Chapter Fifteen – "The Nightmare Continues"
Previously: Pursuing their search for the Vanished, Jily and Kendall are on their way to the Casino's second basement, the floor plan of which they found in a wall safe in Zendall's office. Zach was horrified when Ryan paid him a visit in jail because he'd assumed Ryan was protecting Kendall from being vanished by the Maniac. Di and Tad grew closer as they investigated the Casino's empty first basement although Di continued to be troubled because she hadn't gotten around to telling Tad that Dixie was alive. And then Tad was vanished.
Night fell upon a troubled Pine Valley. A toxic fog of dread gripped the town and wouldn't let go. Most of the residents who hadn't vanished were missing somebody who had. Nothing made sense to anybody. People locked their doors and barred their windows, fearing they would be the next to disappear and knowing they were helpless to stop that from happening. Some had theories, but nobody had answers.
Except for Amanda, who was certain of the truth. But it wasn't the Anti-Newbie/Recast conspiracy theory she was telling anybody who would listen. She saw Janet from Another Planet all over this mystery. With her Dad out of the country on a special assignment, her mom had begun to unspool. Their phone conversations were becoming increasingly bizarre, and Amanda was convinced her Mother had returned to Pine Valley to settle old scores.
"Please don't let that be true," she prayed. "I'd rather be the victim of an Anti-Newbie/Recast conspiracy than to think my Mother is behind all of this horror."
She gathered up all of her courage and called home.
"Mom, is everything okay?" she asked her. "Are you okay?"
"Rain as rain," Janet replied quickly.
Too quickly, Amanda thought miserably.
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"All I'm asking you, all I'm begging you, is to call Kendall and make sure she's all right."
Derek considered Zach's request. His Sister was missing, his Town was half-missing, his Police Force was stretched beyond its capabilities. He had never faced anything like this crisis, and he had faced more than his share. Even though he had only been cast rather recently, he was sure this was new territory for Derek Frye. He weighed the desperation in Slater's voice against the nonchalance Lavery was exhibiting.
"Call her, Lavery," he directed. "Now."
Ryan shrugged and punched the number into his cell phone. It rang. And rang. And rang.
"You've reached Zendall. Sorry, but all operatives are currently helping other clients. Your call is important to us, so please leave your name, number and the time you called and somebody will get back to you as soon as possible. Please wait for the beep and thank you for calling!"
"I don't like that," Ryan had to admit. "Kendall would have picked up. Something is wrong."
"Thank you," Zach breathed. "Now let's get over there and see what's going on! You can keep me in handcuffs, Dereck, I don't care. Put my legs in shackles, and I won't care. But what you can't do is to keep me locked up while Kendall's alone and in mortal danger!"
"Yes, I can, Slater" Derek said quietly. "But I'm not going to."
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"Don't worry, Babe," JR told his worried wife. They had drawn closer in these last weeks, and it had begun to hurt him to see her unhappy, which was strange to him because seeing her unhappy used to be his greatest joy in life.
"I know my Dad isn't a hero in this town," Babe said, crying on JR's shoulder. "But I love him, and I want him back!"
"I want my Uncle Stuart back too," JR commiserated. "And my Aunt Marian and sister Colby. I want things back the way they were yesterday!"
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Gina had the stereo on full blast and was dancing around the penthouse, waiting for Ryan to come home. "Pretty great," she thought. "Soon Ryan will be desperately in love with me, because I "get" him, whatever that means. That's when he'll forget there ever was a Greenlee before me. As for Kendall, she'll probably disappear with all the other Veterans. He'll miss her for awhile, I guess. But that won't last long, I'll set to that." She kicked off her shoes and threw a throw-pillow up in the air, laughing all the while. "No two ways about it. I love my life!"
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"Zach is bound to crack before long and tell the cops where he stashed the Veterans," Krystal was comforting Adam. "Stuart and Marion will be back before you know it, Frosty."
"And Colby," Adam remembered. "She's missing too. I haven't seen her in so long. I wonder how old she is now."
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There was something Ryan needed Zach to know, as they rode side-by-side in the back seat of the squad car Derek was driving to Zendall's office.
"You aren't the only one who's in love with Kendall. I can't remember when I didn't love her. I've loved her every hour of every day since the minute I met her. Nobody can drive me crazier, and nobody can make me happier. I've known her longer than you, Slater, and I've been in love with her longer than you. I haven't always realized the strength of the bond between us. I realize it now."
Ryan's heartfelt confession was probably the last thing Zach wanted to hear. But he owed Ryan for making that unanswered call to Zendall that convinced Derek to let them ride to the rescue, so he listened as respectfully as he could.
"I'll kill myself if anything's happened to her," Ryan went on. "For real this time."
That got Zach's attention.
"I know you care about her, Ryan," he said quietly. "That's why you're helping to save her."
"I'm in love with her," Ryan corrected him. "I don't just care about her. I am --"
"In love with her?" Dereck guessed, stopping the squad car in front of Zendall's building. "That's nice. Why don't we all get out and see what's happening in your office, Slater? Nobody do anything stupid. I'm in charge."
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"This must be the second basement," Lily said to Jonathan and Kendall when the elevator stopped at "B2".
"Good thing the key to this place was in the wall safe along with the floor plan," Jonathan whispered, as the elevator doors parted.
"Yeah, that was great," Kendall said morosely. "I'm surprised we didn't also find a bloody ax with Zach's fingerprints." She had been trying to come up with an innocent explanation of why Zach hadn't told everybody about the existence of a second basement and why he'd kept a key and the floor plan to the Casino in the wall safe. Were they about to find the bodies of their friends and family in that second basement? Did Zach know they were there? Did Zach put them there?
They got out of the elevator.
"It's dark in here," Lily observed for them all.
"Here," a familiar voice said turning on the lights, "I'll make it better."
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Di couldn't sleep, so she decided to call Tad and confess to him over the phone that Dixie was alive and possibly involved in the disappearances. At least that way she wouldn't see the expression of elation mixed with disgust that would appear on the face she loved so totally. Elation for Dixie, disgust for her. But when Jamie answered the phone, he said Tad wasn't home yet.
"I'm kind of worried," he confided to Di. "This is a bad night to be outside."
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The only unusual thing Derek, Ryan and Zach found in Zendall's office was the open wall safe and a note from Lily.
"Whoever reads this, please don't worry. We're on our way to solve the mystery and find everybody who's vanished."
"Why the heck didn't she say where they were going?" Ryan howled in frustration.
Zach glanced at the open wall safe. "I know where they're going. Come on. Maybe we're not too late."
Can Zach and Ryan save Kendall in time? In time for what? Who turned on the lights for Kendall and Jily? How will Kendall react when Ryan tells her he's in love with her? How will NuGreenlee feel about it? Is Janet behind all the vanishings? Dixie? Somebody else? And most of all, if the Vanished aren't in the basement or the second basement, where the heck are they? Please return for another fun-filled chapter of danger and intrigue! Reviews are treasured!