Page 22 of The Jade Stone Sleuth

So far in his investigation, her family members all checked out. The Gem family were almost revered in the valley because of their kindness and charity. He could see why it bothered Rulon Hendry, a man used to his money and power making him revered. Brex was surprised at the reversal of what he’d known the past thirteen years … money wasn’t the end-all in this valley. It reminded him of his childhood on the farm, but he was far removed from his childhood.

The oldest brother, Vance, owned a fitness spa retreat outside of town and everyone appreciated the jobs and revenue he’d brought to the valley and his fitness expertise. One of the twin brothers, Talon, was a Marine, respected for his service and dedication to God and country. The other twin brother, Wade, was a firefighter.

There had been some questions about Wade as he apparently didn’t like Clara’s boyfriends and he was also close friends with Weston. Darrough, which made him suspicious in Brex’s mind. Brex had interacted with him a few times when he was with the police, but he’d keep an eye on him.

Melody, the social media influencer, was perceived by his police buddies as hilarious, beautiful, and genuine. Lincoln was beloved by all, even if the cops sometimes had to reprimand him and his friends for the occasional teenage prank that went too far. The cousin Tess ran the bike shop and was sought-after by the single officers. Her brother Jude was a hometown hero, traveling the world as an extreme sports guru.

And Clara. Clara was touted as a sweetheart, an angel, an authentic beauty, a charitable inspiration. He knew all of that was true. On a different playing field, too angelic for him, not his type, but she had kissed him back. Oh, how she’d kissed him back. The memory of those kisses carried him through the boring nights and woke him with longing in the morning. He’d been the one to say he shouldn’t have kissed her and theycouldn’t have a relationship. She’d rejected his offer to remain friends. Not that he blamed her. He blamed himself. He’d crossed lines and was failing at this job.

He reported in to Nick every few days. The only thing new he’d found in all his hours of research on these cold cases was a close high school friend of Harrison Jones, who lived in Nashville now, saying something interesting in a phone call with Brex. He’d been with Harrison at a trinket store and his buddy had bought a jade stone to give to Clara because it matched her eyes. That matched with the police report that the jade stone by Harrison’s body looked to have fallen out of his pocket when he crashed. Could Harrison’s death be different than the other two?

If only Brex dared call and ask his supervisor’s advice. His pride and fear that this would be his last job with Aiden Porter’s team held him back. He wanted that million dollars, wanted to succeed as a security operative.

He went to church each week, something he hadn’t done since he’d left Colorado thirteen years ago. His mom would like that. He couldn’t say he got much out of it. He spent the time watching Clara, surrounded by her family and friends. She didn’t look his way very often. When she did, she quickly averted her gaze.

Weston Darrough often looked his way, giving him a triumphant glare each time. Brex hadn’t been able to find any dirt on the football coach, dang him. He got more information on Jane Shipley, who worked at the school as an aide. Basically she was nice but ‘socially awkward’. From the outside, she appeared to be a loyal friend to Clara and too attentive to Weston. Her gaze was often vacant, and the times he’d been close enough to listen in, Jane let everyone else in the circle do the talking.

When he paid attention, he thought Pastor Curtis Gem’s sermons were relatable and unpretentious. He could imaginethey were inspiring to the believer. Everyone but the children seemed to pay attention. Even the teenagers put their phones away for some of his sermons.

Luckily, the Hendrys didn’t attend the service and notice that he was not ‘close’ with Clara but was in fact longing for her.

Harrison Jones’s family didn’t live in the valley any longer, but he’d been able to do some video chats with them, explaining he was checking into old cases with the police department for Aiden Porter. They were receptive but didn’t give him anything new. They believed their son’s mountain biking accident was an accident and Clara Gem was a saintly woman. Harrison’s friend’s insights on the jade stone had been his only small breakthrough.

