A Crime of Passion

After a bit I led them out and took them home. Since the crime scene seemed to be the master bedroom it was sealed with evidence tape. I knew how to go past that to get clothes but right now I bedded down on the large and very soft couch in the den. With some of my late nights on various investigations I had spent time there before and knew how good I could sleep there.

Sometime in the night I was visited by my boys. We ended up on the floor where I could cuddle both as they cried for their mother. Yes, I will admit my tears joined theirs.

In the morning we got up, at least the boys did. At forty I crawled off the floor and hobbled around as my back told me what kind of fool I was for sleeping on the floor. We had a very nice deep pile throw rug on the floor but it still felt like sleeping on a rock.

We made some breakfast and planned our day. We all took showers and prepared to go see how Pam was doing. While I shaved and cleaned up I tried to figure out any reason Pam would be a shooting victim. The thought hit me as I scraped off my stubble. I have always been clean shaven but I usually have that five o'clock shadow by bedtime. Pam and I had always enjoyed a full and sensual sex life, including oral sex, but recently she had wanted extensive tongue in pussy sessions. I remember when she started to ask me to shave again before sex. It was only about a month ago. She had told me that she wanted my "smooth skin" against her delicate pussy, not some scraggly beard. It had never seemed to bother her before but now did.

As a matter of fact I now had to stay "down there" and make sure she had two or three orgasms from my tongue and fingers before she would allow me to penetrate her loving box with my cock. That was different from all the years where oral sex was just foreplay until she got hot enough that she would demand that I "fuck her hard and fast."

The last few times that I satisfied her fully with oral sex she seemed to then just lie back languidly and allow me to use her pussy to masturbate with instead of actively humping against me as she usually did.

I hadn't really thought much about it. We all change our likes and triggers over time as we evolve. I fully expected her to someday return to the cock loving wife she had always been.

After showering and putting on some casual clothes I went downstairs and found the boys ready to go. They would usually be involved in some first person shooter game but were now patiently waiting for their old man. We headed out for the hospital.

There we found that there had been no change. The boys and I were all a little despondent but the staff seemed heartened. As one nurse put it, "No change this early means that she is getting better. Too many patients appear to be getting better then go into organ failure and die. Pam is resting. Her organs are doing well. There is no evidence of new bleeding. The wounds look good with little infection. We are giving her some antibiotics to keep the infections down. We have also started TPN."

When I looked sideways at her she laughed. "As a nurse herself I thought Pam might have fully indoctrinated you on our terminology. TPN is short for total parenteral nutrition. In other words we are giving her the equivalent of her most desired food through her IV. It can't fully replace food but it helps keep the body from going into starvation mode. Normally we would give nutrition through the nasogastric tube but right now we want her tummy empty."

We thanked her and left the ICU where Pam had been moved overnight. That was another reason to be thankful. She had improved enough to be moved.

I checked in with Sue. They had interviewed the other victim's husband, Mark Grimes, and were still scratching their heads. Neither the victim nor her husband had any remote ties to Pam that they could find. Right now it was two shootings miles apart but close enough together in time that they were suspicious.

As a matter of fact the medical examiner had decided that Pam was shot first as we knew when it happened. Based on her blood loss she had to have called immediately after being shot and had then lost consciousness. Tammy, the other victim, was probably shot between 9:30 and noon based on the ambient temperature and the amount of rigor mortis. (Another fact not used appropriately on TV and movies. The range of time of death can be hours and is very hard to determine.)

The ballistics came back from the bullet in Tammy. It also was a .380 but the bullet was so out of shape that the lab could not say for certain it came from the same gun as the one that was used on Pam. The investigation was still going on the assumption that the two shootings were connected in some way.

Tammy was a dancer in a night club that Pam and I had never been to. Mark was a mid-level office drone at a large insurance company downtown. They had been married about three years. Tammy was twenty-six and Mark was twenty-nine while I am forty and Pam is thirty-nine. Hell, we didn't even have insurance with his company.

