Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Seeing Stars ❯ Chapter 17 ( Chapter 17 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Seeing Stars
By Jason Ulloa
Original story by Moonsong
Continued with her permission.


Chapter 17

Andrew grinned as he walked into his upstairs office and set the card that
Serena Moon had signed for him earlier that day down on his desk, then
happily plopped into his chair.

"Serena Moon...," he said out loud to himself in amazement. "Serena Moon was
actually here today. And I personally served her!" He glanced down at the
autographed card again and shook his head. "Now I'm not sure whether Darien
owes me one, or I owe him one."

"Andrew...?" a female voice called down to him from downstairs. "You up
there, Andrew?"

"I recognize that voice...," he murmured to himself as he got out of his seat
and headed over toward the stairs. "Raye?"

"Oh, good!" Raye sighed in relief once she saw Andrew at the top of the
stairs. "Hey, you busy?"

"Something wrong?" he asked as he descended to the bottom of the staircase.
As he came down, he looked over what she was wearing: a long, red, one-piece,
sleeveless dress and red high-heels. It was almost as if she was going out on
a date....

"You wouldn't happen to know where Darien is, would you?" she asked. "I
called his apartment a couple of times, but no one answered. His cell's been
shut off, too, so I can't get ahold of him that way. I really need to talk
to him...."

"Oh, Darien's probably still at work...," he began, but was suddenly cut off.

"Work?" Raye asked. "I already tried his work number, but they said that he
wasn't working there anymore."

"He's working at a different movie studio now, Raye," he explained.

"Don't tell me he got himself another production assistant job?" she asked
with a tired sigh. "He's never gonna get anywhere if he keeps taking these
small-time jobs."

Andrew shook his head with a small frown. "Darien's got a role as a
supporting actor in a new movie with Serena Moon."

Raye's jaw dropped. "You're kidding. A supporting actor? WITH Serena Moon?
How the hell did he land such a big role as THAT? Mina must've had to kill
someone to get Dare something that big!"

He chuckled slightly at that remark. "Well, I don't think that she went THAT
far, Raye, but you've got to admit that she's really good." He paused for a
moment as he considered the girl standing in front of him. Why did she
suddenly want to see Darien so soon after dumping him? Was she going to try
to get him to take her back, or was this something else? Nevertheless, Raye
was a friend of his, too; after all, he was responsible for getting them
together in the first place. Not one of his best successes, but you can't
blame a man for trying.

"Listen, Andrew, I've gotta go," Raye said as she turned to leave. "I'll just
try Darien's cell again later, or I'll just catch him at home. Bye!"

"Later, Raye," he replied as she left. He then walked back up the stairs
and back into his office. He slowly lowered himself back into his chair as
he stared straight ahead at the pictures lined up at one side of his desk.
He had pictures of his parents, his younger sister, Elizabeth - or just Liz,
as he affectionately called her - a family picture, and few pictures of him
and his fiancée, Rita Foster. She was still attending college in England and
was due to graduate in eight months. Their wedding was two months later.

Slowly, his hand reached for the phone, but halted just before touching it.
"I don't think this's something I should trouble her with," he said quietly
to himself. "Besides, she'd just tell me that Darien's a big boy and that he
can make his own decisions." He chuckled to himself as he picked up the phone
and dialed a number.

"Hello?" a familiar voice answered.

"How's my girl doing?" he asked with a wide grin on his face.

"Andrew?" Rita answered back happily. "Oh, it's so good to hear from you!"

"Sorry for calling so late," he said in a slightly apologetic tone.

"No, that's all right," Rita said sweetly. "I was awake anyway."

"Studying?"

"Of course."

"Well...," Andrew continued as he glanced over at the autographed card that
Serena had given to her, which was lying just under his favorite picture of
Rita wearing a particularly stunning green dress and smiling provocatively.
"Something happened today that made me think of you."

He could hear Rita laugh softly over the phone. "Oh, really? What happened?"

"It's a long story, Rita."

"I can use a break from all this studying," she replied. "So, what happened?"

Andrew grinned as he settled himself into his chair. "You remember Darien,
right...?"

******************************************* ***

Diane walked through the entrance to the hotel she was staying at and headed
straight for the main desk. She immediately spotted the hotel clerk she was
looking for and signaled to him. He acknowledged her with a nod.

