Author's Notes: Plenty here, but much more of a set-up for the story ahead in this first proper chapter. With special thanks to Leslie, Naoko, Jonah, and Jerry Horne of ('Twin Peaks Archive') for all the kind reviews and comments! This chapter contains scenes and selected lines from the 'Fire Walk With Me' shooting script by David Lynch and Robert Engels.
Following the timeline of the show, and the slight jump forward in time as indicated below; this chapter takes place across the entirety of Tuesday, 28th March, 1989.
"I have the clear, intuitive sense that there is much trouble ahead." - Major Garland Briggs, Twin Peaks Episode 21
CHAPTER ONE
Two Days Later
A light, early-morning breeze stirred the trees surrounding the town as the sun came up.
Two jet-black sedan cars drove past the sign welcoming visitors to Twin Peaks. In the first one, Special Agent Albert Rosenfield was at the wheel, while FBI Bureau Chief Gordon Cole sat in the passenger's seat.
Twin Peaks High School was empty, the only sound breaking the eerie quiet the janitor jangling keys and opening doors to emit staff.
Norma Jennings stepped onto the floor of the Double R Diner, and reached for the apron on a nearby stove.
Over at Big Ed's Gas Farm, 'Big Ed' Hurley prepped the gas tanks for the morning traffic that usually came his way.
At the Sheriff's Station, Lucy Moran smiled to herself as she prepped the variety of doughnuts on the kitchen counter. Nearby, there was a 'click' to indicate the coffee pot had boiled.
While at the Great Northern hotel reception, Louie greeted the patrons walking by her as they walked through the lobby on the way to the breakfast room.
And then at Calhoun Memorial Hospital the morning light shown through the blinds of the window of room 229 on the second floor, the beams hitting the sleeping figure in the room's lone bed. Dale Cooper then stirred, and his eyes slowly opened. Staring up at the ceiling, he gave a wide grin to no-one in particular.
Audrey Horne sniffed the air, and she then conceded defeat. Sleep had defeated her for much of the night, and just when she had finally drifted off, the nurse tending to her had arrived with breakfast.
If it was anything like dinner last night, Audrey realised, sitting up in her bed as she recalled the first meal she had since she awoke from her coma. Wrinkling her nose, she sat up in the bed and leaned over to her right to look at the tray. She lifted up the lid, and instantly slammed it down in revulsion. Lifting it up again, she peered underneath to see the tray was littered with varying colours of goop. They think this is healthy?!
She signed, putting the lid back onto the tray and leaning back onto the pillows. She tried not to think of what scrumptious breakfasts the chefs would no doubt be conjuring up back at the Great Northern. They are probably even attacking an inquisitive uncle Jerry with the longest carving knife right now, she grinned at the amusing image as she then looked towards the window. But she then jumped.
Currently sitting in a chair by the window in the corner of a room was a suited figure bathed in shadow. Audrey began to cry out, but the person, suddenly alerted to her realising he was there stood up, and stepped towards the bed...
"Daddy?!" Audrey said, as her father smiled at her, and walked over to open the blinds. She then winced as the light shone into the room. Her father walked to the bed, and leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, and then took a seat by her side.
"And how are you this morning, sweetheart?"
She nodded, "I'm fine, but… why are you here so early?"
Ben shrugged. "I couldn't sleep not long after your mother and Jerry left, and I cleared it up with the nurse could I stay."
"All night?"
Ben nodded, and took her hand. He squeezed it tightly. They smiled at each other.
She wondered would her father be more willing to talk now. Her mother, brother, and uncle Jerry had visited her yesterday evening not long after she emerged from her brief coma. Her father too, had arrived down from his room, but mostly kept silent after his tearful reunion with her; and stood back as her mother bombarded with inquiries. It was hard not to notice her parents were pointedly ignoring each other.
"Oh, it's a miracle you survived…" her father shook his head to himself as he continually rubbed his fingers over her hand.
This much was true. The mysterious explosion that had ripped through Twin Peaks Savings and Loan had incredibly barely left Audrey any long-term damage. There was still a faint ringing in her ears, but having handcuffed herself to the vault door, the explosion had flung the door of it's hinges – instantly snapping the chains of Audrey's handcuffs. As far as the rescuers could ascertain, Audrey had been thrown across the room into the banks clerks' desks and instantly knocked unconscious.
There was a nasty bruise above her left eyebrow, and a deep gash on his right arm, (where a large splinter from a shattered desk had to be removed). As far as could be gathered from the firemen, Audrey had been protected from the flames triggered by the blast by way the partly collapsing roof shielding her. They had just reached her in time before the roof completely fell on top of her.
To think she had been at the heart of such random chaos and not remember it...
But in the face of her father's obvious relief at her recovery, Audrey quickly pushed such thoughts aside. She squeezed his hand. "It was a random act of fate, Daddy. I was there for you, to help with the Ghostwood campaign."
But Audrey quickly realised her father's expression worsened. He rolled his eyes to himself, "Oh yes, my oh-so-noble quest to 'do good'... and what a stumbling block the whole Ghostwood issue has been. And to think you might have become a martyr for - "
Audrey put her other hand over his, clasping Ben's hand between both of hers. "You can't keep thinking like that." She smiled. "What matters is I'm okay now, you can't think for a second the bank explosion was anything to do with you."
Ben tried to smile. "All right, Audrey. If only you mother..." He shook his head.
"I'll worry about Mom. How... are you two anyway?" She put the last question as delicately as she could. She decided that maybe it was best not to press him on the matter of Donna Hayward right now.
Ben shook his head, staring into space. "Oh, I hear she's making plenty of noises up at the hotel. According to your uncle, your mother is now looking to take a direct role in the running of the hotel." He then cast his eyes over her food tray. "Speaking of which - "
Ben then got up and walked to the other side of Audrey's bed. Lifting up the lid, he carefully dipped his forefinger in one of the bowls of food and smacked his lips before tasting the substance.
Audrey giggled at the luck of utter revulsion on her father's face as he slammed down the lid of the tray.
