Sara

5

"How are you holding up?" Jack asked her as he and Sara left the pharmacy the following evening.

"As well as expected, I guess," Sara answered, not wishing to encourage a conversation. Jack was a nice guy, but she wanted to hurry over to Darius' house and begin her investigation.

"I'm always here, if you need someone," Jack said, walking Sara to her car.

"I know," Sara said, turning and giving Jack a forced smiled. "Thank you, Jack. I'll see you tomorrow."

Sliding into her car, Sara glanced absently out the window for a moment, watching Jack's retreating back as he headed for his own car, leaving footprints in the fresh blanket of snow. Then she turned on her car, backing up. It was time to head to Darius and Leah's house.

The radio played low in the background as Sara drove down the dark, snow-covered streets. Only when Panic! At the Disco's "High Hopes" came on did she turn it off, memories of Leah and her dead hopes flooding Sara's mind.

I'd love to travel Europe again....

Someday, it would be nice to drive downtown and find a parking space that doesn't require parallel parking....

Perhaps I can convince Darius to start a charity in Cedric's memory, you know, his little brother....

You know, I'd like to be a mother one day....

When she finally pulled up in front of the house, turning into the driveway, Sara felt odd looking at the dark house. Turning her car off, she pocketed the key and stepped out of the car, finding the blue jay keychain with Leah's spare key.

Okay, so let me find out what Darius was hiding from us.

Sara hurried up the front walk, steeling herself. Slipping the key in the lock, she unlocked the door and stepped inside.

Instantly, memories of Leah slapped Sara in the face. The whole house reeked of her presence like stale perfume. With careful steps, Sara walked into the living room where Leah had died.

The smell of cleaning solution assaulted her as she walked through the room, sinking down on the sofa as Leah's presence overwhelmed her. How many times had she been in this room, spending time with her big sister? How many times had they sat up late talking when Darius was out of town, exchanging secrets and staying up late watching Seinfeld while she tried to avoid Leah's probing questions about cute guys? Sara glanced at the television, her stomach clenching as she remembered Leah's favorite episode, the one where Keith Hernandez guest starred. Leah always laughed herself silly watching that episode.

Where should I start looking to find the truth about Darius?

Standing, Sara walked into Darius' office, glancing around the room. His desk sat in the middle of the room, two locked filing cabinets back against the wall. Cautiously, Sara moved around behind the desk, eyes scanning the surface.

There were several drawers, all unlocked, but when Sara pulled them open there was nothing inside but scraps of paper, pens, paper clips, and other office paraphernalia. She closed them and turned her attention to the double filing cabinets, scrutinizing the locks.

I just need to find the keys.

Sara began her search of the office, looking everywhere for the keys. She spent an hour but she couldn't find them.

Fine. I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way, then.

Sara opened one of the drawers and pulled out a paper clip, frowning at the thin metal structure. In middle school, when she would get sick and her mother would let her watch television instead of going to school, she would always choose Penguins of Madagascar, the show about commando penguins. One trick she had always wanted to try, but never remembered once she got better, was Rico's habit of opening locks using paper clips.

Well, now she had her chance.

Unfolding the paper clip, Sara knelt in front of one of the filing cabinets and inserted the tip into the lock, wiggling it around. Come on, come on, come on, don't fail me now!

"This show is silly."

"It's funny, Leah, not silly."

"I mean, I like the penguins, but the lemur is ridiculous."

"It's funny!"

"Leah, don't argue with your sister, she's not feeling well."

Sara blinked as the lock clicked and she sat back on her heels. Leah had grown to like the show, laughing just as hard as or harder than Sara the more she watched the penguins and all their antics.

Pulling open the drawer, Sara started to flip through the files, looking for anything that would explain who Darius really was. Taxes, the records on the house, medical information, the paperwork concerning Darius' concealed carry permit, and more filled the cabinets, but none of the files yielded information about Darius' true self.

When Sara had finished combing through all the files, she closed the drawers and sat back, stymied. How in the hell will I figure out what Leah was trying to tell me?

Then a thought struck her. Maybe...maybe it's not in Darius' office.

If Darius truly is doing something illegal...which is my assumption, since Leah is leaving him over this...then he's not going to leave stuff lying around to indicate what it is, is he?

But maybe Leah has something, some evidence, whatever clued her in to all this in the first place.

Sara started to her feet, running out of Darius' office so fast that she almost tripped. If Leah had anything, any clues, they wouldn't be in the office where Darius could find them. No, she would have hid them where Darius wouldn't have found them.

Of course!

Sara fell to her knees in the living room, in front of Leah's CD rack. All of the albums her sister had collected over the years were gathered here, belonging to Panic! At the Disco, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Metallica, Nico Vega, Billy Idol, Black Sabbath, and more. Painful memories rose in her chest, of all the times she had spent listening to these very albums with Leah: in the car, late at night when their parents were out, at parties, on their headphones, and while doing homework. A lot of the songs on these albums had even been played at Darius and Leah's wedding.

Darius didn't have the same taste for music that Leah had, and thus the album rack was the perfect place for Leah to hide anything concerning his covert life. Carefully, Sara scanned the titles, searching for Leah's absolute favorite CD – Take This To Your Grave, Fall Out Boy's first album.

"An absolutely magnificent classic."

"You say that every time we listen to it, Leah! Can we listen –?"

"Because it's true every time, Sara! Every single time! I love this album most, because it's got a raw awesomeness that's just...ah! There are no words."

"Yet you could go on for hours trying to find words that you claim simply don't exist. Can we listen to Imagine Dragons now?"

"Fine, but only if it's Smoke and Mirrors."

"That's the only one I bother bringing anymore, anyway."

Sara found the CD, tucked between Pray for the Wicked and From Under the Cork Tree, and pulled it out, tamping down the memories threatening to overwhelm her again at the sight of its dark green and black cover, the band members peering up at her. Opening the case, she pulled out the booklet and opened it.

There, inside the booklet, was a single scrap of paper.

Sara turned the paper over, tensing in anticipation. Only two things were written on the piece of paper: a phone number and Leo's Bar.