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"He can't be the same person," she whispered to herself, swallowing hard, walking down the street. One Jerome, one Jerome who's eyes twinkled, and spoke in sincere, beautiful tones. And the other, who black mailed her, and made her feel sick. And with a heavy heart Mara realised they were the same person. One Jerome. He was really a conniving, black mailing conman, who was smooth enough to make her think he was someone else.
"Woah," someone gripped her arm, a hood pulled down over his face, but it jostled up enough for her to see his face. "Watch where you're going, beautiful." Mara smiled despite herself. Unused to getting complimented like that, oh sure, when Fabian worked up the courage, he could compliment her for days, and whenever Jerome did it...she was 98% sure he was being sarcastic.
"Sorry, I-"
"Are you crying?" he whispered, raising a hand and wiping away her tears before she could protest. He smiled at her, an award winning, real smile. "Sorry, if it's one thing I can't stand, is a crying woman," she laughed, then noticed a deep cut on his hand.
"Are you okay?"
"I tripped," he shook his head "Which is crazy embarrassing," he nodded at her "I'll uh...see you around, beautiful? Okay?" Mara nodded, and headed down the street.
Mick Campbell watched her go. Swallowing hard. He pulled the hood further down his face, wincing as the wound on his hand began to sting harder. He was looking for Jerome Clarke, and he had no idea that he had just spoken to the fed who was working with him. He looked around at the houses, unsure where to go. A curtain moved aside, and his blue eyes flickered to it, but it was just a woman, cleaning her windows. He sighed. Maybe Jerome wasn't in this neighbourhood.
But he needed to find him soon.
He spun at the sound of footsteps, petrified for a moment it was his kidnappers, back to take him away. But it was an old man, letting his dog out of the gate. Mick placed a hand over his heart. He had to calm down. He had to calm down. He turned, racing away, focused, trained like a wolf he sprinted, running. Back down to hideout 13, try to get a good nights sleep, try to escape the sound of the little girls voice, the one he had killed.
Line Break
"Jaffray," Jerome smiled, sitting in the conference room, his legs on the glass table. He was flicking a coin around his nimble fingers, so quickly and easily, it looked as if it were hovering between them. Mara nodded at him, placing the file on the table, and opening a grey cabinet, flicking through things. "Where's Fabian?"
"He's running late." she said politely, Jerome sighed.
"Are we always gonna be on edge now?"
"Until you wipe off my finger prints and delete the confession video, yes." she answered, smiling sweetly. Jerome sighed
"I'll delete them," he closed his eyes "If you unlock my anklet." Mara gritted her teeth, she knew that would be the next request. She gripped the filing desk hard, and she fainted. Jerome jumped up, eyes wide with alarm, and he ran to her. Lifting her up in his arms as if she were lighter than a feather. He placed her on the table, moving the hair from her face. "Mara?" he whispered, cool breath fanning her face. "Mara, Mara-"
Mara's eyes flashed open, she sat up immediately, almost hitting foreheads with him. She shook her head, her whole body was shaking. "I can't handle this," she whispered, she felt sick. "My mind can't handle this contradiction Jerome-" she gripped his arm tightly, and he could feel his arm shake with her vibrations "I can't." tears sprang to her eyes "Please don't make me. Please don't make me-"
Jerome stared down at her, a great pain filling his heart that he'd never felt before. "Mara please, please do this for me, you'll never hear from me ag-" her tears poured even harder, and Jerome just couldn't stand to see her cry. His freedom on the line, any chance of an easy escape, floated from his mind and he pulled her to him. "Fine," he promised into her ear, his fingers splayed on her back, just touching her again restored him. "I'll destroy all the evidence, and you won't have to unlock the anklet. But you've got to promise me, promise me you won't tell anyone about the coin crime,"
She nodded into his shirt, feeling so weak and so helpless.
She'd take any deal she could get.
Line Break
"I knew you would," Eddie laughed. Jerome didn't mind, it wasn't the reaction he was expecting. He was expecting yelling, and fighting, and trying o explain a blue bruise on his face to Fabian. "She's the one for you, huh Jerome? She must be. Ain't no girl out there that you would do all this for," Eddie dropped the camera into the small fire he's started in a ceramic bowl. The coins had been wiped clean, and were to be sold on, for a few extra thousand.
"She's not." he jutted his chin out "She's just-"
"Beautiful, wonderful, intelligent?" Jerome frowned, Eddie laughed "Dude, you were talking about her in your sleep. You said you'd give up being a con man for her,"
"Did not." he exclaimed, horrified "I would never give up being a con man?"
