Chapter 2 The telephone call
Cassidy took a step backwards from the man before her, the image from the crime scene filling her brain. Why did he have that scent on him?
“My apologies,” she heard the man say. “I didn't know you were moving in today, Cass.”
Her skin prickled with goosebumps as she gazed at the man before her struggling to look as calm as possible even though her mind was screaming at her to run because she couldn't understand why a total stranger knew her name.
The man before her seemed to read her mind. “I'm Arthur Finch, the owner of the building. Your name was on the contract you signed.”
Cassidy released the breath she didn't know she was holding. “Contract? But she didn't speak with a male when she wanted to buy the apartment,” she muttered under his breath, even though his answer calmed her troubled mind a bit.
Her eyes glanced at her boxes and she remembered what was going on. She was not going to be the one to drag those boxes back up… never. She hardened her face, pointing at the boxes down the stairs.
“You can see those boxes right?” She asked, her voice coming out harsher than she had intended. “Get them back where they were.”
Arthur let out a low chuckle, showing off the deep dimples on his both cheeks. “You know you could have said that without squeezing your face.”
Cassidy’s nostrils flared. “Of course. And you could have walked downstairs without bumping into me.”
Arthur's smile widened as he descended the stairs. “Don't be a petty person. I've apologised.”
“So does that entitle me to accept it?” she shot back, her face red.
He didn't say anything else until he had dragged up her three boxes to her front door. “Hope you can accept it now?” he asked with a smudge smile.
Cassidy snatched two of his boxes from his grip and dragged it into her room totally ignoring him.
“Miss Cass—”
“What do you think?” She interrupted sharply, dragging the last box to her door. “When I'm a petty person.”
Before Arthur could reply, she banged the door shut in his face. ‘Asshole!’ she cursed under her breath, slumping into a couch.
There was something very odd about him aside from the unfamiliar scent but as much as she didn't want to accept it. He literally made her forget how bad her day had gone.
She slapped her cheeks lightly. ‘What the hell are you thinking? Nice guys are always the real monsters.’ she mentally reminded herself.
Forcing herself up from the couch, she slipped into the bathroom fully aware that her bad days were just beginning. She was going to find out everything about him tomorrow but not just him also… the body from the crime scene flashed through her mind again. She swallowed the rest of her thoughts as she dipped herself into the cold bath.
Cassidy woke up the next morning with a start, her eyes snapped to the mini clock on her bedstand and widened instantly, 7:45 a.m. She barely had an hour as the station opens by 8:30 a.m and she still needed to stop by the forensics lab to get the report.
She jumped down from the bed and quickly freshened up, throwing a leather jacket and one of her old jeans over her body and then grabbed her truck key.
Her stomach growled as she hurried down the stairs but just as she turned towards the garage, the sharp scent of coffee hit her nostrils.
Before she realized it, she was already inside the coffeehouse below her unit. It reeked of fresh coffee beans and warm vanilla with something sweet, like buttery pastries. But that wasn't the only smell in the room, that odd scent from the scene was much stronger also.
She pushed her way through the busy shop towards the counter. “Black dark roast, no sugar, no cream with an extra shot,” she ordered, placing a dollar note on the counter.
The person behind the counter lifted his face and her eyes dilated. “You?”
“Good morning, Cass.” Arthur smiled, returning back his attention to the cup of coffee he was making.
‘I must have one hell of a luck to run into him early this morning,’ she mumbled under her breath, very much irritated by his smile but she pressed her lips together, he was the least of her issues now.
“Here you go,” he said, pushing the coffee cup towards her. “On the house. First timers.” he added, pushing back her note.
Cassidy smiled through gritted teeth, grabbing the cup and chugging the coffee down in one go. “Thank you,”
She didn't wait for him to respond before she turned on her heels heading out of the coffeehouse, the note back in her pocket. She could feel his burning gaze from behind but didn't turn back.
By the time Cassidy finally pulled up in front of Willow Crest Police Department, it was already half past nine. What happened during those past hours was something she had no time to explain.
She slammed the truck door shut and quickened her pace into the station. At the front desk sat Jack, her childhood friend. His face kind of lit up when he saw her.
“Cassy!” he shrieked, running into her arms.
Cassidy flashed him one of her sweetest smiles, pulling him away. “Long time no see, Jack.”
“Don't even get started with that,” he said, twisting his face.
“Can we catch up later?” she pleaded, voice soft. “I'm already late.”
She didn't wait for him to reply before disappearing into the inner station. But the moment she stepped into the violent crimes unit, Captain Draco erupted.
“Didn't know you're an early bird, Blake?”
Cassidy nibbled on her lower lip, approaching him with the report in hand. “Traffic was bad and—”
She heard her teammates muffle a laughter, just as realization hit her. She was in the town, not the city.
“If you can't think like a detective, act like one,” Draco said, his voice harsh.
“Sorry, Captain.” She apologised, lowering her head.
“Drop the report and get started on the case,” he ordered, burying his face back into the files before him.
Cassidy dropped the file on his desk and quickly headed to the only empty seat and luckily it was beside Sam. “Good morning, Sam.” She greeted, slumping into the seat.
“Morning Cassidy,” he replied, deeply absorbed in the file before him.
Her face fell at the sight of the huge file before her with the title, ‘The Arbiter.’ She swallowed nothing, ‘We came back for this. We can do this.’ she told herself. But just as she was about to open it, the telephone on her desk rang.
She picked it up instantly. “This is the violent crimes unit, how may I help you?”
“Help,” a voice cried from the other end. “He… help, there's… there's a body.”
Cassidy's breath caught. “Hello, where are you? Is there anything you can see?”
“He… help,” the voice came again, quietly this time. “Two… two blocks down… down the town hall.”
“He—”
A stab sound followed and the line went dead. Cassidy's mind froze, the phone falling out of her hands.
