Author's Note: I originally had posted this story on my other account 'Risque For The Sake of Sanity' but I wasn't getting a lot of hits so I moved it onto here, my old account. I love reviews, and would adore it if you guys took a few seconds to send me one! =]

Since I already have 3 chapters written, updates won't be too far off. I'm currently in the middle of writing CH 4, and I know how the rest of the story is going to go, so no worries. I will finish it eventually.

Murderville

Today was the beginning of her career in earnest. She was twenty-six, and had the aspiration of becoming a renowned detective. Of course, had she been starting off in a larger city instead, she would have had to wait a long time before being made a detective; at least until she had some seniority and experience. However, when she received an offer to move from Seattle to the small town of Forks, she jumped at it. There she could follow her dream right away, and honestly, they needed all the help they could get.

Forks had never had a murder occur there before, but now one had happened in the quiet logging town, and there was a pressing urge to solve it. So Bella packed up her stuff and made the journey there. She'd stay at the small motel in town at least until she could find an apartment, but the point was, the crime was still brand-new, and there was that old police adage that if a murder case had no significant leads or suspects in a window of 72 hours, it was likely it'd never be solved at all [1]. They therefore needed to begin immediately.

She jammed the gear shift into park, and stepped from her car. Self-consciously she checked out her reflection in her side mirror, noting that while she did appear a twinge nervous, she didn't look completely hopeless either. Just like any new person on the job who wants to impress the boss, she surmised. And that was all fine and well, considering she was a newbie. She had the skill set and the qualifications, but all her experience was with regular patrolling and things of that ilk. Now she had a real case to look forward to. Not a very pleasant one, as it was a murder investigation, but the young woman had more than prepared herself for what she was getting into.

'Time to begin,' she thought to herself, and walked the few steps towards the front door of the police station. It was an astoundingly tiny, one-story structure made of whitewashed brick with a black tarred roof and the wear-and-tear of any old building that's been pounded on by the weather. Certainly it took a real beating here, in Forks, Washington. The Pacific Northwest was internationally known for its year-round rain and generally stormy conditions. And it never disappointed here, with over 300 days a year of rain.

Inside, three deputies were throwing darts at a board which held some politician's headshot, taped to the front. The interior was about as colorful, sporting paste-colored walls and blue carpeting which she had previously only seen in the nursing home hallway where her grandmother had lived. A faint rock-n'-roll tune hummed from the stereo on one of the deputies' desks, and her suspicions were confirmed that indeed, this town did seem to be as sleepy as she had originally feared. Already she missed Seattle for its sheer busyness, so she reminded herself again of the opportunities this town was going to give her.

She announced her presence by rapping her knuckles on the front counter, and eerily like Pavlov's dogs, these men seemed to recognise that signal, turning their heads at once to notice her standing there. One got up and hurried over, his friends staring. One even dropped his dart.

"Officer Newton, pick your dart up, you're never going to beat a double fourteen, just face it. Embry, will you get out his file and set on my desk? I think we've finally got our back-up," the second joked as he walked over to the counter to greet her. His long, dark hair shone even in the dismal light of the station, and she admired him briefly, but only briefly. She wasn't going to let any feelings get in the way of her professional life. 'At least not on the clock,' she added.

"Detective Isabella Swan," she informed him, offering out her hand to shake. He took it, and she noted approvingly that his grip was good and firm.

"Yes, and you are Jacob Black, assuming that your nametag is correct?" she smiled wryly. "Is your Chief around, by any chance? I'd prefer to get started on the case as soon as possible, and I want to see who I need to talk to in this town."

"You're looking at the chief, Ms. Swan." Jacob's full lips curved into a smirk as she showed her disbelief. "I'm a bit young for the honor, yes, but I was the best officer, and frankly, there are only three of us. Someone had to do the job. Step into my office, and we'll talk." Bella recovered quickly from the shock, and composed herself. 'Alright then, so he's who I have to work with. He seems to be competent enough, so I think we can make this turn out just fine. It's a simple, small-town crime. There can't be many suspects, and so I should be on my way to bigger and better things within a few weeks, at the maximum.'

