Part I

Chapter 9


"You don't have to come with me," Darcy told her as she changed into what she called her city clothes.

"Yes I do. I need to tell Gail I'm all right…"

"I don't think that's wise. Let's see what Jack has to say when he gets back. Damn of all the times he decides to chase down Crazy Albert. Why couldn't James go out?" she grumbled.

"That's the fates of the toss," Celine remarked off-handedly. "There are a lot of coffee houses that have internet services. That's what I did…" Celine broke off as she nodded to herself as the memory of why she did that came back. "Oh, shit," she said slowly. "I think we're in trouble here. I have got to get in touch with Gail…she has a private investigator that does a lot of work for her. She can find out what's going on."

Darcy did not comment on the 'we' part, but she again noticed the little butterflies in her stomach were fluttering a lot more than she could remember happening before Celine arrived. "Is this a healthy paranoia or what?" Darcy asked worried as she pulled her leather coat on. She was going to take the cycle to the hospice where the hearse that they used would be waiting for them with the body.

"I think I was working undercover for the police department…but…I can't remember for what…"

"You went from a design artist for a reputable firm to an undercover agent?" Darcy interrupted, thinking that was incredulous.

Celine nodded, looking embarrassed. "Uhh, it's a long story," Celine told her, hoping she would let it go at that.

"Well, it's a two hour drive, so you can start the story when we're on the road. It's not like Alan's going to blab it to anyone."

"Funny. Very funny." Celine threw her leg over the back of the dirt bike and held on as a chuckling Darcy kicked started it. She glanced at Mandy that was disappointed in being left behind.

"Judhith will be by…" she glanced up as the Toyota hybrid pulled up. "Hey, Ellen. How's George?"

"Coughing. I was going into town to pick up some herbs from Gole and thought I would thank you for taking my place."

"No problem."

Do you think you can pick up some cross-word puzzle books for me and some magazines on home and gardens for George?"

"Sure can."

"You're not going to put that small horse on your motorcycle are you?" Ellen asked horrified, as she looked from the unhappy German Sheppard to the bike.

"No. Can you give Mandy a ride in?"

"Sure can. I bet she'll like riding with me better than trying to balance on that thing."

*****
The hearse was one of the old models that the previous owner had purchased and fixed up as his mad car. Whatever it was Celine felt uncomfortable until Mandy squeezed in the front seat with them, pushing Celine closer to Darcy. Things got a bit brighter for her.

"So…you were going to fill me in on stuff…" Darcy told her as they bumped along a road that Celine was not sure if they had traveled before.

"I can say the same for you…" she stared at the woman whose shoulders were rubbing against hers and giving her more warmth than sharing nearness would give. In fact, the only other times she was this close to Darcy was when she was upset or when they were sparing in forms of self-defense that Celine was sure she was not familiar with, reaffirming her belief that it was a fluke that she tossed Darcy.

"Okay. I was in a car accident and my twin heard about this place and had my sorry ass transported here to heal. Since I liked the place…I stayed."

"Twin? You have a twin…like James and Jack?"

"Yeah."

"Well…"

"So now about you."

Celine was going to press Darcy for more but realized that what she had to reveal was going to be more important that her curiosity about Darcy.

"I remember there was an incidental…meeting outside of the office I worked at. It made an impression on me and I decided that I needed to do something about it…before it was too late."

Darcy waited. She was sure Celine's lack of detail was in response to her own sparse accounting of herself.

Celine's thoughts were on the chance meeting in her past that changed her life. She had bumped into a street person whom she recognized to have once been a wealthy and aggressive business magnet. She bought him a cup of coffee and breakfast and got him to tell his story of why he chose to give it all up to find something that he lost in his once busy life. She had thought trying to survive on the street would not give anyone time to contemplate what he or she missed in life except security…but one day…that very day, when she was given a new project to help market a person whose philosophy she abhorred, gave her the incentive to do the same as the once affluent CEO.

She did not give up the need for money or paying friends for a place to crash when she needed it. Going cold turkey was not for her. She did odd jobs…which was where she met Jenny. Jenny turned out to be an undercover agent for a drug enforcement law agency…which one she never knew…or she just did not remember, but she did not think it was federal. Then she had the horror of witnessing her assassination by a local police officer. She was recruited by Jenny's partner to continue what she was doing.

Marti did not know that her friendship with Jenny was a front for her watching a drug and prostitution ring that was run from the police department, until Jenny told her. Jenny worked some days for a courier service and it was the courier manager that was Jenny's partner, who gave Marti a part time job as a favor to Jenny. Marti was beginning to remember that part of her life in larger segments…it was not the frightening frames as her dreams presented to her.

"I quit my job to not just see if I can find inspiration in art, but to find out just what to do for balancing the horrible things our government is doing without even caring that we, the little people, the tax payers, are no longer represented in government. It's just corporations, the people with money. I was too paranoid to get involved with demonstrations and it was not just enough to fire off Emails to public officials because their workers only select mailings that support the party line…so our public officials, even if they have the best intentions…never get a balanced view of an argument or have a chance to grow into someone more enlightened because they are being propagandized as much as we are. Do you realize that this is what happens to all of us since childhood? Our parents parrot what the government news tell them, the school teaches only government lies for what they term history, and as we start listening to the news we're listening to the same shit!" Marti stopped for air and then embarrassed laughed at Darcy's blank expression. "There I go…standing on my soap box, as Gail would say."

"So, what happened?" Darcy encouraged, uncomfortable with the intensity of Celine's feelings, but needing to know what occurred. She breathed in deeply, letting the tension it created in her dissipate. She reminded herself to give Celine Barbara Hand Clow's book to read on Catastrophobia. Maybe it would help her not be so intense.

"I lived on the street. Sometimes I had places to crash…like at friends who I returned the favor by doing their laundry, cleaned their apartments…anyway I met someone… another person who like me, did odd jobs to pay for safe places to spend the night. We sort of teamed up…if either of us didn't have a safe place, we would sleep on the street but one would watch out for the other." She glanced at Darcy for a moment, noting her profile and watching her eyes studying the cars on the freeway. She took reassurance from her quiet presence.

"There are predators out there that look for a woman who doesn't have anyone to look out for her and they don't always have that sign on them saying what they are. She showed me how to defend myself."

Darcy's eyes flicked over to hers, picking up the unhappiness in the slump of her shoulders.

"Anyway…we meet up in the afternoons to find out if the other found a place or not… this one night neither of us had a place so we were going to meet at our usual rendezvous…I was late." Celine's voice was soft with that last sentence.

Celine fought the sob that twisted her face into anguish, clutching her hands tears leaked down her cheeks. Her throat was tight and her heart hurt. "I heard voices arguing from our place…it's two blocks from a cyber space bar I would visit once a week…it was a Wednesday night… I was frightened for Jenny when I heard one voice …so I picked up something in the alley to use as a weapon and crept up to see what was happening. I didn't hear her voice, just two men…one calm and the other angry. I hid behind some trash bins. There were two cops in their uniforms…one with two stripes on his arm… and then…it happened so fast, he put a gun to her head and shot her…execution style!" Celine sobbed and covered her face for a few moments. She could feel Mandy's nose touching her cheek and suddenly Darcy was holding her. It occurred to her that no one was steering the hearse.

After awhile Celine stopped crying and Darcy kissed her tenderly on the forehead.

"Feeling better?"

Celine nodded. She took a deep breath and let it out. It felt good to tell the story. She was not sure if she had told anyone. "'He said that was putting an end to the problem. I heard they beat her up really bad before they shot her. The two officers called it in as a gang slaying."

Celine was shaking so much against Darcy held onto her hand until Celine squeezed her hand back.

"Celine, was there a light in the alley?"

"Yeah, over the computer store's back door. They had a light real high up with a wired thing around it so that no one could throw something to put it out. It lit up half the area so if anyone approached where we slept, they would have to go through the lit up area. Jenny thought that made it real safe." Celine cried for a few moments, gratefully blotting her face with the tissue Darcy handed her.

Darcy rubbed her hand over Celine's arm until the shaking in her limbs lessened.

"So, to shorten this long story…" She blew her nose softly, "I was recruited by Jenny's partner to take her place. He didn't say who he worked for or I can't remember…just said it was a drug enforcement agency that believed the local police department was running a drug and prostitution ring." Celine paused, and then grimaced, shaking her head. "I can't say for sure if he told me that or Jenny told me that…I'm really confused right now."

"I believe it," Darcy muttered, bringing back some of her own demons. "So…" she squeezed Celine's arm gently, encouraging her to go on.

"Jenny's partner was Carlos…I think his first name was his real name because he always answered to it, just not so good with his last name, Hernandez. He was the supervisor of a courier company that would give us a job when they got real busy. One day Carlos was arguing with the police officer that killed Jenny about being short handed and he had no one except me. So, I get chosen…just right where Carlos wanted me to be…my first job as 007 and shit happens," she laughed with a near hysterical laugh and then gulped to contain her nervousness. "A gun battle outside where I delivered the package erupts and chicken shit me, high tails it out of there…and I've been on the run since…"

"When did the gun battle happen?"

