Beauty & The Beast (Book 1)

6. Proceed with Caution

(A/N: Season 1 Episode 2 -
"Proceed with caution")

It was early morning. A yellow New York City taxi pulled up to a corner and dropped off its only occupant.
The young woman paid and then left to find the club her friend told her to go to.
She roamed the alleyway but found nothing, not an entrance or even an exit. No music, no people. She called her friend and left a message because her friend didn't answer. She stopped at the door of what looks like a studio or an auditorium, looking around.
She hears banging, starting soft and getting louder the closer it came.
When she looked up, a figure was getting bigger and bigger, screaming as it fell. It hit the pavement with a thud and the young woman screamed at the sight if the dead body in its pink leotard.

***********

Catherine was feverishly investigating her mother's case. Every waking moment she wasn't at work, she was going through the papers, photos, anything she could to see if she spotted anything new. With the new information she had - Vincent, Muirfield, what they did to him - she was sure somewhere in her mother's files or belongings she would find clues.

This is what she is doing when her front door opens and her younger sister steps in with a bright smile.

"Heather, hey." Catherine put the file she was busy with aside and turns to face her sister.

"You are looking at, potentially, the new second assistant of Piers London," Heather says, removing her shoes.

"I thought you were staying at Brian's tonight?"

"Well, I decided to surprise you with some spicy tuna fermero," she bubbles. Catherine took a breath. She was looking forward to being alone.
"So, what is all of this?" Heather walks over after putting the food on the counter.

"Oh, I guess I was just feeling a little nostalgic, you know, with dad's engagement and everything, but that is so sweet of you," she points to the food. Heather was eyeing her, because her sister didn't het nostalgic. As soon as she mentioned the food, Heather perked up again.

"Oh, that, it's the least I can do, you've been letting me crash here," she smiles. Her eye catches on a picture of her and Catherine at a summer camp when they were little. "Oh my gosh! Look at us at Camp Moosepine," she gushes and looks lovingly at the photo. "Remember how homesick I was?"

"Yep," Catherine nods.

"You'd tuck me in every night and read me bedtime stories until I fell asleep." Heather looks sad, smiling at the memory, and then she turns and says, "This belongs on the fridge."

Catherine wanted to ask Heather a question, but her sister was already so upset. She needed to though.
"Heather," she says and gets up to follow. "That last year with mom, I was away at college, but you were home, did you notice anything weird?"

Heather closes the fridge, after taking out a bottle of water. "Define weird?"
She walks past Catherine and grabs the take out bag.

"Like, were there any new people in her life? Did you overhear any odd conversations?"

"Okay, this is not being nostalgic," Heather says, sitting down.

"I think I might have some new information about mom's case," Catherine admits to Heather. She was ready for the fall out.

"Mom's case has been closed for nine years," Heather takes out a plastic container with salad.

"Yes, but you know it never made any sense to me." Catherine could tell it was a sensitive topic for Heather by her reaction. "The police said it was a car jacking but those guys came at us like hired killers."