Chapter 1
"Gabriel?" Renee opened the door to his shop and stepped in, calling to him once more. "Are you here?" She smiled as his head poked through a door. "I've been knocking on the door for several minutes. When you didn't answer, I decided to come in and see if you were here." "I said I would be, didn't I? I was in the back, so I didn't hear you. You said you had something to ask me about when we talked last night. What was it?" She hesitated for a second. "Since we haven't known each other for all that long, I know I shouldn't really be asking you to do this." "Go ahead," he urged, curious about what it could be that she was so hesitant to ask of him. "Well, my dad's birthday is next week and I was planning on visiting him." "Okay, but where do I fit in here?" She hesitated again. "it's just that I haven't spoken to him since I left a year ago. I want someone, you, there with me when I see him again." "I see. What I don't see is why you were afraid to ask me. Of course I want to meet this other man that your heart belongs to."
Her face lit up with a smile. "Thanks, Gabriel. I don't know what I'd do without you." "Hmm. let's not think about that. I'm not busy right now if you want to go get something to eat." "I'd love to," she said. They walked outside, their arms interlocked. Partway down the street, they saw Sara walking toward them. "Hello," she greeted them. "We were just going to get something to eat," Gabriel informed her. "You could join us if you want." She shook her head. "No, that's okay. You two enjoy yourselves." Watching them walk away brought back memories of Conchobar. They had walked together like that, had looked at each other in the same way. She shook away the memories. It was no use to think of them, he was gone and would never be back. She walked on to the precinct and her job. Waiting in their office with her usual cup of coffee was her partner, Jake McCarty. He had quit his job with the F.B.I. and had joined the New York Police Department. Whenever someone asked him why, he always answered, "Because I thought I could do more here."
"Thanks, Jake," she said as she took a sip of the hot liquid. "No problem, partner." Someone opened the door without knocking. Their new boss, Stephen Richards, walked in. "I always did wonder why people bothered knocking." "Ha ha. You think you're so funny, Pezzini." it was the same thing Dante would have said to that comment, only this new guy said it with a smile. He was only a couple of years older than the two of them. His dark brown hair was cut close to his head and his blue eyes were sharp and alert. "New case?" Jake asked. "No," he replied, shaking his head. "Pezzini has a visitor."
*******
After they had ordered, Gabriel told her, "I found out something about your necklace." Renee laughed. "Gabe, you make this seem like a business lunch. Could we discuss that later?" "Sure," he replied, smiling at her. Their meal came and they ate in silence until Gabriel looked up and asked, "Renee, why haven't you talked to your dad since you left? Don't you think he'd like to hear from you?"
Her face started to turn red and she nodded her head. "Yeah. I've thought of calling him several times in the past year, but..." He put his hand over hers. "What is it?" She looked up at him and looked down at the table again. "I stayed with him the summer I got out of school. We got into a fight before I left at the end of the summer. I wanted to come here, but he didn't want me to leave." She paused here to let out something resembling a laugh. "I guess sometimes it is a bad thing to be daddy's little girl your whole life." He smiled at her. "I'm sure he'll still be glad to see you." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I hope you're right." "I always am." She laughed and shook her head. "Gabriel, what am I onna do with you?" "Keep me," he pleaded. They both laughed. Once they were finished, Renee paid for their meal. Gabriel had tried to, but she refused to let him. He mentally shook his head. He never thought he could meet someone as stubborn as him, but here she was walking beside him as they left the restaurant.
*******
The man in sara's office wasn't too tall, but he wasn't short either. His dark brown hair was parted down the middle and combed neatly to the sides. She almost couldn't tell that this man was related to Conchobar. When she told him that, he laughed. "Everyone says that. John Patrick took after our ma more. Edward and me resemble our da more. Christopher did too." "So, Daniel, why did you come here to see me?" "I promised John Patrick about a week before he was killed that I would visit him. None of us had seen him since he left home." He sounded like he was ashamed of this. "Unfortunately, I was too busy to keep that promise and then..." "Yeah, I know what happened then." Tears were starting to form in her eyes. He continued. "Well, that last time we talked, he told me all about you." he smiled. "In fact, that was all he seemed to want to talk about. He said you were his soul mate." He shook his head at that. "He always did believe in those things."
Sara was about to say something when he started to speak again. "I brought his guitar here for you. I thought he'd like for you to have it." "Thank you," she replied, unsure of what else to say. He nodded his head. "I never did understand his love of music." "He told me once that the blood of ancient kings and singers ran through his veins." He laughed and said, "Yes, that was John Patrick. He was like that even as a lad." He smiled and offered her his hand. "I'll bring his guitar by your place later then." She nodded. "Yeah, that'll be fine." Daniel left and Sara went back to work.
*******
The next morning, Renee was at Gabriel's place by nine. As soon as he opened the door Renee started to laugh. His hair was uncombed and he looked like he was still half asleep. "Not used to waking up in the morning?" she asked, still laughing. He shook his head. "No, not this early." Stepping aside he added, "Come on in, I'll be ready soon." She walked in and sat on the couch while he washed his face and combed his hair. When he came back out of the bathroom, he looked like he was actually awake. "You ready?" "Yeah. Your dad does at least know that you're coming, right?" She nodded her head. "I called him last night. Told him I was bringing a friend." "A friend? Is that what i am?" She stepped closer, put her arms around him, and whispered in his ear, "You're much more than that and you know it." She pulled her head back and planted a kiss on his lips. After she pulled away, a smile grew on his face and he said, "Well, if he sees you do that again, he'll be just as sure about that as you are." "Well then I guess he'll be sure of the truth." "Renee, you're so...well, you're just so." They both laughed at this. "Come on, Gabriel. let's get going." They walked to her car and he put his bag of clothes in the trunk with hers. Then they both got in and Renee started down the road toward home.
