I apologize Gothic Spook! I was pouring over this chapter last night and
was supposed to get it posted, but then I had to go to bed otherwise I'd
have been a cranky bitch this morning! LOL!
Here's a revised chapter 3. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'll be waving my hand, watching you drown, watching you scream, quiet or loud. Maybe you should sleep. Maybe you just need a friend, as clumsy as you've been. You will be safe in here."
~Our Lady Peace, Clumsy
Chapter 3: The Makings of a Valuable Partnership
John looked at Monica, who looked back at John. They'd been listening to the Nameth family lawyer babble on and on about the numerous amount of charges he was placing against the FBI. The lawyer had introduced himself only as Cochraine, but the Agents didn't need to know anything else. What Phoebe had failed to mantion in interrogation was that her parents were practical millionaires and they were sueing the FBI for something that neither of the Agents understood. Kersh was demanding they return to Washington, probably and most likely to be fired.
"Furthermore, Miss Nameth is and upstanding citizen with no criminal record and does not belong in a prison such as this. Have you understood everything I have told you?" He stood up straight, his hands folded behind his back. He litterally looked like a Politician. Agent Doggett nodded for the sake of him to shut up. The lawyer nodded and picked up his briefcase. "You'll be hearing from me." He said, and left the room. Agent Reyes dropped her head into her arms.
"You know she could have mentioned her parents had legal rights to sue the FBI." She said tiredly to Agent Doggett. He gave a weak laugh.
"That's the last time I arrest someone." He said, still laughing. "You can put the cuffs on her. I'd rather miss another freaking meeting like that." Agent Reyes smiled.
"That doesn't answer the question of why she moved out." Reyes said. "I mean, with all that protection she could murder someone and we'd have nothing on her." Doggett shrugged thoughtfully and looked back at his partner.
"True. But maybe that degree of protection is exactly why she up and left." Monica sighed again.
"So who are we investigating Agent Doggett? A man who kills women? Or a women who treaded on the crime scene?" Monica asked him. Doggett's eye brows lifted slightly.
"I think she knows more then what she's telling us. So I think we are just as much investigating her as we are everything else." He and his partner stood, but didn't get to leave the room, when the red faced Sheriff came back in, this time fuming.
"You two want to tell me what the hall happened here tonight?" He asked with his arms crossed. "Because I've got non-stop calls from the Nameths' saying you're arresting their daughter for things she didn't do."
"We caught her on the crime scene without any kind of permission, filming footage that wasn't hers." Agent Doggett stared him in the eyes as he said this.
"Have you two any idea the political power of the Nameth's? They are the highest ranking people in this city! They can crush people and whole businesses within 24 hours! I don't need you and your accusations disrupting this case any further." He started walking out of the room, and gave neither Agent time to answer. "Go back to Washington. We don't need you here anyways."
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Brian walked to the front desk of the Police Department, getting weird looks from the Officers. The woman behind the desk, a tanned woman with black hair turned, her brown eyes tracing him over. The gothic look caught her surprise. "Yes?" She asked, and Brian smiled.
"I'm Brian Nameth, Phoebe Nameth's brother. I came by to pick up her things." He said, holding out the fake ID he had made. Best 20 bucks he ever parted with to have his last name being Nameth. The woman didn't look too convinced.
"You're the son of Peter and Georgia Nameth?" She asked, a little shocked. He smiled and cocked his head a little.
"What can I say? They don't talk about me much." He said with a smiled. The woman nodded, looking at his ID. His name said Nameth.
"Okay." She turned and looked through the items confiscated that evening. She found the one with the camera and Phoebe's other items, placing it on the desk. "I just need you to Okay them for me and you can go."
"No problem." He said politely, smiling again as the woman drew the items out on the desk. Phoebe came preapred.
"One Sony Digital Camcorder." He nodded and took Phoebe's all too familiar camera, holding it carefully in his hands. She continued. "1 wallet containing 40 cents and several napkins and business cards with information." He nodded, knowing the scent and feel of Phoebe's wallet. "One empty bottle of Tylenol. One full bottle of Tylenol." The box was now empty. Joe's eyebrows furrowed and the woman looked confused. "Anything I forgot?"
"A silver charm bracelet." He said. "Thick links with 16 Japanese charms on it." The woman looked in the box and turned to the other boxes, looking through them before back at Brian.
"I'm sorry that doesn't seem to be here. Are you sure your sister wasn't wearing it?"
"She never wears it. She carries it in her pocket." He said, knowing Phoebe like she actually was his sister. She always carried the bracelet in her pocket, calling it her, "Mayoke," or her, 'charm against evil." "I know she does. And it has a lot of sentimental value."
"Well I can check with the Agents who made the arrest." She said. "But as far as I know, this was all that was handed to me on the way in." Brian nodded.
"Thanks." He said. The Agent picked up the phone and was about to punch through to the back interrogation room, when the doors opened and the Agents walked out.
"Agents." The woman behind the desk said, and Agent Doggett and Reyes turned. "This is Phoebe Nameth brother. He's here to collect her things and complained about a charm bracelet that wasn't here."
