The Case of the Lipstick Killer

"Ask me anything you need to ask," replied Lani.

"Thank you. How long have you and Jackie been together?"

"About three months now, if I'm not mistaken. We met at the Kona Club when I was a hostess there. I'm no longer working there, but it was a nice place to work."

"So, tell me. Was it love at first sight?"

Lani laughed loudly.

"Close. I think it was love at second sight. When Jackie came in with a couple of friends, and I took them to their table, I noticed how cute she was. But when she and her group left, and she gave me a warm smile and a little wink, she had me. She's somewhat older than me, but that didn't matter."

"That's so sweet. Has Jackie ever said anything about wanting to kill or hurt her husband?"

"Not at all. Jackie still loves him. She just figured out that her feelings and interests were more attracted to women than men. Lucky for me. I came to that realization when I was in my teens, and I haven't looked back since."

Max couldn't keep herself from smiling.

I can see what Jackie finds attractive about this woman. She's as sweet as a New Awlins beignet dipped in raspberry sauce.

"So, what do you know about her ex-girlfriend, Gwen Stein?"

"Well, all I know is that Jackie realized that she wasn't meant to be with Gwen in the long run, so she broke off their relationship some weeks before we even met. Unfortunately, Gwen couldn't accept that Jackie no longer wanted to be in a relationship with her. She kept calling her and showing up at her store, pestering her and pleading to get back together. But Jackie wouldn't budge. She knew what her heart wanted, even if she hadn't yet met the person her heart was looking for."

"Great. One last question, and then I'll let you get on with your day.

"You said you're going to the gym?" asked Max.

"Yep. Keeping in shape is a full-time job. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I know what you mean. I also go to the gym several times a week to keep what I've got. Unfortunately, the human body is like a house. You fix the gutters, and then the downspouts start leaking. It's never-ending."

"Exactly," replied Lani.

"Well, I'll let you get on with your day. You've been very sweet, and I've enjoyed talking with you. Don't work out too hard at the gym, darlin'," said Max as she stood up, shook Lani's hand one more time, and departed Lani's apartment.

NIKKI FONTAINE INVESTIGATIONS

GRAND AVENUE, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

February 8, 5:05 p.m.

As Max walked in the door, she met Nora on her way out, who was wearing a striking black miniskirt with faux leopard skin accents, a white silk blouse, together with a brandnew pair of Christian Louboutin suede and mesh red-sole pumps. Out of everything making up Nora's ensemble, Max noticed her shoes the most.

"Hi-bye," said Nora as they passed each other.

"Have a great evening, Nora," replied Max.

I was sitting at my desk when Max walked into my office and sat down.

"Oh, my God, Nikki. Did you see Nora's shoes? Either you pay her very generously, or there's a sugar momma who is taking care of her. Those were $800 shoes unless she got them on sale."

"Nora dresses like that all the time. I swear she spends her whole paycheck on clothes, purses, and shoes," I said. "And she even carries around a Chanel lambskin handbag. She says she likes it because it has a handy pocket on the back for a cellphone."

"Well, if you've got it, flaunt it," said Max. "And that girl has definitely got it. A lot of it. Damn."

"Trust me, I know, Max. Why do you think I keep dropping my pens around the office?" I replied, not able to hold in my laugh.

"So, what did you find out about Gwen and Lani today?"

"Well, first I talked to Gwen. She was very nice and seemed forthright. But for some reason, I just don't trust her. I think she did it. She wasn't and still isn't able to move beyond her relationship with Jackie. I found out she lived in Fresno before coming to Oakland and in San Diego before that, where she grew up. I'm going to drive down to Fresno tomorrow and do some research there, and then maybe I'll check into San Diego."

"That sounds like a good idea. Make sure you check into unsolved homicides. Who knows? Maybe Gwen had another failed relationship there with a married woman and decided to deal with it using a knife," I said.

"Have you met Lani yet? Oh, darlin', she is so sweet and cute that her own words melt in her mouth. I can easily see why Jackie grabbed onto her and hasn't let go."

"Taken by her, were you?" I replied.

"You know, I'm usually attracted to men, but since I've met you, my head has been whiplashed in several different directions by all the beautiful women I've come across-- including you, my dear."