*******
Sara looked up from her work when the door opened. Richards was standing in the doorway with a file in his hands. "So much for a peaceful Friday," she said almost to herself.
Taking the file, she opened it and read the case report. She closed it again and asked, "Why do I always get the wierd ones?" "Guess you're just lucky." She just looked at him for a minute before asking, "You seen Jake? We need to go check this out." He nodded his head. "He came in just a couple of minutes ago." Just then Jake walked in and started to remove his jacket. "Don't bother, Jake," she told him. "We gotta go." He followed her outside and to the car. Once they were driving away, he asked, "So what is it this time?" "Two dead people. Male and female. Look like they were posed," she said, quoting the report. "We'll know more once we get there." They arrived at the scene and Sara stepped out of the car and walked over to the closed off area. A man was standing there. "You the one that found them?" She asked him. He nodded his head. "Yeah. I was on my morning walk when I saw them laying there." She asked him a few more questions, then let him go. Jake came over and he lifted the barrier tape. They went in to investigate.
As soon as she walked over to where the bodies were, the witch blade started to show her visions. She saw a man and a woman walking out of a bar. Then she saw a man following them. The next thing she saw was another man with a knife standing over them. "Sara?" Jake's voice cut through these images. She looked over at him. "What?" "You seemed far away." "Sorry." She removed the tarp from the bodies. After taking a look at what was there, she quickly dropped the tarp back down. "Oh my God." was all that she could say. Both of the victims' stomachs were cut open. There were numerous other knife wounds on their bodies as well. They had been laid beside each other with their arms and legs spread wide. They looked like they were making snow angels. "What kind of sick pervert would do that?" "I don't know, Jake, but we'll find out."
*******
"Gabriel, you never did tell me what you found out about my necklace."
"Oh yeah. I was having such a good time yesterday that I forgot about it." he pulled a small envelope out of his coat pocket. Opening it up, he pulled out a sheet of paper. On the top of it was a picture of the necklace. "It's very old. Seems it is a good luck charm." He scanned the paper for more information. "Comes from Scotland. Laird of Clan Kenzie, Fergus, had it made for his wife, Aideen. This says that the horseshoe stands for good luck, the hearts for true love, and the rose for beauty." "Well, it's brought me the first two." He ignored her comment and continued. "That's the original. Some people said that the stone is magical and that's why it has lasted so long." "How long has it been around?" He looked at the paper again. "About five hundred years ago." "Yeah, that was a long time ago." He laughed. "Yeah, it was. It also says here that from that time, the mother would always pass it on to her youngest daughter." "That seems strange. Usually it's the oldest that things pass on to."
"Yeah. It says something about that here, too. Seems this Aideen was the youngest daughter of...hmm, doesn't seem to say whose daughter she was." He looked over the paper again. "Want me to check it out when we get back?" "Yeah. You've got me curious now." He flashed a smile. "Is that hard to do?" "No, no it's not," she replied, laughing. A couple of hours later, she turned into a driveway. it wound up a very steep hill. At the top was a small, green barn. Outside were standing four llamas. A large, white dog came out of the barn. "I know you said he lived out in the country, but I didn't realize it was out in the country." She laughed. "Yeah. i always loved coming here. So peaceful." A little farther along was a two-story house. Renee pulled up in front of the garage doors. There was a man standing there who Gabriel assumed was Renee's father. An orange and white cat ran by him into the garage as he stepped out of the car. Renee's father walked over and said, "You must be Renee's friend." Gabriel nodded his head. "Gabriel Bowman," he introduced himself. "Michael Mackenzie. Renee, you didn't tell me your friend was a guy," he said, turning to Renee with a glint of humor in his eyes. "Dad!" Her face was beginning to turn red.
Both of the men laughed at her embarrasment. "Can I help carry anything?" "No, Dad. We each only have one bag." "Ever know a girl who only needed one bag when going somewhere, Gabriel?" "Not until now." The three of them laughed as they walked into the house. Renee led the way to the two upstairs bedrooms. She pointed to the one closest to the stairs. "You can sleep in there. My room's right down the hall." They put their bags in their rooms and went back downstairs.
*******
When Sara arrived home, she found a guitar case sitting by the door. Attached to it was a note. Sorry I missed you. This is his guitar. There are some things in the case I am sure he would want you to have. I must return home now. May God bless you. Daniel Dougherty She picked up the guitar case and opened her door. She heard the phone ring as she reached the top of the stairs. Picking it up, she said, "Pezzeni." "Hello, Sara," said a familiar voice. "What do you want, Irons?" "I have some information on a case of yours." "Which one? I have numerous cases." "The one you were given today," he replied, patiently. "How did you know about it? The media doesn't even have any information on it." "Sara." He sounded like a parent trying to explain something to a child. "Do you want to know what I do?" She sighed. "Yes. I'll be right there."
She hung up the phone and walked back down the stairs. Stepping into the car, she tried to think of what it could be that Irons knew.