"I don't remember removing a charm bracelet." Reyes said. "Was she wearing it?"
"Phoebe never wears it." Brian said, looking over the Agents. "She always has it in her right pants pocket."
"We didn't take anything else then what was there. And if she was wearing it, we would have seen it or felt it when we searched her." Brian looked at the ground. Phoebe always had it with her. Always. Even if there was nothing. Could someone have taken it? She never gave it away, even to her subjects.
"You're her brother?" The male Agent asked him. Brian nodded.
"Yeah. The resemblance isn't much and my parents are kind of ashamed of me but it's still there." The male Agent wasn't buying it, he thought. "Well, um, thanks for your time. I'll check and see if she has it. And I'll try to not let my parents find out. Bye." Brian left, shoving everything into the huge pockets of his trenchcoat. Agent Reyes looked after him as he went out the door, so did Agent Doggett.
"He's not her brother is he?" Doggett shook his head no. The two FBI Agents walked after him. Brian turned left, another thing they noticed. The Limo had in fact, driven off to the right. Doggett looked after him and shouted. "Hey!"
Brian turned, the two Agents looking at him. Damn, he thought, his cover blown, he took off running.
"Great." Agent Doggett said, and took off after him. Monica waited on the steps, watching in shock as he partner took off after the teenager. She groaned and leaned against the stone rail. Doggett had the car keys. She buried her head in her hands for a moment, when a second man walked up to the building and looked at her specifically. He was tanned and better built then the Goth, and finally opened his mouth.
"I'm looking for Phoebe Nameth." Joe said to the female Agent. "I'm her brother." Reyes groaned and dropped her head into her hand.
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Brian dashed into the alley by their house, moving faster then was expected in his choice of clothing. Great, he thought. How did he know? It was fool proof! I mean, granted I don't look like the type to be the son of a millionaire, but hey! I could have been!
Agent Doggett followed him down the alley, the silhouette still ahead of him. Brian jumped up, grabbing the fire escape ladder and scaled it easily. Doggett grabbed his trench coat and yanked it, sending Brian flat on his back to the ground. He had a gun to his head before he could say anything else.
"Who are you?" Doggett asked him. Brian winced a little, his back aching and Doggett shook the gun. "Who?!"
"Brian Laurence." He said, groaning. "I'm a friend of Phoebe's okay? I came to get her stuff! I had to lie to get it."
"You were on the crime scene weren't you?" Doggett demanded.
"Yeah. So was my rommate Joe Hardy." He groaned again and Doggett lowered the gun, allowing him to stand. "Phoebe lives with us. I just came to get the camera."
"Why'd you break into the Crime Scene?" Doggett asked, his gun still on the boy. Brian sighed and breathed heavily.
"We wanted footage."
"Of what?" Brian didn't have an answer. Doggett shook his head. "What was she video taping?"
"Ghosts." Brian said loudly. "We were video taping ghosts okay?" Doggett watched his face. Brian shook his head as well. He held up the camera. "This tape is all I wanted okay? That and her charm bracelet."
"Agent Doggett." Agent Reyes and the second man stood and walked into the alley. Brian groaned as he and Joe looked at one another. "This is Phoebe's other brother Joe."
"Joe Hardy?" Doggett asked, getting a shocked look from the man. "And Brian Laurence. The two missing pieces to an already annoying puzzle." Reyes looked to the Goth, who had his hands in his pockets.
"You two were on the crime scene?" She asked. They both hesitated, and then nodded together, almost ashamed. "And you were who she was speaking to on the phone?" Another nod from the two men. Doggett looked from face to face.
"What's the deal with her parents?" He asked, curiously, remembering the distress Phoebe had displayed while speaking to them. Joe looked at the ground now, appearing ashamed. Brian spoke for him.
"Phoebe has hated her parents since she was born practically. They were afraid of her because when your rich and your daughter is different, you can't keep her different. You have to make her the same." Brian knew he had confused them, but he couldn't reveal Phoebe's secret. The secret she would most likely take to her grave. "It doesn't matter how many doctors you sent her to, Phoebe was different. No way around it."
"How was Phoebe different?" Reyes asked calmly. Joe shook his head at Brian, who also shook his head.
"She's the only one at liberty to tell you that." Brian said. And they stood there in silence, and John looked at Monica.
"Looks like we're paying a visit to the Nameths tomorrow." He said. Reyes nodded, and Joe and Brian looked between the two.
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Phoebe downed four Tylenol that morning dry and without hesitation. Damn you Joe, she thought. Damn you for letting them know I was in trouble and giving them, without thinking, permission to re-enter and destroy my already dying life. Thank you for being such a good friend. She looked at the ceiling in her big room. Her parents lived on Country Club they owned. Granted there were plenty of excuses lying on the property to avoid them now, but she was still angry at them. Too angry. They had disposed of her clothes and ordered her plenty of new things, from Gucci shoes to Armani gowns. They were buying her off again. Just as they had when she was their daughter, and as they tried to do for the past 6 months.
