Two weeks had gone by since the incident. It
was Quatre who broke the news to Duo. He was crushed and crazy with grief, not
believing a word he said. It took hours to calm him down. Heero had stopped by
to tell Relena. She was torn up at the news. Concerned, he stopped by her house
earlier to see how she was holding up. She was one of Hilde's closest friends.
Although his relationship with Relena had ended a long time ago, they were
still friends. She was holding up ok, but she had always been strong when she
needed to. Right now Duo needed that. The funeral had been nice. At Sally's
request it was a closed casket. Relena sat with Duo, both of them crying hard.
Heero stood to the side to observe the ceremony. He had hardly taken a break,
working around the clock, gathering as much information as he could. Soon he
would work at deciphering the clues he had in front of him. No matter how long
it took, he'd do it. Duo was ordered not to take the case as he originally
wanted. Heero had promised to keep him informed as he went along. He sighed and
let his mind wander. He thought he'd be dancing with her at her wedding and
here he was, a pallbearer for her funeral. It wasn't right. Sally had begun the
autopsy a couple days after the incident but had to call for another doctor to
do it. It was too upsetting for her. No one should have to dissect a friend.
Heero left soon after the funeral, followed by Trowa. He saw Trowa pulling out
a cigarette. "Can I bum one?" Heero asked. Trowa looked surprised.
"You? You quit though." Heero raised an eyebrow. "So did
you." Trowa relented and passed him one. They stood side by side against
his car, smoking and thinking. "Any ideas? Any guesses at all?" Trowa
asked, inhaling deeply of the intoxicating smoke. Heero shook his head.
"I'm still waiting for the results of the autopsy." Trowa looked at
the sky. It looked like it was going to rain in the next day or so. "I
can't believe this is happening." Trowa commented, letting his head drop
back to stare at the sky. Heero just nodded. "Hn." He knew Trowa was
thinking about Duo. He was pretty worried about him too. The guy wasn't able to
function right without Hilde. And now she was gone forever. Heero put out his
cigarette with his shoe. "I have to get back to work." He commented.
Trowa nodded and stepped away from the car. "Call me if you need me."
Trowa called out as he was walking towards his own car. Heero nodded and
started his engine, dreading to sift through the evidence for clues. Still, he
was more than determined to find the killer.
It
was 1:30 a.m. Heero rubbed his eyes tiredly. He needed to focus. His mind kept
wandering to Hilde, not as an assignment, but as a friend, the memories slowly
passing in his head. He always joked that if Duo were ever dumb enough to lose
her, he'd be there to give it a shot. They used to laugh about it all the time,
even though a part of him said it was the truth. There wasn't much Heero could
do for Duo now, except solve this case and give him peace of mind. Right now,
Relena was using her special touch to help heal the wounds. He and Relena had
broken up years ago, but had remained good friends. He was thankful she was
here to help. He couldn't help Duo and solve this case. He and Relena would
have to work together to get things done. He shook his head. He needed coffee.
Frowning at his empty cup he thought about making another pot and decided
against it. He had a long day and he needed sleep. He pushed the evidence lying
on his desk aside. He would think more clearly tomorrow....
Hilde,
stumbled, her knees scuffed with blood and dirt. A hand viciously grabbed her
by the collar and forced her to continue. She was crying...."Why? How
could you do this?" She cried harder. Suddenly she looked up, her face a
bluish color, like the blood had been drained out of her. Her throat was wide
open, exposing her esophagus, blood crusted around the opening. Her mouth moved
slowly, as if she was trying to speak, but there was no sound. Her lips just
moved. "Heero help me!!!!!" She screamed suddenly. -
Heero's eyes flew open as he sat up. His eyes focused around his
room...He had been dreaming. His hand was around his throat as if protecting
it. It took him a few minutes to catch his breath. He was soaked in his own
sweat. The dream had been so real. The detail. It was almost like he was
there...He shook it off as best as he could and crept into his bathroom to
shower. He stepped into the cold water and let it run down his face, washing away
the effects of the dream. Every time he closed his eyes he could see her, tears
streaming down her face. She looked so scared..."Heero help me!"
echoed through his mind. His eyes flew open as he grabbed the wall, trying to
keep his balance. "I'm going crazy." He mumbled as he turned off the
water and stepped out. He needed coffee....Fast.
