Scene 2:

There was a knock on Rick's door. He glanced up from the copy he was reading as the door opened. Dane stepped inside and shut the door behind him, a serious expression on his face.  

"What is it Dane? Something wrong?" Rick asked with concern. Dane was usually pretty mellow and to see him so reserved was disconcerting.

"Not with me...but maybe with Phoebe. How well do you know her?" Dane asked dropping into the seat across from Rick. Setting the copy aside, Rick leaned back in his chair.

"As well as I know you," he replied. "What's the matter with Phoebe?"

"I don't know yet. I went to her apartment yesterday and she was...scared of something." Rick shook his head.

"She's probably scared of you, you stalker! What the hell were you doing at her apartment?"

"I was just checking on her. She left the party without saying anything and I haven't seen her at work since!" Dane replied, defending himself. "You think maybe she's scared of me?"

"Well, I would be if you showed up randomly at my apartment. And just so you know, Phoebe has the flu. She called me this morning. Look Dane, be careful. You can't just show up uninvited to a co-worker's home. That's not cool."

"Will you let me look at her personnel file?"  

"No!" Rick exploded. "Jesus Christ, Dane. You are certifiable. Leave her alone." Dane frowned, looking away for a moment.

"I really think she's afraid of something, Rick. You don't have to help me find out what or help her, but just so you know, I'm not stalking her and I'm not crazy. Okay? She looked...hunted. I just want to help okay?"

"Why?" Rick demanded. "Why do you want to get involved in Phoebe's personal life?"

"Because she intrigues me...and I like her. Are you happy now?"

"Dane, Phoebe doesn't need a knight in shining armor. She's perfectly capable of taking care of herself," Rick warned to a resolute Dane. "Okay, if you won't listen to reason, be careful." Dane stood to leave but paused when Rick called him back. "Dane? I meant it, she doesn't need you, but if you're bent on helping her...she used to work in Colorado if that helps. In a town called Kensington."

"It's a start," Dane replied leaving Rick to stare after him.



Scene 3:

"How are you doing Dinah?" Maura asked watching her balance a tray of food carefully on the palm of her right hand. Dinah exhaled and gave Maura a tired look. "Good, don't let Noah run your feet off. You're doing great so far. See, it's really easy isn't it?" She added before moving off to the bar. She caught sight of Jory and waved him over to the bar with her. He grinned and met her there, taking a seat away from the rest of the regulars.

"Hiya Mo," he said as she slipped behind the counter. "Can I get some lunch?" Maura tilted her head in mock consternation.  

"Are you going to pay for it today?"

"Put it on my tab," he returned. Maura grinned and grabbed a notepad.  

"What do you want today Jory? Emilio is in the kitchen today," she said nodding toward the kitchen. Jory nodded and looked over her shoulder at the special printed in Maura's neat handwriting on the chalkboard behind her.

"Hmmm, I guess I'll just have the special," Jory said after a moment. Maura scribbled it down and tore the receipt out of the book.

"Okay, that's one Beef Stroganoff...and you'll be paying for this by doing the dishes tonight?" She asked innocently. Jory laughed but agreed. "Okay then, I'll get your order in." She turned to post the order but a flash of red caught her eye. Looking over her shoulder, she watched as Ellen Mason threaded her way towards the bar. "Looks like you have someone who wants to talk to you," she said turning back to him. He frowned and glanced behind him just as Ellen paused next to him. He stared up at her, complete surprise on his face as she spoke.

"Hello, I was wondering if I could speak with you, Jory," she said. He nodded, stunned into silence by her presence. After the disaster of the engagement party he didn't think he would see Ellen Mason again. At least not until the wedding, and even then, he hadn't expected to be speaking with her. Maura slipped away quietly, leaving them alone. "I came to apologize," she continued, taking the empty seat next to him and dropping her purse on the counter. "I wasn't very nice to you the other night and it wasn't your fault."

"You're apologizing?" He said slowly, recovering his voice.

"That's not so unheard of when you behave like a brat," she replied. "Should I not apologize?"

"No, I mean yes...I accept your apology," Jory stammered. "It's just that I wasn't expecting you to apologize because..."

"Because my last name is Mason?" She snapped, interrupting him. "Thanks for making that apology so easy." She stood quickly and snatched her purse up from the counter. "Goodbye Jory. I'll see you at the wedding." Jory watched in disbelief as she stormed out of the diner.  

"What was that about?" Maura asked returning with his lunch. Jory shrugged and picked up his fork.

"Ellen Mason has issues," he muttered before diving into his food.



