An Uneasy Accord

Chapter 18 - Fact Finding

Brooklyn awakened right at 5 AM.  It was something the hunter couldn’t break free of no matter what time she crashed the night before.  She slowly stretched and sat up, catching the sleeping form of Stiles from across the room.  The steady snoring coming from the teen made Brooklyn suppress a laugh.

                For an Adderall popping hormonally raged teen, he’s cute when he’s asleep…..

                The hunter slipped from the bed with the stealth of a cat, listening as Stiles began moaning and giggling in his sleep. 

                “Oh yeah…..”

                Brooklyn froze and turned her head.  What the Hell was he dreaming about? 

                “Please….”

                The hunter gathered her clothing and hurried to the bathroom as Stiles continued dreaming away.

                She raced to Derek’s house, hoping to get a look at the spot where the fire had started.  Brooklyn wasn’t an expert in arson or electrical fires but hoped to find something, anything, that would cement the link between the Argents and the fire.  She exited from her car and slowly looked upward towards the dilapidated structure.  Some parts were still intact while the back corner had been consumed by the flames.  It broke her heart to see Derek call this place his sanctuary but it was the only place he had ever known though.  A chill brushed through the air as the hunter retrieved the report and darted through the crumpled paper. 

                Her eyes followed the walls of the house until she came to the Southwest corner.  There was a backdoor beneath the sprawling wraparound porch to which Brooklyn cautiously entered.  The boards creaked and groaned in protest beneath the weight of her steps but held steadfast as she crossed the warped boards and arrived at the double doors.  Off in the distance a raven squawked, almost as if alerting something to her presence.  Ignoring the shrieks she proceeded inside, careful to close the door behind her.  The traces of soot and smoke clung desperately to the stairs and walls, serving as a painful reminder of the crimes committed here. 

                Brooklyn felt her body shiver as she crept along the hallway and turning right into the first door.  Her instincts were on high alert as the door swung on rusted hinges.  The gun was tucked inside her bag, within reach in a second’s notice.  The hunter paused and took in the tragic site.  A charred rusted bed frame was centered in the room, a silent witness to what transpired.  A dresser, or what was left of it, was pushed against the left wall.  On top rested the shattered remains of what appeared to be a beautiful grand mirror.  Anything else had long since burned or rotted with the exposure to the California elements.

                She started at the closest wall, searching for the smoking outlet in a manner of speaking. 

                “Gotcha,” the hunter spotted the outlet.  Several large scorch marks razed the plastic cover and surrounding wall.  Brooklyn snapped several photos then texted them to Markus.

                Hale Fire in Beacon Hills….Can you spot anything?!

                With hands covered in her worn but loved leather gloves, she traced a finger around the edge of the outlet finding nothing.  But the hunter wasn’t one to give up so soon.  With flashlight now in hand, Brooklyn shined it beneath the frame, seeing dust and debris beneath the worn mattress.  But something told her to shine across the floor again and this time something caught her eye.  Brooklyn stretched beneath the bed, holding her breath in the hopes it wouldn’t fail.  Her fingers captured the small smooth object, finding it was cold to the touch.  Brooklyn pulled back and sat up, getting a closer look at what she had found.  She noticed something inscribed on the outside but couldn’t make out what.  Slipping the item in her pocket, Brooklyn finished investigating the bedroom.