by Linda Verji
From what Lucas had heard, the case had something to do with a suicide and someone called York. With just those two clues, he found the file and clicked on it. All he found was the usual stuff; information about York like his age and the fact that he’d been a child actor but hadn’t had any decent parts in the last five years. Also included were pictures of the crime scene and York’s personal effects…
Lucas almost jumped out of his skin when someone suddenly murmured over his shoulder, “What you looking at?”
“The hell!” Lucas gave his partner a startled look. “I thought you were Buddy.”
“As you can see I’m not.” Shane shuffled to the other side of Buddy’s seat so he could have a clearer view of the documents Lucas was looking at. “What are we looking at?”
“We’re not looking at anything,” Lucas retorted grumpily. “You’re supposed to be keeping watch.”
“Is this the case your nine was grumbling about?” Shane didn’t wait for Lucas’s answer. He cocked his head to study the crime scene photos more closely. “Where’s the phone?”
“Huh?”
“Where’s the phone?” Shane repeated. “I see a body, a wallet, a suicide note, his shoes, but I don’t see his phone. Where’s his phone?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t have one.” Even as Lucas said the words, he realized that that was highly unlikely. From what he’d read in York’s profile, the man was only twenty-four. What twenty-four-year-old walks around without a phone?
“Let’s see the M.E’s report,” Shane ordered as if he was the one who’d come up with the idea to sneakily check out the case.
Shaking his head, Lucas clicked on the report. They both silently read through it. Like Buddy had said, the report clearly stated that York Emerson’s death was a suicide. The signature at the bottom belonged to their Chief Medical Examiner, Rosa North, one of the most competent women Lucas knew. If she said this was a suicide, then there was a ninety-eight percent chance it was a suicide.
It looked like Shane agreed with Lucas’s assessment because he sighed and straightened to his full height. “I guess it’s a suicide.”
“I guess,” Lucas agreed.
But something about his tone must’ve been off because Shane stared at him searchingly. “You think it’s not.”
“It probably is.” Lucas straightened to his full height but kept looking at the report. “But Jasmine is smart. If she says something doesn’t add up, then something doesn’t add up.”
“Jasmine? That’s her name?” Shane asked.
Lucas nodded curtly, unwilling to give even his partner more information about her.
“Maybe she’s got something,” Shane said. “I mean there’s the phone plus the typed up suicide note like she said, and the being Catholic, the tickets…” Obviously Lucas wasn’t the only one who’d been listening keenly to her argument with Buddy. Shane added, “… still, if Rosa says it’s a suicide…”
“… it’s probably a suicide.” Lucas finished for him.
Shane watched him for a moment then said, “But you want to make sure, don’t you?”
Lucas didn’t say anything but his answer was obvious. Jasmine had always been ridiculously smart, but when it came to Math, she was miles above others. Lucas, who couldn’t solve x to save himself, had asked how she did it. She’d tried to explain that it all had to do with patterns. That everything had a pattern if you looked hard enough and if the pattern wasn’t there, then something was wrong. Lucas still had no idea what she meant, but it had obviously worked because she was the valedictorian of their class despite being two years younger than most of them. If she said the evidence didn’t match a suicide, he was inclined to believe her or at the very least make sure she was wrong.
“Buddy won’t like that,” Shane warned.
Lucas guffawed. “Since when did I start caring about what Buddy likes?”
CHAPTER 5
The threatening phone call should’ve scared Jasmine. It didn’t. If anything, it convinced her that she was on the right track. No one would need to threaten her if York’s death was really a suicide. Of course she could’ve gone to the police and told them about the phone call, but after meeting that idiot of a detective, she couldn’t be bothered. Something told her that if she went to him, he’d say she was making it up or brush it under the table as another coincidence. No, she needed to bring him something solid, something even he couldn’t ignore so that he’d be forced to reopen York’s case.
“I just want to see Michael Walcott,” Jasmine pleaded with one of the receptionists manning the front desk at Walcott Towers. “Just for ten minutes. No… five minutes. This is very urgent.”
