A/N: I'm back again. Please don't hate on me too harshly for this chapter. I really tried to make it accurate, but there's only so much I can google before the government thinks I'm trying to kill someone. So, I tried, and, if you guys have any corrections, please leave a review. And, if you like it or have anything else to say, please leave a review as well. I love them :)
CHAPTER 12:
The heat from his hand permeated my costume and became a welcomed warmth on the small of my back as he led me into the freezing backstage area.
"Oh my god Katie. I absolutely adored that!" With quick steps, Jessica shouted as she hurried to meet us. A second later her arms reached to wrap around my torso. Flinching from her contact, I eyed Edward, hoping to get his attention.
"Thanks Jess. I was really sad that Seth couldn't make it, but I think it turned out nicely."
"Of course it did with your man over here." At last, her arms released me, but sadly they went out to Edward. As she meandered towards him, I sprinted and turned into his body as if it were choreographed.
She uttered a soft disappointed sigh and then leaned against the makeup desk, "The whole cast is going out tonight, care to come Andrew?"
"That sounds wonderful Jessica." The director called out her name which prevented her eyes from undressing him further.
With her hips swaying side to side, she grabbed her partner's arm forcefully and dragged him out to the wings.
A hand touched my shoulder. Turning to meet them, I was greeted by a bubbling Seth.
"Bravo. Both of you were excellent. I loved it."
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Raising on my toes, I kissed his check.
"I've got to get going, but I hope you are successful tomorrow." Oh, yes the dreadful tomorrow. I had a bone to pick with whoever planned the show; the layout didn't make any sense. The first two performances were regular—no one left and no one joined. But after that, there was a non-choreographed day. A judge would come in and teach a combination. My problem with that was that…I couldn't dance.
Seth's patience had been clearly one of his biggest strengths, because if not he would have given up on me. I had ended up on the floor at least 10 times in the last three days, so tomorrow wasn't going to be a breeze like it would be for the rest of the contestants.
In addition to the pain of getting a new teacher, there was the elimination that night. We would stand in front of the judges and one pair of couples would be "eliminated," leaving four left. There was no doubt in my mind that we would leave tomorrow. Although our first performances had gone extremely well for someone with my coordination, our luck wouldn't apply to the next stage of the competition.
I had tonight to get all of my information: motive, means, or anything sketchy at all.
"Kate, we can do it. I know what you're thinking."
"I'm thinking…" I raised up so that my mouth was close to his ear, "that I'm not a dancer and my coordination is not my biggest strength." He chuckled as I backed away.
"Yeah, but you have me."
I was about to make some snarky remark, but someone walked by me causing me to trip a little. "We're doomed."
"We still have tonight."
"Yeah," the dressing room was eerily quiet for the amount of people rushing by and there were definitely eyes on us. We couldn't discuss further.
There was a flush of people running in and out until there was an extraordinary loud applause from the crowd. Jessica came running to my side and ushered Edward and I out of the building.
"Okay, so we're going to a different club." I eyed her. "Well not the same one Katie. Don't worry, no creepy judges this time." Pulling the hem of my shirt, she led me away from Edward. "It was kind of hot what he did last night." Lust filled her eyes, "I mean are you sure you aren't…."
"Positive," I smiled, "This new club, what's it like?"
"It's calmer and less like a club than what I would usually prefer, but the judges insist on this one. It's a lot quieter." Her eye roll was more dramatic than I ever thought possible.
"That sounds nice."
"It sounds like crap. I need loud music to really dance, and this quiet crap kills the vibe."
I nodded to show that I hadn't completely zoned out. You need to talk to Edward. We haven't picked which people to target.
Thankfully, I heard Edward decline her offer to drive us earlier. "Sorry Jessica, this is where we have to part ways. I'll see you in a few."
"Bye Katie." Gritting my teeth, all I could think was that isn't my name. I knew it was just an undercover name, but she got under my skin so easily.
"Finally you took forever." Leaning up against the side of the car, he peered down at me.