"Oh yeah?" Eddie echoed, looking at the flames, Jerome followed his gaze "Seems like this is the first step in that direction."
Line Break
"I'm confused," Jerome confessed "It's just a bible,"
"Not just a bible," Fabian corrected "People in Norfolk claim that it has healing powers-" Jerome raised his hand to object and Mara pulled it down teasingly. Jerome smiled to himself. He didn't care if burning the evidence made it harder for him, it made Mara treat him...like a friend. And he could always find a way out of this predicament. Impossible was Jerome's speciality. "They claim that anyone who touches the bible, anything that ails them will be cured."
"Placebo effect?" Mara asked, Fabian shook his head
"That's what I thought, but I've read through some of the stories-"
"Fake." Jerome interjected. Fabian continued as if he hadn't heard him. And the playful banter made him feel at home.
"Too many to be insignificant," he nodded, Mara's eyes glistened with excitement.
"Wait, wait, wait-" Jerome cut them off, almost laughing "Don't tell me you both believe in this?" he stared at them incredulously "You're both science geeks! Big bang and-"
"Jerome, sure, we like science," Mara smiled "But everyone wants to believe there's something there," Fabian nodded. Jerome sighed
"Fine, let's go on a bible hunt,"
Line Break
"Did you see anything?" Fabian asked the homeless man, who was camped out outside the church where the bible was stolen. He looked riddled with disease, but his dog looked even worse. With lazy, milky eyes, and paws all slightly twisted.
"Sorry," he shook his head, shaking. Jerome pulled at his scarf uncomfortably "I seen only good people go in and out of this church. People go in, touch the holy book, and leave,"
"Why don't you go in there?" Jerome asked, eyes dropping to his dog. Fabian elbowed him, or at least attempted too.
"He's been banned." said the Priest, he stepped out of the door, dressed all in black. "Him and his dog. We don't want their kind walking into our church."
Jerome met Fabian's curious gaze. "I'm not very religious at all, so pardon if I'm wrong," Jerome began, clearing his throat "But I don't think that's the sort of thing a Priest says,"
The Priest glared at him. "We do things differently here, Agent-"
"CI." Jerome corrected "I'm a criminal consultant for the FBI,"
"C-criminal?" The Priest repeated, not one bit amused. "Anyway, we don't let their kind walk in, non-believers I mean. Only those who truly believe in the great lord can come in, and be blessed by our bible."
"So, surely you should have taken better care of it?" Fabian questioned, Jerome nodded.
"Maybe it just got up and walked out," the homeless man laughed, lifting his large dog, shaking his head "I wouldn't want spend another second in that church. Where the homeless can't take sheltered from the rain, where the sick can't get any hope or faith. That ain't no real church," he turned to Jerome and Fabian "And you two see that. You don't come from here, you've come from a place with real churches, churches with faith and kindness," he looked up at the tall, ominous building "This place used to be like that once. With the old Vicar-"
"Get out of here!" The Priest snapped, red in the face. He pointed, like a proper dictator out into the cold wind. The homeless man, nodded his goodbye, and walked away.
Line Break
"Mara, I did some research on that book," he nodded, producing a thick wad of paper. Mara laughed
"Getting a little faith there Jerome?"
"No." he shook his head "I just don't like that Priest." he ran a hand through his almond streaked, honey hair. "And anyway, I found out, that the Bible, the one with healing powers...was one that Jesus blessed. Apparently, it's been lost for thousands of centuries. And it entire cover is embedded with diamonds and rubies-"
"One heck of a fortune if someone realised," Mara whispered. Jerome's eyes gleamed as he caught on. nice and quickly, he liked that.
"And that Priest...he didn't seem right. He didn't seem good. I'm sure it was him," he saw Mara's look "I know it's a tough cell. But all we gotta do it keep a look out on the black market, for any rubies coming up."
"Monitor some criminals? I like a good stakeout,"
"I know the perfect spot," he nodded "Sitting in the car, watching criminals, it can be like our first date?"
Mara laughed, cheeks tinging red.
Jerome's heart leapt, and he was insanely glad that Fabian wasn't around to here it.
He didn't know why, but he felt like he was betraying it. And that was a feeling Jerome didn't like very much at all.
I'm sure Norwich Churches aren't like that! Sorry Beccs!
xxxx