| "Chapter 9" |
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The black BMW slowly turned into the driveway located at the end of Thicket Road. As the car approached, the unseen sensor lifted the garage door and Faoland drove her car into the protective wooden structure. After turning the engine off, she contemplated Lady Dark and Suzanne...and their request. "If it's not too much trouble," her voice tapered off as she whispered the last comment that Lady Dark had made. When she finally decided to get out of the car, she reached up and wiped the lone tear tracing its way down her cheek. While she hastened across the yard to her front door, Faoland instinctively scanned the nearby woods for anything amiss. Being satisfied that there were no unwelcomed visitors, she darted up the steps, two at a time, checked the mailbox to the right of her door, then unlocked and entered her rented Cape Cod home. In the small foyer, she dropped her keys and mail onto the Duncan Phyfe drop leaf table, flicked on the brass antique table lamp, then headed to the kitchen to make some coffee. While the coffee was brewing she took the opportunity to go upstairs to her bedroom and change into something more comfortable...her black sweats. Then she returned to the kitchen and fixed herself a big mug of coffee. As Faoland sipped the warm, fragrant liquid, she retired to her office in a small room on the main floor. The room was filled with both barrister bookcases lining the walls, which were full of all sorts of leather bound antique books, and a heavy mahogany desk protruding from one wall, two bookcases out from the corner. She seated herself in the leather padded mahogany desk chair, as she set her coffee mug on the dark red blotter that protected the desk surface. She pulled the chain on the green banker's lamp to turn it on, then opened one drawer and then another, until she found what she was searching for...a scrunchie to gather her long red hair up into a pony tail. She once again, picked up her mug of steaming coffee and leaned back into the chair, curling her sock clad feet up underneath her so that she sat cross-legged. Faoland closed her eyes as she sipped from the mug. Gently rocking back and forth in her chair, her thoughts traveled back to earlier in the evening. After a few minutes of reflective consideration, her thoughts turned back to the needs of Suzanne. "Now where is that place I need to check?" she asked herself aloud. "Somewhere...no...some church in Salem, Massachusetts?" She grimaced, "Not much to go on, I'm afraid. Wasn't Trevor from Salem?" she thought, and tried to focus on who she needed to contact. No names came to mind right away, so she set her coffee down again, leaned forward to her rolodex, and thumbed through several names behind the Massachusetts section. "Hmmm," she said aloud again, contemplating the names before her. "Oh yes, this one will do nicely," she mumbled to herself as she picked up the phone and dialed the number. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vilona watched Suzanne sleep. She had found herself stealing away into the shadows of this room for just this purpose more and more these days. She could tell the cancer was back and would take her beloved Suzanne soon. She had urged Suzanne to go to a doctor, but she would never go. That’s how she found her before, dying and unwilling to let anyone treat her. She’d rather die than go to another hospital, so die she shall. Silently Lady Dark slipped back down the hall to her room and sat before the newly installed computer. Something fascinated her about this new technology. It was not new to this century and she’d seen them many times before, but she had not taken an interest before. Suzanne had insisted that they needed it for security purposes. It monitored the cameras hidden about the Manor, inside and out, and it allowed Vilona to access the world without being observed. Carefully following the hand printed instructions that Suzanne had given her she logged on and pulled up an Email account. It had been previously set up for easy access. She began to type one letter at a time, slowly pecking away to spell out the message she wished to send. She would find the address to send to later, for now she merely wished her thoughts to be put to paper, electronic paper if you will. Vilona could feel the changes, it was coming and she wasn’t sure she could control it this time. She felt the years pressing against her. Her losses out weighed her joys. As she starred at the glowing screen the words seemed to dance before her eyes. Her brow furrowed and the sharpness of her fangs bit into her tongue as she clenched her teeth. Her well manicured nails thickened and became claws and without the slightest movement began to pierce into the oak desk. She would not let Janni win this time! |