He led her down the hallway to a small room that was mostly taken up by an ancient, maple desk that housed a shiny new laptop and seven intimidating stacks of papers placed haphazardly over the desk's surface. Only a very small space in the corner was reserved for a reading lamp. The chair Bella was offered was old and comfortable, almost like something you might have in your living room at home, not at work. She decided then that the office was cozy, but could use some organization.

They both sat down, and like she had made clear she wanted, they got right down to business.

"Okay, who should I talk to then, if you had to guess, Chief Black?"

"Call me Jake, Bella, we're going to be working in close proximity, so why not have familiarity? Also, if I were you, I would talk to the people on the rez, because those are Sam's people. They know him better than any of the Forks townies, I can guarantee you that. His fiancée Emily might be able to give you insight, and regrettably, she is our only suspect at this time, so you might want to question her yourself anyway. Finally, you can ask me anything about Sam you think I can answer for you. He and I were friends." His face fell slightly.

"I'm sorry Jake. I know how much you must want to find who did this. Do you know why anyone would want to kill Sam?"

"No, I don't. The whole thing baffles me, because if anyone were to be murdered in this town, he was the last one I would have ever thought would be. Everyone loved Sam; he didn't really have any enemies. Can't say the same for some people in the area. I'm really grasping at thin air when I try and think about why someone would poison his food. All I can think is that there's some psycho out there who does this for their own amusement. And as you can guess, Bella, I very much hope that's not what we're dealing with."

"Indeed. Him not having enemies is going to complicate our investigation though. Are you sure there wasn't anyone who might have been holding a grudge, for however small of a reason?" she pressed, leaning forward so that she could place her hands on top of the desk. His black eyes looked off thoughtfully for a few tense moments, but when he regained eye contact with her again, she knew he was trying to answer her.

"Maybe Leah Clearwater, but it's been years, and I doubt she would hold a grudge for so long. Especially not after Emily's accident; Leah was in the hospital with her when she was recovering. I always assumed they found a way to make up for things during that time."

"What's the situation there?"

"Well, Sam dated Leah, originally, but when he met Emily---Leah's cousin---he left Leah for her. Then about a year ago, Sam and Emily were camping, and she wandered off on her own, and went too close to the river. A black bear was there, and mauled her. Sam got there in time to save her, but her face was ruined. Several deep scars still cover the half of her face she didn't cover while she was being attacked."

She winced. "Sounds rather like a soap opera to me."

"It is the only big scandal around here, unless you think having a gay couple is a scandal." Jacob's eyes searched hers, but her face remained passive. Bella had nothing against anyone.

"So, who is the couple?" she decided to ask, figuring that she might as well know all she could about people in the town.

"Aro and Carlisle Cullen. They have two grown-up kids. Emmett's in college, and Alice just graduated from the high school. Carlisle's a doctor up at Forks General, and his partner is the only lawyer in town. They're actually quite wealthy. No one understands why they'd want to live out here with that kind of money, but we're grateful to have the both of them. They're good at their jobs and are active in the community. We've never had any trouble with them," Jacob stated. "In fact, Aro is offering up a 5,000 dollar reward if anyone can help us find who killed Sam; the Uleys couldn't raise the money on their own, so he volunteered to front the cash."

"Nice of him."

"Yeah, it is. We're hoping that's a good enough incentive for someone to come forward; if anyone knows anything, that is. It was a homicide, so it's not like there were people around. Just Sam and Emily," Jake concluded. "And you already know we think Emily's innocent."

"Yes, but I think I want to talk to her first, if you don't mind. Just so I get my own impression of her."