She was wearing something as dark and as Gothic as she could find. A pair of black lowriser jeans she had objected to before now slimmed out her somewhat big thighs and butt, with a chunky silver belt around the waist. Her top was black, covered with a trenchcoat that was inspired by the middle ages. It had puffed shoulders, but Phoebe loved it because her parents hated it.
Deciding that lazing around her room was not going to help she left, playing unconsciously with the key around her throat. She wanted to be in her old room, in her bed with her old and somewhat vintage clothing. She didn't want these rich, pretty things. She wanted her camera and a flashlight and go chasing with Joe and Brian.
Avoiding her parents in their Private study, she slipped down the grand staircase and through the front doors, walking to the stables. Horseback riding was the only activity she loved to do. The trails were long and winding, giving her plenty of reasons to leave in the morning and not return till the afternoon. Phoebe moved through the doors and looked around for one of the stable worker usually marching around.
A familiar name caught her eye. She turned and saw him, still alive and kept, he own stallion with his brass nameplate Tempest. Phoebe's lips curled into a smile as her black beast recognized her, naying softly in recognition. Her lips parted at the sight of the stable and she extended her hand, touching his head softly. Immediately Tempest calmed, looking at the blue circles in her eyes, recognizing her as the girl who used to ride him.
"Hey." She said softly, petting his mane. She didn't notice the stable worker come in and set the bucket of feed and pitchfork down. He put his hands in his pockets, looking at the crazy girl petting the horse.
"Can I help you?" He asked, and Phoebe turned, looking at him. She knew him.
"Josh?" She asked in surprise. He eyed her strangely. "Oh my God! It's Phoebe. You know? Phoebe Nameth?" He suddenly recognized her, looking in shock at her. She giggled.
"My God Phoebe!" He said in surprise. She laughed again. "Where have you been? How have you been? It's great to see you!" She laughed and smiled softly this time.
"Good to see you too. I've been living with some friends. You know, getting away. But I'm back and I wanted to take him for a ride?" Josh nodded.
"Sure. He's probably happy to see you. Hasn't let a single person ride him since you left. Look at him! He's the quietest he's been in 6 months." He grabbed a lead rope and handed it to her. "You remember how to do this?"
"How could I forget?" She asked, and clipped the rope to his harness. Josh opened the stall and she lead him into the hall. Josh tried to give her a hand, but Phoebe was content doing it herself, as she clipped the ropes hanging from the aisle to her horse's harness, keeping him in place.
"So have you been taking care of him?" She asked Josh. He nodded.
"Yeah. Your parents have been a little pissed at him cuz the guests are scared to go near him. He only ever liked you." Josh joked with her by giving her a shifty look as she brushed Tempest down. He shook softly. Phoebe ran her fingers over his back, loving the feeling of him under her hands. "What is it with you and him? Something about you calms him down. It's like you and other people. Something about you calms people down."
Phoebe closed her eyes, laying her head on the rising and falling side of her horse. She grinned her herself and shrugged.
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"As I said before, Miss Nameth has been forbidden to see anyone." The butler said primly.
"She'll see us." Brian and Joe said, leading the two Agents into the Club. The butler's lips pursed and he looked at the two. Brian was in black make up and trench coat, his contact lenses a 8 ball and a single black dot. Joe looked more normal, in a turtle neck and brown trench coat.
"Names?" He asked. Brian and Joe looked at one another.
"Brian Laurence and Joe Hardy." Joe said, looking at the butler. The butler, tall and thin with a small mustache over his lip looked at the list given to him by the girl's parents. He finally nodded, not seeing their names.
"Miss Nameth is in the stables." He said finally. "And if I hear of anything, I will report you all." The four nodded and walked out the front doors.
"And she wants to get away from this place." Reyes said in disbelief. Joe looked back at them and Brian shook his head.
"This place is only cool if you like golf and a certain....je ne sais quoi. You have to enjoy being rich, and Phoebe never did." They turned and walked around the main building, the two Agents listening to the information the men were giving them. "We met her when she 14. She went to this really upper class High School."
"And we mean upper class. The freaking Olsen twins couldn't afford a school like that." Joe replied cynically. "We met her in the movie store."
"Movie store?" Agent Doggett asked. The two men nodded. Brian continued.
"She was looking for the movie, what was it Joe? You always had the better memory." Joe thought about it hard as they walked. He remembered the day. He worked in the Blockbuster not far from her school. She rode a bike and came into the store, walked around. He was talking to Brian who had come by to visit him. She looked through the aisles and approached him in her uniform. She asked him for specific movies.
"Star Trek." He said finally. "She was looking for Star Trek."
"That's not true Joe!" Brian interjected again. "She was looking for Star Wars."
"Okay, now that is a lie. She was looking for every Star Trek movie to date, and Brian and I both went looking for them. She kind of followed me. I think she had a crush on me from the first moment she saw me!"
"That's not true!" Brian said, disgusted at the notion. "Phoebe was looking for Star Wars. So she was following Joe, but I found those quicker. So she actually followed me around the movie store!"