Charlie and Ben came by the hospital that afternoon to see how Pam was doing and also to pick my brain some more. I know I was still a person of interest in Pam's shooting.

I know they were hoping that Pam was awake but had to go away disappointed there. When they sat down with me they asked about Pam's usual activities during the day. I went through her work days and what I knew of her off days. She didn't get the same days off each week. Every third week she had to work the weekend. She worked twelve hour days and was gone from about 5:30 in the morning until about 7:00 each night with her commute.

"Three times a week she goes to her women's spa. Most of the time it is after work, so she would come home at about 8:30 those nights. The spa closes about 9:00 pm. A couple of nights she had called and said she was going out for a drink with someone she met at the spa and didn't get home until about midnight. Those nights were right before her day off so she could sleep in. On her days off she usually goes to the spa about one in the afternoon and is home by the time the boys get home from school. Since they can take care of themselves during the day in the summer I know she has been staying a little later but is always home by the time I get there."

Charlie checked his notes. "By the way, what is the name of the spa?"

"It is something easily remembered. I think it is called Women's Only Spa and Fitness Center."

Charlie checked his notes and then smiled. "That might be it. Tamara Grimes was also a member of the spa."

He got a serious look on his face. "Had Pam ever mentioned anyone at the spa by name? Has she made any friends there?"

"I think she might have as she went out for drinks a couple of times after her workouts, like I said. But I don't remember any names."

"Mr. Grimes also said that his love life with his wife had fallen off recently. His wife went from wanting sex almost nightly to only once a week and it revolved around him giving her head and her not reciprocating in any way. He joked and said his tongue was getting more of a workout than his cock."

A light bulb was going off in my head. "Did he also make any comment about having to shave just before sex these last few weeks?"

Charlie gave me a sideways look before shaking his head. He immediately placed a call. "Mr. Grimes, this is Charlie Nighthorse. I have a question for you. Did your wife insist on you shaving before you had sex recently?" Charlie nodded at the answer before signing off.

Charlie nodded at me. "Yes, she did. She insisted that only smooth skin touch her delicate parts. He said it was strange as it had never seemed to bother her before. As a matter of fact he had a full beard up until a month ago."

I sat and pondered. Why was this tidbit seemingly important? Why the sudden need for super smooth facial skin? A comment made by Pam just after an intense orgasm came back to me.

"Charlie, I hate to admit this but a couple of weeks ago I performed oral sex on Pam until she almost passed out. When I pulled my head back I heard her say, 'That was fantastic, Mare,' before she fell asleep on me. I remember I didn't get any relief that night and I assumed she had said 'Max' not 'Mare'."

Charlie jumped on that. "Do you think there is someone at the spa with the nickname of 'Mare'?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. It could be short for Marlene, Mary, Marilyn, Merrie or another name. It should be worth looking into."

They got up. "Look, I know it is against protocol but could I tag along with you? I will stay in the back but I need to see for myself what kind of animal might shoot my wife and kill another woman in cold blood."

Charlie and Ben went off and grabbed a cup of coffee as they discussed this. Obviously I was asking for a huge favor. After all I was still a suspect.

They came back. Charlie was on my side but obviously Ben wasn't. I didn't blame either one for his position. "Are you packing?" was the first comment from Ben.

I spun around. "No, my gun is at work. I have another one at home for personal protection but I think you guys must have taken it with you yesterday."

Ben nodded. That was standard procedure when looking for a weapon that might have been used to commit a crime.

"Okay, I have my reservations but you had better keep back and keep quiet as we check into this."

I nodded.

We left and headed to the spa. On entry we were met with very disapproving looks that didn't change as Charlie identified himself along with Ben and me. The whole place seemed very anti-men. That didn't bother me. Actually it reassured me since I always worried about guys cruising fitness centers looking for sex from the women patrons. This place should have been a safe haven for Pam.

