Twists of Fate Chapter 29 (PG-13)

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francis
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Twists of Fate Chapter 29 (PG-13)

Post by francis »

Disclaimer: as usual, I don't own anything.
Beta: Thank you to Rednightbird.

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link from chapter 28:
viewtopic.php?f=75&t=6549&p=159072#p159072
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She was gone. Her toiletries were missing, some of the clothes I had seen draped over chairs and chests of drawers were gone, I didn’t see her purse and her laptop anywhere. She had let me sleep and sneaked out on me.

I cursed, punched the doorframe hard, then I grabbed my clothes in a hurry and left her place. It was Monday, I had to go to court, I needed to concentrate on work, but I couldn’t shed the feeling that something inevitably bad had happened.

Why did she run? Couldn’t she cope with what I said, with the emotions involved? Did Cynthia come back and convince her to leave me? Did she flee from Laurent?

Whatever it was, after all the open talk we had last night I was deeply disturbed and hurt that she wouldn’t tell me that she had to go. Didn’t I tell her that she couldn’t hurt me? Well, I lied.

All day as I prepared for the hearing, then argued with Tejada’s lawyer and presented my evidence to the court I was thinking about Coraline. My emotions bounded between seething anger, intense disappointment and sadness.

I wasn’t at my best during the trial; and when Tejada got out after paying a nice sum I had even more cause to be angry at myself. I would need to find new evidence and a new crime to hook my case onto, or the H.E.M, a dangerous group of thieves, drug dealers and slave traffickers would go unchallenged and subsequently unpunished once again.

Taking the scenic route home to my condo I cross examined myself, posing all those questions. Why did I believe in the better of a person despite all the evidence showing me the contrary? Why couldn’t I stay ahead of things by not letting them get to me emotionally? And why didn’t I tell Mick the truth, keep a distance from Coraline and just be done with it all?

I tried to reach Morgan’s cell phone but not even her mailbox picked up. In a strange fit of nostalgia I decided to call Beth. She answered immediately.

“Hey”, she said in that dark voice of hers. I swallowed. “Hey yourself,” I answered like back then when we still were together. It felt both comfortable and sad.

“How was your trial?” she asked.

“It didn’t go that well. Tejada posted bond, he’s free. I’m surprised you’re still keeping up with my cases.”

“Just professional diligence”, she smiled through the phone. “Maybe I’ll need to cover one of your cases once in a while. I’m going to Sheppard’s execution tonight, wish me luck.”

“Be careful, lots of crazies are out there.” I admonished.

“You know me, I’m always careful. Besides, there’s a lot of police there, so I’m not worried. Why did you call?”

I sighed. “I’m lonely, and I missed you suddenly, I missed just having a talk with you. Morgan vanished this morning. You don’t happen to know where she’s gone.”

“Maureen told me she had taken a leave to Chicago on a family emergency.”

Of course, Chicago was the logical choice. I wondered if the family emergency had a connection to Cynthia or Laurent.

“Thanks, I wonder if I should go after her. She’s not been herself lately.” Given the fact that she was playing at least two different roles this was an understatement.

“Be careful, Josh. I don’t really trust her, she has some agenda we don’t know about, some connection to the whole Mattola case. Mick told me about the cemetery incident. I would guess she was rather upset about that night.”

“You have no idea. She told me Mick assaulted her. Do you have his version of what happened?”

Beth answered openly. “He told me he went crazy, he wanted proof she was his ex-wife. He was looking for a certain tattoo but didn’t find it. He was rather upset, too, then very much full of remorse. Still, I wonder why she went there with him in the first place. Did you know that Mattola was there and attacked Mick?”

Ah, she picked up on that connection, I was rather pleased. “Hank Mattola, the camera thief, is there any proof yet that he is the arsonist? Maybe he feared that Mick would find out.”