"No, I don't mind, and she'll tell you anything you want to know. I can swing you by there if you want--it's right by my place, and I'm going home to help Dad with lunch. He's in a wheelchair, so he can't reach some of the food in the upper cupboards," he explained.

"Alright," she agreed, "let's go."

La Push, Washington--- Isabella Swan.

Emily and Sam's house was composed of cedar siding and a hunter green roof. It had a large porch attached to it, and a fireplace out back. As for the crime scene, that would be the front room, which served as a combination kitchen, living, and dining room. As soon as one walked in the main door of the house, you were right there. When she arrived, Emily was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee, one of which she offered her when she invited her in. Bella accepted, and they sat down to talk.

"As you already know, I'm Emily. Sam and I were going to be married next month, so I was already going by his last name, Uley."

"Detective Isabella Swan. It is unfortunate we had to meet under these circumstances, Mrs. Uley," the detective humored her. She smiled weakly at the gesture, but nodded in response to her introduction.

"I came here to ask you some questions about the... event in question. I know they will be similar to the ones Chief Black and the deputies have already entreated you to answer, but I'm new to the case, and I hope you won't mind answering them again for me."

"Of course not, Detective Swan. I will do anything I can to assist you and the police; I want to find who killed my Sam, so that justice will be done. I can't stand the thought of the killer still being out there. What if he hurts someone else? How could I live if their loved ones go through the same grief that I am coping with? I couldn't." She took a slow, steadying sip of her coffee, and her similarly colored eyes met Bella's. "Please, ask me anything you need to know."

Before then, she hadn't paid too much attention to her face, not wanting to upset her if she started to stare at her disfigurement, but her eyes now darted there of their own accord. As Jacob had said, numerous scars were etched onto her copper skin, giving it the appearance of someone old and withered, when really, she was two years younger than Bella was. You could tell her youth if you just looked at the unmarked side of her face. Detective Swan guessed that before the attack, she must have been heartbreakingly beautiful. But now, she was ruined. Sam really must have loved her if they stayed together. Bad men never would.

Yet another complication. It would have been easier if he had been a jerk, or something. Then it would have been clearer who might be the real culprit. Someone who hated him, but as far as she could see, no one really had.

She cleared her throat, mentally shaking off that train of thought. There was still one possibility.

"I heard that before you, Sam was involved with Leah Clearwater. What can you say about that?" Bella questioned.

"It's complicated. Leah's my cousin, but from the moment Sam and I met, there was no going back. It was pretty much love at first sight, and as much as I didn't want to hurt her, I couldn't help myself. I couldn't give up the love of my life just to save her a little pain."

"Did she ever say she forgave you?"

"Not in so many words, but she acts more okay with things now that it's been a few years. We have her, Seth, and my aunt and uncle over a lot, since we live practically next door to each other. It's like I have my sister back; that's what I always considered her to be prior to the whole breaking-up fiasco. We were tight, you know, and I think she's gotten over it. Though, I know his death must have been just as hard on her as it has been for me. We both loved him at some time."

Bella made a mental note of this, and then moved on to more objective matters.

"I know this may be painful for you, Mrs. Uley, but can you describe exactly what happened, what you did on the day that he died?" she hoped that using the name would soften the blow of the remembrance a little.

"Well, it was really an ordinary day. He died just after breakfast. All he had were some of my muffins, and you can't imagine how guilty I feel, even though it's not my fault. I mean, I baked them, not knowing they were poisoned. I don't even know how the batter got to be that way."

"Did you leave the batter alone at any point?"

"Yes, I store it in the freezer when I'm not using any. I usually make a lot when I get the urge to bake, so I always have tons of leftover batter. I save it for other times, and that's what I did this time. I got it out of the freezer when I woke up, and let it thaw out for a while. I get up before Sam does; I've always been a bit of an early riser. I set it on the counter, and then went back upstairs to take a shower and get ready for the day. When I was done with all that, he was waking up, and so I went to the kitchen, poured the batter into the muffin tray, and then set them to bake. I stayed in that room after that, so they must have already been tainted before I put them in the oven."

