Blinded by the Trees Read online

  Johanna turned her face toward her and ran her fingers lovingly through Frankie’s dark hair. “And you never will be,” she promised as she inched closer and caught Frankie’s bottom lip between her teeth while her hands moved slowly over Frankie’s breasts. Frankie’s nipples hardened. Johanna took a nipple between her thumb and index finger tenderly kneading it before giving equal time to the other nipple.

  Frankie’s mouth covered Johanna’s. The kiss deepened and grew more intense as their tongues joined. She grew hotter. Frankie’s hands gripped Johanna’s ass drawing her closer. She felt the wetness between her legs and tried to urge Johanna’s hand there. Instead, Johanna broke the kiss and shifted her body before covering Frankie’s entire body with sweet soft kisses. Frankie moaned deep in her throat. Johanna’s lovemaking always made her feel so connected, body and mind, with her. She stroked Johanna’s long auburn hair.

  “I love you, baby,” Frankie whispered huskily.

  “I know,” Johanna whispered back, “but I don’t think anyone could love you as much as I do.” She shifted her body and moved down to Frankie’s inner thighs planting the same soft kisses there. She took her time and with each kiss an uncontrollable throbbing ripped through Frankie.

  Frankie groaned. “I’m so hot. I need you, baby.” Her need was so strong that she felt weak.

  Johanna lifted her head briefly. “You have me, but I want to make you so hot you can’t stand it.”

  Frankie trembled. She knew she’d explode if she didn’t have some release soon, but Johanna was taking her time. Johanna shifted her position again and now she was facing the bottom of the bed with her knees planted on either side of Frankie. She took each of Frankie’s toes one at a time into her mouth. Frankie inhaled sharply.

  Frankie had an ample view of her lovely ass. She reached out and began massaging the cheeks, then lightly ran a finger in the crack. Johanna took a sharp intake of air as she wriggled that beautiful ass then repositioned herself once again, only this time her pussy was in a direct line with Frankie’s waiting tongue. She moaned as the tip of Frankie’s tongue made contact with her throbbing clit.

  She plunged her own tongue deep inside of Frankie.

  They took their time savoring one another’s bodies. Frankie’s tongue darted in and out of her lover. She loved making love to Johanna. She could never get enough of her. She loved listening to Johanna as she pleaded with her for more. When she could hold back no longer, their bodies shook almost convulsively as they brought one another to an explosive climax.

  Afterwards Frankie held Johanna in her arms. Johanna nestled against her chest. “I love you, Frankie,” she murmured. “I could stay like this forever. When I’m in bed with you nothing else matters.”

  “I love you, too.” Frankie sighed contentedly. “I just wish I could control myself enough to take my time and seduce you like I used to when we first became a couple.” She traced Johanna’s mouth with a fingertip. “I imagine all the things I’m going to do to your beautiful body, but the minute I see that luscious body in the flesh I get so hot I can’t control myself and have to dive right in.”

  “Sweetie, we’ve been together over twelve years. I’m grateful that we still have an active healthy sex life. A lot of couples get so busy and caught up in their lives that unfortunately, that’s the first thing to go.” She patted Frankie’s arm. “We’ll never have to worry about that.”

  Frankie turned her head and then kissed Johanna tenderly. “No, we won’t.”

  As Johanna drifted off to sleep, Frankie stared up at the opened skylight. Stars shined brightly in the clear, but cold sky. She was happy and satisfied and knew that her happiness and contented state of mind came from Johanna. She wouldn’t hesitate to give her own life to save her no matter the reason. She sighed again. They’d been trying to take a vacation for a couple of years now, but something always seemed to get in the way. Even a few days at home away from the office couldn’t keep them from working when they were called upon. But Frankie had decided the only way they could finally have some much needed time off would be to just go ahead and book a vacation. And that’s exactly what she’d done. She couldn’t wait to see the expression on Johanna’s face when she told her that this year they’d be bringing in the New Year on a cruise ship. Five glorious days they’d have together. Whether this case was solved or not, they were going.

