Chapter Eight: Cloak Of Darkness



“Afternoon” Catherine smiled as Faith invited her in
“Hey Chelsea” Faith sighed, her eyes were red from crying, her face gaunt and pale.
“Is everything okay? You look like death warmed up” Catherine smiled softly
“Marty died this morning” faith cried softly
“Oh dear, that terrible. How did he die?” Catherine questioned. She knew exactly how he died, cyanide in his dinner worked wonderfully, but it bought her a sick sense of joy hearing it explained.
“We’ll they don’t actually know, they’re running a few tests” Faith half smiled.
“That’s horrid” Catherine determined “Is there anything I can do? Oh dear, I do understand if you don’t want to meet the appointment at the reception place”
Faith rubbed her eyes softly.
“No, I should go, just give me a few minutes to freshen up” she spoke as she walked into the lounge
“Have a seat, I wont be long” she added before disappearing up the stairs
Catherine sulked around the lounge, she wanted to grin proudly. The dog was simply the beginning, there would be more, so much more. The next two weeks were going to be murder, that she was sure of.

“Something funny?” Brian question walking into the lounge. The grin on Catherine’s face the most predominant feature.
“Uh no, I was just admiring this room, it beautiful” Catherine sighed looking around the living room “I just love this color” she added running her fingers across the deep crimson couch.
“YO! DUMBASS OPEN THE GATE” a male voice screamed through the intercom
Brian quietly excused himself and walked over to the intercom.
“Come on through Nick” he smiled softly

Catherine pulled her coat gently around her. She could sense Brian didn’t like her, or trust her. Things could get difficult if it carried on that way, she had to gain his trust, but how?

It was only about a minute later Nick burst through the front door, pulling Marie along behind him.
“Rok, what’s up man?” Nick questioned throwing the long leather jacket he was wearing over the coat hook.
“Marty died today” Brian spoke softly

Catherine sat silently in the lounge, she couldn’t see them, but she could hear almost every word.
“What how?” Marie stammered
“They don’t really know, whatever happened, it wasn’t natural” Brian spoke in jaded words

Faith walked slowly down the stairs, she’d changed into a simple knee length black skirt and a blue ¾ sleeve v-neck. Her wavy hair fell casually over her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes were still red, and nothing covered the sad look on her face.

“Baby, are you sure you’re going to go?” Brian whispered as he pulled her into his arms
“Yeah, I gottta keep moving” she replied in a whisper

“Hey girl, I'm so sorry, is there anything I can do?” Marie inquired pushing her thick dark hair behind her ears
“I’ll be okay” Faith smiled softly

Catherine stood up, she hated the way Faith seemed to command everyone’s attention, it was nauseating.

“I'm sorry Faith, but we really should be going” she spoke sweetly as she glanced down at her watch.
“Oh, right. Okay” Faith sniffed grabbing her bag from the marble table it sat on.

“I don’t believe we’ve met. I'm Marie” Marie smiled introducing herself
Like I care Catherine snickered to herself
“Chelsea” Catherine smiled
“She’s helping with the planning of the wedding, that sort of thing” Faith added as she ran her long fingers through her loose hair
“Nicks going to make me watch him play basketball, so do you all mind if I tag along?” Marie question looking from faith back to Catherine
“No, that would be good” Faith answered, she could use some moral support

Catherine smiled fakely. The last she needed or wanted was a tag along, or another person to add to equation. She’d been plotting over things night after night. Nothing could go wrong, no one could get in her way. If they did, they would meet a fate much like Marty’s. Catherine was evil, pure and simple, and definitely not afraid to use that to her advantage.

~ LATER THAT NIGHT ~

It was around 6:00pm when Faith wandered in through the front door, she dumped her jacket and bag onto the table and closed the door behind her. The house was pretty silent except for the drifting melody coming from a piano. Faith smiled to herself, she loved that sound, I could always turn a horrible day into something magical. She loved the way Brian could do that with only a few cords and some words he’d made up on the spot. She locked the door behind her and wandered down to the door that lead to the studio in the basement. She leant up against the door and listened silently.
“…and I owe it all to you, the times we spent together, and this I promise you, when I say that its’ forever. No more lonely tears at night, no more wondering why, now that you’re in my life” Brian sung softly
Faith didn’t know the song, it was one she didn’t recognize at all, but it was beautiful, there was no doubting that. She pushed the large red button beside the door, to announce her presence, in case he was recording or something, though she doubted that as the whole thing was still in disarray.

“Come in” Brian yelled
Faith opened the door and stepped down the stairs.
“Have a good day?” Brian questioned scribbling something onto a note pad beside the keyboard piano he was sitting at.
“I suppose” Faith sighed walking over to him
He flipped the notepad over and stood up.
“Why don’t you take a bath, go relax.” Brian smiled embracing her small body tightly. Her head fell against the side of his shoulder in restful ease. She needed him so much, she loved him so much more.
“Could you just be with me tonight?” she whispered.
Silently Brian took her hand into his. He smiled sweetly as he walked her back up the stairs. They walked in blissful silence, words weren’t needed as they wandered hand in hand to the bedroom they shared.

