Closer to the Truth [Archive] - Exnem's Sims Forum

zeldaop

08-09-2007, 09:53 PM

Chapter 1

It was 10:30 when the two men stepped out of the car. One mane, older, pointed to a house set back from the street. The other man, younger, nodded and they started up the walk. They walked purposefully through the late October night and the leaves crunched under their feet. halloween decorations adorned the front steps and yard.

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They approached the front steps and the younger man sighed as he looked at the smiling pumpkins sitting on the steps. The older man looked at him inquisitively.

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"How many times have we had to do this already this year Detective? I really hate this part of the job." The detective nodded.

"I know Officer. It's never easy. All we can do is be as compassionate as possible." He clapped the younger man on the shoulder and they walked up to the front door. The detective rang the doorbell. Thirty seconds later the porch lights went on and a voice came through the intercom.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"I'm Detective Mark King, and this is Officer Robert James. May we speak with you please?" The intercom clicked off and the door was opened by a teenage girl.

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"Are you Holly Davidson," the detective asked her. She nodded and he noted the flat look in her eyes. The look that said she already knew why they were here. Silently she stepped back and motioned them into the house. Silently she led them into the living room. She gestured to the couch then sat in a chair. the officeer seated himself, while the detective went to stand by the fireplace. He pulled a small notebook out of his pocket.

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"At 9:30 this evening, the Belleview Valley 911 Center received an anonymous call about a running car sitting in an abandoned, overgrown lot. A patrol car was dispatched to investigate. The responding officer," he nodded at the seated officer," found 1 victim, deceased. Unfortunately, we believe the victim was your mother."

"What do you mean you believe the victim was my mother," Holly finally spoke.

"The victim was wearing a lab coat with Dr. Davidson embroidered on it, and the car plate came back as registered to a Dr. Marcia Davidson. However neither the officers, nor the forensics team have been able to find an id."

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"Did you mother carry a purse?" Holly nodded.

"She also carries a briefcase. She always takes it with her when she goes to work, and that's where she would be coming home from." The detective made a note, then closed the notebook. He looked at her sympathetically.

"We will need you to come to the morgue to make a positive identification."

Several minutes passed in which the only sound was the crackling fire. Finally Holly stood.

"I'll need a few minutes to change and talk to my sister. We'll be down shortly." She walked towards the door, but stopped and turned back towards the men when Officer James spoke up.

"Is there anyone we can call for you? Family or close friends" She looked at him.

"No, no close friends, and since our father died several years ago, our mother was our family." She turned and left the room.

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The detective watched her go. Something was not right here. The girl should be more upset than she was. It was almost as if she had been expecting the news,that she was prepared. But that thought was ludicrous. Or was it? His eyes narrowed in concentration as he ran several scenarios through his mind.

zeldaop

08-18-2007, 08:07 PM

Chapter 2

As Holly walked slowly up the stairs, her mind was whirling. Her mother had told her this night would come, she just hadn't thought it would be so soon. At the top of the stairs she spared a single look at her mother's closed bedroom door then turned and headed down the hall to her sister's room.

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She stopped at the door to Rachel's room, and looked at her innocent little sister sleeping. Rachel, her adored little sister. Rachel, her sick little sister. Rachel, who was about to be awoken to a world that was significantly different then the one she went to sleep in. Holly watched Rachel turn over. The child had a small smile on her face.

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Seeing that smile caused Holly to feel an intense, but fortunately brief, hatred for her mother. How dare she leave her to do this alone? She was only 17, she couldn't do this. She took a deep breath to clear her head, then entered the room. She walked over to the bed and placed her hand on her sister's shoulder and shook it gently

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"Rachel," she said, a lot more calmly than she felt. The girl blinked sleepily.

"Holly, is it time to get up already? It's still dark out." She sat up and swung her feet to the floor. Holly sat down beside her and took the girl's hands in hers.

"Rachel, honey, I need you to listen to me." The girl nodded as Holly paused for a moment, unsure of the words she wanted to us.

"There are 2 policemen downstairs. They came to tell me that there's been an accident."

"Is mommy hurt," the little girl asked in a quivering voice. With a small squeeze, Holly replied, "they thinks she's dead." Rachel yanked her hands out of Holly's and jumped up off the bed. She walked, jerkedly, to the center of the room, looked wildly around, then buried her head in her hands and started sobbing. All Holly could do was watch.

Damn you mother, she thought tiredly. I hope this will all be worth it in the end.

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Holly rose, went into the adjoing bathroom, grabbed the box of tissues off the vanity and pulled a couple out. She walked back into the room and held them out to Rachel, who's sobbing had started to subside. Rachel lowered her hands and looked at her big sister. Still sniffing, she took the pro-offered tissues and wied her eyes and blew her nose.

"What are we going to do Holly?"

Holly led her to to her desk chair and at her down. She knelt in fron tof the girl.

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"I need you to be brave and strong right now Rachel." She picked up a nearby school bag, dumped the contents into a pile on the floor, then handed the empyt bag to Rachel.

"First you need to get dressed. Then I want you to put a few outfits and your pjs in here. After your clothes are packed, put anything else that's really important to you in here too. We might have to leave home for a while. I'm going to go to my room to change and pack. After you're done come down to my room, ok?" Rachel nodded. Holly stood, smiled at her tenderly, then left the room. Rachel got up, went to her dresser and pulled out a shift and tights. After grabbing a few more outfits, she clossed the drawer.

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Once in her room, Holly immediately went to her walk in closet. She ignored the clothes hanging there for the moment, only pushing the to the side. All her attention was focused on a safe sitting tucked back into a corner of teh room.

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Holly sat down in front of it. 3 to the right. 17 to the left. 1 to the right. With and audible click the door swung open. From inside Holly withdrew two rather large and bulky manilla envelopes, and one letter sized envelope. Without opening them, she put them into an empty knapsack. She shut the safe door and stood. She grabbed a couple of outfits off their hangers and shoved them into the bag containing the envelopes. She quickly dressed and emerged from the closet just as Rachel entered her room. She was dressed in her favorite outfie and carried the ratty teddy bear their father had given her on the day she was born.

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She watched silently as Holly went to a shelf, took down a framed photo and slipped it into her bag.

"I took daddy's picture too, and the jewelry box mommy gave me for my birthday last year," Rachel told her. Holly smiled at her again. She shoved her ipod and a couple of books into the bag, then zipped it up. She looked at her cellphone, debating whether to take it or leave it, then turned away leaving it in its charger. She nodded to Rachel and they left the room. Holly took one quick look around, then turned off the lights, and closed the door behind her.

"Holly, what about my medicine?"

"I'm gpoing to get that next honey. I want you to go down the back stairs and for me in the kitchen. Don't unlock the door until I get down there ok?" She handed Rachel her pack and watched as Rachel headed for the back stairs. Once she had started down, Holly went to what she had once termed the medicine closet. She opened the door and turned on the light. Shelves lined the walls and on each shelf stood bottles of pills.

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Holly picked up an empty bag and put as many of the bottles as she could into it. The last thing she put into the bag was a bundle of notebooks. Satisified that she had remembered everything, she turned off the light, closed the door and went back downstairs.

The detective and the officer had been talking quietly to themselves when Holly appeared in the door. The detective noticed the pack on her back, but really thought nothing of it. He knew, from his own daughter, that big bags were now the trend. He would've been very surprised at the contents though, if he had looked into it.

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"We're ready to go," she told them. She showed them to the front door, then went and joined Rachel in the kitchen. She grabbed the car keys off their hook, unlooked the door, then herded Rachel into the garage. Without a backwards glance, she looked the door behind her.

zeldaop

09-16-2007, 01:21 PM

Chapter 3 - Part 1

The elevator door opened and the four exited into a long basement hall. Their footsteps echoed hollowly through the silent building.

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Holly, almost in a state of hyper-awareness, noticed every detai. She felt the chill of the desolate hall despite hearing the heating system working. She noticed each door they passed. Dr. Matthew Green, Chief Medical Officer. Janitor Supply. Boiler Room. With each step she took she saw the Morgue sign grow closer and closer.

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She looked down as she felt a hand grab hers. She smiled, reassuringly she hoped, at Rachel and squeezed the girl's hand. Rachel returned neither. She just looked up at her older sister with haunted eyes.

Soon, Holly thought to herself. Soon I'll be able to tel you the whole truth, or better yet, Mother will.

Without a word the four reached the end of the hall which housed the morgue. Pushed against the far wall were a couple of benches and Holly led Rachel over to them. Rachel sat down. her teddy on her ap, and Holly sat beside her.

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"Rachel honey, I want you to wait out here until I come get you."

"Alone," the girl timidly.

"No, not alone. This nice policeman will be out here with you the whole time. Ok?" Rachel nodded and Holly stood.

"Officer, please stay wih her. I don't want her in that room at all," Holly stressed emphatically. The officer looked a bit put out at being ordered around by a teenage girl and he looked at the Detective. Mark nodded slightly and the Officer went and sat down beside Rachel. As Holly and Mark went through the doors into the morgue, she heard him say, "that's a nice teddy bear you have. What's his name?"

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Immediatey upon entering the room, Holly felt the vast difference in the tempurture. The hall had been cool, but this room was downright cold. The smell of chemicals assailed her nose and the stark, sterile walls seemed to mock her inner turmoil. An attendant sat behind a desk

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He looked up as the detective approached the desk. In soft voices the conversed and Holly looked around. She saw a second room and went to look through the door. She saw a table and a scale and one some counters she saw what looked like surgical instruments.

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With dawning horror she realized that in that small room was where autopsies were performed. Shivering, she backed away. She jumped in shock as the Detective placed his hand or her shoulder.

"Are you ready to do this Holly," he asked in a sympathetic voice. She nodded mutely and they walked over to where the attendant stood next to a body.

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She took a deep breath and nodded to the attentdant to remove the sheet that covered the body.

Remember what you have to do, she thought to herself, and looked down.

zeldaop

09-16-2007, 02:20 PM

Chapter 3 - Part 2

"Oh God no," Holly cried out as she looked down. "Mother"

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Her thoughts were in a whirl. This couldn't be right. Her mother was not supposed to be laying there. It was supposed to be someone else. They had discussed it.

Holly felt her stomach churn and she clamped her hand over her mouth.

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"Bathroom," she managed to spit out. The attendant pointed to an open door and Holly ran praying to make it in time.

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She flushed the toilet then went to the sink to rinse her mouth out. As she raised her head she caught sight of her refection in the mirror. Was that really her haunted face that stared back at her numbly?

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She grabbed her stomach as a deep pain went through it.

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Get a hold of yourself Holly. Something went horribly wrong, but you still have to take care of Rachel. This doesn't change what you have to do right now.

She straightened up. She still had stuff to do, she couldn't fall apart now. If she did there was a very real chance that she and Rachel could wind up lying on tables next to their mother.

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She brushed her hand over her mouth, opened the door and returned to where the two men awaited her.

"Holly, I know this has been hard on you, but I wil need to talk to you," the Detective said. She nodded, expecting as much.

""Not here," she said.

Five minutes later the were in the Dr Green's Office. Mark sat behind the desk a notpad in front of him, Holly took one of the chairs in front. Rachel curled up on the loveseat and fell asleep, her teddy on the floor. The policeman stood off to one side.

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"Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt you mother? Did she have an enemies that you know of?"

"No, everyone loved my mother."

"What of her coworkers?"

"Since my dad died a few years ago, she and Dr. Andrew Beaumont ran the lab. There is also Dr Christy Jones, Dr. Peter McMillan, and Dr. Barbara Gilman."

"Is that all?" Holy nodded

"It is now. Several people have passed away recently."

"Who?"

"My dad. Dr Thad Panopolus. Dr. Rita Kilbane. And Dr. Thomas Smith." Th detective wrote the names down. He recognized the one, Dr Kilbane. She had been murdered 2 months ago. He had worked that case. It was still unsolved, but the theory was it had been a professional hit.

Were the two murders related, he thought to himself and jotted down another note.

"Holly, did your mother ever talk to you about being afraid that someone was watching her? Did she ever mention if anyone had ever followed her?"

Holy was silent a minute, thoughts of her last conversation with her mother still fresh in her mind. Should she tell?

You can't trust anyone Holly, her mother's voice admonished her.

"No, she never mentioned anything like that," Holly told him.

Mark looked pointedly at Holly. Every instinct he had was screaming at him that she was lying. Holly looked calmy back at him. Neither one wanted to be the first to look away.

"Is there anything else you ned right now Detective? I'd like to get Rachel home." He sighed and laid his pen down on his notepad.

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"No you can go now. Will you be alright at home." She stood.

"We'll be fine. I'll look the doors and theres an alarm system." She walked over to where Rachel slept and shook her gently.

"C'mon honey, it's time to go." Rachel sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Are we going home now Holly?" Holy paused ony briefy. As much as she hated lying to the girl, she knew she had too.

'Yes Rachel, we're going home now." Together they left the office. mark watched them leave. He heard the elevator doors open. Holly ushered Rachel in then turned and looked a final time at Mark.