“I think the circumstantial evidence is rather striking. He had the cameras in his home. He stole them from Morgan because she was at the fire and picked up the murder of his girlfriend. She was identified today, it’s positive that she was with him and burned in the fire. No evidence if she was dead before or after she burned.”

“But how did Mattola know that Mick and Morgan would be at the cemetery to look for his remains?” That one still confused me, but I guessed it was Morgan who told him. Would Beth pick up on that?

She didn’t. “Exactly, and what good did it to know that his remains weren’t there? That doesn’t prove anything.”

“I know. This whole case has me puzzled. I’m glad it’s not my responsibility. Carl has his work cut out for him.”

It felt so comfortable to talk with Beth about a crime scene. She and I were on the same wavelength, and trying to find the truth behind matters. No games involved no half truths, no lies, no pretense. I sank into my favorite armchair like I never wanted to leave again. Maybe that’s where it started to fall apart for us, when I tried to keep her out of my trials. It was the one point where our worlds meshed, and I had severed that thread.

Beth interrupted my thoughts. “What will you do now about Morgan? Frankly, I think you should just let her go. She’s creepy. I suspect there’s more to her behaviour.”

Beth understood Morgan well, but she didn’t really make an effort to reserve judgement. I wanted to trust Coraline, I really wanted to, but Beth was probably right.

“Yeah, I don’t get behind this either. What do you think she wants?”

Beth hesitated. “I don’t know. Sometimes I thinks she’s after Mick. You know, when I introduced them it was as if they already knew each other, but then they both denied it. Maybe it’s just jealousy that clouds my judgement.”

“Well, maybe it’s just stubbornness on my account, but I really want to get behind this.”

“Do you love her?” Beth sounded a bit wistful, and I remembered our days when we spent our life together. Did she regret our break-up? Did I? I loved Morgan, but I felt an element of nostalgia talking to Beth.

“I think I do”, I said. “You know, she’s smart, she’s confident, she’s beautiful and elegant, and she drives me crazy. There definitely is something between Mick and her, but I don’t know – it seems to be more her than him, if you know what I mean.”

“How are things with you and Mick?” I asked unassumingly.

“He’s been a bit distant since Morgan turned up. She’s reminding him of his ex, and I guess he’s been thinking about the past a lot. He’ll come around. Maybe it’s good that she’s gone.” She stopped. “Mmmhh, that didn’t come out right. Sorry, I didn’t mean to be bitchy.”

“I understand. You’re trying to make things work, and she’s throwing a wrench into it. She’s doing the same to me; I’m still not sure what I am to her.”

I decided to find out more about what Beth knew. “Do you know why Mick and his ex separated?”

“No, he doesn’t talk about that; he just hints that it didn’t end well. If she played the games that Morgan is playing with you, then I can imagine it didn’t.”

I paused, a little embarrassed. Beth had to think I was a total douche bag to let Morgan push me around.

“So, where to go from here?” Beth was always one to focus on the problem at hand.

I made a quick decision. “I’ll try to get a few days off and follow her. I’m starting to see a pattern here. There must be a root to why she’s running just now.”

Beth’s voice was warm and friendly. “Good luck. Call me when you need help, with anything, okay? I’m really concerned that you might get hurt.”

I already was, but I didn’t tell her that. It was good to still have a friend. Maybe I should just tell her about vampires, no, not yet, not until I had proof. But what if the vampires would hurt Beth? I needed to end this conversation or I would tell her things I didn’t want to reveal yet.
“Listen, I have to go. I’ll call you whenever I find out more.”

“Bye, Josh. Take care.”

“Bye.”

I ended the call, and then contacted the D.A. to ask for three days off due to a “family emergency”. As I had just finished up the Tejada case he granted it. I booked a flight to Chicago and started packing.

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At LAX I used my credentials to get access to the passenger list of the flights to Chicago of that day. I found the names Cynthia X. Davis and Morgan Vegas on the 6 a.m. flight. So they had been together, I should have known.

