The Mystery Writer

Fog

After the press conference, Darcy felt as though things had reverted to the beginning. As if she and Leo were meeting for the first time or it was her first day in his luxurious house. Every day, Leo scheduled studio time which left too much free time for Darcy. However, she wasn't particularly motivated to do anything. She'd work on a few projects here and there, but usually found her attention drifting to the live feed or watching Leo work tirelessly in his studio.

She tried to tell herself that the sudden transition was due to his suddenly busy schedule. He was working hard on many projects, which left her to do what she was meant to do. She was beginning to think that her job was once again meaningless as Leo didn't need anyone to watch over him. Leo James was not a murderer and he didn't need or deserve to have anyone following him.

As the week after the conference passed, Darcy was thankful for any kind of event that would get them out of their regular routine. Even if she was uninvolved in the photo shoots, interviews, other variety shows and minor schedules; she began to look forward to them so she'd be able to take her mind off of things. These small schedules was enough to make Darcy exhausted and happy to climb into bed every night. She wondered how Leo managed to do these types of unending schedules year after year. The only upside was that the weather seemed to be getting warmer and the idea of spring was promising.

Then one morning, Leo had left a note on the counter. He was already settled into his studio routine by the time Darcy made her way into the kitchen. Max was the one to alert her to the note.

“I didn't realize you had car problems, Darcy. Why didn't you tell me?” Max frowned at her as she read the note from Leo. It was short and to the point. Her car was toast which cast her mood down and she suddenly regretted coming into the kitchen at all. She wanted to turn right back around and hide under the covers for the remainder of the day. “Leo left that envelope as well. They were able to reuse some of the parts, though not much. It got you a measly eighty dollars, though.”

She picked up the envelope with a sour look before placing it in her backpack. A loud 'ding' from her phone alerted her to a message. With a glance at it, her mood became foul and she slumped into the bar stool standing by the kitchen table.

“Your father?” Max questioned although it sounded more like a statement. Darcy gave a feeble nod of her head. All week she had been receiving threatening calls and emails from her father, Andy and even her step mother. She did her best to ignore them, but it became difficult when they'd come one after another. She had tried to not let it interfere with her work, but all the extra free time made it difficult to think about anything else.

Darcy was well aware that her distractions had led the show into a mess. In stead of finding fun ways to host the show, she had become lazy and uninterested in trying to find the means to keep fans' attention. After having so much free time, it had become more difficult to find the creativity needed to show Leo's life in different and unique ways. This caused the amount of viewers to drop steadily day by day.

On top of everything, JT was continuously calling her. Every time she would see his caller ID pop up on her phone, she'd become angry. She'd remember the last time they'd seen each other and burn with rage. To make it worse, most of the voicemails or messages he'd send wouldn't be work related.

By the time Darcy and Max's second day of freedom came around, Darcy was seconds from a mental breakdown. They hadn't agreed upon a replacement for her and Max, so Darcy agreed to just having the day off while Max stayed with Leo. She then planned to be back before nightfall. It didn't matter much since Leo and she were barely on speaking terms except for the very few and very short explicit interviews.

She also realized that she became traumatized after her last adventure home. Her hands would shake at just the thought of being there alone and it didn't help the live broadcast would tell everyone in the nation when she'd be home. The night before she couldn't sleep so before the sun rose the next morning, she had called a cab to take her home. She left a small note on the kitchen counter which explained her early departure.

Even as she walked up to her apartment door, she was on edge and jumped at any small movement or sound. She closed her eyes as she pulled out the key to her door, questioning if she shouldn't go to some kind of therapy. She wanted to laugh, knowing she could never afford anything of the sort.

After inserting the key and wiggling the handle, Darcy became flustered when her door wouldn't open. She kept trying to twist the knob, her desperation forced her to become frustrated.

“What are you doing?”

Darcy jumped away from her apartment door, screaming loudly before crouching into a small ball on the stoop leading into her apartment. Her heart raced which made her clutch at her chest. When she finally relaxed enough to glance up, she recognized her landlord. She relaxed enough to untangle herself and sit in front of her door.

“I was trying to get into my apartment. My key isn't working.” Sunlight was just beginning to peak over the horizon and she kept her eyes on the spreading light.

“You don't live here anymore. Didn't your boyfriend tell you?”

Darcy became frozen, panic and fear crept up from the pit of her stomach. She wondered who would act as her boyfriend and why the landlord allowed this to happen without discussing it with her.

“He paid a hefty fee for it to, to pay out your contract and then to have all of your things moved. I think his name was DJ or TJ, something like that.” Her landlord narrowed his eyes at her before limping away.

