Love Lies Bleeding by Remmy Duchene (carter reed txt) 📕

"There's no moving." Anderson tore his eyes away from the perfect statue before him. "I just wanted to call you and let you know where I was, so you don't worry."

"All right. Call if you need me. And you know you could have stayed here, right?"

"I know. But if someone is after me, I'd rather lead him away from your doorstep… Bee… you know I love you, right?"

"I know. Try to get some sleep tonight, Andy. You sound tired."

Chapter Five

Leo rarely had guests because he was so absolutely ashamed of where he lived. If he wanted, he could have bought a house but he didn't see the point. He was barely at home at all and didn't think it would make any sense. The only time he even thought about that shame was after he invited someone over. When he thought of where Anderson lived in comparison to his place, he felt like a moron bringing him there. He wasn't sure what he was thinking—he mulled over it silently and realized he wasn't thinking. His cock was doing that for him, even after Anderson all but told him he didn't swing that way.

For some strange reason, he couldn't get over it. He looked at Anderson and all he wanted to do was everything he swore he'd never do. He never wanted to fall for a straight man. But he turned off the ignition and gripped it tightly. He could do this—he could protect Anderson Williams and not touch him.

I can do this.

With that mantra playing over and over in his head, Leo helped Anderson carry his bags to the apartment then walked him down the hall to the extra room. He'd gotten a two bedroom apartment because sometimes Daniel spent the night when he and his wife got into it. The room had the bare minimum in decor. Aside from the bed and dresser, there was a single chair by the window and a tall standing lamp.

"I'm sorry it's not much. I'm a cop and I knew when I took the job it wasn't a get-rich-quick scheme. If you want a desk, you can use the dining room table."

"Leo, you worry too much. I'll be fine here."

"Sorry. I just—I know what you're used to."

Anderson walked by him into the room and once more his scent sent Leo's body into a heightened sense of arousal. "I'll leave you alone."

He hurried from the room before Anderson could reply and walked to his own bedroom. He closed the door behind him and pressed his back to it. Once he gathered himself enough, he left the room to gather his files and crime scene photos he knew he had strewn all over the dining room table. Once he had them in his safe, he checked the fridge. It barely held anything—a box containing cans of beer, a jug of milk, a couple of eggs, and an old sweet pepper. He picked it up and sniffed.

"How long has this been in here?" he muttered.

Footsteps coming down the hall caused him to chuck the pepper back in and close the door. He turned in time for Anderson to walk into the room with an armload of papers.

"The fridge doesn't really have anything. I wasn't expecting a guest."

"I take it you're not married." Anderson placed the paper on the table.

"No. No one has asked."

"Don't worry. We can eat out or order in."

"I should give you the grand tour."

"I'll find things. Just give me a couple of hours to go through some of these."

Leo smiled. "I have some work I need to get done anyway."

He left Anderson then, listening to the chair at the table scrape across the floor. It was strange having someone else in his house. He removed his files and stuff from the safe and spread them over his bed. With painstaking accuracy, he went over each picture, each of the notes both from his notebook and photocopies from Daniel's notebook. He made new notes in a larger book but at the end of it, he still wasn't any closer to anything.

His ringing cell phone only served to irritate him, but he grabbed it and pressed it to his ear. "What?"

"Hello to you too, handsome," Isha said.

"I'm sorry. I'm just stuck."

"Well, maybe this will help or push you further into the quicksand. The plant we found at the Williams crime scene is Amaranthus caudatus."

"Is that English?"

Isha chuckled. "No, Latin. The English name is love-lies-bleeding. It's a flower. Remember when I said my neighbor had a whole field of them after her husband left her? I was right. It's the same flower. You have to be careful in cultivating it because you plant it indoors in pots then transplant it outside after the last bit of winter."

"So you're telling me you can plant this Amaranthus caudatus anywhere."

"Yeah. That's why I said this information can help or make it worse."

"Did the result come back from the red powder?"

"Yeah. It's the same thing—love-lies-bleeding. Someone dried it and ground it into powder."

"So I guess it's safe to say the killer was also in Anderson's house."

"I'm afraid so."

"I was really hoping it was just a random break-in." Leo pushed some air out his mouth and rubbed his neck. He walked to the window and stared out at the night descending over New York. "I just don't get it. There were so many things in that house they could have taken."

"They didn't take anything?"

"Nothing. Jewelry, art, money—nothing was taken. Who breaks into a house like Anderson's and steals nothing?"

"I don't know, love. That is why you're the cops and I deal with the deadies. You should be talking to Daniel about that."

"This is just more confusing than before."

"All I can tell you is no one ever died from eating love-lies-bleeding."

"It's edible?"

"Parts of it. It's mostly used in Thai food."

"Listen, have you seen Daniel?"

"Not since the scene. He's normally hovering around my table. You two didn't have one of your epic arguments again, did you?"

Leo shook his head needlessly.