I intended to post this last night, and have no excuse since we stayed home. Anyway, here is the promised chapter.
Chapter 12.
House was puzzled by Cameron's suggestion. "Huh?"
"You heard me. I want to go to the hotel and confront Langley."
He shrugged. "It's better than sitting around here waiting for still another shoe to hit the floor."
They locked the door behind them and got into the car. The drive to the hotel was spent discussing how best to approach Langley. But when they arrived, the night desk clerk told House that neither the hotel owner nor Flynn was there. House returned to the corner where Cameron waited.
"Do you know where either of them live?" Cameron didn't, but hoped House had a way to know.
"No, but we can find out." House did a search on his phone, finding that the hotel was listed as the owner's address. Nothing for Flynn.
He stormed back to the clerk. "Which room is Harold Langley's?"
"I can't give out that information." The clerk was obviously intimidated by House but stood his ground.
House and Cameron withdrew to the still open lounge. "We can call him and find out which room the call goes to," she suggested.
"I have a better idea. We can have a package delivered for him. The clerk will either put it into a mail slot or have it brought up to him. Either way, we'll learn which room he's in."
She nodded. "Do it."
Once he ordered a gift box of men's toiletries from the all-night drugstore, they waited for the delivery. The box arrived and the desk clerk instructed the delivery man where to take it. House and Cameron stayed out of sight from the clerk as they followed the box onto the elevator, smiled pleasantly at the delivery man and watched him press number seven.
"That's where we're going." Cameron smiled again.
He allowed them to get off first, but with the pretext of looking for their keycard in Cameron's purse they remained near the elevator as he strode to the left. Following not far behind, House and Cameron walked past and around a corner when the man stopped at room seven twenty. They peeked as they waited for him to deliver the toiletries and return to the elevator. After he'd entered the car again, they retraced their steps and knocked on the door of Langley's room.
Langley opened the door part way to ask what they wanted, but House pushed it all the way in.
"We came to talk to you about a number of things, most importantly, the whereabouts of Edna McClelland." House strode into the hotel room. It was more of a suite, with separate living room space and bedroom. A utility kitchen took up one corner of the living room. House looked around. "It appears she's not here."
"Why would I know where she is?" Langley's sneer and raised eyebrow said he wasn't about to admit anything.
"What do you have against Will Davis?" Cameron asked, not really changing the subject. "And us?"
"I barely know you, and Davis is none of my concern. Really, whatever you've heard, you should get your facts straight."
"And what facts are those?" House sauntered around the room, picking up a knickknack here, another there, and looking at the bottoms.
"I have no interest in Will Davis or the two of you. If someone is threatening any of you, it isn't me. As far as I know, Mrs. McClelland is a lovely woman but our paths haven't ever crossed."
"Mr. Langley, what's the real story behind your wife's death?" Cameron continued to bring up assorted aspects of what they'd heard.
Langley's face went from annoyed to angry. "Get out, or I shall have to call hotel security. Get out now."
They started to leave, but Cameron had one more question. "What kind of employee is George Flynn?"
"George?" Langley shrugged. "Why're you asking about him? He's the daytime desk clerk. Does his job and goes home."
"Where does he live?" House asked.
The angry face was back. "I can't give out that information, just as you can't disclose patient information."
"It's not the same thing."
Cameron pulled at House's sleeve. "Let's go. We don't need to get the address from him."
As they waited for the elevator, Cameron reminded House, "Flynn came into the clinic today. His data is on the intake form. We can go back to my office and get it."
But before they reached the car, each of their phones rang. The name on the caller ID on Cameron's was Anna. "I hope you called because you've heard from Edna."
"No, I'm sorry. I called because I hoped you had more news." Anna sounded disappointed.
Cameron hesitated mentioning the call threatening her landlady. "We're still trying to find her."
Her call ended before House's, but she couldn't guess who he was talking to from the monosyllabic responses he made.
Finally, he put his phone away. "That was Anderson. He revealed that Mrs. Langley fell from a hotel balcony around the same time Will was repairing some hotel rooms. At first they thought Flynn pushed her, but he was cleared of any charges. They never thought Will was at fault."
"But Langley did."
House nodded.
"Could they be holding Edna here in the hotel?" Cameron looked back down the hallway.
"It's possible, but we can't check out every room. There has to be another way."
Her phone rang again. "Hello, Duncan. Are you in Shelby yet?"
"I'll be there in in ten minutes."
"Come to the hotel on the town square," Cameron said.
House watched her finish her call. "Guess we're not leaving."
"If we go to Flynn's place and he's not there, it'll mean he's guarding her, and where else but here?"
"I have an idea. Go back to the night desk clerk, ask whether he's seen Flynn. I'll stay out of the way. You can say your tests show that he has a condition that requires immediate attention."
She nodded. When they got off the elevator, she approached the front desk and House stepped around a corner. "I'm looking for George Flynn. I thought he'd be working the desk this evening."
"He's the daytime clerk. Perhaps I can help you."
"It's a medical matter." She lowered her voice, as if she was sharing confidential information. "I guess I can tell you that George came to the clinic today with some stomach distress. I've run some tests for him, and unfortunately, well, I can't really say more, but he does need immediate treatment." The serious look on her face should convince him to divulge Flynn's location.
