Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews and I hope this is good enough for yous guys lol. I'm pretty upset the show got cancelled too, hopefully I'm doing it some justice. Anyways just to clarify cause I know it's confusing, Jack is still Jack but to his friends in Hartbridge they call him Trevor…I know it can get confusing so I've switched to referring to Jack as still Jack but his friends calling him another name. I know these chapters are long and the story's pretty slow moving but please be patient, I promise I'll try to make it exciting! Thanks again for the reviews and hopefully you'll keep them coming as you keep reading!
Chapter 2 – Benefit of the Doubt
Sue and Eric stood in the lobby of the dilapidated Casa Seven motel as the light above them flickered its very last few breaths of life. The air in there was stuffy and they were becoming increasingly impatient with the receptionist.
"Her name is Patsy Goss. She would have checked in with a false credit card under the name Maria Shand." Eric explained patiently, showing the receptionist a picture.
"I'm expected to remember? Do you know how many waifs that look exactly like her come through here everyday?" The receptionist spit back.
"Yes, I see business is clearly booming." Eric remarked sarcastically, looking over the poorly furnished motel.
"Look, we don't want to get you into trouble. Just tell us which room she's staying in and we'll keep you out of our investigation." Sue said patiently.
The receptionist looked at Sue and let out a sigh as he went over to his login book and flipped through a couple of pages. "I remember her yeah. We usually get cashers around here, they throw the bills in my face and I forget they ever existed. I wasn't even sure if the credit card machine was even going to work it's been so long since we used it," He explained. "Maria Shand room 149."
"Lead the way kind sir." Eric said and motioned for the receptionist to lead them to the room.
The receptionist knocked on the door nervously. "Yes?" A woman's voice from inside replied.
"Ms. Shand? It's the receptionist…uhm…I think there's something uh…wrong with your credit card." He stammered.
"What?" The voice asked incredulously.
"Could you come down and take care of it? We'll need to sort it out…right away." He said.
There was a pause from within and some shuffling for a couple of minutes before the door opened and a short, thin woman with messy brown hair opened the door. "Who the heck are they?" she asked impatiently.
Sue and Eric flashed her their badges. "FBI…we need to ask you a few questions Ms. Goss." Sue explained.
Patsy looked at the two agents before attempting to bolt past them. Eric grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back as gently as he could. "Where are you going, Patsy? We were just getting acquainted." He said and led her back into the room.
They shut the door to Patsy's motel room and she paced around the room impatiently. "What the hell do you guys want?"
"I think you know, otherwise you wouldn't have tried to bolt." Eric said.
Patsy sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, running her fingers through her coarse hair. "You want to know about Dylan."
"You were the last person we know that had contact with Dylan Boon. We need to find him." Sue explained.
Patsy took in a deep breath. "I can't…I can't tell you."
"Boon was directly responsible for a slave-trading ring headed up by one of the most dangerous Triads in the country. He bought and sold people, Patsy, not to mention he killed almost a hundred people from the explosion at the Lotus Club." Eric replied.
"That's got nothing to do with me." She said, tears forming in her eyes.
"Look, I know you're scared, Patsy. But if you help us we promise we'll protect you." Sue said softly.
Patsy took in a deep breath and buried her head into her hands. Eric eyed the bruises on her arms suspiciously. "Did he do that to you?"
Patsy looked at her bruises and nodded slowly. "He always used to. He got really angry one time and broke a vase over my head. I was in the hospital for days."
"If you help us find him we'll make sure he's punished for what he did to you. And that he doesn't do it to anybody else." Sue said.
Patsy plucked up her courage and breathed in slowly. "Boon…contacted me four days ago. He was very angry. He said that…people were beginning to suspect him of the explosion at Lotus and that if he finds out I was the one responsible, I was going to pay for it."
"How do you know for sure he was the one who did it?" Eric asked.
"I used to work there…a long time ago as a dancer. The Lotus…it's also a front for the Qus, a rival triad. They used me to get information." She said, her voice shaking.
"Where did you guys have this conversation?" Sue asked.
"At this warehouse on Barton Street," she wiped away her tears and looked up to Sue and Eric. "Please, you can't tell him I told you anything, if he finds out…if Sam finds out…they'll kill me." She pleaded.
"Sam? As in Sam Long." Eric confirmed.
"Who's Sam Long?" Sue asked.
"The leader of the Shens…the triad Boon worked for," Eric explained and turned back to Patsy. "Sam and Boon must have been really close for him to trust Boon with such heavy operations."
"Are you kidding me? Boon was practically his right hand man. His own son…they've been working together since he was only 10." Patsy scoffed.
Eric looked at Sue thoughtfully, the wheels turning in full force in his head. He stood up and ushered Sue out of the door. "Thank you, Patsy. We'll be in touch."
