The weather was clear though a tad warmer than usual for late summer when the trio arrived in Nafrece that late afternoon. Madlax took everything with almost an unsophisticated awe which did help them get through customs with little difficulty. As they left customs and through the gate they saw a young woman with dirty blond hair in a ponytail wearing sunglasses, open toed shoes and black skirt suit holding a small sigh with Vanessa's last name on it.
Vanessa approached the woman while Limelda and Madlax kept an eye on her and their surroundings. "I'm Vanessa Rene. You have something for me?" She said waiting for the woman to respond. "Who is your greatest enemy, destroyer of…" The woman paused to look at something on the back of the sign and she mouthed over what she was supposed to say with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm. "Of bamboo, Persian rugs and purple couches?" The woman continued waiting for Vanessa's reply.
Vanessa sighed in return and replied. "Mr. Tootles the cat, bane of all existence."
The woman grimaced and handed Vanessa an airport locker key. "Locker 514. You know that was dumbest thing I have ever had to say." The woman said still grimacing.
"Our employer has it out for our house cat. He routinely destroys his furniture and house plants." Vanessa supposed, agreeing with her.
"Then your employer is an ass." The woman bluntly said with a look of disdain on her face before walking away.
When Vanessa walked back to Limelda and Madlax, Limelda snarked; "Next time we get to pick the pass phrases. Seriously he really needs to get over that damn couch or put a bullet in that cat himself."
Madlax glared at Limelda with the unspoken message "He had better not, for his sake."
"He would if someone wouldn't keep spiking the furniture with catnip." Vanessa snarked back glancing at Madlax. "I wouldn't if he didn't have horrid taste in furniture." Madlax mock pouted as they headed to the lockers.
They went to locker number 514 and opened it. Inside was an envelope with a house key, an area map with a phone number on it and small note written in a woman's handwriting.
2800 W. Blanc st.
Gear and other supplies there.
Any problems call.
"At least we know where the safe house is. Question is do we head there first or shoot over to Margaret's?" Madlax asked stuffing the note in her pocket.
"We're unarmed and who knows what we might run into. So going to the safe house first and grabbing our gear first is the smart thing to do. Besides you don't know where she lives do you." Limelda commented.
"I do, but I also agree on going to the safe house first to see what we actually got. Once we're settled we'll head over and see Margaret." Vanessa added as Madlax nodded in agreement.
"You want to get the rental car Limelda?" Vanessa asked.
"Didn't you say you have a car?" Madlax asked a bit baffled.
"Yes, but it's parked at Margaret's. Also I don't know what condition it's in. For I know those men could've sabotaged it."
"Good point." Madlax said as Limelda went to the car rental booth and a few minutes later they were on their way towards the city proper.
Driving through Paris to the safe house Madlax noticed that there were no skyscrapers. In fact the tallest building she saw was the Eiffel Tower. "Vanessa, how there's no tall buildings?" She queried.
"That's because most of the city is built on top of old mine tunnels. For the last seven hundred years people have been mining Gypsum and Limestone but no bothered to keep track of where the tunnels went or how many until parts of the city began collapsing into the earth." Vanessa explained not unlike a tour guide, noticing though the rear view mirror the look of complete fascination of Madlax's face.
In fact the area we're going to is has a great number of tunnels, since the '30's the LGBT population of Paris have been reinforcing the tunnels underneath their neighbor to use for the most part as a refuge. It's become an under city of sorts. "Have you been there Vanessa?" Madlax asked noticing the morose look on Vanessa's face. "I have. I was planning to hide there if I couldn't clear my name." Vanessa replied and it became awkwardly silent. It remained that way till Vanessa pointed out the safe house.
The house from the outside looked well kept with its beige and white paint job. They wondered how the inside looked.
The inside was well kept though covered with white floral print sound dampening wallpaper. The trio unpacked and found the pistols in a gun locker with the appropriate permits on a table nearby. They had also noticed that fresh flowers had been placed in a nearby vase so they looked for any listening devices or hidden cameras. Finding none they armed themselves and left the house.
They practically drove across the city to get to Margaret's. When they had arrived they stopped just short of the driveway. "Madlax come with me. I want to check on my car for any sabotage and planted bombs." For the next fifteen minutes they looked over the vehicle; thankfully the only damage done was to the tires.
