I know your secrets but do you know mine ~ Chapter 2 (Agatha x Rio Longlegs/Twin Peaks au)
Rio and Agatha go to investigate the house but what will they find in it?
Here's another chapter for y'all! I hope y'all enjoy this one, I know it's a bit longer than the last two. As always please tell me if there's any misspelling or grammatically incorrect stuff, I have dyslexia so sometimes I miss some stuff.
The car ride was silent but quick, just five minutes through winding suburban streets.
Rio and Agatha ducked under the yellow caution tape and stepped into the yard. The once charming white house loomed dark and still.
âI donât know if itâs just me, but this place feels⌠wrong,â Agatha muttered, shivering.
âMaybe itâs because you left your jacket in the office,â Rio teased, taking off her own and draping it over his shoulders.
âYou sure, baby? I donât want you to get cold.â
âIâll be fine, mi vida. I run warm.â
He gave her a grateful smile before they both turned toward the door.
Inside, the air was thick with the metallic scent of blood. The living room was a mess, furniture overturned, broken glass glinting like frost on the carpet.
âGod,â Agatha whispered. âEven the house feels dark.â
âLetâs check upstairs,â Rio said, motioning to the staircase. âHer roomâs probably where the diary came from.â
âRight.â Agatha nodded, though his steps hesitated.
âCome on,â Rio urged softly. âYouâve seen worse.â
âYeah, I know. It just feels⌠heavy.â
When they reached the second floor, Rio spoke again. âYou know, when I was a teenager, I had a secret diary too. I hid it from my foster parents.â
Agatha managed a small laugh. âReally? I never pegged you as the diary type.â
âPlease. Not everyone starts with âDear Diary,ââ Rio said with a grin, pushing open the bedroom door.
The smile vanished from Agathaâs face the second the door creaked open. He froze. His color drained.
âAgatha?â Rio asked, instantly alert.
He didnât answer. His eyes were fixed on the far corner of the room.
âMi vida, whatâs wrong?â
Agathaâs voice trembled. âI saw him, Rio. He was right there.â
She didnât have to ask who he was. The man had haunted Agatha for years, long before theyâd met. The academy, while not wanting to admit, had quietly tested Agathaâs extrasensory instincts once, amazed at his ability to detect movement and presence no one else could. Even though they refused to acknowledge the paranormal or superstitions. Heâd passed every test but the gift came with a curse.
He would sometimes see âhimâ, a man with long gray hair, pale skin, and a smile that was too wide to be human.
âIs he still there?â Rio whispered, stepping close and holding him tight.
Agatha blinked, breath trembling. âNo. Heâs gone.â
âItâs okay, mi amor. Iâve got you.â
He nodded, slowly pulling back. âIâm fine. Letâs finish up and get out of here.â
âAlright,â Rio said softly, though she didnât let him go right away.
They started combing through the room. Rioâs sharp eyes caught something glinting under the bed, a small locked wooden box.
âWell, well. Looks like my instincts were right,â she said. âThis box is locked tight. Probably a second diary or somethingâ
âIâll radio for a padlock breaker,â Agatha replied, stepping into the hall.
While he called it in, Rio couldnât help but look around the room. Her gaze stopped at a wall of photos. The girl, Laura Hart, smiled in nearly every single photo, often alongside a familiar face. Billy Maximoff.
Her heart ached. Billy was one of Wandaâs sons, a good kid, sweet, funny, and openly gay in a small town that didnât always understand him. Heâd adored Agatha, calling him âTeenâ just to annoy him, but heâd also looked up to him.
Rioâs stomach turned when she noticed the calendar. Laura had been killed just three days after her seventeenth birthday. So young and robbed of life. Normally Rio was very good about not having cases such as this disturb her but ever since her and Agatha had Nicky, she couldnât help but let it impact her brain. If the Bureau ever found out, she would be put on leave immediately.
Before Rio could dwell further, Agatha called from the stairs. âTheyâre here!â
âBring them up!â she shouted back.
Two officers arrived and cracked the padlock open. Rio stepped back just in case. She knew it wasnât a bomb but you could never be too careful.
