12

Jasper had just parked in front of the police station when his phone started ringing. He dug it out of his pocket, pressing his lips together when he saw his captain's name on the caller I.D.

"I'll meet you inside," he said, giving Newton and Crowley a look.

The two men nodded and climbed out of the truck, heading inside. Jasper pressed the green talk arrow and brought the phone up to his ear, saying, "Cap."

"Cullen, where the fuck are you?" the man snarled.

"Forks, Washington," he told him.

The man groaned. "Why in God's name are you in Forks, Washington?"

"Um," he said, shifting his eyes back to the door of the police station. "It's kind of personal."

"Personal, huh? Doesn't have anything to do with that homeless girl you were looking for, does it?"

Jasper didn't reply. He couldn't deny it, but admitting to his captain that he was not only working out of his department, but his jurisdiction wasn't something he was prepared to do. At least, not yet.

"Hmm, I'll take your silence as a yes," he scoffed.

"Look, this isn't just about that girl," he said. "This is big, Cap."

"How big?"

Jasper pressed his lips together. Could he tell him more? Could he tell him details about Bella? Something inside him told him no, that he needed to keep her close to the chest. Not only had the girl been through pure hell, having been the only witness to her parents' murders, but she'd been kidnapped and brutalized by Sam Uley.

"Really big. Game changing big."

"Tell me I shouldn't worry that you're doing something stupid," he said.

"I would, but you'll still worry," he replied.

"I swear to God, Cullen, you make me rethink my decision to bring you onto my team on a daily basis," he muttered. "Okay, I'll let you be, for now, but promise that you'll call if you need help."

"I will, Cap," he quipped, knowing he wouldn't.

"Keep me updated, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

Jasper ended the call but immediately called Carlisle, needing to check on the girl. Not the girl, he amended in his head. Her name was Bella. Taking a deep breath, he pressed send and waited for his brother to answer. The call rang three times and he was about to hang up, when her heard Carlisle answered with a quick, "Hello."

"What the fuck took so long, man?" Jasper groused, grabbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry, had to slip out of the house," he muttered. "Did you find him?"

"Not yet," he said. "Learned some interesting shit, though."

"Like?" he pressed.

"Nothing I want to tell you over the phone. How's Bella?"

"She's . . ." Carlisle paused. "I don't know how she is. She's quiet, and I don't know. Jay, we think she . . . we think she had a baby at some point."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he gritted out.

"I wish I was," he grumbled.

"How do you know? Did she tell you?"

"No, no, it's more of just the way she acts," he said. "Last night, when we got to the house, Esme went to check on Beth, and I guess she was awake, so she brought her downstairs. Jay, Bella's face lit up when she saw Beth. She wanted to hold her, so we had her sit on the couch, and she just . . . I don't know. I asked her if she'd ever held a baby before, and she said . . . she said once, but he took her away. Jay, I think he got her pregnant and took her baby away."

"Jesus motherfucking Christ," Jasper swore under his breath. "Did you ask her about it?"

"Esme tried a little bit ago, but Bella shut down. She's fascinated with Beth, though. Can't get enough of her."

"What did we stumble into with this girl, man?"

"I don't know." Carlisle paused. "I've gotta go. We're going to try to get her to eat something other than pancakes."

Jasper laughed. "Good luck. Something tells me you're going to lose that battle, brother."

"No shit," Carlisle scoffed. "Let me know when you're on your way back, okay? And, Jay, be careful. I have a bad feeling about this whole situation."

"You and me both, man. I'll keep in touch. I promise. Just . . . just keep that girl close."

"I will."

—SfH—

Forty-five minutes later, Jasper, Newton, and Crowley were seated at a picnic table at the playground behind the elementary school, if you could call it a playground. There was a large metal slide, a couple of see-saws, and a merry-go-round, and that was it.

"What can you tell me about Jacob Black?" Jasper asked, shifting his attention between Newton and Crowley.

"Haven't had much interaction with him, to be honest. Stays on the reservation most of the time. His mom bailed when he was little, I think, and his dad was a bit of a dick, but was a solid guy. Didn't even know he passed away," Newton said.

"How'd you not know he died?" Jasper asked. "Town ain't that big."

"The Quileute's are private," Crowley said, shrugging his shoulders. "They rarely allow outsiders on the reservation, especially the police."

"Hmm," Jasper hummed, but his attention was pulled to the parking lot when Jacob arrived in a beat up Volkswagen Rabbit that looked like it was about to fall apart.

As Jacob climbed out from the driver's seat, Jasper stood up. The kid looked terrified as he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked toward them, looking around like he was expecting someone to materialize out of nowhere and attack him, which he may have been.

"Jacob," Jasper said, nodding his head toward him. "Why'd you want to meet here?"

