by K. H. Pope
“We’re not really close. I work in security at Moltean Corporation. He’s the chief financial officer over there.”
“Can you get me a meeting with him?”
“No,” he says with a frown. “After the fight you had with Pearl today, she’ll advise him to stay away from you, and he’ll listen.”
“Can you talk to him for me, anyway?”
“I’ll see what I can do, but if he’s really involved in Lana’s kidnapping, he’s not going to openly admit it. The guilty never does.”
“Just try,” I remark. “But you know what, I can talk to Evelyn Crowe. If she knew about Pearl and Piedmont, she might make them talk.”
John smiles at me, and I give him a strange look.
“What?” I ask with uncertainty.
“Mrs. Crowe didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“She went to Hamburg, Germany,” John says.
“Oh, yeah, that’s right. I forgot.”
“But I’ll do as you ask. I’ll go to Piedmont and see what I can find out about Lana and Max. It’s worth a try.”
“Thank you, John. That’s all I ask.”
“So, what are your talents?”
“I don’t like discussing my talents,” I answer.
“Tactic of war?” he shoots back.
I smile as an answer. “What about you? I already know that lightning doesn’t affect you very much.”
“Yeah,” he answers with a cute smile. Then there’s a long silence. I get the message. He doesn’t want to reveal his secrets, either.
“Okay,” I reply. “Think it’s time I get going.”
“Are you going to give me your phone number?”
“What’s yours?” I ask.
He gives me his digits, and I put it in my phone. I call him, and he pulls out his phone to decline the call.
“I look forward to speaking to you again, Alice.”
“Same here.” I give him a smile and walk out.
When I get outside, I dial up Tip. After a few rings, he answers.
“Are you still in bed?” I ask.
“Sort of,” he answers. “Where are you?”
“On my way to see if Jeff is alive. I need you to do some research on a new number I got for Max Sullivan.”
“Shoot.”
I tell him Max’s second phone number.
“Where did you get it from?” he asks.
“From Julie. I’ll be back soon. Have that information ready, okay?”
“Alright. Is that it?”
“Yep,” I answer.
“Will you be bringing your thong for-?”
I hang up. Just one conversation where Tip has some sense. That’s all I want.
CHAPTER 17
My walk down the side of the road in Alexandria is an easy one. The late morning heat isn’t too bad. It’s actually a beautiful day. There’s still no traffic. Actually, there’s hardly anyone on the road. The sound of the traffic lights changing is the loudest thing around.
I get to the intersection where North MacArthur Drive crosses North Bolton Avenue, and that’s when I see a round, robust figure wearing an outfit in the regency fashion. He has on a top hat, a riding jacket with a double breasted waistcoat, and trousers tucked in his boots. Ammon Seth. He waves me at me with his hat, while holding the door open to a car.
“Top of the morning to you,” Ammon says when I reach him.
“Hello,” I say as I pinch his cheeks.
“Where to?”
I give him the address and get in. Ammon struts around the car and squeezes in. That’s all I can think of is sardines in a can. He shifts around to get comfortable.
“Are you related to Napoleon Bonaparte?” I ask jokingly.
“Quite the comedian, aren’t you?” he says with a tilted look in my direction.
“How did you find me this time?”
“A wizard never reveals his secrets.” He sets his gloves and hat on the console between us and starts the car.
“Where did you get this car? It’s not stolen, is it?”
“I rented it, Alice.”
“Oh,” I remark, looking at the backseat.
“Have you made any progress?” Ammon is taking his time driving.
“I spoke to Julie Sullivan, Max’s wife, and she said that Pearl Nakamura was threatening them. She wanted him to do something, but Julie couldn’t tell me what it was. I think Pearl wanted Max to kidnap Lana.”
“Why?”
“To help Harrison Piedmont.”
“Pearl does know him,” Ammon states, “and they work together at Moltean Corporation.”
“I was told that Piedmont was trying to get Lana’s house because there’s a chamber underneath it with some kind of ancient object. He kept asking Lana to sell it when he was dating her, but she refused. I think Pearl was trying to help Piedmont get that house.”
“By getting Max to take her. Then they could try and force Lana to sign over the deed.”
“Something like that,” I remark.
“Have you spoken to Harrison Piedmont?”
“No, and after that fight at Moltean between me and Pearl, I’m sure he’s going to stay very far away from me.”
“Harrison Piedmont is a coward.”
“You know him, huh?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Ammon, why don’t you pay him a visit for me? Perhaps, he’ll open up to you.”
“Harrison Piedmont will not see me. More than likely, I will have to make an appeal to the Magi Elite International Police Division and have him brought in for questioning.”
“Okay, go to them,” I remark.
“But I must have proof, not a hunch. Have you found out anything else?”
“There’s a spell on Lana’s house. Did you cast it?”
“A spell?” Ammon looks at me with interest. “No, I didn’t.”
“Supposedly, the object under the house can only be attained when Lana dies naturally, she sales the house without coercion, or whoever made the spell breaks it. If she’s killed by any means, magic or not, then the house disintegrates along with the object.”