She shook her head. "I don't know…unless it's a Wednesday when I log on the internet to talk to Gail, all days are the same…except…well, on Sundays the soup kitchen people get upset if we don't stay for prayers. I don't think it was Sunday…I…I don't remember. I'm definitely not cut out for the spy business."

Darcy squeezed her hand then checked her side mirrors to pull back onto the freeway. Both women were quite with their own thoughts for a while.

"Was it around the time you were on the highway?" Darcy's voice broke the silence seven off-ramps later. Celine knew that because she was counting them to take her mind off haunting thoughts.

She shook her head looking apologetic. "I don't know. I don't remember much around the time when you found me…I just remember it was raining and someone gave me a ride."

"Me…you don't remember it being me?"

"No. Before you…I…Darcy I don't remember…for all I know it could have been you. The only thing that is clear is one day I realized I was washing dishes in your kitchen."

There was more silence.

"Celine…"

"Uh, actually my friends call me Marti…"

"Well, let's stick to Celine. If you have all this hanging over you…we don't want ears to perk up with your name spoken." And I like Celine better.

"Okay."

"So…you're Dreamer, huh?"

Celine turned to look at her for a moment. She logs on to gay chat rooms. I remember that day in the store… "So…who do you logon as?"

Darcy chuckled remembering the down and dirty conversations they had over the internet. Darcy was smart enough to know that people tended to not be quite what they showed themselves to be in chat rooms, which was why she liked to play the games. Her pastime was to see if she could figure out what these people really were like.

"In Your Dreams," she smiled.

"Get off! You are not! Are you really? Really!?" Celine started to laugh with Darcy, with Mandy adding her bark to the noise. Most of the depression that was surrounding Celine lifted, letting her forget for the moment more that she had seen a friend gunned down.

The rest of the drive was spent exchanging ideas they had about the other characters that were on the chat room regularly.

****
"Celine…wake up. We're here," Darcy told her as she touched the head on her shoulder.

Celine straightened up, looking around her. They were in a parking bay and according to the sign; it was Morgan's Family Mortuary. A middle aged man and a woman stepped out. Darcy gave each a hug and then handed over the paper work that Clinton West, the community lawyer had sent to the hospice, via the internet.

"This is Celine, Celine, Philip and his wife Char. Char, Alan has no relatives that he wanted to acknowledge but chances are when his death is posted all sorts of people will be crawling out of the woodwork. He has bills but selling his property will cover them. He's left the rest to the hospice."

Char nodded giving her husband a rueful look. "Yes. As long as someone sees profit, they'll be howling foul play. We'll send them over to Clinton. Ellen sent an Email. She said your sister sent an Email that your new vehicle is ready and you have to come over and visit if you want it."

"They're back from the family cruise then," she smiled. "I have to leave the hearse off to get the shocks and oil pan replaced. Do you have someone you can recommend?"

"Take it to Atlantic Car Repair. We take ours there. Give them this," Philip pulled out a card wrote something on it and handed it to Darcy. "It's a family member so he'll give you family rates."

"Okay. Thanks. Mind if I use your phone?"

While Darcy phoned her sister, Celine used the restroom and washed her face. Meeting back in the hearse, Darcy was playing with a happy Mandy who had a new chew stick.

"I got in touch will Della. She'll have one of the kids pick us up at the repair shop," Darcy explained to Celine.

****
Darcy's 'one of the kids' was a young girl with plenty of rings in her ears and dark makeup that matched her sulky mood and clothing. Her vehicle was a black BMW that was too flashy and fast for the girl that Celine felt was suicidal.

"Barbara Jean, if you don't drive like you want to live to see tomorrow, we're changing places!" Darcy told her as she gripped the hand hold above her head.

That only egged her on but at the next stop Darcy pulled out the ignition key, stepped out of the passenger seat and walked around to the driver seat. She pulled the young girl out and dragged her to the passenger seat, strapped her in and shut the door. Once in the driver's seat, Darcy strapped in and started the car up.

"You drive like an old lady!" the young girl started.

"I learned to love life," Darcy looked over at her.

That brought a silence that did not lessen the tension that went on for the next twenty minutes. The road they drove along had fences that gave little room for a pedestrian to walk, except in the drainage channel that ran the length of the road on each side. Well spaced 'No trespassing. Private Property' signs were broken by the occasional elaborate portals that were gates into the property the fences guarded. Darcy steered the car over to the fourth portal along the road and came to an idle; as she leaned out to punch in numbers the gate started to open.

[Hey, stranger! Get your butt in here! You owe me a game of car racer!] a deep voice boomed out of the speaker.

"Hah!" Darcy replied as she sanely drove up the curving drive that had Celine wowing at the landscape and gardens some of the area revealed.

"Get out crazy Barbara," Darcy ordered, pocketing the keys and walking around to unlock the passenger door and drag a still sulking Barbara Jean out by the elbow.

Celine only observed, but was silently applauding Darcy. She and Mandy had been hanging onto each other in fear of their lives. Mandy happily trotted beside Celine up the stairs.

A young woman with her arm wrapped around the waist of a healthy young looking white haired man were waiting on the top stairs of a three story Victorian house, complete with a widow's walk. She gave Darcy a hug without interfering with Darcy's hold on the young woman.

"I thought she was grounded from driving," the woman remarked to her companion.

"She is. Barbara Jean, you're getting to be a real pain," the older man told her.

"Celine, you met crazy Barbara, this is her father and my brother-in-law Anthony Westerly, and my twin Della…and I'm the oldest," she managed to slip in.

"But I'm the smartest," Della told her. "Come on young lady, get your butt in the house and no sass. Go help Margaret fix lunch. You have kitchen duty for the week, if I remember right."

"How are you Celine, welcome to my humble adobe," Anthony gestured to his acres of land. "Come on in everyone. We got Cookie preparing some real interesting dishes we learned about on the cruise."

"Humble? I guess if you compare it to the Wrigley's place on Catalina Island," she replied.

"Who did you send to pick us up?" Darcy asked.

"Junior, but he probably let his sister con him into giving up the privilege."

"Privilege? What is junior grounded for?"

"Drugs," Della and Anthony replied in unison.

"He was drunker than a wino in the pool area with a group of his friends. He's been told it was the last time he can have parties on the property. That's all I need is for that damn new police chief they hired to say Anthony was a dealer and he seizes my properly."

"He can only seize what is proved to have been purchased as a result of…"

Anthony waved his hand. "I know what the law used to be…but this new guy…Chief Guidio Mendoza…"

Celine stopped in her tracks and turned pale, then ran to catch up with the group that did not seem to notice. Instead of admiring the art and architecture of the house, her mind was going in circles at the name of the new police chief. Guidio was a name Carlos mentioned…but maybe it was a coincidence.

Lunch was interesting with a bored teenager joined by her brother and two other cousins that Celine was too distracted to pay attention to. After lunch the cousins and brother and sister were ordered to help clear the lunch dishes and they were to wash them as punishment for letting Barbara Jean misbehave.

"So…where's my truck?" Darcy demanded of her sister.

"Ahhh. No you don't. You're playing a game with me. Five out of six…you owe me," Tony, as his young wife and Darcy called him demanded.

"Alright." Darcy looked over at Celine. "We play for things…like my new vehicle. The insurance company paid for part and 'loser' over here paid the rest. What do you think my place could use? Never mind…" she quickly told Celine.

Celine was about to tease Darcy again, that her large front room could use one of those big screen televisions with a satellite dish that the small café had and the store shared. Darcy had been horrified that Celine would wish that on her, pointing out that she would get too many visitors dropping in who did not want to drive into town.

While the two sat in front of the huge television Della invited Celine out to view the grounds that Della loved.

"BJ!" Della called out. Celine turned to see the young girl looking unhappy, standing near the kitchen door. "Come on with us!"

When BJ was closer Della continued, "I can't name all the plants and I want Celine to get a real tour." Della reached out and hugged the young woman and then pushed her gently toward the golf cart they were headed for.

BJ, surprisingly enough, blushed and nodded. This was a different face to what she had earlier exhibited. She wondered if she had a twin. Della slid into the driver's seat with Mandy clambering onto the back seat as if she knew where she was to sit. BJ sat next to her, wrapping her arms around the happy German Sheppard.

They started off along a road that was like a path, surrounded by landscaped bushes and then suddenly they were out in the open.

"OH! That is wonderful!" Celine started to laugh with delight. A small train started, even puffing out smoke from the stack. A small town was set up with people and businesses. They followed the train on a lower road and to Celine it was a strange feeling to see the small scenes unfold. A few times the train gave a 'whooo hooo' and chugged on.

