by K. H. Pope
CHAPTER 22
“Good afternoon.”
I open my eyes to see Priscilla placing a tray on a small table beside the bed. I did not realize I was asleep. It felt good actually.
“Hi,” I remark.
“I hope you’re hungry,” she says as she pours hot water into a teacup.
“I don’t eat,” I answer.
“Even fallen angels need food,” she says while dipping a teabag.
“I heard you saved me. I really appreciate that.”
Priscilla smiles subtly. She pushes the tray over to the bed, and I push myself up to a sitting position.
“You look much better.”
“I feel better,” I remark. “How did you do it? You have healing power?”
“No, I don’t have that ability. I can cloak and disappear entirely, but that’s about it. Your body healed on its own. Alice, what happened to you back at the trailer? Who was trying to kill you?”
I take a sip of the tea and tell her what I can remember.
She remarks, “I don’t know of any witches or warlocks that can throw fire and make dimension traps. Honestly, I don’t know anyone that makes dimension traps at all. Ammon can produce white fire.”
“There are, at least, three that I know of, but I hear all except one are in an asylum.”
“Who’s in an asylum?” a voice says from the door.
President Frederick Oliver is coming in with Ammon close behind him. They are being followed by four men in black suits.
Priscilla greets him with a tender kiss on his cheek. “Daddy, why are you here?”
“I’m here to speak with Alice. Would you mind giving us a moment, dear?”
President Oliver turns to Ammon and clears his throat. Ammon gets the hint and exits the room with Priscilla. The four bodyguards have taken strategic places around the room. All of them are wizards. I’m not sure why he needs so many.
I push the tray out of the way and sit sideways out of the bed. I’m feeling more like myself. A little more energy, and the bubbles and scars are almost gone.
President Oliver begins, “It has been a long time since I’ve seen you, Alice. When was the last time we spoke?”
“Six months ago in Plain Dealing.”
“Yes, that’s right, and you’ve kept your end of the bargain.”
“Calamous no longer exists to me.”
President Oliver nods and takes off his jacket. He throws it on the bed and goes over to the wall to bring over a chair. He puts the chair right in front of me and sits.
“Alice, there are a few things you and I need to talk about.”
I can’t wait to hear what these few things are.
“Do you remember a passionate young man by the name of Michael Hunter?”
“No,” I answer. I really don’t.
“You broke his rib in Paris.”
“Oh, that Michael Hunter. How can I forget? You know him?”
“I’m the one who sent him. I thought he might have been able to talk the wings out of you. He’s quite a handsome lad. I’ve seen women literally drool over themselves because he walked into the room. I wasn’t counting on you hurting him.”
“He’s lucky I didn’t break him in half,” I reply with annoyance.
President Oliver sits back with a chuckle.
“I suppose the invisible man at the hotel in Cactus works for you, as well,” I remark.
“Yes, a gentleman of the ages - Mr. Pike. He knows how to speak to people. Evident in the fact he didn’t return with broken ribs.”
“He approached me with a lot less zeal. How did they find me?”
“You’re not as hard to locate as you think.”
“Yeah, okay,” I reply with an attitude. I know how, and I know what I need to do next time so they won’t find me again. “Since you brought up the wing stumps first, it’s safe to assume that you’re not interested in several missing people.”
“None of those people are missing, Alice. Chief Lacey has reassured me, and I have no reason to doubt him.”
“Of course, you would believe him.”
“He is a highly respected wizard, and Moore County trusts him. He has nothing to gain from telling lies or hiding secrets. Now, back to this business of the wing stumps.”
“Hate to think you really cared,” I comment.
“Pardon me?”
“I said I’d be a fool to give them to you.”
He stares at me for a moment before continuing. “Why are you still hanging on to them, Alice? Just tell me where I can find them, and we can all go about our day.”
“President Oliver, I’m not telling you where they are. It caused problems back in Plain Dealing, and that’s all I see is more problems with you.”
“I will give you twenty million points; tax free in any country in the world.”
“Does it look like I’m interested in your money or your points? You’re not getting them. Don’t ask me again.”
President Oliver exhales, but he doesn’t seem defeated or bothered by my refusal. He clears his throat before continuing, “You still believe you’re an angel? Still think you’re perfect? Can’t be bought?”
“No, I don’t think I’m perfect at all,” I remark angrily. “I’m just not interested in what you have to offer.”
“I’ve tried enticing you with a silver tongue young man and with points. I can’t seem to find anything that suits you, but I will not give up. My offer will remain open to you, Alice. I want you to think about it for another day or two. Consider the value of it. It’s a lot of points.”
“Are you finished?”
“No,” he says. “I want you to leave Chief Lacey alone. If there is a problem in that city or county, he will handle it.”
“He’s not going to handle it.”
“And another thing,” he continues like I haven’t said a word. “I want all of the missing records you’ve taken illegally from Chief Lacey’s office.”
“It was burned in the fire,” I lie.
“Don’t lie to me.”
“They were destroyed,” I plainly state. I’m beyond pissed right now. I just want to choke that man, but fighting four other wizards and him might prove my undoing for a long time.
