The Dark Stranger

Daniella dropped down into the mud. After a few seconds she was soaking again. She slowly walked around the house, staying near the wall. She peeked through a window on her way, and saw Fiona valiantly attempting to stall the officer. But this was no normal police officer. He was dressed in black, and his outfit looked nothing like a standard officer's uniform. She recognized him as the one she'd seen in the hospital window.

So they're sending the Special Forces after me, huh? Just my luck... she thought as she started away from the window toward the driveway. She reached the edge of the house, took a deep breath, then broke into a run through the driveway. That's when she saw him. A man was standing in the middle of the driveway, a dark silhouette out in the pouring rain. She was finished. She hadn't thought there would be two of them. But she wouldn't let them take her without a fight. She tried to avoid him, but the man grabbed her arm.

She tried to swing at him with her other arm, but he caught it, too, and drew her close to him. She felt him pressing a piece of paper into her palm.

"I want to help you. Go to my mansion. It will be safe for you there... and I can tell you who you really are."

The man's voice was calm and soothing. He let go of her, and began walking down the driveway. She looked at the note in her hand.

63 Snake Drive

Dark Bay

She noticed it right away- the handwriting was the same as the other note she'd received. She looked up... but he was gone. She wanted to know who he was, why he hadn't taken her with him... but there was no time. She ran to Fiona's car as fast as possible and fumbled with the keys trying to unlock it. She dropped the note in the muddy driveway as she concentrated on the lock. Her hands were shaking too badly, and it was almost too dark to see out here. Finally, she got the door unlocked and got in, grateful at least to be out of the rain. She closed the door and put the keys in the ignition. When she was ready, she turned the keys and put it in drive, then pulled a sharp U-turn as fast as she could.

She sped away from the house. As she was leaving the driveway, in her rearview mirror, she saw the agent looking out the window. He'd no doubt heard the engine. She hadn't turned her headlights on yet, so she hoped he couldn't see the car. She turned onto the road and sped away from the house, hoping he wouldn't chase her. She got lost as fast as she could, taking as many turns as possible and keeping her speed up. Her first priority was to lose him.

After about ten minutes, and hearing no sirens or seeing signs of police, she pulled into a restaurant parking lot and realized she had dropped the note. But she remembered the address clearly. She knew where Dark Bay was. How she knew was a mystery to her... but she knew. Whether she liked it or not, she had to go there. There was nowhere else for her to go.

"What was that?" Weston walked toward the curtain.

"Sounded like a car out on the road, sir," Fiona said, obviously annoyed with him walking around her house.

He opened the curtain and looked outside. Nothing. With this driving rain, this late, he could hardly see five feet.

He sighed, walking back toward her. It sounded close... but there was nothing he could do about it anyway. He had searched the whole house, and hadn't found anything, save an open window in the bathroom. Fiona insisted that she had left it open earlier that day to air the room out, but he was still very suspicious. He remembered the last open window he'd found...

"Nobody came here at all? You didn't get a call, nothing?"

"No. I told you," she said. "Hey... are you here because of what happened at Belli Castle? Were you there?"

He saw no harm in replying. "Yes, I was."

"Then why did you lie? You said there was nothing there. You lied to everyone! Do you know what I went through?"

Now he saw the harm in it, and really wished he wouldn't have answered. The truth was, he found himself asking that same question.

"I don't know what you're talking about, ma'am..."

"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" Her voice raised to a shout, startling Hewie. "You found them, didn't you? You're trying to keep it a secret! You scum! How much are they paying you, huh? ANSWER ME!"

Weston was silent for a moment. "We found nothing there. Now, if you really haven't seen anything, my business here is done. Good night, ma'am."

He walked toward the door. Fiona said nothing, but he could feel her eyes on him the whole way out. He wanted to tell the truth... but it was his job to lie. He reached the door, opened it, and walked outside. He ran toward his car, trying not to get drenched, but he stopped dead halfway there.

Fiona's car was no longer in the driveway.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath.