Beautiful Girls

by Gary S. Griffin

  I helped her. “I was here earlier with Melody.”

  That statement heightened her defenses. She also blushed and found it difficult to maintain eye contact with me.

  “Yes, correct, you two had coffee.”

  “That’s right.”

  “What are you doing here? Where is Mel?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Why not?”

  “She’s missing. I left her in my car at the Monte Carlo’s parking garage for about twenty minutes and when I returned she was gone.”

  “What happened?”

  “Like I said, I don’t know. I’ve checked everywhere I can think of. She didn’t go to Diablo’s; that’s where I went. Her car is still at Liquid. So, I came here to see if you’ve seen her.”

  She was still digesting what I was saying as she said, “Who are you?”

  “I’m Stevie Garrett.”

  “What is going on?” She was wary of my story.

  “Mel was helping me look for clues.”

  “Clues?” That word surprised her.

  “Let me explain. I’m worried about her. Can we sit down?”

  Harmony looked around. There was only the one couple.

  She turned to the other waitress and said, “Terry, I am taking my break now. I will be back in thirty minutes.”

  “OK, Harmony.”

  Harmony turned to me and said, “I will return in one minute.”

  I nodded and watched her disappear through a door at the back of the lounge. I turned my head and looked at the few late night people walking through the Bellagio’s halls. Before I expected, Harmony tapped my shoulder and walked ahead of me out of the lounge towards a casual restaurant about fifty yards away. I followed her. She had a small black purse on a long, thin strap over her shoulder.

  As we walked, Harmony turned and asked in her sweet voice, “Would you buy me dinner, Mr. Garrett?”

  “Only if you call me Stevie.”

  “Stevie, will you buy me dinner?”

  “Sure I will.”

  “Thank you. We can talk here.”

  We were seated right away. We both took only a minute with the menu. Harmony ordered a chicken Caesar salad and an iced tea. I ordered the same thing as I was hungry and didn’t know when this night would end.

  When the waitress left, Harmony said, “So, Stevie, tell me what Mel and you did tonight.”

  I told her. I told her about the events in Los Angeles and the desert and Tucson. I told her about Edie and Tawny. I told the stories as quickly as I could. Harmony listened and ate. It took me fifteen minutes and I still felt rushed in the telling.

  When I finished, Harmony said, “May I see one of the clues?”

  I pulled out the two clues from Diablo’s and opened them. They were identical; they contained the same Bible clippings and letters. This excerpt from scripture read:

  Abigail wasted no time. She quickly gathered 200 loaves of bread, two wineskins full of wine, five sheep that had been slaughtered, nearly a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 fig cakes. She packed them on donkeys and said to her servants, “Go on ahead. I will follow you shortly.” But she didn’t tell her husband Nabal what she was doing.

  The fifth clue’s letter read:

  David,

  You have found unexpected feminine help. But, I have taken this orphan from you.

  Seek help from her kin. You two must work together to save the damsel in distress. Do not call the police. This is your only warning.

  Then, tomorrow, you will find your next clue high and dry at the hidden waterfall of red rock’s first creek.

  Nabal

  We were thinking for a few seconds when Harmony said, “He wrote those notes tonight. How else could he know you had Mel’s help?”

  “I agree, and he’s stalking all three of us.”

  She said with conviction, “Yes he is. Do you think he was following us all night?”

  “I guess somehow. I never saw him before that moment.”

  “I do not know if I have seen him.”

  I asked, “Where did he take Mel?”

  “I do not know. Perhaps, it is a waterfall in Red Rock.”

  “Where’s that?”

  “Red Rock is a mountain park, west of here, in the desert. It is not too far.”

  “That sounds like the place.”

  Our conversation hit a quiet moment. I could tell Harmony was thinking about all the shocking revelations I had passed on to her. Then, she surprised me. She opened her purse and pulled out an envelope. Inside was a folded piece of paper. She opened it and laid it next to Rob’s latest notes. Her paper was a note too. The handwriting on all three was identical.

  I asked, “Where did you get this?”

  “At our condo. It was taped to our front door when I left for work tonight.”

  It finally dawned on me, “You live with Melody?”

  “Of course. Neither of us could afford a condo by ourselves!”

  “Oh, I see.”

  “We have a deal. Once one of us gets married or has a live-in, one of us moves out. The one with the permanent guy get the first option to buy the condo.”

  “Seems like a good plan.”

  I then picked up Harmony’s letter from Rob.

  It read:

  Dear Twins,

  Is life too good? Do you have all you need? Do you know what is missing?

  A man with the answers is coming. Believe him.

  Do as I say.

  The Watcher

  I said, “I wish I had the answers. Did you show this to Melody?”

  “No, Mel was at work already. Then, when you two came in earlier I wondered if you could be the man. You both were intensely focused on whatever you were doing. I do not know why, Stevie, but I got a good vibe about you, when I was around you two. Now this; what is it all about?”

  “I’m not sure. You two must have some link to us, to Edie and Tawny, or to Rob, or both. I hope we can figure that out. For now, we need to keep looking for Mel.”

  Harmony asked, “What do we do now?”

