A/N… An extra chapter this week for Easter weekend. I'm updating today, because I won't have time tomorrow. Everything else will post as normal. Happy Easter, if you celebrate, or if you just need a Reece's peanut butter egg, that's worth celebrating too. They're amazing. I'm just stoked I'm off on Sunday. ;)

I'll let you get to it.

~oOo~

Chapter 4

EDWARD

The sun was out bright by the time I woke up. Studying my face in the mirror, I noted that my eye wasn't black, the swelling was down, and the bandages Bella applied were still holding on. Miraculously, I hadn't split it again in my sleep.

Walking through my apartment, I shook my head at all the work Tanya had done and picked up the note she'd left me, rereading it to make sure I didn't miss anything from being so tired the night before.

Edward,

Everything's pretty much as you had it at the old place. I broke the empty boxes down, but I wasn't quite sure where to take them, so they're stored in the closet of the spare room.

You'll have to do the heavy lifting, like putting your bed together and moving your living room around the way you want it, but you need stuff on your walls. Decorate, for fuck's sake. Otherwise, you're at least able to function in here.

By the way, your coffee maker was a lost cause. I threw it away. But you have that really nice coffee shop downstairs. And if the owner is the young, GORGEOUS brunette, then go apologize for being your usual grumpy self. I like her.

Your BFF,

T

Her note read like her sarcastic voice, and I snorted into a chuckle, rolling my eyes at the pushy hint at the bottom.

I hadn't put the bed together, but that was the plan for the day. However, the living room looked fine the way I'd haphazardly set it up. I still needed to order internet, set up my TV, and arrange my bookshelves the way I wanted, but at least I wasn't tripping over boxes.

It took the next hour to set up the beds in the two bedrooms. By the time I'd made both beds and showered, I was starving, and I didn't exactly have a full fridge. So I resigned myself to eating at Common Ground. I grabbed my laptop bag to take with me, because I needed to go through the evidence and the crime scene pictures of the park.

Common Ground was busy, but at least there was a table in the corner. The feel of the place was a little eclectic – modern, with a touch of an industrial feel. There was a red brick wall along the back with a chalk board with specials written on it, some sofas and chairs, but also regular tables and booths. I took a seat with my back to the brick wall so I could work without worrying someone could see.

Before I'd even opened my laptop, a large cup of black coffee was set down in front of me. My eyes raked over tight jeans to an apron tied around a small waist, and finally a work T-shirt filled out just… My eyes met Bella's, and she smirked down at me.

"No cage fighting with the dirty underground today?" she asked wryly, but thankfully, she wasn't loud. She gestured to my jeans and T-shirt and unshaven face.

My head was pounding, and I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands. "No, not today. I go back Monday."

"Hungry? Or are you here to use my Wi-Fi?"

"Both, please. I haven't even called to order internet, and you can't imagine the state of my kitchen."

"You know what you want? Or do you want me to surprise you?"

Grinning with my hands still on my face, I said, "Surprise me."

Careful not to touch my cut, I raked both hands through my hair and met her gaze. Her eyes were so deep – fathomless, really – and her brow was furrowed. She truly couldn't stop herself from taking care of others, even the asshole cop she'd hated up until maybe the night before, when she'd cleaned and bandaged me up. That said more about Bella than I could possibly focus on at the moment.

"I'm okay. Just a headache."

She nodded, gently nudging the coffee closer in a silent offer, and then spun around to head back to the counter. There was no stopping my gaze from following her. Tanya was right, she was gorgeous, but there was more there – a sharpness and a touch of sadness, if I was reading her correctly, which I hadn't done so well before with her. She carried a shit-ton of responsibility, and I'd bet I hadn't even scratched the surface of it yet.

With a deep sigh, I opened my laptop and logged in, scrolling through photo after photo of the crime scene. There were documented shoeprints before we'd all traipsed all over the scene – some looked like sneakers, others a work boot of some sort. At first glance, it seemed like a drug deal gone awry. There had obviously been a struggle, but whoever had killed Maria didn't stop to actually rob her. Everything was still on her – wallet, car keys, a few twenty-dollar bills – including the little bag of heroin beneath the body.