Just as they were finished looking a voice rang out from the nearby doorway.
"VANESSA!" Margaret shouted gleefully.
"Hi Marg...oof!" Vanessa got out before she was glomped by Margaret. Madlax and Limelda noticed Laetitia standing in the doorway slowly shaking her head.
Vanessa recovered and hugged Margaret in return. "I'm glad to see you too Margaret." She said hoping Margaret would let go as she was beginning to unintentionally crush her. Fortunately Madlax stepped in and Margaret began to hug Madlax. Laetitia walked over to Vanessa. "Hello Miss Rene." She politely greeted with a genuine smile on her face.
"Hello Laetitia. How are you?" Vanessa asked honestly a tad surprised that the usually enigmatic Laetitia actually started a conversation.
"Other than being distressed at the current state of affairs and what happened to Elenore, I'm alright." Laetitia responded with a slight worried frown. "You knew what happened? Did you see Elenore in the hospital?" Vanessa asked figuring that the first question was a bit dumb.
Without batting an eye Laetitia responded thus with a tone of self recrimination; "Yes I know what had happened. I was there. I was there when she was lying there in the street and I couldn't do anything significant to help her other than to stand there and cry. I was there when she started to have a breakdown in the emergency room and I couldn't do anything then either. I was also there when they drugged her unconscious and took her away to another hospital and yet again all I could do was stand there and watch."
While Limelda was listening to Laetitia talk to Vanessa she looked at her then at Madlax and Margaret then back at Laetitia. From looking at Madlax and Margaret you could tell they were related but Laetitia with her green eyes, nearly bright carroty hair and wispy build in comparison to her sisters that she wasn't but according to both of them she was indeed their sister. Besides she seemed to be on more on the ball than Margaret from what she had seen so far and probably would give a more of a straight answer of what was going on than her older sister if what Madlax had said of her.
Vanessa lowered herself to Laetitia's eye level and gave her a hug as she struggled to find something to say to her. "There is something you can do. You can tell me what you saw even if it seems insignificant." Vanessa's stomach growled and she smirked. "Well, not right at this moment."
Laetitia smiled. "I agree. After dinner would be preferable. Now if you or Miss Jorg could pry Margaret off Madlax we all can go inside and Madlax could make us some pasta.
The moment the word pasta was mentioned Margaret quickly released Madlax. "Madlax agreed to make some pasta for us! Let's go inside." Margaret said looking over her shoulder wanting to get everyone inside in case they were being watched.
Once they had gotten inside, Vanessa and the others noticed that the living room and most likely the entire apartment had a disheveled look to it. "So this is what would've happened if Elenore hadn't been resurrected." Vanessa thought to herself as she made herself comfortable.
"I'm sorry I don't have tea ready." Margaret said a bit despondently.
"It's quite alright. Which hospital is Elenore in?" Vanessa said hoping to move the conversation forward while glancing at Laetitia, recalling what she had said about Elenore being drugged and taken to another hospital.
Margaret looked up at the ceiling as she tried to remember, once she remembered her eyes lit up and she replied as was pleased that she had remembered. "She's in Morton."
"Morton...Morton. Where have I heard that name before?" Vanessa said, herself beginning to muse.
"It's a psychiatric hospital." Laetitia bluntly added.
Vanessa's eyes had widened in utter shock. "MORTON?! Why would you send her there of all places?!"
Margaret bowed her head with a guilty expression as she replied; "Ever since we got back from Gazth-Sonika she's been acting strange."
"What do you mean by "strange"?" Vanessa asked none too pleased with Margaret's reply.
"Sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night screaming and spend the rest of the night crying into her pillow. And then she started looking over shoulder and keeping the shades down and that was before we met those ladies." Margaret answered haggardly.
"That's only part of the truth and you know it." Laetitia said in a cross tone.
Vanessa looked at Laetitia in wonder at her maturity despite her apparent age.
"I do want to ask you about the day Elenore got shot but what else has been happening?" Vanessa asked.
