Instant Star- Rise Of The Next Generation
Chapter 9- Criminal, Pt 2.
Author's note: Hi! I hope people haven't forgotten this story! I know it's been a while! Seriously, I want to apologize. Despite my earlier promises, this chapter still came out later than I hoped it would. The seasonal "Holiday" demand- both for that story, and in actuality kind of ate up my time. But I really missed my "baby" here! It feels so good to get something out now. And these next chapters do get intense... things are really heating up... with an interesting cliffhanger at the end of this one.
So, on to more illegal activity! Read, enjoy and please review!
dorothy
Chapter 9- Criminal, Pt 2
"Got any more brilliant ideas?" Patrick asked Ruby, surveying the empty road, with Stacie still slung limply over his shoulder.
"Yeah! Right! Like this is all my fault!" Ruby threw back at him.
"I didn't say it was." Patrick quickly conceded. He knew that was true. He had agreed to this.
"But we can't just stand here. Someone might recognize us. At least, you two" he added
Ruby pulled out her cell phone.
"What are you doing?"
"Calling the car service"
With difficulty, since he had only one free hand, Patrick yanked the phone away from her.
"What the..." Ruby exploded.
"Just shut up and listen! Think! You are gonna call the car service. Q-Records car service. Great plan! Mom and Dad will definitely find out about this then. And we're shanked!"
"Resurrected!" Ruby grinned smugly as a taxi appeared. She signaled, and it pulled up right next to them. Thankfully, the driver appeared oblivious to his celebrity passengers. Then again, Stacie's face was buried in Patrick's neck, making her hard to identify.
They quickly settled in the backseat.
"Where to?" the driver asked
Ruby grabbed her friend's purse and removed her ID from the matching wallet.
"1787 Fairlawn Road"
"Right"
The cab sped off, soon reaching it's destination.
"$18.95" the driver announced.
"Plus tip! You so owe me!" Patrick griped, but paid. Ruby took Stacie's keys and ran ahead to open the door, as her brother carried the still half-conscious pop diva up the wide front steps. Ruby fumbled with the lock, and still hadn't conquered it, as his brother and his passenger reached the door.
"Hurry! Your friend's not exactly a lightweight, you know."
"Oh, I thought you'd like having her in your arms..."
"Not like this. Anyway, this is no time for jokes! Just move!"
Fortunately, the lock finally clicked, and Ruby swung the door open.
"Ta-dah! After you!" she said, stepping aside with a flourish, and then following Patrick and Stacie inside.
The Quincy siblings surveyed their fancy surroundings. The house itself wasn't that big, not much larger than their own. However, it was more formal; the decor was more elaborate and somehow colder and less welcoming.
"We should put her to bed. I don't suppose you know where that is?"
"No. I've never been here before. But I'm sure we can figure it out. Let's just go upstairs. Look around."
"Great!" Patrick moaned. "This place probably has, like a million alarms on it. I can just see the cops coming. Any minute now. Arresting us for breaking and entering!"
"Funny!" Ruby replied, as they reached the second floor. "Like that's gonna happen!"
"Seriously. Do you realize how many laws we've broken tonight?" Patrick pondered.
"Yeah" Ruby grinned happily, her expression contrasting with her brother's scowl.
"Don't give me that! You know you had fun! You loved it! Straight, dull, dependable Patrick Quincy finally takes a walk on the wild side! About freaking time!"
Patrick just shook his head as they started down the hall, Ruby opening doors on the right, then the left, peeking inside.
"No, no, no, I think... Yes!" she exclaimed, noting the decor of the rosy pink bedroom.
Gratefully, Patrick laid Stacie down on her ruffled, silk-sheeted canopy bed.
"Is she gonna be okay?" Ruby asked, clearly worried.
"Eventually, yeah. But she's probably gonna be sick as hell at some point!"
"I'll go find a bucket or something. Just in case." Ruby ran off to search.
Patrick stared at the beautiful blond girl lying so vulnerably before him on the bed. He sat down next to her supine body. Her hair was all over her face and her shirt was pushed up, exposing a considerable amount of her dewy flesh.
"Oooh!" Stacie suddenly stirred.
"It's okay. You're okay." he reassured the obviously frightened girl, tenderly taking her hand.
"What happened?"
"You drank too much. You're home now. You're safe."
She sat up, unsteadily.
"How did I get here?"