“Fine,” he says. “Alice, take my advice. You need to go back to what you were doing, out of the business of the Magi.”
“I’m not backing down.”
“You have no choice.” President Oliver stands and grabs his coat. “I know you will do the right thing, Alice. I’m not worried at all. Ammon speaks very highly of you, and I trust what he says. Now, I must be getting back. Rest well, get well, and I hope to talk to you again tomorrow by this time about your wings.”
His four puppets follow him out the door. Eventually, Ammon comes back in, and I’m already on my feet. I can walk without feeling pain. I can’t go very fast, but I can move.
“Alice, why don’t you go back to bed?” he fusses.
“I’m leaving, Ammon.”
“But you still need to get well.”
“Where are my clothes?”
“Destroyed by the fire,” he states.
“I need something to wear.” I head for the dresser. I pull the drawers open only to find them empty.
“Alice, where are you going?”
“Like I said before, I’m leaving.”
“I have someone looking into John’s disappearance, and I can have someone else look into Vanessa’s dimension trap. Or I can appeal to President Oliver to dedicate a team to getting her out.”
“Ammon, as far as we know, he could have made the dimension traps himself. He’s strong enough.”
“Don’t say that about him, Alice.”
I square up with him. “Do you know why he really came in here to speak with me, Ammon? Because of the wing stumps. He wants them. That’s all that mattered to him in our discussion. He has no interest in arresting Chief Lacey or finding John or helping Vanessa.”
“Alice, will you please j
ust slow down for a minute. Let me take care of John, and I will appeal to the Missing Persons Unit, instead of President Oliver, to put someone on Vanessa’s case.”
I open the door and look up and down the hallway. “Where is Priscilla?”
“You are so stubborn.”
“Priscilla!” I yell like a banshee.
The sound of my voice echoes throughout the long hallway. I hear high heels tapping the floor, and they’re getting louder in sound. Eventually, I see Priscilla coming my way.
“I need some clothes,” I demand impatiently. “Can you find me something to wear, please?”
“There are clothes in the chifforobe,” she says.
I go back inside and open the wooden cabinet. Clean clothes. Thank goodness. I can get dressed and be on my way.
Priscilla makes Ammon leave the room, while I’m in the middle of stripping off the gown. For the first time, I look down at my body and see remnants of burns. They’re nasty. I can’t look at them too long. A red blouse and black pants are the first things I grab. Once I’m dressed, I head over to the mirror to brush my hair. I’m shocked by what I see. Most of my hair is uneven, and I have bald spots.
“I look horrible,” I remark.
“You didn’t have any hair when you first got here.”
“Do you have a hat?”
“Sorry, I don’t.”
“I’ll get one when I return to Dumas.” I go over to the bathroom and close the door.
Before I can say the spell to enter the transfer chamber, Priscilla stops me. “Alice, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to find out who put Vanessa in the dimension trap, and I’m going to find John.”
She reaches in her pocket and hands me a cell phone. “If you need help, call me. My number is programmed in that phone. You also have access to your money.”
It’s hard to accept she’s helping me considering her dad doesn’t want me involved at all, but I’ll keep Priscilla in mind. She might be useful. I take the cell phone and leave.
CHAPTER 23
The broom closet is my point of entry into the Rillo Grand Hotel. The restaurant where John and I last dined captures my attention. We were working this case together right in that very room. He was trying as hard as I was, and he was with me every step of the way. Finding John is just as important as freeing Vanessa.
I walk up to the front desk, where a young woman is typing. She instantly stops to give me her full attention. My head with the bald spots are a shocker, but she plays it off well with the same pasted smile.
“Welcome to the Rillo Grand Hotel. How may I help you today?”
“I checked in over a week ago on January 1st, and I left paperwork in my room. I was wondering if the hotel kept my stuff.”
“We do. What room were you in on January 1st?”
I tell her, and she checks the computer. She politely asks, “Do you have identification?”
After showing her my cell identification number, she goes through the door behind her and returns with a fat brown envelope. She hands it to me, and I thank her.
Not only are all the papers and pictures in there, but so are the truck keys. This is great. Now, I can get around easily. I rush out of the hotel and get inside the truck. It starts without a problem.
My first inclination is to go to Chief Lacey’s home, but first, I have to find a hat to cover my head. I drive across the street to the mall. The whole thing is closed permanently. I end up breaking into four stores, literally willing several plywood pieces off the entrances, before finding a dirty scarf to wrap around my head. People, who is camping out in the common areas of the mall, begin pouring in for the free for all.
I go back to the truck and look for Chief Lacey’s home address in the paperwork. I know I wrote it down for John, but I can’t find it. Tip might have it. I call him. There’s no answer, which makes me real nervous. I call him again. Still, no answer. I have to pay him a visit first. The only problem is I have to use the transfer chamber again. And that’s how President Oliver is tracking me. I have to find a way to travel without him knowing.