"Did you hear anything?" she asked as she made her way to the desk.

"I'm sorry, Miss Silver," the clerk replied. "Neither Mr. Terrance, nor Miss
Jenner, have left any messages for you. However, I have a message for you from
a Mr. D'Loire."

Diane blinked in surprise. She wasn't expecting Artie to call her, but then
again, she did give him the number she was staying at, should any
breakthroughs in finding Hotaru and Ryoku come about. Maybe that's what his
message was all about. "What's the message?"

"He just said that he wanted you to call him as soon as you got in," the
clerk replied. "He also said that you would know which number to call."

"Thank you," she said, then headed for the nearest elevator. Once she got to
her floor, she headed straight for her room, unlocked and opened the door,
then plopped down on her bed and reached for the phone.

"D'Loire here," Artemis answered as soon as he answered the phone.

"It's me, Artie," Diane said quickly. "So, any news on your end of the
Tomoe/Kino kidnapping case?"

"Not a thing, Diane. Professor Tomoe still hasn't received any word regarding
his daughter, nor has Ms. Kino heard anything concerning her son."

"How's he holding up?" she asked concernedly.

"Relatively well," he replied somberly. "The professor has invited Ms. Kino
to stay with him and Miss Olinite at his place. That way, she will be able to
hear any news about her son at the same time that the professor hears about
his daughter."

"That's good," she said with an approving nod. "That was a generous offer on
Souichi's part." She paused as she sat up on her bed. "So, if you haven't made
any progress on the kidnappings, then why'd you call me, asking for me to call
back?"

"I was just concerned," he replied. "You've been gone over a week without even
calling in with a progress report."

Diane groaned quietly. "You and your progress reports!" she muttered. "Come
on, Artie. Haven't you forgotten that I'm not officially on this case?"

"True, but that doesn't mean I'm not entitled to inquire about your informal
progress on this... personal endevour of yours, Diane," he countered quickly.

She grimaced as she shook her head in exasperation. "All right, then. Here's
the long and short of it. I haven't found the guy, yet, but I have made a few
connections out here. I've got an L.A.P.D. officer keeping her eye out for me,
not to mention that I've also got a P.I. searching for me, as well."

"A private investigator?" Artemis repeated dubiously.

"Just another pair of eyes, Artie," she explained. "Neither one knows anything
about the guy, nor do they know the real reason of why I'm tracking him down."

"I suppose that I'm paying for the detective, as well?" he asked.

"No, I am."

"That's not really necessary, Diane...," Artemis began.

"No, Artie," she interrupted, "it's not that. I just don't want to have to
depend on your card, that's all. This is my case; I'll take the responsibility
for the most of it."

"I understand," he replied. "Just don't take this case too far, Diane.
Remember, you're out there to bring this guy in and bring back Tomoe and Kino
safely. No heroics."

Diane chuckled softly. "Oh, come off it, Artie! You know I don't go in for that
hero nonsense. I'm just doing my job."

"You always say that," he sighed patiently. "Just promise me that you'll be
discreet... for once."

"Hey! I'm always discreet!" Diane shouted indignantly. "Anyway, Artie, I'll
talk to you later, okay?"

"You take care out there, Diane," he told her.

"I will, Artie," she replied. "I promise." With that, she hung up the phone.
She then got up and walked over to her room window and gazed out toward the
city below. She had a good view from the 35th floor, especially at night.

"I know you're out there," she said as she stared harshly at nothing in
particular; her eyes narrowing into little slits. "I will find you.

"Be prepared.... I'm coming for you."

**********************************************

Tira turned from the computer screen just in time to see Jack emerge from the
back office. "Did you have a nice nap, Jack?" she asked with a small grin.

"I did," he replied as he strode toward his desk. He opened a small drawer on
the left side of the desk and brought out a small box.

She frowned as soon as she saw the box. "You think something's gonna happen
tonight?" she asked with concern.

"It may," he replied with a tight nod. He expression seemed almost haunted, as
if he was seeing something that he wished he didn't have to see.

"You don't really need that, Jack," Tira said as she got up and walked over
to him. "You said it yourself, this'll probably be another boring routine."
She placed her hands on his, which were still resting reluctantly on the box.
"You don't have to take the gun."

