| "Chapter 15" |
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 Faoland turned off the light in her office before heading upstairs to her bedroom. Her thoughts were in a whirlwind. She had received an email from Vilona informing her of Suzanne's death. Oh My! She had suspected that the frail Suzanne was ill because of the dark circles under her eyes...but she hadn't expected her to pass away so suddenly. And, apparently, Vilona was out of town for a while, too. Vilona said she left an article on the table at the cottage, too. Maybe she could stop by there later to pick it up. Vilona suggested it might have something to do with Trevor. Trevor? She still wanted her to continue investigating Trevor even though Suzanne was gone? It was going to be a long night, Faoland thought to herself as she started slowly up the steps. Lewis had finished up in the bathroom and opened the door as she reached the landing. He was all ready for bed. "Good night," Lewis said cheerfully. "Night, Lewis," Faoland replied. "See you in the morning." "Yes, yes...I'm looking forward to a lovely breakfast, by a roaring fire, on a crisp New England morning." "Uh huh," Faoland said dryly. "The little store we passed before we turned into Thicket Road is open at 7:00 AM. You should be able to pick up some bacon and eggs there, if that is what you wish to cook for breakfast. The remote for the gas logs is on the mantle...the keys to the BMW is on the table in the foyer." Faoland turned to the left to enter her bedroom. She was stopped by the gentle hand on her shoulder. "Is everything ok, Faoland?" Lewis said softly. Faoland sighed and reached up to pat Lewis' hand. "Yes...I'm fine. I just found out a sick acquaintance of mine has just passed away...and someone who has been so kind to me, since my arrival here, has left town for a bit. Everything is so sudden, sometimes. Even your arrival came with little notice." "Yes, I know. I'm sorry about the spur of the moment. Your Father is like that sometimes, as I'm sure you are well aware. Also, I'm sorry to hear about that death. I hope it wasn't someone that was too close. Sometimes death is for the better...as opposed to suffering," Lewis offered. "Thank you, Lewis. I appreciate your sympathy." "No problem. Hey, why don't you just get a good night's rest and after breakfast with me in the morning, you can go through the box I brought," Lewis suggested. Faoland turned her attention to the large box astride her bed. "I may just do that...good night, Lewis." With that, she turned and smiled as she closed the door quietly. "Good night, Faoland," Lewis said as he turned and headed for his bedroom. A moment later, she heard the click of his bedroom door as the latch slid into the keep. Faoland sat on the edge of her bed. She had no intention of going to sleep. Her mind was still whirling with thoughts of Suzanne, Trevor, Lady Dark, Lewis, and her Father. Then, of course, there was the box. This box had intrigued her since she saw Lewis carrying at the airport. She had deliberately not rushed to open it. She wanted ample time to examine the contents since she somehow felt all of this was important...especially the way her Father had all of a sudden decided to send it to her. "A few more minutes," Faoland whispered to herself. With that, she went to her master bath, and took a quick shower. She donned black sweats, wrapped her long red tresses in a towel, plumped both her pillows and propped them against the headboard, before sitting down on the bed and crossing her legs. She stared at the box...then reached over, finally and pulled it towards her. She opened the night stand drawer and pulled a pair of scissors out and snipped the twine that was tied around the box. Then she ran the scissors around between the top and the box bottom to release the tape that was on all four sides. She returned the scissors to the drawer and closed it then turned back to the box. "Ok...now let's see what you have sent to me, Father," Faoland whispered, barely audible to her own ears. She pulled the lid off and dropped it to the floor. There...inside the box...were hundreds of pictures and old letters...of, from, and to...her MOTHER. Faoland, not expecting this at all, felt her eyes fill with tears. Within a moment she could not focus...her face was hot...and tears streamed down, dripping off her jaw onto her sweatshirt. "Mother...oh...Mother...I..." Faoland pulled some Kleenex from the tissue box on the night stand and blew her nose and wiped her eyes. A few moments later, she regained control of herself enough to reach out and touch the top photos and letters. She then reached down for the box lid and pulled it up beside her on the bed. She used the lid to help her sort through everything. She put the letters in the lid and left the photos in the box bottom. When she was done...she began stacking the photos, using the date stamped on the back to help her sort through them. Some photos were in color and some were just black and white. Some were of her and her Mother. Some were of her, her Mother, and her Father, together. Some were just of her Mother...and some were of her Mother and Father, together. There were even a few with her Mother pregnant. Her mind swirled with a billion questions at once. Then, after sorting the photos, she stood and moved the box bottom to the floor. She returned to her bed, took a deep breath...and began sorting through the letters in the box lid. She sorted the letters by postmark, although there were some that looked like just cards that probably accompanied a gift of some sort...or maybe it was a card just to say "I love you." After stacking the ones that had postmarks in chronological order, she found one envelope with the words...To My Faoland. She opened that one first. Inside...was a letter from...her Mother. Faoland read: My dearest Daughter, If you are reading this, then I am no longer able to be with you. These are troubled times for your Father and I. Not between us...for we are VERY much in love...and that will never change. Your Father is the most loving husband to me. I have been so blessed to have found this