"Mmm-hmm, and about what time would you say that was?"

"A little after nine."

"And when did you begin to notice something was wrong with him?"

"Probably just before ten o' clock. He scarfed down two like he always does, and then he went to drink some milk. Next thing I know, it was coming back out, and I was about to laugh at him for drinking it so quickly, but then he started foaming at the mouth, like some rabid dog!" Her voice took on a hysterical tone. "He was gone before the paramedics even got here." Tears began to fall over her ruined cheeks, and Bella leaned forward, grabbing the woman's hand and squeezing it.

"We will find whoever did this to Sam. You just have to be strong now. Did you tell me everything you can remember about that day?" she pressed in a firm tone.

Emily shuddered and took several deep breaths. "I just, I don't feel like it's relevant. I think I'm losing my mind, overthinking things... I mean I'm not even sure if this is true or not, but when I got the batter out of the refrigerator, it seemed sealed, but when I came back downstairs to pour it, it was easier to open."

"It's perfectly normal to overanalyze things once a loved one is gone. It may be that the container was less-sealed, but as you yourself said, maybe it wasn't. In sum, thanks for your cooperation, Mrs. Uley. I won't bother you any more today."

After leaving the house, Bella had but to walk next door to reach the Clearwater residence. Everyone around here lived close to their neighbors, she noted. That would mean there was a possibility that a neighbor would have seen someone sneaking into the Uley house that morning, unless the person came around the back of the house, which was where the division with the forest began. If they had come through the trees, it would be unlikely that the perp would be noticed at all.

The Clearwaters also had a tiny but two-story house, built in the colonial style and painted a light gray. The front door set it apart, being a rich shade of dark blue, and that was the focal point Isabella was noticing as she waited for someone to answer her ring of the doorbell.

A young woman who looked in her early twenties opened the door, and she assumed this had to be the infamous Leah.

The detective had seen people like this woman before, and was certain she was hiding something. Her bitterness was both understandable and obvious. The situation was clearly not the optimistic picture everyone else seemed to assume. Leah had never forgiven her cousin, and that was apparent from the first good look Isabella Swan got at her. And with that assumption, the young Miss Clearwater's name could not be removed from the list of probable suspects. In fact, it moved her to the very top of said list in absence of more motivated persons.

"Come in, Detective Swan." She stepped away and let the door swing farther open, revealing the modest interior of her home.

Bella stepped inside, and allowed herself to be led to the living room for the questioning, wondering if her suspect was more sad or angry nowadays about what had happened in her messy love life. To her, Leah seemed more like an empty shell than anything else. Was that enough motivation for murder though?

As soon as they sat on opposing sofas, she spoke.

"I know what you want to ask me, and I just want to let you know I won't be able to answer a lot of your questions. I was gone the day Sam died. I regret that, a lot. I don't think it would have mattered, but I would feel less guilty if I had been right there when it happened. Maybe I could have seen something that would have stopped it, you know?"

Bella was taken aback by this, but was determined to get as much information as she could.

"And where were you then, if not at home?"

"I was out running errands. Filling prescriptions, getting some groceries, stuff like that. My mother works two jobs, so she doesn't have the time to do a lot of those day-to-day things. If you want, I still have the receipts. I save everything," Leah offered.

"That might be helpful. I'll give them back to you as soon as I can make copies," Bella said.

"I'll go and get them out of my purse. It's in the kitchen, be right back."

Leah left the young detective sitting on the loveseat, and crept slowly towards the kitchen, carrying off as casual an air as she could. On the inside though, she was feeling an overwhelming sense of nerves. What if she thought Leah had done it? What if she arrests me? the woman thought unhappily as she went straight to the cordless phone on the counter, and hit speed-dial four. As soon the other line picked up, she muttered "Two," into the receiver and then hastily hung up.