"Holly take care of your sister," he said into the silence. She nodded and he thought he saw fright in her eyes. She entered the elevator and the door shut behind her.

Mark stared thoughtfully out the door.

"That girl knows something, but what? What, or who is she afraid of," he murmured.

"Detective," the officer questioned.

"Oh nothing Officer," Mark told him. "Just airing some thoughts aloud." He stood. It had already been a long night, and this investigation promised him many more long nights to come. Somehow, he knew, he was going to have to gain Holly Davidson's trust so she would tell him what she knew. Tomorrow he would go by the house and talk to her again.

It never occured to him that Holly had a plan in place, and was already carrying it out.

LyricLee

09-22-2007, 12:51 PM

Holy cow girl. Seriously you like torturing people eh? Your writing is amazing but you know I love how you write. The cliffhangers kill me tho!!! You need to update daily to make me happy :)

ilovesims2

11-11-2007, 10:48 AM

awesome story , I'd like to read more please

zeldaop

11-17-2007, 09:47 PM

Chapter 4 - Part 1

Holly looked across the nearly empty parking lot as she and Rachel left the building.

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"Holly what are we going to do now," Rachel asked her. Holly looked at her sister.

"Right now we are going to get in the car because it's kinda chilly out here."

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Together they ran for the car. Once inside, they sat and waited for it to heat up.

"Are we going home now?" Holly sat silently for a minute. She didn't want to worry her sister but by the same token, she hated to lie to her. She nodded then said, "buckle up sweetie," as she did the same. Slowly, carefully, she pulled out of the parking lot. She started driving twards their house, all the while looking in the rearview mirror. She made seemingly random turns onto streets, and after about 10 mins, was satisified they were not being followed.
With a small sigh of relief, she headed the car out onto the interstate.

"Holly, this isn't the way home," Rachel said.

"I know. We're not going home."

"But you said we were. You lied." Rachel stated looking at her wide eyed.

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"Yeah I did, and I'm sorry about that. For tonight though we're going to stay in a motel." She tried not to squirm as Rachel stared at her.

"You're scared to go home." Holly forced herself not to wince as Rachel's remark hit home. It was true. She was scared to go home. It was one thing to go through with this when she thought her mom would be somewhere waiting for them, but it was quite another thing to know that her mom was dead, someone had killed her, and now she had to keep herself and Rachel safe.

"Nah, I'm not scared. I just think it will be better if we don't spend tonight at home. Why don't you lay back and try to get some sleep. I'll wake you up when we get to the motel."

"Can I turn the radio on?"

"Sure, honey." Rachel leaned forward and turned on the radio. She then leaned back and closed her eyes and soon fell asleep. Once Holly was sure Rachel was asleep, she pulled into a rest stop. As she filled the car up with gas, she took a small crumpled up piece of paper out of her pocket. Under the glare of the lights she read,

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She looked at her watch. It was already past midnight, which meant that she wouldn't arrive there til well after 1. She was tired in a way she had never been before, but there was no time for her to sleep. With a deep sigh, she got back into the car and headed back out onto the highway.

Around 1:30 she saw the sign for the motel and got off at the exit. As she pulled into the motel her first thought was, you have got to be kidding me. The place was small and a bit ramshackle in appearance. As Holly pulled up to the office, the headlights illuminated the well-weathered siding and the weeds that grew up the posts. An old fashioned ice machine completed the picture of total seedines.

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Why did you send me here mom, she thought as she turned of the car and walked into the office. The inside looked better maintained than the outside. As she approached the desk, an older man stepped out from an adjoining room.

"Can I help you," he asked in a slow drawl.

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"Mr Peters," Holly asked. The man nodded.

"You don't know me, but my mom sent me here, I'm Holly," she was interupted by the man.

"You're Marcia and Michaels daughter ain't ya." Holly nodded and blinked back the tears that threatened to fall at the sound of her parent's names. The man studied her carefully for a long moment, then voiced the thought that had popped into his head.

"You ma's dead ain't she?"

"Yes," Holly managed to say. The man spat out several colorful words. He grabbed a key from the rack and handed it to her.

"Room 10. Leave your car where it is. Take your sister and your stu down there and I'll put the car in the barn so no one sees it. I'll come talk to you in the morning. Right now you need some sleep."

"Why are you helpung us?"

"I owe your mom and dad a huge debt. Go. We'll talk more in the morning."

Holly stumbled out of the office and went to the car, and for the second time that night, woke her sister up.

"C'mon honey, we're here." She grabbed their packs, and a box from the trunk, the steered her still half-asleep sister to their room. She helped her put on her pjs then tucked her into bed. Rachel was asleep the instant her head hit the pillow, her bear safely beside her.

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As tired as Holly was, she decided she wanted to take a nice warm bath first. She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and finally all the horror caught up to her and she allowed herself the luxury of grief.

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She fell to the floor and cried out her sorrow, her anger, her pain.

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How long she sat on the floor as her tears fell she could not say. Eventually the worst of it passed. She took a quick bath, then went out and grabbed the box she had brought into the room. Taking some supplies out of it, she took one last look in the mirror then went to work. Half an hour later, satisified, she finally dropped into bed, exhausted.

After a couple hours of restless sleep, she woke and got dressed. She looked at herself in the full length mirror. It was amazing what scissors, dye, contacts, and different clothes could do. She stared at herself, trying to see her true self in her new image.

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With a sigh she went and lay on the bed. Soon Rachel would be up, and her new appearance was bound to be another shock to the girl.

zeldaop

11-17-2007, 10:54 PM

Chapter 4 - Part 2

Sure enough, when Rachel got up, she was shocked by her sister's appearance.

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"Holly, what did you do to yourself?" Holly sat up and patted the bed beside her. It was now time to tell the girl a little bit about their future.

"Rachel, we can't go home again. I don't know how long we'll be away, but it will be for quite a while probably. Someone killed mom, and they might be after us. Mom left us money and new id's. We have to change how we look, so no one recognizes us. Ok?" Rachel looked up at her, tears in her eyes.

"Ok," she sniffed. Holly hugged her then took her hand and led her into the bathroom. 45 minutes later she stood back and looked at Rachel critically. She didn't want to change the girl too much as she'd already had quite a few changes to her life in such a very short amount of time.

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She nodded to herself, pleased with the way Rachel looked. They both looked to the door when someone knocked on it. Motioning Rachel to keep quiet, Holly slipped to the window and surreptitiously peeked out it. She released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when she saw Mr. Peters at the door. She quickly unlocked it and let him in. She shut and locked the door as soon as he was in.

"Here, I brought you girls some breakfast. Eat up." He handed Holly the tray he had been carrying, then went and sat on the couch. Holly and Rachel dived into the warm food. After they were done eating, Rachel sat on the floor playing with her bear, and Holly went over and sat down beside Mr. Peters.

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"You said you owed my parents a debt," Holly began. He nodded and she contiunued.

"Why, and why are you helping us now?"

"About four years ago my wife and daughter were out doing some Christmas shopping. The weather turned bad, and there was an accident on the highway. Their car hit an icy patch and spun out of control. It left the road and ran into a stand of trees. My wife managed to free herself from the car, but my daughter was trapped. My wife ran back to the highway to get some help. Several cars just passed her by until one finally stopped. It was you parents, and they were able to get my daughter free mere moments before the car exploded. They saved my daughter from a horrible death and I vowed to help them whenever I could. I was shocked to read of your father's death a year later, and I sent your ma a card. She wrote back, she was a real classy lady your ma, and said that they, her and you two, would be fine. She ended by asking about my wife and daughter. I didn't hear anymore from her until about 7 months ago. She came into the office and said she needed my help."

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"Did she say why she needed your help," Holly asked excitedly. Myabe he could shed some light, fill in some of the gaps.

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He shook his head in the negative.

"All she said was that she thought someone wanted to harm her, that your pa's accident might not have been an accident. She was scared. Real scared. And it weren't for herself. She was afraid that someone would hurt you, and she was petrified that something would happen to her," he said as he pointed to where Rachel sat.

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Holly sat back in a daze. Her dad might have been murdered too and her mom was especially afraid that something would happen to Rachel. There had to be a connection somewhere, she just had to find it before someone found them. She almost missed what the man was saying.

"Your ma handed me a bundle of money and asked me to find a nondescript car and put it in my name. She then said that she would show up first, followed by you two. She had it all planned out."

"Yeah she had it all planned out, except she went and got killed first," Holly said bitterly.

"Don'd use that tone when talking about your ma. Everything she did, she did for you and your sister. She loved you youngins very much."

"Yeah. Wait, did you say she wanted you to buy a car."

"Ayeh. It's sitting outside. registered under mah name so it can't be traced to you." Holly looked out the window at their new car.

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"Now you kids better get going. I warrant y'all wanna put some miles between you and this city." He stood and Holly followed. He watched as she put their packs and the box into the backseat.

"Thank you, for what you've done for us," Holly said, then on impulse hugged him. He returned the hug, then stepped back.

"Twarn't nothing. I only wish your ma was still alive. Drop me a line whenever you get to where you're going. I'd like to here from ya."

"I will," Holly said then joined Rachel in the car.

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'Where ae we going now Holly," she asked with a worried look on her face.

"I don't know Rachel. We're going to get as far away as we can for now. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"No it won't Holly. Nothing will ever be fine again," Rachel said and turned towards the window. Holly had no response to give her sister. Instead she started the car and backed away from the motel. At the edge of the driveway, they both waved at Mr. Peters, and he waved back.

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She guided the car back onto the highway and headed of to whatever future awaited them.

Meanwhile, Mark, worried about the two girls went over to their house. As he approached the front door, he noticed it was slightly ajar. He pulled his gun and carefully entered the house.

"Holly. Rachel," he called out into the quiet house. He listened for any sound and was rewarded with only silence. he entered the room closest to him and stared at the mess. Drawers and cabinets stood open. Papers and books had been strewn across the floor. An empty space now stood where he assumed a computer had once sat.

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He quickly exited the house and ran to his car. He called for backup then impatiently waited. Where were the girls? Had they been home when the breakin had happened? Was the breakin related to the murder, or just a coincidence? All he had right now were questions. He needed to find some answers and fast. He had the feeling that the two girls, if not already dead, were in serious trouble.

LyricLee

11-18-2007, 12:57 PM

Good lord woman, not fair, I want some answers!!! Thanks for the update Z you made my day!

zeldaop

12-13-2007, 05:26 PM

Chapter 5 - Part 1

The next morning Mark entered the lobby of Hope Pharmaceuticals, which until last night had been the workplace of Dr. Davidson. He was impressed by the light and airy moderness of the building.

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He approached the smiling receptionist.

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"Good morning, my name is Julie and welcome to Hope Pharmaceuticals. How may I help you." Mark returned her genuine smile with one of his own.

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"Can you tell me where I would be able to find Dr. Andrew Beaumont?"

"Sure. Take the elevator up to the 15th floor. When you exit the elevator his office suite will be the first door on your right."

"Thank you," Mark told her and headed to the elevator. As he rode to his floor he mused to himself that Hope pharmaceuticals must be doing alright for itself, or at the very least, the trappings mde it appear so. Could the business be sinking though? Had Marcia Davidson caught someone with their hand in the till, so to speak. Could her murder, and the deaths of the other doctors, be part of a coverup to another crime?

The elevator door opened and Mark stepped out into a hall that was decorated much as the lobby had been. Again the Hope Pharmaceuticals banner was prominently displayed on the wall.

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Hoping to get answers to his many questions, he entered Andrew Beaumont's office. In the outer room he came face to face with a stern older woman. She was as different from the pleasant, smiling receptionist as night was from day. If Mark had been a betting man he would've laid odds that nothing, and no one, got passed her. Such women were the guardians and keepers of their bosses. Knowing that flattery or flirtation would not help his cause, Mark decided to use a non-nonsense tone with her. He approached her desk.

"Yes," she said in a dry voice as she looked up from her computer.

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"I need to see Dr Beaumont, please."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"Dr. Beaumont is a very busy man. I suggest," she said in a voice that dripped icicles, "that you leave and come back after you've made an appointment." She looked down, dismissing him entirely. With an internal sigh, Mark pulled out his badge.

"Ahem," he said clearing his throat. She looked back up at him, not entirely hiding the annoyance she felt. Her eyes widened slightly as she noticed the badge he held out.

"I am Detective Mark King and I need to see Dr Beaumont now about a very important matter," he told her in the most officious voice he could.

Without a word to him, she picked up the phone and dialed an extension.

"Dr. Beaumont, there is a detective here that says he need to see you. He doesn't have an appointment."

Mark smiled to himself, supressing the urge to laugh. Her tone was full of righteous indignation. He quickly stopped smiling as she replaced the receiver and looked back at him. She pointed to a door and said, "Dr Beaumont will see you."

"Thank you."

As Mark entered the inner office Andrew Beaumont stood and walked over to meet him.

"Good morning detective, I'm Dr. Andrew Beaumont," he said as the two men shook hands.

