A Touch of Murder Read online

  “Yes, my love.” Mika sauntered into the bedroom, carrying two cups of coffee.

  “I just wanted to know where you were.” Leah smiled as she accepted the coffee mug. “Actually, I wanted you with me.”

  “I was just checking on the children.” Mika bent and kissed her gently. “Everyone is ready. Since you and I are leaving next weekend, this will be our last Sunday at church as a family.”

  Leah nodded, gathering her gloves and purse. “I will wrap up filming my series Friday and by Saturday you and I will be in Texas.”

  “I am certain Sara, Jacob, Rachel, and Adam will be more than capable of handling things here for the next two weeks.” Mika smiled as she thought of having two weeks alone with her beautiful wife. She kissed Leah gently, careful not to smear her lipstick.

  They stepped into the elevator and went to the lobby. Leah could not suppress the joy that filled her heart at the sight of her beautiful children. She fought the tears that threatened to well up behind her eyes. She blinked back her emotions as she hugged each of them.

  ##

  In his Amish disguise, Watcher observed the Cross family as they entered the church single file. The purchase of the fifteen-passenger van had made it possible for the entire family to arrive in one vehicle. They filled the row of seats in front of Watcher. He inhaled sharply as Rachel sat down in front of him. He could clearly see her profile. He couldn’t take his eyes from her.

  He was pulled from his thoughts by a beautiful, blonde woman who was making her way down the row in front of him. “Excuse me,” she whispered to the Cross family until she reached Sara, and everyone made room for her to sit.

  “I’m so glad you could make it,” Sara whispered in the woman’s ear, her lips lightly lingering. They moved slightly so their shoulders were touching. Watcher instinctively knew the two women were together.

  ##

  “What do you think of it?” Mika asked her wife as they stood in the courtyard of a sprawling, two-story Mediterranean-style hacienda.

  “It is beautiful!” Leah exclaimed. “Mika, it’s enormous. It’s like a glorious Mediterranean castle in the middle of nowhere.”

  She turned slowly, taking in the beauty of her surroundings. The house was a masterpiece of architecture. It was surrounded by an eight-foot-high, foot-thick wall which sat about a hundred yards away from the house in every direction, leaving plenty of room for the lush greenery that surrounded the house itself. One approached the house through a gated archway in the wall and drove into the courtyard in front of the home. A large fountain featuring a statue of a beautiful angel with its wings unfurled was the centerpiece of the courtyard. Water ran from its outstretched hands and fell peacefully into the basin below.

  Mika unlocked the door and swept Leah into her arms. She carried Leah over the threshold and sat her down in the entryway of the mansion. Leah frowned slightly at the décor—southwest. “May I?” She raised her eyebrows as she motioned toward the furniture.

  “Please do.” Mika laughed. “This is my first time to see it too. It is a little over the top.”

  Instantly, Leah filled the mansion with her own exquisite style. Everything was perfect.

  “One of the things I have always loved about you is your flair for decorating.” Mika slipped her arms around Leah from behind and pulled her back against her chest. “This is wonderful.”

  As Mika led her from room to room, Leah redecorated everything. Beautiful urns replaced ugly, multicolored pottery. Tasteful masterpieces replaced horse and dog paintings. Fine, beautifully finished furniture replaced dark, heavy, distressed-wood western furniture.

  Italian tile and marble replaced the faux hardwood floors in the main areas, and plush carpets covered the bedrooms.

  “Now,” Mika said, grinning, “for our bedroom. She led Leah through the kitchen and down a hallway to a room that was far away from the rest of the house.

  Leah caught her breath as she entered the room. While the furnishings were ghastly, the room, itself, was extraordinary.

  The room was vast. It was light and airy. A sitting area, at one end, opened onto the patio garden outside the floor-to-ceiling windows and French glass doors. The en-suite was large, with double dressing tables and two walk-in closets, larger than most people’s bedrooms. A whirlpool bath and a double shower that wrapped around the width of the suite completed the room. Leah made their king-size bed the focal point of the bedroom and placed a loveseat and an oversized armchair in the sitting area. Leah noticed the garden was private, with a wall surrounding it. She wanted to give some thought about how she wanted to enhance it. The flora and fauna in the garden were wonderful. March was definitely the time to be in Texas.

