Nick and Co. belong to J.P. and Co., I am only borrowing them
for a short time.

   This story is set early in the second season. It is the third
in a series of  "Jenny" stories that I have written. The others
are available on my fiction site at:
 http://www.patriot.net/uers/piercelh/kathy.html  or from the
ftp or web sites. This one can certainly stand alone. The only
thing that you need to know is that Jenny Schanke is aware
of Nick being a vampire.  I'm afraid that this one is a bit
darker than the others.
   Permission to archive on the web site is granted.



Little Secrets
part 01/14
by Kathy Whelton
(c) 1997


    Donald Schanke glanced down once more at the colorful
brochure that he held tightly in his hand. This was it.  All that OT
that he'd been pulling would finally pay off. He just couldn't wait to
see the look on Jenny's face when she saw this.  Camp Dunlop
for Girls. Two whole weeks of swimming, horseback riding, and
songs around the old campfire. He may not be able to give
her all the fancy clothes and things that some of her friends
had, not on a cop's salary, but he could give her this.

   He rapped lightly on her door then swung it open without
waiting for a response. He frowned at the sight before him.
There she was, on the computer, again. He never thought
he would wish for her to be on the phone, or even glued to
the boob tube downstairs, anywhere but stuck to that keyboard.
He choked down the words before he could say what he was
thinking. He wasn't going to let this spoil his news. "Honey..."

    Jenny whirled in her seat, her dark ponytail bouncing as she
turned.  She was well over her allotted on-line time for the
day and they both knew it. "Daddy, I..." A thousand excuses
danced in her head, none of them worth the paper they
weren't written on. In the end she settled for that mournful
look that her father had never been able to resist.

   Don perched himself on her bed and beckoned her to
him. "I'm not here to get into that argument right now," he
assured her. "Come here. I want to show you something."

   Delighted to be let so easily off the hook, Jenny bounced onto
the bed.  She had seen far too little of her dad lately and was
grateful that this wasn't going to degenerate into another
shouting match about the internet.

    "Ta da!" Schanke snapped open the flyer with a flourish. "You,
young lady, are going to camp. Camp Dunlop to be more precise.
Two whole weeks of fun in the sun, sleeping under the stars."
Schanke giggled with excitement. "Looking at this makes me
wish I was still young enough to go along."

   Her father's enthusiasm was contagious. Right up until the time
her brain managed to process the information. "Camp?" she
questioned, her face slowly sinking. She looked carefully at the
brochure, still held tightly in her father's hand. "What do you
mean camp?"

   "Camp, camp." Schanke gestured broadly. "What do you think
it means. Getting away from the city, out into the fresh air. Your
mother and I feel bad that we haven't been able to get up to the
cabin at all this year, I wanted to try and do something to make
it up to you. "Look." He turned the flyer over to reveal the pictures
on the back. "They have canoes and horses."

   "What about electricity?" Jenny asked with a growing sense
of unease.  She glanced over at the computer without even
realizing it. "And running water, that kind of thing?"

   "Who needs it?"  he continued. "When you have something  like
this to wake up to every morning?" He pointed dramatically to
the shot of the sun glimmering off the surface of the lake.

   "This is really nice of you Dad," Jenny hesitated. "I'm just not
sure it's something I'd be interested in."

    "Not interested?" he questioned. "How can you not be
interested?  You've always loved the outdoors. You love horses."

     The disdain was evident on Jenny's face. "That was like two
years ago, Dad. They shed and they smell bad.  This is really nice
of you and Mom, but if it's all the same to you, I'd just as soon
stay home."

   "Well, it's not all the same to me." Schanke stiffened and got
up off the bed. "I worked my butt off in the last few weeks to get
the money together for this. Do you think that money grows on
trees?" His eyes slid over to her desktop where the computer
sat silently awaiting her return. "That's it, isn't it?" He gestured
pointedly with the flyer. He could feel his anger beginning to
rise. "You don't want to leave that thing, even for two lousy weeks."

   "Dad," Jenny started. "That's not it at all." Her protests seemed
thin, even to her. "I just don't feel like sleeping in a tent for two
weeks." She scrunched her face up tightly. "There's probably
all sorts of bugs and snakes and things too."

    "It's not going to work, young lady. You're the one who had
the snake collection last year if I recall." Schanke flung the paper
down and headed for the door. "You're going to camp, miss,
whether you like the idea or not." He glanced down briefly at
his watch. "Now I'm going to be late for work--again. Shut that
thing off and get to bed." Don Schanke strode from the room,
pulling the door firmly behind him.





    Schanke pressed himself into the cool plaster at his back, his
eyes fixed firmly on the closed door across the aisle. Timing was
everything in this job. One false move, one moment of hesitation
too long and all could be lost. He felt a cool trickle of sweat
down the side of his face, but he paid it no mind.

    "I think she's in the ladies room, Schank, you're safe." The
smooth voice mouthed the words directly into his ear.

     "Jesus, Knight, don't do that!" Schanke turned and looked into
the cool, blue eyes of his partner. "You just cost me ten of the
best years of my life." He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
How his partner could manage to sneak up on him in a room
crowded with cops always amazed him. A smile touched his lips.
"The ladies room, you say?" He glanced skyward. "There is a God."
Schanke hurried quickly to his desk and claimed his chair.
"If Cohen catches me late one more time this month, it's curtains."

    "She was looking for you earlier," Nick stated. "I told her you
were in the evidence locker looking for the weapon from the
Gibson case."

    "Thanks, buddy," Schanke replied. "I owe you one."

    "You owe me more than one," Nick grinned. He glanced up
at the clock. His partner was running even later than usual
tonight. "What's up, Myra late from a Skin Pretty thing again?"

   "Naw, not this time." Schanke threw down the report he had
been attempting to read. "It's Jenny, and I think I blew it, big time.
It's almost like I don't know her anymore, Nick. I had this big
surprise all planned for her tonight, that she was going to camp.
I thought she'd love the idea, instead she just turned her nose
up at it." Schanke shook his head. "Man, oh man, what I wouldn't
have given for a chance to do something like that when I was
her age. But my dad was a sewe..." Schanke stopped just
short of finishing the sentence.

   "What did you say, Schank?" Nick looked up from the report
on his desk. It was uncharacteristic of  Schanke to stop mid-ramble.

    "I said my Dad was a city worker. There wasn't any money
for something like this."

   "Maybe you just took her by surprise? Maybe she needs a
little time to get used to the idea?"

    "I wish I could believe that." Schanke leaned forward into the
desk. "I don't know, Nick. She scares me sometimes. She's only
nine years old and she's so smart. Almost too smart for her own
good."

   Nick silently agreed. The investigative job she had done on him
had been nothing short of astounding.  "She's an amazing young
lady," Nick replied. He certainly didn't need to be convinced
any further.


   "Did I tell you that they double promoted her? They want
her to skip the third grade and go directly into the fourth this fall."
Schanke shook his head. "I don't know where she gets it, certainly
not from my side of the family," he snorted. "But she doesn't
seem to have any friends anymore either.  She almost never
goes outside of the house. She's always on that damn
computer. I thought that this would be good for her,
get her out in the fresh air, be with
some kids her own age."

   "I'm sure it'll be great for her, Schank. She'll come
around, you'll see."

   "Maybe you could talk to her for me, Nick?" Schanke looked
earnestly at his partner. "She's had a bit of a thing for you since
you baby-sat for her that time." It seemed to him that Nick always
had that effect on the female of the species, even if they were only
nine years old. "Maybe she'll listen to you."

   "I don't know," Nick said reluctantly. "I think this is something
you should settle within the family."

   "Come on, Nick. You are family. Why don't you come over
for dinner tomorrow night? Afterwards you can have a little chat
with Jenny."

   Nick's stomach churned at the prospect. "Why don't I come
over after dinner?" he returned. "I'll give you a ride to work; that
way you won't be late again." Nick hesitated briefly. "If Jenny's
still awake, I'll talk to her." Nick looked up to see Amanda Cohen
striding across the floor. "Now, we better get going on the Gibson
case, or we're both going to be in hot water."

    "Thanks, Nick, that's another one I owe you." Schanke stood
up beside his chair and stretched. "Evening, Captain," he
 volunteered with the slightest trace of a grin on his lips.

    Amanda Cohen glanced at her watch. "That's thirty-five
minutes you owe me, Detective Schanke, just for today.  At this
rate you might as well plan to stay and work the day shift as well."

   Schanke smiled weakly. "That's funny Captain. The day shift."
He turned and faced his partner as the Captain departed. "How
did she...?"

    Nick shrugged. "Who knows. Let's get to work."

   end part 1
   comments welcome
   Kathy  103045.2473@compuserve.com
   http://www.patriot.net/users/piercelh/kathy


Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 12:56:23 -0500
From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM>
To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu
Subject: Little Secrets 02/14


Little Secrets
part 02/14
by Kathy Whelton
(c) 1997


      The following evening, Nick knocked lightly on Jenny Schanke's
bedroom door. "Jenny," he ventured quietly. "Are you still awake?"
His sensitive hearing could make out the sound of a computer being
turned off. A moment later, Jenny came bounding to the door.

   "Of course I'm awake," she responded, opening the door widely.
"I've been waiting for you."

    "I thought you were grounded?" Nick inclined his head in the
direction of the computer table.

     "Oh, that." Jenny smiled sweetly up at him. "I won't tell any
secrets if you don't."

    Nick grinned in spite of himself, but was reminded of how easily
this odd little relationship of theirs could spell disaster. Nick
quickly hid his amusement. "I expect you to obey your parents,
secrets or no secrets."

    "Oh, all right." Jenny flopped down on the bed. "I'm glad you
made it in time for dinner. It was really funny to watch you
push that meatloaf around on the plate."

    "Well, as long as you're amused, that's all that matters," Nick
responded with a wry grin. "That reminds me." He reached into
his coat pocket and pulled out a rolled up handkerchief. "The
meatloaf." Nick handed the bundle carefully to Jenny. "Your Dad
will notice the smell if I carry this around all night."

   Jenny took the handkerchief from him. "I'll feed it to the dog
next door." She returned his smile. "I'm sure it'll be a nice change
from all the lima beans I give him.  I suppose you're hear to talk
me into this camp idea?"

    "Something like that." Nick sat gently down on the end of her
bed.

   "I don't know what the big deal is here. I'm just not interested
in going to camp, that's all there is to it." Nor could she believe
what a fuss everyone was making about it. Her mother had
given her the hard sell this morning, which is how she had lost
her computer privileges. She simply wanted to be left alone, to
get her work done. Why was that so hard for everyone to
understand?

    "The big deal is that this is very important to your Mom and
your Dad." His conversation with Myra tonight had indicated
that she was no less concerned with Jenny than Schanke was.
"They went to a lot of trouble to do this for you. They wanted
to make you happy. It would be nice if you could show a little
enthusiasm, if only for their sakes." Nick leaned heavily into
the bed. "Besides, it does sound like fun."

    "Spoken like someone who has never been sent away
to camp." She looked at him closely. "Am I wrong?"

    "No you're not wrong," he responded. "I've never been sent
away to camp." He thought carefully before continuing. "But I was
sent away from home to learn what I needed to be a knight when
I was even younger than you, and for a lot longer than two
weeks."

   Jenny's small face clouded. "How sad. You must have missed
your family very much."

   Nick felt his heart catch. Could she possibly believe that he
missed them still? "I did," he answered simply. "But I learned a
lot of things, and I made a lot of friends. You will too; you just
need to give it a chance."

   "All right," she sighed. "It doesn't seem like I have much of a
choice anyway.  I suppose I might as well make the best of it."
She studied him carefully. "Now are you going to tell me what
that's about, or do I have to guess?"

   "Oh, this," Nick replied. "It's for you." He slid the book out
from under his arm and handed it to her. "A little something to
keep you busy at camp. You won't believe what the night sky
looks like away from all this light pollution in the city."

    "365 Starry Nights," she murmured.

    "If you can pick out say, twenty constellations, when you get
back..."

    "You'll buy me that laptop?" Jenny finished eagerly. "If I can
point out fifteen constellations?"

     "You can negotiate your price when you get back," he
paused. "And I said twenty." Nick rose off the bed and pulled
the covers down for her. "Now, I have to get to work, and you
need to get some sleep."

   Jenny reluctantly slid into the bed, pulling the covers close
around her.  She always had a tough time sleeping on the nights
her Dad worked. For a long time it was her concerns over his
partner that had kept her awake. There just weren't many people
you could talk to about suspecting that someone you knew was
a vampire, especially if he also happened to be a cop. Once that
little matter had been settled, her concerns had become more
mundane, but no less frightening to her.  She just wanted her
Dad to come home in the morning. "You'll keep an eye on him?"

    "I always do, honey." Nick bent over and kissed her lightly on
the forehead, then gave her covers an extra tuck.  "I always do.
You sleep tight, I'll see you when you get back."

    "Good night, Nick," she called to him as he pulled the door
closed behind him.



    Jenny watched as the her parent's car drove slowly out of sight.
She certainly didn't envy them the drive back to Toronto.
The long drive up here, much of it on bumpy rural roads, was
more than enough to suit her for one day.

    She easily shouldered her Pocahontas backpack and took in her
surroundings.  It was beautiful here; she couldn't deny that.  Large
fir trees encircled the camp, giving the feeling that they were totally
isolated from the rest of the world. In front of her sat a
very pretty lake, the rays of the late afternoon sun bouncing off
of it. Slightly off to the right, out of sight but not out of the range
of hearing were the stables. She felt a thrill of anticipation. Despite
what she had told her dad, she was looking forward to seeing the
horses. She had always liked them, if only they weren't quite so
big close up.

