by Claire Kane
Lacey subtly shook her head. It was more like noise on top of noise. It wasn’t at all as clear as when you showed me that vision of those girls from the coffee shop talking to the cops. What’d you get from him?
Victor’s shoulders sagged. “That he’s a very busy, angry person.”
Lacey tapped her foot impatiently. And what about that “maybe” you mentioned? Is this guy a problem or not?
Victor shrugged. “Timing-wise, it was almost perfect. And I can definitely sense dark things about him. But it’s… it’s almost like meeting with Teddy. Something is keeping me from pinpointing the source of this. But it most definitely appeared when he did,” and Victor pointed at Geo again.
Though, you could read his thoughts, Lacey replied. Keep an eye on him while—
Her phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her slim red coat, thinking to ignore the call. But the ID said “Trend.” She glanced around to see whether anyone in the room was calling, but saw no one she knew with a phone to their ear, so she decided to answer. “Hello?”
“Lacey.” It was Jack’s warm voice.
“Yes, hello.”
“It’s me. Jack. I’m on in a moment. I just wanted to make sure you’re here.”
She smiled, feeling her heart catch. “I am. I’ll be in the crowd, standing to your right.”
“Okay, perfect.” She thought she heard a smile in his voice. “Wish me luck.”
Her own smile widened. “Good luck.”
The call ended without him saying goodbye.
Victor stood at the podium, translucent as always, a joker’s glint in his sparkly eyes. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming,” he lifted his arms, “to see me, the most studly studmuffin dead ex-boyfriend there is.” When no one responded, of course, he said, “Please, hold your applause. No, I won’t be taking any questions.”
Lacey shook her head at him. Victor appeared beside her, arms crossed. “Just wanted you to see who Pretty Boy is up against, lest you forget.”
Just then, Jack entered the lobby to the flashes of a hundred cameras. He was handsome in his fitted navy suit, the white dress shirt unbuttoned at the neck, no tie. All business, he straight away approached the podium. Lacey’s smile was instant. Two large men, also in expensive suits, trailed behind him, taking their spots on the empty stools beside Geo.
In a red Hawaiian shirt and khakis, Geo was the only one casually dressed. His dark eyes looked glazed over in what appeared to be exhaustion, sitting beside the large men.
“Good morning, everyone,” Jack soberly greeted. “Ladies and gentlemen of the press, and local law enforcement, among others. Welcome to my agency, Trend Modeling, the fastest growing modeling agency in the Seattle area.”
He inhaled deeply and scanned the crowd for a moment. “I have invited you all here in response to heartbreaking news.” His eyes shifted away as a hand rubbed his mouth. He looked back at the crowd, catching Lacey’s stare. “As you’re aware, we recently lost two of our very beautiful, very intelligent and very successful models, Jessica Simcox and Brittany Lareaux.
“Miss Simcox was expecting her first child when her life was so gruesomely taken, which makes her tragedy a double homicide. And Miss Lareaux was just starting her life’s journey as a freshman at the University of Washington, interested in Political Science.”
The press was quiet. All that could be heard were camera shutters as more pictures were being taken. Jack continued. “First, I want to give my condolences to their families. On behalf of myself and my staff, I can’t help but feel some guilt over what happened. You entrusted your loved ones to our care. Miss Simcox’s murder was a tragedy all on its own, but it wasn’t until Miss Lareaux’s life was brutally taken away, as well, that it gave us reason to seriously consider whether there may be a connection to Trend. We have no choice but to face the facts: that this agency has, for reasons unknown, been targeted by some maniac on the streets.”
Lacey inhaled sharply. Victor glanced at her in concern.
Jack dabbed lightly at an eye, and took a moment to compose himself. “I want the families of the victims to know, as well as you, concerned citizens watching from home, that Trend will do everything humanly possible to keep our models safe. We’ve hired military-trained security guards,” he pointed behind him to the two large men in suits, “to escort our models to and from their cars, no matter what time of day. You can say we’re overreacting, but I ask you this: how well would any of you sleep if you knew people in your care were being actively targeted, and you stood by and did nothing?
