DEATH (The Justice Cycle Book 1) Page 3

  Gritting his teeth and cursing his lack of attentiveness, he slammed the breaks. They loosed a blood-curdling screech, a sound was not unlike that of a cat being tortured, or his little sister singing, either analogy would do. Thankfully, the car came to a shuddering halt one millimeter from the small red hatchback stopped in front of him.

  “That was close,” he said with a long sigh to no one in particular.

  The line of cars stretched as far as the eye could see. It was five o’clock traffic, after all. Jared turned his radio down, which now just seemed like noise to him, and prepared himself for the long crawl ahead.

  Well, I might as well check my cell while I wait here to die of starvation, he thought.

  Pulling out his phone, he slid his finger across the screen and quickly checked his text messages. It was then that his world came crashing down around him in the form of one small message: You have three missed calls.

  “Oh no—Jasmine!” he said grimly. “I forgot again.”

  Jasmine was his girlfriend of two years. She was twenty-three, buxom, blonde, blue-eyed, beautiful, and the former prom queen of Johnson City High School. She was everything Jared had ever wanted, or so he thought.

  Six foot tall and ruggedly handsome with sharp blue eyes and dirty blond hair, Jared had high standards. All of the other women he’d dated seemed to fall short in some way. Jasmine was a bit conceited and high maintenance, but she was a Christian, and that made his parents happy.

  He had to admit that he did love her, but who didn’t? She was the desire of every guy in her college and even some professors. Not a day went by where she wasn’t hit on or proposed to. It made him jealous, but Jared liked having something to be jealous about. He had all but given up hope that he would ever find the right girl, when out of nowhere, she dropped into his life like an angel from heaven. In fact, he had even contemplated asking her to marry him, but something inside always seemed to stop him before he could make that leap.

  She was usually a kind person, but she was particularly annoyed by people who were always late. This was the third time this month that he’d forgotten about a dinner date and he was running out of excuses. He had used work as an excuse the other three times and doubted if she’d accept it again.

  Jared pulled up her cell phone number but stopped short before hitting the send button. What would he say? He had no idea. The real reason he was late was because he had taken his partner, a woman, home after their shift was up. Jasmine hated Dana. No matter how Jared tried to explain their relationship to her, she never seemed to understand.

  Dana was his best friend and his brother-, well, sister-in-arms. He put his life in her hands every day, and she did the same with him. Jasmine could never understand that; all she saw was a rival. She was unwilling, or unable, to understand that they were just friends. Because of this, every time he had tried to talk to her about it, the conversation ended up in a fight.

  Jared closed his texts and put his phone back in his pocket. He was not in the mood to deal with this right now. His shift had been a hard one. Some beat cop had found a young girl’s body floating in the Chenango River last night. She’d been cut to pieces and dumped.

  Murders happened all the time everywhere, even in small backwoods towns like Binghamton, but the murders in this area weren’t usually so gruesome. Most of the time they were just the usual shootings or the occasional stabbing, but nothing as disturbing as what he had encountered today. The most disquieting fact, however, was that this murder fit the MO of the New York City serial killer known as the Eastside Stalker.

  It couldn’t be him of course, because up till now he had been linked to murders in the City and nowhere else. Still, it did fit his profile and that could not be ignored. His bosses had decided it was better not to speculate on the similarities for now. Besides, it was very unlikely the killer had expanded his hunting grounds this far north. Dana, however, had been quite shaken up about it and had asked if he would escort her home so they could discuss the case.

  Dana had immediately recognized the girl, whom she identified as Amanda Pratt, a woman she’d known from college. She told him they’d shared a few of the same classes one semester. Dana had also gone to school with his little brother, Steve, and they’d even dated for a year. Amanda was the girl that Steve had shacked up with after he broke up with Dana, but neither of them had had any contact with her in years.