"That wasn't my fault. You didn't have to listen to her." He walked over to my side to open the door, "Actually I would prefer if you didn't have to listen to her. She seems a little…."
"A little?"
"A little obsessed with you and quite frankly it scares me. Anyway, she trusts me more. So, I call Jess."
"Obsessed?" He grinned.
Turning in my seat, I stared at him, "you're telling me you haven't noticed."
"I mean she's talked to me. Oh, I agreed to be her date yesterday didn't I?"
"You did. She's only talking to me because of you."
"Well, if it helps then I'll continue my charm."
Laughing, I started to divide the contestants. "Anyone you really want to claim as yours?"
"I talked to Liam and Noah backstage, so I think I could get more out of them."
"Okay that leaves María, Ana, José, Javier, and Selena."
"I'll take María and Ana."
"Then I have Selena, José, and Javier."
We spent the rest of the car ride theorizing about the case. By the time we drove up, there was a group of dancers crowding the entrance.
As soon as I got in, I scattered to find Jessica. Even though she irritated me from time to time, she was my fall back when it came to conversation—I didn't have to supply much.
"Noah!" Jessica's voice pierced my eardrums, but barely made it across the room.
Noah wasn't one of mine, but I had already checked off all my boxes.
"Hi. It's Katie, right?" He extended his hand.
"No, just Kate."
"I've heard a lot about you. Everyone is curious," his smile widened when I shook his hand. Bringing my hand up to his lips, he gazed into my eyes.
"Can we step away? I can't concentrate with everything going on?" Despite what Jessica had said about it being quiet, I struggled to talk to him.
"Of course doll."
"So what about you? What's your story?"
"I asked you first." His eyes brightened as he smirked.
"Fine, fine, I'll start. I'm from Chicago and I moved here to escape my parents. After that, I found Seth and we started practicing together. There's not much more to tell."
"Well I've always lived here. I've never been able to get too far away from the city. I've been doing a lot of competitions like these over the years. I've met a lot of great people. Liam's become one of my close friends."
"Any reason you keep doing it besides the people? I haven't been doing it that long, but it seems like someone could burn out fast." That wording wasn't the greatest. My mind ran through backups in case he found it suspicious. But when I glanced up, he seemed at ease.
"Money mostly. I want to build a studio, but I need the funds."
I felt a pull from behind and I ran into a slightly intoxicated Edward.
"What's going on over her Katie?" It's not Katie! Definitely had a drink or two. Thankfully, I knew his memory was sharp enough to remember all the entail he gathered.
"Noah was telling me a little about himself."
"Hey Andrew. Did I ever tell you how I met Andrew, Noah?" I tried to subtly push Edward away, but he wasn't bugging.
"No you didn't. Everyone here assumes you guys are dating." Well considering, he's really close to me, I would assume that too. There couldn't have been more than 4 inches between us.
"We're not. I'm best friends with his sister." I gave a sweet reassuring smile.
"Kate, I think it's time to get going." Crap. I might have actually gotten something useful out of him.
"Okay," I pushed him away, "Sorry Noah, I'll talk to you more tomorrow."
Dragging his ass out of the bar, I turned back for a second and saw Noah slip a little piece of paper into Jessica's jacket. Strange.
The second we got outside, Edward straightened up completely and then walked like a sober person.
"Were you faking?"
"God yes, Bella. I was faking because I was tired of talking about the type of dance shoe I prefer. None of them gave me anything substantial. I got mediocre gossip and a few reasons why they were in the competition."
"You faked being drunk because you were bored?!"
"Yes I did and I don't regret it. Come on, let's go home."
I sighed and opened the car door. Staring completely straight out the window, I clenched my jaw.
"Bella, I'm sorry. It was a party and I had already talked to the majority of the people there. And most of them were drunk by the time we left."
"Drunk means more vulnerable to questioning."
"If they don't vomit on you. Plus, Jessica was getting a little too close for comfort."
"Fine. You should have said that in the first place." The car brakes slammed at a stop light and suddenly his eyes were boring into the side of my skull.
I turned to him. "I'm sorry, Bella."