“JT.” Fury suddenly burned through her, her blood turning from ice into a river of hot lava. When she rang JT, she wasn't surprised that he answered after only one ring. She wanted to muffle his silky voice with a pillow.

“Johnny I swear if you don't-”

“Oh come on, baby. I've been waiting to get your phone call.”

“I just want to know where my things are.”

“They are at my place of course. I thought you'd like to come home and see your man.” JT sounded so confident and sure of himself. Darcy had to close her eyes and grit her teeth.

“Johnny, I never gave you permission for you to move my things. I never said I wanted to stay with you. Why did you do it?” Darcy bit back harsher words. She didn't want to break down on the phone, knowing Johnny would think her weak and try to break her resolve even further.

“Alright, I get it! Just come over and get your things.”

The line went dead and Darcy pressed her forehead momentarily into her knees. She'd never get her apartment back at the same price that she had it. It would be a long fight to find somewhere she could afford once again, even if she was Channel 4 news' highest paid reporter.

When she received an address from JT, she didn't think twice about going to get her things. Part of her wanted to call Max, but she knew he wouldn't be able to leave Leo's apartment. So she called a cab while constantly cursing her boss and refusing to cry over the mess he had caused.

It was a fifteen minute drive across the city before she was dropped off at the address she was given. Her fury only burned brighter when she found that JT was currently living in a luxury apartment complex. It wasn't anything like her small, studio apartment that she had barely been able to afford. She was so angry at this that she almost turned around, however, she never backed down from adversity before and she was determined to not start now.

She hadn't even arrived at JT's door when it suddenly popped open. Her jaw clenched when she found him in a robe with only boxers underneath. She immediately began to retreat down the hallway, not giving JT the satisfaction of stepping anywhere close to him.

“Ok, ok! I'm sorry. Just don't be angry anymore, please.” JT grabbed her waist and pulled her into a stop. “I'll put clothes on, I promise. Just come in and get the things you need. I'll send your other things wherever you want them to go.”

Darcy hesitated, tempted to walk away from him. There was nothing she desperately needed among her possessions, but there was one thing she refused to leave in anyone else's care. JT smiled at her when she turned around and followed him back into the apartment.

She groaned, finding all of her belongings were now in unlabeled boxes. It would take more time than she had assumed to find what she was looking for. It was hours later when she finally pulled the priceless necklace from her jewelry box that had been lodged at the bottom of a box. She breathed a sigh of relief as she inspected the necklace her mother had worn. Now that she had found what she had come for, she wanted to escape before JT could rope her into staying another moment. Before she rose from her crouched position among the boxes, her eyes landed on a small, white box. She never recalled owning something like that before.

After retrieving the box, she opened it to find a thick book encased inside. She knew she had never seen it before which drove her curiosity into overdrive. She discreetly hid the book and its box into the inside pocket of her jacket just as JT reappeared at the closet door. She narrowed her eyes at him before pushing past him and towards the exit.

“You found what you were looking for?” JT followed her. Darcy was just thankful that he had found more clothes. She froze for a moment, pointing a finger at him.

“I will be coming back for these boxes. If you ever try to do something like this again, I will press charges.” Darcy glared out him as she attempted to get her point across.

“Darce, come on! I was trying to stir up the good memories. You know I still love you!” JT followed her into the hallway, desperately calling after her. She spun on her heel to retaliate.

“You don't love me. You don't and you never did. You only love the thought of controlling me. Now I'll ask you this one more time. Stop calling me! I only want to hear from you if it is work related. Good bye, Johnny.” She finally was free of him, but once she was outside she realized she had nowhere to go.

For about an hour she wondered the street till she came to a cafe. A few minutes later she was inside sipping on a dark roast and staring at her mother's necklace. For a few moments, all she could think about was the necklace and her mother which blocked out all the other terrible moments that had happened over the past couple months. She only became distracted when her cell phone vibrated in her pocket.

“Hello Max.” She couldn't lift her mood enough to pretend happiness, but she felt like she did well enough not make him concerned.

“Darcy, where are you?”

“I'm at a cafe. It is about a block or two from the Channel 4 building.”

“I know where you are. Stay there.” She noticed the panic in his voice. Then she wondered why Max had asked her where she was when he should have automatically known she'd be home. So, how did he know she wasn't there?

When she lifted her head, she noticed to her dismay that other customers of the cafe were glancing in her direction. She heard the line go dead as Max must have hung up and she lowered her head along with her phone. Her body turned to ice when she found pictures of JT and her from just that morning on the internet. Everything from online news to even celebrity news had pictures of her being held by JT outside of his apartment. There were more pictures of her entering his apartment. The story being told through the pictures was different from the one that had actually unfolded only hours ago.