     The small cluster of cabins that formed a circle in the middle of
the camp was strangely welcoming. They were certainly a big
improvement over the tents that she had imagined would be
here.  Although she had been right about the electricity and
running water. She took a deep breath, the indoor plumbing
too, it would seem. Oh well, it was only for two weeks. She
could do anything for that length of time, as long as it made
her folks happy.

   Jenny wandered slowly towards the small cabin that she
had been assigned and where the rest of her belongings
had been stowed before her parents left. All around her were
clusters of girls,  seemingly old friends from previous years
at the camp; their raucous laughter an unpleasant reminder
of how alone she felt. She opened the door cautiously, her
eyes slowly becoming accustomed to the darkened interior.
She spotted a lone figure diligently unpacking a suitcase so
large that it could, perhaps, be rightfully called a trunk.

    "Take any bunk you like," the girl mumbled, not quite looking
up to meet Jenny's questioning stare. "I think it's just the two of
us." The girl was dark blond, her hair falling into her eyes. She
was heavyset and maybe a year or two older than Jenny's nine.

    "Thanks." Jenny walked over the adjacent bed and
dropped her backpack onto it. "Have you been here before?
 Everyone else..." Jenny gestured to the doorway and the small
crowd of girls outside.

   "Naw," the girl answered. "My Mom moves me from camp to
camp every two weeks or so. That way, she thinks she can fool
me into not realizing that I've been shipped off all summer long."

   "Oh." Jenny plopped down on the bed. "Sorry." There really
didn't seem to be much else to say to her new roommate's
revelation. "This is my first time at camp."

    "No kidding," she commented sarcastically. "I just love your
luggage," she said, indicating the eclectic collection of bags that
were piled in the corner. The girl paused a minute before turning
to meet Jenny's eyes for the first time. "Now I'm sorry.  That was
rude. It isn't your fault that my Mom sends me away all summer.
I'm Sarah Ward."

    Jenny rose from the bed and stuck her hand out in greeting. "No
problem, I'm Jenny Schanke."



end part 2
comments welcome
Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com
http://www.patriot.net/users/piercelh/kathy
From 103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COMMon Nov 10 10:37:00 1997
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997 11:57:49 -0500
From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM>
To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU
Subject: Little Secrets (03/14)

Please see disclaimer and acknowledgments in part one.

Note: Thanks to everyone who wrote to let me know that some
of the links on my fiction page are down. Unfortunately, there's
nothing I can do about it until Monday. The two stories that precede
this, "Jenny's Surprise" and "Christmas Surprise" are both on
the fanfic web site.


Little Secrets
part 03/14
by Kathy Whelton
(c) 1997



     "Sarah." Jenny nudged her friend's arm, more firmly this time.
"It's no use. I know you're awake; you can't fool me."

     Sarah's eyes flew open. "I told you this afternoon. I changed
my mind, I don't want to go."

     "What are you?" Jenny whispered to her companion. "Afraid
of the dark?" Jenny gestured with her outstretched hands.
"Afraid bigfoot will get you?"

     "I am not afraid," Sarah returned too quickly. "It's against the
rules to leave the camp after lights out.  And we're bound to get
caught."

     "We are not going to get caught. I have it all worked out.
Mary is the C.I.T that checks everyone on Thursday nights, she
never bothers to look under the covers. All we have to do is make
a big lump with the sheets." Jenny demonstrated eagerly with her
own bunk. "We'll be back before anyone knows we're even gone."

   "I still don't understand why you can't look at the stars right
here in camp." Sarah turned on her side, still hoping that this
was all a bad dream.

    "I told you," Jenny explained, exasperated with her new-
found friend. " There are too many trees and buildings and things.
I can't get a clear view of the horizon. I can't collect enough
constellations this way."

   "So you get a new computer out of this. What do I get?"

   "The satisfaction of knowing that you helped a friend?" Jenny
tried weakly. There wasn't much more that she had to offer.
Sarah certainly didn't want for material things, you only had to
look at her clothes to tell you that.  Jenny turned and grabbed
her backpack from the bed, loosely stuffing the astronomy text into
it. "I guess I'll be going alone then." She hoped her voice
sounded firmer than it felt.

   "Are you sure that this is only going to take a couple of
hours?" Sarah questioned. "I can't afford to get caught." Her
mother was currently honeymooning in Europe with husband
number three. Getting expelled from camp would not go over
well. On the other hand, Jenny was the one friend she had made
since arriving over a week ago, she'd give anything not to lose that.

  Jenny brightened. "I have it all worked out. It's only two
kilometers up that old logging road to the clearing on the hill
overlooking the camp. We can scoot up there and be back in
no time."

   "You better be right about this," her friend warned.

    "Of course I'm right." Jenny slung the pack onto
her back and headed for the door. "I'm always right."




     Jenny took moment to glance up at the night sky. Nick hadn't
been kidding when he said how amazing it would be. The number
of stars above them was almost unbelievable; the sky an inky
black. He had failed to mention though, just how dark it would be
as well. She supposed that didn't matter to him, in fact, he
probably enjoyed it.

       She peered once again into the gloominess of the road
ahead, trying not to let her imagination get the best of her. She
snugged her Pocahontas backpack closer and tried to take some
small comfort in it. This must have been the way the whole
world looked three hundred years ago, when Pocahontas was alive
Totally absent were the familiar noises of the city. All around her
she could hear the sounds of the woods; the wind rustling in the
tree tops, the snap of a dried branch, the hoot of a stray owl.  She
had become somewhat accustomed to the forest in the week and
a half that she had been here. That was the daytime though;
somehow every little creak and groan sounded more ominous
in the dark. She knew logically that the animals were far more
frightened of her than she should be of them. Then again, there
were other things in the dark as well. She certainly wasn't naive
enough to think that Nick was the only one. She was pretty willing
to bet that they weren't all homicide cops either.

     Jenny watched as her friend tried valiantly to keep up with her,
the beam from the flashlight wavering as she walked. She really
did need to do something special to thank Sarah for this, she
would have turned back long ago if not for the company. "It's
not too much further," Jenny rationalized. "Then we can sit and
take a break."

    "I thought you said it was two kilometers?" Sarah gasped
out the question. "We've gone at least three"

    Jenny struggled to quell the fear that somehow they had taken
a wrong turn in the dark. She had made a careful note of several
prominent landmarks during their last hike, but the dark had
made all that pretty useless.

    The sudden sight of the two beams crossing the road startled
them both. With it came the undeniable sound of a car engine.
"I told you they'd catch us," hissed Sarah. "Now I'm in for it. If
my mother has to come and get me, it'll be boarding school this
fall for sure." She was already well aware of her new step-father's
plans in that regard.

    "I'll tell them it was all my fault, that I made you come," said
Jenny.  Her father would blow his stack, but, in the end, they
would forgive her, her mom and dad always did.

   "Hey, that's not..," Sarah's voice weakened. "That's not the truck
from camp." The van that had pulled beside them was a motley
shade of dark brown, windowless other than the cab.

   A warm smile appeared on the face of the man as he hung
his head over the window. "Aren't you two ladies a little far from
home at this hour?"

   Jenny took a step back from the truck and spoke with a
confidence that she did not quite feel. "Not really," she answered.
"We're out here on a field trip from the camp. Our counselors
are coming right behind us."

    "Really," he commented. "That's odd. I've been on this road
for quite a few kilometers now and I haven't seen anybody." He
slowly swung open the door of the truck. "Maybe they got lost?
Or maybe," he continued with an amused expression on his face,
"you two have gotten yourselves into a bit of trouble and just don't
want to admit it." He smiled openly. "That's it, isn't it? Well, you don't
have to worry, I won't tell anyone. It'll be our little secret."

   Jenny watched as Sarah visibly relaxed to the man's words.
"We are lost," Sarah quickly informed him. "We left camp
without permission. We're going to be in big trouble if anyone
finds out."

   "Sarah!" Jenny exclaimed. She nudged her friend
sharply. "Don't tell him that."

    "No need to worry ladies," he chuckled. "No one needs to
know anything about this. I'll give the two of you a lift back to
camp, no one will ever know you were gone." The man jumped
from the truck and rested against the side panel in a relaxed
manner. He was a lot bigger than he had seemed in the truck,
a lot taller than Nick even. He slid down the side of the truck
and crouched to bring himself eye level with the girls. "Why don't
the two of you just hop in the back?"

   Jenny took another step back, tugging Sarah along with her.
"That's all right," she responded. "If you'll just point us in the
right direction...we'd rather walk."

    "Speak for yourself." Sarah pulled her arm away from Jenny.
"It's the middle of the night and I'm tired. This was all your stupid
fault anyway. I just want to get back to camp."

    "Sarah, no!" Jenny spoke with some emphasis, all the warnings
she had ever heard from her Dad danced in her head. She reached
out and pulled Sarah towards her once again. "You know better
than to ever get into a stranger's truck."

     The smile slid quickly off of the man's face. "So we have a
real Girl Guide here I see. Maybe you should have thought of that
before you left camp." He reached out quickly and grabbed Sarah's
hand. "You, get in the truck." With his free hand he slid open the
side panel to the van.

   "No!" Jenny exploded. The force of her reaction startled both
Sarah and her assailant.  Jenny lashed out with her right foot,
planting it forcefully into the man's knee. He folded momentarily,
as much in surprise as pain, his fingers loosening their grip on
Sarah's hand.

   "Run!" Jenny screamed at her friend and spun around to do
so as well.  Her feet tangled briefly with one another and she
stumbled. Jenny recovered quickly and began sprinting down
the road, looking for an opening in the dense undergrowth into
which she could make a more likely escape. She felt the strong
tug on her backpack straps as he pulled her up short. She slipped
the straps quickly off her shoulders and poised herself
to flee again, the contents of the bag spilling as she did so.

   "Not so fast," the harsh voice boomed directly into her ear.
"You're not going any where." He grasped her firmly, a rough
hand cutting off her scream. He dragged Jenny's flailing body
back to the van and tossed her easily inside.

    He scanned the dark wooded area surrounding the truck.
There wasn't much point in trying to find the other one. The
places that she could conceal herself in the woods were
virtually limitless. It didn't matter anyway; this one had far
more life in her. He eased himself into the cab, his knee
still sore from where she had kicked him. She would pay for
that as well.  He would have to be careful though, the other one
was bound to talk. That didn't matter either, he grinned slowly
as he started the engine. Not where they were going. It never did.



end  part 3
comments welcome
Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com

From 103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COMMon Nov 10 10:37:14 1997
Date: Sun, 9 Nov 1997 09:40:13 -0500
From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM>
To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU
Subject: Little Secrets (04/14)

Little Secrets
part 04/14
by Kathy Whelton
c 1997



    The stench was overpowering; that was first thing she noticed
as she gradually regained consciousness. That, coupled with the
lightheadedness proved to be too much for her; Jenny promptedly
emptied what little remained in her stomach onto the hard-packed
dirt floor.

    "That was a mistake." A thin beam of light appeared from above
her head. Jenny fought to focus her eyes as the man from the
van descended the ladder. "Now you'll have to clean it up." He
was almost giggling. "Or not. I guess it really doesn't matter to me.
You're the one that has to live with it."

     Jenny shrank back against the wall. The meager light from
the candle in his hand cast flickering shadows around the dank
cellar. The granite behind her back was cold and wet to the touch.
"Where am I?" Jenny managed. The raspiness of her own voice
taking her by surprise. She vaguely recalled screaming
uncontrollably before he pressed a thin, sickly sweet smelling cloth
over her nose and mouth. Then, nothing.

    "I would think that would be fairly obvious. You're in my home--
well, one of them anyway--now it's your home too."

   "No." She felt a chill run through her at his words. "I'm not
staying here."

   "Oh, but you are. Hopefully for a good long time." He smiled at
her, his appearance a stark contrast to his words.  He was neatly
dressed, his hair clean and recently cut.  He placed the small
candle down on one of the few pieces of furniture in the room, a
thin, rickety, wooden table. The man slipped a canteen off of his
shoulder and held it out to her. "Here," he offered. "Take it, it's water."

    Jenny scuttled forward and took the container from him, the
dry burning in her throat more pressing than her fear. "They'll
be looking for me."

    "Of course they will." There was that smile again. She was
beginning to hate it. "For a while. But there are a lot of woods out
there; they'll give up eventually." He turned and started up the
ladder. "I have to get to work now; I wouldn't want anyone to
notice anything...unusual. But I'll see you tonight, when I get back."
He placed one foot on the lowest rung. "Oh, about the knee." He
rubbed it lightly with his hand. "I'm afraid you will have to pay
for that."






   Would it always there she wondered, that moment of hesitation
before she slid open the elevator door, that split second when she
wondered what might lie beyond?  It had been there since the night
that he had oh so casually handed her the code to his alarm system
and told her to use it anytime. Anytime. The gesture had been
anything but casual and they both knew it. Security was everything
to him, to his kind--God, she hated that word--she knew that his very
existence depended on it.  It had been the ultimate act of trust for him,
and a turning point in their relationship as well. Somehow they had
gone from being doctor and patient to being friends without ever
knowing quite when or how.

   The day that she had walked in on him and Janette had only
added to her trepidation. She'd gone over it a thousand times in
her mind. As much as she would like to think that it was nothing
but a trick of the light, she had seen the flash of amber in his eyes,
and how, for just an instant, he had seemed poised at Janette's
throat. Then it was gone. Over. At least for the moment.