I caught the 2 p.m. flight and took a nap on the plane. I was still rather rattled, had no idea where to start searching for them, or what to say once I found them. Yet for once I wasn’t only reacting, I was actively doing something.

In Chicago I booked into a hotel at the airport, changed into jeans and a shirt, then started by finding out where they stayed. A bit of leg work around the terminal, and I found the taxi driver who took them from the airport to the city. He gave up the address when I showed him my batch. He might have been surprised that I didn’t leave this kind of work to the police, but he didn’t show it.

They were at the local Hardwick Hotel. I didn’t dare going there yet because I wanted to find out more before I came across them. The next part would be tricky. Listening in on their phone conversations or getting the records would need a warrant, which I didn’t have.

So I needed to do some surveillance. If Cynthia was a vampire she would probably leave the hotel in the evening rather than the day. It was getting dark already, and despite my jet lag I needed to be vigilant.

I took a seat on the bench across the street from the hotel and tried not to get too comfortable. It was cold and I pulled my leather jacket closed. To ward off sleep I started to draw a diagram in my head about the people around Morgan.

Cynthia, Henry, Hank Mattola who was probably the same as Henry, Laurent, Mick, Beth and me.

I knew that Morgan was a vampire who had turned back into a human by some compound. I knew that Mick was a vampire. Cynthia was one too, and given her attitude I doubted that she had taken the compound. Hank Mattola might be one, if he was the Henry that Coraline had talked about. He was loyal to Coraline, working in the background on her behalf without remorse or guilt, and then vanishing into thin air when no longer needed. Laurent was someone the two women feared, someone who was searching for them. Another vampire? Probably.

Beth was the child she had wanted to make her and Mick’s daughter. Why her? Why didn’t Beth remember anything about that? In her nightmares there was a scary woman, a fire, someone rescued her whose face she couldn’t remember. She hadn’t drawn the connection yet, and I wouldn’t be the one to enlighten her. It would be too much of a shock.

Mick was Coraline’s ex, they had married and then she had turned him, without warning, without him knowing about vampires first. I could see why that would be kind of a deal-breaker for a marriage from the start. They must have had good times too, though, if they managed to stay married until she kidnapped Beth. That was in 1985. Then he killed her, or thought he had, and she vanished from his life.

Now she was back. Why did she take more than 20 years to do so? Why did she want him back after all this time, and how could she think that the games she played would entice him to start things up again?

My musings were interrupted by a tall blonde woman and a brunette leaving the hotel and walking away. I followed them. They hailed a cab, and I had a hard time to catch the next one without losing sight. But the streets were almost deserted, so it was cinch to follow them. They took to the harbour, exited the car and walked through narrow streets in between warehouses. I paid the driver and tailed them, not too closely. I guessed vampires would be able to sniff me out easily; I had experienced how keen my senses got when Morgan gave me the Black Crystal.

They entered a warehouse and I noted the address. I circled the area and found a fire escape at the back of the square windowless building. Sadly, I couldn’t just jump high to catch the latch. I remembered how fast Mick was down such a ladder when we searched for Leni. Then I saw a big dumpster on the wall across the narrow street. I eased the brakes and pushed it under the ladder, then climbed the dumpster and grabbed the lowest step.

I’ve tried to keep myself fit but to pull up to that ladder with a chin-up was still hard work. I rested on the ledge for a while so my heavy breathing didn’t give me away. This would be so much easier if I was a vampire, too. The thought surprised me. Did I really want to become a blood-sucking, light-shy creature? Well, it didn’t put me off as much as I would have expected. Pushing those thoughts away and concentrating on listening I proceeded to explore the roof area for access to where Coraline was. I was glad for my rubber soled shoes.

I reached a roof window and peeked through. Under me there was some kind of laboratory, and two lab technicians were working on packing some things away. Cynthia and Coraline were conversing in French and discussing what to leave behind and what to take with them. Their movements lightning quick, their conversation, everything seemed hurried, as if things weren’t going like planned.

