Prince of Darkness vs Prom Queen 07

Chapter 1 Ei Incumbit Probatio Qui Dicit, Non Qui Negat.

English translation: The burden of proof is on he who declares, not on he who denies.

True maybe in a court of law but not in Donovan Corbett's world. No one in his world appeared at all familiar with the fundamental right of innocent until proven guilty.

Two weeks had passed. Two very long weeks.

14 days.

336 hours.

20,160 minutes.

107,209 accusatory glares aimed directly at Donovan.

Where was Virgil?

The hunt had started almost immediately with Laci and Victor leading and organizing the search. Trent and Sara were happy to join as were Matthew and Jeremy who proved especially useful for looking under things and in low places. Because of work, only Marian could not join the Virgil pursuit but she stayed updated and offered regular encouragement and suggestions from her office.

Every inch of the house was searched. No room or area was left untouched. Under beds. Every closet. The basement and attic. Behind curtains. On top of every high place and under every low place. In drawers and boxes. On shelves and under tables. Behind the furniture. In all the cupboards. The chimneys. All the nooks and crannies.

Where was Virgil?

The search party moved to the guest house. Like the main house, every area was scrutinized. Next Marian and Victor's home was inspected. The dog-moose even offered his assistance by helpfully sniffing all sections of the grounds and gardens.

Where was Virgil?

For a while, Donovan attempted to show his support by joining the Virgil safari but the disparaging remarks and reproachful looks soon had him feeling like an unjustly accused and already condemned perpetrator. He hid in the safety of his office which was rapidly becoming known as 'the scene of the crime'.

What crime? Was someone going to shine a bright light at him during an interrogation? Were they going to dust for fingerprints? Was a DNA test possible to prove innocence? Did stuffed and hateful unicorns have DNA? Hopefully so, because in this case it meant Donovan Needs Assistance. A lot of assistance.

No one was actually and outwardly blaming Donovan for Virgil's disappearance but no one seemed to believe he was above suspicion. There was not one single trace of the unicorn anywhere and it was common knowledge that Virgil was beloved by everyone except only one person.

Trent was mourning the loss of the fuzzy friend who had been there for him when he needed a shoulder to lean on. Recalling the many disparaging remarks Donovan had made about Virgil, Trent could not imagine anyone else would have a reason to dispose of the unicorn. While not exactly accusing Donovan, he certainly was not jumping to his defense.

Having only recently met Virgil, Sara was trying to keep an open mind but after hearing the stories about Donovan's many unicorn disputes, she had to agree with Trent.

Marian felt obligated to give her cousin the benefit of the doubt, after all, what would he gain by getting rid of Virgil? A few less beady eyed stares? A little less snarling? Was that grounds for indictment? She had to admit, however, that no one else had any animosity for the unicorn.

Victor did his best to defend his friend but had to be honest when stating that his last known sighting of Virgil had been when he saw the unicorn being carried out of the office by Donovan. From that time on, Virgil had not been seen again.

Matthew and Jeremy didn't exactly make any accusations but Donovan shook his head with frustrated feelings of guilt when the boys made their suspicions obvious by protectively grabbing and holding on to their toys whenever he entered the room.

Even Virgil, usually loyal dog-moose and ally, was looking at Donovan with uncertainty.

And then, of course, there was Laci. Judging from the looks he'd been receiving from her, she'd been taking glare lessons from Virgil. Damned unicorn had probably been only too happy to share his secrets of mastering the perfect Donovan hating stare. Like the others she did not outwardly accuse Donovan however her icy gaze made him almost certain a firing squad would be waiting if he stepped outside the front door.

Even worse, she was almost completely ignoring him. The love of his life who loved having sex with her husband was acting as if he wasn't even in the same house. Was there typically a moratorium on sex while in mourning for a unicorn? How the hell long was that mourning period supposed to last? Surely the 20,160 minutes that had already passed were enough. Unicorns weren't the only creatures that were horny. Husbands were horny, too. Some husbands were really horny.

