“What do we know about Carol Ann and what did she have in common with the other victims?” he asked.
“A white female in her late teens. She was a hooker, took drugs and worked out of 110th Street and Fifth Avenue,” Joey said reading the report he had compiled.
“Francis Green,” Justin said pointing to the second girl to have been murdered. “22, another working girl, she worked mostly at Fifth Avenue at 77th street.”
“Gina Gamble, Sally Conway and Holly Stevens all have the same background and all about the same age,” Lance pointed out.
“And they all worked near the park,” Justin added.
“He’s killing prostitutes. He’s cleansing the streets, why these areas?” Lance said chewing his pen again.
Joey stood up and studied the map of the park. “He lives nearby. He’s not cleansing the streets of New York, just his area.”
Lance grinned and held up his hands. “Bingo,” he said smirking.
Justin leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the desk, crossing his ankles as he balanced precariously on the back two legs. “So why hasn’t he killed again? All the other girls were murdered over the course of five weeks. Holly was the last and that was nearly two months ago.”
“He’s moved on,” Joey suggested. “Maybe we should see if there have been any other incidents out of state.”
“He hasn’t moved on. Someone that feels so strongly that he is driven to kill to cleanse his neighbourhood isn’t going to up and leave,” Lance pointed out. “I’d lay bets he has lived around there all his life. He’s moved on with his life, that’s what’s changed.”
“A girlfriend maybe?” Joey interjected.
“Or a boyfriend,” Lance said looking straight at Justin.
Justin stood up abruptly knocking his chair over. “What the fuck are you suggesting?”
“How long have you been going out with Josh, Justin? Six weeks? Seven weeks?”
“You got to be kidding me!” Justin was incensed. “Josh isn’t capable of murdering anyone. Shit he bawled his eyes out because his goldfish died.”
“Maybe it was male?” Joey muttered sarcastically.
“Josh is not a serial killer!” Justin stormed out of the room and shoved past officer after officer, glaring at them and daring them to say something to him.
“Do you really think Josh is the killer?” Joey asked Lance as his partner slammed out of the room.
“I don’t know. He fits the profile from what Justin has told me about him.”
Joey laughed. “You were fucking with him.”
Lance grinned mischievously. “Just a little bit. But seriously, something has changed in this dudes life. Something or someone is taking up all his time now.”
Justin slammed the door of his car and gripped the steering wheel tightly. His mind was reeling, was Lance seriously suggesting that Josh, his gentle lovely Josh was a vicious woman killer? He needed to see his boyfriend; he needed to reassure himself that Lance was wrong.
When he arrived at the coffee shop it was full with the lunch time rush. Josh was busy messing with one of the coffee machines with his back to the door. Honey his assistant was fluttering about waiting on tables and Britney was behind the counter serving the buy and run customers.
Justin's eyes drifted down Josh’s back and rested on his ass that was barely covered by a pair of low rise tight blue jeans that accentuated the roundness of the sweet peach they covered.
He joined the queue waiting his turn to reach the counter after about five minutes he stood before Britney.
“Hi sweetie,” she said smilingly. “Joshy, look who has dropped by.”
Josh stopped what he was doing and turned around wiping the grease from his hands. A massive smile spread across his face replacing the frown that had marred his fine features just seconds previously.
“Hi,” Justin said softly.
“Hi.”
“Oh please guys stop with the coyness. I know you are dying to jump each others bones.” Britney gave Josh a push. “Me and Honey can cope down here go take a break.”
Josh grabbed the petite waitress and kissed her forehead then lifted the counter flap letting Justin go through to the back room and up the stairs to his apartment.
As soon as they were upstairs Justin seized the smaller brunette and crushed his lips beneath is own. “I missed you,” he breathed.
Josh chuckled. “You’ve only been gone four hours, you stayed here last night remember.”
“I did didn’t I.” Justin kissed him again and then squeezed him tight. “How long have we been together Josh?”
