Here we go with the next installment that was again edited by my friend Gemenied. Every mistake you may find is caused by no one but me. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

The night air in the cloister was cold and smelled of snow and freshly burned wood. In her opinion, winter nights weren't as romantic as novels claimed they were and love wasn't as vitalizing as people believed.

Tonight was one of those nights when the cold threatened to consummate her and she was convinced the reason for the cold inside her was the burden resting on her soul, the shadow guarding her heart. It haunted her and caused her to hasten through the dark, cold corridors of the convent, although she should be in her cell at this hour of the night.

In a few hours, rushed steps would disturb the silence of the old walls and a new day would start. Time enough for her to find the kind of solace that only the silence of the night and the feeling of the beads between her fingers, while she prayed the rosary, could give her. Sometimes, she just needed this time for herself, because she had to collect her thoughts, but tonight peaceful meditation was not enough. Tonight she needed the kind of forgiveness that only the sight of the cross offered.

Shivering, Della stood in her aunt's bedroom and looked at the broken window and the fragments of glass that still covered parts of the floor and the bed. The cold wind that came in from the outside was nagging at her like a rat that had found her first meal after a very long time. It had stopped snowing and now a clear blue sky and bitter cold moved in.

The window needed to be repaired as quickly as possible, but until one hour ago an army of policemen had been besetting the house, even though there wasn't much to discover.

The massive stone, the doll and the short but unmistakable note tied to it had been taken by the police, but the examination for forensic evidence was a waste of time in Dellas' eyes. Pauline was responsible for the abduction of Lorraine Bertrand's daughter, as they had expected it from the very beginning, and Pauline played games with them, enjoyed being in charge.

Perry and Lorraine were already on their way and thank God the weather conditions had improved. She wrapped the long, woolen scarf more tightly around her body. Soon she would have to face Perry again. Soon she would have to face Lorraine, the mother of the little girl that was in grave danger. Lorraine and Lilly surely hadn't signed up for this and it hurt to know that she, Della, was the reason for the despair the little family was in. Again she was the one who turned Perry's life upside down, and made it impossible for him to go on with his life as he had imagined it.

She heard steps behind her and turned her head. It was Paul. He stopped in the doorway, visibly uncomfortable with the cold, messed up bedroom and the concern written all over his face.

"Come on, Della," he said. "It's way too cold in here. Join us in the living room. I made a fire; you must be frozen by now."

"I'm fine."

"But Mae's not. The old dragon received the shock of her life when the stone ended on her bed last night. As a result, she's grumpier than ever."

Della made her face. "Just give me a minute."

Paul sighed and approached her slowly. "Listen, Beautiful, I know you're scared, but staring at the hole in the window won't help you." He placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them gently. His kind-hearted eyes lay affectionately on her and his voice was warm. "We'll get Pauline. I know you feel as if she had you, but she hasn't. I won't allow it and Perry won't either. As soon as he gets here, we'll find a way to catch her for good."

Della wasn't at all convinced of this, but she didn't want to call Paul a fool for his trust in the success of whatever the three of them did and so she returned the gentle touch and tried to make the smile she forced on her face look as if she was as confident as he was.

"I'm sure we will."

When Perry and Lorraine arrived at the police station, Lt. Monroe was already busy to coordinate the search groups to locate Pauline.

Perry watched him, as he briefed his men with the support of three FBI present agents, and was positively impressed when he realized that the Lieutenant was a man who knew how and what to do. Monroe had also noticed their biggest problem: Pauline obviously didn't work alone. The stone that had been thrown through Mae's window couldn't have been from Pauline herself, because between Lily's kidnapping and the throw, the roads to town and the airport had been closed. That left several options to think of: Pauline and Lilly could still be around Los Angeles and someone was here who contacted Della, or Pauline had somehow managed to get into town, but Perry doubted she was traveling with Lilly, because the police searched for them all over the country. Lilly was, thanks to her red hair, an eye-catching child and Perry didn't believe for a minute Pauline would take the risk to be seen with her.

"It's more than likely that Mrs. Straight has a partner who's here in town and does the dirty work for her." Monroe explained to the crowd of police men. "In her note she promised to contact Miss Street again in the next 24 hours, which leaves us a time frame of less than 13 hours to find her accomplice. The stone was thrown from the garden next to the empty house next to Miss Street's home, but we couldn't find any evidence that the house had lately been used by someone. Aside from that I want you to search the cabin in the mountains where Miss Street was held captive three years ago. It's possible, Pauline Straight will go back there to relive the events from back then. From now on the FBI will arrange the protection of Miss Street and her aunt, another 2 agents will lead the search groups. Thanks for your attention."

