Breath of Fresh Air #1 [Complete]

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty Two-

This time Jeff allows me to sit up front. Throughout the ride to the scene at Casey's house, Jeff wants to know everything from the moment I arrived in town. I tell him as much as I can remember leading up to the events after my date with Brooke. I can tell his hands grip the steering wheel harder as I tell him about Jesus following us in his car. That could be another reason Jesus has taken this to heart. Considering he usually wins in the street races he does on the side, being outwitted and losing his car by me has made this personal for him. I continue to apologize to Jeff, but he just waves me off. I'm not sure if I'm ever going to gain his favor, but I hope so. I can see Jeff as a father figure in my life and I don't want to come between him and Brooke.

As we grow closer to Casey's home, the flashing red and blue lights nearly blind us. They decorate half of the street, sitting along the curb or the grass in front of his house. Casey's house is smaller than Jeff's who has a second story. Casey's house is all one story but stretches out in brown and dark orange colors. Jeff is forced to park along the curb a bit further down in front of a neighbor's house. When he places the truck in park, he turns to me. There's a serious and stern expression on his face.

"I need you to listen to me. We can't go in here half cocked. Let me do all the talking, just follow me and keep quiet." Jeff waits for my nod before we can step out of the truck. My hands are shaking so I slide them into the front pocket of the dark hoodie. While the flashing red and blue lights decorate the area, thankfully the sirens aren't actually one. Different cops stand around the concrete drive way and pour out of the house with plastic bags of evidence.

"Jeff, over here!" The voice is familiar, the voice on the phone. Jeff turns us both walking toward a man in plain clothes. There's a silver badge on his jacket identifying him as a detective. Great. Probably one of Jeff's old detective buddies from his days on the force.

"Kevin," Jeff says, shaking the man's hand. Now that we're closer, his dark skin and hair nearly melt into the background. The whites of his eyes and dark eyes flicker toward me for only a second.

"Jeffery. I would say it's good to see you, but not in these circumstances. Who's the kid?" Kevin reaches into his back pocket pulling out a small notepad, glancing at me. Jeff pauses, looks over at me. We both know as a bail jumper I can't be on the scene.

"Brooke's boyfriend, Ford. Ford, this is Kevin, a detective. We know each other from my days on the force." I reach over to shake Kevin's hand, giving him a nod and forced smile. I'm not sure whether to jump for joy that Jeff seems happy to call me Brooke's boyfriend.

"Nice to mee you, kid. Well, guess since Jeff approves, let's head inside. That note is inside, evidence and all." Kevin escorts us around uniform cops toward the house. I spot a larger man in plain clothes, part of me recognizes him from part of my past. The inside of the house is almost packed like sardines. Cops stand around while forensic specialists squat toward the floor picking up evidence.

The front door opens right into the living room, into the heart of the damage. There must have been a glass coffee table as glass covers the white carpet. A turquoise flower pot is also broken as cops try to walk around without disturbing the scene. A small multicolored afghan rests on the arm of the couch while the pillow is torn on the floor, knife slash through the pillow case. I spot the blood the same time Jeff does, near the front windows. The white carpet has a stain of red as Casey must have dragged himself across the carpet to sit up. I wonder how he did it with a gunshot in both his leg and shoulder. It's a miracle Casey Whitney didn't succumb to blood loss.

"The best we can figure out," Kevin says over looking the room. "They must have picked the lock either at the front or back door. Jeff seems to have been sleeping on the couch. We found a guest room on the other side of the house, bed unmade. We assume the commotion may have caused Brooke to come around from the guest room." Kevin pauses as a uniformed cop walks between he and Jeff. He shakes his head as he points toward the couch. When he does, I spot the first tinkles of blood. "I guess they must have woken Jeff on the couch. We've taken samples of the blood, not sure if it's Jeff's or one of the intruders. The biggest section of blood is in the middle where the coffee table was. We assume when Jeff was shot in the shoulder, he fell over the glass coffee table."