STALKING SAPPHIRE (Sapphire Dubois: Book 1)

Chapter 20

Aston lit a cigarette for the tenth time in the last two hours. Rows of expensive and inexpensive cars were parked around the mansion. He had sat there in the same spot when friends and family of the Dubois arrived from church. Mrs. Dubois had invited him, but he had declined.

“I don’t do funerals,” he had told her.

Under normal circumstances, Aston didn’t let much get to him. Now, ever since the day at the Church of Angels, his life had been shaken. His reality altered. Her lifeless face and body was all he could think about. The gut-wrenching feeling had not left him for over two months. He hadn’t slept for over two months. He just lay there night after night, staring up at the ceiling.

“Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me,” he mumbled as he walked to the house and rang the doorbell. He expected a maid, butler, or housekeeper and was dumbfounded when it was her.

Sapphire looked at him, with a split second of warmth before it disappeared. She looked beautiful, dressed up from head to toe, in a conservative knee length purple dress.

It was the first time he’d seen her since he brought her back to life, and he wanted to memorize the way she looked. He wanted to replace this image with the one that was constantly playing in his head.

“Is something wrong?” were the first words out of her mouth. They declared one simple thing. Outside of official business, she saw no other reason for Aston to be there.

“How was the funeral?” Aston asked.

Sapphire tilted her head at him.

“The wedding was wonderful,” she said.

Aston scoffed. “Wedding, funeral...tomato tom-a-to. Either way, the end of life.”  

“Did you want to come in?”

Aston looked over her head. “Any booze?”

“Only truck loads.”

Aston followed Sapphire inside and they passed by the bride, Sapphire’s housekeeper, Julia, and her groom as they slow danced close together in front of a live band.

Sapphire closed the door behind them on the deck, isolating them from the festivities inside. She handed him one of the beers she had grabbed from inside.

“I never really got to thank you for...everything that day,” Sapphire said. “I only talked to Barry during all the statements.”

Aston had done that on purpose, he thought if he didn’t see her and didn’t speak to her, eventually the feeling had to go away.

“How have you been?” she asked.

Aston took a sip of his beer and nodded. “Good. Good...good.”

Sapphire smiled and laughed. “So I take it you’ve been good?”

Aston looked at the glimmering lights of Los Angeles below and drank his beer. “My request for a transfer came in. North Hollywood.”

Aston watched Sapphire and waited for a reaction. How would she feel about him not being around, never seeing him again?

“Oh,” Sapphire said, but he couldn’t tell if she was disappointed or happy...or neither, which was worse.

The chief had given him the news earlier that day, calling him into the office and throwing a printed out email onto the desk in front of Aston.

“So, North Hollywood. Your request went through,” the chief said avoiding eye contact. “Congratulations, Detective.”