by Sonia Parin
“That’s because you’re singular minded and only care about yourself.”
“Me? Selfish? I’m the one who lugged around two bags full of cat food from the Upper East Side because no cab driver would stop for us while you pranced around window-shopping. And why are there suddenly so many up-market pet stores around?”
“I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times, I am not a pet. I am a feline companion.”
The voice cleared its throat.
“What?” they both growled.
“Pardon the interruption. Lunch will be served momentarily.”
“Lunch?” they both piped in.
“If you could please follow the path and make your way inside—”
Do we follow the carrot he’s dangling or try to find a way out of this?
Lunch first. We could discuss the rest later.
Later? You always insist on a catnap after lunch.
The voice cleared its throat again.
“Yes, yes. Follow the yellow brick road.” Lexie took a tentative step. The ground felt firm enough. “I think it’s safe. Come on. Let’s go see what this is all about.” Lexie held up a warning finger. “And... You’re right about having lunch first. After our recent experience we should play it safe and see what they serve us before making any firm commitments to this gig.”
“Agreed. If I never eat cardboard kibble again, it’ll be too soon.”
A few steps before they reached the entrance, the front door opened. Lexie expected to see a butler standing by ready and waiting to guide them to their room, but there was no one in sight.
Lexie went in first. “Holler if you see or hear someone.”
“I’m all eyes, ears and nose. So far, I don’t sense anything.”
“I don’t know about you, but I was expecting some sort of welcoming committee.”
Luna hummed and peered around a corner. “Did you hear that?”
“No. Could you be more specific? What did you hear?”
“A tapping sound,” Luna said, still peering around a corner. “Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. It’s gathering momentum now.”
Lexie looked up at the grand staircase with elaborate carvings on the newel post and banister. “Could it be a ball bouncing down the stairs?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Luna turned and looked up. “Yes.”
The ball reached the bottom of the stairs and must have landed on something because it then bounced off in another direction.
“What now? Follow the ball or go up the stairs?” Lexie asked.
“The voice said to come in and wait to be shown to our suite. I think we should wait.”
Lexie hummed an elevator tune, her gaze bouncing around the spacious foyer. “Hey, I see people.” She pointed to a wide doorway leading into what looked like a sunroom.
“They look normal,” Luna commented.
“As opposed to what?”
“To you. They’re wearing suits.”
“I think I’m supposed to take exception to that remark, but I honestly can’t be bothered.” Lexie tilted her head and chuckled. “They’re color coded. There’s the couple in blue and the couple in beige.” She stepped closer. “Another couple’s wearing red blazers and black trousers.”
“Someone’s coming.”
“Welcome.”
Lexie looked up. This time the voice came with a body. A woman strode toward them, her attention on a clipboard. She looked to be about twenty-five, Lexie’s age. When she reached the bottom step, Lexie had to lift her chin a notch to look at her. Although, they were probably the same height but the woman wore pumps—blue to match her suit.
“Alexandra Mackenzie and Luna.” She ticked the names off. Looking up, she pushed back her thick-rimmed glasses. “I am Marcela Taggart, the program coordinator. If you’d like to follow me, I’ll show you to your suite. Lunch will be served in the main dining hall to your right.”
Both Luna and Lexie looked to the right. Luna sniffed.
I don’t smell anything. If it’s so close to lunchtime, there should be an enticing aroma wafting around. I have a bad feeling about this.
“Do you have the ball?” Marcela asked.
Ball?
“It came bouncing down the stairs. You were supposed to get it.”
“We were?”
Marcela pushed back her glasses again and made a note on her clipboard.
“Are we being marked?” Lexie asked as they followed Marcela up the stairs.
“We take note of everything.”
“We didn’t know we’d be marked. No one told us.”
“Initiative and intuition will play a big role in this exercise,” Marcela said as she opened the door to their suite. “You’ll find everything you need, including a toilet litter box. Please make sure your cat uses it.”
I am deeply offended. Does she take me for a feral cat? I don’t hear her suggesting you make sure you use the toilet.
“This is our deluxe room and comes with a kitty door for your cat’s convenience,” Marcela continued, “We have also supplied you with a variety of interactive toys, scratchers and teasers.”
Huh?
Marcela handed her a cat teaser with a hot pink feather attached.
“Try it.”
Lexie dangled the teaser in front of Luna who sat there staring at it.
I think you’re supposed to reach for it.
Why?
I don’t know. You’re a cat. Act like one. You want us to lose marks again?
Luna made a half-hearted attempt to reach for the feather but stopped when Marcela made another note on her clipboard.
What is she writing?
I think she put a cross next to your name.
Marcela flipped through some pages. “Oh, I see. There’s a pre-existing condition.”
What is she talking about? I don’t have a condition.
“General lethargy and disinterest,” Marcela read. “It would help if you put more effort into it. Try erratic movements with the flick of your wrist.”
Lexie frowned. “Why?”
