“Maybe we should lock ourselves in the west wing,” Timon suggested.
“I heard a crash from the lab,” Professor informed him. “Think we should check it out?”
“No,” he announced while vigorously shaking his head, “I don’t.” Timon attempted to turn and leave.
Professor grabbed his arm and stopped him, although he wasn’t easy to hold back.
“All my research is down there,” Professor announced firmly. “You’re coming with me.”
Professor pulled open the door and politely extended his hand, indicating for Timon to go first. Timon raised his brows daringly and extended his hand in response. Professor frowned and passed through the doorway before him. Both headed down the stairs to the basement labs. They stopped at the bottom of the broad stairs and looked around the dimly lit area. Professor turned on the lights, brightening the large lab. The offices along the outer edge remained dark. The glass on one of the doors was shattered and the door was partially open. Both stared at the dark office. They glanced around the lab for signs of an intruder, but they appeared to be alone. Professor snatched a blowtorch from the nearby lab table. Timon grabbed a plastic dinosaur femur bone and clutched it in a deadly fashion above his head. Professor gave him a bewildered stare then looked back at the broken door and flicked the blowtorch on. Professor and Timon slowly approached the dark office with their weapons. Professor nervously reached inside the open door and flipped the light switch. The office brightened. Brian’s office had been moderately trashed, but it was mostly papers that lie scattered around the room. Professor and Timon stared at the ransacked office with shared looks of concern.
“I think it’s time to call Sheriff Monroe,” Timon softly remarked.
“I think you’re right.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Later the following morning, Jacey walked through the lobby exhibit from the kitchen area with Professor while he sipped his morning coffee. Judging by the dark circles under Professor’s eyes, it looked as if he’d lost a lot of sleep after last night’s break-in. Both paused near the t-rex and stared at the police line surrounding it. The blood had been cleaned, but there was a faint bloodstain that was still visible, reminding them of Brian’s brutal killing. They exhaled simultaneously without comment then continued toward the west wing and entered the lounge.
“I can’t believe someone broke into Brian’s office,” Jacey remarked while gently rubbing her chilled shoulders as she eyed the tall man. “Was anything missing?”
“It’s hard to say. He seemed to be looking for something in Brian’s files. Who, apart from another scientist, would have any interest in Brian’s files?” he remarked while momentarily drifting out. He snapped back into reality. “Nothing was missing that Timon or I could tell.” He sighed and shook his head, withholding his groan. “Timon’s really freaked out over this. I think he still blames himself for Brian.”
“We’ve all been through a lot,” she remarked gently. “I know how he feels.”
“I’m still trying to forget our last deadly fundraiser, and I wasn’t even there for the after party,” Professor muttered then glanced at her as they crossed the lounge to the sofa. He appeared slightly tense but spoke regardless. “I heard Asher got drunk at the club last night and started a fight with Nathan.”
Jacey suddenly groaned and glared at him. “That’s not true,” she protested. “Nathan tried to pick a fight with Asher. He knew he was drunk and thought he’d be an easy target. Asher took the high road--” She hesitated and considered the comment. “--for once.”
“Somehow I doubt Asher’s an easy target even while unconscious,” Professor teased.
Both collapsed on the sofa. Professor propped his large feet on the coffee table, allowed his head to fall back, and groaned softly. He then eyed her from his reclined position.
“Your town is cursed,” he remarked. “You know that, right?”
She stared at him a moment in silence. “Well, it’s finally happened. You’re officially a member of Stony Ridge,” she scoffed then raised her brows. “And I mean that in the rudest possible way.”
“Our transfer here was the beginning of a very rocky start to my new career,” he replied casually.
Both were unusually quiet. Jacey still had a lot on her mind as she stared blankly at the coffee table and Professor’s excessively big feet. Professor seemed to realize she hadn’t commented and then studied her.
“So, uh, has Asher still been acting, uh, odd?”
