The Bodywoman

Chapter 1

Sarah hits the brakes - hard. Only inches separate the nose of the Corvette from the massive black gates. Damn. She reverses and presses the button on the intercom. A brick wall surrounds the property and security cameras discreetly monitor the perimeter. State-of-the-art electric fencing discourages any uninvited guests. Out of habit, she checks the wall for accessible wiring. Someone did a good job in installing the security system.

While she waits for someone to answer her call, her eyes drift through the impressive gates. Rows of Oak Trees border the brown paved driveway. A narrow strip of pink and white Impatiens, form a colorful contrast to the stark lines of the driveway. At the top of the driveway, the road curves to the right cleverly concealing the house and grounds.

Her eyes scan the driveway for additional security measures, but they are cleverly hidden. She knows they are there. The electrical buzz in her veins gives them away. If she has to venture a guess, there must be at least five infrared beams along the driveway.

Sarah starts as a voice demands her identity. She confidently states her business to the formal voice on the other end. Immediately the gates start to swing open. The Corvette's 6.2 liter V8 engine purrs to life and she makes her way up the long driveway. Here and there she can see that other flowers besides the Impatience also provide the color along the way. She finds all five infrared beams as she progresses up the driveway and smiles to herself. The buzz has still to fail her.

At the top of the driveway the road swings to the right. She catches a glimpse of a modern double-story building. The window panes forms a stark contrast to the light brown walls. The windows are tinted or one way glass as not even the drapes are visible. Not a sign of normal wear and tear which you would expect from a house this size is visible. A tiled staircase leads up to the elaborately carved front door. White concrete pillars line the stairs and their decoration are simple but elegant.

Just then the corner of her eye catches something in front of the car. Sarah steps on the brakes. Hard. The car stops mere inches away from a concrete fountain with a dolphin in the center. Beyond the fountain the green lawns are immaculate and she gets a glimpse of a rose covered arch further on in the garden. She presses the button to turn the ignition of the Corvette off and a peaceful silence engulfs her.

Better not let the client wait.. She takes her briefcase from the leather covered passenger seat and shuffles out of the low car. Her high heels click on the paving as she makes her way to the front door. Her finger hovers over the bell while tugging on the mini skirt with her other hand when the door opens.

A distinguished, gray-haired gentleman appears in the door. From his attire Sarah assumes he must be the butler. His eyes travel down her body taking in her short black mini skirt and white blouse. The disapproval is evident on his face. Sarah blocks the thoughts that threaten to surface. Better not know what he thinks. Besides, she is not here for his approval.

"Morning, Miss Fisher. Please come in."

"Good Morning." She tries to keep her voice as haughty as possible.

"Mister Gray is expecting you. Please follow me." With that the man turns around and Sarah follows him deeper into the house.

The furniture is expensive and well chosen. If she is not mistaken it must have cost the owner a package in interior decorators, because only they can make a place seem so impersonal though perfect. The uniformed man opens a wooden screen that leads to a formal lounge.

"Please take a seat. Mister Gray will be with you shortly. Would you like some refreshment while you wait?"

Sarah eyes the plush chairs. If she sits down there, she doubts if she will in any way be able to preserve her modesty. She flicks her long brown hair back over her shoulder and puts the briefcase down on the wooden floor. A dark presence assaults her senses. Startled she scans the room. A gray shadow pushes the dark force back forcibly. A shiver runs down her spine. She has never before sensed such dark, cold evil and its presence is unsettling. The butler politely clears his throat.

"A cup of coffee would be nice, thank you." The butler nods and leaves the room.

Sarah takes the time alone to inspect the room trying to ignore the forces she feels battling against each other. The paintings against the walls are undoubtedly originals and with her limited knowledge of art, she cannot even venture a guess at their value. The buzz in her veins makes her take a closer look at the ceiling and walls. She counts two passive infrared eyes and three contacts on the windows and door. They obviously did not spare any expense in securing the property.

An upright Victorian chair against the wall draws her attention. Yes! She hurries to the chair and sits down. At least now she will be able to preserve a resemblance of decency. Not for the first time today, she curses her impulse to dress so provocatively.

She is still shifting around in the chair when the sliding doors open and a gray-haired gentleman enters.

Sarah gets up from the chair and walks towards the man. Instinct tells her he is busy dying. Dark circles under his eyes and his ashen complexion confirms her observation. This is obviously a very sick man. A gray force emanates vibrates from him.

"Good morning, I am Sarah Fisher." She extends her hand towards the man. He immediately takes her hand in his own cold but firm grip.

"Morning Miss Fisher. I am glad you could accommodate me at such short notice. Please sit down." He moves to one of the comfortable couches and carefully sits down. The flickering of pain across his face does not escape her notice. Sarah moves to the chair she previously chose and sits down.

"What can I do for you, Sir?" She sits down on the edge of the high backed chair.

"This is a very uncomfortable situation. I trust that your services are discreet and confidential?"

"It goes without saying." Her reply is curt. Her company has not earned its reputation by being indiscreet.

"I don't mean to be rude or question your competency. I had an extensive check done on your company, but you would have expected that. The few people that I managed to track down that were willing to talk only had the highest regard for your services and professionalism. I wouldn't have contacted you otherwise."

"It's good to know that the clients were satisfied. Now can we get down to why you need protection and from whom?" Sarah's voice is pure business.

"I don't need protection, but my son does." She focuses her energy on his mind and the mental picture the man provides is of a boy of about thirteen. Man, another teenager.

"Why?"

"Four of the scientists working for me died rather suddenly and I have reason to suspect that their deaths are not accidental." And you are not telling me everything.

"How did they die?"