Josh leaned in and pecked Justin's lips. “Eight weeks, three days, twelve hours, fourteen minutes and 36.5 seconds.”
Justin laughed. “Not like you have been counting of course.”
“Oh of course not,” Josh giggled but then he became serious. “But it’s hard to forget the day your life began,” he whispered.
Lance’s nagging voice echoed in Justin's mind as he hugged his lover to him. “I love you Josh,” he confessed. He held Josh away from him so he could look him in the eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you too Justin.” Josh frowned. “What is it baby, what’s bothering you?”
“It’s this case that I’m working on.”
“The serial killer?”
Justin nodded. “That’s the one. We don’t have any clue. This guy is as intelligent as he is deranged. We will get him, everyone slips up eventually.”
Josh’s face was unreadable.
“I’m sorry baby; I shouldn’t be dropping this on you. What I should be doing is this.” Justin leaned in and swept his tongue over Josh’s lips. The brunette let out a gentle sigh and inched closer so he could sink into the caress completely.
“Take me to bed Justin. Make love to me.”
Justin gripped Josh’s denim clad ass, squeezing it hard and digging his fingers into the soft flesh. He smothered his lover’s pliant cherry lips with his mouth, thrusting his tongue into the coffee flavoured opening and duelling with Josh’s tongue. His lover melted into his arms. The tenseness that was there just seconds before evaporated and Justin walked Josh back until he tumbled backwards onto the bed.
The police officer towered over his lover undoing his shirt, slipping it off his shoulders and dropping it onto the floor. His pants followed and then his underwear; naked he straddled Josh and started to strip him. Josh lay on his back letting Justin undress him, his eyes fixed on his lover’s face. Justin seemed to have changed. It was subtle but a change had occurred. He groaned and arched his back as Justin licked his navel and then followed the fine line of soft golden hair that led down to his genitals.
Justin's lips on his inner thigh forced him to stop analysing what had just transpired between them. All thoughts fled his mind all he could think about was the way Justin's tongue was dancing on the head of his cock and licking at the cum leaking from his slit.
Justin lifted Josh’s legs onto his shoulders and pushed into him. Josh’s eyes closed then snapped open, shocked when he found Justin's unreadable eyes staring down at him. He gave a groan as Justin thrust into him but never broke eye contact. It was as if Justin was trying to look into his very soul.
Justin's eyes closed and his mouth dropped open as he continued to push in and out of his lover and with a cry he came. He rolled onto his side and pulled Josh’s thin body to him. “I really do love you Josh. I would do anything I could to protect you.”
Josh wriggled back into his lover’s arms and frowned.
~*~
Josh woke feeling cold on his back. He rolled over and saw what he already knew, Justin was gone. On his pillow laid a rose and a folded note.
‘Josh I had to go. You looked so beautiful lying there sleeping that I didn’t want to wake you. I will come by tonight if I can but it will be late. I can’t bear to be away from your glorious body for longer than I have to.
I love you so much
Justin’
Josh got out of bed and walked over to the mirror and stood naked looking at himself. What was it Justin had seen? What was he looking for when he stared at him the way he did?
“Josh honey I need some change.” Britney’s voice shouted up the stairs. “Baby can I come up?”
“No, I’ll come down.” Josh slipped his legs into his jeans not bothering to put on his underwear first. He slipped his tee shirt over his head and pushed his feet into a pair of flip flops. Grabbing a bag of change from his dresser he went down to the shop.
The dinner rush had abated but the little Café was still busy. He handed the money to Britney and went back to the half repaired coffee machine.
“I don’t want you to serve me.”
Josh looked over his shoulder at the girl that was snubbing his best employee and favourite girl. The customer tossed her long blond hair and looked down her turned up nose at Britney. She turned to her darker haired companion and rolled her eyes before turning back to the petite waitress. “Are you still here,” she snapped haughtily.
“I’ll serve the lady Brit.” Josh washed his hands and took Britney's place at the counter. “What can I get you?”