*******
After dinner, the three of them sat at the table talking. "How did you meet my daughter, Gabriel?" Renee looked at him quickly. She hadn't thought of what she would tell him about what had happened. Now he really won't want me to leave, she thought. Gabriel looked at her and seemed to read her mind. "A friend of my friend got us together." Well, it is the truth in a roundabout way, Renee said to herself. They looked at each other and smiled. Gabriel winked at her. Her dad didn't notice this. He said to Renee, "I never knew you for one who would go on a blind date." "Yeah. They wouldn't let us alone about it. Just kinda pushed us together." In reality, it had been Dante and Orlinsky who had done the pushing. Michael just nodded his head. "So, Gabriel, you're not really just a friend?" Gabriel shook his head. "No, not last time I checked." He looked over at Renee. Her face was getting redder as this conversation progressed. "Dad," she interrupted before he could say anything else. "I'm gonna take Gabriel down to see the animals. We'll be back in a bit." She walked to the closet and grabbed their coats. Handing Gabriel his, she opened the door and stepped outside. As soon as the door had shut behind them, Gabriel burst out laughing. "Renee, you should see your face. It is red." "Come on," she said. She led him down the hill to the driveway. They were almost to the barn when he said, "He doesn't seem to hold it against you." "What?" "That you left when he didn't want you to." "Yeah. I'm glad that he doesn't. He seems to like you." "Let's hope so. It makes things a lot easier." "What things?" Doing this." he pulled her to him and kissed her. "I love it when you do that," she whispered as they pulled away. "I know," he replied. They walked the rest of the way down to the barn and walked inside. "I really just came down here as an excuse to get out of the house." "I know." He took this chance to kiss her again. "Getting it all out of your system before we get back to the house?" She asked him with a laugh. They stood around for a couple more minutes. "Well, I guess we should be getting back now. I'm sure my dad has thought of some more interrogation questions by now." Gabriel laughed. "He has to make sure i'm the perfect one for his little girl." They walked out of the barn and Renee closed the door behind her. He took her hand in his and they slowly made their way back up to the house.
Chapter 2
Sara walked into the office at Vorschlag Industries and the woman at the main desk looked up. "Go on in. He's expecting you." This had become routine. She didn't know what was between Mister Irons and this woman. What she did know was not to ask any questions. In his office, Kenneth Irons was studying something on his desk. He looked up when Sara walked in. "Sara, how wonderful to see you again." She just glared at him. "You called me, remember. You had some information for me." "Yes, I do. First, I had nothing to do with it." "Of course not," she said, rolling her eyes. He continued. "I had an interest in the two victims...alive. So, I had my man, ian Nottingham, you know of him right?" "You know I do." She practically growled at him. He nodded. "Well, I had him follow them to make sure they were the right ones for the job I wanted done." She saw the vision of someone following them and nodded her head. "But he had nothing to do with their death," he added. "Do you have any information that might actually help me?" She asked sarcastically.
"Remember that everything is connected." "Oh yeah. That helps a lot." He had gone back to studying the thing on his desk. Sara left, realizing their conversation was over.
*******
They walked back into the house and Renee saw her father sitting at the table looking at something. She walked over to him and looked over his shoulder. "Dad, put those away!" "Renee, they're only pictures." "But..." She growled in her throat. Gabriel walked over to the table, sat down, and pulled a photo album in front of him. Renee rolled her eyes and sat down across from him. When he was finished looking through them, they went into the living room. "What do you do, Gabriel?" Renee and Gabriel exchanged a glance before he answered. "I sell antiques and artifacts." "How much do you make doing that?" "Enough," he answered. that was an understatement. It seemed there was no limit to what some people would pay for some of the things he sold.
"You live in the city?" "Yeah." Michael noticed Renee was asking him with her eyes to stop asking these questions. He turned to her and asked, " What have you been doing in the big city?" "Writing." "Why did you have to go there for that? You could do that here." "But not for a big newspaper," Gabriel put in for her. "What paper would that be?" "The Vorschlag View," Renee informed him. "Yeah. I guess you're right. Renee wouldn't have the chance to write for that big a newspaper if she stayed here." They talked of other things and before they knew it, it was getting late. The three of them went to their rooms and were soon asleep after a long day.
*******
Sara looked at her clock for about the twentieth time in the last half hour. The digital numbers read 11:11. She finally decided to get up since there was no point in staying in bed when she couldn't sleep. She swung her feet to the floor and walked over to the wall and light switch. As soon as her room was lighted, her eyes fell on Conchobar's guitar case. She walked over to the table where it was laying and opened it. On top of the guitar was the last song he had written, "Sara". Tears started to form in her eyes as she read the words. It felt like he was there with her once more. Putting the song down, she picked up a folded piece of paper. She opened it and started reading.
My Dear Sara, I love you more than words can say. But I will try to express it here in case I never get the courage to say it to your face. I love the way you look in the morning. I love the way you look at me and I can see right into your heart. I love the way you feel as you lay in my arms. I want you to know that if we ever have to be apart, I will never forget anything about you. Every little thing makes you perfect. Always Yours, Conchobar Tears had started streaming down her face soon after she had started to read the letter. By the time she had finished, it was spotted with tear drops. She put the papers back in the case and closed it. Sitting down in a chair, she laid her head on her arms and cried. She cried like she hadn't done since Conchobar's death.
Once she had become exhausted from crying, Sara pulled herself out of the chair and crawled back into bed after turning off the light. This time she was asleep within minutes.