The bedroom door closed behind them as faith strolled over to the bed. Softly she fell onto its encasing comfort as Brian hovered above her. he leant down, his lips meeting softly and passionately with hers. His hand slid up the side if her thin body as he lay her softly onto her back. They shimmied up the bed, so her head was resting delicately on the silk pillow. His lips ventured form her mouth down her cheek, and delved into the base of her neck as his hands swooped underneath her top, lifting it off her with ease. His hands circled around her chest as she unbuttoned the shirt he was wearing and flicked it off his back. She ran her fingernails along the top of the tank top he was wearing, scraping ever so lightly across his skin.

Her breathe deepened as his tongue ran down the center of her rib cage, his hand slid behind her back, blindly undoing the clasp of her white satin bra. It undid with ease, the straps falling loosely to either side of her body. He looked up, his compassionate blue eyes searching hers.
“I love you Faith” he smiled softly as his hand cupped her cheek.
She smiled thankful, her hands holding his face slightly above her own.
“We’ll always have this wont we?” faith questioned with a needing tone
“We’ll always have forever” Brian replied “I promise you Faith, I promise you forever” Brian whispered as he stroked her hair.

~ AT THE SAME TIME ~

“Argh, that makes me sick” Catherine hissed to herself as she threw the earphones onto the table. The bug she had planted sent the transmission to a small tape recorder. It essentially recorded everything it heard.
“Forever isn’t gonna last very long” she laughed to herself. It was time for the second part of that plan. Piece by piece it would fit together, and elaborate plan that as far as she was concerned could never and would never fail.

~ MIDNIGHT ~

Faith breathed softly beside Brian, the two bodies snuggled together covered only by a sheet that was draped across their bodies. They were both fast asleep, no sound, no movement was in the pitch black of the night. Everything was still, everything was silent.

Catherine looked behind her suspiciously. She slinked down on the other side of the wire gate that separated her from her target. She made the cut easily in the growth of the bushes. The wire cutters sliced through the fence. She snipped a whole big enough to fit through. It was hidden with the trees and bush on either side, again Catherine waited, looking around the area she could see, she saw no movement, as before everything was still and silent.

She ran quickly across the open grounds of the backyard. She’d spent quiet a few house analyzing the detail in the backyard nights before. She’d been back and forth, taking in the knowledge of the entire house. She knew the layout like the back of her hand. Earlier she’d quizzed Faith about the security of the house, muttering something about how hard it must be to keep unwanted visitors out. Faith wasn’t eager to give away too much details, but what she did offer was enough for Catherine to know, they never set the alarm at night because Brian would sometimes wander downstairs to get a drink or something. The house was covered in security lights, one on the back porch, one on the front deck and two around the pool area. The master bedroom was essential above the pool area, so if Catherine was to set off one of those security lights then it would definitely be seen. The front was far to open to risk it, it had no cover, no bush, nothing. She’d decided the best way to get into the house was through the basement. She’d not been down there, but she knew pretty much what it contained, it was Brian’s room in the house, complete with musical instruments and recording equipment.

Catherine smiled to herself recalling the conversation Faith and her had. She felt a slight inclining of guilt, but it soon disappeared, it wasn’t that she hated Faith, she just hated the fact Faith was living her life. She wanted it, and soon enough she would have it. Catherine slid across the ground in her black pants to the window, which led down to the basement. She jiggled it harshly.
“Open” she muttered to herself. The window refused to budge.
“Come on” she hissed again. Earlier that afternoon she recalled a conversation Marie and Faith had.
“Did Brian get that window fixed yet?” Marie inquired as she checked her makeup in her compact
“Not yet, he doesn’t seem to think it matters, plus he hates people going into the basement” Faith smiled
“God I never seen someone so protective of a basement” Marie grinned
Faith had gone on to say how the basement was Brian room, he could have it like he wanted to. She would never touch anything in it, she would never clean it, it was his private sanctuary from the rush of performance after performance. Faith hardly went down there, and never when he wasn’t there.
“But don’t you think its dangerous, I mean you push that sucker in the right place and the window will pop right open” Marie muttered
“Top left hand corner, thanks to Nicks marvelous kick of the football, he was so lucky he didn’t break the window” Faith laughed
“Yeah he just knocked the window off the rail thing” Marie laughed

“Top, left” Catherine repeated her herself. She banged that corner forcefully and sure enough the window popped open.
“Perfect” she smiled to herself.

She slinked into the dark basement, her eyes squinting to try and make sense out of the dark room. She flicked on the torch she held, and threw its light across the room. Grabbing her bag from outside she wandered through the studio and up the stairs.

Chapter 9
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