"Well, I'm not supposed to say, but he stayed at the hotel tonight." He looked past her to be sure no one could hear. "He's in room seven sixteen."
Could it be that they'd been so close to Edna when they visited Langley? "Thank you. You have no idea how important this is." She walked toward the elevators but detoured to where House waited. "Flynn's in seven sixteen. We can wait for Duncan and all go up together."
"You think we need reinforcements if we're going to storm the room?"
"I think we'll knock on the door, and with three of us, there's no chance Flynn will get away." As she said it, Duncan came through the doors.
Cameron motioned him over, peeking to see whether the desk clerk noticed him. "We think someone is holding your mother in room seven sixteen."
Celia was behind Duncan.
They eased over to the elevators, doing their best to stay out of sight from the desk clerk. The elevator whisked them up to the seventh floor and once more they strode down the hall, stopping this time at room seven sixteen.
"I hear voices inside, and neither is a woman's voice."
"Maybe Langley is in there too now."
"Whose Langley?" Duncan answered himself. "Oh, yeah. He owns this joint, doesn't he?"
"Yes. House and I spoke with him earlier, but he denied knowing where your mother might be."
"Why would he want to kidnap Duncan's mother?" Celia shook her head. "What's going on this time?" She and Duncan had helped a little with their previous escapades.
"We'll explain later. Right now, let's see what Flynn has to say." Cameron rapped on the door twice.
"Who is it?" The voice coming from the other side was deep. Could it be the same voice as on the phone?
"Mr. Flynn, it's Dr. Cameron. I got some results for you and didn't want to wait. You have to begin treatment immediately." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Duncan and Celia's puzzled looks.
George Flynn opened the door a crack and the others pressed back against the wall so he couldn't see them. "Dr. Cameron. I didn't expect you. How did you find me?"
"The night clerk was kind enough to send me up, since it was such a serious matter. I didn't tell him any specifics, of course."
A voice came from beyond Flynn, recognizable as Langley muttering, "He's fired."
"May I come in?" Cameron asked.
Flynn looked over his shoulder, then opened the door wider.
Cameron stepped inside a room that was the mirror image of Langley's. No one else was in sight. Before Flynn could close the door, though, House, Duncan and Celia joined them.
"What's this?" Flynn stepped back in alarm, and Langley appeared from the bedroom.
House smiled at the hotel owner. He shifted position so he could look into the other room. The bed was disheveled, but no one else was in the apartment. House grabbed Langley's arm. "Suppose you take us back to your place so we can look in the bedroom there."
"I assure you, doctor, my apartment is completely empty."
All six of them walked down the hallway to seven twenty and Langley used his key card to open the door. The living room was as they last saw it. House went directly to the bedroom and pushed the door open. As Langley said, empty.
"What about the room between yours and Flynn's?" Cameron approached the connecting door.
Langley stiffened. "What about it?"
House rolled his eyes. "Cameron, open it."
"It has a keypad." She turned to Flynn rather than Langley. "What's the code?"
He glanced at his boss, compressed his lips, then looked at her. "I don't know."
She shook her head. "Sure you do."
Duncan pushed him toward the door. "Open the door. Now."
Flynn took a deep breath and let it out. He punched in four numbers, then pulled down on the handle.
Another identical room, down to the pictures on the walls and the curtains on the windows. Duncan and House dashed to the bedroom with Cameron and Celia not far behind. On the bed, fully clothed, Edna McClelland slept. Or perhaps she was drugged. Either way, they'd found her.
Duncan went to her side and took her hand. "Mom. Mother, please wake up. We're going to take you home."
It took a while for them to rouse her, but finally she opened her eyes and looked around. "Where am I?"
"Harold Langley and George Flynn kidnapped you and brought you to the hotel." Cameron kept it simple. They could tell her more later when she was fully aware, and ask their own questions.
"Why?"
"Near as we can understand, he has a grudge against Will, and that's now extended to House and me." Cameron helped her sit up with help from Duncan.
"He always was a strange one, Harold Langley. But after his wife died..."
"Yes, we know about that. Swing your legs over the edge, but don't stand just yet," Cameron said.
House looked back to the door. "No one's watching Langley and Flynn."
"Where are they going to go? We caught them red-handed." Duncan sat next to his mother. "Although maybe you should call the police chief."
House nodded and took out his phone.
"I'm going to call Anna. She's worried about you," Cameron told Edna.
Celia took her place next to her future mother-in-law while Cameron made the call.
"Anderson will be at the hotel in a matter of minutes to collect the perps," House announced.
"I have several questions for them, but they can wait until tomorrow." Cameron turned to Edna. "Anna says she's so glad your safe. She'll stop by in the morning, but not too early. Let's get you home. Stand slowly."
With Duncan's hands gripping her shoulders, Edna stood. She seemed a bit unsteady, so Celia took her hand.
They all left the room. Langley and Flynn had fled the living room, but Anderson would find them.
Duncan took his mother home in his car, with House and Cameron following in theirs, hoping this was the end of the incidents meant to harm Will.