All characters are the property of their respective owners, this is a fan based work.
Tapestry rewoven Chapter 3
"For starters; a couple of gunmen managed to bluff their way into the ward, Elenore recognized one of them and two dead gunmen later. Then Elenore gives me a call asking if I could pick her up. I was busy so I asked Lirio to go get her." Mireille began the same irritated tone she did when she felt she inconvenienced by something or someone, and that someone was sitting a foot from her.
"Lirio? How she's..." John uttered in surprise.
"She still hates you." Mireille replied smugly.
"Anyways, I had Lirio pick her up at the hospital. While she was doing that, I was on the phone trying to convince that psycho in the nun's uniform to hide her. Do you know how much money I had to "donate" to her convent?" Mireille continued, her irritation becoming more evident.
John wanted to answer but he wisely held his tongue. "I don't see why you had to, why didn't you drop her off at the Burton's? She does work for them. I'm surprised Richard hasn't gotten involved in this." John asked defensively.
"You don't know...do you?" Mireille said smiling evilly.
"Know what?" John asked irritated that Mireille was going to play yet another of her games.
"Richard won't or more accurately "can't", because he's dead." Mireille paused letting that revelation sink in.
"When?!" John asked in utter shock.
"Twelve years ago. Which means; you've been sitting on your ass in Gazth-Sonika for absolutely nothing." Mireille continued as she enjoyed seeing the look on John's face.
John sat there in shock for awhile and then asked. "How long have you've known and how did you know?"
"Three months ago when Elenore contacted me and told me the story. Though I do think there's more to the story, than what she told me, but what she did tell me absolutely floored me and that isn't the best part." Mireille paused yet again.
"Damn it Mireille! Stop jerking me around and tell me." John angrily replied, tired of the sick game his ex wife was playing with him.
"You know your favorite agent, the one that you had me train? What was her name again?" Mireille continued on despite John's demand. "Oh, now I remember, it's Madlax. You know, I wouldn't never figured him of all people would cheat on his own wife, considering what a "boy scout" he was..."
"What the Hell are you talking about?!" John roared back at her.
Mireille inwardly sighed as she realized that John hadn't changed, at least in this regard, she found him far too easy to goad. "I thought it would've been obvious; Madlax is Richard's illegitimate daughter. Who the mother is; I have no clue and I highly doubt that either Elenore nor Margaret knows, but Margaret has recognized her as her sister." Mireille said before pausing yet again to let those facts sink into John's thick skull.
As they drove on Mireille noticed the tension in the air, as John stared out the passenger side window. "I take it that Madlax still works for you?" Mireille quipped trying to get John to talk. She didn't notice that a wicked grin was beginning to form on John's face.
"Yes. Yes she does and I know where she is at this moment." John began as he turned his head to Mireille.
"You do, huh. So where is she?" Mireille replied noticing the smug grin on John's face.
"Knowing you; at that little safe house on West Blanc street." John replied as he began his counterattack.
Mireille slammed on the brakes and came to a dead stop , thankfully there were no other cars behind them when she did this.
"She's in Paris?!" Mireille asked astonished.
"Of course. And I know why." John answered as he let Mireille stew for a bit before continuing.
"Let me guess; it has to do with something about your sister's and sister in law's killer?" Mireille said as she tried to guess what John was getting at.
"I wish. But Madlax had another reason to come to Paris. Bet you can't guess what it is?" John countered watching Mireille unconsciously squirm as she wanted the answer.
"You?" She asked, hoping she was right.
"No. You're getting cold." John teased with an satisfied grin.
"Me?! Why would she want to see me?! Does she know we were married?!" Mireille asked in the same astonished tone.
"Ice cold! Come on, you already said it. Just think about our conversation earlier". John replied.
"Richard...Madlax...Margaret... She's here for Margaret!" Mireille replied hoping that was the right answer.
"Getting warmer. But I highly doubt that Madlax would go after her sister." John smugly quipped.