*******
Renee smiled when Gabriel came downstairs the next morning. She was drinking something hot. "How can you always be up so early and happy?" It didn't make any sense to him. Her smile just widened. "Some things can't be explained." He slid into the chair across from her. "That coffee?" "Hot chocolate." "Your dad have any coffee?" "Yeah. He drinks it." "Think he'd mind if I made some?" She shook her head. "I doubt it." Renee showed him where it was and waited while he made it. Once he had the hot cup in his hand, he looked over at Renee and smiled. "I take it you slept well." She smiled back. "Yeah. Did you?" "Too well." She laughed. "We had pancakes for breakfast. There's some left if you want to eat." "Sure. Where are they." He hadn't seen any sitting in the kitchen. "In the oven." "You make pancakes in the oven?" "No. We put them in there to keep them warm." "Oh okay." They went into the dining room and sat down. After he had taken a few bites of a pancake, he said, "These are good. Did you make them?" Her smile brightened. "Me and my dad." "Where is he?" Gabriel realized he hadn't seen him yet this morning. "He went down to feed the animals." Just as he finished eating, the door opened and Renee's dad walked in. "Good morning, Gabriel." "Hello, Mister Mackenzie. You and your daughter make very good pancakes." "Thank you. It was mostly her though. I just made sure they didn't get burnt. Renee," he said, turning to her. "the stairs do not tell you when the pancakes are done." Her face was starting to turn red. "I think she was waiting for you," he whispered to Gabriel. "I was just wondering if he was up yet," she said defensively. "About sixty times an hour," he told Gabriel. "Dad, will you stop it!" Both him and Gabriel started to laugh. "Glad you find me so amusing."She couldn't stay mad at them for long however. Soon she was laughing too.
*******
Jake was already there waiting for her when Sara arrived at work in the morning.
"Any leads?" She asked him. He threw a file on the desk in front of her. Opening it, she scanned the contents. "I knew there were some sickos in this city, but I think this one beats them all, she said when she had finished. "He slit their throats first, then..." "Yeah. He gutted them." Jake looked ready to throw up from just saying it. "We need to find this guy, and soon." She stood in front of her partner for several minutes, just thinking. Then she said, "Let's go check out the crime scene again, Jake. Maybe we'll find something we missed the first time." "Yeah. Good idea."
*******
Renee and Gabriel were sitting on the couch in the living room when they heard a knock on the door. She heard her dad walk to the door and open it. Voices floated in to them as Michael welcomed their guests. "Come on in." she heard him say. She looked up as the sound of the door shutting came to her ears.
When she saw who the visitors were, her face turned pale. "Hello, Renee," the younger of the two men said. She had to find her voice again before she could reply. "Hello, Andrew," she greeted him with an edge of coldness in her voice. Gabriel looked at the two of them and was curious. As soon as she had seen who it was, Renee had acted like she had to overcome a huge obstacle. Andrew looked to be the same edge or a year younger than Gabriel with brown eyes and hair. The sound of another voice broke through his thoughts. "Renee, it's been a long time." "Yes, sir, it has." "Sir? My name's Tom, remember?" "Sorry." Gabriel could tell she was a bit nervous. He stood up and walked around the couch to the newcomers. "Hello," he said, holding out his hand. "Who are you?" Andrew asked. "Gabriel Bowman. Who are you?" Andrew Delany looked at him through narrow slits. "I'm Andrew Delany. Me and Renee are old friends." Out of the corner of his eye, Gabriel saw Renee's eyes narrow at this. He didn't know what had happened between these two, but obviously Renee hadn't forgotten about it. Realizing Andrew wasn't going to take his outstretched hand, he left it drop back down to his side. "Well, me and Renee are new friends," he said, mimicing Andrew's tone.
Andrew opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Renee asked, "What are you two doing here?" "We came to wish your dad a happy birthday." Tom said. And you couldn't use the phone, she said to herself. Gabriel smiled at them. "That's nice." Andrew looked at Renee. "I haven't seen you in so long. Did anything interesting happen to you in New York?" "No. Nothing really." Gabriel just looked at her. That was an outright lie. "What about..." he started. "Oh yeah. I met Gabriel." "And that's it?" "Yeah." Gabriel just looked at her, then shrugged. She obviously didn't want to tell them what did happen there. he put his arm around her shoulders. Andrew was looking at him with thinly veiled hatred. Gabriel didn't know what made this guy hate him. it seemed that Andrew had hated him from the moment he had laid eyes on Gabriel. Renee looked over at Gabriel and smiled warmly. The thin veil started to slip away. Renee looked at Andrew curiously. The three of them stood there awkwardly for a few more minutes. Then, Andrew's dad came in and said, "Come on. We have to leave now." He smiled at Renee. "We'll be back later for your dad's party." She just nodded her head. As soon as the door closed behind them, Renee turned to Gabriel and wrapped her arms around him.
*******
Sara was frustrated. They had combed over the crime scene several times. Yet, they still came up empty. her mind was busy sorting through what evidence they did have while Jake drove her home. She walked into her apartment and stopped as soon as she stepped through the door. Standing in the middle of the room was Ian Nottingham. "What do you want?" She asked a little sharper than she had meant to. He winced at the harshness in her voice. "I am sorry to startle you, Lady Sara. But I have come to help." "With what?" "Your case." "Did your master send you?" "No, Lady Sara. I came against his wishes." This took her by surprise. She didn't think Ian did anything without Irons ordering him to. She closed the door behind her and walked further into the room. "What information do you have?" He raised his head to look at her, then quickly looked down again. "I do not know who killed them. But I do know why." "Well..." "My master hired them for a job." "Yeah, I already knew that. What do you know that can help me?" She didn't mean to snap at him again, but this was adding to her already high level of frustration. He gave her a pained look, then looked at the floor again. "The person who killed them didn't want to do the job." "What was the job?" "That I do not know." She let out a sigh. "I will try to find out if you like." She looked at him in surprise, then nodded her head. "Yeah. Thanks." He nodded his head at her in farewell. Stepping through the open window, he disappeared into the darkness.
