“A little after five.”
“What have you been doing?”
“I checked yesterday’s news, and there’s been no kids reported missing. I’ve also been using Merlin’s computer to track Arthur’s little friend’s information,” Lancelot answered, grinning widely.
“Okay…” Vivian sat up, swinging her legs out over the side as gently and quietly as possible. “You have that cute little look, as if you know something amazing that no one else does.”
“Guess what the little girl’s real first name is?” Lancelot prodded, running his hands up Vivian’s bare thighs.
“Hummmmm…I don’t know…” she moaned, leaning back a little.
“Guinevere.”
Vivian shot up from the bed, shock registering as Lancelot caught her in his arms. He pulled her close, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Jesus…” she whispered, resting her head against Lancelot’s hard-muscled chest. “At least I won’t be inhabiting her body, trying to make a cuckold out of Arthur.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences, but I’d like your opinion on the little girl’s features when we see her today. This puts a whole new face on things as to how we handle this. C’mon out where we can sit at the table. Let Arthur sleep.”
Lancelot poured himself a cup of coffee, and joined Vivian at the table. She grabbed her jacket to offset the morning’s chilly air. He sat down with his coffee, covering Vivian’s hand with his for a moment.
“You look good this morning.”
“So do you,” Vivian replied. “Maybe we should go for a quickie in the bathroom.”
“I like your thinking. You know, there could be another hand in this kidnapping stuff.”
“Mallor?”
“He could screw things up really well if some anonymous pervert tortures and kills a piece of our legend-puzzle,” Lancelot proffered, running his fingers over Vivian’s hand with feathery strokes. “I’ve waited a thousand years for all this to take place. The pieces are flying around out of control in the board game so far. I had assumed a more measured series of events and meetings.”
“Good morning,” Merlin said gruffly as he walked into the room, dressed in heavy robe, pajamas and slippers. Walking over to the kitchenette, he poured coffee into his own mug. Merlin sat across from Lancelot. “You look as if you’ve been up for a while.”
Lancelot nodded and explained what he had found out. Merlin choked on the swallow of coffee going down when Lancelot revealed the child’s real name. Reaching around, Vivian pounded the old man’s back, laughing at Merlin’s surprise.
“You didn’t see that one coming,” Vivian kidded him.
“Small…doubt…of that,” Merlin coughed as he replied. “I take it you two think this kidnapping has Mallor’s fingerprints on it?”
“Don’t you?” Lancelot asked.
“It’s hard to ignore such quirks when they happen on the heels of others. I will accede to your feelings in this matter, my boy. Nothing must happen to the girl. Arthur will point her out to us at the park, and you will do what you do best pertaining to the kidnapper.”
“Not until I find out if he’s working alone. If it be a quirk of fate, fine. If it be Mallor’s doing, I owe him pain,” Lancelot stated plainly. “We’ll take my Pontiac to the park so that we don’t attract attention. Is there a place to play ball near the playground from which she gets taken?”
Merlin thought for a moment, taking a few sips of his coffee before answering. “No, but there’s an open area of grass next to the playground, where we can have a modified practice. You could hit grounders to him and play catch without bothering anyone.”
“I think it would be better if you and Vivian played with Arthur, while I find a place to remain inconspicuous. I’ll need to be seated, so I don’t draw attention.”
“Next to the Merry-Go-Round, there are benches,” Merlin suggested. “You could watch the playground and us. We can have a prearranged signal. Perhaps Arthur could talk to the girl, thereby letting you know where she is.”
“That’s good,” Lancelot said thoughtfully, “but what if young Guinevere decides to play with Arthur rather than continue with whatever she’s supposed to be doing when she’s taken?”
“Good point,” Merlin allowed. “Maybe we should all stay near the Merry-Go-Round until this thing is over. I’m certain Arthur will understand, especially after what he saw in his dream. We can play ball any time afterwards. It does no good to prevent the deed and lose the man.”
“I agree with you there,” Lancelot said.
“I have another suggestion,” Vivian added. “Let me take this guy. Once Arthur points out the girl, and the man makes his move, I can work him so that he falls over unconscious with no apparent cause. You can run up, scoop the guy along, and off we go for a bit of questioning.”
“I like it,” Lancelot said enthusiastically. “One thing we don’t need is having me get mixed up with the cops. Are you sure you can put the whammy on him?”
“Oh, yeah,” Vivian declared, nodding. “Of that I’m certain. My power is growing. I can feel it. I’ll bet it had something to do with all our encounters yesterday. Maybe I didn’t get the short end of the stick this trip.”
“It will be good to have you regain your old powers,” Merlin said. “Your power of suggestion should come in handy, if Lancelot nabs the kidnapper for questioning.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Lancelot asked. “Merlin, what time do the rides start up over at Kennedy Park? They don’t go from morning until night, do they?”
“No,” Merlin answered thoughtfully, “The rides don’t start until noontime.”
“Arthur heard a train whistle, so our time frame is narrowed considerably,” Vivian added. That would give us time to set up, play some ball, and still be ready. Maybe we won’t have any werewolves crashing our practice.”
