by Doug Welch
“I suppose I might be up for a marathon or two,” Caesar said, “but we will have to take a lunch break. One must keep up one's energy to complete a proper mussing.”
“You know, Paris. Our room has a huge roman bathtub,” Elizabeth said. “And there's plenty of soap.”
“We could soap each other a long time,” he said. “That could lead to all kinds of interesting possibilities.”
“I guess we'll see each other again at lunch or dinner?” Paris asked.
Alex nodded. “But we do have that show to see tonight. We'll need to be ready.”
* * *
They stood in a group in the theater lobby, sipping expensive drinks.
The place had been difficult to find. They had to walk through the entire casino to get there, and then they’d encountered a long line of show patrons waiting to be admitted. Fortunately, their VIP passes allowed them to skip the line, and they were waiting to be escorted to their seats.
“I think I need to use the ladies room,” Elizabeth said. “Alex?”
“I went before I left Beth. I think I'll be good for the entire show.”
Elizabeth disappeared into the crowd.
“I don't like it when she does that,” Paris fretted.
Alex rolled her eyes. “We're pregnant dummy. Or have you forgotten? We've got to pee for two.”
“No, that's not what I meant. She's so tiny. I lose her in the crowd. It makes me nervous.”
Dan scanned the room. “I don't think there's anything to worry about Paris. The casino security seems tight.”
The crowds in the lobby grew larger and the lines at the bar longer.
A female usher approached them. “Sir? Your seats are ready, allow me to escort you.”
“My wife’s in the ladies room,” Paris said. “I'll wait. Why don't the rest of you go on in?”
“We can wait,” Caesar said.
“Go on in. I'll wait for her. It shouldn't be much longer. We'll join you.”
“Paris...”
“Go on. I'm sure.”
The group followed the usher, leaving him alone.
The crowds in the lobby started to thin as people were escorted to their seats. He scanned the crowds over and over, looking for the lavender dress she wore and the sight of her black hair.
Paris started to perspire. His chest felt tight and his stomach churned. His mind sensed something missing but what? Where was she?
The usher returned. “Sir? The show’s about to start.”
“My wife – would you mind checking the ladies room? She's very petite – wearing a lavender dress. Very pretty, beautiful in fact. You can't miss her. –Maybe something's wrong.”
Seeing Paris' face, the woman looked concerned. “Certainly, sir.” She walked across the lobby. After a few minutes she returned.
“Sir, I checked. There's no one in the ladies room who matches your description. Maybe she decided to visit the show venue store. Or maybe she went to another restroom. The theater's restroom tends to get crowded.”
“Where are these places?” Paris said.
The woman looked uncertain, but then replied. “I'll show you sir.”
# # #
Inside the theater, Alex glanced at the two empty seats beside her. The show was about to start and she was worried. It wasn't like Paris or Elizabeth to be irresponsible. They were two of the most level-headed people she knew.
She turned to look at the entrance. Nothing.
Caesar leaned to her and whispered. '”Are you worried too?”
She nodded “Where are they? Something must be wrong.”
Thoughts of Elizabeth alone and helpless flashed through her mind. It made her ill. The lights dimmed in the theater.
She whispered to Caesar. “I'm going to find them and if they're alright, I'm going to kill them for making me worry.”
“I'm going with you,” he said.
They exited the theater.
Dan saw them leave. Like Alex, he’d noticed the two empty seats reserved for Paris and Elizabeth.
Roxanne looked at him and nodded. Together they rose and followed Alex and Caesar.
Alex emerged into the lobby. It was deserted. No sign of either Elizabeth or Paris. Her anxiety level grew. Something was wrong but what?
They searched the entire lobby. Alex went into the restroom. She returned to find Dan and Roxanne standing beside Caesar.
“Did you find her?” Caesar said.
She shook her head. “She's not in the bathroom.”
“Where's Paris?” Dan asked.
“I have no idea.” Alex replied.
“If they're not here then they must be in the casino,” Caesar said. “Let's go.”
They walked toward the casino entrance.
Alex saw her brother in the distance, hurrying toward them, followed by a female usher who bore a worried look.
He looked ready to collapse and he lurched toward them, his eyes wild with fear. “She's gone goddamn it! I can't find her!” His eyes rolled up and he collapsed on the carpet.
Dan advanced toward the usher. “Call casino security. Now!”
* * *
June and Tom had joined them and they stood in a tight group watching the emergency medical technicians attend to Paris. Two members of the resort security conferred with Dan. They finished their conversation and walked over to them. One of them spoke.
“Don't worry folks if she's in the resort, we'll find her.”
“If she's in the resort,” Dan said.
“It would be easier if you had a photograph,” he said.
Dan thought. “Wait a minute. I think...” He pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial.
After a minute, he spoke into the phone. “I need to speak to Mr. Franklin, tell him it's Police Detective Dan Simmons.”
He walked away from the group to speak privately. He spoke for a few minutes and returned.
“The Elysium is sending the photo now. You'll get it in a few minutes. I think you had better call the Las Vegas Police Department.”
“Sir, we ordinarily do not involve the Vegas PD in internal resort matters.”