Suddenly someone grabbed me from behind. I tried to break free by taking a quick side step, but I had no chance in the vice like grip. “Look who we have here”, a male voice said, dripping with glee. “The human lap dog. Let’s see what Cyn and Cora will say when I present you to them. Where you spying on us?” He sniffed my neck, which made me intensely uncomfortable.

Turning around quickly my eyes confirmed that it was indeed Hank Mattola who had sneaked up on me. Well, I wanted to confront Coraline anyway. Grinning he walked me towards a staircase and we descended to the laboratory.

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diane31
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Re: Twists of Fate Chapter 29 (PG-13)

Post by diane31 »

Hmmmm the mystery thickens... and I love it when the mystery thickens! :angel:
I really loved the conversation between Josh and Beth, too. It's really nice to see them at peace with what happened between them, despite the bits of nostalgia on his part. As he says, in a way they seem closer now than when they were together. Except when it comes to talking about the v word of course... it's so funny to see him wonder what Beth knows about vampires lol!
Thank you so much... :flowers: and... I hope you keep 'em coming!!! :thumbs:
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wollstonecraft61
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Re: Twists of Fate Chapter 29 (PG-13)

Post by wollstonecraft61 »

Great chapter, francis. Hmm, Josh is now wondering what it would be like to be a vampire? Is this foreshadowing???
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mitzie
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Re: Twists of Fate Chapter 29 (PG-13)

Post by mitzie »

Great chapter, as usual!!! :clapping: Josh is thinking about a lot of things here, I wonder if he will become a vamp??!! I love this story and can't wait to see what happens to Josh next... :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :clapping: :clapping: :hyper2: :hyper2: :hyper2: :fingerscrossed: :gasp: :eek2: :nosee: :nails: :yahoo: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :thud: :thud: :thud: :thud: :notworthy: :heart: :flowers:


mitzie :mooncat:
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VampFan5
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Re: Twists of Fate Chapter 29 (PG-13)

Post by VampFan5 »

Hey Francis,

Thanks for the PM. I love having the link so I can go right to the update. What the heck is wrong with Josh? Is he insane? His behavior reminds me of how Mick acted when he met Coraline in the 1950s. Josh has this fever he can't seem to fix without following this woman around. I know he thinks he loves her but this can't end well. However, I could definitely see him as a vampire. LOL. I like that he and Beth are still friends. Fascinating update as always Francis. :clapping:

VF5 :hyper2:
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NocturneInCMoll
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Re: Twists of Fate Chapter 29 (PG-13)

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

Sorry it took me so long to read this Francis--my computer is busted at the moment, and I'm at the library now. (Side note: why does my computer always seem to go on the fritz when my Moonlight muse returns from vacation? Very annoying. :grumble:).

Anyway, interesting update. Josh & Beth are friends, Josh is wondering what Beth would think about the vampires ( :laugh: ), Josh is having some reservations about Coraline...but not enough to not go after her. :roll: :slaphead:

Very intrigued to see where this is going, and what Coraline has planned for him. I kinda hope he can break free, because at this point, it doesn't look like things are going to end well.
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francis
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Re: Twists of Fate Chapter 29 (PG-13)

Post by francis »

I'm sorry to do this but I think I can't finish this story. I have the outline, I have the next chapter almost written, but I am in a deep hole at the moment.
I am taking medication that is messing with my creativity and I just can't get myself to write anymore. Maybe one day when I'm better. I just don't want you to wait in vain, so brace yourself to the fact that maybe there won't be more.
Sorry.
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BlueEyedMonster
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Re: Twists of Fate Chapter 29 (PG-13)

Post by BlueEyedMonster »

Francis, I respect and understand your decision not to continue this story.

A story from Josh's POV was a brilliant idea that you executed wonderfully and adding Coaraline to the mix genius.

Thank you for an amazing story and one hell of a ride. :clapping:
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