Chapter 27 – Unravelling

"What do you mean, Lilah's got Gina?"

I hear Wes taking a deep breath, and I wait for him to calm a bit. When he speaks again, he sounds exhausted.

"To be honest, I don't know. Just … who else could it be? The place has been searched, but they don't seem to have taken anything. And she's not here."

"Do you want us to come over?"

"Yes, … no. I'll come to you. I can't think straight here anyway."

We hang up then, and I quickly fill Spike in on the situation. His expression leaves me in no doubt of the depth of his feelings on the matter. He hasn't known Gina for long, but he was already very fond of her. The only positive thing is that I'd bet it's taken his mind off his own problems.

A moment later, Lucy joins us. She looks tired, and I thought she'd gone to bed, but apparently she didn't.

"Is something wrong?" she asks.

I repeat the story, and add the news that Wes is due any moment.

"I may be able to help," she offers. "But I need to know something first. Clinton might be able to track your friend, do a location spell of sorts. But, if I ask him to come here, I need to know that he'll be safe."

"If he's trying to help, why wouldn't he be?" Spike demands.

"Well, from what you've told me about this Wes, he was trained as a Watcher. The Council of Watchers isn't known for its tolerance of demons, regardless of their motives."

"You're talking about a man who's been working with Angel for years, and who didn't balk at the idea of bringing Spike back, even though we expected him to be as he was before." I'm irritated, and I make an effort to calm myself. It's just that Gina's in danger. We can't afford to waste time.

"You believe that Clinton will be safe, then?"

"Providing he does nothing to threaten one of us, I don't see why not."

"Very well, I will ask him to come. Although he is well able to defend himself, I would rather that it didn't become necessary."

She disappears again, into the bedroom, and a moment later the phone rings. It's Willow, and she's got her flights arranged, but she won't be here until late tonight. In the meantime, it looks like we're going to need Clinton.

He arrives a few moments later. Lucy seems to know he's there, and goes to open the door for him. I wonder again about how they're communicating. I mean, even if she's got a cell phone, it's not a lot of use if he doesn't speak.

He says nothing, big surprise there, and hovers close to Lucy as she sits again. I can't help but study him a bit. He's not like any of the other Carnolans we met. Oh, he's tall, dark and, well, handsome enough to get a second look or two. But the others all seemed a bit full of their own importance, and very keen to talk. I'm not sure he even can talk. Maybe it's like monks, and he's taken a vow of silence or something. I'm interrupted from my musing by Spike's hand on my arm. It's only then that I realise I've been staring a bit. He looks worried, and I just love him more. The pressure of his hand is reassuring, and I sit closer to him, hoping to share some of that reassurance with him.

A moment later I hear a key in the lock, and just after that, Wes appears. He and Gina took a key before we left so they could keep an eye on the place.

We do a minimal introduction, and explain why we're back. Once that's out of the way, Wes tells us what's happened here.

"Ok, you know I've been trying to use my contacts to set up a freelance demon hunting business, what with the difference in opinion I had with my previous employers. Well, I got a call tonight from the owner of a small theatre. It seems something's been munching on patrons as they leave in the evening, and it's giving the theatre a bad name, so he asked me to come out and investigate. I left about nine, got to the theatre, and had a look around the area. I found a vampire nest nearby. With hindsight, maybe I found it too easily, I don't know. It was empty, of course, at that time of night, so I went back to the theatre and waited until the show finished. I caught a couple of vamps who'd managed to manoeuvre a young couple into an alley, and managed to stake them. Once I'd finished, I spotted another, but he ran. I gave chase, even stayed in sight of him for a while, but he had the advantage of not having to breathe. I planned on going back to the nest in daylight to finish him off."

His expression changes then, going from very businesslike, very much the Wes I'm familiar with, to something much more vulnerable.

"By the time I got back, it was after three. I expected Gina to be in bed, but there was no sign of her. The apartment looked like it had been searched, but nothing was taken, as far as I could tell. Certainly, my files and other valuables all seemed to be there. I spotted her cell phone lying on the table, and it's not like her to leave that behind. I spent some time trying to ring you, checking with her friends, anyone she might have run to. I even called Angel and Fred, but they couldn't tell me anything. I searched the apartment, looking for something, any clue, but there was nothing. I was just considering whether to call the police, when you called me on my home number, and I got ready to come here. That's when I noticed that I'd lost my own cell, so I picked up Gina's. Then, on a hunch, I checked through the received calls, and she had one, apparently from my phone, a couple of hours after I went out. I didn't make that call. I had my phone with me when I went out, but I didn't use it. I assume it fell out of my pocket some time in the evening."

