Chapter 16
2446 Words
For the first time she will be away from home on her brothers’ birthday. Of course she sent them presents and called this morning, but it was not the same. She could see them all for at least a moment and for now that had to be enough for her. Mark and Michael were disappointed, but it was visible that somewhere deep inside they knew Jay will not come home. She was left to believe they were not offended.
In the afternoon Jay arrived at her father’s house which was full of people – catering, florists, and waiters. And all of them were under Mrs. M. command! Jay had to admit that she was damn good at it. She exchanged few words with the housekeeper and went in search of her father. She found him in the banquet hall together with Cadence Miller. Jay remembered her from the past. She still looked very young and full of energy. Cadence was tall with long blond hair, blue eyes and light complexion. Because she was slim, she looked fabulous in a long red dress and golden high-heeled sandals made of thin stripes. Her nails were juicy red as well.
- Jaysabel! – She shouted out when Jay entered the room. – How are you sweetheart?!
- I’m fine, thanks! – She answered. – Nice to see you again Mrs. Miller!
- Oh! – She scoffed. – Call me Cadence! I’m definitely too young to be titled “Mrs.” – She laughed. – John! Where have you been hiding her?! – She turned to Jay’s father.
- I wanted to keep her for myself. – He said. – How are you honey?
- Good. And you? – She smoothed his tie. – Ready for the evening?
- I haven’t organized such a party for ages! So no! I’m nervous and my hands are sweating! – He sighed theatrically.
- Everything will be okay! – Cadence calmed him down. – It’ll be wonderful evening!
- I’ll change! – Jay shook her bag and left for her bedroom.
Because Jay had enough time, she took a long hot bath to relax and relieve stress. She was still angry with Sam Lorenzo. She just could not help it. That girl was getting on her nerves. Jay at first hoped silently that the girl would just let go after their little argument. But she was either stubborn or stupid, because she kept attacking her every now and then. And Jay was just sick and tired of it. If she did not care about keeping in secret who she really was, Jay for sure would have kicked that snobbish skinny butt by now. Even if she liked verbal skirmishes, she still had no time for an exalted empty doll. ‘Stupid b***h!’ She sighed.
She left the tub before the water had cooled off. Then she spent some time tying her hair and doing makeup. Although, Jay did not like dresses she decided to put on simple little black one and black high-heels without toes. Nothing special. Short sleeves covered the scar on her shoulder, but her neck was very well visible. She looked elegant, however, she will not be noticeable. Jay knew that this role could be easily passed to Cadence.
It was about time to go down, so she put on her favorite long silver earrings and a matching pendant that it perfectly between the mounds of her breasts. She looked critically at her reflection in the mirror. She nodded satisfied and left her room. From the top of the stirs she could hear her father’s voice and Cadence’s laugh. Jay went straight to them.
- Still alone? – She asked.
- Guests should be here in a minute. – John answered. – You look fabulous, sweetheart! – He kissed Jay on the cheek.
- Thanks dad, but I can’t compare with Cadence.
- Oh, honey! If I was your age! – Cadence laughed. – The first guests! – She almost sang. – I have to find my boys.
- They’re probably in the library. – John suggested.
- I’ll go! – Jay did not want to greet any guests, so the best idea was to vanish for a while.
- Thank you, sweetie!
- That’s no problem! – She smiled innocently.
Jay walked down the long corridor to the library. Soft and fluffy carpets damped her footsteps. When she heard male voices, she slowed down and started tiptoeing. Eavesdropping was not her nature, but she had a strange feeling that this time the conversation was about her.
- You don’t know that! – The first man said.
- Come on! – Argued the second one. – She came from a small hole somewhere in Montana! No one even heard about it! How do you think? It’s a perfect occasion for such a girl!
- You suggest that she arrived to New York only because John is rich and she may gain some profits of it.
- Teens usually follow money! – He was sarcastic. – They don’t care about family ties. John will give her everything, because he’s like that. And she’ll take it. Everything! Or even more. I even bet that she count on finding rich husband, so she won’t have to work.
- I remember a little girl opening her eyes wide when she visited Big Apple as a kid. – The first one cut in.
- And you believe she hasn’t changed? – The second one snorted.
- I hope she hasn’t. That would be a shame if she started acting like a stupid goose.
Jay stopped listening. At first she was sorry that they judged her before they even met and they had a chance to get to know her better. Then she felt anger. ‘How dare they!?’
- Mum will probably ask us to show her the city.
- You’ll do it!
- No way! I won’t waste my time with some stupid village girl.
That was enough for her! Jay turned back and went to the closest bathroom. She looked into the mirror. She did not care about her look. Well, most of the time. But she decided to give the Millers brothers a lesson. She murmured a short spell. Her face immediately became brighter, her eyes deeper and shiny. She seemed to be taller, although the heels were only four inches. Her dress was shorter and more provocative, it barely covered her buttocks. She was just glowing. ‘Perfect!’ She thought.
Satisfied with the effect of her spell, Jay left the bathroom and headed for the library. This time she was clicking loudly with her heels. She knocked quickly and opened the door with a wide smile.
- Here you are, boys! – She was pretending to be a stupid blond. – I was looking for you everywhere! This house is so big, that I’ve almost got lost! – She laughed.
Two young, handsome men were looking at her with eyes wide opened. They could not say a word and Jay knew that the effect was staggering! ‘That’s right! I’m the stupid goose from a godforsaken hole in Montana!’ She thought viciously. ‘You can drool now!’ She was having a great time.
- The guests have arrived. – She informed. – We’re waiting for you! – She said in melodious tone, but she was laughing inside.
- Of course! – The younger one cleared his throat. – You’re Jaysabel, right? – He asked.
