The Tangerine Killer Read Online Free Page A

tendrils fanned out from the center. It was going to turn into one hell of a bruise. Thanks to the liquor I couldn’t really feel it but it would hurt like hell in the morning.
    I used his distraction to free my arm and in a last ditch effort I strained for the gun. I reached the table but instead of the weapon, my hand connected with the old telephone. I yanked it free from its wires and smashed it against his head.
    Phone and skull connected with a crunch and then he fell off me. Blood trickled down his face in a tiny crimson river. I jumped off the bed, pulling my shirt closed around me. Breath caught in my chest.
    “If I’ve killed you, I’m going to be really pissed,” I muttered.
    “You crazy bitch,” he moaned as he stirred.
    Finally, something had gone right. I mean sure, a semi-conscious guy on my bed wasn’t exactly the perfect end to a perfect day but at least we were all still alive.

SEVEN
     
     
    “So you hit him in the head with the telephone because he tried to rape you?”
    “No. Yes. It wasn’t like that,” I said.
    I called the cops. The second time in one day and now I would actually have to speak to them. Joe lay bleeding from the head all over the bedspread. When he made no effort to move again, I figured I’d better cover my ass. If he had some sort of brain hemorrhage I wanted it documented that this was self-defense. So far it wasn’t going very well. Detective Olin was asking the questions and he seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. In fact, I rather suspected he was gloating a little.
    “He was on top of you. He ripped your shirt. Sounds like attempted rape to me.”
    “We had a thing,” I tried to explain. “It was a mistake.”
    “A mistake?”
    He wrote notes in his little black book. I felt like some sort of suspect and it was pissing me off. He was pissing me off. I focused on his tie instead of looking up into his eyes. It had polka dots on it, hardly standard detective attire.
    “Not the attack, the relationship. I mean it wasn’t even really a relationship. Just a one night stand, that’s all. I guess some guys just can’t take no for an answer.”
    The paramedics wheeled Joe out on a stretcher. He had a bandaged head and a neck brace. You’d have thought he had been in a car accident. I mean I only hit him with a telephone. I think he thought he was dying. He moaned dramatically as they pushed him past me.
    “Shut up asshole,” I said.
    He rolled his eyes and groaned louder. I knew there was nothing seriously wrong with him but he’d press charges if he got half the chance. I’d have to swallow my pride and admit that yes I was a woman and yes a man almost got the better of me. It went against everything my instincts told me. Never look weak in front of the cops. Still, it was better than being arrested.
    “He caught me off guard. It won’t happen again,” I said.
    I rummaged in my bag for the pack of cigarettes I kept in case of an emergency. They’d been in there for six months. The last pack I bought before I quit. I wrapped it in duct tape so I wouldn’t be able to sneak one. Of course in my time of need, I couldn’t get into the darn thing. I stood there fighting with the tape, cursing under my breath.
    “It’s okay.”
    Olin put his hands on mine to stop my frenzied rustling. Then he took the pack from me and peeled off the tape with far more success than I had. I lit up in the doorway, feeling guilty and grateful all at the same time. The night air was damp and chilled. It felt good as it blew across my skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps.
    Olin stood with his arms crossed, watching me with a mildly curious look on his face.
    “You shouldn’t smoke, you know.”
    “Why do you think I wrapped these bad boys up so tight?” I said. “But it’s been one hell of a day.”
    “You can say that again,” he said.
    There was hesitation in his voice. I already knew what was coming next before he opened his mouth.
    “I saw you at the funeral.