, I spoke with Jane this morning, but that"s all."
"Well, if you see them before I do, let them know," he said and turned away. "Sorry to interrupt your evening. By the way? Don"t go anywhere," he said candidly.
"There goes Mexico," Sarah said sadly.
A wisp of a smile flashed across McGrath"s face. "I"ll be in touch," he said and walked out.
Rae quietly closed the door and stood there for a moment. Sarah walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I"m sorry, Rae," she said softly.
Rae turned and stepped away, ignoring her consolation. Sarah gave her a curious look.
"I"ve got to find Jane and Pam," she said and headed for the bedroom. "I"ll be right out. We"ll try the bar. They may be there."
"Why did the lieutenant tell you not to go anywhere?" Sarah asked as Rae stopped, then walked back over to her.
"Sarah, let"s look at this scenario. They found a body in the Chicago River. The only thing found on this poor girl was my business card. I was probably the last one to see her, after spending the night with her. If it"s determined that Amy was murdered..." Rae stopped and looked down into her gray eyes.
Sarah"s eyes widened in horror. "No! That flatfoot suspects you? He"s out of his mind. There are a million reasons." She walked away from Rae and continued her tirade. "Suppose she wasn"t murdered?"
Rae smiled affectionately as she walked down the hall. She stripped off her robe and threw on some clothes as Sarah continued in the living room.
"What if it was an accident? Does there have to be foul play?"
Rae stuck her head out the bedroom door. "Flatfoot? Foul play? I think you read too much. Be honest, you"re an Agatha Christie fan."
Sarah walked down the hall and stood in the doorway. "Very funny," she grumbled, then walked up to Rae, who was b.u.t.toning her blouse. Sarah gently pushed her hands away and finished for her. She could tell Rae was uneasy for some reason.
"We"ve got a little unfinished business," she said, looking up at her.
Rae smiled for a brief moment and gazed into those gray eyes. "This was a definite mood killer. C"mon, we"ve got to find the girls," she said abruptly and walked past her.
"So you want me to go with you? You struck me as a loner, Rae Jefferson," Sarah said with a smug grin.
Rae looked right at her. "I am. So just come along and enjoy the ride, whattaya say?"
Sarah gave her a suspicious look. "As I said before, don"t get nervous. It"s okay by me, but do we have to ride in that contraption?"
Rae laughed as she pulled her out the door.
Chapter 12.
The bar was crowded for a Monday night. Rae grabbed Sarah"s hand and pulled her through the crowd. Luckily, there were two barstools open.
Sally greeted Rae with a smile. "What in the h.e.l.l brings you here on a Monday?" She then looked at Sarah and raised an eyebrow. "Hi, I"m Sally." She stuck out her hand, which Sarah took, as Rae made the introductions and ordered drinks.
"Seen Jane or Pam at all?" she asked loudly above the din of the DJ.
Sarah glanced around. She hadn"t been in this bar for some time. She noticed the dance floor, packed like sardines... And the sardines looked awfully young.
Rae strained to hear Sally just as the music stopped and a slow song started playing. "Thank G.o.d," Rae said and put a finger in her ear.
"I haven"t seen them since you all were here the other day," Sally said.
Rae gave the bar a disappointed glance. Sarah looked, as well, although she had no clue what these girls looked like. Then she saw a blond, shapely young woman walk past her and up to Rae.
She put a hand on her shoulder, and Rae turned. "Joanna." Rae couldn"t hide the surprise in her voice. With that, Joanna kissed her pa.s.sionately. Sarah raised an eyebrow and just watched.
Rae struggled, trying to peel Joanna off. Finally, she wrenched her mouth free, avoiding the smug look on Sarah"s face.
"Rae, you bad girl. You didn"t call me." Joanna pouted and pulled at Rae"s bottom lip. Rae laughed nervously and pushed her hand away.
"I-I... How are you?" she asked stupidly.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Sally, may I have another?"
"Certainly." Sally glared at Rae. "It"s on the house."
"Oh, no, no. I couldn"t let you do that. Put it on Rae"s bill."
