The next morning, Martin awoke and smiled as he watched Lily sleeping, the stray sunbeams that peeked through the closed curtains caused her silky long raven locks to shine and her perfect creamy skin to glow. It was a sharp contract from the woman he'd watched in the hospital bed. Kissing her exposed shoulder, he carefully slid out of the king size bed, but felt her stirring. "Shh, Sweetheart, go back to sleep. I'm just going for a run. It's still early." As he dressed, he watched her sleeping. There was a light about her that he'd taken for granted, afraid that he would snuff it out with all that he saw, but he now knew it was that light that kept him going. Without her, he was in the dark, going through life without really seeing it, and always seeing the dark side. As he ran down the driveway, he vowed to never let the dark touch her again.
"Martin!" A familiar male voice rang out from behind Martin a half hour later.
"Jack? What are you doing here?"
"Yeah, the AUSA is clamoring for an ID in Lily's kidnapping case, so he sent us," he gestured to the younger agent in the passenger seat, "to talk to her. Do you want a lift back to the house?"
"Yeah, I want to be there when you talk to her."
Danny stepped out of the car and whistled as they pulled up to the house. "This is quite a house."
"It's her family's place." Martin answered expressionless and ran up the stone staircase. "Lil?"
"She's in the shower, Master Fitzgerald. May I help you with something?" The Englishman appeared seemingly out of no where.
"Yes, um," he stammered, still uncomfortable with having a butler.
"I'll take care of them, sir." Robert smiled and nodded as the other agents walked in the house.
"Thank you. I'll be down in a minute."
Lily descended the stairs, but Martin caught her on the landing. "Why are Jack and Danny here?"
"They want to interview you about your kidnapping." He watched her steel herself. "Lil, I know you can handle yourself with them, but I'd really like for you to wait for me." She nodded and he kissed her. "I promise, I will be right down."
She took a deep breath and put on her best smile as she walked down to the foyer. "Jack, Danny, how good to see you again. Bobby, why don't we get these nice gentlemen some breakfast."
"Very good, Miss Lily. Will you be eating in the dining room or the kitchen?"
"Very good question." She looked over at the two men who were trying to hide their smirks. "It's up to you. The dining room is a bit pretentious, but roomy. The kitchen eating area is comfortable, but a little cramped for four people." There was no response. "I think we'll take the dining room today, Bobby. Thank you." She smiled as the older man showed them into her mother's favorite room. Ten antique Queen Anne chairs surrounded the dark mahogany dining table that Robert polished every Friday. The antique hutch at the head of the room displayed all of the fine china and housed the silver and a row of windows overlooking the expansive grounds, but it was cold, impersonal, and snobbish. Lily had always hated that room, but for what they were going to be talking about, it was best suited to be away from ears that were loyal to her parents, not to her. "Martin will be joining us in minute and the coffee should be out shortly. Why don't we forgo shop talk until after we've all had one cup?"
"That's fine." Jack politely glanced around the room. "Our flight isn't for another six hours."
"You grew up in this house?" Danny asked with almost a whisper, awed by what he was seeing.
"No, this was my grandfather's place before he passed it down to my parents when I was in law school. I grew up in a house in Arlington since my father worked in Congress."
"Did he come with the house?" He gestured in the direction the butler had walked out.
"Who, Bobby?" She laughed. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. He was brought on by my grandfather forty years ago and is a member of the family."
"So, you live here?"
"No, I have an apartment in Arlington. I'm just here to recover and to appease my parents." She crossed legs and smiled as Robert brought in the silver tray with the coffee and everyday china cups and saucers. He knew that she hated the fine china, found it to be too showy, especially when the guests were law enforcement.
"Melinda will have breakfast ready shortly."
"Thank you, Bobby, and please show Martin in when he comes down."
"Very good, Miss Lily." Robert nodded.
"Who's Melinda?" Danny asked as the Englishman disappeared behind the swinging door.
"Danny, enough." Jack jumped in, but Lily was laughing.
"She's the chef and the best baker you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. Haven't you interviewed anyone who lived on an estate before?"
"Not anyone that I felt comfortable asking about how it worked."
She laughed again. "Then ask away because I always felt that growing up in this place was much too ostentatious."
"Don't believe her, Danny," Martin smiled as he walked in, "she took full advantage of every advantage she had."
"I did not. He always makes me sounds like some spoiled rich brat." She smiled and squeezed his hand as he sat next to her.
"Can we get started now?" Jack asked in a gruff tone. "I'd really like to get this out of the way. Then you can give Danny a tour ala 'Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous'."
"Of course." Her smile faded. "I'll tell you what I am able."
Reaching into his suit coat, he pulled out a marker and a photo array. "Please circle and initial any faces you remember."
Martin felt her hand tighten around his before she took a deep breath and pulled away. "Just take your time, Lil."
The two faces that were imbedded in her memory like a bad movie jumped off the page and caused her to replay that nightmare. Suddenly, she was back on that night, the greasy-haired muscular man in a dirty white t-shirt and blue jeans had his arms around her, his hand covering her mouth, and pulled her into the white work van with the cold metal floor that was covered with auto parts and reeked of stale beer and motor oil. As she struggled, she caught sight of the smaller black-haired man who was driving, the one her capture called Mikey, and she could still hear them telling her that she was going to pay for what she did to Cheryl. She shook it off, circled the two faces, and quickly pushed the paper. "Those two. The man in the top row grabbed me while the one in the bottom row drove. Now, if you all will excuse me, I'll be right back." The three men all rose as she did and she attempted to make a graceful exit as she ran to the powder room and threw up.