Chapter Thirty Nine

Jasper

I drove round the streets of San Diego, then La Jolla in particular, hoping to feel something but it was a waste of time. I even stopped at the address where Renee was found but again nothing, it was as if Bella had never existed, that she had been only a dream and if not for Charlie's presence I might have persuaded myself I'd dreamed her. But Bella was real flesh and blood, my mate and I had to find her. I needed to replace the block of ice in my chest with the warmth of her love, I needed my mate and she could not be dead. When I eventually made it to the motel the place was almost deserted, only Charlie and Charlotte were there and it looked as if they had been talking about something that was upsetting Char.

Charlie

I knew there were others helping in the search for my daughter, Jasper's foster parents and siblings but I'd only met Rosalie his biological sister and Darius the enigmatic computer whizz with the black out sun glasses. Then I met his friend Peter, a man who if not on our side I might have considered as a likely candidate for the kidnapping and he too wore dark shades, not only that but his skin was the same pale color and his hand cold to the touch when I shook it.

There was something going on, more than just a couple of kids with a genetic disorder, surely not all his friends suffered from the same affliction. When I was left at the motel with Charlotte, Peter's wife who was also hauntingly beautiful and extremely pale I decided to confront her about it. She didn't wear sunglasses but her eyes were a startling red which disconcerted me, maybe she was albino but her hair was all wrong, it was dark, almost black and albino's had white hair didn't they?

We sat down with coffee although I noticed she didn't actually touch hers just watched me drink mine.

"Vending machine coffee is pretty bad but I guess beggars can't be choosers."

She smiled and looked at her cup before putting it down,

"Pretty grim yes. You must be out of your mind with worry about Bella. Tell me Charlie what's she like?"

"Oh, intelligent, pretty, strong minded, although she comes across as mouse like until you cross her, a mixture of her mother and me I guess."

"The Major is very much in love with her."

"Yeah I know but why do you call him The Major? Not only you but Darius too. Its a strange kind of nickname but then you are strange people, all of you. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for all the help. Everyone is bending over backwards to help but I don't quite understand why."

"Peter and I have been close friends of The Major longer than he's known the Cullens and yes its a nickname. A silly one I guess but hard to forget."

She wasn't giving anything away this one but I continued on with my questioning,

"He told me he and his sister have a genetic defect that causers the golden eyes and pale skin, the cold feel too but what I want to know is...what's your excuse? You and Peter are the same with the exception of the eyes, you have albino eyes, does Peter? Is that what Darius hides behind his shades too? I know you all have some connection I just can't figure out what it is."

"You'd do better not to try Charlie. Just accept the differences and try to forget the questions, asking them is dangerous."

"Dangerous? That's a strange choice of words Charlotte. Dangerous for who? Me? Does Bella know this strange secret?"

"No she doesn't Chief Swan and that's probably for the best but I'm sure she will once they get married."

"If we find her alive you mean."

"Yes but I have no reason to suspect that she's dead, do you?"

"Yeah plenty Charlotte and you aren't going to tell me exactly what or who you all are?"

"No she's not Charlie."

I whirled round to see Jasper had entered the room, he looked weary with dark bruises under his eyes and tense like a big cat ready to pounce, in short he was highly intimidating. Not the carefree young man Bella had brought to meet me such a short while ago. He had aged and now wore the mantle of a much older and much more dangerous person, one I wouldn't have been happy to see with my daughter but he loved her I knew that and I also knew he wouldn't give up until he found her, he and his strange assortment of family and friends.

Jasper

I should have known that with the extra help would come more questions, more suspicions from Charlie but finding Bella was far more important that worrying about Charlie discovering our secret. We would continue refusing to answer his questions and hope he got tired of asking but that was highly unlikely, he was a cop after all.

"We're no nearer finding her are we Jasper?"

I looked at him and shook my head,

"The area is still too great Charlie, we need something, anything, that could help us narrow the search down. The police crime scene unit are working on Renee's clothing and body but its not a high priority with so much violent crime in the city. We need the testing done more quickly."

"What about Rose and Carlisle? They are well qualified if we can get access to the body."

I saw Charlie taking that in and then he got up,

"Something tells me that I'm way out of my depth here and I'm not going to get any answers but I want Bella found just as much as you and if Charlotte's right and your stepfather and Rosalie have the skills and access to the equipment that might speed things up then I'll get access to the body."

I turned to him gratefully,

"I'll call Carlisle, tell him what we're proposing and you can ring the police, see what you can do."

"I'm taking it Carlisle has all the relevant medical qualifications? Silly question of course he does. OK I'll give it a try."

When he finished and put the phone down he nodded although I already knew what had been said.

"Tomorrow morning 9.30 at the city morgue, Dr Cullen and myself. Its only to examine Renee's body and there may not be any evidence left but I'll distract the M.E while your dad gets what he can, but make it quick I don't want trouble just in case we need their help again."

"Don't worry, Carlisle knows what he's looking for and he works fast by nature Charlie. Thank you for trusting us, believe me we don't ignore your questions for fun, its to keep you safe."

"Yeah well, prove to me I'm not mistaken by finding my little girl before the cops find her in a dumpster too."

"We will Charlie, we just need one clue that's all."

The next morning I accompanied Charlie and Carlisle to the M. E's office but I was not allowed in to see Renee's body, instead I paced up and down watching as black vans delivered the latest batch of bodies from the streets and hospitals, all ready to be checked over for official cause of death and then wait until claimed by relatives or given a paupers grave care of the state. The thought that Bella might be in one of the vans haunted me, was she lying dead somewhere waiting to be found only to be bagged up and sent here, unknown and unloved? I wouldn't believe that, somewhere inside that cube of ice in my chest was the smallest spark of warmth, something that told me we weren't too late to save her, not yet. Why couldn't I feel the pull? Why did she have to be human so I had no idea of where she was? Surely I should feel something?

They weren't long to my relief although I didn't know if that were a good or bad thing, Carlisle being the last to leave after exchanging thanks with the M.E for his courtesy. Charlie looked pale and drawn, it couldn't have been a sight anyone would want to witness, after all Renee had been dead for some time and we already knew there was no sign she had been in cold storage.