  Mika watched Leah in astonishment as she added her own unique touches to the room. It was exquisite. It was home.

  Mika caught Leah in her arms. “You always make wherever we are our home.” She kissed Leah with all the love and yearning of the years she had lived without her.

  She slipped her hands under Leah’s shirt. The feel of her cool hands on Leah’s skin made Mika weak. Mika wanted her so badly, but the fact that they still had on their clothes told Mika she was going to have to work for Leah.

  She moved her lips against Leah’s, slowly bringing more pressure to bear on her mouth. She tentatively ran the tip of her tongue along Leah’s bottom lip, requesting entry. Leah’s tongue met Mika’s in a lust-driven duel to possess each other.

  She kissed Leah’s throat, reveling at the pounding of the pulse point in her neck. Leah threw back her head, giving Mika more access to her lovely throat. Mika nibbled and kissed her way down to the rise of Leah’s perfect breasts. A wave of desire almost took Mika to her knees, but she clutched Leah tightly, trying to suppress her rising need for her. She slid her hands up Leah’s blouse and lifted it over her head in one easy move. She kissed the rise of Leah’s breasts as she unclasped her bra, releasing what she had been aching for. Leah moaned as Mika kissed her way down Leah’s chest and buried her face between Leah’s breasts. She couldn’t get enough of Leah. Caressing each breast with her lips and her hands, Mika moaned as she whimpered above Leah. She moved her lips down Leah’s body as she slowly slid to her knees. Leah grasped Mika’s hair and moved her where she wanted her the most. She cried out as Mika began doing the things that made her beg the loudest.

  Mika smiled to herself when their clothes disappeared. That was her signal to indulge herself in Leah. “Please, baby, now. Please, now,” Leah begged.

  Mika stood and began kissing Leah’s breasts, gently drawing one into her mouth and caressing the other. Leah gasped as Mika bit down gently on her nipple. She let go of Mika’s hair and slid her arms around Mika’s neck. In one effortless move, she hoisted herself up and wrapped her legs around Mika’s waist. “The bed,” Leah commanded.

  Mika slowly sat down on the bed, Leah on her lap. She swung her legs onto the bed, never letting go of Leah. Once she was lying on her back, Leah leaned above Mika, staring deep into her sky-blue eyes. Slowly she lowered herself onto Mika. Mika’s world exploded.

  Mika had almost forgotten the way Leah could short-circuit her brain and fill her world with fireworks. Mika screamed and howled; cried and begged. She couldn’t get enough of Leah. Couldn’t hold her tight enough. Couldn’t kiss her deeply enough. Couldn’t feel her long enough. Then she felt it. Magic Leah took hold of Mika like nothing she had ever felt. She pulled Mika into her, merging their bodies; melding their minds; fusing their souls. Shock after shock surged through Mika’s body. Their mingled need for each other created a cacophony of pleadings, screams, and moans. Mika knew she was making a low growling sound like a wild animal, but she couldn’t stop herself. There were no words for what she was feeling. There was just pure animalistic pleasure. Leah was hers and Mika was Leah’s. They were one.

  They soared invisibly through the heavens.

  Hours later, Leah fell onto the bed beside Mika. Her chest was heaving, gasping for air. Mika leaned over and bre
athed into her mouth, then fell exhausted beside her. Their lovemaking was always wonderful, but this had been completely uninhibited and marvelous. Mika realized they had let New York subdue them.

  “Welcome to Texas,” Mika whispered.

  “I can tell I am going to like it here.” Leah chuckled, burrowing into Mika’s arms.

  ##

  Leah sat on the love seat at the foot of their bed, watching Mika sleep. She was beautiful. Mika was everything she had ever dreamed. Mika was much more than she could ever fathom. Leah could never dream of her because she had no knowledge such a being existed.

  Mika stretched slowly, like a big golden tiger, her muscles rippling. Mika slid her hand to Leah’s side of the bed, reaching for her. Mika’s eyes opened and she sat up suddenly when she realized Leah wasn’t next to her. Leah smiled brilliantly as Mika’s eyes twinkled when they found her.

