Dahlia's Kiss

“Sterling,” his gruff voice said into the receiving end of the phone. Everyone held their breath as his face went from beet red to pale white. The conversation lasted about two minutes before he said he understood, and he ended the call.

“What is it?” I asked with trepidation.

“We are going to have to continue this conversation another time. We have another body with the same MO.” He looked directly at me, and his face softened. “Dahlia, the victim is Cecelia Sands. I believe that was the woman who greeted me at your work that first day we met, right? I read her name on her business cards she had sitting out for people to take. I’m so sorry.”

Voices were screaming in my head. I’d spoken to CeeCee that morning. Hell, I’d fought with her after she saw me kissing Cole. She’d been fired for standing up for what she thought was right and called a liar. How could she be gone? This couldn’t be real. I took a few steps back until I bumped into the fridge.

“When did it happen?” I asked.

“We won’t know until the medical examiner looks at her body. My guy says she is fresh, though.” He gritted his teeth and slammed his eyes closed. “I’m sorry. That sounded insensitive. I know she was your friend.”

“I saw her this morning. Drake Sullivan fired her after she saw me kissing Cole in the parking lot.”

Sterling gave Cole a dirty look and then looked back at me. “So, this happened sometime today, then. That narrows it down.”

“Why did he fire her for that? Seems like a weird reason to let someone go.” Damian said from the other side of the room.

I flinched. “Before I met you all, I fed from Drake pretty frequently. He was accessible, and he didn’t want a relationship, so it was easy. A few days ago, CeeCee saw Drake kiss me outside his office, so she assumed we were in some kind of secret relationship. When she saw me kiss Cole, she got pissed because she thought I was cheating on Drake. She confronted us both, and Drake didn’t want his reputation ruined. When she started to get loud, he told her to pack her things and leave. That was the last time I saw her. I went home shortly after that as well.”

“Whoever did it knew she wasn’t at work.” Sterling’s eyes turned to Cole who made himself look smaller under his gaze.

“I went home after we talked, Dahlia. I swear,” Cole pleaded. “Hell, I called you for at least three hours straight after that.”

“But then I turned off my phone,” I pointed out. “That left you another three hours before we just heard from you again. What were you doing during that time?”

“What is this?” he asked. “An interrogation? I paced my living room, trying to find a way to explain why I did what I did in a way you would understand. I took a shower. I ate leftover Chinese food from last week that I found in the back of my fridge. I tried to take a nap, but I couldn’t get my brain to shut off, and then you texted me. I don’t know what to say other than that.”

“Does this complex have cameras?” Sterling asked.

“Not that I’m aware of,” I told him.

Sterling looked back at Cole. “Well, isn’t that convenient? His entire alibi revolves around something we can’t prove.”

“I’m telling the truth, God dammit!”

“Yeah, we’ll see,” Sterling said. “Until I know something solid either way, I don’t want you here alone with Dahlia. I have to go to the scene of a murder of a woman who has underwear shoved in her mouth, and on the off chance that you’re behind that, I can’t stomach the thought of you doing something to the woman I love while I’m not here to protect her.”

“Again, that isn’t your choice to make, Sterling.” His attitude was really starting to piss me off. “I choose who is in my apartment and who isn’t. Not you.”

Sterling dropped his arms and stared at me. “You can’t think it would be safe to be alone with him? After this... really?”

I looked at Cole, and I could read the pain on his face. His story about being abandoned struck a chord in me after what had happened to my parents, and then how I felt after my aunt passed away. I had no one, and no one cared for me. I could understand that kind of desperation. But I also understood desperation could do terrible things to otherwise good people. I knew the smart thing to do would be to tell him to go home for now, but my gut told me not to turn him away. Instead, I did nothing.

“I want to be alone tonight. I don’t want anyone here. I’m not banning anyone; I just need some space to work through everything in my brain.”

“Leave your phone on,” Sterling demanded as he made his way to the door. Cole stepped out of his way, rather than get trampled. Then, giving me one last look conveying his great shame, he followed the detective out.

“I guess I should go too then,” Damian said. “If you call, I’ll come running. I promise.”

“Thank you.” I smiled at him before he pulled the door closed behind him.

The place felt so empty without them in it. Bean sauntered out of the bedroom and looked up at me while he purred. “Alone at last huh, Bean? I bet you’re hungry.”

He meowed in response and waited a little less than patiently while I opened a tin of Fancy Feast and dumped it into his bowl. His tail flicked as he ate, his whiskers bouncing as he lapped up his meal, watching me the entire time.

“Alone at last,” I whispered.