  Both officers had talked as they parked in front of Dana’s house for about an hour and a half before she finally said good night and got out of his car. He knew for sure that he was going to pay dearly for being a good friend and partner, and he resented that. Sure, he didn’t have to drive her home—he could have just called later—but he cared about her too much to just ignore her when she needed him. In all the years he had known her, he had never seen her this shaken up by a crime scene. Well, it was already done and there was nothing he could do to change it now. Jared was just going to have to suck it up and face the music.

  The traffic started to move. It wouldn’t take him long to reach the restaurant. He thought of all the things he would say to try to put out the inevitable fires that would spring up, and before long he reached the exit that would take him to his doom.

  Six

  Jasmine sat quietly scowling into her cappuccino. She had been at the Number Six restaurant for over an hour now and Jared was nowhere in sight. She reached for her cell phone for the thousandth time but then thought better of it.

  No, she told herself. I’ve called him three times already and I am not going to call him again.

  This was the third time in a month that he’d stood her up. It wouldn’t happen again. She turned and waved, summoning the waiter. A short, fat, balding man, the waiter rushed to her aid, as most men did when she wanted them.

  “Yes, madam, is there something I can do for you?” he said with a smile.

  “The check would be nice. It appears that my friend—” her tone dripped with such vehemence that the waiter winced, “—is not going to be coming after all.”

  “Yes, madam, right away.” He rushed off to get her check.

  Jasmine fumbled with her purse, trying, without success, to free her lipstick. Just when she had managed to get hold of it, she lost her grip on the purse. It fell to the floor, spilling its contents everywhere.

  She swore and bent down to gather her belongings. Tears formed in her eyes. Jasmine was upset, more upset than she had been in a long time.

  Bending down, she rummaged around, trying to catch her runaway cosmetics and an especially crafty pack of gum that seemed to elude her every attempt to capture it. On one particularly remarkable attempt that had her contorted in a manner not even a world-class yoga instructor could have duplicated, a man’s hand suddenly appeared, catching the packet of gum before it could escape her again.

  She followed the arm to a very handsome face with mesmerizing blue eyes. He was smiling at her and she grinned sheepishly back. Trying her best to avoid his eyes, she quickly gathered the rest of her things and jammed them into her purse.

  “Thank you,” she said, self-consciously fixing her hair. “You are a savior.”

  “You’re very welcome,” replied the man in a deep, heavily accented voice.

  Jasmine’s savior was tall, dark, and handsome. The kind of handsome you only find on Instagram feeds and GQ covers. He was toned and athletic with long, flowing black hair that hung down to his shoulders. He wore khaki pants, Dockers she guessed, and a baby-blue polo shirt.

  “Nice,” she whispered under her breath. “Very nice!”

  “Excuse me? I did not catch what you said,” the man said in that glorious accent—Romanian, maybe? She’d had a crush on a Romanian guy in her first year of college, mainly for his accent.

  “Nothing,” she said with a timid smile.

  “I am sorry to intrude, but I could not help but notice your plight.” He smiled at her and handed her the stray pack of gum. “I could not stand by while such a beautiful wom
an was in need.”

  Jasmine blushed at the compliment. “Thanks again, sir. I really appreciate your help.”

  “Please, you may call me Vladimir,” he said with a bow. “Vladimir Durgala.”

  “Jasmine,” she replied with a giggle. “Jasmine Lassiter.”

  Vladimir reached out, and before she could protest, took her hand in his. He lifted it to his mouth and kissed it, giving Jasmine goosebumps. “It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Lassiter.”

  Dumbfounded for a moment, she regained her composure. “How did you know I wasn’t married?” She flashed him a cheeky smile.

  Vladimir’s blue eyes sparkled. “No man, who has the favor of such a beautiful woman like you, would ever allow her the disrespect of having to dine alone. So you must be single. And being the gentleman that I am, I would be lacking in my duty if I did not extend the invitation for you to join me at my table.”

  “You are quite the charmer, aren’t you, Vladimir?” She removed her hand from his. “But I am waiting for my boyfriend.”