Alex turned on him like a snarling wolf. “I don't think you understand. Do you want the publicity associated with the newspaper headlines? Like a wealthy, beautiful young newlywed wife of a prominent Kentucky businessman, snatched from your fucking hotel! –Do you? –Call the goddamned cops. –Now!”
He blinked and stepped back from her. Then he removed his phone, hit a button and started talking.
One of the medical technicians attending Paris approached them. “Who’s the next of kin?”
Alex looked at Caesar. “I am, he's my brother,” she said.
“Well, we've got him stabilized and we've administered a tranquilizer. He should sleep. His condition’s unusual. It was like his whole body shifted into overdrive and wore itself out. If he has any more episodes, you can take him to the emergency room at the hospital.”
“Thank you. We can take it from here,” she said.
* * *
Paris woke from a drugged sleep. He reached across the bed and found it empty. At first, it didn't register, but then the memory of the feeling of loss and frustration came crashing down.
He remembered how he’d felt last night, like a part of his mind stretched to the breaking point. Before it snapped, panic and fear had infected his senses, overwhelming him.
Now, with some semblance of clarity he realized that over the time Beth and he had been close, their minds had melded and their wedding night had sealed it. It had happened so gradually he’d not been aware of it, but even now his mind restlessly searched for the missing part like a tongue probing for a missing tooth. It was like a part of his mind had been ripped out from the roots and consciously uncontrollable; it searched restlessly for its missing piece. In a sense, it felt like the time he’d lost control when he first attempted to use his latent talent. His mind was a force that if not constrained, would wear itself out, rend
ering him mentally and physically impotent. With a huge effort of will, he stilled it.
He sat up on the side of the bed and pressed the summons button on the remote.
The door opened and Alex rushed in. Caesar followed her.
“Paris! Thank God you’re alright,” Alex said.
“Beth? Have they found her?”
Alex looked helplessly at Caesar, and he intervened.
“No, not yet, Paris.”
“Who’s looking?”
“The Las Vegas Police, the resort security, even the Elysium security. They're all involved.”
“Do they know anything? My mind is plaguing me with images of her helpless, at the mercy of some goddamned pervert. She's so small, like a child. Caesar, if I lose her, I’ll want to die.”
“The police don't think it’s a deviant. The hotel security is very careful about that…but, Paris, she's my sister, I love her as much as you do and I’m worried about her. You've got to suck it up, man. You're the best hope we have of finding her. We need you thinking and acting.”
“She's not a child, Paris,” Alex said. “Remember, we're talking about Doctor Fox. She's a lot tougher than you think. She's smart, and if she's been abducted, there has to be a good goddamned reason.”
He heard them, but the pain threatened to overwhelm him and tore at his insides. He felt helpless. He had been in bad shit before and he had always found a way out, but this time he couldn’t control anything. He hated whoever had caused this. Anger, a deep and implacable rage, started to consume him. He wanted to kill. He wanted to get his hands around someone's throat and squeeze the life from him, but that wouldn’t get Beth back. He needed to take control of his emotions and replace the anger with cold determination.
“I need to get out of this bed and take a shower. Then I'm going to find her and someone may die.”
“Not yet Paris, the police want to talk to you. They're outside,” Alex said.
Paris had a feeling he knew what they wanted to talk about and there was no way to avoid it. “Alright, I'll talk to them.”
Caesar went to the door and opened it. “He'll talk to you Detective.”
Two men walked into the room. One wore a uniform and one a suit. The man in plain clothes spoke first.
“Mister Fox. My name is Police Detective King of the Las Vegas Police, and this is Deputy Sheriff Mills. We need to ask you some questions about the disappearance of your wife.”
“I understand Detective. Please find a chair and sit down. This may take awhile,” Paris said.
The two men grabbed chairs and settled them next to the bed. “You have some influential friends Mister Fox. Ordinarily we don't start a full scale search for a missing person until a twenty-four hour time-frame has passed.”
“Maybe you should change your procedures Detective. A lot more people might benefit from it. But don't mind me, please continue,” Paris said.
A flash of irritation crossed the detective’s face. “Yes…can you describe the circumstances? Why was your wife separated from you?”
“My wife’s pregnant. She needed to use the restroom before the show started, but she didn't return.” Paris struggled to keep his feelings under control. “I searched for her everywhere and couldn't find her. I had a panic attack, passed out, and I woke up here.”
“Did you and your wife have a disagreement lately? Maybe an argument? Something that may have caused her to want to leave you?”
“No. –Why do you want to know?” Paris said.
“Did you threaten her?” he said.
“No.” He sighed. “Detective, I understand why you are asking me these questions. Either I did away with my wife or she ran to escape me, or she didn't love me and ran off with someone else. None of those things are, or could possibly be true. If you take this line in your investigation, you'll only be wasting time. Time we can't afford.”
“I'll be frank Mister Fox. The security videos at the resort indicate that your wife left with two men. She does not appear to be coerced. The men are not restraining her. What would you believe?”
“I’d believe what you apparently believe, Detective. That is, if I didn’t know about my relationship with my wife. Regardless of what the video shows, I can assure you she didn’t leave voluntarily.”
