The Mystery Writer

Revelations

The next week was rough on Darcy. She found everything and everyone suspicious, to the point that she'd jump at even the smallest of sounds. At night she'd find comfort in tucking herself under her sheets and either cry or scream till she was too exhausted to stay awake. Thankfully, the days were lazy as both Darcy and Leo chose to work in the living room. They wanted to be seen on the live camera as much as possible, and Darcy had little energy to do anything other than sit on the couch all day. It was tough on both of them as they wanted to be as transparent as possible while also wanting to hide away at the same time.

Media turned the recent homicides against Leo, once again they accused him of being a murderer without any evidence. There were varying degrees of belief throughout public opinion. It had been brought to Darcy's knowledge that the officer who had been murdered was none other than Officer Wells. It was well known to everyone now that it was the same officer who had refused to shake Leo's hand several weeks ago. It was also common knowledge that Matthias, Darcy's late boss, had disrespected Leo's privacy. Apparently, this was enough evidence to create a motive for murder.

Darcy, however, chose to purposely avoid any conversation about such dark matters. Now that Leo and she were sharing a work space, she was able to blurt out any question that came to mind at any time of day. She'd even use the comments from fans and they both enjoyed a few minutes each day, answering fans and other curious onlookers.

“Music is a form of communication, isn't it? I mean, you don't need to understand the words necessarily to feel emotion in a song. You can tell a sad song by its melody or a fun song by its beat.” Leo grinned and although he was staring at the camera, Darcy was sure he really wasn't seeing it. She smiled, finding that Leo was quite open when it came to his opinion or the things he liked. He could probably talk for hours about the music he wrote or the music he liked. Darcy was too interested to hear his thoughts to stop him.

At the end of the week, the empty house had finally received visitors. It was the police chief who was escorted by two excited young officers. They seemed to be all smiles as if it was their first time accompanying the chief. They all sat down in the living room and talked comfortably with each other until it came time that chief get down to why he was really there.

“We do believe it might be one of your fans, Leo. Maybe they have mental health issues or they just take every offense towards you as a personal threat. This person can be very dangerous to you and to anyone you are close with. I'm sure they create a fantasy of protecting you by murdering others. I came here personally to ask you if you have been attacked by anyone in the past? Or maybe there are certain fans that stick out in your mind?” The chief refused to take his eyes off Leo, looking for any signs that Leo had in fact met such a person.

Leo stayed quiet for only a moment, his lips trembling only slightly. Darcy wondered what roamed through his mind at that moment that made him waver. How many harassing and imposing fans had he dealt with since he gained popularity?

“Well, there are quite a few that we had put on a black list. I'll have Malakai create a list and send it to you as quickly as possible.” Leo rose from the sofa, walking into the kitchen to make a phone call to his manager. This allowed the chief to turn his attention solely on Darcy.

“We conducted a search of your apartment. It seems that nothing was stolen. That may seem like a good thing, however, it means whoever broke into your apartment was looking for you.” The chief pulled an envelope from his pocket and from it he pulled several photos to lay on the coffee table. Darcy gasped and immediately covered her mouth. She recognized the car that idled only a few spots from where she had parked Leo's all those days ago. The silhouette of a young man was also recognizable to her.

“You know him?”

Chief Grant looked at her as if he was expecting this. That was was probably because most crimes were committed among acquaintances. At least, that was what she found in most of her own research.

“It is my half brother, Andy.”

“Would you like us to take him in for breaking and entering?”

Darcy pondered the question for quite some time. She was sure Andy only reacted out of anger because of her decision. He couldn't be happy that she chose to no longer support him financially. Maybe she was partly to blame for his rash behavior.

“I'll talk to him.”

Chief Grant nodded before glancing towards one of the young officers who immediately stood and left the room.

“We've recovered your phone and computer. Officer Yates will return them in a moment.” Chief Grant stood and Darcy followed his lead by standing from the sofa as well.

“What is this about?” Leo had returned to the living room and glanced at the photos on the coffee table. Darcy remained quiet and kept her eyes downcast. She wanted to avoid the subject as long as possible.

“The same night as the recent homicides, someone broke into Darcy's apartment. Darcy just informed me that it was her half brother.” Chief Grant gave Darcy an unapologetic glance. “We just told the whole world, don't you think Leo deserves to know too?”