   Natalie slid the door open. If he trusted her enough to give her
free access to his home, she knew she needed to return the
gesture; to show him that she wasn't worried about what she
might find there. Today, she almost wished that she wouldn't
find him. That she wouldn't have to be the one to tell him. No such
luck. He lay on the couch, oblivious to her entrance, and apparently
everything else as well. She walked over and returned the phone to its
receiver. In the center of the loft stood his easel and upon it a
partially completed painting; another sun, as if the loft needed
one. She touched it lightly, the surface was still tacky. He must
have painted for most of the day before crashing on the couch.

    She glanced over at his sleeping form, still dressed as he had
been the night before, a tiny smudge of paint at his cheek marring
the porcelain skin. Who was it that said it was best to let sleeping
dogs lie? It didn't even begin to cover waking up a vampire in the
middle of the day.  Natalie sat down beside him and brushed the
hair off his forehead. "Nick," she said quietly. "Nick, wake up."

   He reached out and grasped her hand, firmly, but gently and
drew it to his chest.

   Natalie attempted to pull her hand away but he held it tight.
A thin smile crossed his lips but his eyes remained tightly closed.
"You're awake," she stated firmly, shoving him in the midsection.

   "I heard the elevator," he murmured in acknowledgment,
snuggling her arm even more closely to him. "But this is a much
nicer way to wake up."

   Natalie finished extricating her hand. "You may not think so when
you hear what I came to tell you."

   "What's up?" Nick rose abruptly from his reclining position, all
trace of sleep gone from his eyes.

    "I've been trying to get a hold of you for a couple of hours."
Natalie inclined her head in the general direction of the phone. "I
really hate it when you cut yourself off like that."

   "It ruins my concentration." He could tell by the look on her face
that, whatever it was, it was serious.

    "It's Jenny Schanke," Natalie reported, trying desperately to keep
her voice steady. "She's missing."

    Nick ran his fingers through his already tousled hair.  "Missing?
What do you mean she's missing?  She's still at camp."

    "When she didn't show up for breakfast this morning, they
checked her cabin. She wasn't there. Her roommate was still asleep;
she claims she didn't hear a thing." Natalie paused, she knew how
well the rest of this would be received. "They're going on the
assumption that she ran away."

    "Ran away!" Nick exploded. "She's nine years old and that
camp is in the middle of nowhere. Where would she go?"

    Natalie ignored the question. "Apparently her bunk was made
up so that it looked like someone was sleeping, and her backpack
and some of her things are gone. All that, added to the fact that
she didn't really want to go there in the first place..."

    "But she was having a great time. Schanke showed me a letter
from her just two days ago."  Schanke. Nick looked to Natalie for
her reaction. "He and Myra must be out of their minds."

   "They're both pretty upset. They headed up there as soon as
they got the call."

    Which is what he needed to be doing too. Nick stood abruptly.
"What time is it?"

   "It's only about three o'clock." She had debated the wisdom of
telling him so early, when there was virtually nothing he could
do about it.

     "Five hours..." Nick's voice trailed off. Wonderful. His friends
were in need and he was useless to them until the sun set. "Damn,"
he muttered under his breath. He set his foot on the edge
of the coffee table and pushed firmly, launching it into the hearth,
the thin wood splintering under the impact.

    "Well, that was productive," Natalie commented. "What
are you going to do for an encore?"

    "There's nothing I can do," he snapped.  "That's the point, in
case you haven't grasped it. I'm stuck here until the sun goes
down."

    "I was planning to head up there now, whether I found you
or not," Natalie replied tightly. "It's about a four hour drive. I
could give you a ride. It would get you there right around sunset."

   "Four hours in the trunk, now that sounds really appealing,"
he said, disgusted. He looked over at Natalie. She was just as
worried about Jenny as he was; she certainly didn't need to be
dealing with his anger as well.

   "I'm sorry." He slid back down on the couch beside her. "I
didn't mean to take it out on you." He gave her hand a light squeeze.
"Yes, a ride would be great. Thank you." He could feel the anger
draining from him. He needed to keep a clear head if he was going
to be of help to Jenny or anyone else.  "Let me take a quick shower
and throw a few things together, then we can get going." He paused
before heading up the staircase. "I don't believe for a minute that
she ran away, and wherever she is, Jenny's going to be waiting
for me."



end part 4
comments welcome
Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com
My FK fiction page:
   http://patriot.net/~piercelh/kathy.html

From 103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COMMon Nov 10 10:37:22 1997
Date: Sun, 9 Nov 1997 09:40:06 -0500
From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM>
To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU
Subject: Little Secrets (05/14)

  Please see standard disclaimers and acknowledgments in
part one.


Little Secrets
part 05/14
by Kathy Whelton
c 1997


      Natalie cruised slowly through the center of town. A car like
the caddy would attract enough attention already in a small town
like this, she didn't need to antagonize the local police force right
off the bat by speeding. Not that they seemed to be too busy.
Half the storefronts she passed as she drove through town
appeared to be boarded up, and the residential properties with
'For Sale' signs far outweighed those without.

   She passed what appeared to be the town hall and pulled
into the first likely alley that she spotted. It also appeared to
be the only alley in town, but that was beside the point. Overflowing
trash cans lined the sides of the adjoining buildings and, if their
contents were any indication, beer was the chosen beverage
of the entire population. Natalie eased the caddy down the narrow
passage, the last thing they needed at this point was to lose a
tire to the glass that lay scattered about.

   It wasn't yet full dark, but in the shadows of the building, the
light was probably dim enough for Nick to get out of the car.

    The alleyway appeared to be deserted, in fact, the whole town
seemed unnaturally quiet, even for a community of its size. She
rapped lightly on the lid of the trunk and was immediately rewarded
by its opening.

    "I'm sorry about the ride," she grimaced. "The roads were
pretty bumpy." Between her concern for the Schankes and
the condition of the road, it had been the longest drive of her
life. She couldn't imagine having to do it in the dark confines
of the trunk.

    Nick slid on his sunglasses and stepped cautiously from the
back of the car. The light level was high, but not intolerable. He
felt a dull buzzing sensation on the exposed areas of his skin.
Luckily the sun was setting, not rising. This was as bad as it
would get.  "And I thought you were hitting every pot hole on
purpose, just to get back at me for the loft." He managed a
thin smile. "Where are we?"

   "Litchfield, population 6,230, if the sign on the road can be
believed. According to the map, it's the closest town to the camp
where Jenny was staying. We passed what looked to be a combination
town hall, police, and fire station on our way through town."

    "Any sign of  Schanke or Myra?" Nick asked, studying his
surroundings with a practiced interest.

    "I didn't see them, or their car," Natalie answered, "but there
were quite a few vehicles parked out front. It would seem the
logical place to start."

   Nick pulled the collar of his jacket up over his neck. "Ready
when you are."

   "Actually, I want to ask you something before we go." Natalie
placed a light restraining touch on his arm. She had been turning
this over in her head almost the entire drive. "Back at the loft you
said that Jenny would be waiting for you. What exactly did you
mean by that?"

    Nick failed to meet her eyes. "I just meant that I didn't believe
she had run away.  That she knew we'd be looking for her."

   "That's not what you said," Natalie persisted. She could always
tell when Nick was trying to hide something from her, he had
that look all over him right now. "You said she'd be waiting for
*you*; I find that a rather odd comment, given the situation."

   "All right." Natalie was bound to hear this sooner or later, maybe
sooner would be better for both of them.  Nick rested against the
back of the caddy, bracing himself for what was to come. "She knows."

   "She knows? She knows what?" The implication of Nick's words
slowly dawned on her. "You can't mean that she knows you're a..."
Natalie spared a furtive glance for the alleyway before proceeding,
"vampire." Natalie exploded, "You told her?"

    "Of course I didn't tell her," Nick returned. "She figured it out."

     "She figured it out?" Natalie was now staring at him in utter
disbelief. "She's nine years old, Nick, how could she have figured
something like this out?"

     "She was eight when she did it," Nick recalled glumly. "She's
a pretty amazing kid, and children are always more perceptive
about this sort thing than adults are.  She'd been suspicious of me
for a while. My getting arrested on that murder charge gave her everything
she needed." Nick smiled. "She actually tried to blackmail me, if can you
believe it. Turns out that she was just worried about Schanke," Nick
dropped his eyes to the ground, "and what I might do to him. After I
promised her that nothing bad was going to happen, we turned out
to be pretty good friends."

   Natalie gently took his hand. "She means a lot to you, doesn't
she?"

   Nick nodded, his eyes scanned the sky. "And now she's out
there, in the woods somewhere, and it's getting dark. She's
afraid of the dark, although she'd never admit it. She'll be
counting on me to find her, Nat. I don't want to let her down."

   "You won't," Natalie replied softly. "Anyway, we've been out of
touch for a while, maybe they've already found her." She tugged
on his sleeve. "Let's go check in."




      Jenny awoke with a start, lifting her head off of the thin, bare
mattress. The small candle had long since burned out and now
the tiny amount of daylight that had filtered through the room's
single, boarded-up window was waning. It would be dark soon.
As awful as this place looked in the dim light, she dreaded what
it would be like once it was gone. She curled herself further into
a ball, hoping to warm herself. It was so cold and damp in the
cellar, it was hard to believe that outside, it was still August.

    Jenny hugged her knees to her chest and rocked lightly. She
brushed at her cheeks, hoping to hold back the tears that had
begun, once again, to stream down her cheeks. Crying wasn't
going to help her get out of this mess, she needed to think.
She needed to come up with something, anything that would
attract attention of the people who would be looking for her.  And
they were looking. That she knew. Despite what _he_ had said,
she knew that her Dad would never stop looking, no matter how
long it took him to find her.

   The thin creak of the trap door caused Jenny's heart to leap into
her throat. She hadn't even heard the sound of the van, and that
wasn't good. She at least wanted to be prepared when he came to
see her. Jenny rose to a sitting position as he moved carefully
down the ladder to the cellar floor.

   "There you are," he commented cheerfully. The tall man still
wore the same clothes he had this morning, but the crispness was
gone, the cotton creased and wrinkled. His hands were darkened
with something other than dirt. "I do hope you've had a good day.
I know I did. There was quite a bit of excitement in town; it
seems some little girl wandered away from camp last night." He
brushed hand up and down his sleeves as if to wipe away some
invisible residue. "I even got to join the search party for a while."
He smiled. "We didn't *find* anything, of course."

   Jenny jumped to her feet. "My Dad will find me, and when he
does..."

   "Whoa there, little lady. Don't get yourself all worked up." There
it was again, that thin smile that she hated. "I got to meet your
Dad today. He was a real hero, stumbling around the woods in
that suit jacket and tie. You didn't tell me he was a cop, a homicide
detective, no less." He looked at her closely. "That's not going to
get him too far out here, I'm afraid."

    Jenny bit into her lip. He just didn't know her Dad, and there
was no point in telling him. The more confident he was, the better
it would be in the long run. "I need to use the bathroom," she said
thinly.

   "What's the matter?" He walked away from the ladder and
gestured to the damp area in the corner where she had been
forced to relieve herself earlier in the day. "You don't care for your
accommodations? No one else has ever complained."

   Jenny's face colored hotly at his remarks. "I'd rather use the one
upstairs."

   "I'm sure you would. Maybe, in time, with the right amount of
cooperation, that may be possible.  I'm afraid that for now
you'll just have to make do."

   Jenny was halfway up the ladder before she even realized that
her body was moving. If she could just get past the trap door, she
could slam it down on him and lock it from the outside. Her right
knee gained a hold on the kitchen linoleum before she felt him
grasping at her other ankle. She drove her foot downward, hoping
to shake the hand loose, but it only tightened around her foot. He
pulled her firmly, her fingernails giving way as she dug them into
the unforgiving floor, desperate to find a hand hold.

    "That was not the kind of cooperation I had in mind." He was
almost laughing as he lifted her small body down the ladder.
His hands lingered too long over her thin torso and she recoiled.
"Not the kind of cooperation I had in mind at all."

  Abruptly, he shoved her across the room towards the mattress.
"I was even thinking of giving you something to eat tonight, but
not now." He smiled again. "Before long you'll be begging for
my attention."  He rose quickly up the ladder and slammed the
trap door shut. Jenny could hear the sharp sound of a deadbolt
sliding into place.

    Jenny sank down on the mattress and hugged her knees to her
once again. She began gently sucking on the shredded remains
of her fingernails, trying to ease the pain. <No one else has ever
complained.> His words played over and over in her head. If there
had been others, where were they now? Inside the small room, full
dark had fallen. Maybe the darkness wasn't such a bad thing
after all. By now, someone else would be looking for her as well.



end part 5
comments welcome
Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com
Subject:   Little Secrets (06/14)
   Date:     Mon, 10 Nov 1997 18:26:45 -0500
  From:     Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM>
     To:      FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU

Please see standard acknowledgments and disclaimers in part one.

Little Secrets
part 06/14
by Kathy Whelton
(c) 1997

      Don Schanke drummed his fingers impatiently against the
battered, overflowing, file cabinet. The Police Chief's cramped
office was made even smaller by the horde of deputies, volunteers
and press that were crammed into the tiny space. In the center of
the room stood Chief Bannon, holding court. His booming tones
transcending the underlying din. The buttons of the Chief's uniform
shirt were strained to the maximum, barely containing his corpulent
form. The sight was enough to make even Donald R. Schanke
swear off donuts forever. Overhead, a cranky ceiling fan brought
little relief to the group that had spent the better part of the last
twelve hours combing the humid, mosquito infested forest.

   It had taken two of the Chief's burliest men to drag him
forcibly from the woods at the onset of dusk, and only the
threat of additional, physical force kept him in his seat. This
 was not right, this was not right at all. No way should he be
sitting here, doing nothing, while out there somewhere... He
 couldn't even let his mind go there. If he thought of his little
angel, his Jenny, out there in the dark somewhere, he would
lose it. As it was he could barely keep himself from charging
across the room and wrapping his fingers around Bannon's
throat.

