Depart the Darkness

by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  “Any idea what company is paying Dillon for this information?” Miles asked.

  “No. But Elliott found out, and tried blackmailing the company. According to Dillon, their response was to murder him.”

  Jenny gasped, and everyone else looked shocked to one degree or another.

  “This is what Dillon told Phillip,” I reminded them. “I didn’t talk to Dillon, so I don’t know if what he told Phillip was the truth or not.”

  “Unless one of our investigators turns up something…” Miles said.

  “I’ll have to talk to Dillon,” I agreed. “I don’t like it either, but… we have to get this guy.”

  “How about the company he’s selling information to?” Annette wondered.

  “We’ll get them too, if Dillon knows who it is,” I replied.

  “He may not,” Miles considered.

  “How did he get hooked up with these people, then?” wondered Xander.

  “I don’t have the answer to that,” I said. “But I do know that Dillon attributes the abductions which have occurred in the surrounding areas to this company, or the guy who runs it, rather.”

  “Are you serious?” Jenny exclaimed, and everyone else looked horrified.

  “Yes. He said this is how the guy works, if people get in his way he goes after their families. That’s why Phillip’s been terrified over his family’s safety.”

  “But Dillon and Jadon are the ones who hired the bouncers to intimidate Phillip,” Miles remembered, frowning a little.

  “So maybe none of what he told Phillip is true,” John concluded.

  “He does have a guillotine over Phillip’s head, though,” I said. “Phillip told Dillon he wasn’t going to use him as a fall guy, or to expose classified files anymore. Dillon said he didn’t need Phillip’s help to do that. Phillip didn’t believe him. But then he looked something up on his work computer, and it scared him. So Dillon was telling him the truth about that. He’s exposing files and making it look like Phillip is the one doing it.”

  “How?” John asked. Now he was the one frowning.

  “I don’t know, but Phillip looked up the audit log. That’s what he saw, that his account was being used to do that.”

  “That’s not possible though,” John insisted. “The kind of security employed… Dillon could login as root, and become his userid… But if that’s what he did, there’ll be a record of that in the audit logs.”

  “Then let’s hope that’s the case,” Miles said. “Although the only way to know this will be if Anika gets that out of Dillon.”

  “Dillon could have changed the audit configuration…” John continued, still thinking it through. “That is highly unlikely, though.”

  “So there would be no record he did that?” Annette asked.

  “No. But it’s highly unlikely,” John answered.

  “Let’s hope it isn’t the truth, either,” I said.

  “If it is, then you’ll get him on something else,” Jenny said loyally. “There is no perfect crime.”

  “He’ll have unaccounted for deposits to some account he owns, or a fancy sports car he paid cash for,” Xander agreed.

  “There’ll be something,” Annette added reassuringly.

  “We’re waiting to hear back from Jackson regarding Dillon’s financial status, and that of his father,” said Miles.

  “There has to be something for him to turn up,” Xander said with certainty. “This guy’s getting paid somehow.”

  “If what he told Phillip is true,” John pointed out.

  “You think this could all be made up, in order to harass Phillip?” Annette asked him.

  “No…” John thought that over. “Phillip saw the audit logs. That’s the truth, right?”

  “Right,” I confirmed. “Besides, he doesn’t want Phillip leaving. But… why is that, I wonder? Is it too much trouble to set up someone else?”

  “Or maybe too much time would pass while Intersect did a job search for a replacement,” Jenny suggested.

  “He could use one of the other people at work,” Annette pointed out.

  “But, the more seasoned the employee, the less likely they’d be not to catch on,” John responded. “They might not be as intimidated, either.”

  “The guy’s a jerk, but he’s focusing most of it on Phillip,” Xander agreed.

  “Whatever the case, I’m glad we got Phillip and his family out of there,” I declared.

  “What a relief that must have been, to tell Lorna everything,” Jenny said.

  “It had to be hard for her to hear, too,” Annette commented. “But, it explained why she lost her husband for a while.”

