Mission Impossible - Chapter 11 of The Camera Doesn't Lie
Hopefully you will enjoy this chapter; it sure was a fun one to write!
Rowan returned with Bella in tow and they quickly joined Zane inside her car. Rowan had already plotted the quickest route to the photographer's office and luckily it was only about twenty minutes away.
Rowan parked the car half a block away from the address and they walked back to scope out the entrance. There was a Closed sign in the door, but with a disclaimer that the photographer was out on a job and to visit the website.
Stepping back into the shadow of the neighboring building, Rowan motioned at the door.
"There's a camera and an alarm system," Rowan explained. "I think I can handle the alarm system but we need to gum up the camera."
"Oh, right," Bella said. "I just need some water."
"And that I have," Zane said, pulling out a bottle of water out of the backpack he was wearing. "How do you want it?"
"Toss it over, as close to the door as you can," Rowan told him.
Zane tossed the bottle and it landed on its side and rolled up against the door. Rowan then made a twisting motion with her hand and the top of the bottle spun off and a tendril of water emerged from the bottle. The tendril rose up and snaked its way under the door, then upwards to form a circle of water around the video camera on the wall.
"Okay Bella, is that enough?" Rowan asked, holding the water in place.
"Perfect," Bella said and made a gesture at the water around the camera.
With a glorp the water surrounding the camera solidified into a ball of gel, covering the camera and the lens with a gooey mass.
"Okay, how long do we have?" Rowan asked.
"If I hit it again about 15 minutes," Bella told her.
"Hopefully that will be enough time," Rowan said. "Do it."
Bella gave the glob another gesture and the ball of goo turned opaque.
"Done," she told them.
"Now what?" Zane asked.
Rowan thrust her hand at the alarm unit inside the shop and a thick layer of frost suddenly coated it, killing the circuits.
"Okay, let's go!" Rowan told him.
After making sure there wasn't anyone else on the street near the shop Zane chose a key from the key ring and inserted it into the lock. After twisting the key he nervously opened the door, but there was no reaction from the alarm system: no lights, bells, or sirens.
Sighing with relief Zane stepped into shop with Rowan and Bella on his heels. Once inside Bella closed the door, as Zane looked the place over.
"I saw most of the office when I was here with Emma," Rowan explained, leading the way past the assistant's desk towards Sanderson's office and the hall leading back. "Except for these rooms back here."
The first room down the hall had a unlit red light on the wall next to the door. Zane checked the door and found it unlocked so he opened it. Inside they could see camera equipment, basins, clotheslines, and shelves stocked with what looked to be chemicals.
"Darkroom?" Bella asked and Zane nodded.
"Let's keep going," Rowan told them. "What about that door right there?"
Midway down the hallway was another door. Instead of the simple doorknob lock that they had seen on the other doors there was a separate lock above the door handle. The entire handle and lock area was also covered with reinforced metal plates.
"This looks promising," Zane said, stooping to examine the lock.
The lock was not a normal lock; it obviously was electronic as there was a small glowing red LED next to the keyhole. Zane pulled the bundle of keys out of his pocket and looked through them. Besides the key to the front door, a car key, a padlock key, and a couple of other small keys there was a key with a long narrow haft and a LED light on the bow. Zane compared the haft with the keyhole and it appeared that it was a match.
"Be ready to run just in case," Zane told the others and inserted the key into the lock.
For a moment nothing happened and then there was a click and the lights on both the lock and the key changed to green. Zane tried the handle and the door opened inwards slightly, just enough for Zane to peer inside.
The inside of the fortified room was dark, too dark to see into, even with the door held all of the way open. Zane felt around to the inside of the door and discovered two light switches. Peering around the edge of the door her could see the switches: one appeared to be in a darker color than the other.
"Two switches," Zane said to the two mermaids.
"Try one," said Bella.
"Suppose it sounds an alarm," Zane countered.
"We'll have to take that chance," Rowan interjected.
"I'll try the darker switch," Zane said and flipped the second switch up.