"I"m fine now," Joanna said, ignoring Sarah. "What say we blow this place and continue where we left off?" She seductively played with the b.u.t.tons of Rae"s blouse.
"Sorry. Joanna, this is Sarah..." She started and stupidly stood there, her mind utterly blank.
"Connelly, Sarah Connelly." Sarah offered her hand, and Joanna took it, glancing back at Rae.
"Well, it"s nice to meet you," she said and turned to Rae. "Call me sometime."
She then walked away and was lost in the sardine can of humanity. Rae turned back to the bar and gave an uncomfortable side-glance at Sarah, who was eating a peanut out of the bowl.
An awkward pall hung over them.
"An old friend?" Sarah asked.
Rae turned to her. She started to say something, then let out a helpless sigh. "Yeah, something like that."
Sarah reached over and took a napkin off the bar and handed it to Rae. "Red lipstick." She motioned to her mouth, and Rae s.n.a.t.c.hed the napkin away from her and rubbed her mouth.
With that, Jane and Pam walked in. Pam noticed Rae and stormed over to her.
"Uh-oh," Sally said, and Sarah looked over.
Jane tried to pull at Pam"s arm, but she angrily wrenched her arm free. Rae turned as Pam walked up to her. Sarah could almost see Rae"s body tense.
"You lousy sonofab.i.t.c.h," Pam exclaimed and took a roundhouse swing in Rae"s direction.
The sudden flurry of motion shocked Sarah. Rae moved so quickly, Sarah almost didn"t see it. She sidestepped Pam"s wild swing, and in one swift cat-like movement, Rae had Pam all turned around and in a stranglehold.
Jane pulled at Rae"s arm, and Sally reached across the bar and grabbed Rae"s other arm. Sarah stood behind her and put her arm on her back.
"Rae!" she exclaimed anxiously.
They might as well have been invisible. Rae whispered in Pam"s ear, "I could snap your neck so easily right now. Behave yourself."
Sarah heard this, stunned at the change in Rae"s demeanor. She growled her threat almost like a wild animal. She then released Pam, who staggered forward, coughing and holding her neck. Jane put an arm around her.
The few female patrons who watched quickly dispersed, giving Rae a wary look. Sarah stared at her in disbelief. Sally took a deep, relieved breath and handed Pam a gla.s.s of water.
The dark look on Rae"s face scared Sarah. She knew she had a dark side, but she didn"t expect this.
Rae just watched, her muscles twitching as if she were preparing for another attack. Beads of perspiration broke out on her forehead and trickled down her temple.
"You could have killed me." Pam nearly choked as Jane helped her onto a barstool.
"You"re hotheaded and much too emotional. One day, you"ll get yourself in real trouble," Rae said, her voice void of emotion. She glanced at Sarah, who still watched her in silence.
"I take it you"ve spoken with McGrath," Rae said dryly. She then turned toward the bar and picked up her drink. Sarah noticed how Rae"s hands shook as she lifted the drink. She put it down and pumped her fist once or twice as if to get the blood flowing. She glanced at Sarah, who smiled slightly.
"If you"re looking for the nearest exit, I can"t blame you," Rae whispered to her.
Sarah smiled and shook her head.
"Yes, we just left him. They"ll do an autopsy. I suppose it"ll determine how..." Jane started but then stopped as she put a shaky hand to her forehead.
Pam put an arm around her and murmured her name. "It"s okay, baby."
Rae winced, looking as though she wanted to say something, but Sarah walked over to Jane and put a motherly arm around her.
"Jane, we are sorry, truly. I liked Amy, and I don"t know why anyone would want to harm her." Her voice was soft and rea.s.suring as Jane buried her head into her shoulder and hung on for dear life.
Sarah rocked her back and forth, smoothing her hair. She whispered something, and Jane smiled and wiped her eyes. Sarah let her go and put her hand on Jane"s cheek and kissed her forehead.
"How about we go to my place?" Sarah offered. "I live just a few blocks away. We"ll have more privacy, and we can hear ourselves think."
Rae then realized she was gaining admiration for this compa.s.sionate woman. Sarah took control of the situation in a way Rae had not.
They sat around Sarah"s kitchen table as Sarah put the coffee on the stove.