  “And reassured her that it won’t happen again,” I added.

  “Phillip did execute that command though,” Jenny suddenly remembered. “He didn’t know what the result would be, but he did it. And he found out what Dillon’s been doing, and is still doing…”

  We all worried over that some.

  “If Dillon goes to security, Phillip is going to end up in the same boat as Aaron Fellows,” John summed up.

  “Phillip won’t face charges, though,” I reminded everyone. “New identities. Remember?”

  Miles’ forehead furrowed slightly as he thought everything over.

  “If we can get proof to take Dillon down… to prove he’s responsible…”

  “Then that’ll go a long way toward clearing Phillip and Aaron both,” I finished for him.

  “This is the government though,” John reminded us. “Look what happened to Aaron. He went to security over this, and he’s the one being crucified.”

  “Then we’ll employ a little PR,” Miles replied. “More like a lot of PR. By the time our people are through feeding the press, Aaron and Phillip will have public opinion fully on their side.”

  “There’ll be an outcry if they continue to go after Aaron and try going after Phillip, instead of focusing on Dillon,” I agreed.

  “We’ve done this before,” Miles reassured our friends. “Not this, exactly. But the Bannermans learned not to underestimate public opinion when my brother and I were murdered. If there was the outcry then that there should have been, the sheriff would have had no choice but to do a real investigation.”

  “All the girls were jealous Miles didn’t give them a second look, and the guys were jealous that all the girls would do, is look at Miles,” I said rather proudly, giving him a squeeze. “I’m telling the truth.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Xander exclaimed. “Are you serious, man? People were that shallow back then?”

  “The people who called themselves my friends,” Miles said. He didn’t look sad like he used to when he talked about it. “At the time, I didn’t have real friends to compare them to, so I didn’t realize just how shallow they were. I do now. It was more than that though. There was a caste system firmly in place, and the Bannermans were the elite. My family was proud of their position and didn’t hide that. There were a lot of people who enjoyed seeing my family suffer because of the scandal.”

  “That’s terrible!” Jenny said, her eyes as fiery as her curly red hair.

  “I know, I’d like to go back and set the town straight,” I said, my own ire rising.

  “I’m sure you would. Stay here with me, instead,” Miles said, squeezing my shoulder. He looked a little amused.

  “What’s so funny?” I demanded to know.

  “Nothing, just imagining how you’d put everyone in their place if you had the chance.”

  I laughed too then.

  “She’d tell them the truth about their motivations and a lot of other things, and scare them to death,” Jenny said, then everyone started to laugh.

  “She’s been doing that a lot lately,” Miles smiled.

  “Only when I feel compelled to do so,” I replied. “You have no idea how often I stay silent.”

  Miles wisely refrained from saying that’s because I seldom stop talking, but it’s what he was thinking, and so was everyone else. I just r
olled my eyes as they laughed.

  “Miles has an accent,” I suddenly remembered.

  Jenny and Annette both stopped laughing and looked interested.

  “Really?” Annette asked.

  “He did. He doesn’t use it anymore,” I clarified. “He talked that way for me the other day, though. It sounded so cool!”

  “I can just imagine,” Jenny said, trying to do so, as she and Annette looked at Miles as if seeing him for the first time. “What was it, like a British accent?”

  “The Bannerman family originated in Wales,” I said. “So yes, sort of.”

  “How cool,” Annette said, impressed.

  “So… how are you going to approach Dillon?” wondered John, getting us back on track.

  Miles looked relieved, and so did Xander.

  “Yeah, I don’t see you having the guy out for a weekend at the estate,” Xander said.

  “No kidding!” I replied. “Whatever we do, we’ll have to get it right the first time.”

  “We may not get another shot at this,” Miles agreed. “We need to know how much of what he told Phillip is the truth, and how to prove he’s guilty.”

  “We did that with Rob Westin, aka the nutty professor,” I added. “We can do this. We’ve got to have a reason to approach him, though.”