The group dissolved and Monroe instantly approached Perry and Lorraine. He greeted Perry with a hand shake and introduced himself.

"Mr. Mason, I'm glad you got here so quickly. Mrs. Bertrand, I'm sorry we have to meet under these circumstances."

"Thanks, Lieutenant," Perry said. "I take it, you have no clue who could be Pauline's accomplice?"

"Unfortunately not," Monroe admitted. "As far as we can say, she hasn't contacted anyone here in town. The FBI searched through her mail, but there's no evidence, she ever corresponded with anyone from here during the last three years. The agents also talk to the staff of the institution, but so far no one seems suspicious. Now, we are concentrating on people who moved here in the last few months or stayed here for vacation. But as you can imagine that takes a lot of time."

"I see. How's Miss Street's aunt doing?"

Monroe's forehead wrinkled, as he eyed Mason for a moment, before he answered more stiffly.

"Mrs. West is fine... A bit shaken, but as I understand it, she's survived worse. And just for the record, her niece is doing fine as well. She's a strong woman. We increased the number of people who guard the ladies."

"Thanks, Lieutenant." Perry said, apparently oblivious to Monroe's colder attitude. "I'm glad to hear they're in good hands."

"That's not necessary. We just do our job." Monroe turned his head and looked at Lorraine, who looked pale and overly tired. "So, why don't we sit down? We can talk in my office. You look as if you need a coffee."

Della leaned against the window frame and looked out. Outside at the sidewalk one police car and two black cars, screaming FBI, were parked.

"Why do I feel like the prisoner?" she asked and turned to Paul who stood at the mantelpiece, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"These men are here protect you. They won't bother you."

"I know it's not their intention, but I don't feel comfortable."

"Nobody would, but right now our options are limited." Paul abandoned his cup and took a look at his watch. "Perry should be here soon."

He watched Della closely, while she decided not to react to his statement. She had crossed her arms over her chest and stared again out of the window.

"I know this is bothering you, but it's not your fault Pauline chose this little girl."

"It is my fault, Paul. You know, I'm not a violent person, but I really wish I had not missed Pauline, when I had the chance to shoot her."

"Stop torturing yourself. You know you don't mean that."

"Believe me, I do mean it. And now I have to face the mother of a small child who's probably worried sick, because she doesn't know if she sees her daughter again, because of me."

"Nobody blames you. Perry doesn't blame you and Lorraine won't blame you either. I know her. She's a good person."

Della shrugged, "Well, we'll know very soon how she feels about me, right?"

Monroe led Perry and Lorraine out of his office. "As soon as we have the slightest hint where your daughter is, I'll call you personally, Mrs. Bertrand," he said and gave her a warm smile.

"Thank you," Lorraine said and managed to return the smile. "Thank you for everything."

"There's no need to thank me. Mr. Mason." He shook Perry's hand, but this time the smile died on his face.

"We stay in touch," Perry nodded, keeping a smile for himself as well. It was obvious that these two men would never manage to be more than polite with each other. There was nothing but mutual dislike that was reined in by the mutual respect they had for each other's profession.

Outside the building Perry walked Lorraine to the car he had rented. He opened the passenger's door for her, but didn't let her enter when he noticed a small, brown package on her seat.

"Wait," he ordered, instantly suspicious, and looked around.

"What's in it?" Lorraine asked, trembling.

Carefully Perry crouched down into the car and examined the package without touching it. There was no address, no sender, nothing.

"No idea, but it can't be a coincidence it ended up in our car. Let's get Monroe out here."

Ten minutes later, the package lay on Monroe's desk and waited to be opened.

"It could be a silly joke of some kids," Monroe suggested, while he put on some gloves, though it was obvious that he didn't seem to believe it himself. "One officer saw a boy with a package like this on the other side of the street."

"Just open it!" Lorraine begged, blindly searching for Perry's hand.

"All right, all right."

Monroe took a small knife and cut the small strings. Then he slowly unpacked the wrapping paper until a wooden box appeared. Lorraine bit her lower lip, as Monroe lifted the cover and when Perry's eyes first caught the contents of the box, he tried to turn Lorraine around so that she wouldn't see it as well, but it was too late. She screamed at the top of her lungs and Perry held her close to him, as she started crying.

~tbc~

So how will it feel for Perry and Della to see each other again? How will Lorraine react when she meets Della for the first time? Oh, and what could be in the mysterious package?