Ok, some chapters might take awhile to get posted because I'm doing this on different computers. Here's chapter two. R&R please.

Much Love, J

(Divider)

A few hours later my house was swarmed with members of the Carmel Historic Society. Dr.Crue, the head director of the society, had more than enough questions for me.

"So, Miss Simon, you found this upstairs in the attic?" He asked me tapping on his clipboard with a blue ballpoint pen. I nodded. "What were you doing?"

"Cleaning." I lied. "I never got much done when I seen the chest. I seen a board that didn't look right so I took it our and found the bloody clothes." Then the phone rang. "If you'll excuse me." I said stepping into the kitchen and picking up the cordless phone and pressed TALK.

"Hello?" I answered sounding bored.

"Susannah," I knew it was Jesse. Who else do I know that has a Spanish accent that smooth and calls me Susannah? "You're all over the news."

"Wow! Gee!" I said into the receiver in a sarcastic voice. "I didn't know that!"

"Susannah," he said in a more serious voice, "what were you doing in that attic?"

"I went out on the balcony this morning and seen..." I looked around to make sure no one was listening "...and seen someone had their initials carved into the wood there. It said HJDS and the date 1846. Along with MDS, but I'm sure, just sure, you don't know anything about that. Now, do you?" More sarcasm made him chuckle.

"Yes, well, I was sixteen. But that still doesn't tell me anything." He said as I stepped outside where no one could hear or see me.

"Okay, you never let me finish. Anyway, it gave me the idea 'Jesse was in this house before?' and we refurbished the house but not the attic because there was stuff up there. I was hoping to find something's up there and I did. I found it in a trunk that had Maria's wedding dress in it and then in a board under it. Bloody clothes. Your bloody clothes." I whispered. "So when the lab analyzes it they'll be able to confirm that you were killed and Maria's dress being there will also show that she had a part in the murder."

"My blood." He echoed. Being a doctor he knew a lot about that stuff. "How are they supposed to analyze my blood and even know it was me? There was no such this as DNA analysis in eighteen-fifty, Susannah."

"Well, that little shin-dig in my backyard eight years ago might've given some DNA." I told him.

"But don't you remember?" He wanted to know. His tone of voice changed. "You went back to save me."

"I know, but somethings didn't change. There's still a crime scene on our hands." Then I thought. "Maybe...maybe we got off on the wrong foot yesterday. You should come over and see if you remember anything."

"Ok, sure. But only is Paul agrees to keep his hands off of you when I'm around. I don't want to see any of that." I laughed at him. He didn't sound as optimistic.

"Ok," I lied, "he promises. Just come and use a fake name. Not your own and try not to use your accent."

Then I hung up the phone and fifteen minutes later I came out and Jesse was trying to get inside but an officer on duty wouldn't let him.

"Let him through." I told the officer and then he mumbeled somthing about proceedure. "I'll proceedure you and your crew out of here and you'll never get a case if you don't let him through." I snapped and then the officer rolled his eyes and then finally let him through.

Paul stepped out onto the porch and when he seen Jesse his face changed and wanted to know, "What is he doing here?"

"I invited him over." I told Paul leaning on the doorframe of the house.

"But you're not mad about what happened yesterday?" Paul asked Jesse as we stepped inside.

He just shrugged and said, "No, I have to get over the fact that you and querid-I mean Susannah, are engaged." Querida. He almost called me it.

Then Dr.Crue came up right away and asked, "Who's this?" I guess he's pretty protective over this.

"Joshua Simon." I thought up off of the top of my head. "A cousin of mine." Oh, great. A cousin of mine. That's just sick scince, you know, I went out with him for a matter of years.

Then Dr.Crue left and Jesse bent down and whispered in my ear, "Cousins, Susannah?"

"Well, you can't say very much, you were going to marry your cousin. Don't you ever that that's a little wrong. Your kids would be siblings and second cousins." I went over to the table where a different officer was standing by.

"You shouldn't be here, miss. This is a crime scene." The officer informed me.