“2 cappuccinos,” the attractive girl replied.
“And your phone number,” her friend added with a smile.
“I’ll get your coffees,” Josh turned to the cappuccino machine and poured two cups. He took deep breaths. Who the hell did those bitches think they were? First they dismiss a member of his staff and then they try to hit on him. When he turned back around the girls had taken a seat in one of the booths.
“Fucking bitch,” Britney snapped under her breath. “She thinks she is better than me because she did a bit of modelling and then hooked up with Nick Lachey.”
“You know her?” Josh asked.
Britney nodded. “She was at school with me. You know her type, cheerleader, Miss Popularity.”
“Is there any danger of getting our drinks today?” the girl snapped.
Her friend giggled. “Jessica you are so mean at times. He looks tired.”
“From what I hear about him he’s probably been taking it up the ass all afternoon,” Jessica whispered loudly then giggled.
Josh’s blood began to boil and his hands shook as he stood in front of the girls.
“Oh you are gay. So I guess your phone number is out of the question then?” The darker haired girl seemed genuinely disappointed that she wasn’t in with a chance.
“Do you have a dick?” Josh snapped.
“No,” the girl replied shocked at the question.
“Then you have your answer don’t you.” Josh slammed the coffees on the table and skulked back behind the counter. He glared at the two girls until they left then went back to mending his broken coffee maker. Britney came over with the money they had left.
“She never even left a tip the bitch.”
“Don’t worry Brit girls like her always get what’s coming to them eventually.” Josh looked at his watch. “Why don’t you get off home now, I’ll see to the rest.”
“Baby are you sure? I don’t want to leave you in the lurch.”
“Sure I’m sure,” Josh said smiling. “Can you work a couple of hours tomorrow? Honey wants the morning off something about registering for classes.”
“You don’t like Honey much do you?” Britney stated as she pulled on her coat on.
“She’s a whore and a shit waitress and she couldn’t make a cup of coffee if her life depended on it.”
“Wow,” Britney gasped. “You really don’t like her! Is it because your mother thought more of her than she did of you?”
For a brief minute Josh’s temper flared up. How dare Britney ask him such a personal question? He was about to shout at her and tell her to mind her own god damn business but he swallowed his words when he saw real concern in the southern girls soft brown eyes.
“My mother thought more of everyone than she did of me,” he said sadly. “I was the worthless piece of shit remember. The ugly fag son that would never amount to anything or ever get a man to love him.” He turned his back on his only female friend and pretended to carry on fixing the coffee maker so that Britney wouldn’t see the tears welling up in his eyes or the hurt in his face.
Britney rested her hand on his back then wrapped her arms around his waist hugging him from behind and resting her head on his back. “She was wrong Josh. I don’t know why she treated you the way she did, but she was wrong.”
Josh turned around and held Britney in his arms letting the tears that he had been holding in go.
The bell to the shop rang.
“Am I interrupting something?”
The two broke apart and Josh turned his back to Justin so that he could wipe his eyes.
“I have to go.” Britney said. She touched Justin's arm as she walked past him and then looked back at Josh sympathetically. “Make him happy Justin.”
Justin walked to the door with Britney and locked it behind her. Josh was still facing the wall.
“Josh.”
“I need to be alone.”
“I don’t want to leave you like this,” Justin whispered stepping closer to his lover.
“Please Justin. I will call you tomorrow I promise. I just need to be alone.”
Reluctantly Justin went over to the door and opened it. “I’ll call you.”
Josh nodded and waited until the bell went again before he turned around. There on the counter was the money and tab from Jessica and her friend. Josh picked it up, screwed up the receipt and put the money in to the cash register then he went up stairs to his apartment to think leaving Honey to serve in the shop. He paced the room for hours unable to find any peace. At 8.30 Honey shouted up the stairs that she had locked up and was going home and not to forget that she was not working in the morning. Finally in the early hours of the morning Josh decided to go for a drive.