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"Please have a seat," he siad as he motioned to a chair in front of his desk. Once Mark was seated, he walked around and sat down behind the desk.

"How may I help you Detective?"

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"I need to ask you some questions about Marcia Davidson."

"What about Marcia? Is she in some kind of trouble?" Mark took a breath.

"I'm afraid she's dead. She was murdered last night." He watched as the other man's shoulders slumped in apparent sorrow.

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zeldaop

12-13-2007, 06:56 PM

Chapter 5 - Part 2

"Murdered? Are you sure it was her?"

"Yes, quite sure. Her oldest daughter Holly made a positive ID last night."

"Oh god, the girls. I have to call them. They'll be all alone now."

"So neither girl has contacted you?"

'No, why." Mark hesitated a moment.

"No one has seen the girls since they left the morgue last night, and when I went to check on them, their house had been broken into and ransacked."

"Was there any sign that the girls had been," he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. Mark knew what he had been able to say.

"No, there was no sign of foul play."

"Thank god for small favors," Andrew said.

Do you know of anywhere the girls could've gone? Any friends or family?"

"There's no family. Both Michalel and Marcia's parents are dead and neither had any siblings. Friends, I'm not sure of."

"Is Holly the type of girl to just take off?"

"No. Holly is very reliable and she would never subject Rachel to that."

"What does rachel have to do with whether Holly ran or not?" Andrew raised his hands in disbelief.

"Don't you know? Rachel is sick, and she can only survive with the help of a drug made here in our lab."

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Mark sat there, dumbfounded. Rachel was sick? Immediately his mind filled with questions. Did Holly know that Rachel was sick? If so, did that mean she knew something that scared her enough to run, even with a sick sister? Were the girls, in fact, dead?

"Does Holly know that Rachel is sick?" Andrew nodded.

"Yes, she knows."

"What's wrong with the girl?" He was silent a moment, then he clasped his hands together and leaned forward.

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"In layman's terms, it seems to be a form of cancer, but quite unlike any cancer anyone has ever seen or studied. And it is different in that it affects different parts of the body on different days. On one day Rachel might exhibit the symptoms and test results of a typical cancer patient. The next day the cancer might shift to the lungs or colon or etc, while her brain showed perfectly normal."

"Which would make it tough to treat because you never knew where it would strike," Mark stated.

"Exactly. Fortunately, we discovered a drug that can help her. It won't cure her, but it seems to severly retard the growth. It has put Rachel into, I hesitate to call it a remission, but that's the best word I can come up with. As long as Rachel takes the drug, she remains healthy. What will happen if she doesn't get it, I can't say. I do know that Marcia kept a supply of the drug in a small closet in her house. The drug has a long shelf life. You might want to check and see if it is still there." Mark made a note.

Alright, leaving rachel out of the picture for now, tell me about Hope Pharmaceuticals."

Andrew turned and looked out the window.

"Twenty years ago, three intelligent, and slightly gifted, students graduated from college. Those three were Marcia, her husband Michael, and myself. We had the grand dream of being able to find a cure for the world's worst diseases. Michael's parent were well-to-do and the donated this building to us and lent us enough capital to start our. At the time, we started small. We used one floor for the labs, which we supplied with the most modern and technologically advanced equipment.

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"Six months later the three of us stood in our lab and toasted ourselves, and our promise to help people. And so Hope Pharmaceuticals, so named because Marcia said that was what we were trying to create, was born."

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"We were so young back then. Anyway, we recruited some of the top names in research, and the rest, as they say, is history." He turned back and faced Mark, wiping at his eyes as he did so.

"PLease forgive me. I've just lost a good friend, and the community has lost a brilliant and dedicated mind."

"I understand. I just have a few more questions for you. Could Marcia have caught someone embezzling from your company? Greed is a powerful motivation."

"No. We've just recently had our annual audit and nothing untoward showed up"

"Have there been any threats from a disgruntled employee, or an unhappy consumer? Any lawsuits"

"No. We have a really low turn around here as far as employees are concerned. Everyone here is considered family, and treated as such. As for unhappy consumers, we never release a product until we are 100% certain that there will be no harmful side effects. All of our products are tested and retested, and we've never had a lawsuit brought against us."

"Can you think of anyone that might have had a grudge against Marcia Davidson?"

"I'm sorry Detective. Everyone who knew Marcia loved her. She was a truly caring and compassionate woman. Things will not be the same with her gone."

Mark closed his notebook in frustration. he had hoped for answers, but was only leaving with more questions. He stood, took a card from his pocket, and handed it to Andrew.

"Thank you for your time Dr. Beaumont. If you can think of anything else that might be of importance please call." Andrew stood.

"Of course Detective. And please keep me informed. I want to see the girls returned home safely and Marcia's killer brought to justice." The two men shook hands again and Mark left the office.

Meanwhile:

Jake looked around the ramshackle apartment in which he lived. He noted the peeling, moldy wallpaper and the shoddy, second-hand furnishings. The jangling of the telephone interrupted his musings. Shaking his head, he answered it.

"Yeah wadda want," he snarled into it.

"Oh it's you." He listened a moment.

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His grinned evilly then said, "you want me to trail a cop, the price is doubled. You heard me, doubled. If I get caught I'll get into a lot of trouble." He listened again.

"Don't worry, if I find the brats I won't harm one hair on their pretty little heads. I'll leave them to you. I'll be in touch."

He hung up the phone and looked around again. His fortune was changing and soon, very soon, he would be able to leave this dump far behind him.

LyricLee

12-13-2007, 07:05 PM

You are an evil woman you know! Talk about more questions and no answers!!! I love it tho :)

zeldaop

01-24-2008, 08:35 PM

I'd really like to thank LyricLee for all the help she's given me. Without her, and her recoloring abilities, the pics for this story would not look as nice as they do.

Thanks chickie. Love ya. :love1:

zeldaop

01-24-2008, 09:56 PM

Chapter 6

Tristan sat on the patio, watching his sister, Debbie, play on the dilapidated old swingset.

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A soft smile graced his lips as he watched her play. His sister was the one person most special to him. She was the only one who could get him to smile with any regularity. She was the one person he would move heaven and hell for. Faintly, through the paper thin walls of the house he heard the sound of the television being turned on, and he sighed audibly. That meant Margaret was up already, and whenever Margaret go up before noon she was not a pleasant person to be around. Tristan supposed, idly, that he loved his older sister, but there were times, a lot of them actually, when he did not like her. And the feeling was mutual he knew. Times had not been easy since their mother had left them. Margaret worked hard to keep the roof over their heads and food on the table, but she had given up her dreams of college and a better life and it had left her a bit bitter. Not that she ever said anything, or acted any differently than she had before their mom had left, but Tristan knew it was there. He thought back to the one time he had brought up the subject of dropping out of school and getting a job. Margaret had gone ballistic. She had ranted and raved that he was not going to drop out of school. He was going to finish his last year, graduate and go to college. At that point he had yelled at her that he was not her, and she was not going to live her life through him. Tristan frowned as he recalled the look of hurt that had been on his sister's face as she looked at him. Things had been tense, to say the least, between them ever since. For his part, Tristan regretted the words and he was pretty sure she did too, but apologizing was not something his family did easily, if at all. All the McAlister's had stubborn streaks, and he was no different.

His attention was drawn from his sister, and his thoughts, as he heard a car pulling into the driveway next door. He looked. His interest was immediately peaked when he saw two girls get out of the car. One appeared to be about Debbie's age while the other was his age. The younger one carried a teddy bear and he noticed that she looked very solemn as she came around the car and stood behind the older girl. Tristan felt bad for her. It was a look that sad she knew that bad things could happen. It was a look that no kid should have to wear. It was one he had seen all too often on Debbie's face.

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"Hey Debs," he called out to his sister. She stopped swinging and looked at him.

"Lets go meet the new neighbors" He whistled and instantly she was off the swing and skipping towards him.

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She grabbed his hand and together the walked over to introduce themselves. The younger girl was sitting on the steps and the older one was reaching into the trunk.

"Hello," Tristan called out. The girl raised her head so fast she hit the door of the trunk.

"Dammit," she yelled, along with a few other colorful words. Tristan grinned. She was a girl after his own heart.

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"Quite a colorful vocabulary you have there," he said as she slammed the trunk closed and glared at it. She turned to face him, with a pissed off look on her face. The frown was quickly replaced and Tristan was struck by the fearful look that had replaced it. On the whole, he'd rather have had the frown. He held up one hand.

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I'm sorry if I startled you. My name's Tristan McAlister, and this is my sister Debbie. We live next door."

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The younger girl had come to stand by the older one. Still eyeing him warily she said, "I'm Melanie Smith, and this is my sister Rebecca. Pleased to meet you."

Somehow I doubt that, Tristan thought to himself. The girl's words were cordial, pleasant even, but her whole body was tense, and there was that wary, deer in a headlight, look on her face. As Tristan and Melanie eyed each other, measured each other, Debbie and Rebecca had moved off and were talking to each other. A friendly game of Mary Mack soon ensued, and the two girls laughed.

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Holly turned to look. It was good to see Rachel smiling and laughing again. She had not done either in weeks. Feeling Tristan's eyes on her, she turned back to face him.

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"It seems our sisters have taken a liking to each other."

"Yes. So it would seem," Holly replied and feel silent. Tristan noticed that her body had lost a little of it's tenseness but there was still something about her. The intense silence that feel between them was broken by the appearance of a big, white, shaggy dog. Holly watched as Debbie led her sister up to it and grinned as Rachel laughed when the beast licked her hand.

"Doggie likes meeting new people," she heard Tristan remark.

"Doggie," she asked in disbelief as she turned and looked at him. He shrugged.

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"We got him when Debbie was about 2 and just learning to talk. She called him Doggie, and it just sorta stuck."

Holly smiled, despite the resolution she had made to herself to remain as solitary as possible. It was too hard to resist the sheepish look on Tristan's face. And if she was going to be totally honest with herself, she thought he was kinda cute. She sighed. In a different time and place, perhaps it coulda meant something, but now, romance and dating was a luxury she could not afford. Maybe once she knew they were safe, that their old names and lives were completely buried behind them, she could just be a teenm but for now Rachel's well-being was all that mattered.

"Melanie, can I go play on the swingset with Debbie?" Holly looked down at her. The girl looked so happy, so normal, that she did not have the heart to refuse her.

"Sure, honey. Go ahead." She watched the two girls run off, torn between wanting to finish unloading the car, and wanting to watch Rachel every second. She bit her lower lip in worry. Tristan watched her in silence. He had only just met her, but he already knew that something was majorly wrong.

"Want to come over and watch em play? We can sit on the porch," Tristan said. She turned and looked at him. She had almost forgotten he was still there.

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"Alright," she replied and followed him. Holly followed Tristan up onto the small porch and sat down in the lawnchair he gestured at. He pulled up another chair and sat down beside her.

"So, tell me about yourself, and what brings you to Popular Bridge."

"Nothing much to tell. Our mother died several months ago, so now it's just me and Rebecca. We needed a fresh start and when I found that house listed on a realty website, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. So here we are." Holly was amazed at how easily, how naturally, the lie had come.

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"And how old are you?"

"I'm, umm, 19," she stammered then turned her head away.

She's lying about her age, Tristan thought, never suspecting the rest of the lies in her story. An uneasy silence enveloped them as they watched the two girls swinging.

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Finally, Holly could stand it no more and she stood.

"Rebecca, c'mon we have to go. We still have to unpack yet." Without looking at Tristan, she walked down the steps. He followed her, stopping on the last step. Together, in silence, they watched the two girls hug each other.

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"Hmm, Debbie isn't usually that demonstrative with people she's just met."

"Neither's Rac... Rebecca either." Holly cursed herself for the slip and could only hope that Tristan hadn't heard it. She plunged on, hoping to divert any attention away from her blunder.

"It was nice meeting you Tristan, Debbie. We'll see ya soon." Without looking at either of them, she walked off, herding Rachel in front of her.

"I like them," Debbie said to her brother as the watched them walk over to their place.

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"Me too Debs," he said absently, his mind not really focused on his sister. Unless he had been mistaken, it had sounded like Melanie wanted to call her sister Rachel. But why? Tristan loved mysteries, and he resolved to find out what secrets Melanie Smith was hiding.

LyricLee

01-24-2008, 10:23 PM

Awww I love you so much! <3 You really do rock, as does your story, but you dont write enough!!!! gimme moreee

zeldaop

02-03-2008, 03:52 PM

Chapter 7 - Part 1

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Mark stood, arms crossed, staring out the window of his office. An intent frown crossed his face. He was frustrated, and it showed. It had been 10 months since the night Holly and Rachel Davidson had disappeared. Ten long months in which the case had stalled. He was no closer to solving the murder of Dr. Davidson, or finding her daughters, than he had been that night. Common thought was that the girls were dead. Killed and their bodies thrown into the river. Mark refused to believe it. He still thought, as he had that night, that Holly had known something about her mother's murder. He didn't think she knew who had killed her, but she had known enough to be scared and to have run. He had checked the house and had found the small supply closet that Dr. Beaumont had told him about. It had been almost empty. Only a few bottles had remained. When he had gone back to Hope Pharmaceuticals, Beaumont had told him that each bottle would hold 150 pills, and had reiterated that the drug had a very long shelf life. Each bottle would last for about 10 years. Mark pressed him, and he admitted that Marcia would have had most of the supply, about 100 bottles. When Mark did the math. 150 pills per bottle, 100 bottles, a long shelf life, plus the fact tht Rachel only had to take one pill a day, he came up with the conclusion that Holly had run. She had made sure to take supplies for her sister, then taken her sister, and run.

