Darkness Falls

by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  This could be interesting. I’m not sure she could give us anything we didn’t have… but still. It was worth listening to.

  “This guy had been his friend for a long time, before high school, anyway. He was there for Professor Mead when his parents died, and then his grandmother. Mead didn’t know, but Westin started getting into drugs and was drinking a ton. He came here with Mead, but didn’t go to college. He didn’t have the money for one thing, and wasn’t motivated either. He was like a parasite, living off of Mead. The professors said Mead felt obligated to Westin because he’d been there for him when his parents died, and wouldn’t set limits on him. Westin was stealing from him to buy drugs, and it was an awful situation. They finally convinced him to use tough love. Either straighten up, get a job, contribute, or get out. Westin got out. As far as they know, Mead never saw him again. He felt terrible about it, and they had to work hard to reassure him he’d done the right thing.”

  “Wow. Well you’ve certainly elaborated on this for us, and given us more details,” I said.

  “How in the world did he pull that off?” asked Annette.

  “He’s a con artist like his father,” said Miles. “We learned this last night from Jackson.”

  “The guy’s charismatic,” said Xander. “You should’ve seen him the first day in class. If he hadn’t been giving Anika a hard time, which ticked off all her friends, he would have had them all eating out of his hand. He knows how to say the stupidest stuff and sound so sure of it, that most people believe him.”

  “People see through him now though, and his behavior is growing more irrational as a result,” said Jenny.

  “With what he’s done, and the fact that just about all of the students are going to the Dean about him, the university is going to cut him loose,” said Xander. “No way will they keep him around. He’s a danger, and they know it now.”

  “I got a call this morning from the president,” said Miles.

  “Of the United States?” Cheryl asked, her blue eyes huge.

  We laughed, how could we not!

  “The president of the university,” Miles said, smiling before getting back to the subject. “He apologized for what happened in class yesterday. He was relieved that Anika wasn’t hurt, and said Mead would be dealt with.”

  “I wonder what he’ll do after he’s fired,” said John.

  “I hope he leaves town,” said Annette.

  We all hoped that.

  Miles looked at his watch.

  “Is it time to go?” I asked.

  “Just about. Are you ready?”

  “Yes, I am,” I said, taking a sip of water and then scooting out of the booth after Miles.

  We said goodbye to our friends, and left.

  Miles held the restaurant door for me. As soon as I stepped out into the food court, I was assaulted with truth again. My mind flitted rapidly, then I focused on Miles.

  “Talk,” I said.

  “Okay. I’m looking forward to being back at the estate this weekend. Grandma Polly should get back from her trip today, so we’ll get to see her again. Would you like to explore our cave some more while we’re there? I’ll just keep talking, you can tell me when we get outside. Trix and Chip will be glad to run with no fences. Not that they go off of the grounds, but it’s the idea of having that freedom if she wanted it, that Trix loves…”

  Miles talked until we were outside again.

  “Did that help?” he asked.

  “It did,” I said. “Everything else faded away while I listened to you. I’m not sure what I’ll do when you aren’t with me. I have to focus on someone, from what Trix said. That sounds bothersome, and it’ll get in the way of thinking whatever I would be otherwise.”

  “She also said it would get easier and you’d get used to it. You’ve come so far, so fast, it may not take you long to do that.”

  “Maybe so. I forget that it was last week when I heard that splintered voice for the first time, and less than a week ago when we saw Morgan and Sarah, and I heard the un-splintered truth.”

  “You’re doing amazing,” said Miles.

  “I can’t believe how much people lie,” I said, as we passed a group of students. “If Trixie wasn’t able to clue me in on all of this, I would think I was hearing voices because there was something wrong with me. I’d also become a recluse, and stay far away from other people. Except you, because you never lie to me.”

  “I may tease you sometimes, but I’ll never lie to you,” Miles said.

  “I know,” I smiled, and let go of Miles’ hand so I could put my arm around him instead. Miles smiled, and kissed my cheek.

