Power of Suggestion - Chapter 4
by Una Moonstar
ANs: I hope you all are still enjoying this - I certainly had fun writing it! That being the case, I'll let you get right back to the action...
(fade out...)
(begin chapter...)
Serena froze for half a second before her instincts kicked in letting her dodge the blow. Her hand shot out and caught the offending wrist and she flipped her assailant over her shoulder and to the floor. She followed it up with a Judo hold Haruka had taught her.
A feminine groan reached the blonde's ears and she used her free hand to grope for the penlight she had dropped in the attack. Once she had it she shined it in her captive's face. "Morgan DeMarco!"
"Please. Let go. You're hurting me," she pleaded.
Serena released the girl and stood. "Sorry. But you were trying to kill me!"
"No, I wasn't!" Morgan protested. "I was protecting myself! I heard footsteps coming up the basement stairs and thought it was Jackson's murderer!" The lavender-haired woman rose to her feet and brushed herself off. "Who are you? How do you know my name? And what are you doing here?"
"My name is Serena Tsukino and I'm trying to find Jackson Knight's killer. I saw you talking to Jackson at the Union about an hour before he was murdered." Serena crossed her arms over her chest.
"Find his killer? Don't the police have evidence that Darien Shields did it?"
"Do you know Darien at all?" the blonde asked softly.
"I had him in a few classes last semester."
"Do you really think he would do this?" Tears started to well up in Serena's sapphire blues.
Morgan chewed on the inside of her cheek as she looked at the slightly smaller blonde in front of her. "It doesn't make a lot of sense. He never seemed the type to get violent."
"He's not," Serena whispered as she wiped a few tears away. "Anyway," she continued, her voice clearer, "why are you here?"
Morgan blushed. "Well, um, I was looking for something."
"What?" Serena pressed, shifting her hands to her hips.
"Love letters." The purple-haired girl lowered her head.
Serena blinked. "Love letters?"
"Yeah." Morgan took a deep breath and continued. "Jackson and I were dating, and I wrote him love letters. But he was a teaching assistant, so he was off-limits to me as a student. I just didn't want to get in trouble. So I came here to get them."
A blonde eyebrow rose. "Really?" she asked skeptically.
"Of course!" was the indignant response. Serena tensed as the slightly taller girl reached into her jacket and pulled out a pack of envelopes. "See?"
The petite blonde snatched them out of the outstretched hand and flipped through them. There were hearts and a few "I love you's" decorating them. "I'm sorry I doubted you."
"Doesn't matter. Look, can I have those back?" Morgan pleaded.
Serena looked doubtful. "I don't know. There could be evidence in here."
"In a bunch of love letters? Come on. Besides," Morgan started to look around nervously, "the police have been patrolling this area more than usual. I saw a squad go past just before I used my spare key to get in. Just give me my letters so I can go before we get caught!"
"Patrols?" Serena asked, shocked. Morgan took advantage of the other girl's distraction and snatched her letters back. "Hey! Wait!" the blonde called as Morgan headed for the bedroom door. "I wanted to talk to you!"
"Not now!"
"But it's really important! Please!"
Morgan sighed. "Fine. We'll talk over breakfast tomorrow morning. Come to my dorm room at nine o'clock and we'll go out."
"I'll be there."
The lavender-haired woman nodded and left.
Serena sighed and started to use her penlight to search the bedroom quickly in case Morgan had been right about the police. She gasped as a small, unmarked envelope was illuminated close to the bed. After reaching down to retrieve it, she opened the flap and found two computer disks inside. "This must have fallen out of Morgan's pocket when she pulled out those letters," Serena mused, noting the proximity to where the other woman had been standing. "If she was going to take these, they must be important. We'll see what Amy says."
The blonde breezed through the other rooms of the apartment, pulled up her hood, and snuck out the patio door in the back. Heedful of Morgan's warning, she ran behind the other apartment buildings for about half a block before crossing the street and walking quickly to the station wagon where Lita still sat waiting, staring intently at the small building.
"Miss me?" Serena asked as she slipped into the passenger seat.
Lita jumped, nearly hitting her head on the roof, and turned to face the newcomer. "Don't do that! You're lucky I didn't strike out at you!"
Serena grinned as she took down her hood and pulled off her gloves. "Aw, you knew it was me."
"That may be the case, but still!" Lita took a few deep breaths. "So, did you find anything?"
"Yep! Morgan DeMarco and this." She held up the envelope.
"Morgan DeMarco? And what's the envelope for?"
"I'll tell you on the way to Amy's. Let's get going. Morgan said the police were patrolling this area a little more than normal."
"Right." Lita started the car and started to drive off. Both breathed a sigh of relief when they noticed a patrol car head toward Jackson's building as they reached the end of the block. It had been that close.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
A little while later Serena stood with Lita in front of Amy's door with her fingers crossed. They had just knocked and the blonde was desperately hoping that the blue-haired genius was home and not busy.
The door opened. "Serena! Lita! What are you guys doing here so late? It's eleven o'clock!" Amy asked, surprised, letting her two friends into her apartment.
"We just came from Jackson's apartment," Serena started to explain as Amy shut her front door. "I ran into Morgan DeMarco while I was there. It turns out she was dating Jackson Knight and wanted to get the love letters she had written him so she wouldn't get in trouble for dating a teaching assistant. When she pulled the pack of letters out of a jacket pocket to show me she dropped this." Serena held up the small envelope with the disks inside and handed it over to Amy.
Amy opened it and examined the contents. "Two three-and-a-half inch floppy disks," she mused, glancing at the labels. "Both labels are written in the same handwriting."
"I got that the green one should have the results of Davis' studies on it, but what about the blue one? It says reevaluation," Lita asked.
Amy frowned slightly as she led the way to her bedroom. "Is this Professor Davis' handwriting? Or Jackson's?" she queried as they reached their destination.
"I'm not sure," Serena answered. "Darien might have some samples of each though."
Amy nodded and sat at one of the two computer systems she had set up. "Let's see what these have to tell us. This may take a while."
"No problem. We'll go check on Darien and grab a snack while you work. Is it okay if we stop back in an hour or so?" Serena asked.
"Sure. I should have something by then." Amy smiled.
"Then we'll see you later, Ames," Lita said. The tall brunette and the petite blonde left.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
Serena hadn't gotten five steps into Darien's apartment before she was smothered in her fiancé's embrace. "Oh, gods, Serena, are you okay? What happened?" Darien asked, slightly panicked, while Lita joined Ken on the couch.
"He's been like this for the last half hour, forty-five minutes. It was all I could do to keep him from going after you guys," Ken said.
Darien stepped back slightly and took Serena's face in his hands. His eyes roamed over her features for a moment before he kissed her thoroughly. "Please tell me what happened," he said raggedly after they broke apart.
"Well, we went to Jackson's apartment. I found an open window and snuck in. When I walked into the bedroom, Morgan DeMarco took a swing at me with a soccer trophy. I dodged," she said quickly, noticing the flash of protective anger in Darien's eyes. "After I realized who it was, she explained she had thought I was Jackson's killer and was defending herself. She said the police were patrolling the area, and before she left I made arrangements to talk to her tomorrow morning over breakfast. Once she was gone I found an envelope with a couple of disks. Amy's looking at them now."
Darien took her back into his arms. "I was so scared. I felt you in danger and I knew I shouldn't go since I didn't feel you transform and Lita was closer. But I was afraid. Oh, Serena, I don't want to lose you."