“It encourages exercise, even with inactive cats. It’s fun for both you and your cat. And it’s a great way to strengthen the bond with your cat.”
Luna hissed.
I am not a cat. I am your feline companion. Tell her. Tell her now.
“Luncheon is about to be served,” the voice announced.
Lexie looked around. “Where’s that voice coming from?”
“That’s the interactive butler. We have speakers and cameras strategically placed inside and outside the house so that everyone can be reached at any time.”
“You mean... someone is always watching us?”
Perverts.
“Not inside your suite, of course. There are only speakers in here and if you wish to communicate with the butler, you only need to call him. His name is Jeeves. He will respond immediately. If he doesn’t, you may press the red button on the bedside table. Rest assured, your privacy is guaranteed within your suite.”
Chapter Three
As Lexie strode down the stairs, she tapped the balustrade. It looked real. It felt real. “I could have sworn Jeeves was some sort of otherworldly voice.”
“Maybe he is but they’re pretending he’s a real... automated... interactive butler talking to us through an automated system so as not to freak out the other guests here.”
“Someone’s using magic. I can’t sense it, but there’s no other explanation. Remember, we wafted in.” Yet, as Lexie looked around at the other guests, she couldn’t help thinking they looked as regular as they came...
“I am the only one of my kind here,” Luna remarked as they strode into the dining room.
“Just remember to purr nicely when someone scratches you behind the ear, and no biting. That’s already landed us in enough trouble.”
Luna gave her a soft snort. “Stop waving that feather at me. I’ve never been so humiliated in my life.”
“Brace yourself for more humiliation. I suspec
t they’re playing mind games with you. Remember, we have to engage our intuition. Mine is telling me they want us to behave like everyone else. You know... tow the line.” She dangled the feather for effect. “A little effort will go a long way.”
“I am a superior feline companion and above such puerile games.”
“Try it. You never know, you might like it.”
Luna rolled her eyes and gave a halfhearted lift of her paw.
“You’ll have to do better than that.”
Luna sighed. “We haven’t been here an hour and I’m already wishing someone would get killed.”
“You and me both,” Lexie said under her breath.
A couple in matching black and white striped sweaters made their way toward them.
The woman stretched her hand out and introduced herself and her partner. “I’m Zoe and this is my husband, Zachary.”
Zebra stripes and Z names.
“We own Golden Mile Realty. What do you do?”
Lexie didn’t have a ready response. She was too busy trying to determine if Zoe and Zachary were regular, garden variety folk or affiliated with a coven...
Whatever you say, stick as close as you can to the truth.
“I work for the Mackenzie Consortium.”
“Impressive,” Zachary offered.
Huh? He’d heard of them?
Zoe whispered something to her husband who responded, “You know darling, the Mackenzie Consortium. They’re very big.”
“Oh, I see.” Zoe suddenly appeared appropriately impressed.
“Is everyone else here in the realty business?”
“No, only a handful of us. Lauren and Lance McCullen and the Faradays, Bill and Susan. I don’t know about the others.” Zoe’s gaze bounced between Lexie and Luna. “Are you team black?”
Huh? Lexie looked down at her black t-shirt and black jeans and guessed Luna had decided to appear in her true colors instead of her... other colors...
“We didn’t actually put much thought into it.”
Zoe curved her eyebrows at her. “We agonized over our choice. In the end, we settled for stripes to stand out. You really don’t want to fade into the background. Competition is stiff here.”
These two look like perfect candidates for murder. Maybe we can get the ball rolling. I could weave my way around their feet as they come down the stairs... Make it look like an accident.
Lexie flicked the feather at Luna. “Any idea what’s on the lunch menu?”
Zoe shrugged. “Whatever you selected.”
Lexie didn’t like the sound of that. “When were we supposed to do that?”
“When you signed up for the workshop.”
Signed up? She couldn’t say they’d been railroaded into attending. “I must have overlooked that.”
A couple in orange sweaters strode in followed by another couple dressed in head to toe powder blue. They stopped nearby and spoke in hushed murmurs. Lexie strained to hear the conversation but didn’t pick up anything useful. Zoe, on the other hand, proved to be quite proficient.
“They’re in real estate too.”
Listen up. If anybody asks, we’re team black.
Do you really expect someone will talk to me?
When they took their places at the table, Luna leaped up onto Lexie’s lap. “Remember to feed me.”
“Hush.”
“Pardon?” Zoe asked.
“It’s... it’s very quiet here.”
“First day jitters,” Zoe agreed. “Personally, I prefer to jump in at the deep end and break the ice. Just in case we have to form alliances.”
Alliances? She’d have a hard enough time getting Luna to cooperate. How would she manage to work with others?
The first course was served. Luna sniffed the plate set in front of Lexie. “Vegetable soup?”
Are you going to talk right throughout the meal?
No one but you can hear me.
But they can hear me.
Well, I guess you’ll just have to listen.