"So, maybe, the whole point of the job was to get you out of the way, and relieve you of your cell," I surmise.

Wes' face crumples at that. "It's my fault. I should have known …"

"No," I tell him, moving towards him and putting an arm around his shoulder. "Whoever did this knows you, knew how you'd react. So, yeah, it's probably Lilah. But, Willow's on her way, and in the meantime, Lucy's brought someone who might be able to help too. Clinton's going to do a tracing spell."

Lucy takes over the explanation then.

"My friend Clinton may be able to find your wife," she offers. "However, he will need something of hers – something she normally keeps close to her."

Wes's shoulders slump as he thinks about that, and then he straightens suddenly. He reaches into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulls out his wallet. He opens it, and removes a ring. I recognise it instantly; it's Gina's engagement ring.

"Her fingers were swollen when we were out today. She was finding it uncomfortable, but she didn't have a pocket so she asked me to look after it for her."

His fingers are trembling slightly as he hands it over.

Clinton takes the ring from his fingers, holding it as if it were fragile. He then produces a map from his pocket. It looks like a photocopy or something – or maybe it's from a computer. Anyway, the scale is very small. He lays the map out on the floor in front of him, and I'm waiting for the inevitable candles, but he doesn't seem to have any. Magic without candles seems wrong, somehow.

What he does then is very odd. He places the ring in the centre of the map and starts to wrap it like a very small gift. My first thought is that the map's not going to be of any use after this, as it gets folded into ever smaller bits. When the ring is parcelled within the map, he holds it in his cupped hands, and closes his eyes. Then, for the first time I hear his voice. He doesn't speak, he sings, or rather, hums. The note is pure and low, deep but without any of the roughness so common on lower notes. It's almost hypnotic, and I can feel my attention riveted to the parcel in his hands.

And then, the note stops. Clinton starts to unwrap the ring, and I wonder why the magic failed. I expected a change, something spectacular, but there was nothing. As he finishes unwrapping the map, I realise it's different. The scale is much bigger, but it's blurred, almost as if it's out of focus. He stares at it for a moment, then shakes his head.

"What is it?" Wes demands. He's getting closer to Clinton, but Lucy steps between them.

"Her position is being shielded. The spell has given a general indication, but it can't get through the shielding to find her exact location."

"But, if the magic that's shielding her is Carnolan, shouldn't this get through?" Spike demands.

"It should. Therefore, the magic is not Carnolan."

I look at the map. The area seems familiar - it looks like the southern part of the rough triangle that's formed by the San Diego, Ventura, and Golden State freeways. It doesn't help much. The area is packed with apartment buildings, offices, and businesses; she could be held anywhere. Without better information, we stand no chance of finding her.

I glance at Wes, and he's worked out as much as I have.

"Still," I try to reassure him. "If she's a hostage, it's in their interest to keep her safe, and Willow might be able to tell us more."

"If she's a hostage, there'd be some sort of message," he argues. "We'd have some sort of confirmation."

"Maybe there is, but it's gone to your place," Spike points out. Wes starts guiltily.

"You're right, I should get back."

"I'm coming too," I tell him.

"You don't need to, you probably need to sleep," he argues.

"And you don't?"

He stops arguing then, and I get up.

"Wes, just let me wash my face, and I'll be ready."

I go into my bedroom, and Spike follows.

"I take it you want me to stay and defend our hostage."

"Yeah, please."

He nods. "Come back soon as you can. Can't help but think we're more vulnerable split up."

"I know. Poor Gina," I say, feeling more scared for her than I want to feel for anyone.

"Yeah," he agrees, putting his arms around me. I lean my head on his chest and just enjoy a few moments of peace.

"Funny, though," he says.

"What?"

"Why would Lilah hide Gina behind magic that's not Carnolan? She doesn't know we've got access to Carnolan magic, but she does know that we've got access to other magics. I don't know if she knows Willow's been involved so far or not, but she's bound to realise that we needed some pretty big mojo to create an army of slayers."

He lets me think about that for a moment, before stating the conclusion that was starting to form in my own mind.

"Unless she's trying to hide Gina from the Senior Partners."

"But why would she do that?" I ask.

Spike shrugs.

"I can't see it," he admits. "From what you've told me, she's always worked for them. They own her, even after her death."

"They do. Wes tried to free her before she died. He burned her contract, but it didn't help."

"Maybe, this is her way of saying, 'thanks'."

It seems unlikely, but I suppose it's possible.