Laetitia looked up at the ceiling, thought of her answer and then replied; "When we had gotten settled, Elenore looked through some photo albums till she found one picture and took it with her. What she did with it I don't know. Before the parade she asked for at first evenings and then days. The only answer we got out of her along with her apologies that she was searching for a woman who knew her parents and uncle. It was after the parade she started keeping the shades down and looking over her shoulder. For awhile we thought she went missing as she didn't come home for nearly a week. We feared that those men had done something to her. She told us that was the reason she had stayed away from home so long."
Now the story was starting to make sense to Vanessa; she reasoned that someone on the other side had told her about this woman. After being resurrected, she decided to go look for this woman for some unknown reason. Along the way she had found the woman and possibly uncovered something that got her into some deep trouble.
Trouble deep enough, that someone was willing to send men out to silence her. Add in what had happened to her Gazth-Sonika, plus her concern for Margaret and Laetitia's safety, whatever flashbacks she was experiencing. She could imagine Elenore having been shot having a major flashback or possibly a breakdown in the ER. Thus the need to send her someplace like Morton, though the only consolation was it was a high priced private clinic and she reasoned that she would be safe there. In a quieter and more sympathetic tone Vanessa asked; "How long has she been at Morton?"
"A week. I didn't know where it was so I haven't been there to see her. Laetitia looked it up on the computer, it's quite way's from here." Margaret replied in that same guilty tone.
"At the moment it's mostly likely after visiting hours, so we'll go tomorrow. If you want me to I could prepare some of Elenore's clothes to bring with us. She probably would appreciate a change of clothing."
"Now that I think about it; I do want to ask you about that day as well Margaret." Vanessa said and then added noticing her own growling stomach and Margaret's face. "After dinner of course."
"Yes please, I don't think Elenore would mind you in her room if it was for that reason. I don't know what else I could add; I was in the emergency room." Margaret responded with her eyes glancing towards the dining room.
"I'm curious on who recommended Morton clinic to you?" Vanessa pressed.
"Oh, that's simple; Elenore's therapist Emily did." Margaret answered.
"How did this Emily know Elenore was there? I didn't know Elenore was seeing a therapist." Vanessa asked becoming alarmed that Margaret may have put Elenore in grave danger.
"I called her. Elenore left me her number in case something happened to her. She had been seeing her for years and she never told me." Margaret replied.
"That makes two of us. Then again Elenore tends to keep things to herself." Vanessa said recalling a conversation she had with her while she was driving her home one day, and the way Elenore had avoided answering with a simple "It's nothing."
"It's more than nothing and I want to know what." Vanessa thought.
Limelda had been drifting between the living room and the kitchen. When she came back to the living room she had all eyes fixed on her expectantly.
"Madlax said it would be fifteen minutes before it's done." Limelda said to a chorus of near silent groans.
"While we're waiting, Laetitia could you tell us what happened that day?" Vanessa asked trying to keep her mind off the growling in her stomach.
Limelda pulled out a small notepad and a pen. "Anything you could remember no matter how insignificant, it might help out."
"Alright." Laetitia replied as she began.
It was a beautiful late summer's afternoon. It took them an hour longer for what was a fifteen minute walk to get to the playground as Elenore was trying to avoid being followed. When they had arrived at the park Elenore was relieved that there were parents and a few other maids with their children. As Laetitia played she noticed Elenore keeping her back away from the street while trying to keep an eye on her and the nearby street.
Laetitia ran around playing with the other children while actually learning to socialize with other people. Elenore smiled as she watched her yet she kept looking at the street.
While she was on the jungle gym she noticed Elenore approaching rapidly and she too looked out onto the street. She couldn't see what had Elenore so worried.
"We need to go now Laetitia. Say goodbye your friends." Elenore said in a tone that belied fear that she felt. Laetitia gave a quick goodbye before Elenore decided to drag her off.
They left the park not from the front but a side entrance all the while Elenore hadn't taken her eyes off the street.
Laetitia wondered if it was that blue compact car that she noticed that frightened Elenore. She felt herself being almost dragged as Elenore walked in a furious pace.
"Laetitia. If anything should happen to me, I want you to run as fast you can. Run to a store or better yet a police officer." Elenore told her.
She was doing her best to keep a hold of Elenore's hand but she was weaving them through any crowd of people she could find.
She didn't understand what Elenore was trying to do other than smashing her into people when she didn't move fast enough. She couldn't see who or what they were running from.
