clear. I had
to do something. Running my hands through my hair, I groaned in
frustration and headed back to my dorm to make a call, or a
few.
* * * *
“ Yo, what have you got
for me?” said Mark when he answered. It was his signature
greeting.
“ I found him. And he’s
not working alone.”
“ Whoa. Slow down,
Champ. Your suspect?”
“ Yes. He’s going by
the name Franklin James Scott. Frankie for short.”
I could hear him typing away. “Okay,
got it. Do you have a photo?”
“ Yeah, hang on.” I
switched the call to loudspeaker and clicked into my email. I
searched through my camera roll until I found the correct photo and
sent it to Mark. “Got it?”
“ Yep. I’ll run that
through the database and get back to you.”
“ Thanks, man. I owe
you.”
“ Yeah, yeah. You just
catch that creep and get your girl.”
“ She’s not…” Mark’s
way of telling me he didn’t believe me was to hang up.
“ Dickhead,” I muttered
to the handset.
I knew the facial
recognition software took anywhere between minutes and hours to do
its thing, so while I waited, I called Susan Jayne. She answered
after two rings.
“ Nathan, so nice of
you to call.”
“ Mrs Jayne, Susan. I’m
afraid this isn’t a social call. I have some news.”
“ Oh? Is Charlotte
okay?”
“ Um… that’s the thing.
The suspect I was after before this job… while I don’t know for
certain, but I think he’s here.”
“ The one who’s been
conning rich young girls to fall in love with him then going after
their family’s money?”
“ That’s the one. I
don’t want to think the worst in case it’s not true. I’m running an
image search now on his photo. But if my suspicions are
true…”
“ No! Please don’t say
it.”
“ I’m sorry. I don’t
want you to think its him when it might not be, but I wanted to
warn you.”
I could hear Charli’s
mother sniffling, and I knew she was crying.
“ Mrs
Jayne…”
“ How sure are
you?”
“ What?”
“ How sure are you that
this is the right guy?”
I swallowed and took my time to say
it.
“ Ninety-five per
cent.”
Susan began sobbing uncontrollably now.
“Do what you have to do, Officer Wright. Keep my baby safe.”
“ I will, Susan. I
will.” As I hung up, I knew I would stay true to my word. I never
broke it.
Charli
“ It was him. Wasn’t
it?” Frankie asked as soon as he re-entered the room.
“ What?”
“ At
the door. It was him.” The way he said him ... the word
was poison in his mouth. He hated Nathan with a passion. But why?
“ Yes. But Frankie…” I sauntered over to him and ran my hands
up and down his chest. He was standing bare-chested in his bedroom
and oh , how I wanted him on
the bed at that moment. “You have no reason to be jealous.” I
kissed the muscles that stretched taught over his
breastbone.
“ But that guy has an
obsession with you,” He spat.
“ Ssh, baby,” I said
into his mouth as I kissed him. I would’ve pushed him back onto the
bed, but my phone interrupted me.
“ Crap. Sorry. I have
to get that. Its probably one of my parents.” I hurried to find my
phone where it lay buried under my jeans on the floor of the lounge
room. I pulled it out and studied the display. Sure enough, it was
my mother.
“ Yes?”
“ Charlotte, thank
goodness. Are you okay?”
“ Yes, Mum. Why
wouldn’t I be?”
“ Your father and I are
concerned, that’s all. How’s the studying going?”
“ Yeah, it’s…” I
glanced back at Frankie, who was sitting on the bed watching me. I
couldn’t tell my mother I had been studying the human anatomy for
the past few hours. “Coming,” I finally said, looking away. He was
too much of a distraction.
“ Good. I just wanted
to make sure you were still up to coming home this weekend for your
birthday.”
How could I forget? It was my
twenty-first birthday this weekend and I knew my parents had
something big planned. After all, they had been planning all
to do something. Running my hands through my hair, I groaned in
frustration and headed back to my dorm to make a call, or a
few.
* * * *
“ Yo, what have you got
for me?” said Mark when he answered. It was his signature
greeting.
“ I found him. And he’s
not working alone.”
“ Whoa. Slow down,
Champ. Your suspect?”
“ Yes. He’s going by
the name Franklin James Scott. Frankie for short.”
I could hear him typing away. “Okay,
got it. Do you have a photo?”
“ Yeah, hang on.” I
switched the call to loudspeaker and clicked into my email. I
searched through my camera roll until I found the correct photo and
sent it to Mark. “Got it?”
“ Yep. I’ll run that
through the database and get back to you.”
“ Thanks, man. I owe
you.”
“ Yeah, yeah. You just
catch that creep and get your girl.”
“ She’s not…” Mark’s
way of telling me he didn’t believe me was to hang up.
“ Dickhead,” I muttered
to the handset.
I knew the facial
recognition software took anywhere between minutes and hours to do
its thing, so while I waited, I called Susan Jayne. She answered
after two rings.
“ Nathan, so nice of
you to call.”
“ Mrs Jayne, Susan. I’m
afraid this isn’t a social call. I have some news.”
“ Oh? Is Charlotte
okay?”
“ Um… that’s the thing.
The suspect I was after before this job… while I don’t know for
certain, but I think he’s here.”
“ The one who’s been
conning rich young girls to fall in love with him then going after
their family’s money?”
“ That’s the one. I
don’t want to think the worst in case it’s not true. I’m running an
image search now on his photo. But if my suspicions are
true…”
“ No! Please don’t say
it.”
“ I’m sorry. I don’t
want you to think its him when it might not be, but I wanted to
warn you.”
I could hear Charli’s
mother sniffling, and I knew she was crying.
“ Mrs
Jayne…”
“ How sure are
you?”
“ What?”
“ How sure are you that
this is the right guy?”
I swallowed and took my time to say
it.
“ Ninety-five per
cent.”
Susan began sobbing uncontrollably now.
“Do what you have to do, Officer Wright. Keep my baby safe.”
“ I will, Susan. I
will.” As I hung up, I knew I would stay true to my word. I never
broke it.
Charli
“ It was him. Wasn’t
it?” Frankie asked as soon as he re-entered the room.
“ What?”
“ At
the door. It was him.” The way he said him ... the word
was poison in his mouth. He hated Nathan with a passion. But why?
“ Yes. But Frankie…” I sauntered over to him and ran my hands
up and down his chest. He was standing bare-chested in his bedroom
and oh , how I wanted him on
the bed at that moment. “You have no reason to be jealous.” I
kissed the muscles that stretched taught over his
breastbone.
“ But that guy has an
obsession with you,” He spat.
“ Ssh, baby,” I said
into his mouth as I kissed him. I would’ve pushed him back onto the
bed, but my phone interrupted me.
“ Crap. Sorry. I have
to get that. Its probably one of my parents.” I hurried to find my
phone where it lay buried under my jeans on the floor of the lounge
room. I pulled it out and studied the display. Sure enough, it was
my mother.
“ Yes?”
“ Charlotte, thank
goodness. Are you okay?”
“ Yes, Mum. Why
wouldn’t I be?”
“ Your father and I are
concerned, that’s all. How’s the studying going?”
“ Yeah, it’s…” I
glanced back at Frankie, who was sitting on the bed watching me. I
couldn’t tell my mother I had been studying the human anatomy for
the past few hours. “Coming,” I finally said, looking away. He was
too much of a distraction.
“ Good. I just wanted
to make sure you were still up to coming home this weekend for your
birthday.”
How could I forget? It was my
twenty-first birthday this weekend and I knew my parents had
something big planned. After all, they had been planning all
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