- Call me Jay, sweetie! – She smiled coquettishly at him. – And you’re Reeve?
- Yes. – He stammered. – You look… Wow!
- Oh, stop it! – She slapped him on the shoulder, laughing. – Nice to see you again. You too, Holt. – She turned to Reeve’s elder brother.
- Hi! – That was all he could say.
- Go downstairs, I’ll check if Mrs. M. needs any help. – She turned around and waved at them. – See you very soon! – She walked away, swinging her hips.
Jay could feel their gaze on her and she laughed inwardly like a real witch.
She went to the kitchen to take a deep breath. She had to think for a while how to play it. She was proud of her ancestry and she wanted to cut the Miller brothers’ noses. After consideration, she decided to play a stupid small town goose. At least for a while. ‘And then…. Well, we’ll see!’ She smiled to herself.
Jay went back to the banquet room. The fact that she used magic to improve her look, made everyone stare at her. She pretended to be a little bit embarrassed and shy. She smiled carefully and approached John.
- Sweetheart! – He seemed to be surprised but he managed to keep his poker face.
- Father. – She said. – Will you introduce me? – She asked.
- Of course. – He cleaned his throat. – Senator Henderson, my daughter, Jaysabel.
- Nice to meet you senator. – She shook his hand, thinking of his bitchy son.
- You too, young lady. I’ve heard a lot about you. – He was extremely polite.
- I guess it was all lies! – She laughed.
- Who is this charming young woman? – A tall, handsome man approached them. He was about fifty.
- I’m Jay, John’s daughter. – She replied with a sweet smile on her face.
- Gregory Cameron. – He introduced himself.
- I love your hotels! Each one has its own unique c****x! – She said.
- Thank you! – He was surprised, but glad that she knew who he was.
She was chatting with her father’s friends, flirted with them, knowing that Holt and Reeve Miller are watching her carefully all the time. Finally, she decided to come over them.
- Are you having a good time? – She asked politely.
- Yes, thank you. – Reeve behaved courtesy. – You seem to enjoy the party.
- Oh, I do. I love spending time with interesting people. – She replied and smiled widely when he grimaced.
- Miller! – A tall, well-build man came over to them and shook Holt’s hand.
- Captain Patterson! – He greeted the man.
‘Patterson? Patterson?’ Jay was thinking hard trying to associate the name. ‘Hank!’ She recalled. As if he could read her mind, Hank appeared next to her. She had no idea that he will be at the party. She did not take it into consideration. Who else was here?
- Hey Montana! – He winked at her. – Dad, meet Jay. – He introduced her to his father. – This is my father, Captain of NYPIT.
- Nice to meet you, sir. – She smiled honestly. – I admire your work.
- Nice to hear that. – He said a bit surprised. – You’re interested in police work?
- A bit. – She admitted. – Hopefully the PIT squads will develop similarly across the whole country. It would be a pity to waste such a potential.
- The project starts in few biggest cities soon. – He informed.
- That’s really good news! – Jay said. – I guess it’s worth exploring more knowledge in this direction. – She smiled at Hank’s father.
- Theory? – He nodded.
- How’s the Voight’s case? – Holt cut in. – Do you have any evidence to shut him down?
- We’re working on it. But I’m afraid it may look the same as Rowling’s case.
- So the guy will go to jail anyway? – Holt summed up.
- I suppose, yes. – Patterson looked disgusted.
- It’s not fair! – Jay interrupted. – Rowling was innocent, just as Voight is.
- How do you know that? – Patterson asked amused.
- You work for PIT. – She pointed out. – It shouldn’t be difficult for you to find proves that the guy is a shape-shifter for real. Providing that someone isn’t trying to hide something.
- You intrigued me. – Patterson stopped Holt from comments. – Keep going. – He asked Jay.
- Rowling’s case is a classical example of corruption and neglect during investigation. But it was long time ago. Now you have better stuff and equipment. – She said. – Both cases have many in common. Shape-shifters, working class, happily married, children, house in the suburbs. And they both were accused of murdering a person from their surroundings. What’s more, both crimes look almost the same.
- But there’s twenty-two years between them. – Holt noticed.
- Indeed. – She agreed. – But you forgot that a born shape-shifter is able to stop the time and become literally immortal. – She watched amusement disappear from his eyes.
- And what would you do? – Patterson asked.
- I’d take a look at Rowling and Voight’s friends, acquaintances, co-workers, neighbors. Maybe someone repeats. – She said. – And it would be a good idea to check if there were similar murders across the country during last twenty-two years. – She suggested.
- Brilliant. – Patterson was impressed. – You study at Marshall College? – He asked.
- Yes, I do. – She confirmed proudly.
- We have forensics and criminology together. – Hank cut in.
- Really? What else do you study? – Captain Patterson was clearly intrigued.
- History, sociology, psychology. – She said and waved her hand. – But I’m also interested in parapsychology and occultism.
Reeve choked on his drink and Holt opened his eyes widely. It was damn difficult for her, but she managed to stay serious.
- Amazing interests. – Patterson said. – Are you going to join PIT in the future?
- Who knows? – She laughed. – We’ll see. Excuse me. – She said and went to talk with other guests.
She met many interesting and influential people. Senators, lawyers, businessmen. And she had to admit, contrary to popular belief, that they are not stiff people who do not know how to have fun. And alcohol had nothing to do with it. They are just group of open and cheerful friends, who love to spend their time together. ‘It’s good to know that my father has so many fantastic people around him.’ She thought.
Suddenly she felt that someone is watching her. She looked around slowly pretending that she was looking for someone. She continued her wandering as her gaze passed over a handsome face with darkened eyes staring at her. She smiled at Gregory Cameron who approached her and ignored the shiver that ran down her spine.
- Writer