"Remember what your father and I used to tell you about instinct?" he asked
suddenly.

"That half of it was yourself telling you what you already know is right, and
that the other half was the spirits of those who care for you; protecting you
from danger," she replied, her voice sad. "Daddy used to tell me that so I
would think that Mom was still watching over me after she died."

"Yeah," Jack said quietly. "That might be why I feel that I need this tonight.
He might be trying to warn me." He smiled warmed up at Tira, then turned his
gaze back toward the box. "Even now, he's still watching my back."

He slowly opened the box. Inside, was a gun identical to the same standard,
police-issued sidearm that he had worn when he was still a police officer. In
fact, the gun used to belong to his partner until he was fatally wounded in
the line of duty. When he became a licensed private investigator, Chief Garret
himself had given him his late partner's sidearm. Jack used the gun very
rarely; he hardly even took the gun out except to clean and maintain it.

Tira sighed as she opened a drawer on the right of Jack's desk and brought out
the gun's holster. "If you're going to take the gun, then you'd better take
this, too. I don't think carrying it in the box is going to be very effective."

Jack grinned as he took the holster from Tira. "Of course, Ti," he replied. It
wasn't as if he didn't already know these things; it was just that Tira seemed
to think that he sometimes needed to be reminded of the simplest things. He
figured that since her father was gone, she considered him to be a sort of
surrogate father, and as such, he needed to be fussed over as she would her
own father.

Lee had always complained about how Tira would occasionally fuss over him as
if he couldn't even remember how to tie his own shoelaces after Tasha died.
He had figured that it was because Tira thought that she had to take her
mother's place and take care of her father as she did, even though she seemed
to think that he needed more caring for than what was necessary. Then again,
Tira was young, and she was trying to fill the shoes of a woman twice her age.

"Well?" Tira asked as she stood with her arms on her hips. "Are you just gonna
sit there, or are you gonna go find Erwight?"

"Okay, Ti," Jack said as he stood up. "I'm going."

"You be careful out there, Jack," she called out to him as he was about to
leave. "And you had better come back safely."

"I will, Ti," he told her seriously. "I promise."

**********************************************

The sound of a door opening behind her caught Juléi's attention. "Oh, you're
back!" she said as she hopped up from her seat on the couch and turned toward
the door. She stopped just a few feet away from him and spread her arms out to
her sides. "So, what do you think, Nate? You like?"

Nate took a good look at the woman in front of him. She was dressed in a very
skimpy violet bikini, showing off her curvaceous body. "I see you went shopping
again, Regina," he remarked with an approving smile.

"No, I got this with the stuff I bought a few days ago," she replied. "I just
haven't shown it to you, yet. I figured that since you've finally gotten our
plane tickets, this would be a good opportunity to start showing off my... new
summer wardrobe." She slowly moved closer toward him and sensuously wrapped
her arms around him. "Well?" she asked with a low, alluring voice. "Did you get
them?"

"Right here," he replied, patting his shirt pocket. "Paid for in cash, so we
don't have to worry about anyone finding out through credit reports."

Regina nodded as she snuggled closer to him. "You think of everything, don't
you? So, when do we leave?"

"The day after tomorrow," he replied with a smile.

"So," she began as she moved closer to him, their faces separated by only a few
inches, "what shall we do till then?"

"I think I can think of something," he murmured as he closed the distance
between them in a passionate kiss.

**********************************************

Jed slowly strode down the street Juléi's apartment was on. This was the
address that Max still had on his records. He had checked earlier that morning,
and according to the records that the manager had, she was still living here.

A quick glance toward the complex's parking lot showed him that her vehicle was
parked in her space. Of course, that didn't prove that she was home, but at
least it proved that she hadn't left her apartment yet. Eventually she would be
leaving - anyone with a brain who had stolen a gem as rare and valuable as the
Yellow Nijizuishou would never stay at home where they could easily be found -
so, he had very little time to take care of what he came here to do.

It had to be tonight. He would retrieve the crystal tonight.

**********************************************

I t was slowly getting dark when Jack arrived at Juléi's apartment complex. He
slowly pulled into the complex's guest parking space and turned off his vehicle
and settled in for a long night of watching. If either Juléi or Erwight arrive
or depart the place, he'd be ready to follow them. Sooner or later, they'd slip
and he would have evidence to hand over to the police.