Did she have any help, he wondered. he suspected she had, at least a bit from someone. He had talked to her teachers, her principal, her friends. All had said she was a very intelligent, very serious kid. As one teacher had put it, she was a bright and resourceful girl. Even given the statements, which he found no trouble believing, he couldn't believe that she had pulled off a disappearance so complete without any help. Bright and resourceful as she was, she was still, however, only 17.

He turned away from the window and with a sigh, looked at the files and folders spread everywhere.

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He had combed through files from Hope Pharmaceuticals. He had pored over files and correspondence from the Davidson house. No where could he find any motive for Marcia's murder. Nowhere could he find any connection to any of the other deaths of the Hope Pharmaceutical staff. Nowhere could he find the slightest indication of where Holly and rachel might be, or what names they would now be going by. From everything he found it appeared that Marcia Davidson had been a much loved researcher who always paid her bills on time. There had been no large, unexplained amounts withdrawn from any of her accounts, and the finances of the company were rock solid.

Aimlessly, he started stacking the files into a neat pile. A picture fell out of one an he bent to retrieve it. He stared at it as he straightened up. It was Holly's latest school picture. He looked into her solemn, slightly smiling face. It was the face of someone who had the weight of the world on her shoulders. A face that foreshadowed the coming events. A face that shoul have been bright and smiling and cheerful. but instead was resigned and composed.

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"Where are you Holly? And what do you know that has made you so afraid," he said into the stillness of his office. Gently he put the picture back into it's proper folder and turned back towards the window. The gray skies, which had been threatening all mornong, finally fulfilled their promise as rain struck the window.

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How fitting, he thought, as he watched the rain pour down. The dark gloom matched his mood perfectly. This case, not so different than the hundreds he had worked in his long career, had gotten to him in a way the others hadn't. The girls, Holly in particular, had gotten to him. A scared teen determined to do what she thought was best for her sick younger sister, to keep her safe the only way she knew how. He crossed his arms again, and his already dour expression turned even grimmer. He had no leads, no prospects, and no evidence. There was nothing more he could do. Until something new surfaced, the case would remain open, but would not be of primary focus. It was time for hm to move on the the next case in line. The phone rang and he picked it up.

"Green," he said into the receiver, then listened intently to the voice on the other end. His eyes widened slightlym and his posture, formerly one of weary resign, was now changed. A few words had brought back his energy. He was more alert and enervated.

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"Have it taken to the crime lab agrage, but don't touch anything until I get there. I'll be there in about 20 minutes."

He slammed the receiver down, grabbed his coat, and left the office, the spring back in his step. He thought that this was it. This might just be the break he needed to solve this case and to find Holly and Rachel and bring them back home again.

zeldaop

02-03-2008, 03:53 PM

Chapter 7 - Part 2

Twenty minutes later, Mark strode into one of the garage bays in the crime lab basement. There, sitting in front of him was the car Holly had been driving the night she disappeared.

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"Where was it found," he asked one of the technicians.

"In a barn at an old motel off of Highway 52. The owner passed away and the daughter found it hidden in a barn when she came in for the funeral. She called the police and the officer who responded matched the plate to a Marcia Davidson. You were the Detective on record, so you were called."

"Alright, send a team out there. Have O'Reilly bring one of his cadaver dogs. The whole property will need to be searched. Now, what was the address?"

"252 Highway 52. It's just past the exit to Simsville." Mark nodded and left. His mind was whirling. This was it he knew it. They would either find the girls' bodies, or he would find some clue to their whereabouts.

Half an hour later he pulled up outside the ramshackle motel. He just sat in the car for a long moment, trying to get a feel for the place. He looked up as several vehicals pulled into the lot. He got out of the car and went to meet them. After assigning tasks, he entered the office. A thorough search turned up nothing. undaunted, he entered the living quarters attaced to the office. he started sifting through the contents of an old desk. He picked up a postcard, and gave it a cursory glance. The name caught his attention and he froze.

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Holly and Rachel were alive. He looked at the postmark. It was dated November 20th, a little more than a month after they had disappeared. the stamp said it came from a city called Popar Bridge, Florida. Mark smiled broadly and raced out of the motel, the postcard clutched firmly in his hand. There were things to be done. He thought that maybe he would take a trip to Florida.

That evening Mark walked into Shaunghessy's Place, his favorite hangout.

"Hey Sue," he said to the pretty woman behind the bar. Her face lit up as she saw him.

"Hiya Mark. Your usual?" He nodded as his sat down on one of the barstools. She drew a glass of beer and placed it before him.

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"What's up Mark. You look happy, quite unlike you as of late." Her easy smile couldn't quite hide the worry she felt over him. They had been on several dates, and had been friends before that, so she knew his habit of becoming involved in cases. Especially cases that concerned kids.

"I am happy Sue. I finally caught a break on the case I was working on."

"The one with the murdered researcher?"

"Yes." Neither noticed the man at the end of the bar turn and look at them as they talked.

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The two talked pleasantly as she took his dinner order. Mark ate, then ordered another beer. He was feeling quite good. Tomorrow morning he would catch a flight and go down to Florida. With a little luck, he'd be able to find the girls.

"Well, I'm off Sue. I'll be out of town for a while, but how about dinner when I get back."

"Sure," she said. He leaned over the bar and kissed her. With a lightness she hadn't seen in him in awhile he crossed the floor.

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She shook her head ruefully. That's what she got for getting involved with a cop. Smiling, she headed down to the end of the bar.

"Can I get you anything else," she asked the young man sitting there.

"Another beer." He watched as she poured it and set it in front of him.

"That guy was happy," he said as he pointed at the door Mark had just went through.

"Um hmm. He's a detective and just caught a break in a big case."

"You don't say. Good for him." Sue nodded and walked away to tend to her other customers. She felt the guy's eyes boring into her back. There was something about him she didn't trust, but se shrugged it off and soon forgot at it.

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Jake smiled to himself, then finished his beer and headed home. He had an important phone call to make, and he had to pack. he was going to be out of town too.

LyricLee

02-03-2008, 07:11 PM

arggggg! i dont know whos good and whos bad anymore lol
great update!

zeldaop

02-09-2008, 05:42 PM

Chapter 8 - Part 1

Three days before Mark got his big break, Holly awoke, screaming she thought, in her bedroom. Her heart raced as she listened intently for any sound that she had woken Rachel up. A couple of times over the last couple of months she had screamed loud enough to wake Rachel and make her come running into her room, frightened. Thankfully, however, this time she either hadn't screamed, or had not done so loud enough. She looked at the clock. 5:00 am. A full two hours before she needed to get Rachel up and off to school. With a sigh she stood and left her room. Experience had taught her that going back to sleep was impossible. It always was whenever she had the dream. Quietly she walked to the kitchen and started the coffee pot.

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Once that was going she walked, still barefoot, out to get the paper. She shivered in the predawn chill of the air. She bent down and got the paper.

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Still shivering, she ran back to the warmth of the house. Inside she threw the paper onto the kitchen table, then went and poured herself a mug of the freshly brewed coffee. She carried her steaming mug into the living room and sat down on the couch. Slowly she warmed up and the last vestiages of the dream left her. She sat on the couch and stared blankly at the wall in front of her.

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This made the fourth night in a row she'd had the dream. In it she watched a nameless, faceless man shoot her mother to death. She heard her mother plead with the man to spare her, to think of her daughters, but the man just laughed and pulled the trigger. Then it would cut to this house and she watched, helpless again, as the same man shot her sister. It was at that point she would wake up screaming her sister's name.
She stood and went over to a window. Staring at the lightening darkness,she mused that it had been several months since she'd last had the dream. She knew, or thought she did, why she'd started having it again. Tonight Rachel was going to a slumber party next door. It would be the first time that, outside of school, that Rachel would not be around since their mother was murdered, and it worried her. She knew, intellectually, that nothing would happen to Rachel. She was just going to be next door, but emotionally, she was just uneasy.
Her thoughts were interupted as she watched Tristan take Doggie for his early mornng walk. She smiled broadly. Or more to the point, Doggie was taking Tristan for his morning pull. Her smile vanished as she watched them.

Tristan

Tristan was a problem, and not because of him, but because of the way she was starting to feel about him. He had never done anything untoward like professing his deep and undying love for her, had never been anything more than friendly towards her, towards Rachel, but there was still something she felt about him. Something inside her that told her that he would probably be willing to take the next step.

Or more than likely she was full of s**t, she thought to herself. She had like no experience when it came to boys, had never had a boyfriend, had never even been kissed. And she wasnt exactly free. She grinned mirthlessly as she pictured it.

Hiya Tristan. My name's not really Melanie Smith, it's really Holly Davidson and I'm 17 and on the run with my sister Rachel because someone killed my mom and I'm afraid whoever did it will find us and kill us, wanna date?

She sighed again. Getting involved with anyone was definitely out of the picture. Still, when Tristan noticed her and waved, she smiled and waved back. Berating herself for her folly, and wistful for what could have been, she went and took a long hot bath.

Twelve hours later, Holly stood in the same position, looking out the same window. The house seemed more forlorn with Rachel gone. The girl had come home, packed her bag, and ran off to Debbie's house without even a backward look. Holly wasn't used to being alone, and didn't know what to do with herself. She'd tried reading a book, watching tv, playing on the computer, but nothing kept her interest. She was fighting the urge to pick up the phone and call over and check on Rachel, when there was a knock on the front door. Warily she went over and opened it. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when she saw Tristan standing there, a small pack on his back

"Hiya Melanie. I needed to get away from 10 shrieking, laughing little girls, and I thought you might like some company since your sister is one of them. They're showing really bad and cheesy horror flicks from the 80's on the horror network. Wanna watch?"

She smiled gratefully at him, then stood back and ushered him in. This was just what she needed to get through the evening. He walked over to the couch and sat down. He opened his pack and took out a bottle. He held it up for her to see.

"Tristan, is that alcohol," she asked in surprise realizing that she sounded a bit prudish, and she blushed. He chuckled, then said, "yeah. A friend at school gave it too me." He shrugged.

"You've been a bit tense lately so I thought you could use a drink to calm down. Would you like some?"

Why not, she thought. It's not like I've never drank before.

"I'll go grab some cups and pop from the kitchen."

An hour later, Holly was well on her way to being drunk. The rum that Tristan had brought was not at all like the champaign she'd had at her cousin's wedding. Three drinks had stretched her tolerance to their fragile limits and she was feeling quite mellow and happy. She and Tristan had started out watching the movie, but had quickly turned it off in favor of music and conversation.

"Oh, I love this song," Holly exclaimed as she jumped up and began dancing. Tristan watched her move, a smile playing across his lips. He had hoped the rum would help loosen her up a bit. She was too young to be so tightly wound and in control. He'd also had an ulterior motive in coming over tonight. He just wanted to be with her. There was something about her, her fiery independence that he suspected harbored an injured soul, her fierce devotion to her sister, and of course the very mystery of who she was. All this and more spoke to him, called to his heart, and he was powerless to stop it. Melanie had broken through the shell he'd put around himself. All he wanted, whenever he saw her, was to kiss her, deeply and with all the passion of his heart, but he held off, knowing that she was not ready for that step.

"Come dance with me Tristan," she said and held out her hand. He nodded and stood.

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The song ended and they stood there, looking at each other, lost in each other. Giving in to his urge, Tristan reached up and careesed her cheek.

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Holly shivered, and obeying an urge of her own, placed her hand lightly on his arm.

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Her touch drove all reason from his mind and he drew her into his arms and kissed her with all his pent up longing. After an initial hesitation, he felt her arms go around him and she returned his kiss with a fervor that matched his own.

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zeldaop

02-09-2008, 05:44 PM

Chapter 8 - Part 2

They drew apart, and looked at each other. For Tristan, it had been sweeter than he had ever hoped. There had been a touching innocence in her that had reached inside him. He had never told a girl he loved her, and indeed, did not think he was capable of that emotion, but he knew now that he loved Melanie, but only lacked the courage to say so.

For Holly, it had been magic pure and simple. She closed her eyes, fervently wishing that thinks were different, that she was different, for she thought she loved him, but she was realist enough to know it wouldn't, couldn't work not with the secret she held. Her heart cried the tears she would not allow her eyes to shed.

Wordlessly, but not silently, they went back to the couch and sat down. Holly was suddenly tired and she laid her head on his shoulder and shut her eyes trustingly. Tristan made her feel safe. Tristan put his arm tenderly around her, relishing the way her head felt so right laying on his shoulder. He never wanted the moment to end.

