Chapter 5
After a long day of work, Ian and I make plans to have a beer and dinner over at Cedar and Sage. We just get seated when the back of a brunette head captures my attention. On the other side of the room, directly in my sight, is Jade.
And she’s on a date.
An irritated grumble leaves my chest, and my fists clench. The guy she’s with looks like he has a stick up his ass and doesn’t even have hair for God’s sake. Not to mention that stupid suit and fancy watch gleaming from his wrist. The guy looks like a tool.
Sensing my irritation, Ian swings around, trying to find the source of my mood. When he spots Jade, he gives a little chuckle and turns back around to face me.
“Looks like your girl’s on a date, big guy.” He watches me with a little smirk just as our waitress steps up to the table.
“Evening, Officers. What can I get for ya?”
“Hi, Maryanne. I’ll get whatever’s on tap.” Ian tells her, but I’m too busy watching Jade and her date to hear what else he orders.
“West?” she asks, trying to catch my attention, and Ian kicks my shin underneath the table.
I cringe, shooting him daggers. “Sorry, Maryanne. I’ll take an old fashioned please, and how about the steak and potatoes.” I smile apologetically, handing her back the menu.
“Sure thing. I’ll be back with your drinks shortly.”
“Dude. Quit staring,” Ian scolds, and I sigh.
“What do you think she sees in that guy?” I ask with annoyance.
“Beats me, but looks like he has money by the way he’s dressed.”
“Jade wouldn’t care about something like that,” I dismiss.
“You hardly know her, dude. Maybe she’s a gold digger.”
I swing my eyes back to Ian and glare. “Watch what you say.”
Maryanne returns with our drinks, and trying not to focus on Jade, Ian and I discuss the murder case. So far, we have no leads and nothing to go off.
“Hopefully whoever did it is behind bars soon enough,” Ian says as Maryanne sets down our plates.
“You know who I’d like behind bars?” she says joining our conversation. “That man over there with Jade.”
My ears perk up, and she has my attention. “Why? He causing you trouble?” I ask, glancing over to their table.
“Nah. Not to me. But the waitress I have bussing that table has said the man has no respect. Damn near ate his entire dish and then claimed he wasn’t going to be paying for it. She also overheard him tell Jade to order a salad.”
“What the fuck,” I grumble, pissed off. Who the fuck does this guy thinks he is?
Still watching their table, I can tell Jade seems a bit uncomfortable, and it’s taking all my strength not to go over there.
A fucking salad. No man should ever tell a woman that.
I watch as Jade shifts around her seat and picks up her empty glass three different times.
This guy hasn’t smiled at her the entire time, and it’s ticking me off.
If that was me, I wouldn’t be able to wipe the smile from my face.
“You good there?” Ian looks at me knowingly as he brings the neck of his bottle to his lips, hiding a smirk.
“I wanna punch that guy.” My eyes narrow, and I glare in their direction.
I continue to watch as they signal for the cheque, and when the waitress arrives, the fucking guy has the audacity to sit back in his chair and pin Jade with his stare. There ain’t no fucking way he is implying what the hell I think he’s implying.
I wait to see what happens when Jade begins to pull out her purse. This has gone too far. Pushing back from the table, I stomp over there.
“Jade.” I say her name, and she looks up at me.
“Oh, hi, Sheriff.” Her cheeks pink, and she gives me a puzzled look. I reach out, pushing her hand with the purse back down and shake my head as I reach into my back pocket and produce my wallet. I keep my eyes pinned on Jade as I pull out my card and hand it over to the waitress.
“I got it,” I tell her, taking the machine.
“Who the hell are you?” the Mr. Clean look-alike asks in irritation.
I level him with a glare before saying, “I’m the one taking this beautiful woman home. Now scram.”
“I beg your pardon.” Mr. Clean starts to stand up, but I pull my card from the machine, thank the waitress, and hold out my hand for Jade, all while ignoring him.
She looks at the douche and shrugs. “I’m sorry, Samual. But this was a really awful date,” she tells him, looking a little apologetic. He balks, and I fight the urge to laugh. Jade places her small delicate hand in mine, and I pull her up and away from the table.
“What the hell!” Mr. Clean, or Samual, yells stomping his feet like a child.
We make our way past Ian, who’s got a shit-eating grin on his face. “I got it, Sheriff. You enjoy your night.” He waves, dismissing me from staying to finish my meal.