He had recently returned from a training session during which time they had been apart for nearly a month. Two more weeks had passed since the unicorn's departure. Why wasn't she as horny as he was? Laci was always horny. She loved sex. He could hardly keep up with her. On the night of the vanishing she had been on the verge of seducing him as only she could. He had been ready then. He was even more ready now but seduction and fireplace lectures were suddenly not on her mind. The only thing on her mind was the puzzling disappearance of Virgil.

Donovan had never seen her so bothered and bewildered. It wasn't at all like her. Laci was always cool and calm. If there was anything cool about her it was the attitude directed at her husband. The really horny one. At this particular moment, Donovan was almost certain if he suggested taking another trip, she would willingly and happily pack for him and send him on his way. Probably tell him not to rush back, either.

He watched her flutter around the room, aware that she had changed into a black nightgown. Long and silky, it clung to her curves in every place that he, himself, wanted to be clinging.

Option one: she had forgiven him and was going to seduce him. Probably not.

Option two: she had worn black to coincide with her dark mood. Possible.

Option three: she was thinking death to Donovan and wanted to be attired in the appropriate color.

Ding-ding-ding!! We have a winner!!

Finally she seemed to finish whatever she was doing, silently climbing into bed. At least she hadn't moved out of their bedroom. Hesitantly he joined her, almost fearing she was going to kick him out but she didn't. She was lying next to him, looking straight up at the ceiling. He had to do something. The room was cloaked in darkness until he finally reached up and flicked on the light.

"Laci, I didn't take your unicorn, he stated emphatically.

"Why do you feel the need to keep saying that?" she questioned skeptically. "I have not heard one person accuse you yet you keep denying any involvement."

"That's because you're all making me feel like some kind of damned unicorn assassin," Donovan was close to shouting. "Trent is afraid to turn his back on me. The kids hide their toys when they see me coming and the dog-moose stands guard over Matt and Jeremy every time I enter the room. Does he think I'm going to do away with them, too?"

He loved when she got that special look in her big, cornflower blue eyes but the look he was seeing was not the one he wanted to see. This look was cool, almost bordering on cold and more than a little suspicious. "Interesting choice of words. Do away with them, too? Have you done away with someone else?"

"What? NO! Do you see how upset I am? I don't even know what I'm saying. I didn't take the damned unicorn. Stop implying that I did!"

"Donovan, I have never implied anything but you disliked Virgil right from the first time you heard his name. What's wrong with the name Virgil?"

"Nothing if you happen to be a dead Roman poet. It's a stupid name for a unicorn. Virgil. Who the hell would name a unicorn Virgil? Stupid name," he grumbled.

"I would and it suits him." Cold was turning to frosty. "I'm sorry you disagree. I had no idea you were such an expert in unicorn names."

"That's not what I meant," he argued. "You're accusing me without evidence."

"Donovan, I have not accused you but there seems to be quite a bit of circumstantial evidence which points in your direction." Frosty had become wintery.

"Like what? What circumstantial evidence," he challenged. "Directions can be wrong. Maybe your GPS needs to be calibrated."

"Who is the one person who always complains that Virgil stares?"

"I do and he does stare. He has creepy, beady little black eyes that stare at me with hate and jealousy. He used to sleep with you. Now I sleep with you or at least I used to sleep with you. I'm beginning to understand his point on that issue."

"Who has repeatedly tried to get Matthew and Jeremy to take Virgil for a walk?" Wintery was turning to frigid. "How many times have you tried to encourage those two little boys to do your dirty work and drag Virgil downstairs and into the yard? I've heard you telling them to bury him in their sandbox. I've heard you telling them unicorns like sand, like to pretend they're camels. And who said 'Let's throw Virgil into a tree and see how long it takes him to climb down?' Can you answer that?"

"I wasn't serious. They can't throw that high anyway. He would've climbed down with no problem," Donovan reasoned.

Frigid was spinning straight to polar. "And how many times have you tried to get Virgil to use Virgil as a chew bone? How often have you threatened to turn Virgil into moose chow? Did you know threatening an endangered species is a felony? If convicted, you could be looking at jail time."

"CONVICTED OF WHAT?" Donovan was shouting again. "Since when is a stuffed unicorn an endangered species? Have you been talking to Victor again?"

