‘I guess we’ll just have to continue following the trail of Lincoln’s life. And thankfully, looking at Rick Spabrunt’s employment history, or at least this Patrick Burns as he was previously known, we know exactly where to explore next.’
‘And where’s that?’ Hill enquired.
‘The Smithsonian, Washington DC.’
*
The Jackson home appeared idyllic to Vanessa. From the outside it was the suburban dream that she herself aspired to live in one day. The swish car, the large pristine garden, and a south-facing porch, which caught the sun from the rocking chair all day, would make the perfect cover for an issue of House & Home.
However Jamison knew the real story behind the picture-perfect house. She’d heard all about the arguments and the bigotry which had entered the doors of this castle, and had tainted the homely feel of the building. Today, even the tulips appeared to droop with sadness.
The detective arrived to collect some more belongings of her colleague’s so that he could continue to live at her rental for the longer term. She’d become a little tired of his limited wardrobe. In the evenings, he changed into what he called ‘house-pants’; a pair of track-suit bottoms, which had an expanding hole, leaving little to the imagination. Darnell had become just a little too comfortable in what was supposed to be a temporary living arrangement. He’d begged Vanessa to pick up the items as his presence at his former home had caused enough turmoil for the family in recent days and Jasmine appeared far from ready to talk to him.
She nervously walked up to the front door. She glanced up and down and saw there was a level of activity inside by the silhouettes dancing in the window. She took a deep breath and knocked. A few minutes later, a young Aaron Jackson answered the door.
‘Oh, hi, you must be Darnell’s son. Is your mom in?’
‘Mom!’ Aaron called, which was followed by a stampede down the stairs. Aaron was just sixteen years old but he looked older, so much so that she wouldn’t have hesitated to serve him back in the days when she worked part time in a bar whilst she was studying. He was tall with a strong jaw like his father, and he was dressed well, much better than his brother, in a red shirt with a grey pullover and dark jeans. He waited until his mother joined them before scurrying off. Jasmine’s cheerful curiosity turned sour as she came face to face with her visitor.
‘Oh it’s you.’
‘Hi, Jasmine, can we talk?’
The lady of the house stood back and let the visitor in, before slamming the door behind her. Vanessa considered Jasmine stern but fashionable; she carried herself well in a blue and white vest-swing dress with a white cardigan over her shoulders, which Vanessa wished she could pull off herself.
‘Thanks for letting me in. I’ve come for two things. The first is that Darnell needs more clothes. We’re off to Washington with work and now this story is on the news. I’m sure you can see now why we need to get cracking on this case.’
‘Oh another trip. Another romantic weekend away with my husband.’ Jasmine raised an eyebrow and folded her arms.
‘That’s honestly not true, Jasmine. Darnell, despite all the idiotic things he’s done, loves you and your boys so much. And no offence to him, or any disrespect to yourself, but I wouldn’t want him! He’s lost without you, Jasmine. He really is. We’re off to DC in the morning, I beg you to reconsider taking him back when we return. That night in Indiana we were in separate rooms. We met for dinner and drinks, sure, but all he did was talk about you and your family all evening. This case has drained him of everything and now, on top of all that, he’s lost his family. I just don’t know how he’s going to cope without you. Please just think about it while we’re away.’
Jasmine sighed. ‘Thanks, Vanessa. Listen, I’m sorry for what I said about you. You’re a young, beautiful girl and you’re right, there’s no way you would want a man like Darnell.’
They burst into laughter and Vanessa’s shoulders eased. But Jasmine’s face grew serious.
‘But listen, this is more than just a suspected fling. He’s destroyed our family through his intolerance of my sons. Since he’s left this house, my two boys have both come home and are finally happy here. They couldn’t live under the same roof while Darnell was around. My children will always come first. And as for him and our marriage. He’s changed so much since he was shot last year. He became obsessed with Chuck Cunningham and he’s become angrier and angrier. He used to be so much fun. Those days are long gone. There’s now so much frustration and bitterness in the house when he’s here, it became a pretty bleak place to live. And I don’t want that for my sons or myself. ’
‘I don’t blame you,’ Vanessa replied. ‘But you know what? I think he’s warming. Believe me, he was less than welcoming when I joined the team, but he’s lightening up. We’ve built a friendship. I wouldn’t invite anyone into my house if I didn’t get along with them. Look, I know he can be a stubborn old fool sometimes, but I’ve been working on him. He’s set in his ways and it’s gonna take some time to break, but he loves those boys, regardless, and I think losing them has given him some perspective. And you.’
The door to the hallway opened and Aaron walked in, silencing the women with a glare of mistrust, making her aware of just how far this rumour of