Darcy glared at Chief Grant's back as he began to walk towards the exit. She could already feel Leo tensing up and it didn't help that she jumped when he dropped his phone loudly onto the coffee table. She forced herself to suddenly be busy as she collected the photos the chief had left. Officer Yates then returned her laptop and phone to her before leaving to catch up to his superior.

Before anything could be said, Darcy hurried to her room to plug in her laptop and phone. They were both dead after being out of use all week. She fretted over the amount of emails and phone calls she'd have to catch up on.

“Darcy.”

Leo surprised her as he stepped just inside her doorway, which was safely out of view from the live camera in the living room. She froze for a moment, hoping they wouldn't have a whole dialogue about the unfortunate event. She also knew it was best not to be alone together for too long as the fans might misunderstand. The last thing she wanted was for Leo to have another scandal to explain. She turned quickly on her heal attempting to make it past Leo as quickly as possible.

“Lets talk in the living room.”

She grabbed her arm before she could make it a single step past him. “Darcy, I don't wish to put your private life on display.”

She dropped her head at his words. It had been part of their contract and she respected him so much for attempting to respect her privacy. However, she felt as if this would have to be a sacrifice.

“Then lets not talk about private matters.”

“Darcy.”

She closed her eyes, knowing he wouldn't drop it and that she wouldn't get away with not talking about it. Suddenly, she felt so ashamed of her family and the mess they were putting her through.

“Darcy.” He repeated her name, softer this time as he tugged her shoulder so that she'd face him. She refused to look up at him due to the misery she felt. “Tell me what I can do to help you.”

“I don't want you to help. I want you to forget that you heard anything at all. I'll resolve my family problems on my own and I won't let it interfere with work.” She responded quickly, anger rising to her lips. Leo seemed to glare down at her, anger reflecting in his eyes.

“You dropped everything going on and forgot everything that had happened that morning just so you could bring Chief Grant a recording that would possibly prove my innocence. You defended me when so many others would believe that I am a murderer. I'm not going to repay your kindness by ignoring what you're going through.” Leo crossed his arms, trying to remain adamant.

“Don't you have enough on your plate already? You don't need to add my problems on top of them. Besides, you are completely unrelated to them!” Darcy swallowed, biting down on her lip.

“Totally unrelated? Before you found out the culprit a few minutes ago, you had no idea who had attacked you. What if it had been the murderer? What if you are next to be targeted? You need just as much protection as anyone else.”

“Well it wasn't the murderer, was it? Can't you just drop it and let it go? I'll deal with it.”

“Can't you trust me?”

Leo's voice was suddenly quiet causing Darcy to feel trapped. She didn't want him to believe that she didn't trust him. She also didn't want him to get his way every time they came across this path. She dropped her head, losing herself in her thoughts. While she was completely unfocused, Leo cupped her hips and dragged her closer by a step. An instant that felt like hours passed as his lips pressed firmly against hers.

She remained frozen as questions swarmed and overwhelmed her. 'Why is he kissing me? Why does he want to help? Why is he here? Why is he stirring up these feelings that I had buried long ago.' When he finally pulled away, he stooped lower to meet her eyes. Before he could say or do anything else, Darcy fled from her bedroom. Her only answer to all of these questions was to run from them.

Although her plan was to escape out to the camper for a little while, the plan was quickly dashed when she found Mrs. James and a few of Leo's sisters in the kitchen.

“Darcy! There you are Leo.” Mrs James smiled at her before Darcy turned a fraction of an inch. She was surprised to find Leo so close behind her and to her dismay, he was staring at her. When she looked back to Mrs. James, she forced a smile to the older woman.

“Mom, what can I do for you? I thought we discussed about you alerting us to when you were going to come over.” Mrs. James reached for Darcy's hand. She dropped her gaze as her face grew hot. Why was she suddenly remembering his kiss?

“I'm not here for you son. I'm here to teach Darcy!. You've been lazing around all week, I thought my appearance could perk up the show a bit.” Mrs. James was still smiling at them, but Darcy had to close her eyes. She was thanful for her arrival as it would force Leo to keep his distance. It would allow her to sort out her thoughts.