A bank of red lights turned on, bathing the room in a soft red glow. Even though the lighting in the room was still dim it was enough for Zane to read the text above the switches: 'White' and 'Red'. Zane flipped the switch marked White up and bright recessed can lights set into the ceiling of the room came on, flooding the room with light.
"Wow, that's bright," Bella exclaimed as she and Rowan joined Zane in the room.
Looking around they could see several metal filing cabinets on one wall, shelves holding both wooden and metal boxes on the back wall, and in the corner a big, metal safe with a combination lock on the front. There were hundreds of large photographic prints, each encased in protective plastic wrap, stored in racks against the wall opposite the filing cabinets. But what drew their attention was what was in the center of the room.
In the middle of the room was an easel holding a large rectangular object, with a white tarp thrown over the top to cover and protect what was underneath.
"This has got to be it," Bella said as they approached the easel.
"Carefully!" Rowan said to Zane as he reached out for the tarp.
Zane drew back the tarp, revealing that the object was a large photograph, just what they had guessed. He carefully folded the tarp back so that it could be dropped back in place exactly the way it had been before. He then stood back and looked at the photo with Bella and Rowan.
"Wow!" Zane exclaimed.
"That is a gorgeous shot!" Rowan said as they looked at the picture.
The photo was a close-up of the small pool at the red sand beach near Hana. Completely exposed in the center of the pool, with her tail stretched out behind her, was Rikki, her face turned towards the camera and her long, wet hair spread out on her back.
The colors of the photo were bright and vibrant and there were pinpoints of reflected sunlight glittering off of Rikki's damp scales.
"I want it for our house!" Zane exclaimed. "Come on, let's grab it and get out of here!"
"First let's see if we can find the negatives," Rowan told him. "Otherwise he'll just be able to make another."
"Oh, right," Zane replied.
Zane discovered storage sheets holding negatives in the wooden boxes on the shelves, but they were all dated from several years earlier. In the metal boxes he found flash memory cards, dated and also named. But the most recent date was for March of that same year, and none of the cards said anything about mermaids or Hana.
In the filing cabinets Rowan found sheets of developed photos, all organized by date with the names of the subjects. But they appeared to be partially filled orders and proofs with nothing very recent.
Bella looked through the racks of prints, looking for ones showing Rikki. The subject of a large, black and white print made her blush, but she hurriedly pushed past it and finished looking through the prints. Having found nothing she turned and looked at the safe in the corner.
Zane and Rowan joined her in looking at the safe.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Bella asked them.
"They must be in the safe," Zane said worriedly. "Can you guys open it?"
There was a big round combination lock on the front of the safe, but no keyhole visible anywhere. Bella and Rowan looked at each other and shook their heads.
"I don't know how we could break into that," Bella said.
"Uh oh; what are we going to do?" Zane asked.
"I was afraid of this," Rowan said as they looked between the safe and the print on the easel. "We can't just take the print."
"Right," Bella said. "If we don't get the negatives or memory cards he'll be able to make prints any time he wants."
"So what do we do?" Zane asked. "Can we torch the inside of the safe?"
"Neither of us has the heat power," Bella told him. "And I'm not even sure if that would work."
"What we need to do is to make him not want the originals anymore," Rowan said.
"How could we do that?" Zane asked. "I'm sorry but I'm not coming up with any ideas here."
"That's okay, I thought we might have a hard time getting the originals," Rowan explained. "That's why I insisted we bring Bella along."
"Huh?" Bella asked. "What can I do?"
"Come look at the print again," Rowan told her and the three went and stood in front of the photograph on the easel.
"What's this a picture of?" Rowan asked.
"Obviously of Rikki, a mermaid," Zane replied. "That's the problem."
"A real mermaid," Rowan explained. "That's why it's worth so much to Sanderson."
"But if it wasn't a picture of a real mermaid…" Bella said, a smile growing on her face.
"Then it wouldn't be worth anything to him, or to anyone else," Rowan finished.
"Oh, that's good," Bella said, studying the picture.