"You're forgiven, just let me fully question people next time."
"Thank you," he beamed.
At the apartment, we got the white board from the closet. Cliche, but it worked. Edward scribed, in large curvy font, each of the names of the contestants. In one corner we wrote the judges' names. They were less likely to have a motive, so we didn't focus on them as much. But they were there, just in case.
"I need to get something to eat." Flickering to the clock, my eyes read the time. 1 am. So much for resting.
"Me too. Keep writing. I'll fix something." He spoke as his chair screeched against the floor.
While the sharp sounds of pots and pans clashing echoed through the room, I went through each contestant. After countless LinkedIn, MySpace, and limited Facebook accounts, we narrowed each life down to a few simple words.
I found it extremely odd Jessica—for being as frivolous as she seemed—didn't have an account…on anything. I expected to find multiple sites of her journeys around the world or just her colorful life in general, but there was nothing out there. The only thing I could find was her role on shows similar to the one we were currently participating in.
Meanwhile, contestants like Selena had a page on everything she could find. Most of the contestants were like that actually. It was good publicity for jobs and future roles.
"Did you ever find anything on Jess?"
"Nope. No criminal record either."
"Strange." He acknowledged with a nod.
Practically everyone in it was there for the money. Some covered it up at first by saying that they "were in it for the practice," but a moment later would talk about what they could do with the prize money. It created an extreme issue…everyone had the same motive.
The forensic scientist and medical examiners reports had come in a few hours ago. The newest victim had traces of acetone and bleach in her nostrils, indicating that chloroform had been used to knock her out. Her stomach contents had been thoroughly identified.
There had been a large amount of Vicodin, a prescription pain reliever. There was enough in her system to cause her death—she didn't have a predetermined disease or injury that called for the need of these drugs.
So we were looking for someone that had access to drugs (used as painkillers) and someone that had done chemistry within the last few years. Chloroform wasn't made as easily as everyone suspected.
Oh, and the leg—something I was destined to never forget. It was removed with a sharp object such as an axe, post-mortem.
From what we had figured out earlier, no one (so far) had any reason to stock up on Vicodin. Most of these people also didn't have a need for an axe considering they lived in an apartment.
"I know it's not the best, but it's the only thing I could make quickly." In his hands, the steam rose from two cups of ramen.
"It's perfect," I said before taking a gigantic bite.
"So what do we have so far." He slid his stool next to mine as we both examined the board.
"Nothing on Jessica, which is strange because I swear she's always conversing with someone."
"Maybe she's using it as a ploy to distract from herself. It's a lot easier to spread gossip about someone else."
"Very true. But do you think it's subconscious or it's a strategy?"
"There's no way to know."
I smirked, "Yes there is." His wide eyes urged me to elaborate.
"Well, since you have so much charm, you might as well use it to go on a second date with her."
"No, Bella."
"Yes, it's perfect." He gave me a look as if to say "you're crazy."
"Come on Andrew," my smile grew, "she's enamored with you." I winked at him.
"I can see that, but I would rather not have to date her."
"Just one date. Get all the information you can and then leave. You only have to do it once." I pleaded with complete eye contact and then mouthed "please."
"Fine." Rolling his eyes, he propped up his head with his hand and gazed directly at the board. I watched as his eyes bounced from one place to another, just imagining his line of thought. "How'd they say the leg came off?"
"Sharp object. They haven't determined what yet."
"Hand me the report." As soon as the file was in his hands, he flipped through the ages almost violently. "The bone only shows one mark, so it came off in one clean hit, which is completely plausible if something like an axe was used."
"Okay…"
"The angle and the fluidity of the movement would be much from someone much larger than Jessica."
"We're looking for a man?"
"I would assume considering the women are all below the height of 5'7. I'm not opposed to it being a team of people. There's nothing to say this wasn't committed by multiple people."
Clenching my jaw, I realized that the investigation was going to get a lot more complicated. "Okay, well at least we know one of them has to be a man."
Zoning out, the board became blurry. "I need to sleep if tomorrow's going to go at least okay."
