Chapter 6

Over the next few hours, Jordan told Belmont everything she could remember about that night – about going to the gay bar, getting drunk, speaking with Pandora, going back to her apartment, sleeping with her, waking up the next morning and sneaking out, and finally finding out that she had been murdered when she showed up in the morgue. Belmont listened, no emotions shown on his rugged face. For some peculiar reason, that made her feel better, knowing that someone knew the story, someone who was not emotionally involved in this case.

"I'll get to work," Belmont said, standing up. He left a few bills on the table and walked out of the deli. She finished her drink and left the deli as well, returning to work.

Even though she was late, Garrett didn't say anything – he was still affected by their night together, and didn't wish to see her quite yet. She went to her office and, for once, filled out her paperwork.

It was quite a boring day – Jordan did not leave her office for the rest of the evening. When she left, late that night, she, for the first time in quite a while, did not go to a bar. She returned home and collapsed in bed, falling fast asleep.

She woke up early the next morning after the best night's sleep since that... problem... began. She was relieved that Belmont was on the case, glad that he would figure out what happened. Jordan trusted him, though she really didn't know him, and she was glad that she could trust him.

She went to work, cheery, refreshed, and in a good mood – even though she was still under suspicion for murder. Once again, Belmont stopped by at lunch.

"Have you found anything?" she asked him.

"Nothing yet, though I'm still looking," Belmont said. "Rest assured I won't give up."

"Thank you," Jordan replied, very relieved.

So the days passed, Belmont not discovering anything that would help Jordan – until, one Friday night, he saw someone he recognized from the Boston Police Department. She had been pointed out to him by Jordan as Woody's partner. Something bothered him about her, but he couldn't pinpoint what, she was too elusive at the moment to be pinned on a bulletin board and analyzed.

He approached her.

"A beautiful woman like you shouldn't be sitting all alone," he said, laying on the charm. He had a gut instinct that she held the clue to the case. She looked up at him, startled, and couldn't help but return his smile. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"All right," she said, smiling. "I'll have a Cosmopolitan."

He ordered their drinks, toasting her when they arrived.

"So, what are you doing here all alone?" he asked her.

"Just unwinding," she said, "it's been a long week. What about you – what are you doing here?"

"Same as you," he said. "What do you do?"

"I'm a civil servant," she said, which was technically the truth. "And you?"

"I have my own business," he said, he, too, glossing over the truth.

"How interesting," she said, finishing her drink. He ordered her another one. "What specific line of work?"

"I help people with problems," he said.

"Ah," she said as her second drink arrived. He sipped his slowly, looking at her over his drink. "What's your name?" she asked him, her words beginning to slur.

"Belmont DeForest, at your service," he said, shaking her hand. "And you?"

"I'm Lu," she said.

"Would you care for another drink?" he asked her, and she nodded. He ordered her another drink, her fourth, and she smiled sloppily at him.

"You're nice," she said, her voice slurred. "You remind me of Jordan."

He turned on his tape recorder.

"She's pretty…" Lu continued, "and feisty."

"Are you attracted to her?" Belmont asked. Lu nodded.

"Yeah, she's so hot… but she slept with someone else."

"What did you do about it?"

"I was angry," Lu said, "it wasn't my fault."

"What wasn't?"

"The woman died…" Lu said, and drained the rest of her drink. She smiled up at him again.

"How did she die?"

"She was stabbed," Lu said, "she was fat, and it took a long time for her to bleed out."

"How do you know?"

"Mmm," she yawned. "Can you get me a cab? I want to go home." He nodded, laying several bills on the table to cover the tab, and helped her up. She swayed dangerously as he helped her outside, where he hailed a cab. He watched as the cab drove away before sticking his hands in the pockets of his trench coat. Belmont then walked down the street back to his apartment – he had quite a lot of information to go on.

Later that night, he was in his office, hacking into the Boston Police Department's schedule. Lu had not been on duty that night, which made things a bit more complicated. But he would find concrete evidence that she was there.

He leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on his desk. He picked up a cigarette, lit it, and let it dangle from his bottom lip.

Why was he doing this? Why was he taking on this case? Well, he knew he was attracted to Jordan, but that wasn't the entire reason. She was… interesting, intriguing, and he couldn't quite figure her out. He supposed that was what attracted him to her. His cigarette burnt down; he stubbed it out in a convenient ashtray. Lighting another cigarette, he sat there in silence, thinking of Jordan Cavanaugh.