Chapter 13 – The Stalker

"In this farewell, there's no blood/ there's no alibi/ 'Cause I've drawn regrets/ from the truth/ of a thousand lies/ So let mercy come/ and wash away/ what I've done/…Put to rest/ what you thought of me/ while I clean this slate/ with the hands of uncertainty/ So let mercy come/ and wash away/ what I've done."
-What I've Done, Linkin Park

-

I listened carefully as Henri explained to everyone why exactly he had hired Philippe to follow Erik.

"I knew that no one would believe the word of any of us unless there was some outside influence involved in which the person could change their minds," Henri said. "Philippe has worked for several important people in the government, retrieving information that no one else could find."

Philippe said nothing when Henri complemented him.

"I'm just glad you did," I said, taking Erik's hand in mine. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to Erik again. Once was more than enough."

Erik squeezed my fingers. "I never thought I'd see the day where I would be glad that someone was following me and practically stalking me," he added.

"Now you know how it feels," I teased, poking him.

He smiled, but there was a weariness behind the smile that I felt within myself as well. I knew that all of us were tired, and we didn't want to have to search for the culprit for much longer.

"So, we already know that Erik isn't the culprit," Charity said, picking a stray thread from her skirt. "But the real question is, who is?"

"And possibly more importantly, why is he doing this?" Dominique added, surprising us with her insight. She was very intelligent for her age, and I often forgot that. Of course, that obviously had something to do with the fact that I wasn't there for the first ten years of her life.

We all sat there, pondering these two questions, and their possible answers. I knew that I might have the answer, but I didn't want to say anything. I didn't want to frighten everyone – especially Dominique – with the idea that we were up against a man with advanced technology, and the ability to travel through time. The prospect that he might be able to leave a situation if it got too hot for him was not an inviting thought. Especially since his ability to time travel would make it next to impossible to find him.

After a long while, Philippe spoke. "We have to look at this a different way," he said.

"We?" Charity demanded, folding her arms across her chest and raising an eyebrow. "Who said you're a part of this?"

"Charity!" I scolded, surprised at how rude she was. "He has contributed greatly to help us, and he deserves respect. His opinion is valuable, as he is possibly the only one who has had experience with this kind of thing."

I thought I knew the reason for Charity's rudeness, but I didn't want to say anything in front of the rest of the group because that might embarrass Charity, and I still remembered what it was like for me when I was a teenager. Embarrassment was not something that I wanted for either of my daughters, especially not by my hands.

Charity crossed her arms over her chest more fiercely and stared at the wall. She seemed to be pouting, and I remembered what that was like. My mother scolding me for something that didn't make any sense to me whatsoever. I didn't blame her for being mad at me, but I knew that she would get over it. At least, I hoped she would. I didn't know for sure because I wasn't there when she was growing up. I was only there for the first five years of her life.

"What do you suggest?" Erik asked Philippe, pulling my thoughts back to reality.

"I was thinking that we have to look at the situation from a more tactical point of view," he said after a glance in Charity's direction. "That, as well as a scientific viewpoint"

"What does that mean?" Dominique asked, curious.

"It means that we have to examine the evidence that we've been given," Philippe replied. I nodded. I was getting his point. I had lived in the eighteenth century for so long that I had almost forgotten about television shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. "For example," he added, "we know that the man has murdered three people – "

I stopped him. "Three people that we know of," I corrected. "He may have killed others."

All eyes turned to me.

"What do you mean?" Charity asked.

I said nothing for a moment, and pretended to smooth out the wrinkles in my dress.

"You know something that we should," Henri said. It wasn't a question, but a statement, and a valid one at that.

"Nothing that I can say in front of the present company," I replied, motioning with my eyes to Philippe.

"Ah," was all Henri said, glancing at Philippe.

It was obvious that Philippe had gotten the hint, and so he then excused himself, although I could tell he was feeling offended.

Once he had left the room, the rest of its occupants crowded around me, knowing that Philippe might have been eavesdropping anyway.