"Are you guys going to explain this to me?" Zane asked, staring at the picture.
"Just wait a second," Bella told him, moving in so that her nose was just a couple of inches away from the picture and squinted. "Ah, I got it."
"Here, Zane, take a picture of the print with my camera," Rowan told him as Bella moved out of the way. "I disabled location services and it won't post anywhere."
"Um, okay," Zane said, taking the phone from Rowan and taking a shot of the print.
"Now…" he started to ask but before he could finish his question Bella made a very small twisting motion at the photo, holding her hand in place for several seconds.
Bella then leaned back in and examined the print, the smile returning to her face.
"What about now?" Bella asked.
Both Rowan and Zane leaned in and looked at the photo closely. After a second Zane chuckled.
"Got it; oh, that's good!' he exclaimed.
"Perfect!" Rowan exclaimed. "Let's get everything back in place and get back to the Palace."
Bella glanced at her watch.
"Oh crap, the camera!" she exclaimed.
"Hurry!" Bella exclaimed as Zane pulled the tarp back down over the photo.
"Get going, I'm right behind you," Zane told her and they fled back out towards the front door, Zane pausing only briefly to turn off the lights and lock the door.
As they passed the assistant's desk there was a plop as a big drop of goo fell from the camera onto the door.
"Out!" Zane told Bella and Rowan, following them through the door and quickly locking it behind him.
The three stepped to the side and looked back, just in time to see the entire congealed mass around the camera suddenly turn back into water and pour onto the floor.
"Wow, just barely made it," Zane told Rowan and Bella, who was smirking. "What?"
"I could have hit it again…" Bella said with a grin.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Zane asked, exasperated.
"It was too much fun watching you panic," Bella replied, causing Rowan to laugh.
"Come on you two, let's get back," she told them and led the way back to her car.
Rowan drove carefully back to the Palace, parking close to where she had parked before.
"See you guys later," Zane said and hopped out of the back, heading for the shadows again.
Rowan and Bella quickly walked into the complex, towards where they could Sanderson and the others talking. Seeing them approaching Sanderson gestured for them to hurry.
"Come on, you two, it's time for the bridesmaid shots!" he said. "We did the shots with Emma's parents while you were gone."
"Is everything okay?' Emma asked Bella when she joined the wedding party.
"I think so," Bella told her. "We'll know tonight, I mean tomorrow, at the party," she added hurriedly as Sanderson was listening.
The next group of shots were on the other side of the Rotunda as the light had changed, allowing Zane to easily slip the keys back into Sanderson's coat, which he discovered was now completely dry. After making sure that no one had seen him replace the keys Zane slipped back to the back of the pillars, watching the wedding party through gaps in the walls.
After Sanderson was through with the group photos they all headed back towards the Rotunda, where the actual wedding was going to take place. Enough chairs for Emma's parents and Rowan and the other Yanks had been set up, in two groups with an aisle between them leading to the far end of the Rotunda, next to the lagoon.
Leaving the wedding party in the center of the dome, Sanderson excused himself and went to his supplies and got a different lens. After switching out lenses he checked his coat, and finding it dry pulled it back on before heading back to the Rotunda.
"So now what?" Emma asked as Sanderson joined them again.
"Well, now you get married," he told her, gesturing towards where the minister stood waiting for them.
"Oh, right," Emma said, giggling. "With everything else going on I almost forgot."
Sanderson gave her an amused smile and took his place where he could get the best shots.
"Are you ready for this?" Ash asked Emma, as they looked down the aisle towards the minister and then to the side where the musicians waited.
Emma had wanted piano/cello music for the wedding and Rowan had helped her hire a couple of well-recommended locals. Now they were in place, patiently waiting for her signal.
"Yes, let's go," Emma told him and grabbed his hand to take him to the front.
"Uh, Emma," Ash told her, holding her back. "You need to wait here for a minute, remember?"
"Oh, right!" Emma said, blushing. "I forgot."
"Here's your dad; I'll meet you at the other end of the aisle," Ash said with a grin.