  We walked along in silence for several seconds.

  “Anika…” said Miles slowly, as something occurred to him. “Can you tell if someone’s telling the truth or not if they don’t speak? Like if they nod, or shake their head?”

  “Oh, no,” I said, as it dawned on me. “I don’t know! If I can’t, then I have no idea if we got through to Cheryl or not.”

  “I think we both realize there’s a better than fifty percent chance that we didn’t.”

  “I am sooo sorry for stressing you out last year. This girl is paying me back!”

  Miles laughed.

  “There are a few similarities,” he said. “Your heart was in the right place, though. It’s okay. But only because you survived all of your crazy stunts! If you hadn’t, I’d be so mad at you. For the rest of my life,: I would be. You’d get a very large piece of my mind when I saw you again, someday.”

  I laughed and tightened the arm I had around him.

  “Well, I’m glad I survived, too. I’d rather have all of you, now, than a large piece of your mind later.”

  “Me too, dear,” Miles agreed.

  We reached our class and sat beside Delia and Pete again.

  “I heard what happened in class after I left!” Delia exclaimed.

  “The guy sounds unhinged,” said Pete.

  “Yeah, he is,” I agreed. “I’m dropping the class.”

  “I doubt he’ll be around to teach Monday’s lesson anyway,” said Miles. “I’ll be very surprised if he hasn’t already been let go.”

  “He ought to be,” said Delia, with feeling.

  “So, Pete,” said Miles. “You wouldn’t happen to play basketball by any chance, would you?”

  “Not in a while, but I have in the past,” he answered.

  “We get together on Tuesday evenings every two to three weeks to play with our friends Xander, Jenny, John, and Annette,” I said.

  “We need another couple to make the teams even,” said Miles. “Are you interested?”

  “Sure, sounds like fun,” Pete replied. “What do you think, Delia?”

  “Yeah, it does sound fun. I’m not that great of a player though…”

  Oh my goodness, that was so not the truth! She’s an amazing player. Her brothers were all on the basketball team in high school, and she played with them at home all the time. She’s good. Very good.

  “How about you, Pete?” I asked.

  “I’m not too bad,” he said.

  Wow. Talk about being humble.

  “We’ll either call or text you about the next game,” said Miles, and then the class instructor entered the room, so we settled back in our seats. I leaned over to whisper to Miles.

  “So is it like insider trading if we claim them to be on our team, because my ability tells me they’re both killer players?”

  Miles smiled and considered that.

  “I don’t know dear, it’s not like we’re trading anything...”

  I clamped my hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t laugh out loud.

  “Seriously though, we should be upfront about what you know.”

  “You’re right,” I said. Miles didn’t use his abilities on the court to be a better player, so I probably shouldn’t use mine to choose teammates.

  “I’ll tell you this though,” Miles said. “Thanks to you, no way will Pete, Delia, Xander, and J
enny be on the same team!”

  ~*~

  On Friday morning we got up at the crack of dawn. I’m fairly certain that’s what I heard, or maybe it was my jaw that made that sound when I yawned. When the alarm on Miles’ iPhone went off, I seriously reconsidered our plan to get up super early so that we’d reach the estate in time to have breakfast with Grandma Polly. That sounded like a good idea yesterday, but now… it was dark outside, for goodness’ sake!

  Miles clearly didn’t share my second-thoughts. He was in a very good mood, and not tired at all. His whistling was interfering with my attempt at going back to sleep.

  “Come on, get up!” said Miles. “You agreed to this last night, no take-backs.”

  “I’ll take a shower after you do,” I said.

  “Then it’s your turn, because I already did. I’m on my way out the door to walk the dogs,” he said cheerfully.

  I groaned and covered my head with my pillow.

  “Ready or not, when we get back, we’re going. So ask yourself, do you want to go in the clothes you picked out last night?” He suddenly sounded stern and a little threatening. “Or maybe you’d prefer to go in your nightgown.”

