Take a Breath (Take #1) - Jaimie Roberts Page 0,67

to it. “Jake Bennett. That’s whose bed she was in, okay?”

Marcos blushes, and Michael and Tom nearly fall off their seats at Jake’s surprise statement. If we were worried about gossip getting around before, our fears will certainly be realized now. I have no doubt that Michael and Tom are itching to go back and tell everyone about what happened last night in the Bennett household. I can see it in their faces … just how eager they are to know more.

“Are you okay, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee?” I say with mock severity.

They both look at me, and Michael’s about to say something when Marcos beats him to it. “Mr. Bennett, you told me you had a party last night at your house.”

He nods. “That’s right, I did.”

“So, if Ana was last in her room before the party and has just discovered the note now, then it is safe to say that someone could have left this note last night while your guests were still here. It could have been someone you invited to the party or someone who managed to gain entry to the house at some point as the party progressed.”

All smiles are gone as I think hard about what Marcos just said. “I did go into my room briefly this morning to get my phone.”

Marcos quickly gets his notebook out and starts scribbling again. “And I take it the note wasn’t there then?”

I rack my brain, trying to figure out whether it was there or not. This information is vital. It determines whether the person got in during the barbecue or when Jake and I were out today. If it was while Jake and I were out, then it would be someone who knew the alarm code, since there was no sign of forced entry. My head hurts like hell all of a sudden, and to top it all off, nausea’s coming back. I can’t seem to think straight.

“To be honest with you, I cannot say for certain. My phone was on my dresser, opposite the bed. I never looked. I was literally in my room seconds before I came out. I had three text messages, so I was caught up in reading those. I’m really sorry. I know how important this is, but I don’t recall seeing anything as I wasn’t paying much attention.”

Marcos jots all this down before turning his attention back to me. “It’s okay, don’t worry. It is important, but you had no way of knowing that until now. Can you let me know who the messages were from?”

Blushing, I answer, “They were from my friend, Jessie. She was away for a wedding last night, and she wanted to know how the party went.”

“Okay, this Jessie—”

“Lindsay,” both Michael and Tom say in unison.

“So this Jessie Lindsay sent you three messages, asking how the party went?”

I blush. “Yes. When I didn’t answer her straight away last night, she became impatient and wanted to know why I wasn’t answering her.”

Tom erupts in a burst of laughter, but quickly stops to compose himself. I look up at Jake, and sure enough, he’s glaring at him.

Marcos finishes writing before glancing at Jake. “Can you please run a list of the names of all the people who were at the party last night?”

Jake nods. “Sure. I will get that to you ASAP.” Marcos smiles and looks about ready to leave, but Jake speaks again. “You should know that Ana was out running a couple of weeks ago and thought she was being followed.”

I huff, elbowing Jake. “You know that was nothing.”

“What made you think you were being followed?”

I snap my head up to Marcos. “It was silly. I was on my own on the street suddenly, and I just got spooked. It was nothing.”

Marcos lips form a thin, small line. “Hmm, it may be nothing, but it may be something. Especially since this new piece of information has come to light. I would advise not going out running alone again until this has been resolved.”

Jake huffs and shakes his head. “That goes without saying. There’s no way Ana is going out running on her own from now on.”

Under normal circumstances, I would have been mad at his possessiveness, but Jake’s right. It just annoys me that I have to stay locked behind closed doors because a deranged killer is out to get me.

Marcos soon excuses himself again to see what’s happening upstairs. Jake sits up straighter, releasing his grip from me, and turns to face Tom and