"Really?" I said. "Am I one of the whiplashers?" I said jokingly.

"Yeah, between you, Nora, and Lani, I'm starting to question who I am. You guys don't make it easy. I mean, I've known I've been attracted to women for a while now, but I've always thought it was just a passing fancy. I'm not so sure now. I think I'll just go home, open a bottle of wine, and watch some zombie movie and try and take my mind off of beautiful women. I need to get my feet planted back on the ground. Have a nice evening, Nikki."

"Will do, Max. Oh, would you pick that pen up for me that got dropped on the floor?" I said with a devious smile on my face.

"You'd better be careful, Nikki. I might start dropping pens around here myself and ask you to pick them up. Bye."

"Bye, Max."

Of all the shit going on around here, the last thing I need is to start thinking romance with my employees or coworkers. But Max is a real bell ringer. Jesus. Well, it's time for my weekly electrolysis session. I might as well get that out of the way, and then I guess I'll go home and watch a gangster movie to take my mind off women and sex. I don't have a lot of confidence that that will work.

I was right.

LANTANA UPTOWN APARTMENTS

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

February 8, 5:30 p.m.

Lani walked out of her apartment with her gym bag and headed for her car, parked on the street. It was a cool, damp evening, so she was wearing her warm coat.

She clicked her remote twice to unlock the doors to her 2021 BMW 328i hardtop convertible.

As she opened the door to toss her gym bag in the back seat, she was roughly slammed chest first into the low roof of her car.

"Don't move, bitch," said the disguised voice, holding a large knife against Lani's throat.

"What do you want?" yelled Lani. "If you want money, just take my purse. You can have whatever is in there. Please don't cut me. There's no need for that. I won't even call the police. Just take my purse and go," pleaded Lani.

"Shut up or I will cut you. I don't want your money. You need to stay away from Jackie. You are not what she needs in her life. There are plenty of other pretty lesbians around that you can sink your claws into, just not her.

"Do you understand me?"

"Yes, I understand. Please don't hurt me," continued Lani.

"You are a whiny little bitch, aren't you? All you have is your good looks. But I can change that forever with one quick slice of my knife. And if you don't do what I say, I will be back. And the next time, I'll leave you with more than just threats."

The knife-wielding assailant whispered into Lani's ear, "You're beautiful. Maybe I'll come back anyway and have you for myself."

Then Lani felt her assailant kiss the back of her neck and then turned around and walked away without saying another word. Lani whirled around to take a look after hearing the sound of receding footsteps, but all she could see was the back of her attacker's head. She was wearing a knit cap, and blonde hair hung down from under the cap.

Lani turned around and plopped down onto her backseat, and started crying.

Adrenaline was beginning to make its presence known, and Lani began to hyperventilate.

She immediately grabbed her gym bag, locked her car, and ran back up to her apartment. The gym would have to wait.

Lani waited until she got back inside her apartment before she called 911.

It took about ten minutes for the OPD cruiser with two officers to get to Lani's apartment. By then, she was in full adrenaline mode. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably, and she was breathing rapidly. She had a hard time sitting still and found herself pacing around her living room. It was difficult for Lani to press the button to let the two police officers in when they rang her doorbell.

The officers then made their way up to Lani's third-floor apartment.

"Please come in," said Lani as she opened her door to the two policemen responding to her 911 call.

"Are you Lani?" asked one of the officers.

"Yes, that's me."

"I'm Officer Lewis, and this is my partner, Officer Stanley," said the officer who appeared to be in charge.

"I was just assaulted outside of my car on the street by a crazy woman. She held a giant goddamn knife to my throat."

"Did she say anything?" asked Officer Lewis.

"She was rambling on about I need to stay away from the woman I've been seeing, or she'd come back and cut me."

"Do you have any idea who this woman was?" asked Officer Stanley.

"I think I have an idea who she might be. I think she's my girlfriend's ex-girlfriend. They broke up a while back, and she refused to accept that Jackie, my girlfriend, wanted out of the relationship. She was stalking her and calling her on the phone, pleading with her to get back together. She just wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Do you know this woman's name?" asked Officer Lewis.

"Yes. Jackie's ex-girlfriend's name is Gwen Stein. I've never met her before, but whoever this was, she had long blonde hair. She was wearing a knit cap, but her hair hung down in the back."