"Well, that settles it", Ben said, getting up to leave. "I'll make sure Jerry sends our head chef, Claude, down with the finest breakfast. My daughter cannot eat something that looks like it was scrapped from a sewer."
He kissed Audrey on the forehead, and headed for the door. Ben then smiled before turning around to face her.
"The nurses didn't want you to get too over-excited yesterday, but I received a call from an old friend there regarding your welfare."
"Oh?" Audrey felt her heart start to quicken.
"Yes," Ben replied. "He's a lot to deal with in Brazil at the moment, but Jack said try his best to fly in sometime in the next week."
Audrey sighed dreamily as she lay back on her pillow, thinking of the man who had captured her heart in so short a time. John Justice Wheeler, the dashing, charming protégé of her father's. But suddenly it was her last memory of Jack that reminded her of someone else. A man with whom she had struck a sudden, though fond friendship with when she raced to see John for what she feared would be the last time. She called out to her father just as he passed through the doorway of the room.
"Daddy? How's Pete Martell?"
"What are his prospects?"
"Well, your husband is still showing some slight brain activity, but it's still too early to tell."
Catherine Martell looked down on her husband in the bed, hooked to the life supporting machine at this side. Catherine couldn't be sure exactly what the read-outs on the machine meant exactly, but they seemed to fit with Doctor William Hayward's prognosis.
"Tell it to me straight, Doctor."
Hayward sighed, gently laying a hand on her shoulder. "I knew I shouldn't have tried to sugar-coat it with you, Catherine, but it has to be said we've done all we can. There's a specialist upstate we can get down here in the next few days, but he's - "
"I don't care about the money," Catherine interjected. "It's not an issue."
Hayward smiled sadly. "I'll make the call. I'll leave you too alone, then."
"Thank you, Will."
When the doctor left, Catherine reached over and laid a hand on Pete's forehead. She brushed a thumb over his singed eyebrows, and tried to stifle a laugh at Pete's inevitably bemused expression when he looked in the mirror and realised his eyebrows were nearly gone.
"Oh, my - " She reached into her pocket, and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.
Lucky for her husband he had only suffered only the near-loss of his eyebrows, broken bones, and some first-degree burns that could be easily corrected by way of surgery. Judging from the reports from what had been found in the rubble of the Twin Peaks Savings and Loan, the unidentified body found seemed to match that of her brother Andrew.
Not that she would be rushing to the authorities to tell them of Andrew's miraculous survival from his supposed murder two years before. The full extent of Thomas Eckhardt's revenge for his former partner would be complete if it was discovered Catherine and Andrew directly manipulated events to bring about Josie and Eckhardt's deaths.
And it would certainly do her no good if Sheriff Truman were to pursue that line of inquiry.
"You know, Pete, it's strangely fitting you survived and Andrew didn't. He was always so very fond of you, it would have devastated him. You know he never wanted me to marry you? He always carried so much of our father's keen sense of history, Andrew felt us Packards had humiliated the poor Martells enough down through the decades without marrying them into our family. But we didn't listen did we, Pete? Defied both our parents' wishes. But marriage really did kil our mischievous streak..."
She then paused. Getting increasingly frustrated at the one-sided conversation, and trying to quell the grief for her brother welling up inside her, Catherine turned away from Pete's bedside. She then looked down on him one more time before gently kissing his forehead. Just as she stepped out into the corridor, she heard Hayward in discussion with a familiar voice.
"Well, Ben, I'm glad to see you're on the mend and set to go. I also hear Audrey's doing pretty well, Doctor Dunham tells me she should be discharged by tomorrow evening."
"Touching, Will. Touching that your show such deep concern for my and my family's welfare. It's a shame you didn't take either into account when you swung that punch the other night. False pleasantries aren't why I've tracked you down"
"Ben, I - "
"My brother has a point, Doctor! I've been at his bedside night and day since I came back to town, and it doesn't take the finest medical staff in the state to see he's suffering a very painful and numbing trauma!"
Hayward's shoulders sagged, and he turned away from the two Horne brothers towards Catherine. It was then Catherine noticed Hayward was clutching a piece of paper and an open envelope in his right hand.
Before continuing down the corridor, Hayward glanced back at Ben, "If you'll excuse me, I have other patients. My attorney will get back to you in the morning." Judging from the look on the doctor's face, Catherine was again struck by the likelihood Hayward had got little sleep these last few nights.
Ben gave his younger brother a satisfied smirk as Catherine walked up them.
"Terrorizing the kindly medical staff, Benjamin? And here I thought you bled for the town and it's people."
Ben rolled his eyes, letting out a mock sigh, "No, it's the town as a whole I fear for, my dear. And especially if the Ghostwood estates lay waste to our woodlands. Such a shame there's a vacuum in the town's economy with the Mill gone, and all that unemployment. Surely a better investment in the long-term. If only there was someone, who with a flick of pen, could bring it all back."
"Cut it with all the smarmy double-talk, I'm no randy perfume desk clerk!" Catherine was almost surprised at her outburst as the brothers Horne were, but she had little time for her and Ben's mind games right now.
Ben glowered at her, and Catherine leaned closer to him to whisper more. Jerry kept looking uneasily between the two of them.
"Oh yes, seems behind Josie left behind some fascinating documentation relating to your business; particularly regarding the work of the late Emory Bates at your department store. Documentation I'm sure the local authorities would love to hear about the town's most beloved philanthropist."
Ben sneered, but it quickly passed when he seemed to realise something. "Say Jer, speaking of wild rumor... it would appear the dead have begun to rise - " he waged a finger at Catherine to emphasise his point, " - and one of Twin Peaks' favourite sons in fact."
Catherine raised her eyebrows, easily maintaining her cool. "That being?"
"Why, your dear brother Andrew... though I wouldn't be one to believe the ramblings of Del Mibbler." Ben then chuckled. "But my daughter seems to recall a startling description of the man with Pete shortly before the bank exploded, which she is sure to make Sheriff Truman very interested."
Jerry let out a laugh, and turned to his brother, ignoring Catherine. "Wow, Ben! Wouldn't it be something if all turned out to be true?"