   He never even realized how close to the edge he was until he
saw the familiar, blond head duck through the doorway of the
outer office. Schanke felt the hot sting of unshed tears rise and
threaten to spill over. Any second now he was going to be bawling
like a baby in front of this room, crowded with strangers.

  Nick caught sight of his partner's face, teetering on the brink of
disaster, the moment he stuck his head into the room. The crowd
parted as he took the room in three long strides, his black
duster swirling behind him. He grabbed Schanke roughly from his
chair, forcing him into a headlock, pressing Schanke's face into
his shoulder. Nick jabbed him roughly on the arm, pivoting
his friend away from the view of the curious onlookers.

   "You okay, Schank?" Nick whispered into Schanke's ear.

    Schanke nodded, his face still buried from view in Nick's
shoulder, grateful for the moment to pull himself together.  He
finally disengaged himself from Nick's forceful embrace.
"Thanks for coming, partner." He silently acknowledged
Natalie's arrival as well.

    "Still nothing?" Nick questioned.

     "Nothing." Schanke's response had a hollow sound to it. "We
combed the woods all day. Not a trace." He continued in a
strained voice. "The Chief there brought the main search party
in at sundown. He said that *I* would only get in the way." Schanke
did his best to mimic the Chief's irritating tones. "He wants to
regroup and start fresh in the morning. All he left out there was
a skeleton crew of deputies and local volunteers." He looked up
at Nick with anguished eyes. "She's out there all alone in the
dark, Nick," he said, his emotions threatening to overwhelm
him once again.

   "I know, Schank, I know." Behind them, the large group had
grown silent. "Let me see what's happening."

   Nick turned and walked towards the Chief, extending his hand
in greeting. "I'm Detective Nick Knight, Detective Schanke's
partner. What can I do to help?"

    Bannon slowly returned the handshake. His eyes lingering
over Nick's silk shirt and tailored pants. "I don't know, what
can you do?"

   The comment caused a murmur of amusement in the circle
closest to the two men. Nick's expression hardened. "How about
an update on the investigation?"

   The Chief brought his arms akimbo and puffed enthusiastically
on the stub of a cigar he had remaining. "An update?" he
questioned with a hard stare. "Off hand I'd say that we have a
little girl whose wandered off into the woods. My aim is to find
her as soon as possible. Is that enough of an update for you?"

    "Not really," Nick's eyes glittered coldly. "Are you still
operating on the assumption that she ran away?"

    Chief Bannon eased his bulky frame against his desk.
"Let's see, she left the camp without telling anyone, not even
her roommate, that she was leaving and she brought her
backpack and some of her belongings with her. Tell me,
*Detective*, what does that say to you?"

    "What about her clothes, her personal effects, were those
gone as well?" Nick pressed.

     Bannon shifted on his feet. "Well, she did leave some things
behind," he stated, his voice uncertain for the first time. "Look,
tomorrow we're bringing in the dogs from Sprucedale. We'll
find her and I'll bet she never pulls a stunt like this again."

    "Why you..." That was it. Schanke launched himself across
the room and directly at Bannon's throat, only to find himself
pulled up abruptly by his partner's strong grasp.

    "This isn't the time, Schanke, or the place," Nick practically
hissed in his ear. As much as he too would enjoy getting a
piece of this guy, Jenny had to come first. He spun to face the Chief
once again, his hand still imbedded in Schanke's arm. Nick's gaze
wandered over the Chief's desk as he turned, he attention drawn
immediately to an object that was laying on top.

     "Where did you get this?" Nick quickly snatched the book
up from the desk. He turned it over carefully, handling by the
edges. "365 Starry Nights." The pages were warped and the
cover spattered with dirt.

        The Chief was taken aback the ferocity with which the
question was delivered. "Um...one of the volunteers brought it
in. It wasn't hers though, we checked." A smug look of satisfaction
crept over his face.

   "He's right there, Nick," Schanke commented wearily. His last
outburst had cost him what little energy he had left. "It wasn't
Jenny's."

    Nick brought himself directly into Bannon's face. "It's mine,"
he stated coldly. "I gave it to her. She brought it to camp with her,
I'm sure of it. Now exactly where was it found?"

    Chief Bannon turned, grateful to be out from under Nick's
relentless gaze. "Cooper," he shouted, as if he wouldn't be
heard within the confines of the small office.

   A young, fresh faced officer stepped to the front. "Yes, sir."

   "Where exactly was this book found?" Bannon barked sharply
at the officer.

     "Rim Road." He turned to Nick to explain further. "It runs,
oh, two to three kilometers northwest of the camp."

     "It was dusted for prints before it was left here I assume?" Nick
questioned.

     Cooper's face colored brightly. "Actually, no. I wanted to, but..."

     "We do things a little differently around here than you do in
the big city," snorted Chief Bannon. "We don't have the time or
the equipment for that sort of thing."

      "You don't have the time or the equipment," Nick commented
incredulously. "This is still the 1990's isn't it? I haven't stepped
back through time or anything?"

    "We do things our own way, and we don't much appreciate you
big city pretty boys coming in and telling us how to go about our
business." Bannon's face was turning a deep shade of purple as
he spoke. "You're a guest in this town and in this investigation.
Don't you forget that."

    Nick brought himself face to face with Bannon once again. "If
anything happens to that girl because of your negligence..."

   The Chief's teeth dug deeply into the remnants of his cigar.
"Don't you threaten me."

    Nick jabbed a corner of the book sharply into the Chief's chest.
"You haven't even begun to know what it means to be threatened
by me," Nick growled. "And believe me, you don't want to."

   "Nick!" Schanke tugged strongly on Nick's arm. "This isn't the
time, remember." Schanke dropped his voice and whispered into
Nick's ear. "You won't do Jenny any good if you're locked up
in a holding cell in the back."

   Nick's shoulders sagged. Schanke was right, of course. This
would get them nowhere. "Let's get out of here." The pair moved
towards the door where Natalie was waiting.

    "You were pretty quiet in there," Nick commented to her as
they stepped outside.

   "Someone had to be available to post bail in case you two got
yourselves tossed into jail." She cast a meaningful look in Nick's
direction. "You should know better than to let yourself get that
angry."

    "I know, I know." Nick shot her a guilt ridden look. "But
what *was* that?"

     "I have no idea," Schanke responded. "He's had that attitude
since this whole thing started. Like this whole town is his little
domain or something."

     "Have you called the Ontario Provincial Police?"

      "Of course I did, first thing," Schanke replied. "They say their
hands are tied; it's not their jurisdiction. All they can do is monitor
the investigation unless he requests their assistance, or if we have
evidence that he is mishandling the search. So far, he's done
everything by the numbers."

    "Maybe Cohen can do something about that," Nick mused. "I
think she still has a number of friends in the OPP." Nick looked
around. "Where is Myra by the way?"

    "She's back at the dive that passes for a motel in this town. The
local doc gave her something to sleep. I booked you a room there
too, but I'm warning you, it's a total dump."

     "Don't worry, Schank," Nick managed a thin smile, "I've
stayed in some real holes in my time. Thanks for thinking
of us though. You should get back there, Myra needs you now."

    Schanke looked quizzically at Nick. "What are you going to do?"

    "I'll drop Nat off at the motel, then I'm going to catch up with
the rest of the search party. Maybe I'll take a look around where
the book was found."

   "I'm coming with you," Schanke said resolutely.

    "No." Nick answered more quickly than he intended. He laid
his hands on his partner's shoulders. "You're exhausted, you were
out there all day. You'll only slow me down at this point. Morning
will come soon enough." All too soon for Nick's taste, and he
was doing nothing here but wasting valuable time that he could
be spending searching for Jenny. "All right?"

   "Okay," Schanke agreed reluctantly. "My car's right here, why
don't you guys follow me?"

************

    "I guess Schanke wasn't kidding when he said he'd booked 'a'
room for us." Nick unlocked the room with some difficulty then
swung the door wide open. Natalie jumped as a small, furry
animal collided with her foot, then skittered across the room.

    "What was that?" she asked, startled.

     "A field mouse." Nick snapped on the overhead light with a
broad grin. "Don't tell me that someone who cuts up dead bodies
for a living is afraid of a little mouse?"

     "It just surprised me," Natalie responded, looking carefully
around. She wasn't exactly afraid of mice, she just wasn't all
that eager to spend the night with one either. A single bed stared
back at them from the center of the room. "If it wasn't totally
ludicrous given the circumstances, I'd suspect that Myra the
matchmaker had a hand in this."

    "Look, Nat, this isn't right. I'll just..."

    "You'll just what Nick? Try to find another nonexistent
hotel room in this town, or sleep in the caddy? Bannon would
have a field day with that if anyone spotted you." Natalie walked
over and tossed her things on the bed. "We'll be fine." She
turned to face him with a grin. "Unless, of course, you have
some other deep, dark secret that you're keeping from me?"

    "Me?" Nick asked innocently as he slid his arm around her
shoulders. "To you," he smiled, "I'm an open book."

    "Yeah, right." Natalie slapped him lightly on the chest. "Too bad
I don't read whatever language it's written in."

   Nick brushed his hands lightly against her hair. "You better
get some sleep, you must be exhausted."

   "I will. I'm going to head over to the Schankes' room first
though, and make sure Myra doesn't need anything. You better get
going."

   "I'm leaving right now." He kissed her lightly on the forehead.
"Wish me luck."

    "Luck," she called softly as he slid out the door. She had the
awful feeling that he was going to need it.

end part 6
*************

Subject:     Little Secrets (07/14)
   Date:       Mon, 10 Nov 1997 18:26:38 -0500
  From:       Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM>
     To:        FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU

Little Secrets
part 07/14
by Kathy Whelton
(c) 1997

    Natalie awoke with a start, unaware even that she had been
sleeping. It seemed to her that she had switched on the light at least
a thousand times during the night, only to find that a mere ten
minutes had passed. In the dim light, she could make out Nick's
still form, silhouetted by the tightly drawn shades. He was slumped
in the only chair the room had to offer, a silver flask gripped tightly
in his hand. She didn't know whether to be unnerved by his presence
or not; it was disturbing that he had gotten in the room so easily
without her having heard a thing.

     "Hey," she called to him softly. "How did it go?"

     "It didn't." Nick drank deeply from the flask. "I didn't find any
trace of her at all."

        Natalie slid off the bed and padded towards him, the hem of
her T-shirt falling to her knees. "There's a lot of territory out there.
You couldn't possibly have covered it all." She paused but got no
reply. "Nick?" she prodded him. "Remember, no deep, dark
secrets."

     Nick sighed. She would never understand this; how could she?
"I know her, Nat. I know her scent, her sound. If she had been in
those woods, living or dead, I would have found her." Could he
possibly explain to her how he opened his senses to the night in
ways that he had not allowed himself in a long, long time. That he
felt the old thrill of the hunt overtake him; the exhilaration of
skimming through the trees, the cool air whipping around him, only
to touch down then take to the air again. The knowledge that
everything in the night feared his passing?

    She walked up to him slowly and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"You did the best that you could." He was soaking wet and very
cold to the touch. Vaguely she realized that the amount of light
seeping in through the shades was not consistent with the clock.
It must have started to rain sometime during the night; great, just
what the search party needed to contend with.

    "Yeah." He screwed the cap tightly on the flask and slid it into
his pocket. "It just wasn't good enough." He was so sure that he
would find her. He hadn't even wanted to consider the alternatives.
"There's a small lake just on the north edge of the camp."

    "I know," Natalie responded. "They're planning to drag it today.
The local paper reported a hiker finding an abandoned canoe on the
far bank. Nick, you don't think...?"

    "I'm not sure what to think anymore, Nat." He looked up at her
suddenly. "Did you ever go to camp?"

     Natalie grinned at the memory. "There was one summer..."

      Nick cut her off. "What was it like? I mean with the other kids?
Did you get friendly?"

      "Yes, very," she responded, confused. "What are you getting
at, Nick?"

      "Sort of like the army," he said more to himself than to her.
"Bonding under fire and all. Don't you think it's a little odd that
she left without saying a word to anyone?"

     "Her roommate," Natalie said with a sudden clarity. "But the
Chief said she had been questioned, that she denied seeing or
hearing anything."

     "How much would you tell that man?" Nick looked up at her
again. "Maybe you'd have better luck. What do you think about
swinging by there today and talking to her?"

     "It can't hurt. I did promise Myra that I would distribute some
flyers this morning, I could head over after that."

    Never in his eight hundred years could he remember feeling
quite so powerless. "Thanks, Nat." He slid his hand over hers. "I'm
sorry if I've been taking this out on you; I know this can't be easy
on you either."

   "As long as we find her, that's the important thing."

*****************

     Jenny's small body braced itself at the sound of the dead bolt
sliding back. At least he seemed to be falling into a predictable
routine, a visit in the morning before he left for work and when
he returned, then another before he went to bed for the night. At
least he would not be able to linger as he had done the night before;
her stomach churned at the memory. Her mind scrambled hastily,
already confused by the lack of night and day. This was still a
weekday, she assured herself, only two nights had passed since
her arrival.

    Her heart leapt at the sight of the tray in his hands. She had been
without food for so long she was beginning to think that he had
no intention of feeding her at all. He stepped quickly off the ladder
and placed the bowl on the small table. "Go ahead, it's for you,"
he assured her. "I think you've probably learned your lesson by
now. Good behavior will be rewarded, any more little stunts like
you pulled yesterday will be punished severely."

