Possess (21 page)

Another Dead End

After another infamous breakfast biscuit, courtesy of Angus, and a quick search through the phone book, Aggie and I headed out in Nolan’s car to visit Flynn Jacobs’ office. I made sure to wait outside when she grabbed the keys from Nolan, not wanting to face him again.

“So his office is in one of the financial buildings downtown.” Aggie said as she started the little Honda. She wasn’t completely back to the old Aggie, but she did seem a little better. I figured it had a lot to do with helping me find Flynn Jacobs, but any reason to see her smiling again was a welcome one.

“How was Nolan?” Without thinking the question spilled out. I hadn’t meant to let my mind wander to him, but we were in his car.  Aggie’s lip twitched up for a moment and she glanced over at me.

“He looked like a mopey Irish bastard,” she sighed. “He told me what he said to you yesterday and that all you said was ‘Oh.’ Was that really your reaction?”

“He caught me off guard,” I mumbled. “Are we almost there?” Aggie looked like she wanted to say more, but she kept her mouth shut, glancing at me a few more times as she drove.

“We’re here.” She answered as she pulled into a parking garage below one of the taller buildings downtown. We paid for parking and headed for the elevators, stopping only to scan the directory.

“There. Eighteenth floor, C.I.S. That’s the firm he works for.” I tapped my finger on the glass. I felt giddy as we rushed for the opening elevator. “Suite 818.” I repeated the number as the elevator doors shut and Aggie pressed the button for his floor. The ride up took forever. There were stops at nearly each floor. I scooted into the corner with Aggie, grimacing as more suits and skirts stuffed themselves in with us. A few gave us a wary glance. I imagine it was because I looked like I’d been in a prison fight.
Whatever, let them stare.
We were on a mission and we only had a few more floors to get there.

Aggie and I both let out huge breaths as we squeezed our way out of the crowded elevator onto the eighteenth floor. I made a mental note to take the stairs back down, and from the look on Aggie’s face, she wouldn’t argue. We both looked up and down the hall, then followed a sign that pointed to suites 800-820. Our anxiety was almost tangible as we neared the office. I reached a sweaty palm forward and pulled the door open.
Maybe this will all be over soon
. The tiny bit of hope I had been holding onto swelled at the thought of figuring out this mystery.  When we entered the office, a cheerful young blonde woman peered up from a Cosmo magazine.

“Can I help you ladies?” She asked, placing her magazine down on the desk.

“We were looking for Flynn Jacobs. Is he in today?” I stepped forward, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans. The blonde girl scrunched her nose at my question, shaking her head. “Well, will he be here tomorrow?”

My hopes plummeted with every passing second.

“I’m sorry. Mr. Jacobs hasn’t been with us for about five years now.” 

Aggie and I exchanged worried glances.

“Well can you tell us how we can get in touch with him?” I asked.

“Mr. Jacobs died.” The woman frowned at us. “He was killed in a car accident back in ‘95. Hit and Run. Quite the tragedy.”

“Shit!” Aggie’s foot stomped the floor, startling me and the bombshell behind the desk. “Sorry. Do you still have any of his files?”

“Who exactly are you two?” The woman’s glare grew suspicious as she looked between us.

“Our friend came to him for assistance. He was trying to find out who killed his girlfriend.”

“Are you talking about that big murder case? God, I remember that. It was all over the news.” The woman’s eyes seemed to light up at the thought. Aggie’s expression only grew more annoyed.

“Yes, yes. That one. Do you have any of the files for that?”

The woman pursed her lips, shaking her head once more.

“If it was a case that he was working on when he died, Mr. Jacobs most likely had it in his vehicle at the time. We wouldn’t have it here.” She shrugged, picking her magazine back up, “And if it was in his car that night, it would have been destroyed.”

“Destroyed? How?” My fists were balled at my sides as I spoke. It was taking everything in me to not grab that magazine and bat her across the face with it. Did she have any idea what she was telling us? This was supposed to be it. This was supposed to be when we learned what Brody had been trying to find out all along.  The woman let out an exasperated sigh and set down her magazine once more. The dull look in her eyes told us she was clearly bored with entertaining us and wanted to finish reading her horoscope.

“Mr. Jacobs’ car crashed into a ravine and caught on fire. Him, the car, and everything in it were incinerated. Any other questions?” She raised an eyebrow. After a few seconds of silence, she returned to her magazine.

Bitch
. Aggie and I left without another word. Both at a loss.

“You don’t think he was –?” Aggie looked over at me as we reached the parking garage.