  “Be careful. Stay safe. I feel an obligation to do something. To protect you. I did a lousy job with Mel…”

  I stopped talking. Harmony reached over and grabbed my hand. “It is not your fault. Mel is a curious girl. I am sure your hunt was irresistible. Yet, I am scared, Stevie, and I want you here.”

  I blurted out, “We should call the police. Mel is in real danger.”

  That comment startled Harmony. “No, I do not want to do anything else until the morning, when we go to Red Rock. Rob wrote that only we can save Mel.”

  “That could be a lie.”

  With a controlled, quiet intensity she said, “No, all his clues have been truthful so far, even if they are sick and weird.”

  “That’s true, Harmony.”

  “He has some plan.”

  I said, “Yes, he does, a sick plan.”

  “That is the question. What is the plan?”

  “I don’t know. It sure looks like he wants to kill people, those from his past, the Gabriel family.”

  I stopped talking. Something became clearer. Another piece fit into the puzzle. I still couldn’t see the big picture yet; there was some link here.

  “Harmony, I want to talk more. We need our own plan. I’m willing to wait until tomorrow when we visit Red Rock, but I want to report to the police that I saw Rob’s car. They may spot him driving around Vegas. My guess is that Melody will still be reasonably OK until tonight. I’ll ask the police to take extreme caution if they find Rob in his car. But I won’t tell them about Red Rock.”

  “I can live with that idea.”

  “I’ll call them later this morning. OK?”

  “Yes.”

  I looked at my watch. It was after two in the morning.

  “When do you get off work?” I asked.

  “Not until four o’clock.”

  “Could you leave early?”

  “I suppose,
but Terry will not like it.”

  “Too bad. Tell her it’s an emergency; that’s no lie.”

  “You’re right. What will we do then?”

  “Talk, sleep, get our plan together.”

  “OK, where?”

  “Henderson, at your condo.”

  She paused and thought.

  I added, “Mel and I were going to do that. I was going to sleep in the pullout bed in the living room. She was going to text you.”

  She smiled but still gave me her ever-serious eyes. For this moment, she broke with her previous formality. “Oh, OK. You’re not a creep, are you?”

  “No, I’m not. The creep around here is Rob Nealy.”

  She said, “I was kidding. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Let’s leave my car here. There is no sense in us both driving. Rob knows both our cars.”

  “True” I said.

  “I will return in three minutes.”

  Recurring Dream

  I started the Mustang at 2:12 AM. Harmony gave me directions to Henderson. She had changed into a black velour sweat suit and sneakers.

  The ride from The Strip to I-15 went without interruption and we soon zoomed along on the freeway. Traffic was light at that early morning hour. Our trip was a big left curve from south to east. Henderson is a modern suburb of Las Vegas. It was easy driving to the Avalon condos. We talked a little, mostly about the twins’ childhood.

  Harmony directed me to the ramp that led down to the underground parking garage. She pointed out her parking spot and I pulled into it. After grabbing my bag from the trunk, we walked up the basement stairs to the entrance. On the way I took in the Avalon. It had a pool, a hot tub, tennis and basketball courts, an exercise room and laundry facilities.

  The twins had a beautiful two-bedroom condo. It was decorated in off-white colored carpeting, furniture and drapes. The couch and love seat were soft and cushy. The coffee and side tables were made of white marble. The dining table and chairs were lacquered in a light shade and had tan seat cushions.

  Photos of the Pima sisters, most in color, were in stylish frames on the walls and tables. All were taken by a professional photographer.

  The two bedrooms were at opposite ends of the condo. Mel’s was right inside the front door and Harmony’s was on the other side of the living room.

  The door to the far room was open and Harmony said, “That is my room – compared to my sister, I’m a little OCD.”

  The bedroom had a severe look to it; black lacquered furniture, black and white photos in black frames on the walls, and black pillows and a black and white comforter on the bed. Not a thing was out of place. The closet doors were shut and nothing was on the floor.

  Mel turned and pointed to the other bedroom. “This one’s Mel’s.”

  Mel’s room wasn’t neat, but it looked comfortable. She had a side chair covered with clothes. Underwear and shoes were on the floor by her closet, and the pink sheets and comforter were tossed on top the bed.

  “Would you like something to drink, Stevie? I have beer and white wine, some soda and…”

  She paused and added, “I could make coffee.”

  “Ah, water is fine. Can I use the bathroom, first?”

  “Sure, use that one.”

  She pointed to the one near the kitchen and the front door. While Harmony’s bathroom was inside her bedroom, the one Mel used was just outside her bedroom door. It was large; with a Jacuzzi tub and a stall shower.

  As I left the bathroom, I noticed on the hallway wall a photo of the twins when they were much younger. They stood with a group of other kids in a schoolyard. I guessed they were fifteen years old. A redheaded woman was in the center of the casual scene. The twins were in front. Melody smiled and Harmony stared warily at the camera. It looked like a western locale. I could see treeless mountains in the distance. Something seemed familiar.

  Harmony called my name and broke my focus on the photo.

  “Your water is on the counter, Stevie.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You are welcome. So, do you want to talk?”

