Oh that's right! Sela thought. I'm supposed to be engaged. "Yes," she scrambled to collect whatever she could remember about the ghosted engagement. "Yes, he's in college right now."
Desmond was flawless, picking up the trail, "It'll have to be a few years before we tie the knot."
"Ah but she's got you on the hook already," Harrington winked. Sela could detect just the faintest hint of the slurring of his words. "You'vve been taken offf the shelfff, David."
"Actually, he proposed to me," Sela fended Harrington off. The only way to through this interaction was to give Desmond enough information to work with.
She still couldn't remember exactly what she had told Harrington. It seemed like months ago, since she had visited his suite. All she could remember was the adrenalin surge of the moment.
"Yeah, if anything, I'm trying to keep Alice all for myself." Desmond wrapped an arm around Sela and squeezed her.
She leaned into it and tried to pretend that they held each other like this every day. His grip was strong, and she could feel muscles beneath the cloth of his suit. He wasn't bulky, but thin as he was, his strength wrapped tightly under his skin.
Vanesha turned nearly around, watching the musicians ply their trade. Harrington winked at Desmond and Sela, "Good for you! Good ffor you!"
Harrington tilted his glass in front of his face. "Looks like I need another. Care to joinn me at the bar?" He grinned, showing too many teeth.
"Actually, I have to run and make a quick call," Desmond said, glancing a Sela. "Honey, why don't you freshen up?"
She narrowed her eyes. Both of us? Then she realized he was trying to evacuate them. Harrington wasn't supposed to be here, and it was dangerous to interact with someone who knew a different Alice Williams, however slightly. After they left, it would be best if no one remembered them at all.
"Sure, David." She turned to Harrington, "We'll see you later, Irwin."
He laughed and moved off toward the bar, Vanesha trailing behind him, annoyed arm-candy.
Chapter 11
Desmond leaned against Sela before he released her from the side-hug. He whispered toward her ear, "Leave different ways. We'll meet up in the east wing."
Sela nodded against his lips and they parted. A burst of laughter rolled out from one of the larger groups as she strolled across the room, leaving through a side-door. Desmond headed back toward the front lobby.
A stylish sign had been placed on a stand beside the bathroom down the empty hall. Sela glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching, and then she curved around the corner. That hallway was empty as well, and dark. Clearly, the suite was sectioned by lighting, demarcating the areas where guests were welcome and those where they were not.
Moments later, she had arrived in the east wing, which was also empty. Desmond rushed into the hallway at nearly the same time she did.
"Anyone see you?" she asked, glancing around.
"No," he answered quietly. "You?"
She shook her head and took a deep breath.
"Which room do we check first?" Desmond wondered aloud.
"No need," Sela pointed. "The one with the fingerprint scanner will be it."
One of the doors was magnetically locked. Basil Davenport's fingerprint would work, and possibly her partner's as well.
"Yeah, you're right." Desmond brushed a finger down the side of the pad frame.
Sela had once dealt with a fingerprint scanner by using print records to bake a synthetic fingerprint before she even started the job. It had been expensive, and only worked because the scanner was a cheap model built into a tablet.
They didn't have any prints to use, and this wasn't a toy.
"How do we get in?"
Desmond drew his card out and synced it with the black wand again. The app began analyzing immediately. Within a third of a second, it had recognized the model of scanner they were dealing with, and it was already sifting through possibilities to bypass it.
"That's an expensive gadget," Sela noted, glancing each way in the hall.
"Way out of my price range."
The screen read "Scan?"
Desmond tapped the button and smiled, "Put your thumb on the scanner, Alice."
Sela pressed into the scanner and saw it glow red behind her thumb. The card screen slashed a slew of numbers across the screen, and the red glow around Sela's thumb turned green.
Desmond reached forward and tugged on the door handle. It opened; the magnets had shut off. He grinned and held the door open for her.
