Veiled Horizons

Chapter Seventeen: Asher

“Believe me, choosing this island as your students' trip destination would be the best decision for you—and them,” Jackson’s voice was cheerful, a bit too cheerful. He spoke in a hushed tone, his words laced with fake enthusiasm. Ash could tell something was off.

Ash stood just outside the doorway, hidden in the shadows. The sounds of laughter and music filtered in from the party downstairs. But it was Jackson’s voice, smooth yet overly cautious, that held Ash’s attention. It was rare for Jackson to step away from a party, let alone for a phone call.

The detective in Ash took over, his sharp mind piecing together every detail. The way Jackson leaned into the call as if trying to keep the conversation private, the deliberate yet nervous tone, and, most importantly, the way he hung up the moment he noticed Ash enter the room.

“Hey, who was that?” Ash asked, casually leaning against the doorway, his eyes never leaving Jackson’s face. He knew his partner well enough to catch the subtle tells: the slight hesitation, the increased blinking, and the stammer in his response.

“Oh, uh—it was just a prank call. I was messing with a friend,” Jackson chuckled, the laughter hollow and forced. He quickly tried to steer the conversation away. “Why aren’t you at the party, partner?” he added with forced enthusiasm, throwing an arm around Ash’s shoulder and steering him out of the room.

Ash let Jackson guide him back into the lively chaos downstairs, but his mind was already dissecting what he had just witnessed. Jackson’s behavior was suspicious, and Ash couldn’t shake the feeling that something deeper was at play.

Ash had been a detective for five years now. Starting at nineteen had made him the youngest detective in Seaville, a town where cases were often as twisted as the coastline that bordered it. Ash had a reputation for solving cases swiftly, but what truly set him apart was his independence. He preferred working alone, tackling cases brought directly to him rather than those the police handed over when they hit a dead end.

One of Ash’s closest friends, Antonio, a high-ranking police officer, continually sent him partners, hoping they’d learn from the best. Jackson was the latest in that string of temporary sidekicks. But for Ash, having a partner was more of a formality—someone to shadow him, nothing more. He never concerned himself with what his partners did when they weren’t with him.

But Jackson was different. For the first time, Ash found himself needing to apply his legendary deductive skills outside of the usual crime scenes—this time, to investigate his own partner’s secretive behavior. Something was off, and this case was about to get far more personal than Ash could have anticipated.

"Hey, what are you spacing out for? Come on, have a drink!" Katherine called out with a teasing grin. Katherine, another close friend of Ash and a fellow officer at the Seaville Police Department, was no stranger to his habits. She knew Ash had quit drinking, but she couldn’t resist poking fun at him.

"I'm not spacing out, Kathy," Ash replied as he walked over to her. He noticed she’d had more drinks than usual.

"Oh yes, you are. You’re not even here right now," she said, slurring slightly. She was lounging in a chair next to a berth, across from which sat a fridge stocked with drinks and a coffee machine.

"Yeah? Then how come I noticed you usually don’t wear lipstick, but tonight you’ve got on a darker shade? Which probably means you’re seeing someone. But since you’re drinking tequila instead of your usual whiskey, you’re sad about something. And given how many shots you’ve had, I’d bet you broke up with him—”

“Oh, stop it with your Sherlock Holmes act,” Kathy cut him off, waving him away as she stood up. She grabbed a bottle of whiskey and, while pouring herself another drink, added, "This was his favorite. I tried to get rid of it, but after enough tequila, I don’t care anymore."