I frowned at the screen, rubbing my bottom lip. They'd killed her and dropped her, which made me think that maybe killing her hadn't exactly been the plan. If it had been intentional, then this was a message to someone or several people. If they'd merely meant to rough her up, punish her for something, then this shit went all sorts of fucking sideways. Whatever the reasons, the killer or killers left her in a hurry after it was all over.

Flipping over to the coroner's preliminary report, I searched for other injuries, aside from the slice to her throat. Bruises surrounded her upper arms, and there were a few cracked ribs and a broken fingernail or two. A contusion splashed across her cheekbone, and that punch had knocked a few teeth out of her mouth, cutting her tongue and the inside of her cheek. Her knuckles were split and scraped, and a thumb was dislocated.

Maria had fought back, but she'd been worked over before they killed her. I just needed to know why. It was one thing to owe someone money, but to kill them meant that whoever was owed would never see that money again.

Lastly, I pulled up the list of employees from Inferno – from the owner to dancers to waitstaff. Some had police records, but a fair few did not. Angela Weber was one who came up clean. Unfortunately, I had to pull former employee files as well, and that included the young woman walking my way with a plate in her hands. Her record was fucking spotless.

I shut my laptop, pushing it to the side and smirking when Bella reached into her apron pocket to pull out a bottle of pain reliever. She set that down along with a glass of orange juice, finally setting a full plate in front of me. It was French toast with sausage and bacon.

I held up the bottle of pain reliever. "This isn't on the menu."

Her grin was quick and beautiful. "True, but you looked like you could use it."

"I really could." I shook out a couple tablets, handing the bottle back to her, which was stashed back into the pocket of her apron. "Thank you."

"If you're working, I'll leave you alone, but I have time to answer the question you had last night," she said, gesturing around the room that had emptied a bit.

"I don't know if I'd call it working. We have to approach this case differently starting Monday. Maria's death looks like a warning; they roughed her up before killing her."

"James isn't exactly timid," Bella stated blandly.

"We haven't talked to him yet. What's he—" I stopped myself, shaking my head. "I'm not here to wheedle information out of you, Bella. The fact that you know these people is a crazy fucking coincidence, but other than Jasper and the Common Ground shirt she was wearing, there's nothing else that ties you to her from the night she died."

Her eyebrows shot up, but she held up a finger. "I'll be right back."

She walked back to the counter, pouring herself a cup of coffee and whispering something to Carmen, who nodded in acknowledgement. I busied myself with pouring syrup on my French toast and unwrapping my silverware.

Bella joined me back at the table, taking the chair across from me. "So this might tie it all up for you, Edward. I'll answer your question from last night, but it'll tell you a few things about Inferno at the same time. And some of that stuff is just…" She trailed off, taking a sip of coffee, her eyes on me as I tucked into my breakfast.

"Charlie and my mom, Renee, met in a little town a few hours from here called Forks. She'd already had Jasper, and I wasn't that far behind. Jasper's dad was an abusive bastard, but they shared custody until one day Jasper came home from a weekend with his dad, Phil, beaten up."

My brows furrowed, and I took a sip of coffee. "How old was he?"

"Fourteen." She swallowed thickly, wrinkling her nose. "You've met Charlie, so you know he went over there in full-blown police mentality."

I huffed a laugh. "I'm sure."

"Phil didn't come around much after that visit, and Dad did his best with Jasper after that, but my brother is… I don't want to say weak. He's not. He's smart and funny and used to be my best friend, but he was just…pissed. He was angry all the time."

She toyed with the saltshaker, not really looking at it or me or anything else for that matter. Bella was far away at the moment. When she spoke again, there was sadness in her tone.

"Jasper became a fight between Mom and Dad. Charlie tried discipline; Renee wanted to soften life – neither worked. Eventually, Mom and Jasper moved here to Seattle, leaving me with Dad in Forks."

My brow furrowed at that because it sounded like Renee chose one child over the other. I shook my head a little, stuffing sausage into my mouth rather than point that out or interrupt her.

Bella smiled, tilting that gorgeous head at me. "Don't. She didn't pick him. I refused to go." When I nodded, she went on. "I stayed with Dad throughout high school and community college in Port Angeles, but about my second year, Mom called me, said that Jasper was out of control, that he'd stay out for days, coming back a fucking wreck.

