Midnight Angel [Jenlisa FF]

~'~'~ Chapter 9 ~'~'~

Flipping open the delicate clasp of the locket, Lisa felt her breath whoosh out of her. "Jennie," she breathed out heavily.

Gazing up at her from the inside of the locket was a miniature family portrait, and she recognized two of the players. Mr. Kim stood with his arm around a middle-aged woman with dark blonde hair, and standing in front of her were three children, one of which she instantly recognized as Jennie.

On the opposite side of the locket was another picture. This one was of Jennie and the middle-aged woman - her mother, she assumed – with their heads close together, bright smiles on their faces. Jennie looked a few years younger in the picture than she had in the one that Jisoo had shown her. There was a lightness in her, the relaxed smile, the bright eyes, that hadn't been in the other picture. It was from before the rape, Lisa realized. Before her life had been torn to pieces.

What was it about her, she wondered as her thumbnail ran over her face in the picture that drew her in? She was beautiful, but not quite stunningly so. Her looks were enough to draw a second glance, but she wasn't the shallow type to base everything on a person's outer appearance. Was it the tragedy that had fallen her? She supposed that was a large part of it. Knowing what this innocent young woman had been through twisted something inside her. Whatever it was about her, Lisa just couldn't get her out of her mind.

Lisa clicked the locket closed and stared at the gleaming gold. Ther was her locket. Who else could it be? She doubted Mr. Kim would wear such a feminine piece, and it wasn't logical for anybody else, besides Jennie, to be wearing a locket with pictures of her family. It had to be hers.

Lisa turned the heart over a few times in her fingers. The gold was clean and unblemished, with no nicks, dents or tarnish. It hadn't been on the beach for long, that was obvious. Lifting the chain up, she studied the clasp. It was broken, as she'd suspected. She'd lost it while walking the beach. If the photos hadn't been damning enough, the locket was pretty much proof positive. Jennie Kim had to be alive.

The sounds of tires on gavel drew Lisa's attention. Someone was at her house. She glanced down at her watch, saw that it was too early for Jisoo, Jin and Jackson to be here, and wondered who was paying her a visit. With the locket clasped in her hand, she walked back to her house.

The last thing she'd expected to see was a police car sitting in her driveway. A tall man with dark hair was climbing the steps of her front porch. Pure instinct had her slipping her hand in her pocket and depositing the locket inside.

"Can I help you?" Lisa asked as she approached the bottom of the stairs.

The man turned, flashed Lisa an over-friendly smile. "Hello," he greeted and walked back down the stairs. "I'm Philip Walker, the chief of police here in Cambria."

Every muscle in Lisa's body tightened, her hands clenched for a moment before she forced them to relax. Inside, she was seething. This man was Cameron Walker's father. His son had raped Jennie, and he'd helped cover it up. It took every ounce of self-control to battle back the urge to shove her fist in the bastard's face.

"What can I do for you?" Lisa inquired, forcing her voice to remain neutral. What the hell was the chief of police doing at her house?

"Oh, I just thought I'd pay a visit to our town's newest resident, see if you were settling in okay," Philip explained, her public servant smiles still in place.

"Been busy," Lisa answered with an indifferent shrug. "Between work on the house, and my job, it keeps me on the go."

"Yes," Philip agreed, giving the house a once over. "The place is looking good. I'm glad to see someone restoring it."