Charlie got right to the point. "Do you have a member here that goes by the nickname of 'Mare'?"

The receptionist made a hasty look over at a pair of women nearby before giving us the standard response. "Do you have a warrant?"

God, too many people watch crime dramas.

Charlie turned on the charm. "Miss, we are investigating shootings that involved a couple of your members. Now, I think you believe you are safe here but I think you would be concerned that someone is targeting patrons of this center."

He looked down for a moment. "I can and will get a warrant as the two victims have nothing in common except this spa. Now how many others may be targeted for death while we wait and get that warrant?"

He left it at that. The receptionist was clearly out of her depth. She looked over at the women she had looked at before and then signaled them over to the desk.

Quickly she explained what was wanted before even attempting to introduce the women to Charlie.

The shorter one, about Pam's height and weight, seemed to be in charge. She turned to Charlie. "My name is Marlene Pierce. I am a part owner and the manager of this center. How can I help you?"

Charlie explained why we were there. I kept my promise and didn't attempt to correct a couple of comments he made. I realized he was keeping some facts from her.

Ms. Pierce was appropriately upset that patrons of her establishment were seemingly being targeted. She told us that she knew both Pam and Tamara. She asked how they were doing.

The other woman with Marlene seemed shaken when Charlie informed them that Tammy was dead but that Pam was in the hospital. "I am sure that you heard this from the news last night. A murder is still pretty big news in this town."

Marlene waved her hand dismissively. "I seldom look at the news. But, Janie, you were interested in the news last night. Why didn't you say something about the shootings?"

The other woman's name must have been Janie as she answered. "There were no names pending notification of relatives so I didn't know who they were."

Charlie reiterated his request. "Please let us look at your list of clients. We are trying to identify other potential targets so we can protect them."

Marlene and Janie exchanged glances. Finally Marlene relented. "I guess we can let you see the list. After all you are very confident of getting a warrant."

The four of them printed out a list of all the clients and then spent some time going over them. Charlie was asking which women had been friendly with Tammy or Pam ostensibly as potential victims. They identified three Marys, another Marleen (different spelling), a Merilee, and a Martha. I think they discounted Martha as she was eighty years old.

The two lead detectives also identified Marlene's partner, Janie, as one Janie Miller. We all could see her as a person of interest but still didn't have a motive. Mostly it was the way she looked when she found out that Pam was still alive. Also her body build fit the person who rang our doorbell the day of the shooting.

They thanked Marlene for her cooperation and we headed out. There was little talk in the car as we headed back to the hospital where my car was located. I know that they wanted to keep me from their speculation.

We went up to the ICU to see if Pam was awake yet. No such luck. The nursing staff was happy, though, as they were weaning off her sedation and she was actually breathing on her own with just a little help from the ventilator. I guess it is very hard to breathe through that tube stuck down your windpipe without some pressure to help out.

Just before Charlie and Ben left I had to ask, "Do you think Janie has a permit and a registered .380?"

Charlie shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know but I will as soon as we get back to the station. Keep the faith, Bro."

With a new person of interest on the horizon now they had to look for a motive. Just because the two were patrons of the same spa, that didn't give much more leeway in looking into the women at the spa. It was time for deep digging.

When I checked with Sue the next day she told me that Marlene Pierce was a very open lesbian and that she and Janie were in a relationship. Sue had gone to the spa and had asked some of the women as they left for the day about Marlene. It appears Ms. Marlene was known to still play the field and that Janie was known to be very jealous. No patron seemed to know if Marlene was currently involved with anyone.

Janie didn't have a handgun permit and wasn't known to have a gun but she might have been given one at some time. Not knowing relatives it was hard to pin down who might have provided a gun to her, if there was one.