"Agreed."
"Bella."
"What?" I rolled my eyes. This immense weight held my body in place. There was no actual weight, but that was the best way to describe how I couldn't move a single muscle.
"We're going to be late. Throw something on. I'm grabbing breakfast and coffee."
Fluttering in an uncomfortable way, my heart rate sprang up. The top that I had worn during my first practice with Seth hung over the back of my chair. As my arms worked their way through the holes of the shirt, I shimmied on a pair of pants.
"Heels. Don't forget the heels!" His yell carried through the wall.
I hate these with a passion. Scars—that's what these monstrosities would leave if I didn't already have them.
"Let's go," I stumbled out as I grabbed the yellow tumbler on the counter. "I'll eat in the car."
"Here," he threw me a hair band.
As he maneuvered through traffic to get us there on time, I tried to get a perfect ponytail, which was a lot harder than I had initially expected.
"We're here. Are you ready?" He spoke and automatically my head turned towards him. His expression wreaked havoc on my nerves.
"Um, yeah I'm ready." I got out of the car and used my nerves to concentrate on my footing. We'll be fine.
"Remember to ask her out."
"You don't need to remind me," his pace sped up.
"Ladies and gentlemen. Today my co-host and I will be giving you choreography. Just a reminder that at the end of the day each couple will perform this for us and we will have points for technique, facial expressions, and feeling."
Shit. I'm actually here. "Take deep breaths," his low voice whispered into my ear. I nodded so subtly that most other people wouldn't notice. I liked him being next to me, honestly more than Seth.
The woman pulled the other co-host to the front of the room. Large mirrors plated the entire wall, making me self-conscious. I wasn't used to looking at myself 24/7 or giving myself corrections.
She started with a simple step which escalated into a combination of complex turns that just watching was baffling. Edward marked the steps with his hands like the majority of the rest of the class. I hadn't ever seen that, so it was odd to say the least.
"Okay, we will give you a few minutes before we continue." Continue!?
A soft squeeze of my hand caught my attention. As long as Edward stood next to me, I would be fine.
"Let's go from the beginning."
"I'm so lost," the whisper didn't carry farther than our little bubble.
"It's okay. I'll say the steps as we go." His arm curled around my waist.
A bead of sweat worked its way down my back. I should have slept more yesterday. The exhaustion took a toll on my memory, so I ended up heavily relying on his low murmurs. My legs curled up beneath me as we sat against the back wall. With his legs stretched out in front of him, Edward tapped his fingers on the wooden flooring beneath us.
"Jessica and Liam, you're up." The judge now sat at a small table placed at the front of the room overlooking all of us. But the most intimidating part was the cameras. They had been there the entire time, but it's easier to ignore when you have a physical crowd staring at you as well. In this large empty room, the cameras stood out.
Jessica sauntered up to the stage with Liam following. The judge nodded once and the music echoed through the studio. When the bass started to play, the vibration chattered my teeth. But, I watched with wide eyes as they performed all of the moves with impeccable timing and precision. It would be a very different experience when Edward and I walked up there.
"We'll be fine." He stared straight in front as his muffled voice reached my ears.
"I hope so." And that was the last thing we said before the judge called our names.
As I went to stand, my legs wobbled as I took my first step forward the middle. Grabbing my hand, he brought me with him, knowing that I could, and probably would, trip on the way.
I got to the center unscathed and became stunned when I noticed how close the cameras were. They were at most two of three feet away while others were placed across the room. I missed regular investigations-ones that weren't broadcasted.
The judge nodded like before, and we began the tango.
"Back, front, turn." I knew that the judges probably didn't appreciate us communicating through the dance, but I was doing a lot better than expected because of it.
We carried the dance across the whole room, suddenly making our moves bigger with the ample amount of space. The cameraman scuttled backwards as the moves dramatized.
I hadn't realized that it was over until the rumbling of the floor ceased and Edward stood at a distance from me.
"Good job guys. Lots of passion that I loved, but keep practicing the technique."
Walking side by side, I took the liberty of commenting on the performance to him, "At least I didn't fall." A wide grin spread across his face.