  * * * *

  Johanna pored over her notes. Something didn’t add up and she intended to find that missing piece. She pondered whether Cody had been forced to drive the van and then had taken the rap for Clyde. It would definitely benefit Clyde. It would keep him out of jail. Brenda Burrows bothered her, but not for the reason Frankie thought. Johanna recalled a case years ago where the mother seemed to be loving and doting, but had been the one slowly poisoning her child to death while placing the blame on everyone else.

  Brenda was playing the grieving mother to the hilt, but was she really grieving at all? It could all be just a big act to throw everyone off her trail. But Johanna wasn’t that gullible. She could be hard when she had to be. Usually Frankie wasn’t so quick to believe anyone’s innocence, but with Brenda, she’d seemed to soften. Maybe it was because Selma was here. Selma had a heart of gold, and her nature refused to believe the worst of anyone unless she had cold hard facts in front of her. But she loved the older woman. Still, she worried that if this case took a sinister turn Selma could be caught in the crossfire. No matter what they dug up on Brenda and Clyde Burrows that could implicate them in Cody’s murder, they had to give the information to George and back off. This wasn’t their case, but still she believed that everything connected somehow.

  Frankie and Selma had spent the day together making last-minute Christmas preparations giving Johanna the opportunity to be alone with her thoughts. She’d spent most of the day in the office researching on the computer. Nothing about this case made sense. And what was the connection to Clark’s Christmas Tree Farm? Why lure the boy there?

  She glanced toward the window. Big fat snowflakes were coming down. It was going to be a long brutal winter. She envied Trey and Will on their cruise basking in the warm sun with not a care in the world. Maybe someday Frankie and she would actually take a real vacation. The odds always seemed to be against them. She sighed dejectedly. If they hadn’t gone to the tree farm and hadn’t found the body, they wouldn’t be working right now, but instead relaxing or maybe going to Philly for a show as they’d planned to do with Selma. But Selma definitely didn’t seem to mind. She was enjoying seeing the women in action. And Johanna knew that Selma was ecstatic to be a part of the action.

  She concentrated on Brenda Burrows. Clyde Burrows was the least of her worries. If he drank himself into a stupor every night the way they’d seen him, he obviously wasn’t out breaking into homes. She frowned. Cody Burrows is murdered and the break-ins almost come to a complete stop. What is the connection? She hoped George wasn’t thinking that the boy had been doing the beak-ins, but from their earlier brief conversation with him, she got the impression that that was exactly what he was thinking. If there were no further break-ins that fit the MO of the other break-ins, then the blame would be pinned on a dead boy who couldn’t defend himself. The break-ins and his murder were connected somehow no matter what anyone else thought. She’d bet on it. The story Brenda had given her about Cody’s father seemed suspicious, too. She did another search on Brenda’s maiden name and waited for the results. Suddenly, she noticed a site she hadn’t seen before. She smacked her lips in anticipation as she clicked on the website.

  Her eyes widened in surprise when she realized that the website was devoted to individuals trying to locate people they’d lost touch with. She clicked on Brenda’s name. It was possible that it was a different Brenda Winston. After all, anyone could plug in their name and get dozens of hits for people with the same name; small world with so many individuals sharing the same name. She checked her notes then looked back at the screen. It was her. Her heart pounded in
her chest. Now to find out who was trying to locate her and why.

  She was so intent on her work that she didn’t notice Frankie slip into the office and behind her chair until she lovingly planted a kiss on Johanna’s cheek. Johanna leaned back in her chair.

  “Dinner’s almost ready,” Frankie said, glancing at the computer screen. “What this?”

  Johanna stretched then stood. “I’ll explain it to you and Selma during dinner.” She got up from her chair and followed Frankie to the kitchen.

  Frankie placed the covered dish in the middle of the table while Selma carried a plate of bread and a dish of butter.

  “Something sure smells good,” Johanna said hungrily.

  “Mom was in the mood for lasagna,” Frankie answered. “So I made a batch. I had some homemade sauce in the freezer.”