When they had gotten to the street that they needed to cross in order to get home, Elenore had lifted her up and she started running across the street.
She could feel Elenore's heart pounding in her chest as they ran. That's when she car the car speeding towards directly at them. Elenore had let go her and gave her a shove and then Laetitia was running ahead of Elenore who was trying use herself as a shield.
Turning her head long enough to see the car barely hit Elenore who was still running behind. Then she heard something she wished she would've never heard again; gunfire.
She heard the first shot hit something metal. She didn't hear the other shots over people screaming, she could hardly hear Elenore yelp in pain from being hit not once but twice.
When she had gotten to the curb she dared to turn around just as the blue car sped off. She saw Elenore lying there in the street and she felt guilty; it was her that wanted to go out and play, it was her that wanted to go to the park, and it was her that put Elenore in danger. She went to Elenore and saw she was still breathing but bleeding badly. Not knowing what to do she did the only thing she thought she could do; cry.
Thankfully the police were nearly and she hoped they were calling for an ambulance.
Between the tears Laetitia told them who she was and what had happened from the best of her memory. Watching first the police and then the medics look Elenore over, she went with her on the ambulance as they hurried to the hospital.
When they got there she was put in a room till Margaret arrived.
"It wasn't your fault Laetitia." Margaret said in a consoling tone as Laetitia tried to wipe her eyes.
"Your sister's right; from what you told us, it sounds like they had been keeping an eye out for Elenore, probably knowing that she would have to do her job and they took advantage." Limelda added.
"Are they still watching now?" Margaret said now becoming concerned.
"Depends if they think Elenore is dead or not. They might be watching or they might be watching the hospital she's at." Limelda added but that didn't help Margaret's anxiety one bit.
Vanessa glanced at Limelda intent on telling her off but she had to concede that Limelda did bring up a good point. Then an idea came to her; "Limelda, while Madlax is preparing dinner could you check to see if anyone is watching this place. You're the expert in this kind of situation, so if you see anyone just call us and Madlax and I will back you up." Vanessa said.
"I would but I don't know the area as well as you. So how about you come with me." Limelda countered trying to hide the sly grin on her face.
Vanessa looked at Margaret and Laetitia and began to get up. "I'm sure that Madlax and you have some catching up to do. We won't be gone long."
Margaret looked worriedly at Limelda and Vanessa as they both got up and headed to the door. Vanessa looked back with a confident look. "Don't worry Margaret. We won't be gone long. We're just going to see if anyone is watching this place. And we'll be careful." Vanessa said with a twist of unspoken dark humor that she could use Limelda as a shield.
As she watched them go out the door Madlax came behind her. "They'll be fine. And they do run into trouble; they can handle it." Madlax said her usual laid back tone.
"But I feel so helpless. I just don't know what to do?" Margaret glumly said.
"How about checking out that photo album that Elenore looked through? You did say that Elenore pulled one picture out right? So what did she do with that picture other taking it with her?" Madlax asked. "You might have Vanessa look over Elenore's room for clues and possibly that picture when she gets back." She added before going back to the kitchen.
"I'm not sure what I'm looking for?" Margaret said as Madlax was heading back.
"You'll know it when you see it." Madlax added and Margaret went to get the photo album.
When she found it she brought it to the living room and started looking through it.
As Margaret and Laetitia looked through the album; Margaret stared at some of the pictures for a few moments and recollecting the few but fond memories she once had with Elenore's grandpa. She recognized Elenore's uncle but she couldn't quite remember his name. Further on into the album they noticed quite a few of the pictures were missing. Turning blank page after blank page they wondered if there was any pictures left until they came across one with Elenore's grandpa standing to a short man in comparison to him that resembled Elenore.
"Is that Elenore's father?" Laetitia asked curiously.
"I guess so. He does look like her. I wonder why there aren't many pictures of him." Margaret puzzled.
"From the looks of it there could've been more. But now they're gone." Laetitia answered as Margaret turned the page.
The final page had one photo in it; it was of the man that was standing next to Elenore's grandpa. In this photo in was in a tuxedo and was standing next to a beautiful woman in a wedding gown. Margaret glumly looked at the picture and was about to close the book when Laetitia stopped her.