"Indeed, Jer. And let us entertain this thought further, shall we? If Andrew was still alive these last two years, it would answer the long-standing mystery as to... what happened to his finances? Lucky his poor widow had some kindly friends in Hong Kong to get her by. Because if you recall Jer, Andrew ran the mill before Josie, having inherited it from his own father." As he finished talking, Ben removed a carrot from his pocket. He chewed on it for a moment, and frowning with distaste, he tossed it in the garbage bin beside them. He brushed off his hands, and grinned at Jerry, and then both the brothers Horne regarded her with similar all-knowing smiles.
Jerry chuckled. "I think I see what you mean, Ben! If Andrew Packard was really still alive, it would explain where all his vast fortune went! And if he's now, if rumour is to be believed, truly dead..."
Ben nodded in the direction of Catherine. "... Catherine here is next in line to be his heir. A vast sum I would imagine! But tell me, would such money go towards the re-building of the saw mill? It would certainly be a great boon to the local community, and quite a morale booster after all the disaster visited upon us these last two months. Or would Catherine use it to pay contractors for the Ghostwood Estates?"
Catherine laughed, shaking her head at the pair. "Listen to you two putting all the pieces together! You're like the Hardy boys! And honestly, Ben, my brother alive? ...That must have been some blow to the head to be conjuring up such bizarre notions."
Ben tapped the bandage on his forehead. "Bizarre notions, no, but perhaps I've gained a certain clairvoyance we could say! We'll all be watching very carefully, Catherine."
"Likewise, my dear Benjamin." Catherine replied, before turning on her heel and walking in the opposite direction without saying another word to them. But Ben couldn't help but get in the last word.
"Oh, and don't forget to send dear Pete our best! My daughter's doing fine by the way..."
Harry looked up from the paperwork on his desk as Deputy Hawk walked into his office.
"Just back from the Johnsons, lucky I managed to catch Shelley on her day off from the Double R. She knew it was about Leo when she saw the look on my face." He then added, "Naturally, I've informed the other deputies we've ended her 24-hour protection."
Harry smiled grimly. "What do you think? How did she take it?"
"Honestly, I think Andy was more cut up about it." Hawk then paused, his eyes taking on a distant look. "But still, if she had seen it happen... Earle was a cruel master of torture."
Though Leo's death had been beyond his control, it was clear the criminal's death still weighed heavily on Hawk's mind. Harry had assured him he should have no qualms about his actions on the night Cooper had reappeared at Glastonbury Grove, how could they have been sure Earle was not hiding in the cabin? As near as could be gathered, there was no obvious way then to save Leo from the horrible trap Earle had created.
Harry nodded, quickly pressing on, "Coop'll have no argument with you on that."
"What the latest on his condition?"
"Well, just off the phone with Doc Hayward up at Calhoun, Cooper's awake and sitting up in his bed. Complaining about the food service though, I hear he insisted Norma send him up the largest breakfast order she's got in a while." Harry chuckled.
"When can he have visitors?"
Harry felt the way his deputy intoned the question, he knew the answer himself. Harry shook his head. "We're not authorized to talk to him yet until Cole runs a full investigation."
"Well, we got a full plate in the meantime." Hawk nodded, clearly as increasingly unhappy as Harry himself felt. "Speaking of Hayward, when do you want to question him further over the assault on Ben Horne?"
Harry sighed. "Might be difficult, but I'd like to delay that as much as possible; we have the statement of everyone else present at the incident but I still owe Will for dropping everything the night Coop came back from... But, knowing Ben Horne, we can't let it rest. I'll give it another day."
"Cole arrived yet?"
Harry reached into the paperwork on his desk to remove a folder from one of the piles as he rubbed the other hand through his hair. "Not yet, but the latest is in from the investigation down at the Savings and Loan. The last body is still unidentified, but with Audrey Horne the only survivor fully alert I'll question her tomorrow." Harry smiled, again trying to lighten the mood. "And y'know, still no indication has to how Del Mibbler stumbled intact from the wreckage halfway across town to the Gazette looking for Dwayne Millford Junior."
Hawk nodded, smiling slighty. "That's Del, hear the poor guy was so mixed up he wanted to tell Dwayne a pine weasel had handcuffed itself to the water cooler."
Suddenly, Harry and Hawk both jumped as a familiar voice run out near Lucy's reception desk.
"AND, A GOOD MORNING TO YOU, LITTLE LADY! HOPE YOU GOT ONE OF YOUR MARVELOUS POTS O'JOE A-BREWING, LUCY, I'VE GOT A WHOLE CONVENTION IN TOW!"
Harry glanced up at Hawk, and saw his deputy fixing the intercom with a pained expression. Sure enough, Harry's desk intercom then sounded. "Yes, Lucy?"
"Gordon Cole has just arrived Sheriff." She sounded a bit weary. "And so have Albert Rosenfield and two other people I've never seen before. One is dressed like Agent Cooper, and it looks like there's a woman with them!" She seemed awed, "Do you really have woman agents in the FBI?"
Harry was sure he could hear Albert Rosenfield muttering something in response, followed by the usual 'WHAT'S THAT?' from Gordon Cole. "Just send 'em in, Lucy."
"Right, Sheriff." Lucy seemed a bit put-off. Harry guessed whatever Albert said had been unpleasant.
The door to Harry's office swung open, and the beaming figure of FBI Bureau Chief Gordon Cole strode in, holding out his hand as he walked towards Harry's desk. Behind him was Albert Rosenfield and what Harry was assumed were two FBI agents, both wearing typical dark suits and shades. (Save the female wore a black skirt). Beyond a brief glance around the room, their expressions were unreadable.
"NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN, HARRY!", Cole boomed, as the pair shook hands, "BOY, POOR DALE ALWAYS GETS THE WORST OF IT, DON'T HE? REST ASSURED, WE GOT OUR BEST SPECIALIST FLYING IN TOMORROW TO GIVE HIM THE ONCE-OVER! A CUTE LITTLE NUMBER SHE IS TOO, DID WONDERS FOR ME WHEN MY BACK GAVE OUT! TERRIBLE THING YOU KNOW! LEANING OVER TO PICK UP THAT NEW INDUSTRIAL STRESS BALL THE MISSUS GAVE ME! THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN – WHAMO!" – here, Gordon gestured in a animated fashion with his out-stretched hands - "NOT THAT IT'S NOT ENOUGH STRESS THEN BEING STUCK AT HOME FOR A WEEK WITH THE OL' BALL AND CHAIN LOOKING AFTER YOU, WOULDN'T YOU SAY?"
All Harry decided to do was give Gordon a fixed smile as he slunk back down into his chair. Albert Rosenfield had already taken a seat in front of his desk, nodding in greeting, and regarding Harry with an expression that said 'How do you think I've felt these last few hours'. Gordon, meanwhile, had moved over to Hawk. Hawk shook his hand feebly.
"AH, DEPUTY HAWK! I TELL YOU SHERIFF, IT'S A GREAT DAY WHEN OUR STATE INSTIUTIONS FINALLY START TAKING ON BOARD OUR NATIVE AMERICAN FRIENDS! I DON'T NEED TELL YOU DEPUTY IT'S A MONUMENTAL INJUSTICE WHAT WE'VE DONE TO YOUR PEOPLE! SEEING A FINE YOUNG FELLAR LIKE YOURSELF ROAMING THESE HALLS DOES WONDERS FOR SOCIAL PROGRESS! MIGHT DO WELL DO PROMOTE SUCH A RADICAL ATTITUDE BACK AT THE BUREAU, MYSELF!"
Hawk looked at bit bemused by Gordon's thoughts on his job, but merely nodded back and continued to stand where he was. Gordon then took a seat beside Albert. The two other agents remained standing. Albert seemed to notice Harry's intrigued expression as he looked at the other two.
Albert sighed. Harry thought he sounded a little hoarse. "I THINK THE SHERIFF'S A BIT CURIOUS AS TO OUR CURRENT COMPANY, CHIEF!"
"YES, I THOUGHT HE MIGHT BE, ALBERT!"
Harry leaned forward in his chair. "I thought you might come down and check on Agent Cooper, Gordon, but why exactly are there more agents here?"
Gordon shook his head, fiddling with the dials on his hearing aid. "HARDLY THE TIME TO ASK DO I WANT TO POP OUT FOR A BEER, HARRY, BUT WE'RE ACTUALLY NOT DOWN IN THESE PARTS JUST TO CHECK ON POOR COOP. IN FACT, YOU MIGHT BE SEEING MORE OF US FOR SOMETIME."
Harry looked from Gordon to Albert, and back to Gordon again. "Can you… I'm sorry, CAN YOU A BE A BIT MORE SPECIFIC?"
Gordon pointed a finger at him in acknowledgement. "RIGHT! SURE THING, SHERIFF!" Gordon nodded towards Albert, who was shuffling through his briefcase. Albert then removed a folder, and leaned over to the desk.
Harry took it in his hand as Hawk moved around the desk to get a closer look.
"NEW ORDERS FROM THE BOYS UPSTAIRS! WE'RE TALKING WAY UP BEYOND ME AND MY DEPARTMENT!" Cole explained, "AS SUCH, WE WILL BE NEEDING YOUR FULL, TOTAL AND COMPLETE CO-OPERATION IN THIS MATTER, SHERIFF! YOUR OFFICE WILL BE SOON BE DELIVERED ORDERS FROM ON-HIGH! MOST OF MY AGENTS ARE NOW HEADED TO TWIN PEAKS, DIVIDING THEIR TIME BETWEEN HERE AND OREGON!"
Here, Hawk finally spoke. "Why, um... WHY OREGON?"
Cole shook his head, "SORRY, CAN'T SAY ANYMORE, DEPUTY! REAL TOP SECRET STUFF, HUSH HUSH!"
Harry shifted through the various papers, and frowned. He held up a document, which had most of it's text blacked out.
"STANDARD WHEN DEALING WITH CLASSIFIED INFORMATION, SHERIFF! CERTAIN INFORMATION MY SUPERIORS WOULD BE MOST UNHAPPY GOT OUT TO OTHER LAW INFORCEMENT AGENCIES, INCLUDING YOUR OWN CORNER OF THE WORLD! TELL HIM, ALBERT!"
Albert explained, "He's right. Also, most of our team have already arrived at Glastonbury Grove, and setting up a cordon around the circle of sycamores in what those documents describe as a strictly classified operation. While your report into Annie Blackburn's abduction and miraculous rescue was certainly... colourful, it's caused enough of a ripple in our department to swiftly bring about a clampdown on the Glastonbury Grove site, and a study into the area. Our agents are also here in town to interview the townspeople on some of the more... strange sightings and phenomena down through the years."
"And you think this is all linked to what Agent Cooper might have seen behind those red curtains?"
Here, Cole interjected, "YOU MIGHT BE THINKING WE'RE TRYING TO TIE ALL THIS INTO THE ACTIVITY AT GLASTONBURY GROVE, BUT WE REALLY CAN'T SAY ANYMORE! WE'LL ALSO BE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE AIR FORCE BASE UNDER COLONEL REILLY STATIONED OVER IN THE WOODS!"
"Major Briggs?"
Albert nodded, "We hope to bring him in on this, once his superiors think he's fit to return to full-time duty after his abduction."
Harry narrowed his eyes, "He's a big part of this too though, isn't he? There's his disappearance in the woods that was never truly solved as to where he went, or how he even got back."
Cole and Albert glanced at each other. "YOU'RE A SHARP ONE, HARRY! SEE WHY COOP ALWAYS VALUED YOUR HELP ON THESE THINGS! BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE YOU CAN DO FOR US MORE SUITED TO YOUR LOCAL EXPERTISE."
Harry looked between the two. "That being?"
"Windom Earle." Albert flatly stated. "Cooper and Miss Blackburn seem to be in one piece, but not a single trace of Earle has been seen since shortly after the local fright parade."
"Miss Twin Peaks Contest."
