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Chapter 18 : Suspects
As Jennifer entered the house, she caught a glimpse of Eric and Nadia in the far corner talking to one of the Detectives. As the overwhelming smell of blood reached her nose, her attention shifted, to the dead body on the floor. Jennifer carefully walked around to the body avoiding stepping in the pool of blood surrounding the body. She kneeled down and took out a pen, using it to pull back the sheet covering the body, revealing the face of Lombardi. Jennifer’s eyes narrowed as she searched the face and saw the bruising and swelling of his lips, cheeks and eyes. Carefully examining the rest of his face, she took a mental picture of his nose and jaw, both of which seemed to be broken. She pulled back the sheet even more and noticed three large bullet wounds in the old man’s chest. She frowned and took out a rubbed glove from her jacket pocket and slipped it on. Ever so gently, she titled the man’s face towards her and noticed a huge gushing hole in the side of his chest so deep that you could see his brain matters.
So that’s where all the blood is from… As Jennifer pulled back slightly and looked at how the old man was positioned, the Detective who had been talking to Eric and Nadia walked over to her.
“How did this man die?” Jennifer asked him, not even glancing up.
The Detective shrugged. “The body’s right there. You tell me.”
Jennifer grabbed the sheet and covered Lombardi with it once more while standing up and pulling off the rubbed glove. “What does the report say?” she asked, finally making eye contact with him.
“That he was shot…three times…in the chest. Death was instantaneous.”
Jennifer shook her head and looked over her shoulder as Nadia and Eric left. “What about them?”
The Detective turned around to see who she was talking about. “Them? They were first ones on the scene,” he said turning back to her.
“They weren’t already here?”
“No. They were on their way.”
“So who was here?”
The Detective pointed to the right of Jennifer at two other agents. “They were,” he replied.
Jennifer watched them closely, as the two agents the Detective pointed out, was talking to an officer. “Place them under arrest,” Jennifer said, while turning to leave.
“What?” the Detective blinked, unsure of he had heard Jennifer correctly.
“You heard me,” Jennifer snapped. She then pointed down to Lombardi’s body. “He didn’t die from the gun shots, nor did he die here. I want those two agents in cuffs, understand?”
The Detective nodded slowly as Jennifer walked back outside towards her car. As she began pulling out her keys, she walked past Eric and Nadia, who were standing outside. Without saying a word to them, she quickly got in the car, and drove away with one person on her mind…Julian.
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“What are we going to do?”
Jack looked up at Michael from his desk and frowned. “About what?”
“Sydney,” Michael exclaimed. “We can’t let her stay in there….”
Jack sighed. “Detective Rhodes has significant evidence against, Sydney. We cannot just simply go in there and…”
“Why not?” Michael interrupted. “Irina is still loose! We need Sydney.”
“We don’t need Sydney…” Jack’s frown deepened even more as he watched Michael closely, feeling his unease and growing anger and tension. “What did you find in that file, Agent Vaughn?”
For a moment, Michael said nothing. When he glanced at Jack and saw that he wasn’t backing down, he sighed and sat down across from Sydney’s father. “There were test results.”
“Tests?” Jack asked. “Of what?”
“Rambaldi’s mixtures, potions, fluids, artifacts…”
“The substance that was in that sphere in the Islands?”
Michael nodded. “Whatever was in that fluid has the ability to make any living think immortal.”
“You mean Sydney is…?” Jack gasped.
“Along with Irina,” Michael confirmed. “That’s how they both survived that accident. They were already infected.”
Jack thought for a moment, casting his eyes downward. Finally, he looked back up at Michael, “Is that why she’s been so detached?”
“I think so. She hasn’t feared anything or anyone because there was nothing to fear. But it doesn’t last. That’s why Irina wants the Horizon.”
“So she can stay immortal?” Jack asked. With one more nod from Michael, Jack sighed. “Then we have to take action. We cannot let Irina get her hands on the Horizon.”
“We can’t just send anyone against Irina,” Michael protested. “We need a plan.”
Jack shook his head. “No, we have to stop her. And for that we need Sydney.”
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Just as Julian poured himself a glass of wine he heard the front door open, then slam shut. Just as he raised the glass to his lips he saw Jennifer enter the room. Seeing the look on Jennifer’s face, Julian couldn’t help but smirk.
“Work was tough today, huh?” he mused.
Jennifer just stared at him for a moment, anger seething through her. She had to resist the urge to punch him right then and there. “You think this is funny?” she choked out. “You murdered an innocent man!”
“Well, yeah. That’s what ‘take care of him means’,” he chuckled. “Besides…he was hardly innocent.”
Jennifer slammed her purse on the table causing Julian to wipe the smirk right off his face, surprising him. “Dammit, Julian!” she shouted. “I am being frackin serious!”
“Will you relax?” he said, standing up. “What are you, pms-ing or something?” Jennifer sent Julian a glare.
Ooh. If looks could kill… “Just calm down, alright?” he said, quietly and slowly approaching her. “Everything is going according to plan. You’re doing wonderfully. Just keep this up, and she’ll be back with you in no time,” he assured her.
Jennifer shook her head but relaxed her stance and Julian breathed a sigh of relief. “I can’t keep doing this,” she told him.
Julian set his jaw and looked at Jennifer square in the eye. “You better,” he warned. “Or you know what will happen.”
“I have done everything you asked!” Jennifer cried. “I’ve gotten Sydney out of the way. I let you kill Lombardi. I gave you the remaining artifacts that the CIA had. What more do you want?” Jennifer exclaimed.
“Look, we…I…just need another day, okay? One more day…then you’re home free. You’re out. You two can be together and move out of the country for all I care.”
Jennifer averted her eyes to the floor and bit her lip, then slowly nodded. “Fine,” she whispered.
Julian smiled and wrapped his arms around her. “That’s my girl,” he whispered back.