Hi, my friends, as promised - today's update.
You all know how I feel toward my lovely ladies, Lou and Nancy.
SM owns.
Chapter 13
Edward's POV
It's early in the morning, and the corridors of the police station are empty. I'm waiting for the time of my meeting with Chief Swan to come. The clock on the wall ticks slowly as I watch the Chief through the glass door and see him waving his hands in a heated conversation with a man and a woman. I don't see their faces, but I see a face on a leaflet placed on the desk, with huge letters saying this is an image of a certain Riley Biers. He must be wanted or missing, I muse, and now I see the Chief is nodding his head in affirmation of something he has just said, determination clearly written on his face. My fingers drum a rhythm over the off-white wall behind my back while I absentmindedly recall fragmented scenes from the past weeks, and count the ticking seconds somewhere in the back of my mind.
My thoughts are disrupted by footsteps somewhere to my right, echoing in the emptiness of the white corridor. I lazily turn my head to see who's approaching – it's a big guy who seems oddly familiar. It takes a second or two, watching him lean against the wall next to me, and crossing his arms in front of his huge chest, for me to recognize him. I saw him in the hospital, on the day my Jasper disappeared.
Of course, I try to guess the reason for the huge guy to be here, at this ungodly hour, but nothing serious comes to mind. He doesn't look like someone who has been robbed or assaulted. He only looks sad, and I think he has shrunk a little since I last saw him.
A hundred and twenty-eight ticks later, Chief Swan and his visitors stand, and he gestures to the glass door to see them out.
About time. I smirk, thinking the huge guy will have to wait a bit more, until after I'm finished with my confession to the Chief.
The man and woman leave the office, followed by my future confessor. To my surprise, the chief summons both me and my silent companion, pointing a finger to each of us and then to the glass door.
"Mr. McCarty, Doctor Cullen," he says, "please be seated."
The three of us sit around the desk. The leaflet with Riley Biers' face is shoved aside, and the Chief runs a finger through his moustache. Left to right, left to right, I hear the noise of the tiny hairs scratching against his fingernail, and suddenly my stomach turns.
What if he doesn't cooperate? What if he judges my unethical behavior and refuses to listen? And why the hell is this guy present?
The Chief finally speaks. "So, Mr. McCarty, you seek my cooperation to track down Miss Hale, and you, Doctor, want to get in touch with Mr. Hale, is this correct?"
The 'Miss' and 'Mr.' are emphasized, and sound as if they have at least five 's-'s each.
At this point, the huge guy and I snap our heads and stare at each other. There's a glint in his eye, and dimples form on his cheeks when he smiles. He wriggles an eyebrow, and then I hear his booming voice for the first time.
"Sounds like fun. Now we're definitely forming a search party." He slaps his enormous palm over the desk, and Riley's leaflet flies a bit farther aside. I can't help but return the smile; this guy's enthusiasm is contagious.
The Chief rises to his feet with a startling growl.
"Right, young men, cut the bullshit. We're not a goddamn dating agency here. Your urges to simply meet someone are irrelevant to my job. Give me at least one good reason to start a new investigation, or I'll kick you out of my office. Both of you."
Then, Emmett McCarty tells a story about Jasper Hale's insurance fraud, and Rosalie and Alice Hale's participation in the plot.
It's sort of funny how The Miss had him wrapped around her finger…
It's sort of sad how The Mister had me…
Having a good laugh up there? Fucking Evil Bitch, I curse in my mind, not even bothering to look at the ceiling. She knows I'm addressing her. Bitch.
It appears that their accomplice, Tyler Crowley, has messed up. His vehicle somehow misbehaved, and instead of giving Jasper a gentle push, it knocked him unconscious, broken ribs and all.
"Now, this is serious," Chief Swan says. "I wonder… it can't be a coincidence if this vehicle malfunctioned twice, considering he caused a minor injury to my daughter, too… It never occurred to me the two cases were connected. Jasper Hale never mentioned Tyler… I couldn't find anything incriminating actually..." The finger runs over the moustache once again. "Yes, this is serious."
Chief Swan sits back and focuses on me. "What's your story, Dr. Cullen? Your voice sounded strange when you called last night."
It's my turn to tell about my time with Jasper, and admit I was the means for his escape before the end of the police investigation about the accident. I see now I've almost become his accomplice. But in the Chief's eyes, I'm innocent.
'Cause it wasn't me who took Jasper out of the ICU. Now I learn it was Emmett, and an operation to rescue Jasper from me has been orchestrated by Alice Hale - if we can trust what Emmett has been told.
"Well, I have news for you, gentlemen," the Chief says. "Something I learned a couple of days ago and thought of no importance, with the Hales gone from our city. There's actually no Alice Hale - the lady's name is Alice Brandon, and Jasper Hale has never been married."
Awesome. Why am I not happy?
"Let's summarize, gents. Those three recruit Tyler Crowley for a staged car accident, attempting insurance fraud. For some reason, the injuries to Jasper Hale are more serious than expected. He's kept for weeks in the hospital, not able to flee from my investigation. He uses Dr. Cullen to plan his escape. At the same time, Alice Brandon and Rosalie Hale make a different plan, not trusting Jasper's. They ally with Mr. McCarty to drag Mr. Hale out of the hospital, and break his contact with the Doctor. Okay, erm, confusing doesn't even begin to describe the situation."
I suddenly remember the nurse who introduced herself as Jane, and the excessive amount of pills which could have killed Jasper.
"Chief, I have to add to it. I think someone was trying to kill him in that last day. I mean, really kill him. He almost got poisoned at the hospital; he might have died in my hands. Don't you think we need to hurry up?"
"Yes, we need to." The Chief scratches his neck. "And maybe someone tried to really kill him in the car accident, too."
My boy is in actual danger, I realize. He's not only out of my reach. He might be already dead.
The Chief obviously tries to grab at the situation at its whole. He sniffs a couple of times, bites the inside of his cheek and scratches at his neck once more, until he finally speaks again.
"And why did you decide to call me last night, gentlemen? Why not a week earlier?"
Emmett takes a noisy breath and straightens his shoulders. "Maybe it's the new moon. I couldn't stand being left behind any more. I miss her. I want to see her again."
Then it's my turn.
"Same here," I mutter, focused on my shoe - because I can't look them in the eye - physically feeling redness crawling over my ears. "I miss him. But last night I thought he didn't want me. Now, I'm not sure."