  I threw the pillow off of my head and looked at him. He looked back and smiled, as he reached for his wallet and his keys.

  I narrowed my eyes at him first, then smiled back.

  “I’m getting good at this,” I said. “You’re not telling the truth, you’re teasing. You’d wait for me to get ready.”

  “So, show your appreciation by being ready when I get back,” he said.

  “Fine, when you put it that way…”

  By the time Miles and the dogs got back from their walk, I somehow managed with superhuman effort to be ready. I even had Night confined to his carrier, although Pandora was giving me fits about getting in hers.

  “Here, let me,” said Miles, floating her right in and closing the door behind her.

  “Thank you,” I said, relieved to not have to do any more cat wrangling. “And good morning.”

  “Good morning to you too,” he smiled.

  I hugged and kissed Miles, then we loaded up our things and locking the door behind us, carried it all to the elevator.

  “At least pretend it’s a little heavy,” said Miles. “I don’t want you staggering, but do act as though it takes a normal amount of effort.”

  I laughed.

  “It would be easier to actually carry it than to pretend I am,” I said. Then I changed my mind. “Okay fine, you can help!”

  Miles smiled, and suddenly my burden was light again.

  We left the brightly lit lobby of the apartment building behind, and stepped into darkness. The cool air smelled early, and I shivered a little. We loaded our dogs, cats, and belongings into our vehicle, and then loaded in ourselves.

  “Here you go,” said Miles, reaching into the backseat for the blanket we kept there for this very purpose.

  “Thank you,” I said, wrapping up. “This is perfect.”

  When Miles pulled into the drive-thru of our favorite coffee shop, that was even better!

  “Bless you,” I whimpered as he handed me a vanilla latte with whipped cream.

  “You’re welcome,” Miles smiled. “Maybe you’ll stay awake and talk to me on the way there.”

  “I will,” I said, the smell of coffee perking me up. “I would anyway. I don’t like getting up early, but I like traveling and talking to you when it’s dark.”

  “What makes the difference?” asked Miles, as he merged onto the highway that led out of Glen Haven, and toward Cedar Oaks. There were almost no other cars on the road at this hour.

  “I don’t know. I can’t explain. You’re very happy to be up this early though, what’s that about?”

  “I’m looking forward to seeing Grandma Polly,” said Miles. “That’s one thing. Getting you out of town and further away from Pretend-Mead, is another. You’re safe when you’re with me, so it’s not that I’m afraid he’d be able to hurt you this weekend if we stayed. Still, it’s very nice to look forward to enjoying the weekend with you, instead of being hyper-vigilant when we’re not in the apartment. I’m not looking forward to you having to examine the truth of what happened when he killed the real Ryan Mead, but I am looking forward to you being through with that, and perhaps you’ll gain the information we need to put an end to this case.”

  “I’m looking forward to those things too,” I said, reaching for Miles’ hand and intertwining my fingers with his.

  The sky behind the mountains in the east began to lighten. As the sun rose, it touched the clouds with brilliant hues of pink and purple. The colors grew more vivid and filled the east, and then the sun was over the mountains and the colors faded, leaving nothing but blue sky and white puffy clouds behind.

  “The sunrise is worth getting up for,” I sighed. “I think that right now, anyway, but I won’t think so tomorrow if you wake me up before the sun is.”

  “I’ll leave you to rest in peace,” said Miles. “I’m looking forward to the dogs letting themselves out, myself. You’ve got a nine o’ clock appointment with Cecilia though, so we won’t be sleeping in very late.”

  “It’ll be late compared to this morning!”

  “That’s the spirit,” smiled Miles.

  The town of Cedar Oaks was still asleep, no shop owners or tourists in sight, on Main Street. The shops were closed, and only the flowers in the beautifully kept planters were awake.

  The estate was another matter. As Miles parked in front of the steps leading to the front doors, they opened, and Grandma Polly stepped outside. She smiled and waved, and I waved back.