  “You do have a special touch, Frankie. Everyone who tastes it says the same.” She turned to Selma. “If we ever decided to retire she could open a restaurant. I swear she could make a fortune.”

  “I agree,” Selma said. “She always loved cooking; even when she was at that tomboy stage. One minute she’d be climbing a tree, the next in the kitchen whipping up dinner.”

  Johanna laughed. “She hasn’t changed much,” she said with a wink at Frankie.

  “Hey, you two, now stop it. You both should be glad that I love to cook.”

  “We are,” Johanna said. “And I’m grateful that your mother taught you how to cook.”

  “So am I,” Frankie grinned as she filled her bowl with salad.

  Selma, attired in a bright pink pantsuit, scooped out a piece of lasagna and handed the plate to Johanna, then put a piece on Frankie’s plate. “Have you found anything new about the Burrows’?” she asked as she passed the plate to Frankie.

  Johanna took a sip of water. “I did. I haven’t gotten a chance to look it over, but if you two want to check it out with me we can do it after dinner.”

  Selma placed a piece of lasagna on her plate and settled herself at the table. Her eyes twinkled. “Of course, I’d like nothing better.” She placed her napkin across her lap. “It would certainly be a relief if that boy’s killer was behind bars before Christmas.”

  Johanna nodded. “I have a feeling it just might be a possibility.”

  Frankie cocked her head in Johanna’s direction. “Is there something you’re not telling us?”

  “Nope…the same thing you two don’t want to hear. But I do have a theory about the break-ins. I’ve been piecing it together all afternoon.”

  “Shoot.” Frankie took a bite of lasagna as she waited for Johanna to respond.

  “Well, mind you, this is just a theory, but I think it has merit. Just suppose that Cody was forced to drive his van to the break-ins. If Clyde was caught, he’d get away and Cody would take the heat. Possibly the trouble George said Cody had gotten into wasn’t really anything he’d actually done.”

  “He was taking the fall for Clyde!” Frankie exclaimed. “Now that makes perfect sense. With Clyde’s record he couldn’t afford to get arrested again.” She was thoughtful for a minute. “Why don’t we do an intense background check on him and see what else might pop up? George only gave us the rap sheet pertaining to his arrests. I’d like to see what else he’s been up to.”

  “Okay. I did an extensive one on Brenda, but there’s really nothing there. And the only picture is the one George sent to us. Maybe on the website I found we can learn who is searching for her and why.” Johanna gazed at Selma. “Anything to add? You’re part of the team on this one,” she said.

  Selma smiled. “What you’ve said so far makes perfect sense. Are you going to ask George to search their apartment?”

  “I’d love nothing better,” Johanna replied, “but he’d have to have something concrete to convince a judge to issue a search warrant. Just because Clyde has a record a mile long for theft, doesn’t prove he’s responsible for any here.”

  “Can’t George just make up some reason to get inside the place?”

  Frankie turned to her mother. “I’m sure the deputies have been to the apartment. I’m also certain that Clyde knew they’d go there to question him and his wife after Cody’s body was discovered. He had several hours to remove the items. Later he could retrieve them.”

  Selma frowned. “Where would he hide the goods?”

  “I’m sure each tenant was given some type of storage space.” Johanna lifted an eyebrow. “I’ll bet that’s where’s he’s keeping the goods, not in the apartment. The only things in the apartment are things he wanted for his own personal use.”

  “What was on the computer when I called you for dinner?” Frankie asked.

  “It’s a website for people searching for those they’ve lost contact with. I got a hit on Brenda. I haven’t gone through the site yet. But it’s the first break we’ve gotten.” She took a bite of food. “This is delicious.”

  After dinner the women moved to the computer and Johanna got to work searching through the website.

  The women waited anxiously for the information to load. Whoever was looking for Brenda Winston obviously had no idea that she was now Brenda Burrows. The website finally loaded. A teenaged picture of Brenda filled the screen. Johanna moved to the article. She looked anxiously at Frankie and Selma. “Please tell me that I’m not imagining this!”

  Chapter 12

  Frankie stood shaking her head back and forth. “I don’t believe this! Why doesn’t George know? How could he have missed this?”