“JT.” Darcy swore before picking her way out of the café as quickly as possible. She found the man she was looking for in the middle of a conference meeting. She stormed into the room to a chorus of snickering and giggles from her colleagues.

“Out!” She demanded loudly, sending everyone in a scramble to obey. After the last person exited the room, Darcy slammed the door closed and turned to JT. He was attempting to look innocent, or maybe surprised. She couldn't decide which.

“How could you do that to me?”

“Could I what?”

“You took those pictures of me and then you allowed them to be plastered for everyone to misunderstand.”

JT smirked at her before leaning against the table. “Darcy, you know it isn't like that.”

“They are calling me all sorts of names because of you!” She threw her phone down onto the table, revealing the comments to one of the articles that had been written. After he tried to reach for her hand, she backed away so he wouldn't touch her.

“This is what we are going to do Darcy.” JT attempted to recover from her rejection of him. “We will reveal that we are dating and all of our history together. All those name calling will go away. Won't it?”

A wide smile told Darcy that JT believed she was cornered. His smug expression was beginning to overtake his fake one of innocence. Not that she had been fooled to begin with.

“You are trying to blackmail me; I'll kill you before you do.” She spat out quietly as her hands turned into fists.

“Uh, uh. I'll give you a choice then. You can either agree to be my girlfriend, or you will agree to the new press release about proof of Leo being a murderer.” Picking up a news clip from the table, JT revealed the next day's headliner. It was probably what was being discussed when she had barged in. Swiping the clip from JT, Darcy scanned the letter before lifting her eyes to his.

“You cannot publish this! This is not true. None of the evidence is correct.” JT tilted his head, his eyes wondering upwards towards the ceiling.

“No one would know, would they? Even if they did know, it would be too late. Wouldn't it? Word like this would spread so quickly, you wouldn't be able to stop it once it began.” JT grinned back at her and she knew he was right. Taking a small step back, she grimaced at the thought of both articles.

Suddenly, Max burst into the room and he landed a punch firmly against JT's jaw, sending their boss onto the floor. Leo, who had followed Max into the room, pulled Max away before any more damage could be done.

When JT finally managed to drag himself back up from the ground, he tested his cheek and winced at the bruise already beginning to form. “I'll be pressing charges for assault. I'll sue you until even your great grandchildren will be owing me money.”

JT reached for the phone. Darcy glanced towards Max, seeing the fire and rage begin to boil down to vulnerability. She decided she didn't have a choice as she lunged forward, holding JT's hand down on the phone.

“Wait.” Darcy paused, locking her gaze on the table in front of her. Johnny was gazing at her hungrily, expecting to hear what he wanted. “I'll agree to it if you drop the charges as well.”

“Wait, agree to what? Darcy?” Max's voice was desperate and he turned her around. She didn't dare meet his gaze. “Don't agree to it Darcy, whatever it is. I'll be fine! Just worry about yourself for once.”

When she lifted her eyes to his, he already knew she wouldn't change her mind. That didn't stop him from pleading with her. She closed her eyes when he released her, knowing he'd be furious with her once he found out.

“I can't let you suffer because you were trying to protect me.” She enveloped herself in her arms. “I'll agree to it, Johnny.”

The hateful man set into motion immediately. He was yelling out onto the office floor and demanded anyone and everyone to start writing the new breaking story. As she watched, she felt her knees go weak till she collapsed onto the floor.

“Darcy.” Leo shook her gently until she lifted her head just enough to meet his eyes. Darcy decided that he would hate her even more than he already did. “What did you agree to?”

“She agreed to be my girlfriend. I mean we do have a long history of dating, don't we Darce?” JT grinned and she felt Leo immediately release her.

“I agreed to allow you to run the papers and the headlines. I never agreed to be your girlfriend.” She spat back at him, knowing it was a feeble argument.

“Oh, but Darce. Don't you think you will have to act the part? You'll have to make it so believable or what would the press say?” JT smirked once again at her and she understood his meaning. He could easily release that fake news, the news of Leo's evidence that he was in fact a murderer, and he would use the threat to keep her tame.

“That is blackmail.” Leo growled, his eyes narrowing. JT merely shrugged his shoulders at the accusation.

“Can you do anything about it?”

Leo was silent for a moment as his jaw clenched together. “I can give you money.”

“I don't want money. I only want Darcy.” JT smiled back at Leo while receiving a glare back. There was nothing anyone could do to stop him. He had played his cards perfectly.

“You may think you have her, but you'll never gain her feelings this way. You're just temporary, and when this whole thing passes, you'll have nothing. Lets go, Darcy.” When Max and Leo turned to Darcy, they found that she was no longer in the room.

“Darcy!” Max called after her as he exited the room. Leo was right behind him.