Sela went inside and looked around. It was dark in the room. The sun had fallen below the horizon of buildings, leaving the last half an hour of day shadowed in Basil Davenport's office.
"Okay, now let's take a look at this computer," Sela moved in behind Desmond as he sat down. He tapped the screen to wake the system.
"What should I do?" Sela asked.
"Take a look around. See if there's any intel in here. If you find any, take pictures with your card."
She nodded and moved over to a bookshelf. Only a few books leaned against the sides of the shelves. The rest of the space was taken up with tiny plants; cactuses, little ivy, and miniature trees. Sela wasn't sure if they were real or not, but there wasn't any intelligence there. She glanced over the titles of the books and moved on.
Beside that was a picture frame on the wall, progressively rotating through images. Sela tried to look behind it, thinking maybe the space behind it was used to hide things. Nothing.
A filing cabinet beside that was promising, except that it was locked. Not with anything so accessible as a maglock or a key code. The lock was mechanical, antique; it needed a metal key to set the tumblers just right. She could pick it, if there were fifteen minutes to spare.
Maybe it's in the desk, she thought. She stepped back over toward Desmond and pulled open the drawers one by one. Office supplies in one, makeup in another, clean socks and undergarments in another; no key anywhere.
"Find anything?" Desmond asked, tapping away on his card.
"Nothing yet," she answered, moving to the other side of the office.
"Well, I'm almost done here. Also copying some of her files while I'm at it." Desmond spoke slowly, focusing his attention on his work.
Sela speculated that anything of note would be in the cabinets or on the computer. She continued searching anyhow, and then found something.
Just a corner of a page peeked around the right side of the shelf. Most likely, it had slid behind, and gone unnoticed while the lights were on. But the white of the paper reflected more light than the wall did, at least when the lights were dim.
She pressed a fingernail against the tiny triangle of paper and dragged it out from its hiding place. "I think I found something."
"Yeah? What is it?" Desmond was tapping controls on Basil Davenport's computer screen now.
"Some sort of diagram." The ink was too faded for low lighting. "I can't make much of it out."
"Snap a photo of it."
She set the page on the carpeted floor and knelt down next to it. Levelling her phone, she took three shots, hoping the blur-reduction overcame the low lighting. She could have used a flash, but it was unwise to draw attention to Davenport's office, even if it was just a short splinter of light piercing out into the dark hallway from under the door.
"Make sure you put it back."
"Already on it," Sela replied. She had picked up the page and was looking closely at the edges.
The corner she had snagged was creased where her thumbnail had pressed. She deduced which side was facing the wall and slid the page back behind the shelf, trying to set it exactly how it had been. The page kept sliding back out, though. Finally, she sighed and pushed it behind the shelf entirely,
If Basil Davenport hadn't noticed the corner of the paper, she wouldn't notice that it wasn't there any longer. It would stay hidden until the office furniture was moved.
"Okay, we're good to go here," Desmond said, shutting down Dav
enport's computer. He stood and turned a hard stare over the desk, and then swept his eyes over the office as well.
Sela looked for anything out of place too, any sign that they had been there. The sun had left Megora in darkness now, and it was difficult to see anything in the office at all.
She opened the door and moved out, Desmond following behind her.
"Wait up a second," Desmond said, pressing the black wand against the fingerprint scanner again.
"Are you locking it?" Sela asked.
"Looks like it locks automatically. This model keeps a record of who opens the door, and when." He tapped a control on his card, "It won't be perfect, but I'm trying to hide our access record."
"Alright, but hurry up. If Harrington is paying attention, he'll notice we're not back yet." Sela's adrenalin was starting to surge. They were so close to getting away with this job. This was the worst time to get caught. She hated standing around.
"What about Ellis Kincaid?" Desmond asked, changing something on his card.
"What about him?"
"He's a perceptive person," he commented.