  Vladimir’s smiled again and glanced at the table where Jasmine had been sitting. There were two menus but only half-drunk cappuccino. Jasmine realized then that he’d probably been sitting at the table next to hers for quite some time. It would not have taken a rocket scientist to conclude that she’d been stood up.

  “Yes, as I said before, I could not help but notice your situation.” He glanced back at her and his blue eyes seemed to look right through her. “I am not usually so forward, but it seems to me that you have been here for quite some time with no sign of your absent friend. I am not familiar with your relationship, but it’s too bad that he has allowed other priorities to take precedence over you.”

  Ouch. That hurt. A moment before, she’d decided to turn away, but what Vladimir said struck a chord inside her. He was right, of course. Something was always coming up for Jared. Usually, it was his partner Dana, and Jasmine hated her for it. They could pretend all they wanted, but Jasmine knew the truth.

  Dana had become a cop because of Jared. Jared didn’t know this of course, and Dana would never admit it, but Jasmine knew better. She’d overheard Dana talking to Jared’s dad one Sunday afternoon at a family picnic. She had confessed it all, blubbering the whole time like a five-year-old.

  Jared’s “friendship” with Dana always seemed to override his confessed love for her. If Jared truly loved her like he said he did, then why did he always seem to choose Dana over her? The reason was obvious for anyone to see, and Jasmine kicked herself for not having seen it before. Jared loved Dana too. In fact, he loved Dana more than he loved Jasmine. There was no other explanation.

  Her heart sank, and she thought she would break apart standing right there in the Number Six restaurant. She looked around at the happy couples scattered about the large dining room. Some were laughing, while others just sat together in the quiet familiarity that comes over a lifetime together. All of the restaurant’s patrons were sharing moments, moments that would shape the rest of their lives together. Moments that would become memories and memories that would become bonds of love and friendship.

  She ached deep inside and it was at that moment that she finally realized how truly alone she was. Jared was the one who was supposed to be there to fill that ache, and he wasn’t. She had given her heart to him, had let him into the deepest parts of her soul, and she was still alone. Why was that? It was because he had not let her into his heart, not completely. He’d let someone else in instead. She blinked back tears of anger.

  Well, no more. She refused to allow the tears to well up in her eyes, and pushed down the lump in her throat. I deserve better than this.

  “Are you all right?” Vladimir asked, concerned.

  They say that a person’s life is filled with decisions that must be made. Of these billions of decisions, a select few are of such importance that they change the course of our lives. Jasmine had come to one of these life-changing choices, and the decision she was about to make would change her world forever.

  “Yes, I am,” she replied, taking his arm in hers and leading him away from her table and her old life. “And if you don’t mind, I would like to take you up on your invitation.”

  Seven

  Jared pulled into the parking lot of the Number Six restaurant, cutting off a little old lady in a hideous orange Lincoln. He brought the car to a screeching halt in a space marked for handicapped people and was out of the car before the engine had time to fully shut down.

  The Number Six was an old firehouse that had been reconditioned and modified into a high-class restaurant. It was very expensive, and Jared only ate there only on special occasions. Jasmine, on the other hand, loved it and tried to coerce him into dining there often.

  It had been dark for quite some time, and he knew he was over an hour late. He really hoped that she had not left already. There was a line of people waiting to be seated, and Jared had to nudge through them to reach the entrance. Frantic and desperate, he accidentally bumped a large man in a black sport coat.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled halfheartedly to the man, who scowled at him, but Jared didn’t notice. He was too focused on getting to the front door to be bothered with such distractions. With a little more maneuvering and a few pokes and bumps, Jared made it to the front door and slipped inside.

  The host, Joe Caputo, a thin Italian man with slicked-back hair, was flustered by the influx of people. His white tuxedo shirt was untucked, and when he saw Jared, his friend, coming through the door, he grimaced.

  “She isn’t here,” he said, cutting Jared off before he could get a word out. “And I don’t have time to sit here and discuss it with you.”