Jacob shrugged his shoulders, but looked around again. "Why are looking for Sam?"

"Just am," he replied. "Why are you afraid of him?"

Jacob frowned. "You'd be afraid of him, too, if he killed your father, wouldn't you?"

"Sam killed Billy?" Newton asked.

Jacob nodded. "Can't prove it, of course."

"What makes you think Sam killed your dad?" Jasper questioned.

"Dad told me Sam moved in about a year after I was born, said parents died in a house fire. Growing up, I . . . I never liked him. He was weird and, I don't know, just an asshole. Used to beat the shit out of me on a daily basis. Dad always said he was just being a big brother, that that was how brothers acted." Jacob paused and looked around again. "Sam bailed when I was ten, just left in the middle of the night. Dad was frantic, said . . . said he'd done something stupid, but wouldn't tell me what it was. A couple days later, he said Sam was fine, that he had gotten a job out of state and wouldn't be back for a while. I was relieved, to be honest."

"Do you remember when he left town?" Jasper asked. "The date?"

Jacob nodded. "It was middle of August," he murmured. "The thirteenth."

"The night the Swans were murdered," Crowley groused.

Jasper tilted his head to the side, staring at Jacob. "When did he come back?"

"Didn't see him for a couple years. I was twelve when he showed up, in March. Dad wasn't happy that he was there, but didn't kick him out."

"How long was he there?" Jasper pressed.

"A couple weeks," he replied, his eyes shifting to Newton and Crowley. "He left the night Harry Clearwater died. Dad and Sam had gone hunting with Harry, said he collapsed in the woods, that he died before they could get him out."

"But you don't believe that, do you?"

Jacob shook his head. "Harry was healthy. Men like that don't just keel over like that. Tribal Council ruled his dead as a heart attack, but . . . Dad wasn't the same after. He was angry and bitter. He talked about moving on, leaving the reservation. When I would ask him why, he just said they'd gone too far, that he couldn't understand their politics."

"But you didn't leave, right?" Jasper asked.

"No, Dad put the house up for sale, but it needs too much work."

"When'd you see Sam again?" Crowley questioned.

"Not until a few months ago. He showed up in the middle of the night. Dad told him to get out, that he couldn't stay. Sam wasn't happy, but he left. The next morning, Dad headed to Port Angeles for supplies to repair the house. Maybe finally sell the shithole. Police out of Port Angeles said he took a curve too fast, rolled into a tree. Died on impact, of course."

"And you don't think that's true?" Newton asked, and when Jacob shook his head, he asked, "Why not?"

"Because the brake line in Dad's truck was cut," he said. "I found brake fluid in the driveway, where Dad parked his truck. When they released the wreckage, I tore it apart. His brake line had been cleanly cut. I know cars and I know the difference between normal wear and tear and someone tampering with the line, okay? Dad was murdered, and I think . . . No, I know Sam is the person who killed him. I just don't know why."

Jasper gripped the back of his neck. "Is that why Sam's not welcome on the reservation any longer? Because of Harry and Billy?"

Jacob pressed his lips together before looking around again. "No," he said. Shifting his attention back to Jasper. "Most of this I've only learned in the last couple months, but there were accusations made against Sam, back when he was still in high school."

"What kind of accusations?" Jasper asked, already knowing exactly what Jacob was about to say.

"A couple of girls accused him of . . . of touching them inappropriately."

He could taste the bile creeping up his throat as he pressed Jacob for more information. "How old were they?"

"One was seven, the other eight," he whispered. "Tribal Council kept it quiet, but I found out."

"Who were the girls?" Newton asked.

"Emily Young and . . ." Jacob looked around again before saying, "Leah Clearwater."

"Harry's little girl?" Jasper asked, gritting his teeth together.

Jacob nodded. "She killed herself a month after Harry died. Slit her wrists in the bathtub. She was ten years old, Jasper. Ten years old and she locked the bathroom door and took a fucking knife and dug it into her skin."

Jasper brought his hand up to his mouth before shaking his head. "Do you know where Sam is now? Where he lives? Anything?"

Jacob shook his head. "And I don't want to. I just . . . I'm leaving town, tonight. I can't . . . I can't stay here any longer."

Jasper nodded before pulling his wallet out of his back pocket and pulling out one of his card. "You ever need anything, Jacob, anything, you give me a call, okay?"

Jacob took the card before turning and taking a couple of steps toward his car before he stopped and looked back at him. "He killed the Swans, didn't he? The night he left? He killed them and took Bella?"

Jasper nodded.

"She was my friend, Jasper," Jacob whimpered. "Find Sam. Stop him before . . . before someone else dies."

"I will," he promised.

And somehow, he would.

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