Steeling hersef, she then found her purse and fished through it for the receipts that would prove her innocence. Upon spotting them, she snatched them up and made a beeline back towards the living room. She handed them over to Bella, and then sat in her previous seat on the other couch.

"I'll take these in as evidence of your alibi, thank you, Miss Clearwater."

Leah nodded slightly and leaned back in her seat.

There was an extended silence as Bella examined a few of the receipts to get a timeline of that day. Everything seemed to be going very well indeed until...

"LEAH! Leah, he's spazzing out! Can you please call? Now!" a boy screamed from what might have been the second floor. Leah knew immediately what was going on, and hiding her feelings, she responded to Seth's panic.

"You run down to the store and get Mother. I'll call 9-1-1 for an ambulance," she said back to him.

Isabella raised an eyebrow at this.

In all honesty, there was nothing wrong with those words. It's what you would expect any reasonable, caring person to do if they found out their father was having a heart attack. The problem again, was Leah's attitude in general. Her hand drifted almost lazily to the phone, and the way she'd spoken to her brother was calm, far too calm. Isabella couldn't see herself being so eerily together if her own father were in that sort of danger.

The lamp casted its orange glow over the dial as those three infamous numbers were punched in, leaving the caller's face in some shadow as she waited for the other end to pick up. Her free hand was occupied by tapping her fingers against the wood no more urgently than if she was making an order for pizza over the phone. The same tone was used in speaking to the responder, detective Swan noted.

"Hello, my father is in cardiac arrest. Yes, at our home," she continued, giving out their address for the ambulance. "Thank you so very much," she concluded robotically, laying down the phone on its cradle once the formalities were over.

The strange behavior, unfortunately didn't end there. Leah and her brother waited out front for the ambulance, and directed them quite clearly as to what room their father was in, yet both of them seemed like they weren't going to follow their father to the hospital, unlike Sue Clearwater, who was riding along in the ambulance with her husband. The girl seemed merely uninterested, as if it were a boring outing, while on the other hand, her brother's nerves seemed about shot to the point where he couldn't bring himself to make such a tiring effort to go out to the hospital. In the end, Isabella fetched Jacob from his house, and they offered the siblings a ride to check on their father; an offer which it was made clear would not be polite to refuse.

So the Clearwaters ended up oddly enough, in the back of the police car like common prisoners. And if she could have arrested them for being so unresponsive to their father's condition, Bella had half a mind she would.

Jake had the radio on the whole way there, presumably to diffuse the tension, but all it did was serve to incense the detective even more. In fact her scowling and rearview mirror checks only skyrocketed as the drive went on. Their passengers paid her no attention, but remained quiet, expressionless, save for the one fleeting glance at each other that Bella didn't see. The sister's eyes narrowed as she looked at her brother in an accusatory way, and his went wide with what could have been several different emotions.

But both police officers missed this exchange completely, and after the three seconds in which it had transpired, both Clearwater siblings were back to their passive state. This nonchalance continued all the way to Forks General Hospital.

Forks, Washington---Hospital---Isabella Swan.

The town's hospital was not a very large or impressive building, but simply by those characteristics, it made itself better than other hospitals. Being large, or visually pleasing, or impressive was not the goal of a medical center. Its mission was to cure people, and the more money and effort put towards that cause, the better. Forks General clearly cared more about its patients than any critics, so that was a great first impression in itself.

They arrived only a few minutes after the ambulance, thanks to Jacob turning on the patrol car lights to clear their way. With a heart attack, every second counted, and Isabella could clearly remember her own experiences with her grandfather. He'd undergone a massive heart attack, and died on the ambulance ride to the hospital, which had only taken five minutes of driving. Five minutes, and he was gone forever. Every breath was to be fought for in these situations.

