FRIDA
Setting my jaw, I finally press the send button:
To Ingrid Engen - I am a coward when it comes to feelings and love and relationships. If you aren't too angry at me for not showing up the other night, please meet me on our favourite bridge - the one where you made you phone fall onto the Thames.
My nervousness was palpable from miles away, as I put my phone down and start conducting researches on Andrine Hegerberg - it's better to know everything about the woman you killed, right?
At least for now, it would help me get Ingrid out of my mind.
***
JILL
Lia is three minutes late, as I just let out in a bitchy tone:
"Quite ironic for a Swiss to be late given your capacities in watchmaking, uh?"
Rolling her eyes, the brunette just ignores me, before saying:
"So, this is it: the last place Andrine Hegerberg was spotted to in a camera surveillance before she died. Care to go in first, just in case somebody's armed?"
"You have some ovaries, I gotta give you that" I let out, not that impressed. While the green-eyes turns toward me, I just add: "But to me you're just the bitch that betrayed my friend, so if someone deserves to get shot first, it's you."
Setting her jaw, Lia stops argumenting and walks into what seemed on the outside to be a small bar.
As soon as we get in, I am struck by the modern yet ancient appearance of the fourniture: it was fancy and cozy at the same time, but one thing was for sure: it was way more than a bar. Of course you had the barista with all the alcohol, some tables and even a scene that was vacant for now, but the bar was kind of full. Lia and I had trouble in acceding to the main bar to order some drinks - alcohol of course - and while I look around nervously, the brunette just checks her phone: no news from Putellas, which meant that there weren't more information she had to give us for now.
After a while, Lia also looks around and hits my arm, and as I am about to get mad at her, she hisses in a whisper:
"Holy shit, isn't that Jennifer Hermoso?"
I turn my head to look where she is herself looking, and my jaw drops: it indeed is Mapi's old associate that was last seen in Saint Ives a few months ago while Alexia and Shelina were under cover there. Funny enough that she disappeared right before Ada and Sam were killed, but now she's in London? How long has she been there? She seems to be inside a big group...
Just as I am thinking that, I can see one of the girl that was hanging out with Jenni spotted us before whispering something into the Spanish' ear - it was almost like she was their boss or something.
Frowning, as movement occurs from their side, I grab Lia's hand and laugh loudly, as the Swiss goes along with it, not without asking in between two fake laughters:
"What the hell are you doing?"
"We will pretend we are on a date, 'cause they are coming our way right now."
Nodding her head, Lia laughs again, caressing the top of my hand.
And I was right (of course): Jenni suddenly appears on our field of view, followed by two women that looked like small bodyguards.
The dark-haired loses no time to say:
"Hello ! Welcome to The Cosmo, a bar nothing alike other bars!" she exclaims, as I let go of Lia's hand. Jenni notices that and goes on: "Sorry to interrupt, lovebirds, but we rarely have new customers. Let me introduce myself: Jennifer Hermoso, but y'all can call me Jenni: I'm the manager."
Cracking a smile as honest as I can, I just shake her hand after Lia does, concentrated.
"Jill... Jones" I lie, knowing that if she googles me for some reason, she will find out I am now a part-time journalist. Right after, I go on by adding: "And this is my girlfriend, Lia."
"Nice to meet you two - you look very cute together."
"Thank you very much" Lia says in a fake joyful tone. Looking around, the Swiss continues: "This place is fantastic, I really like it!"
Jenni smirks.
"Well, thank you! It's a rather select bar - normally, we require membership to get in, but you two are so cute..." she starts, before turning around and bursting into laughter. Realising she hasn't introduced us to her bodyguards, she continues: "Oh, and those two badasses are Aitana Bonmati and Ona Batlle, my associates."
Lia and I both wave at them, before I ask:
"So, what is it that you do here really? I mean, if this is a select bar, I guess there's some underground business going on or something."
Jenni starts laughing, while the two others smirk.
"You're smart, Jill Jones" she concedes, before making a dramatic sign and saying: "Alright, you win: let me show you, just, follow me."
Finishing our drinks bottoms up, Lia and I follow her, exchanging a suspicious and yet nervous look - we had no idea if this was a trap, although she had no way of knowing who we really were...
Jenni leads us to a back door, that lead itself to some stairs we had to walk down. When we do, another door awaits, and when she opens it, we hear laughters and voices coming out of the room.
We walk in, and my eyes go wide:
A whole other bar was there, where very little people were sitting in fancy tables, most of them women. Frowning, I just watch as Jenni visibly expect us to walk inside the room. Praying that nobody either Lia or me know would be inside the room, we follow her, until she shows us a table where Aitana and Ona, the two 'bodyguards', are already sitting. Jenni sits down as well, until she waves at someone at the back of the room.
After a while, the dark-haired explains herself:
"Welcome to the dark side of The Cosmo - where all of your dreams come true."
"Ooh, interesting" I comment, smirking, under Lia's murderous eyes.