Jacey sharply looked at Professor with surprise by the comment. She wondered if he somehow read her mind. Professor noted her look and appeared concerned.
“Is something wrong?” he asked while placing his feet on the floor as he sat forward.
Jacey leaned back on the sofa, covered her eyes, and groaned softly. She didn’t want to confess to anyone what had happened between them last night, but she suddenly felt the need to blurt it out.
“Oh, Professor,” she gasped softly. “I don’t know what to do.”
Professor turned on the sofa to face her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “What happened? You’ll feel better if you confide in me.”
She sighed and sat forward then stared at him. “Well, you already heard Asher was a little drunk at the club last night, and that I drove him home. He was pretty unsteady, so I helped put him to bed.” She hesitated then fidgeted. “He must’ve thought I was Katie, and, uh, he kissed me.”
Jacey uncertainly met his gaze. Professor stared at her a moment with shock and moderate alarm.
“He, uh, kissed you?” Professor pointed to his mouth. “As in--?”
Jacey groaned. “Oh, yeah--”
Professor removed his hand from her shoulder and appeared uncomfortable. “Oh, boy. Uh, you probably shouldn’t say anything to him if he doesn’t remember. You’ll just make him feel bad.” Professor hesitated then muttered, “Then he’ll be in a real bad mood. No one wants him in a bad mood.”
She shifted slightly and held back her grimace. “That’s not the worst part,” Jacey announced softly then squirmed in her seat. “I sort of kissed him back.”
“You mean--?” His eyes widened and he almost couldn’t speak. “Oh, wow.”
Jacey groaned and allowed her head to fall into her hands. “I don’t know what I was thinking.” She then lifted her head and started to ramble. “I mean, I obviously wasn’t thinking. I don’t know; maybe I was thinking. I still can’t believe I did that!”
After taking a moment for her words to sink in, Professor inhaled deeply and turned reassuring. “There’s nothing to be ashamed about, Jacey. It’s not the end of the world,” Professor informed her. “With how drunk he was, he probably won’t even remember.”
“No, Professor, that’s not it,” she announced softly. “I’m ashamed because I enjoyed it.”
Professor stared at her with complete surprise and was at a loss for words. Jacey ran her fingers through her hair and drifted out a moment.
“When I was younger, I had a terrible crush on Asher,” she explained gently. “I mean, I’ve always been attracted to his strength, and I’ve always felt completely safe whenever he’d put his arms around me. But I never expected--” She hesitated then inhaled deeply. “When he kissed me, it was like nothing I’d ever felt before. It was almost intoxicating. I just wanted to crawl inside him and never come out. It just felt so natural.”
Professor stared at her a long moment in silence. Jacey looked at him with some embarrassment. She wished he’d say something. Anything would do. She smiled gently and fought her tears.
“Heaven help me; I think I’m in love with him.” She sniffed and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “And if I’m honest with myself, I think I have been for a very long time.”
Professor snapped out of his dazed state and shook his head vigorously while staring with concern. “Jacey, he thinks of you as his daughter,” he finally gasped. “You can’t tell him any of this. It’ll destroy him.”
“I know, that’s why I never allowed myself to feel this way, but I don’t know how to go back,” she remarked. “Every time I look at him, I’m going to think about last night and what almost happened.”
“There was an almost happened?” Professor asked while raising his brows. He suddenly became animated and threw his hands around. “No, no, no! If he finds out you’re thinking thoughts like that about him, he’ll go psycho. He’s already on his way toward some sort of breakdown.” Professor drew a deep breath and collected his emotions. “You need to hope he doesn’t remember any of it. Let him think it was all a dream about Kate. The world will be a much happier place, trust me.”
“I know you’re right,” she muttered softly.
Jacey uncertainly stood and subconsciously ran her fingers through her hair several times. Professor jumped to his feet to join her.