“Come on, lets talk while they cook.” Chloe, Leo's youngest sister, captured his hand and pulled him out of the kitchen. Darcy turned her head just in time before he disappeared completely around the corner. This left Bridget, Catherine, Mrs. James and Darcy to concoct a large feast for dinner. Christine, Max and Malakai were offered to join them for dinner as well.

During dinner, Darcy remained quiet even though Max constantly shot concerned glances in her direction. Rather, she concentrated on the stories Mrs. James would tell of Leo and his sisters. She smiled, noting that Leo seemed to have quite a happy childhood.

Dread filled Darcy when Mrs. James stood from the table and expressed that it was time for them to leave. She stood with the older woman wishing that she could stay. Once she was alone with Leo again, he'd probably want to talk about her family, or worse, the kiss.

“Darcy.” Mrs. James called to her to get her attention. After reaching for her hand, Mrs. James began to pull her in the direction of the door. The hand Darcy received was tender and loving; it was something Darcy hadn't felt in a very long time. “Darcy, my son is a very capable man. Entertainment business has changed him, I admit, but that doesn't mean he isn't a loving and caring young man. Hmm?”

Mrs. James' voice was soft and quiet so that only she could hear. However, it was firm and the message clear so that it made Darcy's cheeks heat up. She was thankful it was dark outside and shadows were cast over their faces.

“Mrs. James.”

“Mom, please Darcy!” Darcy hesitated for a moment before giving the older woman satisfaction by nodding her head. Then Mrs. James was gone, leaving Darcy to stare after her.

When the car was finally out of view, Darcy turned back toward the house. Max and Christine had disappeared and only Leo stood at the doorstep with his hands casually in his pockets. Darcy had a silly thought that he hid them in his pockets so he couldn't be tempted to touch her.

“Darcy.”

She closed her eyes in front of him. She knew that while they were outside Leo would have no restrictions on what he could say. She had no where to hide and knew that her attempt at running from this new dilemma had been squashed.

“About earlier, I-”

“Darcy.” A new but familiar voice boomed from behind her. She turned quickly, shuffling a few steps back. She didn't need to see the face to know who it was.

“Who is it, Darcy?”

Leo was suddenly right beside her and when Darcy looked up at him, she imagined seeing a cat with its hackles raised in warning. She would have laughed if the situation allowed her to.

“Ah, Leo James. Nice to finally meet you as well. My name is John Thomas. You can call me JT or Johnny, either will do. I'm Darcy's new boss.” Darcy's head was suddenly swimming, surprised to suddenly find out this man was now her boss. “I've been leaving you voicemails and texts, Darce. I thought you just didn't want to talk to me, but then I saw on the feed that you didn't have access to your phone all week. I thought I'd drop by to talk to you.”

“Johnny, it's late. Lets talk another time.”

Darcy could feel a headache forming behind her eyes as she wanted nothing less to run back inside the house. The site of Johnny, her ex-boyfriend and her new boss, only enraged that pain and that desire.

“There are some things that cant wait, Darce.” John Thomas was usually persistent, but the little smile he wore infuriated Darcy.

“Get to it then.” She dumped her head against her hand, digging her fingers against the pressure points in her temple.

“I've given you a raise. You are now C4 News' most highly paid reporter.” This announce forced Darcy to shoot her eyes up at the smug man in front of her. She narrowed her eyes, knowing he was up to something. Knowing JT, whatever he was up to was nothing good.

“Don't look at me like that. You were being completely underpaid compared to anchors of your seniority. Now, I'll need you to come into the office to receive your new assignment.” Johnny smiled sickeningly towards her. She crossed her arms which her new boss seemed to raise an eyebrow at.

“New assignment?” Darcy and Leo glanced at each other as they questionned JT at the same time.

JT glanced between the both of them. “You're the highest paid reporter now, Darce. I can't have you doing what any junior reporter can easily do. You're wasting your talents here.”

She clenched her jaw, feeling as though they were already going to butt heads. JT had always been smug and believed he had the power to force his wishes upon anyone without argument.

“I signed a contract, Johnny. This whole show will no longer exist if I'm not the one reporting. Seeing as how millions tune in to the live feed each day, I'd say the company would lose respectability and my guess is that C4 would also lose millions of dollars if you break the contract now. Do you still want to reassign me?” For a moment, Darcy could feel Leo's eyes on her, digging into her. For the first time in a very long time, she felt strong against her employer and she wondered if her words had startled the celebrity. She was much stronger than he had probably given her credit for. She only felt stronger when the smug expression on JT's face began to fall.