As they headed out of the motel Sue looked to Eric with concern. "Are we just going to leave her in there? What if Sam or Boon comes after her?"
"There's something not right here. I don't know what it is…I just don't really trust her." Eric explained.
"Those bruises looked real to me." Sue countered.
"Maybe…but if she really was that desperate to disappear out of fear for her life why would she risk leaving a paper trail by using a credit card? Why not just pay cash?" Eric asked.
"According to Boon's financials she withdrew half a million dollars from an off-shore account the day she disappeared." Sue said thoughtfully.
As Eric was about to answer her, his cell phone rang. "Sugden."
Lucy was on the other end of the line, her voice worried. "Eric…I just got a call from the police department. A body was found in the alley of the Lotus nightclub."
Eric's face fell. "Who was it?"
Lucy let out a deep sigh. "Dylan Boon."
Jack stood behind the counter at the City Star Bank and smiled when he saw Kristen, Steve's wife approach the counter.
"And what can I help you with today Mrs. Cameron?" He greeted her with a smile.
"Just a simple transfer for me today, Mr. Tomlin," She answered. "I see you got your stitches out, how does it feel?"
Jack shrugged. "It's like it's not there, although I am left with a rather attractive looking scar." He explained indicating to his brow line.
"You can barely notice it." Kristen assured him.
"So yeah…I went to get them taken out yesterday but I didn't see what's her name there…Sylvia?" Jack said as he processed her order.
"Oh yeah, Steve told me that she was the one who stitched you up. I think she gets Wednesday afternoons off." Kristen said.
"I heard you guys were pretty close?" Jack said handing Kristen her receipt.
Kristen smiled mischievously. "Well we've only known her for about a year but she's like a little sister to me." She took the receipt from him and paused. "Trevor, you know how Steve and I always throw a dinner party in the summer? Well, how would you like to come to it this year?"
Jack looked a little surprised. "Oh, that's really kind of you but isn't that bash usually for couples?"
"Oh yes, usually. But this year Steve and I decided to do something a little different. We felt like we were…neglecting our single friends a little bit." Kristen explained.
Jack took in a deep breath and smiled a little. "Sure, why not I guess. Do I have to uh…bring anything?"
"Just that handsome face of yours!" Kristen said enthusiastically. "Tomorrow at 7:00, okay?"
"Trevor! You made it!" Kristen exclaimed excitedly and gave him a hug.
"Well you made a hard sell." Jack said and greeted Steve with a handshake.
"Trevor! Looking good, you can barely notice it." Steve replied referring to his scar.
"That's what I've been told." Jack said with a smile.
"There are drinks in the kitchen if you'd like to help yourself to one and dinner should begin shortly. Have a drink! Enjoy yourself!" Kristen said before bouncing off to the kitchen.
"Hey, Trev! Didn't think you'd make it!" A young man in the living room called to him.
Jack entered the living room and smiled. "How could I resist, Andrew? I hear Kristen makes a mean lamb chop."
Another man handed him a drink and laughed. "I don't think that's the only thing she's cooking tonight."
"What does that mean?" Jack said all of a sudden freaked out.
"Derek! You're not supposed to say anything." Derek's wife, Amy chided him.
"Listen, you didn't hear it from me, but asides from you there's only one person who's not paired off tonight." Derek explained.
"She did not." Jack cried.
"She did. Kristen's always been a crafty one." Amy said.
"I feel like a piece of meat ready to be auctioned off and so…so…used." Jack joked.
"Well hey, at least you're not the lamb chop." Andrew said punching him playfully in the arm.
"Man, I should have suspected this." Jack said laughing.
"Well, man, that's why you're a banker and not a detective." Derek responded.
Jack smiled tightly to himself. "Yeah, I guess not. Anybody else want a refresher?" He offered and stood up and walked to the kitchen.
As he walked towards the kitchen he greeted some other of his friends along the way. As he was distracted talking to some of his friends he accidentally knocked into someone who happened to be holding a couple of plates in her hands. Before the plates went crashing to the ground Jack reacted as quickly as he could and reached for them.
"Nice reflexes." She replied.
Jack handed the plates back to Sylvia and smiled. "Good thing the person putting in my stitches didn't take out my eye."
Sylvia smiled brightly. "Oh yeah, hi...Steve's friend." she said. "I didn't recognize you without my beautiful sewing job."
"Yeah I think my forehead's feeling a little lonely without it." He joked.
Sylvia let out a small laugh. "Sorry…it's Trevor right?"
"Trevor Tomlin." Jack said reaching out his hand.
"Nice to meet you, again." Sylvia said somewhat embarrassed. "Gosh I'm sorry I'm awful with names and I guess you don't really look like a Trevor to me or anything."
You have no idea. "Oh yeah, what do I look like then?"