"I carried you in"
"Really? You did?"
"Yeah."
"You took care of me?"
"I guess. Yes"
"No one ever does that..." she said thoughtfully, sliding closer to him, snaking her arm around his back and resting her hand on his shoulder.
"Do you like me?" she asked seductively.
"Yes" he answered, simply and honestly.
"Good. My hero"
Stacie leaned over and kissed Patrick. Her hands threaded through his hair as she pulled him down to the mattress with her, their kiss deepening as her tongue entered his mouth.
"We shouldn't" he protested, already completely helpless.
"Why not?"
"Because..." he said weakly. "You don't know what you're doing."
"But I do. I always know. And I like this. Don't you?"
"Yes. Of course"
"Well, then..." she continued, again claiming his mouth.
"You are so shy. So sweet" she whispered. "You've never done anything like this before. I can tell."
"No" he admitted, reluctantly.
"Mmmm" she mumbled, guiding his hands inside her shirt.
"Touch me." she quietly insisted.
"We can't" Patrick said, even as his fingers reached her breasts, fulfilling her desire.
"We won't. Just this. I really want to." she said.
"I love you" she added, then passed out.
Patrick immediately removed his hands from her body, as Ruby entered with the bucket.
"Damm, but they really hide the cleaning supplies in this place! It was almost impossible to find this."
Her brother did not respond, just continued staring blankly.
Ruby looked at his odd expression.
"Did she wake up?" she asked perceptively.
"Yeah. Briefly"
"What happened?"
"Nothing. She had no idea what went down, so I told her."
"Did anything else happen?"
"Geez! Nosy, much?" he replied defensively, giving Ruby her answer.
"You made out with her. Didn't you! Oh, I'm so shocked!" she said.
"It wasn't like that! She kissed me! She started it!" he began explaining.
"It's totally cool!" Ruby grinned. "You don't need to get mental on me. I'm sure she was more than okay with it, or you wouldn't have done anything. I'm also sure you didn't let things get too far. So, how was it? Good for you?"
"Shut up! Like I'm gonna talk to you about my sex life!"
"Like you could! Before tonight, you had nothing to discuss!"
"Bite me!" Patrick scowled at her.
"No. I'll let my friend here try that!"
"Enough about me. What's with you and the mall rat refugee?"
"Justin?"
"Don't play innocent with me! You sure didn't look that way with him tonight!"
"But nothing happened. You dragged me off right when things were getting interesting."
"Good. Cause I really don't like him. He's too old for you."
"Could you be any less original. That's like, the lamest excuse ever!"
"Plus, he's slime! I can just tell!"
"Oh, really? Like how?"
"I just can. Besides, he ran out on us tonight."
"I know. Thanks for the advice, Dr. But I can take care of myself. I'll make my own decisions." Ruby responded confidently.
"Oh, I know you can. But who says they'll be smart ones."
"Are you calling me stupid?" Ruby asked, now furious.
"No. I'm just concerned."
"Well, don't be! I can manage."
"Maybe you can. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope so." Patrick sincerely replied. He didn't want to fight with her. But he still felt Justin was wrong for her.
"Ok. So, genius. Now what do we do?"
"We hang here for a bit. See if her mother comes home."
"Doubtful!" Ruby had heard about Amanda Sloan, and knew she probably would be out all night as she usually was on the weekends.
"Great!" Patrick sighed.
"I'll stay here and look after her. You'd better go home soon. Mom and Dad will get suspicious if we both stay out all night. Just tell them Stacie got sick, and I went to her house to help take care of her. As mom once sang, a little, white lie." Ruby replied.
"Ok. Good plan." Patrick agreed, and left one hour later.
Ruby then checked her friend one more time; thankfully, Stacie seemed okay, clearly sleeping it off. She herself then took the extra blanket from the bed, and curled up on the couch in the bedroom.
She woke the following morning, rubbed her eyes, and checked the time.
"9:47" she noted, seeing her friend still dozing.
Sighing, she picked up a magazine from the floor and began to read. About twenty minutes later, Stacie stirred in her bed.
"Hey" Ruby said, looking intently at her. Stacie's green eyes opened slowly, as she surveyed the familiar surroundings.
"How do you feel?" Ruby asked her.
"Queasy" she answered. "What are you doing here"
"Well, you got a little messed up last night. Do you remember?"
"No. Not much. We were at the club, I know that... And... arms."