  “Would you like a cup of coffee?” Leah said softly, not wanting to break the cocoon of contentment that seemed to engulf them.

  “I’d rather have a good-morning kiss from my wife.” Mika grinned, flashing her childlike dimples that always filled Leah’s heart with love. Leah crawled from the foot of their bed up to Mika’s lips. Mika's eyes never left her as she drank in the beauty of all that was her wife. “I love you so much, Leah,” she said hoarsely.

  Leah answered Mika’s declaration of love with a slow, sensuous kiss. “And I love you, darling.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “This house is immense,” Leah exclaimed as they roamed through the music and media rooms. Two studies opened off the hall leading to their bedroom. “I noticed our chambers are far away from the rest of the house.”

  “Yes.” Mika squeezed Leah’s hands. “One of the truly nice things about adobe is that the walls are thick and do an incredible job of deadening sound.”

  “So, that means,” Leah said, grinning mischievously, “you can scream and beg as loud as you want, and the children won’t think I am torturing you.”

  “Something like that.” Mika laughed. “Our chambers are our own little world.”

  “I like that.” Leah stood on her tiptoes to kiss Mika.

  The dining room was enormous. Leah furnished it with a sturdy antique table and twenty chairs. It looked like it belonged in a castle, surrounded by lords and kings. “Where did you come up with this idea?” Mika asked.

  “From my castle,” Leah said, laughing, “the great dining hall. We certainly have enough children to fill it. There is Amber, Jennifer, and…”

  “I believe you have too many chairs,” Mika interrupted as she counted the available seating.

  Leah looked down then looked up at Mika coyly, blushing slightly. “Not after last night.” She smiled sweetly.

  “You mean…” Mika’s face turned into one huge, happy grin. Mika swept Leah up into her arms and lifted Leah high into the air. “Yes, darling. Oh, yes. I so wanted our next children to be born in Texas.”

  “As do I, my love, obviously.” She laughed at Mika’s joy. One would never know they already had twelve children. Mika was as excited as she had been about their first about each new addition to their family. “These will be our only November babies,” Leah informed Mika. “Not that we planned it, but we have been fortunate that each set of twins has their own personal birthday month.”

  Mika hugged Leah tightly against her. “Let’s see if we have enough bedrooms.” Mika smiled.

  The entire east wing of the house featured enormous suites. There were nine on each floor, with five extra suites for the nannies and guestrooms.

  Leah meticulously furnished each suite, adding special things that she knew the different children would like in their rooms.

  “This is almost as large as my castle.” Leah frowned as she completed the décor of the nurseries. “I never dreamed so much love could be found in one home.”

  “Why don’t I cook us dinner?” Mika reached for Leah’s hand and pulled Leah slowly toward her. “Have you ever had an open-pit grilled steak?”

  Leah laughed out loud. “Darling, I have had entire steers roasted on an open pit.”

  Mika grinned. “Sometimes I forget that you were the queen. Huge banquets were everyday occurrences in your realm.”

  “Not really.” Leah grimaced. “I wasn’t exactly the hostess with whom everyone wanted to dine.”

  Mika pulled Leah to her, capturing Leah’s eyes with hers. “That was their loss.” She kissed Leah caringly. “Now, my offer still stands. I will grill the steaks and you can make the salad.”

  “Sounds wonderful.” Leah smiled. “Mika,” she called her back as Mika turned to walk to the outside grill. “Thank you for loving me.”

  Mika stood looking at Leah, afraid to move closer. Mika knew they would have no meal today if she touched Leah. “How could I not love you, Leah? You are my every dream come true. I knew a woman like you existed, but I had no idea how wonderfully incredible you would be. You support me in everything I do. You love me unselfishly. You have given me love, laughter, and the most wonderful children. Your beauty is beyond compare. I adore you, my queen.”

  Mika whirled on her heels and opened the door leading onto the patio. She silently thanked her God for her wife. Leah thanked the same God for Mika.

