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We meet a new character in this chapter.

Beta'ed by the amazing Sunflower Fran. Any mistakes are mine.

IpsitaC77, my dear friend who had worked with me on Sati, has agreed to pre-read this story. Welcome, Ipsita!

Chapter-3

The funeral was well-attended. Anthony was obviously well-liked in the department, and everyone had good things to say about him. Bella had been advised to rest and not tax herself, but she attended anyway, clinging to Esme most of the time. As soon as it was over, Esme took her away to the house she shared with Anthony so that she could pick up her belongings.

I would have gone with them, but Jasper Whitlock, a close friend of my brother's, asked me to come with him and have a cup of coffee. He said it was important.

He drove me to a place he frequented and found us a corner booth. We ordered an espresso and a club sandwich for each of us. It was lunchtime and neither of us had eaten much at breakfast.

Jasper was a year older to Anthony, but they had joined the force more or less together. He was maybe an inch taller to me, with neat blond hair and a friendly manner. However, his eyes were very alert. He glanced around, appearing casual, seemingly satisfied by the crowd.

Our order was delivered promptly by a young server who welcomed Jasper and told him it had been too long. When he had left us, Jasper nodded to me, and we dug in.

"Did you know the truck driver hasn't been found yet?" he asked after a few minutes. He kept his volume low. Not that anybody could have heard him among the chatter around us.

I blinked at the unexpected opening to our conversation. Then I thought about the past two days.

"No," I said slowly, "I can't say that I did; it must have been on the news though, right?"

He nodded and took a sip of his brew. "Um-hmm. It's not that unusual, I suppose, but in this case..."

His hesitation made me curious. "In this case?" I prompted him.

"When did you talk with your brother last?"

Another unexpected question. What was with the non-sequiturs?

"Um, a week ago, maybe? I'm not sure. Why?"

"Did he seem any different to you? Cagey, like?" He asked me another question instead of answering mine. It was getting on my nerves.

I pushed away my cup and drummed on the table, thinking back. "Can't say, no, I think we talked about the game he had watched that afternoon. The one that the Bears won?"

He gave the hint of a smile. "Yes, he was a big fan of theirs, like most of us. We used to bet all the time who was going to score how many goals. So, he seemed normal to you?"

"Yes," I answered with exaggerated patience. "Now, are you going to tell me why you are asking me all these questions? I feel like I'm under interrogation."

Jasper looked sheepish. "Sorry, force of habit. Look, I don't have any proof, okay? And since I wasn't working with him, Anthony couldn't tell me the details. But I do know he was trying to bring in some runner, it was supposed to lead to a high-profile arrest in the drug mafia." He wiped at his brow where drops of sweat had appeared. "What I want to know is—Is there a connection between his accident and the job he was on? He was close to you; I thought he might have said something to you regarding the case."

My head reeled at this unexpected information. "You think this accident was deliberate? Wouldn't Tony have said something to his superior if he thought his life was in danger?"

He shrugged lightly, his lips twisting at a corner. "Would he? You knew Tony better than I did, he was always a risk-taker. Maybe he thought it would be okay, or maybe he was too proud to admit he was afraid. I don't know. I just thought there was a better chance of him talking with you. Or maybe his girlfriend."

"Isabella?" I stared at him, my thoughts in a tumble. "She hasn't said a word about it...not that we've talked much. Wouldn't it be dangerous for him to share something like that with her?"

"Perhaps," he admitted, "but still, what's the harm in asking her? She may know something, maybe a name he mentioned during a conversation. It's worth a shot."

I was already shaking my head. "Not now, Jasper. Not only has she just lost Tony, she has also lost her baby. And this is the first time I have met her. I can't just go ask her...that would be heartless."

Jasper sighed heavily. "All right, not now. But she is going to Seattle with you, right? You can get to know her a bit and then ask her-"

"Not with me, she's going to Forks with my aunt," I corrected him. "I suppose I will see her when I visit them, my aunt and uncle I mean-"

His eyes turned intense then. "Look, I just want to find out who got my friend killed and I want to see them in jail for life. I understand you have to be cautious with her, that's okay. Just keep it in mind, okay? And let me know as soon as you have something."

I nodded slowly. "I will do that. Thanks for sharing your concerns with me. I'm with you in this."

A.N. : Quite a twist, right? What do you think of the information Jasper has unloaded on Edward?