Polar had turned to Arctic. "Facts are facts, Donovan. Only one person has ever had a problem with Virgil who, by the way, has never hurt or threatened you or anyone else. Furthermore, you were the last person to be seen with him. Victor said you carried him out of the office and Virgil has not been seen since. What did you do with him?"

"I already told you. I brought him upstairs and put him on the chair. It's not my fault he ran away to make me look bad. He's fiendish. Probably hiding out somewhere, watching everything that's going on, laughing at my suffering. He's been trying to get rid of me for years but I'm on to him. He's always hated me. He sits there pretending to be all sweet and devoted but he's been plotting this whole time and now he's finally getting his revenge."

"You're accusing a stuffed toy of running away? You're accusing a stuffed toy of plotting against you and trying to get revenge?" Laci asked.

"How much do you know about him? Who knows what he does when we're not around? He could be involved with any number of unicorn hoodlums. Ever do a background check on him? Ever check his hoof prints?"

"Are you serious? Unicorn hoodlums? Hoof prints? He's a stuffed toy," Laci was getting more and more impatient. "What's next? How much more are you going to blame on him? Are you going to try and make me believe that he vanished because he's in the Witness Protection Program? Did he witness his own unicorn-napping?"

"I have the right to remain silent," Donovan pouted.

"Yes, you do and that's probably a wise decision," Laci agreed. She stood up and walked out of the room.

He sighed in frustration. Apparently, he also had the right to remain supremely horny.

He had just spent nearly a month in his persona of Master Donovan training and reading the slaves under his control as if they were signs along a road. They had followed every one of his commands without hesitation. He had observed and hadn't missed a single nuance or cue from any one of them. He had been in absolute control.

Now he was in his own home, with his own wife and, as usual, he was floundering with no idea what to do. He couldn't fault her for being suspicious but why was it so difficult to convince the one person he loved more than anyone, of his innocence?

Donovan was almost positive he could hear the sound of diabolical unicorn giggling.

Chapter 2 The Story of Virgil

Laci was sitting in the garden happily watching Jeremy and Matthew playing alongside Virgil the dog-moose and their over-grown big brothers, Victor and Trent. Startled when she felt an arm going around her shoulder and a kiss on her cheek, she looked up then smiled. "Hi Dad. Are you all settled in?"

"Hi, sweetheart. I am settled and looking forward to a nice long visit. I love coming down here and spending time with you." He gazed across the yard. "Matthew and Jeremy get bigger every time I see them. My third grandson, Trent, also seems to be doing well. Didn't you say he has a home in California? Did he forget where it is?"

Laci had to laugh. "You're starting to sound like Donovan. Trent does indeed have a home in California and it's quite nice. I've actually seen it but I think he likes being here because he can be himself and isn't always looking over his shoulder for photographers chasing him. When he first started visiting here, people were curious but now the residents just accept him and leave him alone. He and Sara have been looking at houses. They're hoping to make Georgia their permanent residence after they get married. I really don't mind having him here but I'm hoping when they have their own place he won't be such a frequent visitor."

"Trent is a bit unusual. I don't think I've ever known a bona fide celebrity before. I've seen him in films and on TV and he's a good actor but he's a little crazy."

"Actually, he's a lot crazy. And he thinks Victor is a little crazy and Victor is sure Donovan is a little crazy and Donovan is positive Victor and Trent are completely crazy so that gives you some idea about the world I live in and I wouldn't change any of it."

"Any news on the missing unicorn? Is Donovan still the prime suspect in the strange and mysterious disappearance of Virgil?"

"Unfortunately, the answer is yes and I don't know what to believe anymore. Donovan doesn't lie unless he loses control, panics and overreacts to something but he is acting very guilty. The thing is, he knows how much Virgil means to me so I can't believe he would get rid of him but I can't imagine anyone else would have taken him, either."

"Why does Virgil mean so much, Laci?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" she asked John.

"Uh oh. Is this one of the stories from the missing years that's going to make me feel guilty?" John wanted to know.

Laci smiled at her father. "Dad, we've put those years behind us. What matters is we've reconnected and we're a family again. Neither of us should feel guilty for what happened. They weren't the best years but they made me a strong, self-reliant person."

"Agreed. No guilt. So tell me the story of Virgil."