"Darien, I know. I know. I'm okay. Really."
Darien just nodded into her shoulder and held her even closer.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
An hour later, Serena and Lita were back at Amy's to check on her progress.
"Well, I got into the green disk with the original data and evaluation. I've been looking it over while my other computer works on the blue disk. It's encrypted, so I'm going to have to crack the code before we can find out what's on it," Amy explained.
"Encryption? I've heard the word before, but I'm not completely sure what it means," Serena inquired.
"To put it in simple terms, it's like someone put a huge, complicated combination lock on the information on that disk. I have to find the right code or combination to get at it."
"Okay, I get it now," Serena said. Lita nodded.
"Unfortunately, this means it's going to take more time. But I'm working as fast as I can."
"Don't worry about it, Ames. We know you'll do your best," Lita assured her.
"That blue disk could be the key to everything," Serena mused. "Obviously somebody wanted to keep the information on it a secret."
"That's true," Amy agreed. "Look, I'll go over the information about Davis' studies that is on the green disk while the other machine works on the blue disk. As soon as I have results, I'll let you know."
Serena nodded. "That would be great. And while we're talking about the disks, here." She handed her blue-haired friend three sheets of paper.
"What are these?"
"Samples. You wanted to know whose handwriting was on the disks. Darien gave me some notes he got from Professor Davis, Jackson, and Damien."
"Oh! Thanks, Serena. I'll take a look at that too then."
"We'll leave you to it. Come on, Serena. The guys are waiting." Lita grabbed Serena's arm and started to lead her toward the door.
"Right. See you tomorrow, Ames!" Serena called just before the two of them left the blue-haired genius to her work.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
Lita grabbed Ken as soon as the two girls got back to Darien's apartment, leaving Serena and Darien alone. "It's about time. I've missed you all day," Darien said before kissing the breath out of his fiancé.
"It's too bad I have to get up early tomorrow," Serena said once she recovered.
The ebony-haired man sighed. "I know. But at least you're staying with me."
Serena smiled. "Come on. Let's go change, and I'll bring you up to date on my investigation."
The two of them retired to the bedroom, where Serena made good on her promise and they curled up together and went to sleep with the radio playing softly.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
A couple of hours later, Serena woke up, suddenly missing Darien's arms around her. She opened bleary sapphire blue eyes and looked at the clock radio. "Two thirty six?" she muttered disbelievingly. "Darn it!" She paused and listened to the song that had just begun. "Oooo, 'Control.' I like this song."
Still missing the warmth of her beloved she turned over to see what had happened. Darien lay on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling. Serena pulled the sheets up to her chin and snuggled close. "I love you, Darien." She closed her eyes and smiled playfully. "Do you love me?"
"Yes," he responded softly.
"How much?"
"With all my heart and soul and more," he answered promptly and seriously.
"You are so romantic," Serena said as she snuggled some more and kissed the bare skin of his chest. "I'm sorry we had to restrain ourselves earlier. How do you do it?"
"A lot of self-control."
"Why do you do it? It wouldn't hurt every now and again."
"I love and respect you too much to lose control. I don't want to hurt you."
"I don't think you'd ever hurt me. I can prove it. Hold me and kiss me. It won't hurt." She grinned.
Darien rolled over to face Serena and took her in his arms. As soon as he had, he lowered his lips onto hers and began to kiss her passionately.
But Serena could still feel a thin layer of restraint. "Darien," she whispered between kisses, "you know you have my permission to lose control tonight."
She almost physically felt it snap. Suddenly, Darien was kissing her harder and with more passion than she had ever remembered feeling before in this lifetime. His hands roamed for a bit before tearing the sheets not only off her, but off the bed completely in one swift motion. He ravished her neck, his hands once again on her body.
'Wow!' Serena thought in a hormonally induced haze. 'If this is what he keeps a rein on all the time…' She couldn't complete the thought as her body's needs drove her to meet Darien halfway.
The ebony-haired man growled when his lips met the collar of the old, oversized T-shirt Serena wore to bed. He grabbed the neckline and ripped the offending article out of the way and continued his oral exploration.
After a couple more minutes of gasps, moans, and groans, Darien stopped abruptly and brought his face back up to look intently into Serena's eyes. They were both breathing heavily, and she could see the question in the midnight pools above her. "Keep going," she managed to breathe out, her eyes flashing. His eyes did the same, and the two soul mates proceeded to make wild, passionate love with abandon, beyond anything they had indulged in before.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
Serena opened her eyes the next morning with an annoyingly persistent thought niggling in the back of her head. There was something important she had to do, but she couldn't remember what. Her eyes fell on the clock radio. "Eight o'clock!" she moaned in disbelief. "Whatever I can't remember better be important!"
She turned her head to the left and came face to face with her sleeping lover. Darien was lying on his stomach with his right cheek against the pillow and his left arm across her stomach. His thick black hair was in total disarray and his bangs had fallen onto his closed eyelids. What made a smile appear on Serena's face was the way the corners of his mouth were turned slightly upward.
Serena watched Darien sleep for about five minutes before she remembered what she had to do that morning. "Morgan!" she whispered frantically. "I'm supposed to talk to Morgan DeMarco over breakfast this morning!" She sighed and lightly brushed the hair out of Darien's face. Then she managed to maneuver her way out from under his arm and off the bed without waking him.
After a quick shower, Serena went to the phone to try to find someone to go with her, since she found Darien still asleep. "We'll go alphabetically. Please be home, Mina!" she pleaded as she dialed the blonde's number.
"Hello?" Mina asked groggily after six rings.
"Mina! Sorry to wake you, but I need someone to go with me to talk to Morgan DeMarco this morning. I'm supposed to meet her at her dorm room for breakfast at nine. Can you come?"
Mina yawned and sighed. "What time is it now?"
"Eight-thirty and you should be up anyway," a male voice said in the background. "Your mom is making breakfast."
"Oh, hush, Artemis. Yeah, I'll come. Jamie was going to go bike riding all morning anyway."
"Great! Thanks! Say, is Luna over there? She wasn't at the house when I stopped by last night."
"Yeah, she is. And I filled them both in last night after they were finished grilling me about where I'd been so late. Should I see if they want to come?"
"Might as well. Two more heads can't hurt. Meet me a little before nine outside Takeuchi Hall, with or without the cats. We'll go in together."
"Gotcha. See you then."
"Right." Serena hung up the phone and dashed into the kitchen to make a light, pre-breakfast snack.
Once she was done cleaning the few dishes she had used, she checked on Darien one last time. He was still asleep, but now he was holding the pillow she had slept on close to him. Serena smiled and didn't have the heart to wake him just to tell him she was leaving. She walked over to the bed, leaned over, and gave him a soft brief kiss on the lips. Before leaving the apartment, she wrote a note on the pad of paper Darien had next to the phone explaining where she had gone and that she'd be back as soon as she could. She sighed, took one last look, and left.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
Serena was double-checking the amount of space left on Lita's tape as Mina ran up with a half-open blue duffel bag on her shoulder. "Hey, girl," Mina said as she flopped onto the bench beside her fellow blonde.
The meatball-headed woman gave her friend a wide grin. "Hi! Thanks for coming!"
Mina's brows furrowed and she looked Serena over. "You had a good night last night," she declared.
Serena dropped her gaze and blushed. "What makes you say that?" she choked out.