Parking up front, they let the Clearwaters out of the back of the car, and let them go on. By the time they had arrived, the siblings seemed to have a change of heart, rushing inside the hospital as if they really did give a damn. Jacob chose to stay back with Bella, and they walked in at a normal pace. Once there though, he pulled her off to the side and spoke with her.

"I know you think they're acting really strangely, but their father's been on heart medication for the past five years. They've practically been waiting for something like this to happen, so can you forgive them a little for being more quiet? It doesn't mean they don't care," he said, his deep, brown eyes boring into hers, willing her to see his point of view.

"I just think it's strange, even if they had been waiting for it. I mean, it's their dad, and he only has one life," she argued. "He's not coming back if he dies now. Would you be this calm if your father was the one in there being treated?"

"I can't say, Bella, because I haven't been there. Nobody can say truthfully what they'd feel if they haven't been in those shoes." His tone had an edge of coldness to it now, and she didn't want him to be angry at her, but Bella was just a stubborn person. She stood with her convictions, and she felt it was unnatural not to be worried about a parent in this kind of scenario. No matter what kind of relationship you might have with said parent.

"Well, you know my opinion, Jake. Why don't you go see if you can find out what's happening? I'm going to wait out here," she informed him, gesturing around the lobby area of the emergency room. It was completely empty, a feat that would never occur in any bigger city.

"Sure, sure." It sounded like something a teenage boy might say, but oddly enough it suited his brusque nature. Bella could tell already that they were going to disagree on a many things, but she hoped it wouldn't be a stumbling block for their working relationship.

He hurried off towards the nurses' station, and she glanced around the room again before sighing. With nothing better to do, she decided to look for the restroom, maybe splash some water on her face. It certainly had been an eventful first day on the job.

The halls were a normal, glaring white color with blue and white lineoleum tiles as flooring. The peace and quiet as she wandered up and down the corridors lulled her into a state where she could almost be sleeping if she were laying down. Only the sounds of footsteps and the soft electric buzz of the medical monitors pervaded the air, and she didn't have to go very far before she found the room.

Stepping inside, she winced at the fluorescent lighting, and the small puddles of water on the floor and counter by the sinks. 'Just like any restroom in public, though,' she reminded herself.

There was a full-length mirror just inside the door, and she looked herself over. Her outfit, upon the day's contemplation, was a little impractical for a town like Forks. She'd do better to invest in a couple pairs of regular jeans and tee-shirts. There would come days when she'd get dirty, and since the officers around here apparently had no formal uniform...plainclothes would have to do the trick. She'd already made the smart decision to pull her hair back into a ponytail, so just get the jeans and another pair of running shoes, and she'd probably be squared away for good.

Maybe if she called her older sister Esme, she could take care of that stuff. Bella desperately hated shopping, for any reason, and Esme lived out in Sequim with her husband and kids. She worked at the Olympic Game Farm[2] as one of their resident veterinarians, and loved taking her daughters shopping. Even her son Derek could be persuaded to go along sometimes; usually if he was offered a reward for doing so. Yes, she already was going to call her tonight to tell her how the new job went, so why not beg her to do her this favor? Anything to avoid her most-loathed activity.

Bella stepped up to the sink and washed her hands, figuring she might as well, and feeling somewhat pressured to do so by the hospital signs posted on the walls. They all depicted how to properly wash, as well as the sign above the hand sanitizer that slyly said, "For patients, staff, and visitor's use."

After she was through, she splashed water on her face, feeling herself cool down at once. This calmed her, and so to complete the measure, she put her hair down, massaging her head with both hands to release the built-up tension there. 'Much better.'

Feeling ready to go back out to the lobby and sit things out, she headed for the restroom door, opening it casually and stepping out. She could hear voices just down the hall, and they seemed to be fighting about something. Concerned and a little curious, she walked down that way, finding the source of the noise to be stemming from the on-call room where the doctors usually slept for an hour or two on nights where they had long shifts.

