Murders & Romance: A Psychic Detective Romantic Mystery (Isaac Taylor Mysteries Book 5) Read online

  Murders & Romance

  Lashell Collins

  Copyright © 2021 Lashell Collins

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or people — living, dead, or undead — is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author. This book contains content that may not be suitable for young readers (under age 18).

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this eBook may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  Curses & Vows

  Join Lashell’s Facebook Reader Group

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Lashell Collins

  1

  The little girl’s high-pitched scream felt like a needle piercing his temple, and Detective Isaac Taylor woke with a start.

  Panting.

  Sweating.

  His heart was running a marathon.

  Damn dream. It wasn’t the first time he’d had it. It wasn’t even the first time he’d woken up in a cold sweat because of it. The case was over. The Lullaby Killer was dead. Hell, Isaac had killed the bastard himself. Well… sort of.

  Death by telekinesis.

  Had that really happened?

  He sat up and shook his head as if to clear it of the ghosts, then he looked over at Sidney. She was sleeping peacefully. Finally. A sense of immense relief spread throughout his chest, and he reached out and gently moved a stray curl from her lovely face.

  He hoped she was having a sweet dream.

  Sliding out of bed, he intended to go pee. But his ringing cellphone had him reaching for it with lightning speed so that it didn’t wake Sidney.

  “Taylor.”

  He could hear both the sleep and the aggravation in his own voice.

  “Morning, Detective Sergeant.”

  The dispatcher’s tone was clipped and efficient, and much too perky for this time of night.

  “There’s a dead body down on University Circle, near the Case Western campus. Officer on scene says it’s pretty gruesome, sir.”

  Isaac sighed and glanced at the digital clock. 3:45 am.

  “All right. Call Detective Vega. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  He ended the call and looked back at Sidney. She was still sleeping soundly, thank goodness. As long as it had taken her to fall asleep, the last thing he wanted was for it to be cut short.

  He headed for the bathroom to shower and get ready. Fifteen minutes later, he was out the door.

  He climbed behind the wheel of his metallic blue Mustang GT thinking about how he and his partner, Pete Vega, had been pulling a whole lot of overtime these last two weeks, covering not one fallen detective team, but two. He’d been a detective for over nine years, and he couldn’t ever remember a time when they’d been stretched this thin.

  He pulled up at the location and looked around. University Circle was a busy hub of one square mile. Sort of a converging point for Case Western Reserve University, several hospital facilities, and many different cultural destinations — like museums, music halls, botanical gardens, college bars, and restaurants. In fact, one of his favorite ramen noodle joints was part of the busy University Circle hub.

  Isaac got out of his car just as Pete pulled up. They acknowledged each other with the standard silent ‘what’s up’ lift-of-the-chin guys always did, and made their way over to where the pair of uniforms stood with a body. And Isaac did a double take at that body.

  “Jesus.”

  The horrified whisper dropped from his lips as Isaac studied the crime scene.

  The body was completely naked and tied, spread-eagled, to a large tree trunk. The victim was male. Or at least, he had been before he was thoroughly and completely castrated.

  Blood.

  Everywhere he looked there was blood. And the victim’s, uh… appendage was lying on the ground at the body’s feet.

  “Holy Mother of God,” Pete said.

  Isaac’s gaze darted all around, weeding out the CSU members and taking in the important details. There were no discarded clothes anywhere. That meant whoever had done this heinous deed wanted their victim to be publicly humiliated in death. This staging had been carefully deliberate.

  Isaac quietly cleared his throat and turned to the nearest uniform.

  “Who found the body?”

  “Those two there.” The female officer pointed a few yards away to where her partner stood with two college-aged women, and then consulted her notes. “Kim Barns and Leslie Rowan. They were returning to the university about an hour ago.”

  “Thanks.” Isaac motioned to Pete and they walked over to the women. “Detective Sgt. Ike Taylor. Detective Pete Vega. Can you tell us what you two were doing out here so late? Or early?”

  The one to his right flipped her green hair over her shoulder. “We both work at one of the bars in the circle. So, we walk back to campus together. Safety in numbers, right?”

  “Do either of you know the victim?”

  “I think I’ve seen him around campus, but I don’t really know him,” the other one spoke up.

  “And you are?”

  “I’m Kim Barns.”

  “And you mean you’ve seen the victim around the Case Western campus?”

  “Yes, sir. Leslie and I are both undergrads.”

  “And what about him? You know?”

  The girl shook her head. “No. I’m sorry.”