Jasmine hated being in this building. Oh, how she hated it. In fact, she’d sworn that she’d never step in here again after the ‘incident’. However, this was urgent. The only way to find out how York had died was to visit the crime scene and interview people she suspected might be involved.
“I understand that you think your situation is urgent,” the receptionist responded in that annoyingly calm yet smarmy voice she’d been using on Jasmine for the last ten minutes. “But you can’t see Mr. Walcott without an appointment.”
“But I won’t take long.”
“Sorry, not without an appointment,” the receptionist countered with a saccharine smile.
“Okay,” Jasmine surrendered. “How do I make an appointment?”
“Through his secretary, August Wells,” the receptionist said. “He’s the one who runs the chairman’s schedule.”
Another hoop to jump? Jasmine barely kept herself from rolling her eyes. Somehow she managed a smile as she asked, “Okay, so how do I get to this August Wells so I can meet Mr. Walcott?”
“You have to call him.”
“Can I get his number?”
The receptionist’s smile widened. “We don’t give out employees contacts without their approval.”
Though the receptionist didn’t say it, it was obvious in her stupid smile that she didn’t think August Wells would be interested in giving out his contacts. Oh! This was so frustration.
Jasmine puffed out angrily before saying, “Okay then, can I at least talk to the head of security?”
“Sure,” the receptionist said, sending relief through Jasmine. A moment later, she shot that relief and buried it. “But you’ll need Mr. Wells’ approval for that. All appointments with the heads of department go through him.”
Who the hell was this August Wells? And how could Jasmine get to him?
“What are you doing here?” A deep voice startled her out of her thoughts.
Jasmine whipped around to see who was talking, and instantly her eyes widened. “What are you doing here?”
Lucas raised his eyebrows. “I asked first.”
The tall, black man standing next to Lucas was extremely handsome, but Jasmine barely noticed him. All her attention was on the bastard who’d broken her heart.
“None of your business,” Jasmine retorted. A moment later a thought struck her. The two of them hadn’t seen each other in so long, and now they’d met two days in a row. Coincidence? She didn’t think so. Her eyes narrowed into thin slits. “Are you stalking me?”
Lucas’s lips kicked up into a crooked smile. “Why would I stalk you?”
Before Jasmine could come up with a good response, the man beside Lucas cut in. “Hi Jasmine.”
Startled, she turned her attention to him. “You know me?”
“Not really,” he answered with a cryptic smile as he stretched out his hand. “I’m Shane, Lucas’s partner.”
“Um… hi, Shane!” Even though the introduction caught her flat-footed Jasmine shook the man’s hand. But as she did so, she couldn’t help comparing him to Lucas.
The two men were about the same height and were both spotting five o’clock shadows, but that was where their resemblance ended. Lucas’s blond locks messily fell to his ears as if he’d roughly shoved them back because he was frustrated with so
mething. Meanwhile, the sides of Shane’s hair had been cut into a neat, low burr while the top was arranged into baby knots. Shane was built like a footballer; all broad shoulders and muscles for days. Though athletic, Lucas had more of a tennis player’s physique; all lean limbs and corded muscles. Add in the glowering looks Lucas was throwing her way versus Shane’s flirty smiles, and the two men couldn’t have been more different.
Still, the more Jasmine looked at them, the more everything made sense. Shane was Lucas’s partner? Made perfect sense.
Raising her eyebrows, she turned back to Lucas. “So that’s why you dumped me? You’re gay!”
“Wha – what?” Lucas’s glower dropped and was replaced by open-mouthed shock. “What?”
“G-gay?” Shane looked just as shocked.
“Seriously!” Jasmine pressed a fist to her waist as she glared at Lucas. “You could have just told me instead of giving me that whole boring speech. I could have understood.”
“I’m-” Lucas swallowed as if he was trying to find his words. “I’m not gay.”
“We’re not gay,” Shane corrected.
Jasmine frowned. “But you just said that you were partners.”