"He'd stolen money from her, sold everything they had – electronics, jewelry, even fucking appliances."

"Drugs," I surmised.

"Oh, yeah, and even worse, my mother was sick."

Squeezing my eyes closed, I sighed deeply. "So you came."

"I did. I moved in with her, changed the locks, kicked my brother out, but that simply pushed him right into Maria's arms, which also introduced him to James Hunt. She performed on stage, and Jasper became a bouncer. They had more drugs and money than they could shake a stick at, and how neither ever overdosed is a shocking fucking miracle." She sneered a little, looking so angry, but she reined it in. "I needed money for doctors and medicine, so Jasper brought me in to Inferno.

"James wanted me on stage, but…" She trailed off, glaring wryly my way. "Yeah, that shit wasn't happening. I wanted no part in anything other than a job – a legal, fully fucking clothed job. Never mind the sex they filmed and posted online."

I snorted into my coffee, which made her grin. "Sorry."

She waved away my apology with a chuckle. "I actually made more money at Nomad's next door, and I preferred it to Inferno, but we rotated. I made good tips there."

"I'm sure," I said before I could stop myself. She was a stunning and smart girl, so I could absolutely see her using that to her monetary advantage.

"For a long time, Jasper wouldn't let them near me. He protected me against James and Laurent, because they came at me all the time for stripping and porn. And honestly, I simply didn't have the time. My mom was getting sicker every damn day. She had pancreatic cancer, so they gave her maybe a year. She lasted just under two and a half years."

"Christ, Bella," I said through a deep sigh, rubbing my face and wincing when I brushed across my cut.

"Careful," she warned softly. "Yeah, it was a hellish few years. The only thing I regret is Jacob Black."

"The bouncer?"

She nodded, looking away and ashamed at the same time. "Yeah, that was totally on me. He's an ass. He didn't start that way, but he ended up…" She turned back to me. "He ended up with my knee in his groin and his camera equipment floating in a full bathtub of hot, soapy water."

"Fuck," I said, unable to stop a laugh. "That sounds like you let him off easy, Bella."

She grinned, but it faded way too quickly for my liking. "I was just… I was exhausted – mentally and emotionally. He came along and he worked me. He took care of me, he helped with my mom a little, and he kept James and his bullshit away from me. I thought he loved me, but he was just biding his time. He was sleeping around – Maria being one of them."

I glared down at my empty plate. "She sounds…"

"Like trouble," she finished for me, and I nodded. "Yeah, she was, but she was in so deep with those guys. They used her, and she used them. And the things she'd do to Jasper…" Bella's hands wrapped around her coffee mug, and she met my gaze. "They'd break up, he'd quit Inferno, and I'd clean him up, get his head straight. She'd pop back up to pull him right back under. She'd have a pregnancy scare or someone hurt her, and he'd go right back to be with her.

"It wouldn't matter that he had a girlfriend," she continued, glancing my way. "You've met Alice."

I nodded, remembering the tiny raven-haired girl in tears the day we'd booked Whitlock.

"He'd cheat and lie, all for the next hit or binge or whatever. Just to get to Maria." She paused for a moment, looking to me. "I guess she can't do that anymore, huh?"

Bella went quiet for a moment, sipping her coffee. "When my mom finally lost her battle with cancer, I didn't know she'd had an insurance policy. It was something Charlie had set up when I was born." Bella pointed behind her. "Carmen and Eleazar owned the building and the shop. Mom's apartment was right upstairs. They were struggling with it all – the shop and the apartments, so I used the insurance money and bought it from them.

"They loved the customers and cooking, so they run Common Ground, but I own it. I brought Charlie here when he was shot in a convenience store robbery and he had no choice but to retire. He's been with me ever since."

"And Jake and James… They just let you go?"

Her laugh was bitter. "Jake tried for a bit but gave up. James didn't bother with me because I wasn't involved in anything other than waiting tables. As far as they know, I work for Carmen now. And I'd like to keep it that way."

