Chapter 29

"Who was at the door, Wufei?" Heero asked as he hung up the phone.

"You don't want to know." Wufei went over to the couch and resumed his seat.

Quatre raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. It wasn't like Wufei to turn someone else's guest away. Perhaps it had been a solicitor. Heero shrugged and went back into the bedroom for something, leaving his two friends alone in the living room for a moment.

The door opened and Duo entered, laughing so hard he could barely walk. "Oh, man…'Fei…you...hahahaha!"

Duo leaned against the closed door and doubled over. Quatre had to fight against laughing as well. Duo's uninhibited glee was rather contagious.

"Duo, what's so…" Heero said as he came out of their room. He stopped as he got a good look at his boyfriend. "What are you wearing?"

Duo smirked at his boyfriend. "You like?"

Heero wasn't sure what to make of the Girl Scout uniform Duo was wearing. He wasn't sure he wanted to ask where it had come from, either.

"I don't know," he told Duo honestly. There was no point in pretending he did or didn't. Duo would only get upset if he wasn't honest.

Duo strode over. "Well, Mr. Whitaker sure seemed to like it."

"You got in to see him? Wearing that?"

Duo nodded. "Yup. He's a rich bastard, too. Did you do a background check on him yet?"

Heero nodded. "Nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing'?" Duo demanded.

"He's a ghost. Just like Chase. They don't exist."

Duo swore. "What do we do now? We can't hide that girl forever."

"No," Heero agreed. "Wufei, I want you and Quatre to keep digging. Duo, was there anything in your recon that we might be able to use?"

"Well…Whitaker likes Snickerdoodles. He ordered 50 boxes. So I'll be goin' back in a few days. I figured I'd plant a bug then."

"Was there anything in the house that gave you a clue as to who he really is?"

Duo shook his head. "No. But he's got some employees. A couple of security guards and another guy…I think he would be considered a butler. Didn't dress like one, though."

"Did you catch their names at all?"

Duo frowned as he thought. "The security guys had name tags. One was 'Tiny' and the other was 'Keith' but no last names."

"Keith? Wow…scary," Wufei said, rolling his eyes. "Really, Duo…did you get anything useful?"

Duo ignored him. "His butler's name is Jason and he refers to Whitaker as 'The Master'. Both Jason and Whitaker are predators, believe me. The looks I got made me feel like I needed a shower." Duo wrinkled his nose in disgust at the memory. "Did you guys check City Hall's records to see who owns the property? If Whitaker doesn't exist, maybe another alias will bring something up."

"Yes, Duo, I did. It's turned into a wild goose chase," Heero told him.

"Damn…so what's our next move?"

"Wufei and Quatre will continue to act as though they are guarding the girl. I'll let you two work out the schedule. While you're sitting in that room, I expect you to continue investigating Whitaker and Chase. I don't believe that they're so smart that they didn't slip up somewhere."

Heero waited for the two to nod before continuing. "Duo and I have been asked to provide security for Relena. Une called just before you got home," Heero told his boyfriend, who was currently leaning against the back of the couch. It was a little distracting considering what he was wearing.

Duo rolled his eyes.

"Don't start, Duo. Colonel Une said Relena specifically requested both of us. Une also said that there was a veiled threat that might be connected to this case."

"A veiled threat?" Quatre asked. "How so?"

"Relena's chauffer found an anonymous letter on the windshield of her private car. It said that if she got tired of politics there were "several positions" she could fill for a private employer."

Duo frowned. "Were they able to lift any prints on the note?"

Heero shook his head. "No. The author must have used gloves. That's part of why Une suspects it's a threat as opposed to a poorly worded note. Someone who meant no harm wouldn't have been so meticulous about keeping their prints off the paper."

"Have there been any other notes of this nature?" Quatre asked. "Even ones that weren't sent to Relena? There might be a pattern if there were."

"Une is looking into it with the local precincts. Unfortunately, if nobody reported them or if the police thought they weren't important, we won't have any leads there, either."