Albert looked up at Hawk in response to the deputy's clarification, and gave him a sarcastic grin. "Gotcha. Anyway... I'll be heading up the investigation into Earle's disappearance in place of Agent Cooper, and working closely with you, Harry, due to my familiarity with the area and the case in question. I'm also under orders to interview you and some of your deputies in relation to our department's work at Glastonbury Grove."
"ALBERT'S ALSO UNDER ORDERS TO INTERVIEW YOU AND YOUR DEPUTIES IN RELATION TO WHAT WE'RE DOING IN THE WOODS!"
Harry narrowed his eyes at Albert, ignoring Cole. He was getting more uncomfortable with these arrangements with each passing moment. "And how do we fit in?"
"Specifically your work with Agent Cooper in not only the Laura Palmer investigation, but the other recent investigations, namely... that involving the late Josie Packard."
That did it. Harry could see Hawk looking at him warily out of the corner of his eye, but Harry remained his composure. He looked down at the files on his desk. "I understand."
Cole then suddenly clapped his hands and stood up. He clicked his fingers to the two other agents, who nodded, and left the room as silently as they entered.
"WELL, EVERYONE SEEMS HAPPY SO BEST I'LL LEAVE YOU TO YOUR DEALINGS WITH AGENT ROSENFIELD THEN, SHERIFF!" Cole shook Harry and Hawk's hand, and then nodded to Albert. "I'LL BE SEEING YOU FELLAS!" With final thumbs up, the door slammed after him, and all three relaxed a little when they heard Cole leave as he boomed a goodbye to Lucy.
Albert shut his briefcase, and also stood up to leave. "Well, I know it's a lot to take in Harry so guess I'll get settled up at the rat den by the Falls for the evening and see you in the morning."
Harry finally looked up, "How am I, and my deputies, expected to adequately enforce the law around town with your agents stepping all over us?"
Albert seemed genuinely surprised at the question, "We'll stay out of your way, trust me. After all, chasing little lost kittens up trees, speeches on community vigilance to old ladies' sewing circles, and your offices' considerable consumption of the fine cuisine and brew of the local diner is a bit out of Bureau jurisdiction."
Harry instantly bolted up out of his chair, "Albert! I told you before to watch that kinda talk in my station! I was always willing to hear Cooper out on Bureau matters, but at least he had the proper way to go about treating folks! You keep talking down to us like that you can take your Bureau co-operation, and shove it!"
A few tense seconds passed, and it seemed Albert was fighting back the urge to respond with another sarcastic jibe. There was no Cooper to keep the peace now. For Harry's sake - and more his own, Harry guessed - Albert kept silent. "I'll be here at 10. You're first up for the interview, Sheriff. Deputy Hawk, I'll begin co-ordinating a wider search effort for Windom Earle with you and several deputies tomorrow. Good morning, gentlemen."
He walked out, slamming the door behind him. Harry looked over at Hawk.
His deputy was quickly forthcoming, "This is not going to end well. The woods are more restless since Cooper returned, and the spirits there are especially not going to take well to more intruders."
Harry shook his head. "Y'know Hawk, I hate being right, and I never guessed I'd be this right, but I knew the day we found her dead, that nothing would be the same when we found out why Laura Palmer died. Bob... the Black Lodge... the woods. Isn't it something? It just all goes back to those woods."
Out of the corner of her eye, Annie Blackburn could see her boyfriend Dale Cooper carefully walk towards Annie's bedside, where she and her sister Norma were currently engaging in conversation. "Hey. How you feeling?"
Annie looked up and smiled at him, "Better. My stomach feels like it's gonna squeeze out my toes."
Norma Jennings laughed as she stood up from her chair. "That would be the food around here. It tends to be more of a health hazard then what you might actually have when you're admitted."
Cooper frowned, "Norma, you don't have to leave on my account. If you and Annie would rather -"
Norma gave him a smile that seemed rather strained. "No, I had Heidi covering my shift at the Double R at the last minute. I headed straight over when the doctors told me Annie was awake."
Annie laid a hand on her older sister's arm. "And don't forget?"
"On my next visit, two freshly baked cherry pies. Yes." Norma kissed her sister on the forehead. "I'll see you later."
"Seeya Norma!" Cooper waved at her as she walked through the door, but she didn't reply.
Cooper sighed as he shook his head. "I know she blames me. And maybe she's right to. Maybe everyone is."
Annie sat up, and pulled on his arm. "Hey, Norma's just been hearing the rumours around town. A lot's happened in the last two days."
Cooper sat on her bed, and kicked off his slippers. He lay on the bed beside her.
He sighed, "A respected member of the community is nearly killed in an assault by a man whose never committed a crime in his life… a mysterious explosion destroys the town's Savings and Loan placing people I've come to care about in jeopardy… and the one I've come to care for most is abducted by my former partner."
"Windom Earle?"
Cooper looked at her, "How did you – "
"He told me his name. I'd forgotten it until I read today's edition." She indicated to the folded up newspaper on her bedside locker. "Norma had been leaving copies of the Gazette with me. I used to be a real newspaper nut when I was younger. Always saving copies and cutting out the most interesting articles and putting them in a scrapbook. I never gave that up."
Cooper grinned at her. "Windows into worlds you thought you'd never know."
Annie nodded, "True. But they never told me much about people, their feelings for each other, how they think, why they react the way they do…"
"Annie, I – "
"Just listen. In the covenant, we learnt secrets can be harmful. Not exactly the most revealing advice, but also that secrets can become uncontrolled inside your heart, spreading out, choking your relationships with your friends, family... those you love."
"I don't have any secrets." he whispered.
Annie leaned in closer to him, her forehead on his. "Maybe not. But there's still plenty we don't know about each other."
She held up her right wrist. "You know when this happened? I loved a boy in my senior year with all my heart… I lost my virginity to him. He left town, and never answered any of my letters even though he told me he loved me too."
"Oh, Annie…" Cooper pulled her close for a brief kiss.
When they broke off, there was a pause. He looked away from her, and pursed his lips for a moment. He then turned back to her.