"Arms?" Ruby asked. Stacie didn't make sense.
"Someone carried me. Put me to bed. Your brother." she explained, the fog in her mind finally clearing.
"Yeah" Ruby grinned. "That's how it was"
"He put me to bed. He was so kind. So gentle. He took care of me. No one ever treated me like that before. He didn't try anything. So, I did..."
"Are you saying..." Ruby asked, wide eyed and fascinated.
"Yup!"
"What happened?" she questioned, not sure if she really wanted to know.
"I kissed him. I tried more. But he wouldn't let me go too far..."
"No. He wouldn't take advantage." Ruby replied with certainty.
"No... Maybe that was too bad..." Stacie' s voice trailed off, as her friend watched her.
"I liked it, Ruby. Your brother, he's good. Gentle, but passionate. So sensitive."
"Omg! You like him!"
"Yes. No. I don't know. It's not like that. We hooked up once. Just fooling around. It would never work. I can't get involved with anyone now. This- it doesn't have to mean anything."
"Except to Patrick" Ruby thought, but stayed silent.
"I just can't. There's other reasons. You know..."
She didn't. Before she could ask, her phone rang.
"Hello"
"You get back here! Now!"
"Good morning to you, too, brother dearest." Ruby replied, sarcastically.
"Cut it! Do you know what's going on here. Mom and Dad are freaking! Majorly!"
"They found out?" Ruby guessed.
"Oh, did they."
"How?"
"Pictures. In every newspaper and rag magazine. Of you, me and Stacie."
"But I didn't see anyone take any?"
"Come on Ruby! You know better! Since when do we have to see them? Or give permission! Mom and Dad are really pissed! And the fact that you aren't here ain't helping! Just get your butt home. ASAP!"
"Ok"
"Crap!" Ruby muttered, closing her phone.
"Problem?" Stacie asked.
"Oh, yeah. You might say that. My parents know what we did last night. There are pictures everywhere. They are not happy!" Ruby answered.
"Good luck!" her friend replied, sympathetically.
"How's your mom gonna take it?"
"You're kidding. She's not gonna care. She thinks there's no such thing as bad publicity. She really doesn't mind anything I do, as long as I stay in one piece. No hurting my body or my face."
"You sure pushed that one last night." Ruby thought, but again kept silent.
"I'm outta here!" she added, quickly dialing Q-Record's car service.
She headed outside to wait, picking up the newspaper lying on the porch.
"I'm so dead!" she moaned, spying the incriminating photos. Stacie was clearly passed out in Patrick's arms, as she walked next to them, clearly fleeing the club.
The car ride home was all too short. With trepidation, she entered her house, trying to walk quietly so as to delay the inevitable confrontation with her parents, even for a few seconds. However, her parents highly trained ears instantly heard her.
"Ruby Quincy! Get in here! Now!" Tommy yelled, as angry as he had ever been.
She entered the living room where both her parents already sat with her brother.
"Ok. What were you two thinking, going to an underground club?" an irate Jude demanded.
Tommy didn't wait for them to answer.
"Don't you know that it's illegal?"
"Well, no. We didn't know that it was an underground club." Ruby said. That much at least was true.
"How could you not know?" Tommy continued.
"Really, I didn't."
"You're 14. Why would you think it's okay for you to go to any club at all?"
"Well, they let us in..." Ruby said, knowing it was a weak explanation.
"That's not supposed to happen and you know it." Jude said. "And that they let you in didn't make it right. You didn't even ask us! That means you know there's something wrong." Jude logically replied.
"Maybe. I just... really wanted to go. I didn't want you to say no. I was afraid you would." Ruby honestly told them.
"If we'd known you were going there- of course we would!" Tommy exploded.
"But you and mom went to clubs at my age..."
Tommy and Jude were silent, not knowing how to respond to that. They circumvented the issue, asking a more important question.
"Were you two drinking?" Tommy insisted.
"No. Honestly, we weren't" Patrick answered, looking his father straight in the eye, desperate to relieve the incredible tension in the room.
"Really? Why do I have a hard time believing that?" Jude said, tapping the newspaper.
"Your friend clearly was. And then you didn't come home last night. That doesn't look good Ruby."
"Stacie got drunk. We didn't. I stayed at her house because her mother wasn't there. I didn't want to leave her there alone." Ruby explained.