"Huh?" Margaret asked with a befuddled look on her face.
"Aren't you even going to take a closer look it?" Laetitia asked becoming cross with Margaret.
"Why? I don't see anything that would help." Margaret replied defensively.
Laetitia carefully took the picture out and looked on the back. Pointing it out to Margaret with "I told you so" look on her face.
On the back of the picture was some writing in a woman's handwriting.
Elias and Alison Wedding day June 14th 1991
"Okay there's some writing. I don't know who they are. Other than Grandpa John and Elenore's uncle I don't know much about the Baker family. I guess it could be important. We'll show this to Vanessa when she gets back, okay? I'm getting pretty hungry." Margaret said as she got up and headed to the kitchen to pester Madlax.
Laetitia simply and quietly sighed then looked through the album again. Granted she had no memories of any of the Bakers other than Elenore but seeing the pictures did intrigue her. From what she observed she noticed that Elias took after his mother and had a slight feminine build to him as compared to his father who was more athletically built and taller. What puzzled her why would someone take those pictures out? Why weren't there any of Elenore's uncle? Was he the one who took them? If so why? Did he also take the ones with Elias in them as well leaving only childhood pictures and the two of him as an adult?
Finding nothing else of interest she closed the album. She leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes. It frustrated her that were far too many pieces missing from the puzzle; it wasn't just Elenore's strange behavior or some gang of bigot's reaction to national events or even missing pictures. Just about everything that could link everything together were ripped out. She had to consign herself to the fact that she lacked the investigational skills of Elenore or Vanessa.
She meditated on this till she heard Madlax let Limelda and Vanessa in. She got up and started heading towards the dining room pausing long enough to overhear their conversation.
"Anything?" Madlax asked.
"No. Unless they're extremely well hidden or ghosts." Limelda answered in an attempt at humor.
"I guess there's not much we can do till tomorrow." Madlax conceded.
"I have yet to check Elenore's room. I'll see what turns up." Vanessa added.
"I asked Margaret and Laetitia to go through the photo album, I think they found something."
"I'm sure we'll find out after dinner." Limelda said hoping to finish the conversation.
"Is dinner ready? I'm starved." Vanessa said unintentionally doing an impression of Margaret.
"Thankfully yes. I'm staved too." Madlax grinned as the trio went to the dining room.
For first ten minutes over plates of pasta; the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of forks striking plates and into the pasta again and again.
Once their stomachs had stopped growling Margaret asked; "Did you see those men?"
"No we didn't. But that worries me for other reasons. So what did you and Laetitia find?" Vanessa answered with a concerned look.
"We found a couple of pictures of somebody that might be Elenore's father but I'm not sure. I honestly never heard Elenore or Grandpa John talk about any other family members. I barely remember her uncle and all his pictures are missing. Do you know any of her other relatives?" Margaret said between bites and swallows of pasta.
"I do remember Elenore vaguely talking about her uncle John. But I've never met the man."
"Oh, that's his name! I was trying to remember it earlier. The only time I saw him was at Grandpa John's funeral. I think you were in school at the time." Margaret exclaimed.
Vanessa nodded. "I do remember taking the both of you to his grave a few times." She paused then added; "Show me the picture after dinner."
"Okay." Margaret agreed.
Laetitia silently sighed, got up from her chair and went to the living room. Then she came back with the picture in question.
"Here Miss Rene." She said handing the picture to Vanessa then sitting back down and resumed eating.
Vanessa looked over the picture and read the writing on the back. "Considering the date on the picture and that he resembles Elenore, it's a pretty good assumption that these are her parents. I honestly don't know much about them and probably Elenore doesn't either. So maybe perhaps that's reason she sought out this blond haired woman you mentioned earlier."
"Even so, that doesn't explain why someone would go out their way to try to kill her unless she found out something. What it is, we don't know yet. The only one who could tell us, is in the… hospital." Limelda quickly said correcting herself in mid sentence.
"Margaret could you or Laetitia give me a description of the two guys. I know it's not much to go on but if we can find them we'll know either way if they're working for someone." Madlax asked between bites.
"Okay. I'll tell you after I've finished." Margaret agreed.
Vanessa stared at the photo. "It's a shame I didn't get a chance to meet with you two, but I had a reunion of my own." Vanessa thought as she sipped her wine.