“I have to take care of the horses then think about what I’m going to do about Asher,” she remarked timidly and remained deep in thought. “If I act even slightly off, he’ll know something is wrong. He’s extremely perceptive. It’s what I love and hate about him.” She shook her head and groaned softly. “I almost wish it wasn’t Saturday. If I had to work, it’d be a good excuse to avoid him altogether.”
Professor gently massaged Jacey’s shoulder as he walked with her to the front entrance. “It’s going to be okay, Jacey,” he announced with warmth and sincerity. “I promise. Everything will work out just fine.”
Once they reached the door, Jacey turned to face him. “Thanks, Professor,” she announced gently. “I needed to talk to someone. I barely slept last night. I couldn’t get what happened off my mind.”
“Absolutely, I understand,” he replied sympathetically. “You know I’m always here for you.”
They exchanged a quick hug. She smiled gently and then left the lounge. Professor shut the door behind her then leaned his back against it. He stared blankly a moment at nothing and didn’t move for the longest time.
“Jacey’s in love with Asher,” he announced with a sigh then straightened and shook his head. “There goes my chances with her.”
The phone on the nearby hall table rang, breaking the silence, and nearly startled him. Professor approached the table and picked up the phone.
“Hello?” He hesitated as he listened then appeared concerned by the call. “Roxy, what’s wrong? You sound upset.” He listened to Roxy chatter on the other end then nodded. “Yeah, I can meet you at the club.” He listened to her then looked at his watch. “Uh, yeah. Sure, I can be there in fifteen minutes.”
Professor hung up the phone and appeared confused by the call. He jotted a note for Timon on a tablet by the phone then turned and headed for the door.
†
At the same time, Roxy hung up the phone on her desk within the reception office. She looked nervous and moderately stressed after having spoken with Professor. Nathan entered the room from his office, startling her. He gripped a manila envelope in his hand then relaxed and gave her a bewildered look. She faked a smile but seemed uncomfortable that he may have overheard her conversation with Professor. It made sense that none of the guys would be in their offices on the weekend, so it was odd that he had been in his at that particular moment.
“What are you doing working on a Saturday?” Nathan suddenly asked.
“My father came in for a few hours, so I thought I’d come in with him and catch up on some filing,” she remarked while attempting to hide her nervousness.
Nathan gave her an odd look then smiled pleasantly and leaned on her desk.
“What are you doing for lunch?”
“Uh, probably having lunch with my father,” she responded with tension in her voice.
“I thought maybe you and I could discuss something I’d found with Brian’s things,” Nathan announced with a sly grin on his face.
She glared at him, becoming impatient and irritable. “I’m sorry Brian is dead. He didn’t deserve that, but I’m not interested in anything you have of his.”
“This might interest you,” he announced and tossed the manila envelope onto her desk.
She groaned softly, picked up the envelope, and pulled out the photos.
Nathan continued the conversation in a jovial tone. “It would seem Brian’s affair with Angel wasn’t the only scandal waiting to rock your world,” he teased.
Roxy saw enough of the top photo to see Jeannette’s naked body in bed with someone. Judging by the scenery, it was obviously taken in Jeannette’s bedroom. Roxy held her breath, obviously upset by what she saw then returned them to the envelope without looking at the rest of the X-rated photo. She glared at Nathan while extending the envelope to him.
“These are of no interest to me,” she announced proudly. “If it’s blackmail you’re attempting, you should know that I don’t care what you do with those pictures.” A realization must have hit her. She suddenly stood and glared into his eyes with surprise. “It was you, wasn’t it? You’re the one I saw sneaking around the museum last night.” She appeared surprised then shook her head. “That’s where you got those photos, isn’t it? You stole them from Brian’s office!”
Nathan didn’t react to the accusation, but his body tensed slightly.
