Hothouse Orchid (Holly Barker 6)

“It makes the perpetrator more interesting, doesn’t it?”

“I suppose,” Holly said. “It also adds another way to find him. The police could visit that medical supply store in Vero and find out whom they’ve sold the things to. Anybody who wasn’t a doctor or a hospital purchasing agent would stand out as a suspect.”

“I think maybe I should have been a cop,” Josh said. “I enjoy knowing about this stuff, even if I am a couple of steps removed from the process.”

“Well,” Holly said, “maybe you did miss your calling, but it wasn’t as a cop.”

“Really? What should I have been.”

She laughed. “A porn star,” she said.

Josh blushed. “First time I’ve been told that,” he said.

“I don’t believe it. When you’re carrying around that sort of equipment, it gets noticed.”

“Okay, it’s been mentioned,” he admitted, “but nobody ever suggested I should have been in porn films.”

“You know what I think you need?” Holly asked.

“What?”

“Another audition.” She took his hand and led him into the house and upstairs.

“We’ve got a dinner reservation in half an hour,” he said.

“We’ll manage,” Holly said, unzipping his fly.

19

Teddy Fay awoke as the sun’s rays struck his face. His right arm was numb. Adele Mason’s head lay across it, and her leg was thrown over his. Gently, he extricated his arm and lifted her knee so that he could recover his leg. He slithered silently out of bed, walked to the window and looked out, opening and closing his hand, trying to get his circulation going. The sun had just broken the horizon. He closed the venetian blinds, walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

He shaved, got into a shower, soaped up and then rinsed in cold water. He tiptoed into the bedroom, found some shorts in a drawer and put them on, then he went into the kitchen. He had managed a trip to a grocery the day before, and he put on some coffee and fried bacon in the microwave while he toasted a couple of English muffins and scrambled some eggs.

“Smells good in there,” Adele called from the bathroom.

“Breakfast in five minutes,” he called back, then he heard the shower running.

She came into the kitchen wearing only a towel and kissed him on a shoulder. “Jack, do you mind if I ask how old you are?”

“Sixty,” he lied. “How about you?”

“Forty-nine,” she replied.

“You look wonderful,” he said, emptying the eggs onto two plates.

“You are wonderful,” she said, “at least in bed.”

“Thank you ma’am.” He laughed.

“Oh, I forgot something,” she said, hurrying from the room. She came back with the local newspaper. “I called the paper yesterday and got you a subscription; I always do that with a new client.”

“Thank you,” Teddy said and set the paper on the little table.

They washed down their breakfast with fresh orange juice and finished it with coffee.

Teddy sat back in his chair and picked up the paper. “My goodness,” he said, “according to this you’ve got a serial rapist/murderer in this town.”

“I’m afraid so,” Adele said, “and I hope it’s not going to be bad for business.”