"My former partner, Windom Earle, had a wife. Her name was Caroline. She was a witness to a federal crime that was never solved... "
Two floors down, Audrey was strolling along the corridor, wearing a thoroughly bored expression. She ran her forefinger along the walls, and spotted a water fountain ahead.
The doctors told her she would be here for another day at least, and Audrey wouldn't be surprised to find herself to the brink of near-insanity if she didn't get out of here soon. Pete Martell was still alive, but in a coma – with the possibility of never awakening. And though she had frequent visitors in her father, and just now, her mother (never at the same time), there was near-nothing to do around here.
There was someone else she could always pay a visit to though… her Special Agent. Her saviour from the clutches of Jean Renault at One-Eyed Jacks. It surprised even her, how she and Agent Cooper drifted apart after sharing so much together since he came to town. Even if she had no chance (and there was certainly no secret made of his liaison with Annie Blackburn), there was no harm in them becoming better friends…
Audrey then pressed the tap, and leaned in to take a sup of water.
"I know you doubt me. So many do."
Audrey choked on her water, and looked up to see Margaret Lanterman, otherwise known as 'the Log Lady' standing to her right.
As far as she could recall, Audrey had had never any direct dealings with the Log Lady - but knew enough of her reputation to think of her as a local crazy. Nevertheless, she was feeling increasingly intimidated as the Log Lady's seemed to look right through her from behind those thick lens.
Audrey wiped the water from her mouth with the back of her hand, before speaking. "Um, can I help you Mrs. Lanterman?"
The Log Lady then finally looked away, narrowing her eyes as she put her hand to the log tucked under her arm. There was a small pause, and the Log Lady looked up at Audrey. Where before she seemed disapproving of Audrey, now, she seemed friendlier.
"The time is coming," she said.
"And uh... what time is that?" Audrey asked, suddenly feeling more than a little stupid.
The Log Lady again looked disapproving, but continued without answering her question: "The circle must be broken." She said each word with increasing reverence. "They must be rid of the one that binds them to this world. Soon, they will call out to you. My log told me this." She then removed her hand from the log, and turned away from Audrey without another word.
Audrey stood there dumbfounded for a few moments. Her natural instinct was to laugh at the Log Lady's words, but there was in something in how Margaret implied Audrey herself would be of great importance to someone soon…
"Hey! Wait!"
Audrey raced towards the end of the corridor just as the Log Lady turned the corner. However, once Audrey turned that same corner almost two seconds later, the Log Lady was nowhere to be seen.
"Deputy Hawk said it was over, pretty quick. There was nothing they could do for him."
"Man that is whacked! What a way to go, Leo."
Shelley Johnson was curled into Bobby Briggs' lap on an armchair in the living room of the Johnson household. She had just related to her boyfriend the story of Deputy Hawk's visit this afternoon.
Bobby frowned, "And who was that Windom Earle guy, anyway? The Gazette wasn't saying much, except he was the same guy responsible for all that trouble at the contest." Bobby then clicked the fingers of his right hand, (the left arm was curled around her waist), and punched the arm of the chair. "You know what? He must have been that jerk who hit Mike with the log!"
Shelley didn't react to this realization, and merely shrugged, staring into space. "Hawk said he was some guy who used to be in the FBI. He was looking for something in Twin Peaks, but they didn't say. Apparently it's classified."
"Y'know, I did hear my Mom asking Dad about all those Feds we've been coming into town. There's something big going down in those woods. Probably still looking for 'im."
Shelley said nothing, and merely continued staring at the ground. Bobby shook her a little.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, "Thought you'd be over the moon that soap-swinging, wife-beating knucklehead was pushing daises!"
Shelley scolded, getting up out of Bobby's lap and walking to the other side of the room. She folded her arms, and just looked at the wall straight ahead of her.
"It's not that, Bobby! I am, but…" she shook her head. "… even when he's gone, it's like he always this creepy hold over everything I do. Now, I gotta plan a funeral, and make arrangements to bury him! Who else is going to do that?"
Bobby walked over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, Bobby here's, baby… you don't have to face anything on your own with me around. Ever again."
She turned around to face her boyfriend, and he grinned at her as he lay a finger on her chin and pulled her in for a kiss. When they parted, he could see tears forming in her eyes.
"I can't live here, anymore.", she said. "Too many memories… too many ghosts. And I should get a good price if I sell it. Just too bad he never got to finish the renovation."
"Where are you gonna go? Norma's?"
"I can't ask Norma, she has Annie to worry about." Shelley then smiled at him hopefully.
Bobby's eyes widened. He pointed a thumb at his chest. He replied to her unspoken question in a highly bewildered tone. "You mean... my place?! I don't know Shelley, I told you my old man didn't sound too happy at the idea of us seeing each other the other night, what about up at the Great Northern? I'm sure Mr. Horne will give you a reduced rate on one of the rooms, being my girlfriend and all."
Shelley rolled her eyes. "I can't live in a hotel, Bobby." She brushed his arm gently. "Couldn't you just ask? It would only be for a few days 'till I find a small place of my own in the town somewhere." She then shrugged. "And if your Dad is that unhappy about it, I don't mind sleeping in another room."
Bobby sighed, but he was smiling at her. "You wanna live with my family? ...You drive me completely crazy, you know that? Now, I'll have to live with that – and my crazier parents!"
Shelley laughed as she gave him a soft punch to the arm.
Bobby pretended to look hurt, but he was also laughing. "OW! Kidding. Geez..."
Will Hayward sighed as he walked in the front door of the home in which his family resided.
"I'm home!" his voice rung up through the quiet household that greeted him. He took his hat and coat off, and hung them on a nearby coat stand.
He walked into the living room, where he was surprised to find his wife Eileen sitting off to one-side in her wheelchair and a book open on her lap. She did not look up.
"Eileen? Where's Harriet and Gersten?"
Eileen glanced up at him, her face impassive. "Over at the Beaumonts, helping their boys with their homework. You know those girls and their crushes. They actually just called to say they're having dinner there."
