16
Jasper and Alice had left right after Carlisle went upstairs to talk to Bella, to probe that poor girl for more information about when Sam Uley stole her baby away. He just couldn't stand into hat house knowing his brother was having to hurt that poor girl more than she had already been. She'd given them so much information, more than he ever expected. Of course, Jasper knew Edward was largely responsible for the girl's willingness to expose her secrets. She trusted him, needed him, but more than that, Edward needed her, too.
"Are you going to talk to him today?" Alice asked, looking over at him. It was just after six in the morning and neither of them had been able to sleep. "You know I worry about you, being out on your own like you are."
Jasper nodded. Alice had broached the subject the night before as they climbed into bed and pretended to sleep. Normally, Jasper preferred to work alone. He was a bit of an asshole, and most of his partners had requested transfers within six months of working with him, but Alice worried, because she didn't like him working cases on his own. Normally, he would scoff and tell his wife that she was worrying over nothing, but Sam Uley was different. There was a darkness that followed him everywhere he went, a darkness that consumed him. Sam Uley was dangerous predator, who would take anyone out who got between him and Bella Swan.
"Yeah, yeah, I think so," he replied. "Nobody else I can trust with her, you know? This case is bigger than just that little girl, Al. I just don't know how much bigger, and that scares the shit out of me."
"You and me both, babe," she whimpered, rolling onto her side. Her eyes were filled with tears. "How could he look at her at eight years old and find her attractive, Jay? How? She was a baby!"
"I don't know," he whispered, turning so that he faced her. He placed his hand on her cheek, using his thumb to wipe away her tears. "I don't ever want to understand pedophiles, Al."
"You have to stop him," she sobbed, burying her face against his chest. "Please, just fucking stop him!"
"I will," he murmured, hoping more than anything he would be able to keep his word.
—SfH—
An hour later, Jasper and Alice had showered and dressed for the day and were milling around the kitchen. He was sipping on a cup of coffee watching Alice as she searched for breakfast.
"Are you going over there today?" he asked.
Alice stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Not for a while. Figured she's going to be a bit overwhelmed since Emmett and Rosalie are planning on being there by nine, and I would assume James will be, too. Thought I might do a little shopping for her. She doesn't have anything of her own, you know? She was wearing my clothes, so I thought I might buy her some of her own. Maybe it would make her feel more . . . normal, or whatever. I don't know. Just need to help her somehow."
Jasper nodded, stretching out his hand to his wife. "I think that's a good idea."
Alice slipped her fingers along his palm until her hand rested in with his. "Promise to be careful today. Please?"
"I will, Al." Jasper tugged her against him, causing her to laugh. "I love you, Alice. I love you so much."
"I love you, too."
Jasper placed a searing kiss against her lips before placing his coffee cup in the sink and heading into the garage. Leaving Alice was always hard. He could easily spend the whole day just wrapped in her arms, letting her love him just as he loved her, but he couldn't, because his family needed him to find and stop Sam Uley, any way he could.
The drive to the station was tense, and he found himself searching his rearview mirror a dozen times, like Sam Uley was suddenly going to find out he was looking for him and come for him. Hell, he might. For some odd, strange reason the people on the reservation chose to protect him rather than protect their daughters. He just couldn't fathom a reason to good enough for them to protect him. Why? Why would they protect a pedophile, a murderer? Did the Tribal Council know Sam Uley had been responsible for Charlie and Renee's murders? Did they know he had kidnapped their little girl? That he was raping her? Beating her? Tearing her down until she truly thought she didn't have a name? And if they did, why? Why? Why? Why?
Jasper parked in the back and slipped in through the backdoor. It was still early and nobody else had arrived yet. Only a couple of patrol officers who had drawn the night shift that week. Jasper settled at his desk, opened his laptop, and ran a quick search on Sam Uley. Of course, there was nothing. No traffic violations, hot checks, not even a picture. He'd managed to stay off police radar, but he didn't understand how? The way Newton and Crowley told it, he'd spent much of his teen years getting into fights. How did he never get arrested for assault? Or animal cruelty after killing his neighbors pets? Something that would give him an idea of who he was looking for.
So instead, he ran a search on the house fire that killed Sam's parents. The story popped up immediately. July fourth a fire ignited in the laundry room the of Uley house in outside of Portland, Oregon killing Jared Uley and his wife of twelve years, Claire. Their only son, Sam, managed to escape the blaze unharmed. The cause of the fire was thought to be lint left in the dryer that sparked and burned throughout the house. Jared and Claire, however, were found in their beds, almost as if they hadn't made any effort to escape the blaze. Medical Examiner's report said their lungs were empty, however. Meaning they were dead before the fire started. There weren't any indication of how they were killed, so it was chocked up to the fire, and the case was closed.
"Cullen."
Jasper startled and turned as his captain came into the squad room. "Shit, Cap, you scared the fuck out of me."
He laughed. "That's a first. What are you doing here? Thought you were out searching for your missing girl?"
