Whispers in the Dark Excerpt

THE BEGINNING

If only Dominique could shoot someone. She could feel it building from deep inside her. But not this time. This time she refused to allow anyone to see her lose it. It happened too many times in the near past. As she pulled the door shut she could hear it echo for several seconds. Her teeth gritted together and she flinched. She hadn’t wanted to slam the door, but sometimes it just happens like that. Hopefully, no one noticed.

She slid herself into her car, shifted into gear, pulled out of the parking garage and headed toward the highway. Five miles, ten, fifteen, twenty, maybe even 30. It seemed like she had been driving forever. Cars, buildings and people came in and out of focus. She didn’t slow the car until she could see the bridge rising in the horizon. Slowly she veered the car off the next exit, made a quick left turn and got immediately back onto the highway. I really gotta think this one out. She was disgusted, fed up and past exhausted. Nothing had gone right the past year. At least that’s her take on it. What I really need right now, this very second, is Rico. Dominique pulled the car into the nearest parking slot next to the large brick building.

“Where’s Rico,” she yelled as she stormed into the Day Spa. The two women sitting at the desk looked up at the same time. Dominique strutted pass them before they could answer.

“Ricco, are you here?” She pushed open the next door.

“Back here,” echoed from the end of the hall. “Yo, what’s up beautiful? How ya doing?” She walked past him, pushed open the door to the first quiet room she came to and walked towards the portable steam room situated in the corner. She pulled off her jeans, tee shirt, panties and bra, grabbed the large plush terry cloth bathrobe from the hook and stepped into the steamer.

“Rough day, huh,” Ricco asked as he stood in the doorway, his voice calm and smooth, like chocolate ice cream on a hot summer day. Sometimes just hearing his voice would calm her nerves. Dominique leaned forward and turned the dial to thirty minutes. The hot steam permeated her nostrils and constricted her lungs. Within seconds she could feel the sweat drip from her pores and roll down her taunt skin.

“Times up,” Ricco whispered, as he reached in and turned the timer to the off position fifteen minutes later. He knew the routine. Regardless of what she said, fifteen minutes in the stream room and then another sixty on the massage table. Sometimes deep tissue, sometimes relaxing, sometimes both. Ricco could read her like a book and with one look at her face he knew this was a relaxing day. He kneaded each muscle gingerly, paying close attention to the knotted areas on her neck and shoulders.

“You’ve got to learn to relax,” he commented, as his hands glided up and down That job is going to be the end of you.”

“It already has.”

CHAPTER 1

Two months passed, seven weeks, five days and some odd number of hours to be exact. Dominique’s captain refused to accept her resignation, something about too many years to throw away. “I don’t know what I need to say to you to convince you what happened to Wesley was not your fault. Each and every cop takes the same chances. It’s not your fault he was killed. That’s something we have to live with. You just need some time off.”

Dominique knew it was more than that. Dominique, unlike so many other women had surpassed her ten-year anniversary in the police force. That’s something not too many people, especially women did. But, she had and with several accommodations under her belt. Now, her life was at a stand off. Wesley, her partner for almost ten years was dead. Took the bullet intended for her. There was nothing the captain or anyone else could say. His blood was on her hands, she knew it was her fault and only she could reconcile it. Regardless of the argument the only thing Dominique could do to convince her captain was to agree to a personal leave of absence. Six months, maybe a year. He promised her as soon as her head cleared and the grief was gone or at least subsided enough for her to see straight she would be back. Dominique smiled as she extended her hand for what she knew was one last handshake. She pulled her badge out of her pocket and placed it on top of his desk.

He shook his head and handed it back to her. “You’ll need it when you come back.”

Dominique sat on the floor of the small cottage and unpacked the few small boxes that sat around the room. On a whim and a prayer she emptied out her 401 and most of her savings, packed what she wanted from her personal belongings and headed towards the small town the real estate agent found for her. She told her if she wanted to run away and not be found this was the place. Quaint and quiet. Large enough where people would not get in her business and small enough so she could get the much-needed peace and quiet she yearned. If everything went well she pondered the idea of writing a book. Maybe a cop book or thriller. She talked about doing it all her life, but as a cop’s life goes, never could find the time.

At first she knew she had to get unpacked, at least enough so she could function. She pulled each object out of the box and placed them on the floor beside her. Opening the old, tattered, stationary box, visions of the past run through her mind. She pulled a small delicate white feather from the box and within seconds could feel tears well in her eyes. She drew it to her nose and took a long slow breath to capture some of the fragrance still lingering on the feather. She remembered it like it was yesterday.

Wesley had slid the feather in a card on the morning after their first ride together. Hand scribed in the card the words, ‘like a feather’. She understood what he meant. Her first few weeks on the force were rough. She was trying too hard to fit in with the guys. It got so bad no one wanted to ride with her and they began to call her Dom, Nick and bully. But not Wesley. He was the only one to speak up and volunteer to be her sidekick. When she received the feather she knew she needed to lighten up. That was the beginning of it all. They rode together for the next nine years. Inseparable.

Dominique pushed herself up from the floor, walked over to the bookshelf, pulled a small journal off of the shelf and placed the feather within its pages.