"It was BJ's idea. While she was recuperating from the accident, she started this project and had everyone running around getting this and that because she was being one royal B to the staff and family."

"Well, it's nice. Did Darcy help too?" she asked curious.

For a few moments there was silence. Surprised Celine looked at Della. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry about Darcy."

"She was still recovering from the accident," was all Della would say.

Celine's antennae stood up and quivered. "So, BJ and Darcy were in the same accident?"

"Yeah." Della again did not elaborate but the reflection in Celine's sunglasses of BJ showed it was not a subject either wanted to discuss.

Celine thought maybe a change of subject would break the tension. "You know, Mandy defies all my expectations of a German Sheppard. I always thought they would be aggressive and unfriendly towards strangers…"

"She is one big sensitive boob!" Della told her laughingly. "When BJ and I would get into these shouting matches when she was still a puppy, she would cry and whine like someone stepped on her tail. For her sake we found a calmer home with Darcy."

BJ started to giggle. "Come on, Mom. Darcy just got out of the hospice and could barely make it to the toilet and back to bed the same day on her own."

Della smiled and glanced back at BJ. "It was a wonderful gift BJ, and I think both Mandy and Darcy love you for it."

Celine looked alarmed at this bit of news. "Ahh, how on earth did she take care of a puppy if she had problems herself? Did someone help?"

"I'm sure she did. She was only four months out of six months in traction, was partially paralyzed, always in pain, and she had a contract out on her life… Besides being depressed she was a real grouch to be around," Della explained softly but there was a lot of pride in her telling.

"Who put a contract out on her?" Celine asked worried.

"Wennie Officer Ernie Martin…her partner!" BJ angrily returned, causing Mandy to bark.

"Hon," Della cautioned BJ.

"He was the one that sideswiped my car, just about killing Aunt Darcy and me. He tried to kill her when she was in the hospital too!"

"We only suspect…we don't know for sure. BJ couldn't sleep on her second night there…she palmed the sleeping pill. So she went looking for Darcy…no doubt thinking she could talk her into getting both of them out of there before they were supposed to be released."

"No. It wasn't that," BJ told her vehemently. "I told you…no one would tell me if she was okay. They kept treating me like I was some kid that couldn't hear the truth! So I found out where she was and went to see what was so secret about her."

"That's when she found the police officer that hit her car wearing a lab coat and walking down the hall so she followed him. He was about to go into Darcy's room when he spotted this wild looking patient, looking part mummy and part mad woman shouting in her cell phone. He took off. BJ woke everyone not on sleeping pills. She called her brother and had him sitting by Darcy's bed until she got a hold of me." Della shook her head. "Tony was on the east coast and was due in… We weren't married then… not even close to dating," Della smiled back over her shoulder towards BJ. "Anyway, when he gets into town…shit hit the fan. He had a private bodyguard posted inside of her room and BJ's, and he had an injunction filed against her partner and the police department to keep their distance from her."

"Why would he try and kill her?" Celine was more anxious about this situation than she thought she should be.

"Ernie and a group of his friends were running a house that had underage girls of seventeen… acting as their private stable of servants and prostitutes. Most of them were street kids that they busted; they also had some older women that could pass for younger. Darcy overheard the existence of this place by accident. It was referred to as 'the boys' club'. At the time, she had been putting up with a lot of harassment by her male coworkers, so she thought this bit of information that came her way was part of it. So, Darcy didn't speak to anyone about it except me. She didn't know what to do about it because she had no proof only a few overheard conversations, which could well be a plant."

"Wow," Celine agreed softly.

"Well, to make a very long story short…Tony had a PI firm investigate. It turns out that the mayor belonged to the 'the boys club', and his claim when he was caught was that the girls were eighteen and over and just looked young… That blew a lot of nice people away. Anyway, Ernie committed suicide when all but one of the girls pressed charges of being forced into being a sex slave to these fine upstanding church going men," Della finished.

"Serves them right," BJ snorted.

"They got the pastor at their church to testify on their behalf. They claimed it was something a homosexual made up to frame upstanding church going men and destroying their families. And if it were in the 'bible belt' it may have worked…but Californians are not blinded by that rhetoric."

"Hmm," Celine was feeling a familiarity and it was not a comfortable feeling."

"So, how did you meet Aunt Darc?" BJ asked as they moved by a fountain that had a few ducks waddling about.

"In the rain…I was stranded on the freeway."

"Yeah? Darcy doesn't usually like to leave the community so it must have been when she had to go into the city to sign papers over the wreckage of her pickup. Which is a blessing in disguise. That thing needed to be replaced."

BJ nodded. "But it sure was fun to take for a spin in the dirt," she smirked.

"You will not do that with this one…" Della warned.

"I'll give it about a month in that dirt and it will be ready," BJ teased.

The small drive wound around other places that did not have a train and miniature towns but from what the Westley's were saying, they had frequent family picnics in various places.

They also had stables. The cart moved alongside a corral where horses moved towards their cart, perhaps curious to see who was in the cart.

"That's Jasper out of Shafiqa. He's Ginger's Pride's sire. Reshmi is over in the stables up the lane. That's Ginger Ale's dam. They come from Simeon Arabians," BJ explained. "Her mares are good stock. Good legs, perfect necks with the right size to body. The offspring are consistently beautiful. We only breed straight Arabians. We got Darcy a colt from True Colours," she bragged but Celine had no idea what that meant. "Don't tell her though. It's going to be her birthday present."

Della stopped the cart and before Celine could ask just when that occasion was, the two women were out. They spoke with a woman who was inspecting the hooves of what was definitely a stud, standing between two posts with a line on each side of his cheek harness keeping him from dancing away. His coat was burnished red and his white stockings made it look like his nick name would be socks.

The horse was restless and moved about so Celine stayed where she was in the cart.

"Are you cycling?" Della asked as she returned to the cart.

"Ahh, no. I…why?"

"A stallion smells a woman bleeding and he wants to mount her," BJ told her smartly.

"BJ," Della told her disapprovingly. "It makes the stallions restless. He's a bit jumpy, that's why I was asking," Della explained more delicately.

"Ahh. Remind me to stick to the mares."

"BJ," Della warned, as if anticipating another comment. "Come on, let's go for a walk," Della invited.

Celine wished Della had let the brash teen speak because she was really curious now. BJ's green eyes were sparkling and the smirk on her face told Celine maybe even mares were not safe to be around when she was menstruating.

Both Westley's seemed to love the creatures, sharing little bits of likes and dislikes of each animal they stopped in front of to rub a favorite place on each horses head. And the creatures seemed to like them, for each elegant head reached out to touch and be touched as they passed. By the time they made it back to the house, it was dark and dinner was being prepared by the nice aromas that assailed their nostrils as they walked through the foyer.

"We took Cookie with us on our cruise. She went visiting the chefs on the kitchen deck and got every receipt we liked," BJ told Celine proudly as they followed their noses.

Dinner was the delicious and the most entertaining that Celine ever remembered having. From the bantering and quips that never were mean spirited, Celine felt she was surrounded by a loving clan…which included Margaret the cook, whom the kids had long ago nicknamed Cookie, which stuck.
Chapter 10

"Now remember, don't say much," Darcy cautioned Celine again.

Celine knew Darcy kept repeating it because she felt something was not right. Now that she knew some of Darcy's background, she figured she would know better.

While Darcy bought coffee for both of them, Celine sat at one of the vacant PCs in the cyber café and logged on. She found her Email box full so without even reading them she selected all and deleted them.

"Aren't you even curious?" Darcy sat next to her and handed her a cup of coffee.

"Nope," she turned to glance at the woman that she was beginning to like more than what she allowed herself to feel for people along the romantic lines. Even now she felt a fluttering in her stomach which she had no intention of discouraging.

Darcy's gray eyes darkened, and a smile creased her lips as she returned the stare.

Celine broke the eye contact and took care of her business, sending Gail an Email and then she switched to the chat room she normally logged onto. This was not Wednesday evening so she did not expect Gail to be around, which was good since Gail would want to know too much.

"I'm gonna sign on over there," Darcy leaned close to her ear.

Celine giggled and scratched her ear. "Hmm. Shall we heat up the room?"

"I think that will be fun," Darcy told her.

After an hour of titillating not just the chat room but themselves, they both signed off.

"Damn! Woman, you could have taken it easy!" Darcy told her frustrated.

"Hmm, you could have cooled a bit yourself," Celine came back tartly. She mimicked waving a fan to cool herself between the legs as they headed for the truck.

"Have you thought about how much gas this thing uses?" Celine asked as she climbed into the cab.

"Yeah. But we need the testosterone for some of the stuff we do in LC."

"What are we going to do about the hearse?"

"The kids will bring it in about two weeks. It gives Pete at the car repair shop some time to get the old parts together and really go over what needs to be fixed."

