Broken Bond Jade Pearson Series Two Book 3
Nora Kane
Broken Bond by Nora Kane Copyright © 2022 by Nora Kane.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This book is a work of fiction. Any reference to real people or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authors imagination and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
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Prologue
Emily Black was a no-nonsense woman. She didn’t joke while at work and kept her private life very private. She lived strictly by her rules and insisted anyone with her do the same. It was simply how she’d been raised. The world was going to bow down to her will or never see the light of day again. Or at least, that’s how it was for most people in her life.
She’d just had a tiring day of arguing with clients and filling out paperwork at her law firm. She’d been working discreetly with a client on a very important case all day and was exhausted from the worrying she was doing. Normally, a case like this wouldn’t stress her out so much, but this one was different. Dangerous.
She was ready to get to bed. Unfortunately, something was keeping her up. A small feeling of guilt in her stomach. Usually, she didn’t feel guilt. She chose to not have many feelings at all. It helped her out greatly in the courtroom, but she had argued with her boyfriend today and it hadn’t gone well. It was true she was keeping secrets, but it was for the best, she told herself. As she lay in bed, she found herself missing him more and more.
Picking up her phone, she opened their text messages. She decided to call him then and there, even though it wasn’t something that she’d normally do. The phone rang and rang, but he didn’t pick up. She opted to leave a message and hung up the phone, sighing loudly. That was when she first smelled it. That foul smell hanging in the air like rotten eggs. It clogged up her nostrils and made her gag badly. If she didn’t have an iron stomach, she would’ve thrown up. Heading downstairs, she looked in the kitchen. Her stove was on, but there was no fire. Just an awful smell coming from the stove. She quickly ran to turn it off, knowing the dangers it presented.
But she never made it to the stove. A gurgled scream ripped from her as her throat was slit into. She held her hands up to her
neck, blood pouring out. Weak, Emily Black dropped to her knees. Looking up, amongst the shadows she saw someone standing outside the back door. Her eyesight blurry, she couldn’t make out what they were holding but recognized the orange glow that came from it. She took the last breath before the flame was tossed at her. Her body was engulfed in fire in seconds.
Chapter One
Jade heard a loud bang come from outside. She quickly got out of bed and ran to the window. Sure enough, a small fireball was rising up into the sky followed by billowing black smoke, just a couple of blocks down. Jade ran and picked up her phone, calling 911, sure she wasn’t the only one doing so.
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” a woman answered.
“There’s a house on fire.”
“Where is the fire?”
“I don’t know. It looks like two streets away from me, on Fifth Avenue. I can see the fire from my house.”
“Yes, I’m just getting word that first responders are on their way. You may be in danger. Please evacuate yourself and anyone else from your home and get as far away from the fire as possible.”
“I think the fire’s hit the next house over!”
“Ma’am, please evacuate your house and anyone in your immediate area. Fires can spread quickly, and our first responders are only just arriving.”
“Okay. Okay.”
Jade ran downstairs, pulling on a hoodie and staying on the line with the emergency operator. She ran outside to her car and looked at the line of houses on either side of her.
“How far out should I get everyone?”
“You’re on seventh?”
“Yes.”
“Move at least to Riley. We have officers on the way to help evacuate and set up a perimeter.”
“The fire’s getting bigger! The smoke cloud is huge. I can smell it from here!”
Jade was trying not to panic, but the smoke was blowing in her direction and covering her house. It burned in her lungs, and she began to cough.
“Ma’am, find something to cover your face, a wet handkerchief or mask of some kind.”
“I’ve gotta get my neighbors out of here.”
“That is not your priority. We have officers on the way.”
“I can’t leave them!”
Jade hung up the phone and ran to the house to the right of hers, jumping across the leafy rose bushes in their garden. She knocked fervently on the door. She could make out the sound of sirens in the distance, but she didn’t know if it was for the fire or for the evacuation. She didn’t want to take chances. She knew that this street had a ton of kids on it. She couldn’t let them get hurt. Smoke was still burning in her lungs. She pulled her hood tight around her face, leaving only her eyes visible. A tired man in boxers opened the door. He took one breath in and began coughing too.