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He realized, ruefully, that Melanie had fallen asleep. He stood, then bent down and picked her up. Her almost dropped her as his knees weakened when she put her arms around his neck. Standing for a moment, getting his bearings, he headed down the hall.

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As he was trying to open her door, he accidently knocked over a small table upon which her purse lay. It opened and spilled its contents all over the floor. He cursed softly then walked into the room. In her room, he laid her gently on the bed, then knelt down beside it.

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She opened her eyes and looked at him. Sleepily she reached out and carressed his cheek, much as he'd done earlier. In a soft voice she said "I wish things could be different Tristan. You make me feel safe." She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Tristan stood and covered her with a blanket. He pondered her ords, and their meaning as he left, leaving the door ajar. Back in the hall, he righted the table then started picking up the content's of Melanie's purse. Te last thing he picked up was her driver's license. He looked at it smiling, wanting to tease her about her picture tomorrow. What he saw wiped the smile from his face. The license belonged to a girl named Holly Davidson. He looked into Melanie's bedroom, then walked over to the computer, a nagging suspicion in his mind. He sat down and mechanically turned it on. He brought up Google and typed Holly Davidson into the search field.

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He clicked on the first return, a clipping from a newspaper. His eyes widened as he read:

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Words screamed at him. Holly, mother, murdered, Rachel. With a small sob, he turned off the computer. Melanie, rather Holly, had lived through something that no kid should have to. No wonder she was so protective of Rebecca. No wonder she was so in control. No wonder she had not let anyone in. His heart went out to her, to both of them. How long he sat there, staring at a blank screen he didn't know, but he was broken out of his reverie by Holly screaming "RACHEL." He stood and ran down the hall.

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He burst into her room and found her sitting up, tears steaming down her face. He went over to the bed, sat down on it and drew her trembling form into his arms.

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"Shhhh..Melanie," he said, being careful to use the right name, "it's ok." Gradually the girl calmed down, but contined to cry. He shifted his position a bit, and she grabbed him tighter.

"Don't leave me Tristan, please don't leave." Her words touched him deeply.

"I'm not going anywhere Melanie. I won't leave you." He wiped away her tears, then drew the blanket up over both of them.

Holly settled into the comfort his arms provided. The dream had come back and she didn't want to be alone. She needed Tristan's strength right now. And more. Without thinking, only feeling, she kissed him. She pulled back and looked at him, tears still fresh in her eyes.

"Love me Tristan, if only for tonight, love me and let me love you." Tristan swallowed. He knew what she was asking, but he knew the timing wasn't right. They were both buzzed,and emotionally charged.

"Melanie, we," was as much as he got out before she placed her hand on his cheek and earnestly whispered, "please Tristan, it's what I want." Giving in to fate, he wrapped his arms around her, pulled her down and kissed her, and there in the dark he loved her.

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When it was over, Holly slept, but Tristan couldn't. He pulled up a chair and watched her, innocent in her sleep.

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It was the innocence that hit him the hardest. To have gone through, to still be going through, what she was and still be innocent amazed him. He sighed. Tomorrow they would have to talk. tomorrow he would tell her that he knew her secret. Tomorrow he might lose her if she ran again. Tomorrow. He sighed again. Tomorrow could take care of itself, for tonight at least, he would sleep beside her and hold her in his arms. For tonight he would know love. For tonight.

LyricLee

02-09-2008, 09:36 PM

I love you girlie!!! More more more more! Dont do anything but write i want a mega chapter!

zeldaop

02-12-2008, 09:19 PM

Chapter 9 - Part 1

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When Holly awoke the sun was streaming through the window and she was alone. A brief frown crossed her lips. She had hoped that Tristan would be here when she woke up. She blushed as she recalled how she had thrown herself at him. She bit her lower lip. Did he think she was easy? Had he lost interest. Even if the answer to both question was yes, she didn't regret the choice she'd made. It was not the alcohol, it was not the dream. She had wanted him plain and simple. She sat up, and noticed a piece of paper lying on the pillow next to her. She picked it up and quickly read the few lines it contained.

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She looked at the clock. It was a few minutes before 9:00. She looked back at the note. He'd wanted to stay. She grinned happily and got up and went to take a shower. For the first time in months, she was happy. She quickly showered and dressed. When she left the bathroom she noticed that the sunny day had quickly turned gray and rainy. Even that wasn't enough to spoil her mood. She got the phone and dialed Tristan's number.

"Hello." Hearing his familiar voice, Melanie suddenly felt shy.

"Tristan, it's Melanie. Do you want to come over?" On the other end Tristan gripped the receiver tightly. Her soft voice caused him to shiver. He wanted to race over there and gather her into his arms, but knew that, once they had talked, it would probably never happen. He felt like cursing at fate, but knew it would not do any good. Besides, he thought ironucally, it was fate that had brought her to him in the first place.

"Tristan," he heard her say, hesitantly.

"Yeah, Im here. Just got lost in thought for a minute. I'll be right over."

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He gently hung up the phone, then looked around his room. From his nightstand he took out a necklace. He'd just finished making it for her and thought now was the perfect time to give it to her. He left his room and headed for the front door.

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"And just where are you going?" Startled he turned around and faced his older sister. He hadn't seen her at all this morning. He frowned as he noticed the bottle of vodka that sat on the floor next to the chair she was in, and was glad that Debbie and her friends had already left for their party at Stuff-A-Toy. While he was not one to begrudge anyone a drink, Margaret had been drinking more and more lately. He guessed that at the rate she was going she'd be a raging alcoholic in 3, 4 months time top. He supposed he should do something about it, but he knew that if she got committed to a detox somewhere, Debbie would be placed into foster care as he was not old enough to be considered her guardian. That could wait though, and he put it in the back of his mind.

"I'm umm, going next door." She raised one eyebrow at him, staring at him studiously. He did his best not to fidget.

"And why the sudden interest? Has she put out for you yet? I've heard your friends talking about your conquests" He just managed to hide the blush that threatened to color his cheeks. While it was true he hadn't been a virgin last night, he was in no way the stud she was implying he was. Besides, with Melanie it was different.

"Melanie's not like that. She's," he began.

"She's what? Different? Don't kid yourself Tristan. You'll screw her once and then move one. It's what I've heard you do." She took a sip of her drink.

"Besides, it not like she's even that pretty, and her sister Rebecca is such a weird child. So quiet and timid. I'll be glad when you do her and move on to the next girl." Tristan was seething and with each word that came from her mouth he grew more so. Knowing that if he stayed he would say or do something he might regret later on, he pulled open the door.

"Yeah that's right. Go screw your little whore." He turned his head and looked at her.

"Well at least one of us would be getting laid then wouldn't we," he snarled, taking pleasure in the pain that flooded her eyes. He turned away from her and went out the door.

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He let the door slam shut behind him. Literally shaking with rage, he started crossing the yard. How dare she, he thought. He kicked the stupid, pink, gaudy flaminog she had put in front of the house, as the rain began to fall.

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She didn't know anything. She was just a bitter drunk. He wished he were 18 so he could legally take care of Debbie. She was the only thing holding him here. He looked up to see Melanie looking at him out the kitchen window. His expression softened. Well, Debbie wasn't exactly the only thing holding him here. His upcoming talk with Melanie, and his fear he was going to lose her, drove the anger at his sister right from his mind. His steps slowed as he traversed the short distance between the two houses. Despite his decision, this was one conversation he wished he could avoid. Slowly, he walked up the stairs to the front door. He took a deep breath and rang the bell. Instanty it flew open, and Melanie was there, looking as beautiful, as innocent as she had last night. His resolve faltered as he stepped into the house, closed the door, and took her into his arms. She laid her head trustingly on his shoulder and placed her hand over his heart.

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"Your heart's racing," she remarked quietly

"Only because I'm near you," he replied truthfully, if not a bit theatrically. She lifted her head to look at him inquistively, then she laughed. He joined in as he gave her a gentle squeeze and released her.

"Would you like a cup of coffee? I just made a pot."

"Coffee sounds good." He followed her down the hall, averting his eye from her bedroom door. He knew what he wanted to do right now, but instead knew what he had to do. In the kitchen he sat down at the table as she got a couple of mugs from a cupboard and poured some coffee for both of them.

"Do you take anything," she asked him

"No, just black."

"Ah, a man after my own heart," she joked then brought the cups over. He took a swig of the enervating brew then set the cup down on the table.

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He reached into his pocket and brought out the necklace.

"Mel, I made this for you." She put her mug down, took the necklace and looked at it. When she looked up her eyes were moist.

"Tristan, it's beautiful. Thank you. Will you put it on me?" He nodded and came to stand behind her. She lifted the hair off her neck and he clasped it around he throat his fingers clumsy as he caught her scent. She fingered it gently.

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"I love it." She stood and kissed him.

"Rebecca's not due back for another couple of hours," she told him and held her hand out.

I guess our talk can wait until later, he thought to himself and took her hand, and let her lead him to her room

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zeldaop

02-12-2008, 09:20 PM

Chapter 9 - Part 2

An hour later, they were back in the kitchen, sipping fresh cups of coffee. Tristan was no closer to beginning his talk with her than he had been before their little diversion. They sat and talked of inconsequestial things as they drank their coffee. Tristan was trying to work up the courage, trying to think of how to begin. Finally, he knew the time had come. He had to do it now, or he never would. He reached into his pocket and took out the license he had taken with him that morning when he left. He sighed, stood and walked over to the sink where she was rinsing out their cups. He took a deep breath then said, "Holly."

Holly heard him coming up behind her, and she got a devious smile on her lipe. She picked up the hose, preparing to spray him a bit. Her world suddenly came crashing down as Tristan spoke her name.

"Holly"

She dropped the hose and gripped the edge of the sink to keep from falling over as shock weakened her. How did he know? How long had he known? How did he find out? The questions raced through her mind, each searching frantically for an answer.

"What did I forget," she whispered to herself, over and over again. Somewhere along the way she had forgotten something and now the danger, so far away this morning, surrounded her. Engulfed her. Suffocated her. her breath hitched in her throat. Tristan watched, worried. He had seen the way she gripped the sink, heard her whispered question, heard her labored breath.

"Holly," he said again, voice heavy with concern. She finally turned towards him and he was aghast at how pale she had become. She took a wobbly step towards him.

"What did I forget," she asked, her voice tinged with tears and self-doubt. His heart broke as he heard her voice and saw the haunted look had come back to her face. Her knees buckled and Tristan hurried to catch her. He lead her to the table and quickly pulled out a chair and sat her down, then knelt in front of her.

Oh god, what have I done, he asked himself reproachfully, as she sat there, misery etched on her face.

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Silently, not trusting himself to speak, he handed her the license. She took it in her shaking hands and looked at it. She looked up at him.

"How did you get it?"

"Last night, I knocked over your purse. When I went to pick everything up I found it. I looked you up online."

"I thought I'd left it behind when we switched vehicals at the motel. I must have slipped it into my purse the way I usually did, back when things were normal." She let it fall from her hands. Her voice was toneless, emotionless, dead. Tristan flinched when he heard it. The mute sorrow was a thousand worse than any tears she could cry. She looked so lost, just sitting there as if her world had ended.

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In a way, Tristan supposed they had. She had strength. She would have to in order to do what she had done, but everyone had their limits. He prayed fervently that he hadn't just pushed her past hers. He doubted it as he watched her straighten up in the chair. She still looked sad, but there was a resignation there that he didn't much careful. She stood up, as did he. He looked at her, hard

"What are you goingto do," he asked, dreading the answer. Without meeting his eyes, she said, "the only thing I can do. Rachel and I will have to leave." She looked at him stricken, then buried her head in her hands. Neither of them noticed that Rachel was standing in the door.

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"How am I going to tell Rachel?"

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"Holly, you used my real name," Rachel said in surprise, causing both Holly and Tristan to look at her. Holly walked over and knelt in front of her.

"I know I did sweetie. Tristan knows who we really are. He found out because I did soemthing stupid. I made a mistake and now we're going to have to leave here."

"No, I don't want to move again. Why can't we stay? Tristan won't tell anyone, will you Tristan?" She looked at him for confirmation. He shook his head.

"No Rachel, I wouldn't tell anyone." She turned back to her sister.

"See Holly, he won't tell. We can stay. And I can stay in my school and still have Debbie as my best friend. Please Holly," she said, on the verge of tears.

"Rachel, it's not fair to ask him to keep our secret," she looked up at him, "no matter how much we trust him. And it's not fair to put you in danger. We'll leave in a couple of days."

"I hate you," Rachel spat out and Holly put her hand to head as if it suddenly pained her.

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Rachel took off and ran down the hall. Holly watched her go until she had reached her room and slammed the door, then she slowly stood. Tristan saw her shoulders sag in defeat. He wanted nothing more that to hold her, but instead asked, "and what about what's fair for you?" She laughed drily.