“What a genius idea. Whoever made that spell saved Lana’s life.”
Our conversation is disrupted by my cell phone ringing.
“Sorry, Ammon. Hold on a minute.”
I answer it, not thinking to check the display.
“Alice, this is Ray.”
I totally forgot about him. “Hi, Ray. What’s going on?”
“Do you remember telling me to call you when Sticky Fingers showed up?”
“I did. Is he there now?”
“Got some bad news, Alice. He was shot to death last night. My guys that go out scavenging at night found his body hanging over a cement barrier on Highway 220.”
“That’s horrible,” I reply, holding my chest.
“He was stripped naked, Alice. They took everything he had.”
I shake my head with disappointment. Not only a senseless loss of life, but another wall I’ve hit looking for Lana.
“Thank you for letting me know, Ray.”
“No problem. What about Lana? Anything new?”
“Not yet, but I’m still working on it.”
“Alright, Alice. You be safe.”
“Bye, Ray.”
Ammon asks, “Everything alright?”
“Nothing,” I reply, shaking my head. “So getting back to Harrison Piedmont.”
“I’ll try to speak to him. If he denies me an audience, I’ll make an appeal to the MEIPD to have him brought in for questioning.”
“And if they say no?”
“Then we’ll find another way.”
I have a feeling that last option is going to be it.
When Ammon pulls into the parking lot at Jeff’s office, I remark before getting out, “Thank you for the ride, Ammon.”
“Sure. I’ll contact you later on today.”
“By the way, are you ever going to tell me how you
keep finding me?”
He waves with a big smile, and I close the door. When he makes the turn out of the parking lot, the car disappears. Now, I know he didn’t rent that car. How did he do that?
CHAPTER 18
Jeff’s business is in between a nail shop and an antique store in a strip mall. Jeffrey Wells Real Estate in gray lettering on the glass door is the only thing that pinpoints his location. The strip mall is a cute little spot with hanging lobelias in large pots from the bright blue pillars. They are evenly spaced up and down the sidewalk.
As I’m going towards the door, my cell phone rings. Tip is calling according to the display, and I click the on button.
“Alice!”
I stop dead in my tracks. “Tip, what’s wrong?”
“My trailer is on fire! They burned down my house!”
“Are you okay?”
“I can’t believe they burned down my house! OH MY GOD!”
“Tip, where are you? Are you in the house?”
“No! I’m not in that thing! Are you crazy?”
“I’m just asking. Are you okay, at least?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
I take a relieving deep breath. If anything bad happen to him, I’d feel absolutely horrible.
“Who burned down your trailer?” I ask him.
“I don’t know. I felt a witch close by before it went up. Everything is gone, Alice. I have no place to go. What am I going to do?”
“Tip, go to Lana’s house.”
“That’s a good idea.” Hope is in his voice.
“Call me if you run into trouble.”
“Okay, I will. Thanks, Alice.” He hangs up the phone.
After taking a deep breath and getting myself together, I peep through the window of the glass door. Jeff’s office is a small space with a desk, chairs against the walls, plants in each corner, and cheap renditions of original paintings. I go inside. The bell rings, but no one comes out the door at the far end of the room to greet me. I call for Jeff, but then I begin to feel that there’s someone else with magical powers in the vicinity.
A woman comes out, and in the back room, I see Jeff Wells and another man. The gentlemen are looking down at something on a table.
“I’ll get right on it, Mr. Piedmont,” the woman says as she’s about to close the door.
“Mr. Piedmont,” I repeat with surprise.
He reaches towards the door and makes it slam shut. The woman tosses the desk to the side, which surprises me. Still, I keep my composure and send her flying against the wall to the left. She hits it and falls to the floor. The desk had landed upright against the opposite wall and crashed to the ground, creating a noise that sounded like a freight train. I rush into the back office. Harrison Piedmont has pieces of paper folded in his arms, and just as he tries to vanish, I use my energy to pin him against the shelving unit. While at the same time, I pin Jeff Wells into the chair. Both of them are in shock and unable to move.
“Two for one. It must be my lucky day,” I say triumphantly.
Harrison starts fighting the energy holding him against the shelving unit. He’s stronger than I thought, and I’m having a tough time keeping him where he is. All of a sudden, he sends a trophy from off the shelf. It hits me in the head. My power fades, but I recover quickly. I have no trouble pinning Jeff again, but Harrison gets away simply by disappearing. I’m pissed. He’s the main one I wanted. Jeff will have to do.
I will the door to close. The pain in my head subsides from the hit, and I make my way over to Jeff. He is absolutely terrified, and he’s trying his best to get out of the supernatural hold I have on him. It’s much easier to hold him down since he’s human. It requires no strain on my part.
After I shift his chair so he can face me, I bend over to look him right in the eyes. I’ve never liked him. He always has an agenda or scheme going, and he doesn’t care who he hurts.
“Al...Alice...please...don’t.”
“Small talk is not going to save you, Jeff. I only want to hear one thing from you.”
He swallows hard.
“Where is Lana?”
He shakes his head quickly and says, “I don’t know.”
