“Are you okay, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee?” I say with mock severity.
They both look at me, and Michael’s about to say something when Marcos beats him to it. “Mr. Bennett, you told me you had a party last night at your house.”
He nods. “That’s right, I did.”
“So, if Ana was last in her room before the party and has just discovered the note now, then it is safe to say that someone could have left this note last night while your guests were still here. It could have been someone you invited to the party or someone who managed to gain entry to the house at some point as the party progressed.”
All smiles are gone as I think hard about what Marcos just said. “I did go into my room briefly this morning to get my phone.”
Marcos quickly gets his notebook out and starts scribbling again. “And I take it the note wasn’t there then?”
I rack my brain, trying to figure out whether it was there or not. This information is vital. It determines whether the person got in during the barbecue or when Jake and I were out today. If it was while Jake and I were out, then it would be someone who knew the alarm code, since there was no sign of forced entry. My head hurts like hell all of a sudden, and to top it all off, nausea’s coming back. I can’t seem to think straight.
“To be honest with you, I cannot say for certain. My phone was on my dresser, opposite the bed. I never looked. I was literally in my room seconds before I came out. I had three text messages, so I was caught up in reading those. I’m really sorry. I know how important this is, but I don’t recall seeing anything as I wasn’t paying much attention.”
Marcos jots all this down before turning his attention back to me. “It’s okay, don’t worry. It is important, but you had no way of knowing that until now. Can you let me know who the messages were from?”
Blushing, I answer, “They were from my friend, Jessie. She was away for a wedding last night, and she wanted to know how the party went.”
“Okay, this Jessie—”
“Lindsay,” both Michael and Tom say in unison.
“So this Jessie Lindsay sent you three messages, asking how the party went?”
I blush. “Yes. When I didn’t answer her straight away last night, she became impatient and wanted to know why I wasn’t answering her.”
Tom erupts in a burst of laughter, but quickly stops to compose himself. I look up at Jake, and sure enough, he’s glaring at him.
Marcos finishes writing before glancing at Jake. “Can you please run a list of the names of all the people who were at the party last night?”
Jake nods. “Sure. I will get that to you ASAP.” Marcos smiles and looks about ready to leave, but Jake speaks again. “You should know that Ana was out running a couple of weeks ago and thought she was being followed.”
I huff, elbowing Jake. “You know that was nothing.”
“What made you think you were being followed?”
I snap my head up to Marcos. “It was silly. I was on my own on the street suddenly, and I just got spooked. It was nothing.”
Marcos lips form a thin, small line. “Hmm, it may be nothing, but it may be something. Especially since this new piece of information has come to light. I would advise not going out running alone again until this has been resolved.”
Jake huffs and shakes his head. “That goes without saying. There’s no way Ana is going out running on her own from now on.”
Under normal circumstances, I would have been mad at his possessiveness, but Jake’s right. It just annoys me that I have to stay locked behind closed doors because a deranged killer is out to get me.
Marcos soon excuses himself again to see what’s happening upstairs. Jake sits up straighter, releasing his grip from me, and turns to face Tom and Michael. “Now I’m going to say this once to the two of you, and I don’t want to ever have to repeat this, or I will have your badges. You are not to breathe a word of this to anyone while this investigation is ongoing. Some sick fuck seems to have more than a little crush here on Ana, and I don’t want anyone—and I mean anyone—to know about us. It might end up pissing off whoever this sick fuck is. Do I make myself clear?” They both quickly nod their heads like they had been told off by the headmaster. “If I even hear a whiff of gossip going around the station, then I won’t be responsible for my actions. This has to stay quiet. For Ana’s sake.”
Jake grips my hand, looking round to me with a smile. “Are you okay?”
I return the smile. “I’m fine. It is a shock, and still is, but I have you guys to take care of me, so I’m fine.”
Jake squeezes my hand before getting up. “I’m going to have a chat with Marcos about getting someone to watch over the house at night. I also need to get that list going for him. Will you be okay for a minute?” I nod and watch as he leaves the room.
As I turn my attention back to Michael and Tom, I can see how much they’re itching for information, but I can also tell they’re afraid to ask.
“Well, go on then. I know you’re just dying to ask me.”
Tom positions himself at the end of the sofa, looking like the cat that got the cream. “How long? You weren’t doing it with your mom in the house, were you?”
My mouth twists into a scowl. “Shut up, Tom. That’s gross. It only really happened last night.” I knew at some point it was going to turn sick, but I didn’t think he would just put it out there like that. This is exactly what I didn’t want—people judging us. Jake’s a lot more to me than just a crush or passing whim.
He’s my life.
“You and the boss,” Tom snorts. “I was starting to think you might be gay.”
Complete shock overtakes me. Is that what everyone thinks of me just because I never gave anyone at work the time of day?
Michael nudges at Tom and then looks sheepishly towards me. “Sorry, Ana Banana. I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just you’re a very popular girl and certainly had a choice of a few people. You just never seemed to be interested.”
I glare at Tom. “So, because I never looked in their direction, people naturally assumed I was gay? What a typical, chauvinistic male attitude!”
Michael cowers. “Tom, you shouldn’t have gone there, buddy.”
I’m fuming inside. I thought keeping my head down and getting on with things curtailed any gossip going around. It would seem that me being the ice princess that Tom’s making me out to be is what spurred the gossip about me in the first place. I can’t win. If I were shagging everyone in the station, I would earn a reputation as a slut. But because I don’t sleep around, I must be gay now? This is beyond stupid.
“So does everyone think I’m gay just because I wouldn’t sleep with a few people?” Tom winces. I think he’s beginning to really regret what he said.
“No, of course not. Look, just forget what I said, okay? I’m sorry. Please don’t be upset with me.”
I take a deep breath and try to calm down a bit. “Okay, Tom. Whatever. I think I have more important things to be worrying about anyway. Just so you know, though, I’m not gay, and this thing with Jake is still in its infancy. All you need to know is that it’s happened, I’m happy, and once this jerk is caught, everyone can get on with their lives, and I won’t have to constantly look over my shoulder.”