Bella stood outside of the door, and listened in carefully.

"I just found it! I thought it was pretty!" a female voice pleaded desperately, "I don't know whose ring it is, or I would have given it to them. You know that!"

"Where did you find it?" questioned a man's eerily calm voice.

"I..." the woman trailed off, raising more suspicion. "I can't remember, it was a while ago."

"You should know better. I want you to turn it into the lost-and-found at the front desk. Today, am I clear?"

"Fine," she concluded quietly. "I'll do what you want."

There was a pause, and all Bella could hear was the faint sounds of a footstep from inside the room, and then a few seconds of measured silence. "You always do," the man reminded the woman in a silky tone, disgusting the detective a little. "You're my good girl, aren't you sweetheart?"

"Of course I am. I love you." Her tone was undecipherable.

"Then we're still on the same page. Now go run along and hand it in, then go home. You know your father's taking you out to dinner tonight since Margretta's on her day off; don't keep him waiting."

Bella instinctively knew their conversation was done, so she moved back towards the restroom to make it look like she was just getting out of there. At the same time she was 'leaving' the bathroom, a young girl of probably eighteen or so stole out of the on-call room, looking very unhappy about something. The girl was tiny and slender with spiky, black hair sticking up in every which way as if it had just been through one of those industrial-sized fans. She eyed Bella, but said nothing before continuing towards the lobby.

Less than a half a minute later, a tall man with perfectly-coiffed blonde hair stepped out of the same room, pulling his arms through the sleeves on his white lab coat. He spotted Bella immediately, and unlike the girl, he made nice. Walking up beside her, he greeted her with a, "I don't think I've seen you around before, are you lost, perhaps?"

He seemed kindly enough now that he was talking to her. In fact, had she not just heard that other exchange, she probably would have succumbed to his flawless charm.

"No, just waiting around. A person I was interviewing's father went into cardiac arrest, and they're in with him now."

The doctor's eyes showed concern. "Did the ambulance just arrive?"

"Yeah, about ten minutes ago," Bella answered him. "Harry Clearwater was the one brought in."

"In that case, I need to run over there real fast. Please, ask one of the nurses if you have any more questions, but I have to go help out Dr. Gerandy, if that's true. Sometimes two sets of hands can work miracles."

And with that explanation, he dashed off down the hall, leaving Isabella alone again in the corridor.

It was about then that she decided to go back to the lobby to wait things out, but when she returned, Jacob was already there with Seth, who had his back turned to both of them. He was making sobbing sounds into his hands, and Jake was clearly trying to pretend he didn't hear, so Bella followed along with the act. Instead she gestured at the young man, shooting her co-worker an inquisitive look.

Jake shook his head sadly. "They tried to revive him, but he didn't pull through."

"It's too bad," she answered. "A doctor I ran into was just running over there to help, guess he was too late."

"Which doctor?"

"I don't know, he never gave me his name. He was blonde though, looked kind of young for his age."

"That would be Dr. Cullen then. It is too bad then. He's brilliant, but who's to say he could have helped the..." Jake glanced over his shoulder at Seth, and lowered his voice, "situation with Harry. We just don't know if anyone could have made a difference there."

"True," Bella echoed him.

There was a pause in which the room was very quiet for a moment.

"Hey, uh, officer Swan, Jacob, could I ask a favor?" The duo turned to look at Seth, who had ambled his way over, still looking overwhelmingly miserable. "Could you take me home? I don't think I could stand watching them wheel him out. I want to remember Dad when he was alive, not as a corpse, if that's understandable."

"Of course," she jumped in quickly, feeling nothing but sympathy. "We'll take you home if you want. Is your sister staying?"

"She wants to be with our mom; Leah's trying to talk her out of an autopsy, doesn't want them to cut into him if she can avoid it. Says it was obvious what he died of, but Mom has this almost morbid curiosity. She doesn't want to believe he died of a heart attack like a lot of folks do. She wants a 'better excuse' because well, she really loved him, and it's hard for her to believe he's gone, just like that." Seth slapped both of his hands together rapidly to illustrate his point.