Soon after they finished Limelda and Margaret helped Madlax with the dishes as Vanessa headed towards Elenore's room.
As Vanessa entered the room and turned on the light she became morose at what she saw; the normally spotless, Spartan room was disheveled as if Elenore had been in a hurry that day. There were a couple pairs of tights on the floor along with an emerald plaid skirt. A wrinkled low cut white blouse was on the bed. Had this been any other young woman Vanessa wouldn't have given it any real thought other than noticing the mess. But this was Elenore; the prim, proper, professional she had knew. The only times she saw Elenore out of her usual uniform was; at that time at the resort, the couple times at the beach, at bedtime and that time they woke up naked in a Gazth-Sonika hotel room together.
This outfit seemed out of character for Elenore, perhaps Vanessa reasoned that Elenore had finally took her advice to take time for herself and perhaps make other friends outside the small circle of Margaret and herself. Vanessa smiled as she picked up the tights and skirt off the floor and then she noticed the mattress was askew as if Elenore placed something under it.
"Wouldn't hurt to look. That's why I'm in here." Vanessa said to herself.
When she looked she saw a small vanilla envelope lying there. She picked it up before letting go of the mattress. It felt that there were a couple of things it from what she could tell.
She opened the envelope and poured the contents on to the bed and examined the contents;
There was a key that could've been to a room as it had the number twenty four painted on both sides of it in white on one side and black on the other. It had the look of a recently made copy.
There was a small white envelope; she saw it was from the local bank and also written on it in Elenore's handwriting was;
"bank box 12174 mom"
And the word "proof" underlined thrice.
"What proof?" "Proof of what Elenore?" "What did you find that someone wants you dead?" Vanessa thought out loud to herself.
The only other objects in the envelope were three laminated newspaper clippings which upon closer examination of obituaries.
The first name she recognized was Elenore's grandfather John Baker Sr. It listed both Elenore and her uncle John Baker Jr. and the date from nine years ago.
The next obituary she picked up was Alison Baker's and it was dated fifteen years ago. It also confirmed that she was Elenore's mother. The last one was Elias Baker's and his was dated sixteen years ago. It stuck Vanessa odd as both of Elenore's parents died within a year of each other.
"Just another piece of this puzzle." Vanessa sighed as she thought out loud again.
She scooped up the keys, obituaries and the white envelope and put them into the vanilla envelope.
When she opened her closet she saw mostly spare maids' uniforms, her school uniforms, a teal dress, and a pinstripe skirt suit. She also saw a pair of black heels and a pair of cherry ballerina flats but nothing else.
"Nothing here I could take to her. Let's check the dresser." She said as she checked the closet for anything that would be otherwise hidden.
Her search of the dresser didn't show any promise as she pulled out a few pairs of underwear and placed them on the bed. She also found a mauve sweat suit she could bring to her and placed that on the bed as well. Other than her swimsuit and a couple spare jabots there wasn't anything else of interest. She noticed a slight scuff mark on the floor next to side of the dresser where it faced the wall.
Moving the dresser she saw a large blue shoe box on the floor. Bending down to open the box she found Elenore's actual lesbian porn cache. Granted four DVD's didn't make up a huge collection but knowing that she had this confirmed a long time suspicion she had. Examining the cases and the vibrator and finding nothing she placed them back as she had found them and moved the dresser back.
She looked disappointedly at the small pile of clothing she had placed on the bed. "Once we get this all straightened out, I'll take you shopping. Other than the envelope I haven't found anything else. I find it funny that you left the mattress skewed. Did you want someone to find it?" Vanessa thought out loud once again. She was about to leave the room when she noticed and remembered Elenore's computer setup on the table. She chided herself for not thinking of it before.
It was a simple setup of a PC tower, a flat screen monitor and a printer/scanner combination.
She turned on the PC and waited as it went through the warm up process. At the password screen Vanessa smirked. "Now now Elenore, do you think that's going to stop me? I'm the one who set it up for you." With that she pressed a few key and typed in her password and soon after the desktop appeared.
She thought it was cute that Elenore had used the picture of Margaret and her at the beach for wallpaper. Looking over the desktop she didn't see anything that struck her as odd program icon wise.
