Chapter 12
Jasmine walked back to the playground and sat on one of the two swings. She had only ever felt more confused once in her lifetime and that was on the night of the fire, thirteen years ago. She let herself rock back and forth, her feet dragging on the ground. She was unsure what exactly to do, where she should go, who she should talk to. It seemed like everyone was an enemy and every thing suspicious.
She thought about what Lucy had said. There was obviously more to her sister than she had always thought. She knew something, something that Jasmine didn’t. She thought Lucy would have trusted her with the information; after all, they had never kept secrets from each other in the past, or so she thought. Now, nothing about her sister could be assumed.
She replayed Lucy’s warning and the phone call she had received from that menacing man. Add to that, the break-in at her apartment and it all painted a scary picture. Whoever ‘they’ were, they weren’t the type of people you wanted to have as your enemies.
Jasmine knew that before she met with her sister. She considered whether it was worth continuing or conceding defeat. She never wanted to be in a war with some unknown entity, especially a dangerous one. But she had already come so far and learnt so much. Backing away now would let them win again.
She resolved in her mind to keep going. She had argued so many times in her mind whether she was doing the right thing, but it was clear to her – she had to do it; if not for her own reasons, then for the memory of her parents. For the last time, she removed all doubts and made a vow that they would never enter her mind again. Her mission was clear and strong and she would not stop until she had completed it – even if it killed her.
She stopped the swing rocking and hurried back to her car. From now on, she was going to take no chances. She would not put herself in a position where she could suffer harm. She would get more locks put on her apartment doors and windows; she would not answer the phone unless she knew the number and she would not sit in empty parks, no matter what time of day it was.
Locking the car doors after she climbed in, she started the engine. It was almost four in the afternoon. Deciding that Caleb would be home from work soon, she headed over to his house to wait for him.
She felt relieved to be seeing him, as he was the only person she trusted right now and the only person knew exactly what she was up to.
Caleb’s car wasn’t in the driveway when she parked on the street. She decided to try the front door anyway; his car may have been behind the closed garage door. A few minutes after she knocked, she could hear footsteps approach.
“Who is it?” a male voice said.
“Logan, it’s Jasmine.” The door opened and he ushered her inside, making a point to close and lock it behind her.
“You here to see Caleb? He’s not home from work yet.” He crossed his arms, clearly not happy to be interrupted from whatever he was doing.
“I wasn’t sure if he would be. Would it be alright if I hung around? We were going to meet here after work.”
He shrugged his shoulders and walked back to the formal lounge room where he was playing video games on the wide screen plasma television. He plonked down and picked up the console. Hitting the play button, the game came to life again. Jasmine recognised it as a game called Slayer Master. Obviously, every teen boy’s fantasy with the main character being a rugged slayer, running around hell killing beautiful and half-naked women zombies.
She sensed she wasn’t welcome to watch or play when Logan gave her a glare over his shoulder, reminding her there were soft drinks in the refrigerator. She retreated to the living room that was located off the kitchen. It had a huge lounge suite that just beckoned for people to get snuggled into and watch TV. She sat down and picked up the remote control. Oprah was on, talking about her book club. She flicked through the stations and ended up on the news.
Half an hour went by before Caleb walked through the doors and threw his keys on the kitchen bench. He looked around for Jasmine, having noticed her car parked out front.
“Jaz, how’s it going?”
“Okay. How about you? Did you have a good day at work?”
“The usual. The boss has got me writing feel-good stories about kittens being rescued and schools getting funding. I can’t wait for the day when I can actually put my university degree to good work.” He sat down beside her. “What have you been doing today?”
“It’s been a weird day.”
“Do you want some dinner? We can talk about it over a gourmet dinner of frozen pizza.” She nodded and they went into the kitchen.
“Logan! You want some pizza?” Caleb yelled into the lounge room. A negative response was yelled back. He got the supreme pizza out of the freezer and placed it in the oven.
While it cooked, he poured two glasses of white wine and then set the dining room table. That was one of the things Jasmine always admired about Caleb. He may be eating frozen pizza, but he wouldn’t compromise on table manners. When they would hang out during their college days, they would never eat on their laps. It would always be at the dinner table.
They stood in the kitchen, sipping from their wine glasses, until the pizza was cooked. The smell was making her stomach growl – she had forgotten to eat lunch. Caleb served the pizza onto two dinner plates and placed them on the dining table. They sat down and started eating.
“So, tell me what you discovered today,” Caleb started.
“Chase found the autopsy reports for me. I found something that wasn’t right.” She paused, not really knowing what reaction she would receive. He nodded for her to continue. “The doctor’s report said the male victim’s appendix was missing and there were signs of an appendectomy being performed. The problem is; that I know my father never had his removed.”
“Are you sure? You were pretty young. He may have had it out before you were born or you just weren’t told about it.”
“No – I checked with Gran. She said he had never gone into hospital. He hated doctors and would really only visit them if he was in dire need of something. On the day he died he still had his appendix.”
“That’s strange. Are you thinking it may not be your father that was in the house fire?”