"Dammit Eileen! What about for us? I thought we agreed to have family dinner tonight. I want to explain to them what happened with Ben, and why their big sister is not coming home."
His wife did not meet his eyes, clearly not wanting an argument. She kept her eyes focused on her book. "Well, they changed their minds. I found some diet lasagne in the fridge. You can heat it up. There was nothing else, I'll have to go to the store tomorrow."
"Are you having anything?"
"I'm not hungry. You can help yourself."
Will stared at her for a few moments, hoping to catch Eileen's eye. Though he knew today wouldn't be the right time to mention Ben Horne's lawsuit with this kind of tension between them. He sighed again, shaking his head as he turned his back on his wife and made his way to the kitchen.
"Heya, darling."
Norma Jennings looked up from her empty coffee mug to watch her high-school sweetheart 'Big Ed' Hurley walk towards from the doors of the Double R Diner. Norma merely smiled in greeting as Ed sat across her in the booth.
She stared at Ed, and hesitated, looking to the table again. "How's Nadine?"
"Dr. Jacoby said she'd be nearly back to normal soon. She's been having relapses since the Contest. One minute she's screaming for Mike the next she just keeps babbling about her drape runners." He tried to laugh at the last point, but failed.
There was a brief pause, before he said, "And Annie?"
Norma looked down at her coffee mug again, swirling the small contents at the bottom to the right and left. "She seems better. Eager to get back to work though, despite my thinking it's too soon."
"That's you Blackburn girls. You do as you please, and damn what anyone else thinks. Heck, I don't reckon you'd be owner of the Double R if you didn't go out into the world with that attitude."
Norma shrugged. "I remember the first day walking through those doors after Mrs. Coulson handed me over the keys." Norma also remembered it being at the end of the first month of her marriage to Hank, when she tried her best to make it work and begin a fresh, new start as owner of the Double R. Her parents didn't approve, but she could always count on Ed and his comforting words in those troublesome first few weeks. "Maybe you're right about us doing what we please, and I have something to be thankful to Vivian for."
Clearly realising her mother was still a sore subject, Ed nodded to her mug. "Your shift over?"
"Yes. I have to head over to my new solicitor's soon, though. I received divorce papers from Hank in the mail yesterday morning."
Ed sighed, shaking his head. "He'll get nothing. You'll fight him tooth and nail, I know you will." He then reached out for her hand, "Want me to drive you over?"
Norma then pulled back from Ed's touch. It was now or never.
"I don't think so, Ed."
"What do you mean?"
Norma gulped, and cast her eyes back down on the table. "This. Us. Hank's still not gone away, and you got Nadine to look after."
"But – "
"I know we were hoping to start a new life together, but that can't happen now. And you won't leave Nadine when she's like this, Ed. That's not you. I wouldn't expect anything less." Norma felt her voice begin to break. "I think… we should stop seeing each other. For the foreseeable future. We both have too much going on to worry about what we want."
Ed continued looking towards the counter. "I understand. Now I got to... have –" He then gulped, and got up to leave without finishing his sentence.
As soon as he had left through the restaurant doors, Norma herself then got to her feet, waving away Heidi's inquiries as she bolted into the women's bathroom - and began sobbing to herself.
"Prepare yourself, Garland. He's a good man, but has his... ways."
"Oh, you needn't worry about me, Carl. I've been well informed by others on the character of Gordon Cole."
Colonel Reilly stepped inside the doorway of the large green canopy, followed closely by Garland. In the middle of the bustle of activity with technicians, federal agents and armed soldiers all around them, there stood FBI Bureau Chief Gordon Cole amongst the sycamore trees, just at the edge of the circle of stones. He was flapping his arms and out-stretching his hands in a highly animated manner to all the people around him, seemingly not noticing everyone was doing their best to cover their ears.
"RIGHTIO, FELLAS! SET UP THAT DOOHICKEY OVER HERE… AND MORE COVER! MORE COVER!"
Whether he was responding to Cole's command or not, a technician ran a long trail of wire right up to the circle of stones. He then came back with yet another of the small satellite dishes that now sat amongst the sycamore trees. The technician connected the trail of wire to dish, and smiled awkwardly at Cole who gave the young man a thumbs up. Clearly, the Bureau Chief was relishing being amongst his team.
"IT'S BEEN SOMETIME, CHIEF!" Reilly shouted towards Cole who grinned at the other two men, and shook their hands.
"IT HAS INDEED, COLONEL! YOU WERE A VALUABLE ASSET ON THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE SHAKEDOWN IN BEND! ...AND GOOD TO FINALLY MEET YOU, MAJOR, AGENT COOPER HAS TOLD ME PLENTY ABOUT YOU!"
Garland noticed Cole's handshake with him seemed to linger longer, and it was hard not to notice the deep curiosity in the other man's face when he mentioned Agent Cooper. "Um... YOU TOO, CHIEF! SHERIFF TRUMAN TELLS ME COOPER IS EXPECTED TO MAKE A COMPLETE RECOVERY?"
Cole nodded, "HE IS INDEED! THOUGHT I'M PERSONALLY ENSURING COOP STICKS TO HIS HOSPTIAL BED UNTIL HE MAKES A COMPLETE RECOVERY! WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE A REPEAT OF THE LAST TIME WHEN THAT PACKARD GIRL PUT A BULLET IN HIS GUT!"
Garland smiled, "YOU MUST HOLD A MAN OF HIS ABILITIES IN SUCH HIGH REGARD ON YOUR TEAM, CHIEF."
Cole nodded. "YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT, MAJOR! BUT ENOUGH ABOUT COOP... AS YOU HEARD, WORD FROM THE BOYS UPSTAIRS IS THAT THEY WANT A COMPLETE CLAMPDOWN ON THE GLASTONBURY GROVE SITE!" He gestured to the wires and communication dishes surrounding the sycamore trees and the canopy roof above the three of them. "I'VE MOVED THREE QUARTERS OF THE BLUE ROSE TEAM OUT HERE UNTIL WE CAN ESTABLISH WHAT EARLE WAS UP TO AND HIS LOCATION NOW, WHERE HE AND COOPER WENT IF WE'RE TO BELIEVE THE SHERIFF, AND THE TRUE NATURE OF THE FORCES IN THESE WOODS!"