Jasper shut off his laptop, picked it up, and motioned for him to follow him into his office. Yes, he was being paranoid, but could you blame him? Sam Uley had the blood of six adults on his hands, not to mention Leah's, Emily's, and Bella's. And nobody had made any effort to stop him.
"What the hell is going on, Cullen?"
Jasper placed the laptop on the desk and shut the door behind him. He turned and appraised the man in front of him. Captain Garrett Mitchell was a hard man to get to know. He was strict and coarse, but he knew the job, which was why he had moved through the ranks as fast as he had and at the age of thirty-two, he was a Captain in the homicide division of the Seattle Police Department.
"Ever heard of the Swan murders? Over in Forks?"
"Seem to remember something about it on the news," he confirmed. "Intruder broke in and killed the parents. Their little girl was snatched, wasn't she?"
Jasper nodded. "I found her, Garrett."
Garrett's eyes widened. "Your homeless girl? She's the Swan girl?"
"Pretty damn sure," he said. "Waiting for DNA and prints to confirm, but I'm sure."
"Holy shit," Garrett murmured, placing his hand over his mouth. "Where is she?"
"Somewhere safe," he said, and when Garrett raised an eyebrow, he added, "All you need to know is that for right now, she's safe."
"Is that so?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.
Jasper nodded, placing his hands on his hips. "I mean no disrespect, Cap, but that girl's been through a lot. More than a lot. And unbelievable amount of trauma, and asshole who took her, who killed her parents, is still out there. Now, I need your help."
"You're asking for help?" Garrett scoffed. "Must be serious if you are asking for help, Cullen."
"It is," he said.
Garrett inhaled a sharp breath. "Okay, what do you need?"
"I'm looking for a baby."
The second the words left his mouth, Garrett's eyes widened. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Jasper nodded.
"The Swan girl, she'd be what seventeen?"
"Sixteen," Jasper muttered, his voice cracking. "The baby would be between twenty-two and twenty-four months old, if our math is correct. A little girl, half white, half Native American, Garrett."
"She doesn't know where the baby is?"
Jasper shook his head. "The man who took her eight years ago, he took her baby from her, too."
"Who took her, Cullen?"
"His name is Sam Uley." Jasper opened his laptop and showed Garrett the article on his parent's death. "He's also responsible for two murders on the Quileute Reservation in La Push, and the molestation of two little girls, one of whom committed suicide when she was only ten years old. The other little girl is here in Seattle, and I'm going to go talk to her today, Cap, but I need you to find that baby while I hunt down Sam Uley."
"I don't like you doing this alone, Cullen." And when Jasper opened his mouth to defend himself, he argued, "You're too involved."
"And I can't trust anyone else with this, Cap," Jasper countered. "Got a couple of detectives coming from Forks, the two who started with this case eight years ago, but they can't know about her baby. I just. . . I don't trust them enough."
Garrett placed his hands on his hips, and nodded. "Okay. I'll find the baby, but you have to give me your word that if you need me, you will call, Cullen. I know you prefer being on your own, but if you need help, I don't care when, where, middle of the Goddamn night, you had better call me. Understood?"
"I will, Cap. Just . . . just don't tell anyone yet. Keep it to yourself."
"She's really gotten to you, hasn't she?"
Jasper smiled. "All of us, Garrett. All of us."
Hearing someone outside of the office, Jasper and Garrett stepped out, finding Newton and Crowley standing in the middle of the squad room like a couple of assholes. Jasper gave Garrett a look, before turning to the two men, and saying, "Don't get comfortable. We got work to do."
Jasper led Newton and Crowley out of the station house through the backdoor and they climbed into his truck. Crowley in the backseat this time, while Newton rode shotgun. Jasper started the truck and pulled up the address he'd found for Emily Young the day before. The three men made the ride in silence. He knew they wanted to know where he was stashing Bella, wanted to see for themselves that Forks' missing girl had really been found, but Jasper wasn't ready to expose her to the world yet. A girl like Bella would draw national attention, and the last thing Bella Swan needed were cameras in her face.
Jasper pulled up in front of a small house in the east side of Seattle. It was what one would call the poor side of town, but he wasn't one to judge. The three men climbed out and shared a look before pushing open the white, wooden gate that led to the front pathway and up the front steps.
Pausing to look around first, Jasper raised his fist and knocked on the front door three times before he took a step away and looked around the neighborhood. He heard the sound of locks being undone and turned to face the front door, feeling the pit in his stomach dropped. There standing in the doorway was a small Native American woman with long black hair, dark eyes, and half a dozen scars on the left side of her face, from her hairline, down her cheek, and into her jaw.
"Can I help you?" she asked, her eyes flickering from Jasper to Newton and then Crowley. "You're from Forks, aren't you?"
"They are," Jasper said, drawing her attention back to him. "You're Emily Young."
Her eyes widened. "Depends who's asking."
"My name is Jasper Cullen," he said, softly. "I'm a detective with the homicide division of Seattle PD. And I really need to talk to you."