Mina grinned wickedly. "Well, for starters, you are way too relaxed considering what we're here to do. Second, I can feel your blush from here. But most importantly, I am the Scout of Love – of course I know! So, did you have fun?"
Serena blushed some more. "Yes. But this isn't the time to talk about that," she added quickly.
Two moans from Mina's duffel bag drew the girls' attention. "Couldn't you have warned us you were going to run?" a white cat with a golden crescent moon on his forehead whined as he stuck his head out of the open zipper.
"Even Serena's never done this," a black cat with a matching mark added as she joined him.
"Hi, Artemis, Luna," Serena greeted the new arrivals.
The black cat jumped out of the bag and into Serena's lap. "How are you doing?" she asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, Luna. I'm just having a little trouble finding someone with a motive to kill Jackson Knight." She ran her hand along her dark cat's sleek fur. Luna purred.
"You'll be fine," Artemis assured her. "It sounds like you've been doing a great job investigating so far."
"Speaking of which, don't we have to be there at nine?" Mina asked.
"Oh, that's right!" Serena looked at her watch. "It's nine now. Let's move."
"Does that mean we have to get back in the bag?" Luna asked, grimacing.
Serena smiled. "Afraid so. I don't think they allow animals in the dorms." The cats sighed and ducked back into the duffel.
A minute or two later found the two blondes in front of room 106. Autumn Green once again answered Serena's knock. "You again! What do you want this time?"
"Look, Morgan told me to meet her here so we could go out for breakfast. Could I talk to her?" Serena asked.
"She didn't say anything to me." Autumn scowled.
"I'm sorry if we woke you, but we really need to talk to her." Serena was ready to fall on her knees and beg.
Autumn sighed. "I couldn't let you if I wanted to. She's gone." Serena gasped.
"What do you mean gone?" Mina asked quickly.
"Just that. I heard her rummaging around earlier, but I had studied late last night and was trying to sleep in." The brunette opened the door wider. "See?"
"No!" Serena cried at the sight of the empty half of the room. "Do you have any idea where she went?"
"Why should I tell you?" Autumn asked suspiciously.
"She's right, Serena," Mina said before Serena could respond. "She doesn't have to tell us anything. Let's just leave her to take the fall for her roommate." The red bow-bedecked blonde started to drag her meatball-headed counterpart away.
"No, wait!" Autumn cried. "What do you mean, take the fall? What can I do?"
"Well, Morgan might have some connection to the Jackson Knight murder. I'd hate to see the police come here and bug you about it," Mina said somewhat tauntingly.
"Mina, stop it. Could we just look through what's left of her things, if anything? We're just looking for the truth."
Autumn took a long look into Serena's sapphire blue eyes and sighed. "Come in. Do what you need to do." She paused. "You were telling the truth last time, weren't you?" she asked quietly.
Serena shut the door behind them before she answered. "Yes. Darien is my fiancé, and I'm a student here." She smiled. "Oh, this is Mina Aino, another one of my friends. She's a student too."
Autumn nodded. "I'm sorry for kicking you out last time. I guess I was afraid."
"Don't worry about it." Serena and Mina thoroughly checked Morgan's side of the room. All they found was a little bit of make up and some stray papers. Even the posters were gone. "How could she have grabbed everything and left so quickly?" Serena asked, bewildered.
"She never had a lot to grab. A couple of suitcases and her laptop, really," Autumn explained.
"For a whole year?" Mina said incredulously. "That doesn't seem right."
"Maybe she wasn't planning on staying for a whole year," Serena mused. The paper-filled trashcan next to the desk caught her eye. She walked over and looked inside. A pad of paper rested on top of a pile of loose sheets, and Serena pulled it out. A company's name and logo were printed on top.
"What did you find?" Mina asked as Autumn looked on, worried.
"A pad of paper. Says Subtle Subliminals, Inc. on top with their logo," Serena said as she ran her fingers lightly across the top sheet. "I wonder…"
"What are you thinking, Serena?" Mina asked.
"I have an idea. I need a pencil." Autumn snatched one from her own desk and handed it to the meatball-headed blonde. "Thanks." Serena lightly ran the lead across the paper, revealing the impressions of words that had been written on the page above it. "Yes!" she exulted.
"What did you find?" Autumn asked.
"Morgan wrote something on a sheet and tore it off. It left an impression on the paper below it. It says, 'Air Japan, Kyoto, Flight 261, 10:30 am.' I think we all know what that means."
"She's leaving the city," Mina said forcefully.
"Maybe she's just going home." Autumn shrugged. "She's from Kyoto."
"So is Subtle Subliminals," Serena said, taking another look at the pad of paper. "Let me check something. Can I use the phone?" she asked Autumn.
The brunette nodded and quickly handed her the cordless. Serena dialed the number printed on the notepad and crossed her fingers.
"Thank you for calling Subtle Subliminals. This is Janine. How may I help you?"
Serena's luck was holding; they were open on Saturday! "Could I speak with Morgan DeMarco please?"
"I'm sorry, she's on assignment. Can I take a message?"
"No, that's alright. I'll try back later." Serena pressed the off button, handed the phone back to Autumn, and smiled at Mina. "Well, that answers that."
"Morgan works for Subtle Subliminals! Then she can't be a real student!" Mina exclaimed. Autumn gasped.
"Right. This Subtle Subliminals sounds like a rival of Positive Thinking. Morgan could be an industrial spy trying to get information about Davis' learning study," Serena guessed.
"And maybe Jackson found out, and Morgan killed him to keep him quiet!" Mina cried.
"No! She's not like that! I know she's not! She wouldn't kill anyone!" Autumn argued.
Serena put a gentle hand on the distressed woman's arm. "I believe you. But we need to catch Morgan before she leaves so we can prove it. She has to answer our questions. Let's go, Mina." The other blonde nodded and they dashed out the door.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
The girls got lucky and caught a cab as soon as they got to the street. After speeding to the airport and paying the driver, they rushed inside and made their way to the nearest Air Japan counter. "What gate does Flight 261 to Kyoto leave from?" Serena asked as Mina subtly let Luna and Artemis out of the duffel bag.
"Gate 172b," the attendant answered after a moment.
"Thanks." Serena and Mina dashed off toward the gate, the cats at their heels.
When they got near the right gate they saw the line of passengers waiting to go through the final metal detectors. All four started examining the people. "Look for lavender hair!" Serena instructed. Just then she saw who they were looking for.
There were three people in front of Morgan DeMarco, and she looked nervous as she fiddled with the straps of her two carry-on bags. She wore a pale blue sundress and white sandals.
"Morgan!" Serena shouted. The lavender-haired girl jumped at the sound and turned toward its source. Her eyes widened, and she tried to force her way through the metal detector. The guard turned her away, so Morgan dropped her bags and ran, Serena and Mina right behind her.
Unseen by the three running girls, the two cats got ahead of them. Spotting an area where the crowd was thin, they braced themselves for impact.
Morgan shot a look over her shoulder and saw the two blondes directly on her tail. She put on a small burst of speed. When she brought her gaze back to the front, the violet-haired woman saw two cats standing directly in her path. She was going too fast to put on the brakes so she tried to go around and wiped out in the process. Serena and Mina were on top of her within moments.
"Why were you running?" Serena asked firmly. "What are you trying to hide?"
"That's none of your business!" Morgan scrambled up and started to brush herself off. "Where do you get off trying to stop me?"