“Thanks, man.” I give him a nod, and Jade and I walk out hand in hand.
Outside in the warm evening air, Jade lets out a small sigh of relief. “Thank you for that. I owe you one,” she tells me.
“No worries. That guy looked like a tool,” I tell her. “And I owed you for those delicious cookies anyways.” I wink, and she laughs, the light breezy sound of it making my heart race.
“He was truly awful.” She shakes her head.
“He complained the entire time about the meal and the price of things. I wish I could say I was surprised he expected me to pay for it, but the truth is, I’m not.
And let’s not even mention that he talked about his ex for most of it as well.
He couldn’t even bother to ask me questions about myself. ”
“Ouch. He wasn’t good enough for you anyways,” I tell her sincerely.
“That’s sweet of you to say. But this is why I don’t date. Men suck.”
“Hey, now.” I grab my chest, acting wounded.
“Oops.” She giggles. “Okay, not all men.” She stops to look at me, and I smile. “You’re not too bad,” she says, and I let out a deep throaty chuckle.
“Not too bad, huh?” I tease her.
When she notices we’re still holding hands, she quickly pulls away, looking a little nervous.
“Well, I guess I better start heading home.”
“You wanna make a pit stop at the Brewery? It’s a beautiful night to sit on the patio. Let me buy you a drink.”
She looks down the street towards the Brewery, and I can see her working through what to say. After a beat, she nods. “Sure.” She smiles. “Why not? Sarah lent me this dress, so I may as well get some use out of it.”
I scan her body, and I can feel my cock twitch beneath my trousers. The dress does wonders for her curves. I can see every dip and curve of her hips, and when I get to her feet, I have to swallow back a groan because I’m picturing her in nothing but those heels she’s got on.
I swallow my tongue and clear the heat from my voice. “You look beautiful,” I tell her.
She blushes and looks down at the ground. “Thank you, Sheriff.”
“West,” I tell her, but all she does is smile up at me.
We make our way down the street, and when I brush my fingers against hers, she doesn’t pull away. When we walk into the Brewery, I request a spot on the patio and follow the waitress out.
We each order a drink and sit in a comfortable silence, watching the river flow past.
“So, tell me. How did Mr. Clean get you out on a date in the first place?” I ask her, taking a sip of my beer.
“Mr. Clean?” she asks, furrowing her brows.
“Ya. You know.” I run my hand over my head, and her lips twitch, fighting a smile.
“You did not.” she giggles, covering her mouth with her hand.
I shrug and give her my best smile.
“He’s Mrs. Ira’s nephew. It’s all her fault,” she tells me.
“Ahh,” I say, tipping my beer towards her. “Now that makes sense.”
“Not looking forward to seeing her. I don’t know how I’m going to tell her the date didn’t go well.”
“I’m sure she’ll find out when he arrives back early and alone,” I point out.
“I suppose so.” She sighs.
We spend the next hour talking about Ira and her group of knitters and all their shenanigans. I tell her the newest story about Ian and Ms. Johnson and get lost in the depth of her laugh. She’s absolutely mesmerizing.
“Thank you for saving me tonight. I really appreciate it, but I should probably get home now. I had a really great time with you this evening.” She smiles, getting up from her chair, and I catch a glimpse of those heels again.
“How about I drive you? Those heels might not be the best walking shoes.”
“Oh.” She looks down at her feet. “No. I suppose they wouldn’t be the best, would they?”
“My cruiser is still parked at the station if you don’t mind walking back that way?”
“I don’t mind.” She smiles.
Fifteen minutes later, I pull away from Jade’s driveway feeling damn good about the progress I’ve made with her.
Tonight was the first time we’ve spent any time together, and even though it was only for a drink and she started out the evening with a different man, I still had a great time.
I just wish the night didn’t have to end.
The next morning, I make my daily stop at Lemon and Lavender where Jade greets me with a shy smile. When she bends over to reach for a square out of the case, my eyes dart to the view of her plump breasts on display, and I fight a groan at the sight.
When I came in, I noticed the flyer on her bulletin board advertising the Kick Off to Summer Fair taking place in a week and get the idea to ask her to go with me. I think after last night, she might be a little more open to giving me a chance.
“You planning on going to the fair?” I ask her casually as she rings me up.