“You and your family have to get out of here!” Jade yelled.
The man nodded and immediately ran back inside. Jade didn’t wait and ran back across the rose bushes and across her lawn to the
house on the left of hers. She pounded on the door. It was opened by a woman and her daughter. The little girl was clutching a bunny to her chest. They were in coats, medical masks over their faces. Jade recalled for a second that the woman next door was a nurse.
“We know!” the woman yelled. She and her daughter ran to their car. Another loud bang screeched through the air. It sounded like a warzone. Jade and the woman both ducked, covering the little girl. A blast of heat whooshed out around them. Another house had been taken out. The little girl was crying. Jade ushered them into their car and pointed down the street away from the fire.
Jade heard sirens getting louder. Amongst the orange haze that had settled in, she could see red and blue flashing lights. Men and women jumped out of their cars and ran toward the houses up and down her block. Jade felt relieved. She was out of breath and getting dizzy from the smoke she’d inhaled. An officer came running up to her.
“You have to get out of here. Do you have a car?”
“Yeah!” Jade wheezed.
Assisted by the officer, she ran back to her house and her car. She started it and followed the officer’s directions to get out of there. She drove past Riley and a few more miles back out to the highway. Taking the highway, she went around Camden and to her boyfriend’s apartment. After taking some time to breathe in her car and get properly adjusted to clean air again, she walked up to Mark’s place. Knocking on the door, she waited anxiously for him to open up.
“Sweetheart, what are you—?” he started. Then the smell of smoke hit him, and he could see the tears in her eyes. “What the hell happened to you?”
Jade didn’t respond, but rather fell into his arms and hugged him tightly. She was never so grateful to have him in the world as at that moment. Once she had collected herself, Jade took a quick shower while Mark watched the news coverage.
He yelled from the other room while she was in the shower, “They’ve got a perimeter set up! And the fire’s under control.”
“What about my house?!”
“It’s just within the perimeter. There’s no telling if it’s okay or not yet!”
Jade swore to herself in the shower and allowed a few tears to roll down her cheeks. Not wanting to miss the news coverage, she finished washing the smell of smoke from her skin and changed into some clothes that she kept at Mark’s place. Jade walked back out to the living room to find Mark sitting on the edge of the couch, watching the coverage closely, trying to see anything, any sign of Jade’s house.
“It is unclear at this point what started the fire. Emergency responders are evacuating the last of the residents out of the containment area. Three houses have been completely destroyed. We don’t know yet if anyone was inside at the time the fire started. Fire Chief, James Litteral says they suspect that they will find some deceased once the fire is put out. For now, they are urging everyone to stay away from the fire as although it is contained for the moment, the wind speeds are high tonight and the situation may change,” the reporter on the TV said.
The first aerial shots were panning over the fire. Jade could just make out her house. It seemed to be okay for now. She breathed a small sigh of relief.
Jade and Mark stayed up in the early hours of the morning. It wasn’t until around four that the pair fell asleep watching the news coverage. The fire was almost out, and the pair were exhausted. It wasn’t until a couple of hours later that they were woken up, TV still on, the phone ringing.
“Hello?” Mark mumbled, picking up his cell. “Yeah. Yeah, she’s with me. We’ll be in as soon as we can.”
Jade opened her eyes and looked at her boyfriend.
“That was Edna. We’re supposed to come to the station,” Mark said.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Something about the fire last night.”
“Is it out?!” Jade asked.
The pair looked at the TV. It had gone back to regular news, but there was a small headline in the corner that said that the fire had been officially put out an hour ago. Jade breathed a big sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness. We should see if your house is still standing,” Mark said.
“I don’t think they’ll let anyone in the perimeter for now. Probably better that we go to the station.”
“You really think so? You’re not at all worried about your stuff?”
“Of course I’m worried, but we’ve got to stay rational. It doesn’t help to go someplace we can’t get into and if Edna needs us
this early, I’m sure it’s important.”