She suddenly smiled and laughed. “Oh, my father’s going to love hearing that.” She straightened and smiled proudly. “A word of advice, Nathan. Never attempt to blackmail your business partner’s daughter. Imagine my father’s reaction when I tell him everything I know. So really, who has whom over the barrel here?” She raised her brows then sneered at him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do.”
Roxy grabbed a stack of folders from the desk. Nathan dropped the envelope on top of her folders. She glared at him as he smiled smugly.
“In case you reconsider,” he announced with a little more confidence. “And you might be surprised to find it’s you who’s over that barrel.”
Roxy gave him a look of disgust and stormed from the room with her stack of folders and the envelope. Nathan watched her leave and snickered softly.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Roxy sat on the old bench with a stack of papers alongside her awaiting to be filed. Instead of filing, she held the envelope containing the black and white photos. She slammed the photos face down on the envelope and appeared enraged by them. Their significance should have been irrelevant, but the look on Roxy’s face conveyed something more personal. She heard someone moving around within the file room. Roxy became concerned, quickly stood, and hid the envelope within the filing folder. She slowly approached the end of the aisle and looked around the shelves. There was no one there.
“Hello? Professor?” she called out then paused to listen a moment. “Is that you?”
There was no response. Roxy appeared tense and quickly returned to her stack of papers and folders. She returned the photos to the large envelope and turned it over. The printed writing on the front simply read, ‘to my love’. Roxy heard more movement within the file room, which couldn’t have been coincidental. She spun around and looked back at the aisle opening. Roxy appeared concerned and again approached the end of the aisle.
†
Forty minutes after he’d received the urgent phone call from Roxy, Professor entered the reception office and saw Carl sitting behind Jacey’s desk, routing through her drawers. When he saw Professor in the doorway, he jumped with surprise then attempted to cover with a false smile.
“What brings you here, Professor?” Carl asked. “It’s Saturday. Jacey’s off for the weekend.”
Professor scanned the office with a calm look then eyed Carl. “Actually, I was looking for Roxy. Have you seen her?”
“Roxy? No, she’s off for the weekend as well,” he announced and leaned back in Jacey’s chair. “I’m just catching up on some leftover business from Friday myself. Davis is here somewhere. Maybe he knows where Roxy is.”
“Actually, she called me from here and asked me to meet her for lunch.”
/> “Oh, then she’s probably in the Garden Room.”
“No,” he replied. “I checked there first.”
“Have you checked the file room?” Carl questioned while studying the tall man. “That’s where Jacey always goes when she doesn’t want to be found.”
“The file room? Where’s that?”
“Just down the hall in the basement,” Carl replied. “You can’t miss the door.”
Professor nodded while giving Carl a suspicious look then left the reception area. Carl leaned back in the chair and appeared relieved. Davis entered the office, looked at Carl, and then pointed toward the door.
“Was that Professor?” Davis asked. “What’s he doing here so early on a Saturday?”
“He said he was meeting Roxy for lunch,” Carl offered then quickly stood. His look conveyed his concerns as he stared at Davis. “I found something in Nathan’s office. You’re not going to like it.” Carl handed Davis a manila envelope with the words, “to my love” printed on the front.
Davis opened it and looked at the photos. His expression immediately dropped to what he saw then shoved the photos back into the envelope.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Davis demanded with rage in his eyes as he waved the envelope.
“I’m not sure,” Carl replied almost timidly, obviously not wanting to upset his partner, “but I’m guessing Nathan intends to use them against your daughter.”
“What?” he nearly shouted. “You think he plans to blackmail my daughter with this?” He shook his head then slammed the envelope into Carl’s chest. “When I see that bastard, we’re going to have words.” Davis appeared unnerved and ran his fingers through his hair. “I need to find my daughter and tell her about this before she hears it from Nathan.” He then glared at Carl and pointed a threatening finger at him. “If you see Nathan, you tell him I want to talk to him.”
Carl nodded in response. Davis turned and hurried from the office. Carl eyed the envelope then dropped it on the desk while groaning softly.
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