Chapter 13: Darek - Pisces

Darek could barely sleep, and he itched so badly that he sneaked out of his bed and into the bathroom to shower just before the sun came up. Wiping the steam from the mirror, he caught his reflection and panicked. A red rash has spread across his neck, and the first thing that came to mind was his fall out by the old millhouse.

“Son of a bitch.”

He dried off and dressed, trying his hardest not to wake Lizzy in the process. He hoped that she wasn’t allergic to whatever he’d gotten into, and he went back to the bathroom to check his crotch to make sure he hadn’t spread it to any other parts of his body. Thankfully, everything was good, and the only heat he’d had on his cock in the past day was Lizzy.

He looked up some rashes on his phone and tried to see if it was a match to his, but that just got him a bunch of horrible images he couldn’t un-see. “Dammit,” he cursed as he took one more look in the mirror.

“Are you okay in there?”

When he opened the door, he found Lizzy wrapped up in a sheet and looking like a goddess.

“Yeah, sorry,” he said. “It seems I got into something yesterday. Please tell me you’re not allergic to poison ivy or oak. I have a feeling that’s what this is.”

The owners of Camp Victory had worked hard to keep it out of their campsite back in the day, or at least, so he’d heard, but no one bothered to think about the millhouse area located behind the camp.

“I don’t think so,” Lizzy said. “At least, I’ve never had any problems. Robert and I used to work in the yard a lot and even did some exploring through the woods and down the creek, but then again, I never went rolling around on the ground, either.” She looked at his neck and cringed. “That’s a nasty rash. Did it spread?”

“No, but you may want to check yourself. I didn’t feel it this intensely yesterday.”

“Maybe all that exertion from last night made it kick in.” She opened her sheet and dropped it to the floor. “Check me out and see if you see anything.” She held out her arms and turned in a circle as if modesty wasn’t in her vocabulary.

“Perfection. Nothing out of place. I didn’t even leave a mark on you.” He gave her a wink.

She took his hand and put it on her waist. “I wouldn’t say that. I am walking a little funny this morning.” She brought her lips to his for a quick kiss and then turned away.

“I’d have you on your back again already if I wasn’t afraid of giving you the itch. The ride home is going to suck with all this scratching.”

“Why don’t you soak in the tub and let me run into town and get you some lotion? I’ll grab some stuff from the store, drop some money by the caretaker’s house, and then I’ll come back and make you a nice lunch before we get on the road.”

“I like the sound of that, but are you sure you don’t need me to ride along?”

“I grew up here. I’ll be fine.” She brushed his hair from his forehead. “Don’t scratch while I’m gone. You’ll make it worse.”

He didn’t mind her going out without him and thought it might give him a little time to make a few calls and check the burner phone in her absence. “I’ll behave.”

Before she left the bathroom, she bent over the tub, giving him a nice long look at her ass. “There. It’s just the right temperature.” She gave him a kiss, then bent over to pick up her sheet. As she disappeared into the bedroom down the hall, he shut the door and locked it before getting undressed.

He sat on the side of the tub and dunked his feet in the water as he went through his phone. He found a number there he hadn’t expected to use again. The phone rang and Marie, the only dermatologist he knew, answered.

“Detective Blake?”

He thought the woman might not have his name saved, but the fact that she did made him a little suspicious that she still had a crush on him. He didn’t want to send any unintended signals, and this woman was a bit of a wildcard. “Yeah, it’s me. I hate to call you up out of the blue on a Sunday morning with business, but I’ve gotten into something, and I need to see you tomorrow if at all possible.”

“Anything for you, Detective. Just show up around one, and I’ll fit you in. But, just to satisfy my curiosity, what is the problem?”

“I think it’s poison ivy, but I can’t be sure. I fell into some weeds yesterday, and I have an ugly, itchy rash on my shoulder.”

“Don’t scratch it,” she said sternly. “Keep it clean and put some calamine lotion on it. I’ll take a look and make sure it’s not something else.”

“Thanks, Marie. I can’t focus on work if I’m busy scratching.” He wanted to keep it as much about business as possible.

“Well, I’ll cure your itches.” She giggled. “See you then.”

He heard Lizzy’s car leaving and got up from the tub. He wasn’t going to spend the entire fucking time she was gone soaking, and it wasn’t like he’d be neck deep in the fucking tub anyway, but he thought it best to humor her and let her go on without him.

He went back to his bedroom where he’d stashed his bag, and he found the other phone, which he’d silenced before stuffing into a pocket on his bag. He looked for a new message, but there wasn’t anything new. He moved to stow it away in the bag when it went off in his hand, giving him a start.

“Fuck!” He held his hammering heart. “Motherfucker.”

He saw a message from the killer, and when he opened the message fully, it read: Hope you enjoyed your little vacation. Time to get back to work. The message ended with two little fish emojis.

“Pisces,” he said as a chill ran down his back.

