Chapter 3
Mick threw open the doors to the tech room in Josef's office building. It was a large, windowless room with computers and other equipment lining three walls and a cluster of computer consoles in the center. Josef's personal command center was located along the empty wall across from the door. Numerous TV screens lined the upper walls and usually showed news feeds or stock quotes or whatever the job demanded. Right now the Buzzwire feed was playing on several of them. He ignored it.
Not bothering to check if they were paying attention to him, or even knew why they were there, Mick started barking orders as soon as the doors swung closed behind him. Anyone slacking off would be dealt with. If Josef has a problem with that, he'd be dealt with as well.
"I need phone records for her cell, home and work. All voice mail, email, web activity, credit cards, whatever you can get. If she bought coffee at the corner store I want to know about it. And we need to find her car. Start with any traffic cameras in the area and work your way out." As the orders were given, the appropriate people went to work.
The credit cards were the first things to come back – no help of course. The last charge was food at the airport while she waited for her flight back to LA. He slumped into Josef's chair. Sitting here doing nothing was going to kill him, he was certain. Just as he was thinking about driving around the city on the billion to one chance he'd magically come across her, three techies appeared at the desk with phone records.
"We're just downloading her voice mail now, sir." Mick nodded and waved them off. He started with her home phone. The only call in or out since she arrived back was a call to her mother. He would look further back in the records later if nothing else panned out.
He looked at her outgoing cell calls for the past week before she disappeared. Mick, Mick, Mick, Josh, Mick, Buzzwire, Mick, Mick, Josh…He smirked at the fact that the Micks outweighed the Joshs then turned to her incoming calls. They were much the same, although the Joshs greatly outnumbered the Micks. There was only one number that he didn't recognize and wasn't stored on her phone.
"Run this number." As the appropriate techie quickly followed the order, Mick was waved over to listen to her voice mails. Nothing of interest on her cell phone and he made note of anything he didn't recognize from her work mails. He had those messages saved to a memory stick. He'd be going to see Maureen later to go through all these and look through Beth's files. Perhaps someone from one of the stories she'd covered was getting payback for something. He compared her Buzzwire phone records and voice mail records and made a list of all the numbers that didn't match and he didn't recognize. Then he proceeded to call them all. Mick made a list of places like courier services and food establishments that he would check himself in person and another list of things to check on in her files. He did the same thing with her emails, reading each one carefully.
"Found her car, yet?" If the group of vampires working on that task had any colour, it would have drained from their faces. Mick stood and began pacing.
"Uh, not yet, sir. We're patching into cameras as fast as we can, but it's going to take some – "
"We don't have time!" Mick threw the closest thing to him and silence followed the sound of smashing of porcelain against the wall behind the desk.
"That, my friend, was Ming Dynasty." The relief in the room was palpable as Josef flamboyantly moved into the office. Mick scowled at the freshies on each arm. "Do you know how long I've had that for?!" His scowl turned to a smirk. "About a year – but that's not the point, you're scaring the poor techies!" Mick's shoulders sagged as he walked back to take his seat in Josef's chair. As Josef moved to the front of the desk, he plucked a print out from the hand of the techie who had been tracking the phone number.
"Drink to calm the nerves?" Josef held out the arm of one of the girls, let out a mock sigh of exasperation at Mick's glare. "Maybe next time." He looked down at the paper in his hands, then the women at his side.
"Ladies, I think you'd best step outside for a while. I'll come find you later." In perfect unison they pouted and each kissed his cheek and sauntered out of the room. Josef looked back at the paper.
"Phone number traced to the Hardwick Hotel, room 1013. Fake name, fake address, fake, fake, fake… REAL flagged credit card belonging to one very staked, very missing Morgan Vincent, a.k.a. Coraline St. John." Mick stood up with a snarl and flashing eyes so quickly that Josef's chair went flying.
"I should have known! How could I have been so stupid?" He was out of the room so quickly the techies hardly had time to flinch at his outburst. Josef's eyes flicked to the two silent men standing in the shadows.
"Follow him. I want to know where he's going and what he's doing." Brief sign of acknowledgement and they were out the door. "And bring my lunch back in here!"
XXX
It had been about 25 years since Mick had last been inside Coraline's house. Although he had given in and come to her a few times between then and rescuing Beth, the two had never actually made it into the house. Everything – from the landscaping outside to the fleur de lis coaster in exactly the same place on the parlour table, still stained from when he'd spilt coffee on it before they'd been married – was still in the same place as it had been a quarter century ago. A shrine to their 'life' together.
He wandered through the house, trying to find some clue as to where Coraline was keeping Beth, but so far he'd found nothing – which was so unlike Coraline. Then he reached the door to the wine cellar – the one area of the house, it appeared, that WAS different than he'd left it. Descending the spiral staircase he walked not into the dark, cabinet lined room he remembered, but the light, airy room of a little girl. Mick sank to the small bed. This was where Beth had been kept all those years ago. He took a deep breath – and Coraline had kept her here this time as well. He'd probably missed them by just an hour.
Beth had told him that she had found the room she'd been kept in as a child, but neglected to mention it had been left exactly the same. He shuddered at the thought of what she must have gone through while she'd been here alone as the memories assaulted her. He looked around the room and finally found the broken chair that she had taken her stake from. It was there that he found Coraline's breadcrumb.
On top of the remains of the chair was a yellowed piece of paper. Mick reached out and picked it up. It was their marriage licence. Pieces started falling into place and he dropped the paper to the floor. This was the second time Beth had been taken so that Coraline could try and win him back. He didn't know why she had waited 22 years but Mick was pretty sure it was because of his 'relationship' with Beth – whatever it was. He didn't think she'd wait another 22 years to try something again if he waltzed in there, rescued Beth and rode of into the sunset with her. He was, in fact, pretty damn sure they'd be looking over their should for the rest of… whatever – her life, eternity… His one driving force since she was four years old and been to ensure that she always felt safe. How selfish was it of him to take that from her just so he could be happy? She was human, she'd get over it, right? They'd also be able to avoid that whole turning issue if he broke things off before they even got started. Josh obviously loved her. He'd take her back. Had his life with Coraline really been so bad? Well, yes, but sometimes sacrifices had to be made for the ones you loved.
Mick stood with grim resolve. There were two choices – kill Coraline or give her what she wanted. He'd 'killed' her once and though he hated her and her 'murder' had been necessary – and wanted, it had torn him up inside. Watching out for Beth had been his only saving grace. His choice made, Mick left the house and walked to his car. Beth would be safe and that at least would make him happy. She would never forgive him for it, but that would be best – it meant she would move on easier.