"What's fair for me, is not what's best for Rachel, and she has to come first. I have to protect her. I promised my mother I would." Without waiting for a reply she headed down the hall, towards Rachel's room. The walk down the short hall took forever, and was over in no time as Holly tried tog rasp how much her worl had changed. When she had woken up this morning she had been someone in love with a good boy. She had started to tentively believe in a future where she would not be alone, but now, she was as far from that as she had been the night her mother was killed. In the space of 12 hours she had found love, and lost it. She would not let anyone see her cry though. This pain was private, and went deep. With a sigh she opened Rachel's door. What she saw, and heard froze her in her tracks.

"Damm you mommy. I hate you. Damn you for dying." Each curse was punctuated by her hitting or throwing her new stuffed animal.

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"Rachel, stop," she cried as she rushed into the room. Rachel threw down her giraffe, and threw herself at Holly, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

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Holly fell down to the floor, Rachel clasped tightly in her arms. She hummed a lullaby as she rocked the girl. Slowly, Rachel quieted down. She looked up at her sister.

"I didn't mean it Holly. I don't hate you or mommy. Really"

"I know honey. Sometimes it's easier to hate someone who left you than to love them. You think that if they really did love you they wouldn't have died. Trust me, there's been times I was angry at mom too for leaving us. She didn't want to Rachel. Someone made her." Rachel snuggled her a bit more.

"Do we really have to leave Holly? If only Tristan knows, can't we stay?"

"Rachel we have to leave. I can't run the risk of someone finding us. And if we stayed, Tristan would be in danger too. And I don't want that either"

"Do you love him Holly?"

"If things were different, I could easily love him," she hedged, not wanting to tell the girl that she was in love with Tristan, and that leaving him would be like leaving part of herself. Rachel yawned.

"I'm kinda tired Holly. I'm gonna take a nap."

'Ok honey." They stood, and Holly hugged her, hard.

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She watched as Rachel got under the covers and almost instantly was asleep.
And then she just watched her. She wanted this, needed this to be over, and soon. They both did.

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She walked out of the room and closed the door softly behind her. She went back to the kitchen and found Tristan still sitting there. She was touched despite herself. She sat down next to him and took his hand. He covered it with his other one. With a sigh she removed hers. She had to make a brak when all she wanted was to stay with him. Tristan simply watched her. there eyes met and her he saw all that she wouldn't, or couldn't say. He broke the silence.

"What happened Holly? Why did you run?"

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"About a year before she died, my mother took me aside and said that she thought someone was after her and after Rachel. She had set up this elaborate charade in which she would fake her own death, and then the three of us would start a new life elsewhere. She gave me detailed instructions, money and our new identities. Except someone killed her for real. I don't know who killed her. I don't know if it was connected to any of the other deaths at the lab. I don't know if her death is connected to my dad's. All I have is questions and a promise to keep my sister safe." Restless, she jumped up and started pacing.

"My mother told me to trust no one, not even the police. I don't think she knew who was behind anything, or at least she never named names. I have one more set of identities for both of us and enough money to start over again. I'll be smart this time. I'll avoid everyone, keep to myself, and never bother loving again." Realizing what she had said, she stopped pacing and went to look out the window.

"I don't want you to go Holly. I love you," Tristan said quietly. Holly leaned her head against the cool glass.

"I love you too Tristan. I always will, but I can't run the risk to Rachel. If I was by myself," she sighed.

"No, I'd leave even then. I don't want to be the one responsible for your death. And I've lost too many other people I've loved, my mom, my dad, to stand idly by and watch it happen to you." She heard him stand and come up behind her, but she didn't turn around.

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"You'd better go Tristan, I need to be alone now." She kept her back turned as he walked down the hall and out the door. Once he was out of the house, she let her tears come. She watched him walk away from her. She watched til he was out of her sight, and still she cried. Cried for him, cried for herself, and cried for what could have been.

LyricLee

02-13-2008, 09:02 AM

noooooooooo now im just incredbly sad! Youre leaving me with so many questions grrrrrrrrrr

zeldaop

02-23-2008, 06:57 PM

Chapter 10 - Part 1

Holly looked around her room. Everything was neat and tidy. Nothing had changed, and yet everything had changed. The only outward sign was the couple of suitcases that stood off to one side, just waiting to be put into the car that evening. She stared at the bed. The bed in which she had started to believe that maybe, just maybe, things were going to be ok. The bed in which she dreamt her foolish dreams. The bed in which she had so recently lain safe and loved in Tristan's arms. she blinked back the tears that threatend as she thought his name.

Get a hold of yourself girl. Concentrate on what you have to do now. Think about Rachel. Once she's safe again, there'll be plenty of time to think of Tristan and what could have been.

Knowing her inner voice was right, she put thoughts of Tristan in the very back of her mind and walked down the hall to check on Rachel. Holly was worried about her. Rachel had not said much of anything to her since waking up yesterday evening, and today had not been much better. Yes, no, and ok were the only words Holly could get from her sister. She knew that running again was hard on Rachel. Once again she was being forced to leave behind the comfort she had come to know, and Holly couldn't find the right words to convince her that running was for her own good. That they couldn't stay. That the danger was still very real. That she would be damned before she let anyone harm her little sister, and if safety meant running, then run they would.

She knocked on Rachel's door and got no answer. She opend the door, expecting to find Rachel asleep, but instead the girl was sitting on the floor playign with her giraffe. Rachel neither looked up nor acknowledged that her sister was even in the room. She did however, start having a conversation with her toy, and each word ran straight to Holly's heart.

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"So Mr. Giraffe, are you gonna come with us tonight, or do I have to leave you behind too? Why are we leaving? We're leaving because Holly is afraid. She doesn't think we'll be safe because Tristan knows who we really are."

"Rachel," Holly said.

"Tristan's her boyfriend. Yeah I know, they probably do yucky stuff like kiss. But you see, I'm kinda mad at Holly. She never asked me if I wanted to go. She never asks me aything anymore. She's too busy trying to be my mom instead of my sister. But she's not my mom. My mom's dead."

"Rachel stop it now," Holly yelled at her. Rachel threw down her toy and stood and faced her.

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"Why should I stop? It's all true Holly. You're not Mom. Mom's dead."

"Don't you think I know that Rachel? Don't you think I know I'm messing everything up. Do you think this is easy for me either? And I know I didn't ask you, but I can't Rachel. You just have to trust me."

"I don't want to leave Holly."

"I know Rachel, but we are." She turned and opened the door.

"Mom would've listened to me," Rachel said softly.

"But as you just pointed out, I'm not Mom," Holly responded. Without looking back, she continued, "we'll leave in a couple of hours, when it's dark out." She left the room and went to the kitchen. She turned on the little radio that sat on the counrter. She went to the sink and filled it with hot soapy water. She started to wash up the few dishes from Rachel's lunch earlier, all the while her mind whirled.

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Rachel was right. She wasn't their mother, and had their mom still been alive she probably would've asked Rachel what she wanted. But their mom was dead, and Holly had to keep them safe. She had promised. She only hoped that in time, Rachel would realize that.

She sighed. Rachel would accept her decision. she thought again about Tristan. In the list of what really wasn't fair, Tristan was near the top. To have found love and to have to give it up was almost too much. She laughed, when she realized what song was playing on the radio. "Do What You Have to Do" by Sarah McLachlan. She sang along with the part of it that hit her the hardest.

I know I can’t be with you
I do what I have to do
I know I can’t be with you
I do what I have to do
And I have sense to recognize but
I don’t know how to let you go
I don’t know how to let you go
I don’t know how to let you go

She reached for a glass and as she did so the world swam in front or her. The glass slipped from her hand and fell to the kitchen floor, shattering loudly. A few seconds later, Holly collapsed to the ground.

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Rachel left her room. She felt bad about talking to Holly the way she had and wanted to tell her she was sorry. Halfway down the hall, Rachel heard the sound of breaking glass, followed by a muffled thud. Scared, she ran the rest of the way to the kitchen.

"Holly," she screamed and ran to where her sister lay on the floor.

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She fell to her knees and shook Holly's shoulder.

"Holly, wake up please." She jumped up and looked aroundly wildly. What should she do? Tristan. Tristan would know what to do.

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"I'm gonna go get Tristan Holly. I'll be right back. She ran out the back door and ran across the yard, up onto the porch and began banging on the front door.

zeldaop

02-23-2008, 06:58 PM

Chapter 10 - Part 2

Tristan sat on his couch trying to read his history book. He knew it was a lost cause considering the fact he had read the same paragraph 10 times and it still wasn't registering with him. He just wasn't interested in the Vietnam War. Instead his thoughts were elsewhere. Next door, in fact, with Holly. He hadn't seen her since yesterday afternoon, when she had asked him to leave. He wouldn't, couldn't accept the fact that he was going to lose her. That she and Rachel were going to be leaving and he would never see her again. He put the book down.and smiled grimly. There was a certain irony in the fact that the only girl he had ever loved, that he had he loved, was going to leave him. He suddenly wished that he had gone to the movies with margaret and Debbie. The quiet house mocked him. With a sigh, he picked the book back up and started reading the same paragraph for the 11th time. A banging on the door interrupted him and he looked up. he was surprised, very surprised to find Rachel standing there.

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Something's wrong, he thought to himself as he stood up and walked over to the door. He opened the door and she ran in. Tristan could see she was upset about something. The girl was near tears.
Probably had a fight with Holly about leaving, he thought.

"Trsitan you have to come. Now," she said in a rush.

"Slow down Rachel. What's wrong?"

"Holly won't wake up, and I don't know what to do." His blood ran cold.

"What do you mean she won't wake up?"

"She's laying on the kitchen floor and she wouldn't wake up when I called her."

"You stay here Rachel ok? I'll go check on her." Without waiting he ran out the door and sprinted across the yard, worry on his face.

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His hope that maybe it was just some kind of ploy to get him and Holly together, was shattered as he ran into the kitchen and found Holly lying on the floor.

"Oh god, Holly," he said as he knelt beside her. He checked her pulse and found it strong, and she was breathing alright. While he was debating whether to call 911, her eyes fluttered open.

"Tristan? What are you doing here? Why am I on the floor?" She started to sit up.

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"I think you fainted. Come on, let me help you up." She stood and unsteadily leaned into him for support. His arms went around her and he held her, even more aware of how much he loved her, and how he could lose her.

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"You should sit," he said and released her. He took her hand and lead her to the table.

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"Can you get me a glass of water," she asked him. He nodded and went over to the sink. He filled the glass then brought it over to her.

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He sat down and faced her, pointedly ignoring the box sitting on the table.

"What happened Holly?"

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"I don't know. I was doing dishes and that's all I remember until I woke up and saw you bending over me. I've never fainted before." She frowned.

"How did you come to be bending over me."

"Rachel found you and didn't know what to do so she came over to get me."

'Rachel found me," she whispered in shock. He nodded.

"Oh god. Where is she? I got to see her."

"She's over at my house right now. She's ok. I'll go get her in a minute. Holly we have to talk about this. This is serious. People just don't faint for no reason."

"it was probably just stress, or the fact that I haven't eaten anything but a couple pieces of toast since Thursday." She stood up. He resisted the urge to look at her.

"I'm ok now. I have to be. I'll be ok." He looked up at her.

"Who are you trying to convince? Me, or yourself? And what would've happened if you had fainted while driving huh? You could've killed Rachel or yourself. And what happens to Rachel if you die? If you die you might as well hand Rachel over to the person who killed your mom." She sat back down, stricken. Tristan steeled himself and went on.

"You're so focused on what you should do for Rachel, what's best for Rachel that you've lost sight of what's really important for her." She looked at him angrily.

"And what's that? Hmm? Tell me. Everyone is of the opinion that I'm screwing everything up, so tell me. What should I do huh? What does Rachel need?"

"She needs you Holly." She looked away from him for a moment and when she turned back there were tears in her eyes.

"I can't do this Tristan. I'm not strong enough." He took her hand in his.

"Yes you can Holly. You are the strongest person I know. You are doing something that no one, adult or teen should have to do. You can do this Holly. I have faith in you." She chuckled drily.

"I wish I did." They heard the front door open, and Rachel call out, "Tristan."

"In the kitchen Rachel." She came running back and stopped in the doorway.

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"Holly," she said in a quivering voice. Holly held her arms out. Rachel flew into them

"I'm so sorry about what I said Holly. I didn't mean to make you sick."

"Shh, Rachel. It's ok honey. You didn't make me sick. I made me sick. It'll be ok. Really."

"Do we still have to go?" Holly stood and went to look out the window.

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Tristan's words replayed themselves in her head, and Holly was forced to admit they made sense. Was running really what was best for Rachel? Or herself? Rachel didn't want to go. And to be honest with herself, Holly didn't want to leave either. But was here safe enough?

"Is anywhere going to feel safe enough," she heard Tristan's voice behind her, asking aloud the question she was asking silently. He went on, "and the problem with running is that eventully you run out of places to run too." She turned and faced them. Rachel and Tristan. The two people she cared most about in the world.