“That’s not the answer I want to hear, Jeff.”
“She’s in Europe.”
With a heavy sigh, I remark, “No, she’s not, and you know she’s not.”
“I was told to tell everyone she was in Europe.”
“Who told you to say that?”
“I have no idea.”
“That’s bull, Jeff. You’re lying.”
“I am not lying! Someone called me and told me that, and if I didn’t repeat that to everyone that asked, I was going to get killed.”
“Who called you? Do you know their number?”
“They called on my office phone. I don’t have any way of identifying people that calls on that line, unless they say who they are.”
“A man or a woman, Jeff?”
“It was a male automated voice.”
“When was the last time you spoke to this male automated voice?”
“Monday afternoon,” he answers.
“He didn’t tell you where your sister was?”
“I just told you what they said. Europe.”
“Why was Harrison Piedmont here? Are you trying to sell Lana’s house to him?”
Jeff tries to answer, but he can’t talk. His eyes widen like he’s choking. He’s sweating profusely and shaking.
“JEFF!” I release my supernatural hold on him.
His hand instantly go to his neck. He’s turning red. He’s in trouble. He scratches at his collar, and I try to help him. Jeff is losing the battle fast. He rises to his feet in complete distress and falls flat on the floor. When I roll him over on his back, he has stopped breathing. I look around the small office. From what I can tell and feel, no one is in there but me. I open the door and step into the lobby. The secretary is nowhere to be found. There’s only a mess from where she tossed the desk against the wall.
I go back and check Jeff’s pulse. There’s no doubt he’s gone. I try to call for emergency assistance from the phone on his desk, but the line is dead. I step back, giving up. He’s gone, and I leave.
CHAPTER 19
The more I get into trying to find Lana and Max, the more I feel like something very sinister is going on. I just can’t place it. I hope I can find them in time before either one gets killed.
“Tip,” I yell as I enter the hallway of Lana’s house. “Are you here?”
“I’m here,” he says as he slowly walk into the hallway from the kitchen. “Alice, I have to talk to you.”
“We need to talk, as well,” Sigurd adds quickly.
“Not now,” I tell him.
“What do you mean not now?” Tip asks.
“I’m not talking to you,” I remark.
“Oh, well, ignore my guardian for a minute, Alice. There is something weird in this house.”
“It’s the object in the basement.”
“What object?”
“I don’t know what it is, but we can go check. I already tried before.”
I open the door that leads to the basement and turn on the light switch. Slowly, I make my way down the stairs, and Tip is not too far behind. Just as I take the last step, I feel a thump. Then a stinging pain in my head, and darkness takes over.
I can’t feel my body, but I can’t tell if I’m standing up or sitting down. I can’t see or smell anything, either. I’m in a void. It’s not scary, but it’s not calming. All I can do is wait.
CHAPTER 20
Someone is calling my name. Faint at first, but as his voice becomes stronger, so does the light. My head begins pounding. When my eyes finally open, my vision is blurry. I stay still waiting for my balance to return.
“How do you feel?” It’s John Zuller.
I slowly sit up. The room spins faster. “I know what a splitting headache feels like now.”
My vision returns fully, and I see
I’m in a room where the walls look like logs. It’s one large living area with a bed, a couch, a kitchen, and an open bathroom. It’s a log cabin.
“You want some water?” John lifts a glass.
I refuse the offer. I notice someone else in the room. It’s John’s guardian angel. He must have touched me. Silently I ask the guardian to shield himself from me, and he does without saying anything in return. I decide not to tell John about it.
“Where am I?” I ask.
“We’re at my cabin near Black Bayou Lake.”
“Where is Tip?”
“Tip is at Lana’s house wondering which way is up.”
“Did you hurt him?” I ask in a panic. “Did you do this to me?”
“I wouldn’t hurt you, Alice, but Tip tried.”
“Did you hurt him?” I ask him angrily.
“Enough to get you out of there,” John answers.
I’m confused. Nothing is making sense.
John understands and explains, “Tip is the one that knocked you out. Afterwards, he contacted Piedmont and Pearl and told him that you were there.”
What he’s saying can’t be true. Tip would never betray me like that.
“You’re lying.”
“Pearl made him an offer last night. He hands you over to her and Piedmont, and she’ll give him all the attention he ever wanted in return.”
So, that’s who he was talking to on the phone last night in the kitchen. That little twerp! I’m going to break his neck when I see him.
“How long have I been out?” I ask.
“Not very long.”
“Is it the same day?”
“It’s barely been two hours.”
“Good,” I remark in relief. “What were they going to do with me?”
“They were going to give you a sleeping potion intravenously. They hoped it would keep you sedated for days.”
“And you got me out of there?”
“Yes, I did.”
“How?” My trust is not quite intact with John, but if he saved me, he’s going in the right direction.
“I was with Piedmont, talking to him, when Tip called. We went to Lana’s house together. When I saw what they were about to do, I reacted. Got you out of there. It wasn’t easy. Pearl burned a hole in my new shirt again.” He shows me the other sleeve.