Reilly looked grim, staring past Cole to the circle of stones. "Our superiors are really moving fast on this. And to think I've been heckling Washington on more funding and resources for years."
Cole frowned in confusion, looking away from Reilly to Garland and back to Reilly again. "SOUNDS DELICIOUS, COLONEL, BUT I'M NOT HUNGRY! BUT OUR RESPECTIVE SUPERIORS ARE REALLY MOVING FAST ON THIS! MY TEAM WILL NEED FULL USE OF THE OFFICES AND EQUIPMENT AT YOUR BASE, AS WELL AS REVIEWING ALL THE FILES DATING BACK TO WHEN THE MILITARY SET THEMSELVES UP OUT HERE!"
Colonel Reilly nodded. "I KNOW, I RECIEVED THE ORDER THIS MORNING! LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU CHIEF, WE APPRECIATE BEING BROUGHT UP TO SPEED!"
Cole grinned, "NO PROBLEM, COLONEL! THOUGHT YOU BOYS MIGHT APPRECIATE SEEING FOR YOURSELVES HOW SERIOUS WE ARE! LIKE THE SONG GOES, WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE BUT WE'RE TRYING TO FIGHT IT!"
The three men then said their goodbyes, and Garland said nothing to Reilly until they emerged from the canopy. As they past the trailers housing the agents and technicians, Garland decided to ask now.
"Colonel, may I request to return to active duty?"
Reilly stopped, and turned around. He shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Major. I got enough of a grilling from high-up bringing you out here tonight to see the set-up with Cole's agents."
"Any word yet on the inquiry into my abduction by Windom Earle?"
"We'll know tomorrow." Reilly gritted his teeth. "Again Garland, I just want to say I think all this talk from high-up of you conspiring with Earle to uncover top secret information is pure nonsense. Out of anyone on my team, you have easily been our greatest asset with regards to our work out here on the woods."
Garland nodded, smiling sadly. "I understand completely, Colonel. And I appreciate the kind words of support. As is so often the case with authority, they deeply fear what they cannot possibly comprehend."
At that moment, as if hearing those words, an owl hooted in the trees nearby.
In what seemed an eternity (and it may as well have been), Dale stood up from the spot from where the Giant disappeared. He brushed his eyes with his finger-tips before taking a deep breath and directly facing the curtains to his right. He stepped through.
To his surprise, he found this room smaller than the others. More narrow, and the walls not as far apart. The dwarf stood at the far end, regarding him thoughtfully.
"Do you know who I am?" the dwarf asked, in his usual, strange dialect.
Dale shook his head slowly. It was a question he pondered when he realised the dwarf existed in a literal sense as much as Bob. If Bob was a malevolent inhabiting spirit, then what was the dwarf? What was their connection?
"I am the arm." The dwarf said to Dale's unspoken question. "And I sound like this…" He then raised his right hand to his mouth, and began creating a long and loud Indian whooping sound.
Dale stared at the dwarf as it stopped making the sound. The Giant had said to 'claim the arm'… could the dwarf be the arm cut off by Mike when he rejected his killing ways? Why would Bob need 'the arm' if he and Mike once went killing together?
As Dale pondered, the dwarf walked over to a marble table that Dale hadn't noticed before. On it, was a golden ring which the dwarf picked up. The dwarf held it out towards Dale. It had a green emerald, and on it golden inscriptions of the outline of a diamond with an inverted triangle on either side. The symbol at Owl Cave.
Dale felt a certain dread well up inside him as the dwarf turned away from him. If that symbol represented the Black Lodge… the ring itself could certainly not bode well for the wearer.
The dwarf then held it out towards the figure who emerged from the curtain to his left. Laura Palmer, in a black nightgown. Laura reached out for it -
Somehow, Dale knew this wasn't the doppelganger Laura… or the Laura whose spirit remained trapped here. It was somehow Laura in a dreaming state, before she had been murdered…
He looked from the ring to Laura's out-stretched hand. "Don't take the ring… Laura, don't take the ring…"
Laura then suddenly seemed to notice him. She smiled a little, and then turned around and walked back through the curtains. The dwarf then placed the ring back on the table… did it glance at Dale almost disapprovingly?
Avoiding it's gaze, Dale then looked down at the table again. "The ring is gone." But Laura didn't take it –
"Someone else has it now." The dwarf stated.
Dale narrowed his eyes at him, and nodded in understanding. "That would indicate this is the future." It would be no surprise the Black Lodge could bend the rules of time and space. If Laura could be here, before she was murdered, the ring here, but now elsewhere…
The dwarf grinned at Cooper's realisation, nodding vigorously. "The later events have never been kept a secret."
Did that mean time existed at all here? But if not stretching in time, the Lodge did exist as a definable place. With perhaps more then one access point, Dale thought…
Dale chose his next words carefully. "Where am I? And how can I leave?"
The dwarf shrugged, "You are here and there is no place to go… " There was a pause. "… but HOME!" He added. The diminutive being then began laughing hysterically.
And before Dale could stop him, the dwarf held up his left hand, clicked his fingers, and vanished.
Nurse Mary Rhodes quickly looked up at the slightly ajar door of the nurses' locker room. Was someone there?
She shivered as she pulled her anorak on, and stepped out into the corridor. She zipped up then anorak, smiling (and not for the first time) at the ring on her finger. The image of the golden triangles on the green emerald seemed to burn into her mind. She then turned to her right and walked slowly down the corridor.
Had nurse Mary looked to her left as she walked out of the locker room, she might have noticed a familiar figure at the far end of the corridor. A frequent visitor to Annie Blackburn's hospital room. Dale Cooper.
Cooper's eyes stared hungrily after Mary as she turned the corner, and as before when he awoke, he grinned that wide, malevolent smile to himself. He stared at the darkened window opposite him, and he could just make out the reflection of a man in denims, with long, grey, filthy hair.
Soon.