"Me?" she asked, frowning. "Why me?"
Jasper took a deep breath, trying to keep from scaring her. "I'm looking for Sam Uley."
Emily tensed, her eyes shifting around the area before she said, "I don't know a Sam Uley."
She made to shut the door, but Jasper threw his hand out, stopping her. "I know what he did to you, and I want to find him and make him pay, but I need you to talk to me."
"You don't know what you're asking," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
"I do," Jasper murmured. "Please, help me stop him."
Emily's eyes closed for a moment before she took a step backward and opened the door, letting him, Newton, and Crowley inside her house. She closed the door, turning the deadbolt before moving so that she was standing on the other side of the room. The house was worse on the inside than the outside, dank and musty.
Emily wrapped her arms around her torso and said, "I don't know where he is. I haven't seen him since I was nine years old."
"Can we sit?" Jasper asked, gesturing toward the couch.
Emily nodded, but made no effort to sit across from him. Newton and Crowley stayed next to the door.
"Tell me what he did to you, when you little," Jasper said.
"What's there to tell?" she asked, her voice shaking. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't know."
"I know what people think happened," he said, tilting his head to the side. "That he touched you," he added, but when her shoulders tensed, he knew it went deeper than that. "But that wasn't all he did, was it, Emily?"
Her eyes closed for a moment. "I wish it had just been touching. We could have handled that," she whimpered, falling into the recliner in the corner. "My parents abandoned me when I was a baby. My Uncle Harry and Aunt Sue took me in, raised me like I was their own," she cried, her arms tightening around her torso. "My cousin Leah and I were best friends. We did everything together. Everything." She looked at him. "Sam moved in next door when I was three, Leah was four. He used to chase us around the reservation. It was fun at first. He was like a big brother. And then it changed.
"One day, Sam chased down to first beach, around the coves. Didn't think anything about it, but when Leah and I tried to leave, he blocked our way. There was this look in his eyes, Jasper." She shook her head. "That was the first time he touched us."
"The first time?" Crowley asked, drawing her attention to him. "How many times did he touch you, Emily?"
"I lost count," she whispered. "I was seven the first time he . . . he forced himself on me. He'd taken us into his bedroom, locked Leah in the closet, and held me down on the bed," she cried. "I begged him to stop, begged him to leave us alone, but he wouldn't. When he done with me, he put me in the closet and did the same to Leah. Said we were his girls now, his and only his, and he could do whatever he wanted to us. Leah and I told her parents that night. Uncle Harry and Aunt Sue were livid. They went to the Tribal Council. We had to stand in front of them and tell them every disgusting, dirty thing that animal had done to us. And then they said we should have known better than to be alone with him, that we should have been better supervised."
Emily brought her hand up her mouth. "Sam didn't touch us again for a long time after that, but he watched us. He followed us, always right there. Then he left one night, and Leah and I thought . . . We thought we were free, Jasper, free of him."
"But then he came back, didn't he?" he asked, moving and sitting on the edge of the coffee table. He reached out and took hold of Emily's hand. Her eyes lifted to his. "The night Harry died, he came back for you and Leah, didn't he?"
She nodded. "He was going to take us away, said we were his and he was going to take us away. Uncle Harry and Billy Black walked in while he was . . . was raping Leah, and . . ."
"They took him out to the woods, didn't they?" Jasper asked. "To kill him."
Emily nodded. "But he killed Uncle Harry instead and left the reservation again." She gestured to her face. "But not before leaving me with a little going away present. I fought back, you see, and Sam didn't like it when anyone fought back, so he took his knife and he cut me, Jasper. I was nine year old, and he fucking cut me."
"Did you ever see him again?" Newton questioned.
Emily shook her head. "Aunt Sue sent me here to live with a friend of hers, said it was the only way she could keep me safe after Leah killed herself. Leah tried to be strong, but she just couldn't live knowing Uncle Harry died because of us."
Jasper swallowed against the bile in his throat. "Emily, I can only imagine how hard this is for you right now, but do you have any idea where I would find him? Anywhere? Friends that he might be staying with?"
"Friends?" she laughed. "Sam Uley didn't have any friends, Jasper. He destroys everything he touches, everyone he comes into contact with."
Jasper nodded and dug his card out of his wallet, placing it on the coffee table next to him. "If you need anything, Emily. Anything at all, please give me a call, all right?"
"Are you really going to stop him, Jasper?" she asked.
"I'm sure as hell gonna try," he told her before standing up, motioning for Newton and Crowley to follow, and leading them outside.
He stopped on the porch and took a deep breath, trying to keep from beating the shit out of something, anything. He had just taken a step off the front porch when the sound of a gun firing echoed from inside the house. Shifting his eyes to Newton and Crowley first, he used his shoulder and broke the front door in, finding Emily laying on the living room floor with a bullet hole in her right temple and a revolver in her right hand. Emily Young had killed herself because Jasper pushed her too far.
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