  “Harmony, can we do it first thing in the morning? We should go to bed. It’s almost 3AM. I’m really tired and I need to call Edie at 9 AM.”

  “Of course. I will help you pull out the sofa bed.”

  Within ten minutes we were both asleep.

  ***

  I had my recurring dream that night. This time it was slightly different.

  Instead of that mountain cabin, high above Tucson, I’m in this Nevada condo and it is the present time. I wake in the middle of the night needing the bathroom; I drank too much wine. When I finish flushing and washing, I walk to the kitchen and grab a bottle of chilled water from the refrigerator. I drink deeply. The very different women, in the rooms to my right and to my left, play on my mind.

  What does it all mean? What should I do? I struggle to understand.

  I walk to the entrance of the second bedroom. The door is closed. I pause to think again. I should go back to the sofa bed, but the attraction is too strong.

  I slowly turn the handle and push the door open. The faint, blue glow of starlight provides ethereal light in this room and on the gorgeous angel-come-to-earth that appears before me. This young, little beauty sleeps soundly on the right side of the full-sized bed. As if she knows I’d come here, the covers on the left side are turned down, inviting me to join her. She is lying flat on her back, and her beautiful very dark hair is spread out all around her pillow. Her arms are on top of the covers on either side of her body with both palms facing down. Her breathing is the sweetest and only sound I hear. She is so tranquil and at ease.

  I walk to the bed and kneel down to give Edie a kiss. Except, it isn’t Edie, it’s Harmony Pima, looking remarkably like my fiancée. For a brief moment, Harmony’s mouth forms in to a slight, adorable smile and her eyelids move. It looks like she whispers my name, like she senses me there.

  Somehow, I resist. I almost accept her silent offer. I imagine sliding into bed next to her. I know not to.

  Instead, I stand up and take in this angelic creature for a long time and then leave her to heavenly dreams.

  I quietly close the door behind me and walk back across the living room to the second closed door. I open it.

  Reflecting the occupant, the atmosphere is different here. The amber outdoor lights provide much more illumination; the highway-facing windows bring in the occasional sounds of passing vehicles. A titian-haired angel is in the large bed, deeply sleeping too, on her side. Like the petite woman in the other room, this woman’s long red hair is tossed all over her pillow and face and shoulders. In contrast, the slumber of the woman in this larger bedroom is tormented. Her covers are off her body and her small white nightshirt is raised above her hips, showing her badly wounded behind with its red marks of abuse. On her face is pain and trauma, and her arms are tight and close to her body. I walk to the bed and cover her with the sheet.

  Again, there is a difference. This isn’t Andi Anderson. No, it’s Melody Pima. I kiss Melody on her forehead and the hint of a smile crosses her innocent face.

  I leave this place and return to the living room, to where I started. I get into the sofa bed. Then, I pray and let my thoughts go where they may.

  Then, I remember Edie’s haunting words; “I know you need to go, but stay in touch with us.”

  The dream ended. I woke and wondered what this changed dream means. What will happen to these beautiful girls?

  Henderson

  Morning came bright and early. The vertical blinds in the condo’s living room hid the sun’s rays but not the sun’s light. My cell phone alarm went off at 8:50. It gave me time to use the bathroom and get a drink of water. I folded the bed up, arranged the room back to its normal position and called my beauty.

  Edie had only been up a few minutes too. Tawny was asleep. I gave Edie the update. It took some time.

  “Where are you?”

/>   “In a condo in Henderson; it’s a suburb of Vegas. I’m with Harmony, Melody’s twin sister.”

  “Harmony and Melody, how musical; but what parent would name their kids that?”

  “They don’t know. They’re orphans. They grew up in foster homes and an orphanage somewhere in Arizona.”

  “So, how is Harmony dealing with her sister’s disappearance?”

  “OK, I guess. She’s the quiet type; not like Melody.”

  “Is Harmony a gorgeous redhead, too?”

  “No, her hair is real dark, almost black and she is gorgeous. The girls are fraternal twins, not identical. Still, they look similar, too.”

  “Is she turned on by you?”

  “Edie!”

  “Are you turned on by her?”

  “No and no! She’s scared and wants me around. That’s why I’m here.”

  “Did you sleep with her?”

  “No, I slept in the pullout in the living room.”

  “OK, good, so, you said my father is stalking them too.”

  “Seems to be. The note Harmony found taped to the condo’s front door is in his writing.”

  “Why’s he doing that, what’s the connection with them?”

  “I don’t know. Rob wrote in their clue that I — I mean — a man would come who had answers for them. I don’t have any answers but there’s got to be something. I need to talk to Harmony more about their past, you know, their life in Arizona.”

  “What are your guesses, Stevie?”

  “Rob must have some link with these beautiful orphans. I wonder…” I paused to think.

  “Wonder what?”

  “There’s a family resemblance between the twins and you, especially between you and Harmony. She looks more like you than she does her sister. I don’t know; it could be just a coincidence.”

  “How old are these twins?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  “My mother was still alive then. We were living in L.A. I don’t see how my father could be involved, you know, in a paternity way.”