"I told you what I was trying to do. You know, the police should be very interested to know about your romance with Jackson. At that point you leaving abruptly like this will look awfully suspicious," Serena responded, crossing her arms over her chest.
"But I didn't have anything to do with his death!"
"Sure you didn't," Mina scoffed. "Look, we know you work for Subtle Subliminals. You're an industrial spy!"
Morgan's eyes grew wide. "How did you find out about that?" she whispered. Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she looked at Serena. "Did you find the computer disks I dropped?" she asked meekly. Serena nodded. Morgan sighed. "Why don't we have that talk?"
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
Fifteen minutes later found the three girls (and the two cats hiding under the table) sitting in the airport restaurant eating an early lunch. "So you are an industrial spy?" Mina asked.
"Yes. But Jackson wasn't my partner or anything," Morgan hurried to add. "He was too honorable for that," she finished sadly.
Serena reached out and put a hand over Morgan's clenched one. "Please, tell us everything."
The lavender-haired girl nodded. "I graduated from college two years ago and was immediately hired by Subtle Subliminals. I registered here for spring semester under false pretenses and tried to work my way into the psychology department." She smiled ruefully. "I attempted to use my charms to win over Damien Vrice, since he seemed to be in charge of the learning study and that's what my employer is most interested in, but I got rebuffed. Turns out he's been living with his girlfriend for the last three and a half years." Morgan sighed. "So I decided to go for the next best thing since rumor had it that all three of them had access to the data from all three studies. I went for Jackson Knight."
"What happened?" Mina asked, caught up in the tale.
"He resisted at first, but I eventually won him over and we started dating. But he wouldn't tell me anything. So I signed up for the study group hoping to learn what I wanted that way."
"So what happened on Thursday afternoon?" Serena asked. "Why was he so cold toward you? Had he found out you were trying to use him?"
"I don't know. He'd been distant for about a week and a half, really concerned with the studies. Said there were problems, but nothing more than that. I confronted him on Thursday, and you saw the results. That's all I know," Morgan finished softly, closing her eyes.
Mina gasped. "You fell for him, didn't you?"
Morgan nodded. "I had started to." She opened her eyes and tears fell down her cheeks. "I have this nagging feeling that his death is connected to Professor Davis' studies somehow. Did you find anything on those disks?"
Serena shook her head. "Not yet. Our friend Amy Mizuno is working on it."
"Good. I hope she comes up with something soon," Morgan said sincerely.
"Me too," Serena agreed softly.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
Hours later, Serena sat on the steps of the Cherry Hill Temple while the party went into full swing behind her. Luna and Artemis said they were going to Central Command to check if they could get any information there, and Darien had said he'd wait for her inside; now all that had to happen for her to be able to start enjoying the party was for Mina and Jamie to get there. Finally, they arrived.
Serena grinned. "So this is what I get for promising to wait for you, huh? The party's already started!"
"Oh, hush," Mina said, returning the grin. "Jamie got back late from his ride and had to shower."
"It's true; for once, it's my fault," Jamie agreed, earning him a smack on the arm. "And believe me, I needed to shower."
"Fine, fine," Serena said dismissively with a twinkle in her eye. "You're here now, so let's party!" The three of them hurried inside.
They found the dance area packed, and threw quick waves to Chad, who was the DJ for the evening. He smiled and waved back. "From what I've heard so far, Chad's going to do great!" Serena enthused.
"I hope so; he's been really nervous," Jamie said.
Mina then dragged her boyfriend to the snack table. Serena laughed and started looking around for Darien. "Serena!" Raye called as she walked up to the petite blonde. "How did everything go with Morgan? Darien told me you went to talk to her this morning with Mina."
"Everything went fine after we tracked her down at the airport."
"The airport?" Raye exclaimed. "Was she trying to take off?"
"Yeah. But Mina and I convinced her to stay. I'll tell you everything later, when we can talk without needing to shout at each other."
"Right. And I'll hold you to that too. Now I'm going to make sure Chad has everything he needs." The raven-haired priestess started to make her way through the crowd toward where her scruffy, sandy-brown-haired boyfriend stood amidst his equipment.
Suddenly a hand covered Serena's eyes and an arm wrapped around her waist. She tensed.
"So, Kitten, I hear life's gotten pretty interesting since we left."
Serena sighed as she turned around after she was released. "Haruka! You scared the daylights out of me!"
The tall blonde smirked. "It's good to see you too." Serena smiled.
"How are you holding up?" the graceful, aqua-haired woman next to her asked.
"I'm doing fine, Michiru. In fact, I think our investigation is finally getting somewhere."
"That's what Setsuna told us. Is there any way we can help?" Michiru asked.
"Besides severely hurting whoever did this?" Haruka added, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Serena!" another voice called out before the petite blonde could answer. "It's so good to see you!"
Serena laughed as a fifteen-year-old body with long, straight, black hair crashed into her and squeezed her tight. "It's good to see you, too, Hotaru!" she said as she squeezed back.
"Setsuna-mama told us about what's been happening," Hotaru said, her dark violet eyes flashing, after she pulled away. "We're here to help any way we can."
"Thank you, all of you," Serena responded. "I'm sure we'll be able to come up with something for you to do. In the meantime, enjoy yourselves. This is a party!"
Hotaru laughed. "Great! If you need me I'll be over by the snack table. Airplane cuisine leaves a lot to be desired." She paused. "Lita was in charge of the snacks, right?"
Serena giggled. "Yeah. And don't worry. Neither Mina nor I had any hand in them."
Hotaru's eyes widened. "Oh! I didn't mean it that way!"
"Don't worry about it." Sapphire blue eyes sparkled with mirth. "Just go enjoy!" Hotaru smiled and left.
"Haven't you improved your cooking skills yet?" Haruka asked incredulously.
Serena smiled gently. "Actually I have. But don't tell anyone. Lita's been giving me lessons, and we want to surprise everybody. Mina on the other hand…" All three women laughed. "By the way, did you know your music is being used to help people lose weight, Michiru?"
The aqua-haired woman blinked. "Lose weight?"
"Amy and I stopped by Positive Thinking, Inc., and Jeffrey Cross played us their 'Lose Weight Fast' tape to show us how subliminals work. It was that last violin piece you recorded before you went on tour along with sounds of the ocean."
Michiru scowled. "I knew I never should have signed that contract." She gave Haruka a look. "This is all your fault, you know."
It was Haruka's turn to blink. "How is this my fault?"
"I believe you said, and I quote, 'What could a little more exposure hurt?' This is what comes of a little more exposure."
Haruka shrugged. "So now you'll have a lot of dieting women scrambling to buy your music. What's wrong with that?"
Serena giggled while Michiru sighed and smiled. "I suppose nothing. This just isn't the kind of exposure I wanted."
Haruka wiggled her eyebrows. "I know. That will have to wait until we're alone." Navy blue eyes twinkled with mischief.
"Oh, stop it. Look, Serena, you have our cell numbers. Feel free to call anytime if you need us. Right now we're going to say hello to the others."
"Okay, thanks." Serena grinned. "Have fun!" She watched as the other two women waved and walked off.
Serena gasped as once again her eyes were covered and an arm wrapped around her midsection. "Well, I know it's not Haruka," she said, breathless.
"I agree. I am most definitely not Haruka."
The petite blonde spun around and came face to face with a certain ebony-haired man with midnight blue eyes. "You're trying to scare me to death, right? You and Haruka have it all planned out."
