Murder on the Mainline: another Mike Claymore Mystery Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
8TH FRIDAY

Mike feels all warm and tingly. Soft azure eyes regard him under arched brows of gold. She massages his manhood as her luscious lips curve up in invitation. She wiggles her pert nose and leans forward to run her tongue across his chest, circling first one nipple and then the other. She is unclothed and well proportioned. Mike feels his manhood throb in anticipation but he can’t quite move. Not yet.

Her head goes down his chest to his stomach, trailing her tongue and leaving a wet trail of fire. She inserts her tongue in his belly button while her hands become more insistent on his organ then fingers spread down around his sac and he can take no more. He must have her now!

He reaches and clutches her to him. He comes fully awake as he kisses Marlene. She grins and scratches his balls then moves her hands around on his ass. “You woke up too soon. You’ll never guess what I was going to do next.”

“Wow, woman! What a sensation to wake up to. You better be ready for some lustful action.”

“That’s what I been waiting for.”

After sex Marlene goes to get the kids up for school. Mike lays there looking at the ceiling and trying to recapture the image in his dream of the blonde with the azure eyes. He wonders, where did I ever dream her up from? He gives up and goes for a shower.

He ponders his future as he showers. Next week at this time he’ll be on his way to load Nina and Jeff’s furniture. Some time Sunday night he will hit the road with a co-driver for Ontario. By a week Wednesday he will be in Markham and by a week Friday he’ll be home again.

He could make it by Thursday but he knows he’ll take his time with Nina, one more time. Somehow, they’ll work it out. Today is her last day at the detachment. She’ll be leaving there before noon. No nooners no more. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted. Maybe Jeff would be interested in a swap tonight. No good, he has no idea what time he’ll be home tonight. He has to take Trudy to Tony’s tonight. Oh well, they have a week yet. He’ll find Nina or she’ll find Mike somehow during the coming week. He’s sure of it. Unless he has a run.

He finishes his shower and gets dressed. He can still smell Marlene’s musk around the bed. She’s heady stuff and he’s glad he found her back then. She’s nice to come home to.

He comes down for breakfast and slaps her on the butt as he goes to the table. She hardly feels it through her robe but she yelps and says he’s fresh. His reply, “Fresh out of the shower, my love.”

She puts a cup of coffee in front of him and asks how he wants his eggs. When she puts his food on she puts on hers, as well. They sit and eat together. Jan comes into the kitchen and says, “I’m hungry.”

Mike puts her up on his knee and feeds her half his breakfast. He grins and says, “Next year your going to school and I’ll get fat if I have to eat all my breakfast.”

She says, “Oh daddy.” She takes off into the living room.

Mike says to Marlene, “I have an auto claim to check in Chilliwack this morning and another suspect to question in POCO this afternoon, late. I wish I could get a few days off to get the car painted. Maybe when I take Jeff and Nina’s stuff down east I’ll leave the car with the mechanic.”

“I wish I could make the trip with you down east but I can’t leave the children that long. Remember when I used to ride with you and we screwed on the wide old bench seats. Then you got that truck with the bucket seat for the driver. I was pregnant then, and we used to go into the bushes by the road or even in the trailer. We were so young.”

“The years have been good to us, my love. You’ve matured and become more lovely than ever, while I have just gotten older, but with a few more shekels in the bank.”

“You were just a kid then, all legs and gangly. Now your solid and handsome, the man I knew you would become. If you didn’t have such an eye for the ladies I’d be quite content, you know. But I still wouldn’t love you more, I couldn’t because I love you with my all.”

“No woman could put up with me as you have. I loved you almost from the first time I saw you. Whatever it was that drew me to you, it hasn’t changed except to grow stronger.”

“Get out of here before you turn my head. You don’t want to still be here when Jeff gets here, do you?” She giggles and Mike says, “Seriously, will you miss him?”

“I will although not as much as you will her. I see the pain in your eyes grow each day as the time comes nearer for them to go. You’ve been seeing her, haven’t you? Don’t answer, I know. You will either lie or tell me the truth. I don’t want to hear either. Go to work.”

