Blood Ties

by Josephine Barly

  As the hot water poured over me and had a relaxing effect on me, I heard a bang. Completely freaked out, I closed the faucets; I grabbed the towel and covered myself with it, opened the door and crawled out of the bathroom into the hallway. I smelled wood burning from the dining-room, so I crawled over there. I stared, scared, at the table. It was half burnt, and a huge part was missing—the part where I’d placed the present on.

  I jumped back on my feet and ran to get the fire-extinguisher I keep by the door—even if there were no apparent flames, I didn’t want to risk any erupting spontaneously or sparks setting my apartment ablaze.

  Once most of my dining-room was covered in foam, I went to my bedroom, got my cell phone and the card Detective Davies had given me, and called him, my hands shaking as I dialed.

  The doorbell rang and, as I waited for the detective to pick up, I peeped and saw the concierge on the other side. After I hang up, due to the detective ignoring my call, I unlocked the door and cracked it open.

  “Yes, Mr. Jenkins, how may I help you?” I asked, trying to sound as natural and calm as possible.

  “A loud sound was heard and Daniel, your neighbor downstairs, said it came from here. Is everything all right?”

  “Yes, everything’s absolutely fine. A slight cooking mishap—you can probably smell it! Don’t worry, it’s under control now,” I replied, smiling tightly.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive!”

  “Very well then, just give me a call if you need anything Miss Pearson, okay?”

  “Will do,” I replied as I closed and locked the door.

  I called Detective Davies again but still got no answer. I paced around my room, put on some clothes, and sat on my bed. I didn’t want to talk to anyone but Detective Davies; my intuition said this situation had something to do with Susie’s murder.

  Ten seconds went by and my cell phone finally rang. I flipped it open and took it to my ear.

  “Detective Davies?” I asked, fear blatant in my voice.

  “Yes…Miss Pearson? Is everything all right?”

  “There was a package, and I went to take a shower and it went off, like a bomb.”

  “Are there any other new devices in your place or any more packages?”

  “No.”

  “I’ll be there immediately. Stay put, don’t pick up the phone, and stay away from windows. Unless it’s me ringing the doorbell, you open the door to absolutely no one.”

  I hung up. I changed into slacks and a t-shirt, sat on my bed, and waited.

  2

  Fifteen minutes later the doorbell rang. I ran to the door, and after checking through the peephole, let Detective Davies in.

  “Miss Pearson, are you okay?”

  I nodded as I led him into the dining-room.

  “I used the fire extinguisher to avert the possibility of a fire, but otherwise, I didn’t alter the scene.”

  “Was there an initial fire?”

  “I don’t know. I was taking a bath and heard a bang. Half the table was completely gone and there was black smoke.”

  “Okay. A bomb-specialist will be here shortly. She’ll be able to tell us what’s happened, though I assume it was a short range home-made bomb. I’m afraid this could be related to Miss Andrews’ murder. I’d like to get you a police escort.”

  “No, I’m sorry. I’ve got a life to lead; I can’t go running around with a policeman trailing after me. I value my safety and I’ll be extra-careful, but what you’re suggesting is a bit over the top.”

  “I was thinking along the lines of someone who could go undercover. Whoever killed your friend knew her and I suspect whoever it was also knows you. Now we not only have to solve Miss Andrews’ investigation, but we also have to protect you. I understand you want to live your life as usual, but I won’t let you become a sitting duck.”

  What Detective Davies said sank in and I sighed. I considered my options: doing absolutely nothing and possibly getting another package, leaving my life, or accepting the detective’s suggestion. I nodded, albeit reluctantly.

  “Who did you have in mind?” I asked.

  “I wanted it to be me but unfortunately, anyone could have seen us this morning or could know I’m a detective here. I’m not a very trusting human being, so I asked my brother to step in. He’s a detective in New York; I had to pull in some favors to have him transferred here, but I managed to do so. He’ll be arriving tonight. Until then, I’m staying by your side.”

  “Okay. When did you make the arrangements?”

  “On my way over here.”

  “That was fast,” I said, sounding surprised and with appraisal.

  “I am good at talking people into giving me what I want,” there was a trace of teasing in his voice. “Anyway, what were you up to before you took the shower?” Detective Davies enquired as he motioned for me to guide him around my place.

  I walked to my bedroom.

  “I was putting in phone calls to arrange for a memorial for Wednesday.”

  “Keep on doing that while I check the rest of the place, to make sure there are no other surprises,” he said as he left my room.

  I grabbed the address book Sandy had given me and started calling people to let them know about Susie’s demise. Most showed their concern, one muttered she had seen it coming, and a few cried. No one knew she had been murdered, and I refused to say it, but I could tell everyone assumed it.

  Detective Davies showed up twenty minutes later, having cleared my apartment, and told me bomb-specialist Riley Graham was at the door. I let the tall, slim, forty-odd years old brunette woman in and she went to work immediately.

  My stomach started growling and I decided to have some lunch. Detective Davies joined me in the kitchen and checked before I used anything. He grew tired of my pulling stuff out of drawers and shelves, made me sit down and watch as he cooked a cheese and tomato omelet for me. I told him he should have one as well, seeing as how we were probably going to be stuck all day at my house, and he did. I offered Riley one, but she’d had brunch. We ate quietly and looking at our food. It was very good, and I let the detective know it.