“I didn’t think of that,” Lancelot replied. “Can you take the thing down as you planned if it’s a shifter?”
“Sure,” Vivian assured him. “I’m not certain whether my powers of suggestion work on them, though.”
“If it’s a shifter, I’ll take it back for Serge to question. Fang and his new girlfriend could use a feeding. If it’s a shifter, there’ll be no question about Mallor’s being in on it.”
“How did you two sleep, sharing a bed with Arthur?” Merlin asked with a smile.
“About as well as you figured we did, you old prick,” Vivian fired back.
Chapter Seventeen: Guinevere
Driving his Pontiac slowly around the circular road bordering the park, Lancelot observed the layout of the grounds and the amusements within. Train tracks ran in a complete circle inside the road bordering the park, and even through a small tunnel. He could see the miniature train and passenger cars stopped near the petting zoo in front of the parking lot. Only some family members, reserving picnic tables for later gatherings, sat at the myriad picnic tables along the fringes of the park.
“There are only a few kids playing on the playground in the center,” Vivian pointed out. “I think we could get away with letting you hit for a while until it gets more crowded, Doogie.”
“I don’t see any backstops, though,” Lancelot said. “If one of us catches, that leaves Merlin by himself in the field shagging balls.”
“Oh, joy,” Merlin sighed.
“You catch, Monte,” Vivian directed. “You’re invulnerable, so when Doogie fouls one off your face, I don’t want to hear any whining. It’ll keep you from showing off your ogre-like size, too.”
“It sounds so delightful when you put it that way, Vicster,” Lancelot replied, driving the Pontiac into a parking space in the nearly empty lot.
“Don’t worry, Shrek,” Arthur added. “I don’t plan on letting you catch any of them. I’ll hit them straight back up the middle, and make the Vicster look like Charlie Brown when a line drive knocks all his clothes off going by.”
“Oh…you are so on. Just for that, you’ll be lucky to
see my pitches.”
“Let’s not get too carried away,” Lancelot said, looking around. “It looks as though if Arthur gets hold of one, it’ll either blast out to the street or hit someone. Maybe you’d better work on your bunting, and I’ll hit you grounders and pop flies.”
“Yeah…okay. There is a lot of bunting in baseball,” Arthur agreed, getting out of the Pontiac. “So – is Gwen really Guinevere from the legend?”
“We’ll know once we see her,” Vivian answered.
“That is so cool. She’s a hottie.”
“Remember what we’re here for, Romeo,” Vivian retorted. “We’re trying to make sure your future queen doesn’t end up-”
“I think he gets the message, Vivian,” Lancelot interrupted. “I’m glad the K-Mart was open, and we were able to pick up a new bat.”
“We’ll stop the kidnapper when he comes,” Arthur added, walking back to the trunk. “Let’s get our stuff out. I want to hit a few bunts off the Vicster’s double chin…accidentally.”
Arthur’s timing was perfect. As Vivian reacted by reaching for him with a growl, Arthur ducked, and ran for the petting zoo.
“You wait, Doogie! I’ll show you some chin music,” Vivian threatened as she ran in hot pursuit.
“Go on, Merlin,” Lancelot urged, laughing. “I’ll bring the gear.”
“Take your time.” Having waved his thanks, Merlin walked toward the miniature railroad crossing, which separated the parking lot from the main park. “I’m in no hurry to shag balls.”
Lancelot watched Vivian catch up to Arthur and drive the boy to the ground. She immediately began giving him a knuckle-rub on his scalp. Quick as a snake, Arthur slipped out from between Vivian’s legs and dived on top of her. He started tickling her while splaying his legs out to prevent her escape. Soon, Lancelot could hear Vivian begging between peals of laughter for Arthur to stop.
Merlin arrived to intercede, putting a hand on Arthur’s shoulders. The boy jumped up with his fists in the air for an impromptu victory dance. Not for the first time did Lancelot thank God for this small glimpse into real life. Shouldering the equipment bag, he closed the trunk, and jogged toward his friends.
“It took you long enough,” a red-faced Vivian growled as she met Lancelot while brushing grass off the front of her blouse and jeans. “Did you see what the little turd did to me?”
“I saw Arthur discover that you’re very ticklish,” Lancelot replied, setting the equipment bag down. “I’ve already made a note of his finding for future reference.”
“You would.” Vivian watched Arthur still jumping around triumphantly.
“Why didn’t you use your power of suggestion on him?”
“I didn’t have a chance, damn it!”
“Bested once more by an eight-year-old.” Arms folded over his chest, Lancelot clucked his disappointment. “You must be very proud. I’m having second thoughts about allowing you to take down our kidnapper.”
“Don’t push me, Knight-Boy,” Vivian warned, shaking a fist at Lancelot. “Let’s get this show on the road before I give Doogie a suggestion that he go and play in traffic.”
