Chapter 22 - West
Our victim from last night has been identified. A young woman on vacation with her best friend went out for a smoke last night and never returned. Just like the other victims, she’s blonde. Her friend says they just celebrated her twenty-sixth birthday.
This is such a fucking mess. Four bodies and no fucking leads.
Cade comes into my office, plopping down and looking a little haggard. When he met us at the crime scene last night, he said Maysie was sick with the flu and Hudson started complaining about a stomach ache after dinner.
“You look like shit,” I tell him.
Slumping down in the chair by my desk, he runs his hands over his face and lets out a sigh. “Feel like it too. I’m fucking exhausted, man.”
“You need to quit putting it off and get help already.”
“I know,” he grumbles.
“Go home and get some sleep.”
“Mom’s there with the kids. Both of them are throwing up now. I don’t want to go there and have her think she needs to watch me too. You know how she can be.”
I dig in my pocket and produce my keys. “Here.” I throw them. “Go sleep it off at my house. And take the goddamn day off tomorrow.”
“Thanks, man.”
Cade leaves just as Ian enters. “Hey, I’m heading out. A call came in from Small Town Stories for a domestic dispute”
“How much you want to bet it’s going to be fucking Shepard,” I snarl.
“I’ll update you,” he says before turning back out of my office.
About an hour later, he comes back and lets me know it was in fact Jep Shepard and Harper.
A soft knock on my door pulls our attention away, and when I look over, a smile spreads across my face.
“Well, this is a nice surprise,” I say, leaning back in my chair.
“Hi, Jade,” Ian greets her.
“Hi. I hope it’s okay that I’m here,” she says with a shy smile, holding out her hands. “But I brought you something.”
As she walks across the room, I watch the hem of her skirt swish back and forth over her thighs in a tantalizing motion, just begging me to reach out and inch it a little higher.
“What am I? Chopped liver?” Ian jokes as she hands me a paper bag and coffee cup.
“Thanks, beautiful.” I peek inside the bag and pull out some kind of pastry.
Her attention shifts to Ian. “Sorry,” she tells him. “Next time I’ll remember you too.”
I take a bite, and my eyes pop at the way it melts on my tongue, causing an explosion of flavours. “Holy shit. This is really good,” I say, holding it up.
“Thanks! I’m glad you like them. Sarah made them this morning as a test batch and we’re looking for feedback.”
“Give me a piece,” Ian demands, eyeing my pastry. I tear a piece off and hand it over, watching as his eyes go big.
“Damn, Jade. West is right. This is damn good.”
“What exactly is it?” I ask.
She smiles and says, “It’s a raspberry lemon filled cream horn.”
“Sounds strange but tastes delicious. Do you got any more of these at the bakery?” Ian asks her.
“I do.”
“Boss man, let me leave and go snatch some before they’re all gone,” Ian pleads, and I roll my eyes.
“I can put some away for you,” Jade offers.
“Sweet. Thanks, Jade.”
Ian watches her with interest, and when his head tilts, there’s something about it I don’t like. Ian is a good friend, but right now I want to rip his eyeballs from their sockets.
Mine, my brain screams.
“Have you ever been blonde?” he asks, looking at her inquiringly, and a crease between my eyes form. Jade swallows like she’s uncomfortable, and then Ian asks a different question, not even giving her time to answer the first. “Or have you ever thought about going blonde?”
Her hand jerks to her locks, and her eyes dart around the room. She’s clearly uncomfortable, and now I’m pissed.
“Is there a reason you’re interested in my girlfriend’s hair?” I growl, and fuck. Did I just call her my girlfriend out loud? Based on Ian’s wide eyes and the pink hue glossing Jade’s cheeks, I’m going to say it’s a sure bet that I did.
“No reason,” he says, eyes still on her.
My eyes narrow because I don’t believe him, and I want those eyes off her right fucking now. “You some kind of undercover hairstylist or something?”
He throws his head back in laughter, finally moving his eyes from Jade, and my body relaxes a little. “Nope. Just thought blonde would suit her is all.”
I can tell she’s still uncomfortable, and by the way her eyes keep darting to the door, I assume she wants to bolt. Picking up a pen, I throw it at Ian. “Don’t listen to this egghead, Jade. I love your hair.”
Her eyes dart back to me, and she gives me a small smile. “Thanks, West. Well, I better get back to the bakery. I just wanted to bring you a treat and a coffee, so I’ll head out now.” Spinning on her heel, she dashes out of my office before I even have a chance to say goodbye.
I pin Ian with a glare. “What the fuck was that?”
“Nothing. Like I said, just thought blonde would suit her,” he says, getting up from his chair. “Better question being, what was that with the whole girlfriend thing?”
“Mind your own business, Ian.”
He leaves my office with a chuckle, and I let out a shudder at the thought of Jade being blonde. Not because I don’t think she would look great, because she would be beautiful with any hair colour, but because as a brunette I know she’s safe from the monster terrorizing women in my town.