Chapter Twenty Eight

Carlisle

"There's going to be trouble with Charlie, he won't let it go but I have no idea how to contact Bella so we have to try and keep him in the dark and safe for as long as we can. Alice I need you to watch his future, try to keep him from finding out too much".

"I'll try Carlisle but it's not going to be easy. I don't see so well now I'm with Jake".

"Well do your best and we'll keep our fingers crossed that he finds a dead-end".

Charlie

I drove to the station and put out an official watch for Bella and her companion. Then I rang my friend in the army and luckily I got through first time. I explained to Nick what had happened and he remembered Bella from her childhood. He'd come to visit a couple of times when Bella was on holiday with me. I gave him the name I'd been given, Jasper Whitlock and his supposed rank Major.

"I can't do it straight away, I'll have to do it when I can on the Q.T".

"That's fine, just ring me if you get anything"

"Will do Charlie, as soon as I can. In the meanwhile I hope you find her".

"Thanks Nick, speak to you soon".

I'd done all I could, now it was a waiting game. For the next few days I rang round all the stations I was friendly with but no one had seen either of them or the truck I'd seen. Neither did Nick ring me back and although I spoke to Sam and Billy they had no news. Jake rang to say the Cullens had heard nothing either and offered to come over and talk to me but if he had nothing to tell me what was the point? I saw Carlisle at the hospital when I attended the casualty of a car crash but he either couldn't or wouldn't tell me any more. I checked my cell phone and the answer machine at home every hour but there was nothing from Bella, not even a text message which worried me. I couldn't believe she'd leave me without a word knowing I'd worry about her.

Two weeks later while looking for a phone number I found a note Bella had obviously written before she left, it had slipped down behind the directory. I opened it with shaking hands and read it quickly. It was a short letter telling me she had gone away with Jasper but not to worry, that she was safe and happy and would contact me once they settled somewhere. Yeah I thought I've heard that all before, usually after finding a body of a young girl lured away by a predator and that's just what I thought this Jasper was. I'd felt uneasy as soon as he walked in, he was just plain bad.

Nick finally got back to me after a month and he didn't sound happy.

"Charlie I looked through all the current records, Nada. He doesn't exist"

"Shit!" I couldn't help it.

"But, and its a big but. I think you may be right that he's not as he appears, he's using an alias I think". "What makes you say that?"

"Well, I thought what the hell and put it in a search engine going through the whole database, we've finally got all the historical records on the system now".

"And?"I was getting impatient.

"There was a hit, just the one".

"Nick I'm dying here".

"Sorry Charlie, there was a Major Jasper Whitlock".

"Was? When?"

"He was a Major in the Confederate Army during the Civil War who went missing. Something of a hero by all accounts".

"The Civil War?"

"Yes, sorry Charlie I don't think your guy was telling the truth".

"No I guess not or if he was he's well preserved. This guy wasn't more than about 18 to 20"

"Oh well, he picked the right alias then, the same age approx as the Major".

"So what happened? he die in the line of duty?"

"Actually no, he went missing in action, presumed killed and buried by Union Soldiers"

"Well thanks for looking Nick. I owe you one".

"Sorry I couldn't be of any help. Still I thought you might be interested in seeing if the guy went the whole hog and checked to see what the real Major Jasper Whitlock looked like. I found a black and white photo in a research book. Do you want me to fax it to you at the station?"

"It won't help but what the hell, after all the trouble you've been to for me I could at least look at the guy. I'll be in tomorrow I'll pick it up then. I found a letter she left and she's definitely with him".

"Hope you get her soon. Sorry Charlie but keep in touch".

I was going to leave it but then I got called in to a shooting in Port Angeles as a favour, so at the end of the shift I went straight into the station to check all our paperwork was up to date. Eddy came through with a sheet of paper and put it on my desk along with a mug of coffee.

"No news on Bells?" he asked.

I shook my head. Pointing to the sheet on my desk he explained,

"It came through on the fax machine from someone called Nick Droges, marked for your attention".

"Thanks Eddy". I checked the log then picked up the fax taking a gulp of hot coffee and almost spat it out. I looked at the photo then looked up Nicks number and rang. He wasn't there so I left a message.

"Not fucking funny Nick".

I was fuming, what a stupid fucking prank under the circumstances. I seethed all day, too angry to go home but then I had a thought. If Nick had a photograph of the guy with Bella then he must know who the guy was or at least have a clue I could follow. I sat looking at the phone rather than going home but it never rang. Nick had obviously decided discretion was the better part of valour and on this occasion he was right. Eventually I went home and after checking the answer machine, went to shower. I heard the phone ring as I was drying and wrapped a towel around me and ran down to answer it, praying it might be Bella. It wasn't her it was a very confused Nick.

"Charlie I just got your message. What's up?"

"That photo you sent me".

"Yes".

"Where did you get it Nick?"

"The archives, there was a book with the photo in it, the only one as far as I know why?"

"Well its the guy Bella went off with"

"No Charlie, this guy died during the Civil War".

"Well he's got a twin then, because the guy I saw looked exactly like the photo".

"Well they say we've all got a double but remember that photo was take late 1800's maybe its just similar". "No Nick, the Jasper Whitlock I saw was the guy in the photo".

"Can't have been Charlie. Your memory is playing tricks with you".

"OK Nick thanks".

"No problem, let me know if you need anything".