"Ye of such little faith," he chuckled as I slid down the wall and watched the next couple step in to take our place. I zoned out as the ground began to tremble again. It was strange to think that one or more of these people, who I had spent loads of time with throughout the past week, was a murder.
"Cut," the stage director yelled.
The rest of the room erupted in conversation while I sat silently. The judges left the room to decide which couple would be eliminated. It doesn't matter if we're eliminated. But it did. We needed more time, and he needed to ask Jessica out.
Giving him a slight nudge, he responded with, "I know. I know, I'm going."
He sat a moment longer before sighing and looking toward Jessica. It was safe to say that she was also gazing at him.
My fingers tapped the ground methodically while he made "plans" with her; I wondered if I had picked up his habit. Jake. That was the first time in days that his name had popped up and when I noticed, guilt ripped through my system.
Hey, Jake. I know it's been a couple days, but we have a lead and I'm hoping the case is over soon. I miss you. -B
"Who is the beautiful girl texting?" Noah and Liam slid down the wall beside me.
"My boyfriend."
"So you're not…with…."
"No, why does everyone assume that?" I sighed as my shoulders hunched to protect me from this uncomfortable question.
"It's just…I don't know…chemistry?"
"Anyway," deflecting seemed to be the only way to get out of this, "how are you guys doing?"
"Nervous, really nervous," that marked the first time I heard Liam's soft subtle voice—it was almost comforting.
"You looked amazing. You have nothing to worry about."
"You're too nice. I've been practicing a lot, but we have no chemistry together."
"I see that." My mind went black on how to continue the conversation, so I didn't. Both of them just sat by my side until Edward showed up. Edward extended his arm out to me, pulling me up to meet him.
"One today."
"Okay," and that was as far as we were able to talk.
My heart rate got faster and faster with phantom nerves. There was nothing to lose for me, while, for everyone else, it was their pride. Regardless, when the judge swung the door open with the utmost amount of drama, I stopped breathing.
"We love all of you." I dreaded this speech. "But we do have to let you go. It is a competition. So without further ado, the couple that will be leaving this week is…." I knew the long pause was for the audience, but it seemed cruel. "José and Ana. I'm saddened to see you go, but please come back next year."
Relief flooded my system. Wait how did we not lose?
"Chemistry Kate, it's all about chemistry." Edward muttered beside me.
Conversation backstage lasted for a lifetime and all I wanted to do was sleep. Running off of 4 hours wasn't ideal when you had a gigantic work out at 7 in the morning.
"Can we go back home?"
"Yeah I probably need to get cleaned up. We need to discuss in the car."
"Yeah sure."
Ducking and gliding around people, I rushed to get out. There were too many people close by for me to feel comfortable.
But a second later, we were in the enclosed space of the car. "Okay, start."
"I think Maria should be completely off the list."
"Why?"
"Because I overheard a conversation of her wanting to leave the show. Apparently, she got attached to Ana and now she feels bad for staying. I don't think she has the heart in her to kill someone. And unless another contestant ends up dead, I think we should rule out José and Ana."
"Okay, so we're down three people out of 8."
My mind became lost in thought about these shows. There weren't many Latin semi-professional dancers in the San Francisco area and for this to be the only show this season had to mean that the competition was tough. I just couldn't imagine one of them brutally murdering the other to gain the rewards.
This show aired twice in a year. The directors invited the cast back for another season, and because the couples changed, the show was going to get even more views. Viewers love resurrected past drama. That's why I was dancing. They lost a couple because of Rita. Last season she had written about an injury, so she was dropped from the show. No one had suspected anything-especially not murder.
The season hadn't been released to the public yet, but I was pretty sure Noah and Ana had won. We didn't know who committed the heinous act, but someone tried to narrow down the competition.
I had completely distracted myself with these thoughts, so when Edward turned around I was stunned. He had slicked back his hair, but it didn't stay completely, giving it a perfectly rustled look.
"Are you sure you like this shirt?"