“You can’t bear to be parted from your cat?” Zoe asked.
Luna dug her nails into Lexie’s thighs.
“Oh, she’s more than a cat to me. Luna is my loyal feline companion.”
“So you’re not married.”
What was that supposed to mean?
“That you can’t find a husband and will remain a spinster and settle for having the company of a cat,” Luna said taking full advantage of the fact no one else could hear her.
Lexie grumbled under her breath and thought about using Luna to mop her kitchen floor.
Luna curled up into a tight ball. “That’s not very kind but I’ll forgive you because I know it’s nothing but an empty threat.”
“So when does the workshop start?” Lexie asked.
“As soon as we arrived this morning. We saw a ball bouncing down the stairs and Zach caught it. Apparently that earned us top marks. We’re jumping right into it after lunch with a treasure hunt. We’ll receive the first clue during the meal.”
“Did she say right after lunch? That’s when I have my nap... Just saying.”
Lexie clamped her hand around Luna’s mouth.
“This is our second time here. We love it.”
“You came willingly?” Lexie couldn’t help asking.
“Zach and I work closely together all year round. That can put pressure on our relationship so we’re always looking for ways to improve. The way we see it, our cars are serviced regularly. Why not us too?”
“It begins to make sense,” Luna murmured sagely. “They’re self-help junkies. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. In fact, I can see the reason why you were sent here. There’s much room for improvement.”
Lexie entertained mental images of Luna on a leash...
“You wouldn’t dare.”
Luna on a leash. Luna on a leash.
“Stop it.”
Luna on a leash and a muzzle. Luna on a leash and a muzzle.
“All right. I’ll be quiet.”
Half way through the entrée, Lauren McCullen got up and left the dining room. As she disappeared out the door, Lexie noticed her pressing her cell to her ear. By the time the main course was served, several other people had also left, presumably to take calls. Clearly, she was the only one with a communication embargo.
As she was served a steak with a tiny mound of mashed potatoes and a little bowl of kibble for Luna, Lexie glanced around the table to see what everyone else had ordered. She saw lobster and trout, and something that was too small to be chicken so was most likely pheasant or quail... “Was there, by any chance, pizza on the menu?” she asked Zoe.
“You could practically order anything you wanted.”
She could have had pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Zoe nudged her. “Here’s our first clue. This is interesting.”
“Where did you find it?”
“Under the plate.”
Lexie had a look under her plate and pulled out a note.
“Find the third one on the left, take ten paces and look up.” The third what? She turned to Zoe. “Did you get the same one?”
“No. We got a different one. I guess we’ll be hunting for different things. Remember, the workshop is all about working together with your partner.” Zoe blushed slightly. “I guess you’ll have to work it out by yourself.”
Looking up and down the table, Lexie noticed everyone had become engrossed by their own clues. Annoyingly, she didn’t see a single puzzled expression.
Luna dug into her kibble. “Not everyone is as clueless as you seem to be... and if you’re not going to eat that steak, I’ll have it. Waste not, want not.”
She barely managed to get half way through her meal when she thought she couldn’t take another bite so she fed the rest to Luna.
“That’ll be right. I get the scraps...”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zoe nudging her husband and pointing at her.
Just great. She�
�s probably saying I’m a spinster using my feline companion as a surrogate baby...
“How long is this running for?” it occurred to ask as the main course was cleared away.
Zoe gave her a brisk smile. “Three days if you complete the course successfully.”
“And if you don’t?”
“There’s a special program for... late bloomers.”
That didn’t bode well for them. Somehow, she had to get her hands on a cell and contact Jonathan. Maybe they... whoever was behind all this, wouldn’t find out if she used someone else’s cell. She needed news from the outside world and it wouldn’t hurt to have a lifeline just in case they needed help.
“That’s cheating.”
If you’re going to talk, help me figure out how to get my hands on a cell. Did you hear me?
Lexie let the words hover in her mind and waited for Luna to respond but the little scamp pretended not to hear her.
“Fine, ignore me.”
“Pardon?” Zoe asked.
“Oh, I’m just talking to myself, trying to work out the clue but my mind seems to have gone to sleep.”
As soon as coffee was served, everyone began a lively discussion about the task ahead. Lexie tried to pick up some useful tips but with everyone talking at once, all she could do was watch. One couple in particular, Lauren and Lance, appeared to be taking the exercise to heart. Their brows were drawn into what might have been a look of concentration but was fast turning into dark scowls.
Trouble in paradise? Lexie wondered as she then noticed the woman’s lips pursing.
“Lauren and Lance don’t look happy. She just pinched his thigh.”
Lexie tried to figure out how Luna had seen that.
“Sitting on your lap I can look under the table. Also, I can sniff the tension in the air. Something’s up with those two.”
Lexie drank the last of the coffee and rose to her feet. “At least they fed us. I suppose I should get cracking with my treasure hunt.”