    Jenny eased her way to the table, careful to avoid coming within
his reach, and sat down. She never thought that a bowl of oatmeal
could look or smell so good. She dipped her spoon into the congealing,
gray mass and virtually inhaled the contents in a few
short minutes. "Thank you," she said in a thin, small voice. She
was already learning that the key to avoiding his anger seemed to
be a quiet gratitude for his imagined kindnesses. He was dressed in
much the same way as he had been the day before. The more she
knew about him, where he went, how he spent his time when he
was not with her, the better off she would be. "What is it you do?"

    "Ah, interest. That's good, that's very good, I knew you'd fit in
well around here," he commented with a grin. "I am an esteemed
member of the Fourth Estate, a journalist to be precise, or at least
what passes for one around here." He glanced at his watch.
"Speaking of which, I do need to run. Lots of news to report these
days you know. They're planning to drag Crystal Lake today for
the body of that little girl.

    She could hear his laughter as he traveled across the floor
upstairs and out the door.

*************

     Natalie knocked softly on the cabin door before swinging
it open. "Hello," she called. "Anybody home?"  A single girl sat
silently on the bunk in the far corner of the room, oblivious to
Natalie's entry. About the room were scattered various personal
belongings, all in some stage of being packed into the large trunk
that was set in the middle of the floor.

    "Are you Sarah Ward?" Natalie questioned. "The director told
me that this was Jenny's cabin, I hope I'm in the right place."

    "This is it," Sarah mumbled her response.

    "Hi, I'm Natalie Lambert. I'm a friend of Jenny's. Do you mind if
I come in?" Natalie glanced around the room. It was primitive, yet
cozy. She could well imagine the fun that they had had here, prior
to Jenny's disappearance.

     "Suit yourself. The police took all her things." The words were
offered in a frightening monotone.

      "I know," Natalie responded. "That's not what I'm here for.
I wanted to see where she had been, maybe talk to some of her
friends." She sat down next to Sarah on the bed. Her face was red
and swollen, her hair unkempt. "So you're Sarah," Natalie started.
"I read a few of Jenny's letters from camp, she mentioned you
specifically."

     "She did?" An eager look crossed the girl's face for just a
moment, before it retreated.

     "She did," Natalie echoed. "She said how much she liked you,
how glad she was that you were her friend."

      The face crumbled and Sarah dropped her head into her hands
and began to sob softly. "No," she pleaded. "Don't say that!"

      Natalie slid her arm around the girl's shoulder. "It's okay to be
sad, Sarah. We're all sad too. We just trying our best to find Jenny
and bring her back home."

    Sarah cried even harder. "It's all my fault," she managed through
her tears.

    "It's not your fault," Natalie pulled the girl even closer to her.
"We don't know why Jenny left, but it certainly didn't have
anything to do with you." Natalie paused. "You have told the
police everything that you remember about that night, haven't you?"

    Sarah continued to look down at her feet, avoiding Natalie's
eyes. It had been bad enough that she had left camp without
permission; that alone would have been enough to throw her
mother into a rage. If she ever found out that Sarah had lied about
what happened... Sarah only nodded her head in response to
Natalie's question. If only she had more time to think straight,
to figure out how she could help Jenny without having to
admit the truth.

    "Sarah, look at me." Natalie took the girl firmly by the shoulders
and turned her so that they were facing one another. There was
something that just wasn't right about this. "If you're keeping some
secret, trying to protect Jenny, you have to tell me. Did she tell you
where she was going that night?"

     "It's all my fault." The crying began anew.

       "Sarah," Natalie said firmly. "You have to stop saying that and
tell me what happened. Do you know where Jenny is?"

      Sarah nodded her head.

       "Then you *have* to tell me, Sarah. The important thing right
now is to find her, not what kind of trouble she's going to be in
once we do."

     Natalie struggled to keep her expression neutral as Sarah relayed
the details of Jenny's abduction. It certainly didn't hurt that she
had been the sounding board for an eight-hundred-year-old vampire
for the better part of the last three years. The last thing she wanted
to do was scare the girl into withholding any information

    "So the last time you saw Jenny she was with the man just
outside the van," Natalie reiterated. "But you didn't see her go
into the van?"

    Sarah nodded in response. "I was too busy running away. I did
hear it drive off a few minutes later though. I kept hoping that
she had gotten away too, and that she was going to show up at
any minute." She hung her head dejectedly. "I guess that's
not going to happen, is it?"

    "I don't think so, honey." Natalie squeezed Sarah's hand.
"You do know that you're going to have to come with me to
the police station and tell them everything you saw?"

    "I know." Sarah looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Can we
please not tell my mother though?"

end part 7
********************


Subject:     Little Secrets (08/14)
   Date:       Mon, 10 Nov 1997 18:26:31 -0500
  From:       Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM>
     To:        FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU

Please see standard acknowledgments and disclaimers in
part one. There is some strong language in this part, you may want
to skip it if you are particularly sensitive.

Little Secrets
part 08/14
by Kathy Whelton
(c) 1997

     "I can't believe this." Schanke's face had gone a deathly shade
of white. Natalie placed a steadying hand on his arm, uncertain of
whether his knees would continue to support him through the
next few moments. Seated quietly by his side was Myra, her
bloodshot eyes indicating that the sedatives she had been given
last evening had done little to insure a night's sleep.

     Schanke leaned into the Chief's desk. "My daughter was
abducted, almost forty-eight hours ago now, and you missed it."
He was well aware how time sensitive a kidnapping investigation
could be. A delay of even a few hours on a case like this could spell
disaster, he didn't even want to think about how far behind they
were at this point.

   Chief  Bannon hesitated. They had dropped the ball, and
there was little he could say or do that would excuse that.
"If she had only told us the truth. We never..."

    "You got beaten in an interview by a frightened ten-year-old
girl. That's just great." Schanke dropped heavily into the chair
behind him and dropped his head into his hand. The dull ache that
had been living in his chest for the last two days flared with a
vengeance. He didn't know whether he was having a heart attack,
or if it was merely shattered beyond recognition. Forty-eight hours.
Whoever had taken Jenny could be anywhere in the country, the
world even, in that kind of time. Someplace far from where their
flyers and news bulletins could reach. If. If she were still alive.
The chances of finding her that way were suddenly seeming
infinitely slimmer. He slid his hand into Myra's. "What are you
doing about it?"

   Bannon handed Schanke the current police flyer. "This is the
description given us by the witness, Sarah Ward. It's being faxed
to the OPP, the RCMP and the police in the major urban areas."

    Schanke glanced quickly over the paper in his hand. "This is it?"
He leapt to his feet again. "I know half a dozen men that could fit
this description: Six foot three, light brown hair, two hundred
pounds, no distinguishing physical characteristics." He slapped
the paper with the back of his hand. "You'll never get anywhere
with this. "Where's the composite?"

    "The girl was unable to provide us with enough detail to create
one. It was very dark and she was terrified," the Chief added in her
defense.

   "I need to talk to her," Schanke jaw was firmly set and there was
a look in his eye that Natalie had never seen before.

    "I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Natalie interjected. She laid
a hand on Schanke's shoulder, only to have it shaken off abruptly.
She had seen Sarah's condition when she left the station. Facing
Schanke in this temper would not do anything to improve her
memory.

   "I agree," Bannon stated firmly. "Anyway, she's not here. I gave
her parents permission to take her home to Ottawa."

   "You did what?" Schanke could feel his head threatening
to explode. "You let her leave town? The material witness to a
kidnapping?"

   Bannon stood and faced Schanke directly. "I'm convinced that
she told us everything this time. She'll be available when and if
we need her any further. I didn't see the point in holding
her here."

   "Tell me, *Chief* are you just totally incompetent, or are you
deliberately fucking up this investigation?"

    "I have just about had it with you, Mr. Schanke," Bannon
snapped. "You and your whole entourage. I want you out of
here, now, and I don't want to see you back here unless I
send for you. Is that clear?"

   "Perfectly clear." Schanke felt Myra's warning touch on his back
and he choked down the remainder of his reply. Further antagonizing
this man would not get his daughter back. The problem was,
he wasn't sure if anything or anyone could at this point.

    "Go back to the motel, try and get some rest," the Chief's voice
softened. "If anything turns up, I'll contact you immediately. I
promise. Right now you're only hindering the investigation."

    Schanke turned slowly and headed for the door. He clung tightly
to Myra's arm, although he wasn't quite sure at this point which
one of them was holding the other one up.

   Natalie slid a tentative arm around his shoulder. "Let's head back
to the motel and update Nick. I haven't had a chance to tell him
any of this."

    "Nick?" Schanke pulled away from her. "A fat lot of good his
coming up here has done. Has the golden-haired boy even left the
hotel?"

    Natalie tried to keep the defensive tone from her voice. "That's
not fair, Schank. You know he can't go out in the sun...his allergy."

    "His allergy my ass," Schanke commented angrily. "Take a look
outside, Natalie. It's raining." He shouted the final words at her.
"Why did he even bother coming? Why doesn't anyone care that
some creep has taken my little girl?" His voice caught at the words
and a sob escaped.

    "I care," Natalie wrapped her arms around him. "And Nick cares
too, more than you can imagine." She stepped back and eyed
him carefully. "Have you had any sleep at all since she disappeared?
Or anything to eat? You do know that you're going to need your
strength when they find her."

    "*When* they find her?" Schanke glanced quickly at Myra and
tightened his grip on her. The last thing he wanted was for Myra
to realize how hopeless he was beginning to feel. For once his
appetite had totally deserted him. "Yeah, I suppose you're right.
Look, maybe we will try and find something to eat and get a little
quiet time. Do you mind filling Nick in by yourself?"

   "No problem. You guys try and get some rest." Natalie popped
up her umbrella and headed down the station steps and out
into the driving rain.

    "Natalie," Schanke called after her. "You won't tell him, you
know, what I just said."

     "Don't worry, Don," Natalie managed a reassuring smile.
"It's our little secret."

******************

        Officer Cooper shifted uneasily behind Chief Bannon's desk,
the police flyer still in his hand. "They're pretty upset."

        "Yeah," the Chief responded. "I guess you can't blame them.
I suppose I'd feel the same way if I had a little girl and she was
missing."

       "You know, Chief, I was thinking. The description that the
witness gave," he paused, "it does sound an awful lot like Scott
Williams from the Gazette. And he does have that old, brown, van
that he uses for newspaper deliveries."

    "Williams from the paper? You must be joking. He's one of the
most regular guys you'd ever want to meet," Bannon snorted. "I
think he even sings for the Methodists on Sundays."

     "Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask him a few questions," Cooper
posed. "There was that incident a few years back."

      Bannon's face lost it's amusement. "He was a kid then, besides,
those records are sealed.  Cooper, this town doesn't pay you to
think, it pays you to do what I tell you and I don't want to hear any
more about Williams. Is that clear?"

    "I don't see what harm it would do to ask the guy a few
questions. If he's a stand up guy, like you say, we can at least
eliminate him as a suspect..."

     "He's not a suspect." Bannon rose abruptly, the chair scraping
against the linoleum as he stood. "That's as clear as I can make it,
or do you think you need a little time off to think about it a little
more?"

     "I get you Chief, loud and clear." Cooper slammed the flyer
down on the desk. "I think I understand perfectly what the
situation is."

   "Good," Bannon's shoulder's relaxed. "I need to go meet with
the mayor. I want you to stick around here in case anything happens."

    Cooper nodded distractedly. There were actually a few other
things he had a mind to be doing, but disagreeing with the Chief
was never a good idea, even in the best of times. "Sure, I'll stay
put," he finally acknowledged.

********************

       Nick was beside her before she had even managed to get all
the way into the room. Natalie noted with some dismay that even
though the antiquated air conditioner continued to sputter along,
it was now far cooler outside of the room than it was inside. "Easy,
there, Nick, you almost knocked me off of my feet."

      "Where have you been?" he was practically shouting. "Why
haven't you at least called? I've been going crazy here all day,
wondering what's going on." Nick ran his fingers through his
hair, still clinging doggedly to her side.

     Natalie glanced at him quickly, under less serious
circumstances, the sight of him clad in only a rumpled T-shirt
and boxers would have been worth some serious ribbing. Not
to mention the effect it was having on her pulse rate. As it was,
the best she could manage was a quick apology. "I am sorry, Nick,
I just haven't had even a minute to spare.

    "You found something?" he asked, hope written all over face.
It would be worth the eternity he had spent alone in this dismal
room, if only Jenny were safe.

     Natalie grimaced. "Your hunch about the roommate was right,"
she paused. "Nick, I'm afraid it's not good news." Natalie quickly
relayed the events that had unfolded during the day.

    Nick slumped onto the bed. 'Not good news' was the
understatement of the century. It was the worst of all possible
scenarios. Jenny had been taken, by a stranger, and the trail was
quite cold by now. "Let me see what they have on him." Nick's
eyes flew over the sheet of paper that Natalie had handed him.

   "They're circulating it to the RCMP, the OPP and the major
cities," Natalie informed him.

   "It's not much to go on," Nick commented. "I thought you said
 she gave them a description of the truck?" He flipped the paper
over and checked out the reverse side. "It's not on here."

     The shrill ring of the phone interrupted Natalie's reply. Nick
grabbed it quickly. "Knight."

      "Nick, I got the forensics report back on that book you sent
to us," Amanda Cohen brisk voice came in reply. "There were
no fingerprints to be lifted, I'm afraid, but there was something
else that may be of use. Once we cleared some of the dirt off the
book, there was an unusual smudge on the back. The results of
the analysis just came back."

    "And.." Nick prompted.