“Right, if it makes you feel any better, she said that she had breakfast.”
“Good. I’m starving,” Jade said.
She didn’t have any professional clothes at Mark’s place, so she had to change into the nicest sweater she had there and some skinny jeans. It wasn’t ideal, but given the situation, it was the best she could do. She doubted that anyone would mind.
The pair headed out to the parking lot. They decided to take Mark’s car. It wouldn’t smell like smoke and ash. Heading to the station, Jade kept looking at her phone, going back through the newsreels looking for any sign of damage to her house. She was stressed out of her mind but was trying her hardest not to show it. Soon enough they arrived at the station.
Jade’s good friend Edna Mann was waiting for them at the door. Edna was the Head Detective of the Camden Police Department. She worked with Mark sometimes who was the coroner and worked in the basement.
“Thank goodness you’re okay!” Edna said, hugging her friend tightly.
“Yeah. I made it out okay.”
“I was called into the station to manage different teams and respond to the news when asked.”
“Are there any casualties from the fire? Do we know how it started?”
“They only just got the fire out an hour ago. But they’re calling us to the scene. Mark, you’re supposed to come too.”
Mark nodded in understanding. He had figured he’d be called in sooner or later. He knew the harsh reality of a fire like that. There were going to be casualties. Trying to change the subject to something more pleasant, he asked, “What about breakfast?”
“It’s at my desk. I’ve eaten already. You two can eat on the way to the scene.”
“I’ve got to grab my supplies. Jade, you grab breakfast, and we’ll meet out by the cars?”
“Yep,” Jade said, already heading for Edna’s desk. She grabbed the to-go bags full of breakfast burritos and sandwiches. She then went over to the coffee machine and poured two takeout cups full of coffee. It wasn’t the best coffee, but she’d take anything right now. It was going to be a long day and she wasn’t sure if she’d ever see her home again.
Walking out to the car, they decided it was best to go separate. Jade would ride with Edna and fill her in on the details from last night. Mark took his breakfast burritos and drove off.
“Are you really okay?” Edna asked once Mark was gone.
“I will be. C’mon, we’ve got work to do.”
The women got into the car. Jade ate and talked at the same time, telling Edna everything from last night.
“That sounds so scary,” Edna said. “I’m not sure just how big the scene is. The damage could be quite extensive. While we’re here, we could check on your house since I can get us in the barrier.”
“That’d be nice, but it’s not my first priority. To be honest, I’m confused.”
“About what?”
“Why did you call me in? I’m usually a consultant.”
“The Chief said he just wanted all hands on deck for this one. I figure what we’re gonna find isn’t going to be pretty and you’ve got a strong stomach and good eyes. All of our resources are going to helping the people affected last night so any investigations will most likely get put on hold. That’s why I brought you in,” Edna said.
“Besides, you were there at the time that it happened. You could provide good insight.”
“Makes sense, but this case is also personal to me because it happened to me. You don’t think that might be a problem?”
“Do you think it will be?”
“No.”
“Good. We’re here.”
Edna pulled up to a line of crime scene tape blocking off a street. She parked the car and the two women got out. An acrid stench of burnt metal and ashes filled their lungs. The scene of the fire was still a few houses down, but the smell was overpowering. A firefighter approached them, holding out two medical masks.
“You may want these if you’re going into the houses.”
“Is it safe?” Jade asked, just to be sure.
“Completely. It’s just gonna take some time to air out.”
The women put the masks on and walked to the scene. Waiting for them was Police Chief Knight and Fire Chief Litteral. Jade recognized him from the news. Jade half expected Chief Knight to tell her to go away just like he used to, but he seemed to be aware of her situation and simply smiled at her. It had taken a long time to earn his approval, but she had it now.
“Head Detective Edna Mann and Detective Jade Pearson,” Edna said, shaking the Fire Chief’s hand, “What can you tell us?”
“We’ve got twelve victims between five houses. The fire spread quickly last night starting over there,” he pointed to a pile of charred beams, “And it spread to the west over that way.”
“How did the fire start?” Jade asked.