Sela shrugged. "Yeah, that's for sure." Probably no one who was stupid could make it that close to the Council. The Council was filled with incredibly intelligent people, who were also stridently foolish. "Kincaid doesn't seem to be that interested in anyone else, though."
Desmond asked, "What makes you say that?"
"I'd bet he was talking with that woman before Terry Baxter started bothering them about his genius ideas. We jumped in, the woman left, and then Kincaid shutdown Terry right away."
Finally Desmond finished and stowed the card and wand in pockets inside his jacket.
Sela continued, "And then, once he learned we were nobodies, he 'introduced' us to a group of people, so that he could ignore us."
Now that I think about it, her mind added, he was annoyed when Desmond and I started whispering.
"Yeah, it's Harrington I'm worried about."
"Let's head back, then," Desmond said, leading back the way Sela had come. They started down the hallway out of the wing.
"Shouldn't we go dif—" Sela cut off, hearing voices in the darkness, around the corner.
She grabbed Desmond's arm and drew up short. He heard too. Sela was about to turn and rush back, thinking they would have to leave in the other direction.
Desmond pushed her against the wall and leaned in to her, pressing his body up against hers. He whispered, "We were looking for some privacy."
His breath tickled warmth against her neck. She wanted to run. She expected to run, and could hardly calm her legs. They could dash off down the corridor and then sneak back into the party from the other side of the building.
Great, she thought. Her heart was pounding. They were only one corner away from Basil Davenport's office! No choice now. Sela slid her arms around Desmond and held him.
They could hear the voices clearly. One woman was speaking while someone else was grunting agreement. "...time he puts on that smug smile, I just want to smack him!"
Soft footsteps thudded into the carpeting. They were almost around the corner. Desmond leaned in and kissed Sela. Even knowing it was coming, she was surprised. His lips were soft, his fingers gentle as he caressed her neck, his thumb,
"And I'll tell you something else, he's got someone prote—"
Sela had her eyes closed, kissing back. Her heart hammering. She felt adrenalin arcing through her veins. She could almost feel the eyes on them in the dark.
No one is going to buy this! her mind screamed. She could feel her whole body shaking. Desmond squeezed her neck.
"Ahem," a woman pretended to clear her throat.
They broke apart, Sela took a nervous gasp. Turning toward the corner, they saw three people: Basil Davenport, her partner Angela Meyers, and her assistant Brent… What was it? She couldn't remember.
She could hardly think.
"Well…" Basil looked flustered and surprised. She didn't say any more.
"I—" Desmond stammered. "We, uh…"
Sela raised a finger and wiped the edge of her lips, blushing. She was so happy the hallway was dark, almost too dark for their faces to be seen. The trio that had stumbled upon them were bathed in the lights of the bathroom hallway.
"We wanted to—"
Sela interrupted him, forcing her voice steady, "We wanted someplace quiet. Some privacy."
"Yeah," Desmond grinned sheepishly.
Basil pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow, taking one step toward them. Meyer's arms were crossed with indignation. The secretary cradled a stack of papers in his arms, looking at the pair of them without any expression whatever.
Basil let her pursed lips twist into a thin smile. "Privacy?"
Desmond slid away from the wall so Sela could face the trio directly. She didn't want to, felt her knees trembling with the possibility that Davenport could have them turned over to the Guides. She was the highest-ranking person Sela had interacted with since leaving the Tower of Hope.
Basil spoke again, "This is a hallway. You're three feet from a spare bedroom, and ten past where my guests are permitted to go."
"We—We're s—sorry," Desmond sputtered. Sela only knew it was an act because he had been so composed moments before. "I guess, w—we weren't thinking."
"In the moment," Sela added, thankful that her voice didn't stutter.
A deep sigh slipped out before Basil said, "You're both too young to resist, I suppose." She relaxed and let herself smile. "If the moment's still there, you may use that guest room."
Desmond's chuckle was nervous and agitated. "I uh…" He paused and looked at Sela with a sheepish grin. "Well?"