"We need to pick up groceries, staples and some horse feed before we go back," Celine was looking at the list she held in her hand. "Good thing you have a lot of room in the back."

Darcy smiled. "We would have had plenty of room in the back of the hearse."

"Betcha the shocks aren't as good. Frankly, I feel a lot better in your truck than a hearse."

The ride was quiet for a few miles and then Celine decided to broach a personal question. "How did you come to LC?"

Darcy pursed her lips and was quiet for a few more miles, and then sighed. "I was one of those angry patients. I got over it," she told her shortly.

"So you stayed in the hospice?" she encouraged.

"At first. And then one day…" she glanced at Celine and then back at the road, "when I got to the point where I could get up and use the toilet without assistance…I moved into my own place."

Celine rubbed her forehead in frustration. Darcy, obviously was not the person to go to if she wanted information about her…which reminded her of John's warning to not dig into Darcy's personal life.

"So, do you have family that you need to send word to?" Darcy asked, interrupting Celine's train of thought.

"No. I lost the last of my family in my first year at college," she said without thinking."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Darcy told her in a serious tone. "It must have been hard on you."

Celine turned her head to study the dark profile. "We hadn't spoken since I was fifteen." She smiled without mirth. "I was the proverbial 'black sheep'. I moved in with my grandmother until she died." Unconsciously she wrapped her arms around herself. "By then, I was old enough to live on my own."

Her voice sounded distant to Darcy, as if she were looking back at something. Darcy wondered if she was going over what set the disenfranchisement with her family into motion.

"They died in early December," she continued. "What is so ironic is that, that Christmas was the best I have ever had. Gail invited a group of us from our dorm that had no family to celebrate the winter break with to her family's house. Gail's family was vacationing in Australia where it was warm. She said all the kids were grown up and her parents saw no reason spending their winters in the cold." Celine chuckled. "Gail was a black sheep too, which may have been why we got along so well. She was the only child that went to college on an athletic scholarship…and then four years later set up a scholarship for borderline college students…the type no scholarship covers… Middle class and no special grades or talent." Celine looked at Darcy, proud of her friend. Darcy glanced her way and then returned her eyes to the road, saying nothing.

"Anyway, there was about seventeen of us girls hanging around the college. None of us had ever been in a house with more than three bedrooms…" she sighed at the memory. "Gail told the staff that was still at the family house that they could go home to their families if they wanted to. I think two of them didn't have family so they joined us." Celine wiped tears from her eyes. "It was wonderful!" she said with wonderment. "We went out picked a huge tree, unflocked from a church tree lot. Because it was snowing outside we voted that was all the white we could handle," she laughed at the images of the past she recounted. "Gail and one of the house staff…Charlene, I think…dragged out boxes of different types of ornaments that were stored in the garages. Her mother usually did different themes each year. We couldn't decide just what we wanted…I mean I've only seen that many different ornaments in a store. Gail left us to decide while she went into town with Charlene's husband…or was it her boyfriend? Anyway, they went to pick up a turkey, and all the fixings. What she also did, was bought everyone a gift and a stocking that she stuffed with things. It was so thoughtful!" The memory had Celine wiping tears from her eyes.

"We sang songs, and just had such a wonderful time. Since they only had seven guest rooms and some of us would have ended up sleeping in the main room where the tree was, we all grabbed pillows and blankets and slept together on the floor with a real Christmas tree smelling up the room. We talked all night, told stories…it was just…beautiful." She looked down at her hands in the darkness, not seeing much. "I guess I feel guilty because during that time…my parents were already dead and buried and I didn't even know it."

"You know what George says?"

"Minister George?" Celine asked teasing.

"Yeah. He says when people die, they lose that prejudice and burden of who they were in the physical and can see things without the veil of human hypocrisy."

Celine watched the dark profile as she spoke. "Soo, you're saying…?"

"Maybe your parents were there and rejoiced with you that you were able to find a group to enjoy that time with."

Celine tilted her head and then looked back out at the night. "Maybe. They sure had a lot of prejudice and hypocrisy to lose to say nothing of bitterness. They were losers, Darcy. Pure and simple. They hated everything, everyone and even themselves. I can't understand how I could have a loving grandmother and her daughter was a 'beast'." Celine snorted and shook her head. "I kinda like not remembering about them."

*****
"Hey, wake up. Do you have to use the restroom?"

Celine's eyes blinked open in panic. She looked around her frantically. They were at a busy gas station.

"Come on, before the whites of my eyes turn yellow. Mandy, let's go potty," Darcy called to the napping dog.

The three looked around them as they walked into the store.

"Hey! No dogs. Read the sign!"

Celine shivered and looked up at Darcy. Darcy unhurriedly walked over to the guy and had a few words with him. Whatever it was, Mandy's presence was not objected to anymore. When Celine looked on the windows, she did not see any sign that mentioned dogs.

As they were pulling out, Celine looked back at the store clerk who was watching them through the glass window.

"There is no license plate number for him to write down and he won't know which way we're going," Darcy told her.

"That's a truck stop. He doesn't have to know. All he has to have is a CB or truckers who do." Celine couldn't stop her hands from shaking in her lap.

Darcy pulled over to the side of the road and stopped the vehicle. "Okay, what's happening?" she asked her softly, reaching to hold the cold hands that shook in her warm ones. Mandy's muzzle was resting on the counsel, her worried eyes riveted on Celine.

"Does this remind you of something?"

Celine shivered harder and a soft keening started in the back of her throat.

"Someone was chasing you?"

A nod.

"You're safe now. We are off the road…in a big truck…"

Celine started to look around her frantically at the word truck.

"Celine, that was then this is now! Look at me, hon. Look! Come on," she coaxed. "See me? Good. Good. You're scarring Mandy."

Mandy was whining with her luminous eyes looking at Celine.

"That's better. What type of truck are you scarred of…?

Celine swallowed got out faintly. "White…just white. One of the lights was sideways…it came after us…"

Shit! That sounds like my damn truck! "Who is 'us'?"

"Gail…" she whispered hoarsely. "We…we crashed."

"Well, we know she didn't die…" Darcy reassured her. "Her bank would know."

"What?"

"Her bank would know…her business would know…and the highway patrol would know. The only people that died were three guys in a white truck…my truck. Damn it," she muttered in disgust. "They stole my truck after robbing my bank and crashed it!" That was three days! Were you wandering for three days? No. You said someone gave you a ride…so what happened?

Celine burst out laughing dispelling some of the cold in her limbs. "Sounds like you were having a bad day," Celine told her while squeezing Darcy's hands. "I'm alright. I don't know what happens to me but I just get so cold and distant…" she took a steadying breath, with Darcy squeezing her hands back. "We can get going. Really. I'm fine now."

Darcy smiled in the dark. She restarted the truck and headed back to the freeway.

They were on the freeway for about twenty minutes when flashing lights appeared behind them and stayed with them.

"Now what?" she muttered. She could feel Celine's anxiety rise again. "Mandy, get your nose back." She pulled to the side and waited. "Don't reach for anything. I don't want anyone nervous."

"Hello, Darcy," a smiling woman's face appeared at the driver's side. "I thought that was you Richard was describing. Hello, Mandy. Yep. There are not many soft spoken tall blond headed women with a German Sheppard that wanders the freeways. I see ya got your replacement vehicle. Nice."

"Hello, Cindy. Celine this is Cindy, Cindy this is Celine."

Cindy nodded at the dark silhouetted figure in the truck next to a woman she would like to have another night out with, and wondering what the relationship was between the two women in the cab.

"Cindy, were you working the night my truck was totaled?"

Cindy shook here head. "The Beaver was." She grinned at the name. "It was his night for finding wrecked vehicles. He found what was left of a Beemer too. He didn't see anyone on his first search of the Beemer, but when he went back to wait for the tow truck he found the driver unconscious a few yards from the car. He said it looked like she dragged herself from the vehicle and just passed out. She had her cell phone near her but up in that area…there is no signal."

"How is the woman?"

"She's fine. Got her to the hospital…she spent a day there for observation. The last I heard she was released with a broken collarbone and that's it. If you're going to get in a car accident… Beemers are the best for that. Why you asking?"

"Think those bank robbers had anything to do with it?"

"She ID'd them. Said they were slamming her car…there was white paint on what was left of the driver's door and her bumper in the back looked like the truck butted…hey, you alright?"

Darcy turned around and quickly removed her seat belt while Cindy moved quickly to the passenger side, pulled the door opened, and removed the seatbelt. She half carried the hyperventilating woman from the car and sat her down on the side of the road. Mandy followed, jumping out of the truck and pressed up against Celine. When Celine was feeling better, she was moved back into the truck with a new blanket wrapped around her. Darcy always had emergency supplies in her vehicles.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Cindy asked in an undertone, pulling Darcy aside.

"Was the driver of the other car Gail Delfin?"

