The Morelville Mysteries Collection

Chapter 9 – Motocross & Madness

Chapter 9 – Motocross & MadnessMel

Two Saturday’s a month, from spring through fall, I tried to take the day off. There were capable officers under me who could handle most issues. Personally, I was usually just a phone call and a few minutes away if I really was needed. I hoped I wouldn’t be needed today and, especially, tonight.

Saturday evenings were special. Beth, my 14 year old niece, was into quad racing and after a full and successful season of that last year, this season, she was attempting to go from four wheelers down to two by crossing over into motocross. There was a motocross event at the county fairgrounds late this afternoon that was open entry, rain or shine. There would be a female class if they could get enough participants. Beth was raring to go and Kris and I were both excited for her. It would be a great sanctioned event to give her a real feel for the two wheeled sport and a look ahead to the summer season.

I’d gotten a love of turning wrenches from my grandpa whose family home my sister and I and her kids all now shared. Gramps and Nana were gone, but their memories lived on in our home and, for me in Gramps old garage. I was out there early going over Beth’s KTM dirt bike with a fine tooth comb.

Kris and I went in together and bought the racing bike from a family friend. His son had outgrown it and moved on to a bigger bike. It was a labor of love for me to fine tune it before Beth’s first really “big” race in front of a large crowd. I was intent on my task when Dana Rossi stepped into my view and shocked me back to reality.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I called the station and got nowhere so I thought I’d swing by and see if you were here.”

“Swing by? So, you just happened to be in Morelville, did you?”

“Mel, you know why I’m here. Yes, as you’ve been saying, the envelope of photos did come from your stalker friend Sally. It took a while to get a final answer because we only had a partial print to work with, but AFIS finally matched her. It would seem that she’s had a few run-ins with the law.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“You didn’t know?”

“Like what?”

“Public nuisance, trespassing, and breaking and entering, for starters. She did six months for a B&E.”

“Wow.” I rocked back on my heels and shook my head.

“I’m really surprised you didn’t run her yourself.”

“I just always thought of her as a pain in the ass but harmless. Live and learn, I guess!” I thought about the envelope with my boxers in it. At minimum I had trespassing on her.

“You’ve heard from her again, haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

“More pictures?”

“Um, no.”

“Something more personal?”

“Yes, unfortunately.”

“Do I have to drag it out of you?”

“As if you could!” I was already exasperated with her.

“Whatever she’s done, she’s obviously getting bolder. Given her record, I’m not surprised. This isn’t good and we need to do something about it.”

“We?”

“Mel, I’m just trying to help.”

I gave in – again. “She put a pair of my boxer briefs in another manila envelope and, apparently, walked them right into the station. I found the envelope in my inbox.” Answering the obvious next question, I said, “We do our laundry right here at the house and there’s been no sign of forced entry.”

Dana’s eyes grew wide. “Are you sure they’re yours and not just a newer pair similar to ones she’s seen you in when she’s on surveillance? How else would she have gotten them?”

“Yes, and I don’t know. She must have gone in and out somehow when only the kids were here and otherwise occupied.”

“Whoo boy! That’s not cool!”

“Tell me about it.”

“So, what should we do?”

There was that word “we” again. “I appreciate your willingness to help but, at this point, there isn’t much we can do unless we catch her in the act. I’m not doing a restraining order against her because I don’t want the publicity. I don’t think she’s violent, just obsessed. Her record seems to bear that out.”

Dana sighed. “I suppose you’re right but it’s quite a risk.”

Tired of the whole conversation, I changed the subject. “How’s your investigation going?”

“My trip to Chicago was worth my while. I have a new lead. I just hope it pans out. How’s your counterfeiting investigation going?”

“The Secret Service sent an agent in. He’s on the trail now. Can you talk about your lead? Anything I can help with?”

Dana shrugged. “Probably not but I can talk about it. A prisoner was killed at Stateville in Illinois a day after agreeing to give up information that would have helped somebody take gang business from the guy my team is trying to find. We’re pretty sure we know who was responsible for the hit. He was released about a month ago but he disappeared and he’s, so far, untraceable. He actually had two visitors the day of the hit. His mother and a lawyer unrelated to the case that landed him there in the first place.”

“I’ve talked to the guys’ mother. She’s older. Says she hasn’t seen her son since he was sent up even though she knew he’d been released. She seems genuinely fearful for his safety. I believe her story. That leaves me with the lawyer...whom I can’t seem to get a hold of. I’m probably going to have to go back on the road and pay him a visit or have someone in the field office briefed up to do it.”

