As Jake soon discovered, Jennifer’s guess was proven woefully wrong. It was a Tuesday night and, although a few people did visit his bar, it was much slower than usual. He would love to preoccupy himself with work; it was the only way for him to take his mind off his painful breakup with Holly, but he could not do so that night. The bar itself added to his sadness. Days ago, she had worked with him. Jake was unable to prevent himself from picturing her there: taking orders; pouring drinks; or gracefully dancing around. Much to his relief, Clay and his crew showed up, just as he was about to close. Their loud mannerisms gave him a necessary distraction. Not only did he stop thinking about Holly, but he actually had some fun.

Tired, but also eager to find out the results of Jennifer’s work, he quickly drove back to his house. It was 2:20am and there was no sign of her yet. Too tense and dizzy to go inside, he decided to go to his backyard. Jake gazed up into the starry sky, feeling a chilly breeze blowing through his hair. He closed his eyes, as the memory of her blissful face filled his mind.

“Where are you, Holly? Nah, who am I kidding? You’re far, baby: really far away. You live five minutes from here and I feel as though we’re oceans apart. We have to deal with all of this pain, just because you didn’t want to take a closer look at a couple of pictures. It drives me crazy when I think about it. What a shame. What a big, goddamn shame. I was starting to have dreams for us. But now, they’re all up in flames. I wish you could see me now, Holly. You’ve seen me crying again, but not for you. It’s ironic, isn’t it? The woman I thought was dead destroyed the one good relationship I’ve had in three years. Where are you, my little angel? Why did you believe her lie? Why did you leave me?”

The click-clacking of high heels on the pathway acted like a wakeup call. Jake wiped the tears off his face, trying to control his breath.

“I was right.” Jennifer’s voice tore the silence. “There are four separate segments. Your front door was open. I left the picture with my report on the table.”

“Thanks,” Jake replied in a low tone, as he gazed out at the horizon. “What do I owe you?”

“The aggressive bartender has a romantic side.” All of a sudden, her voice changed. It assumed a mellow, friendly tone. “Who would have thought?”

“What do you know…? It talks like a real person,” he said in sarcastic tones, turning his head to the left to face her.

“It,” Jennifer questioned with a raised eyebrow, as her slow, confident footsteps closed the distance between them. “Did you just refer to me as ‘it’?”

“Yes, I did,” Jake admitted. “That’s what I call all…” he paused, “expressionless people.”

“I just take my job seriously.” The firm tone in her voice returned. “Maybe too seriously sometimes, but that’s just because I love it so much.”

“You seem like a smart girl, Jennifer.” He remarked, turning his attention back to the dozens of town lights that lay out before him. “Why did you get involved with a guy like Tom? I’ve heard him talk. He doesn’t sound so charming if you ask me.”

“I was about to ask you the exact same thing,” she confessed. “Why did a man like you get in a relationship with a woman as gullible as her?”

“Hey!” he yelled, returning his gaze to her face. “How…”

“Clay told me about you two.” Jennifer interrupted, as a sweet smile spread across her face. “It slipped his tongue, sort of.”

“I wish she wasn’t.” Jake whispered, as a tear rolled out of his eye.

“Oh, my God…” She spoke too fast, her voice filled with panic. “You’re crying?”

“What’s your fee, Jennifer? Don’t make me ask again.” He said, his voice thick with emotion, as he tore his gaze away from her.

“One,” she answered as she raised her index finger in the air.

“One hundred?”

“No,” Jennifer shook her head lightly, her voice a raspy whisper, as she tipped his chin up. “Kiss.”

She didn’t give him any time to react. Cupping his face, she pressed her lips against his mouth. Jake did not stop her. Too vulnerable to say “no” to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Jennifer’s passionate kiss soothed him, as she ran her thumbs across his cheekbones. His tears soaked her fingers, as their kiss deepened, making his heart pound in his chest. Savoring the moment, he ignored everything that his friend had told him to avoid. Her kiss was the only thing that could make him feel a little better. He would enjoy every second of it. Jake explored her mouth with his tongue, as her hands crept around his face. A strong gust of wind whipped her hair about, as she stroked the back of his neck. Jennifer planted a firm kiss on his mouth, before leaning back.

“Wow…” she gasped, opening her eyes. “What a reward.”

“Don’t be stupid, red,” he said, his voice calm. Jake removed his right hand from her waist and pulled a thick wad of cash out of his pocket. He counted five hundred dollars and offered it to her.

“Take it,” he urged, narrowing his eyes. “No one works for free.”

“Five hundred is too much, Jake.” She whispered, as a small smile formed on her face. “I can’t take it.”

“I insist,” he raised his tone, slightly. “Come on.”

“Thank you.” Jennifer smiled once more, taking her hands off his neck. She took the money and put it in her pocket, as he dropped his arm. His short laugh grabbed her attention.

“What?” She inquired, looking up at him.

“I just remembered something Clay said to me, a few days ago: a threat of some sort.” He explained.

“The fucking,” Jennifer chuckled. “Yeah, that was a good one. Trust me, Mr. Isaacs. If I wanted to cheat on that prick, I would have fucked you a long time ago. But, I’m not a whore. And, in case you’re wondering, the reason why we’re not in bed right now is your friendship with Clay. You’re a decent man. You’ll tell him all about it. I don’t want them to call me a ‘slut’. You could be in trouble, too.”

“Thanks a lot,” Jake said with feeling, “for everything.”

“You’re being too kind,” she laughed. “I just made five hundred bucks and got a great kiss. Best reward ever for three hours of work. Thanks again. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Jennifer.”

Upon picking up her report from the living room table, he marveled at how thorough she had been. The young redhead explained everything, even the smallest technical detail. Jennifer mentioned that the colors in all four photograph segments were consistent with one another, which meant that the person who had taken those four pictures had used the same camera. But, it only told him something he already knew: Allison was behind all this.

“If you were here, I’d pay you a visit, darling. But you stayed in DC. I don’t know if I should go after you. The last thing I want to see right now is that smirk on your face. But I know what I’m going to do, first thing tomorrow morning…”