  “And ask the right questions so you can get the truth without arousing suspicion,” Miles agreed. “I can think of one way to do that.”

  “A job interview,” John said.

  “A job interview,” Xander agreed, and Jenny and Annette nodded.

  “Right,” Miles replied. “So let’s get to work, and write up an interview offer he can’t refuse.”

  Chapter 17

  “Happy birthday,” Doreen crooned to Lacey, as she cradled her pup in her arms. “Even if it is a day late. That isn’t my fault, just so you know.”

  She shot Miles and me a reproachful look.

  “Sorry sis, but there’s a little thing known as Valentine’s Day, and Miles and I were busy celebrating,” I informed her.

  That earned me a horrified look from my little—or younger, rather—sister.

  “Valentine’s Day was Sunday,” she informed me imperiously.

  “It started on Sunday,” I corrected her. For us, and our friends, it started after the Edmunds checked into the Cedar Oaks hotel on Sunday evening.

  I was rewarded with another horrified expression, after which, I was shunned for the time being. I rolled my eyes, and got back to petting Fidget.

  I glanced at Miles and saw by the laughter in his eyes that he caught the exchange. Everyone else, which consisted of Mom, Dad, and Tryon, was too busy playing with puppies to either notice, or care. After all, they lived with her dramatics day in and day out. But twelve adorable puppies… that was new.

  “These guys are amazing,” Dad said, smiling as he pet the two service dog pups claiming his lap.

  “You are the sweetest little things, yes you are,” Mom baby-talked. She cuddled another service dog pup in her arms.

  “Aren’t they?” I agreed, kissing Fidget’s furry forehead. She was such a little cuddle-bug. While the others often rough-housed and played hard—and howled, in the case of Ed—she was perfectly content to be held. It would be such a disappointment to both of us when she got too big for that.

  Linux and Spaz wrestled and play-fought, rolling over and over as first one got the upper hand, then the other.

  Tryon sat with Ed on his lap, giggling as the pup licked his face.

  “Aw, cut it out, Ed,” Tryon laughed, but he made no move to stop him.

  “The lead trainer and director of the Service Dog Training Center were impressed,” Miles smiled, as he pet one trainee and watched three others play tug with a fragment of one of his sweaters.

  “I can imagine,” Dad replied.

  No matter how great his imagination, I doubted Dad would ever come close to just how impressive the truth was. I was more than a little relieved that Trixie was too busy basking in front of the fire in the sitting room fireplace, to bother showing off.

  “Three more weeks,” Dad thought out loud.

  “That’s right,” I said. “Three weeks from yesterday, to be precise.”

  “Can’t we bring them home on the weekend, instead?” Doreen asked.

  “You could wait until the following weekend, but is that really what you want?” Miles asked, and was rewarded with an eye roll. He smiled, and got another. “Come by after church on March 6th. You can take them home with you, then.”

  Tryon looked excited. Doreen did too, but also speculative.

  “Don’t push your luck,” I cautioned. “Their mother won’t like it.”

  That brought my sister’s bargaining campaign to a halt.

  “You’re probably looking forward to getting your closet back,” Mom commented.

  “As long as Anika doesn’t mind sharing, I’ll leave my clothes where they are,” Miles answered.

  “I don’t mind,” I replied, but I wondered. So did Mom and Dad.

  “With the hardwood floor, I don’t imagine it’ll be difficult to clean,” Mom said.

  “It doesn’t smell as though twelve pups are living in here anyway,” Dad remarked.

  “It isn’t that,” Miles replied. “I prefer for my suits and sweaters to be on hangers, though. So… in three weeks, after the rest of the pups are in their new homes, I plan to move in a dog bed. If Trix decides she wants to continue sleeping in here, or… whatever… she can use that, instead of making a bed out of my clothing.”

  “Or you could just keep the door shut,” my father felt the need to point out.

  “That’s not going to stop Miles’ dog,” Doreen said with certainty.