wonderful man you call your Father. We are troubled because we have been threatened by outsiders who wish to gain control of your Father's business. We are afraid for our safety. Your Father has taken extra precautions to make sure we are safe, but that is about all anyone can do. I worry for both your and your Father's safety. I have you close to me all the time, hoping to be able to protect you, should the need arise. If you are reading this, then I, yes, I may be gone, but you are still very much alive. For that I am most grateful. I love you so...please know that. Even beyond the grave...I love you. Lovingly, With much hope for your future... Mom Inside the envelope there was a small, white business card. On the back was a note from her Father. It said: Dearest Faoland, I love you...always have, always will. Some time ago, Mullens gave you a key. If you still have it, use it to open the safety deposit box at the First National Bank in Dover, Delaware. The number of the box is on the key. I hope all your questions will be answered. Your Father Faoland bolted out of the bed and flung the door open and flew out into the hallway. She banged on Lewis' door and called out to him. "Lewis? Lewis? Get up! We are leaving in 10 minutes." She turned and headed back into her room. She grabbed her hair brush, her boots, and her winter coat with the hood. She shed her towel that was around her hair and brushed it as she sat on the side of her bed. As she pulled on her boots, she heard Lewis' door open and he scuffed sleepily into her room. "What's going on?" he said as he tried to smooth his disheveled hair. "We're leaving in," she glanced at her watch, "in 7 minutes." "Oh? I'll just be a minute," and he rushed back to his room with more vigor than he had arrived with. As Faoland pulled on her coat, she swiftly moved down the steps to the main floor. As she went into the kitchen, she heard Lewis quickly taking the steps down two at a time. Faoland grabbed a glass of orange juice in a Styrofoam cup and headed back towards the front door. Lewis was perched on the bottom step lacing his right boot. "Where are we going? He said as he followed Faoland out onto the front porch. "Dover. We should be there by the time they open if we rush." They hurried down the front steps and crunched in the frosted grass to the driveway. They jumped into the BMW...and Faoland cranked it. She let the engine warm for just a moment...then they were off to Dover. The key on the necklace felt warm as she fondled it while she drove. Yes, she had been right. This was something important from her Father. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vilona appeared beside DarkAngel Heylo as if materializing out of thin air. The crowded lodge-like Inn was bustling with patrons this evening. From her perch atop the stairs DarkAngel Heylo usually spent a few minutes looking over her guests to see if there was any malcontent among them, and to anticipate hidden needs. Upon her arrival, Vilona noticed her childer was deep in thought. The goblet of bloodwine was held to her bottom lip, slightly rollin it back and forth between her fingers. This was a pattern of behavior Vilona remembered quite well in her friend. Before her embrace, "Heylo" would do the same but with a coffee cup once the cup had cooled to the touch. Without moving a muscle DarkAngel Heylo began to speak in whispered tones, addressing the fact that with her arrival, Vilona had brought in a definite cold draft. There was also a bit of snow on her right knee and glistening on her shoes. Shoes? Yes Vilona was wearing shoes. This alone was cause to suspect. Vilona leaned forward just enough to place her soft voice directly in DA Heylo's ear,"Yes my dear. I went out for a walk. I felt it would cause alarm should any of your guests see me without shoes in this fresh dusting of snow you are having. I had also hoped to learn of the arrival of my last candidate for my travel companion, but she has not responded to my messages. The other two men that did show up were just useless. Although one may be interested in the waiter position that your Elizabeth advertised. I have informed him of that postion's availablility. Otherwise, they will be leaving in the morning to go back to where they came from. I had had such deep hopes for this Avaya woman..." Vilona paused and let out a deep sigh, then she continued in an even softer tone, "I do need to speak to you sometime this evening. It can wait until you have your business conducted, but please do not let the sun rise without our speaking. For now, I'm at your disposal. Parade me as you wish." Both Vilona and her beloved Heylo smiled and touched forheads with the fondness of true sisters. Vilona poked her arm through the crook of Heylo's arm that was bent at her waist, wrapping around and allowing her other elbow to rest on the back of her hand in order to hold her goblet to her lip. Vilona paused momentarily and brushed the snow from her knee and kicked her shoes off behind her. Both women looked back to see one shoe lodge in the drapes by the window and the other hit the wall with a thud. They giggled loudly and turned back to the stairs and began to descend. ~~~~~~~~~~ Vilona had left, but the large party of Kindred had stayed camped around their fire for a bit longer. The silver wolf laid stonelike in the underbrush of the tree. The soft cover of the new snow covered her perfectly, only her glistening eyes were detectable. After an hour of arguing in hushed tones the large Gangrel stormed off, taking to his raven form and flying off. The others began to disappear one by one, each respectfully nodding to Moconra before their departure. The last to leave were Lord Moconra and his fellow Ventrue. They engaged in a form of bloodletting between the two of them. It became apparent that this other Ventrue was not actually kindred, but a ghoul. Lord Moconra enjoyed her to his satisfaction, then carried her limp exhausted body over his shoulder as he left the forest. Once alone the silver wolf took the time to explore the disserted camp fire.
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