He had already slipped the holster over his shoulders and was now wearing it,
and his gun, underneath his black leather jacket.

As soon as he settled himself into his stakeout mode, his cell phone suddenly
went off. Fortunately, he had set it on vibrate, to keep from making any noise.
However, the sudden vibration did startle him.

"Terrance, here," he answered in a low voice.

"Oh, sorry, Jack," Tira answered on the other end. "I didn't know you had
already arrived at Juléi's place, yet."

"What's up, Ti?" Jack asked in a hushed voice. "You never call when I'm going
on a stakeout unless it's an emergency."

"I know. I just found out something that I think you should know," she said
urgently.

Jack's expression turned serious. "What is it, Tira?"

"I followed a hunch and hacked into Stanton Aeronautical again," she began.
"There's something here that I think you should know.

"I found out that a very rare and valuable gem was stolen from the safe of the
company's president: the Yellow Nijizuishou crystal. It's one of a set of seven
other Nijizuishou crystals, each one a different color of the rainbow."

"Couldn't this have waited until after I got back?" Jack asked patiently.

"There's more, Jack," Tira added. "The thing that really made me suspicious
was the fact that Mr. Stanton, the owner, never called the police after he
found out that his gem was stolen."

"What?"

"Exactly," Tira agreed. "Now, if it was my crystal, I'd have every cop within
500 miles searching for it. The fact that he's remaining quiet about it makes
me suspect, you know?"

"I see what you mean, Ti," he said, frowning in thought.

"What are you thinking, Jack?"

"Two things: one bad; and one even worse," Jack replied. "On the one hand, if
the crystal wasn't his to begin with, he could've gotten the crystal by
purchasing it as a hot item."

"It could've been stolen. Yeah, I see your point. I hate to ask, Jack, but
what's worse?" she inquired warily.

"He could've gotten it by hiring someone to steal it for him, or stealing it
himself," Jack explained. "In this case, we'd be getting into something a
little bit bigger than just your average embezzelment case."

"I don't like this, Jack," Tira said apprehensively. "I think we'd better call
Chief Garret and turn this over to the police. After all, you're not a cop
anymore. This's way over our heads."

Jack thought about this for a moment. "I guess you're right, Ti," he replied.
"I'm coming back.... Hold on a sec."

He carefully reached down for his binoculars as he spotted a male figure
walking towards the apartment complex. The man was dressed in dark clothes, to
make him harder to see in the darkness. There were a few lamp posts scattered
here and there, but it provided minimal lighting; hardly enough to prevent
someone from sneaking onto the complex undetected, which was exactly what he
was doing at that moment. This was enough to set Jack's senses on full alert;
especially since he was headed straight for Juléi's apartment.

"Okay, now...," he murmured as he slowly continued to raise the binoculars to
his eyes. "Let's see who's come to pay Miss Juléi a little visit...." Jack's
eyes widened in surprise when he saw the man's face. "It's him!" he gasped in
a quiet whisper. "That's the man Diane is searching for!"

"What?!?" Tira shouted, almost startling Jack, since he forgot that she was
still on the phone.

"The same man that Diane Silver has been searching for is here, Ti," he
reported. "What does he have to do with Juléi and Erwight...?"

"Now, I REALLY don't like this, Jack," Tira said, her voice growing nervous.
"Come back. Now. I have a very bad feeling about this...."

"Ti, I have to know what is going on," he said firmly. "There are too many
things going on and too many coincidences here for me to just turn my back on
this. Besides... I think it may already be too late for me to turn back now."

There was a long silence, followed by a long sigh. "I'm afraid to admit it, but
you may be right, Jack," she relented, though her voice betrayed her worry and
anxiety. "But, I'm not letting you go in alone. Keep the cell on; I've got the
tape recorder running. Try to keep a running monologue, so I know what's going
on. I wanna know everything, what you see and hear... in case...."

"Got it," Jack said as he opened his car door and slipped outside, closing the
door quietly behind him.

"Just be careful, Jack," Tira warned. "If you get yourself hurt... I swear I'll
kick your ass!"