"Great. That's just what we need. Another case with no leads," Duo groused.

"Don't give up hope, Duo. Something will turn up. I'm sure of it," Quatre told him.

"Until then, we act as if we're still guarding the girl. Even Une doesn't know that we've relocated her. And it will stay that way until it is safe to tell her," Heero said.

"Well, I hope that kid likes the circus," Duo said. "'Cause from the looks of things…she's gonna be there for a long time."

"Johnson didn't hurt you did he?"

The girl shook her head.

Cathy frowned. "You'd tell me if he did?"

The girl nodded again.

Cathy realized she was frowning and stopped. "Okay. Hey, I've got rehearsal soon. D'you want to come watch or go back to the trailer?"

The girl thought this over for a moment before looking towards the tent with a tiny, hopeful smile.

"Great! Come on, Trowa, you can see the new act," Cathy said as she started for the tent.

Trowa waited for the girl to start following Cathy before heading for the tent. He fell into step next to the girl. He was glad she was responding so well to his sister. It helped him to hope that they'd made the right decision to place her here.

"Just so you know, I'm leaving first thing in the morning," he said quietly. "I wanted you to know in case she forgets to tell you."

The girl nodded after processing the information. Trowa was just grateful that she didn't look like the information upset her. He supposed it was possible that she was just keeping her emotions to herself, but he liked to think she was okay with staying here.

"Cathy's…well, she means well, but she's a bit forgetful and sometimes says things without thinking about them. Don't let her make you feel like you need to start talking. She'll probably talk just because you're there to listen, but she won't be offended if you don't talk back, okay?" Trowa wanted the girl to know about Cathy's little quirks so she wouldn't be upset when Cathy had one of her airhead moments. He didn't mention it to anyone, but he sort of hoped that the girl would help Cathy to be more conscious of the things she said.

The girl nodded again as they entered the tent. She stopped and looked around. Trowa picked a row and led her to a seat where she would get a good look at the acts. Trowa kept one eye on the act and one eye on the girl. She was mesmerized by the lion tamer. Trowa wondered if she'd ever seen a circus perform before. She was enthralled by the elephant act. Trowa had to admit the act had improved since the last time he'd seen it.

Cathy came out after the elephants. Her new routine was pretty intense, though Trowa didn't like that she lost her balance after a backflip. She almost fell. Maybe to the untrained eye she hadn't made a mistake, but Trowa knew. Fortunately, she recovered and finished strong.

When Cathy was done, Trowa stood. The girl looked a little disappointed but stood as well. Trowa didn't feel too bad. She'd have plenty of time to watch the entire show, rather than just bits and pieces. Besides, this way the show would be fresh when she went to see it.

Trowa and the girl stood near the tent entrance while they waited for Cathy. The girl watched the other acts that were rehearsing but Trowa didn't bother. He'd seen them. Instead, he looked around, wondering if he ought to introduce the girl to any of the other performers or leave it to Cathy. She was getting her notes from the stage manager, and Trowa could tell he wasn't happy about her slip up, either. That was good. At least he was paying attention to the act instead of assuming Cathy got it right. That was a problem when you were a star performer. People began to assume you were doing it right, so they never bother to check. That was how costly mistakes got made. Trowa knew a first class tumbler that didn't stick her landings correctly and ended up tearing her Achilles tendon in one leg and the hamstring on the other at the same time. A botched surgery later, she'd had to give up performing and would walk with a cane for the rest of her life. Trowa didn't want to see anything like that happen to Cathy because of a lazy stage manager.

Trowa watched as Cathy nodded, accepting the critique and cheerfully came over to where he was standing with the girl.

"So what did you think, Trowa?"

"Other than that near miss, it was really good. I think you'll get a good response from the crowds if you can nail that landing," he told her truthfully.

Cathy nodded. She appreciated Trowa's opinion because she knew he would be straight with her. She turned to the girl. "What about you? Did you like it?"