  “Davies,” Riley said, popping her head through the door, “come here.”

  He got up and I followed. Under the door-frame he turned around and looked at me sharply.

  “You’re staying here.”

  “No, I’m not. If this was an attempt to kill me, and I’m about to endure having your brother for protection, I want and deserve to know what’s going on.”

  Detective Davies considered his options for a moment. “You’re not going to do as I say, will you?”

  I smiled and shook my head.

  “Be quiet and listen. If you have any comments or questions to make, wait until we’re alone; understood?”

  I nodded and he turned around; I followed him.

  “It was a home-made bomb, with untraceable components. Whoever did it, knew what he or she was doing. It was set with a timer, so consider yourself incredibly lucky, Miss Pearson, that you weren’t standing nearby,” Riley explained.

  “But wasn’t it too short range? I mean, if someone wanted me dead, they could have built a larger range bomb and be assured I got caught by it.”

  The specialist looked at the detective and he shrugged. She wasn’t sure I should be there, and she doubted I should be told the details.

  “It didn’t work as it was meant to. Even if it was correctly built, not enough powder was used to make it more, shall we say, effective. If whoever sent it only meant to scare you, it was rightly done. But, if he or she really intended to kill you, either the aggressor didn’t know how much powder to use, or hoped you’d be near enough for it to get to you.”

  I nodded, understanding what she said. Detective Davies nodded as well and we looked at Riley expectantly.

  “I’ll pick up the rest of the evidence and take it to the lab. If I learn anything further, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thanks Graham. And please, be
ar in mind–”

  “This case is to remain as under the radar as possible, I know Davies,” she sighed, annoyed. She looked young was quite petit, which made me assume she was treated like a child more often than not. “I’ll process as much evidence as I can on my own and report only to you. If I can avoid asking for any sort of assistance, trust me, I will.”

  “Thank you Graham. And remember, if you run into my brother over the next few days, he’s not a cop, he’s a writer.”

  “A writer?” I asked, intrigued as to why they’d chosen that profession.

  “That’s how you two met.”

  “And why would anyone care?”

  Riley quietly returned to her work and decided to ignore us. Detective Davies led me to my bedroom.

  “Because he’ll pose as your new boyfriend.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “It’s the easiest explanation for him being constantly around you; no one will question his presence if you two are an item. You can make up a nice cover story once he gets here, but what I’ve said are the basics.”

  “Fine,” I said, though I wasn’t too fond of the idea.

  Detective Davies paced around the room; he was quite impatient and found the idea of sitting down quietly bothersome. I continued making phone calls and he did the same, but walking around. It was a bit annoying.

  About an hour later, Riley left. She’d basically cleaned my dining-room, but I proceeded to leave the place in order, minus the table. I’m not that much of a neat-freak, but having ashes and foam over my chairs and covering the floor wasn’t fun for me. As I cleaned, Detective Davies helped out.

  “Considering I’m going to become bait, don’t you think you should share some information regarding what you’ve found out so far? Besides, I could help you clear out suspects or something of sorts,” I said, trying to be as pleasant and convincing as possible.

  Detective Davies rolled his eyes and I thought he looked adorable as he did it. Then I reprimanded myself for thinking this cold, unemotional detective was adorable.

  “It was someone Miss Andrews knew—the locks weren’t forced and she was found naked, which means the killer imposed him or herself in an intimate way on her, she got naked on her own, or the killer undressed her after she was murdered. No clothes were found nearby, nor a towel, so she wasn’t about to take a shower.”

  “Poor Susie; I doubt she would have been having sex with anyone but Ray; they were having some trouble lately, but she wouldn’t have cheated. How was she killed?”

  “She was suffocated with a tie, probably the murderer’s. I’d be surprised if he or she has been reckless enough to leave DNA on it, but one can always hope…”

  “Susie wore ties, so maybe it’s hers. And regarding the DNA, maybe you’ll get lucky.”

  “There were no traces of semen but there were stretch-marks, which indicate she had intercourse. Could have been the boyfriend or the killer. Either way, a condom was used.”

  I nodded and sighed. I hated feeling that this was a case to be solved, when I should be mourning my friend.

  I was thinking about more questions to ask when the doorbell rang. Both Detective Davies and I walked to the door. He gazed through the peephole and opened the door. I was startled to find a man, barely shorter, with the same hair, green eyes and a slightly bigger mouth than Detective Davies’, walk in. He looked at me and bowed his head as a greeting, and then he hugged his brother. A huge smile spread across his face and I felt a tinkle in my stomach. His eyes shone and he was clearly the more playful and immature of the two.

  “Excuse my brother, Miss Pearson; we haven’t seen each other in about a month, and he’s obviously emotional about it.”

  “That’s okay. I’m Samantha Pearson, but you can call me Sam,” I said as I stretched my hand.

  “I’m Jared Davies, Sam, it’s lovely to meet you,” he said as he shook my hand; he had long, strong, firm fingers. “I guess you can call me Jared, seeing as how we’re together.”