"You're lying!" Joe said.
"I am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Boys." A shadow loomed over them, a horse and rider watched them on the other side of the fence. Phoebe looked down from Tempest and smiled. "You're both wrong. I went into the movie store and asked the cute guy at the desk for all the episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He didn't go look for them, and instead commanded that Joe do it. When Joe couldn't find them, Brian lead me right to them by accident. I followed no one and had a crush on no one." She spotted the Agents next to them and gave a small sneer. Doggett squinted as he looked up at her.
"Hello." She said meakly. "Pleasure seeing you again."
"What did you mean by 'Come see'." Agent Doggett asked. Phoebe kicked Tempest's flanks, rearing softly on the horse.
"Joe, Brian. Take Reyes for something to eat. As for you, John Doggett. Grab a horse. We're going for a small trail ride."
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"So what were you two doing on the crime scene last night?" Reyes asked the two men as they walked around the back of the house to the direct door to the kitchens. Apparently the Club has exceptional coffee. Brian and Joe shared a look.
"We were acting upon something, a feeling of sorts." Brian said quietly, opening the door for Reyes, who thanked him and walked inside. Joe followed, and then Brian. The kitchen was small, obviously private. It was empty and the only ways in and out were a staircase and the door they had come in. "Welcome to Phoebe's private kitchen." Brian said.
"And she can cook." Joe mentioned, hoisting himself up on the counter. "There's coffee in the pot over there and mugs in that cupboard. Phoebe always has coffee brewing, all different flavours. She likes tea too. Never care for the stuff myself." Reyes looked around the kitchen, the white staircase and oak wood floors.
"The crime scene is...strangely energetic." Joe said, after Brian closed the door. Brian moved to the counter and leaned against it. "We were fanscinated by it because of that reason."
"Energetic? Like physically or..." Brian took a deep breath. Joe answered the question for him.
"It's amazingly kinetic. It has an aura to it like we've never seen." Reyes licked her lips softly.
"Why was it so fascinating?"
"Phoebe never told you why we were there did she?" Joe asked. Reyes shook her head. He looked at Brian. "How much did she tell you?"
"About as much as your telling me." She said. Brian and Joe shared a smiled, and then looked at Reyes.
"There's something about Phoebe, and us, that we've never told anyone." Joe said. "And we hadn't planned to. But it might help you understand a little."
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John had only seen people ride horses, never actually ridden one himself. He had to admit, it was alright, but the saddle was uncomfortable and he hated sitting on it. Phoebe seemed to be an expert at it, but she had done this so many time before it astonished him.
"Your son wants to tell you something." They were on the empty trail, and Phoebe broke the silence to say that. "He keeps talking to me about having to show you something. Never understood what."
"Hold on." Agent Doggett stopped her. She looked at him with her green eyes. "Are you saying you've actually spoken to my son?" She nodded, her lips tightening a little as she looked back at the trail. "How?"
"It's confusing." She replied simply. "All I can really tell you is that he's a persistant little guy, and he's afraid of something."
"What could he be afraid of?" He asked. Phoebe shook her head, pulling on the reigns a little with her black leather gloves. Agent Doggett watched her actions as she looked him over. She rose a hand and brushed a chestnut bang from her face.
"It's something on his side of the universe." She said. "Not this one."
"Can you explain to me how you can see my son and I can't?" He asked her, almost pulling his horse to a complete stop. She sighed and looked at the ground, before looking back at him. "Because it's getting obnoxious not knowing what the hell is going on."
"Joe, Brian and I have this different...perception I guess." She began. "Imagine the whole world walking around in bright sunlight carrying around a flashlight. It's kind of like, our flashlights are turned on."
"What does that mean?" He asked, still confused. Phoebe came out with it.
"We can see the dead." She replied.
"The dead?"
"Like spirits." She said. "They appear like apparitions. You know the movie the Frighteners?" Agent Doggett nodded. "It's like that. And instead of running from them we catch them on film."
"So you chase spirits?" He said. She nodded. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"You and my parents should have a conversation. I think they'd enjoy hearing your insights on my..."She thought about the proper word. "Perception."
"I thought you were going to call it a gift." He said. She shook her head.
"It's neither a gift, or a curse. It's just a way of seeing the world." Phoebe looked upward, her eyes flaring to life suddenly. It was a gut instinct, like everything else she felt, but something wasn't right. She pulled Tempest to a halt, sniffing the air. Doggett pulled his own horse to a stop. Phoebe looked around, the blue ring in her eyes burning and bursting like a firework.
"What is it?" He asked. Phoebe's eyes darted to him, just as a powerful force knocked him straight off the horse. She jumped down.
"Agent Doggett?" She asked him. He got up. Phoebe looked around. She could hear it maliciously laughing somewhere. She reached in her pocket, forgetting she had given her Mayoke to the kid.
"What the hell was that?" He asked. Phoebe's eyes opened wide as the apparition came back for another go.
"Get on the horse and get out of here!" She shouted, mounting up on Tempest. Her eyes burned like they never had before, and Doggett watched her stare off at something that was quickly moving towards them.