“I am! I love the fair. How about you?” she asks.
“I was planning on checking out the booths, but not sure the rides are really my thing.” I chuckle. “Would you maybe wanna go together?”
She hesitates for a beat, and I worry she’s going to say no, but then she surprises me. “Sure.” She smiles. “I’d really like that.”
Fighting back a grin of my own and trying to play it cool, I tip my head in acknowledgment. “Awesome. It’s a date. Will you have a booth set up?”
“I will. But I can ask Sarah to do it alone this year. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”
“Great. Well, you let me know.” I tap my knuckles on the counter and back up towards the door to leave.
“Have a lovely day, Jade.”
“Thanks. You too. And thanks again for last night!” She gives a little wave, and I leave the bakery with a giant grin on my face.
Fuck yeah, I got a date with Jade Holland.
I’m fucking swamped today. Garrett didn’t show, so I’m one guy down.
I have paperwork up the ass again, and Ian has been getting calls left, right, and centre.
There was a motor accident on the outskirts of town resulting in one casualty, a theft report on a stolen camper, and two public disturbance reports.
I’m just heading into the market to stock up on Red Bull for my shift this evening, when I run into Sarah. “Hey, Sarah. How’s it going?”
“Hey, West. I just had the unfortunate luck of running into your brother. You just missed him.”
“You know, one day you two really need to talk and work your shit out. He’s not as bad as he seems, and I think a part of him has regrets about the past.”
“Well, I’m not interested in rehashing anything with him, and I promise, he really is as bad as he seems. Bye, West. See you in the morning, and don’t get up to too much trouble this evening.” She waves, tossing her long red hair over her shoulders.
Once she’s gone, I shake my head and make my way into the market. I’m not sure what happened between those two because neither of them will talk about it, but whatever it was, it must have really hurt Sarah for her to still hold such a grudge about it.
I check out with my Red Bulls and head back to the station with intentions of enjoying a quiet night, but of course, it doesn’t last long. At 1:30 a.m. I get a call.
“Lavender Falls Dispatch. Sheriff Donovan speaking.”
“H-Hi. I need to report a body,” the quiet voice of a young woman stutters on the other line.
“Can you tell me the nature of the crime?”
“It–She’s been stabbed,” the voice cries.
“Does she have a pulse? Do you know who’s responsible, and are you safe?” I ask, trying to gather as much information as I can.
“N-no. No, we were down at the river for a bonfire and found her. She’s dead.” The girl cries into the receiver.
“What’re your coordinates?” I ask, grabbing a pen and paper to jot them down.
“We’re just off the path of Spruce Bay. Down by the bank. Our vehicles are parked in the parking lot and we took the path straight down.”
“Okay. Make sure everyone stays put and away from the body. Someone will be there shortly.”
I get off the phone with the young woman and page for back-up before heading out.
We arrive at the scene, and after interviewing the six teens who stumbled upon the body, we dismiss the group and get to work.
What we have is similar to the last body. A young female in the same age range, blonde hair and stab wounds to match. I shake my head. “What the hell is going on.” I whisper under my breath. Two bodies days apart. Shit like this never happens in Lavender Falls.
Based on the similarities, it seems we have a serial killer on our hands. And that’s not fucking good.
“What are you thinking?” I ask Cade.
He shakes his head. “This isn’t looking good. There are quite a few similarities here to the last body.” He confirms my findings. “It can only mean one thing,” he says looking up at me.
“Serial Killer.”
“The question is, what the fuck is he doing here in Lavender Falls?” my brother asks, taking off his gloves and looking out at the forest around us.
“We’re going to have to call in a profiler,” Ian says, coming to stand next to us.
“This is going to have the town in a frenzy.” I sigh, shaking my head.
“We need to keep Ira and those nosy knitters out of our way. You know they will have the whole town in a panic, thus making our jobs here harder if we wanna find this guy.” Cade says.
“Let’s try to keep this as under wraps as we can until we figure out a plan. Hopefully those teens don’t spread anything,” I add.
“You got it,” they say in unison before we all disperse to our vehicles once the coroner has the body.
What a fucking mess, I think on the way back to the station. I know Jade doesn’t drive, and the thought of her out walking every morning and evening while there’s a killer out there doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t want her walking alone anymore. Now how the hell do I convince her to stop?