“I don’t know what to think. I don’t want to start believing that he might still be alive. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but having said that, I just don’t know what possible explanation there is.”
“What about your mother’s report? Did that have anything unusual in it too?”
“No, there were only a few bones left of her, so they couldn’t perform an autopsy. They just said it was her, based on circumstantial evidence.”
“So what are you going to do now?”
“I honestly have no idea. I got a call from Lucy today. She wanted me to meet her at the Anderson Street park. So I went and she totally freaked out on me. She said she knew that I was investigating this and that I need to walk away. She knows something.”
“Did she say anything else? Did she say what she knew?”
“No, she just left me there. I don’t understand it. I know Luce was probably old enough to know what was going on back then, but as far as I was aware, she was completely in the dark like me.”
“Do you think she knows who the people were? Could name names?”
“She sounded like she did. She said they were above the law and that they always win. She couldn’t have said that unless she knew who they were. She was scared too.”
Caleb poured them both another glass of wine. “If they are as bad-ass as they sound, then you could be putting yourself in danger. Are you sure you want to take that risk?”
“I’ve come too far; I’m not backing down. I just have to be smarter about it. Maybe going to the fire department or the morgue wasn’t the best idea I had, especially considering it didn’t get me anywhere. I have to make it look like I’ve dropped it. Lucy had a scratch on her neck. When I asked her about it, she said it was a warning. Anything I do could be putting her at risk t
oo. I don’t want that.”
“Covert operation it is then. Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I promise. Trust me; I’m too young to die.” She smiled and helped Caleb tidy the table. They put the empty pizza boxes in the garbage bin and loaded the used cutlery into the dishwasher. They refilled their wine glasses and retreated back into the living room.
They could hear the occasional triumphant yell from the lounge room. Logan was really getting into his game.
They settled into the lounge suite. Caleb picked up one of the five remote controls on the coffee table and started the stereo that was perched against the wall on a sideboard. The smooth voice of Robbie Williams started playing.
“Caleb, do you think that my dad could really be alive?” Jasmine asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
“Maybe. You never know. If that wasn’t his body, then what happened to him? And who does the body really belong to? Someone must be missing him and wondering what happened. How would you feel if you found out?”
“I honestly don’t know. Obviously, I would be really happy to see him. I cried so hard after the fire that I never thought I would be able to stop. But on the other hand, I would have so many questions. Why would he fake his own death and then disappear into the night? Why would he leave his daughters?”
“Maybe he didn’t have a choice. Isn’t it possible that the same guys that are working you and your sister could have been doing the same thing to him? He might have been protecting you, or at least trying to.”
“But why? Why pick on our family? What could we have possibly done to deserve it? They burned down our house; they tried to kill four people! What could be worth that?” She could feel her eyes filling with tears. The thought of it all made her sad and angry all at the same time. Caleb put his arm around her and pulled her close to help comfort her.
“You know, what I have learned after a few years working on the newspaper – bad people generally don’t need a reason for what they do. Some people do things just because they think they can get away with it. They don’t have a conscience to hold them back. They see someone that maybe looked at them funny or cut them off in traffic and they go for them. To hell with the consequences, they just go for it.”
“But how is it that they just get away with it? It’s not right.”
“Of course it isn’t right, but at least most are caught and do suffer the long arm of the law. Just have faith that one day they will too. If the police don’t get them, then karma will.”
“Those people seem above karma too.” She sniffled. Caleb pulled her closer into an all embracing bear hug. She put her arms around him and returned it. After a moment, she pulled back. “Thank you for listening.”
He looked directly into her eyes. “Anytime.” She met his gaze and without thinking, found herself leaning in towards him. He reciprocated and their lips met in a long, drawn-out kiss. She put her arms around him again, holding him tight. His hands slid up her back. One holding her tightly around the waist, the other getting lost in her hair.
They kissed again tenderly. Jasmine could smell his Lynx deodorant again. She didn’t care; he could have smelt like a skunk and she still wouldn’t be letting him go. The kisses heated up into passionate embraces. Whatever impact this would have on their friendship was lost in the moment.
Caleb pulled her closer still, just one last time and then released his grip on her. He stood up and offered her his hand. She placed her hand in his and he led her upstairs to the master bedroom. He closed the door behind them and instantly grabbed her again. Slowly, he started to raise the bottom of her t-shirt. He pulled it higher and higher until he had to pull away from her kiss to lift it over her head; he dropped it on the floor.
She started to undo the buttons on his shirt. After each had been delicately opened, she pulled it backward over his shoulders and it too fell to the floor.
They walked over to the bed and lay down. One by one, each article of clothing was slowly removed, until they lay there naked.
Their bodies intertwined and for just that night, nothing else mattered.
Chapter 13
Jasmine woke up and looked around the room. For a moment, she had to remember where she was, then she saw Caleb lying fast asleep beside her and it all came rushing back in a tidal wave. She picked up the bed covers and peeked underneath – yep, still naked.