Chapter 3
Renee and Gabriel were sitting beside each other at the table. Across from them were Tom and Andrew. Michael sat down at the end of the table when everything was on the table. No one talked while they ate dinner. Once it was over and everyone had taken their dishes to the kitchen, the five of them went into the living room. Renee and gabriel sat on the couch. The pother three sat in chairs placed around the room. Andrew sat so he could look right at the two on the couch. A fire was blazing in the fireplace and several wrapped packages sat at Michael's feet. He picked up the smallest one. Unwrapping it, he found a small picture frame. In the frame was a child's drawing. "One of yours?" he asked Renee. "Yeah. One that Mom still had." He nodded his head and picked up a rather flimsy package. When the wrapping paper was off, a handful of papers fell to the floor. Quickly picking them up, he put them back into a neat pile. As he looked at each paper, the corners of his mouth lifted in a smile. He turned to renee again and said, "Thank you." He finished opening the gifts, then leaned back in his chair.
Tom stood up and went into the kitchen to get the cake he had bought for this night. Andrew followed him to help. The three others moved back into the dining room. Renee had not spoken to Andrew throughout the whole night. She was still avoiding him by looking down at her plate. She had finished her cake and was mixing the crumbs with the melted ice cream. Gabriel reached over and put his hand over hers. She could see Andrew's grip tighten on his fork. An hour later, Tom and Andrew left. The younger Delany shook Renee's hand in farewell. She frowned when he wouldn't let her pull her hand out of his. As soon as they had driven away, Gabriel took Renee's hand in his and they walked outside to sit on the porch. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, then Gabriel asked, "What was his problem with me?" She shook her head. "I really don't know." "Did something happen between the two of you?" She laughed, but the sound lacked amusement. "I don't think you could say that."
He looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?" She swallowed before continuing. "A couple years ago I thought I was in love. With him." She looked over at him before continuing. "Maybe I was, but he never felt the same way about me. When I told him, he said he was flattered but didn't know how he felt." She swallowed again. "That hurt more than saying he didn't have feelings for me. I thought I still had a chance." "So why does he hate me?" "I don't know. I was over him by the time I left for New York." "So it's not like I stole his girl." She laughed at how old fashioned stealing some one's girl sounded, then shook her head. "No. I went with you willingly." He laughed, then leaned over and kissed her.
*******
Sara was sitting at the table writing down everything she knew about the case. She put her head in her hands, frustrated. None of it made any sense. "I wish you were here, Danny."
"Pez, I am here." She turned around, startled. "Why do you have to be dead? I could really use your help now." He smiled. "I didn't really have a choice." "None of this makes any sense," she said, pointing to the paper she had been writing on. "There's only bits and pieces of clues and nothing fits together right. I need your help." He shook his head. "You have help." She was going to say something, but he was gone. Just then, she heard a knock on the door.
*******
"Ian, come here." He cringed when he heard the order. Ian knew he had been caught sneaking out or back in. With bowed head, he slowly made his way over to where Irons was sitting. Irons rose when Ian stood before him. "Ian, didn't I tell you I gave Sara Pezzeni all the help she needed." "Yes, sir, you did." "And didn't I tell you not to speak to her unless I tell you to do so." "Yes, sir, you did," he repeated. Irons raised his hand to strike him, but then changed his mind and lowered it again. He stepped back and sat down again. Ian took this as a sign for him to leave. he turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
He stalked down the hall to his room. Slamming the door, he walked over to his bed and sat down. He had no idea what to do. He had promised Sara his help and he wanted to give it to her. He could still remember how he had felt when she had thanked him for helping her before. But he had never defied Irons like this before. Still undecided, he let his hair fall loose, then slipped into bed.
*******
Gabriel grabbed Renee's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come on. You're getting cold," he said, as they walked inside together. In the living room, they sat beside each other on the couch. Michael was in the kitchen washing the dishes. Renee just shook her head at him. "It's his party and he refuses to let me help clean up."
Gabriel laughed. "You take after him there." She gave him a surprised look. "I do?" He nodded his head. "You never let anyone help you." he smiled at her. "You can definitely be stubborn." "And so can you." He smiled again. "Then we make a perfect pair." This made her laugh. Suddenly he remembered something he was going to ask her. "What were those papers you gave your dad?" Her smile brightened her face. "Some of my poems and stories. It's become sort of a tradition for me to give him my latest works for his birthday or Christmas." "How did this tradition start?" He had to admit he was curious. She smiled but there seemed to be a hint of sadness in it. "No one else in my family wanted to read them. He was the only one that encouraged me." "Well, now you have two people to encourage you." She looked at him and smiled. Then, laying her head on his shoulder, she felt a moment of bliss as the tension if the day left her body.
*******
"Well, this is another piece of evidence that makes no sense. What is this suppossed to mean?" Jake just shrugged. He was as confused as Sara. They were looking at a paper he had brought over. It had been an encoded message. After several hours, they thought they had finally cracked it. once decoded, it read: They were turned from their path, but have returned home once more. "What does he mean 'they have returned home'? They're dead." "I think that is what he means, jake. But how does this help us?" She read the message again, hoping to figure it out, but still couldn't. Shaking her head, she said, "Jake, we both need a good night's sleep. Why don't you go home and we'll try to figure this out tomorrow." "Are you sure?" "Yeah." He left and Sara went back to sit at the table. She was going to try to figure this out no matter how long it took.
*******
In the morning, Renee and gabriel were sitting on the porch swing when they saw a car coming up the driveway. It stopped at the barn when her dad came out. He pointed up to the house and the car started forward again. When it finally came to a stop and the door opened, Andrew Delany stepped out.
She could see the storm brewing in his face. As he came closer, she began to get angry. Why should he be so upset that she had moved on? Her face was red with fury and Gabriel could hear it in her voice when she said, "Hello." Andrew didn't even look at her, but walked right up to Gabriel. "What do you want?" Gabriel asked irritated. Renee couldn't help but smile. He talked like Andrew was just an annoying fly. "I want to know what you're doing here with her." "And I thought it was obvious." Renee stepped forward. "There's no reason that he shouldn't be with me." The anger was rising in her again. He looked right at her. "I thought you would wait for me. You know I was still trying to figure things out." "What, wait while you decided if I was worth your time or not? I know what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go. And unlike what I used to think, you weren't a part of it. If I had waited, I would still be sitting here, waiting for you. So, you want to know something? I decided you weren't worth my time." She was close to screaming by this point.