I keep hitting redial. Now, it’s going to voicemail. I have to get to Plain Dealing. Tip might be in trouble. I get out of the truck, with all of the documents back in the envelope - I can’t afford to leave that stuff unattended - and head back into the mall to search out a closet or bathroom. The first little store has a manager’s office. It’s perfect. I put my hands on the handle and say the spell for the transfer chamber.
When I enter his bedroom, I can see remnants of a fight in the living room. It reminds me of Theodore Timber’s apartment. Burn marks on the walls, piles of ashes from unknown sources, and everything is broken.
Right when I walk into the living room, Tip walks out of the kitchen area holding a bag of chips. Both of us jump unexpectedly. I’m so glad to see him. I wrap my arms around his neck and squeeze him as tight as I can. His chips are crushed in between us.
“That feels so good,” he says.
“Are you okay?” I say as I back away
“I’m fine now,” he remarks. “Hug me again.”
“Stop it, Tip. I was really concerned about you.”
“I’m fine, for real. What happened to you? I’ve been trying to call you for days.”
“In Germany at Ammon’s house,” I answer. “I was burned…alive.”
“Burned alive!”
“White fire.”
“That’s the worse, and you survived it?”
“Yeah, still standing.”
“Can you just marry me, for real?”
I wave him off and look around at the room from where I stand. It’s incredible. It’s like a hurricane went through.
“Who did this?” I ask.
“Some cop broke in here a few days ago, and he started questioning me. I mean busted out a window and crawled through it with a freakin’ flashlight! I mean seriously, what kind of cop does that?”
“Did he question you?”
“Yeah, he did. He wanted to know why I hacked into the police computers in Dumas.”
“Did you answer him?”
“Naw, I told him to stick his finger in his butt and call a lawyer while he’s at it. He got so mad that he hit me right in the jaw. I wasn’t taking an ass whipping lying down. So, I fought back. He started using magic when I was getting the best of him. Dude tried to turn me into ashes or something.”
“Did he use white fire?” I ask.
“Man, if he could do that, I’d be dead right now. He used some amateur fire trick. He could only light up small things. He almost got me though, but I stopped him. I had to use my other gift against that dude.”
“What other gift?”
“I didn’t tell you I know how to take a person’s hearing away?”
“Who taught you that?”
“I’ve always known how to do it,” he says with a smile. “I can make your ears ring real bad. It’ll bring you to your knees.”
“Did you know who he was?”
“Officer David Rossum. Can you believe he came all the way to Plain Dealing to try and kill me?”
“Yeah, I can,” I answer.
“Well, I took care of him. Can’t be a cop when your hearing is bad.”
“I’m just glad you survived. I’d feel real bad if something happened to you because of me.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. You love me, don’t you?”
“Can you just stay focused for once?”
“You make it very difficult. Do you know how fine you are?”
“Yeah, I’m sure I look wonderful with my scars, no make-up, and my stylish headscarf.”
“I don’t see any scars. You don’t need make-up, and you can wear a plastic bag on your head and still look good to me.”
My only reaction is to smile. I can see how he wins over the girls, but I’m not falling for it.
“Have you heard from John?” I ask him.
“Don’t tell me he left you,”
Tip comments. “Face it. He can’t take the competition.”
“He’s been missing for eight days. I’m worried about him.”
“Oh, for real? You think he’s in trouble?”
“Yeah,” I remark with worry. “I think he’s in big trouble if he’s not dead.”
“The last time I talked to him was on January 1st.”
“I’m so scared that he’s not alive, Tip.”
“I can check and see if anyone is in the morgue, but you know John is pretty tough. He still could be alive, Alice.”
“Will you do that for me, please? I have to find him.”
“Sure,” Tip answers as he sits down at the sofa in front of his laptop. I join him.
He accesses Dumas’s morgue website within minutes and finds a list of the deceased. While scrolling down the page, we’re reading each name. There is no John Zuller or John Doe. This is a good sign, unless Chief Lacey is really smart and used a fake name for John. After checking other neighboring towns and counties, I sit back and sigh with a relief.
“I have to speak to Chief Lacey. I need answers.”
“What are you going to say when you see him?”
“Ask him what he did to John.”
“Alice, you can’t go charging up on that guy without a plan. Chief Ryan Lacey is nobody to mess it.”
“Okay,” I remark. “What is his talent?”
“Lacey is what I call a mind manipulator. He can literally take over your thoughts and make you do things. You must have a strong mind in order to face him.”
“But I don’t see any other way, Tip. He’s my only chance at finding John, and more than likely, he’s the one responsible for putting Vanessa in the trap.”
“Well, I’m going to tell you this much. Don’t meet Lacey in a private spot. Talk to him in a public place where there’s a lot of people, or better yet, call him on the phone.”
“Is he that powerful?”
“Alice, experienced manipulators are no joke. You’ll suffer under his mind control, and you won’t know anything else.”
“Maybe, I should wait and try to find something to hold over this guy.” I sigh and pull at my neck. “If I go at Chief Lacey with nothing but accusations, I might have squandered my one and only chance at resolving this whole big mess.”