"Do you think you would recognize her if you saw her again?" asked Lewis.

"I don't know. I only saw her from the back. Whoever she was, someone has to stop her. She's a dangerous nut job."

"Well, we agree on that, Lani. Would you be willing to participate in a photo lineup and see if you can recognize anyone in the photos?"

"I'll give it a try. Just let me know where and when. If I recognize that crazy bitch, I'll let you know."

"Thank you, Lani. Someone will be in touch within a few days. Thank you for your cooperation. You take care now."

"Oh, there's one more thing, officers. Right before she left, she whispered in my ear that she might come back and take me for herself. I guess that means to have sex with me. And then she kissed me on the back of my neck. How weird is that?"

"She kissed you on the back of your neck? Turn around and let me take a look at your neck."

Lani turned around and lifted her hair out of the way to reveal a lipstick kiss left right on her neck in all of its splendid evidentiary glory.

"I'm going to need to take a sample of that lipstick on your neck, ma'am, but first, I'll take a picture of it for the detectives," said the officer.

The officer pulled out his cell phone and took three different pictures of the lipstick kiss mark, and then he took out a handkerchief and asked Lani if it was all right to wipe off a sample of the lipstick from her neck.

"Hell yes. Get that shit off of me," was Lani's reply.

The officer took the sample and immediately went back to the OPD and turned it over to the crime lab for processing. Sometimes, all it takes is a kiss to solve a crime.

The officers were gone, but Lani now had to deal with the remaining effects of the adrenaline rush she'd had to endure. The nightmares that were sure to come would be more of a challenge. And just the thought of the lipstick from her psycho attacker still being on her neck gave her goosebumps. And not the good kind of goosebumps from being excited. She ran into her bathroom and scrubbed her neck red with a washcloth to make sure she got all of the lipstick off of her neck. And then she took a long, hot shower just to make sure she had nothing left on her from her attacker.

NIKKI FONTAINE INVESTIGATIONS

GRAND AVENUE, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

February 10, 10:15 a.m.

Rain is typical in the Bay Area this time of year, but because the ocean is nearby, the temperature is usually moderate, even in the wintertime. That wasn't the case today. There was a cold, driving wind that had a bite to it as it drove the rain horizontally into your face.

This frigid weather is starting to remind me of Chicago. That's a déjà vu I don't need.

Nora came in late this morning and sat at her desk, trying to control her weeping without much success.

It looks like sweet Nora is suffering from another breakup. Poor thing. I don't understand why someone that damn good looking has so many relationship problems. I'd better see what's going on this time.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" I asked as I could see Nora dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief.

"I have such rotten luck with girlfriends," sobbed Nora. "Getting dumped is hard enough on your ego, but when it happens five days before Valentine's Day, it's even worse. I had a surprise dinner pre-arranged at a nice restaurant in Oakland. I got the reservations over a month ago. I even found the perfect gift for her."

"I'm so sorry, Nora," I said. "But you're not alone. Valentine's Day and Christmas are prevalent times that people break up. I know that won't make you feel any better, but it happens."

"Her name is Leslie, and she told me that she's in love with some other woman. So they'll be together having a happy Valentine's Day, and I'll be home alone drinking and feeling sorry for myself. I hope those bitches have something bad happen and ruin their celebration. It would serve them right. I hate heartbreakers. And that's what they both are."

"You must be very upset. I've never heard you talk like that. Are you going to be okay? Would you like to take the day off and go home and decompress?" I asked.

"No, that's all right. I have a job to do. Besides, I don't think it would make me feel any better if I were at home alone. So I'll be okay in a minute. I just need to refresh my eye makeup. I must look like a mess."

"Sweetie, it would take more than smeared eyeliner to make you look anything but gorgeous. Let me know if you change your mind and want to go home early. I understand."

"Thanks, Nikki. You're always so nice to me. You're the best boss I've ever had. I'll call my aunt tonight and cry on her shoulder. She's always been a good listener.

