Layla blinked, her vision suddenly blurring. “What are you talking about?”
He watched her closely. “You’ve provided me with the means to continue… For that I’d like to thank you.”
“Wha?” her tongue felt thick in her mouth.
A phone rang, and the professor reached into his breast pocket to extract it. Funny, Layla thought, he said that he had no phone.
“Are you absolutely positive that no one followed her? Excellent. We’re in business then. Wait for my signal.”
Layla tried to blink away the dizziness that was overcoming her. “Was that him? What did he say? Tell me!” She set her cup down on its saucer with a clatter of china on china, her hands suddenly clumsy.
The professor slid her cup out of reach as she watched numbly. “Layla, do you understand what collateral damage is?” he asked.
“What are you talking about?” she rubbed her temples with both of her hands. Professor Reed twisted in his seat and waved out the window to someone. Within a minute a man came in the door and slid into the chair next to her. Layla looked over at him, shock cutting through the fog that was enveloping her brain. “Is he my father?”
“Oh no, my dear,” Teddy’s voice sounded like it was coming from very far away. “I’m sorry to say that I lied about that. It seems as though your mother took that little secret to the grave with her.”
A black veil started creeping into the edges of her vision as she reached inside her handbag, groping for her phone. She watched numbly as the man took it from her, and before she could protest she felt her limbs go leaden. He tore her phone open, stripping the battery out of it and stuffing it back into her bag.
Professor Reed’s muffled voice was the last thing she heard. “You must understand, it’s all for the best. Thanks to you, this golden opportunity won’t be lost. I knew that taking you in would turn out to be for the best someday.”
“What are you doing to me?” she tried to scream, but all that came out of her mouth was a low moan.
When she started to slump the man in the seat next to her snaked his arm around her, propping her up. The smell of tobacco and sweat made her nauseous, but she could no longer hold her head up. The last thing she saw before her eyelids drifted shut was the worn lapel of his crumpled jacket.
The private detective looked down at the girl whose head now rested on his shoulder, surprised. “Are you sure she’s the one?”
Professor Reed was already getting up from his chair, his eyes darting all around. “I’ll go pay the tab. Take her to the stairwell while I intercept the waitress.”
The man looked down at the unconscious girl. Her smooth cheeks were peppered with freckles, and she smelled clean and fresh, like an apple orchard in the rain. He had expected some kind of sexpot vixen, and this girl seemed so innocent and… so young. He almost felt guilty.
Then he thought about the money.
He clamped her to his side and stood with her as though they were two lovers locked in an embrace, sweeping her out the front door and around the corner into a secluded alcove. The professor distracted the waitress by overpaying for the bill with an ingratiating smile, turning back around to see that they were gone. A triumphant smile rose on his wrinkled face. Nobody seemed to have noticed anything out of the ordinary.
He straightened his tie and jauntily strolled out of the restaurant, making a sharp turn to join the man holding Layla’s limp form up against a wall. The hotel’s stairwell door had been propped open with a matchbook, and he swung it wide, checking inside.
“Clear,” he said, holding the door open for the man to haul Layla in and carry her up the stairs. The private detective was huffing and puffing by the time they made it to the fourth floor, where the professor again checked for witnesses before opening a room door with a card key and ushering the man and his burden inside.
It was a good-sized hotel suite, a corner room with a balcony facing out onto the busy roadway below. Generic artwork hung on beige walls, and a small couch faced a television and mini bar set opposite a queen sized bed. In fact, it was completely ordinary aside from the fact that the dresser was laid out with enough whips and chains to stock a good-sized sex shop.
The man heaved Layla’s body onto the bed and sat down to catch his breath.
Professor Reed looked around the room with distaste, eager to leave and collect the rest of his funding. “Excuse me,” he said, stepping out onto the balcony to make a phone call.
The private detective pulled out a cigarette and lit it, drawing the smoke deep into his lungs. He’d done a lot of things outside of the law, but now he was having some serious misgivings. Getting a job working for Senator Blackwell had been like grabbing the brass ring. The man was rich beyond his wildest dreams, and a client whose secrets he could eat off for a long time– Only he never expected those secrets to bother him so much.
The old man came in from the terrace, waving at the smoke that hung in the air and scowling at the private detective with distain. “He wants her restrained, and you’re to wait here until he arrives.”
Layla moaned, her head rolling to the side as she fought to regain consciousness. The professor looked at the private eye in alarm. “Well… Hurry it up!”
The private detective looked at the leather straps attached to the legs of the bed and frowned. When he agreed to locate the girl he didn’t realize how quickly this whole thing would escalate. Now he was party to a drugging and kidnapping. He sighed, reminded of something his grandmother used to say.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
~
Layla felt like she was floating, trapped in a feverish nightmare. She struggled to lift her head, drifting in and out of consciousness. A sudden pinprick jarred her back to consciousness, and she fought to open her eyes, blinking up blurry images of Professor Reed bending over her, his face coming in and out of focus.
“Teddy?” her voice was rough, and her tongue felt thick in her mouth.