Chapter 2
Heero called over to Relena's, where Duo was
staying. Relena informed him that he was asleep and that he was so distraught
that they had to give him sleeping pills to rest. Heero tried not to let it
bother him, but it did. How was Duo going to get through this? It was good that
someone was there for him, especially at a time where he could not be. Another
week had passed and no leads. It had been over a month now and there was
nothing to go on. It was as if the killer left no clues, but that was
impossible. There was always a clue; you just had to look in the right place.
He was on his way to Quatre's place. It seems he was not the only one plagued
with haunting twisted dreams. Trowa answered the door when Heero rang, leading
him into Quatre's library. It was his place to escape when he was stressed or
upset. Trowa had informed him that Quatre had been there frequently lately.
Heero hoped he could be of some help. He sat down across from Quatre, who was
staring into the cup of tea cradled in his hand. Trowa stepped out to have a
cigarette and to let them talk privately. "I wish he'd quit." Quatre
commented as he watched Trowa exit the room. Heero just nodded. What else could
he do since he started up again as well? Hilde had always nagged him to quit
and finally he relented. She was probably turning in her grave that he started
again. "Trowa tells me you've been having some strange dreams." Heero
started. Quatre sighed and shook his head. "They're the type of dream that
I know is trying to tell me something.... I just can't see what it is."
"Can you describe it to me?" Heero pressed. Quatre raised an eyebrow.
Heero had never taken an interest in his dreams before. "It's Hilde. It
takes place at the scene of the murder.... I think. It's so dark and jumbled
that I can't get a good grip on it.... But...I can SEE her and she's crying.
She says I don't understand. That she's trying to reach someone...But I don't know
who." Heero wasn't ready to spill the beans on his own dreams just yet. He
pressed further. "How long has this been happening?" Quatre set his
tea down and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. "Oh, let's see. I'd say a
week after the murder." He looked up at Heero. "Strange thing is,
last night was different. Something else happened." Heero leaned in.
"Like what?" Quatre looked around the room, as if he was wary of
someone eavesdropping. "I don't know. It gives me a weird feeling. If I
tell you, you've got to promise not to tell anyone. I mean ANYONE, Heero. I
don't think anyone's supposed to know." Heero gave his word. Quatre leaned
in more, his voice a bit shaky. "Ummm... The dream wasn't the same. Hilde
was there, but she wasn't crying. She sounded desperate. She was all blue
and...." He had to swallow and catch his breath. Heero patted his knee to
comfort him. "It's ok Quatre, take your time." He nodded and
continued. "She's standing by the trees and she reaches out and takes my
hand. She leads me away to the edge of the woods. She turns to me. Her face is
so pale...She points in the distance and tells me in a hoarse whisper 'He isn't
looking in the right place.' I look up and it's the old asylum." Heero
frowned. "How can the answer be in there?" Quatre reached behind him
to grab a folder. "I thought the same thing. Strange enough, I went
through their files and found something very interesting. It seems that it was
a very confidential file, but someone we know has been admitted involuntarily.
It's censored on who admitted the patient. It was kept very under wraps. This
is all I could sneak through." Heero took the folder, skimming through the
files and pages. His hand froze as he stared at the document he was looking
for. "What? This doesn't make sense. How?" Quatre shook his head.
"I don't know, but isn't it ironic? I mean, I had no clue about this, then
the dream. I don't know, I have a hunch they go together." Heero studied
the file some more. "Why? Can't it just be mental problems?" Quatre
shook his head, sadly. "Never seemed crazy to me. I wish we didn't grow so
far apart or else I could be of some help." Heero put the files away and
stood. "Is it alright if I take these?" Quatre stood up to walk him
out. "Yes, yes. I got them for you." He paused at the doorstep.
