Secret Link

Just as I was getting ready for bed, I received a text on my phone from an unknown number. It was asking me to come outside to the gate without Jasper as they had evidence to hand over to me. Since Jasper was already knocked out, I decided it couldn't hurt to see who it was. The security measures Jasper had put in place should keep me safe enough. I walked to the front of the gate and saw Jasper's friend Jeff Flannigan leaning against it, smoking a cigarette.

"Hey there," he said as soon as he spotted me. "I know it's late, but I thought you'd like to hear about what's going on with Emily's case."

"Why's that your business?" I asked.

Jeff pulled out a shiny badge. "FBI. It's been my business for at least a month now."

"Why not tell Jasper?" I asked. "Isn't he your friend?"

"I don't have to tell him shit, and we kind of took it out of the station's hands," Jeff rolled his eyes.

"So why'd you want to talk to me?" I asked. "Without Jasper?"

"Well, Jasper's my friend, but when it comes to you, he's kind of an asshole and difficult to work with. It's less stressful to do certain things without him," Jeff admitted.

"You don't like him much?" I asked.

"Sam is our only mutual friend. Jasper just isn't someone I'd go out of my way to hang out with of my own volition, but I don't necessarily dislike him," Jeff explained. "So, the reason I'm here is because I have a witness. They agreed to testify publicly but will only do so under the condition that they be able to speak to you and ask for leniency. We're supposed to be at a discreet hotel at the moment, and no one knows I'm taking this chance."

"So the real reason it's just me is because Jasper is too much of a stickler for rules, and you want to skip the nagging?" I asked. "He'd probably report you out of spite if he knew about me being out here."

"It's an important thing pertaining to how you got locked up. Plus, Jasper wouldn't like this witness at all and might complicate things for us," Jeff motioned to his car. "She's in the back seat."

"Ok."

"And, Alex, please try to be patient. She's not exactly right in the head when it comes to normal interactions," Jeff warned me.

As tired as I was of meeting wacky people, this mystery lady might be the key to fully taking down my sister. I just needed to give her protection, right?

I got into the car and looked at the curly-haired ginger woman whose entire being screamed "cheap hooker," from the short cheetah-print dress to her trashy makeup. Was she from a trailer park?

Her eyes snapped to me when I entered. She raised an eyebrow and slowly dragged her gaze from my toes to my head, lingering on my midsection, reminding me I had only come outside in my basketball shorts, slippers, and a robe. She then looked me right in the eye and smirked. "Hey, sexy, I'm Beatrice Dwyer."

I ignored that and put my game face on. "Miss Dwyer, do you know why you're here?" I asked.

She smiled and leaned toward me. "Call me Bea, and I hope it has something to do with getting to know you better."

I laughed humorlessly. "I assure you, Miss Dwyer—"

"I asked you to call me Bea."

"Fine, Bea. You don't want to get to know me any better. That could mean very bad things for you."

She licked her lips. "Mmmm, I might like for you to do bad things to me, Alexander Todd."

"It's Azure. And I'm not playing games with you. I want you to tell me what you know about the murder of Daniel Stanley a few years ago."

Fear and something else flashed across her face, but it was quickly masked by a cocky grin. "Well, that's easy enough. I don't know anything much. So can I go now?" She started fumbling with the door.

She must be an unwilling witness and fed Jeff a bunch of crap to stall things. "Sit down!" She glared at me but did as I said. "You can leave when I say. Until then, you will sit there and answer my questions. Now, tell me what you know about the murder and Emily Todd."

This time I saw the terror on her face, but she hid it quickly. "Look, if you want to spend more time with me, we can arrange something. You don't have to keep me here. Trust me, I'd be happy to keep you company for a while."

"Look, Miss Dwyer"—she started to interrupt again, but I pressed on before she could—"I know you know something; otherwise, you wouldn't have left the safe house. If you're scared or fear you'd be in danger, I can protect you and give you better work. But I need you to tell me what you know."

She huffed out a laugh. "I'm not afraid of anyone. I don't know anything. Now, can I please go? I have things to do, and I'm not going to get paid sitting here." She moved closer to me and lowered her voice. "Unless you want to keep me here for another reason." Her hand lowered to rest on my knee. "I'd be happy to spend some time with you away from here... for free." She started moving it up my leg.

I grabbed it, stopping its progression, and threw it back at her. I gave her a disgusted stare, taking in her face. She looked so young, and even though I knew she was anything but, she had an innocence about her. What could have led such a beauty to this life?

Then I remembered I shouldn't care. It wasn't my job to change this girl's life. It made no difference to this case why she did what she did. I softened my voice. "Bea, you have your whole life ahead of you. Emily is dangerous. I know she is. Tell me what happened to Daniel, please."

Her face changed, and for the first time since I'd been here, she wasn't wearing any type of mask. "Look, I wish I could help you; Daniel was a nice boy. But I can't." She looked at me as if imploring me to believe her. But I could tell she wasn't telling the truth.

I sighed. "I know you know something. I know you do, and I need you to tell me."

Her mask slipped back on. She bit her lip and looked at me through her lashes. "Alexander, you seem like a nice guy, and I know one person isn't enough for you. Something tells me you're married to your job anyway. I bet you get lonely. When's the last time you had some?"

I shook my head at her latest attempt to change the subject. "We can stay here as long as it takes until you tell me what you know, but it'd be a lot quicker if you stopped playing whore games."

Anger flashed through her eyes. "I can play all sorts of games, Alexander. I bet I could teach you a few." She bit the tip of her finger, letting her tongue peak out.

I just sat back, crossed my arms over my chest, and stared at her.

She leaned toward me. "How many women have you been with, Alex? Two, maybe five? Were any of them adventurous? Did you explore new things with them? Or did they just lay there?"

Jeff had severely understated how crazy this chick actually was. "Is this really the life you want? Do you know what kind of life most women in your profession have? Not that you'll have to worry about it long with Emily out there. I'm sure at some point you'll be her target if you don't help us."

She sat back and looked at me as if she might be considering what I was saying.

"And if you don't care about your own life, how about the other young girls out there? Don't they deserve to be safe? Emily is bad, and as long as she's free, none of you are. Help me, Bea."

Tears welled in her eyes as they darted around the car. "I can't," she whispered.

"Why not? I can tell you know something."

She closed her eyes, and those tears started to fall. "I don't want anyone else to be hurt. These girls deserve better. None of them should even be out there. But I can't. If I say anything, she'll kill me."

I scooted a little closer and tried to ignore how cheap she smelled. "I told you, I'll keep you safe. No one will get to you."

She whispered so quietly I could barely hear, so I leaned closer. "From what I've heard, Emily has people inside the police department. It's one of the reasons she operates here. So no, you can't keep me safe."

"Bea, you can trust me. All I want is to put Emily behind bars and stop her operations."

She looked into my eyes and studied my face, carefully considering my words.

The wheels were spinning as I thought of a plan. "If you really can help us put Emily away, then you have my word I'll personally keep you safe. I trust Jeff and can promise you that he'll go along with me."

"What's your plan?" she asked.

I was going to regret this, and it was going to test me in ways I'd never been tested, but I had no choice. I needed to put Emily away.