Jar of Souls by Bradford Bates Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Bradford Bates
smiled at me, and I knew the missed lunch would be forgiven.
* * *
W hen I walked into Adam’s office, it was the same as I remembered it from the end of last semester. It was a comfortable room with a desk and two chairs as well as a sitting area with a couch and a fireplace. It reminded me of a cozy cottage or something I would expect some professor to have at a smaller college. Books lined the walls, and in one corner there was a small bar built into the wall. Adam was sitting at his desk, and there was a man I had never seen sitting across from him.
The man had short black hair that was done in a current style. He must not have been here long because he still had his coat on. I wondered just where he had come from. It didn’t seem cold enough here to need the scarf he was wearing. Adam’s eyes moved to mine, and the man sitting in front of him turned slightly in his chair so I could see his face for the first time. He looked foreign, maybe from somewhere in Europe originally. There was a serious expression on his face, but at the same time, his eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Ah, Jackson, you made it. Let me introduce you to Inspector Lapointe.”
Inspector was a title that I had never heard used before. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I can assure you the pleasure is all mine,” the inspector said, his eyes watching me with an intensity that was contagious. Something about him just said that he enjoyed what he did. “You may also call me Jean.”
“Thank you, Jean.”
“Jackson, why don’t you take a seat.” Adam pointed to the open chair. “The inspector was just filling me in on a few details of a case he has been working on.”
“Yes, I had been telling Adam that I could use a little help out in the field, a fresh pair of eyes to maybe pick up something I missed.”
“I’m not sure how much help I would really be. I’m still learning about our world, and there is so much I still don’t understand.”
“That’s exactly why I thought you would be perfect, Jackson,” Adam said. “We could use a fresh take, and no one else will look at it the same way you do. This might be a shock for you; some of the things you see may be a little more graphic than you are used to.”
“Adam, don’t try and scare the boy. Normally when we get to a scene, there is no action. Just a few dead bodies to keep us company while we poke around.”
I was a little confused as to what was going on, but if they wanted me to go out in the field with the inspector, I would do it. Maybe it would be exactly what I needed to break out of the funk I had been in. “I’d like to go. Hopefully this will teach me a little bit more about what we do.”
“Jackson, this will be a little outside of what the Ascendancy normally does. The inspector works outside of our normal scope of activity. When something just doesn’t add up, we send him in to see if he can make sense of it, and then we act on the information.”
“Don’t make what I do seem so important, Adam. What he means is they send me in to poke around and rile things up until something shakes loose. Its gritty work, but sometimes I get the chance to find out what happened when no one else could.”
“It sounds like it will be fantastic, but what about my training here?”
Adam watched me for a moment before he spoke. It seemed as if he was looking to find any hidden reasons for me not to want to go. I had a few, and one of them was Britta, but I would never say no to Adam. “Jackson, the good news is these will be small trips out into the field and then you will return while the inspector follows up on what you find.”
“Awesome, I’m ready whenever you are, Inspector.”
Adam and the inspector both gave me a look before Adam spoke again. “Why don’t you go change into something besides those workout clothes and meet the inspector outside of my office.”
I looked down at my clothes, not really understanding what was wrong. I had on my
* * *
W hen I walked into Adam’s office, it was the same as I remembered it from the end of last semester. It was a comfortable room with a desk and two chairs as well as a sitting area with a couch and a fireplace. It reminded me of a cozy cottage or something I would expect some professor to have at a smaller college. Books lined the walls, and in one corner there was a small bar built into the wall. Adam was sitting at his desk, and there was a man I had never seen sitting across from him.
The man had short black hair that was done in a current style. He must not have been here long because he still had his coat on. I wondered just where he had come from. It didn’t seem cold enough here to need the scarf he was wearing. Adam’s eyes moved to mine, and the man sitting in front of him turned slightly in his chair so I could see his face for the first time. He looked foreign, maybe from somewhere in Europe originally. There was a serious expression on his face, but at the same time, his eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Ah, Jackson, you made it. Let me introduce you to Inspector Lapointe.”
Inspector was a title that I had never heard used before. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I can assure you the pleasure is all mine,” the inspector said, his eyes watching me with an intensity that was contagious. Something about him just said that he enjoyed what he did. “You may also call me Jean.”
“Thank you, Jean.”
“Jackson, why don’t you take a seat.” Adam pointed to the open chair. “The inspector was just filling me in on a few details of a case he has been working on.”
“Yes, I had been telling Adam that I could use a little help out in the field, a fresh pair of eyes to maybe pick up something I missed.”
“I’m not sure how much help I would really be. I’m still learning about our world, and there is so much I still don’t understand.”
“That’s exactly why I thought you would be perfect, Jackson,” Adam said. “We could use a fresh take, and no one else will look at it the same way you do. This might be a shock for you; some of the things you see may be a little more graphic than you are used to.”
“Adam, don’t try and scare the boy. Normally when we get to a scene, there is no action. Just a few dead bodies to keep us company while we poke around.”
I was a little confused as to what was going on, but if they wanted me to go out in the field with the inspector, I would do it. Maybe it would be exactly what I needed to break out of the funk I had been in. “I’d like to go. Hopefully this will teach me a little bit more about what we do.”
“Jackson, this will be a little outside of what the Ascendancy normally does. The inspector works outside of our normal scope of activity. When something just doesn’t add up, we send him in to see if he can make sense of it, and then we act on the information.”
“Don’t make what I do seem so important, Adam. What he means is they send me in to poke around and rile things up until something shakes loose. Its gritty work, but sometimes I get the chance to find out what happened when no one else could.”
“It sounds like it will be fantastic, but what about my training here?”
Adam watched me for a moment before he spoke. It seemed as if he was looking to find any hidden reasons for me not to want to go. I had a few, and one of them was Britta, but I would never say no to Adam. “Jackson, the good news is these will be small trips out into the field and then you will return while the inspector follows up on what you find.”
“Awesome, I’m ready whenever you are, Inspector.”
Adam and the inspector both gave me a look before Adam spoke again. “Why don’t you go change into something besides those workout clothes and meet the inspector outside of my office.”
I looked down at my clothes, not really understanding what was wrong. I had on my