"Heero?" Heero turned to look at him. Quatre had grown so much and
had grown stronger in years past. Still, he looked so innocent and vulnerable,
standing with his arms crossed, hugging them to his body as if he were chilled.
"Hn?" Heero answered. Quatre scowled. "Nail this bastard."
Heero nodded and continued to his car. Trowa came to stand by Quatre, watching
quietly as Heero backed out of the driveway and headed down the road. Quatre
looked up at him, watching the breeze stir long locks of hair across his face,
shielding his deep green eyes from the setting sun. "Do you think he can
solve this case?" Quatre asked, hopeful. Trowa sighed. "With the
amount of evidence we are sorely lacking, I don't think ANYONE can. But if we
have any hope at all, my money's on Heero." Quatre nodded and followed
Trowa back inside.
Heero drove home, deeply disturbed by the file in his possession. Could
this be linked to Hilde somehow? And how would it fit together? How could he
have not known that an old acquaintance suddenly got thrown into a nuthouse
with no obvious reasons? He couldn't shake off his anxiety as he pulled into
his driveway and entered his house. He got ready for bed, skipping dinner for
the third night in a row. He climbed out of his clothes and slipped into bed,
opening the file. Reading over it again, he decided he had to know. First thing
in the morning he would head out to the asylum and seek out the answers to the
questions in front of him. "What do you know?" He asked to the
picture on the top page. He was going to look for answers in the one estranged
person he would never have thought to help him. He read the name again before
tossing the file onto his nightstand. He laid in the dark, staring at the
ceiling. What could she know? How could she possibly be connected with this?
There was only one way to know and he would find out tomorrow. He would get his
answers from her - Dorothy Catalonia.
Chapter 3
Heero pulled up to the asylum. Getting out
of the car he walked past the stone sign with the words "Hawthorne
Institute for the Mentally Distressed." engraved on it. He shook his head.
They should of just put 'nut house'. It was basically the same thing. After
showing his badge numerous times, Heero finally got through to the high
security level. Even with his badge and identification, he was having a hard
time getting through. After what seemed like hours he was finally walking down
a long corridor, following a guard much younger than himself. "Do you know
why she has been put in here?" Heero asked. The guard turned his head
slightly and shook his head slowly. "Nah. All I was told was that she was
highly dangerous and psychotic. When she first got here she used to fight. They
put her through some sort of shock therapy. I think she's quite calm now, but we're
told to not take any chances." He turned more to look at Heero. "What
business do you have with her, might I ask?" "I'm investigating a
case in which she might have been involved. That's all I’m at liberty to
say." Heero replied straight faced. His tone left enough insinuation not
to ask any more questions. They finally came to stand in front of a steel door.
"She's been restrained so you can go in. We'll have you on camera so
you'll be safe. Good luck Detective Yuy." The guard unlocked the door and
stepped out of the way. Heero took a deep breath before entering the room.
There she was, sitting in the corner, curled up. Heero took a closer look and
frowned. She wasn't curled up on purpose. They had her bound in a straight
jacket with a chain attached to the wall. Her long platinum hair coiled onto
the floor in a long single braid. "Dorothy." was all Heero could
muster to say. She looked up slowly. There were so many emotions that ran
across her face as she saw him, but then the blank expression returned.
"Heero.... Heero? What are you doing here?" She asked slowly. He
could see the dark circles under her eyes, evidence of her lack of sleep. He
was sure he looked the same. "I.... I have some questions. I need to
know...Did you know about Hilde?"
Dorothy looked away for a moment. "She's dead, isn't she?" She
asked softly. Heero nodded. He noticed that Dorothy kept her eye on the camera
positioned behind him. "I.... I’m being watched...I can't tell you
anything." She whispered, her eyes darting back and forth between the
camera and him. He frowned. "Why are you in here?" He asked plainly.
