Orphans Beloved: "The Singing Gardens…"
Summary: : Like my Immortal Beloved and Sheldon Swifties bits in my Buffyverse and Sheldonverse, these are fragments and short bits, some longer…Just to fiddle with ideas, possibly forming longer tales later.
Disclaimer: No copy write infringement intended…
Part XI…
A jangling alarm was followed immediately by a feral screech of panic and a loud crash…Art immediately off the couch in the cottage's living room in which he'd slept and gun drawn from the holster kept near was quickly on his feet and turning around to sweep all directions.
"Helena!"
"Arthur?!" the bedroom door was thrown open and she was out in an instant, a pen clenched in hand.
"HOLD IT!" he called to her, she freezing at sight of his drawn gun. "Sorry." He lowered the gun. "I just didn't want you tossing that pen at some neighborhood kids trying to have a little fun with the new tenants. Are you ok?"
"My fault…" she sighed, putting up hand. "The alarm frightened me. I am of the jumpy natures, sorry."
"I get that…" he nodded. "There was a crash…?" sigh… "Tell me it wasn't anything valuable looking."
"Just my so much insignificant head on table and wall…I swear."
"What?" he eyed her, noting now a bit of blood trickling. "Are you hurt?"
Sly, shy smile. "Is not fair to ask former nun noviate that when she wishes to say, 'why no, I'm well and this is strawberry jams'. Or 'Yes, very much. Please play the doctor.'"
"Just let me see…" Art came over and inspected the wound, brushing hair away, gently…
"What did you bang your head on?"
"Little table by bed…" Helena noted as he continued examining. "Sorry…Table is ok, I thinks. And wall, but that is ok I know. Very sorry, Arthur." Sheepish look.
"It's all right so long as you're ok. Sorry I didn't know about the alarm."
"Your friend is early riser. Commendable."
"Not always. He does like to fish, though and early morning's the best…"
"Fish?" Helena, eagerly.
…..
Early morning sun gleaming on the water, as Art's rowing generated a reasonable wake…Helena eyeing him from the rear of the rowboat as he pulled the oars back.
"You should let me do this, Arthur…I asked to come out."
"It's fine. I like the exercise." He smiled at her.
"You are very kind to do such for me." She beamed, brushing hair back as she looked across the water to the other side of the lake, turning her face to feel the early sun's rays.
"Well, Miss Holt…It's not every day a crime suspect returns from the dead." He noted, pulling hard. "And I rather like it out here early myself. I do have a question…?"
"Please…" she prepared herself, sitting up. Slightly nervous look…
"When and how did you manage to get a Canadian sport fishing license, Ms. Chen?" grin.
"Maggie was very kind…" she beamed. "And I'd needed id anyway…"
He pulled in the oars, regarding her. "We should be in a good spot in just a second. Helena? Why didn't Maggie come to Beth, to us?"
"The police? Against the Dyad devil?"
"I suppose we weren't very effective in Sarah's case." He nodded.
"You are very brave as was Beth. Maggie wouldn't want to have put you both in danger. Besides, Tomas was suspicious of her, watching…As were the devil Leekie and his minion, my dark sister."
"Rachel Duncan."
"Let us hope she would be the only one besides me to follow the darkness." Turn away, watching the water move, the boat slowing.
"I guess Maggie was right to be careful. I wish Beth had known she was on her side." Art noted quietly. Lifting and dropping anchor over the side. "So tell me…How'd a city girl like you learn to fish?"
"Fish or starve some days in Ukraine." She shrugged. "And I loved going to lake to fish. It was so peaceful…No one yelling or cursing you. The nun who would take me was one of the kinder ones. And she would sleep the whole time, so I could do as I pleased for a little while."
"But you didn't decide to run…?" he lifted a rod and handed it to her, she taking it deftly.
"Where was I to go?" shrug. "Even if I hadn't believed, as little novice, that Jesus and the Holy Virgin would abandon me if I fled the nuns…"
He nodded silently. Lifting up his own rod and examining its reel and line.
"Nice lures…" Helena eyed the lure on the end of her line. "But I find a little bread the best of all." She pulled out a slice of bread and tore it into pieces, placing several on hooks of the lure.
"We'll see…" Art grinned, casting his line.
"Oooh, McPherson…Nice arm there…" she beamed. "I see you are not just city boy either…"
"Summer camp…And weekend fishing." He nodded, letting out line and reeling…
"Nice…" he eyed her cast…
"I am more used to pole and line but Maggie takes me a few times." She smiled.
"So Tomas was a fraud all along?" Art eyed her, pulling his rod a bit…
"All along…Yes…But I think he paid a heavy price for his treachery." Helena, quietly. Gently tugging at her line.
"HA, HA, HA!" she cried exultantly, the line jerking. "I tells you, the bread gets them!" she eagerly reeled, carefully pulling the rod.
"Ok, play him a little…" Art, eyeing the line… "There you go…Pull him in, he's hooked tight."
"I didn't kill him, Art." She noted quietly. "Johannsen said he went back to Europe…I knew it was lie. They found out about him or just wanted me all to themselves."
"I'm not surprised." He nodded. "Keep reeling, you'll lose him…I'll get the net."
"Johannsen is scientist too…He wanted the science…The religion was just the dressings." She noted.
"Which is good, in sense…That they were all liars, not of God, yes?" quietly anxious. "It could mean God has not rejected me sestras…Only evil ones using His name in vain?"
"I'd agree with that…" Art nodded, lowering the net to scoop up a large pike. "Good one, girl." He beamed.
"Breakfast. Oh!" she pointed to his bobbing line.
"Looks like a good day for both of us…" Art noted. She returning warm smile.
Jesus…Angie, pulling back binoculars as she stood on the bank of the lake, about two hundred feet from the cottage of Art's friend. She returned to staring through them at the sight…Art Bell and the mad Helena laughing together in a small boat on the lake. Helena proudly raising a large fish on her line as Art reeled in another.
A radiant smile evident on Helena's face as she watched Art focus on reeling in his catch…
….
A rented Lexus pulled into a reasonably three-star yet unobtrusive Montreal hotel…Aldous Leekie and Rachel Duncan emerging, each wearing dark glasses.
"Sorry for the lesser accommodations…But you did insist on coming." Leekie noted, thanking the valet taking his keys and luggage.
"It's fine, Aldous. Whether to meet a new sister or one I have a score to settle with, I wouldn't have missed this for the world." Rachel noted.