"Yeah. Was she the passenger?"

"How did you know there was a passenger?"

"I went back to have a look the next day. Beaver leaves a lot out in his reports. The tracks told me there were two people in the accident. The passenger pulled the driver out, then headed back to the car but veered off towards the freeway. I thought at the time the passenger was looking to flag someone down, but the tracks were weaving. I checked with truckers that pass the area regularly and they said they would keep an eye out and an ear open to see if anyone picked up someone in that area. Haven't heard back yet…but some of them drive through a lot of states before returning this way. She wearing contacts? I found a pair of glasses…thick ones…near the wreck."

"I found her the day I was driving back. She was walking along the road on the off ramp after Farmsdale. By then it was raining pretty hard."

"That was about three or four days later," Cindy mused, "going in the opposite direction."

"Uh huh. Let's leave those days alone for a while. She's just recovering from her amnesia and I don't want to push her over the edge by asking her to remember something that may be traumatic."

Cindy nodded. She knew where Last Chance was and could always stop over on her day off to have the blanks filled in. Then her thoughts went to how she could kick Beaver's butt without their Captain finding out how his son-in-law really fucked up this time. The guy was not a bad sort…just not into details which one day will get him or his back-up killed.

"So…"

"Do you have Delfin's number?"

"It's in the file…" she said.

"Cindy, can I tell you something and then you just keep it between us?" Darcy was trying to figure out how to get Cindy to not add to the case file and was basing her trust of the woman by her one-night stand…and an enjoyable one at that.

Cindy nodded, happy to have a puzzle fit together.

"Her memory is coming back in bits…she remembers she worked as a stooge for a law enforcement type but something went bad and she has been lying low waiting for the good guys and bad guys to sort themselves out. Gail and her are friends since college, so I think she knows that Celine was running from someone or she would have mentioned that she had a passenger. I'm basing my belief on the fact that she had no memory loss of the incident because she was able to ID the truck."

Cindy nodded slowly. "So what do you want?"

Darcy sighed. "I don't really know…but something about her being a stooge for any law enforcement and left out to dry doesn't sit well with me. Collateral damage is not a problem with some types."

"Are you going to tell me her real name?"

"Martha…"

"Newcomb! I thought I recognized her. You're right to think something stinks." Cindy shook her head as she thought about what this all meant to her career if it got out. Her and Beaver would be looking for a new job…but Beaver had his father-in-law and she had only herself. "A missing persons came out…a few days after the accident, with a younger picture of her. And then, four days after the accident…a guy came asking questions…the day after you stopped by, as a matter of fact," she grinned. "But as you know, he came too late. The rains by then had washed away the tracks and the Beemer was already towed to the wrecking yard and smashed beyond recognition." She paused, thinking. "That guy made my nape hairs raise. He wanted to speak with Beaver about his report. Beaver came out looking sweaty and grim. Said the guy grilled him as if he were a criminal or something."

"Who was it?"

"Agent George Monteagudo. I always thought agents traveled in pairs like nuns…this one was alone and was driving his own car."

"Out of state license plates?"

Cindy smiled. "I see the spirit hasn't lessened. They were California but didn't have the city on the license frame."

Darcy blinked for a moment.

"I looked you up. You were a transfer from the military police to your hometown PD. Nice. But you were still in your official rookie year when a fellow police officer sideswiped a car…that hit you, putting you and the driver of the vehicle in the hospital. The same officer committed suicide about a year later when he was one of the officers indicted for running a prostitution house that had some underage girls."

Cindy leaned forward peering into the darkened eyes of Darcy who was getting angry.

"I like to know why some people put out this mystique that they are more than what they appear to be," she told her softly. "I'm just a woman who likes to ferret out information during slow times…your secrets are safe with me."

"What else did you dig up on me?" she asked quietly. Well, at least she got military police and not special ops.

"You disappeared while the trial went on. The word amongst the 'brotherhood' was you blew the whistle on them. Some of those assholes don't understand that if you let filth in your 'hood'…you become filthy too. They let their 'brothers' run a prostitution ring and with young girls…I hope they got the whole group and they all get to play cell maid to someone that takes issue with that."

Darcy nodded. "I've retired from that sort of stuff."

"I don't think so," Cindy told her softly. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm advising her to lay low…see how much of her memory comes back. Then go from there."

Cindy nodded. "Not too many people know about your little community…" she smiled at Darcy. "But a few of us who have sick family members…we know."

"Anyone I know?"

Cindy shook her head. "My grandmother is working on everyone's last set of nerves but she's not quite ready yet….when she's at a point…you may see me heading your way with her tied and gagged in the back seat."

Darcy smiled. "The hospice will be there."

*****

"What were you two talking about," Celine asked quietly.

Darcy looked over her shoulder and pulled back onto the road. "You, me, the hospice…little things like that."

"I thought you hated to give out personal information," Celine asked jealously.

Darcy glanced at her quickly and then smiled. "She was giving me my bio. I think she was letting me know that she could be trusted with not saying anything about you."

"She recognized me!?"

I'll have to get Jack to check her out. "On a missing persons poster and because a guy that gave her the creeps from the Feebs came asking about Gail's accident. Gail's fine, by the way. Does the name Agent George Monteagudo ring any bells or start any shivers?"

"Start shivers?"

"When I get a bad feeling about someone…I get these shivers that start at the back of my neck." Darcy shivered as if demonstrating the reaction. Mandy let out a yelp to reinforce the feeling.

"No. Never heard of him. Carlos was my only contact. Jenny was official law enforcement though…she showed me her badge…and it wasn't a security guard one," she joked, to ease some of the tension. "She said if anything happened to her…where to find it. Do you think someone is looking for her badge?"

"Maybe she hid something else with the badge."

"Hmm. I'm not going back," Celine told her softly. "I don't care if you think it is the right thing to do."

"I think you should do what is right for you. Everyone else in this stupid game is. I've found for myself that it's rather difficult to know the difference between the bad guys and good ones because anyone can buy a white hat and not everyone is into showing you their true colors."

"What do we do?"

"Stay low…no more Emails. If the Feebs are involved…your mail and her mail are being monitored."

"So, your bad vibes about my logging on the internet was right."

"Maybe."

"We sure gave them a hot time if they know I'm Dreamer."

Darcy gave a short laugh. "Hmm."

That gave both women something to think about for the rest of the drive.

****
Darcy stopped at the store to let the twins know what was going on. And while James went to the roof to send out light signals to Jack, who was out in the field with Crazy Al, Darcy logged onto the internet but not as herself.

Celine was over at the hospice, feeling obligated to tell Eva and John what she remembered so far.

Celine began her good bye when she heard the sounds of a dune buggy arrive. However, Lonnie wanted to talk about her soup receipts and Celine had to keep reminding herself to stay present and focus on Lonnie. Finally Lonnie's attention went to her program that was coming on the satellite channel and she left Celine without a social disconnect, like an 'excuse me' or 'bye'. Shaking her head as if to clear it, Celine hurried over to the store.

Jack, Crazy Albert, James and Darcy were playing a racing car game and were hooting and shouting when she arrived.

"Ah, shit! You did that on purpose," Albert accused James when he crashed his car to block Darcy and Albert from beating out Jack. "Next time, Darc and I, we're gonna do the same to ya." He slapped his dusty pants and looked up at Celine.

"Ahh! Gal, yer creating a lot of shaky energy in the ethers," he accused. His head was shaved and looking well tanned and weathered. His clothing was the color of the desert, but maybe it was because he was wearing a lot of the desert.

"Celine, Albert, known by his best friends with the endearing nick name of Crazy Al. Al…Celine…" Jack introduced.

Albert nodded and pointed to the bulletin board. "You got any more of that in ya?"

Celine laughed. "Oh, yeah."

He nodded as if that sealed a bargain. "Well, tell 'em what we got!" he encouraged Jack.

"A rumble in a small time political machine,' Jack dutiful began as a preamble. "Seems the cops and someone in city hall are working with a local gang to line their pockets by harassing local businesses and running some of their own businesses. A small task force was sent to investigate but someone tipped them off and three people died. One female agent that was undercover, the one that sent in the tip…a police clerk, and the undercover agent's handler. All executed the same way. A new team moved in but it's not any surprise now. The word out in the streets is that a street person, whom the agent befriended, has some evidence the agent had against the group. So, they're looking for this woman…everyone is looking for this woman."

Everyone looked at Celine.

"Great! Just great! I don't remember a damn thing about evidence. If I had it I would…"

"Don't give it to any of them!" Albert told her seriously. "They'll bury it and you too."

"Sounds like it was mismanaged," Darcy agreed feeling an eerie deja vue. "So, someone pin pointed the person that gave the tip off…or wants everyone to think that. Wonder if they only had two people working it."

"Mulder and Scully worked alone!" objected James, the die-hard X-File fan.

