“Murdered?”
It had been a year since I worked on my last case; in that case, I’d been both the victim and the investigator. It worked out, but working on a case where I was involved was weird. That was certainly a first for me.
Since then, I’ve spent time updating the Agency, getting to know Axel, and working with my memory therapist. Now, on my way to assist with a cold case, I get a phone call from an old friend, completely derailing my slow entrance back into my work.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Jack wasn’t one to embellish, but murder? I had known this man since we were teens, and he was never one for foolishness. However, none of this sounded right at all. He never spoke of dark things. He was the most irritating ‘Mr. Sunshine’ guy I’d ever met.
Always on the bright side of life.
Murdered?
“Yes, murdered,” he repeated. “Do you think I’m a liar, Destiny?”
When he spoke to me, I could hear the pain in his voice. I had hurt his feelings by questioning him and hadn’t meant to. I apologized at once.
“Jack, my apologies, but you misunderstand. I wasn’t questioning you. I just needed a moment to process what you were saying. I just spoke to her last week. My heart is trying to catch up with my brain.”
“How do you think I feel?” he shot back. “She was my sister!”
I let the silence linger between us for a moment, whispering a prayer for my dearest friend. This wasn’t him talking; it was agony. She was the person closest to him since their parents died when they were just barely adults.
I knew what he needed right now was reassurance, not reprimand. Patience was going to have to be what I offered the most. I took a deep breath, whispering Amen, and continued to talk to him.
“Jack, I’m on my way. Halfway there, actually.”
He was taken aback for a moment. “Did you already hear about this before I called? I have been trying to call you since this happened.”
“No,” I reassured him. “I’m so sorry, Jack. After my last case, I took a little while to catch my bearings. I needed some time to work through some things. I was on my way to another case, but I told Jenny when I spoke to her last week while heading to my retreat that I would stop by and see her. That’s why I’m heading your way. To see…” I broke down and couldn’t even say her name. Again, there was more silence, and I wondered what Jack was thinking.
“I’m sorry for snapping at you, Destiny. I didn’t know…” His voice broke, and I didn’t have to hear it to know how much of a mess he was. “This is…hard.”
The more he cried and spoke of his heartbreak, and how he would have to live without her, I drove even faster. It was hard not to. I yearned to be there as fast as possible. I wanted nothing more than to comfort my friend and find Jenny’s killer.
I kept my voice low and free of emotion. “I know it is, Jack. I’ll be there soon, and we can figure this out.”
I heard him break down on the other end of the phone. It broke my heart to hear such pain from such a strong man. He hadn’t hurt like this since his parents died.
That was many years ago.
I stayed on the phone, letting him know I was still there and giving him time to work through it. Sometimes all someone needs is to know you’re there and close. The talking was done when they were ready, not when we were ready.
When he cleared his throat and sniffed away his tears, I knew he was ready to talk.
“Destiny, before you get here, I need you to know there are some things about her murder you need to know. The authorities are calling it an accident, but—”
I stopped him because I knew how painful it would be to repeat.
“Jack, listen. Let me reach out to the local authorities to get this information. I don’t want you to relive that description and inflict more undue pain yourself.”
He was quiet for a moment.
“I think I can do this…” he stated. “Her…they say it was an accident, but…” his voice broke, but he didn’t stop. “It looked more…ritualistic…”
I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see.
“I understand, Jack. I promise we will find out who did this and ensure they never do it again.”
“I know. That’s why I called you. I need your ability and your help. My sister wouldn’t want anyone else to oversee this. She trusted you…We both do.”
I hadn’t realized how much I had been crying until he spoke those words, and it was hard to keep my composure. They were family to me.
Siblings I had always wished I had.
They were normal to me and came with less craziness than the royal roots I came from. This was the world I had always craved to be a part of, and I had grown very close to.
Jack and Jenny.
This would be a difficult case to work on, and I prayed the Lord would help me keep my wits sharp and my emotions on the back burner so they wouldn’t cloud my judgment. When Jack spoke, my attention was brought back to him.
“Someone’s at the door; I gotta go. I’ll see you when you get here, and we can talk more.”
“Sounds great. Bye, Jack.”
That was all I got out before the phone went dead. I wondered who could be visiting him at this hour. Jack was never a stay-up-late kind of guy, and he never had visitors after nine.
Who was at his door tonight?
Another question I would need an answer to. For now, my lead foot would get me there just as he was having breakfast. I hoped and prayed that whoever had darkened his door didn’t come with dark intentions. I was only three hours away. A lot could happen in three hours, I prayed, that when I arrived, I wouldn't be working his murder, too.