I am currently binge writing! It's fun, and it's what I used to do when I was writing and posting my first story, The Midnight Flower. Maybe if I write shorter chapters, I can update twice during the weekend!
Ha, maybe! I wish, at least. I'm so glad that a lot of you enjoyed Magnus! I was a little self conscious that I wouldn't be able to write him well…but I guess, if you like it, I'll continue!
Guest: I'm hoping that the meeting will happen sometime within the next ten chapters….;D
Also...Wow! So many people have been favoriting and following! Thank you! you guys warm my heart!
-Lau
Once again, Jace found himself pounding on a door. Only this time, no one was answering. Jace slammed his palm against the door in frustration, biting his lip when the pain came more sharply than he was prepared for. "Ow…" he breathed, one hand clutching his wrist, the other shaking away the tenderness.
A car was parked on the driveway, one light from the kitchen was on. But no one was coming to answer the door. He'd stood out in the rain the past ten minutes, screaming and pounding the door; Jace was surprised he hadn't broken the hinges yet.
He frowned, glaring at the door. He had no warrant to kick down the door, so how could he explain to Chief he'd went against the law to prove a hunch? And one with very miniscule proof?
Jace's hat started to become soggy and damp from the rain, freezing his temples and curling the edges of his hair. He tried to smooth them down; in his teen years, they were a permanent feature. But once he'd reached adulthood, the strands mostly straightened out.
Sighing, Jace left the front door and sprinted out across the sidewalk, shoes kicking puddles in his wake and successfully soaking his ankles completely. This house had a porch, thankfully, to hide under. Jace knocked thrice on Aline's neighbor's door, taking off his sopping hat and wrung out his infuriating curls. Goosebumps formed up and down his arms legs, spreading straight down to his toes where Jace could feel the squish in his socks each time he stepped.
The door opened barely a minute later, revealing a tall woman with dark red hair and brilliant blue eyes. The woman stared at him, eyeing his soiled clothing and damp hair. "I'm not interested in buying anything if that's the case." She said abruptly.
Jace laughed nervously, "Uh...no, actually. That's no it at all." He showed her his badge. "Jonathan Herondale; I'm with the police department. I was wondering if you could tell me about your neighbor, Aline Penhallow?
Her forehead creased. "What did she do?"
"She may be a suspect in a murder case." He replied vaguely – last time he'd let his tongue loose ended in an embarrassing disaster.
A hand clapped over her mouth, "What did she do?"
"Nothing yet, ma'am," he reassured her, "nothing I can prove. She isn't at her house; do you know where she might be?"
"Well..." the woman finally noticed how pathetic and cold Jace looked, standing on her porch while the rain poured like buckets behind him. "How about you come inside and dry...I have a fire going; we can talk there."
Jace gratefully stepped inside, peeling off his trench coat, suit jacket, and the sopping hat. His white dress shirt was unpleasantly clingy to his skin, the tightness of his suspenders irritating his skin.
She introduced herself as Seelie Queen, and sat down quickly. Inside, the living room indeed had a fire crackling quietly, several couches and ottomans filling the space. Jace sat down on the arm of a plush chair, pulling out his notes from Magnus and Alec. "Do you know Aline very well?"
Seelie shook her head. "I only know Meliorn across the street. I just moved here a year or so ago."
"So you don't know what Ms. Penhallow does at all?"
"Oh, I know that she is a model. Aline has a pretty face, very exotic looking. I think she'll do well."
"Perhaps." Jace mumbled, scribbling done a few things. Aline, like Clary had been, was hard to judge at first. Aline so far Jace knew nothing about. Clary, however, he knew almost like the back of his hand. She seemed so real.
"Do you know when she left?"
Seelie shrugged. "A few days ago."
"Was it by any chance, four?"
Ms. Queen snapped her fingers. "Yes! Four days ago!"
Jace held his breath; the time frame to kill Clary was a very, very small one, and if Aline could fit into that…His hunch would be proven. "Can you remember when that was maybe? Was it in the evening?"
"I remember now! She slammed her door loudly so I got up to see." Seelie stood up and clutched the back of her chair with her fists. "Someone picked her up right after I finished dinner. She looked nice I and thought she was going out with someone."
"And when do you usually eat dinner?" Jace scribbled down more, his thought process was vigorous.
"Between 6 to 6:30. But that depends on-"
Jace sat up in his chair, standing abruptly. "Thank you for your help, Ms. Queen. I think it's time I head back to the station."
"But it's still raining!"
Jace shrugged into his cold jacket and trench coat, grabbing the hat as he opened the front door. "Have a nice day, miss!" he beamed at her and closed the door.
The car Jace had borrowed was from the station, and someone needed it right after him. He'd have to hail a taxi once he got back to finish up his plans for today.
XXX.
Jonathan walked in a little after noon, a sheet of paper in his hands. "Jocelyn Fairchild."
"Hmm?" Jace glanced up from the timeline he had made.
"Clarissa's mother?" Jonathan looked at him oddly, "You alright? You look a little distracted."
"It's…nothing. I'm just…frustrated."
"Sexually?"
Jace sighed and rolled his eyes at his friend. "No, not particularly."
Jonathan sprawled in a chair across the desk from Jace. "Then what's bothering you?"
The file page of Clarissa never strayed too far from Jace, and he studied her picture now. Was it Clarissa that was bothering him?
Again, another short chapter, but I might be able to update again before Sunday ends. It'll be about this short again, which I know isn't much to review about, and that most of you have already said your theory, but I still love to hear from you guys!
Since reviews have been down, I'm willing to send a snippet of the next chapter like I did a couple chapters ago. I have a little bit down, so is that considered ahead?
So what do you think about Aline? Any assumptions to where she might be right now? Where she ties into everything? Hopefully I can get Jace to start thinking about Clarissa, and more than just the victim….more intimately…
-Lau