“There are signs of a gas leak. My teams could smell it when they arrived on the scene.”
“Could it have been an accident?”
“Possibly, but we don’t think so.”
“Why’s that?”
“We found a body in the origin house. It was badly burned. We can’t tell who it is, but whoever it was, it was almost headless after the burning.”
“I take it that isn’t normal?”
“No. When a body burns it molds together, compresses into itself. It’s not normal for someone’s head to be detached, especially so soon after the fire is out. Likely it was either tampered with before or after the fire was started,” the Fire Chief said.
“Mr. Foley, our coroner is having a look at the body now,” Chief Knight followed up.
“Can we enter the building and talk with Mark?” Jade asked.
“Just be careful not to touch anything,” the Fire Chief said.
Jade and Edna nodded and entered the origin building. Not much was left standing. Behind a scorched wall was Mark, hunched over and examining a pile of burnt flesh that vaguely looked human. His face was also covered by a medical mask. and he was in a blue hazmat suit allowing him to work all over the crime scene. His gloves were covered with ashes and flakes of death.
“Any news Mark?” Jade asked.
“I can tell you that this was a woman. I’ve got nothing to I.D. her right now, but I may be able to get something back in the lab.”
“Can you tell us about her head coming off?”
“I’m guessing it happened before the fire, but it looks like someone may have slit her neck, deep enough to kill her. Hopefully, before the fire started.”
“So you can’t tell exactly when she died in proportion to the time of the fire starting?”
“I would say, in my professional opinion, that the fire started very soon after her neck was cut into. Whether she was dead or not, I can’t tell yet.”
“When do you think you’ll know?”
“I’ve got eleven other bodies to look at in four other houses. I probably won’t get to the lab until this afternoon, if even that.”
“Thanks, Mark.”
“It’s never easy, this job. I hear that at least three of the bodies belong to children. Make sure that you catch whoever did this, for me, please?” Mark asked, looking into the eyes of his girlfriend.
“I promise,” Jade said before leaving the body and Mark behind.
She stared at the ground in thought as she walked out of the remains of the house. Something glinted in the sunlight and caught her eye. Jade bent down, using her keyring she moved it out of the soot and ashes. It was bent and melted, but it was gold and looked like a very expensive ring, maybe a wedding ring of some kind. Jade wondered who it belonged to. Could it be the woman whose head was falling off or someone else’s?
“Do you have an evidence bag?” Jade asked Edna.
“Always.” She pulled out a small plastic bag from her pocket and handed it to Jade. Using her keys, Jade picked up the burnt piece of metal and threw it into the bag, sealing it tight.
“I’m not sure yet, but I think this might be a clue,” Jade said, putting the bag and ring into her own pocket.
The women walked around the scene talking in all the burnt houses. Five houses were completely destroyed, and three more were partially gone. Some were missing parts of the roof, while another was missing a sidewall. It was eerie seeing into a house, a part of it untouched knowing it’ll never be the same. Jade thought about what Mark had said. Children had died. She had to catch whoever had done this.
Chapter Two
“I’ve got to head back to the station to coordinate efforts with relief teams. You’re welcome to ride back with me or stay here,” Edna said.
“I’ll ride back with you. I want to start doing my research, but first, can we check on my house?” Jade asked.
Edna nodded and the woman walked down the street and over one to get to Jade’s place. It sat untouched, except for ash in her yard. The street was a mess from the fire, but overall, everything was fine. Jade felt a wave of relief and knew she could focus on the case now.
Jade began running through ideas in her head. Clearly, someone had killed the woman and the fire had started right around that time. It was more likely that the fire was started just after to ensure that whoever the killer was, they could get away. The first order of business was figuring out who the woman was and who may want to hurt her. Being officially brought in on this case meant she would have access to police records and that’s where she would start. The women headed back to Edna’s car and went on to the station.
Walking into the station, Jade headed down to the morgue. Mark wasn’t there yet, and she could use his computer. Edna had a lot of work to do at her desk, so they split up and wished each other luck. Jade found Pamela Dowell, Mark’s assistant working away at her desk. She was much older than Mark and had run the morgue all by herself for several years. She usually only came in to help with big cases or when Mark was stumped. Clearly, after the big fire, she’d been called in to begin work. A half-burned body sat on the table in the center of the room.