Laci sighed. "Well, when everything first happened, I was pretty young. I wasn't sure what to tell people or who to trust. I didn't really want to tell anyone that my parents walked away from me. I had no idea what reactions I'd get and I didn't want people feeling sorry for me or making things harder so I became somewhat of a loner. I kept to myself at school. Pulled away from friends. Focused only on school and work. The people at the ranch were always very nice but most of them had worked there and known each other for years and until I proved myself, I was the outsider."

"I'm so sorry, honey. That must have been very hard for you."

"It was lonely, more lonely than hard. Anyway, when I started living at the ranch, the room was nice but I wanted to get a few things to make it feel like my home. When I went shopping, I saw a unicorn sitting on a shelf looking as lonely as I felt so I bought him and brought him home with me. I named my new unicorn Virgil. We were reading Dante's Inferno in school and, being a typical overly dramatic teenager, Virgil was Dante's guide through hell and I thought my life was hell so it seemed appropriate."

John Grace chuckled at his daughter's comment. "So much for making me not feel guilty. It's no surprise you turned into such an amazing writer. Go on, honey."

"From that day on, Virgil was always there for me. Every day when I came home from school, it was Virgil I was coming home to. When I finished working, no matter how late it was, Virgil was always there waiting for me. When something good happened or something not so good happened, I shared it with Virgil. When I was voted Prom Queen, Virgil was the first one I told. When I started having feelings for Donovan, Virgil knew before I even told Donovan. I guess it seems a little silly now. I'm certainly not lonely anymore. I have a wonderful and loving husband, a beautiful son. I have you and this whole weird and remarkable little family but Virgil will always be special. He got me through some tough times. He was my family when I was alone. I miss him."

"Have you told Donovan how much Virgil means to you?"

"Most of it." Laci smiled. "I never told him why I named my unicorn Virgil and I left out the part about telling Virgil I was falling in love with Donovan before I told Donovan. I wasn't sure how he'd take that bit of news. Donovan seems to think of Virgil as his competition so it seemed better not to tell him that."

John thought for a moment. "Honey, for what it's worth, Donovan loves you. I knew that the first time I spoke to him and he's only proven it more every time I've seen him since. I can't believe he would deliberately get rid of Virgil knowing how important he is to you. I don't think Donovan would ever intentionally cause you hurt of any kind."

"Mostly I would agree with that, Dad, although my husband does seem to have a slightly unusual obsession with my unicorn. Donovan is acting very guilty but I'm not convinced he's responsible for what happened. The trouble is that none of this explains what happened. Victor saw Donovan take Virgil out of the office. Donovan swears he put Virgil on the chair, so where is he? Stuffed unicorns don't walk away by themselves."

"And you don't think anyone else could be responsible? Could something have happened accidentally and whoever is involved is afraid to admit it?"

"I've thought of that. Matthew and Jeremy are not exactly hardened criminals. If something had happened, even accidentally, I think they would have confessed. The last time I saw Virgil, he was sitting just a few feet from Donovan. Sara and I took the kids to the playground and Marian went to work so the men were the only ones here."

"What about Virgil number two?"

"He went to the playground with us and he's not at all interested in Virgil the First even with all of Donovan's urging and suggestions. Even if he had decided to chew up my unicorn, I think we would have found some evidence. Big as he is, there's no way Virgil could swallow Virgil in a single gulp. There would have been remnants somewhere."

"That makes sense. Could someone have broken in?" John asked.

"I suppose it's possible but nothing is missing except Virgil and we have a security system so it doesn't seem likely. Why would a stranger steal a stuffed unicorn?"

"Good point. I guess that brings you back full circle to the men."

"Yes, but I still have no answers. Trent is a good actor so he could have done something and be covering it up. He's also slightly naïve and childlike and I can see him feeling very guilty if he had been responsible. I think he would have cracked by now. The first one I thought of was Victor. He lives to drive Donovan crazy. It's exactly the kind of thing he'd do but if he had Virgil, he would have told me. He'd want me to keep up the charade but he would have been honest and told me the truth."

"And that leaves Donovan as the only suspect."

"And my husband has proclaimed his innocence at least a dozen times. I don't know what to think or believe. Virgil didn't just walk away. He has to be somewhere."