     "It's an ink, Nick, the type found in newsprint,  but of an
unusual variety. It didn't come from the book itself, and it was
left there recently, in the last three days or so. It's going to take
a while to get anything more definitive, I'm afraid."

    "Thanks, Captain. I appreciate your help on this."

     "I just wish there was more I could do," Cohen hesitated. "I'm
sure you realize that anything we find won't be valid as evidence. I
don't even want to know how this book came into your possession."

     "I know, Captain, I'm afraid we grasping at straws here."

      "How's Schanke holding up?" she asked gently.

       "About as well as can be expected, I guess." Wasn't that the
standard reply in situations like this? "Thanks again, Captain, I'll
keep you informed."

      "Please do, Knight, and let the Schankes know that our prayers
are with them.

        Nick settled the phone back down on the receiver.

      "What was that all about?" Natalie questioned immediately.

        Nick took a deep breath. This would not go over particularly
well. "I took the astronomy text and sent it to Toronto for
analysis. I thought there might be something that might be of use
on it."

     "I can't believe you, Nick. You *took* it? That was a potential
piece of evidence and you just helped yourself to it?" Natalie
grimaced. "Not to mention that I didn't even see you do it."

   "You weren't supposed to," he commented, holding back a
smile. "Now do you want to hear this or not?"

    "I'm all ears," Natalie responded as she settled beside Nick on the
bed. The fact that the book had been so carelessly deposited on
Bannon's desk had essentially invalidated any information that
could have been legally obtained from it, still she chafed under
Nick's careless disregard for procedure in this case. She just hoped
that it wasn't something that they would all regret at some later
date.

   "There was a smudge on the back of the book, some type of
ink, but of an unusual variety. It's going to take a few days to nail
it down."

    "That may be a few days that we don't have," Natalie reflected.

     "Believe me, I know." Nick continued to study the police flyer
that he still held. There was something that didn't quite add up
here, but he still couldn't quite put his finger on it. "You said that
they were expanding the search...based on this?"

    "You don't agree?" Natalie questioned.

     "You tell me. Who is it you would expect to see driving around
on a rural backroad at midnight?" Nick looked curiously at Natalie.

     "A local," she returned. "Still, it doesn't mean that he wouldn't
have taken Jenny out of the area." She didn't want to give voice
to her overwhelming fear that Jenny was already dead.

    "True, but it certainly doesn't mean that he would, especially if
he felt that he was secure here, above suspicion." How many times
had he played the odds on this particular little game, only in his
case, on the other side of the board? To run or not to run, the
eternal question. "Let's see if we can't beat the odds this
time," he mumbled.

   Natalie's brow furrowed. She suddenly had the uncomfortable
feeling that they weren't talking about Jenny Schanke anymore.
"I'm afraid you lost me, Nick."

    "Oh, nothing." Nick managed a sad smile and reached out
tentatively towards Natalie, his fingertips lightly brushing her
hair. "Nothing important; not today anyway."  He turned his head
abruptly towards the window. "The sun is down. I think that I have
a few questions I'd like to ask Chief Bannon." Nick rose rapidly
from the bed and headed towards the door."

    "Um... Nick," Natalie started. "I think maybe you forgot
something," she said, gesturing towards him.

   "Oh," Nick glanced down and hurriedly stepped across the room
to grab his trousers. "Thanks, Nat." He continued to meet her eyes
as she watched him dress. "Turn around," he instructed carefully.

    Natalie rolled her eyes as she took her gaze from him. She was
beginning to wonder if she would ever manage to understand him.

end part 8
******************

Subject:       Little Secrets (09/14)
   Date:         Tue, 11 Nov 1997 15:35:01 -0500
  From:          Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM>
     To:           FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu


Little Secrets
part 09/14
by Kathy Whelton
(c) 1997

     Ben Cooper sat and watched as one by one, the lights in the
newspaper office were extinguished. The Chief's none-too-subtle
warning still rang in his ears, but sometimes, some things were
more important that keeping in your boss's good graces. There
would be hell to pay from his wife if he ended up getting canned
over this, but maybe that wouldn't be the worst thing that could
happen either. A life away from this town, and his wife, were
beginning to look pretty good just about now.

     Cooper felt his heart jump as the door opened and Scott
Williams stepped through it. He wasn't alone. Another man was
with him, one who Cooper quickly recognized as John Doherty,
a part time reporter for the weekly.

      He stepped slowly out of the cruiser, his hand gently skimming
the butt of his gun as he did so. He'd never had occasion to even
draw the weapon since he'd come on the force two years ago. He
fervently hoped this wouldn't be the night. "Good evening, Scott,
John," he called quietly from the front end of the car. "Glad to
see the rain has finally ended."

    "Ben," Williams identified the familiar figure almost
immediately, even in the waning light. The crickets ceased
their endless singing as the two men stepped towards the
car. "It does look like it's going to turn out to be a nice night
after all, doesn't it," Williams replied, glancing up towards
the sky. John and I were just headed over to TR's for a
quick drink, care to join us?"

    Cooper forced a pleasant smile. "Not tonight, I'm afraid. I'm
still on duty." He shifted his feet restlessly. He had no desire to
make this little exchange a public one. It was just plain bad
luck that John Doherty had happened to be there. "Mr. Williams,"
Cooper cleared his throat, "I was wondering if maybe you had a
few minutes to come down to the station with me?"

   "Mr. Williams?" Williams joked. "This must be serious. What did
I do, Ben, forget to pay that speeding ticket you gave me last
month?"

   "Something like that," Cooper struggled to keep his tone light.
"There's just a few questions I'd like to ask you."

    "*You'd* like to ask?" Williams stared at Cooper. "Does the
Chief know about this?"

     "The Chief is tied up with the mayor right now," he fumbled.
"Bannon knew I had some questions that I thought should be
answered. I assume you have no problem coming to the station?"
he met Williams' intense gaze with one of his own.

   Williams dropped his eyes. "Of course not." He slapped his
companion heartily on the back. "Providing that John here doesn't
mind being stood up?"

    "Don't worry about me," Doherty replied. "I have no trouble
drinking alone. 'Night fellas." Doherty stepped off down the street,
his mental wheels spinning. There was more to that little exchange
that met the eye. Nothing that would ever get printed in the Gazette,
that's for sure, but with all the hoopla in town over that missing
girl, there might just be a competing interest around.

     "I hope this isn't going to take too long," Williams inquired as
he slid into the passenger seat of the cruiser. "I do have some things
to attend to tonight."

      "That depends," Cooper answered noncommitedly.

       "Depends? Depends on what?" For the first time, Williams felt
a wave of fear sweep through him. This was about more than just
his bad driving habits. He forced himself to remain calm. Even if
that other girl had talked, he still had his ace in the hole. The cooler
he stayed, the more likely that this thing would blow over, just as
it had done in the past.

        "On what your answers are," Cooper responded with a
resounding slam of the car door.

*******************************

    "You did what?!" Chief Bannon shouted about as loudly as was
humanly possible at the unsteady form of his only full time officer.
"You deliberately disobeyed a direct order and brought Williams
in for questioning?" He leaned closer to Cooper, their faces a
scant few inches apart. "I'll have your badge for this!"

    Cooper swallowed hard. In the years that he had worked for the
Chief, first in a part-time capacity, then finally in as a full-time
officer, he had never seen the Chief quite so angry. "Maybe," he
answered slowly. "But I had to do what I felt was right. I thought
that Williams needed to account for his whereabouts on the night
that the little girl disappeared."

    "You thought, you thought." Bannon slowly walked around
Cooper as he spoke. "And tell me, Officer Cooper, did you get any
answers to those questions?"

     Cooper dropped his gaze to the floor. "Not really."

      "Not really," Bannon echoed. "And just what is that supposed
to mean? Did you conduct the interview or did you not?"

     "The only thing he would say was that he was at his parent's
house that night. Beyond that, he said we could just wait for his
attorney to arrive," Cooper paused, "and he wants to talk to you."

      "I just bet that he does. Tell me, Cooper, do you happen to
have any idea who is father is?"

       Cooper nodded silently. He was well aware that Scott Williams
Senior still held a lot of sway in this town. Suddenly this not-so-bright
idea was beginning to seem downright stupid. He was beginning
to think that he'd be lucky if the only thing he lost was his job after
all this was done.

     "Now, I'm going to back there and talk to Mr. Williams,"
Bannon gestured to the holding area at the back of the station. "See
if you can stay out of trouble while I'm gone."

**********************

    "That was quite a scene," Nick commented as he leaned against
the entryway of the station.

     Cooper looked up, startled. The room had been deserted a
moment before.  He could have sworn that no one had come
through the door. He rubbed his eyes. Maybe he was just more
tired than he realized.  He fixed his eyes on the dark figure in the
doorway. "Oh, it's you," he commented wearily. He recognized the
figure as that detective friend of the Schankes.  He was no more
fond of this constant parade of uninvited guests into the station
than the Chief was. He particularly didn't care to be seen getting
chewed out by an audience.

    "I said that was quite a scene." Nick walked slowly into the
middle of the room.

     "I suppose it was," Cooper commented drily.

       "Should I assume then, that you have a suspect in custody?"
Nick struggled to keep his voice even. This guy was probably
skittish enough without Nick's anxiety adding to it.

      "No...I mean yes, I guess I don't know what I mean," Cooper
sank even deeper into his chair. "I brought a local guy in for
questioning. He fits the physical description of the guy, and he has
an old, brown van that he drives sometimes."

     Nick felt his mouth go dry. "Chief Bannon didn't think that was
enough to bring him in for?"

      "No," Cooper remarked bitterly.  "He seems to think that
Williams should be the next candidate for sainthood." Cooper
straightened in the chair. He felt his shoulders tense. He was
probably saying a whole lot more to this...outsider than was smart.

      "Williams?" Nick asked casually. Nick deepened his voice, ever
so slightly pressing his will into his words. "Is that his name?"

     "Yeah," Cooper responded vaguely. "He's a real paragon of
virtue."

     "Tell me about him," Nick intoned.

     "He sings for the Methodists on Sunday. His father owns half
the town," Cooper continued in a dull monotone. "He runs the
weekly rag in town."

      Nick's eyes widened. Cohen had said it was newsprint that had
been found on the book. "He works for the paper?"

      "He is the paper," Cooper responded. "Publisher, editor and
star reporter. He even lives there; he stays in some rooms above
the newspaper office when he's not at his parent's house."

       "That's the large Victorian at the end of Main Street?" Nick
questioned. "The sign out front says 'Litchfield Gazette'?"

       Cooper nodded in silent response. Nick dropped his voice
even further. "You never saw me here," he said quietly.

    Ben Cooper rubbed his eyes and looked carefully around the
empty room. He could have sworn... No matter, he dismissed the
thought. He must be a lot more tired than he had realized



    Nick stepped quickly down the police station steps and out
into the street. From where he stood, he could see the outline
of the rambling Victorian that housed the town newspaper. A few
blocks away, in the other direction, sat the Golden Eagle Motel.
Whatever the outcome, Schanke had a right to be there when
and if he found Jenny. It's how he would want it if the situation
was reversed. He hopped into the caddy and slammed the
gas to the floor.

     The door of the motel room had a cheap, hollow sound to
it as Nick repeatedly pounded against it. If Schanke wasn't here,
he would have to go on ahead without him. He wasn't willing to
waste even a few precious moments searching the town for him.

     Don Schanke pulled the door open abruptly. "Nick," he stated,
surprised. He could see the urgency in his partner's face. "What's
up?"

    "I have something," Nick stated bluntly.

      Schanke stepped out of the room, pulling the door closed
behind him. The last thing he wanted was for Myra to hear this,
especially if the news was bad.  "Something on Jenny?" he
asked eagerly.

     Nick nodded. "I was just down at the station. One of the
uniforms brought someone in for questioning. A local man. He fits
the general description given by Jenny's roommate."

    "So what are we standing here for?" Schanke started towards the
street. "Let's go see what he has to say."

     Nick placed a restraining hand on Schanke's arm. "The Chief
doesn't seem to think he was involved. I doubt that we're going
to get within a mile of that interview."

     Schanke looked closely at his partner. He could almost see the
wheels turning in Nick's head. He had worked with his partner long
enough to know when Nick was playing one of his hunches. "You
think this guy did it." It was a statement rather than a question.
"You have something in mind," he added.

   "I think it's worth checking out." Nick quickly outlined his plan
for searching the building that housed the newspaper offices. "Are
you with me?"

   "With you? Just try and stop me," Schanke replied. He patted
the empty space under his jacket. "Let me get my gun."

**********
     Jenny wrapped the thin blanket even more tightly around her
shoulders. The end of the rain had brought a rather dramatic drop
in the temperature and her shorts and thin tank top were doing
little to keep her warm. Her stomach growled loudly; the oatmeal
that she had been given for breakfast was long gone with no
replacement in sight. _He_ was late. Full dark had fallen and there
had still been no sign of him. Part of her rejoiced, she didn't know
how much longer she could bear the sight of him, looking at her,
touching her. Her small body shivered even more profoundly; this
time the movements reached to her soul. Still...he was her lifeline.
Part of her wondered what would happen if he never did come
back.

  end part 9
******************


Subjec         Little Secrets (10/14)
   Date:        Tue, 11 Nov 1997 15:35:06 -0500
  From:         Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM>
     To:         FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu

Little Secrets
part 10/14
by Kathy Whelton
(c) 1997

     "Seems quiet enough," Schanke whispered to Nick as they
pressed their backs against either side of the rear door that led into
the newspaper offices.

    "It doesn't look like there's anyone home," Nick acknowledged,
his voice equally subdued. He rested his hand on the doorknob and
tested it; the door was locked. It seemed there would be no easy
answers in this case.