Mike goes downstairs and picks up his briefcase. He comes up and kisses Marlene good-bye. Then he sets out for Chilliwack. He notes the black van as he leaves home and on the freeway, sees the gray car in his mirror. It’s nowhere in sight as he pulls into Clarke Drive. He figures the police don’t have to tail him here. They know where he is.

Trudy meets him in the doorway in a robe with a hug and a kiss. “Crystal was asking about you this morning. She’s getting used to the idea that Mommy has a man in bed with her once in a while in the morning.”

“It better be the same man.” He grins.

“There’s only one man good enough for me, buster, and your it. What’re we doing today?”

“I thought you said you had something for me to do this morning?”

“Mmmmm. I did. But it didn’t involve any work, just love. You game?”

“Wellll, let’s start off with a coffee. Didn’t we have an auto fraud case?”

“No, you solved them all, except that one where you couldn’t come up with anything and we had to send it back.” She pours coffee.

“Did we send that one back?”

“You said to, so I did.”

“Do you always do what your told?”

“Not always, but I do when your the one telling.” She gives him a mischievous grin.

He looks at her in a sober manner and says, “Seriously, I’m having second thoughts about you going with me to Tony’s tonight.” He tells her about the boot print with the S carved in it. “I’m sure he’s wearing Ray’s boots. That could mean the ones the cops have are Tony’s. Or they could be someone else’s’. Tony has been trained as a killer for Vietnam by the American military. I don’t think I want you to go near him, even if he isn’t our killer.”

“I’ll drive down on my own and meet you there. I’m no quitter! I’m your partner, your back up and your mistress, too, as far as that’s concerned. Dammit, don’t cut me out now! If you’re in danger I have to be there, don’t you see?”

“But I’m not sure. I still only have circumstantial evidence. Nothing concrete I can put my hands on and say; it’s him. It still could be someone Rita Harrison hired or her ex, Bob Hanson. I have to confront Tony with what I have and find out. Even if he’s innocent, he may become violent when he finds out how much I know about his drug operation. Won’t you reconsider, short stuff?”

She explodes, “Don’t ever, ever call me that again! My ex called me that until I was so sick of it; I hit him with a chair. I picked it up and lambasted him with it. Broke the damn chair. Call me anything you want but don’t call me short stuff. Never!”

“Whew! You can become violent, too, can’t you?”

“I’m sorry. You didn’t know. You caught me off guard when I was already arguing and I really blew my cool. At least I didn’t pick up a chair.” She giggles and Mike grins.

“You can come with me on one condition. If anything happens, you butt out and call the cops. You’ll carry my cell phone and that is the best back up I can think of. Any thing goes down and you’re out of there to call for help. Got it?”

“Yep, I got it. Now, finish your coffee and let’s go to bed. Doesn’t that sound like a good idea?”

“Where’s Cookie and Crystal.”

“Out. They went shopping at an early bird sale over at Cottonwood mall. Zellers, I think. Cookie talked me into letting Crystal take the day off from school. They both worked on me, so I gave in. I thought you would be here this morning or I’d be on a run with you. So here we are.” She hops into his lap and kisses him. “Come on to bed.”

She slides down out of his lap with his hands in hers. She pulls on his hands as he slowly rises and pulls him to the bedroom door. He acts reluctant but when the door closes behind him, he picks her up and carries her to the bed.

He lays her down gently as he kisses her and starts removing her robe. She teases him while he’s trying to undress then he teases her while she’s dying to get going. Eventually all the teasing pays off and they stay in bed until afternoon.

Crystal comes in and bounces on Mike’s chest. “Your home! Your home! Mommy, look, Mike’s here!”

Trudy laughs and says, “I noticed he was quite a while ago. Now you go and help Cookie put away the groceries and stuff. We’ll get up and be right out. I was helping Mike to sleep but he’s all rested now, aren’t you, Mike?”

Mike grins and says, “Your Mom sure knows how to put me to sleep.” Crystal jumps down off the bed and runs out.

Trudy slaps Mike’s arm, “You bastard! So I put you to sleep when I go to bed with you, do I?