“Murdered?  I would bet money on it.” I answered before she could finish and slid into the passenger seat. I felt completely numb. That tiny ray of hope that existed when we arrived was completely gone. Now all that settled in the void was utter dread. Whoever killed Brody made sure to tie up their loose ends. My snooping around qualified me as a loose end – whether I actually knew anything or not. And after this, it was glaringly obvious that I knew nothing.

Aggie pulled out of the parking spot, pressing the gas hard as we came up out of the garage. Her eyes were as fiery as her red hair, her gaze fixed straight ahead, her hands squeezed the steering wheel tightly as the engine revved.

“Damn her,” her teeth grated together as she grumbled. “Damn that stupid bitch.”

“The receptionist?” I tilted my head, my hand gripping the door handle as we zipped past several vehicles a bit too close for comfort.

“Fucking Claire! That stupid bitch!” Aggie nearly flung both of us into the windshield as she stopped at the red light. My stomach did a nauseating flip flop as I was jarred back against my seat. “If he’d never met her, none of this shit would have ever happened! It’s her fucking fault that Brody is dead. Her fault that Nolan –” She abruptly shut her mouth, pulling her lips into a tight line, her breathing still heavy with rage.

“Her fault that Nolan, what?” I watched her closely, but she didn’t answer. The light turned green a second later, and her grip eased slightly.

“It’s her fault that Nolan and I lost our best friend.” Aggie finally answered, her tone more subdued.

“But how is it her fault, Aggie? She was killed too. It would seem natural that Brody would want to know who did it. If that person killed him because of that, you can’t really blame it on her, can you?” I was completely baffled by the anger towards Claire. What had she done to warrant so much rage on Aggie’s part? 

“Just forget it. I’m just angry about the investigator.” She said, but she wasn’t the least bit convincing.

“Aggie, if you know something else, please tell me.” I couldn’t help the desperation that seeped through as I pleaded with her.

“I don’t know anything else, Harley. Nothing that will get us closer to finding Brody’s murderer.” She looked over at me as we pulled in behind the pub. I couldn’t shake the feeling there was more she wasn’t telling me, but her look was sincere, and Aggie was the closest friend I had right now.  She knew just as well as I did what would happen if I didn’t find Brody’s killer. I had to believe that, like me, she didn’t want to see that happen.

Pancakes With A Side Of Guilt

I had been staying with Angus and Aggie for a couple of days. I was in no rush to go back to my place alone, but it was my only hope of finding more clues. Aggie had begged me to stay with them, at least until we got everything sorted out, but I couldn’t chance bringing the killer there. They only agreed to let me go after Angus gave me a taser he had bought for Aggie.

“She never actually used it,” he’d told me. “I’m thinkin’ ye might need it more richt noo, lass.” I stuffed it in my bag before thanking him and heading out. I assured them I’d manage walking home just fine since it was still early in the day.

Once I arrived back at the apartment, I set to searching every nook and cranny. I combed through the overturned box I had left on the floor. Nothing. I dumped out Claire’s box of books. Nothing there either.  I hadn’t expected to strike gold, but there was absolutely nothing there.  Nolan had switched me to a morning shift after what happened and it was nearing opening time.
Maybe I can hit up the library again
, I thought.
No, definitely not a good idea.
  If that man was still watching me, I couldn’t go there. I did not want to find out if he was a man of his word. The fading bruises on my face were a good indicator that he was.

“I’m so screwed.” I mumbled to myself as I stared in the mirror. I wanted to cry, to scream, to feel angry. Instead, I felt completely void of emotion as I changed into a work shirt and slipped on my jacket and a beanie. I made sure to dress warm. Angus had the weather channel on when I had left their place. Snow was expected in Midtown any day.

Nolan’s eyes met mine briefly as I walked into the back of Finley’s. Once more I felt the pull of his cerulean gaze and the sadness that amplified it. I feigned a smile, but the awkwardness that filled the room was stifling.  He forced a smile back, then turned towards the stoves, busying himself with a spatula and pancakes.

“Ya feelin’ any better?” He startled me as I pulled the beanie off my head and hung up my jacket.

“Yeah, much. Thanks.” I answered, wrapping my apron around my waist as I turned back around. Nolan was placing a dish on the counter closest to me with a stack of pancakes on them.

“Have some breakfast,” he slid the plate toward me, “I’m going ta go straighten up some things in the front before we open.” Without giving me a chance to object, he placed the syrup in front of me and went into the front of the pub.
Great, pancakes with a heaping side of guilt.
My stomach, obviously not struggling with the same feelings as the rest of me, growled loudly at the delicious golden stack. With a sigh, I grabbed a fork, doused them in syrup, and dug in.

I was in the midst of chowing down when Aggie strolled into the kitchen and sat across from me. She eyed the plate suspiciously.