  ##

  “We will pick up two vehicles today,” Mika said as she watched her wife cook their breakfast. “Today, we will purchase a fifteen-passenger van for the entire family, and we will need one nice luxury vehicle for you and me. Hanna and Mark insist that we can’t have a ranch without driving pickups.”

  “Pickups are not attractive vehicles.” Leah grimaced. “However, they are extremely serviceable. Let’s get a pickup and one of those thingies that will go anywhere.”

  Mika tilted her head, trying to guess the vehicle her wife was describing.

  “You know,” Leah wrinkled her nose—God, I want to kiss her— “the one that goes through mud and low streams and…”

  “A Jeep Wrangler,” Mika guessed.

  “Yes.” Her wife smiled. “They will love it to drive in the meadows.”

  “Pastures,” Mika informed her. “Everyone in Texas calls any piece of clear land with cattle grazing on it a pasture.”

  Leah waved her hand as if it didn’t matter but made a mental note to call land “pasture” from now on. They needed to fit in.

  They materialized in the ladies’ room of a dealership in Ft. Worth. Leah stepped out first, then gave Mika the signal the coast was clear. They strolled into the Lexus showroom and began looking at sedans. A well-dressed salesman with a name badge that read “Chuck” approached them with an outstretched hand. Mika shook his hand and introduced themselves to Chuck.

  “I like that one, Mika.” Leah pointed to a beautiful vehicle whose burgundy color was so deep, it was almost black.

  Chuck couldn’t take his eyes off the woman. She was strikingly beautiful. “Can we have this one, Chuck?” She rolled his name off her tongue like a smooth cream liqueur.

  “Of course, but this one has all the bells and whistles.” Chuck wanted her to have the car, but also wanted her to know how expensive it was.

  “Darling, I want this one.” She hugged Mika’s arm between her breasts and leaned into her.

  “My wife would like this car,” Mika told him.

  “Will you be financing it?” Chuck asked. He had never had a customer write a check for a car with a price tag that large.

  “Bankcard.” Mika smiled at Leah as if she were the only one in her world. “How long will it take you to get it ready for us?”

  “It is good to go.” Chuck nodded. “We just need to do the title work for you.” He scurried off to find his sales manager. He had never accepted full payment for over a hundred-thousand dollars and wasn’t certain of the protocol.

  “We can go next door and get the van,” Leah said, noticing the Ford dealership right down the street from the Lexus dealership.

  The sales manager introduced himself to the Crosses and
explained he would need to see their bankcard. Mika handed him the card, then followed him to his office to complete the transaction.

  The approval on the card was instantaneous. No calls. No inquiries from the bank. Just approved.

  The car was being driven from the showroom floor when Mika returned.

  After they purchased the van, they decided to drive back to the little town close to their ranch and try out the local diner. “I will follow you, darling,” Mika said as she leaned down for a goodbye kiss. “Anywhere,” she added playfully.

  ##

  Mika was caught in traffic with the van and Leah arrived at the diner ahead of her. She settled into the table in the back corner of the room and felt a twinge of déjà vu sweep over her. The little diner was like the one in her hometown. The struggle between old and new was apparent in the diner. A large, flat-screen TV hung between two mounted bucks with huge antlers. The struggling town of Godly, Texas was typical of a small-town fighting to stay alive. Main Street consisted of a strip of adjoined buildings housing the meager offerings of Godly.

  One side of the street was home to the post office and the fire department. Sandwiched between them was the County Line Café Buffet and The General Store, offering dry goods, shoes, hats, notions, and millinery. The last building in the string was the Moncrief Building. A sign in the window deemed it the town’s professional building. It housed the town’s only real estate office and a lawyer.

  The other side of the street housed Lucile’s Restaurant, featuring fine family home cooking and The Main Street Trading Post. A third two-story building completed the strip. It was empty and had an ancient Freemason square and compass logo embedded in the top center stone on the front of the building.

  Leah looked around, taking in the sights and sounds of a lazy Texas town. Men in tight jeans and cowboy boots sat around, drinking coffee and teasing with the waitresses. Leah was infatuated with the huge gold overlaid belt buckles the men wore. She noticed some of the portly men’s stomachs hung over the buckles, almost hiding them. That had to hurt. She wondered why they would suffer such discomfort.