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Uh oh.
Chapter 4 I swear will be totally different!
Here's a revised chapter 3. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'll be waving my hand, watching you drown, watching you scream, quiet or loud. Maybe you should sleep. Maybe you just need a friend, as clumsy as you've been. You will be safe in here."
~Our Lady Peace, Clumsy
Chapter 3: The Makings of a Valuable Partnership
John looked at Monica, who looked back at John. They'd been listening to the Nameth family lawyer babble on and on about the numerous amount of charges he was placing against the FBI. The lawyer had introduced himself only as Cochraine, but the Agents didn't need to know anything else. What Phoebe had failed to mantion in interrogation was that her parents were practical millionaires and they were sueing the FBI for something that neither of the Agents understood. Kersh was demanding they return to Washington, probably and most likely to be fired.
"Furthermore, Miss Nameth is and upstanding citizen with no criminal record and does not belong in a prison such as this. Have you understood everything I have told you?" He stood up straight, his hands folded behind his back. He litterally looked like a Politician. Agent Doggett nodded for the sake of him to shut up. The lawyer nodded and picked up his briefcase. "You'll be hearing from me." He said, and left the room. Agent Reyes dropped her head into her arms.
"You know she could have mentioned her parents had legal rights to sue the FBI." She said tiredly to Agent Doggett. He gave a weak laugh.
"That's the last time I arrest someone." He said, still laughing. "You can put the cuffs on her. I'd rather miss another freaking meeting like that." Agent Reyes smiled.
"That doesn't answer the question of why she moved out." Reyes said. "I mean, with all that protection she could murder someone and we'd have nothing on her." Doggett shrugged thoughtfully and looked back at his partner.
"True. But maybe that degree of protection is exactly why she up and left." Monica sighed again.
"So who are we investigating Agent Doggett? A man who kills women? Or a women who treaded on the crime scene?" Monica asked him. Doggett's eye brows lifted slightly.
"I think she knows more then what she's telling us. So I think we are just as much investigating her as we are everything else." He and his partner stood, but didn't get to leave the room, when the red faced Sheriff came back in, this time fuming.
"You two want to tell me what the hall happened here tonight?" He asked with his arms crossed. "Because I've got non-stop calls from the Nameths' saying you're arresting their daughter for things she didn't do."
"We caught her on the crime scene without any kind of permission, filming footage that wasn't hers." Agent Doggett stared him in the eyes as he said this.
"Have you two any idea the political power of the Nameth's? They are the highest ranking people in this city! They can crush people and whole businesses within 24 hours! I don't need you and your accusations disrupting this case any further." He started walking out of the room, and gave neither Agent time to answer. "Go back to Washington. We don't need you here anyways."
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Brian walked to the front desk of the Police Department, getting weird looks from the Officers. The woman behind the desk, a tanned woman with black hair turned, her brown eyes tracing him over. The gothic look caught her surprise. "Yes?" She asked, and Brian smiled.
"I'm Brian Nameth, Phoebe Nameth's brother. I came by to pick up her things." He said, holding out the fake ID he had made. Best 20 bucks he ever parted with to have his last name being Nameth. The woman didn't look too convinced.
"You're the son of Peter and Georgia Nameth?" She asked, a little shocked. He smiled and cocked his head a little.
"What can I say? They don't talk about me much." He said with a smiled. The woman nodded, looking at his ID. His name said Nameth.
"Okay." She turned and looked through the items confiscated that evening. She found the one with the camera and Phoebe's other items, placing it on the desk. "I just need you to Okay them for me and you can go."
"No problem." He said politely, smiling again as the woman drew the items out on the desk. Phoebe came preapred.
"One Sony Digital Camcorder." He nodded and took Phoebe's all too familiar camera, holding it carefully in his hands. She continued. "1 wallet containing 40 cents and several napkins and business cards with information." He nodded, knowing the scent and feel of Phoebe's wallet. "One empty bottle of Tylenol. One full bottle of Tylenol." The box was now empty. Joe's eyebrows furrowed and the woman looked confused. "Anything I forgot?"
"A silver charm bracelet." He said. "Thick links with 16 Japanese charms on it." The woman looked in the box and turned to the other boxes, looking through them before back at Brian.
"I'm sorry that doesn't seem to be here. Are you sure your sister wasn't wearing it?"
"She never wears it. She carries it in her pocket." He said, knowing Phoebe like she actually was his sister. She always carried the bracelet in her pocket, calling it her, "Mayoke," or her, 'charm against evil." "I know she does. And it has a lot of sentimental value."
"Well I can check with the Agents who made the arrest." She said. "But as far as I know, this was all that was handed to me on the way in." Brian nodded.
"Thanks." He said. The Agent picked up the phone and was about to punch through to the back interrogation room, when the doors opened and the Agents walked out.
"Agents." The woman behind the desk said, and Agent Doggett and Reyes turned. "This is Phoebe Nameth brother. He's here to collect her things and complained about a charm bracelet that wasn't here."
"I don't remember removing a charm bracelet." Reyes said. "Was she wearing it?"
