Sylvie

Out of habit, Elle looked at the rooftops of the various buildings and didn’t immediately see anything.   Walking slowly back to her home, Elle studied the trees for anything that stood out as an anomaly. Sensing that her guest was merely paranoid, Elle hurried back inside her home and tossed the red garments in a corner. “Good riddance.”  She lightly shivered thinking about how she’d worn red.  “Charles, It looks like the coast is clear.”  Elle proclaimed as she entered an empty living room and picked up a hastily scrawled note from Charles.

“Agent Miller, I took the opportunity to leave when you went out of the back door.  You have everything I discovered and documented.  I trust that you will handle the findings with dignity and professionalism.  Just get the skull if possible to corroborate what you already possess.  -Professor Charles Sheppard.”

Elle burned the note so as to not leave a trace for the professor. “Happy Trails and good luck.”  She grabbed the cryptic note and unfolded it once more.  Elle found one of her legal pads and wrote the alphabet starting with ‘K’ and stopped when she reached ‘A’ as the twenty-sixth letter.

-Step one down.-

Next she wrote the letters again, but this time in proper order.  Lining up the two strips of paper, Elle quickly substituted the incorrect letters with the right ones until the letter she needed to read was before her.

—

 Elliecat,

A quick little note to let you know that no matter what you may see in the coming days, know that I love you and not everything is as seen.

If you find this little note that I've tucked into your least-used jacket. (Since I know you hate red, this might be here for years)

Follow the little riddle within.  Find our favorite botanical garden, you got it in your head?  Where we got engaged.

There's a building across that we've used often as well.  Locker 1031 combination 28159

I love you and have fun with this.

-Angelie

—

Issues with the professor cleared up, Elle took the time to study the cryptic note that Angelie left behind.

-Botanical gardens?  The only ones I know are just on the border with the City of Norfolk.  Angelie, my love, you liked the gardens far better than I did.  I love the butterfly exhibit at the science museum.-

Using her phone, Elle typed in the generic search for botanical gardens for the area and only one came up. “Just like I figured.”  She zoomed in on the site and then started looking over the other buildings for the added hint that was also in the letter.  Once Elle saw the layout of the roads, her memory showed her the exact place that the couple used to attend.

Called the Greek Orthodox Wellness Center, it was a semi-round building that was across the street from the church itself.  Elle recalled that what had attracted the couple to the facility was the non-judgemental attitude of every person who worked there.  Unlike many Christian organizations, this congregation had an open-door policy with regards to homosexuality.  Elle recalled that the first day they stepped foot in the wellness center, the couple had been treated with dignity and respect as though they were part of a small family.

Years and plans for the future were made with the help of the myriad of folks that Angelie befriended, and ultimately they’d decided to get married at the botanical gardens and have the reception at the wellness center so everyone could have a unique experience, other than being dressed in ties and dresses.  

-That’s the gardens.-

Elle chastised herself in forgetting the place where the two were to be wed, but with good reason. All of their best-laid plans were interrupted permanently when Angelie went to work for the group, led by the mysterious entity ‘The Darla’.

Slowly but surely the future that Angelie had planned for both of them, slipped away and more time was being spent at that farmhouse.  Elle tried to keep up the pretense that things were fairly normal and that Angelie was just busier than before thanks to her new security job.  Eventually, Elle stopped showing up to the center and the church just to avoid the questions.

-You chose Darla over me, and I don’t know why.  You never told me the whole story.  Now I have this cypher and mystery in our locker.  Oddly with a new combination.-

Finishing up her second cup of coffee, Elle reluctantly got off the sofa and headed for her front door.  Just as she reached for the knob, her doorbell chimed.

-What the?-

Taking a second to look into the peephole once more, Elle saw Deputy Director Powell standing in the hallway.  With a heavy sigh, Elle unlocked the door and stepped out of the way.  “Come on in, what can I do for you boss?  I left you a message with my leads.”

Sarah breezed past her agent and to the living room, and pointed to the television. “Tell me you have nothing to do with this mess, Elle.”

“You have to be a bit more specific.  You asked that I keep things to myself the best I can so the evidence wouldn’t be tainted.”  Elle pointed to the TV, “If you mean, did I have anything to do with the caravan being killed? No, I didn’t.”  Taking a moment to wriggle her nose and purse her lips, Elle amended her statement. “I didn’t have anything directly to do with that mess in Petersburg.  I have, however, looked through most of the boxes and letters that are now floating down the river.”

“What about the missing gentleman who worked in the clerk's office?  Didn’t you just have a dinner date with the guy?”  

“Yes?  So what?”  Elle inquired. “How did you know that Noah was missing?  It’s not in the news and I just found out myself, through a source I can no longer name.”

Sarah plopped down on the sofa and began rubbing her temples. “How many saw you with him?”

“Only the entire restaurant.”  She snapped her fingers and smiled, “They also watched me leave alone.  How’s that?”

“I don’t need the sarcasm, Agent.”  Sarah looked up from rubbing her temples. “This is the second shit show you have been involved in within a damned week, Elle.  First you take on Casey Rivers alone, and that goes viral.  Let it get out that you were in the vicinity of this truck incident and this becomes a fucking nightmare.”

“Let me add a log to the fire.”  She pointed at the crucifix and the little blown-up picture of the waitress.  “She even waited on our table and I paid with a credit card.”

Deputy Director Powell stood up and walked to Elle’s kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee, taking the time to let the hazelnut calm her nerves. “Do you have cream or just use milk?”

Half stomping to her refrigerator, Elle pulled out a small container of hazelnut cream to match the coffee. “Help yourself.”  Elle sighed and leaned on her counter. “Are you pulling me from the case boss?  I did find some interesting things out.  I was about to look deeper into that skull and the strange happenings around Colonial Heights, other than the cross-killer.”