Scene 4:

Jillie watched the way the flame flickered as it sputtered forth from the lighter.  If she leaned in close enough, she could feel the heat dance across her skin, enticing, seducing with its warmth.  Not that she was a pyromaniac or anything, but at times she found beauty in the most elemental of subjects.  Finishing with the candles grouped around her room, she dimmed the lights, pausing only to retrieve her stereo's remote and the bottle of chilling Cabernet.

To the untrained eye, it seemed the perfect romantic setting for seduction.  To Jillie, it was just her favored way to relax after work. Pulling a photo album from her dresser's bottom drawer, she settled
on her bed, pouring a glass half full of the dry red wine and raising the volume slightly as the melodic-yet-raw vocals of Amanda Ghost filled her room.  She really needed to find a place of her own.
Flipping through the pages, she got more comfortable, slipping off her shoes as she curled her legs beneath her, the smooth sheets cool against her skin.  Various scenes of flora and fauna slipped by into prints that resonated much deeper inside of her.  Maeve Conlan had been the one to encourage Jillie with her first camera.  She could still remember what it was like the first time she'd looked at life through that lens.  It had...opened up a whole new world.  

Her mother's face stared back at her, photo after photo, warm and alive...only serving to remind her of how cold her mother's skin had been in those last months.

Why did she do this, Jillie wondered.  Why did she torture herself, envisioning the way life used to be?  Before her mother had died.  Before Maura moved back home. It was a simpler time then. Easier.  Happier.  Yes, without Maura, there had been some definite advantages to life.  But now...now it was worse than ever.  There was no mother to keep the tension, the bickering, at bay.  

No, now there was only Maura, who was about as fun to have around as an evil stepmother.
Indeed, their last run-in had proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that Maura thought she was the "woman of the house" now.

Yes.  She definitely needed to find a place of her own.  Maybe she'd go apartment hunting soon.  But then, living at home had always had its perks.  Like being so close to Jory.  He was about her only ally these days.

Jillie took a long sip of wine, her mood soured by the thoughts of her older sister.  She'd given up hope months ago that Maura would simply move on.  Ever the faithful, dutiful daughter.  And now that there was an interest in her life, Jude, it decreased the likelihood that much more.  Jude.  Or was it Rick?  Jillie still hadn't figured that one out yet.  A romance, undeniably.  But...there was something more between Maura and Rick.  She'd be blind not to see it.  But she'd be a fool to let it get in her way.  So they had a history.  What was that saying about letting the past rest?  

Of course, she never would.  It was far too interesting, the way Maura looked at Rick.  The way she reacted to the notion of her younger sister being involved with him.  

But then, there were many secrets Maura was keeping.  Like something about that picture she was keeping tucked away in her dresser.  Oh, sure, the girl could have been anyone.  Tristen.  A college buddies' daughter or some...starving child in Paris whom Maura was sponsoring.  Bleeding heart.  
But Maura wasn't the type to keep that kind of thing hidden.  There was something about the girl that Maura didn't want anyone to know.  And Jillie had no idea what it could be.

Finishing off her first glass of wine, Jillie poured another, lifting the remote, the volume on her stereo swelling, filling the room until it blocked out all other sounds, all other thoughts. She'd had enough
thinking of Maura.  Now...she just wanted to relax.




Scene 5:

"Mrs. Mason? You have a phone call," Maggie called through the closed door of Gwen's office. Gwen stared at the door for a moment, lost in thought, before answering.

"Thank you, Maggie," she replied picking up the phone on her desk. "Hello, this is Gwen Mason."

"Gwen, it's Morgan. Why didn't you tell me Jamie was back in Conlan's Glen?" Gwen sighed heavily. It was beginning.

"Hello to you too Morgan. I didn't realize it was necessary information for you," she answered. "But yes, my son is back in town and at the head of Mason Enterprises where he should be. How did you find out?"

"Your niece called me. She wants me to do her portrait for her wedding, Gwen. Can you believe that?"

"I believe everything when it comes to Hallie. Does she know anything?"

"If she does, she didn't let on to me." Gwen tapped her fingers on the desktop thoughtfully.

"She knows something. Otherwise she wouldn't have called you Morgan. Hallie is up to something. What did you tell her about the portrait? Did you say you would do it?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"I told her I was retired. Of course I can't do it Gwen!"

"You can and you should. In fact, I have an idea that just might put Hallie off the track. She's not going to find out. No one is. Do you understand me Morgan?"

On the next Episode of Secret Horizons...

Episode 37