“These guards, and more, will be surveilling and safeguarding this entire building twenty-four hours a day, so even after-hours emergency meetings or bookings won’t be a threat for any woman. If necessary, I’ll personally see to your protection. You will be safe in our care. Nothing is more precious to us than you. Nothing.”
He paused and lifted a finger, eyeing the several cameras in the front row poised at him. “I have a message to the police.” He pressed his lips together firmly. “The police have been failing us.”
Surprised by the statement, Lacey eyed the room. Expressions were somber, flat. But then, that’s how the media is trained to be—emotionless. She remembered. Yet a murmur arose from the various law enforcement personnel throughout the room.
Jack’s finger shook as he reiterated, “The police have failed us. I’ll say this—after now two murders, they should have at least offered to stake out Trend and provide protection. But even if the police offer their protection now, know that my private security will remain. They will remain, because these so-called defenders of law and order should be working tirelessly on the case so this doesn’t happen to anyone else, but they haven’t. Two murders is one shy of what constitutes a serial killing, and I will not have that. ”
“Wow,” Victor uttered. “He’s not pulling any punches. Good thing they haven’t lost any more girls, or he might be calling for military action.”
Lacey gave him a muted scowl. Be serious here, Victor. We’re talking about murder.
I am serious, he replied. I know a thing or two about that, remember? An idea occurred to him, but he knew Lacey was too focused on the moment to want to listen, so he filed the thought away.
Jack continued, his speech gathering momentum. “Whoever is guilty of the vile acts of violence against these women, know your days of freedom are numbered. You will pay. Justice will be serviced. You will be found. I promise you that.”
Gripping the sides of the podium, Jack said with a slight lilt, “Here’s another promise to the murderer: you’ll never harm one of our girls again. And I’m not alone in my faith in that. In fact, our team has recently been joined by someone this community already knows and trusts for her intelligent and probing mind and no-nonsense attitude. I take her acceptance of our offer as a sign of good faith in the promises I’ve made this morning.”
Lacey’s heart pounded, knowing he was talking about her. She hadn’t expected this; Jack hadn’t sent her the formal offer she’d been waiting on, but she supposed this was it. She tucked some hair behind an ear, feeling her face burn.
“In fact, she’s here with us, in the crowd, the very lovely and talented Ms. Lacey Ling.”
In a commotion of murmurs, searching cameras abruptly whirled, finally landing on Lacey’s face. She successfully hid embarrassment under a practiced, pleasant demeanor made for TV.
Jack smiled mildly. “As a further sign of solidarity, she’ll be my special guest this Saturday at the mayor’s ball, where we’ll be raising money for the families of Jessica Simcox and Brittany Lareaux.” He paused for a moment. “I’m really going to miss Brittany and Jessica.”
He composed himself again. “Now, I understand you’re the press, and therefore you’re accustomed to refrain from things like laughter or clapping on camera,” he said with a charming smile, “but let’s give a hand for Lacey Ling, who will help give back to those hurting in our community.”
Jack applauded loudly,
and after a moment’s pause, was joined by soft clapping that soon intensified into something sincere. Lacey allowed herself a blush for the cameras.
When the applause died, the media attention returned to Jack. He waited a beat before continuing. “I want you to know Lacey didn’t expect me to put attention on her this morning. She was merely invited to attend, like the rest of you. She’s a special person with a special talent. KZTB sure is missing a superstar. I want to publicly thank her for signing with us. She will be a bit of sunshine amidst what has been dark, dark clouds.”
Lacey could crawl under the reception desk, and yet she loved the zing at her former employer. Only Jack’s charm could get away with criticizing the police and the media, while simultaneously praising Lacey’s “special”-ness.
Victor shook his head in awe. “I have to give it to him. He is gooood… Just don’t forget to send me an invitation to the wedding.”