"Hmm…" Sylvia said thoughtfully. "I see you with an all-American mid-western name like…John or Chris or Jack or…something," She said chuckling. "Yeah I sound silly I know."
Jack smiled a genuine smile at her. "Well, tell you what. Since I don't look like a Trevor and I don't want to make you struggle every time you see me to remember my name, I'll be more than happy to let you call me Jack. Or John…or Chris…or whatever." He offered.
Sylvia smiled demurely. "I'll keep that in mind."
"CSU puts the time of death at around 7:00 a.m. yesterday morning. There was a lack of blood spatter in the alley so we're guessing he might have been killed somewhere else and placed there afterwards." Bobby explained.
"What about the ballistics report? Has that come in yet?" D asked.
Tara shook her head. "Apparently the lab is incredibly backed up so it might be a couple of days."
"Boon was also found with this around his neck," Eric explained holding up an evidence bag, inside a silver chain with a flower pendant and blue and white jewels in it. "From the autopsy report, this was placed around his neck. It was tight enough to choke him but it was placed there after he already died." Eric explained further.
"That seems a little odd." Lucy mused.
"It also reads personal." Bobby said.
"If the diamonds were real we might be able to trace the serial number back to the store." Sue said.
"It does have a number…it also has an inscription at the back…initials I believe. TSW." Myles said reading from the report.
"Thomas Shyler-Weaks," Myles exclaimed. "He's a very exclusive jewelry dealer downtown. Apparently you need a membership to even get into the store."
"Well, that seems a little unnecessarily snobby." Sue commented.
"It's just a way to weed out the less cultured and less privileged. His pieces are always one of a kind and out of the price range of most common folk." Myles replied haughtily.
"And I suppose you're a frequent customer there then, Myles?" Lucy said rolling her eyes.
"While I am an admirer of fine jewelry I can't say that I'm a fan of spending money on something that doesn't serve much of a function except to look pretty." Myles answered.
Eric smirked and rolled his eyes. "Bobby, Sue, why don't you guys contact this Shyler-Weaks and see if he recognizes this piece and maybe tell us who owns it."
Sue and Bobby entered the jewelry store after a couple of minutes waiting outside its iron gates. A finely dressed security guard allowed them to enter after some initial hesitation and Sue felt like an intruder as soon as she entered the store. The assortment of diamonds and other forms of jewelry gleamed in their display cases and were accentuated by the many spotlights that bathed them in soft, angelic light. Finely dressed couples and purveyors milled around cautiously as store clerks impressed them with their vast knowledge.
"I feel like I'm depreciating the jewelry just standing here." Bobby whispered to Sue.
"I hope he won't make us pay for it." Sue teased.
An elderly man with a gray beard and glasses dressed in a fine tailored suit approached them and extended his hand towards them. "Sorry to keep the fine soldiers of the law waiting," he said with a bit of a British accent. "My name is Thomas Shyler-Weaks and I am at your disposal."
"We were wondering if you could help us identify a piece you made." Sue explained, handing him a picture of the silver pendant.
Thomas looked at the picture for only a moment and his eyes lit up immediately. "Oh yes! I remember this piece quite vividly. I made it for a young man who was a frequent customer of mine."
"Dylan Boon?" Bobby asked.
"Yes, that's right! A fine young man he was, with excellent taste in jewelry. Yes, this was meant to be a birthday gift and completely unique, the only one of its kind," Thomas explained. "Dylan came in with a young woman, cute as a bug she was and asked her to pick out as many diamonds in as many colours as she liked. He gave me careful directions on the design and the cut and had to be guaranteed that it was one of a kind and I was the only one to make it." Thomas remembers fondly.
"Was this the girl?" Bobby pulled out a picture of Patsy.
Thomas looked at it and shook his head. "Oh no! Not at all! This girl was a small Asian girl. Very pretty but hardly ever smiled," He let out a deep sigh. "It's been over ten years since I last saw them in here. She wore a school uniform…for Bracewood Academy I believe."
"Have they been in here together before?" Sue inquired.
"Oh yes, quite often. Dylan would often bring her in and buy all sorts of jewelry for her, whatever she wanted," Thomas smiled. "He took really good care of this girl and he wanted to spoil her, give her the entire world. But it seemed that she liked to keep things simple. She always chose very delicate and understated pieces."
"How did Dylan pay for all of these gifts anyways?" Bobby asked.
"Always with cash. I didn't ask for any details but he did once tell me he had a rich family." Thomas explained.
"Do you know what their relationship was?" Sue asked.
"Well…they certainly weren't related and I could tell there was a lot of love between them, there had to be. I'm not sure of specifics." Thomas said.
"Do you know her name by any chance?" Bobby said jotting down notes on his pad.
Thomas thought for a moment. "Hmmm…if I remember correctly, Dylan called her Sylvia."
