Love Stinks by Jeffrey Marks

Author:Jeffrey Marks
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781481091541
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2012-12-04T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

By the time Anne returned to Kantor's, the rain fell in sheets as the Indian summer faded into memory. The wind whipped the water all over the woman and child as they entered the store. Marissa watched as Joshua shook his head, drops of water splashing all over Anne's glasses and face. Since she was carrying the boy, she couldn't clean her glasses and nearly collided with a passing customer. A group had gathered in the cosmetics department, and Anne headed in that direction.

Anne smiled as she approached the two officers. Marissa knew Anne was sizing up their potential as mate material for her friend. Marissa also knew she was feeling better, because she cringed at the thought of Anne's third degree of the eligible detectives.

When Anne set Joshua down, his feet barely hit the floor before he reached his mother. "Mommy, Mommy, I want to go to the movie. Promised me candy."

Marissa grabbed the boy and hugged him tight, not noticing his fidgets. A surge of life flowed through her as she squeezed him. "I love you, Joshua Scott." She rubbed a palm against her eyes. "I'm sorry. We'll have to go to the movies some other day. Mommy isn't feeling well right now."

The little boy struggled, wriggling away from the maternal affection. "Put me down."

Marissa released him and he slid to the floor. "Don't go too far. I want to be able to see you." Anne handed the boy a small truck, and he sat on the floor, running it back and forth across the tile. Anne sat down with him, folding her legs underneath her to keep her feet from becoming human speed bumps.

The two officers had remained quiet while Joshua came in. Bandarra cleared his throat and flipped open his notebook. "So what can you tell us about the attacker? Height?"

Marissa took a deep breath and pressed her dark curls to her head with one hand. "I've been through all this already. I don't know how tall he was. He was taller than 5'8" because that's my height. I could feel his breath on the back of my head." She shuddered as she recalled the incident, but the shivering and chattering teeth had been replaced by anger.

"How about weight?"

"I didn't have my scale with me. The only thing I saw were two gloved hands. Now how much can I tell you from that? He was taller than me and smelled of cheap cologne and cigarettes on him. I don't think the cologne was anything that we sell here. He never spoke, and I never got to see his face."

Bandarra snapped his notebook shut. "That's not a lot of help. Don't you want to help catch this man? After what he did to you? We have men posted at all the doors, but we don't even know if he came back in the store."

"He headed back to the store. His footsteps went that way, and when I looked up, the door to the store was closing. I couldn't follow him because of my ankle.

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