Lacey internally rolled her eyes. Be quiet, she teased back, though she wondered whether she’d ever consider going that far with anyone. But Jack was definitely worth hanging on to for now.
“Just wait until I get back, at least,” he said, walking slowly backward, eyes never leaving her face.
Her brow wrinkled. “Back from where?”
“Heaven. I need to do a little investigating of my own.”
TWENTY-ONE
Lacey found herself pacing Trend’s lobby in the wake of the press conference, grateful she was no longer the center of attention. She was impressed that Jack had gone to such lengths, both in assembling the media and in offering so much protection for his staff. While she expected companies to be concerned about their staff in situations like this, most places, eager to protect both their people and their bottom line, would have just offered staff training, offered stern warnings, and maybe installed some security cameras, or arranged for a few extra police patrols. She found it touching to see a man so willing to sacrifice for others.
She heard someone coming up behind her, and turned to see Jack striding across the polished floor. He smiled as soon as she met his eyes, and she felt her heart miss a beat. “Lacey, there you are.”
She returned his smile and the embrace he offered. He quickly glanced around and she followed suit. Finding no one there, he leaned in to steal a quick kiss, only to pull away quickly as though he were a little boy about to get caught stealing his mom’s cookies. Lacey couldn’t help but smile at that, and she found she loved the feel of his lips.
“Oh, Mister Beals,” she said in mock-seriousness, “I think you can do a little better than that. Besides, I think you owe me, after the stunt you just pulled.”
He chuckled. “I suppose you’re right. Let’s try that again.” He pulled her in for something more serious, and she let herself get lost in it, savoring the way it soothed her nerves. When they parted, she pushed him to arm’s length and gazed into his eyes for a moment, before letting her face show the concern she felt.
“You could have at least warned me before throwing me to the wolves.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Lacey Ling, given your history, you were a wolf among wolves. The way you handled the press after today’s conference was a sight to behold. I think that if anyone ought to be running home with their tails between their legs, it’d be the reporters who showed up, not the former reporter who outshined them.”
Lacey couldn’t help but smile at that. Jack offered his arm, and she took it, mildly surprised. “What say we give you a little tour of the place, get you your keys and ID badge, then grab some lunch? We can handle all the messy paperwork next Monday, then you can start for real on Tuesday.”
She pecked him on the cheek, finding that he was very easy to forgive. “That sounds wonderful.” He began to lead her away, but she stopped him and locked eyes. “Jack? I just wanted to thank you.”
His eyebrows knit together. “Thank me? For what?”
“For everything,” she said. “For buying dinner for a random stranger—that just happened to be me—for offering me a chance to better my situation and… and…” she glanced away, feeling a strange tremor and wondering why she was nearly fighting tears, suddenly.
He gently lifted her chin. “And what? Lacey, it’s okay. If there’s something you need to tell me, I’m all ears.” His soft smile encouraged her onward.
“Thank you for protecting your girls.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Of course I’m interested in my girls. Not only would I not have a business without them, but they’re special to me. I’ve taken care to get to know every last one of them. You have no idea how much it hurt, with Jessica and Brittany.”
Lacey swallowed hard. “That’s what I mean,” she said. “I-I actively didn’t want to become a model. I didn’t want to just be a piece of meat to show off for all the world to see. And I know a little about the business. I didn’t want to just be ‘product,’ either. But this? All you’re doing to protect the other models? It says you care about them. That they’re real people to you.”
Jack’s face softened, and he pulled Lacey into a long, soft embrace. “Of course I do.” He held her away from him, and gazed at her. “You know, maybe this is a little too forward of me, but I have a confession to make. When I bought you dinner, I didn’t know you, it’s true, but you looked like someone who’d had a rough day. That, and, well,” and he actually blushed, “I couldn’t help but find you more than a little attractive.”
It was Lacey’s turn to blush. “You, sir, are too good at that. But,” she chewed her lip in thought, “I’ve still got a bit of an obstacle to really going ahead with this.”