  “It won’t,” I agreed.

  For goodness’ sake, if it was that easy, Miles would’ve already thought of it!

  “She can open doors?” Mom asked in surprise.

  “She can do pretty much whatever she wants,” I replied. “A closed door is nothing.”

  Dad looked concerned. Mom did too.

  “I hope these two don’t take after her in that regard,” Mom said, giving Lacey and Ed a nod.

  “Me too,” I agreed wholeheartedly.

  If they did, I hoped they’d be a lot more covert about it than she was!

  “They’re exceptionally smart,” Miles pointed out. “And quick to learn. It won’t take long to teach them the rules of your house.”

  The pups all perked up and looked at Miles, then at Mom and Dad.

  All the pups, except Fidget, scrambled off laps and out of arms, and lined up in the center of the closet. They looked at Mom and Dad expectantly. Mom’s and Dad’s eyes bugged out.

  I do not have to come up with an explanation for everything. I do not have to come up with an explanation for everything. I do not…

  “See how smart they are?” Doreen said proudly, then looked at the pups. “Sit!”

  The pups sat.

  “Down!” she said.

  The pups proceeded to lie down.

  “Jump up and down!” Tryon said excitedly.

  The pups jumped up and down. Spaz shoulder bumped Linux hard, and nearly got knocked over for his troubles.

  Dad’s hands were pressed to the sides of his forehead, and Mom’s mouth was hanging open.

  “Go in circles!” Tryon told them.

  The pups did.

  “Go left!” he directed.

  They went left.

  “Go right!” he said.

  They went right.

  “Stand up, sit down, fight, fight, fight!” he shouted in excitement.

  The pups stood at attention. They sat. Then they proceeded to play-fight.

  Mom and Dad looked a little frightened.

  “If you don’t want them opening doors, just say so,” Doreen said, and shrugged, as if she couldn’t imagine why they never thought of it in the first place.

  “At ease,” Miles said. The pups stopped what they were doing, and relaxed.r />
  “You’re dismissed!” Tryon declared.

  Lacey returned to Doreen. Ed gave a little howl, then returned to Tryon. Spaz and Linux starting wrestling. The service dog pups availed themselves of Mom’s and Dad’s laps again.

  “What… how…” Dad said, as he slowly began to pet the pups.

  “Their mother is exceptionally intelligent herself,” Miles replied. “That’s the best answer I can give you.”

  “He’s telling the truth,” I said automatically. Miles squeezed my knee to remind me to keep such comments to myself, but my parents were too overwhelmed by the twelve little Einsteins to care what I had to say.

  “No wonder these guys are service dog trainees,” Dad said, looking at them in amazement.

  “I can’t believe you’re giving two of them to us,” Mom exclaimed in astonishment. “They’re—so special! These are not ordinary puppies!”

  “Tryon and Doreen are no ordinary brother and sister,” Miles said in response.

  Tryon smiled at that. In spite of Doreen’s attempt to remain nonchalant, she flushed with pleasure at his words. Mom and Dad both looked touched. But still somewhat overwhelmed.

  Oh well, I thought a little hysterically. It was good practice for when they had grandchildren someday! Our kids weren’t likely to be ordinary, either. Trixie’s babies only had one parent with supernatural abilities. Our babies would have two!

  Oh my goodness!

  I would hyperventilate if I kept on this train of thought. I buried my face in Fidget’s soft fur, and determined to calm down.

  Miles rubbed my shoulder soothingly, and I leaned against him. He pet Fidget too, and she nuzzled against my neck.

  Who could hold such a sweet little puppy, and stay stressed for long?

  I could! But I was getting over it.

  Still, I was thankful it was a school night for my siblings, and a work night for the rest of us. When my family headed back home and we closed the door behind them, I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Are you ready for our friends to come over, or do you need a few minutes?” Miles asked, as he hugged me.

  “You can call them,” I replied. “They already know everything. They won’t be shocked if the pups show how brilliant they are.”