Sela moaned to herself, Desmond Tine, you're playing this way too well! She raised her eyebrows at him and sneered, "Are you kidding?"
"Oh come now, dear," Basil huffed. "You aren’t that young."
Desmond winked and nodded toward the doorway.
This time, Sela's groan was audible. "No," she said firmly.
Desmond had the good sense to look crestfallen, but Basil shrugged. "Indecision is worse than most bad decisions," she clucked.
With another sigh, Basil gestured back toward the lighted hallway, "Very well. The festivities await."
The trio moved on down the hallway, passing Sela and Desmond. As the pair shuffled back toward the light, she risked a glance back toward the others. Basil had resumed lecturing, only with much less vigor.
As they passed the bathroom, Sela trembled and swallowed, hoping the flush in her face would subside before anyone guessed how frightened she was. "We can't stay long," she whispered to Desmond.
"We have to!" He hissed back. She could see the slick beginning of nervous sweat forming on his forehead. He controlled his voice and said quietly, "If we leave now, they'll think we were up to something."
She pulled his arm, drawing them to a stop just outside of the gathering. "They'll just think we are too embarrassed, having been caught. We need to leave."
"Why?" he asked.
"Harrington!" she scowled. "If he presses us, he might figure out we're ghosting."
He shrugged, "Everyone ghosts. That wouldn't be so uncommon." She watched as realization settled over his face. If Harrington found their real identities, they would be compromised.
That was especially dangerous for Sela, although Desmond didn’t have any idea about that.
"You're right," he agreed. "Caution."
They didn't even know if anyone would be revealing any useful information at the party. It was just too risky to hang around, given the danger of being singled out again. Basil Davenport or her assistant. Brent Garland. Sela rolled her eyes, finally remembering the name.
"Yeah, let's get out of here," Desmond nodded.
She turned left, instead of right, leading the way through a door. The blueprints had stated this room was a library, but that was not what greeted them.
It was lit, and another couple was in the room browsing, so gue
sts were permitted access.
A dozen aquariums lined the walls, each glowing a slightly different color, with all sorts of exotic fish and coral and plants lurking in each tank. In the center of the room, a massive tank reached from a short pedestal to the ceiling, twenty feet above.
It was octagonal, with thick glass cemented to steel brackets, all holding back thousands of gallons of water. The tank filled the center of the room. Within the aquarium, a castle sat submerged, numerous towers and bridges climbing high in the water with thin trails of ivy trailing upward on it.
Many of the portions had hollows, as though the stones had fallen away, leaving gaping holes for fish to hide in. Nearer the bottom, a medieval town was overgrown with vines and tall grass and even a few trees rising through the streets and several of the model houses.
All of it was clay, but the details and the coloring were so carefully produced, it almost looked real. There were no miniature people to see, but a few tiny statues of deer grazed in a pasture of the castle courtyard.
More than a dozen different types of fish swam in and out, some meandering, others darting about and playing. Seahorses clung to some of the houses, their spikey bodies and horse-shaped heads giving an odd, dragony accent to the town overrun with nature.
Sela realized both she and Desmond were staring at the magnificent design. They had walked halfway around it, drinking in the detail and the craftsmanship. At any other time, she would have stayed for another hour to pick out more little details and Easter eggs.
Just then she saw a glint of gold in a half-open chest within one of the higher spires. A fish with white and black stripes and yellow fringe swam in front of it.
Sela shook her head and wrapped her hand in Desmond's. He blinked and glanced at her hand, then at her.
"Yeah, okay." He took a deep breath, "Yeah, let's go."
The elevator wasn't spacious enough, now.
As soon as the doors closed, Sela dropped Desmond's hand and moved over to the wall, crossing her arms, almost hugging herself. She wasn't out yet, but the decompression was coming early.
They had been caught! She shivered, wondering what it would have been like if they were found out. How long it would have been before her true identity was revealed?
The Remaking Page 17