The girl nodded. Cathy smiled. The girl hadn't seen her act before, so if she liked it, other people would too.

"Well, why don't we head back to the trailer? It's about time for dinner." Cathy started towards the trailer. She walked slowly so she could talk to the girl. "When we don't have a show, it's referred to as a 'Dark Day.' On Dark Days we try to get to bed early to make up for the sleep we lose on performance days. You'll get used to the routine, I'm sure. On Performance Days we get up early to make sure that everything is ready to go. We make sure there's enough makeup to go around and that the costumes are in good condition. That way, if there's a problem we have time to fix it. We make sure the animals are well fed and ready for the show. We check to make sure the tent is secure and the inside is clear of debris. We check the grounds to make sure it looks nice for the crowds. That's usually a big job because if there was a crowd the night before, there's bound to be trash strewn about. But everyone pitches in and it isn't quite as daunting as it sounds. And once you get the hang of things, it'll be easy."

Trowa wanted to tell Cathy not to overwhelm the girl, but the girl seemed to be taking it all in stride. She seemed relaxed and maybe just a little…was excited the word he wanted? Maybe not 'excited'…eager to please…that was probably a more accurate description. Maybe she was just looking forward to being allowed to do something more than sit in bed all day.

Once in the trailer, the girl hung back while Trowa and Cathy moved about the kitchen preparing a simple dinner. The girl sat at the table and watched everything they did. Trowa wondered if she knew how to cook or if she just wanted to learn. He supposed that even if she did know how to cook, she wouldn't have had much opportunity for it in the last five years.

Cathy pulled the nutrient shake out of the freezer and put some into a smaller glass, which she left on the counter to thaw while she made macaroni and cheese. Trowa mixed the salad. He wasn't much of a cook and neither was Cathy, but that didn't mean they starved. They knew what they could make and created meals based around those items. Trowa only hoped the girl wouldn't turn out to be picky or that could pose a problem.

When he was done with the salad, Trowa got plates and silverware out and let Cathy dish up hers first. He was a little surprised when she pulled out a smaller plate, put some macaroni on it and gave the plate to the girl along with the defrosted shake.

"Sally's letter said you can start to add heavier foods into your diet. I'll trust you to decide how much you can safely eat," Cathy told her with a wink. She wanted the girl to know she could eat more if she wanted but that she didn't have to finish what she was given if she couldn't. Cathy didn't want the girl to make herself sick just to please her. Secretly, Cathy wondered how far the girl would go to please those around her just to keep from being beaten. She didn't wonder about it much, though, because thinking about the lengths the girl probably had to go made her ill.

Trowa and Cathy ate their meal in silence; Trowa because he hardly talked anyway, and Cathy because she was a little lost in her thoughts about the girl. While he ate, Trowa kept an eye on the girl, wanting to make sure that she was doing alright. He wasn't overly surprised when she didn't quite finish everything she was given.

"Did you get enough to eat?" he asked her when she set down her fork and put her hands in her lap.

She nodded but didn't make a move to get up from the table. Trowa gave her a small nod to acknowledge her answer and went back to eating his own meal. He still kept an eye on her, just in case she changed her mind about being full, but she didn't. As he watched her, he realized that she had dark circles under her eyes. He felt a little guilty. They'd pushed her too hard today without meaning to. This had been her first day out of bed in a week, after all, and she wasn't in good condition to start with.

She tried to stifle a yawn, but even Cathy noticed.

"Trowa, go set up the couch for her, I'll get the dishes," Cathy said as she started to gather up the plates.

Trowa nodded and went to do as he was asked. It wouldn't take him long. The girl stood and tried to help clear the table but Cathy stopped her.

"No, don't worry about these, I've got them."

The girl's brows furrowed and she looked unsure. Cathy figured she wasn't sure if she was in trouble for not helping, so Cathy gave her a smile.

