(Many, many thanks again to my collaborator, Karen B.)
Chapter 9
The light blue stationary fluttered to the floor and lay there, face-up, the blood-red words printed on it already branded into Perry's mind.
"NO! Oh God No!" The anguish in his voice echoed throughout the suite.
Paul and Andrea had been discussing the merits of the various golf courses around the city when they heard Perry's cry.
"Andrea - go see what's happened!" As the nurse hurried into the living room, Paul struggled to get his leg out of the sling. He knew that whatever was wrong, he had to somehow get to Perry.
Andrea reached Perry's side, shocked to see the famous lawyer on his knees. She placed her hand on his shoulder as she gave him a once-over, looking for obvious injuries. "Mr. Mason? How can I help? Did you fall?"
Perry looked up at the nurse, but with no understanding of what she was saying. Her instincts told her that the look on his face was a result of mental rather than physical pain. Andrea reached out to take his arm. "Let's try to get you up."
Numbly Perry allowed the woman to help him up and guide him to an armchair. "Just sit here sir. I'll get you some water."
She hurried back into the dining room to see Paul struggling to sit up. "Mr. Drake, I don't think he's hurt, but something awful has happened. I don't..."
Paul cut her off and pointed to the wheelchair in the corner. "Help get me into that thing and then go to the bar and pour two of the strongest thing you can find."
With surprising strength, she quickly transferred Paul into the chair, pushed him into the living room, and then hurried to the bar.
Perry was sitting with his head in his hands. Paul looked around the room trying to figure out what could have happened. It was then he saw the sheet of paper on the floor. Andrea returned with the drinks, setting one on the table beside the chair and then handing one to Paul, who motioned with his free hand for her to pass him the note.
As Paul finished reading, one word escaped his lips. "Della." He downed his drink in one gulp and handed the glass to his nurse for a refill.
"Not with the pain...". His steely glare silenced her and she hurried off to refill the glass.
Paul maneuvered his chair next to Perry. "Perry? Hey pal!" Perry raised his head. Andrea returned with Paul's glass. He nodded at the drink on the table. She took the glass and tried to hand it to Perry.
"Mr. Mason, please just take a sip. It will help." Perry looked at her, took the glass and drank.
Paul took note of his friend's unfocused eyes and slack jaw, and turned to Andrea. "Bring me the phone. Perry we need to get Tragg up here now."
Perry seemed to come alive at Paul's words. He reached to take the phone from the nurse. Dialing Tragg's personal number, he downed the rest of the drink in one gulp.
The phone was answered after two rings. "Tragg."
"Tragg, I need you to come to the hotel. Della's been taken." Perry was surprised at the tone of his own voice; he had managed to sound almost calm.
Tragg, on the other hand, was anything but. "What do you mean 'Della's been taken'? How? When?"
Perry again spoke with a steady voice. "Please Arthur. There is another note. Just get over here."
"I'm on my way," he growled, "But, I swear Mason, if you have -"
Perry couldn't listen to the reprimand that he knew he deserved, so he just dropped the receiver back on the cradle. He looked up at Andrea, whose expression reflected both confusion and concern. "Do you suppose you could make us a pot of coffee? I think we're going to need it."
The pretty nurse smiled, relieved that she could be of help, and squeezed his shoulder. "Of course Mr. Mason."
Paul looked at his friend. "Wanna tell me how this happened?"
Perry just shook his head. "Let's wait until Tragg gets here. But let's just say it's all my fault."
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When Tragg arrived, Perry went over everything in detail, from Della leaving the suite by the secret passage to his opening the door for the bellhop and reading the note. When the lieutenant was satisfied he had the entire story, he looked from Perry to Paul. "I warned you Mason. I told..."
Perry stood so quickly, the heavy chair toppled over. "Don't start Tragg!"
When the much smaller lieutenant stood as if to challenge the broad-shouldered giant, Paul decided that a cooler head should take over. "Alright you two, enough. The priority now is to figure out how Della was taken, by whom, and where she might be now."
Both men looked at him, then Perry looked back at Tragg. "I'm sorry Arthur."
"Okay Perry. Brice is in the hallway waiting for the word. We'll have the entire force out looking for our girl. Let's go downstairs to those shops and see if we can pick up any information." As Tragg grabbed his hat, Perry turned to Paul.
"Paul, if you have anybody you can call..."
"Already on it. You guys just go find out who's got her."
Perry nodded and followed the lieutenant out the door.
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Perry and the lieutenant interrogated each of the boutique clerks, inquiring how long Della spent in each shop, if she had talked to anyone, if anyone approached her. In each instance, it appeared that Della had been left completely alone except when she had asked the sales clerk for something.
Finally, in the last shop, a pert little redheaded sales girl said that she remembered something. But because she was in such awe of the famous lawyer and inclined to bouts of giggles, it was hard to keep her on track. As she gushed about the details of all the gowns the pretty lady had tried on, Perry had to clench his hands at his sides to keep from yelling at her. At last she got to the point.
"So you see when this lady..." Perry smiled gently at the reference.
"Miss Street?"
The girl giggled again. "Yes sir. She was so sweet and nice. And so beautiful."
Perry sighed. "Yes she is. Now you said something unusual happened. What?"
The girl put a finger to her lips as if trying to remember. "Well…right as she was giving me instructions on delivering her purchases this real tall cop came up to her."
Perry looked at Tragg but the lieutenant shook his head. "Not mine."
Perry turned back to the girl. "Did you happen to hear what the 'cop' said?"
She bobbed her head several times. "Something about a Lieutenant Flag or somebody needed her to go back upstairs."
Perry could hear Tragg cough loudly, but he ignored him. "I don't suppose you saw the officer's name or heard it?"
"Oh yes sir. The lady asked to see his ID and she read it aloud. It was Robert Kendall. I remember that real well because I thought he was so good looking and I wondered if he was single."
Perry looked at Tragg, but the older man had already stepped behind the counter and grabbed a phone to call the station.
Perry glanced at the girl's name tag as he took several bills from his pocket. "Thank you very much Erin. You've been a very big help."
The girl accepted the money without even looking at it. Her eyes were misty as she looked at Perry. "Mr. Mason, I'm truly sorry. If I had known something was wrong, I'd have never let her leave the shop."
Perry shook the girl's hand. "Thank you Erin. I appreciate that, more than you know."
Tragg grabbed Perry's arm. "We need to get back upstairs."
"I hope the lady is okay." At Erin's parting words, Perry's heart clenched in his chest.