“A lawyer carrying a hit order?”

“It’s kind of unlikely, huh?”

“It could happen, but yeah, it’s not very likely. Do you think the order might have gone through another inmate who passed it on to the guy who did the hit?”

“It will really suck, if that’s the case. Do you know how many inmates there are at Stateville?”

It was a rhetorical question that I didn’t bother to answer. I just nodded my head. “So this gang related prison hit ties into your smuggling investigation?”

“I’m pretty sure it does. That’s why I’m trying to get in touch with the lawyer who visited the hit man and that’s why I don’t relish reviewing all the visitors to the prison in that time frame and determining the access each of the inmates that had a visitor had to the inmate who did the hit.”

Dana paused and sighed. “There just isn’t enough time to get this all figured out.”

“Look, maybe I really can help you. You seem to think there are connections to your smuggling investigation in this area. I know a lot of the key players around here. I wasn’t born yesterday. I’ve been doing this a little while.” I stood up from my leaning position against my workbench only to realize how close it brought me to her.

She started to speak and then hesitated. Finally, she said, “There may be connections here. We just can’t be sure. We can’t seem to find the key to chain the links together. I don’t know what you could add that would help...” She trailed off and looked at me with sad eyes.

I couldn’t help myself. She was so close and she looked so lost, I forgot all about how much she annoyed me at times. I just wanted her. I leaned in and brushed her lips with mine. I pulled back just a little to look into her eyes but they were closed. I hooked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into me and then I held her and kissed her again.

Her lips were so soft and sweet. She molded her smaller frame to mine. Feeling her against me and having her return my kiss was heaven. My fingers tangled themselves in her long, silky brown hair. I nipped at her lower lip with my teeth and then tasted them gently with the tip of my tongue. Dana groaned and let my tongue slip in to seek further pleasure. Any resolve not to get involved with her that I had left just melted away.

###

Dana

I can’t believe this is happening! This...whatever “this” is, can’t happen. It can’t. Wow, it feels so good... What am I going to do? I was powerless in Mel’s arms. Her kiss was electric. She was making me feel things I hadn’t felt in, well, a long time... things I hadn’t wanted to feel... things that I’d been avoiding.

The last thing I need is to get tangled up with another woman. My job is crazy and I have a whole cartload of baggage out there but – whoa! I just can’t stop. This kiss, this feeling... it’s amazing.

My knees were weak. I clung to her for support. She felt so strong and yet soft and comforting at the same time. My body was on fire. Parts of it were waking up that had been dormant way too long!

After what seemed like forever, Mel broke our kiss and growled softly. She looked at me intently.

“I want you Dana.”

I ran my hand down her side and then dropped it to my own. “You’ve made that pretty clear.” I took a deep breath and stepped back, putting a little distance between us. I tilted my head and looked up into the rafters of the garage, to avoid looking at her.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let you do that. I can’t do this. I just can’t be involved with anyone right now.”

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so... I guess I thought you were interested...”

“I was... I am... I just can’t explain. Oh Mel, I’m so sorry. It’s just not the right time. I should go.”

###

Mel

With that, Dana was gone, leaving me wondering if I would ever see her again. My mood, on such an emotional high moments before, came crashing down. She “was” interested. She “can’t”. Is it really “not the right time” or, am I just the wrong person?

I picked up a wrench but all I wanted to do was throw it. I needed to clear my head and get back in the game. Beth’s bike deserved my full attention. I closed up the garage and decided to go for a walk to relax and clear my head.

###

Beautiful Melissa Crane was in her garage kissing another woman!

The two women weren’t aware of the woman sitting low in her SUV on a side street in the village watching them from a distance. She’d been taking pictures while Mel worked on a dirt bike. She stopped taking pictures when the other woman came.

Her little dog yipped from the passenger seat. She glanced over at the mostly Corgi mixed mutt. He was probably getting hungry.

Melissa was making the woman very angry. Why couldn’t she understand that she didn’t need any other women? Why was she doing this and ignoring her? Wasn’t she good enough?

The new woman was leaving. The woman in the SUV ducked down even lower. Her little dog thought she was playing and jumped in her lap, yipping happily.

She tried to pet the dog to silence it but it wouldn’t be quiet. She peeked outside. The new woman was driving away. Mel was standing in the garage with her back turned. The woman in the SUV started the truck and quickly drove away.