He was startled by her laugh. "I'm crazy! Why the fuck do you think I’m in
here!?" Something about the look in her eye told him she was covering up
something. She was lying. He had to find out why. She frowned as she thought.
"You came here looking for answers.... But you didn't need to." He came to kneel next to her. "But you
have the answers don't you?" She backed up. "Heero you don't
understand.... I’m.... I’m here against my will. Your actions are gonna bring
them back and they're going to torture me again..." He swung around as he
heard the lock on the door turn. He watched, concerned as Dorothy's eyes
widened in fear as 3 men came in and proceeded to unchain her from the wall. “I
told you. I told you!" She whispered fiercely. "I'm not done asking
questions." Heero said as he stood. The guards pushed past him and grabbed
the now struggling Dorothy. "You are for today. It's time for her
treatment." She knew she would pay for doing this, but she had to take the
chance. "Heero! Heero, they're going to shock me again cause of us
talking! I said too much!!! She was pulling against the men holding her arms
and dragging her out. She flung her legs wildly to stall for time. "Why?!
Why is this happening?!" Heero called out as he started to follow, only to
be blocked by another guard. "It's what I know! I'm in here cause of
HER!!! I know too much!! Listen to what she's trying to tell you Yuy!!" He
could hear her yelling curses down the hall until she was too distant from him.
He walked out of the cell, deeply troubled. Something really strange was
happening.... But he didn't know how to start to solve it. He walked back to
the file clerk. "I need a copy of a patient's file." The old man
turned to him. "Name." Was all he stated. "Dorothy
Catalonia." He saw the man's back stiffen. "I'm sorry, that file is
confidential." Heero scowled. "Why?" The man shrugged.
"Don't quite know. All I know is I can't pull up any information. It's
blocked." "Hn." Heero replied and left the building. Dorothy was
going to suffer, but for what? What did she know? He was in deep thought on the
drive to Relena's. Something didn't fit. The hall he had to walk down to get to
her cell was the wing where they kept serious criminal offenders, serial
killers and such. What did Dorothy do to end up there, and why? Second, Why was
her file unavailable? Nothing was ever published about her. As a detective he
was permitted to look at confidential files, but not hers. He pulled up to
Relena's and walked to the door. Third, How did this tie in with Hilde? Nothing
was making sense, how did Dorothy fit? Why was she monitored so closely? He
pushed the questions aside as Relena's butler let him in. "Ms. Relena is
in the sitting room with Mr. Maxwell." He announced. "Thank
you." Heero said politely as he walked to said room. Relena's eyes lit up
as he walked in. Heero noticed that Duo was looking better, a good sign of
Relena's pampering he was sure. "Hey buddy." Duo greeted as Heero
took a seat. He wanted to keep the case away from Duo. He needed to heal.
Hearing how so far off the force was at solving this was not going to help.
Relena agreed to keep it away from him too, which helped. "So what are you
two up to today?" She asked, sipping her tea. Heero shrugged.
"Whatever, I guess." He really didn't have anything planned. He just
thought he should spend some time with Duo, since he really hadn't had a chance
to lately. Plus he could use a break himself. Duo stood and stretched. "Well
let's get out of here, before Relena decides I need more rest." She
laughed as she swatted him with her napkin. "There's nothing wrong with
rest. But, you should get out for a while. Go on you two." She walked them
to the door. Heero stopped to talk to Relena as Duo headed for the car.
"It's good you came by, Heero. He's done nothing but mope around here. He
needs you." Heero nodded. "You've been a great friend to him, Relena,
I'm sure he appreciates it." She just nodded and waved them off. Heero
stepped into the car and started it. He stole a quick glance at Duo. He wasn't
looking as cheerful as he did inside. "So...Where are we going?" Duo
asked. Heero shrugged. "Anywhere you want." He gave Heero a pleading
look. Heero felt he wasn't going to like where this was headed. "Take me
home Heero." He sat puzzled for a moment, the car idling in the
driveway...Then it hit him what he meant. "You mean...Yours and…." He
cut himself off. Duo's eyes pleaded with him. "Please Heero. I just want
to go back, just for a little while." Heero sighed. "I can take you
there. But to what purpose?" His voice softened. "She's not there
anymore, Duo." Heero regretted his words as Duo burst into tears.