After three or four days, I really lost track of time in the hospital, Pam had her breathing tube taken out. She was still not awake but she was breathing normally. They placed a tube for feeding down her throat by way of her nose. If she didn't wake soon they were going to place a more permanent tube, called a gastric tube, through her skin and directly into her stomach. The stuff they put in it didn't have a pleasant odor but it didn't have to be pleasing to the palate as it bypassed her tongue and sense of smell.

All in all her surgeon was very hopeful. Over and over he reassured all of us that she was improving. Between the parents and myself we worked out a schedule so that someone was always there during the day and throughout the evening in case she woke.

This way I could look after the boys and still go back to work. My shift at the hospital was the evening shift. I would leave work, drive home to change and collect the boys and then go to the hospital. The boys brought their tablets so they could do whatever teens do on tablets. We would sit there next to her bed for hours waiting and watching and anticipating. I still loved her but she had done something very wrong and had jeopardized our marriage and her life. I just had to find out what she had done.

We had put a guard on her door since she was moved to ICU. It costs a ton of money to do that but since she had survived an attack, her attacker might try to finish the job. When I was there I would relieve the guard so he or she could grab a meal and a little down time. It is a very boring thing to provide guard duty but we really don't know how many lives we have saved just by being prepared.

As a matter of fact, that is how I met Pam so many years ago. I was standing guard on some gang-banger's room and we got to talking. The rest is history. I sadly think back on those first days when we were newly in love and exploring our relationship.

Then the middle of one night I got the call from the hospital. It seems someone tried to lure the guard away from his post and then tried to gain access. The intrusion was thwarted but the perp got away without being identified. The staff and the cop couldn't even be sure of the gender.

We all assumed it was Janie. It fit. We just still had to find the motive.

Charlie and Ben pulled Marlene into the office and sat her down and discussed the case with her. After intense questioning she admitted to seducing Tammy and Pam. She went on and on about how satisfying it was to introduce straight women into lesbian sex. She was quite pleased with herself.

When asked who might have wanted to harm Tammy or Pam, of course Marlene had no idea. While she claimed she was in a committed relationship with Janie she admitted that she played around without Janie's knowledge and had done so during their entire time together. She was also still having sex with a couple of other women from the spa. Those women were notified of the danger they were in soon after the interview.

Marlene denied knowing if Janie had a weapon. She also denied having a weapon herself. She had never seen one in their condo. She also didn't believe that Janie or anyone else at the spa would commit murder.

Next was an interview with Janie. She stated unequivocally that she and Mare were in an exclusive committed relationship and had plans to marry. She even sported a ring she said was from Mare. She never once called Mare by the name Marlene. She denied having a weapon but that was expected.

The detectives interviewed the other lovers of Mare, as we were all starting to call her. There were questions about whether there had been any threats made against them but all said no. They were all just afraid that their relationship with Mare might become public as they were all married or in exclusive relationships.

We needed Pam to wake and point the finger at her shooter. We waited a few more days. There were no other attempts to get to her.

Finally the call came. Pam's mother was taking her turn sitting next to Pam when she noticed Pam's eyes were open. There were frantic phone calls and the physician immediately came to evaluate her. All of us, including the boys, rushed to see Pam.

It was good to see her awake and seemingly aware of her surroundings. She wasn't speaking yet but she hugged everyone at least once and squeezed her boys for a long time. It had been explained to her what had happened and she nodded her acceptance of the accounting of the events. Her chest tubes had been removed a couple of days ago and she was looking far closer to her normal self since this whole ordeal had started.

All of us wished her well and hoped to see her up and around quickly, yes, even me. I wished my wife no harm. I was just grieving the loss of my marriage now that I didn't have to grieve for the loss of her.

I think she could read me like no other. I had my investigator face on but I think she knew what I was thinking and the questions I wanted to ask.

I would have to wait. I notified Charlie that Pam was now awake. They visited the next day. Pam was able to croak out some answers but claimed that she did not remember the shooting or anything from that day. When pressured she admitted to an affair with Mare Pierce but claimed that it was just a passing fancy and she had meant me no harm. Yeah, right.