Checking her documents she didn't find much there either other an extremely sweet but erotic love poem about another woman and a couple fanfics she had written.
She felt bad about intruding on Elenore's privacy but she reasoned that the current situation warranted it and Elenore would do the same if it was reserved. Then she clicked on the icon for the internet. "Let's see where you've been Elenore..." Vanessa said to herself with a little apprehension of what she would find.
Looking though her browsing history she found that over the last couple of months she had been; a number of GLBT sites including, a "Marriage Equality for Nafrece Now!" site, a couple of online support groups for adult children with transgender parents (that struck Vanessa as out of the ordinary for Elenore but then she reminded herself she didn't know her parents and Elenore's tendency to keep private things to herself.), a few near death experience sites, a coping with PTSD website, a blog about the Paris underground and under city, a couple videos on You Porn (which didn't surprise her), regular visits to the "Camper" web comic, and few visits to the "Dentron; Defender of the Galaxy!" official English website. But what truly got Vanessa's attention; were the times that Elenore had visited the police public database. From the looks of it Elenore had been trying to find out what her parents had died from. When Vanessa went to the corresponding web pages, she found that both had been "sealed".
"I have to wonder if their deaths prompted Elenore to go investigating on her own." Vanessa thought out loud as the thoughts of possible police corruption or possibly Enfant having to do with it, though Vanessa made a note not to mention this to Madlax as she had a hard time getting to shut up about it.
Continuing to go through the browsing history she found that Elenore was looking for a woman named Mireille Baker. There were a few search attempts but it looked like Elenore couldn't find anything.
"Okay, who's Mireille Baker?" Vanessa began to ponder until she remembered what Margaret had said about the blond haired woman and the picture. Vanessa glanced at the printer and she closed down the browser and opened up Picture Forge. She looked in the recently opened saw that Elenore had scanned a picture in. On a hunch she opened the scanner and small the back of a photograph. Picking it up she saw that like Elenore's parents it had writing on the back mostly by the same person.
It read;
"John and Mireille Wedding day May 14th 1990"
When she turned the picture around she was in for quite a shock; she knew who the man in the picture was.
"MADLAX! PLEASE COME HERE!" She shouted as she heard footsteps running down the hall.
Madlax came into the room ready to draw her pistol. Seeing that Vanessa wasn't in danger she let her hand drop to her side.
"What did you find?" Madlax asked inquisitively.
"I found the photo that Elenore removed from the album. She left it in the scanner. Now please tell me if you recognize the man in this photo." Vanessa held the photo where Madlax could see.
Vanessa observed the look of utter disbelief on Madlax's face.
"It can't be them. It just can't be."
Limelda had come up behind Madlax and saw the photo.
"Is that him?" She asked.
Madlax stared in shock at the photo; there in color was the man she knew who was the only father figure she had known along side with the woman who was the closest thing she had to a mother. The fact they were "closer" to her than she believed. She managed to stutter; "It's…him…it's Three-Speed. And…that's… Mireille. Why does Elenore have a picture of Three-Speed and Mireille?"
Both Limelda and Vanessa reasoned that the reality of Three-Speed having ties to the Burton family hadn't sunk in yet. And apparently she knew this Mireille woman as well.
Without a word Madlax pulled out her cell phone and dialed Three-Speed's number. All she got was ringing. She let it ring till Vanessa took the phone out form her hands and closed it.
At the Nafrece national airport Three-Speed looked at his cell phone as it rang. He ignored it and continued on. At the end of the gate Mireille was waiting for him.
"Waiting long?" He asked as he walked up to her.
"No. You're lucky I bothered to come and pick you up Johnny boy." Mireille replied with mock irritation.
"Usually you send one of your girls. What did I do to deserve this?" He quipped.
"It's been a fun filled week." Mireille replied in the same tone.
"How so?" John dared to ask.
"For starters I've had to play babysitter for your niece because Morton has atrocious security for a high price nuthouse. I had to kiss Chloe's ass and you know how we get along. Plus I had to bribe half the damn police department for the permits for your hired guns." Mireille answered with genuine exasperation in her voice.
John sighed inwardly; he knew Mireille was far from done.
"Fill me in on the way to the hotel." He said as they both went out into the night.