“Who’s that?” Jade asked, sitting down at Mark’s desk.
“Maria Wentworth. She was taken to the hospital after being rescued by firefighters. She passed away from critical injuries an hour ago.”
“Is she going to be any help to the case?”
“She was awake for a little bit in the hospital. Didn’t speak much. Only talked about a shadow leaving from one of the houses. Said it looked like the devil.”
“That’s a creepy addition to the case.”
“I know it’s not very helpful, but that’s what she said. I’ve got the hospital records right here,” she said, pointing at a small pile of papers.
Jade got up and picked up the papers from Pamela’s desk.
She flipped through them but there was nothing really helpful. She moved on from them and logged onto Mark’s computer. She knew his password and was able to get into the police databases. Firstly, she looked into the US Realty Records. Typing in the address of the origin house, she was relieved to find that the house belonged to one Emily Black. She’d bought the house three years ago. Before that, it was owned by Otto Copeland.
Jade searched up Emily Black’s name in the police database to see if she came up with any records. There were none. She’d never been arrested. Only fingerprinted for her job as a lawyer in court. Jade searched up her profile on LinkedIn. She had a good record and had rarely lost a case. She had been a lawyer in Camden for seven years. Before that, she worked in New York City. That itself made Jade curious. Why would a successful lawyer in New York move to a small town like Camden?
Jade continued to search social media and news outlets. Her most recent case was the York vs. Whitfield. Aaron Whitfield was arrested under the suspicion of beating his girlfriend, Summer York. Emily Black had been on the side of Whitfield and had proved him innocent. Taking this into account, Jade printed off the records and continued to think. It wasn’t often a woman would take the side of the abuser in a case. And to have the supposed abuser win could make people angry. That might be a motive for killing Emily Black. Jade made a note to look into it further.
Jade looked at her phone and found a text from Mark. It read that he was going to be a while longer, but they’d found a melted phone in the origin house near the body. He was also going to send the dead woman’s body to the lab so Pamela could begin work on it. Jade called the phone company and requested the records for Emily Black’s cell phone, taking the number from the police files. They would email them as soon as they could. Until then, there wasn’t much to do but wait for the body to be identified.
If she started looking into Emily Black, she might miss some clues elsewhere if it turned out that the body wasn’t her. Jade only hoped that Pamela would be able to find a way to properly I.D. the burnt corpse. Just then, the back door of the morgue opened up and two men wheeled in a bodybag. Pamela moved Wentworth’s body into storage and had the men place the new body on the table. The men left and Jade was left to stare at the corpse.
“Pamela,” Jade started, “how would you identify who this is?”
“With a corpse like this, I’d start with dental records. We already know she was a woman. Looking more closely, it looks like she may have been pregnant.”
“Pregnant?”
That changed everything about this case. Who would want a pregnant woman dead? And more so, who would be sadistic enough to kill a person carrying a child? Jade had met some dastardly people in her time, but this was beyond awful.
“We need to I.D. her as soon as possible,” Jade said.
“I agree. The sooner we can catch who did this to her, the better off the world will be. I see she’s got a crown melted into her teeth. That will help narrow down the dental records greatly. I’ll send this information off to the lab and see if we can’t get a response within the hour. In the meantime, I’m going to continue to search the body,” Pamela said.
Jade nodded and decided she needed a break. This case was horribly depressing. Walking upstairs, she found the place to be bustling with activity. Officers were piling up crates of food and supplies. Edna was typing away at her computer while also talking on the phone. Jade could see the Chief talking to the reporters outside. Obviously, the news had leaked that this wasn’t an accident. Jade could understand the panic. What if this was a serial arsonist? It wasn’t likely, but it still had to be considered.