  Isaac looked around and pointed to the path they were on.

  “This trail. Is it normally a popular place?”

  “Yes,” green-hair spoke up again. “I walk this way all the time. It’s normally full of people in the daytime.”

  “And when does it typically slow down? About what time?”

  “Usually when it gets dark. This time of year around 8 or 9 at night.”

  “And did you see anyone else near the body? Did you pass anyone else on the path?”

  “No.” Both girls shook their heads and answered in unison.

  “Okay.” Isaac sighed. “Thank you both. Don’t leave town. We may have more questions later.”

  He motioned to Pete, and his partner handed out a couple of cards to the girls, saving Ike from the dreaded skin-on-skin contact. Then they walked back over to the body.

  “What do you think?” Pete nodded back toward the girls.

  “I think it would definitely take the both of them to string a guy his size up like this. But with the amount of blood here, they’d bo
th be covered in it after it was done.”

  “Agreed. Not to mention that whoever did this had to be very pissed at this man. You do not cut off a guy’s junk for the fun of it.”

  Isaac shook his head in agreement.

  “No, you don’t. But without a positive ID on him, we’ve got nowhere to start. Let’s leave CSU to do their thing and see what Hiroshi has to say. Meantime, you and I will go through Case Western’s student roster. Maybe we’ll get an ID that way.”

  He dug his cellphone from his pocket and took a picture of the victim’s face.

  “Or… you could give him a touch,” Pete said. “See what you see.”

  Isaac glared at him. “Or not.”

  Pete held up his hands in surrender.

  Isaac looked back at the body and briefly entertained the idea. Since his ordeal with the Lullaby Murders a few weeks ago, and what he’d been through after touching each of those poor little girls, he was less than eager to touch another murder victim. At least so soon. He knew it would be the fastest way to glean useful information, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to do it.

  “I’ll meet you back at the station, Pete.”

  “Yep.”

  Pete’s response was distracted, and Isaac understood perfectly. The scene was grisly. Isaac would even call it macabre.

  “Come on,” he said in an effort to get his partner moving.

  They headed to their respective cars and, once behind the wheel of his, Isaac’s thoughts drifted from the horrific crime scene to his Sidney.

  He thought about how peacefully she was sleeping when he’d left, and for some reason the thought warmed him.

  A ghost of a smile crossed his lips when he remembered the joy he’d felt at learning she was pregnant. That he was going to be a father. The idea of it blew his mind even now.

  He pulled into the back lot of the police station and parked behind a row of marked black and white cruisers. Then he yawned as he headed inside the building. He was tired, but the nearly 4 am call-out was only part of the reason.

  There wasn’t really much he and Pete could do at this hour besides begin the preliminary paperwork and make notes for when the university offices opened later in the morning and they could speak to someone. After seeing to those things, and beginning a case board with the victim’s picture and a big question mark for the name, Isaac turned to Pete.

  “Go home, partner. Get a couple more hours sleep or eat some food. Meet me back here at eight o’clock sharp and we’ll head to the university.”

  “Sounds good.”

  They both dragged themselves up from their desks and headed out of the detective’s pit.

  2

  “Tell me the truth, Ike. How is she really doing?”

  Simon’s voice was full of concern, and Isaac was grateful that he had such a good relationship with his future brother-in-law. He took a deep breath and thought about the question, and about how quiet Sidney had been at breakfast just a few minutes ago.

  “I don’t know, Simon. She’s not good. I mean… physically she’s fine. Emotionally she’s just not her usual bubbly self. But it’s only been a couple of days though.”

  “Do you think I need to come?”

  “No, no.” Isaac shook his head as though Simon were in the room with him and could see the gesture. “I don’t think you need to take leave and miss work and all that. She’ll be okay. It’s just gonna take some time to get over, that’s all.”

  He hoped he sounded more confident than he felt about the situation. Simon sighed, and Isaac could feel the weight of it even over the phone.

  “Okay, I’m going to trust your judgment on this, Ike. But please call me if things change. I can be there in less than 4 hours.”

  “You know I’ll keep you posted, Simon.”

  “Yeah. Hey, maybe she’ll feel better once you two set a date, huh?”

  His tone was lighter, and Isaac appreciated the attempt at levity.

  “Yeah, maybe so. I’ll catch you later, man.”

  “Yep. See you.”

  Isaac ended the call and glanced around the sunroom. Then he tucked his phone into his pocket and went in search of the woman in question. When he’d taken the call from her brother, Sidney had been in the kitchen cleaning up their breakfast dishes. Now the kitchen was empty.