Jude and Tommy looked at each other. Based on their familiarity with Amanda Sloan, they could, at least, definitely believe that. As for the rest of it, they didn't know what to think. They could not prove that their kids had or had not been drinking. However, it was obvious that they lied and went somewhere they knew they shouldn't have.
"Okay. You're grounded. Both of you. Three weeks. You can go to school and to work. Nowhere else!" Tommy disciplined them.
"Dad..." Ruby automatically began to protest.
"Don't start it, Ruby. Don't tell me it's not fair. You screwed up and you know it. You knew you shouldn't have been there and you still went. And stayed there, even after you saw what was going on. That's it!" Tommy ordered.
Dejected, Ruby and Patrick headed upstairs.
The rest of the weekend passed slowly and painfully, with the two kids under house arrest. Ruby actually was glad when Monday finally came and she could at least leave to go to school.
"Never thought I'd actually want to get to that prison!" she thought, wryly.
She also would be grateful to see Caitlin, who she hadn't spoken to all weekend. That had never happened before, usually they spoke at least once a day, often even more. Her best friend hadn't returned any of her calls. Ruby was curious about this; she also really needed to share the events of Friday night with her. Justin's behavior really confused her; she could use Caitlin's wisdom and support there. She felt better already, as Patrick steered the car up to her friend's house. Atypically, she wasn't waiting in front for them.
"Strange" Ruby thought.
"We're not early." Patrick sarcastically commented. "We never are."
"Let me just go see what's going on."
Ruby went to the door and rang the bell. Rachel answered.
"Ruby? What are you doing here?" she asked, clearly confused.
"We came to get Caitlin. Like always."
"But she's not here. She already left. Didn't you know?"
"No" Ruby responded, unable to lie to such a close family friend and her producer's wife besides that.
"Well, I'm sure it was just a mix-up. These things happen." Rachel calmly said.
"Probably" Ruby replied, less certain. "Do you know who drove her in?"
"Of course. She left with David Richards, the guy she went out with Saturday night. But, hey, you probably know more about him than I do."
"Oh, yeah." Ruby replied, trying to maintain her composure. She knew absolutely nothing about any of it.
"I'll catch her at school then" she added.
Saying a polite goodbye to Caitlin's mother, she returned to the car. Patrick raised a questioning eyebrow.
"She already left. With some guy she supposedly had a date with Saturday. She didn't even tell me!" Ruby burst out.
"Well, you were kinda busy this weekend." Patrick replied, trying to help.
"Not after Friday. She hasn't returned any of my calls. She's blowing me off for some guy. I never thought she'd do that."
"Who's the guy?"
"David Richards"
"Oh, yeah. He's in my class. Real popular. Class president, editor of the newspaper, junior honor society president. A real big deal." Patrick elaborated
"But why didn't she tell me?" Ruby cried out, still angry.
"Just chill. She's been your best friend for years. There's probably a logical explanation. She would never shut you out. So just wait to hear what she has to say, before you get all crazy."
Ruby nodded, for once agreeing with her brother.
"Makes sense"
"Just stay cool"
"Speaking of... Just look at you, today!"
Patrick's hair was styled as it had been Friday night and he again wore his contacts.
"Smoking!" Ruby assured him.
"Yeah. Well, I figure it's time to shake things up a bit. Maybe surprise some people."
"That's definitely gonna happen. I bet girls will be all over you today."
"Well, it's not like that does me any good. I can't do anything about it. We're grounded, remember."
"Yeah. What a waste!" Ruby agreed. "But you know, it was worth it"
"Yeah. I think it was." Patrick agreed.
"And we've got Mom and Dad's surprise anniversary party Saturday. So, at least we get out then."
"Yeah. Think they'll be surprised?"
"Oh, yeah! And they're gonna love it! Everyone will be there. Aunt Sadie and Uncle Collin are flying in from London. Mom's designer friend Kat is coming from New York. She's even bringing me a dress to wear!"
"Designer original" Patrick smirked.
"Yeah. How cool is that?"
"It's cool" he easily agreed as they pulled into the school parking lot.
For once, Ruby hurried towards the main entrance, eyes eagerly scanning the crowded hallways, seeking Caitlin. She finally spotted her in the center of a crowd of beautiful kids, those that clearly comprised the school's elite. One boy, who Ruby assumed was David, had an arm around Caitlin's shoulders. The kids all chattered excitedly, reviewing the weekend's events.