"What my annoying girlfriend means is that it's great to see women uniting in a common interest" the brunette corrects, giving me a bow in the elbow, rolling her eyes. Visibly, Jenni really liked what she said, so she goes on by asking: "Is it some kind of business?"
The Spanish nods.
"Come a few times here and you'll find out."
As we both nod our heads and start drinking, making Jenni's, Aitana's and Ona's acquaintances thorough the evening, knowing that we had discovered something shady as fuck.
After a while, however, as we are on the verge of going home, I just turned around to wave at Jenni, until I caught eyes with someone familiar...
... it was Christen, the head of London P.D.'s daughter, who frowns when she sees me.
Shit... what the Hell is she doing here...?
***
Jenni Hermoso
Aitana Bonmati
Ona Batlle
***
MAPI
I open my apartment's door in a rush, while Melanie Leupolz makes her way inside, looking around in a judgemental way. She then proceeds in closing the curtains, before turning toward me and say:
"So, this morning I received this" she says, before handing me her phone.
My blood runs cold when I read the text:
From Hidden Number: Be careful who you defend, as your career might be over before it even started - Marìa Leòn is a fraud, and you will suffer the consequences if you get too close.
Raising my eyebrows, I just explain:
"This number has been harassing us ever since the whole drug thing started. Maldita mierda, I wish I knew who that person was so I'd kick their ass."
"Or people" Melanie points out, frowning. Either way, she sets her jaw and continues, without leaving me the chance to talk: "Whatever: I am almost certain whoever sent that text also is the stalker that's been following me for a few days."
I smirk.
"Yeah, or maybe you invented that just to make out with me" I let out sassily, winking at her, knowing that it would make her angry.
But she surprises me by remaining unbothered, just staring at me bluntly and responding:
"If I really wanted to make out with you, I wouldn't use an excuse. But since it is not the case, I propose we focus on some bigger issues: I've made an interesting discovery."
Alright, I gotta admit she's got a good repartee, I think to myself, smirking. Of course she was exactly the kind of women I like to bang in my free time - she was sexy, confident, knew what she wants or doesn't want, and doesn't put any masks on. Too bad she's my lawyer, and that she despises me.
Raising my eyebrows, I just poor the both of us a glass of water, before sitting on the couch. She does the same, making sure to be as far from me as she could, before I ask in a disabuse tone:
"I'm all ears."
"It's about your new friend Jill Roord" Melanie starts, taking a file out of her bag. As I frown, she immediately goes on: "I've received a secret intel from a friend of mine concerning your friend, and believe me, she is not who you think she is."
"What do you mean?" I ask, trying to take the file from her hands.
But the Germain is not having it, as she murders me with her eyes and explains:
"Well, I thought it was weird that we do not know anything about her past - I mean, no records regarding the town she was born in, the schools she has attended, and how she even got to England in the first place. Then, I ask a friend of mine inside the Dutch police to give me a hand, and he only found her birth certificate, amongst other things... Open it."
Frowning, I do as I am told.
Immediately, on the front page, a picture of Jill's face, that was some years old already, announces the tone: she wasn't smiling. Her birth certificate was in the front page, and my eyes go wide when I read: THE HAGUE'S ORPHANAGE SINCE THE AGE OF 12 - NO FURTHER INFORMATIONS ABOUT PLACE OF BIRTH AND PAST - SIGNS OF TRAUMA. Frowning in confusion, I keep on reading the next couple pages, where documentations from psychological and psychiatric following for PTSD, as well as repeated stays on a psychiatric asylum near Amsterdam.
Setting my jaw, I also find something pretty confusing: a few pages later, as paperwork about her application to become a British citizen was filled, dating from two years ago, a picture of her and a familiar face was attached to her admission papers in the University.
How the hell Jill knew Sam Kerr ?
"This doesn't make any sense..." I breathe out, confused.
"If you think about it, it kind of does: it says there that they've been on the same orphanage..." Melanie says, taking the photograph of Sam and Jill from the file. As I frown, she adds: "Question is: why did she hide that they knew each other ? Unless..."
"... She knows something about the drug business after all..." I end her sentence, frowning.
Although I really wish this wasn't what I thought it was - mostly because I really enjoy Jill's company, who has become a friend of mine now as well as Frida - but I couldn't help but think it was highly suspicious that she somehow became friends with Leah to then end up working with Ingrid and Frida and now with the police...
Setting my jaw, I just remain silent, as Melanie goes on:
"I don't know how you do it, but you always seem to find yourself in the biggest shit possible..."
"Oh, you have no idea" I let out, smirking - I wink at her, as she rolls her eyes, almost amused. While she re-reads the file about Jill, I add: "Admit it: you would be bored if you didn't have me as a client."
Melanie hesitates, before saying:
"True."
The rest of the day, we just work on my deposition before the court, and for a moment I really wanted to tell her about Andrine Hegerberg's murder, but I knew it wouldn't end up well - for me just like for her.
So I don't say anything.