"No. They had Skinner to pull them out of the fire…and put them in," Jack argued.

"I liked it when Lucy Lawless got involved," Celine added.

"It got too fragmented…with Scully jumping in now and then with hints of Mulder," Darcy put in her opinion.

"Maybe they're all too busy with this antiterrorist thing," Jack suggested, bringing them all abruptly back to the present.

Darcy shook her head. "It just doesn't feel right. Yeah, know?"

The others were quiet.

"I'm tired." Darcy rose.

"Hey, Darcy. That's a nice truck," Albert told her following them out. He inspected the vehicle from stem to stern, even went under it.

"She sure is a beaut." The others agreed also looking it over, but not rolling under the chassis with flashlights, as Albert.

"Eats gas like Eva's Hummer," Darcy remarked. She slid behind the driver's seat, waved at everyone when the inspection was over, and then pointed the truck towards home.

"So, when ya gonna convert her to cooking oil?" Al asked as she paused near him.

"Make the plans," Darcy told him and then pulled out.

"Is Albert always that intimate with other people's vehicles?" Celine asked.

"Yep. He was looking for bugs…the kind people use to track a quarry's whereabouts."

Celine turned to look at her. "You did that before we left."

"Yeah. I have a healthy amount of paranoia. Keeps me alive…just like Crazy Al's does him."

"Why 'crazy'?"

"He got that nickname because he likes to make bombs. Sets them off in the desert when he's having one of his flashback episodes. Warns people when it's not a good time to visit."

"Ahhh. Nice system. So, you think we can work on something less…spectacular to warn the other when she is PMSing and needs space? Could probably cut down on…getting Mandy upset with our yelling."

"Hang a red flag out, or…maybe I should bring that gargoyle out my sister bought me," she mused. "I stashed it in the closet. We can cover it on good days and uncover it on bad."

Celine nodded. "Sounds like a good plan. Maybe add some incense sticks to the atmosphere."

Darcy glanced her way, missing the rut in the road. The truck took it fair enough, but Mandy did not appreciate the lurch and barked her objections.


Chapter 11

For the rest of the week, both women were busy. Celine borrowed the motorcycle daily to ride over to the hospice to put in time reading and just sitting quietly with the residents. She witnessed the patience of John and the more seasoned staff with the anger some of the newer residents displayed. Celine realized she would not last long in her present state of mind if she had to work with the new arrivals. The peacefulness of the staff's approach and of the other residents that had gotten beyond their own anger, would eventually affect the new arrivals, Celine had no doubt.

It was during one of her introspective moments that a presence behind her alerted her that someone new had arrived. She rose from her seat in the arboretum and turned to see who it was. If she were going by appearances, there was nothing wrong with him. The only thing she could detect was he made the hairs at the back of her neck rise.

"Can I help you," she asked quietly, still in touch with the peacefulness of the area.

"I'm looking for a…"

"Excuse me," John forcibly placed his body between Celine and the stranger. "Celine, can you go help Ellen? She's with Al."

Celine nodded realizing what John was saying made no sense at all.

"This is a restricted building. Visitors are not allowed on the premises without an invitation," John pointed his gloved hand towards the doorway he had come through while he moved the agent with just the appearance of what may be on the gloves. The expression on the agent's face was of someone being chased with a shovel of dog shit.

"I have…"

"You don't have a warrant and if you do…we have a team of lawyers you can go through which will be less stressful on our residents. We are a hospice for the dying and some with contagious diseases…which is why we are a restricted hospice."

Darcy strolled into the hospice looking like the local law enforcement she was. "I understand you're trespassing on private property, causing a nuisance of yourself, harassing residents?" Darcy was pulling on rubber gloves.

"Who the hell are you?"

"The sheriff and if you don't leave this building, you'll be a patient of some city hospital because we don't have room," she frowned.

"AIDS. I'm not afraid of that shit…"

"Nope. Our one AIDs patient died the other day. This way please and don't touch anything! Don't touch yourself! Geeze! Didn't they teach you anything about communicable diseases?" she criticized the man as he reached to rub his chin.

On the porch she gestured to an outside shower. She accepted the antiseptic soap that Eva handed her. After the soap, they had him rinse his hands with something that stunk, than gave him something to take with him to bathe in that smelled just as bad. With that they pointed to his vehicle after he could not tell Darcy just why he was there nor would he show her any form of ID.

***
"That's Agent Monteagudo. He most probably recognized Celine…so, let's think of something to do. Chances are they got the satellites spying out this place," Jack announced excited.

"They can be confused," Crazy Al waved his hand. Everyone looked at him. "I'll hide her," he grudgingly conceded. "But I ain't gonna give up my secrets!"

"Just wait a moment here," Darcy silenced them. "Now, if he found her…others know too. He may have been sent in to smoke her out. So let's think before we scatter. "Jack, have you found anything out about Monteagudo besides the usual bio?"

"I can't get the satellite connection back," Jack told her mournfully. The very reason the alarm had been put out was that their satellite and other communications systems with the outside world had gone dead. The drill was to bring key people into town and scattering others further into cover.

"This is it then. We rehearsed this crazy shit drill for years and now we're gonna do it," Crazy Al smacked his fist in his hand with no attempt to disguise his excitement.

"Yeah." Darcy had thought that it would be her they would be hiding or maybe Al because he really did know something about something no one was supposed to know about. It never occurred to her that it would be an outsider they had taken in.

Jack looked at his silent brother, suddenly remembering Judhith's refrain about boredom sometimes bringing you what you wished. Even though they all left the business of city life gladly, boredom often had them wishing for some sort of excitement in their humdrum lives…secretly if not publicly…and here it was.

"Alright, I'll pick her up and we'll head out. Draw them away from the hospice," Darcy nodded at the others.

"What about your truck?"

Darcy pursed her lips. That was what she was planning on driving back in. She was going to drive the cycle up into the bed. However, when Al had misinterpreted her moves…she figured it was his usual cryptic way of saying he had a better idea. "What do you purpose?"

"Plan B."

"I'm here! Who was that ass on the road!?" Judhith demanded breathlessly as she banged into the community store.

"Feeb," Al told her. "After the newbe. We're on plan B."

Judhith nodded. It meant they suspected they were being monitored and were going to pull a switch. She had her thermal doll all stored nice and safe in her car. She ran out to go and get it.

Celine was collected and three vehicles took off, instead of two, each looking like there were two passengers, and fifteen minutes later another vehicle with two people in it.

****
"We're hiding in your home?" Celine asked disbelievingly.

"We need to find out just what they're willing to come in with. They knocked out the store's satellite, cell phones and it would also affect any UV high tech toys. They used an EMP, Electromagnetic Pulse or Cold pulse weapon. It gives something like a cardiac arrest to electronic equipment for about 30 seconds, and depending on the efficiency of back up equipment it could take about a minute to a day to get things back up."

"Who is doing this? Why are they after me?"

"It might not be you…and why?" Darcy was silent as she drove the bike over the rough ground. When she had come into town she had ordered Mandy to stay at home. She was hoping no one was trying a surprise visit while she was away. She had trained Clementine to move the animals away from the barn in case any strangers trespassed. If no one was home Mandy was trained to wait for her…away from the house and barn. She replaced her anxiety with a belief that whoever was behind the agents visit would not make his move until at least an hour to get everyone in place.

"I'd like to see if Jenny only hid her badge."

"Isn't all this stuff a bit over reacting? And what if it's only her badge?" Celine asked, beginning to feel panicky.

"Can't hurt to be careful. If we had her badge, we would know who she was working for." Darcy could feel Celine's grip around her tighten. The nape hairs on the back of her neck had graduated to the hairs on her arms standing up like she was in an energy cloud. She remembered feeling this way in her military training…the scary exercises that were used to cull the ones they could use in covert ops where gender did not matter. She was lucky and got out before she had to use her training on real people.

Celine slid out of the truck with Mandy running towards them, hopping about and making noises of joy in her throat.

"I'm gonna check the horses," she told Celine in an ordinary voice. She wanted to make sure the doors from the stalls to the corral were opened. She looked into Ginger Ale's stall and found two pairs of dark eyes looking out at her.

Darcy could feel Celine watching her from the barn door. Gazing out the back door Darcy could see the dark outline of the new pen covers for the llamas. She continued her check, ensuring that the escape trap doors were working and had not been tampered with. Satisfied, she moved back towards the house. Celine's fingers intertwined with hers and both women felt the heat they had both been refusing to act on…perhaps fearing what was on the other side of the wall they had not arrived at yet.

Celine and Darcy reluctantly parted to go into their respective rooms.

*****

After tossing and turning too long to feel tired, Celine gave up and headed out to the barn. She wanted to work out but she could hear the barbells being worked and guessed Darcy would want privacy…she did. It was not a bother because Celine felt the need to be outside.

"Can you beat that, Mandy? After two years of living on the streets…I feel more comfortable in the open."

