by J.R. Bowles
CHAPTER 43
Zolar had been awakened earlier by ambulance sirens. He leaned back in the chair and thought about what he had seen from the window. The corner suite made it difficult for him to get a good view of what had happened but he had seen Jackie, she had been talking with a group of people he didn’t recognize.
He was pretty sure his speculation that these people she was with were either, other centers or connected in some way.
There had been one man who was the focal point of all their attention. He must be the Avatar, he told himself. The man had leaned over someone lying on the sidewalk but the crowd was so dense he hadn’t been able to tell what was happening.
He had ran down to the front of the building half-dressed to try and reach Jackie but when he got there he hadn’t been able to find her.
Bernie was becoming frightened, he could tell from the sound of his voice on the phone. He couldn’t much blame Bernie. He was having his own doubts. The thing that bothered him the most was the feeling he got that Bernie no longer trusted him. Well, he couldn’t blame him for that either.
What should he do? He was tired of just sitting and waiting but since Jackie had been in front of the hotel and she hadn't contacted them, maybe it meant that the others were staying at the hotel too.
Maybe he should go down to the front desk and ask a few questions. Hey why not, he certainly wasn't accomplishing anything by sitting here and in just a few more hours the next center would open.
He wasn't sure but he thought it was going to be Bernie and Bernie must have realized it. That was why he had acted the way he had. Why was Bernie going to be the Heart Center, he thought.
“Hi,” Zolar said as he approached the front desk.
“Good evening sir, what can I do for you?”
I'm in luck, Zolar thought, he's the one that checked us in, hope he remembers us. Probably will but after the hard time we gave him he might not be so amicable as to provide any information.
“Well I hope so.” Zolar began. “I checked in several days ago with a man and a woman, uh, I was wondering if you remember us?”
“Certainly sir,” Rudy answered tightening his lips to a thin line.
Oh shit, Zolar thought, he's going to be closed mouthed. Maybe a different approach and read his nametag.
“Rudy,” Zolar smiled, “I thought you only worked during the day? Are they trying to work you to death?”
“Sometimes I feel like it,” Rudy said letting down his guard. “The incident with the car, you saw that didn't you?” Rudy paused as Zolar nodded. “Well wouldn't you just know it, I mean if I don't have all the bad luck, but my relief was one of the people hit by the car. He was coming in to pick up his pay check and they ask me to work a double shift. Tiring but then again I don't mind too much, I'll get eight hours of overtime in and the money is always handy.” He paused and smiled brightly towards Zolar's apparent friendly overture. “Of course all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
Uh oh, Zolar thought, I better not be to friendly but if he's been here all day then he's probably seen everybody that's come in or gone out.
“I heard that,” Zolar grinned at him. “Everybody's got to play now and then.”
“That's right, that's why we work so hard. You got to pay to play.” Rudy felt pleased with his own little pun.
“I haven't played all day.” Zolar insinuated cryptically by stressing the word played. “My friends just took off and left me all by myself.”
“Pauvre choice,” Rudy said in french and added “poor thing.”
“Mais Oui,” Zolar retorted. “It's hard to tell who they are running around with.”
“You're right,” Rudy's hands became animated, “I hope you weren't too serious with them, I mean,” and swished his hands in the air, “he was with that cute little preacher number.”
Preacher? Zolar thought, he had been worried about Jackie. Why was Bernie with a preacher?
“Is that right, well that little bitch.” Zolar said placing his hand on his hip. “I ought to scratch his eyes out. “
”I know what you mean. Seems like nobody's faithful these days.” Rudy said and then decided to pry. “It's none of my business but what about the girl, I mean, did you have a manage-a-tois going?”
Zolar just raised his eyebrows and tightened his lips and shrugged as if to tell Rudy he had hit the nail on the head.
“Speaking of her, have you seen Jackie?” Zolar asked trying to sound casual and not letting his inner turmoil show.
“I sure did, and honey you're probably better off without that tramp. I think she's moved into the big time.”
“The big time?”
“Well I mean she's running around with a big group, two black guys, three white guys and two women. I think one of the women is an Indian or something, I'm not too sure. But let me say, they're in to something that's either so weird you don't want to know or it's the kinkiest thing I've ever seen.”
“Why what happened?” Zolar's interest was to the point that he wanted to quit this charade and find out what Rudy knew but he decided he had better play it cool. “That sounds like something Jackie would get herself mixed up in. What's the down and dirty details?” He leaned over the counter and patted the back of Rudy's hand as it rested on the desk. He allowed himself to enter Rudy's space, the scared space that people keep around themselves.