“I’m just taking some fresh blood samples before I bid you farewell, my dear,” he said cheerfully. “It’s a shame it had to end this way, but it’s all for the best.” He stood up straight, and she watched him fill several vials with blood from an enormous syringe, her mind a fog of confusion. He packed everything away neatly, slipping it into the inside pocket of a crisp new sportcoat. He reached for a something on the dresser.
Like a father tucking his child into bed he bent down to kiss her on the forehead. “Goodbye,” he said, slipping a blindfold over her eyes.
“You’re going to want to keep her eyes covered at all times,” he told the detective, who was now pacing at the foot of the bed. The man looked over at the dazed girl nervously, wondering how good of a look she got at him before she passed out.
Professor Reed straightened his coat, tugging once at each sleeve as he walked towards the door. “I’m warning you Mister Stewart… Do not under any circumstances take that blindfold off. I’ve already spoken to the senator about this.”
“Teddy?” Layla croaked from the bed, “Why are you doing this to me? Who are you talking to?”
“Do not talk to her. She can be extremely persuasive,” the old man warned him just before he slipped out of the room.
The detective locked the door behind him, going over to settle down on the couch. He clicked through the channels until he found a basketball game.
“Who’s here?” Layla asked. “What do you want with me?”
He turned the television up, wishing he had some more of whatever the professor had knocked her out with in the first place.
As the minutes slowly ticked by Layla gradually came to full consciousness, tugging at the restraints that held her immobile, spread out across a bed. She started trembling as the helplessness of her situation occurred to her. She’d known that Teddy wanted her back, but it wasn’t like him to make such an irrational move. He could never make her embezzle money for him again, and the next person who dared look her in the eye was going to be in some seri
ous trouble.
She heard someone shift on the couch. “Who are you?” she asked the stranger in the room. “I have money,” she tried to reason with him, “I can pay you double what Professor Reed is paying you.”
“Be quiet and no one will hurt you,” an unfamiliar voice replied.
Layla’s mind was racing, trying to make some sense out of what was happening. She could not. All she knew for certain was that this was all her fault, and by trusting Professor Reed she had just made an incredibly dumb move. She should have listened to Cali… She should have told her about her plans this morning… She thought about how brave little Amy had been in an even worse circumstance, and she willed herself to relax.
She coughed. “Can I have a drink of water?” she asked the stranger in her most pathetic voice. “Please?”
She strained to hear footsteps shuffling on the carpet, tensing up when a weight shifted one side of the bed down. She flinched when a hand slipped under her neck, propping up her head and holding a water bottle to her lips. She took a few sips, gasping, “Thank you.”
When he got up to leave she called out, “Wait! Tell me what he’s up to… You have to understand… The professor is crazy! He doesn’t care about anything but his experiments! You can’t trust him!”
He frowned, thinking that she was probably right about that. He went back to the minibar that he’d gotten the water from and pulled out a couple of miniature liquor bottles. He drained one right away, pouring another into a glass and topping it with a splash of soda.
Now Layla started to get angry, thinking how foolish she’d been. The professor knew her well, and he’d gone straight for her Achilles heel. He knew that she was desperate for information about her mother, and he’d managed to play her like a fiddle.
“Listen… Sir… You need to let me go… My boyfriend is a cop, and he’s going to be here any minute.”
He didn’t reply, and she heard a door open as he stepped out onto the balcony with his drink, squinting into the long rays of the setting sun.
“Hey! “Help!” she screamed as loud as she could, hoping someone from outside could hear her.
The man rushed back inside, slamming the door, “Shut up!”
“Help!” she screamed even louder. “Someone help me!”
He turned the television up as high as it would go, pacing at the foot of the bed in desperation, but her screams only got louder. “Ahhhh!” she shrieked at the top of her lungs, the cords of her neck straining.
He rushed to the dresser, picking up a piece of equipment with a grimace. The next thing Layla knew, a rubber ball was shoved into her open mouth, cutting off her airway. She sucked in a breath through her nose, thrashing her head from side to side in a futile attempt to escape as he fastened the gag tightly around her head.
“If you just kept quiet I wouldn’t have to do this,” he muttered through gritted teeth.
Layla tried to plead with him again, but now her words were muffled and unintelligible. She fought to beat back the panic, feeling like she was about to suffocate. She thought about Ramon with a sob, and a low moan of agony echoed in her head. She pulled as hard as she could against the restraints, fighting until the leather straps bit into the skin on her wrists.
The private detective went back to pacing again, downing another bottle from the minibar and stepping outside into the darkening night to smoke another cigarette in peace. He looked inside the room to see the girl thrashing helplessly on the bed and felt sick to his stomach. This was definitely more than he’d bargained for.
His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket to see that it was the senator. “Do you have her secured?” he asked.
“Yes,” he answered, wishing he’d never gotten involved with the man.
“I’m on my way up,” Senator Blackwell said.