Meanwhile, Darcy made her way slowly through the office building. Her feet dragged as all the energy seemed to rush from her. Suddenly, it seemed as if her whole career meant nothing and was now being controlled by a selfish, dictating man. Somehow JT was worse than her former boss, Matthias Scott. Not to mention that everything else in her life had already blown up in smoke.

“Darcy! D.W.” As soon as she made it out of the building, she barely realized two familiar men were running towards her. Seeing them, she suddenly felt the need to flee. She only made it a few yards before she was stopped. Ken and Roman surrounded her and she willfully believed she could see hatred and mistrust in each of their eyes.

“We are taking you away from here. Don't be scared, we are just giving you a place to go.” Roman led her to an idling van. She, at first, resisted, but didn't have much energy to fight anymore. The whole ride was a blur, but they finally ended up at a large house. The luxury of the house was lost on her as she barely saw what was in front of her.

“We can't send you back to Leo's. The reporters will be crawling there. You'll be safe here. This is Roman's home and you can stay here as long as you need.” Ken tapped her shoulder several times, trying to be comforting.

“Leo, calm down. She is with Ken and I. Don't come here! Just give Darcy some time. Go home and try to relax, we will keep you updated.” Roman was on the phone with Leo while Ken led her to a sofa. She immediately sunk into it, tears came and became unstoppable.

“Darcy!” She barely recognized that she was conscious, but somehow a voice penetrated her thoughts. When she looked up, she found Roman and Ken staring back at her. On the coffee table behind them, she found food, beer and other assortment of liquor. She sprung off of the sofa, reaching for a beer and beginning to chug it down. Then another; and another. When she reached for the fourth one, Roman grabbed her and begged her to stop.

“Slow down.” Roman sat next to her while Ken forced the bottle out of her hand. Together, they did their best to comfort her. “You know it is ok to not be strong all the time. And when you cry or get angry, it is not a sign of weakness. Such strong emotions like that can prove how brave and how strong you truly are.”

Darcy thought about Roman's words; at the very least they were a distraction from her other dismal thoughts. They were able to penetrate the fog that was currently blocking all intelligence and she finally felt clearheaded for the first time in hours. When she turned her head towards the man, she found that night had fallen since she arrived. The two boys who had accompanied her for so many hours were now snoozing in strange positions.

When she felt strong enough, Darcy crept out of what she assumed was the living area and into a hallway. In her search for her phone, she pulled out the white box she had found earlier that day. After realizing she left her phone at the office building, she knew that her only current possession was this book. Reopening it, she flitted through the pages. It seemed to be a story, a novel, but she couldn't remember ever buying something like this before. That is when her flipping ended at the last page. At the very bottom of the page was neat, cursive writing. It was so small that Darcy had to raise the page to eye level for her to read it.

'Dear Darcy,

I have not been murdered.

I have not died.

Do not believe whatever

you've been told.

When the time is right.

I will find you.

-549'

549? Who, or what, is 549? Darcy couldn't remember anything or anyone related to 549. What was more peculiar was that the note was definitely made out to her. Or at least, someone with the same name as her. Then there was the matter that whoever had left the message, Darcy had been told they had been murdered or that they were dead.

Her head began to hurt as she thought back to all who had been murdered or thought to have been murdered in the past couple weeks. Who was this note referring to? The book. Something must lead her to answers in the book. She'd have to read it to solve the mystery.

Looking back inside the living room, Darcy jumped when she found Ken approaching her. The way he stumbled told her that he had partaken in some of the alcohol that Roman had provided in his home. She took a few steps back until Ken was swaying just a few feet from her.

“Darcy.” Ken hiccuped. She narrowed her eyes at him. “You know I've liked you since I met you? I tried to make it obvious.”

“Ken, you are drunk.” The man only smiled, his eyes closing at her words.

“Let me comfort you.” Ken reached for her, nearly falling as he swung an arm around her shoulders. She quickly brushed him off and he stumbled a few feet into the wall. As he regained his balance, he laughed a bit louder and she shivered. This wasn't the usual, fun Ken she had met in the dance studio all those weeks ago.

Turning her back on him, she headed for the front door. From there she would come up with some kind of plan. However, before she could make her exit, Ken swung her around and locked her between his arms while his face became buried against her neck. She whimpered loudly, silently begging him to free her.

“Ken!” The roar startled Darcy, but was thankful when Roman finally arrived and pulled Ken from her. Before Roman could stop her, she was out the door and she didn't know how far she had run before her legs gave out. For just a minute she allowed herself to be swallowed in self pity.

  After that minute was up, she stood and raised her head to the sky. She didn't have time to go back into a fog. She desperately needed a new plan. Luckily, one came to her almost immediately.