“Let me ask the board to confirm. I'll give you a call when I've confirmed the details with them.” Darcy could only nod in response, but as JT approached her she took another step back. Leo placed a hand on the small of her back so she wouldn't fall backwards.

“Darcy, I'd like to talk to you in private.” JT did look sincere, but she knew him well enough to trust in his facial expressions. He may be an even better actor than Leo James himself.

“I prefer if we only talk business. I'm tired and I'm going to bed.” Darcy turned on her heel and only stopped her quick strides when she was safely hidden in her bedroom. She fell against the side of her sofa as the weight of everything that had occurred recently seemed to come crashing down on top of her.

“Darcy.” She jumped, surprised to find Leo standing next to her. Why didn't she notice him walk in? “I did call your name, but you didn't respond.”

“I'm sorry. There is just a lot going on today.”

“I know and I'm sorry that I only seemed to add on to everything.” With his words, Darcy's eyes fell to Leo's lips and then quickly away. “I-I'm sorry! We don't have to talk about anything that has happened. If it is ok with you, I'd just like to talk if that's ok.”

When Darcy looked back at him, she found that loneliness was still touching his eyes, but they didn't seem to be overwhelmingly filled with the emotion. She finally nodded, agreeing though she wasn't sure if she should force them to sit in the living room or stay where they were. The people were really going to get the wrong impression if Leo kept entering her bedroom like this. Leo, however, seemed to take matters into his own hands and sat down beside her. As soon as he was settled, silence seemed to span between them till Darcy brought up the only question she could muster.

“Your mom is a really good instructor. I always feel a little more comfortable in the kitchen after she comes over.” She watched as Leo's face expanded into a smile. She really got the sense that he was close to his mother.

“She is really fond of you. She always asks me how you are. I guess you really did make a great first impression on her.” Darcy smiled at his words, but winced when she remembered that she had argued with Matthias then. It was the last time they had spoken. When silence spanned between them again, Leo spoke up. “Max hasn't been around much lately. Is everything ok with him?”

“Yes! With us just staying at home, he has been given a little more free time. He gets to go wedding planning and I think for the first time in years he is getting quality time with his fiance.”

“About that, I'm sorry it may have become a little tedious. I don't have the energy or the will to go out in public right now.” Darcy shot him a look before shaking her head. “What is it? I know you want to say something.”

She shifted her body so that for the first time since their kiss that afternoon, she was facing him. She hesitated though, knowing what she would say may change the outcome of the rest of their conversation.

“I prefer to interview you at home. You're more relaxed; free. I like you better when you don't have the general public looking over your shoulder. This is the place that you get to be yourself and I have enjoyed seeing that side to you. Based on the comments I read too, I think your fans like this side of you as well.” They stared at each other, for once they didn't shy away. A comfortable silence spanned between them this time until the peace was broken by a sudden, loud shout coming from the kitchen.

“No no no.” Leo gave her a sympathetic look before he jumped to his feet and raced out of her room. Darcy waited a moment before following him out, smiling when she found Ken and Roman making themselves at home in Leo's kitchen.

“Hi there Darcy!” Ken gave her a large, energetic smile as he pulled beers from several different bags.

“There is a curfew, guys. You can't be here now.” Leo attempted to repack the beers and send both Ken and Roman away. That is when Ken glanced back at her with a pout that would make anyone's heart break.

“Darcy doesn't mind this one time, do you Darcy?” Roman, who was much taller than her, rested his arm on top of her shoulder. Leo stared at them, but she quickly pointed to one of the beers sitting on the counter.

“Is one of those for me?”

Roman and Ken hollered cheerfully before Ken handed her a bottle that he had already popped the top off. She tested the bottle in her hand, it had been a long time since she indulged in any form of alcohol.

“I thought you didn't drink while working?” Leo's eyes twinkled at her. She grinned back at him.

“I think one time would be ok, don't you?”

 “We thought the both of you could use a breather. It's been a tough week, hasn't it?” Roman grinned at the both of them before leading everyone to the living room. For hours they engaged in jokes, stories and even played a few games. It wasn't until the sun was beginning to rise that they all ended up in a drunken sleep in the living room.