"I was talking about Elenore...that's it! Margaret contacted Madlax in order to deal with whoever shot Elenore." Mireille answered proudly.
"Took you long enough, I could've strung you along but I rather not sit here while there's traffic approaching from behind. Madlax called me because someone was going after Margaret and Elenore, and she needed gear and a safe place to go." John replied confidently feeling he had at least won this round as they continued on.
In the office space at Wangdoodles that she and Ricardo used for their side business when they weren't working for the bar, Lirio sat hunched on the tan couch staring at a half empty bottle of wine cooler on the coffee table. She would now and then look at the old hat she wore then back at the bottle. She kept doing that until she heard foot steps outside in the hallway. She went back to staring while keeping an eye on the door. Her eyes glanced at the door as it opened, and a brief unconscious smile flashed across her face as Ricardo walked into the room, closing the door behind him. He was dressed in his bartending uniform which made him look like someone out those old time pictures of barber shop quartets.
"Hi Poppi." She said without looking at him. Without saying a word Ricardo sat down beside her and leaned back on the couch. Without looking at her he asked in a tired tone. "What did your mother want this time?"
"She asked me to go pick Elenore up at Morton." Lirio replied still staring at the bottle.
"Morton? Where's that?" Ricardo asked.
"It's one of those private clinics outside of the city. Elenore's boss had her sent there."
Ricardo raised an eyebrow. "Any reason why?"
"Oh, you didn't hear about it? I didn't hear about it till Elenore told me, but she got shot early this week and she flipped out in the E.R. So her boss sent there to recover." Lirio said with a half shrug.
"Any idea who shot her?" Ricardo asked with a concerned tone.
"Probably the same jerks that have been harassing her before Pride." Lirio replied with another half shrug. "Someone is going out their way to silence her, but why? You've seen the file that her mom had stashed, there isn't anything in there that would warrant this. All she wanted was to know about her parents..." Lirio began but Ricardo cut her off.
"Tell me what happened from the beginning."
"From what Elenore told me, a pair of gunmen posing as police detectives, managed to buffalo security into seeing her. What saved her was that the security guard in the ward was in didn't quite buy the story, that and she recognized one of the guys. She managed to disarm one of them and the clinic security took care of the other." Lirio explained.
"What happened after that?" Ricardo asked as he sat up.
"They patched her and then she talked to the "real" police ,who then after asking her the usual unhelpful questions, hauled away the one she knocked out. Then the clinic told she had to leave as they considered her "too high risk" to have as an patient. Not wanting to get her boss involved, she calls my mother for help. My mother being the oh so "wonderful human being" she is told her she was too busy, which is a bunch of bull. So mother calls me and "asks" me to go get her. I didn't mind going to get Elenore, but I really wished she had called me first, it would've saved us both from the long distance grief she gave us over the phone as we heading back to the city." Lirio ranted with air quotes in certain parts.
Ricardo quietly sighed. "What did your mother have to say?"
"She was complaining how much trouble Elenore was becoming and how it was interfering with her "busy schedule" and her usual rant on how much of a disappointment I am to her. Then she went on a half hour rant about how she had to kiss the Abbess' butt along with the usual bevy of insults my mother has for her."
"So Elenore is with the Abbess?" Ricardo asked trying to stop Lirio before she began to rant.
"Yeah, I dropped her off there a few hours ago."
"Then she's safe for now." Ricardo reassured.
"It's just..."
"She'll be fine Lirio. Have faith. If it makes you feel any better, I've been making some quiet inquiries." Ricardo interrupted.
"Find anything?" Lirio asked with hope filling her face.
"Yes." Ricardo calmly replied.
"Well, don't keep me in suspense?"
"Whoever is after your cousin is hiring talent from out of town. Which has the locals in a tizzy. Seems like crooks don't like competition."
"I thought that was the government who didn't competition." Lirio joked.
"Only if you steal. This is different. Anyways I need you out front."