Rudy smiled and left his hand there. “Well there was this one guy and I sort of liked him and I had this feeling that he was havable, if you know what I mean.” Zolar nodded.
“Well I followed him yesterday, so I could sort just accidentally run into him, you know, like, surprise meeting you here, type of thing. So, I followed him and we ended up down in Battery Park. Well, he had been following this black guy and then this other guy showed up and this other guy tried to stab him, stab the white guy that is. Suddenly I felt like I had taken acid or something and I had this really bizarre experience, like an acid trip or something.
Rudy paused for a gulp of air and glanced around to make sure that nobody had entered the lobby and then continued.
“Well like I was saying, when I came out of it, it only lasted about a minute, but when I came out of it everybody was herded together and brought back here to the hotel. I think every one of them is staying at the hotel. Well ....”
Zolar didn't want to hear any graphic details but didn't let Rudy know that. He nodded. “Well?”
Rudy grinned. “Nothing happened. Well not quite nothing. He took me back to his room and started to question me. It was like some kind of interrogation or something. Like who I was, and how long I had known any of the others and that type of thing. He stripped down to his briefs and paraded around in front of me just teasing me. He's the real strong forceful type, if you know what I mean. He run around in his underwear and teased me and kept asking me what I knew and what I had seen. It felt like the Grand Inquisition or something. I mean I wouldn't have told him anything, it’s against hotel policy to talk about the guests, but he kept flaunting that big thing practically in front of my nose. I just couldn't help telling him everything he wanted to know. He's so masterful.”
He paused, leaned over the counter, took a deep gulp of air and began to whisper. “When this guy Michael checked in he was a bum, I mean a real bum. Stunk, dirty, the whole nine yards and then he cleaned himself up. Cleaned up real nice I might add. Well then I started checking, hey you never know with some of these types, who knows where he got the money, might have killed somebody or something, I was just trying to protect the hotel.”
He again stopped for air and leaned back as if to pop his spine back into place from too many long hours of standing.
“I mean he was a bum. Then suddenly he started paying with credit cards and bank vouchers. Well I just had to check into it. Can't be too careful. The guy is loaded. I mean more than just his pants, with money too. The guy must be worth millions and here he had been running aroun
d like some bum or something.”
“Millions!” Zolar said imitating Rudy's enthusiasm.
“Yeah, millions. Well anyway I couldn't really tell him much about the other people. I mean, I didn't know much. Uh, I did tell him about the three of you. Hope you don't mind. I didn't tell him you were all involved just that you were all together.”
“That's okay, no problem. How about Bernie? You said he was with a preacher?
“Yeah they went up earlier to the preacher's room earlier this evening. Your friend Bernie stopped to ask me about the incident outside and the preacher just waited for him over there.” He pointed toward the elevator. “They went up and I haven't seen them since and I've been here all evening without a break.”
“How about Jackie, our girlfriend, have you seen her?”
“I would say so. Her and their entourage came back about an hour ago. She was still with them. You haven't seen her today?”
“No.”
“Well, they all came in, didn't even look my way. Bunch of snobs if you ask me. Uh, uh, I mean, I don't mean to imply that your friend is a snob. I just meant….”
“That's okay, I understand. By the way what time do you get off work?”
Rudy smiled his most famous smile “Oh, at eleven, that is if I get relieved on time.”
“Would you like to come up for a drink or something?” Zolar returned his smile.
“Well, we're not supposed to but I would love it. Let's see, you're in the suite on the second floor, am I correct?”
“Yes, I am. You have a great little memory to.” Zolar flattered and glanced at his watch. “I'm going to go grab a shower and order us some drinks see you in about an hour?”
“Sounds lovely.”
“What do you drink?”
“Anything as long as it's sweet.”
“Daiquiri?”
“I would like that. Bye-bye, see you in a while.”
“Bye.” Zolar said and headed back to the elevator.
So he had been right, they were staying in the hotel, Zolar thought. He wondered who this preacher was that Billy had hooked up with.
He got off the elevator and went to their suite. He hated to lead Rudy on like that but he needed to find out what was going on. He just hoped Rudy knew the room numbers to where the preacher was staying. He had been in the room next to the Avatar so there was no question to that. It would be nice if he had a pass key to all of the rooms. It might just come in handy.