Darien grinned as his right arm joined his left in holding her. "And it will more than likely work too."
Serena rested her hands on the taller man's shoulders. "I think so too. So how have you been enjoying the party so far?"
"I've been having a good time. I see you invited a few of my old classmates."
"It was only fair. The party is for everybody after all."
"Thank you." Darien's expression grew soft. "You know I'd never hurt you, right? I love you too much."
Serena smiled gently. "I know. I trust you. And I love you too."
Darien perked up as a slow song started. "May I have the honor of this dance, Your Highness?"
"Of course, Your Highness. The honor is mine."
With that the couple made their way into the dancing crowd and moved together slowly, lost in their own little world.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
Raye, Mina, Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, and Lita stood together close to the kitchen watching the royal pair. "They look so happy together," Hotaru said wistfully.
"They are," Mina said with a sigh.
"I can't believe someone thought they could get away with framing Darien," Haruka said, quietly fuming. Michiru rested a hand on her arm.
"I cannot wait to find out who it is," Raye growled. "No one does this to my friends and gets away with it!"
Lita grinned viciously. "When the three of us get through with this guy, there isn't going to be anything left."
"Three?" Michiru asked calmly. "What makes you think only the three of you want a piece of him?" Mina and Hotaru nodded their agreement.
"Setsuna-mama would help too, but she said she can't leave the Time Gate right now," Hotaru said. "And we better include Amy. I wouldn't want her to feel left out."
"We can't have that," Michiru said. "It would be awfully rude."
"She'd never forgive us," Lita added.
"We better not tell Serena. She'd just spoil our fun by telling us not to," Mina warned.
"Sometimes she's too soft," Haruka commented.
"Maybe, but that's her greatest strength, the power of her love," Raye said seriously, her eyes on the latest subject of discussion. Haruka nodded her head in concession of the point.
They all grew quiet and watched as the song ended.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
Darien and Serena swayed together for a few beats after the song ended before coming out of their little world. They smiled at each other and looked around the room. Their gaze fell on the outside wall first, and they started to make their way in that direction. Soon the couple had joined Amy and Greg on the sofa that had been placed along the wall across from the snack table and door to the kitchen.
"Hi, guys," Serena greeted cheerfully. "How are you enjoying the party?"
Both members of the seated couple smiled softly. "We're having a good time," Greg responded.
"How's the work on those disks coming?" Serena asked Amy.
"I'm almost done looking through the information on the green disk, and I haven't cracked the blue one yet. My computer's still working on it. If it breaks through while I'm not there, I set up my Mercury computer to let me know and I can access the information through it."
"Great!" Serena grinned. "I was wondering if you'd show considering what I dumped on you last night."
"You didn't dump it on me. You brought evidence to the person you thought most qualified to examine it – and I offered to help. So don't think you're imposing."
"Of course you're the most qualified!" Serena enthused. "You're a genius and a whiz with computers on top of it! And I appreciate everything you're doing for us." With that she grabbed Darien's hand and gave it a squeeze.
He returned it. "I'm grateful, too, Amy," Darien added.
"Anything for my friends. So what's the next step, Serena?"
"Well, Mina and I stopped by and brought Captain McMahon up to date on what we know so far, and he said he'd pass it along to Lieutenant Alexander. I'm not completely sure where to go next, although I have a feeling that whatever information is on that blue disk is going to be key." Serena sighed, then perked up as she caught the start of Janet Jackson's "Control." "Oh, yes!" she exclaimed, grabbing Amy and Greg's hands. "We all have to dance to this one! I love this song! Come on, Darien!" she said over her shoulder.
Amy giggled as she and Greg were pulled to their feet. "Oh, Serena, you are so impulsive!"
But Serena wasn't paying attention. Her gaze was caught on the sight of Darien's blank, slack-jawed expression. "Darien?" she breathed. His eyes darted back and forth briefly, as though he were looking for the source of the sound, before settling back into the blank look, and he didn't respond.
"What's going on?" Greg asked worriedly.
Amy and Serena looked at each other, realization dawning on each of their faces. "I think Darien is in a trance," the blue-haired woman answered. "We need to get him alone and figure out what's going on."
"Right. Darien, let's get you somewhere less crowded," Serena said as she took the ebony-haired man's arm and started to move him out of the main room. He nodded and allowed himself to be led.
Halfway across the room, they were met by Raye, Haruka and Michiru. "Is something wrong? You guys look worried," Michiru asked intently. Serena merely pointed at Darien.
"What's with him?" Haruka asked, confused.
"We think he's in a trance," Amy responded. "Raye, can we use your bedroom? We should get him alone."
Raye nodded. "Go ahead. I'll make sure the others know what's going on."
"And we'll make sure you aren't interrupted," Haruka added. "Lead the way."
The six of them continued toward the bedroom while Raye hurried to the kitchen. Haruka and Michiru stood outside the door while Amy, Greg, and Serena took Darien inside. "Let us know if you need us," Michiru said before closing the door.
Because the walls were so thin, the song could still be heard, and Darien remained in his trance. "So what do we do now?" Greg asked.
"I'm not sure. Serena, try talking to him," Amy suggested.
Serena tried to swallow some of his nervousness and nodded. "Darien?"
He shifted his half-lidded gaze to the petite blonde in front of him. "Yes?" he responded softly.
"Are you okay?" Serena bit her lower lip.
"Yes."
Serena looked at Amy, her sapphire blues beginning to get a bit wild. "Stay calm, Serena," Amy told her friend. "He's okay; he's just in a trance." The blue-haired genius looked the ebony-haired man over. "Darien, do you know what triggered this trance?"
Darien's midnight blues flitted briefly toward Amy then returned to Serena. He didn't respond.
"What's going on, Amy? Why didn't he answer you?"
Amy's brow creased in thought. "I think it might be that he doesn't trust me enough. Think about what you've read, Serena. Trust is vital to the relationship between the therapist and patient when using hypnotism. Even highly suggestible people may not fall under if they don't trust the person attempting to do so."
Serena took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. I think I'm better now. And I remember what you're talking about." She looked at her fiancé with a thoughtful expression. "Darien, do you trust Amy?"
"Serena…" Amy began, but was cut off by Darien's response.
"Yes, I trust Amy."
"Then why didn't you answer her question?"
"I don't trust her completely."
Amy nodded while Serena gasped. "Why not?" the blonde asked, confused.
"The way I remember growing up taught me never to trust anyone completely. That way I can't be hurt as easily."
The other three people in the room looked at each other in response to the completely calm tone in which the hypnotized man spoke. "Then what about me?" Serena asked.
Darien smiled softly. "You've always been the exception. Somehow you broke through all my defenses and I found myself trusting you more than I ever had anyone else before. I have yet to regret it."
"Oh, Darien," Serena whispered, tears coming to her eyes.
"Don't cry, Serena. It breaks my heart when you cry."
Serena smiled. "Don't worry, Darien. They're happy tears." He nodded. "So do you know what triggered this trance?"
"The music. The song started, like it always does."
Serena quickly glanced at Amy, who had a look of concentration on her face. "Hmm. I think I have a theory, but I want to be sure."
Just then, they noticed the song end, and Chad start to talk to the crowd. They couldn't quite make out what he was saying. Darien came to quickly. "Serena?" he asked in a normal tone of voice. "Where are we and how did we get here?"
"We're in Raye's bedroom," Serena explained. "You really don't remember?"
