Chapter 2.
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays Angela from the swift completion of anything she set her mind to. After all Angela was all about painting beautiful art and never left a project unfinished. Having said that, she ensured to call, visit or send a smoke signal everyday at five in the evening to Brennan for the next month asking her about any developments with her neighbors.
"This is getting ridiculous Angela" Brennan stated with a huff.
"Yet you are the one who is obsessed and sitting at your window around the clock" Angela smirked.
"Well I am not obsessed, I am just worried about the baby, and it cannot be conducive to his development to be trapped within the four walls of the house the whole day, every day for a month" Brennan defended.
"I am sure it is sweetie, but maybe he is not. Have you thought maybe they are not even home, and you just missed seeing him while going out?"
"No Angela, I checked the tape logsā¦.umm I mean No" Brennan trailed
"Logs, what logs? Oh No! Brennan! What have you done? You pointed your security camera at their door didn't you? Sweetie, that is just wrong, are you stalking them now?" Angela was shaking her head in disappointment.
"Absolutely not Angela, I am not, besides how can you stalk someone when you don't even see them. It is like he went into his house a month ago and never came out. Maybe he is sick, or worse dead and the kid is all alone for a month in there, he must be dead too"
"WOOH HOO HOO Brennan stop right there, he is not one of your stories' characters. Nobody just contracts a deadly disease in their own home and drop dead in real life"
"Yes they do. My stories are inspired by real life events. You have to go and check Angela" Brennan pointed to the door while moving towards her door guiding Angela outside.
After little reluctance from Angela, Brennan was able to convince her that it is best if she knocked on the door saying that she is a struggling artist trying to get people to come and watch her opening gallery next week. Which was true about the gallery, but far from Angela being a struggling Artist, she was well known and doing quite well for her young age.
Angela walked on the wet lawn across from Brennan's house formulating a plan. She would knock and wait, and if nobody answers, she would just go back and let Brennan call the police or something. She was neither ready nor willing to actually opening a door to a true decomposed body image Brennan had planted in her overactive imagination.
The first few seconds passed with no answer and no sound coming from the house. She knocked pressed the door bell again, but this time she followed it by three sharp knocks. She placed her ear to the door trying to decipher any minutia of sounds coming from inside, and finally she was rewarded with a loud yell telling her that the door is locked and to use the back entrance instead.
There on the back yard lawn, a little boy with blond curls was lying on top of his father's chest, placing his chubby fingers on his father's face and giggling while the adult was making childish funny faces.
Angela watched the scene in front of her for a moment reveling in the contradicting beauty that is man and son. She cleared her throat earning her two sets of eyes squinting in her direction. The sun being straight in the their eyes they were able to see only a silhouette of a beautiful young woman standing at the backyard gate with her hand trying to hold her skirt down a little from being blown by the occasional March cold breeze. The boy jumped from his dad and crawled towards her calling
"MOMMY"
The man was up on his feet in a second running and lifting the boy in his strong arms, yet very gently, he hugged him and placed his palm protectively on the back of the boy's head, whispering loudly enough for the boy and to Angela to hear.
"Hush Parker, let's find out who the lady is, but this is not mommy OK."
"Hi, Sorry to intrude on your time with your boy, but you asked me to use the back entrance"
"Well, we were kind of expecting someone, so who are you?" Booth said firmly.
"My name is Angela, Angela Montenegro I had invited everyone on the street couple of months ago to my art gallery opening next week, and I just thought since you just moved in here last month, I should extend the invitation to you as well".
"Do you live in this Area?" Booth asked.
Angela was surprised with the question, but answered in the negative anyway. However the next question he asked surprised her even more.
"How did you know then?"
"How did I know what?"
"You said you knew I moved here last month, but you also said you did not live in the area, so again I ask how did you know or better yet, why are you really here and who sent you?"
"Are you for real? Forget it ok. I withdraw my invitation; you are no longer welcome to the opening." And with that she walked away but turned on her heal and asked him one last question
"What are you an interrogator or something?"
"Negotiator, I was, umm not anymore" Booth replied feeling a bit guilty for his uncalled outburst.
"Well obviously not anymore, I assume you were lousy at it"
With that his anger was back and he retorted screaming to her to get the hell out of his house.
Why was Booth suspicious and angry, and why did he lock himself and the boy in the house for a month. What is his story? You will find out in the next chapter, when have a sneak peak at his history.
I am sorry I have not updated since the first chapter, but my husband and I have both lost our jobs due to restructuring in the institution we were working in and we were busy trying to avoid killing each other because of boredom. Anyway, we still haven't found any work yet, and I thought might as well go back to dream land and enjoy my time writing instead of sulking.
