CHAPTER ONE
“THIS IS AMBER Barrows with Channel 13, and I’m standing in front of the courthouse where we’re told that Joey Stevens, just found not guilty of a near deadly assault on his ex-girlfriend, Samantha Talbot will be coming out to talk to us. He’s coming out now with his attorney, Brennan Trey, who seemed to dazzle the jury and the court with evidence that Joey could not have possibly assaulted Samantha Talbot. Not only that, but he proved that another man had committed the crime even though that man had been questioned and crossed off the list of suspects. We’ve been instructed not to release the name of this man due to the arrest not having been made. Mr. Trey, how did you discover that your client wasn’t guilty?”
Brennan smiled directly into the camera before he replied.
“Well, Amber, I make it a rule not to ever take on any clients that are not innocent.”
“So you’re saying that not one of your clients has ever been guilty?”
“Yes, Amber, that’s exactly what I am saying.”
“Are you saying that guilty people don’t deserve a good defense, Mr. Trey?”
“Certainly not. I believe that all suspects deserve a good defense. It’s just that I prefer to only represent innocent clients because I must believe in them if I’m to offer my very best defense.”
“How did you know that Joey Stevens wasn’t guilty?”
“Now, Amber, I can’t give away all of my secrets. Just suffice it to say that I knew from the moment I shook his hand.”
Amber then turned to Joey Stevens and asked him how he felt about being found not guilty.
“I can’t describe how it feels to know that the justice system worked and that my attorney was able to prove that I didn’t hurt Sam.”
“What are your plans now that you’re free?”
“I’m going to have a nice dinner and then I’m going to see about getting on with my life.”
“Will you be going to visit Samantha in the hospital?”
Brennan suddenly stepped in and took control of the media once more.
“Mr. Stevens has had a long day and is anxious to get home now. Thank you.”
With that, Brennan used his body to shield Joey from the ravenous press members and got into a waiting car.
Turning down the volume with the remote, Jayden smiled and shook his head. Yes, Brennan had pulled another one out of his hat, it seemed. But he was right. Joey Stevens had been the scapegoat for this crime all along. Happily, now it was over and he could try to get on with his life. Jayden was glad that he could help Brennan with what he needed even if was just through Alexander.
Just then his phone rang. Well, speak of the devil and all that.
“Hello, Alexander,” Jayden said as he clicked the phone on.
“Did you see our boy on television just now?” Alexander Sage asked.
“I was just watching it. Glad I could be of some assistance on this. I would hate to see that guy get away with what he did to Samantha Talbot. Now that the focus is off of Joey Stevens, they can reel in the actual attacker.”
“Very true,” Alexander agreed. “Brennan wanted me to thank you again for your help.”
“Tell him he’s welcome, and anytime,” Jayden said. “I’d love for us to get out and have fun again. Maybe a dinner will not be bad sometime next week?”
“We’ll arrange it then. Elys had been telling me we guys should go out more often than we do.”
“Your wife is a very wise woman, Alexander. She’s very special,” Jayden said.
“Oh, that she is,” Alexander agreed on the other end of the line with a tone in his voice that said more than the words ever could.
A noise was heard in the house and Jayden looked in the direction of the front door before going back to the conversation. “I hate to cut you short, Alexander, but I’ve got an appointment and I think he’s just arrived. We’ll speak later.”
“Of course,” Alexander replied.
After disconnecting the phone call, Jayden pushed the zoom button on his security camera at the gate entrance to his home which also served as his office. Jayden specialized in finding missing people but, since he had everything he needed here at his house, he saw no reason to pay rent on an office. His home wasn’t that far out of Moon Bay and it wasn’t that hard to find once you had the directions to it. However, since he did have his office in his home, he felt the need for a bit of extra security. He had installed several top of the line security cameras throughout his property as well as a very sophisticated alarm system. In addition to that, he employed four guards as well as kept four Dobermans to patrol the grounds.
His guards were ex-government employees and he didn’t care which branch they came from. They had clean backgrounds and were highly effective at what they did. That’s all Jayden needed to know. His Dobermans were true teddy bears--until they were given certain commands. They were perfect as well in sensing enemies on their own. On top of all that, Jayden was very self-sufficient when it came to taking care of himself.
Just now, he was observing the man at his gate who looked a bit as if he were somewhere between intimidated and annoyed. Jayden smiled slightly as he watched the man searching for the right button to push on the intercom system. For fun, Jayden allowed the alert on his end to sound a couple of times before answering.
Sometimes, he amused himself with pettiness like this--very human. But that’s it. In the years since he had become an Fallen, he had learned how to be human, and these simple acts of being human could sometimes be refreshing.
Finally, he pushed the button on his end.
“May I help you?” Jayden said.
“Um yes, I’ve got an appointment with Jayden St. Paul. My name is Jefferson Graves.”
Without saying another word, Jayden pushed the button that opened the wrought iron gates that would allow Mr. Graves to enter his property and drive up to his house. He used this as a sort of test to see how “quick” someone was.
This man appeared to be quicker than most as he didn’t pause to try to ask more questions. He simply watched the gates open and drove through them. Jayden waited for the man to drive in sufficiently far enough before closing them again.
His cameras tracked the car as it traveled down the mile long drive to Jayden’s house as he watched. Jefferson Graves was certainly confident enough as he maneuvered his car, a black Lexus, down the road toward the house. Jayden was pretty sure that this man probably had a driver most of the time but he had given clear instructions that only Mr. Graves was to come to this appointment. His instructions had been followed.
When Mr. Graves had finally arrived in front of the house, he exited his car and stood taking in the vastness of Jayden’s home. This was something that typically surprised people seeing the property for the first time. Everyone nearly always expected to see some little building or something and they were nearly always amazed to see what could only mean some serious money. He waited until Mr. Graves had walked up the steps to the large wrap around porch and hit the doorbell.
Getting up from his chair, he wandered down the long wide hallway toward the door. When he opened the door, he found Mr. Graves in the act of getting ready to ring the doorbell again. He looked mildly surprised at being caught.
“Hello, Mr. Graves. I’m Jayden St. Paul. Won’t you come in?”
“Oh, hello, Mr. St. Paul! It’s so nice to meet you!”
The two men shook hands in a professional manner and Jayden stepped back to allow his potentially new client to enter his home.
Having come through the door, Jefferson Graves stood in the large foyer and took in his surroundings.
Jayden took his jacket and hung it from the coat rack by the door. He was just turning around to shake hands with Jayden while trying to arrange his face in a semblance of nonchalance.
Jayden had to hide a grin. Clearly, this man was used to being surrounded by money, yet here he was seemingly stunned at the opulence that belonged to a lowly private inve
stigator. He almost wished that Brennan could be here to shake hands with this man. In that way, he would know without a shadow of a doubt whether Jefferson Graves was someone he wanted to work with or not.
“Come on back to my office,” Jayden said as he led the way.
Jefferson Graves followed.