"No, I don't." Darien looked confused. "What happened?"
Amy and Serena looked at each other. "It looks like you blacked out again," Amy answered.
Darien's shoulders dropped and he closed his eyes. "Great. Wonderful. Now it's just happening randomly."
"I'm not so sure about that," Amy said. "Greg, could you go ask Chad for that CD he was playing? I want to test my theory."
"You bet. I'll be right back." Greg hurried out of the room.
Haruka stuck her head in afterward. "Is everything okay? Is he better?"
"Better?" Darien asked, his eyes popping open. "What do you mean by that?"
"I guess that answers that question. How do you feel?" the tall blonde woman asked as she and Michiru stepped inside and closed the door.
"Confused. I don't know what's going on and no one's telling me."
"I'll explain everything as soon as I'm sure," Amy said as Serena wrapped her arms around his waist. "For now, why don't you sit on the bed and let me do a scan? We'll see if this is being caused by anything physical." Darien complied after giving Serena a squeeze.
A light knock sounded from the door as Amy began her scan with her computer. Mina and Hotaru quickly entered the room. "Raye told us what happened. Is everything okay?" Mina asked.
"So far," Serena responded as she watched Darien.
"The Mercury computer didn't find anything physically wrong with you, Darien. You haven't hit your head or had any accidents like that, have you?" Amy asked as she put her computer away.
"No, not that I remember," Darien answered, draping an arm over Serena's shoulders when she sat next to him on the bed.
Greg reentered the room, CD in hand. "Here you go, Amy. Chad said not to worry about hurrying back with it."
The blue-haired woman smiled as she took the jewel case. "Thank you, Greg." She turned to examine the room. "Now where is Raye's CD player?"
"On the desk under the window," the black-haired priestess said as she entered the room and closed the door behind her. Amy jumped. "Surprise," Raye said with a smirk.
Darien sighed. "Should we wait for Lita and the guys?"
"Lita will be here shortly, but the guys said they'd stay out there and keep people from looking for us," Raye explained.
"Think of it this way," Mina said, grinning. "This will save everyone the hassle of explaining what happened later." Darien rolled his eyes and conceded the point.
A minute later, Lita slipped into the room and Amy moved over to the CD player. "Now that everyone's here, I'll explain what I'm about to do," the blue-haired woman began. She put the disc into the stereo. "Darien went into a trance earlier when Janet Jackson's 'Control' started playing. When Serena asked if he knew what caused the trance, he responded that it was the music. The song started, like it always does." Everyone watched the blue-haired woman intently, Darien a bit confused. "What kind of music have you been listening to during your subliminal sessions, Darien?"
The ebony-haired man blinked at the apparent change in topic then answered. "I've listened to a variety. But rock songs seem to be the most common."
"And what do you think about while the music is playing?"
"Not much. I was told it was best if I let my mind wander so I do."
Amy nodded. "Okay. I'm thinking that it's this particular song that triggers your hypnotic state. I'd like to test this theory. Is that alright, Darien?"
"That's fine. It'll at least answer one of my questions."
Amy forwarded the CD to the right track and pressed play. Once again, the beginning chords of "Control" could be heard by those in the bedroom, and once again Darien's eyes went blank and jaw went slack. Everyone gasped. Amy stopped the music, and Darien began to blink. "Let him come out of it naturally," Amy warned before anyone could do anything.
Finally, Darien shook his head slightly and looked around. "Darien, how do you feel?" Serena asked breathlessly.
"I feel pretty good." He looked at Amy. "So when are you going to play the song?"
Everyone blinked. "Already done, Darien. It confirms my theory. Janet Jackson's 'Control' is a trigger to put you into a hypnotic trance," Amy explained.
"Does that mean Darien was hypnotized into shooting Jackson?" Mina asked.
"Probably not," Serena answered. Everyone but Amy looked at her strangely. "What? I studied this too! And what I read said that most studies show you can't hypnotize someone into doing something they wouldn't do otherwise."
"She's right," Amy confirmed as Darien smiled and kissed the flustered blonde.
"I didn't realize you'd studied that much," Darien whispered into Serena's ear. "You surprised me."
Serena huffed lightly then her eyes grew wide. "Oh, gods," she breathed, sitting up ramrod straight.
"What? What is it?" Amy asked as everyone turned worried eyes on the now-blushing blonde.
"Oh, my," was Serena's only response as she continued to stare straight ahead.
Darien took her face in both his hands and forced her to look him in the eye. She only blushed more. "Serena, tell me what's wrong," he said seriously.
"Nothing's wrong exactly, but…" The meatball-headed blonde bit her lower lip. "Well," she continued when Darien urged her to continue with a look, "that song played last night on the radio."
"It did?" Darien asked, drawing back slightly. "I don't remember blanking out at all."
Serena blushed some more. "It was after we'd gone to bed. About two thirty in the morning actually."
"But we went to bed about twelve thirty," he said, bewildered, dropping his hands from her cheeks.
"I know."
Darien sat and thought for a moment. "Two thirty? You're sure?"
"Definitely. I woke up because I didn't feel your arms around me anymore and looked at the clock. It said two thirty six and the song had just started."
The ebony-haired man's brows furrowed. "But I never let go of you in my sleep," he muttered. Then his eyes widened. "You don't mean…"
Serena nodded. "Oh, yeah. That's what I mean."
This time it was Darien's turn to blush furiously. "Oh, gods."
"My thoughts exactly," Serena said with a nod.
"I thought I was acting out a dream."
"Oh, it was definitely dream worthy, but you had been in a trance."
By this time most of the others were lost. But not Mina. She stood watching the blushing couple with impish delight twinkling in her eyes, and she barely held back her laughter. "This is so neat!" she exclaimed. "So did Darien being hypnotized make it better?"
"Mina!" Serena cried while she and Darien turned an even deeper shade of red.
The bouncing blonde's comments made Haruka and Michiru realize what Serena and Darien had been talking about. It was all the tall blonde could do to keep from laughing.
"What in the world are you talking about?" Raye asked irritably. She hated being left out.
"Oh, come on," Mina scoffed. "Put one and one together," she said, wiggling her eyebrows.
"That's two and two," Amy corrected as realization dawned on everyone else's faces.
"Not this time, Ames," Lita said with a smirk. "Mina's right on the money." Serena buried her head in Darien's chest while he hid his face in her hair.
"What are you…" Amy's voice trailed off as she finally got what the others had been trying to say. "Oh!" She blushed even more than the couple in question.
Greg came over and took her in his arms as the others laughed. "It's okay, Amy."
Amy took a few deep breaths and looked back at the crowd, a light tint still staining her cheeks. "Well! As… interesting as this last topic was, we should get back on track."
"Definitely," Darien muttered, raising his head. Serena peeked an eye out from where she remained buried in Darien's chest and arms.
"The fact remains that someone had a reason to hypnotize you, Darien," Amy stated.
He nodded while Serena sat up. "We just met an expert in hypnotism yesterday," the petite blonde said.
Amy's eyebrows rose. "That's right! Darien, have you ever met Jeffrey Cross?"
"No. I hadn't even heard of him until Serena told me about what you guys did yesterday."
"Hmm. I still have a feeling he's connected to all this somehow," the blue-haired genius said thoughtfully.
"Who's Jeffrey Cross?" Haruka asked.
"He's the president of the company that's helping fund Professor Davis' learning study," Serena explained.
"You mentioned him earlier," Michiru said.
