Hidden In Plain Sight

The Aftermath

Bela's POV

This can't be happening. We get out of the car slowly with our hands wear the officers could see them.

"Where have you been this evening?" The officer inquired.

"My name is Bela. I am a security guard, and we were on assignment tonight," Bela said, "I can give you the name and number of my boss. I can confirm. I can also give you the client's name, and she can tell you we were there and just left."

The officer took the business card I held out to him. As he walked away, I watched him call the number. With any luck, he doesn't get sent to voicemail. When the call was answered, we could hear what was being said.

*Conversation between the officer and the company's owner*

"Hello Sir, this is Officer Tayler from the local PD. Do you employ a Bela at your company?"

"Yes Officer. My best man. Is he alright?"

"We are at his place of residence and there has been a murder."

"It couldn't have been him or his friend who lives with him. They were both on assignment tonight. I just received word that they left about forty minutes ago after making sure everting was safe."

"Can you fax the information for the assignment to the Police Station?"

"Give me a second and I can do that right now."

"Thank you for your time, Sir."

"You are welcome Officer."

*Call ended*

"She wasn't in your home when she was murdered. The neighbors saw this young man shooting her on the front lawn. They said You all left around 4 this afternoon." The Officer questioned.

"Yes Sir," I replied, "We always make sure that we are on site well before our assignment arrives to get the lay of the land and make sure everything is safe for when they do arrive. Standered practice."

The officer took notes and then shook his head. "Don't leave town until we finish our investigation."

"Of course not, Sir," Victor replied.

It was then that the man who had been speaking to the officers when we arrived walked up to us.

"You are Victor?" he asked Vic.

"Yes. Who are you?" Victor replied.

"She was my sister. I thought something was wrong, so I started driving this way two days ago. When she called to tell me what had happened and where she would be, I drove faster. I got here just after he pulled the trigger. I watched my sister fall to the ground."

"Sorry for your loss. She was a good woman and a pleasure to work with. She always made me feel welcome." Victor was near tears now.

"Thank you. I told the officers that you all had nothing to do with this. They still want to investigate you," he said.

"It's okay, we can handle being investigated," I replied, "Can we do anything for you?"

"No, I just wanted to say Thank You for being willing to help her," he replied, holding out his hand to each of us in turn.

We watched him walk to his car and drive away. I had to find out what happened on my front lawn. After the officers left, I inquired the neighbors. In a matter of minutes, it was disclosed to me that there had been yelling from our home. The ex had somehow found her and was trying to get her to come back with him. When she tried to run, he followed her outside and shot her. The brother had driven over the gunman so he couldn't escape. Officers arrived and put the unconscious man in cuffs. We arrived about ten minutes later. It was definitely a night. Sleep came quick and hard.

A week after the ordeal, we were told that they found no rond doing on our part, and we were not suspects, as if we could have been anyway. I gave a two weeks' notice and started preparing for the journey ahead. Victor put in his notices as well. Two weeks later, we were on the road again. We really needed not to stay in one place for that long again. Victor makes friends and then I am left to pick up the pieces of his broken heart when we have to leave them.

We drove for most of the day, switching drivers at stops so we could stay fresh. I wanted as much distance between us and that town before we stopped for the night. Around midnight, we hit a town that had a motel right on the highway. I went in and got two rooms. When I stepped into my room, a smell hit me that I thought I would never smell again. Cinnamon and honeysuckle. It was faint, maybe from two or more years ago. I could tell the sheets had been changed over a hundred times. But it was there, coming from the carpets. She had been in this room.

Grabbing out my phone, "Vic, I need you to smell this," I said into the receiver.

Victor came running to my room. The second he stepped in I knew it had hit him too. "Jade!" he said, "She's alive, or at least she was, I'd say, about two years ago."

"That was my thought as well," I confirmed with him.

I went back to the front desk to ask questions. When i returned to my room, Victor was lying on the floor with his face buried in the carpet. "Dude, you are unreal," I said.

"Don't pretend like you didn't have the same idea," he shot back.

"The guy said he wasn't there when she checked in, but he was when she checked out the next morning. She was alone, but her information said that there were two in the room. My father got her out. He got her to safety and then went back to cover their tracks."

"Does he know what way she went?"

"He said that she just left and got into her car. He didn't see which way she went."

I managed to get him out of my room and then went to bed. She was here, in this very room. She slept in this bed. We had to find her.

The next morning, we checked out of the motel and got back on the road.

"Let's think this through. She wouldn't have headed back towards the pack lands. So she would have gone in a direction that took her further away," I said.

"So we keep going in the direction we were," Vic replied.

I started out and prayed she just stayed on the same road the entire time. We drove all that day. At the next motel, there was no luck, she hadn't stopped at this one.

We started out the next day with the hope that we would come across her. About mid-afternoon, we came to a small town. I got the feeling that this could be the perfect place to hide away from the world. So we stopped. We spent the day checking all the local shops thinking maybe she worked in one of them. No luck. As it was getting late, and we hadn't eaten much over the last few days, we headed to this local dinner. We walk in, and the atmosphere is definitely small town dinner vibes. We are seated, and our waitress walks over. When she gets close, I get a faint int of cinnamon and honeysuckle.

"Good evening, welcome to the Adult Swim. Can I start you with a cup of coffee?" she said.

"Coffee will be just fine," I replied.

She leaves to get the coffee.

She returns to the table, "can I take your order?' setting down the coffee.

"Just the coffee." Vic said.

We watch her moving around taking care of her customers. She returns to ouir table.

"Are we still doing okay sirs?" she asks.

"Yes," Vic replied.

"Can I get you anything else? I can leave your check if you like. There is no rush. You can pay the bill when you are ready to leave," she offered, looking at us.

We look at each other, and then I look back at her.

"Actually, do you by any chance have a break coming up any time soon? We have a couple of questions for you," I replied.

"I am due for another 30 minutes soon," she confirmed.

She leaves, and I watch her walk to the kitchen.

"Are you sure it is her?" Victor asks.

We hear her footsteps and our heads turn to her.

"Please have a seat," Vic said.

"Can you please tell us how a Werewolf came to live in a human city," I began.

She looked shocked.

"Jade, you can't be too shocked. I have known you since we were young pup," I said.

She started to look at me closer, I knew when she realized who I was. It was written on her face. "Bela!"

She turned to Vic, "Victor!"

She went from realization to confusion fast. Then a questioning look hit her eyes.

"How?' she asked.