Tainted Bodies Read online

  TAINTED BODIES

  Part One of The Photographer Trilogy

  By

  Sarah Robinson

  Dedicated to my sweet sisters

  May you always live a life of ease, health, and happiness.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Sarah Robinson is a native of the Washington, DC area and has both her Bachelors and Masters Degree in psychology while working in advocacy for cancer research for a nonprofit foundation.

  Writing has been her hobby since high school and she has been published several times from poetry to short stories. Her blog features her latest poetic and short story accomplishments at http://www.smallvoiceslargehearts.com.

  Her writing often concentrates on the complexity of love and emotions and the struggles of finding your destined path through life. Much of her inspirations come from her own life lessons, the good and the bad, as well as the amazing love she shares with her new husband, Justin. This is her second full length novel and will be followed up by the rest of the trilogy, so stay tuned for updates!

  You can find more information on her Facebook page where you can also reach her directly for questions: www.facebook.com/BooksbySarahRobinson

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  PROLOGUE

  Kate Jackson was never a natural public speaker and so standing on the side of the stage waiting for her entrance was causing knots to start clutching at her stomach. She smoothed her skirt and tossed her hair behind her shoulder, letting out a deep breath, hoping to calm herself when she heard her name being said as the audience burst into applause. Throwing on her least nervous smile, she stepped out from behind the curtain and walked to the center of the stage, waving to the crowd.

  “We are so excited to have you here.” The woman who introduced her said, shaking her hand.

  “Thanks so much,” Kate said, as she took the podium and looked out over the audience. She cleared her throat and steadied herself as she began,

  “If you had asked me a year ago if I would ever be standing in front of a room of law enforcement giving a speech, I would have called you crazy. But since then I have had the fortune, but also the horror, of experiencing a unique case study that police departments from all over the country have inquired about.

  My case reaches much further than me and it is possible we will never know the extent to where his influences reached.” Kate took another deep breath, a bit nervous still but slowly calming herself. She had never liked public speaking so this certainly was not a walk in the park for her. All of the faces in front of her looked eager and fascinated which began to give her more confidence.

  This was her stage now, he had held the spotlight long enough.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Kate Jackson stepped onto the metro car around 8am, heading for work in her usual morning routine on a crisp Thursday morning. She had been working in a sales position for a large company that sold office furniture to companies all over the country for quite some time even though it was unrelated to what she had gone to school for. She had graduated in the top ten percent of her class from the University of Maryland with a psychology degree, so sales was not her dream job, but at least it was a job.

  The metro car roughly slammed from side to side as Kate held onto the railing above her and tried not to fall on the people around her. It was not proving to be the simplest task.

  Probably not the best day to have worn these heels, she thought, as she warily watched the homeless man behind her eyeing her rear end. Finally, the operator announced her stop and Kate fought her way for the doors before they closed, as everyone else on the car seemed to be doing the same thing in fifteen different directions. Squeezing through, she slid past the crowd and snaked her way to the escalators, then up and out of the ground, onto the street.

  She never looked forward to going to work in the mornings even though she appreciated the pay check. The tough economy had made the job market cut throat and Kate felt lucky to at least have found anything to pay her bills. She had been gifted the job from a friend of her late father, who pitied her situation and owned the company. Lenny had become a great father figure for her and her sister since their father had passed away and had helped them out of many difficult situations over the years.

  Sighing with relief, Kate spotted her favorite hole-in-the-wall coffee shop, and looking at her watch, she decided to reward herself for her timing by stopping in for a tall vanilla latte. She opened the door to be greeted by the delicious smell of coffee beans and her favorite smiling barista. The Java Jolt was a morning must-have for her and she felt her spirit lifting every time she walked through those front doors.

  “Miss Kate, good to see you this morning, would you like your usual?” asked Jimmy, a high-school student whose favorite days at work were the days that Kate comes in.

  Kate was always surprised at the attention she received from men regarding her looks. At five foot six inches, she wasn’t particularly tall. She was far from stick thin, instead probably a few pounds over what she should be. She had dark brown, curly hair that hung all the way down her back and jumped about in any way it pleased, regardless of what she wanted.

  Her pale skin contrasted her dark, piercing brown eyes, brunette hair color, and ruby red lips causing an almost doll-like look to her. She dressed simply but professionally, going for comfort more than glamour, if you didn’t count her high heel shoes. But even with her striking features, Kate often thought of herself as plain, which made her oblivious to the hints and attempts at flirting from the young barista.

  “Thank you, Jimmy, yes please.” Kate smiles at him.

  “ Jimmy, add a large brewed coffee, two creams, and one sugar to that vanilla latte order,” said a deep voice behind her.

  Kate whirled around to see the face that belonged to that deep voice and was struck by the tall, handsome grin staring back at her.

  “Excuse me? Do I know you?” Kate asked, defiantly, stomping her foot on the ground in an attempt to look more confident.