She slowly sat up, trying to be as quiet as possible, so as to not wake him. She glanced back; he had changed position, but was still asleep. She slid her legs one at a time over the edge of the bed and felt for the floor below. She moved onto her feet and picked up her clothes that were heaped on the carpet. When she was certain she’d gotten everything, she tiptoed over to the bathroom and closed the door.
The bathroom was huge for an en-suite and very well equipped. Not only did it have a spa bath, but a two-person shower too. She searched around for a towel and took a hot shower. Without having anything else to change in to, she put on her clothes from the night before. ‘It will just have to do,’ she told herself.
She emerged from the bathroom feeling refreshed and happy. She had not intended on the events of last night happening, but she was glad that they did. She and Caleb had always had something between them; some might say electricity or a connection, but whatever it was it was there. They had never before even attempted to take it further, preferring to stick with their friendship. But when there are so many other high stakes’ situations in your life, a new spin on a relationship can seem like small fry.
Caleb was sitting up in bed when she re-entered the room. He had a grin on his face. Jasmine wasn’t sure what to say or do. She may have been happy about the new events, but wasn’t sure where he stood on the situation. She decided just to smile back, wait for him to make the next move.
“How are you?” he started, still grinning and not taking his eyes of her.
“Good. What about you?”
“Fantastic. Come over here.” He patted the bed. She slowly walked over and sat on the edge. He shuffled over, still mostly covered by the doona and held her head between his hands. He kissed her on the lips, a slow passionate kiss, so that his intentions could not be misread. She kissed him back.
“What happened last night?” She pulled back and broke the silence.
“Do you need me to draw you a diagram?” He started grinning again. “I think we might have started something. What do you think?”
“I think so. It’s a bit scary.”
“Come on, it can’t be nearly as scary as everything you’re going through right now.”
She held onto his hand that was rested on her knee. “I guess not.”
“Feel like some breakfast? I think I’ve worked up an appetite.”
She nodded and waited for him to put some shorts on. They went down to the kitchen together. Logan was sitting at the breakfast bar, eating a bowl of cereal. He gave a grunt that passed for a ‘good morning’.
“Have a hard night last night Logan?” Caleb gave him a slap on the back and received another grunt for his troubles.
“You guys didn’t leave me any pizza last night.”
“You said you didn’t want any,” Caleb said.
“I meant I didn’t want any right then. Doesn’t mean that you should eat it all. Geez man, get a girl and you lose your brain cells.” He picked up his bowl and stalked back to the formal lounge room. Jasmine and Caleb exchanged a confused look.
“What was that all about?” Jasmine pulled out a stool and took a seat at the breakfast bar. Caleb served her some cornflakes and sugar.
“Who knows, that guy’s weird. One minute he’s your best friend, the next, a raving loony. I’ve known him since we were seven and I still can’t figure him out. Tea or coffee?”
“Tea, please – lots of sugar. What are your plans for today?”
“I love Saturdays! All play, no work. I’ve actually arranged a meeting with a buddy I know. He’s a dead body dude; works with the police on
homicides. I thought we might be able to ask him some questions about the state of the bodies. Remember I said it was weird that they both burned so differently, when they were lying beside each other? He might be able to offer some reasons.” The kettle boiled and he poured a cup of coffee and a cup of tea. Setting them down on the bench, he took the seat next to Jasmine’s and started eating his cereal.
“Cool. I checked with Gran and she said they were definitely found in the same room together. How do you know this guy?”
“He sometimes helps out the newspaper. Gives us some clues for a story, or a heads up if there’s something note-worthy we’ve missed. He’s a cool guy too – gets off on all the gore. Think Uncle Fester, but in Orlando Bloom’s body.”
“Sounds like a guy I want to meet. What’s his name?”
“His real name is Wesley Houston but people call him Wolf.”
* * *
They sidetracked over to Jasmine’s house on the way to the office of Wolf Houston. She changed her clothes quickly and they were on the road again in ten minutes flat. The office building was only two storeys high and sat close to the police department in downtown Avalon. There were minimal signs outside to identify who inhabited the building. Probably best the public didn’t know what went on behind the closed doors.
Caleb tried to push open the entrance door, but it didn’t move from its position. They peered in through the glass. Being a weekend, there were no signs of life. Caleb pulled out his mobile phone and flipped it open. He scrolled through his address book and found Wolf’s entry.
He dialled; the call was answered almost immediately. They waited for him to walk to the entrance and open the door for them.
Only a few minutes passed and they heard approaching footsteps. The heavy glass door swung open and they were greeted by Wolf. Jasmine had a pre-conceived idea that he would probably be a big guy, oldish, possibly sporting a handlebar moustache. She stared at him a moment to take him in and was quite surprised. He was in his late-twenties, she guessed, his hair was neatly parted in the centre, clean-shaven, and wearing what could only be described as a nerd’s Halloween costume. It consisted of a bright white business shirt, black trousers that were pulled a little too high to be comfortable and a red tie. Jasmine wondered how in hell he got his nickname.
Ashes to Ashes Page 17