"Alright then, let's go back out to the car then," Jacob concluded, and he led the way outside.

They walked out to the patrol car, but as Jake unlocked it, Seth's eyes lit up suddenly, and he glanced in the other direction. Bella looked, trying to see what he was staring at, but she saw nothing but other cars or empty parking spaces. Save for a rather ostentatious yellow Porsche, nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Would you two hold on just a minute...?" Seth asked, not really listening for either of the officer's answers as he jogged towards the second row of parking, stopped right in front of the Porsche, and waved at its tinted windows.

The driver seemed not to notice, so he went and rapped on one of the windows with his knuckles. That seemed to get the person's attention, as Seth stepped back so that the person could open the driver's side door and get out.

The driver turned out to be the girl Isabella had run into in the hallway earlier. The girl with the ring she'd "found." Seth seemed to know her well, as he persuaded her to walk over to the patrol car with him.

"Sorry for dashing off," he said breathily, his face less of a mask now that his smile was coming back. "I just saw her and I couldn't not say hello. This is my girlfriend, Alice. Alice, you know Jake, but you don't know Detective Swan, she's new in town. First day on the job, I think." His girlfriend gave him the classic, "please don't embarrass me" look, and dropped her eyes, gazing instead at her feet for a second before stepping forward to meet Bella.

The ladies shook hands. "My name is Bella, it's nice to meet you."

"Alice," the girl said simply. She then turned to her beau. "Aro's taking me to dinner tonight, but I'll call you later, all right? I'm so sorry about your dad, Seth."

"We'll survive somehow," he said casually, probably trying to sound tough. "But I really would appreciate the call."

"I won't forget. Bye, um, nice meeting you Bella, maybe we'll see each other around town some time?" she gabbed on errantly as she placed a quick peck on Seth's lips.

He tried to pull her in for something longer-lasting, but she shooed him off with a wave of her hand and then returned to her car. Not too much after that, the three could hear the engine purr to life as it sped out of the hospital parking lot and onto the main road.

Seth sighed unhappily. "Okay, now I guess I'm ready to go home."

Jacob nodded. "Hop in, kid."

Forks, Washington--- 3rd Person POV.

She watched him hungrily as he stalked towards her and the bed, shedding his clothes as he went.

"I got what I wanted, and I thank you." His eyes flickered to hers as he climbed on the bed, moving to lie on his back. His lips curved into a sinister smile as she straddled his lap, her hair falling downward to tickle his abs. He kept himself in top condition, and so did she; it was something he always appreciated during their times together. His lover was like a siren who called to him with her beauty and her very self. There was little he wouldn't do for her.

And she did have scars. They were the motivator for a lot of things she either wanted or did in life; he figured that out early on in their relationship.

"Now I think it's time to claim your prize."

And with that, her lips descended to kiss his.

He found that his prize had been well worth the effort. She was very... talented at rewarding him.

So passed another night in sin.

Author's Note: Yes, this will be a very mystery-filled, very DARK story. There will be gore, sex, violence, and a number of unsavory things as the chapters roll on. If you can't handle it, please don't harm yourself by reading any further. Also, if you hadn't guessed already, it will be a Jacob/Bella story. All-human. No werewolves or vampires, just a town full of raving lunatics, as I like to put it. Please tell me what you think in a review. They make me eager to want to write more.

Footnotes:

[1]--This is a fact put out in a 2003 report from the Department of Justice. Another piece of knowledge is that most homicides if solved, are solved within the first 48 hours.

[2]--The Olympic Game Farm website with all the fun details: http://www(dot)olygamefarm(dot)com/

[3]--A fanart that best depicts how I think the (human) Leah would look: http://isiskiss(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/leah-clearwater-106284665