Andrew's face had paled by the time she was finished. His mouth opened and closed several times, then he turned back to gabriel. "So you choose him instead," he sneered. "Yes, she did," Gabriel replied. "Now, I think it would be best if you would leave." He was really getting tired of this guy. "And you're gonna make me, right?" "Give up the tough act, Andrew." She sounded extremely disgusted with him. "You're smarter than that." Gabriel had not made one move yet. There was a warning in Renee's eyes when he looked over at her. He shrugged. Obviously, she would get rid of him her own way. "Andrew, go home," she pleaded with him. "I'm over you. I have been for more than a year. You missed your chance." He glared at both of them, then turned around and stalked to his car. The door slammed and he pulled away. As soon as the car was out of sight, renee buried her face in Gabriel's shoulder. He stroked her hair as her body started to shake from sobbing.
Ian had waited until he saw Jake leave before he came out of the shadows. Now he was once again in Sara's apartment with her looking at him in surprise. "Why are you doing this?" She asked him with genuine curiousity. "Doing what?" "Helping me." He shook his head. "I'm not sure." He looked up at her. "I just know that I am." She nodded, pulled out a chair, and motioned for him to sit down. He looked at it, then at her. "Please sit. You make me nervous standing there like that." He obliged her and she started to tell him all she knew about the case. He was looking at the message they had decoded while she talked. Suddenly he looked up and cleared his throat. "What?" she asked, looking up. He nodded at the message. "This is wrong." "What do you mean?" Don't tell me we have to start fresh again. "I know this code. Irons taught it to us when we were younger." "Us?" He nodded. "For several years another boy lived with us. Then one day he was gone."
She thought about this new information before asking, 'What does that mean then?" Ian studied the message again for a minute, the said, "It doesn't make much sense." "Not much about this case does.' "I can't make out all of it, but this first part here says 'it is better'. Then that part there means 'refuge in Lord'. The last three words are 'trust in man'." "It is better...refuge in Lord...trust in man." She seemed to think of something all of a sudden. Turning sharply arund, she disappeared into her bedroom for a minute. When she emerged, Sara was carrying a book. She quickly thumbed through the pages until she had found the one she was looking for. She skimmed down the page, then started reading. "'It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.' It's from Psalm 118 of the bible." She looked over at him. "What was that kid's name?" "Luke Matthews," he replied. There was no point in pretending he didn't know what she was talking about. And after all, he did want to help.
She nodded. "Don't know if it will get us anywhere, but it could be a start." He had started to move toward the window when she spoke again. "Ian." "Yes, Lady Sara?" he asked as he turned toward her. "Thanks." His lips parted in a brief smile, then he was out the window and fading into the shadows.
*******
She lifted her head and smiled at gabriel. He pushed her hair away from her face. Her face was streaked from the paths of her tears and her eyes were red from crying. "You look terrible," he told her. "Thanks for noticing." He laughed, then asked her, "You okay now?" "yeah, I'm fine." "Good." He started to trace the line of her jaw with his finger. She grabbed his hand and pulled it away. Then, she kissed his lips. When she pulled away, Gabriel could see Michael walking up the driveway. "Parent alert," he whispered with laughter in his voice. She used her shirt to try to dry her face. But it was useless. When he reached the porch, Michael could tell that she had been crying. "What's wrong?" he asked concerned.
"Nothing, Dad." He looked at Gabriel. "Why didn't Andrew stay longer. he said he wanted to see the two of you." Things were starting to fall into place now. "He decided he had better things to do," Gabriel told him. The older man nodded. "I see. Well, why don't you two come inside. I have something to tell you before you leave." They walked inside and Michael closed the door behind them.
Chapter 4
Jake was sitting at his desk, hard at work on the computer, when Sara arrived. "Why are you always here so early?" She asked with a laugh. "The early bird gets the worm." She just rolled her eyes at this. "Find out anything new?" He nodded his head. "Yeah. I think I might have a lead." "What is it?" "Had a message when I got here this morning. Someone saw a guy hanging around the scene about nine o'clock the night of the murder. Thought we'd go question this person when you got here." "Well, I'm here now. Let's go."
*******
Renee and Gabriel sat together on the couch while Michael started a fire in the fireplace. Once finished with that, he sat in the chair beside the couch. "Renee, you know I don't really want you to leave." She started to say something, but he stopped her. "Hold on. I'm not finished yet. I don't want you to leave, but I'm not going to try to keep you here either. I know it would be pointless. "And I also know you would be miserable if you felt you were stuck here. But, please don't wait another year to call or visit. Even a sometimes father like I've been wants to hear from his daughter more often than that." He looked at Gabriel. "I know you'll take good care of her. I haven't seen her this happy since she was a little girl. That tells me something about you." Neither of them knew what to say to this. Renee could tell how much her dad loved her. She had wished for this day to come for so many years. Not knowing what else to do, she stood up and walked over to him. Leaning down, she wrapped her arms around him. "I always just wanted to spend time with you. But, things never seemed to work out right." "I know. I didn't know how to act around you. I'm afraid my ignorance pushed you away." "Dad, you could never push me away." She sounded like she was going to start crying. He bent his head and kissed her forehead. "I should have realized that sooner." Renee stood up and Gabriel could see tears forming in her eyes. He wanted to go and hold her and comfort her, but knew that this was a moment that a father and daughter needed to share. "You two had better get everything packed up if you want to leave right after lunch."