“He made you breakfast again, didn’t he?” It was less of a question than an observation. I shrugged, unable to speak through a mouthful of fluffy sweet goodness. “I can’t even get him to pour me a glass of water, and yet he made you pancakes.” She laughed, her signature smirk returning.

“He felt bad about the attack.” I knew there was more to it, but I also knew where Aggie was going with her train of thought and I was doing my best to avoid it. To my surprise, she derailed. Instead, she reached into her back pocket and produced a concert ticket, placing it on the table in front of me.

“That’s for you.” She tapped her finger on the ticket. I leaned forward, examining it as I ate another forkful of pancake.

“MidFest?” I gave her a questioning look. She sighed dramatically and snatched a piece of pancake in her fingers.

“It’s only the best music festival of the year.” Her tone was matter-of-factly. “It’s a big deal around these parts. Nolan, Brody, and I used to go every year. Nolan and I have been keeping up the tradition.”

“So then you are giving this to me, because?” I slid the plate in between us, motioning for her to have another bite. She obliged, grabbing another piece before continuing.

“I thought you should go in my place.”

I paused mid-chew to look at her.
Was she insane?
Despite the important matter of finding my soon-to-be murderer, Nolan and I couldn’t stand to be in the same room together at the moment.

“Aggie, I don’t really think now is the best time for me to be going to some concert.”

“First off,” she held up a hand to silence me, “it’s not just
some
concert. Secondly, you need a break from all the shit going on around you. You need to have a little fun.”

“But what if –”

“No what ifs. Nolan will be with you, and despite how much I make fun of him, he could protect you if he needed to.”

“Oh, then he ends up getting hurt too? I don’t think so.” I shook my head, getting up from the table. My eyes darted toward the front to see Nolan outside, wiping down the windows. He looked at me for a second, before continuing on to the other window out of my line of vision. Aggie stood and grabbed my shoulder so that she was looking me in the face once more.

“Stop playing such a damn martyr, Harley.” She shoved the ticket in my hand. “Please go to the concert with him. I don’t really feel like going this year anyway. I am just going to stay here and help my uncle man the pub.” I tried to object again, but she narrowed her eyes at me with a look that just dared me to try to refuse.

“Fine. When is it?”

Aggie smiled triumphantly before heading toward the front of the pub. I caught the mischievous glint in her eye as she flipped her head back to me.

“It’s tonight.”

Shit.

“How does this look?” I turned from the full length mirror to Aggie as she sat on her bed watching me.

“Look at you. Worried about your big date with Nolan.” She smirked. I shot her a look then turned back to the mirror for a second appraisal. I’d settled on my purple sweater, jeans, and my brown boots before slipping on my jacket.

“You look cute,” Aggie winked at me as I turned back around. Strangely, it felt nice to hear that. The bruises on my face were a faded yellow and she had helped me cover them with concealer. But the cut was still there, and as Angus had said, it wouldn’t be fading away any time soon. At least my face wasn’t swollen any more.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go still?” I raised an eyebrow. She only frowned in response, seeing right through my friendly offer.

“Too many memories for me to deal with after the other night.” She exhaled, standing up in front of me and looking over my outfit once more. “Besides, you need this. Tomorrow we will try to figure everything out. Tonight, just go have fun.”

“Easier said than done. Are you even sure Nolan’s okay with me going in your place?” I couldn’t help but wonder exactly what his reaction was when she told him.

“Oh, he doesn’t know yet. He’s about to find out.” Instinctively her hand clamped around my arm at the same moment my feet planted into the floor.

“Dammit Aggie, really?” I pulled against her surprisingly strong grip as my feet started to slide against the wood. Amidst our struggle, I heard footsteps stomping up the stairs outside her room.  My eyes widened as her lips curled at the edges. “You sneaky little –”

“Aggie? Ya ready ta go?” Nolan’s voice called from the living room. I wriggled out of her grip, but sent myself off balance. I landed on her bed and bumped into her nightstand in the process. Her knick-knacks clanked against the floor before she pulled me to my feet.

“If anything is broken, you’re buying me a new one.” She narrowed her eyes and the evil smirk played on her lips again as she tugged me to the door like a lamb to the slaughter.

“I hate you right now.” I grumbled, still struggling in vain.

“Whatever, you’ll thank me later.” She said as she opened the door. Nolan looked from Aggie to me as we came out of the bedroom. I’d stopped struggling and calmly stood next to her. If I was going to be forced to go I should at least retain some of my dignity.

“I’m not going this year, Nolan,” Aggie’s eyes shot to me, “she is.”

“Oh.” He looked at me then back to Aggie with an uneasy look
.
Her smile only widened as she shoved me toward him.

“Go on. Have fun you two.” She corralled us toward the stairs, Nolan looking equally as blindsided as I did.