"I.... I kn-know." He sobbed. "I just want to go there anyway.
Please..." Heero backed out of the driveway. It was true. Duo had stayed
at Relena's all this time and not once since he found out about Hilde's murder
had anyone let him go back. Maybe he needed this to heal. Whatever Duo's
reasons, Heero felt compelled to allow him this. "Don't tell Relena or
I'll never hear the end of it." Heero warned as he sped off in the
direction of Duo and Hilde's prior home. Duo chuckled and swiped at his eyes.
"Neither would I. It's our secret. They arrived within an hour. Duo got
out of the car and just stared. It was a small 2-bedroom house, two stories.
Small and quaint, that's how she described it. Heero stood behind Duo. "Do
you want to go in alone?" Heero asked. Duo shook his head. "No....No
I need you there." Heero nodded and put his hand on Duo's shoulder, giving
him the support he so needed. Together they walked up the small steps. Duo
unlocked the door and let it swing open. They stared down the hallway,
illuminated only by the sun's rays behind them. Heero was a bit apprehensive.
He had been having dreams about Hilde continuously night after night. He
couldn't help but feel an eerie disturbance coming from the house. Duo stepped
in and slowly walked down the hall. "It's so dark in here. Let me see if I
can find a flashlight." "I have one in the car." Heero called
out. "Ok, go get it." Duo called back in the dark. Heero hurried back
to the car and opened the glove box. Checking to see if the batteries worked,
he quickly walked back up to the door. Duo wasn't in the hallway anymore.
"Duo?" Heero called out. Nothing. "Shit." Heero muttered,
clicking on the flashlight and slowly creeping through the house. Why was it so
dark in here? His eyes scanned the lighted areas, taking in furniture, a pair
of shoes, and little knick-knacks. He heard a creek and swung around towards
the stairs. "Duo must be up there." He turned back around and dropped
his flashlight as Hilde's face startled him. He crouched down, and retrieved
his light and pointed back to where it was. He sighed in relief. It was just a
picture. "Pull yourself together man, you're losing it." He muttered
to himself. It was a pretty recent picture, just a portrait. He smiled as he
remembered. It was Quatre's garden party. Hilde had asked him to take a picture
of her, because she joked that she never would be that dressed up again. Her
hair was adorned with baby's breath, with one peach blossom above her ear to
match her sheer peach colored dress. Everyone commented on how lucky Duo was
all night. He really was lucky. He shook the memory away and turned away from
the picture. Her eyes. They haunted him in a way he couldn't describe. All he
knew was they didn't change in his dream. Her eyes pleaded with him, just as
they looked in the picture. He walked up the stairs. One of the doors was open.
It was Hilde and Duo's bedroom. Duo was sitting on the bed, staring at more
pictures, tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked up at Heero. "Hey
man, come in." Heero did slowly. Duo had opened the shutters, letting in
the soft light of approaching dusk. Heero sat next to him on the bed.
"This was mine and Hilde's first Christmas. God she's so beautiful."
Duo said to Heero. Heero was concerned about him. "Duo..." He
started, but didn't know what to say. Duo shook his head. "It's ok, man.
I'm ok. I just…. I miss her ya know?" Heero nodded. "I know."
After countless tales and memories, Duo walked over to his drawer. He pulled
out a box. "Look Heero. I bought these already. It's a shame I never got
to use them." He opened the box and pulled out one gold ring. Heero felt
his eyes water. This wasn't fair. Fate was cruel in pulling these two apart.