Kyle Tanner’s parents were at church each week. They were friendly to him, and he’d seen them interact kindly with Clara and her family. He’d been able to interview them on the same pretense as the Jones family. They were almost defensive of Clara and insistent that no matter what the Hendrys thought, Clara was an angel. They did believe someone had tampered with Kyle’s climbing harness, but no one had been able to prove it didn’t fray and rip on its own.

He’d placed a tracker on Clara’s car so he’d know where she was and he could trail her on her hikes each morning. When she saw him, she would give him challenging looks that said he should back off, but she was too radiant and sweet to be truly impertinent. He talked himself into believing that her jade-colored gaze said she was still as interested in him as he was in her.

Could it be true? If so … what should he do about it? Whatcouldhe do about it? He’d messed up the parameters for this job by kissing her so desperately. He wanted to ask Nick for advice when they emailed or chatted about the case, or lack thereof, but he couldn’t imagine what his supervisor would say.

He spent hours researching everyone close to Clara and each of her former boyfriends. Her siblings, her two cousins, and her close friends Weston and Jane. Anyone could be a suspect, but there wasn’t any evidence. Weston was currently the top suspect as his marriage and divorce had been during the time Clara didn’t have a boyfriend, and the interactions Brex had seen between them showed the guy was very interested.

Brex imagined pinning the murders on Weston, earning the million dollars, and Clara kissing him like the hero he was. Sadly, none of that seemed likely. He found nothing on Weston, though he had directed Aiden’s people to do a deep dive on Weston Darrough and Jane Shipley.

Rachel texted him that she’d be in Vegas for the evening. He drove over to meet her, telling himself it would be a good break from the case and his longing for Clara. As soon as he stepped into the Top of the World restaurant in his Brooks Brothers suit, he felt hollow, fake, and as if he didn’t measure up.

He strode up to Rachel, confident and suave, like he’d trained himself to act. She stood from the table to kiss and embrace him, her red lipstick smile over the top. It turned his stomach to think of meeting her lips with his. He ushered her head to his chest and gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead, earning himself red lipstick and taupe-colored makeup smeared on his white collar and the top of his dress shirt.

“Brex,” Rachel hissed. “Your shirt.” She grabbed a napkin and tried to wipe at it, glaring up at him as if it were his fault she wore such a covering of makeup. Her blue eyes seemed pale and lifeless behind the irritation.

He forced a smile and took the napkin from her, setting it down. “It doesn’t matter.” He ushered her into a chair.

It was obvious as she glanced from his marred shirt around the posh restaurant that it did indeed matter. His stomachchurned, and he couldn’t help but compare her polished beauty, even with smeared lipstick, to Clara’s genuine and gorgeous face.

“Beau Alexander and Bermuda Gray are right there,” she said in an undertone.

He glanced to his right and nodded. “Oh yeah. Beau had a great season last year.”

Her eyes widened, her thick eyelashes looked like spider legs and the disbelief in her eyes made his skin crawl. “What is wrong with you?”

“Nothing,” he said smoothly.

He was lying. Somethingwaswrong with him. He looked around the fancy restaurant, the million-dollar views of the gaudy city, and back to his dolled-up date. He realized he was jaded by it all and almost smiled at the irony.

A pair of jade colored eyes had ruined him.

Beau Alexander and Bermuda Gray were impressive, but he didn’t feel in awe that he was in the same restaurant as the football star and the A-list actress. He wanted to care that he was on a date with a woman he’d previously thought he was interested in, but it was all shallow. There was no depth or value in this restaurant, this city, or the lady seated across from him. He was only dating her for appearances, and he knew she was the same.

He suddenly couldn’t keep up the façade. What if he told Rachel he’d fallen for an angelic woman in Arizona and wished the actress the best of luck? It would be a dumb move, especially as he and Clara weren’t even on speaking terms. He’d kissed Clara and hurt her being as honest as he could. He would hurt her more when she found out the whole truth. His insides churned with worry about Clara and how to be with her when he shouldn’t be.

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