Feeling shy, Ruby approached the exuberant gang.
"Caitlin?" she asked
Her friend continued her conversation with David, not even acknowledging Ruby's presence.
"Maybe she can't hear me." Ruby thought, and tried again.
"Caitlin" she projected her voice louder.
Caitlin turned to face her, staring coldly.
"Can I, uh, talk to you a minute." Ruby stammered.
"I'll be right back." Caitlin assured David, touching his arm affectionately.
"I'll be here." he replied.
The two girls walked to a quieter part of the hall.
"You wanted something?" Caitlin asked, a blank expression on her face.
"Yeah. What's going on?' Ruby asked.
"I've absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh, drop the act!" Ruby exploded, her patience snapping.
"You haven't returned any of my calls. I go to pick you up this morning and your mom tells me you've already left! With some guy you supposedly dated this weekend! That you never even told me about!"
"And when was I supposed to do that?" the dark haired girl responded. "You're never around anymore. You spend lunch hours in the library, doing homework, so you have more time for your music at night. After school, you're always at the studio. Friday, we were supposed to hang out. But you never called me. I figured you got sick, or something. But no! I see the paper. You're off with Stacie Sloan and I assume, Justin Blackburn. You blew me off for your new pop star friends! So don't you dare claim I shut you out!
"Omg! I forgot about Friday! Really..." Ruby replied, feeling slightly sick.
"That's exactly my point! Cause clearly, I'm not important enough to remember. Not when your "musical" friends are around."
"No! It's not like that!" Ruby said desperately.
"No? You could have asked me along. But you didn't. So, I made other plans."
"Caitlin..."
"Seriously, Ruby. What am I supposed to do? Have no life, until you decide to include me in yours?"
"So, you're dumping me for the preppie people."
"I think you made that decision first." Caitlin replied, with frozen calm. "And if you ever dropped the attitude for a split second, you might even see that there are cool people out there, even without record contracts."
"That's not fair..."
"Seems so to me."
The bell rang.
"Goodbye, Ruby" Caitlin added, and turned away.
The rest of the day dragged painfully. Ruby sleepwalked through her classes in a deep funk. She was even happier than usual to escape to the recording studio at the end of the day. She kept a hopeful watch for Stacie, who did not appear. Nor did Ruby see Justin there.
"Not that I want to." she admonished herself. "He completely punked out on us. Loser!"
Ruby coped with her conflicted state of mind as she always did, pouring all the emotions into her music.
While Ruby worked downstairs, her father sat in his office, struggling with quandaries of his own. Two thick ledgers were open on his desk in front of him, with a sheaf of other papers; his computer was turned on. Throughly confused, he tried to reconcile the various figures before him. So absorbed was Tommy, that he didn't even hear the door open.
"Dammit!" he yelled in frustration.
"Now, there's a first." Jude replied easily, entering the room.
"I don't think you've ever quite greeted me that way before."
"Sorry" Tommy shook his head, giving her an apologetic smile.
"What's wrong?" his wife asked, noting his frustrated demeanor and cluttered desk.
"This" he motioned. "I don't get it. These numbers just aren't adding up. You see this?" he asked, indicating the bank balance.
Jude nodded and he continued.
"Then I look at these figures- expenses, and these figures- income. Our sales have been really good lately. It seems like there should be more money in the company account. But there isn't. I don't know why or where it went. It's frustrating the hell out of me!" Tommy said, running his long fingers through his light brown hair.
Jude leaned against the desk, resting a compassionate hand on his shoulder. Her touch relaxed him, and he went on.
"I don't get it. I've worked with Georgia handling the company's finances for years. She and I reviewed everything carefully before she left. I thought I understood everything. But something's wrong. I gotta work this out, Jude. I can't let her down. I owe her. You know, once she was the only one looking out for me."
"I know" Jude remembered.
After Tommy's divorce and acrimonious split from Boyz Attack, he found himself alone and homeless. Georgia, the group's publicist, took him in, letting him crash at her apartment and then helping him find his own place. When she finally realized her own dream, founding the record company, she offered him a job; it was then that Tommy began regaining his self-respect, using and expanding upon his musical talents. He couldn't disappoint her now.
"Jude, I just don't know what to think. Because if that money isn't here, it means... someone took it. But I don't know how. The only ones with access to this account are Georgia, me, you and Quest. Georgia is in California, you and I didn't... And Quest..."