  His eyes sparkled and I couldn’t help but snort. I thought I heard Aidan grunt, but if he did, we ignored it.

  The three of us went to the kitchen, where I prepared some coffee and we went over the basics of the case. Jared was already fully informed, and he said it would be better for us to go over our cover story. Aidan decided to take this as his exit sign, and he took off.

  “So, tell me about yourself, Sam. At least, the stuff I should know considering we’ve been dating over the past…two months?”

  I considered that time and nodded. I hadn’t dated anyone—or slept with—in over six months, and the few relationships I’ve been in had remained under the radar until after the third month, so it would make sense if Jared and I had been together for two months.

  “I work as a book editor. I’m an executive editor at Orchid Books. I’m twenty-eight years old, but I’ll be twenty-nine in two months, on April 6th. I’ve got an elder brother, Noel, and a younger sister, Kelly. Noel’s thirty and Kelly’s twenty-three. My mom, Sara, remarried after my dad died ten years ago, and Rod, my stepdad, is great. I’ve been working as an editor for the last six years, after getting my BA in English from Memphis University, and I started as an assistant but worked my way up to my current position.”

  “How did you know Susan?”

  “We’ve been best friends since kindergarten. Even when she studied Law at Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, we’d get together once a week for lunch or dinner, and if either of us travelled, we’d send each other e-mails or postcards, or we’d call.”

  My throat turned into a knot and I had to fight back tears. I swallowed and Jared placed his hand on mine, soothingly. I could see now, where Aidan was cold and insensitive, Jared was warm and feeling. Sense and Sensibility flashed into my mind, and I smiled softly.

  “If you don’t mind my asking so bluntly about it, how can you keep this apartment? I mean, unless you discovered J.K. Rowling...”

  “When I was younger, twenty-two, I fell in love with a stockbroker. You could say he’s the only real relationship I’ve been in,” I said, feeling a pang.

  “And what happened?”

  I took a deep breath in and remembered.

  “Caleb was four years older than me, and we were mad for each other. We met at a party and eight months later, we were engaged. Our families weren’t ecstatic, but they realized there was no way of talking us out of it. Two weeks before the wedding, Caleb was walking by a drugstore that was being robbed, and he got shot as the thieves escaped. He died. I was devastated, but I submerged into my work and found an outlet for the pain I felt through cooking, so I took some classes to keep myself busy. Susie did her best to help me fill the void, but it’s something I’m still carrying,” I took a deep breath. “Anyway, Caleb had drawn a will and left me his apartment. After a week of staying in it, I realized it hurt too much; it was the life I no longer had, and there was no way I could get it back. So, I talked it over with his parents and they bought it from me. I found this place and found it was where I felt most at ease.”

  “I’m so sorry for you, Sam. Aidan hadn’t told me anything about it.”

  “That’s okay Jared, I hadn’t told him and even if I’ve grown used to Caleb’s absence, it’s not something I find myself talking much about.”

  “Then talk to me about pets.”

  I smiled at Jared’s attempt (and success) at easing the sadness I’d just felt by recalling my life with Caleb.

  “One dog when I was about ten. He was called Paw. My sister had decided the name.”

  “Sports?”

  “I played hockey in high school. Now I run three times a week, for about an hour. Did you have any pets?”

  “A gerbil called Stewart. Aidan had one called Steven. We were young and we overfed, starved, or bored them to death.”

  I suppressed a giggle and nodded.

  “Family story?” I asked.

  “Aidan is three years older than me, I’m thirty. My parents are deceased; mom died
from breast cancer and dad from leukemia. They passed away on the same month. We had an older sister, Juliet, eight years Aidan’s senior; she was a love child. Juliet overdosed on cocaine when she was twenty-five. Four years later my parents died and Aidan became my legal guardian. Both our father and mother had been cops, so it was quite natural for us to follow their steps.”

  “That’s terrible. And you were so young…”

  “Yes, but that’ll also give you some insight as to why we turned out like we did.”

  “I guess…Did you practice any sports?”

  “Football. I was captain of my high school team and Aidan had been as well during his senior year. We both got through college on scholarships.”

  “That’s amazing. Any important relationships I should know about?”

  “I had a girlfriend for five years, Isobel. She cheated on me with her boss for six months before she came clean to me. We broke up three years ago and I haven’t been on a date since.”

  “I guess we’ve both got relationship issues!” I said, trying to make the situation more carefree.

  Jared grinned and chugged his coffee down. I stared surprised, it was still hot.

  “What about us?” I asked, getting down to business.

  “I wrote a book on aliens and witches, and you were my editor. I’ve already sent a manuscript written by someone I know, and it’s sitting on your desk so that you can work on it. Your boss has been told it’s necessary for it to be a rush job. We’ve got no idea of how long it will take for us to find the killer, and we need our cover story to be bulletproof.”

  “Of course. And how did we start dating?”

  “I was struck at first sight, but you turned me down because you don’t mix your business and pleasure. You relented when I cleared it with your boss and sent you five dozen red roses.”

  “Wow, that was very romantic of you.”