"All appeared to have suffered heart attacks although they were in perfect health and never had a heart condition in their live."

"When was this?"

"The first one died just over a week ago. Now four of them are dead."

"What does this have to do with your son?"

"He is the CEO of the company and the only scientist left on the current project." Sarah does a double take. The old man conned her. He must know she is trying to read him. Apprehension settles cold in her stomach. Her eyes fly to the client's. His smile tells all.

"Do you suspect anyone in these killings?"

"Would I have hired you if I knew who the treat would be from?" The people he suspects springs into Sarah's mind. All right, so there are at least three of them.

"Point taken. If I understand you correctly you need me to protect to your son and find out who is behind these murders?"

"Yes, but there is a proviso. Ben must not know that you are protecting him."

Sarah frowns. This could be a complication. There is nothing worse than trying to protect someone who does not think they need protection. Doing it without their knowledge is nearly impossible.

Mister Gray must have seen the emotions wash over her face because his next words have her full attention.

"I know it must be a strange request, but Ben is hard headed and refuses to believe that someone means him harm. We are opening a branch in South Africa and he will be in charge of the whole operation. That is where the trouble will start. I believe the remuneration is open to discussion." Sarah closes her mouth that fell open during his monologue. The mental picture now has changed to a very handsome and very sexy man. Interesting.

"Full expenses and two thousand Dollars a day." Usually she asks one thousand but this is going to be difficult.

"I'll pay you five thousand Dollars a day and all expenses. You have no time limit as long as you keep him safe. If you find the people responsible and bring them to book, I will add another two thousand Dollars a day." This time she really has difficulty in keeping her mouth closed. The apprehension now tingles in her hands. She focuses her mind on the old man. What is he not telling her?

Gareth Gray felt her probing his mind. He allows her access to what she needs to know, but nothing more. No sense in scaring her away. It also confirms that she is the right one for the job. When he made enquiries about her firm all her previous clients said that she had the uncanny ability to sense when danger would strike. After the third time he heard the words he started to delve a little deeper into her family history.

Sarah Fisher comes from a family known in the right circles for their unusual abilities. Alice Fisher, Sarah's mother, was a powerful Sensitive and one of the few people capable of harvesting the Gifts of others for her own use. She kept a tight lid on her abilities for her children's sake and very few people were aware of her amazing talents. Alice had two children whom she brought up in as normal environment as she was able to. The oldest child, Sam, is a well-known author of science fiction books. Gareth wonders how many of his readers know that many of the fiction they read are actually not so far removed from the truth. He is living in Texas and besides the normal promotional material that the publishers use, his life is closed book to the rest of the world.

Adam Fisher, Sarah's father, is a quiet man who mostly keeps to himself. Very little is known about him, but Gareth could ascertain that he also possessed talents that are unusual. The source that he used couldn't or wouldn't disclose what his talents are, but apparently, they are so formidable that just speaking about them installed great fear in others. Nobody knows where he currently lives or even if he is still alive.

Sarah herself must have inherited some of her parent's talents, but it is unknown what her talents are. She inherited a large sum of money after her mother's death, which she refuses to touch. She opened a private detective agency three years ago after quitting her job at the CIA and quickly made a name for herself. All the former clients were impressed with her professionalism and her uncanny instinct for knowing what they need even before she was asked.

Her mother died in a horrible car accident four years back. Her case made headline news, as there was a dispute as to how old she really was. The bone scans done during the post mortem indicated a young girl of about sixteen, while her driver's license and family contended that she was at least fifty five years old. To Gareth this also was not a surprise. Many of the gifted has the ability to defy age to a certain extent. The young woman in front of him would be horrified to learn that he is much older than she thinks. If he goes by the consensus, she would estimate him to be around eighty or eighty-five years old, where he is actually nearly double that age. His time is, however, running out. He needs her to protect the son that must follow in his footsteps.

Ben doesn't know the dangers that face him. Up to now he point blank refused to acknowledge that any other powers exist other than those the ordinary man experience every day. Gareth knows better. He has seen the darkness threatening to overwhelm Ben at times and it is growing more powerful by the day. With his diminishing strength, he doesn't know how long he will be able to hold them off. Ben needs Sarah's purity and strength to protect him. She just doesn't know it yet. He hopes his Gift to her will be enough to keep them safe. Her voice brings him back to the room.

"Why would you be willing to pay so much extra? What are you not telling me?" She already made the calculations and with only one-week's work, she will be able to settle the outstanding on the Corvette and have plenty of change to save. But, instinct tells her that something smells bad. The old man must have realized what she is doing because he smiles at her. She gets no more imagery from him.

"Don't be fooled. You will earn every single Dollar. Remember, Ben must preferably not know that you are hired to protect him. If he finds out in the course of the assignment, then I will expect you to convince him to keep you hired."

"You need me to follow him to South Africa and protect him there?"

"I need you to be with him and protect him for as long as it takes and wherever he goes. Are you taking the case or are we done?" It is clear that the client is getting impatient with her procrastination. She can't shake the feeling that she is getting in over her head this time. Why does the son need protection if his father is a Sensitive as well? Oh well, it won't be the first time that a client is not completely honest with her.

"I'll take the case."

"Good. Now what do you need to start today?"

"Today? Why today?"

"He is leaving for South Africa this evening." Sarah's mind kicks into high gear. This is cutting it very close. Usually she has a couple of days to prepare and study the clients without their knowledge.

"Do you have a recent photograph and perhaps his flight numbers and itinerary for his stay there?" The man gets up from the chair and slowly heads towards the door.

"I believe a picture is superfluous, but I'll fetch his preliminary itinerary for you."