"Ali knows best. She said deep green brings out your eyes—her words not mine." Just to be clear, Alice was right.
"How long until you need to leave?"
"30 minutes. We still need to connect the earpiece and go over everything beforehand." Any regular person would be on edge about the whole situation. But like usual, he brushed it off that he could potentially be going out with a murderer.
"Okay, let's get them set up."
Fifteen minutes later an alarm sounded throughout the room. "Sorry I had to have a timer. I didn't want to be late." He pushed the small device into his ear.
"So you're looking for Vicodin, they are usually white large pills with a line down the middle to split them in half. The term on the bottle will be Hydrocodone/acetaminophen. And chloroform is made out of household objects like acetone and bleach."
"I think I've got it."
"This might be useless, just know that. On the bright side, Jessica knows something about everyone, so maybe you could work it from both angles."
Nodding, he laid on the couch with his eyes fixated on the window. I paced back and forth in the living room trying to figure out a real reason for any of this besides money. Most of the world was consumed in greed and I tended to forget that aspect of society.
My attention kept bouncing from him to the clock, and, when I was about to tell him that it was getting close to time, he got up on his own and swung his jacket on.
"I'll be back in a few hours."
"I'll be listening. Be safe." I didn't like the idea that he didn't have back-up if something bad happened. And he couldn't even carry a gun with him. Biting my lip, I watched as the door clicked shut. The only comfort I had was placed in my ears.
Pulling my laptop over to me, I searched the database for any of the contestants with a degree in science, specifically chemistry. No results.
The engine in his car roared and then left constant white noise in my ear. The white board called to me as he continued to drive.
"You're parking at her house, right?"
"Yes, she should be riding in my car to the restaurant."
"Make sure to ask about her family and science backgrounds if you can."
"Bella, we've been over this. I know what I'm doing." I know, but I don't like you out there alone.
The conversation left us both to think on our own. It would only take a few more moments before he reached her house. I honestly wasn't expecting her to have a house; I expected her to be more of an apartment type person.
The white noise ceased and then the crisp sound of a car door closing made me flinch. His footsteps soft, yet still audible, guided him to her front door. As he knocked three times, the faint noise of crashing sounded through the earpiece.
Before he would be paying attention to her, I uttered "be careful" one last time for good measure.
"Hi Andrew. Come on in."
"Thanks."
"I'm still getting ready. Do you think I could have a couple more minutes?"
"Of course take as much time as you need."
"Bathroom, that's where the drugs probably are," I muttered as I twirled a pencil in-between my fingers.
"Do you mind if I use your restroom?"
"Sure whatever you need. I'll be ready in like 5 minutes."
"Okay," he said a moment before I heard a door open and close.
"What do you see?" My legs carried me to the window. As a string of white cars passed, my anxiety heightened while I awaited a response.
"I see bottles of random drugs. Give me a second."
"Okay, just be very quiet." I could practically hear his eye roll. A soft sound of rustling followed his sigh.
"The bottle says Hydrocodone, but there's no way to know what is in it. She has more drugs than most pharmacies."
"You didn't touch the bottle, right," it would have hurt the evidence.
"With gloves." He murmured so faintly that I almost missed it. Now that we had the killer, I started to focus on the more pressing matter that… Edward was in a murderer's house.
"Okay good. Now get the hell out. I don't trust her. She could be planning something."
"We're of no competition. I saw the score sheets accident; we were one point off from going home."
"You oversaw, that's it. She has no clue what the scores were."
"Chill, Bella. Call my phone in 5 minutes and I'll be able to leave."
"You need to promise me that. I know who you are. You would want more like a confession or more evidence. Just please get out of there. We have the proof, no reason to stay."
I could hear the toilet flush and then the steady flow of water for washing his hands. Grateful that he at least covered his track, I decided to let my body sink into the cushions of the couch.
"I'm calling in 2 minutes." He wasn't going to respond, but I knew that.