"Phoebe never wears it." Brian said, looking over the Agents. "She always has it in her right pants pocket."
"We didn't take anything else then what was there. And if she was wearing it, we would have seen it or felt it when we searched her." Brian looked at the ground. Phoebe always had it with her. Always. Even if there was nothing. Could someone have taken it? She never gave it away, even to her subjects.
"You're her brother?" The male Agent asked him. Brian nodded.
"Yeah. The resemblance isn't much and my parents are kind of ashamed of me but it's still there." The male Agent wasn't buying it, he thought. "Well, um, thanks for your time. I'll check and see if she has it. And I'll try to not let my parents find out. Bye." Brian left, shoving everything into the huge pockets of his trenchcoat. Agent Reyes looked after him as he went out the door, so did Agent Doggett.
"He's not her brother is he?" Doggett shook his head no. The two FBI Agents walked after him. Brian turned left, another thing they noticed. The Limo had in fact, driven off to the right. Doggett looked after him and shouted. "Hey!"
Brian turned, the two Agents looking at him. Damn, he thought, his cover blown, he took off running.
"Great." Agent Doggett said, and took off after him. Monica waited on the steps, watching in shock as he partner took off after the teenager. She groaned and leaned against the stone rail. Doggett had the car keys. She buried her head in her hands for a moment, when a second man walked up to the building and looked at her specifically. He was tanned and better built then the Goth, and finally opened his mouth.
"I'm looking for Phoebe Nameth." Joe said to the female Agent. "I'm her brother." Reyes groaned and dropped her head into her hand.
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Brian dashed into the alley by their house, moving faster then was expected in his choice of clothing. Great, he thought. How did he know? It was fool proof! I mean, granted I don't look like the type to be the son of a millionaire, but hey! I could have been!
Agent Doggett followed him down the alley, the silhouette still ahead of him. Brian jumped up, grabbing the fire escape ladder and scaled it easily. Doggett grabbed his trench coat and yanked it, sending Brian flat on his back to the ground. He had a gun to his head before he could say anything else.
"Who are you?" Doggett asked him. Brian winced a little, his back aching and Doggett shook the gun. "Who?!"
"Brian Laurence." He said, groaning. "I'm a friend of Phoebe's okay? I came to get her stuff! I had to lie to get it."
"You were on the crime scene weren't you?" Doggett demanded.
"Yeah. So was my rommate Joe Hardy." He groaned again and Doggett lowered the gun, allowing him to stand. "Phoebe lives with us. I just came to get the camera."
"Why'd you break into the Crime Scene?" Doggett asked, his gun still on the boy. Brian sighed and breathed heavily.
"We wanted footage."
"Of what?" Brian didn't have an answer. Doggett shook his head. "What was she video taping?"
"Ghosts." Brian said loudly. "We were video taping ghosts okay?" Doggett watched his face. Brian shook his head as well. He held up the camera. "This tape is all I wanted okay? That and her charm bracelet."
"Agent Doggett." Agent Reyes and the second man stood and walked into the alley. Brian groaned as he and Joe looked at one another. "This is Phoebe's other brother Joe."
"Joe Hardy?" Doggett asked, getting a shocked look from the man. "And Brian Laurence. The two missing pieces to an already annoying puzzle." Reyes looked to the Goth, who had his hands in his pockets.
"You two were on the crime scene?" She asked. They both hesitated, and then nodded together, almost ashamed. "And you were who she was speaking to on the phone?" Another nod from the two men. Doggett looked from face to face.
"What's the deal with her parents?" He asked, curiously, remembering the distress Phoebe had displayed while speaking to them. Joe looked at the ground now, appearing ashamed. Brian spoke for him.
"Phoebe has hated her parents since she was born practically. They were afraid of her because when your rich and your daughter is different, you can't keep her different. You have to make her the same." Brian knew he had confused them, but he couldn't reveal Phoebe's secret. The secret she would most likely take to her grave. "It doesn't matter how many doctors you sent her to, Phoebe was different. No way around it."
"How was Phoebe different?" Reyes asked calmly. Joe shook his head at Brian, who also shook his head.
"She's the only one at liberty to tell you that." Brian said. And they stood there in silence, and John looked at Monica.
"Looks like we're paying a visit to the Nameths tomorrow." He said. Reyes nodded, and Joe and Brian looked between the two.
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Phoebe downed four Tylenol that morning dry and without hesitation. Damn you Joe, she thought. Damn you for letting them know I was in trouble and giving them, without thinking, permission to re-enter and destroy my already dying life. Thank you for being such a good friend. She looked at the ceiling in her big room. Her parents lived on Country Club they owned. Granted there were plenty of excuses lying on the property to avoid them now, but she was still angry at them. Too angry. They had disposed of her clothes and ordered her plenty of new things, from Gucci shoes to Armani gowns. They were buying her off again. Just as they had when she was their daughter, and as they tried to do for the past 6 months.