Ash and Lewis led the way up the aisle to take their place next to the minister. Once Mrs. Gilbert and Eliot were seated the rest of the Yanks filled in the seats around the aisle. Cleo gave Emma's bouquet one more look over and then took her place with Rikki and Bella at the back of the aisle.
As they stood in the back Mr. Gilbert took Emma's hand in his and gave it a squeeze.
"Ready, sweetie?" he asked softly.
"Ready, Dad," Emma told him, squeezing his hand back.
Mr. Gilbert offered his arm to Emma as she nodded at Cleo and then at the musicians. The sounds of Christina Perri's 'A Thousand Years' started and Cleo led the way forwards, with Rikki and Bella following evenly spaced behind. As Bella reached the front Emma and her father started off, slowly walking up the aisle.
At the top of the aisle Mr. Gilbert gave Emma a kiss and handed her off to Ash, who took her hand and turned to face the minister. Lewis joined him on the right and Cleo, Rikki, and Bella joined Emma on the left.
The rest of ceremony was a blur to Emma and Ash, who just stood there and stared at each other. They were just aware enough of what was going on to respond appropriately when the minister asked them a question. When Lewis handed Ash the ring he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with it, so enraptured he was by the sight of Emma standing there with him.
"Put it on Emma's finger," Lewis told him, much to the amusement of the rest of the wedding party.
"Oh, right," Ash said, grinning at Emma and taking her hand.
The ring was in gold, patterned just like golden seaweed and scales. Once it was firmly in place on Emma's finger the two turned back to the minister.
"I now pronounce you man and wife," the minister pronounced. "You may now kiss the bride."
Ash lifted Emma's veil and the two kissed, to the cheers of the entire wedding party. And then, to the sounds of the musicians the two walked back down the aisle to the center of the Rotunda.
Rikki followed Cleo and Lewis back down the aisle towards where Emma and Ash were waiting for them. When she got to where Rowan and Paul were waiting she stopped and gave Rowan a big hug.
"Thanks for everything," Rikki told her. "I don't know if I could have done it without you."
"I'm glad I could help," Rowan said, watching as Mr. Sanderson took more pictures. "I wasn't completely sure we would be able to pull it off."
"It did feel like an impossible mission, didn't it?" Rikki asked.
"Yes it did, but we did it anyway," Rowan said.
"Yes we did!" Rikki exclaimed. "We got Emma and Ash married!"
After tossing the bouquet, which Tanya caught and then promptly gave her longtime boyfriend Stephen 'The Look', Emma and Ash left by themselves in the first limo. The rest of the wedding party stood on the curb and waved as the limo carried the two newlyweds off to an undisclosed location. The only person who knew where they were going was Rowan, and she refused to tell any of the others where that was.
After the limo rounded the corner and vanished the rest of the wedding party split up for the ride back to San Rafael. As Jake and Melanie headed for their car, Mr. Sanderson hurried up to talk to them.
"Excuse me, Mr. Roberts?" Sanderson said.
"Mr. Sanderson; thanks again for taking the pictures," Jake told him.
"Yes, I can't wait to see them," Melanie told him.
"My pleasure," Sanderson replied.
"So what can I do for you?" Jake asked Sanderson, seeing that he wanted to ask something.
"Well Mr. Roberts, I'm holding a release party tonight for a special photo I took, and I would love it if you and your wife would come," Sanderson replied, holding out a card. "I understand the wedding party is not until tomorrow night…"
"We'd love to come," Melanie said to Sanderson. "I love photography!"
"I guess we're coming," Jake said to Sanderson with a smile and looked at the card. "At eight then?"
"Thanks; this means a lot to me," Sanderson said and after shaking both Jake and Melanie's hand excused himself and went to finish loading his gear.
"What was that all about?" Jake asked Melanie as he helped her into the car.
"Rowan says we have some unfinished business," Melanie told him.
Continued with Chapter 12, Proof
Thanks for reading. Sorry, but you'll have to wait for the next chapter to see what Bella did...