Arabella

Chapter 8

        Arabella replayed in her mind what happened yesterday and processed what Jake just told her. Mr. Blue was found dead in his mansion, throat slit. There were supernaturals on the police force and steps would be taken to insure a supernatural would be in charge of the case. Her first suspect would be Jake as well, in light of what happened yesterday.

“Did the cops pick you up?”

Jake nodded his head. “They told me not to leave town.”

“What else? Tell me everything you can.”

        Jake sat for a few minutes sipping his coffee. “Well… from what I can figure, his throat was slit and his office was ransacked. Someone was looking for something. A knife was left at the scene and his security system was disabled. No cameras.” He took another sip of coffee and speared a piece of bacon and put it into his mouth. When he finished chewing he continued, “I have a contact in the department who says it’s not looking too good for me.”

“Your alibi?” Arabella stared intently at his face. If he were lying, she would know.

Jake broke the gaze between them. “I was home, sleeping. No one can vouch for me.”

        She knew he was lying. She sipped her coffee and waited. Did she trust Jake? Everything else could be verified. She finished the eggs on her plate, and then refilled her cup. The fog in her head was mostly gone and she knew she was going to need to be in top shape because the sour milk feeling was back. There was no way she’d be able to stay away from this case.Before she thought too far into it, she decided she needed a shower and to get her car from the garage.  She would figure out why he was lying later.

                                                                                            ***

        After a quick shower, Arabella put her hair up in a bun and threw on a pair of jeans, a Blue Oyster Cult tee, and a pair of running shoes. She was going to need to be comfortable.  She grabbed her keys and headed to Jake in the living room. He was lounged on her ottoman, flipping through channels. He looked up when she walked into the room and stood quickly, clearly embarrassed. He mumbled a sorry and reached for the remote.

“No worries. You already broke in; getting upset about you watching tv is moot at this point.” Jake’s face flushed and she laughed. “Just watch TV.  You’re staying here anyways.” She pulled on a light jacket and headed for the door when she felt Jake’s hand on her arm. She pushed his hand away and spun to face him. She was in no mood to deal with him. She needed time to think. Ignoring the questioning look on his face, she walked out the door slamming it behind her. He would get the point.