"Yeah. But what I didn't say is that he was once convicted for manslaughter. He's a suspect, but we haven't found any proof linking him to the murder."
"So what do we do now?" Lita asked.
"Maybe we should get another hypnosis specialist to undo Darien's hypnotism," Raye suggested.
"Like who?" Haruka asked.
"Davis," Darien said. "I've been having weekly hypnosis sessions with him for the past six weeks."
"Davis? As in the Davis running the learning study?" Michiru asked.
"Yeah, that's him," Darien confirmed.
"What if he's the one who did this in the first place? Is he a suspect?" Hotaru asked.
Serena nodded a bit sadly. "He has to be. There's a lot of money riding on these studies, and he's an expert in hypnotism." She looked at her fiancé. "I'm sorry."
Darien sighed. "I understand. You're covering all the angles, just like you should. Personal feelings can't get in the way."
"Well, we can't go to him then," Mina said with a shrug. She looked at Serena and Amy. "Can either of you do it?"
The two women in question looked at each other. "I don't know…" Serena started.
"Oh, come on, Serena. You put Mina and me into a trance a couple of weeks ago at the get-together at my place. You can do it," Lita encouraged.
"There's something else to consider," Amy said. "Right now, if we undo the commands, we'll be destroying evidence."
"What do you mean?" Raye asked.
"She means that if we can show that 'Control' puts me into a hypnotic trance, it might help prove that even if I did shoot Jackson Knight it wasn't of my own volition," Darien explained.
"So why was Darien hypnotized again?" Haruka asked.
"Probably to be used as the murder weapon," Amy said.
"But we know that he's incapable of murder in any case!" Hotaru exclaimed.
"The person who hypnotized him wouldn't have, at least not until it came time to pull the trigger," Serena commented.
"That's true," Amy agreed. "Now we just have to come up with a motive that's more than just a theory."
"Hold on a second," Michiru said, her brow creased slightly in thought. "Maybe undoing the commands wouldn't be a good idea, but couldn't you use a trance to find out what really happened Thursday night?"
Serena and Amy looked at each other while Darien blinked and Lita smacked her forehead. "That idea has possibilities," Amy concluded.
"Couldn't Serena use the Silver Crystal like she did on Damien Vrice?" Mina asked.
"No," Serena protested before anyone else could. "I knew exactly what I was looking for with Damien. And it had just happened so it was first in his thoughts. I don't know what happened on Thursday so I'd have to dig, and that could cause damage. I can control the crystal quite well, but I haven't mastered it yet, and Darien most definitely is not going to be my guinea pig."
"We'll have to do this the old fashioned way. Darien, are you up for it?" Amy asked.
"I want the truth. I'm up for it," he responded seriously.
"Serena, are you going to be able to handle this?"
"Aren't you going to do it, Amy?" Lita asked.
"No. Darien only trusts Serena enough for this to work. She's the only one he would respond to when he went into his trance earlier," Amy explained.
"I'll be fine," Serena said softly, looking into Darien's eyes. "For Darien, I'll be fine." He smiled at her gently.
"Then we'll do it tomorrow," Raye declared. "Come here after lunch, and you can use the fire room. No one will bother you there."
"Why not in the morning?" Hotaru asked.
"Are you kidding?" Raye scoffed. "It's going to take us all morning to clean up after this crowd." Hotaru giggled.
"So how do we want to work this?" Haruka asked.
"Well, I guess it's up to Darien. Whoever he feels comfortable with. Although…" Serena eyed the youngest member of the group speculatively. "I think I'd like you to be here, Hotaru. Your special abilities may come in handy."
"I can heal too, Serena," Darien protested.
"I know, but what if something happens to you? I'm just going on a hunch anyway."
Darien smiled. "That's fine with me then, as long as you want to be here, Hotaru."
"I just want to help any way I can. I'll be here," the black-haired girl said with a gentle smile.
"Anyone else?" Serena asked.
Darien sighed. "I suppose anyone in this room. I went into a trance with all you here so I guess I'd be okay."
"We won't be here, Darien," Michiru said, smiling. "I think we'll use some of our… resources, and do some background checks. We'll see what we can come up with."
"Just give us a list of everyone involved in the studies," Haruka added.
Just then the Mercury computer started beeping. Amy quickly pulled it out of her extra-dimensional pocket and flipped it open.
"Is it the blue disk?" Serena asked eagerly. "Did you get through the encryption?"
"No," Amy replied, reading the information on the small screen. "I had my computer running an analysis of the information on the green disk for comparison with my own results."
"So what does it say?" Lita asked.
"Well, Professor Davis has been using the learning study to establish a statistical improvement in learning for those in the study. Some get subliminal messages on their tapes, some don't, and some don't listen to tapes at all. But all of them participate in the same study group and take the same tests. There's a similar method being used in the other two studies as well."
"So?" Raye asked.
"So the information on this disk says that the subliminals work. Davis is almost done with the studies and he's had excellent results."
"Something in your voice says you don't believe it," Haruka said.
"I'm not sure. There's a lot of statistics and numbers I haven't finished looking at," Amy said as she sat at Raye's desk. "Greg, could you hand me the folder in my bag?" He nodded and reached into a navy blue bag by the door.
"I don't know if he's right yet or not," the blue-haired genius continued as she took her folder from her boyfriend with a smile. "I've been looking through the individual files to see how he interpreted the results. Some of his reasoning is confusing. I'll have to work on it some more." She opened the folder and pulled out a piece of paper.
Before she could go on there was a quiet knock and the door opened. "Hey, guys," Jamie said as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, we have a few more answers. A lot more questions, but a few more answers," Lita said as he joined Mina where she sat next to the desk.
"What about Darien's file?" Serena asked Amy, returning to the subject at hand.
"It's interesting you brought that up. I couldn't find it. I suppose it's possible I've overlooked something, but…" Amy shrugged.
"Hey, wow!" Jamie exclaimed before anyone could respond. "You found him!" He pointed to the Positive Thinking brochure tucked inside Amy's folder.
"Found who?" Serena asked, rushing over to the desk.
"The guy I saw going into the psychology building Thursday afternoon. He's probably wearing a wig in this picture, but it's definitely him." He pulled out the color pamphlet and handed it to Serena. "This is your man."
"Jeffrey Cross," Serena whispered, looking at Amy.
"He said he'd never been on campus," Amy said.
"I'd say this bears some investigation. Jamie, you're with me tomorrow morning at nine. I want to make sure you've got the right guy," Serena said decisively.
"Sure," Jamie said with a shrug.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
"So what's the game plan again?" Jamie asked the next morning as he, Serena, and Lita sat in the tall brunette's green station wagon outside a house a brief search had revealed as being Jeffrey Cross' residence.
"I suppose we can just ring the doorbell. When Amy and I talked to him he said he had never been on campus. If you're right and he's the man you saw going into the psychology building on Thursday, he was lying," Serena explained.
"And the only reason he'd lie about that would be if he were up to no good. Killing Jackson Knight, perhaps?" Lita added.
"I'll do my best, guys." With that, Jamie exited the car, the two women soon following.
They had just gotten out of the car and were about to cross the street when a man came out of their destination. He wore a light robe over a T-shirt and a pair of flannel boxers. When he bent over to pick up the newspaper resting on the doorstep, they could all see a shiny head with a fringe of hair around the temples. "That is Jeffrey Cross!" Serena exclaimed.
