Chapter 12

“What do we have?” Lee asks as he steps beneath the police tape.

The medical examiner looks up from her notes. “ID says she is Mio Asano. She was discovered by that gentleman over there.” She points to a man in a suit talking to a uniformed officer.

“How is it no one stumbled upon her during the assault? Damn it,” Lee mutters. “Same as the other vics?”

“So far,” she says. “Sexually assaulted and attacked by an animal.”

“Do we know what kind of animal?” the detective asks. “Are we talking a dog?”

The medical examiner’s face scrunches up. “We’ve got the preliminary DNA results and there is dog DNA along with human.”

“What’s taking the lab so long?” Lee questions.

“Besides the fact that they’re backed up?” she asks almost sarcastically. “They are looking harder into the DNA. What is strange is the fact that there isn’t dog and human DNA, but it seems it’s a combination of the two.”

Lee looks at the woman puzzled for a moment. “I’m guessing that means it’s not two separate signatures.”

She points a mock finger at him. “You got it. We’re dealing with something strange here.”

“This is a genetics company,” Lee sighs.

A slight chill runs through her. “You thinking this is some kind of escaped pet of theirs?” the examiner asks.

“That’s what I intend to find out,” Lee answers. “Let me know if you find anything else out.”

“You got it,” she says as the detective heads for the stairwell.

Detective Lee heads straight past Bridget’s secretary and right into her office.

“Wait!” the secretary shouts, springing from her desk as she tries to cut him off. “You can’t just go in there!”

Lee ignores the protests and bursts through the doors. Bridget looks up in surprise, but it quickly fades.

“Ms. Rhodes,” the secretary says, shifting her focus to her boss. “I tried to stop him, but...”

Bridget smiles friendly at her, holding her hand in the air. “It’s fine. The detective is here on important business. Please close the doors on your way out.”

The secretary nods and leaves. Lee storms right up to the desk and slams his hand on it. “Just what the hell do you have going on here?”

“I’m not sure I follow, Detective,” she says, still smiling. “I run a genetics company and that’s all.”

“And it seems you have some kind of wild animal running loose through the city,” he counters fiercely.

“If this is some kind of intimidation then it’s not working,” Bridget bites back, a little anger showing.

“You have a dead woman in your parking garage and you don’t seem fazed by it,” he says. “I’ve got some unexplained DNA and victims in two different genetics buildings.”

“You realize my father owns a genetics lab as well right?” he says defensively. “Besides, if we have anything of the nature that you’re describing I cannot tell you. Many of our contracts are military. So you can understand why.”

Lee steps back as frustration wells up inside him. He is still angry, but the frustration is overwhelming. “You are at least aware that there is a young woman dead in your parking garage?”

“Of course, Detective,” Bridget says evenly. “I’m not ignorant to the happenings of my company. I’m sorry that there is, but there is quite frankly nothing I can do about it.”

“Then maybe you can tell me why she was here.” His tone changes as does his strategy to gain answers. “We know she is not an employee of yours or your fathers.”

“I would suspect as much, Detective,” she says without sarcasm, though it is implied. “You wouldn’t be doing your job right otherwise.”

“Do you know why she was here?” he asks again, ignoring her praise.

“Of course, Detective,” Bridget answers coyly. “She was here to see me.”

The frustration Lee has building has another layer added to it. Bridget is toying with him and it is becoming more a game than an investigation.

The man sighs. “Would you care to explain to me why?”

“Have you ever heard of corporate secrets, Detective?” she asks cheerfully.

“Have you ever heard of obstruction of justice?” he counters dryly.

“It seems that maybe we have gotten off on the wrong foot here,” Bridget says, changing her tone. “How is Tori?”

“She is doing fine,” he answers. “Can we stay on the task at hand?”

“Okay, okay, Detective,” she says, throwing her hands into the air exaggeratedly. “Ms. Asano was here to discuss blackmailing my father.”

It is Lee’s turn to be surprised. He is too experienced to let it show, but he is caught off guard by the revelation. “How was she planning on doing this?”

“She brought to my attention Tori. I of course pretended I didn’t know anything,” Bridget explains. “She said she has proof that the girl isn’t the only one my father has done that to. She also said that she has evidence of various activities from cooperate spying to back market deals.”

“And how did she say she came to acquire this information?” Lee presses.

“She has been sleeping with Dr. Jerry Winters,” she answers smartly. “Next to Dr. Malcolm Denver, he is the top scientist at Star Genetics. I told her that I was interested and once she brought me the proof I would consider whether or not I’d move on it with her.”

“So it was her intention to go through with it even if you decided not to?”

“I would assume so, yes,” she answers. “She seemed determined.”

“How do you feel about this,” he asks, feeling that the whole story isn’t being told. “It is your father she was threatening.”

“That cold bastard should get what he deserves,” she spats. “I would love nothing more than to drive the knife into his black heart, but I will not do it at the cost of my company.”