"Where's the other one?" Heero asked. Duo smiled sadly. "Mine
didn't fit me, so I had to leave it at the shop. But Hilde's...Hers was
perfect." He held it up for Heero to see. It was gold, with vines made in
rose gold etched around the center.
He put in Heero's hand. "Hang on to it for me." Heero's head
shot up. "What?!" Duo's violet eyes pleaded with him again. "I'm
afraid it will get stolen if I leave it and I can't bring it back to Relena's
or she'll know we were here. I can trust you with it. Please keep it for
me." How could he say no? Duo went through his drawer again and pulled out
a chain. "Here." He grabbed the ring and looped it through the gold
chain. "Keep it close to you. Maybe it will help you on your case."
Heero took it and slipped it around his neck. He felt goose bumps spread across
his body. "Why would it help me?" He asked. Duo shrugged. "Look,
Heero. I know I’ve been kept away from this whole thing. And I know why and I
agree it's probably too much for me to handle right now. But there were no
leads, Heero, and you haven't brought anyone to justice. It's not going well.”
Heero just nodded. Duo winked. "It's for luck...It will keep her close to
you." Heero jumped off the bed. Duo frowned. "What's wrong with
you?" Heero felt shaky. "I can't take this..." He took the ring
still on the chain and tossed it back to Duo. "It's not right. I can't do
it. I'm sorry." Duo caught the ring, but kept his eyes on Heero, who
looked like he was about to lose it. "Heero, calm down. I want you to keep
it for me. Just until I get back on my own. What's wrong with you?" Heero
tried to control himself. He WAS losing it. Duo said offhanded stuff like that
all the time... He sighed and caught the ring Duo tossed back at him.
"I'm...I'm sorry. I haven't gotten much sleep lately." Duo frowned.
"You should get some rest, man, you're working yourself to death." He
led Heero out, following the light of the flashlight down the stairs and out of
the house. He stopped to stare at it a while, taking it in, before getting in
the car. It was a silent drive back to Relena's. Heero pulled up and put the
car in park. "Look, Duo, I'm sorry I haven't solved this case yet. I just
want you to know that I’m trying -" Duo put his hand up to stop him.
"Heero, I know. You're doing all you can. There isn't much to go on. But I
know you'll do it. My money's on you buddy, it always has been. Don't be a
stranger, ok?" Heero nodded. "And get some sleep, you look like
shit." Duo commented as he got out of the car and walked up to the house.
Heero drove off, but not home. He didn't want to go to sleep. He knew he
wouldn't get any rest anyways. He stopped at a convenience store for another
pack of cigarettes. He stood outside and tore open the box, eager for the
relaxing buzz he was craving. He stood there and thought of somewhere to go.
After about 15 minutes and 3 cigarettes later he headed home. He needed to
work. He realized if he ever wanted to sleep or rest and get on with his life,
this needed to end. After changing into a pair of sweatpants and brewing a pot
of coffee, he sat at the kitchen table with his stacks of files. He opened the
one Quatre got on Dorothy. It didn't reveal much, only saying she was admitted
almost 2 weeks before Hilde was murdered. No one admitted her, at least no one
specified. He closed the file. But she had said she was there against her will.
How did the guards know what she was talking about with him? In all the mental
facilities he had ever been in, not one room in the entire place had been
bugged for sound. Yet as soon as Dorothy began to reveal stuff she was cut off,
and probably put through shock treatment again to silence her. How could he get
information without being heard? How could he ask the right questions? He would
have to visit her again, but not too soon. He needed to come up with something.
His fingers played with the gold band dangling from his neck. He was tired. His
body screamed for him to sleep. He had to chance it. He couldn't stay awake
forever. He cleaned up his mess and walked to his bathroom. After brushing his
teeth he crawled into his bed. He eyed the lamp on the nightstand, almost
afraid to turn it off. "They're just dreams Heero, get some sleep."
He said aloud to comfort his nerves. His hand finally clicked off the lamp and
he settled under the covers. It was a long while before sleep took over