She was wearing something as dark and as Gothic as she could find. A pair of black lowriser jeans she had objected to before now slimmed out her somewhat big thighs and butt, with a chunky silver belt around the waist. Her top was black, covered with a trenchcoat that was inspired by the middle ages. It had puffed shoulders, but Phoebe loved it because her parents hated it.
Deciding that lazing around her room was not going to help she left, playing unconsciously with the key around her throat. She wanted to be in her old room, in her bed with her old and somewhat vintage clothing. She didn't want these rich, pretty things. She wanted her camera and a flashlight and go chasing with Joe and Brian.
Avoiding her parents in their Private study, she slipped down the grand staircase and through the front doors, walking to the stables. Horseback riding was the only activity she loved to do. The trails were long and winding, giving her plenty of reasons to leave in the morning and not return till the afternoon. Phoebe moved through the doors and looked around for one of the stable worker usually marching around.
A familiar name caught her eye. She turned and saw him, still alive and kept, he own stallion with his brass nameplate Tempest. Phoebe's lips curled into a smile as her black beast recognized her, naying softly in recognition. Her lips parted at the sight of the stable and she extended her hand, touching his head softly. Immediately Tempest calmed, looking at the blue circles in her eyes, recognizing her as the girl who used to ride him.
"Hey." She said softly, petting his mane. She didn't notice the stable worker come in and set the bucket of feed and pitchfork down. He put his hands in his pockets, looking at the crazy girl petting the horse.
"Can I help you?" He asked, and Phoebe turned, looking at him. She knew him.
"Josh?" She asked in surprise. He eyed her strangely. "Oh my God! It's Phoebe. You know? Phoebe Nameth?" He suddenly recognized her, looking in shock at her. She giggled.
"My God Phoebe!" He said in surprise. She laughed again. "Where have you been? How have you been? It's great to see you!" She laughed and smiled softly this time.
"Good to see you too. I've been living with some friends. You know, getting away. But I'm back and I wanted to take him for a ride?" Josh nodded.
"Sure. He's probably happy to see you. Hasn't let a single person ride him since you left. Look at him! He's the quietest he's been in 6 months." He grabbed a lead rope and handed it to her. "You remember how to do this?"
"How could I forget?" She asked, and clipped the rope to his harness. Josh opened the stall and she lead him into the hall. Josh tried to give her a hand, but Phoebe was content doing it herself, as she clipped the ropes hanging from the aisle to her horse's harness, keeping him in place.
"So have you been taking care of him?" She asked Josh. He nodded.
"Yeah. Your parents have been a little pissed at him cuz the guests are scared to go near him. He only ever liked you." Josh joked with her by giving her a shifty look as she brushed Tempest down. He shook softly. Phoebe ran her fingers over his back, loving the feeling of him under her hands. "What is it with you and him? Something about you calms him down. It's like you and other people. Something about you calms people down."
Phoebe closed her eyes, laying her head on the rising and falling side of her horse. She grinned her herself and shrugged.
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"As I said before, Miss Nameth has been forbidden to see anyone." The butler said primly.
"She'll see us." Brian and Joe said, leading the two Agents into the Club. The butler's lips pursed and he looked at the two. Brian was in black make up and trench coat, his contact lenses a 8 ball and a single black dot. Joe looked more normal, in a turtle neck and brown trench coat.
"Names?" He asked. Brian and Joe looked at one another.
"Brian Laurence and Joe Hardy." Joe said, looking at the butler. The butler, tall and thin with a small mustache over his lip looked at the list given to him by the girl's parents. He finally nodded, not seeing their names.
"Miss Nameth is in the stables." He said finally. "And if I hear of anything, I will report you all." The four nodded and walked out the front doors.
"And she wants to get away from this place." Reyes said in disbelief. Joe looked back at them and Brian shook his head.
"This place is only cool if you like golf and a certain....je ne sais quoi. You have to enjoy being rich, and Phoebe never did." They turned and walked around the main building, the two Agents listening to the information the men were giving them. "We met her when she 14. She went to this really upper class High School."
"And we mean upper class. The freaking Olsen twins couldn't afford a school like that." Joe replied cynically. "We met her in the movie store."
"Movie store?" Agent Doggett asked. The two men nodded. Brian continued.
"She was looking for the movie, what was it Joe? You always had the better memory." Joe thought about it hard as they walked. He remembered the day. He worked in the Blockbuster not far from her school. She rode a bike and came into the store, walked around. He was talking to Brian who had come by to visit him. She looked through the aisles and approached him in her uniform. She asked him for specific movies.
"Star Trek." He said finally. "She was looking for Star Trek."
"That's not true Joe!" Brian interjected again. "She was looking for Star Wars."
"Okay, now that is a lie. She was looking for every Star Trek movie to date, and Brian and I both went looking for them. She kind of followed me. I think she had a crush on me from the first moment she saw me!"
"That's not true!" Brian said, disgusted at the notion. "Phoebe was looking for Star Wars. So she was following Joe, but I found those quicker. So she actually followed me around the movie store!"
"You're lying!" Joe said.
