Couples

Chapter 92

"'Our car broke down, and our phones have no bars. We need to call for a tow,' Brad explains.

"A mournful affect spreads through the wraith's entire body," Meryl continues. "' I'm ever so sorry. This entire area is a dead zone for cell service.'

"'Do you have a landline?' Janet asks.

"Their greeter wrings his long-fingered hands. 'I regret that we don't. We do, however, have internet by satellite. If you would like to send a message in that way, I can give you access – limited access – to our computer.'

"Brad and Janet look at each other. Finally, Brad shrugs. 'If that's the best you can do, we'd be grateful.'

"The host beckons. 'Then, if you please, follow me.'"

Meryl gazes around the room, and a man sporting elf ears nods and begins his segment. "Brad and Janet had been expecting a laptop or a small desk model. Instead, they discover a room filled with electronic equipment. The host's elongated hand points to a terminal. 'You are welcome to use that. Our guest password is Forrester. The first letter is capitalized. I regret that I have duties to my other guests, so I will leave you to it.'

"Brad grabs for Janet's hand. 'What do we do now?'

"Call for a pickup,' she answers.

"'It will take hours for our people to reach our position,' he worries.

"'We can observe and investigate until then,' Janet decides. "All this equipment must have a purpose. We should determine what it is.'

"Brad scans the room. 'Agreed.'"

Elf-ears regards the other guests. "Next?"

Lorne picks up the tale. "Janet pulls a small device from her purse and hands it to Brad. It hums as he passes it over the banks of electronics in the room. Janet takes it back from him and presses it to her forehead, where it sticks. 'They're tracking us, tracking us all,' she exclaims. 'We need to reach out to Mother.' She rapidly taps keys on the terminal she and Brad were assigned. 'We can send a signal, but anything originating from this station has been deliberately sabotaged to travel at minimal speed.'

"'Can you boost it?' Brad inquires.

"Janet checks through the contents of her bag and grunts in frustration. 'The device I have requires our vehicle to act as a power source to function in that way. I can compress our information into a pulse that will arrive more quickly. But that is the best I can do under these conditions. We will have to remain for pickup and debriefing.'

"'Perhaps we can use the time to evaluate our environment further,' Brad suggests.

"'Perhaps we can,' Janet agrees."

Lorne coughs and clears his throat. "Sorry, Rick," he apologizes, "I'd love to go on, but I need a drink. Unless Lanie would like to continue."

Madame Curie vigorously shakes her head. "When I put together a story, I stick to the facts."

"How about a short wet-your-whistles break?" Rick suggests. "Warning, the punch is more potent than it was before our junior guests went off to Dreamland. The iconic New York seltzer, however, is guaranteed safe for designated drivers and early risers."

With bubbles of carbonation still tickling his nose, Lorne retakes his place in the story circle. "While Brad and Janet are in the back room, the host huddles with some of his other guests. 'Are they the ones we've been tracking?' a bi-stamen inquires.

"Tendrils creep out from the greeter's gauzy garment. 'The intentions I sense are aggressive. They will signal others. We must defend against their entire force.'

"The bi-stamen stretches to his full height. 'Then defend we will.'"

Lorne takes a deep breath. "Would anyone like to take it from here?"

After vainly checking for any other volunteers, Rick picks up the thread. "Brad and Janet circulate through the room, at times gyrating to the changing rhythms but always observing the other guests. A high-pitched whine slowly penetrates the solidly constructed edifice, and vibrations spread through the roof and down the walls. 'They're here,' Janet notes, grabbing Brad and rushing through the gathering.

"The room suddenly chills as a human strike force sprays the plastic composite door with liquid nitrogen before a battering ram shatters it to small shards. Armored and armed humans flood into the room, pointing sonic wave assault weapons. Janet raises a glittering gold insignia, and Brad holds a silver one aloft. 'The Terran Universal Army claims this outpost in the name of the Central Allied Planets.' Janet declares.

"'Central Allied thugs have no place here,' the host retorts. His tendrils begin to hiss, along with those of all the members of his hive. The odor of freshly cut grass, the vegetal response to the threat of injury fills the vast space. Janet's eyes widen in disbelief as all the other Terran's knees give way. The plant-descended denizens of this planet are supposed to be defenseless, but the sweet vapors are sapping her strength and that of her forces. One by one, the invaders sink to the floor, with Janet the last to lose consciousness. 'Fracking phytos!' she exclaims as her vision goes dark. 'We would have taken this cursed globe except for those damn plants!'"

Rising from his chair, Rick grins. "Time for Scooby snacks, or in this case, the evening's special treats. We have unique Halloween creations courtesy of Chef Auchincloss of Imagination Patch and soon to be opening a restaurant of his own. Enjoy!"

"I didn't expect you to be pacing around after the party," Rick offers when Kate finally climbs into bed. "By the time you said good night to Lanie, and we finished cleaning up, you looked ready to hit the sack."

"I am tired," Kate admits, "but there was something about the story that got me thinking about the case. It was your twist, really."

"You mean the humans being the bad guys and the plant people being the good guys?" Rick asks.

"Uh-huh. I've been looking at the companies that Calista inspected as the bad guys. I was trying to figure out which one would want to take her out for making them clean up their acts. I read through some of the threats, and they were like, 'If you don't leave us alone, we'll need to take action.' At the time, When I first went through them, I thought she was just trying to do her job. But what if she was blackmailing them by threatening to screw up their insurance coverage? What if she was the bad guy, and someone struck back in self-defense?"

"You'd still have the same suspects, wouldn't you?" Rick asks.

"Yes," Kate confirms, "but the way they and Calista acted would be different. She could have been lured to the East River with the promise of a payoff. A lot of money might have been enough to overcome her fear, especially if she didn't have to get too close to the water."

"People will overcome a lot for money," Rick agrees. "So, how do you find out who enticed her to the water's edge? And why would the murderer throw her in a dumpster?"

"Maybe as a statement that she was garbage," Kate guesses. "And also to get her as far away as possible from anything associated with the killer."

"So instead of someone around Soho, you might be looking for a suspect headquartered uptown or even in another borough," Rick guesses.

Kate punches the air. "Exactly! So now we'll be searching for someone, nowhere near SoHo, who Calista's blackmail would have drained so badly that they'd be willing to kill to stop it. I'm going to get with Ryan again about the traffic cams. We need to spot a vehicle that doesn't belong in the neighborhood. And I need to talk to Calista's wife again, too. I'll be coming at it from a whole different angle."