~
Layla finally stopped struggling, settling in to await her fate. She told herself that she must conserve her energy for the fight that was sure to come. She didn’t know what Teddy was up to, but she knew he wouldn’t be keeping her like this without some kind of plan. She heard the door open and she pretended to be asleep, straining to listen.
The next voice she heard made her blood run cold.
“It better be the right one.”
The blindfold was yanked off her eyes and a grinning face right out of her nightmares came looming into view. “Thought you’d outsmarted me… Didn’t you?”
Senator Blackwell stood over her, clad in a tuxedo. She shook her head no, trying to lock onto into his cold pitiless eyes. She tried her hardest to build up a color bombardment, but before she could overcome her own shock his eyes left her face, traveling up and down the length of her body. She whimpered, trying unsuccessfully to get him to look at her face.
Her run-in with the child molester had given her some insight into the workings of a twisted mind, and she tried to control her terror, realizing that he wanted her fear– in fact, he thrived on it. It made him feel powerful. Now that she recognized Senator Blackwell as a true sadist she was terrified, finally understanding exactly what she was up against.
“Would you cover up her eyes?” the detective called from across the room. “I don’t want her to be able to ID me!” It suddenly occurred to him that the senator had no such concerns, and his stomach lurched when he realized what that probably meant.
Senator Blackwell leaned in close to spew hot breath into Layla’s ear, “I’ve dreamed of this moment for the past six months, and I’m going to make this one last. You’ll pay for what you tried to do to me.” She turned her head, her eyes rolling in their sockets as they wildly searched out his.
He took her by the face and squeezed, his voice low and menacing, “Just because you don’t have plastic tits doesn’t mean that you’re not just a little slut like all the rest of them.” He reached up her skirt and pinched her hard, sucking in his breath as she squealed in response.
“Before I’m finished with you, you’ll be begging me for mercy.”
He replaced her blindfold and stood to straighten his lapels, blinking at the private detective like he only just saw him. “I’m on my way to an event tonight, and as entertaining as she promises to be, I’m going to have to postpone my date with this little tramp until tomorrow. Stay here tonight and I’ll take over first thing in the morning.”
“Now wait a minute– I agreed to find the girl, not kidnap her! This is a federal offense, and I–”
“Keep her quiet tonight and I’ll double your fee.”
“But– but…”
Senator Blackwell straightened his lapels of his tuxedo jacket, donning the mask of a dignitary as he strolled to the door. “I’m sending the wife out for some spa treatments tomorrow… And I plan to enjoy a long day of golf.” He turned back to cast one more longing glance at Layla, “I can’t wait to work on my swing.”
The private eye watched him go, looking down at a roll of plastic wrap propped up in the corner of the room with a shudder. He poured himself another scotch to quell the pangs of conscience that were poking at his soul.
Of one thing he was certain.
This girl was in for a world of hurt.
~
Chapter Twenty
MISSING
~
Ramon spent the day counting down the minutes before he could leave. Despite everything that had happened, just thinking about Layla made him smile, and when he could finally slip away he bolted out of the building, eager to see her again. He tried calling her, but her phone went straight to voice-mail, and after an hour had passed he was afraid he’d left one too many messages. He finally found himself driving to her house, unable to wait one minute longer.
Caledonia answered the door with a friendly smile, “Hello Ramon.”
“Is Layla around?” he asked anxiously. “We made plans, but I can’t get her on the phone and I don’t see her car…”
“Come on in,” she said with a smile, opening the door. Caledonia exuded tranquility, putting him
at ease. “I’m sure she’ll be back soon.”
He stepped inside, stooping to greet Tripod before he followed Cali into the kitchen. She gestured for him to take a seat, as serene and relaxed as Layla was delicate and high strung.
“I just put on some coffee, would you care for a cup?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said, taking a seat at the table. She busied herself putting some groceries away while she waited for the coffeemaker to finish.
“So… How do you like working with Doc Smith?” Ramon asked.
“It’s great. He’s a very talented veterinarian,” she replied.
“He told Sherriff Brown that you were the best worker he’d ever had. He says you have a gift…” Their eyes met and he felt uncomfortable. “I mean, he said that you–”
She held up her hand. “It’s okay. Layla told me that you know about us.”
He smiled sheepishly. “So… I guess it works on animals too?”
She nodded, “Even better. I like being around animals, and I like helping them. In many ways, I prefer them to people.” She poured their coffee, glancing up at the clock and wondering when Calvin would get home, adding, “Well, most people.”
Ramon looked over at the beautifully decorated living room with its posh furniture and impressive electronics. “Nice place,” he observed.
“That was all Layla,” Caledonia said, bringing a couple of mugs to the table. “She likes to shop so we let her pick out everything… She did a really good job decorating, didn’t she?”
“Yeah,” he agreed. The room was as tasteful and elegant as Layla always was, and he started to feel a little insecure. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was being stood up.
“Do you know where she is?”
Cali shrugged, “No, she was gone when I got off work.”
“What about her brother… Is he home?” Ramon asked, “Maybe he knows where she went.”
The Caledonian Inheritance (The Athena Effect) Page 18