She looked down at the dog that dutifully walked at her side. Luminous eyes looked up at her and then resumed a scan around the barn. If Mandy were a person, she would definitely be a bodyguard, Celine thought amused. As she moved to open the barn door she felt Mandy bristle and a low growl rumbled in her throat.

"Shit," she muttered. Nervously, she pulled open the barn door and in the dark interior she waited until her eyes became accustomed to the darker environment. She curled her fingers around Mandy's collar to prevent herself from running into anything.

"Mandy, find Pride," she whispered.

Five steps into the barn and she came to an abrupt stop as Mandy did. She dropped to her knees because her fingers that were comfortably wrapped around the collar tugged her down. Mandy lowered herself so close to the floor that Celine finally crawled next to her. She was not sure where Mandy was leading her but it was not to Ginger Ale's and Pride's stall. She was too frightened to think what she was crawling through.

There were running footsteps outside, letting her know why Mandy was upset. Mandy led her to one of the underground trap doors Darcy had shown her. Into that she and Mandy went. Mandy had her own special platform that when she stepped onto it, it started down the ten foot drop. Finding the flashlight set in a wall niche, she turned on the red light and quickly found the locker, raiding it for equipment. She wanted nothing to do with the weapons Darcy had stored, because she had no idea how to use any of them nor did she want to know. Night vision goggles, flack jacket, survival pack and two water jugs were her choices. That left two for Darcy in case she would come this way. Her hands were shaking and her insides felt cold at the fear that slowly was taking over her limbs. Her mixed feelings on returning to the comfort of Darcy's presence and to know that she was going to be alright, warred with her absolute terror at witnessing any violence. Shakily she wiped the sweat from her brow, as she followed Mandy's tug down the tunnel, her mind going back and forth over her fear of seeing something she would not be able to live with and of leaving Darcy alone.

She knows what she's doing. You have to do your part. Damn, I hate not knowing what I'm leaving her with…yet…Gawds, I hate this!

Mandy seemed to know the way well and trotted confidently down the tunnel. It seemed like a long time and the smell of the pipe begin to close in on her. But Mandy kept on going. Finally a ladder appeared before her and so did a masked figure with a drawn gun, the red beam targeting Mandy who was slowly approaching the figure with fangs barred.

"Mandy, sit!" Celine's voice shouted fearfully. Mandy looked back at her confused and then back at the figure, when she suddenly wined and slumped onto the ground.

"No! No!"

The red dot pointed at her between the eyes and a gloved hand gestured for her to turn around. Celine's mind froze and stumbling on numb legs that were about to collapse, she only was able to partially turn when she fell to the ground in a faint.


Chapter 12

Darcy heard Celine moving around and knew neither was going to get any sleep. She finally rose and dressed in dark clothing. She would wait in the workout room, maybe straightening up the place. Queenie and Lord Byron followed her down as they usually did. After about twenty minutes of moving the weights to another part of the room, more of something to do than as a convenience, she paused as she heard Mandy's nails click across the wooden hallway floor. The light in the workout room flashed that someone had opened the kitchen door.

Darcy went into her small security closet in the weight room and looked on the security screens.

"Shit!"

Quickly she shut off one set of alarms and palmed the emergency switch that would shut rooms down that she considered important. The workout room was her 'panic' room and right now, it was where she should be. Her house would not burn down, it was built with metal, mortar and brick, but things inside would get damaged from the water sprinklers that would go off to put out a fire.

"Come on you two. Get in here. I know, I know. But it's not for long. You two like the barn," she reminded the two felines softly.

The lights would turn on around the barn, and an audible for dog hearing would tell Mandy and Clementine they had a job to do. Clementine's was to herd all the residents of the barn out into the coral which extended safely away from the barn in case it was set on fire. She was hoping that nothing would happen to Ginger and her filly. If anything did…

Mandy's job was to seek out Crazy Al. She knew Celine would be with her because Celine promised she would do as the drill called for. Everyone depended on each person to play her or his part, and deviations were expected but not encouraged since it meant someone may be left wide open.

She pulled on the flack jacket that covered her thighs, and then one handed pulled on the warm winter coat, flipped on her night vision goggles, and checked the power pack to make sure she hand enough charge to last eight hours. Though handy to have, the NV goggles ate up power. Darcy was hesitant about selecting weapons. Once she picked up a gun or a knife…that was the persona she would be calling into existence. She did not want to be pressured into using a tool that was created for taking lives…

The two cats, from repeated training, allowed themselves to be hoisted up onto the floor of the barn, where they scampered off to play with their playmate, Clementine, who spent most of her time in the barnyard. Clementine could not be enticed into a house. She was one of Judhith's rescues from the desert and it was guessed she either had an unnatural fear of houses or she was severely trained not to enter one. Darcy had worked with her and found the Border Collie was a true herd dog and that is what task she gave Clementine to do, giving the dog her pride back.

Darcy needed to set up a false trail, and it would start with drawing them away from her beloved home and pets. Pulling out the thermal doll she activated it. Just beyond the barn, she surfaced and started to move away from any residents. Her NVs were working so dead pulse or anti they had used to kill the satellite and cell phones was no longer in effect.

Glancing back Darcy could see hot spots spread out, following her. She counted four. Finding a slight slope she dropped to her stomach and hit the button to scan around her.

Seven. Four in a vehicle and two behind me. Herding me to where the four will no doubt be waiting.

If Darcy were wearing a watch and checking it, thirty minutes later they were trying to squeeze Darcy towards a point she knew was a dry wash. The lights flashing in the mountains told her flash floods would be filling any of the washes. However, by the smell in the air, though water would run through the washes, snow would be falling before day light.

Darcy prepared her sixth trap, glancing around her as her fingers moved over the pin without needing sight. She ran a zigzag pattern and then up another small slope only to be slammed in the head, with the goggles taking most of the shock. She was automatically grabbing the extended arm and breaking it, while elbowing the person in the throat and then slamming the rifle she pulled from unresisting hands into the head of her attacker. A shout of pain behind her told her that someone got caught in her trap and she needed to move on. If she trusted the sounds around her, she had taken out four and had three more to go.

She heard the sound of a flare gun and instinctively left the thermal doll on top of the mound and pulled her attacker with her down the slope. At the bottom she hid under his body as bullets peppered the top of the slope. The explosion of the thermal doll sent debris falling around her. The straining engine of a jeep as it climbed the slope had Darcy pulling the rifle her attacker had wrapped around his arm towards her. Rolling onto her stomach she pulled the rifle up hoping to get some shots off to decommission the jeep.

Her first shot hit a tire and the jeep took a sharp turn from the impact of the bullet, sending it skidding sideways down the slope and then turned over, dumping the occupants that were still in. Not waiting she rolled and slid to the bottom of the next slope and ran along the wash…not a very smart thing to do, she kept reminding herself. And after the third reminder she crawled up over the embankment and fell flat on her face. For a few moments as she breathed heavily, she tried to figure out why she fell. Her heart was pumping and making a lot of noise so she could not hear much of what was going on around her…until a boot kicked her, catching her in the arm and lifting her a few inches off the ground.

She felt lucky her thick coat absorbed some of the kick, but her body was not responding to her brain which was trying to get her to defend herself from the next kick, which was to her head. Rolling with the boot, she managed to get a hand up and fingers to wrap around the offending ankle, and then her other arm. She heard a screamed curse, as she twisted his ankle until she heard something give. However, as one went down another was standing over her bringing the butt of a rifle down on her leg. She kicked it off course and then with her other foot kicked up into his groin as hard as she could, figuring that if he was wearing protective gear, it would still hurt.

Darcy did not wait to see what would happen, as she repositioned her NV goggles and a quick glance around her, she pulled herself into a shaky stand and stumbled in a direction she hoped was right.

*****

Darcy stared out over the landscape until her eyes hurt, searching for anything that may appear to be out of place. Her heart was racing and her hearing was filled with the pounding of her blood rushing through her, as her lungs gulped air. She had been running for about an hour now. The air was filled with drifting snow flakes. She glanced down at the wrap around forearm. There was blood leaking. Pulling out the first aid kit from around her waist, she wrapped another cloth around it and tucked the ends in. It was past hurting and was now numb.

Where is Celine? Is she out there alone and scarred? Gawds, she still is recovering from seeing her friend killed. No she has Mandy. Mandy will take her to Al.

She rubbed her eyes tiredly. Stay focused. You don't need to create scenarios that will distract you or cause more worry than is needed.

The sun had another hour before it would come up. Her expelled breath created a vapored cloud in front of her. Tiredly she rose and headed away from the road that wound up the mountain and out of the valley. Tired legs would not move any faster than a walk. On another slope, she dropped to her stomach and looked around, trying to get a sense of what was around her. Sounds of the wind, blowing past her cold ears, then she heard it. Vehicles, moving to her right. They were following the service road. What was keeping them here?