  He walked through the living room and wandered down the hall. He found her in their bedroom.

  “Hey.”

  The sound of his voice made her jump, and Isaac watched her drop something into an open drawer and quickly close it.

  “Hey,” she replied quietly, running a hand over the back of her neck. Then her whole body sagged on a sigh. “I’m sorry.”

  Isaac moved closer and pulled her into his arms from behind, and looked at her face in the mirror.

  “Darlin’, you don’t have to apologize. And you don’t have to hide that little t-shirt from me either.”

  She leaned back against him. “It was silly of me to buy it in the first place.”

  “No, it wasn’t. Sidney, you were happy. You were excited about being pregnant. About becoming a mom. About the new life we made together. There is nothing wrong with any of that.”

  Keeping one arm snugly around her, he reached out and opened the drawer. Then he pulled out the tiny t-shirt that was covered in teddy bears.

  “And there’s nothing wrong with hanging onto this as a way to remember that life. Even though it was fleeting. And someday real soon, there will be another baby. One that will actually get the chance to wear this itty-bitty thing.”

  She took the t-shirt from him and looked up into his eyes in the mirror.

  “You really believe that?”

  Isaac slowly turned her around to face him, and looked down into her eyes.

  “Didn’t the doctor tell us there was likely no medical reason why you can’t conceive and carry a healthy baby in the future?”

  Sidney nodded, but her eyes held so much hesitancy.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, then.” Isaac caressed her face.

  “So… we try again? Sometime?”

  Her question was asked with a full load of uncertainty, almost as if she were afraid to hear his answer, and Isaac wondered why.

  “If that’s what you want, yes.”

  “But is that what you want?”

  Was she for real? Did she actually need reassurance from him? Isaac gently took her face in both of his hands.

  “Oh, Sidney. I want everything with you, darlin’. Don’t you know that by now?”

  She smiled at him, and his heart constricted. It was the first genuine smile he’d seen from her in two whole days.

  “Hey. Just imagine my blond hair with your crazy curls on top of a chubby little face. How cute and funny would that be?”

  The smallest of giggles spilled out of her, and Isaac’s heart swelled with something akin to relief. He kissed her sweet lips.

  “There’s my girl. I’ve missed that laughter.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Um mmm. Don’t be sorry, darlin’. You don’t ever have to apologize for your pain. Just don’t try to pretend it isn’t happening either, okay? You don’t have to hide it from me.”

  “You’re sad too. I can see that.”

  “I am. I admit that I’m terrified of parenthood. But I was actually looking forward to taking that adventure with you.”

  He watched the tears well up in her eyes, then she leaned her head into his chest, and Isaac wrapped his arms around her again and kissed the top of her head.

  “We will take that adventure together, Sid. We’ll get our shot eventually. Grandad told me so.”

  “What?”

  Sidney looked up at him, wiping silent tears, and Isaac caught one on his thumb.

  “He wouldn’t give me any details. Just implied that there would be a little one.”

  “Really? When did he tell you that?”

  “When we met him in Tennessee. Remember the little blue teddy bear h
e gave me?”

  “Yeah, the one that had been yours when you were little.”

  “Yeah. Well, he said he thought I might want to pass it down to my child in the near future.”

  “He saw something?” She sounded so hopeful. “With his superpowers?”

  Isaac nodded, and Sidney’s tears fell anew. But he was fairly certain they were tears of a different sort this time. She smiled at him, and Isaac was so happy to have made her feel at least a little bit better. He kissed her forehead.

  “Well, I have to get going, I’m afraid. I have a very gruesome new case to get back to this morning.” He stepped away and grabbed his gun, clipping the holster to his side. “You going to be okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.” She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I’m going to go on into work too, so I also need to get moving.”

  Isaac wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that.

  “You sure you want to go back to work already?”

  “I’m sure. I don’t want to keep moping around here. I want to work. I followed the doctor’s orders to get plenty of rest for the first 24 hours, and then some. Plus, I’m all cried out. Now, I just want to get back to my normal routine.”

  Isaac heard the determination in her voice, but he also felt the turmoil in her heart. He understood it. You couldn’t simply turn off the sadness by flipping a switch, no matter how hard you might want to. Still, he wished he could change her mind about going back to work so soon.

  “Well, you just take it easy on yourself today, okay Maybe just a half day?”

  “I’m fine, Ike. Really.”

  He smiled at her and then kissed her lips. “Call me if you need me.”

  “Back at you.”