CHAPTER 51
When Duncan and Ellen arrived in New York their first stop was Claudia's hotel. They started with her room, but all that turned up was the fact she'd taken nothing with her, not even her sword. "We don't even know if she was here when she called." Duncan said with a sigh, throwing the sword and most of her things into an empty suitcase. He was determined to find her and knew she'd need these things.
"Well someone knows something." Ellen wouldn't let him get discouraged so easily. She left the room and took the elevator to the lobby.
"Yes, I am a friend of Claudia Jardine's and I was supposed to meet her in her room, but she hasn't arrived. Perhaps she left a message?"
The front desk clerk didn't find any messages, but suggested she speak with the concierge who said he could not help her since he hadn't spoken with Ms. Jardine in a few days.
"Are you certain?" Ellen asked sweetly, leaning in a little over his desk.
"Well yes, but I work nights. I only came on duty at 5 so if she needed assistance earlier then perhaps she spoke with Reginald, the day man."
"How could I get in touch with him?"
"I'm afraid he won't be in until the morning."
Ellen put on her most convincing pout as Duncan watched the antics from across the lobby. She was very persuasive.
"Well it isn't too late. Let me see if he answers his cell." The man agreed.
A few minutes later he hung up the phone. "Reginald spoke with her around 11 this morning. She asked to use the small auditorium the hotel provided as a practice room for her."
Ellen thanked him and followed Duncan, who was already on his way down the hallway the concierge indicated.
There they found Claudia's sheet music valise knocked over and stray papers scattered around the piano.
"They got her here." Duncan said as he picked up a few sheets.
"Looks like she didn't go easily." Ellen nodded toward the piano bench that had been knocked on it's side and the chairs that were in disarray, following the path where they must have dragged her.
The two went out the exit where Claudia had obviously been taken, but it only led to an empty alley. They were long since gone.
"Let's check with the concierge. Maybe someone saw something." Ellen suggested.
"No . that would be a waste. If someone saw her being taken they would have called the police. And from the looks of the concert room, no one's been in there to clean up the mess. We're going to have to figure this out on our own."
He went back to the lobby and retrieved Claudia's things before hailing a cab.
"Where are we going?" Ellen asked as she climbed in.
"I've got a few friends in town. We need computer access." He answered before answering his cell phone.
"This is MacLeod."
"Mac!" Amanda's frantic voice came over the line before it was ripped from her hands.
"Hide and Seek MacLeod. Tag you're it." An unfamiliar voice said before the line went dead.
"Turn the cab around!" Duncan yelled to the driver. "Take us to the airport, step on it."
"Duncan, what's going on? Who was that?" Ellen asked as she held on to the door handle when the cab spun around.
"Here, start calling airlines. I need a ticket to Munich, first available." Duncan ordered, tossing her Claudia's phone while he did the same on his own.
"It says there's a message." Ellen said, pressing the menu to see if she could retrieve it. "That's weird, someone who knows you have her phone. They want you in Munich."
Duncan put the phone to his ear when she had it ready to play. He recognized Methos' voice immediately "MacLeod, you need to go to Munich."
He replayed the message over a few times but the only other thing he could hear was someone banging on a door in the background, yelling for someone to hurry up and get on the plane.
"This doesn't make any sense." Duncan said to himself. He knew Methos had gone on a rampage and that one day he would probably have to face him, but the last thing he'd expected was for the ancient immortal to literally call him out. Was he suddenly that sure he could take MacLeod? Or had his old friend completely lost it? Whatever it was, he knew if Methos was behind these disappearances and if any harm had come to the others, he'd send him straight to hell . no questions.
When Duncan and Ellen arrived in New York their first stop was Claudia's hotel. They started with her room, but all that turned up was the fact she'd taken nothing with her, not even her sword. "We don't even know if she was here when she called." Duncan said with a sigh, throwing the sword and most of her things into an empty suitcase. He was determined to find her and knew she'd need these things.
"Well someone knows something." Ellen wouldn't let him get discouraged so easily. She left the room and took the elevator to the lobby.
"Yes, I am a friend of Claudia Jardine's and I was supposed to meet her in her room, but she hasn't arrived. Perhaps she left a message?"
The front desk clerk didn't find any messages, but suggested she speak with the concierge who said he could not help her since he hadn't spoken with Ms. Jardine in a few days.
"Are you certain?" Ellen asked sweetly, leaning in a little over his desk.
"Well yes, but I work nights. I only came on duty at 5 so if she needed assistance earlier then perhaps she spoke with Reginald, the day man."
"How could I get in touch with him?"
"I'm afraid he won't be in until the morning."
Ellen put on her most convincing pout as Duncan watched the antics from across the lobby. She was very persuasive.
"Well it isn't too late. Let me see if he answers his cell." The man agreed.
A few minutes later he hung up the phone. "Reginald spoke with her around 11 this morning. She asked to use the small auditorium the hotel provided as a practice room for her."
Ellen thanked him and followed Duncan, who was already on his way down the hallway the concierge indicated.
There they found Claudia's sheet music valise knocked over and stray papers scattered around the piano.
"They got her here." Duncan said as he picked up a few sheets.
"Looks like she didn't go easily." Ellen nodded toward the piano bench that had been knocked on it's side and the chairs that were in disarray, following the path where they must have dragged her.
The two went out the exit where Claudia had obviously been taken, but it only led to an empty alley. They were long since gone.
"Let's check with the concierge. Maybe someone saw something." Ellen suggested.
"No . that would be a waste. If someone saw her being taken they would have called the police. And from the looks of the concert room, no one's been in there to clean up the mess. We're going to have to figure this out on our own."
He went back to the lobby and retrieved Claudia's things before hailing a cab.
"Where are we going?" Ellen asked as she climbed in.
"I've got a few friends in town. We need computer access." He answered before answering his cell phone.
"This is MacLeod."
"Mac!" Amanda's frantic voice came over the line before it was ripped from her hands.
"Hide and Seek MacLeod. Tag you're it." An unfamiliar voice said before the line went dead.
"Turn the cab around!" Duncan yelled to the driver. "Take us to the airport, step on it."
"Duncan, what's going on? Who was that?" Ellen asked as she held on to the door handle when the cab spun around.
"Here, start calling airlines. I need a ticket to Munich, first available." Duncan ordered, tossing her Claudia's phone while he did the same on his own.
"It says there's a message." Ellen said, pressing the menu to see if she could retrieve it. "That's weird, someone who knows you have her phone. They want you in Munich."
Duncan put the phone to his ear when she had it ready to play. He recognized Methos' voice immediately "MacLeod, you need to go to Munich."
He replayed the message over a few times but the only other thing he could hear was someone banging on a door in the background, yelling for someone to hurry up and get on the plane.
"This doesn't make any sense." Duncan said to himself. He knew Methos had gone on a rampage and that one day he would probably have to face him, but the last thing he'd expected was for the ancient immortal to literally call him out. Was he suddenly that sure he could take MacLeod? Or had his old friend completely lost it? Whatever it was, he knew if Methos was behind these disappearances and if any harm had come to the others, he'd send him straight to hell . no questions.