Before the two men could clear up the confusion, the smiling receptionist cut in. “Excuse me, can I help you?”
Her question was directed towards Lucas.
“Yes.” Lucas reached into the pocket of his denim shirt and pulled out his wallet. He opened it and flashed his badge at the receptionist. “I’m Detective Lucas Gallo from Chancery P.D. I need to see whoever runs this place.”
Detective Lucas Gallo? Jasmine’s jaw dropped.
He was a detective?
Lucas was a detective?
Lucas Gallo?
No way! No damn way! He was pulling her leg, wasn’t he?
“Detective Shane West.” Shane flashed his badge at the receptionist too. “What he said! We’d like to see Michael Walcott, please!”
So that was why he’d called them partners? They were both detectives? The truth fell on Jasmine like a stack of bricks and left her reeling in shock as she stared at Lucas. How could he be a cop? He was the prince of delinquents. When they were dating, she’d always worried that someday he might cross the line between naughty and criminal then end up behind bars. She’d never ever imagined that he’d be the one putting people behind bars.
“I’m sorry but Mr. Walcott isn’t around,” the receptionist returned with a bright smile. “But if you’d like to make an appointment, I’ll let him know that you were here and arrange a meeting.”
Oh, so now she was capable of making appointments? Jasmine shot the heifer a sharp, angry look.
The gods must have been mad at that receptionist too because right at that moment they decided to expose her. The elevators on the other side of the foyer opened up and guess who walked out. Yup! The man himself. Michael Walcott.
Although it had been only two years since Jasmine had seen Michael, he seemed to have developed even more wrinkles. The fifty-something man’s pale face was lined and drooping at the mouth and jaws. It wasn’t a good idea for the fifty-something man to have combed his light blond hair away from his face because it made his forehead seem larger than necessary. And the way his small eyes narrowed and his lips thinned the moment he spotted Jasmine… not attractive. Still, his black, tailored suit and tie were a nice touch… they hid the creepy, evil mass that was his heart quite well.
“Oh look, he was here after all,” Shane pointed out to the receptionist in an innocent tone that somehow seemed more mocking than if he’d gone for sarcasm.
They all watched Michael as he strode closer, his eyes on Jasmine the whole time. Jasmine forced her mouth into a taunting smile. Flanking Michael were two people. On his right side was a twenty-something man who was deeply engrossed in his phone even though he was walking. Jasmine assumed that the man was Michael’s son, Jonas. Even though Jonas’s hair was brown not blond and fell to his neck, he had the same beady eyes and thin lips as Michael.
Walking on Michael’s left side was a handsome, average height, slender man in glasses and a navy suit. He seemed quite normal so what was he doing walking with that pile of human trash?
The moment Michael reached the counter, he glared at Jasmine. “What are you doing here?”
Though Jasmine could feel the heat of Lucas’s gaze on her back, she kept her eyes trained on Michael. “I need to talk to you.”
“Need to talk to me… or need to threaten me?” Michael’s tone took on a mocking note. “You remember how that worked out last time, right?”
Oh, she remembered. It hadn’t gone well. When Kenny and Jasmine had moved from New Orleans, Kenny had started out as the V.P of Marketing and Promotion at Walcott Management. Walcott Management was the branch of Michael’s company that represented all types of talent; from rock-stars to pro-footballers, comedians to YouTube stars.
Kenny was so good at her job that she’d caught Michael’s attention but not in a good way. Apparently, he’d caught the jungle fever (his words, not Jasmine’s) and wanted a taste of Kenny. True to his douche ways, Michael had tried to force her to sleep with him. Kenny had quit right on the spot. She wanted to forget about the incident and Michael Walcott, but Jasmine had convinced her to go after him for sexual harassment. Long story short; Kenny lost the suit and Michael walked out of court a gloating man. Pissed off, Jasmine had confronted him outside the court, swearing that he wouldn’t get away with this, that she’d get him. Unfortunately that was hard to do when she wasn’t the victim and Kenny wanted to put the whole mess behind her.