“So why not just come to the police?” he asks, pretending to be puzzled by her decision. “That seems like the best route to take. Otherwise people could get hurt or killed like Ms. Asano.”

“What I should have done is a little irrelevant now, Detective,” she points out. “What’s done is done. But it seems to me that my father must have found out what Ms. Asano was up to. I told you before, my father is not a man to be trifled with, otherwise I would have done the trifling much sooner.”

“I’m going to need your security camera footage and anyone that may have seen Ms. Asano come in and leave the building,” Lee instructs. “I would suggest you don’t make any trips any time soon.”

“Am I a suspect, Detective?” Bridget asks, feigning innocence.

“I haven’t written you off as one,” he answers quickly.

“If it’s an alibi you need, I’m sure my secretary is more than enough,” she offers.

“Don’t worry,” he says, “I’ll have a word with her. But if you truly have nothing to hide you’ll cooperate fully with the investigation.”

“Of course, Detective,” she says with a smile. “I wouldn’t want anything to get slowed down because of the need to get search warrants.”

“Let’s hope it stays that way,” he says, adding a roughness to his tone.

“If that is all, Detective,” she says, putting an end to the questioning, “I do have a business to run and the media is going to have a field day with this murder.”

Tori is in the kitchen pouring a glass of orange juice when a small sound breaks the silence of the house. She first thinks that maybe Mio is home, but it wasn’t the front door opening or closing. Her heart begins to pound at the thought. A muffled squeak, the sole of a shoe slipping on the floor, makes her stomach drop.

Her first thoughts run to Rick, the man that abused her so badly. He is here to finish what he started! A heartbeat later, the intruder steps behind her, cupping a hand over her mouth and yanking her backward against him. His other arm wraps round her waist, pinning her arms at the sides. She lets out a muffled shriek and kicks out frantically. But despite her best efforts she realizes his size and strength over her makes her situation hopeless.

Her instincts drive her to continue fighting. He will not have her a second time. And she is certainly not going to die, not like this!

She continues to kick and scream against him trying anything and everything she can to break free. The arm at her waist suddenly disappears, but before the girl can take advantage of it she feels something sharp at her throat. Her heart beats even faster at the feeling of the cold, hard steel.

He holds the knife to her throat for a few seconds, making certain that the threat is known. Tori stills, tears poling in her young eyes once again, a muffled sob escapes her lips. And instead of jamming the blade into her throat, the man pulls his hand down, letting the blade skim along the delicate flesh of her neck and collarbone. He stops at the edge of her shirt, lazily dragging the tip of the knife softly along her skin. He turns the knife and cuts upward, slicing easily through the fabric, opening it fully and exposing her belly. Her breasts, coated in sweat from her panicked struggle, heave against her bra. She whimpers mournfully against the man’s hand. With the knife still in his hand, her attacker reaches up and grabs the edge of her shirt, pulling it down and away from her skin. He peels it off and tosses it away, leaving her in nothing but her bra and skirt.

He drops his hand again, gently dragging the knife back down her belly. The tip of the knife skims back and forth, dipping in and out of her bellybutton on each pass. He draws it up her chest, letting the tip glide along her skin, never allowing it to draw blood, but still allowing the threat to linger. He draws the knife back to her neck, barely pressing the edge of blade against her throat. The hand covering her mouth gives a quick squeeze, and the blade presses a tiny bit harder into her neck. His message is clear.

Trembling, Tori swallows hard and nods. The hand covering her mouth slips away and she drags in a quick breath. The blade presses against her throat again, reaffirming the warning. Whimpering softly, she drops her shoulders and closes her eyes. The hand that had previously covered her mouth slips down to her breasts, reaching around to cradle one in his palm. She shivers and whimpers again, but keeps her mouth shut.

The intruder rubs his hand along the underside of her breast. The knife at the throat slips away, relieving the slight pressure from her skin. She feels him reach back behind her and hears the cling of metal as he sets the knife on the table. His free hand skims up her waist and cups her other breast in his palm. Gently but firmly, the intruder pulls her back against his body, his powerful chest pressing against the thin blades of her shoulders. She is trapped now, caught between his hands and his body. A feeling of unease settles into her belly, warning her of what is to come. This won’t be pleasant, nor will it be anywhere near comfortable.

The fingers of one hand slip forward to the center of her bra. Quick and nimble, they manage to unclip the clasp between the cups of her bra, letting the soft fabric fall away. His hands reached up and cupped her breasts against, now bare and open to his touch. His gloves hands warm. He rubs her breasts gently, almost carefully, feeling them in his hands. The coolness in the house makes her nipples tighten involuntarily, forcing a tiny moan from her throat. Heat floods her cheeks, pure embarrassment and revulsion. This is the most terrifying, vile and intrusive moment of her life. And yet, somehow, her body finds a way to enjoy the sensations.