11
Sleep was impossible that night. My phone rang constantly, but it was never Edward. My mind imagined him in bed with his wife and I couldn't stand the images. I finally got up and made some tea before sitting in the dark and staring out at the street. I wasn't sure if I should stay in the city or not. Edward was married and didn't seem to care if we found the real killer. Jake was waiting for me back in Forks and I knew his patience was growing thin.
My phone rang and I didn't recognize the number. I looked at the clock to see it was four in the morning. "Hello," I said, thinking Jake was calling me.
"You're up," Edward said softly.
"The phone woke me," I lied.
He chuckled and then said, "I'm standing in your yard."
I stood and looked further to the side of the window and saw him standing there. I hung up the phone and walked over to open the door. He came inside and for some reason I felt compelled to keep the lights off. He sat on the sofa and I sat next to him.
"I guess I'm not the only one who can't sleep," he said softly.
"I'm sorry," I offered, meaning so much more than his lack of sleep.
"Don't be. I never sleep easily. I guess that is why I prefer to pass out," he said, and it broke my heart.
"You once told me you needed your music like oxygen. What happened?" I asked.
It wasn't an easy subject and I probably should have waited to bring it up. He winced and then shook his head. "Music comes from your soul. My soul was gone," he offered.
I waited for his head to rise and then said, "It's time we get your soul back. We have to fix your life."
"Thank you, really," he said. "But my music career is over. It's been too long."
"Fine, but it doesn't mean you can't play for people, or teach."
"I'm a convicted felon," he said to stop my enthusiasm.
I was growing desperate to get through to him so I said, "Fine, play for your own soul. You need music, Edward. Look at what you became without it." I didn't mean to insult him so completely and luckily he laughed loudly instead of growing angry.
I smiled and without apologizing I asked, "Hum something to me. Something you wrote."
His eyes widened and he looked terrified. I waited, staring at him in the darkness, waiting for something to rise up inside of him and give me hope the real Edward was in there. He turned and looked out the window for a moment and then shook his head as tears formed.
I pulled him into my arms and held him silently. I had an overwhelming desire to tell him all about who I was. I wanted him to know me, not simply remember my face from long ago. I told him of my childhood in Forks and how I ended up coming to Chicago. After half an hour I could hear him snoring softly. I chuckled at the thought of my life putting him to sleep. It was exactly how I felt when I was in Forks.
I let him sleep for half an hour and then gently woke him up. He sat up and rubbed his eyes vigorously. "I'm sure your wife is wondering where you are," I said to remind him where he was.
He sat forward with his elbows on his knees and let his head drop into his hands. "Wife, yeah, man did I mess that up," he said regretfully.
"What do you mean?" I pried.
"Nothing," he mumbled and then stood. "I don't think it is possible to find who killed my parents. The police tried and they came up with me."
"They didn't look hard enough," I said forcefully. "We will."
He nodded and I watched as he swallowed and then turned to look at me. "Where do we start?" he asked.
"I want to start with Aro. There is something….."
"I knew Aro as much as I knew my own parents. It wasn't his body I saw that night."
"Edward, when you died Aro went on with his life. When you were convicted he killed himself. It has to mean something. When you lived it changed his timeline…why?
"Okay, we'll start with Aro, but I can promise you he had nothing to do with it."
I wished I could be as confident as he was. I had to be suspicious of everyone close to Edward, even if he couldn't. I walked him to the door and when he stepped outside he turned back to look at me. "I'll stay clean to help you do this," he said, but with little conviction.
"You bet your ass you will," I smiled. He smiled in return and it was a bit of the old Edward I remembered in the mirror. "And get your hair cut," I added, making him smile wider.
I got into bed and tried to come up with a scenario where Aro would want Edward gone. I finally decided to check out the family will with Esme and Carlisle. Maybe he received money when Edward died and that led him back to Italy and to the music conservatory. I was eventually able to get some sleep until the doorbell woke me up.
I looked at the clock and saw it was ten in the morning. I jumped out of bed and rushed to the door, expecting Edward to be standing there. Instead it was Alice. She was holding a box and walked inside uninvited. "Cold cucumbers will help your eyes," she said, and set the box on my kitchen counter. I looked down to see donuts so I grabbed one and took a big bite.
"I don't care about my eyes," I replied with a full mouth. "I think I'm going to look into Aro's past. See why his timeline changed with Edward living."
"Don't you want to talk about the real problem?" Alice asked with a pout.
I looked at her with confusion. The only problem I saw was the fact Edward had been charged with his parents' murder. Alice rolled her eyes at my ignorance and then said, "His wife?"
"His wife is not my problem," I said, but I could feel my face redden a bit. I couldn't admit to myself that I hated hearing he had a wife, but Alice was going to force me to do it.