She poured herself a fresh cup of coffee and watched the department hard at work. It was times like these she was thankful she was just an outside man, a consulting detective. That didn’t mean her work wasn’t easy. More than once she had almost died. Pushing these thoughts out of her mind, she headed back down to the morgue. Another body was being put into storage. It was short, shorter than an adult. Jade felt that pang in her stomach that said she may throw up. Usually, she was tough, but when it came to kids, she was helpless. Looking away, she went back to Mark’s desk. There was an email from the phone company.
There were four incoming calls from S. York in the last twenty-four hours. And one outgoing call to Mitchell Swan. S. York
was most likely Summer York, which just made Jade even more sure that the nearly headless body belonged to Emily Black.
“Anything from the lab?” Jade asked Pamela.
“Not yet. It’s only been fifteen minutes though,” Pamela said.
“Did you find anything else on the body?”
“It’s been burned clean. If there had been any evidence, it’s gone now. As you know, a burned body can’t be checked for prints, physical signs of struggle. I can’t even tell you what kind of blade was used on the neck. The flesh is just too damaged. It’s like she was at the very center of the fire, which means that the fire must’ve started after her death.”
“So that just confirms that the person got away before the fire.”
“Mark called while you were out. The fire inspector has concluded that the fire was started by an intentional gas leak in the stove and a lighter was found nearby providing the spark.”
“Could the person who slit her neck be the one who left the lighter? Or was the lighter a coincidence?”
“I’ve found in all my years in the field that coincidences rarely happen. I’m no detective, but logic would say that the person who slit her neck left the lighter. That also means that logically, they must’ve started the gas leak inside the house.”
“Meaning that they had access to the house and knew their way around. So they must’ve known Emily Black.”
A small ping came from Pamela’s computer. Both women walked over and opened an email from the lab.
“It’s confirmed. The body belongs to Emily Black. The dental records match.”
Jade nodded. This was a big break in the case. They knew who was dead and that could lead to motive. Jade remembered that Summer York had called Black several times the day of the fire. She would start there.
Looking up Summer York on Mark’s computer, she got her current address and phone number. Then, Jade headed upstairs and found Edna grabbing a drink. She looked exhausted.
“How’s it going?” Jade asked.
“It’s crazy. People are panicking. Someone on the internet suggested that it was a serial arsonist and it’s blown up like crazy. Gone viral. There’s a ton of people outside demanding answers and we don’t have any.”
“I may have some,” Jade said. She told Edna everything she’d found out and suspected.
Edna agreed that Summer York was the place to start.
“I can’t leave though,” Edna said. “The Chief needs me here.”
“Then can I borrow your car? Mark drove me here and my car is at his place.”
“Sure. I’m not going anywhere.”
Jade felt a twinge of pity for Edna. Usually, she wouldn’t be in a spot like this. She’d be out in the field but being the Head Detective came with its own set of struggles and today was full of them.
Jade took the keys from Edna and headed outside. Sure enough, there was a swarm of people just outside listening intently to what Chief Knight had to tell them. They didn’t notice Jade slip outside or get into the Head Detective’s car. Jade was thankful for that. She didn’t need any attention right now.
Putting York’s address into her GPS, she discovered that York’s place wasn’t too far from her own. It was just outside the perimeter that the fire department had set up. Summer York definitely was close enough to Black’s place. She may have inside knowledge of her home and if she was mad about losing the Whitfield case then she had motive. Jade was looking forward to talking with York, sure that it would bring a lot of answers.
After pulling up to York’s residence, she knocked on the door. A figure could be seen through the window. A man opened the door.
“Is Summer York here?” Jade asked.
“Who are you?” the man asked.
“Private Detective Jade Pearson. I need to talk to Summer York.”
“She doesn’t want to talk to you.”
“I’d like to hear that from her.”
“Look, get out of here before I call the cops.”
“I am working with the Camden Police Department in this matter. If you do not cooperate, you will be arrested for interfering with a high-profile case. Now, move aside and let me talk to her.”
The man glared at her but moved, letting a young woman walk out.
“I’d rather be here for the conversation,” the man said.
“And I’d rather you not be here. We’ll talk outside,” Jade replied, walking the woman away from the house. She looked scared.