I explained to them my suspicions.

"AM2?" Erik asked. "Who is that?"

"He was the second in command in the Council of Music, you know the one I mean," I replied. "When Charity brought me back to the future, he was there, and he was quite angry that I hadn't brought you with me. In fact, he had been intending to take Dominique back on his own, without me. The only reason that he didn't was because a good friend of mine" – here I turned to Henri, "you met her already – she was the one who told me about AM2's plan, and then she took Dominique back to the right time, as I was not yet discharged from the hospital."

"Huh?" Dominique asked, confused. "Hospital?"

"Nevermind that, honey," I replied.

"But didn't you tell me that there was only one belt?" Erik asked.

"See, now that's what I had thought, too," I said. "But, apparently, there's more than one. The one I have is broken now, so it can't be used either way. It broke halfway through the time stream. I was lucky I didn't end up in the prehistoric era."

"Still, though," Charity said, "that doesn't answer the question of how we're going to find him."

"That's a question to which I don't have the answer," I replied.

-

The man in the black cloak smiled as he chose his next victim. He didn't' particularly enjoy the idea of killing someone. It was the fact that the death of one more person would complete his mission, and therefore his life-ling dream would be fulfilled. And that prospect made him smile in anticipation.

He touched his face to make sure that the black half mask he wore over the right side of his face was secure. Then, with his whole face in shadow because of his black hood, he chose his next victim and followed her home.

-

I passed several people on my way to the market. It was almost closing time, but we needed food, and I had offered to go. It gave me time to gather my thoughts. I knew that I should have been helping Erik, Charity, Dominique, Henri and Philippe (although, Philippe was a little useless now since he still didn't know – and hopefully would never know – about me being from the future). Helping them find the culprit was the thing I wanted to do most.

But I also needed time to gather my thoughts, and the walk from Henri's house to the market was just long enough to provide for enough time to gather my thoughts.

I was barely able to concentrate on which fruit was the best of the lot. My mind was too occupied.

In the end, I just chose randomly, and decided that, although we needed more than what I had chosen, we could do with this for the moment. We didn't have to have an overflowing pantry.

I would have left the job to Maria, but she was visiting family outside of Paris, and so there wasn't any way that she would have been able to do the job.

As I headed home, I thought I sensed someone following me. I stopped and turned, but there was no one there but the rest of the crowd. Several times during the trip home, I felt like someone was following me, but every time I turned around, there were only the regular people walking past me.

When I arrived at the end of the drive at Henri's, I stopped again, and looked around. A feeling of apprehension snaked up my spine, aiding the sudden gust of wind that came up in making me feel like someone was watching my every move.

After several long moments in which nothing happened, I walked up the driveway and to the front steps.

As I passed the fountain, a leaf blew past my face, startling me and causing me to cry out. I dropped the basket of fruit that I had been holding, and I cursed loudly and violently so that I was sure anyone within a hundred miles could hear my foul language.

"Are you alright?" A voice asked, and I whirled around.

Philippe stood there with his hands in his pockets, his small black goatee making his young face seem older and wiser. I sighed audibly. It must have been Philippe who had been following me. What a relief.

"I'm fine," I said. "You startled me, is all." I bent to pick up the fruit before someone stepped on them.

Philippe helped me, and then, once the fruit was again in the basket, I went inside, and he followed.

-

The man scowled furiously. Now he had to wait until dark before he could commit the act. Why did that man with the black hair have to come out at exactly the moment when he was going to strike? The man in the black cloak sighed and settled down in the bushes.

He didn't mind the waiting. He was used to it. It was the fact that he didn't know how long he would have to wait. If he had an exact time in which he would have to wait, then that was all right. But if the opportune moment could come at any time, he felt agitated.

He couldn't wait to plunge his dagger into the woman's back, finalizing the plan, and completing the orders he had been given by his superior.

He rubbed his hands together. He could hardly wait. He would enjoy this.

A/N: Review, please!