“Do you have enemies Mister Fox?”
“Yes, but not here in Las Vegas.” Paris needed to cut this short and get the police pointed in the right direction and it was obvious it wouldn't happen unless something intervened. He opened his mind-glow.
Detective King stopped in mid-question. He wore a thoughtful expression. “I think we're on the wrong track here, Mills. I think we should get rolling on an all points alert, this may be a kidnapping.”
“Are you kidding? That will bring in the FBI. Are you sure? There's still…maybe you're right,” he said, his face suddenly determined. “We need to tap the suite phones. There might be a ransom demand.”
Paris fell back on the bed, drained.
The police officers left. Alex and Caesar returned. “What happened?” Alex said. “What made them change their minds? Now, they're talking about tapping the phones.”
Paris pointed to his forehead. “I need to take a shower and get some food. Then we need to have a council. Get everyone together.”
They all sat in the living room. Paris finished a sandwich and sat back with a bottle of beer. “The cops said that Beth left the resort voluntarily with two men. That tells us quite a bit.”
“She wouldn't leave with two men she didn’t know,” Alex said, “and she was looking forward to the show. But what makes them think Paris was involved?”
“They obviously thought it was a family spat or possible foul play on Paris' part,” Dan said. “It's on the usual suspects list and they need to eliminate it first. I would, if I didn't know Paris and Beth.”
“But why would she leave with them?” Caesar asked. “The cops said that they weren't even holding her arm.”
“Maybe she was afraid for the baby. I would be,” Alex replied. “I've warned her. The first few minutes are critical. You run, scream and shout, anything to draw attention. Maybe they told her there was a medical emergency. She's so damn dedicated.”
“There's another explanation,” Paris said. “The same way I got the cops off their ass and pointed in the right direction.”
Dan raised an eyebrow. “Yes how did you do...Shadows? You think the Shadows did this?”
“I thought we had a deal with the Council,” Caesar said.
“The Council is not the Houses. You said it, Dan. They'd rather lie than tell the truth.”
Caesar appeared alarmed. “Do you think the local House did this?”
“I'm going to find out.” Paris replied.
Dan grunted. “How? Are you going to just walk in and ask?”
Paris evaded the question. “Something like that.”
* * *
Paris found Jaime and asked him to join him in his room. As soon as the door closed, Jaime swung to face him.
“Paris I am so sorry this happened. The whole resort’s in an uproar. I've been meaning to ask you if I could help.”
Paris sat on the edge of the bed. “Thank you. I'll probably take you up on that. Right now, I need to leave the hotel without anyone knowing. Can you do that?”
“I think so, but I need to talk to Eric first. Be down at the entrance to the parking garage in about thirty minutes, do you know where it is?” Paris nodded. “Good, I'll meet you there.”
* * *
Paris drove Jaime's car by the headquarters of the Vegas House. He stopped and locked it about two blocks from the building.
As he walked along the sidewalk toward the site, he expanded his mind-glow. He wove a familiar pattern, one he knew well. Any Shadow who entered its influence would cease to see him. It didn't affect Normals or hybrids like Dan or Alex, only full Shadows. It took advantage of their natural abilities and reversed them, but he would have to avoid Normals if he wanted
to penetrate the House's defenses unobserved.
Stopping outside the building, he waited. The place seemed to be busy, groups of Normals and Shadows were entering and exiting. They looked harassed. Soon, a group of Shadows with no Normals accompanying them walked to the front door. Paris slipped behind them before the door closed.
There was a Normal sitting at the security desk, but his concentration was on the monitors. Paris moved past him and looked for the fire stairs. He climbed them until he was at the top floor and looked around.
Seeing no one in the corridor, he walked down the plush carpet toward the double doors at the end. He hoped that Normals were banned from this part of the facility because he was going to be hiding in plain sight.
He paused outside the doors to Tyler's office and heard voices. The door opened and a man who he sensed to be a Shadow emerged. An angry voice issued from the office. “And don't come back until you find her!” Paris slid through the open door before it closed.
Tyler sat behind his ornate desk, a younger man flanking him. “This is a fucking disaster, Sid. Once the Council gets word of this, we'll be lucky to hold on to the House.”
Sid leaned on the desk top. “Surely the Council won't hold us responsible.”
“Don’t bet on it. You don't fuck with the Council, Sid. Learn that.”
Sid straightened up. “Yes, big brother but which House did it? You think the Borgias...?”
Tyler glowered. “If they did, I'll feed them their balls. I'll declare vendetta and nail their House door shut. To think that pretty little woman might be harmed by some Borgia maggot makes my blood boil. I may not get the chance, though. The Council will do it first.”
“What's so special about Fox that the Council has declared hands-off?” Sid said.
Tyler leaned his elbows on the desk and punched his hand with his fist. “Fox is a time bomb. He's got knowledge in his head that could get us all killed.”
“Then why doesn’t the Council just take him out?”
Tyler flopped back in his chair and swiveled it to face Sid. “The Council's not stupid. If I were him I'd have a back up. If they tried something, I'd make damn sure whatever it is, got out. Besides, he's an Adept and a head of a House, even if they do call it a Family.”