They went upstairs while Michael made something for lunch. Renee was done and waiting for Gabriel in five minutes. He looked at her with a smile in his eyes. "How can you get ready so fast?" "I just keep everything in piles, then throw them in my bag when I'm ready to pack." He just shook his head. "Renee, you are the strangest girl I have ever met." "I am? You haven't met any have you?" They both laughed as they started down the stairs.
When they had finished eating, Renee and Gabriel took their bags down to her car. Closing the trunk, they started back up to the house to say good bye to Michael. They met him half way back. Holding her in a tight hug, he told her, "It was good to see you again." She was walking back to the car when Michael stopped Gabriel. "Never let her give in to the fear of where her dreams will take her." "I won't" "I know you won't. You're a good man, Gabriel Bowman." "Thank you, sir. It was good to meet you." He caught up with Renee and they got in the car and started home again.
*******
"Jake, we were wrong." "About what?" He didn't know what she was talking about. That comment had come out of nowhere. "That message. We didn't translate it right." "Oh really? What does it say then?" "It was from the bible. 'It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man'. Now we just need to find out how it is connected to our case." "How do you know?" She just looked at him and he grudgingly accepted that she just knew. When they arrived at the given address, Sara walked up to the door and knocked. A tall man with red hair and blue eyes answered after the second knock. She flashed her badge and he opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. "You must be detective Pezzeni." "Yes, I am. That's my partner, Jake McCarty," she said, nodding at Jake. "You have some information for us?" He nodded his head. "Yeah, I do. Would you two like to come in? It's a bit chilly out this morning."
"Yeah, that sounds good," she answered. They walked inside and he led them into the living room. Sara and Jake declined his offer for something to drink. "I was out taking my dog for a walk that night." Sara had noticed a dog laying beside the couch. She didn't seem to notice that there was company. "Why so late?" "It's cooler then. She doesn't get as hot." She accepted this as logical and motioned for him to continue. "I saw a man standing against a building. I said hello to him and he just looked at me, but never acknowledged me." "What did he look like?" She asked him. He had to think for a moment as he recalled the image of this stranger. "He wasn't really very tall. Maybe the same height or a bit shorter than your partner there. Had blond hair about a shade darker than his. Then again it was dark, so it could have just seemed darker. "Anything else about him you can remember?" "He seemed rather thin. And he was wearing a priest's outfit."
"You could tell what he was wearing?" Jake was a bit skeptical. "There was some light from the street lights and passing cars." "There isn't anything else you can remember?" He shook his head in apology. "I'm sorry." They left a little further ahead of where they had been.
*******
Ian knew he shouldn't have gone home. He knew what Irons would do to him. But, there wasn't anywhere else for him to go. Irons was the only family he had ever known. He had never done anything without being ordered to. Until now. And now he had paid the price for disobeying. The side of his face still stung from Irons' slap. His shoulders ached from the blows delivered by his cane. And the pounding in his head caused by a glancing blow from the cane was still there. He wanted to break the cane over Irons' white head. It wasn't the physical pain that he was bothered by, however. There was a storm of mixed emotions brewing inside of him. He felt guilt and shame at disobeying the only father figure he had ever known. There was also the feeling of hatred for this same man. But what stood out the most was the pleasure he had felt when his Lady Sara told him 'thanks'.
Ian had arrived home about an before the sun rose. Irons was waiting for him. "What did I tell you about talking to her?" Ian just stared at the floor. "I asked you a question, Ian." He raised his eyes and looked Irons squarely in the eyes. After a moment, he let them drop again. "You told me I must not," he said quietly. "That's right, Ian. And what did you do anyways?" He wasn't really expecting an answer to this. "I helped Lady Sara," he replied with a hard edge to his voice. Irons looked at him sharply. "And how could you help her?" "I put her on the path to the truth." Then, Irons had begun to strike him. Ian stood there and took the punishment. He felt that he deserved it. Now he was sitting in his room wondering once again what to do. Did he dare risk retribution once again to help Sara? Not knowing what he should do, Ian decided it would be best to get some sleep.
*******
Sara looked up from her desk when the door opened. "Hello, Jake. Where've you been?" "Just came from a meeting with Richards. He wanted to know if we had any leads. I told him what we've found out so far. Find anything on this guy?" She nodded her head at pointed to her computer screen. "Think I've found our guy. Luke Matthews. Blond hair. Green eyes. Height: 5'11. Weight: 130. Used to be a priest, then he turned fanatical. Seems he was a suspect in another case like this a few years back." "Let me guess. He got off." She nodded her head again. "There wasn't enough evidence to hold a trial." "Where does this guy live?" She looked for an address. Finding it, she said, "111 Joshua Street. Let's go.
*******
Ian was waiting in the shadows between the buildings when he saw Sara and Jake walk out of the Police Station together. He watched them get into a car, then decided to follow. He trailed them until they came to a rather oldish-looking house. While they walked up onto the porch, Ian hid in the shadow of the building.
The door opened, Sara said something to the person standing there, and then they walked inside. Before the door could close, Ian had slipped inside. He saw Sara and Jake disappearing into a room down the hall. He silently made his way after them. As he stopped outside the room, flashes of memories came back to him. A young blond-haired boy and himself playing. Then, that same boy seemed to be lecturing him. Ian could remember feeling hatred for him. He had always tried to make Ian feel inferior to him. Now, he could feel the old fury rising in him again. With effort, he pushed it back down and stood just outside the door. From where he was standing outside the room, he could see Sara show him her badge. Luke's face went a shade paler and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He swallowed and stood a little straighter. Their voices came back to Ian. "Where were you Sunday night around ten o'clock?" "Doing what God told me I must." "And what would that be?" "He has told me to bring justice to those who have suffered."