    Schanke rested his hand on top of Nick's. "You could lose your
job over this, you know, if this ever gets back to Metro."

     Nick shrugged lightly. "There are other jobs." He pressed a bit
more energy into his efforts and was rewarded as the lock popped
open with a resounding snap. He grinned broadly. "I guess it was
just stuck." Nick slid his hand under his jacket and retrieved his
weapon, pausing a few seconds for Schanke to do the same.
"Ready?"

   Don Schanke wasn't at all sure that he was ready to find what
might be in this large, rambling, building, but at least it felt good
to finally be doing something. He nodded his assent and stepped
carefully into the darkened hallway.

   The hallway divided  into three separate directions. The
main level was straight ahead. It was open and seemed to
be almost fully occupied with the newspaper offices. Dim
light from the street filtered in the windows, illuminating the
area. A room towards the back held a rather imposing, old
style printing press, the like of which Nick had not seen in
almost thirty years.  A thin, winding stairway on the right led
upwards towards a darkened second, and perhaps, third floors.
A tightly closed door on the left seemed to lead to the cellar of the
building. A thick scent of mildew greeted the pair as the pried
the door open for a closer look.

   "Your choice," Nick indicated to Schanke. His sensitive hearing
had detected no signs of life in the house, other than the random
scurrying of a frightened rodent. He just hoped that the house
was large enough to conceal the sounds made by a frightened
nine year old girl.

   "I'll head upstairs," Schanke replied after some consideration.
He'd never admit it to anyone, but there was no way he could
bring himself to head down those cellar steps. He couldn't bear the
thought of what he might find down there.

    Nick hesitated. He could hear the rapid pounding of Schanke's
heart. Maybe bringing him along wasn't such a good idea after all.
There was no telling what might happen if they discovered the
worst. "Do you want to stick together?" he asked. It would slow
him down considerably, but if that's what Schanke needed...

    Schanke shook his head. "I'm fine. I can do this," he said, more
to himself than to Nick. He placed a shaky hand on the railing and
began slowly heading upwards.

    Nick peered into the depths of the darkened cellar. Outwardly,
at least, everything appeared to be in order. He quickly slid down
the steps into the inky blackness, ignoring the light switch on the
wall.  "Jenny," he called, softly at first, but then with ever
increasing vigor.

       The cellar was a maze of cluttered side rooms and broken
equipment; he quickly covered the area, tearing open anything
and everything that could possibly conceal a young girl... or a
young body. Nothing. He flung open the final door, growling  in
an impotent rage. If she wasn't here, and his hunch was correct,
then where was she? He closed his eyes to the darkness, allowing
his other senses to come to the fore. He could detect no scent of
her, no dim cry for help that would give her location away.

   "Nick!"

    Nick's shoulders dropped. "Coming," he returned Schanke's call,
well aware of the fact that his partner could not possibly hear him.
He took the steps in rapid fashion, scarcely touching a foot to
the ground. "What is it?" Nick skidded to a stop in what obviously
was a bedroom of some sort. Schanke sat ashen-faced on the corner
of the bed.

   "Could you...?" Schanke pressed his hand to his mouth and stifled
a gag, his eyes directing Nick to the table standing open before him.
Dozens of photographs lay scattered about, all showing children
in various stage of undress, some depicting acts that made
even Nick's hardened eyes look away.

  "Is she...?"

    Nick scanned the photos closely, searching for any hint of
familiarity in the pictures. "No," he answered abruptly. "Jenny's
not here, Schank." It didn't lessen the fact that they were still
somebody else's children.

   Schanke exhaled forcefully. "Thank God for that at least."
He rose and faced Nick, his knees shaking. "Nick, this is
the animal that has my baby."

   "We don't know that for sure yet." Nick rested a soft hand on
Schanke's shoulder. "Have you finished looking around up here?"

   "I finished with the second floor. I haven't checked the third yet."

    Nick slid a supportive arm under Schanke's elbow. "Why
don't we do it together?"

     Schanke paused and faced Nick. "Then what?" he asked.

    "Then we go back to the source."

end part 10
comments welcome
Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com
  My FK fiction page:
          http://patriot.net/~piercelh/kathy.html

From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM>
To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu
Subject: Little Secrets (11/14)


Please see standard disclaimers and acknowledgments in
part one.


Summer Camp
part 11/14
by Kathy Whelton
(c) 1997


     Nick struggled to keep pace with Schanke as the pair marched
into the police station a short while later. Seeing the Chief sitting
calmly leafing through the latest edition of Sports Illustrated did
little to quiet the rage that had consumed Don Schanke during their
short ride to the station. Schanke took a deep breath before speaking.
"I understand that you have a suspect in custody, Chief."

   Bannon turned his chair to face the pair. "Oh, do you now?" he
replied, "and just where did you get that piece of information?"

   "Don't try to turn this around, Bannon. It doesn't matter where
I heard it, only that I did. I thought you were going to keep me
updated on any and all developments?"

   "I did say that, didn't I?" Bannon straightened his bulky frame
in the chair. "And if there was anything to call you about, I would
have. As it is, I do have someone in for questioning. Someone who
was brought in rather prematurely by my overzealous colleague
here." Bannon glared across the room to where Ben Cooper sat,
immersed in a lifetime's worth of paperwork.

   "Williams?" Schanke spat out the name.

    Bannon's eyes narrowed. How had they managed to come up
with that name? For the first time it occurred to him that he may
have underestimated these two. "Mr. Williams is a respected
member of this community. He does fit the general description
given by our only witness. Because of that, he was brought in to
establish his whereabouts on the night in question. He does
have an alibi, and once we're able to get a statement from that
individual, I expect that he'll be released."

   "Released? Released?" Schanke sputtered in disbelief. "What
about bringing in the girl to ID him? What about these?" Schanke
flung the pictures he was holding down on the Chief's desk. "We
got these out of Williams' apartment."

    Bannon glanced quickly at the photographs. "Is your daughter
here?" He returned his gaze to Schanke. "Then it really doesn't
change this case, now does it?" Unfortunately, it did make the
smooth resolution he had planned to this little 'problem' more
difficult. If these were made public, no amount of family influence
or money would ease the outcry.

   "It proves this guy Williams deals in child pornography," Schanke
responded fiercely. "Last time I looked, that was still against the
law."

   Bannon rose to his feet. "So is breaking and entering." He placed
both hands on top of the desk and faced Schanke squarely. "I swear
if I had another cell, you two would be in it right now. I guess I'm
just going to have to settle for informing your superiors in Toronto,
at least for the time being. Maybe that will keep you out of this
investigation."

   "Schanke." Nick placed a firm hand on Schanke's arm. "We're
done here. Let's go."

    "Done here?! I'm not done here, not by a long shot." He jabbed
a finger at Bannon's face. "You're going to let me at that scumbag,
or I'm going to go right through you to get to him."

    Nick tightened his grip on Schanke's arm. "Schank," he said
through gritted teeth. "Let's go." Nick maneuvered his body in front
of Schanke's and tried desperately to catch his eye.  "We're done
here." Nick felt the tension in Schanke's body ease as he pulled him
towards the door.




    Schanke threw off Nick's arm as soon as they made it out the
door. "Do you mind telling me what that was all about?"

    Nick leaned against the railing of the stairwell. "I can't believe
I didn't see it before." He shook his head slowly from side to side.
"He was stonewalling us, deliberately."

  "No kidding, Knight. That's why I'm going back in there and
shake some of those stones loose." Schanke turned and headed
back up the steps towards the front door of the station.

    Nick  reached out and caught Schanke's arm. "No, I mean it.
No one is that stupid, or that pig-headed. Did you look at his face when
he saw those pictures, he didn't bat an eye." Nick let his hand fall
back to his side. "He has some other agenda here. Nothing you
could say or do is going to get you past Bannon," Nick paused.
"We need to get back there and talk to Williams ourselves."

   "That's what I've been trying to tell you, Nick." Schanke said,
exasperated.  He looked closely at his partner. "You have
an idea?"

     "What we need is a diversion." Nick was silent for a moment,
considering. "We need enough of a distraction in the front of the
station so that one of us can slip back there and talk to Williams
face-to-face."

     "One of us?" Schanke raised the level of his voice. "Don't
you mean that *you'll* go back there and question him?"

      Nick silently shrugged. It was exactly what he had in mind,
but had hesitated to say aloud. Hopefully with a little of the right
kind of  persuasion, his kind of persuasion, Williams would
lead them right to Jenny. His only fear now was that she
would not be found alive.

     "You? Mr. Hot-Shot-Star-Detective, Mr. Highest-Clearance-
Record-in-the-Precinct, Mr. Looks-Good-in-Leather?" Schanke's
face had turned a florid shade of red. "No. Not this time." He poked
his finger into Nick's chest. "This is my little girl, my baby. If
anyone is going to go back there and tear that monster apart, it's
going to be me." Schanke could feel the hot tears fill his eyes and
that only served to inflame his rage even further. He clenched
his hand and brought the fist up to Nick's face. "Do you hear me?"

     "I hear you, Schank," Nick said softly. He stood passively,
allowing the storm to rage around him. "We'll play it your way."

      "Damn you," Schanke muttered loudly, turning away. Nick
could get a perp to give up his own mother, and that was on a bad
day.  If anyone had a chance to break Williams, then that chance
was standing right next to him. How could he do any less for his
little girl?  He turned and faced his partner. "You won't blow this?"

       "I won't blow this," Nick said quietly. "I'll get the information
 we need."

        "Give me about thirty seconds," Schanke smiled for the
first time in three days. "This won't take long."




        Schanke sauntered as casually as possible back into
the station, his hands raised carefully in front of him. "I come
in peace," he blurted quickly, before Cooper or Bannon could
react to his arrival. "I dropped my keys in here somewhere; I
just want to get them, then I'll go." Schanke leaned over and
began diligently searching the floor. "You haven't seen them,
have you?" he questioned Bannon as he approached the
Chief's desk.

    "No I haven't," Bannon grumbled before returning his attention
to the stack of papers in front of him.

    "Well, have you seen this?" Schanke asked gleefully as
he hooked his hand under the modesty panel on Bannon's desk and
sent it toppling backwards. The corner of the desk caught the
edge of Bannon's chair, sending him sprawling onto the open floor.

    Acting more on pure instinct than any actual desire to come to
the aid of his superior, Ben Cooper rose quickly from his seat and
cautiously approached Schanke. Schanke paused and again
presented his open  hands before him. "Aren't you the guy
that brought Williams in?"

    "I am," Cooper responded, dropping his defensive posture.

     "Then I really am sorry about this." Schanke wound up and
planted his right fist into the left side of  Cooper's jaw. He
watched as the officer swayed then fell abruptly to the ground.
"But I'm not the least bit sorry about this." Schanke turned and
lashed out, just as Bannon regained his feet and dove towards
him.

     Nick slid silently in the front door and moved quickly towards
the back of the station. He paused briefly outside of the holding
area doorway. Beyond it, two heartbeats echoed clearly. Within
seconds the door flew open and another uniformed officer,
clearly drawn by the noise  in the outer office, dashed out.
Nick slipped through the open doorway, pulling it closed
behind him. He slid the deadbolt home with a satisfying snap.


end part 11
comments welcome
Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com
   My FK fiction page:
           http://patriot.net/~piercelh/kathy.html
***********************


Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 19:07:47 -0500
From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM>
To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu
Subject: Little Secrets (12/14)


Please see standard acknowledgments and disclaimers in part one.


Little Secrets
part 12/14
by Kathy Whelton
(c) 1997



      A short, narrow, corridor lay in front of him, a single
cell on either side of it. A lone hardbacked chair, presently
unoccupied, sat at the end of the row, the area's only window
perched above it. The cell closest to Nick was stacked high
with files. Apparently there was far more paperwork than
crime in Litchfield, Ontario.

   "What is going on out there?" The area's only occupant
had risen from the bunk in his cell and was studying Nick
closely. "And who the hell are you?"

   "Who I am isn't important," Nick replied coldly. The man
who stood in front of him was tall, with neatly trimmed light
brown hair. The remainder of his physical appearance was
singularly unremarkable. Just the way Sarah Ward had
described Jenny's assailant. "Let's just say that I'm a
concerned citizen," Nick paused. "You 're Scott Williams,"
he said evenly.

    Williams flopped back down on the bed. "So what if I am?
What's it to you?"

    "It's a great deal to me. You're the whole reason
I'm here." Nick took measured steps forward until his
body pressed against the bars of the cell. "I've come to
talk about Jenny Schanke."

    "I don't know what you're talking about," Williams laughed
softly. "I'm here because of a speeding ticket that I neglected
to pay. Now, if you don't mind, I was engaged in a rather
delightful conversation with that officer before he ran out
of here."

   "But I do mind." Nick focused painstakingly on the sound
of Williams' rapidly beating heart. Williams wasn't quite as
cool as his outward appearance would indicate. "I want you
to listen to me very carefully." Nick dropped his voice to a
quiet monotone, and was gratified to see Williams straining
to hear his words. "I'm here to talk about Jenny. I want you
to tell me where she is."

   A confused look crossed Williams face as he rose and began
walking closer to the edge of the cell. "Where...?" he began slowly.

   "That's right," Nick pushed more strongly with his will. "Jenny,
where_ is_ she?"

    Williams came within inches of the bars just as a loud
crash reverberated from the other room. He shook his
head abruptly.  He didn't even remember leaving the bed;
how had he ended up over here? Williams moved quickly
to the back of the cell.


   "Damn." Nick slammed his fist into the bars, bending them ever
so slightly.  He turned and briefly faced the door. There was no
telling how much more time Schanke could buy him. "Tell me
where she is," he roared in frustration.