"I am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Boys." A shadow loomed over them, a horse and rider watched them on the other side of the fence. Phoebe looked down from Tempest and smiled. "You're both wrong. I went into the movie store and asked the cute guy at the desk for all the episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He didn't go look for them, and instead commanded that Joe do it. When Joe couldn't find them, Brian lead me right to them by accident. I followed no one and had a crush on no one." She spotted the Agents next to them and gave a small sneer. Doggett squinted as he looked up at her.
"Hello." She said meakly. "Pleasure seeing you again."
"What did you mean by 'Come see'." Agent Doggett asked. Phoebe kicked Tempest's flanks, rearing softly on the horse.
"Joe, Brian. Take Reyes for something to eat. As for you, John Doggett. Grab a horse. We're going for a small trail ride."
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"So what were you two doing on the crime scene last night?" Reyes asked the two men as they walked around the back of the house to the direct door to the kitchens. Apparently the Club has exceptional coffee. Brian and Joe shared a look.
"We were acting upon something, a feeling of sorts." Brian said quietly, opening the door for Reyes, who thanked him and walked inside. Joe followed, and then Brian. The kitchen was small, obviously private. It was empty and the only ways in and out were a staircase and the door they had come in. "Welcome to Phoebe's private kitchen." Brian said.
"And she can cook." Joe mentioned, hoisting himself up on the counter. "There's coffee in the pot over there and mugs in that cupboard. Phoebe always has coffee brewing, all different flavours. She likes tea too. Never care for the stuff myself." Reyes looked around the kitchen, the white staircase and oak wood floors.
"The crime scene is...strangely energetic." Joe said, after Brian closed the door. Brian moved to the counter and leaned against it. "We were fanscinated by it because of that reason."
"Energetic? Like physically or..." Brian took a deep breath. Joe answered the question for him.
"It's amazingly kinetic. It has an aura to it like we've never seen." Reyes licked her lips softly.
"Why was it so fascinating?"
"Phoebe never told you why we were there did she?" Joe asked. Reyes shook her head. He looked at Brian. "How much did she tell you?"
"About as much as your telling me." She said. Brian and Joe shared a smiled, and then looked at Reyes.
"There's something about Phoebe, and us, that we've never told anyone." Joe said. "And we hadn't planned to. But it might help you understand a little."
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John had only seen people ride horses, never actually ridden one himself. He had to admit, it was alright, but the saddle was uncomfortable and he hated sitting on it. Phoebe seemed to be an expert at it, but she had done this so many time before it astonished him.
"Your son wants to tell you something." They were on the empty trail, and Phoebe broke the silence to say that. "He keeps talking to me about having to show you something. Never understood what."
"Hold on." Agent Doggett stopped her. She looked at him with her green eyes. "Are you saying you've actually spoken to my son?" She nodded, her lips tightening a little as she looked back at the trail. "How?"
"It's confusing." She replied simply. "All I can really tell you is that he's a persistant little guy, and he's afraid of something."
"What could he be afraid of?" He asked. Phoebe shook her head, pulling on the reigns a little with her black leather gloves. Agent Doggett watched her actions as she looked him over. She rose a hand and brushed a chestnut bang from her face.
"It's something on his side of the universe." She said. "Not this one."
"Can you explain to me how you can see my son and I can't?" He asked her, almost pulling his horse to a complete stop. She sighed and looked at the ground, before looking back at him. "Because it's getting obnoxious not knowing what the hell is going on."
"Joe, Brian and I have this different...perception I guess." She began. "Imagine the whole world walking around in bright sunlight carrying around a flashlight. It's kind of like, our flashlights are turned on."
"What does that mean?" He asked, still confused. Phoebe came out with it.
"We can see the dead." She replied.
"The dead?"
"Like spirits." She said. "They appear like apparitions. You know the movie the Frighteners?" Agent Doggett nodded. "It's like that. And instead of running from them we catch them on film."
"So you chase spirits?" He said. She nodded. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"You and my parents should have a conversation. I think they'd enjoy hearing your insights on my..."She thought about the proper word. "Perception."
"I thought you were going to call it a gift." He said. She shook her head.
"It's neither a gift, or a curse. It's just a way of seeing the world." Phoebe looked upward, her eyes flaring to life suddenly. It was a gut instinct, like everything else she felt, but something wasn't right. She pulled Tempest to a halt, sniffing the air. Doggett pulled his own horse to a stop. Phoebe looked around, the blue ring in her eyes burning and bursting like a firework.
"What is it?" He asked. Phoebe's eyes darted to him, just as a powerful force knocked him straight off the horse. She jumped down.
"Agent Doggett?" She asked him. He got up. Phoebe looked around. She could hear it maliciously laughing somewhere. She reached in her pocket, forgetting she had given her Mayoke to the kid.
"What the hell was that?" He asked. Phoebe's eyes opened wide as the apparition came back for another go.
"Get on the horse and get out of here!" She shouted, mounting up on Tempest. Her eyes burned like they never had before, and Doggett watched her stare off at something that was quickly moving towards them.
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Uh oh.
Chapter 4 I swear will be totally different!