“Who is that?” Jade asked.
“My boyfriend, Aaron.”
“As in Aaron Whitfield?”
“Yes.”
“The man you said abused you?”
“He didn’t. I was wrong.” She said it almost too quickly.
Jade could immediately tell that something was off. It would be better to talk to her away from here and away from Aaron.
“Did you know Emily Black, the lawyer representing Aaron in that case?”
“Yes.”
“Did you call her yesterday?”
“No! I promise I didn’t,” Summer said. She looked toward the house. Glaring at her from the window was her boyfriend.
“Summer York, I need you to come into the station with me on the charge of withholding evidence.”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“You lied. Black’s phone records state that you called her four times yesterday. I need to bring you into the station,” Jade said. She walked the woman to Edna’s car and helped her inside. Aaron came running from the house.
“If you say one word, I swear I’m gonna get you!” Aaron yelled through the window to Summer.
Jade quickly drove off with a shuddering woman in the back of the car.
Chapter Three
“I’m very sorry for the arrest, but I needed to get you out of there,” Jade said.
“He’s going to come after me again,” Summer all but whispered.
“Again?”
“Before I lost the case, he came to me and convinced me to drop the matter. Then he moved back in.”
“Why did you call Black?”
“I just called her and left her voicemails of him yelling at me. She told me to start gathering evidence as best I could. She said she would help me. Now no one can help me.”
“I’ll help you. I’ll make sure he never bothers you again.”
“Will he go to jail?” Summer asked softly, almost not believing that the thought might be possible.
“Do you still have the evidence?”
“Yeah. It’s on my phone. I keep it hidden as music files.”
“Good. We’ll look at that when we get to the station.”
Jade continued to drive and soon enough, they arrived. The crowd outside had grown smaller. The Chief wasn’t outside anymore. Jade helped Summer out of the car, and she walked them confidently inside.
Jade spied Edna hunched over at her desk eating lunch. Jade had completely forgotten about food in her work but decided that she wasn’t really hungry anyway.
“Summer, this is Head Detective Edna Mann, my friend. She’ll be able to help you too,” Jade said.
She and Edna moved to a private room and began to talk. Jade explained what she knew. Summer would add on to the conversation every now and then, playing recordings of Aaron threatening her.
“Do you have any physical evidence besides the recordings?” Edna asked, already taking down as many notes as possible. Summer sighed and rolled up her sleeve. There was a large bruise on her arm.
“He did that yesterday after the last call I made to Emily. I don’t think he knew who I called, only that whoever it was may have heard our conversation,” Summer said.
Edna took a few pictures and let Summer roll her sleeve back up.
“Summer, here’s what we’re going to do,” Edna started, “We’re going to send some officers to pick up Aaron and arrest him. We have enough evidence here to put him away for a long time, especially if you should provide testimony.”
Summer’s eyes widened in fear. “I couldn’t do that. He’d kill me.”
“We would make sure he never got the chance,” Jade said, “The entire department is on your side and so am I.”
Summer nodded slowly, coming to the realization that she was safe, most likely for the first time in a long time. The women discussed further plans and Aaron’s involvement with Emily Black.
“Did he know her well?” Jade asked.
“I think they hooked up a couple of times,” Summer said.
“How could you tell that?”
“By the way he looked at her in court, like he owned her, just like he owns me.”
“He doesn’t own you. We’ll make sure of that,” Jade said. “Was he ever mad at Black? Did he show her any aggression?”
“I saw them in the hallway once. He was threatening to ruin her business if they didn’t win the case. I was close to winning, but then he found me and forced me to drop it. That’s how he won.”
“How would he be able to ruin her business?”
“He’d just find a way. He’s got connections everywhere it seems. That’s why I’m scared about testifying. If one of his friends finds out I’m a goner.”
“We can get you into a safe house,” Edna said. “You’ll be safe there.”
“We promise,” Jade added.
Summer gave a small smile.
Just then, outside in the hallway, they heard screaming.
“Summer! Where are you?!” a man yelled.
