Before he could answer, my aunt came down the stairs. “Oh… Hi, honey. Where have you been?” she questioned.
She was flustered, and I then got the feeling I had walked in on something. Their attempt to look innocent was overdone.
“I was visiting a friend. Did I interrupt?” I couldn’t conceal the surprise I felt even if I tried.
“Of course not. Uh, Lake, this is Jackson. Jackson, this is my niece I told you about.” He stood up to shake my hand. He was tall with medium brown hair and a muscular build, and I couldn’t help but admire how gorgeous he was even with the jagged scar on his right cheek. It only boosted his appearance making him look dangerous and rugged. I wondered what type of work he did that might have led to that scar. Maybe he was ex-military. He definitely fit the profile.
“It’s nice to finally meet you.” I looked at my aunt.
“Finally?” I asked and then turned back to Jackson. “I’m sorry, she never mentioned you.”
“Jackson was the private investigator I hired to help me find your parents while I was gone.”
“How did you have time?”
“My book tour was actually only a week long.” I couldn’t conceal the hurt I felt finding out that she told another lie. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry I lied to you. I didn’t want to say anything until I had some information.”
I felt the familiar ache that came whenever my parents were brought up, but this time, it wasn’t followed by anger. “That’s okay, Aunt Carissa. I know you meant well.” I turned and shook Jackson’s hand again. “Thank you for taking care of my aunt and for finding out what happened to my parents. I can’t thank you enough.”
“No thanks necessary, Lake. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“So what’s going on?” It was the only way I could ask what he was doing here if she’d already found the answers to my parent’s disappearance without coming across as completely rude.
“Our investigation is still ongoing.”
“But you said my parents were murdered.”
“Yes,” Jackson spoke up. “But we still have to find the person who murdered them.”
“If you don’t know who murdered them, then how do you know they were murdered?”
“Are you ready to hear—”
“No.” I cut her off while taking a step back. “I don’t want to know.”
I needed to retreat fast, but Jackson’s sharp eyes held me captive. He looked like Keiran did when he was assessing me and calculating what to do next minus the heat.
“Okay, honey. Whenever you’re ready. Jackson will be staying in town for a while at a hotel, so he’ll be around a lot.” I nodded silently and turned to go.
“Lake,” he called before I could escape.
“Yes?” He pulled out a card and handed it to me. His full name and number was engraved in bold writing on the front.
Jackson Reed: Special Investigations.
“If you ever need anything, please, don’t hesitate to call.”
“Why would I need to call?” It was genuine question meant to gauge just how much he saw when he studied me moments ago. Having him here could be bad, but not because he could be dangerous. More because I had the feeling he really was good at uncovering secrets.
“I’m not sure, Lake, but I’m hoping you’ll tell us before it’s too late.”
Chapter Sixteen
Lake
The police station was fast becoming a familiar place to me. The next morning, before school began, I walked into the station with new determination and a goal in mind.
Some of the people moved about in a chaotic manner while others were stagnant, pouring over files, or dealing with frantic citizens and arrestees. I quickly signed in and made my way to the detectives’ desks where they talked amongst themselves. They were so engrossed in their conversations that they had failed to notice me until I was standing practically on top of them.
“Lake,” Detective Wilson greeted, noticing me first.