THE HIDDEN'S ORDER MYSTERY

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Arabella was walking through the streets of Glouminster on her way to Brady Investigations. As she was about to cross the street in front of the office, a car came speeding towards her. Arabella's heart raced as she noticed the car approaching. Moments before impact, a brilliant sphere of white light materialized in front of her, whisking her away to safety with a gentle force. It swiftly propelled her to the side of the street, averting the collision with the car. The incident happened so quickly that bystanders on the street were left bewildered, unsure of what had occurred.

When Arabella opened her eyes, she saw Brenan, her cousin, standing next to her, still sparkling and wearing wings that indicated he was an angel incarnate.

"Arabella, are you okay?" Brenan inquired, as the young woman gazed at him practically without blinking.

"Yes. Brenan, you saved my life!"

"This is my mission. Protect family members," Brenan stated.

Arabella hugged the boy, who discreetly healed Arabella's wounds with a gentle touch.

"Come inside. Let's go inform your mother," Arabella urged.

"No, it's unnecessary. I am going back to my girlfriend. I was with her," Brenan said, going red.

"I hope I haven't interrupted anything important," Arabella remarked mischievously.

Brenan flushed even more.

"No! We were talking. See you around," Brenan replied, running away. The reality was that they were starting to kiss, and he knew exactly what was going to happen next. He and Kendra were unable to stop once they started. Kendra must have been irritated about the interruption. But she had to accept that he had to carry out his duties as an angel. It was an extremely important mission.

Theolinda was perplexed by where Elora Sihota, the fifty-something mystic from India, chose to meet her: the rose walk in Glouminster's central park. Theolinda observed Elora's meticulous inspection of the specimens, her long black hair framing her face.

"Mrs. Sihota, what ideas do you have about the murders?"

Elora stopped looking at the blooms and looked into Theolinda's eyes.

"Mrs. Brady, I don't know anything about the murders, but I do know that there is a traitor in the inner circle."

"What are you talking about?"

"Someone in the inner circle revealed confidential information to Matthew Hawthorne. That is punishable by death, and I know who that person is," Elora said solemnly.

"How do you know?"

"My nephew is a hacker who serves the Order. He looked into Matthew's laptop, and even though that guy took several precautions, we were able to figure out who they were. I was about to inform Domina when she called me for the meeting. I thought I'd tell her before returning to India," Elora said.

Theolinda inquired, even though she already knew the answer:

"Can you tell me who that person is?"

"No, otherwise I would have to kill you," Elora said, smiling.

Theolinda was baffled by the fact that a woman who was a highly regarded Indian designer with international fame and also known as a mystic involved in humanitarian efforts could speak so casually about taking someone's life. It was clear that the Order was to be feared. Theolinda needed to speak with Darnell. She had received an email from Mirelle, the coroner, stating that she had nothing to add and couldn't waste her time talking nonsense with her. Theolinda was puzzled by Mirelle's harshness toward her.

Her chat with Darnell concerned Theolinda greatly because she considered Darnell a family friend in addition to being the father of Filipa, Scarlett's girlfriend, and Ryan's daughter.

That afternoon, Theolinda met with Darnell in his office at the Order Building. The man, well into his seventies, warmly invited her to take a seat in her cluttered yet inviting office, adorned with shelves of weathered books. Darnell was the Order's Dimensions specialist, and he had previously shown himself to be extremely helpful.

"Do you want to have a coffee, Theolinda?" Darnell inquired in his typical polite tone.

"No, Darnell; thank you. Do you have any ideas concerning the murders?"

Darnell replied:

"I know who the murderer is."

Theolinda commented, fed up with the Order and its methods:

"Well, and you can't tell me because you'd have to kill me."

Darnell felt deeply saddened by Theolinda's statements. He had a deep affection for that family. They were his friends. While everything she stated was accurate, he would never harm them, even if it meant going against the Order.

Darnell opposed the Order's methods and engaged in discussions with Kerrigan to reform the Order's harsh regulations, advocating for increased transparency within the institution. He agreed that magic should stay secret from the general population, but not at the expense of more crimes.

"I would never kill you or anyone else," Darnell stated.

"But you see that people are being killed, and you don't do anything!"

"The Order has both lights and shadows. It must be protected, although I call for regulatory changes. These are outdated and bloodthirsty." Darnell remarked, "I want to make a change from within."

"After doing an extensive investigation, I believe I know who the murderer is. You can't tell me who it is, but if I tell you the name, can you say yes or no?" Theolinda asked.

"Tell me, there are no cameras or microphones in my office."

Theolinda informed him, and Darnell nodded.

Leaving Darnell's office, determined, Theolinda's focus was on meeting Kerrigan immediately after finishing the report. Lost in contemplation, she made her way through the long, dimly lit corridors that seemed to stretch endlessly towards the exit. While walking lost in thought, she suddenly felt a strong arm wrap around her, covering her mouth and pulling her close to the person's body.

"Gotcha," Dylan 'Shade' Raven said, satisfied.