"I understand. I promise that goes no further than this table," I vowed to her, because those assholes would take her for every fucking dime she had if they knew.

"Thank you." She studied my face for a few seconds, finally adding, "If James actually killed her, and you can prove it, that whole building will go down."

I smiled ruefully, shrugging a shoulder. "We'll see. I can't figure out why he'd kill her. According to what I've been able to piece together, she was a big draw at night, she drew online sales, and yeah, she was dealing drugs, but she was useful. Why kill her? That's what's stumping me."

"Maybe you need to talk to Jasper," she suggested. "I mean, he'd know more about her than me."

"He's not exactly my biggest fan, Bella."

"I could…"

"No, you've done more than enough. If I need to talk to him, I can handle Jasper," I told her. "But you've been most helpful. Thank you. If you get involved like that, then it could put a target on you, and no…just no."

She smirked. "Just remind him you put him in rehab or that I sent you. Maybe that would smooth it over, but I doubt it."

Grinning, I nodded. "We'll see."

She got up, picking up my empty plate. "More coffee?"

"Please." I pulled my laptop back to me, opening it to study the case file some more.

~oOo~

BELLA

Sundays at Common Ground were always quiet in the afternoons. Sunday morning had a rush, but after that, it was dead. It was probably the one day I could close the coffee shop and not fear losing money, but I stayed open for the few people who did come in.

After talking with Edward on Saturday, I hadn't seen much of him. He'd worked for about an hour longer but then left without saying anything. He did, however, leave a huge tip. He'd been in and out of the building a few times, and I'd seen him lugging groceries upstairs, but he hadn't stopped by the shop, even for his usual black coffee.

I sighed, flipping through the inventory clipboard. I had officially become hyperaware of him, which bothered me. By his looks alone, a girl could lose her reason. Fuck, even Carmen had a crush on him, the silly thing.

I had to give him credit. He wasn't the asshole I thought he was. He was extremely private, though. He didn't talk about himself at all. Like…nothing. No past, no present. The only things I knew about him were from observations. A beautiful woman with strawberry-blonde hair had visited him, but that had been days ago, and he hadn't stayed with her, just left for work. Dad had said she was really nice and funny, helping Edward unpack his boxes.

Edward would talk about his work, but even that was limited because I could imagine he couldn't speak of it. He'd said that it was a coincidence that Maria had worn her old work shirt, but that was where he seemed to draw the line with me and his current case.

Frowning down at the paper in front of me, I tried not to think of her, but it was impossible. There was a terrible part of me – deep down – that was glad she was gone. She couldn't manipulate Jasper anymore. She couldn't drag him back into a world that would get him into trouble – or worse, killed.

I finished the inventory, walking to the booth where I'd left my laptop. Opening it, I got to work on bills, orders, and balancing the budget. The numbers looked good, even with the fact that Dad didn't pay rent. However, rent came in from Carmen and Eleazar for 4A, Edward for 3B, and Mr. Saunders in the apartment across from Edward on the third floor. He was an older gentleman who was currently in Phoenix visiting relatives. There was one more space available on the fourth floor, which Dad was currently upgrading. Nothing major. Just a coat of paint, a new water heater, and some updated cabinetry.

I was just about to finish up and go check on him when the bell rang at the door. A glance up made me smile a little. Someone needed coffee.

"Hey, Edward."

"Hey, Bella."

I pointed toward the counter in silent question, and he nodded, dragging a hand through that out-of-control hair of his. Parts of it stayed standing up, where other parts fell into his eyes, making him look like he'd had several rounds of sex. He was dressed casually again today, which made me roll my eyes at myself when I turned to grab a cup, because Detective Masen in a suit and tie was handsome and a little intimidating, but Edward – the guy renting apartment 3B – in jeans and an untucked green button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows could've graced the cover of any men's magazine.

I silently chastised myself for even thinking that way. That man had walls around him taller than this four-story building…and just as thick. And I wasn't sure he still didn't see me as the drug dealer's little sister.

He started for his wallet, and I waved him off as I walked back to my booth. "Don't sweat it. I've already counted the drawer for the day. I was just about to lock the doors."

His heavy brow wrinkled a little as he sipped his cup. "Early?"