  “Well you should, if you are planning on buying me a drink, or do you just make a habit of buying strange men their coffee?” The tall man jokingly smiled at her.

  Jimmy, awkwardly paused with the two empty cups in his hands, waiting for Kate’s approval before he made the drinks. Kate couldn’t decide whether she was furious at how rude this gentleman was or whether she was charmed by his initiative. Kate finally smiled slightly and nodded her consent, so Jimmy set about making the two drinks while watching out of the corner of his eyes at the interaction between the two jealously.

  “I’m Kate, Kate Jackson,” she said, extending her hand to him.

  “Derrick Kane.” His hand strongly grasped hers and his dark brown eyes pierced into hers, smiling at her with a wide, boyish grin that made her heart beat a little faster. He was definitely over six feet tall with the broadest shoulders that she had ever seen and the muscles on his arms could barely be contained in his collared blue shirt. An expensive black belt neatly held up his slacks while his shoes were recently polished and ready for work. His bright eyes seemed to glow against his dark, black skin as he smiled down at her. Jimmy, awkwardly coughed to interrupt their gaze, handing Kate her latte.

  “Thanks, Jimmy.” Kate handed him
some change to pay for the two coffees.

  “Sure, Miss Kate, it’s no problem. Anytime.” Jimmy said, beaming at her, as he stood there waiting, hoping to continue the conversation. Kate just turned around, accidentally ignoring him.

  “Hey, buddy, the coffee?” Derrick reminded the barista. Jimmy glared at him, annoyed, then handed him his coffee.

  “Here you go, sir. One brewed coffee, three creams, two sugar.” Jimmy said bitterly to the man who he felt was stealing his crush.

  “Uh, actually, that was supposed to be two creams, one sugar…” Derrick awkwardly said while Jimmy gave him a look that could kill.

  “You know what, that’s fine, I like it better this way, anyways. Good call.” Derrick grinned and brushed it off while he took a big chug of his coffee to prove his point. Kate, watching this whole interaction, started laughing which only made Jimmy more bitter as he stormed away from the counter into the back of the coffee shop through a swinging door.

  “I don’t think he is my number one fan.” Derrick said to Kate, grinning.

  “I think you are right about that. How’s the coffee?” Kate said, chuckling as Derrick held the door and they exited the coffee shop.

  “Sweet. Really sweet.” Derrick twisted his face to show his disgust, which caused Kate to laugh again.

  “Well, Kate, which way are you heading?”

  “Up towards Michigan Ave. I work a few blocks up. Which way are you heading?” Kate inquired.

  “The exact opposite direction. This is perfect, now I can walk you to work!” Derrick smiled and started towards Michigan Ave.

  “If you work in the exact opposite direction, then how is that perfect? You are going seriously out of your way!” Kate exclaimed, refusing to budge from her spot in front of the coffee shop, looking strangely at him.

  “Because now I can talk to you the whole way there, and think about you the whole way back.” He winked at her and continued heading towards Michigan Ave. Smiling at herself, she jogged to catch up to him.

  “So, what do you do, Miss Jackson?” he asked looking sideways at her.

  “It’s really boring. You don’t even want to know. What do you do?” she said, switching topics.

  “I just finished law school and started at a small firm a few blocks south of here with some law school buddies of mine. If you ever need a lawyer, you know who to call. But I still want to know what you do, Miss Evasive.” Derrick glanced at her sideways and she blushed coyly.

  “Well, it’s nothing as impressive as a lawyer, but I sell the furniture you sit on most likely.”

  Derrick laughed loudly.

  “Out of all the things, I really wasn’t expecting you to say that. Good way to phrase it. Well, office furniture is an important job, I couldn’t do my job without a comfy chair. Is it like an interior design job?” Derrick continued walking with her, the two slowed at a cross walk and looked both ways before continuing across the street.

  “I wish! It’s like a pay-the-bills job. I graduated with a psychology degree, so this is a little out of my ideal job market.” Kate said feeling slightly embarrassed. Wanting to change topics, she decided to switch back to him.

  “So, do you always go around getting poor, helpless women to buy your coffee for you?” Kate grinned at him, doing her best to flirt which was never really a skill set that she had mastered.

  “Well, law school was expensive so I have to get someone to finance my life,” he said, winking at her, but then quickly reassured her, “no, I’m just kidding. You are actually the first woman to ever buy me coffee. You should feel quite honored.”

  “So lucky.” Kate said, rolling her eyes. Derrick laughed at her again, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

  “See the secret trick is that now I owe you, so it would only be the proper thing to pay you back. Say Friday night? Dinner?” Derrick said, looking at her hopefully with a smirk on his face, clearly enjoying their exchange of witty banter.

  “Oh is that how it works, huh? Quite the scheme you have going there, Romeo. And tomorrow night? So bold, how do you know I don’t already have plans?” Kate teased.