Over the next hour, Lancelot instructed Arthur in bunting and placement, depending on base runners. Vivian pitched, with Merlin doing what he could to block or catch the bunts off Arthur’s bat. Lancelot had Arthur work on bunting from both sides of the plate, showing the boy how to shift his stance and hands when switching from right to left-handed batting. Merlin sat down at a bench near the refreshment stand, while Lancelot hit grounders and short pop-ups to Arthur, with Vivian backing up the boy.
Arthur misjudged a pop-up, and took the ball right between his eyes. The boy gritted his teeth. With tears starting in his eyes, he quickly picked up the ball and threw it to Lancelot. When Vivian made a move to go over to him, Lancelot stopped her with a slight head-shake. The boy caught everything else hit to him over the next half-hour. More people arrived, as the park rapidly filled with participants in picnics and others who waited for the rides and petting zoo to open. Lancelot called a halt to their practice.
“We’d better get into position,” he explained. “I could go for a soda. You did really well today, Arthur, except for the one you tried to catch with your face.”
Vivian laughed, and Arthur made as if he were about to tickle her. She squealed and backed away, with her hands out to rebuff the boy.
“Touch me, and I’ll have you walking around naked in front of your little girlfriend, barking like a dog,” Vivian threatened.
Arthur smiled. “That’s okay. I so got you before, Vicky. Can I get something to eat too?”
“Sure,” Lancelot agreed, while jamming gloves and balls into the equipment bag. “I’ll stick this stuff in the trunk, and meet you two over there. No grab-assing around on your way either. Behave, you two, and remember our mission here at the park.”
“Behave?” Vivian turned angrily as Lancelot walked toward the car. “Who the hell are you talkin’ to, Monte? Okay, get moving, Doogie.”
By the time Lancelot started back toward the refreshment stand, he heard the train whistle. The train began moving toward the loading station across the park. He waited at the crossing, returning the good-humored conductor’s wave. When the train passed, Lancelot saw Arthur talking to a blonde girl nearly half a head taller than the boy. Instead of making a frontal approach, Lancelot walked over the small crossing and made a right turn. He proceeded to circle widely around the park, and made his way toward the refreshment and ticket building from the rear. When he reached the benches between the Merry-Go-Round and refreshment building, he sat down, keeping the small group within his peripheral vision.
Lancelot noticed that Arthur’s friend was with another little girl, who kept looking around as if trying to convey her boredom to the girl named Gwen. After a few more moments, the other girl pulled on Gwen’s arm. Gwen waved at Arthur and walked over to the playground with her friend. Vivian brought Lancelot a soda, and sat down next to him. Merlin remained in the shade by the refreshment building, while Arthur went over to the rings and began doing crossovers. Lancelot noted that Gwen glanced at Arthur every few moments from the swing set.
“It seems our boy has some charm,” Vivian remarked, handing Lancelot the soda.
“What do you think about the girl?” Lancelot asked, opening the soda can and taking a big gulp. “I’ve only seen her profile from afar.”
“It’s her, all right,” Vivian answered, confirming their suspicions of Gwen being Guinevere. “It’s spooky, seeing her eyes and face as an eleven-year-old, but I’m certain, and so is Merlin. Gwen is here with a friend named Diane. Diane’s mom dropped them off. I didn’t think parents dropped their eleven-year-olds off in this day and age.”
“They don’t, if they have a brain,” Lancelot replied. “Maybe we’ll be able to spot this guy. There are a lot of dads in the park with their kids, but this will be a guy here without a kid. He’d have to wait for the perfect time to take her without a fuss. I don’t see that happening with all the people around.”
“Two things,” Vivian replied, watching the playground. “One, it could be a woman. Two, it could be someone she knows.”
“Very sharp, Vicster,” Lancelot kidded Vivian, putting his arm around her. “Arthur never really made it to the details of his dream, so you could be right. Arthur mentioned a he, but it would be tough for him to see out of the kidnapper’s eyes and be able to tell if it was a man or a woman.”
“I’ll ask him. He hasn’t had anything to eat yet, the way he wanted.”
“Have Merlin do it,” Lancelot directed. “I’m a hell of a lot less conspicuous with you next to me. People will think I’m a predator if they see me sitting here alone, scanning the kids.”
“Okay,” Vivian agreed. “I’ll be right back.”
Vivian walked over to Merlin and had a short conversation with him. She then went over to the refreshment stand and ordered two hotdogs, with a side order of Nachos with cheese. Vivian br
ought the food over to where Merlin was seated and handed him the cardboard tray and food. Merlin called over to Arthur while Vivian returned to sit beside Lancelot.
Arthur walked over to Merlin and sat down. He ate hungrily, chasing down the bites of hotdogs and Nachos with soda. Arthur listened to Merlin while he ate. When Merlin finished talking, Arthur spoke to him for nearly five minutes, before finishing off his food and drink. Arthur returned to the playground, and began working out on the rings again. Merlin walked over and stood watching the Merry-Go-Round for a moment near where Lancelot and Vivian sat.
“You were right, Vivian,” Merlin said quietly. “Arthur thinks the girl is taken in the bathroom. The kidnapper approaches her at the sinks and injects something into her neck. He remembers blue jeans and a blue windbreaker.”
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