"He wouldn't." Jude replied with complete confidence.
"No. He wouldn't." Tommy echoed.
"So, there's gotta be another explanation. We just haven't found it yet." Jude assured him. "But you will. I know you will. Maybe I can help."
"You? You got 6 percentin math. As a final grade!" Tommy teased her.
Jude laughed.
"True. But you know this isn't really about math. I've discussed money issues before too- with Georgia, with the accountants, and with you. You know I understand them."
"Yeah. I know." Tommy smiled at her.
"But let me wrestle with this a little longer. I just really need to figure this out on my own."
"Ok. But if you can't..." Jude began.
"Then I'll need your help."
"And if we can't do it, we can always ask Jamie. He's great with this stuff. Or we could ask Patrick. He gets it, too. Remember that finance project he did for school last year."
"Yeah. I barely understood that, either. Scary. I don't know where that kid gets all his brains from. He's smarter than me, that's for sure." Tommy mused.
"Oh, I don't know about that." Jude smiled lovingly at him.
"Anyway. You should go, Jude. Spend time with the kids. See what they're up to, especially that rebellious daughter of ours."
"Yeah. I saw her briefly when she came in. She didn't look happy." Jude informed Tommy.
"She hasn't said much since Saturday morning, when we grounded them. But from the way she looked today, I think there's more going on." she added, perceptively.
"Well, maybe you can get her to talk about it. Not that that's easy these days. But, you do have your ways, Mrs. Quincy." he added fondly, lightly tickling her lips with his own.
"Now, go" he quietly insisted.
"Don't work too late."
"No" he promised her. "Just a little while. Then I want to come home to you. To my family"
After another quick kiss, Jude grabbed her jacket and left.
Tommy stood up and stretched. He walked over to the coffee machine to refill his oversized mug. Re-caffeinated, he sat down again to focus on the complex task of financial analysis, considering each set of figures slowly, and in depth.
Jude drove Ruby home from the studio, but her daughter still did not say much. She knew it was pointless to push her; like her father, Ruby would talk when she was ready. They ate dinner with Patrick, and then the kids headed for their rooms, supposedly to finish homework.
Jude settled in the living room to wait for Tommy. To fill the time, she took an unfinished song from her large leather bag, and began working on it. As always, the hours disappeared while she composed. Muscles aching from sitting so still in one place, but with the lyrics finally completed, Jude lifted her head to check the time.
"12:10!" she gasped, shocked.
"Where's Tommy? He said he wouldn't be late! Don't tell me he's still working!" she sighed. Sometimes, her workaholic husband really needed to be told when to stop. That was always her job.
Picking up her phone, she hit her speed dial and listened for the familiar, customized ringtone. The electronicized version of "Take My Breath Away" sounded, but Tommy did not respond. Even his voice mail did not activate."
"How odd" Jude thought, trying not to panic. But worrying was inevitable. Tommy hardly ever missed her calls, and never turned off his voice mail. Especially when he worked late.
"Maybe it's because he's on his way home." Jude thought rationally. "He has to be."
Another forty-five minutes went by and Tommy did not appear. She tried calling him again, and still got no answer. Starting to completely lose it, she dialed another familiar number; this one had a "Sonic Youth" ringtone. A sleepy voice answered.
"Hello"
"Jamie. It's me."
"Jude. What's wrong?" he replied immediately, picking up on her panic.
"Tommy. He said he was working late. But he said he'd be home before now. He isn't. He doesn't answer his phone and his voice mail is turned off. He never does that."
"I know" Jamie answered, carefully keeping his voice even.
"I'm worried. What if something's wrong?" Jude continued.
"Look, Jude, just calm down. There's gotta be a logical explanation for this. You know Tommy..."
"Yeah, I do. And that's exactly why I'm worried. Because he'd never do this. The more I think about it, the only explanation I can think of is that something happened..."
"Jude, you aren't being completely rational here. Just stop this before you make yourself completely crazy... Give it a chance. Check this out, before you assume the worst..."
Jamie's calm manner partially soothed her.
"You're right. I"ve gotta check this out. I'm going down there."
"By yourself. Jude, it's late and you're upset. Let me..." he started to offer, but was cut off.
"I'm going now. I'll call you back when I know what happened."
"Jude..." Jamie's voice called, but she had already hung up.
Jude snatched up her purse and keys and headed quickly towards her car.