"And so you killed them?" That was Jake's hotheaded remark. "In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free," he quoted. Sara and Jake just looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed. "You'll have to come with us," she told him. "I'll do no such thing." Sensing trouble, Ian stepped through the doorway into the room. "Hello, Luke." Ian's voice was low and ominous. "It's been a long time, but I see you have not changed." Luke Matthews looked at him and after a minute his eyes brightened with recognition. "Ian!" Ian continued without looking at him. "Still you think you are superior to everyone. You still think God has sent you to do a job for him. It would seem that you need to rethink some things." The look in Matthews' eyes turned to one of mixed amusement and anger. "Ian, you haven't changed either. Still under Irons' thumb," he said with undisguised contempt. Jake had started to reach for his gun when Ian had entered the room, but with a look of warning from Sara, had relaxed. Now he was observing this exchange with interest. Matthews reached behind him and picked up a knife laying on the desk, underneath some papers. Ian saw this and was beside him in three long strides. His arm shot out and grabbed the wrist of the hand that held the knife. He kept on tightening his grip until the other man grunted in pain and relaxed his grip on it. Ian let go and Matthews grabbed his injured wrist with his other hand. Ian kicked Luke's legs out from under him, but before he could do more, he was stopped by Sara's hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, nodded his head in farewell, and slipped out the door. Jake stared after his departing back. Then he turned to Sara and asked, "Why did he do that?" He had a bewildered look on his face. "Help us, I mean," he added as an after thought. She shook her head. "I really don't know. Maybe one day I'll figure it out." She was still staring at the place where he had disappeared. Sara walked over to Luke Matthews, grabbed his arm, and hauled him to his feet. She started to handcuff him, but before she could, he lunged toward the door, pulling his arms out of her grasp. He reached it before the other two could and was headed for freedom.
It only took a second for Sara to overcome her shock. Then, she was sprinting down the hall after him. He hastily looked over her shoulder and saw her gaining on him. He turned around a corner into a kitchen. Sara was right on his heels. He stopped at a counter and picked up a large knife. Turning around, he took a step toward, then stopped. The witch blade had come into the picture. She took a step forward and placed the edge of the blade against his throat. He smiled wickedly, took a step to the side, and came at her again. The knife slid off of the blade. The next thing Sara knew, the former priest was laying on the floor with the last of his blood soaking the tiles. The blade retracted just as Jake entered the room. He looked from the body to Sara then back again. "Come on, Jake. We'd better go report this." "Right," he said, nodding his head.
*******
"You sure you don't want me to leave?" Gabriel asked uncertainly. "I'm sure," she reassured him. "You are going to sit right there while I unpack. Then, we're going to go to your place so you can unpack." "Then what?" "We'll decide when we get there." He just shrugged his shoulders. One thing about her, he thought to himself, she always keeps me guessing. As soon as he had finished unpacking, he stood in front of her in the middle of the living room. "Now what?" She thought for a moment, then said, "Let's go see Sara."
*******
"You weren't able to bring him in alive?" Richards questioned them. "No, sir. He came at me with a knife," she replied patiently. He nodded his head, then turned to Jake. "And where were you, McCarty?" "I was coming. He had run from where we had cornered him. I was just a bit slower than her." "All right. You two can go," he said, dismissing them. They left his office and went outside. "Where are you going?" Jake asked her as she started to walk away from him.
"Home," she replied, looking back over her shoulder. Gabriel and Renee were almost at Sara's when she arrived. She smiled and invited them inside. After she had supplied them with something to drink, she asked, "Was there something you needed or did you just come to visit?" Gabriel looked at Renee. "We're just visiting," she replied. Sara smiled at them again. "Tell me about your trip. Was it a peaceful vacation from the city?" "I don't think you could say that," Renee and Gabriel said at the same time. They both started laughing. "Why? What happened?" Renee told her about what had happened with Andrew. Sara's face took on a sympathetic look. "That's tough. But isn't Gabe such an angel?" She asked with a laugh in her voice. He just rolled his eyes at this. "Did you have the peaceful weekend you had hoped for?" She let out a little laugh and shook her head. "Far from it. Don't think I'll ever find peace in this city . . . again." It seemed that she was looking right through them. They both turned to see what she was looking at. The only thing Renee could see was a guitar leaning up against the wall. She looked at Gabriel with a questioning look. He just shrugged, then looked at Sara for an explanation.
She realized they were looking at her and came back to herself. "His brother stopped by Friday and brought me his guitar." She was having trouble keeping the tears back. Renee looked at Gabriel again and he mouthed Conchobar. She nodded imperceptibly. Gabriel had told her about him. After talking for a while longer, they stood up to leave. "You sure you don't want to get something to eat with us?" He asked Sara. "Yeah, I'm sure. You two go ahead." She smiled reassuringly at them. "Have fun." They walked to the door and Gabriel looked back at her. "You sure?" He asked one more time. "Get out of here!" The door slammed behind them and Gabriel looked at Renee with a boyish grin. "You think she wanted us to leave?"
She laughed at him. "Yeah, I think she did." Tugging on his arm, she said, "Let's go get something to eat." He leaned closer to her and kissed her. "What was that for?" She asked with a smile when they finally pulled apart. "An appetizer," he replied. The wide grin was still on his face. She playfully punched him in the arm. "Gabriel!" She tried to act astonished, but was unsuccessful. Soon she was doubled over with laughter. When she finally stopped, the smile stayed on her face. They walked down the street to the restaurant arm in arm.
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