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"You win. We'll stay." She shivered at the cold chill that rushed down her back.

LyricLee

02-26-2008, 09:44 AM

If you dont make this a book youd be insane! Awesome update chickie!!!!!

zeldaop

03-24-2008, 10:47 PM

Chapter 11 - Part 1

Holly awoke the next morning resigned to her decision, but uneasy about it all the same. She felt like she was missing something important; that she was making a big mistake in staying in Poplar Bridge. She could only hope and pray that her feeling was wrong. That she and Rachel would be safe. She looked at the clock. 7:30. Time to get Rachel up and ready for school.

Mark looked at his watch as he waited to check his luggage. 7:30. His flight was scheduled to leave in a couple of hours.

"Next," he heard a voice call out and he stepped forward and put his suitcase on the stand. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a young couple doing the same.

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He stared at the girl behind the counter. She looked oddly familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place where he knew her from. The name on her tag was Mari, but that didn't help him place her. She held out her hand and he handed his ticket and license to her. He also handed her his badge and authorization form to carry his gun aboard the plane with him.

"Good morning Detective," she said cheerfully. She quickly scanned his ticket and his id.

"Everything checks out alright. Your flight is scheduled to leave at 9:30 this morning and is currently on time. Boarding will begin at 9:00." She handed his ticket and id back to him.

"Excuse me, but do I know you from somewhere? You seem familiar to me," he asked her

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"I don't think so sir." She frowned slightly then smiled broadly.

"Maybe you've met my twin sister Julie. She's a receptionist at Hope Pharmaceuticals."

"That's why your face seems familiar. I did meet your sister once. Thank you Mari," he said pleasantly.

"Enjoy your trip Detective," she said as she smiled at him. He returned it with one of his own and then went to sit down and wait for his flight to board. His eyes were drawn to the large windows through which he could see the runway. A young girl, in her teens, was holding a toddler.

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"Look Noah. That's the plane we're going to be flying in." The boy laughed happily and the girl cuddled him. Mark smiled to himself. With a job like his in which he always saw the worst of humanity, it was always good to see love and laughter in the world. With the smile still on his face, Mark stood and went to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. Today was going to be a good day, he just knew it.

Holly looked at the clock on the wall. 8:45.

"Rachel, cmon. If you don't hurry you're going to miss the bus and I'll have to drive you to school."

"I'm coming. There's still plenty of time," the younger girl countered as she grabbed her backpack from the floor. The two girls stepped out onto the porch.

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"There's Debbie," Rachel said as she waved to her friend. She tooka couple of steps, then turned back and hugged her sister

"Thanks for letting us stay here Holly," she whispered into her ear.

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Holly released her and without a word watched Rachel walk down the stairs and over to where Debbie waited for her. She heard the girl's laughter as they whispered to wach other.

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She watched as the bright yellow school bus pulled up and first Debbie then Rachel got on.

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She watched as the bus closed it's doors and slowly made it's way down the street.

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She watched til it was out of sight, then whispered softly, "be safe Rachel." She turned and went back into the house, glancing at the clock. 9:00.

"Attention. Flight 310 to Florida is boarding at Gate 5. Please have boarding passes and identification ready at the security checkpoints. All carry-on luggage will be scanned. Thank you for flying SimAir, and enjoy your flight."

Mark looked at his watch as he picked up his small carry-on bag. 9:00 on the dot. He walked towards the gate and security. He placed his bag on the scanner and handed his documents to the security guard. The guard looked at him, or more precisely at the concelaed holster Mark wore, then nodded.

"Enjoy your flight sir," he said and motioned Mark through, then turned to the next passenger in line.

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zeldaop

03-24-2008, 10:47 PM

Chapter 11 - Part 2

Holly listened to the stillness of the empty house. She had absolutely no idea what to do. The time stretched endlessly before her, an eternity to fill until Rachel got home from school.

I need a hobby or a job, Holly thought to herself absently. With a sigh she picked up the paper, sat on the couch and flipped to the Want Ads.

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Mark quickly found his seat and watched as the section he was in slowly filled up. The air soon filled with animated and excited voices as seats were found and bags were stowed.

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At the back of he plane, in the very last row of seats sat Jake. He watched Mark carefully, all the wile thinking of what had brought him here. His boss had worked fast. Within an hour of Jake calling him, the man had been able to find out where Mark was going and had been able to book Jake on the same flight. Jake vowed to himself that one day he too would have power like that. Or more importantly, he would have the money to weild power like that. One day he too would be able to buy and sell life and death. One day his would be the powerful voice on teh ther end of the phone, issuing orders like a king. He too would have minions to jump at his beck and call, to carry out his every whim.

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Conversations lulled as the engines powered up.

"Good morning, this is your Captain speaking. Unfortunately, our depature time has been pushed back by half an hour due to a spill on the runway, but rest assured, those who are catching connecting flights in Florida will make their connections on time. Our flight time this morning will be 3 hours. Conditions are clear the whole way. So buckle up and enjoy the flight."

Mark leaned back and closed his eyes. He had not slept much the night before due to nerves. All he wanted was to find Holly and Rachel safe and sound and bring them back home.

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Holly looked up at a tap on the door. She was a bit suprosed to see Tristan standing there, but only a bit. She motioned him in, then folded the paper and stood.

"Shouldn't you be in school," She asked him. He shrugged.

"Nah. It's electives day for underclassmen, so as a senior I don't have to go. I thought maybe we could go do something."

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The idea of going somewhere was appealing. Going somewhere with Tristan made it doubly so.

"What did you have in mind?"

"You'll see," he said mysteriously and took her hand. Together they left the house.

Mark opened his eyes and rolled his head to get rid of the stiffness in it. He looked at his watch. 10:30. He looked out the window and saw nothing but clouds. Apparently he had slept through takeoff.

"How long ago did we take off," he asked the man sitting beside him, who was doing something on a laptop.

"About 20 mins ago, give or take."

"Thanks."

He looked up as a pleasant voice said, "can I get you anything to drink?"

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"Umm, sure. Can I have a pop? Any kind will do." She handed him a Pepsi and a glass of ice, then moved on after his seatmate declined anything. He set hs drink on the tray in front of him and pulled a folder out of his carry-on. He opened it and pulled out a single sheet of paper. Poplar Bridge, Florida. A city of about 150,000 people on the outskirts of Tallahassee. His contact at the police station was a Captain John Gibbs. He put the paper back in the folder and the folder back in his bag. He picked up his drink and leaned back in his seat. In about 2 and a half hours he would be on the ground and could continue his search for Holly and Rachel.

Holly and Tristan walked downtown, holding hands the whole way. He led her to a small plaza. She looked at him quizzically.

"Thought you might want to check out this awesome art gallery that just opened. It' called Stroke of Genius."

"I like art. That sounds like fun." Still holding hands they entered the gallery.

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For an hour they wandered through the gallery. Holly looked at the paintings, Tristan looked at Holly. All he wanted was to take her into his arms and kiss her. Finally the urge became to great to resist and he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, right there in the gallery.

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After a sweet eternity that ended too soon, they pulled away from each other. He looked at her and felt himself becoming lost in the depths of her eyes.

"Tristan, what is it," she asked him worriedly. He smiled at her.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just in awe of your beauty." She laughed delightedly.

"You're full of it you know?"

"I know, but you're still beautiful. Wanna get an early lunch?" She nodded and they left the gallery and walked a few doors down to a small cafe. The hostess seated them and their waitress brought them menus and drinks.

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After they had ordered, they sat and talked on inconsequential trivialities. Tristan reached out and took her hand gently in his. They stopped talking, each content to simply look at the other and marvel at the wonder that brought them together.

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After lunch, they browsed a bookstore, and threw coins into the fountain. They shared coffee and conversation at a small outdoor stand.

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After their coffee, they headed home. They stood on Holly's porch, just looking at each other.

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Holly threw her arms around Tristan.

"Thank you Tristan. I had a great time, and I'm glad we stayed."

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She stepped away and walked into the house. She looked at the clock. 1:30

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for choosing SimAir, and we hope you have enjoyed your time with us today. The local temputure is a balmy 72 degrees with clear and sunny skies. Current local time is 1:30. Welcome to Poplar Bridge, Florida. Enjoy your stay."

LyricLee

03-25-2008, 01:11 AM

omfg you ended it there??????????????????????????? not fair not fair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do not like the boys on the plane not at alllllll but I love your plane set!

Fab update dahlink!

zeldaop

03-26-2008, 08:10 PM

Thanks. I was lucky to find one premade like that. It came from crocobaura (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=231546)

I'll try not to leave you in suspense chickie. I'll start work on the next chapter this weekend. :love1:

zeldaop

05-01-2008, 05:53 PM

Chapter 12

After grabbing his suitcase, Mark made his way over to the car rental kiosk.
"How can I help you sir," the man behind the counter greeted him.

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"I reserved a car. The name is Mark King" The man punched the name into his computer, then turned and grabbed a set of keys off the board behind him.

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He picked up a piece of paper and laid both items, paper and keys, on the desk.
"Your car is ready Mr. King. If you would please sign and date the agreement you can be on your way." Mark quickly read and signed the paper. The man handed him the keys and a copy of the agreement.

"Please keep this in the car at all times. It will serve as confirmation of insurance if anything should happen. Is there anything else I can help you with today?"

"Actually yes. Can you tell me how to get to the police station from here."
"Sure. There's only one road that exits the airport and it will bring you to a traffic light. Turn lfet at the light. You'll be on 12th St. The police station is on the same road, about 5 miles down. You can't miss it. It's in a big building with a fountain out front."

"Thank you."

"No problem sir. Enjoy your visit."

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Further back in the line, Jake listened intently to the directions. He hadn't wanted to get too close to the cop in order to not arouse suspicion. He let 3 people go ahead of him. As long as he knew where the cop was going he'd be able to catch up to him later. The cop seemed pretty confident. Maybe he knew where the two girls were. Jake sneered at the cop as he left. His boss would be pleased if he found the girls quickly, and maybe he'd let him have a little fun with the older girl. She wasn't bad looking.

Mark stepped out of the darkened airport and blinked furiously as the bright sun hit his eyes. After a few moments, his eyes adjusted to the brightness and he walked briskly towards the car lot. His first stop would be the police station where he would meet with Captain Gibbs. Then, if he was lucky, and he felt lucky, he'd be able to find Holly and Rachel. Then he could find out exactly what Holly knew. Reaching the lot, he found his car and shoved his suitcase in the trunk. He threw his carry-on bag onto the passenger seat, buckled up and headed out. A five minute drive through a scenic shopping area brought him to the police station. He pulled a file out of his bag and headed into the building. Jake drove by just in time to see him exiting the car. He jotted down the make, model, and plate number then pulled into a parking lot across the street from the station. All he could do now was wait for the cop to come back out.

Inside the station, Mark approached the Desk Sergeant. The man looked up at him.

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"Yeah." Mark raised his eyebrow at the man's curtness.

"I'm here to see Captain Gibbs. I'm Detective Mark King." He pulled out his badge and showed it to the man.

"He's expecting me."

"yes sir," the sergeant said, only a little less curtly. He picked up a phone and pressed an extension.

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"Captain, there'e a Detective King here to see you. yes sir." He put the phone down. He pointed to a set of stairs.

"Up one floor and to the right. You can't miss it." He looked back down at his paperwork, dismissing Mark.

"Thank you Sergeant O'Malley," Mark said, noting his name. Shaking hns head, he walked over to the stairs and up one floor. To the right was a door with Captain John Gibbs printed on it. Mark knocked on the door.

"Come," a gruff voice called out. Mark opened the door and entered, not sure what to expect after the surly sergeant downstairs. The man behind the desk stood.

"Hello Detective, I'm John Gibbs. Welcome to Florida. What can I do for you."

The two men shook hands and then sat.

"well Captain, I'm working a homicide in Simsville. A scietist was murdered and her two daughters disappeared. During the course of my investigation, I came upon evidence that the two girls were at one time here in Poplar Bridge. I'm hoping, with your help, to be able to find them." He opend his file and pulled out a postcard and handed it to the Captain. The man read it and handed it back to him.

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"What is the girls connection to the murder, other than being the victim's daughters?"

"I talked to the older girl Holly, and I got the feeling that she was hiding something. That she knew more about her mother's death than she said. I think her mother knew something was up and told her daughter to be ready to run. I think Holly did just that."

"What makes you think that."

"The victim worked at a prestigous pharmaceutical company in which several scientists died in mysterious ways. The victim's own husband died suddenly several years ago. More recently one of the scientists was murdered in a professional hit. The victim in my case was a very intelligent woman. My gut feeling is that she put two and two together and was going to run, along with her daughters, but that the killer got to her first. Also, the younger girl Rachel is sick with a form of cancer. She is in remission but still needs a special medication. The supply of medication, which was kept in the victim's home, was taken." The Captain nodded. It sounded reasonable, and he knew that often a policeman's initial gut feeling was the correct one.

"The Poplar Bridge police department, and all it's resources, are at your disposal Detective. If those girls are here, we will help you find them."