  “Grandma Polly looks good,” I said to Miles as I unfastened my seatbelt. “Her trip agreed with her.”

  “I’m glad she went,” said Miles, as he took the keys out of the ignition. “It’s much better for her to be out doing things she enjoys, rather than waiting here all week for us to come home on the weekends. She never was one to sit still for long.”

  “She still isn’t!” I said, and he smiled.

  Miles and I got out of our vehicle, and reached the foot of the steps at the same time as Grandma Polly.

  “It’s so good to see you,” she smiled, trying to hug us both at the same time, then settling on Miles first. “How are you?”

  “Great, Grandma Polly, how about you?” he asked.

  “I’m doing just wonderful, dear,” she smiled, then turned to me and gave me a hug. “And how are you, Anika dear?”

  “I’m doing great. It’s so good to see you,” I said. “We’ve missed you.”

  “I missed you too, dear,” she said. “It’s good to be back for a little while.”

  Miles let the dogs out, and retrieved our cats’ carriers.

  “Miles dear, I’ll have one of the staff bring in your things, you needn’t worry about the rest,” said Grandma Polly, linking arms with me.

  “Alright, I won’t worry about it then,” said Miles, joining us as we began to climb the stairs.

  “I want to know everything you two have been up to in the two weeks since I last saw you,” she said.

  Miles and I looked at each other.

  “Oh my,” said Grandma Polly, a shadow of concern filling her eyes as we walked through the front door and into the entryway. “I can see from your faces’ it hasn’t been uneventful.”

  “No, it hasn’t,” said Miles, as he let the cats out of their carriers. They took off through the house, anxious to reacquaint themselves with the estate once again. “But it’s been interesting. We’ll tell you all about it soon. What do you think Anika, Mission Control?”

  “That’ll do,” I said. “We’ve got to have absolute privacy, that’s for sure.”

  “Well! You certainly know how to whet the curiosity, don’t you. Now don’t even think of expecting me to wait until after breakfast. That would just be cruel, and Miles dear, I’ve never known you to be that.”

  “We won’t make you wait, Grandma Polly,”
smiled Miles. “We’ll have breakfast served in Mission Control, and talk while we eat.”

  Chapter 15

  “It’s hard to believe it was boiling hot just a few days ago,” I said, warming myself in front of the cheerfully crackling fire in the fireplace of Mission Control.

  “We’re a little bit higher elevation here,” said Miles, as he set up the tray tables that would soon hold our breakfasts. “It’ll be fall soon, did you notice some of the leaves are starting to turn?”

  “I’m looking forward to that,” I said.

  “I am too, Anika dear,” said Grandma Polly, from her seat on one of the comfortable chairs that surrounded the fireplace. “All of the seasons are spectacular, and I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite. I do love the colors of fall, however.”

  Breakfast arrived, and soon we were all seated around the fireplace with our scrumptious plates of food in front of us, and the door to Mission Control closed tight.

  “All right then, dears,” said Grandma Polly, laying her napkin neatly on her lap and picking up her fork. “What have you two children been up to since I last saw you?”

  “It’s been a busy two weeks,” said Miles. “Last week Anika began to realize that she has some interesting abilities.”

  “Really!” said Grandma Polly. She smiled and looked at me as if she was pleased.

  “Yes, and they’re pretty amazing,” Miles said. “If someone lies, Anika knows it. Not only that, she also knows what the truth really is.”

  “That’s wonderful, Anika dear! I can imagine what a blessing you’ll be to Miles when it’s time to interview for a new accountant.”

  “That’s what we were thinking, too,” I laughed.

  “I want you to remember one thing however,” Grandma Polly said seriously, and Miles and I looked back at her just as serious, wondering what she would say. “Don’t even bother to ask me how old I am. I absolutely refuse to tell you, now that you have this ability.”

  Miles and I laughed, and so did Grandma Polly.

  “Okay Grandma Polly, I won’t ask. Miles and I both know you’re young, anyway. You’re hardly the oldest in the family.”