"Okay so are we ready to go?" As his soft voice carried through the earpiece, I could picture what he looked like. Standing in a white washed kitchen, he was probably leaning up against the counter with a smile crossing his face. His eyes would be alight with the recent evidence, which she would mistake as interest in her. And for the first time, I pitied Jessica. She had no idea what she was in for.
My cell weighed down in my hand as I pressed the speed dial.
"Hello," the voice echoed through the earpiece and my phone, making me dizzy.
"I need you to leave."
He muffled the sound on the phone, probably with his hand, and then told Jessica, "I'm so sorry my sister Bianca is calling me."
"Go ahead," there was a twinge of disappointment and jealousy in her voice.
"Get a move of it before she murders you," I spoke clearly.
"Calm down Bianca. Talk slower." I imagined him stepping away. "He did what?!" He put a few seconds in between, "We'll I can't let that slide. I have to come take care of this." The phone line went dead.
"Everything okay?"
"No, my step-father is being an asshole to my little sister. I've got to go over there. I'm so sorry, but can we put a rain check on this. Are you free on Friday?"
"Yeah I am. And yeah go ahead and go, she needs you more than I do right now." That's a little strong considering Jessica doesn't even know what his fake last name is.
"I'll call you for a time and a place okay?" I'm lost. What's he doing?
"Okay, here's my number."
"Bye Jessica."
"Bye Andrew," one-sided sexual tension leaked from her voice.
It was about thirty seconds before he could tell me everything went well.
"Call Director Aro, we've got enough to get a warrant." His voice was the lightest it had been all week. I jumped up and down for a brief moment before realizing how unprofessional I looked.
"Just watch your back on your way home. She might follow."
"She's not psycho Bella."
"Sure, whatever you say."
The apartment doorknob rustled as he fiddled with the key. Swinging the door open, he spun around before saying, "Look, nothing happened."
"You're just lucky you saw it before the date."
"True."
I passed the case file to him, "Aro is working on a warrant. We should have it in about an hour and a half."
"Jessica's too short to get the angle on the axe."
"I know, so I looked into her records."
"A Noah Hughes came up. Foster sibling apparently."
"Sounds like you got a lot done while I was gone in what…30 minutes?"
"No, I asked for the records a few days ago, but I got them delivered today."
"So we're done?"
"Well we need to do a luminal test in both Noah's and Jessica's places of residence. I'd say that the axe is most likely at Noah's place of living."
Four hours later, I stood in Jessica's living room as handcuffs were placed around her wrists. After the luminol was placed on the floor, her floor exploded in the bright blue-ish white substance, indicating blood spatter. I guessed she thought bleach could take it out—a very common misconception that helped us greatly.
The moment she saw me walk into the door her eyes were filled with extreme hatred.
"You never even looked like a dancer."
"I convinced you enough. It doesn't matter though. We still got you."
"I didn't do it."
"Sure you didn't." She lost the innocent disguise when she took her last look at me. It was a look of anger and regret—of getting caught, not of the crime itself.
I reached for my phone as Jessica was put into the back seat of my car.
"Edward."
"So Andrew wasn't even his real name?" Jessica perched up in the back.
"No. Now be quiet."
"Yeah, Bella?"
"We got her, what about the other accomplice?"
"We found an axe and hopefully they can match it to the indentation on the bone. I'm putting cuffs on him at the moment."
"I'll see you in a few."
"Since I'll probably be going away, I do have one more question."
Sighing as I rolled my eyes, I responded, "And what might that be?"
"Are you guys really not sleeping together?"
"Out of all the damn questions you could have asked…that was the one you chose?" The majority of the human population was beginning to get on my nerves.
"I am curious. And if you're this defensive, I'm guessing it's a no." She slouched with a large smile on her face.
We rode the rest of the way to headquarters in silence. I hoped Edward was there too, because I could not last another second alone with her.
"Come on get out."
"What's happening? You're going to jail until your trial."
"Fun," she rolled her eyes.
I let someone else haul her off into the cells. Sitting in our office, I spun in my chair. A few minutes later he arrived and said that both of them confessed. Our work was done…mostly.
A/N: I really hope you guys liked it. Please comment. They keep my motivation up :)