   "I'm not telling you anything," Williams taunted. "She can just
rot, for all I care."

    Nick rested his hand on the doorway to the cell and pulled
strongly. The lock resisted at first, then yielded with an ungodly
squeal. Now it was Nick's turn to smile. "Cheap metal," he said as
he swung the cell door open and entered. "Maybe you'd like to
reconsider your last statement?"

   Williams eyes widened and he pressed his back against the
far wall. He considered screaming for help, but realized that
whatever the scene was that was taking place in the outer office,
it had been carefully engineered to keep him isolated.  "You can't
get away with this," Williams struggled to control the quaver in
his voice.

   "I am getting away with this," Nick continued smoothly.
"Just tell me where she is and we can forget about all this."

    No matter what this man in front of him said, or did, nothing
could be worse than the price he would pay if they discovered his
little sanctuary. He had been careful, very careful. Nothing in
town could tie him to the cabin, unless he led them there himself.
No matter what happened here tonight, he had to remember
that. Williams stuck out his chest and in a voice far bolder than
he felt, stated, "Go ahead, do your best. I still won't tell you what
you want to know."

   Nick felt his cool demeanor shatter. "Why you..." He grabbed
Williams roughly by the shoulders and shoved him into the wall.
Nick's hands traveled over to Williams throat and he pressed
inward,  it would be so gratifying to feel the snap of his neck.
He could feel the killer rise within him, baited by the musky
smell of fear.

   "If you kill me, you'll never find her," Williams somehow
managed to whisper. "At least not alive."

   Nick released his hands suddenly, staring at them as if they
belonged to someone else. He had come within seconds
of committing cold-blooded murder. The worst of it was,
he still could not bring himself to care.

   In front of him, Williams continued to sputter, his own hands
wrapped around his tender throat. "You come in here, taking
the law into your own hands. What makes you think you're
any better than I am?"

   Nick plunged his hands into his coat pocket, still unwilling to
trust them, his knuckles hitting the sharp edge of his car keys.
Behind him the outer office had become ominously quiet.
Nick smiled chillingly. "I'm not."

   Nick reached out with his left hand and grabbed Williams'
arm, pinioning it, outstretched, to the wall behind him. His right hand
emerged from the duster, caddy keys in hand. Nick ran his own
fingers slowly over the rough, serrated edge.

    "Hey," Williams shouted, a rising sense of panic in his voice. He
struggled briefly against the hold, but found himself pressed
firmly once again into the concrete. "What do you think you're
going to do with those?"

    "This," Nick responded, his voice already rough. He took the
ignition key and ran it deeply down the length of Williams' inner
arm.

    "Hey," Williams repeated himself, his voice now more a scream
than a shout.  "Hey, stop it!"

    "Shut up," Nick growled in a feral tone. Williams' blood had
risen quickly and was now traveling in a satisfying stream down his
arm, its warm scent filling the air. Nick felt the change come over
his eyes and his fangs aching to descend. He averted his face
carefully from the man who stood in front of him. Tentatively, he
bent over and began lapping at the rivulets that had formed. The
sensation of the fresh, human blood threatened to overwhelm him
completely and Nick felt his control teetering on the brink. He
reached an arm out and braced it against the wall, steadying
himself against the onslaught of human emotion he found in the
man's blood. He closed his eyes; he mustn't allow the bloodlust that
surged within him to consume him and deflect him from his purpose.

   Nick pressed his mouth to the wound on Williams' arm and
began sucking softly. Images formed in his mind; horrible
images, yet at the same time strangely compelling. A darkened
room, children, used vilely then discarded like the day's trash; a
seemingly unending display of human misery and pain.

    He struggled, sifting through the disjointed images, trying
desperately to correlate the pictures with something more
tangible, something that he could use to find Jenny. For once
in his long life he wished fervently that he had paid more
attention to the lessons that LaCroix had tried to teach him.
Nick stopped abruptly as he felt the image flood his mind
suddenly, and with an astonishing accuracy.

    Williams felt the strong grip that was upon him ease
slightly and struggled to free himself from the grasp. Just as quickly,
he was pressed once again against the wall.  Nick lifted his head
and met the face of their tormentor with glowing eyes.  A thin smile
peeled back the scarlet lips, revealing the slightest hint of the
elongated  canines. The acrid smell of urine suddenly filled the
room, mingling its scent with the that of the blood. "Say nothing
about this to anyone," Nick whispered thickly into Williams' ear. He
snapped his head around as he heard the lock in the holding
area door being opened with a key.

    Nick was gone a full minute before the screaming started.




    Nick flew, straight up at first, letting the chill air of the night
rush over him. He'd like nothing better than to allow the violent
images that still played in his mind to be swept clean by the wind,
but he couldn't let that happen. He clung to the pictures tightly,
going over and over them in his mind, allowing them to seep
into his unconscious. He couldn't let the picture of that cabin, or the
convoluted trail to it, slip away. Without that image in his mind,
he was lost--more importantly, Jenny would be lost forever. There
would be no one to hear her diminishing screams in the dense
silence that the forest imposed.

   He began skimming the trees, closer now, he could sense it.
Nick marveled at the winding path beneath him in the forest
undergrowth. It was no wonder they had failed to find this place,
locked away so carefully from view. It must have taken Williams
hours to travel this road using conventional means.

   Nick settled lightly on the ground in front of the isolated
cabin. It looked amazing well equipped for a place so far off the
beaten path; he noticed a propane tank and a large generator
tucked around the back of the building.  Williams wasn't the
only person in town who knew about this place. He'd have to
remember to follow up on that at some point.

   He hesitated for just a moment at the front door, his ears tuned
to any minute sound that might come from within. The images he
had received of Jenny had been vague, disjointed. He had no idea
if that was due to the brief amount of time that Williams had held
her, or if it were something within himself, something that didn't
want to know what had happened here.

   Nick pulled roughly at the front door. The wood splintering as
a variety of locks twisted and broke. The room lay in front of him,
exactly the way he had envisioned it in his mind's eye. He gaze went
immediately to the floor and the trap door he knew was carefully
covered by the kitchen table.

    Displacing the table, Nick grabbed the recessed handle to the
trapdoor and ripped it off its hinges, sending it flying across the
room. He eased himself into the narrow opening and dropped
directly into the cellar. Nick rapidly scanned the darkened hole.
"Jenny," he called softly as he spotted her small form, huddled
against the furthest corner of the room. Only then did he realize
that she must be seeing the soft amber glow of his eyes. He
pawed desperately at his mouth where the traces of Williams'
dried blood still lingered. Just what Jenny needed to see
at this moment.

   "Nick!" Jenny shouted. She straightened her cramped legs and
launched herself across the room and into his arms. "I was so
afraid--I thought it was_him_." Jenny wrapped herself tightly
around his body, squeezing him as if she would never let him go.
"I knew you'd come, I knew it."

    Nick cradled her gently against his shoulder. "It's okay honey,
you're safe. He's never going to hurt you again. I promise." Her
small body felt cool, even to him. He quickly pulled off his duster
and tenderly wrapped her in it. He maneuvered the two of them
from the dark recesses of the cellar. Settling into a comfortable
chair, Jenny on his lap, he quickly dialed the station, hoping that
Schanke had not demolished every telephone in the room. An
unfamiliar voice picked up on the other end, "Litchfield Police."

   "I've found her," was Nick's only reply. "I've found her." He
hastily gave the directions to the remote cabin and settled in for
the long wait for help to arrive.





end part 12
comments welcome
Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com
My FK Fiction page: http://patriot.net/~piercelh/kathy.html
^@
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 17:49:17 -0500
From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM>
To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu
Subject: Little Secrets (13/14)

Please see standard acknowledgments and disclaimers in
part one.

Little Secrets
part 13/14
by Kathy Whelton
(c) 1997


     Natalie slid open the elevator door and stepped into almost
total darkness. It threw her at first;  it seemed that Nick always
had a least a candle burning to light the way.  Whether that was
out of consideration for her, she never knew. He certainly had no
need of it  The blackness only served to reinforce her deepest
concern. He had gone. That fear, ignited by his abrupt departure
from the cabin, had gnawed at her the entire drive down from
Litchfield. Perhaps he felt he had finally ruptured the cocoon of
disbelief that most humans carefully wrapped themselves in.

    "Nick?" she called his name out tentatively, not really sure
whether she expected an answer or not.

     "I don't need a lecture from you."

      The disembodied voice had come from far above her. Natalie
made her way into the large room carefully, scanning the
darkness above her as she did. "How convenient," she directed
the comment upward. "I'm not here to give you one." She finally
spotted him, slumped against one of the upper story windows,
his form outlined by the barest trace of light from the outside. "Are
you going to stay up there all night, or can we do this face to face?"

     A sudden displacement of air answered her question. She
could almost feel him, behind her, but the darkness was so
total that she could still not see anything past the length of her
arm. "What the hell is going on here, Nick?" she addressed the
seemingly limitless darkness. "You bolt from the scene as soon
as the police arrive. You leave town without a word to me or Schanke
and then you don't even answer your damn phone. I had no idea
whether I'd even find you here."

    "You found me," he replied, a hard edge to his voice.

     Natalie spun in response to the sound. Whatever this game
was, it was beginning to unnerve her. "Would you put on a light,
Nick? I can't see a damn thing."

    "Sorry," he responded, his tone softened. Nick snapped on
the end table light and flopped onto the couch, still not meeting
her eyes.  "Did Williams...?" Nick left the remainder of the
question unasked.

    He was still dressed as she had seen him over twenty-four
 hours ago, dark stains now dotting the front of his shirt. A green
bottle was clenched tightly in his left hand. Natalie recognized
the ornate, white label on the front from her occasional forays
into the Raven. She swallowed hard before speaking. "Yeah, he
talked. He babbled on and on about a yellow-eyed monster who
cut his arm then drank his blood." She paused, trying to keep
her tone neutral. "I'm guessing that's a fairly accurate depiction
of the events?"

   Nick closed his eyes in silent response. He straightened on the
couch. "I guess that's it then. Time to move on."

    "Hold on a second," Natalie sat beside him on the couch and
placed a firm hand on his leg. "I didn't say that anyone believed
him. Williams is now at Oakridge, under heavy sedation.
He's not exactly considered a credible witness. Jenny wasn't the first
 victim he had up there. As soon as daybreak came, they started
poking around. There are several bodies buried up there, we're
not even sure how many.  That's why it took me so long to get away."

    "There are seven." He supplied the information in a dull
monotone, then paused to reconsider. "Maybe eight."

    "How...?" She was staring at him in total wonder. Had Williams
been so totally terrorized that he had confessed all to Nick? Not
that it would be admissible in any known court of law.

     "How did I know that?" Nick turned and faced her for the
first time since she arrived. His eyes narrowed. "How did you
think I found Jenny? Why do you think I drank his blood?"

    Natalie hesitated. "I assumed that you were trying to scare
him...that maybe you lost control?" In fact, she hadn't know what
to think when Williams had first come forth with his story. She
didn't want to believe it. It scared her more than a bit to think of
Nick in that way, but his story had such an uncanny accuracy to
it, there was little else she could think. What had frightened her even
more was how carefully Schanke seemed to be listening when
Williams talked.

   Nick sank back against the couch and shook his head. "It was
all there, in his blood. His memories; the cabin, the other victims."
Nick brought the bottle to his lips and drank deeply. Janette had
been kind when he had arrived at the Raven last night, a disheveled
mess. He looked at the bottle in his hand. An aging alcoholic with
hepatitis, so desperate to sell his only remaining commodity, his
blood, that he had not asked where it went. She hadn't even taunted
him about his request before silently handing  him the bottles. He
took another swallow and grimaced. It tasted like shit, but it was
human, and it had begun to dull the visions of Williams' poor, tortured
prisoners. That's all he could afford to care about right now.

    "They were runaways mostly, throwaways really. He picked up
most of them in the cities, then brought them to the cabin and...kept
them...for as long as they'd last, anyway." Nick pressed the bottle to
his forehead and rocked softly against it. If only he could push the
images he had of them from his mind.

    "And now they're with you?" Natalie asked softly.

     Nick attempted a thin smile. "I guess I'll just add them to the
pile."

     She slid a hand over his back. "That's not fair, Nick. You're
not a pedophile, you never preyed on children." She at least
hoped that was true. "Not like that."

    "No, I was just a serial killer, that's a big step up," he returned
bitterly. He thought briefly of Andre and of his farcical attempt
to guise his killing back then. His face sank further into his
hands. He'd walk  into the sun before he'd share that little secret with
her.
Williams was right, he was no better than him.

    "Wasn't there something else you could have done?" Natalie
began tentatively. "Putting aside the question of right or wrong,
you took a big risk, Nick." The idea that you could learn so much,
just from drinking someone else's blood was incredible, yet at
the same time a horrible violation.

   Nick slid against the back of the couch. "I suppose I learned
a thing or two when I was a guest of  the Inquisition that would
have been effective." His voice had taken on a defensive edge.
"I wasn't sure how much time I had." He turned and faced
her once again. "I would have killed him if I had to, to find Jenny."

    "You probably saved her life. There's no telling how long it
would have taken them to find her if he hadn't," she struggled
to find the right word, "given you the information. She could
easily have died in the meantime." Natalie nudged him gently.
"You've also prevented him from ever doing it again. Try
and remember that."

    "How is she doing?" he asked softly. "I did feel bad about
leaving her so abruptly. I just couldn't stay there any longer." Nick
cringed at the memory. Waiting in the cabin with Williams'
memories playing over and over in his mind was a torture all
its own; he could still hear the unanswered screams of