âThank you, gentlemen,â she said curtly. âWeâll take it from here.â
She leaned over the box and exhaled. âBingo.â
Inside was another diary, thinner and more worn than the first. Rio opened it carefully but it was too good to be true.
âWhatâs wrong?â Agatha asked, still lingering by the door.
âMore than half the pages are missing.â
He frowned but stayed composed. âThen we find them. Itâs still the best lead weâve got.â
Rio nodded. âLetâs head back. Maybe thereâs something we can decipher from whatâs left.â
They left the room together, stepping over shards of glass and splatters of dried blood on the stairs.
âDid you know if she was close with Billy?â Rio asked quietly once they were outside.
âYeah,â Agatha sighed. âThey were inseparable. I hate that heâs going to hear about this tomorrow. Heâll come asking for details, but I donât want to tell him, not yet.â
âHe deserves the truth,â Rio said, resting a hand on his thigh as he started the car. âBut only when we have it.â
As they drove back toward the station, the sun dipped low behind the trees, casting the town in a dim orange glow.
âHow long until your FBI team shows up?â Agatha asked.
âOnce I report in, probably tomorrow morning. Expect Rosenfield, maybe Cole if he thinks itâs worth his time.â
âStill missing. Ever since Twin Peaks.â She sighed. âFeels like Earle all over again.â
Agatha scoffed. âOr maybe he just wanted out of the Bureau.â
âYou and I both know Cooper wouldnât do that.â
They parked outside the station.
âHey,â Agatha said softly. âYouâre doing your best. Thatâs all that matters.â
Rio smiled faintly. âMaybe. Iâll see you inside, Iâve got to call it in.â
âTe veo,â Agatha murmured, kissing her hand before heading in.
âTe veo,â she echoed, dialing Diane.
âDiane, itâs Rio. Reporting in.â Her tone shifted, calm and professional. âPreliminary findings confirm earlier suspicions. Todd Hart killed his wife, Sharon, then their daughter, Laura. Motive unknown. Detective Agatha Harkness-Vidal located hidden lettering under Lauraâs nails, an âRâ beneath her left ring finger. We also found a coded note and a secret diary, though most pages are missing. Code looks familiar, still working on deciphering it. Tell Gordon I said hi, I know he wishes I was still living in D.C. Agent Rio Vidal, reporting out.â
She hung up, slipped her phone into her pocket, and stepped back into the glow of the station lights.
Inside, Agatha was hunched over the desk, brow furrowed as he flipped through the torn diary.
âRio, this goes back years,â he said without looking up.
âWhen she was twelve.â
âPerfect. Weâll have a better picture of the family if there were any changes.â
âThereâs someone she mentions, a âHarlâ? Says she hopes he doesnât come. Says he sings to her.â
Rio frowned. âYou know anyone around here named Harl?â
âNo. And the way she describes him, heâs not local.â
âYour guess is as good as mine, mi vida. Letâs call it a night. Rosenfeld and Cole will be here in the morning.â
Agatha checked the clock, nine p.m. âYeah. If we leave now, we can still say goodnight to Nicky.â
They packed up, locked the office, and said their goodbyes to the chief.
âGood to see you two leaving at a reasonable hour,â the chief called out.
âDonât get used to it,â Agatha muttered, earning a smirk from Rio as they stepped into the cool night air.
Wanda opened the door before they could even knock. âNicky! Look whoâs here!â
âMAMI! PAPI!â Nicky shouted, racing toward them.
âWe missed you too, hijo,â Rio said, scooping him up and covering his cheek in kisses.
Agatha smiled and stepped closer to Wanda. âKeep an eye on Billy tomorrow, okay? Heâs about to get some tough news. I donât want him shutting down.â
âThis about the Harts?â Wanda whispered. âIâve heard things, itâs all over town.â
âYeah,â Agatha said softly. âIâd rather not say more yet, but Billyâs going to need support.â
âIâll do what I can. Thank you, Agatha.â
âThatâs all I ask. And thanks for watching Nicky.â
âBe careful, you two!â Wanda called as they walked away.
âWeâll try!â Rio replied, waving as Nicky giggled between them.
For now, at least, they were home. But both knew something darker had followed them back from the Hartâs house.