Smirking, I waved a hand around the empty place. "Yeah. Sundays are kinda dead after breakfast."

He smiled, but he shifted on his feet. He looked like he had something to say, but he was biting his tongue. Just as he opened his mouth, the bell over the door rang again.

I glanced over, seeing Alice come in, but it was her tear-stained face that launched me out of my seat.

"What happened? Is it—"

"What's he doing here?" she sniffled, eyeing Edward like she'd kick him if she could get away with it.

"He lives here, Ali. I told you this already," I said calmly, guiding her to my booth. "What happened? Why are you crying?"

She glared over at Edward, and he apparently took the hint because he muttered, "I'll leave you to it."

Focusing back on me, she said, "My sister's house was robbed."

The bell clanged at the door, and Edward turned to face us. "When?" he asked.

"What do you care?" she snapped back, big tears filling her eyes.

"Alice, answer him please. I'd like to know that too," I soothed her, tucking her chin-length hair behind her ear and swiping my thumb beneath her eyes to catch the tears that started anew.

"Last night," she replied through a sniffle. "We'd gone out to eat. The kids had wanted pizza. We came back, and everything was fucking everywhere."

Edward grabbed a chair and pulled it closer, sitting down. "What was taken?"

She stared at him for a second or two. "Not really anything. I mean, the TV and game console, some jewelry. They think it was kids. My room had the most damage. My closet, the stuff I was storing for Jasper… All of it was gone through."

My brow furrowed, but I looked to Edward. He seemed to be sorting through all kinds of thoughts. The wheels were definitely turning there. Those green eyes of his had gone as dark as fir trees in the winter.

"My sister blames me." Alice voice was soft and sad. "She said I had to go. She thinks it's Jasper's fault, like he could do this from jail. We had this huge fight. She told me she couldn't have that kind of stuff around her kids."

"Okay, well, I know you're allergic to Sid, so we'll go talk to Dad about his spare room, okay?" I told her. "But you're okay, right? Do I need to take you to the clinic?"

Her hand went to her little bump, and she shook her head. "No, I'm okay. I just…" She shrugged, toying with the phone in her hand.

"Did you report it?" Edward asked.

She nodded, glancing up at him and then to me. There was a question all over her face, but she didn't ask anything.

"Did they take fingerprints?"

She met his gaze. "Yeah. The doors, my room, windows, the wall unit where the TV was. They told us not to hold our breath."

He grimaced a little at that. "That's only because those items are hard to recover. I'll call over to the station to see if the prints came back, though I doubt it on a Sunday. Maybe tomorrow."

Alice and I nodded.

His face was still contemplative when he stood up and put the chair back. He gave a brief shake of his head.

"Come lock me out, Bella. You shouldn't be in here by yourselves."

My brow furrowed, but I followed him to the door.

"She's pregnant," he surmised in a whisper before opening the door, and I nodded. "Jasper's?"

I smiled sadly. "Yeah. If you go to KCC, you can't mention it. He doesn't know yet. You said you may question him about Maria, but you… This isn't my call, so…"

"He should know," Edward argued softly. "I mean… I'd wanna know."

"Believe me, I'd like to slap him with that piece of reality. I'm only following her wishes on this."

Edward grinned, nodding as his gaze dropped to the floor. "Not just with reality, I imagine."

I snorted, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Right." He pointed to the door. "Lock it, until you go upstairs." When I looked at him questioningly, he simply said, "Call it…cop's intuition. Okay?"

"Fair enough."

As I closed the door, he pulled out his cell phone and put it up to his ear as he walked away. "This is Detective Masen…"

~oOo~

A/N… So insurance money got Bella Common Ground and the apartments.

It's time to rec you a fic. For years… YEARS! DrivingEdward has preread for me, helped me sort out plots and issues, and is an all around amazing friend. She's now written her very first fic. I'm so proud of her, and I've had the honor of prereading for her.

Go check out The Love of the Game by DrivingEdward. Southernward/Baseballward. He's so yummy. You won't be disappointed. It's on my faves list here on ffn.

Okay, When Angels Fall will update on Sunday. This one again on Tuesday. Have an awesome weekend. Until next time… Mooches, Deb ;)