  Johanna was just as shocked as she was. “This doesn’t make any sense. What the hell is going on?”

  Selma was stunned as her eyes drifted once again to the computer screen. “Could it be because he’s not focusing on Brenda Burrows? After all, you didn’t come up with any of this with your initial background search, did you, Johanna?”

  Johanna ran a shaky hand through her hair. “No, I didn’t,” she replied hoarsely. She whipped her head around. “Now, do you two still believe that she’s so innocent?” she demanded, peering at the two women.

  “I don’t know what to say,” Selma stammered. “This certainly puts a new slant on everything.”

  Frankie let her breath out in a rush. “You were right about her, Johanna, but how do we know this is true? This guy could be some jilted boyfriend she once knew. Maybe he’s trying to get back at her by posting this.” She shrugged. “Nowadays people are flocking to the Internet to seek revenge. They’ve got a worldwide audience. A lot of lives have been destroyed by others posting lies about someone.” She lifted an eyebrow. “Okay, so how do we know it’s true?”

  “Easy.” She jotted down a phone number. “We’ll call this Joe Barnes.” Before Frankie could say another word, Johanna had already punched in the numbers.

  Frankie leaned her elbows on the desk. She was too keyed up to sit. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Selma had pulled up Frankie’s office chair and kept her eyes focused on Johanna.

  “Hello, is this Joe Barnes?” Johanna asked.

  Frankie pointed to the phone and mouthed to Johanna to put the phone on speaker. Johanna nodded and pushed the button.

  “I found your number posted on a website. I understand you’re looking for Brenda Winston.”

  “Yes, I am,” a deep husky voice came over the phone. “Do you know where she is?”

  The hope in his voice was obvious. “We’re private investigators. Would you mind answering a few questions for us?” Frankie asked.

  “First, please tell me if she’s alive. I…I haven’t heard from her in a long time. I’ve been searching for years.”

  Frankie glanced at Johanna who shrugged. “Yes, she is alive.”

  His relief was audible. “Thank God for that. Is she in trouble? Is that why you’re investigating her?”

  Frankie’s jaw was set. She ignored his questions. “Did you help her and the other girl?”

  He drew a shaky breath. “What was I supposed to do? My parents kicked her out. I was in colleg
e so I couldn’t take her in. But I had some friends who agreed to let her stay just until the baby was born.”

  “So far nothing you’ve said makes any sense. You’re going to need to fill in the blanks. Your posting on that website was vague on several points.”

  “That’s to protect her.”

  “From what? Committing murder and then taking another woman’s identity?”

  “No, it’s nothing like that,” he replied nervously. “She didn’t murder anyone. Eve wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

  “So her name is really Eve. Eve Barnes Burrows.”

  “Look, maybe I should take my information down and just forget this. All I wanted to know is that she is alive and well.”

  Frankie knew that she had to act quickly. “You put a lot of incriminating details on the site.”

  “I don’t know a lot about websites. I answered the questions they asked me hoping that Eve might see it.”

  “You need to be careful what you post. Anyone in the whole wide world has access to it,” Frankie replied sarcastically. “We have a screenshot. If you take your info down, we’ll have no choice but to go to the local sheriff and also contact the authorities in Wyoming. They won’t have any trouble tracking you down once they view the screenshot.”

  “Please, no…don’t do that,” he cried. “Eve didn’t do anything. She was just a fifteen-year-old kid. She was scared and did what Clyde and I told her to do.”

  Frankie held her thumb up. Johanna’s eyes briefly met hers as she excitedly took notes. She glanced at her mother who looked like she was still in a state of shock.

  “So you know Clyde Burrows.”

  “Burrows? I never knew his last name. No one did.” He paused. “Yes, he used to hang around campus. He gave Brenda a place to live when her parents kicked her out.”

  “The real Brenda Winston?”

  “Yes. Brenda was a senior in college. When she became pregnant her parents really did kick her out.” He began to sob. “I didn’t know what to do. I could barely support myself and I wanted Brenda and our baby to have a better life. If only things had been different.”