Darcy could hear angry voices but not what was being said as the three cars drove by. She carefully searched around her. She lost the more professional soldiers in the wash. They obvious forgot about flash floods. She looked up again, seeing the lightning off to her right.
****

Celine woke to a pounding headache. She was in a bouncing vehicle on the floor boards, tied, and not in a good position to do much but groan in misery.

"There she is! Over that way!"

"No. Let the others go after her. We'll head up towards the road and wait. I can use a cigarette. We've done our part," another argued. The vehicle came to an abrupt stop, sliding a little on the road.

Now she could smell herself, or she thought it was herself. Vomit and urine. Familiar smells of the street.

"Get her out of there, John. She's stinking up the place. With the heater on it's going to smell worse," the second person ordered.

"Are you going to stand out there with her…cause I'm not," John replied. "That's what I thought. We're already in enough shit with sitting out the hunt…"

"Shut up, you two," a soft voice ordered. "I can hear the two of you whining puppies twelve yards away."

"Hey, Al…"

"Shut the fuck up!" And then fist hitting flesh and some curses when the new member continued. "You're talking too much. Get the fuck out of the jeep and take her with you."

"It's cold out there!" John objected.

"Maybe next time you'll remember to not talk so much," the leader returned, still using a soft voice.

"Who made you…"

"You're fucking crazy, man. We're on the same side," John voice sounded incredulous.

Celine was hoping they would shoot each other. As long as they worried that she may hear something, it meant they were not going to kill her…though right now she worried about Darcy. Her mind screamed at her that she should not have left her behind, drowning out another voice that said she would be alright and that Darcy knew what she was doing.

However, the standoff ended and Celine was dragged out into the cold and not very gently dumped on the side of the road. Her bodyguard stood near by.

Celine's mind wandered off; where she went, she did not know but a sudden curse brought her back, and then a painful jerk on her arms attempting to stand her up cleared some of the blur her thoughts were in. Numb legs gave her no sense of balance or feel as to whether she was standing on her own or if her feet were flat on the ground.

"Pick the bitch up!" the self appointed leader ordered. "Take the damn goggles off, you moron! They ain't workin'! Mother fuckers have a cold pulse weapon."

Three voices, mixed with obscenities and controlled fear moved in the air around her.

Celine could hear a low growl from somewhere that vibrated in her sternum…but it was not coming from her. Her body dropped back on the ground with a thud. Her cheek scraped the ground, her hands tied behind her bruised from the rocks she landed on, while her body finally came to rest on her side. The guard grabbed up his rifle that was near her, but never straightened up. His body did a slow fall that dropped him on top of her. The weight knocked the breath from her.

Celine felt nothing. She had no contact with her physical body. It was strange to watch the scene unfold. The jeep occupants jumped out and seemed to be confused as they bumped into each other trying to hide behind the jeep away from where the other two previous occupants lay. Her attention went back to the two prone bodies. One was lying over the other. The top one was unconscious, however the one below was struggling… she knew what from. The body below could not get air. Dispassionately she watched as another person arrived and pulled the body off. The one below was still struggling to breathe. Hands and legs were freed and the newly liberated body curled into a ball as air trickled into the emptied lungs.

Celine could feel small feather touches on the side of her face. Blinking into the darkness she laid peering through the dark shape of her guard's out flung hand that blocked some of her view, gulping in cold air.

"Come on, Celine. We're gonna get you out of here," Jack whispered to her urgently. Another set of hands grabbed her on each side and pulled her over a shoulder. The carry was more uncomfortable than her ride in the jeep but the voice was reassuring.

Gratefully the carry was not far. Celine could not see in the dark, but she was leaning against a rock wall. A lamp was lit and she could see that they were in a cave. It nearly smelled as bad as her. Her nose wrinkled.

"Gawds," she croaked.

"Come on, Celine. You need something warm inside of you. That's it."

"Where is Darcy," she asked when she was able to finally speak.

"Leading them on a wild goose chase. How are you doing?" Judhith studied the darkened eyes in the dim lighting, looking for signs of stress and finding them.

Celine nodded not daring to think any further than the present. Unconsciously she wiped tears from her face. "Fine. What's happening?" However, Judhith knew she did not really want to know. There was a time when she felt the same way. Viewing drama on television and on the news media was different than experiencing it in real time.

"We've got some change of clothes and you can get cleaned up in the back of the cave," she offered. She pushed Celine in the direction following her. Mandy lifted her nose and nudged Celine who had not noticed her yet.

"Mandy!" Celine collapsed on the ground and grabbed the sheppard, giving the dog a hard hug. "Oh, gawds I thought she was killed!" she sobbed in the dogs furry neck. Mandy was wiggling with delight and trying to lick the face of her new friend.

"Okay you two. Don't want any rumors to be started," Judhith muttered as she moved further into the cave. A small area sleep area was set up, with a privacy corner. Judhith pulled out a bag that contained jeans, sweaters, T-shirts, socks, boots and a few handkerchiefs.

*****
Darcy stumbled for the hundredth time, taking the fall on her good shoulder and rolling onto her back. For a few moments she looked up into the sky to catch her breath and get her bearings. Snow flakes that had been drifting for over an hour, landed on her face. Blinking, Darcy studied the surrounding mountains. The small cave was not far now. Rolling back onto her feet, she continued at a slow climb, looking for a marker.

"If you move one step closer, I'll shoot you," Celine's voice warned.

"Then please, shoot me and end my agony," Darcy told her hoarsely.

She could hear rocks moving and suddenly a strong arm was wrapped around her waist, helping her up the rest of the way.

"Duck," Celine directed softly. A whine told her that Celine was not alone.

"Damn, Darcy! You just about scared us," Crazy Al wheezed.

"What's going on?" she asked as she was guided to a soft spot to sit on. However, she fell asleep as soon as her head rested on what could be a pillow.

****

"You're sure she's the only one out there, Al?" Celine asked worried.

"Well, there may be a rabbit or two," he told her. "Just look. See. Nothing on the scope."

"When did the others say they would report in?"

"Girl, you're getting you knickers all in a wad. Just sit down," Judhith told her grumpily. She bit off some beef jerky and moved it around in her mouth, sucking on it for a few moments.

Celine sat near Darcy's sleeping form, brushing her fingers over her cold cheeks, worried over what Darcy must have been going through.

"You should have told her the plans were changed," Celine told Judhith for maybe the fourth time that morning.

"She still would have done what she did to draw them off. Ya, know…she's hung up on ya," Al told her solemnly, studying Darcy's dirty fingers that held onto Celine's while she slept.

Celine looked down at the face she had wiped with a damp towel and then at the injured arm that Judhith had cleaned and stitched. "Are you sure all this is going to work?"

"It'll work. The Feebs want that rogue agent bad. I tell ya it's easy to lead agents around. Just give them a reason not to like ya, and there is nothing…not even evidence, that is going to change their minds on them hounding you. And if our plants of evidence don't do it…they would be planting their own. They don't like him."

Judhith was paying more attention to Mandy's paw that was wrapped. She had a bullet graze from someone that shot at her.

"Hey," a hoarse voice called.

"Hey, yourself," Celine replied grabbing the water bottle.

"So, what's happening?" Darcy whispered.

"The satellite started back up…we reached Tony and he did his bit. The Feebs want to catch Agent Monteagudo doing the dirty," Al reassured her.

Darcy laid her head back on the pallet tired. She drank enough to wet her mouth. "Do we have transportation?" Darcy asked with less hoarseness.

Al nodded over to the corner of the cave where Darcy's dirt bike rested against the wall.

"Good. We gotta find that agent's badge and see if that's what everyone is so interested in getting to." Darcy pulled herself up and taking a deep breath stood up. No dizziness and no headache. She was doing good.

Surprising herself, Celine nodded.

"Hey! What about the snow?" Al asked.

"We'll be fine. Don't forget to check up on Ginger and Pride. And let the cats back in the house. Gawds, they enjoy playing in the damn barn and come in with all sorts of shit in their fur," grumbled Darcy as she grabbed the handle bars to the dirt bike, and pulled it up. She picked up one of the helmets on the seat…once size fits all, was Darcy's belief. Celine handed her her knitted cap to put on first.

"Ahh. I see you found they're a bit on the roomy side," she teased.

"Yeah, and you're not driving. I am," Celine told her firmly strapping her own helmet on. "This is going to be one rough ride when we hit the freeway," Celine remarked dryly, as she tapped the off-road tires with her boot toe.

"We're going to stop and pick up Jack's truck." Darcy patted her leg as she settled behind Celine. "I'm not that suicidal."

"Good to hear."

Darcy's grip around her waist was comforting, nice and very distracting as Celine began their bumpy ride down the slope that was slippery with snow. The rough ride brought back memories of her own off-road riding when she used it to relieve work stress.

End of Part I


Continued in Part II