Many people were just arriving at their jobs because of traffic delays through the Caldecott Tunnel. Even with the fourth tunnel added some years ago, traffic usually snarls up coming in from Contra Costa County. City and County governments have failed their constituents by allowing almost unlimited overbuilding at the outermost part of the county so that they can create a higher tax base. Even the years-long widening project of Highway 4 running from Concord to Brentwood and beyond has done little to mitigate the horrible daily traffic jams. With tens of thousands of more people moving to that part of the county, cars have just been able to multiple faster than new lanes.

Even rain and gridlocked traffic failed to deter Bing Seto from his appointment with destiny. Nikki Fontaine never thought of herself as anyone's destiny, but she would soon learn to accept that moniker.

Bing blew through the open door as the wind and rain attempted to follow him in. He quickly closed the door and blunted the elements in mid-flight.

Closing his umbrella and leaning it against the wall next to the door, he peeled off his raincoat and hung it on the coat rack, and walked up to Nora's desk.

"Good morning," he said with panted breath. "I have a 10:30 appointment with Nikki Fontaine. I'm Bing Seto."

"Yes, Mr. Seto. Please have a seat, and I'll let Ms. Fontaine know you're here." "Thank you," replied Mr. Seto.

I knew this guy was my next appointment. He has the same look of desperation on his face as most people walking into my office. I'm their last stop between despair and hopelessness. Sometimes I can steer them away from one and prevent the other. Sometimes not. It's a crapshoot, just like life.

"Send him in, Nora."

"Righto," she replied.

I was already standing when Mr. Seto walked into my office.

"Mr. Seto, I'm Nikki Fontaine. How may I help you?"

I reached out and shook his hand, and pointed him to the seat in front of my desk. "I'm not sure where to start, but I'm in some deep shit, and I don't know what I can do about it. I'm hoping you can help me. Save me is more what I'm looking for," replied Bing.

"I usually find it best to start from the beginning and just let it all out. That way, I can determine if I can help you or not."

"Okay. The beginning. I came to you because I live right right across the Estuary in Alameda, down by the beach on Otis Drive, but I work in Palo Alto at Lockheed Martin, which has employed me for the last ten years. My specialty is lasers--specifically, laser weapons. For the previous five years, we've been working on the most powerful laser ever constructed.

"Before I go any further, is it like an attorney-client privilege when I'm talking to you? You can't repeat or divulge anything I tell you to anyone else?"

"Yes, sort of. The State of California does not hold me to the same stringent standards of client privilege as attorneys and their clients, but we have a similar ethics code. If any private investigator breaks the code with their client and divulges any content of their conversations, it would be career suicide and ruin their reputation. In other words, their name would be mud.

"So, yes, anything you tell me will be guarded and kept confidential, even if it means losing my license and career. I hope that answers your question, Mr. Seto."

"I'll accept that. Because what I have to tell you is Earth-changing."

Earth-changing? Who does this guy think he is? The second coming? Well, let's see what he has to say, and I'll be the judge of Earth-changing.

"Okay, Mr. Seto, tell me what's on your mind."

"As I was saying, I've been working on the most powerful laser in the history of humanity. Up to now, the most powerful laser weapon is capable of 300 kilowatts. I can't give you details, but I have developed a way of increasing the laser output over a thousand-fold. Our new laser is exponentially stronger than the next most potent laser system and will have a kill range of over one thousand miles. We're talking Star Wars weapons.

"But I'm afraid I've committed treason against my country. I've sold it out. Let me back up several years.

"About 15 years ago, I was one of many hopeful students at MIT. We all thought we were going to be involved with changing the world eventually. Few of us would rise to the top of the petri dish. I was one of the few who did.

"My laser design will change the world. Not even my employer knows the full extent of my laser system. All they know is its sheer power. But that's nowhere close to its potential effectiveness. The dream of all weapons designers, especially laser weapons, is to be able to deploy the laser in orbit, where you can rain down upon Earth your demands with the power to back them up and destroy anything within its range at the push of a button.

"Shortly after I started my employment at Lockheed Martin, I was contacted by an old friend from MIT, Li Wei. It turns out that he works for a competitor of Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman. They are also working on a laser weapon. They're lagging quite a bit behind Lockheed Martin, but they are on the right track. We talked about old times in college and this and that, and I mentioned a little bit about our program without giving away any proprietary details. After a few drinks, we went our separate ways, and I thought that was it, and I just moved on with my project at work.