Chapter 10.

THE HALF-WAY INN (ROOM 503)

SAM BECKETT'S P.O.V.

Among the things I unpacked, from Harry's luggage, was a stainless-steel Colt Lawman revolver in .357 magnum. I had found it while packing up last night, in Nevada, and I had carefully disassembled it. That way, in the unlikely event I was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol (and searched), for any reason, they would not think I was a hit man. Or, anything else even remotely similar.

I now reassembled it, just as carefully, because I had a feeling I might be needing it at tonight's stake-out. Al, who had temporarily left the Imaging Chamber to find out more about the break-in at Hamilton High, finally returned.

"According to the DPPD database, the break-in is estimated to have occurred around two in the morning. The padlock on the aviary was broken using bolt-cutters. But, they never found the latter. Or, any fingerprints, either. They did find evidence of cigarette ash, however. Which led the detectives to hypothesize the use of cigarette smoke as a pacifier prior to the actual abduction."

"That's pretty organized for a gang of rich white trash. More like professional-level criminality, wouldn't you say?"

I was alluding to Al's earlier evaluation of Kurt Stark and his friends. And, he nodded (somewhat reluctantly).

"Yeah! Especially, when you consider that the hawk was never recovered, in the original timeline. Ziggy's estimated a 99.876% chance that Chief Redtail was abducted by someone well-experienced in wild animal handling. And, that would include eco-terrorists like Greensword."

Suddenly, there was knock at the door. I looked at Al, and he nodded. With our present surroundings being nothing more than a hologram to him, he had no trouble walking through the door to see who it might be. He came back a second later, with a veritable leer on his face.

"You can open up, Sam. They're perfectly harmless."

"They" turned out to be the magician's assistants from Tahoe!

"We were thinking," said Emma Stark: "...that you might lead off the festivities. Climaxing your performance with making Grandpa Matthew's cake seeming to appear out of thin air!"

"An appropriately dramatic touch," replied Levi Tate, with a deceptively straight face: "And, where do you want the cake to appear? I mean; from which direction do you want it brought?"

His employer's daughter pointed toward the French doors that led to the swimming pool.

"The bakers have been instructed to hide it in the dressing cabana until it's time to actually sing 'Happy Birthday.' Then, you could materialize it the same way you did that elephant in the middle of Yankee Stadium!"

"Ah, yes! One of my more impressive illusions, if I do say so myself."

Kurt Stark, shaking his head in boredom, went upstairs to his bedroom. There, he hopped on to the bed, flat on his back, and picked up a nearby back-issue of PLAYBOY magazine. And, he became so engrossed, in leering at the centerfold, that he was not aware anyone else was present until he virtually jumped in that same horizontal position!

"See anything interesting?"

"Ahhhhhhhh! Thames, you son of a...!"

The African-American male standing at the foot of the bed grinned, shamelessly.

"Sorry, Zoey; couldn't resist."

"What are you doing here? It's not time for my progress report, yet."

"Urgent message from Lothos. The probability for the bird's abduction has just decreased by three percent."

"What?" exclaimed the time traveler, sitting bolt upright in her current host body.

Thames nodded: "Lothos thinks it might be due to the presence of that goody two-shoes, Beckett. Have any strangers arrived in town for the party?"

"Just that magician, and the reporters personally invited by Stark's grandfather."

Thames paused to consider this.

"Keep a close eye on them all. Beckett could be occupying anyone of them. And, Lothos ordered me to remind you that everything _must_ proceed as it did in the original timeline!"

Zoey/Kurt now smiled...like a Cheshire cat with rabies.

"That is one order I will follow _most_ willingly."

tbc