"So how does it feel to be done?" he asked. Jamie had yet to comprehend that she was done with school, pending she passed.
"It feels great. I feel like so much weight has been lifted off my shoulders," she lied. "I just want to relax tonight. Can we stay here and chill out?"
"Yeah, that's what I planned on anyways," replied Jason. "I'll cook for you. I hope you like Thai food."
"Yeah, just not too spicy," Jamie requested.
She helped Jason cook that nights dinner, which was delicious, trying to act as normal as she could.
"Are you okay?" Jason asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" Jamie replied.
"I imagined you would be a lot happier after today. I mean, you are done with law school. You probably aced the BAR. You just don't seem that excited about it."
"Oh, I am. You have no idea. I stayed up late last night studying. I'm pretty tired. Christine wouldn't leave. She kept blabbing about how no man can commit to her," said Jamie.
"Alright, I just thought maybe you were mad at me or something. I would rather you tell me if I did something wrong or something, instead of just being mad at me," said Jason.
Jamie could feel sweat forming on her brow. The stress and the spiciness of her meal left her feeling intensely hot.
"No, God, it's nothing you did. I'm just tired. Sorry if I'm coming off as bitchy," Jamie said.
"Not at all, I just thought you might be mad at me. Do you care if I go take a shower real quick? I smell like a back-alley Bangkok prostitute after cooking that meal," Jason asked.
"No, I don't care. I will pick out a movie for us while you are in there," Jamie said.
"Thanks, I won't be long. You can join me if you want, you know?" Jason said with a smile.
"Maybe I'll surprise you," Jamie said, returning the smile.
Jason walked back to his bathroom and closed the door. Jamie heard the water turn on and she bounced to her feet. She walked back to Jason's office. Opening the door, she flipped the light on. His computer was already turned on. She moved the mouse to go from the screen saver back to desktop. Her eyes scanned the screen quickly, knowing her time was limited. She opened the web browser, and anxiously opened up the history folder. The contents were enormous. Jason apparently didn't erase his history very often or ever. She would normally be appalled at the amount of porn sites she saw, but not this night. Her heart was beating out of her chest. Then, it sank deep. Sex offender registries and news articles of the killings. Not quite proof, but damaging to his case.
Jason was taking an extra long shower it seemed, waiting for Jamie to join him, but she needed the minutes. She pulled open a drawer in the computer desk. There were several notebooks. Jamie picked up a black one, and opened it. It was Jason's hand writing. Jamie began to shake. He had been taking notes on people. Jamie flipped through it. Most of the names she had not heard of. It contained addresses, vehicles they drove, jobs they worked, hours, family, crimes, incarceration dates, prisons. She put the notebook back and picked up a blue one. She opened it to the middle and flipped a few pages. "William Raymond Kelsay, holy shit," Jamie whispered. She read on. It contained his height, weight, past offenses, victims of his crimes, his last known addresses, which Jason had written, "No cars at either address, saw him walking in this area, may live with friends periodically."
Jamie took a moment to comprehend what she was reading. She attempted to swallow, but her throat would hardly allow it. She noticed the framed picture next to the computer. It was Jenny. Her beautiful yearbook picture that was used on all the news sites Jamie had been on. She almost started to cry, but then Jason would know. She held it together with everything in her. Then, she heard the water turn off. With a jolt of adrenaline, she put the notebook back like it was in the desk, frantically attempted to put the computer back like it was, but opting to turn the monitor off instead. She walked quickly out of the room, then racing back to turn the light off and shut the door. She ran to the entertainment center and pulled some movies into the floor, just as the bathroom door swung open.
"You didn't join me!" Jason said smiling, standing with only a black towel wrapped around his waist.
"I'm sorry babe. Next time I will," Jamie said, as Jason walked into the living room. He was still wet, his abs shining. Jamie looked deep into his eyes. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah, shoot," responded Jason.
"The night we met, when you had to shoot that guy...," Jamie paused.
"Yeah, go on," Jason said.
"How did you get there so fast? I mean, how did you arrive at the scene as fast as you did? The police report said you arrived one minute after the call went out, but I know you were there about 30 seconds after I dialed 911. Something was not right about that."
"You're right," Jason said. Surprised, Jamie had expected him to defend himself or dodge the question. "I had been following that guy around, Kelsay. I knew about his past and thought that he was highly likely to re-offend. So, I followed him, a lot. The department didn't know about that. I probably would get fired even if they knew now."
Jamie continued looking into Jason's eyes, her own filling with tears. He continued explaining.
"I saw him tracking you guys and I stayed back. When he turned down that alley I knew something bad would happen. I waited until I saw him take his weapon out, then I hit the lights. The call had yet to go out. It took dispatch a while to figure your coordinates. I had already been there and shot the guy before they even had that. I manipulated the police report to reflect everything. I'm sorry if you are mad at me for this. Sometimes the bad guys get away because of the bureaucracy of police and the justice system."
Jamie was wiping the mascara out of her eyes which burned, then built up the courage to ask him another question.
"Did he really have a gun drawn at you?"
Jason hesitated. "No."
Astounded, Jamie listened to the explanation.
"When I caught up to him and took him down, his gun fell out. I was attempting to cuff him, when he started to reach over to it on the ground. I shot him. He could have gotten it, but my response was definitely beyond the reach of what is customary for officers."
Jamie was shocked. She could not believe how honest Jason had been. If she continued to press on, she felt that he may admit to killing all of those people.
Jason sat down beside Jamie.
"I just want to be completely honest with you, because, I love you."
Jamie had been yearning for Jason to tell her this before the past two days. It was a dream lost in a hurricane of emotions. She sat silent, contemplating if she should press on about the murders, but she already knew the answer. She knew that she was in love with Evanston's Grim Reaper, bringer of protection to the innocent and redeemer of those so horribly taken.
"I love you," Jamie said, looking up at Jason, the green eyed hero she fell in love with. She didn't know the future, or what would happen by the end of the night. In this moment, she could only embrace his kiss.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
While breaking from world travel, Stacey Summers writes stories partly inspired by true experiences, but collided with her twisted imagination. She can usually be spotted on the beach with a notebook and a mojito.
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