Spike goes back to the living room then, and I go to wash. When I finish in the bathroom, I go out into the hallway, but hear someone at the front door. I approach and see an envelope being pushed under the door. I pick up the envelope, and immediately open the door, hurrying towards the door to the stairwell that's still swinging. I go through it, and down to the lobby that's filled with sunshine as it always is in the morning. And there, in front of me, is a vaguely human form which is on fire, silently screaming and reaching towards something as it turns to dust. Shocked, it takes a second before I put everything together. The vampire, and I've got to assume that's what it was, was trying to reach an old blanket which is lying close to the door to the street.

I hear someone approaching from behind, and look to see Spike. He moves straight for the blanket, lifting it to his nose.

"Vampire?" he asks.

"Looked like it. The question is, did he or she intend to get sunburned, or did they just mis-time their escape?"

I approach the door, but I don't see any obvious escape route.

"I think they used this to get in," Spike informs me. "S'been used as a sunshade. You can't stop getting a bit singed doing that, and I should know. Always leaves a bit of smell on the blanket."

"But it was lying in full sun," I say, still confused.

"Well, either they were very careless about where they left it, or someone moved it," he answers.

For the first time I look at the envelope in my hand. It has Wesley's name on it.

We go back inside, and I hand it to Wes.

"Looks like they found you," I offer.

He tears it open, pulling out a sheet of very fine paper.

He reads it through, then goes back to the beginning, and reads it aloud.

Wes,

Don't try to find Gina. She's safe for now. Don't worry.

And, this note's been specially treated. After a minute or two of being in the air, it'll disintegrate.

Lilah

As he says the last words, the paper starts to curl at the edges, then it just turns to dust.

"Now, that's a welcome variation on the Mission Impossible theme," Spike comments, looking impressed.

"Who delivered it?" Wes demands.

"Whoever it was came to a dusty end," I answer. "Personally, I think that's carrying the Mission Impossible idea a bit too far. Looks like Lilah's doing her best to make sure this can't be traced to her."

Wes is looking very confused now, and I nudge Spike.

"Spike, tell Wes what you said to me earlier," I ask.

As he turns to do that, I go to Lucy. I look around, realising that Clinton's gone again.

"Where's Clinton?"

"He has things to attend to. When your other friend arrives, he'll be back. He's going to need to find out what he can about the amulet if we're going to be able to destroy the link between Spike and Lilah."

"Ok," I say. "Seems reasonable. Anything else you need?"

"Well, details on the contract that you've made with the Senior Partners would be helpful too. There may be something in the wording that might help. Who was party to that?"

"Well, I've got a paper contract, but both Wesley and I experienced it at the time."

"Good, two minds will be better than one. If I can read the contract for now? I suspect your watcher friend is too upset to be very useful at the moment."

I fetch the contract, and hand it to Lucy. She gets up to take it to her room. I follow her out on the pretext of making sure she's got towels.

"There's one thing I've been wondering about," I say.

She looks at me and smiles.

"Only one?"

"Well, one for now. Why doesn't Clinton speak? I was starting to think he was mute or something. Can he speak?"

"Clinton can speak very well, my dear. He simply chooses not to. Those who are learned in the lore, and there are many more of them than there were historically, are wary of using their voices other than for the magic. There have been … accidents. The magic of the Carnolans is activated by the rather unusual harmonics produced by their voices. Although it's unlikely, it's possible to activate something unexpectedly, and so they choose not to speak."

"So, how do they communicate?"

She smiles at that, then seems to focus somewhere else for a moment. The next thing I know, I hear a voice in my head. It's the most beautiful voice I've ever heard, and I know it's Clinton's.

"We use this method," I hear, quite clearly, even though I know that my ears had nothing to do with the hearing.

"I can project words into your mind," the voice continues.

"And can you read my mind?" I think back.

There's no reaction, so I try asking the question out loud.

"Does that mean he can read my mind?"

"No," reassures Lucy. "Humans can be taught to communicate with an adept like Clinton, but it doesn't come naturally. Even then, there has to be an intent to communicate, so your private thoughts are safe."

I realise that I'm relieved to hear that. The idea that Carnolans could pick up on my private thoughts isn't a particularly happy one.

When I return to the living room, it's to find Wesley and Spike getting ready to leave.

"Wes wants to visit his contact from last night," Spike explains. "He was going to go alone, but I persuaded him he'd do better with some company."

"Oh," is all I manage to that. Of course, I'd like to go, but …

"We won't be long, just a quick visit, a little bit of mindless violence, and we'll find out who put him up to contacting Wes last night. Should be back in a couple of hours."

And, do you know? He's so much the Spike I know in that instant, that I can't think of anything else to say.