Lust and Lies 04 - Pretty Maids in a Row

football game, but she assured him that she wanted to watch it with him. When the time came, he turned on the television and settled on the big bed with her cuddled in his arms.
    After the usual run of commercial announcements, a serious-faced commentator came onscreen.
    "As the first game of the season is about to begin here in Philadelphia, rather than the usual festive atmosphere, the mood is somber. In case you just tuned in, we have tragic news to share. Billy O'Day was brutally murdered in his hotel room last night. The police..."
    "No," Holly uttered, abruptly sitting upright. "That can't be."
    "What—"
    "Sh-shh," she said, waving him to be quiet so that she could hear what was being reported.
    "...FBI involvement in the case. Although exact details have not been released, it has been revealed that certain gruesome aspects bear a distinct similarity to the recent murder of Pennsylvania Senator Timothy Ziegler. The possibility of a serial killer stalking public figures is being considered. In the meantime, although Billy O'Day will not be on the field today, his teammates and all his fans will be thinking about him."
    David eased Holly back beside him. "My god, you're ice-cold." He studied her face. "And you're white as a ghost." He suddenly remembered how intently she had listened to the comments about O'Day when they had been in the sports bar last week. "Holly, did you know him?"
    "I... no... I..." Her mind scrambled to form a logical answer. The implication of what she just heard was so mind-boggling her only thought was of self-preservation. She needed time alone to think this through. Taking a slow, deep breath, she pulled herself together. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. It probably had something to do with that conversation we had last Sunday about him having to retire at such an early age."
    He wanted to believe her. He really did. But she was such a poor liar. Despite all the progress they'd made that weekend, she was still not confiding anything truly personal. He could try forcing it out of her, play it tough and threatening, but he knew instinctively that would only push her away from him completely, and as much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't yet ready to let her go.
    No, this one he was going to have to figure out another way. He mentally added the name Billy O'Day to his list of people Holly had a connection with. He would do a little investigating about that man's background right after he got back from his trip to Florida.
    They both made an effort to restore the former mood of the weekend and they both pretended not to notice that it didn't quite work.
    With David leaving for Miami early the next morning, there was no question of his staying at Holly's apartment that night. She barely managed to keep thoughts of O'Day, Ziegler, and the Little Sister Society submerged until David left her alone.
    The two murders couldn't possibly be coincidental, and yet she couldn't see herself walking into the FBI and suggesting that one of the women she had met was a deranged killer. How could she say anything to anyone without revealing how she had come to that conclusion? She'd practically be handing herself over as a suspect, and as Erica had made her realize, she had no alibi for the night Ziegler was murdered.
    A faint knock interrupted her analysis. Assuming it was David, returning for some reason, she opened the door... then wished she hadn't. The visitor was Bobbi Renquist, in her drab, IRS agent persona.
    Looking meek and a little frightened, Bobbi asked, "May I come in please?"
    Holly considered the possibility that this woman could be a murderess, but Bobbi stepped inside before Holly could think of how to turn her away. "It's very late," she said, rather than what she was thinking.
    "I know. I've been waiting for you to come home all evening."
    Holly cocked her head at her. "Why—Wait a minute. How did you get up here without the guard calling me?" She felt her fingers growing cold again.
    Bobbi's brown-eyed gaze skittered away as she spoke. "I showed the guard my ID and he let me pass."
    "Oh, that's great. So now he'll think I'm being investigated by the IRS."
    "Better that than the FBI."
    Holly crossed her arms protectively. "What do you mean?"
    Bobbi sighed. "Please. Can we sit down? I'm here as a friend, I swear."
    Holly motioned her toward the couch and sat stiffly on a chair opposite her.
    "Where were you last night?" Bobbi asked quietly.
    "I was in Maryland all weekend,