"Before you go to bed, Sally's letter suggested using a sleep aid to keep you from having nightmares. Maybe you should try one tonight. If it doesn't work then Trowa can talk to Sally when he goes back and she can suggest something else."

Cathy figured if she gave the girl something else to do it would take her mind off of trying to help with the dishes. She looked so tired that Cathy was sure the girl would fall asleep at the sink if she let her help. The girl nodded and went into the other room. Cathy sighed. She wondered what she had gotten herself into.

In the other room, Trowa had finished putting the bed together when the girl came in. He watched as she dug through her bags and pulled out one of the pill bottles that Sally had given her. She considered the bottle for a moment before taking out a pill and dry swallowing it. He frowned. Didn't she know she could get a glass of water? He'd have to talk to Cathy about making sure the girl knew she could have things.

The girl gave Trowa a look, asking permission to go to bed, and Trowa nodded, feeling sick that she felt she had to ask permission. If he ever got his hands on Chase he'd wring the bastard's neck.

The girl climbed onto the bed and curled up under the blankets.

Trowa made sure the blankets would keep her warm. "Sleep well. Remember that you're safe here," he told her softly before heading back to the kitchen.

Cathy heard him tell the girl to sleep well and walked over to the entryway, still drying a glass. "Good night…sleep tight…dream of the circus tonight." It was something most circus folk told their children when they put them to bed, though Cathy wasn't sure the girl heard her. She was out like a light.

"Try not to push her too hard tomorrow," Trowa said as Cathy came back into the kitchen. He had started to wash the dishes that were still in the sink.

"I won't," Cathy promised. "But I do plan to take her shopping since it's a Dark Day."

Trowa nodded.

"Do you realize she doesn't know what size shoe she wears?"

"That's not really surprising. Sally measured her to get her clothes sizes. My guess is that she was given clothes to wear only when what she had was worn out or too small. What she was wearing when we found her was threadbare at best. And the clothes she was given probably came from one of the girls that were murdered." Trowa didn't look at Cathy as he told her this. He didn't want to see the look on her face.

"Trowa…what if…what if she doesn't get any better?" Cathy asked softly.

"It won't be your fault, Catherine. There's too much we don't know. I won't lie to you…there's a good chance that you'll trigger bad memories without meaning to. Just promise me you won't give up on her."

"I won't, Trowa."

"Good." Trowa rinsed the last dish and pulled the plug to drain the soapy water. "There's something else I want you to do for me."

"What would that be?"

Trowa looked at his sister. "Make sure she understands that she is welcome here, that she's not a burden. Let her know she can do what she wants, within reason, of course. I watched her dry swallow a pill and then she practically asked permission to go to bed. She knows where the kitchen is and she watched us prepare dinner so I'm pretty sure she knows where the cups are. And if she didn't, we would have gotten her a glass of water." Thinking about the situation was making Trowa angry. "She shouldn't have to be afraid to ask for a glass of water and she shouldn't have to have permission to sleep when she's tired."

"I understand, Trowa. I promise to work on that with her. Even if it doesn't make any difference…if I can't change her behaviors…I'll still try."

Cathy sounded like she was going to cry, so Trowa pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Catherine. It won't be easy and I'm sure it'll be more frustrating for you than it should be, but know that I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you could do it."

Cathy hugged him back. "What time are you leaving in the morning?"

"Early. Probably before she wakes up. I think it'll be better that way. It might not be a bad idea to let her sleep herself out. I know you want to go shopping but you have all day so it won't hurt to let her sleep in."

"Okay. I'd planned on letting her sleep in anyway. And I think I'll say goodbye now, just in case I'm not up when you leave."

Trowa gave her a squeeze before letting her go. "Goodbye, Cathy. Maybe with the girl here I can come to visit soon, even if it's only to check up on her. You have my number if you need anything."

Cathy nodded. "Yes and Sally gave me a secure number to call if it's about the girl."

"Well then…goodnight."

"Sleep tight," Cathy said.

With a grin, they both said, "Dream of the circus tonight."