"Thank you Captain. I appreciate it."

"Do you know how you'd like to proceed?" Mark nodded

"I was thinking about startng with the schools. If they're still here, Holly would have enrolled Rachel. I'd like to see how many new students were enrolled around November of last year."

"There's 8 public elementary schools and 5 private ones." He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Jenny, I need a printout of all the elementary schools in Poplar Bridge. Public and private, with addresses please. Thanks" He put the phone down.
"Jenny's pretty quick about things like this. It'll take her about 10 minutes to print out the info we need. Do you have any other leads, besides the two girls?" he leaned back in his chair. Mark sighed
.
"No. Whoever killed Marcia Davidson was thorough. We have no fingerprints, no evidence, nothing. And there's nothing to tie her death to any of the others. Every death, save Dr. Kilbane's, was closed as accidental. But still, 6 deaths, all of prominent scintists is pretty hard to swallow as coincidental." They were interupted by a knock on the door. A middle aged woman entered and handed a sheet of paper to the Captain.

"Thanks Jenny, I owe you one." She laughed.

"Actually John you owe me about 50 but who's counting." With a nod to Mark she left. As the door closed behind her, John looked at his watch.

"It's about a quarter to 3. School's already out for the day, but there should still be people in the office." He picked up the phone again and dialed a number.

"Hello, this is Captain John Gibbs of the Poplar Bridge Police Department. I need to speak to the principal please. It is a matter of extreme urgency."
45 minutes later, he hung up the phone.

"Luckily I was able to reach all schools. Tomorrow morning we can start going to the schools and checking out the students. They've all agreed to have the information we've requested ready for us. If the girls are still in Poplar Bridge, we'll find them." There was a knock on the door.

"Come." The sergeant entered the room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Captain, but I wanted to apologize to the Detective before I left. I'm afraid I was a bit rude earlier. I'm sorry Detective. There was no excuse for my attitude. I hope you won't let it cloud your judgement about the fine men and women who serve this city." He held out his hand. Mark stood and shook it.

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"No hard feelings Sergeant." The man left, and Mark sat back down.

"Had a run in with O'Malley huh?"

"He was a bit, surly." John laughed.

"That's probably putting it mildy. Sean's a good cop. He was injured in the line of duty a few months back and hasn't been released to active duty yet. He hates riding a desk and lets everyone know about it."

"I know how he feels. When I first made Detective I learned exactly how much of my job was now going to be deskwork and paperwork. I was very close to telling Captain Brass that I didn't want my promotion."

"There's a lot of days I wish I was still out on the street instead of here in this office. I took the Captain's job primarily because of my wife. She wanted me safe behind a desk instead of out in the streets. Speaking of which, we'd both be delighted if you would join us for dinner this evening. My wife is a hell of a cook."

"That sounds great. I'd like to get a room and a shower first though. Can you recommend a good hotel?"

"There's a Ramada Inn about five blocks from here. It's nothing fancy, but they always have a vacancy and offer clean, comfortable rooms. What say you go get settled and I'll come by and pick you up around 6:00. Sound good?" Mark nodded.

"Thank you. I'll see you then." The two men shook again and Mark left.

Jake saw Mark exit the building and climb into his car. Carefully, he pulled out behind the cop, not wanting to lose him and not wanting the cop to realize he had a tail. Jake followed him into the parking lot of the hotel. He drove around to the other side of the hotel and parked. Casually, as if he was already registered there, he got out of his car and went to sit in the lobby. He made sure to sit close enough to the registration desk to overhear any guest as they checked in. He picked up a paper and opened it. Mentally he made note as Mark checked in.

Mark King, room 212

He waited until everyone else had been checked in then folded the paper and walked to the desk.

"Hi, I'd like a room for a few nights. My name is Allen Lippert."

"Good afternoon Mr. Lippert. I have an opening on the 2nd floor or the 10th floor."

"The 2nd floor please. I'm not that fond of heights."

"I understand," the guy said in a voice that made Jake want to jump the desk and start punching him.

"How long will you be staying and how will you be paying?"

"5 nights and cash."

"Very well. That will be $450.00 please and I will need to see some id." Jake pulled out his wallet and counted out 5 hundred dollar bills. He handed the bills and his license to the clerk.

"Here's your change and your key Mr. Lippert. Room 216."

"That's perfect. Thank you." Jake smiled and picked up his bag and walked to the elevators. It was almost too easy.

LyricLee

05-01-2008, 06:25 PM

I demand more than that!!!! I dont trust either guy, sheesh. Fab update lady. You always keep us hanging

zeldaop

09-19-2008, 01:13 PM

Chapter 13

"What are you going to do today Holly," Rachel asked through a mouthful of cereal.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Holly said, "and you have to start calling me Melanie.

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"Even when we're alone," Rachel asked in surprise.
"Especially when we're alone. We can't make any more mistakes. If we get in the habit of calling each other by our other names it will make a slip-up a lot less likely. Now go get dressed for school Rebecca." The younger girl stuck her tongue out and ran off down the hall. Holly shook her head as she took Rachel's bowl to the sink and rinsed it out. She looked at the clock.
"C'mon Rebecca," she called, thinking of how strange it still was to be calling her sister that, "you're going to be late." Rachel came out of her room, carrying her backpack.
"You never answered me," she said. "What are you doing today Melanie?"
"There's a coffee shop down in the new plaza that's looking for a barista from 9:00-1:00. I thought I'd go down and apply."
"What's a barista?"
"Someone who serves coffee. There's Debbie, you better go."
"Is it ok if Debbie and I walk home from school today? Meghan wants us to stop by her house and see her new kitty." Holly thought about it for a minute.
"As long as it's ok with Margaret, it's fine with me. Just be home by 5:30."
"Thank you," Rachel said and hugged her, than ran out the door.She watched the girls get on the bus then went to get ready.

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After drying off and getting, Holly looked at herself in the mirror. She marveled at the changes that had taken place, both outwardly and inwardly. 10 months was all it had taken to go from what she had been to what she was now. 10 months from what she had lost and what she had found. 10 months.

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She grinned at her reflection then left the bathroom. She grabbed her purse and headed out the door. It was a beautiful day out so she decided to walk to the plaza which was only a few blocks away. For the first time in days she felt relaxed, peaceful, confident. Things were going to be fine. Rachel was happy and she was on her way to a new job, hopefully. And most importantly, she had Tristan. His name brought a smile to her lips that wouldn't die. Despite her mistake, life was going to be good for all of them. Still smiling, she reached the plaza and walked over to the coffee shop. She entered the small shop and was assailed by the smell of fresh coffee and sweet baked goods. The shop was doing a brisk business and the two employees that stood at the cash registers were kept hopping. She took a deep breath and approached the counter where an older man, wearing an apron, was standing there.

"Can I help you," he said in a gruff voice.

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"Hi, my name's Melanie Smith and I'd like to apply for the job please." The man eyed her a moment, then pulled an apron from under the counter and threw it to her. "You look like an honest capable girl. C'mon back her girl and I'll show you how to make the perfect cup of coffee." "Yes sir," Holly said ecstatically, surpirsed at how easy it had been, but not willing to question it too much.

Promptly at 9:00 Mark entered John's office. "Mark, good to see you again," he said as he stood and they shook hands. "Veronica wanted me to tell you again how much she enjoyed meeting you. She said you're welcome at our house anytime." Mark laughed. "I might just do that. You were right. She is a great cook." "Told you so. Now let's find those girls of yours." He picked up a folder. "First on the list is Poplar Bridge Elementary."

Three hours later the two men left the fifth public school. Mark was frustrated, to say the least. He had had such high hopes this morning. "Relax Mark," John said noting his agitation. "We still have three more public schools and all the private ones to check yet. We'll find them. But first how about a cup of coffee? There's a new coffee shop that just opened and they make the best cup of joe you've ever had. not to mention a cheesecake that's better than my own mother made. Let me treat you to a cup and then we'll keep looking." Mark nodded absently. A cup of coffee did sound pretty good right about now. The two men climbed into the car and set off.

Jake watched the cops come out of the school and stand there talking. From the look on the ones face it was apparent they had not found the girl here either. He saw them climb into a car and pull out of the parking lot. He let a few cars pass before he pulled out to follow. He tailed them to a plaza. He parked a few feet away from them and watched them enter a shop. He waited 10 minutes then casually strolled in.

Mark followed John into the shop. It was a small place that had a homey feel about it. A teen stood behind the counter serving customers with a smile. The two men walked over to the counter and stood in line, waiting their turn.

"Good afternoon, can I interest you in one of our specials..." Holly started then stopped in mid spiel. Oh god, it couldn't be she thought as she recognized Mark.

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Her heart started beating rapidly in her chest and she had to fight the urge to run. You don't look anything like you did back home...he's not going to know you, she kept telling herself. From somewhere she found the prescence to go one and forced herself to smile, hiding her shock.

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"Our specials today are an iced mocha latte and a chocolate espresso. What can I get for you gentlemen," she asked them focusing her gaze on the coffee machine, the register, anything but Mark. She let out small sigh. Fortunately Mark had not given her much notice. "Two cups of black coffee and a couple of slices of cheesecake," John told her. She quickly poured their drinks, picked up heir cheesecake and rang them up and watched as they took a seat at a nearby table. They were close enough she could overhear their conversation.

"So next on the list is Roosevelt Elementary. It's close by, about 10 blocks away. If we're lucky we'll find the younger girl there," John said

Holly paled as she realized they were looking for Rachel. Somehow Mark had learned they were here and was now looking for them. And they were going to go to Roosevelt next and that's where Rachel was. And she hadn't changed Rachel's appearance as much as she should have. He was going to find her. F*ck she thought...now what do I do? she was concentrating so hard on Mark that she didn't notice that someone else had stepped up to the counter.

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"Can I get some service," a snide voice broke into her thoughts. She looked up. "I'm sorry sir, what can I get for you," she asked, cutting out the spiel.

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"A large black coffee," Jake said as he eyed her up and down. She was cute. He took the cup she held out to him and gave her some money. "Keep the change honey," he said with a wink. Without a word she put the money in the register. He saw her eyes went immediately back to the two cops sitting nearby. His eyes narrowed. Why was she so interested in them? He took a seat and stared at her. There was something about her that seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place her. He switched his gaze from her to the cops. Neither one seemed to notice him or the girl behind the counter. He looked back at the girl, trying to place her.

Holly tried not to stare at Mark, but was powerless to stop herself. Luckily there was a lull in customers so she could study him. How had he found them? What had she overlooked? She watched warily as Mark and the guy with him finished their coffee and stood to leave. There was nothing she could do about it now, as she didn't want to call any attention to herself. She knew, that despite her promise to Rachel, to Tristan, that they would have to leave again. Mark's sudden appearance sealed it.

Mark felt eyes on him and turned. The girl standing behind the register was staring at them, he was sure of it. He studied her, a thoughtful look on his face. She seemed familiar to him for some reason, and there was something he felt he was missing. He shrugged it off, knowing it would come to him eventually. and turned to John. "Let's head for the next school, Roosevelt you said it was?" John nodded and they left, neither one noticing the man who watched them leave.

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Jake gave them a comfortable lead then stood and followed. He was halfway out the door when it finally hit him and he stopped in his tracks. The girl. He pulled a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. He looked at it, then at the girl behind the counter. He was right, he was sure of it. He left the building and pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. He waited impatiently as it ran, watching the two cops walk across the plaza.

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"I found her boss. I found Holly." He listened intently for a moment. "Yeah I understand. I'll get everything ready and I'll see you tonight." He hung up the phone and watched as the cops pulled out of the parking lot. He no longer had to follow them. Instead he had a lot of work to do before his boss arrived.

Mark and John entered Roosevelt Elementary school and walked quickly to the office. They were greeted by a pretty young black woman. "Good afternoon gentlemen, I'm Kayla Campbell, please come into my office." She ushered them in and then sat herself behind the desk.

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"After I received you call yesterday, I had my secretary pull the files from last year and this year. There have been three new registers in that time frame." She looked down at a piece of paper on her desk.

"Mindy Kline registered in November of last year. Her contact sheet lists a number for both a father and a mother. Alice Cieslak registered in January of this year, her contact information lists a number for a mother only. Rebecca Smith registered in December of last year, her contact sheet lists a number for sister, who's her legal guardian."

Mark felt his excitement rise. Rachel...Rebecca, it could be. He leaned forward on his seat. "Can we meet those three girls," he asked. She shook her head. Unfortunately, all three are on a fieldtrip today. I can give you their home addresses though." She handed a sheet of paper to Mark.

"Is there anything else I can do to help you?" The two men shook their heads and stood. "Thank you Mrs. Campbell for all you help," John told her. They shook hands with her then left the school.

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"What now," Mark asked. "Well, let's visit the other schools and see if they have any possible leads. That way we will have a complete list to work from. After that, we'll start visiting the girls."
"That sounds like a good plan of action," Mark said, unable to conceal his excitement. If all went well, by tonight he would have found Holly and Rachel.