15.
I stop outside of Chief Swan's house and then walk up to the front door. I ring the door bell and then wait for someone to show up.
The Chief called me while I was at work and wanted to give me a folder on Rosalie and Emmett's killer. I told him that I wouldn't be free until eight and by then, he would be off duty, so he said that I should come to his house.
He'd give me the details on the case. Of the man who brought this on me and Masen.
The man who was drunk during the day. The man who snatched an innocent child's parents away from him. The man who took away my baby sister. The man whom I want dead. The man whom I'll shred to pieces if I ever get to see his face.
Royce King.
The door bursts open and I'm welcomed in by a young woman. "Hi", she says. "My Dad said you'd stop by. Edward Cullen?"
I nod dumbly, mesmerized by her beauty and shocked at how my line of thoughts changed in an instant. One minute ago I was cursing Royce King to the deepest pit of hell and the next, I'm focused on this woman, who must be the Chief's daughter. What was her name? Izzy? No that must be a nickname.
She's Isabella.
"Hello", I squeak. Crap. Why does my voice have to fail me when I'm talking to a beautiful woman. She'll think I'm some sort of idiot.
"Hi", she repeats. "Come on in. Don't stand in the cold."
I've been standing at her door step, gawking at her. She'll never like me now!
"I'm Bella", she adds as she takes me in to the sitting room.
Another nickname?
"Edward." Didn't I already say that?
"Dad!" she calls out. "Edward Cullen is here."
"I'm coming", calls back Charlie.
"Uh, take a seat then", says Bella. "As you heard, Dad's coming."
"Oh-kay", I say as I sit on an armchair and she sits on the couch opposite of me.
"So are you here for the summer vacations?" I ask in an attempt to make conversation. She's probably in college... she's quite young.
"No", she smiles. "I graduated a long time back. I'm a designer for women's wear."
How old are you? I can't ask that. Women get offended by that, don't they?
She runs a hand through her dark brown hair and looks as if she wants to ask me something. But she doesn't.
Why doesn't she? I like talking to her.
"What about you?" she says after a while. "What do you do?"
I can answer this. "I'm one of the two chairman for Cullen and Whitlock corp."
Recognition flashes in her eyes. "Oh? My boyfriend hired you guys for some consultancy..."
She has a boyfriend. All the pretty ones are always taken. That's not fair.
"Paul Lahote. Did you know him?" she continues.
Paul? Lahote? The businessman? He was one of my most favourite clients. He was originally from California but he traveled a lot and we started working with him two years back. He was a good guy who didn't bother us much. He never complained or rejected any of our proposals.
Poor man died of a heart attack six months back.