  “Of course you have plans, you are going to dinner with me.” Derrick said confidently, flashing that boyish grin at her again. Kate let a few pauses go by just to make him nervous while she squinted her eyes at him, but then she smiled and agreed. They soon reached her work and exchanged phone numbers.

  She watched him turn and head back the way they had come. Kate headed inside the lobby of her job and beamed at the security guard, her good mood clearly displayed all over her face. The end of her week was really looking up.

  “Hello Kate, you look pretty cheery for so early in the morning,” Herbert, the elderly security guard asked her as he tipped his cap to her.

  “It’s all about the perfect cup of coffee,” Kate smiled and lifted her coffee cup in a toast to the guard. She pressed the elevator button and waited, still smiling as the doors took forever to open, until she finally headed up to the eleventh floor for work. Nothing could dampen her mood today.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Annie, you should have been there, he was just… I don’t know, just amazing!” Kate said grinning ear to ear as she walked around her bedroom tossing outfits in every direction.

  Derrick was scheduled to pick her up at 7pm and she only had about an hour left to finish getting ready, but her hair was still bundled in a towel and she was only wearing a tank top and underwear as she was contemplating what she should adorn for the evening.

  “I think I have heard the story enough times in the last twenty-four hours to remember, Kate.” Annie said, sitting on the bed, smiling as she rolled her eyes at her big sister and petted Kate’s cat, Boo.

  Boo was a mixture of brown and black long fur and even though she was a full-grown cat, she still had the face of a kitten. Kate had found her dirty and wet, shivering in an alley under a piece of cardboard a few winters ago. She couldn’t help but bring her home and had quickly fallen in love with the cat. Over those years, Boo had grown in width more than height and now spent most of her time sleeping in any sunny spot she could find or fanning herself out across Kate’s bed. Kate knew that Boo was the true queen of the apartment.

  Annie Jackson was a little over a year younger than her sister Kate but she towered at least four or five inches above her. An aspiring fashion model, she was thin yet perfectly curvy with thick, light brown hair to her shoulders and across her left eye. She and Kate shared the same piercing eyes, but nothing else was similar as the two girls took completely opposite sides of the gene pool. Kate took after her Greek father with her dark features and Annie was the twin of their Northern Italian mother in her lanky grace and light hair. Kate had pale, porcelain skin that almost glowed in the dark because it was so light. This contrasted with her dark brown curly mass of hair and her deep, dark eyes made for a strikingly beautiful Grecian look.

  The two girls had grown up inseparable and still now in their mid-twenties, nothing had changed. Annie lived in New York City and felt that her heart was truly sewn into the streets of that city, while Kate lived in Washington, DC but felt no pull to any one location and could easily flutter from place to place on the slightest whim. She had never been able to grow roots anywhere or feel like she found a place that she belonged. Part of her hoped it was just because she was a free spirit, but there was a part of her that wondered if anything would ever feel like home.

  Kate was also down to earth and conservative, while her sister was the definition of eclectic and urban chic. Annie dressed in everything from vintage clothes found at thrift shops that were probably owned by an 80-year old woman to super tight and slashed leggings or apparel that showed more skin than cloth. Kate was much more traditional in her dress and usually dressed for comfort rather than style. The sisters seemed the opposite of each other and yet breathed in perfect harmony, because they were all each other had left.

  Their mother had left when they were young and their father pa
ssed away shortly afterwards with a drink in his hand, leaving the girls to care for one another before they were even old enough to care for themselves. Despite this abrupt upbringing, the girls had managed pretty well and had both been successful with steady jobs, Kate selling office furniture and Annie as a part-time model and bartender. They had been lucky that their father’s childhood friend, who they had grown up calling Uncle Lenny, had stepped in to help them out when they needed it. He had become like a father figure for them and had helped her with college expenses as well as finding her current job and other assistances along the way. He was also a great listener and she would often call him for advice or just to vent.

  Once a month, one of the sisters would take the weekend off to go visit the other sister. This month was Annie’s turn, so she was in Washington for the next four days. It was a tradition that the sisters did their very best to keep because they were afraid of drifting apart since Anne had moved up to New York City.

  “I know, I know! I keep repeating myself! I am just so excited! And for the life of me, I have NO idea what I am going to wear!” Kate exclaimed.

  “Well, careful not to get too excited, I mean the man made you buy him coffee. What if he is some homeless person scamming women for free coffee?” Annie teased, pulling the cat onto her lap for a gentle squeeze.

  “Oh please, a man that handsome is not homeless and if he is scamming me, well hell, he will be worth it.” Kate laughed.

  “But seriously, Annie, what am I going to wear!?!”

  “Did you already try on the purple dress?” her sister asked.

  “Yes and it makes my butt look gigantic! What about the pink blouse with the black skirt?” Kate countered.

  “What, are you going to a business meeting or something? No, none of these will work. You dress way too conservatively. Let me see.” Annie put down Boo and got up, pushing past Kate into her closet and started going through everything hanging up.