The killer was going to give him something to come home to. He called Bay, hoping he could warn Finn or at least give Darek the guy’s number. He needed to be warned, and maybe Darek could talk him into leaving New York. He could always go back to California and be away from all of the chaos. So far, the killer had only been working in New York, so Finn could go home and have nothing to worry about.

Darek hit the button to call Bay Collins and sat on the end of the bed where he could see when Lizzy returned.

“Don’t tell me you have another question about Camp V,” Bay said instead of saying hello. He gave a bored laugh, and Darek wondered if there was anything else he’d gone out of his way to cover up. Bay had certainly been a lot busier than Darek had expected over the years.

“No, I just wanted to know if Finn’s in town.”

“Yes, he’s still hanging around, and so was Seth.”

“Seth was in town? Why? He’s Aries, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, rather unfortunate for him. Horrible timing.” Bay chuckled softly.

“Had you not warned him about the killings? Or is that what made him curious?” Knowing Seth’s ego, he came to New York to dare the killer. If anyone was as egotistical as Bay, it was Seth.

“He was in town for a little action, but don’t worry. He’s already on his way back to Dallas. Took a flight out late last night. So, what do you need to call Finn about?”

“I just got a warning that he’s on the killer’s radar.”

“Oh? Is he? And what about Logan? I guess the killer is going to let him off the hook?”

“Perhaps the killer thinks that taking his freedom is enough of a payback? I don’t know. All I know is, you can either warn Finn, or I will.”

“I’ll take care of it, but hey, what kind of warning did you get?” Bay’s voice was steeped with suspicion.

“Don’t worry about it. I have my ways, and that’s all you need to know.”

“You know, I don’t like this new attitude of yours, Darek. You, the killer, and even the guys, you’re all underestimating me, keeping me out of the loop. It’s all very hurtful and rather annoying.”

“Sorry if I hurt your feelings,” Darek said, knowing that Bay wouldn’t miss the sarcasm in his tone. The man barely had feelings, and if he felt anything, it was a betrayal. Either way, Darek couldn’t care any less. “Could you please just get the message to Finn? When is he leaving town?”

“He’s here until midweek. I have him doing a little job for me, and after that, I’m going to turn him loose.”

Darek couldn’t imagine what kind of deal he’d made with the man. Whatever it was, Darek hoped Bay would help protect his interests by keeping Finn safe.

“Tell him I said hello and to be in touch if he hears from the killer at all.” Darek hung up the phone without any farewell and then got up and changed his clothes so Lizzy would feel like he’d done something. He walked around the room, gathering his few belongings and put them in his bag so he’d be ready to leave Maryland for home.

After he finished, he went to Lizzy’s room to look around. It was hard to believe she’d grown up there by the looks of the room. It wasn’t decorated like he’d expected a young girl’s room to be, with posters of boy bands or bulletin boards covered with photos of her and her besties. There were no stuffed animals or vanity tables, and the only thing remotely feminine was her bedding, which was a pretty purple floral set that matched her curtains. There was an old computer that looked like it had seen better days and a row of books that had a good layer of dust on them. He knew better than to disturb them but couldn’t help notice the one on top was about famous true crimes. She’d been obsessed, even way back then.

The sound of her car returning brought his head around to the window, and he hurried out of the room, pulling the door closed as he’d found it.

He went out to offer a hand, but all she had was a takeout bag and a small paper bag from the pharmacy.

She shook the bag at him. “I got you a present for your itch.” She met his mouth with a quick kiss. He was going to savor every one of them, knowing as soon as they got back to the office, those sweet kisses would be fewer and further between.

“Thanks, I called my dermatologist to make an appointment for tomorrow. I’m not taking any chances.”

“I don’t blame you. What did he say?”

“She is going to fit me in tomorrow,” he said.

“Oh? Is she an old friend of yours?” She placed the bags of food on the counter.

“Yeah, I went to school with her, actually.” He looked for an ounce of jealousy in her eyes but came up empty, which was a relief. He didn’t want any problems with jealous women in his life. One fucking headcase in his life was enough, and that part had been filled by his ex-wife.

“That’s good,” Lizzy said. “Hopefully, she can tell you for sure what it is, but in the meantime, let’s gets you doctored up. You want to take off your shirt?”

“No need. It’s not anywhere else. Just my neck.” Darek pulled his shirt collar out of the way.

Lizzy took his hand and brought him back down the hall to the bathroom where she got a cotton ball and applied the cream. “There. That should start to feel better.”

“It does already. Thanks.” He gave her another kiss, and she pulled away and dropped the cotton ball in the garbage.

“After we’re done with lunch, we should really get back on the road. I have some paperwork to file, and I want to call Mr. Williford and see if he’s remembered anything before I turn it in.”

“Yeah, I guess this can’t last forever, unless you want to run away with me and never look back?” He liked the sound of that.

“Maybe after we solve this case.”

A sudden sick feeling hit his stomach, knowing if they solved it, there would be no future for them. When they go back to work, the dream would be over, and he’d be back to walking that tightrope, the one that was only going to lead to heartbreak. Hers and his.