"A crime scene that's not worth solving since the person that murdered the poor guy is long long dead. Oh yeah, this 'crime scene' is still on my property." I snapped at him.

"Excuse me, Mr.Slater." Another Historic Society member said to Paul. "Can I have a word with you?"

Paul nodded. "Sure," he said and leaned down to kiss me on the cheek, "be right back."

Me and Jesse sat down on the couches in the living room and he said, "You promised me none of that..."

"Yeah, but you never stopped when we were younger, now did you?" I smirked, cutting him off. Now that really shut him up.

"I guess not." Jesse mumbeled. "Susannah, I just wanted to explain something and appologive again for when I left."

"You don't have to. But I want to know why." I looked at his deep brown eyes. They were full of apology and regret. Regret he even left in the first place, and I regret not going after him.

"I just needed some...space." He said sadly. "You understand, don't you?"

"If you mean three years of space? Oh yeah." I said sarcastically. "But really. If you just needed some space we could've taken a break or just stopped seeing eachother for awhile. You didn't have to go to hell and back for three years for some stupid space."

"I was not gone to hell, Susannah." Jesse corrected me and I laughed a little at how his vocabulary is so perfect. It's crystal clear and no slang. "I was still in California."

My mouth dropped open. California. "You were still in California!" I asked him. "And you never even wrote me, called me, or e-mailed. Not one lousy text message. You could've freaking smoke signals in the sky and I would've cared enough to try and find you." And when I did see him I was shocked. And I know I shouldn't be saying this because I'm engaged but; I wanted to throw my arms around his neck and just kiss him again. Just to feel happy and make sure that I still remembered how good it felt. His warm lips on mine. I'm sort of happy with Paul, but it's not whole.

Then the phone rang and I answered with a, "Hello?"

"Susannah?" I heard Father Dominic voice say. I knew it was him because he is the only other person besides Jesse, and my parents(only if they're mad with me), that calls me that.

"Yeah, Father D.," I said in a bored voice, "what is it?"

"You're all over the news!"

I rolled my eyes with a huff, "I know. Jesse informed me the first time and well, I knew then, too."

"He's there?" He asked in a skeptical voice. "Jesse and Paul under the same roof? It must be a riot."

I laughed at this and said, "Well, no. But don't you just miss those days?" What did I just say? Did I just say that I miss them fighting over me and Paul getting his ass kicked every time? I really got to stop saying these things.

"Ok then. Anyway, you said there's none? I wouldn't dare tell Jesse that you were engaged."

"It took him awhile." I told him. "But he's being a real gentleman about it." Jesse looked over at me when I said the word gentleman and I winked.

"Well, I was just calling to check up on you and to tell you, if Jesse was there, that I'm going out tonight to an inservice so if he wants to get into the rectory then he should be back before seven."

"Ok, I'll tell him that. Good-bye." And I hung up. "Father Dom said if you want to get into the rectory then be back before seven because he's going to this inservice thingy." I repeated to Jesse.

"Your english slang never seems to amaze me. You might seem older, but you have the mind of a sixteen year old."

"Well, thank you."

Then Paul came in. "The police and Historic Society says that we have to stay someplace else just for tonight."

"Why?" I asked him standing up and brushing the lint off of my sweater.

"I don't know." Paul said in an annoyed voice that almost sounded sarcastic. "Maybe it was something to do with your little spazz at the officer."

'Well hey, if they weren't being so 'under proceedure' maybe I wouldn't have to, huh?" I said to him defensively.

"Where are we going to stay?"

"Hotel?"

"Hey, how about the rectory?" Jesse suggested. "There's an extra room."

"Well, it's better than paying $100 for a stupid hotel room. I'm pulling my things together so we can go." I packed some clothes and some other things.

Paul was caught up with stupid paperwork and told me to go with the cowboy and he would catch up later with us in his car. I knew Paul wasn't to crazy about the idea, but I went anyway. He didn't seem in his best of moods.

(divider)

Was that okay? Whoever is reading this for the second time, you know what's going to happen but you don't know the ending yet ; ) and I can't wait until you find out.