Chapter 50 : Secrets Unveiled Part 3 (Dark)
Aishleen remembered the first time Adrian showed up at her apartment when Keenan sent him to pick her up for a date. She remembered how familiar his presence felt at that moment, as Adrian silently accompanied Aishleen. However, Aishleen could not remember when or where she had met him before. At the time, Aishleen only thought that her feelings might have come from seeing Adrian drop Keenan off earlier, or perhaps from seeing him when he came to Keenan's house to sign the marriage contract. She dismissed the thought that there might have been previous encounters without Keenan's presence before she entered into the new living arrangement she had agreed to with her husband.
A loud voice from the other end of the line suddenly interrupted Aishleen's reverie. "What is that noise? Where are you now?"
Herman just laughed. From the increasingly clear sound, Aishleen realized that he was walking toward something that was causing a commotion in the background. "I'm at the airport. I'm flying out of town for a while. That's why I'm sending you the photos I just found and calling you tonight," the man replied, raising the volume of his voice as the surrounding noise grew louder.
"This is so sudden?"
"You know my situation. I'm not really allowed to leave town without permission from my parole officer," Herman sighed, and Aishleen could imagine him shrugging lightly, as if the problem were no more serious than missing dinner. "But I have a lead, and John is wrapping up something for his job that makes him difficult to contact or locate. So I'm going to leave with the help of a colleague in a way that I'm sure won't be discovered."
Herman paused for a moment and Aishleen could hear faint background noises, probably someone calling him to get ready. "Don't worry, I'll be back before anyone notices I've gone," he told Aishleen in a calm voice, trying to reassure her.
"Wait a minute–" Aishleen hastily stopped the man before he ended the call. "What clues did you find? Where are you going?"
"I tried to find out more about Black Mold Ltd. and found their addresses listed in several places. Their building rental license is still active, but I couldn't find any recent activity except for a few minor transactions. So I thought I'd take a closer look and find out for myself what's going on," he said in a hurried voice, signaling that time was running out. But Ais"We're getting closer, Ash. I can feel it. I'll let you know as soon as I find something decent. I'll be back before you know it."
No matter how reassuring his voice was on the phone, Aishleen couldn't shake the worry that coursed through her blood as she imagined him leaving town for parts unknown. Aishleen was sure that Herman was more experienced than she was, but as the image of Darrel lying in a hospital bed hours before his death flashed through Aishleen's mind, she couldn't help but worry for the hacker's safety.
"Take care of yourself, Herman."
"You can count on me," the man chuckled confidently. "It's you I'm worried about. I can't watch you from a distance."
Aishleen stared at the photos that still appeared on her laptop screen, images of Adrian staring at her from a distance, his hands hidden in his pockets. The pictures made her feel safe, not threatened by him secretly spying on her.
"I'm sure I'll be safe from harm until you or John return."
"I hope so, Ash. See you soon."
Aishleen held the phone tightly after Herman ended the call, then closed her laptop before returning to bed with a mind filled with so many questions, so many things that made her even more lost. But this time, Aishleen felt more determined to talk to Keenan.
"I have to tell him everything," Aishleen told herself with a sigh. "There's no other way."
Aishleen knew that this was the right time to tell her husband everything. She also realized that the only way he could understand everything that had happened was for the two of them to reveal every secret they had kept from each other.
Aishleen lay on the bed, realizing that she couldn't rush the conversation with Keenan. She had to be ready to reveal what her husband needed to know, and she had to be ready to hear the truth from him-whatever Keenan was still hiding from her.
So the only option Aishleen had now was to rest and wait until morning, so that she could face her husband with a calmer mind than she had now, after Aishleen had processed everything she had encountered.
Aishleen closes her eyes and remembers the wonderful night she just had, giving herself hope while helping herself to feel the peace she experienced the night before Keenan dropped the bomb that shook her, so that she can sleep peacefully that night.
****
***—Hindsight of the accident a few months ago—***
The rain had stopped as Darrel returned to his car parked just outside the main train station.
One hand gripped the steering wheel while the other held his cell phone to his ear as he spoke, *" —I'm not sure how, but they knew what I was doing. They must have caught me trying to take some files inside."*
He paused to listen to the sound of the other channel while his eyes were busy scanning his surroundings to make sure he was still safe. He shook his head when he heard something said to him, as if forgetting that the other person could not see him.
*"No, I don't think so. Going back to where I am wouldn't be safe for me or anyone else,"* he said as he thought of Aishleen. *"I can't take that risk. At least not now. I have to be in hiding and figure out a way to lure them away. I have to disappear. I don't know how or for how long, I just have to get them out of my way."*
Silence fell again as he listened to his phone.
*"Are you sure? O-okay, where should I go?"* He closed his eyes to remember all the information he had been given, nodding his head as he repeated it all to himself.
*"Alright, I see..."* he hesitated for a moment, stopping himself as he bent down to start his car. He took a deep breath as he remembered Aishleen. *"Can you do me a favor? It's about Aishleen. Just in case I can't make it..."*
This time he spoke softly as he asked the man on the other end of the line, *"help make sure she's safe."*
Darrel let out a long sigh as the man replied, *"You know I'll make sure without you asking me to."*
Darrel thanked the man several times before ending the call and starting to drive.
The night was quiet and there was no traffic. It was very late and the rain that had been falling for most of the night made everyone return to the shelter. Darrel kept looking in the rearview mirror to make sure no one was following him, and he kept choosing the longer route just to help him determine if there were any pursuers in sight. After an hour of driving and playing with time, he finally made his way to his original destination, turning at the next intersection to finally take the main road that led to the outer part of downtown.
Thinking that he was finally safe from any threats, he began to speed up the engine, hurrying to where he was supposed to be. He wanted to reach his destination as quickly as possible so that he could hide from the people who were shadowing him.
He passed several intersections safely, not even getting stuck at a red light. Just as he reached his destination, he saw the light turn red out of the corner of his eye. He slammed on the brakes, but the car failed to slow down and stop.
*"Wha-what the hell—"* Darrel kept hitting the brakes, his heart racing as he felt the car shoot off the road instead of slowing down. All he could do was hold on to the steering wheel as he tried to figure out how to stop the car as it was about to go through the traffic light at high speed, its red headlights glaring out of the corner of his eye as it passed underneath. The next thing he heard was the sound of a car horn coming from his side, just before he saw a pair of bright lights coming towards him.
Everything happened so fast. There was nothing he could do to stop it as the two vehicles collided, as his car was thrown away by the impact of the larger car. The sound of metal and broken glass hitting the road broke the silence as the car rolled several times until it came to a stop and landed with its top down.
And then everything fell silent.
The only sound that filled the air after the crash was the sound of people running to his car and calling his name. Darrel was crushed under the metal, gasping for his last breath. He forced himself to open his eyes, searching for a humming sound coming from somewhere nearby, until he faintly saw his cell phone, thrown out of his reach, beeping to indicate an incoming call.
Using his remaining strength, he reached out, unable to move or feel anything but pain. But he managed to call out to the unreachable phone in a low whisper, as if begging for mercy from the person on the other side.
*"Keenan—"*
And then everything stopped.