"Okay Poppi. Give me a few minutes to get ready and I'll be out." Lirio said as she and Ricardo got off the couch. Ricardo went for the door and wordlessly left as he came in.
Lirio looked at the door once before going to get ready for her shift.
Several blocks away Elenore was sitting dejectedly in the office of the Abbess, with the abbess sitting across from her behind her desk sipping tea. "I'm sorry Abbess..." Elenore began before Chloe cut her off.
"Elenore, you don't need to apologize. Despite what your aunt has said about me, I wouldn't turn you away. I do however, need to know why those men have been pursuing you."
Elenore turned her head slightly as she answered. "That's the thing Abbess, I don't know why. All this started when I went looking for information about my parents."
Chloe gazed at Elenore thoughtfully for a few moments and then spoke. "I do understand why you want know more about them. What prompted you to go searching?"
"This may sound strange but it's the truth..." Elenore started.
"You're in a Unitarian convent, we're open minded than others, so don't be afraid to tell the story."
Elenore regaled what she knew of the events in Gazth-Sonika, including how she died and her surprising resurrection. "It could've been the power those books but I can remember what happened to me on the other side. While I was there, I spoke with my parents and grandpa. I found out that my parents were killed by two different groups for different reasons, my father because she had learned of identity of the murderer of her friend Douglas Hayward, my mother died when she had learned of an secret and highly illegal genetics project while investigating my father's death. And to top it off, I also learned that my father was actually a woman."
Chloe stoically listened as Elenore told her tale. When Elenore had either finished or at least stopped long enough for to interject she did just that. "Your story doesn't sound strange at all. I know of these books, don't ask where or how I know, just know that I do. As for your father being a woman, that doesn't surprise me either. Your uncle told me about her and speaking of which, if you were in Gazth-Sonika why didn't contact your uncle?"
"I honestly didn't know he was in Gazth-Sonika, I lost contact with him after my grandpa died. I only learned that he was still alive from my aunt and cousin, which I also didn't know existed, much to our mutual surprise. From my parents I had learned of my aunt Mireille. When I got back to Nafrece, I started my own search for her along with trying to find out who my father's killer was. And before you say anything about my mother, she warned me not to go looking for hers. After I found out that police records were sealed, I turned my focus solely on my aunt. My investigation led me to the under city where I met Lirio, who I didn't know at the time was my cousin. It was during our adventures that I learned we were cousins but no real clues on my father's killer, but I assume we made someone nervous as we were pursued by men in black suits." Elenore continued as she noticed when she mentioned the men the black suits Chloe's eyebrows raised briefly in shock. "If it wasn't for Miss Nadie and Ellis with Mr. Ricardo coming to our rescue in the far tunnels, I doubt we would be having this conversation. It was through Miss Nadie I met my aunt and her wife."
"Elenore does anyone else know you're here?" Chloe interrupted.
"Other than my aunt, Lirio, I don't know, maybe Mr. Ricardo and my aunt Kirika. Why you ask? " Elenore answered wondering why Chloe would ask that question.
Chloe stood up and looked at Elenore then into space then back at Elenore. "Alright, I can ask them to keep quiet. I may have an idea who, but till I can find out you are not to leave this convent. You'll be safe here but you'll have to act as if you've just joined us. You will be known as Sister Marigold. I'll keep you where no one from the public can see you. I know this is sudden but you have to trust me."
"Alright, but could you please do me one favor Abbess?" Elenore asked as she tried to process what had just happened.
"What is it?"
"Could you get a message to Miss Margaret, telling her I'm okay. You don't have to say where I am just that I'm okay."
"I can arrange that. Go to Sister Claire and have her take you to the storeroom for your uniform."
"Thank you, Abbess." Elenore said as she left the room.
When she had felt that Elenore was out of earshot, she reached for her cell phone and started dialing. After three rings, a familiar voice answered the phone and smile crossed Chloe's face.
"Hello Kirika..."
To be continued