  “But!” Jared stammered. “Did she leave a note or something? I checked my cell, but she didn’t leave me a message telling me she was leaving.”

  Joe held up his hand, and turned to argue with a disgruntled waiter. Irritated, Jared checked his watch while Joe solved the waiter’s dilemma. Just when he thought Joe would return, the man passed him by to seat an elderly couple.

  Jared’s heart was pounding so hard that he thought it would beat right out of his chest. The throbbing in his ears drowned out the loud noise of the busy restaurant, and he almost didn’t notice when his friend came back to talk to him.

  “Sorry, Jared, I know you’re upset, but it’s been a madhouse in here tonight,” he whispered, taking Jared’s arm and leading him back outside.

  They walked past the line of people waiting to be seated and around to the back of the building. The host pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and shook it till one poked out of the top. He offered it to Jared who declined.

  “I know you are upset, and I feel for you! I really do!” he said as he lit his cigarette. “But this was the third time this month, man! You can’t really blame her for being upset.”

  Jared sighed and leaned up against the building. “What happened, Joey?”

  “Do you really want to know?” he asked, exhaling. “I mean, do you want the truth, or do you want me to make something up?”

  “Oh, for crying out loud!” Jared snapped. “Just get on with it already, will you?”

  “Okay, okay! Yeesh!” Joe threw up his hands. “Calm down!” He exhaled another stream of smoke. “You’re putting me in a tough spot, you know?”

  “I get it. But I need to know what happened,” Jared replied, trying hard to keep his emotions in check.

  “So you can do what? Go give the guy a ticket or something?” snapped Joe.

  Jared’s face went pale.

  Joe winced. “Oh shit! I’m sorry, man, I didn’t want to tell you that way.”

  She had left with another man? How could she have done that? It did not make any sense. He had done everything right, hadn’t he? She had left him without even saying a word. No. Joe must have been mistaken. There was no way she would have gone off with some stranger.

  Joe reached out to grab his arm comfortingly, but Jared swatted it away.
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br />   “How could you let her leave with some other guy?” he growled. “You’re supposed to be my friend!”

  Drawing back, Joe glared at him, his cigarette dangling from his lips. “I am your friend!” he shot back, wounded. “And it sucks that I was the one who had to be there to witness the result of your stupidity. You didn’t really think you could ignore her time and time again, and she’d just accept it, did you?”

  Jared clenched his fists. “I never ignored her. My job requires a lot from me. I have no control over that.”

  Joe rolled his eyes. “It was never your job. That’s just what you tell yourself.”

  What was Joe getting at? Of course it was his job. What else could it have been? He was a cop, and his job required more from him than most. Regular people like Joe, Jasmine, and even his parents never really understood that. Only Dana did.

  “What are you saying?” Jared shot back. “If it wasn’t my job, then what was it?”

  “I think the correct question is, who was it?” Joe took a long drag on his cigarette.

  Jared threw his hands up in disgust. “Oh come on! Now you’re starting to sound like everyone else! Dana is my partner. Why can’t any of you understand that?”

  Joe shrugged and took one last drag from his cigarette before flipping it away. He exhaled and the smoke hung in the air in front of him like a cloud. “I think we understand more than you realize. Maybe it’s you who doesn’t really understand. Or maybe it’s just that you don’t want to understand.”

  Why did everybody keep bringing Dana up like she was some kind of romantic rival for Jasmine? He simply didn’t feel that way about her. Did he?

  “You don’t understand,” he said, but his voice held less conviction than before. “I don’t love Dana that way.”

  “But you do love her,” pressed Joe. “More than you realize, it seems. Hey man, I’m not trying to tell you your own heart, but I’ve seen you in action, again and again. Whatever you feel for Dana always seems to override what you feel for Jasmine. I’m sorry to have to be the one to say this, but what happened tonight was inevitable. It was only a matter of time with the way things were going.”