She took a donut and chewed slowly as she contemplated. I knew she wasn't going to let the issue go, but I wasn't going to encourage her either. She finally swallowed and said, "The wife is crazy, like totally nuts."
"Still not my business," I pushed.
"It will be when she realizes her husband is in love with you," Alice said, to make me almost wet myself.
I refused to look directly into her eyes so I focused on her mouth. "I can assure you there is nothing to worry about," I said. "Tell me what you see in regards to Aro."
She let me easily change the subject and I was grateful. She began talking about Aro's family but my mind was racing with thoughts of Edward and his wife. He mentioned how he messed it up, but I wasn't sure what it meant. Maybe it was similar to me and Jake, only he committed when I wouldn't.
Alice finally said, "I think you are right to speak with Esme and Carlisle. I'll see what Emmett can find out about Aro's movements before his suicide."
I reached for a pen to make a few notes but stopped before grasping it. I looked back at Alice and asked the one question I was afraid to ask myself. "What happens if we find a suspect?"
Alice assumed I was talking about the case, but I wasn't. I wanted to know what would happen to our newly formed friendship. I wanted to know I had support here in Chicago if I truly ended things with Jake. I also wanted to know she was there to hold my heart together after it broke over Edward.
"We'll turn it over to the police and see what happens," she answered.
I nodded and then took the pen and wrote for a few moments. I finally stood to go get ready for my day of sleuthing. Alice called out my name and I turned to look at her. She smiled and gave me one of her high pitched giggles and then said, "I told you we were going to become great friends. Don't worry."
It was actually a little comforting and I nodded with relief. I jumped in the shower and pulled my thick hair into a ponytail before dressing in jeans and a sweatshirt. It wasn't stylish like Alice, but it was comfortable.
We rode together to the Cullens home and I let Alice speak at the gate. When we got into the home Esme was waiting with Carlisle. I could tell they were excited I had returned. It gave them hope we were actually working this story to find a conclusion. Alice sat and looked around the room with her eyes wide. She finally turned to Esme and said, "Elizabeth's spirit is all over this home. She's happy with what you've done."
Esme teared up and smiled as she let her own eyes wander around the room. I introduced Alice and explained she would be helping me solve the murders. Esme appeared happy with the idea, but I could tell Carlisle was reluctant. He wasn't confident in the abilities of a reporter and a psychic.
I pulled out my notebook and prepared to take notes. "Can you tell me if Aro benefited from the will?"
Carlisle and Esme looked at each other with surprise and then both shook their heads back and forth. "What if Edward died too? Would he get any money if Edward had been killed?"
"No, why?" Carlisle asked.
"I'm just wondering what would drive him to suicide."
Esme spoke up and said, "He was so confident Edward would be found innocent. I think the shock was too much for him."
"Or the lack of his bread and butter?" I suggested.
"No," Carlisle said, "Aro came from a very wealthy family. He loved Edward, but he didn't live off of him."
Now I was completely confused and felt lost again. My theory was not panning out so I sat back and huffed with frustration. I was trying to come up with a new hypothesis when Alice interrupted the silence. "Tell us about Edward's wife."
I automatically reached out and pushed her arm before realizing it looked suspicious. Carlisle rolled his eyes and let me know he was not a fan of the wife. Esme looked sad and sighed before giving us some insight. "Tanya is a predator. She is sucking the life out of Edward."
"It isn't like he is protesting," Carlisle said to his wife, obviously not blaming Tanya solely.
"She keeps him in a state of debauchery and dissipation. She uses his money to feed her habits," Esme said angrily to her husband.
"His habits are the same as hers," Carlisle recounted. I could tell this was a subject they had gone over many times and were not in total agreement about. Esme remained quiet but I could tell she was seething underneath.
"Where did they meet?" I asked, more curious than interested.
"She's responsible for all the graffiti on his body," Esme said. "He wanted a simple remembrance of his parents, but now look at him. Part of the reason we kicked him out was because of his relationship with her. She brings him down."
Carlisle put his arm around his wife and said softly, "As you can see, my wife is a little prejudiced when it comes to Edward."
After seeing what he was like as a boy I was with Esme on this subject. Tanya wasn't good for her nephew and someone was responsible for bringing him down. I found myself nodding in agreement and then quickly controlled myself. I should have put my hand over Alice's mouth, but I had no idea she was going to be so blunt.
"I'm glad you don't like Tanya, because Edward really loves Bella," Alice announced. "There are too many obstacles for them right now, but just wait and see."
I quickly stood and told them we were leaving. I rushed to the front door before they could ask any questions. I was ready to run to the car and squeal out of the driveway, but a car pulled in behind mine to block my retreat.