Jack chuckled softly at that. "Yeah, I love you, too, Ti. Now, I'm moving
toward Juléi's apartment. That guy has already moved around to the other side.
I assume he's gonna try to sneak his way into the back, where I saw some lights
a little while ago."

He paused as he ducked behind the building next to the one Juléi resided in.
Her apartment was on the second floor of the two-story building. The building
had two ways of getting to the entrance: the stairs in the front and the back
both lead to the apartment's front door. Should one stairway become
inaccessible, the other could be used to reach the ground floor.

"I'm gonna try to get close enough so that I can see inside with my binoculars,
Ti." He quietly slipped over to Juléi's apartment building while making sure
that he remained in the shadows. "I'm close to Juléi's bedroom window now, but
I'm at a bad angle. I need to find some cover... there. There are a row of
hegdes that are trimmed chest-high nearby. I'm going to use those as cover
while I try to see what's going on in Juléi's apartment."

He quickly dashed over to the hedges, trying to remain exposed for as little as
possible. "Okay," he said as soon as he was in place. "I'm there. Now, I'm
going to take a little look and see whether or not our nameless friend has paid
our other friends a visit yet... Oh! The light in Juléi's bedroom has just
come on...."

**********************************************

Je d had been waiting for dark to set before leaving his car, parked not to far
from that idiot secretary's apartment. She was home now; he had made sure of
it. Now was the time to take care of business. The fact that she had company
over now meant little to him; he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Too bad for him....

As he headed over to the apartment, he looked around to make sure no one was
around to witness what he was about to do. No one here but empty cars; everyone
had already gone inside for the night. So much the better.

He knew exactly where to go and wasted no time in making his way there. He took
the stairs two steps at a time, not even bothering to use the handrail. As he
ascended, he took out a small bag from the right pocket of his dark slacks. As
soon as he reached the top of the stairs, he slipped a small electrical device
out of the bag and placed it on top of the keyhole of the woman's apartment
door. From his shirt pocket, he took out an unshaped key and inserted it into
the device. A few seconds and a soft whirr later, he pulled out a newly shaped
key. After placing the device back into its bag, and the bag back into his
pocket, he inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it, easily unlocking
the door and allowing himself entry.

It was your basic, one-room apartment. It had a TV, couch, table, chairs, and
other assorted living items one would find in a single woman's apartment. Jed
wasted no time in admiring the decor and headed straight for the bedroom. It
was obvious which room that was, since the hallway leading from the bedroom had
only two other doors, and the bathroom door had been left open. Jed went
straight for the bedroom door and quietly opened it.

There they were. The theiving secretary and her lover, asleep together in her
bed. From their positions, they had more than likely engaged in some... bedroom
activities earlier. Well, unfortunately for them, he had business with the
woman and their rest would tragically have to be cut short. He closed the
bedroom door behind him and, while staring at the slumbering pair, flipped on
the light switch behind him.

It wasn't an instantaneous effect, but slowly the woman returned to
consciousness. She rolled onto her back and started to sit up, oblivious to the
fact that the bedcover had slipped down from her shoulders, leaving her breasts
exposed. Normally, Jed would've found time to admire the sight before him, but
he tried not to mix business and pleasure... though, right now, he was sorely
tempted.

"Good evening, Miss Juléi," Jed said as he reached behind his back and drew a
gun, complete with silencer, then walked forward and touched the end of the
barrel right on her chest directly between her breasts.

"This is your wake-up call," he said with a cold, deadly grin.

**********************************************

To Chapter 18

**********************************************

Author' s Note: How's THAT for suspense? You wanted me to pick up the pace?
Well, hold on tight, because we ain't through yet! Stay tuned for the next
part of this cliffhanger. You won't be disappointed, I promise! Next chapter:
Juléi's flight plans are cancelled; Darien comes home to find Raye waiting
for him; Serena and Tanya discuss the 'date'; Jed's progress report; and
Diane's confession.

Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective
owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and a bunch
of big companies. No copyright infringement is intended. This
story belongs to Moonsong and myself, and I would appreciate
you emailing her or myself for permission before posting it
anywhere else. Thank you.

Prologue Copyright © January 24, 2000 Moonsong.
Other Chapters Copyright © August 12, 2000 Jason Ulloa.
All Rights Reserved.