Even now, memories of that incident still left a bitter taste in Jasmine’s mouth. She was the one who’d convinced Kenny that they should get out of New Orleans, that bigger things awaited them in Los Angeles. She was the one who’d pumped up Kenny when she’d gotten the job offer from Walcott Management, and she was the one who’d convinced Kenny to sue the bastard. All in all, it seemed like she’d just brought trouble to her friend. Even now, she was surprised that Kenny still hung out with her.
“I’m just here to ask you a few questions,” Jasmine bit back her anger. Her eyes burning into Michael she started, “It’s about the m-”
“I don’t think so,” Michael cut her off. “I’m not answering any questions from you.” His eyes swept past her to the men behind her. “And who are they? Got yourself some bodyguards?”
She started, “They’re not-”
“Detective Lucas Gallo.” Lucas flashed his badge then pointed to Shane. “And this is Detective West. We’d like to ask you some question about York Emerson.”
The mention of the name was like a whip cracking in a silent room. It drew everyone’s attention; even the handsome suited man stood straighter and Jonas stopped playing on his phone. But it was Michael’s reaction that piqued Jasmine’s interest.
A flash of recognition lit up the older man’s eyes, but it disappeared almost immediately. He frowned as if confused. “York who?”
Anyone with eyes could tell that the confusion was faked.
“York Emerson,” Lucas returned with more patience than she thought he was capable of. “The man who allegedly committed suicide here.”
“Oh, you’re talking about that man?” Michael rubbed his forehead as if just remembering York. “No wonder his name didn’t ring a bell. I didn’t know his name.” Michael turned to the suited, handsome man “Did you know his name, August?”
August… August… ah! That had to be August Wells, the man Jasmine was supposed to make appointments with. Jasmine turned her attention to him. He looked decent enough. Maybe she could get him to show her the CCTV footage of the day of York’s death.
“No sir,” August responded. “I didn’t know his name.”
“Now that we all remember who York Emerson is,” Lucas cut in with barely veiled sarcasm, “can we go somewhere where we can talk?”
“Haven’t we already done this before?” Michael didn’t even look at Lucas. H
is eyes were on August.
“Yes, sir,” August said. “You talked to Detective Barnaby Shriver a few weeks ago.”
Michael finally turned to Lucas. “Then I guess I’ve already answered your questions.”
“We have more!” Lucas retorted.
“Dad!” The younger Walcott piped in for the first time. Pouting like the teenage he was not, he asked, “Can we go? I’m hungry.”
“You heard my son.” Michael slung his arm around Jonas’s shoulder. “He’s hungry. Look, let’s do this…” Sounding perfectly reasonable, he suggested, “Why don’t you ask my secretary here, August, any questions you have for me. He has all the answers. And if you still have more questions, my lawyer also has other answers. Is that okay with you?”
The anger that flashed in Lucas’s eyes left no doubt that that wasn’t okay with him. But before anyone could say anything to Michael, he was already talking to August. “Deal with this.”
His arm still around his son’s shoulder, Michael started for the doors.
How was he just walking away? Jasmine turned to Lucas and Shane in confusion. “Stop him.”
Neither Lucas nor Shane moved. Was these people cops or were they playing at it? She turned to them with her fists on her waist. “Seriously? You’re just letting him go like that?”
JASMINE WAS FURIOUS, yet Lucas couldn’t bring himself to care. He was too distracted by how amazing she looked. Last night, he’d been just shocked to see her, but today he was finally getting a chance to look at her. Her hair was tamer today, tucked in an asymmetrical crown braid. Given her hairstyle and the stripped blue and white shirt and navy crop pants she was wearing, she was probably going for a more professional and stern look. Yet for some reason, she looked sexier to him.
Innocent Jasmine had been a delight but this new, more mature version of her was so much more interesting. There was something about seeing her so wrapped neatly that made him want to strip her of her professional shell and reveal all the secrets and changes that she hid.