The thing that kept eating Darcy alive the entire ride was the person behind it all. Who could have told her?

He wasn't the biggest problem solver on earth but it was the most convulated mess he'd ever try to dabble into. The more he tried to uncover, the more he got stuck in it like a thick swamp. How did she knew about all this? Because the only people aware about him and Elizabeth were only two people on the planet. And those two he trusted if not more than his life but at least enough...than all the rest of the people.

But did he?

He had to think about it after tonight. Charles was quite dumb at times and he could imagine him blurting something out unplanned. But he never interacted with Lydia apart from the times when he was there. At least not that he was aware of.

And Colonel. He was Lydia's cousin and he knew absolutely nothing about their bond. Maybe they weren't close because Colonel never talked about Lydia but then, whom did he ever talk about?

Darcy pushed the accelerator and the car went wooshing by. He grabbed the steering wheel even firmly, clenching his jaw and turned off the music playing faintly by default, with a click as if everything irked him.

He stopped the car abruptly with a squeal and it was Colonel's house and just as he was about to exit the car, he remembered Alejandro. Could he be the one? Did he even know Lydia? He unbuckled the seat belt and got out.

Colonel also lived in an apartment, much like Darcy.

Colonel opened the door, uttering "Oh" in slight shock to find Darcy standing at the door. He never came to his place at this hour. He was on the call with someone when Darcy entered, watching some vintage classic adventure movie running and with a quarter pizza left on his table which looked at least a week old.

"Hey buddy! Anything up?" Colonel mumbled, put a hand to the mic of the phone.

"Put it down. I have to talk." Darcy spoke coldly, sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the classic movie.

Colonel talked for maybe a minute more and then he put the phone down.

"I would put it down anyway. Pizza?" Colonel was always kind of spaced out but he could tell that Darcy was pissed off. He offered the week old pizza to Darcy.

"Lydia knows. About me...and Elizabeth."

"You went?" Colonel squinted at him, in utter disbelief, lowering the volume on the television.

"Turn it off." Darcy said calmly.

"How does she know?"

"That's what I'm here for. You tell me?" Darcy stared at Colonel, tapping his shoe impatiently on the rug.

"Man...I...I know nothing. She's clever. I thought nothing of it at the time. Why would I even... because I thought it won't matter. It does now. Ohhh yeah! Sure does." He spoke, in a hushed tone, wide eyed in horror.

"What?" Darcy asked in a heartbeat.

"That night in Pluto. I saw her round the table. That one, where the drinks were laid out. And I swear I saw her take somethin' out. A cigarette type o' thing and she unwrapped it and there was powder. I didn't know what it was or what she did but it caught my eye! And I saw her dump that powder in one of the drinks.

It looked odd. Not like sugar, almost grey, more like ash. She looked to the side, like a crocodile, then picked up two wine glasses and one of them was with the powder."

"Who did she give the glass to?" Darcy asked

"I couldn't follow up. Someone came up. I don't remember who. It's uhh..." Colonel paused and then continued, "Oh yeah, I saw the glass in your hands. After a while."

"That exact glass?"

"Can't say that. There were plenty like those. But you did..."

"Faint." Darcy spoke, thinking back to something.

"There you go."

"So, you didn't ask her or stop her?"

"Nah man! I followed her but I lost her. I was too drunk to be in my toes but I saw her again. I saw her do that...AGAIN." Colonel's voice raised slightly, "She stood in a dark corner. Nobody could see her. I saw her behind the pillar and saw. She did it again. The ciggarette, the ash and the drink. BUT WAIT...It was a different drink. Like a tea cup."

"A tea cup?" Darcy asked

"It looked like one."

"What did she do?" Darcy's eyes narrowed, his forehead slightly tensed.

"Nothing. I called her, at once, outside. I told her everything. That I'd seen her. Put that powder. She got furious like I'd gone insane... And that's when, we were at the very exit and she yelled at me. I didn't..."

"Wait a second." Darcy cut in between, "That was you...at the exit with her?"

"I was."

"Oh...alright.." That man outside Pluto with Lydia was Colonel.

"The look on her face oh my...she was petrified!" Colonel spoke with so much force that he spit out, "She knew she was in trouble."

"Why did she do that?"

"To faint people."

"Yeah but why?"

"Man, I don't know."

"But you asked her!"

"And she kept yelling like a maniac. I didn't want an ugly scene on my night. But I knew she won't do it again."

"God, I still can't get my head wrapped around it. Who told her about me and Elizabeth?"

"What? Someone told her? Did she say that?" Colonel asked, highly alert.

"No, she didn't. But there is no other way." Darcy said, glaring at the rug as if about to burst with anger.

"Lydia is like a Hyena sometimes. She was like that, at times. Quite creepy and spyish. Nothing was hidden from her. She always found out everyone's secrets. I hated her guts. But I was a kid back then. She was good at it." Colonel raised his eyebrows, looking slightly tired, "at eavesdropping."

"You could be right." Darcy muttered.

"What did Charles say?"

"I didn't tell him but do you think Alejandro would be in touch with Lydia by any chance?"

"No no...not Alejandro. But that ash...it could be some wack a doo or black magic...stuff. And Alejandro is into those things, so, yeah, they could be connected."

Colonel took a soft drink can and gulped down the drink.

"Not black magic. Possibly a drug, non lethal. But I did see something in her living room. It was the strangest sculpture I have ever seen in my entire life."

"What?"

"A distorted figure, a female one and there were needles inserted in it. Tons of them... It just ...it was terrible. Horrifying to look at."

"A voodoo doll?"

"Man, I don't know. It was something I'd never seen."

"Should we go over to his house tomorrow? Afternoon?"

"Alejandro's?" Darcy's interest peaked.

"Yeah."

"Can we do that now?"

"Now? It's..." Colonel glanced at his watch, "about midnight. What if he's dozing off?"

"What if he isn't? You call him. We'll see."

Colonel slid out his phone from the pocket of his off white trousers and sunk deeper into the couch and called him.

"Hey Alejandro!"

There was a slight pause.

"I wanted to ask you about something."

Alejandro said something on the other end and before Colonel could respond, Darcy snatched the phone from him.

"Alejandro, I'm Darcy." He spoke with so much freshness in his voice as if it was morning.

"Oh hello Darcy. Is there something?"

"Yeah there is. It's strange to talk about it here. It'd be great if we come over to your place.

"Like right now?"

"Yes."

"Ohh, let me see..." He paused for a bit.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I told you. I'll talk about it when I come over."

"Okay. Fine."

"We'll be there in 20." Darcy hung up the call.

Colonel rolled his eyes, gulping down the rest of the drink as he passed him over his phone.

"So..." Colonel let out a burp, "You going?"

"And you too."

Colonel sunk even lower into the couch, groaning, "Ugh...you're sick. I can't drive."

"You won't. My car is parked right outside. Get your butt off the couch." Darcy advanced towards the door, "Move!" He said firmly.

The air had gotten even colder. Colonel wished he could have thrown a jacket on.

"What are you gonna ask?" Colonel asked as they got in the car.

"Let's see." Darcy himself didn't have any idea about how would he begin the conversation and what was he even going for.

"Alejandro" had been striking to him since the day of the nightmare. It felt right to follow his instinct.

"I'm calling Charles." Colonel pulled out his phone to dial.

"No. Don't. Not yet." Darcy spoke abruptly.

Darcy put on some music to kill the time and also the silence whilst the ride lasted.