"See? I told you! That's the man I saw!" Jamie cried, excited.
Cross' head rose at the sound of the younger man's exuberant shout. His eyes widened and he hurried back into his house, slamming the door.
Serena, Jamie, and Lita rushed across the street. "So who do you think caused that reaction?" the blonde woman asked. "I sure wasn't expecting it."
"Got me. What do we do now?" Jamie asked.
"We ring the doorbell," Serena said firmly. "I still want to talk to him."
"So let's do it," Lita said.
The three of them moved to the front door they had seen Cross disappear behind, and Serena rang the bell.
"Go away!" came the response.
"I only want to talk to you, Mr. Cross," Serena pleaded.
"I don't have anything to say to you," his muffled voice called back.
Serena's expression became determined. "Look, Mr. Cross. When you talked to me on Friday you said you had never been on the Tokyo University campus. Why did you lie about that?"
"You'd better leave, or I'm calling the police!"
"That's not such a bad idea, Mr. Cross. Maybe you can tell them about why you lied to Serena," Lita said indignantly.
The three students stayed on Jeffrey Cross' doorstep for the next ten minutes, trying in vain to get him to talk to them. Then a beat-up blue sedan followed by a squad car pulled up. Lieutenant Alexander stepped out of the sedan and walked toward the house, while two uniformed officers got out of the other car and waited near it.
"Lieutenant Alexander, I'm glad you're here!" Serena greeted the rumpled man with a smile.
"Lieutenant Alexander is here?" The front door flew open and Jeffrey Cross stomped out. "Lieutenant, these children are harassing me! Arrest them!"
"What?" Lita cried in disbelief.
"We are not!" Serena protested.
"Cool it, all of you!" Alexander snapped. "Now then, it's Sunday morning and you're disturbing the peace of this man's home. Do you have a problem?"
Serena straightened in indignation. "I'm investigating Jackson Knight's murder, and this man is a prime suspect!"
"What?" Cross shouted. "You have got to be kidding! Me, a suspect in a murder? How dare you?"
"Just be quiet, Mr. Cross; I'll ask the questions. You know," the lieutenant directed at Serena, "he's got a point. Just where do you get off butting into a police investigation? How dare you badger prominent citizens in my city?"
"I can explain," the petite blonde began.
"Save your breath. I'm sure I've heard it all before." Alexander brushed her off with a flick of his wrist. "You've decided you're some sort of amateur detective, and you don't think your precious lover boy killed the professor's assistant. So now you're looking for some other sap to take the fall for him and you think you've got evidence linking Cross to the crime. And this gives you the right to stick your nose where it doesn't belong?"
"Now hold on one second," Serena said, her sapphire blue eyes blazing with suppressed fury. "I have every right to try to find the truth. I do have some suspects other than Darien Shields and I have found evidence linking others to the crime. If you'd just let me explain!"
"Oh, save it. I don't want to hear the fantasies of a love struck teenager with an overactive imagination!" The lieutenant's face was inches from Serena's. She refused to budge. "I have been a cop for the past twenty three years and a detective for the last seventeen. The last thing I need in the middle of a murder case is some child who's decided she's some hot-shot detective telling me I don't know how to do my job!"
He took a deep breath, reining in his anger, while Serena stood glaring at him, her jaw clenched almost to the breaking point. "I'm only going to say this once: I have a suspect. I have a motive, opportunity, and a murder weapon that the suspect is supposed to have been the last person to see before it was stolen with his prints all over it. On top of that, the suspect can't even offer up the weakest of alibis. It's an open-and-shut case, so back the hell off!"
Serena stood there, not having moved once during Alexander's tirade, trying to get her own anger under control. She could feel Lita behind her doing the same thing. Shooting a glance at Jeffrey Cross, she saw him standing there, arms crossed over his chest with a smug, triumphant look on his face. Finally she had gathered herself together enough to speak. "I'm trying to help your investigation. If you could just see that…"
"Don't bother, Serena," Jamie interrupted. "He's obviously not interested in keeping an open mind. But I will tell you one thing," he said to the lieutenant before the man could respond, "I told you I saw a man going into the psych building late Thursday afternoon. This is him." He gestured to Jeffrey Cross, who looked indignant. "He told Serena he had never been on the Tokyo University campus. Now I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job or anything, but you might want to find out why he lied about that. Let's go, ladies." He led Lita and Serena back to the car, leaving Alexander looking speculatively at a suddenly nervous looking Cross.
The three of them got into the station wagon, Lita slamming her door. "Thanks for the help, Jamie," Serena said.
"Anytime. I just can't believe he was that rude," Jamie said from the back seat.
"I don't care if he is a cop, he had no right to talk to you that way!" Lita raged. "He's lucky I didn't smash his face in!"
"Calm down, Lita," Jamie soothed. "He's not worth it." He turned to Serena. "So what now? Do you back off the case?"
"Not in this lifetime," the petite blonde said determinedly. "I know we're close; we just have to keep looking. We should drop by Amy's and see if she's gotten into that blue disk yet."
Jamie smiled. "I'm glad you aren't letting that blowhard intimidate you. Could you drop me off at Mina's on your way to Amy's? She and I are supposed to do a few things with her parents today."
"No problem," Lita said as she started the car.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
Fifteen minutes later, Serena and Lita walked into Amy's apartment after hearing a faint "come in" in response to their knock. They went back to Amy's bedroom and opened the door.
"What the heck?" Lita asked as Serena gasped at seeing Morgan DeMarco sitting next to Amy by one of the computers.
"What are you doing here?" the petite blonde asked, bewildered.
"Hi there," Morgan said, embarrassed. "I tried to find you at the Cherry Hill Temple, but the old priest said you weren't there. Then I remembered you mentioned your friend Amy Mizuno was working on the disks, so I came here."
Silence fell as Morgan and Serena gazed at each other speculatively while Lita and Amy looked on. Finally the lavender-haired girl sighed. "Look, I know I haven't given you much reason to trust me, but after our talk at the airport I realized I couldn't run away from this. I need to see it through and find out the truth. For Jackson."
"What about your job at Subtle Subliminals?" the blonde asked gently.
"I don't know," she responded softly. "I haven't really given them any information about Davis' studies yet. The time I spent with Jackson has made me question the ethics of spying." She took a couple of deep breaths. "But after seeing what's on these disks, I know I'm staying until this mystery's solved," Morgan said in a stronger tone of voice.
"What did you guys find?" Serena asked with hope dawning in her eyes as she and Lita rushed over to the computer.
"I finally broke through the encryption," Amy began.
"And?" Lita asked eagerly.
"Professor Davis' data suggested that subliminals have been very successful in a variety of areas. But I couldn't quite follow his reasoning. Apparently Jackson had the same problem, so he reevaluated the information. The blue disk had his results. It looks like Jackson sorted through the data, eliminated the statistical discrepancies, and did his reevaluation," Amy explained.
"What did he find?" Serena asked breathlessly.
"Jackson came to the conclusion that while the studies don't disprove the effectiveness of subliminals, they don't prove it either. There were a variety of effects, from a large improvement or success, depending on the study, to no change or apparent effect, to a drastic worsening of whatever condition the study was focusing on."
Serena thought about it for a moment. "So what you're saying is…" She trailed off, a sneaky suspicion forming in her mind.
"What she's saying is Davis lied!" Morgan interrupted. "He falsified the data to come up with the results he and Cross wanted!"