Jack frowned, worried. “What’s that?”
“My grandmother. I can’t just leave her alone all day. And from what I’ve gathered…” she let her words hang in the air.
He nodded thoughtfully. “That is a concern, yes.” He rubbed his chin for a moment, then his eyes lit. “How social is your grandmother?”
Lacey laughed. “You met her.”
He smiled. “True. Humor me—would she be okay with a visiting nurse?”
She looked across the lobby, cringing inside at the cost. “Well, that’s not an option I’d considered…”
Jack touched her shoulder. “Let’s try again. If money weren’t an object, would you be willing to trust her to a visiting nurse?”
Lacey looked up at him in surprise. “Jack, I couldn’t ask you to—”
He pressed a finger against her lips. “I’ve just hired military-grade bodyguards to protect my girls. I won’t even tell you how much I’m spending on upgrading the security system. I learned that if I take care of my girls, they take care of me. I’m serious about signing you. I can see how much you love your grandma. I happen to know a few people; I’ll get her the perfect nurse, and you won’t have to worry about her for even a second. What do you say?”
Lacey felt her breath catch. This was all so fast. How would Nainai react? Would she feel she was being abandoned? What if she did get a nurse, but didn’t like her? So many questions swirled in her mind.
“Lacey?” Jack’s voice was warm and patient, and snapped her out of her spinning thoughts. “Trust me on this: she’ll be fine.”
Lacey's worries melted away, and within moments, she’d nearly forgotten she’d been verging on panic. She wondered why she’d freaked out. Jack’s solution was sensible and elegant; of course Nainai would be fine. She smiled up at him, still fighting not to let her eyes mist up. “Thank you, Jack,” she whispered. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
He answered with a crooked, boyish smile. “My pleasure. So it’s settled. I’ll make the arrangements this afternoon.
“Now, how about that tour and a little bite to eat? I don’t know about you, but that press conference made me hungry.”
*
Victor found Heaven simultaneously thrilling and slightly painful. He’d been with Lacey again, and the thought of leaving her in such a miserable place made his heart ache, even when he’d cleare
d the glorious pearly gates through which streams of angels passed. He’d come here on a hunch, and was about to find out whether he was right. With some digging around—which took surprisingly little time—he’d manage to locate whom he was looking for, and arrange a meeting.
Standing at a small but glorious fountain beneath a tree that reached to the sky, he kept his senses open, scanning for one particular angel among the myriad of others who were gathered around, conversing, hugging loved ones, laughing, and otherwise enjoying their existence.
He felt the presence before he saw her, and instantly, she was there. She was a head and a half shorter than Victor, but carried herself regally. The long drape of her luxurious black hair stood in stark contrast to her glowing white dress that looked more like something a girl would get married in than wear as everyday attire. Her eyes were a stunning hazel, and they sparkled with both intelligence and amusement.
“Well, brother,” the girl said, “I hear you were looking for me.”
Victor scratched at the back of his neck, wondering how to go about this.
“The memories of my death are… not something I’d prefer to dwell on,” she said, interrupting his thoughts.”
He nodded, slightly glum. “I don’t blame you, sister,” he said, still feeling slightly strange about addressing his kindred dead as siblings. “Can I call you Brittany?”
She nodded. “All my family on earth did.” He felt a flutter of sadness from her at the mention of her loved ones.
“Thanks, Brittany. I’m sure you know what’s been going on down there since you left.”
The girl’s face fell slightly. “I haven’t been given many glimpses in The Pool,” she said, glancing away and smoothing her dress. “Only a few views of my family, to assure me they’ll be alright after… what happened.”
Victor took her in a brotherly embrace, and she returned it gratefully. “I’m so much happier here,” she said. “I just wish my family knew I was okay.”
He nodded, thinking of Lacey, and knowing that Brittany would take his meaning and feel his empathy. “That’s why I tracked you down.”