A Raven in the Hand

Chapter 14

Dave drove his rented car aggressively down the long cobblestone road, he really didn't know where he was going, it was his first time in Salem. Last night's phone call didn't end on either of their parts, Kay was in trouble and the only one who knew where she had gone was the room mate. Dave called the local police department, nothing they could do until a missing people's report was filed, and that could be only done after the forty eight hours were up. He had taken a late flight, it was past sunrise when he arrived, bought a map of the area and rented a Pontiac Sunfire.

He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, the Undertaker had to be behind this. The way he saw the Deadman look at Kay, the way he talked to her…and the eyes she was giving back. No, there would not be anything going on, and Dave would definitely put a stop to it. He could only guess that the Phenom was aware that the potential Kay brought to the ring, Batista's little sister, make her fall in love with him, make her turn against her brother, win over the distraught brother and gain the gold. Simple but effective.

It would be a cold day in Hell before he would allow that monster to put another hand on Kay, she was still young, new to the world. Just because she had traveled the world looking for artefacts doesn't mean she knew anything about the type of men he had to deal with at WWE. He was sure as day that she wouldn't believe the strange things that happened around the Undertaker, it was hard for him to believe himself.

Dave looked back at the return address from a letter Kay had sent him a few years ago, it was hard to read because there was no named road on the address. He had gotten some directions from a few locals out walking their dog, the street he was looking for was past Bate's School, between St Mary's Cemetery and the Kernwood Country club, to the left from the direction he was going.

Lapshook Manor, he had heard Kay talk about the dorm many times before. He didn't remember the university she was working out of, he only knew it was on the same property as the Manor. He had never heard of a Dorm called a manor before, but he guest that the University was built beside a home and it was turned into a dorm. Only a guess of course.

Dave smiled as he looked at the vast Cemetery, the tombstones were large and decorated with carvings and stone statues as high as ten feet! Even though it was a place where dead bodies slept for their final time, it was still a beautiful place. The variety of plants and flowers that grew around the tombs had every hue of the color spectrum. He passed it, looking intently on the left side as he drove past a small forested area, then just noticed a small road. He would have missed it if he wasn't paying attention, it seemed that no one trimmed the trees around the road, concealing the entrance to the manor.

As he backed up and turned into the hidden road, he wondered why this University didn't advertise itself? There was no listing in the city's directory, the road itself was hidden, no street sign to announce it's location…nothing.

As he drove for a few minutes, he noticed that the trees were clearing, and he could see the massive brick walls in front of him. He had no choice but to stop and the raw iron gates. He got out of his car and looked at the gate, the only ornament was the pentacle in the middle of the gate. Dave looked past and could just barely make out the front of the mansion, that had to be Lapshook Manor.

He searched the ends of the wall, sure enough there was an intercom. He walked over and pressed the little black button beneath the plastic covered speaker. He didn't hear anything and waited for a moment, then pressed the button again. After the third attempt, a crackling came from the speaker.

"Who is it?" a man's voice came crackling out.

"Hi! I'm David Bautista…" it had been ages since he had used the correct pronunciation for his name, it was just easier to say Batista instead of Bautista, "…my sister, Kayla Bautista lives at the manor…"

"She is not here sir." The voice replied.

"Do you know where she is? Did she come home last night?"

"No sir, she did not return home last night. I am sorry but we do not know where she is. I am sure that she is alright…"

"Like hell! I heard her scream on the phone last night! Please, let me talk to her room-mate! She must know…"

"Miss Blake is not here either, sir, she is on assignment…"

"Didn't you hear me? My fucken sister is missing and it seems that you assholes are not given a rat's ass about it…"

"I assure you, Mr Bautista that your sister's health it at the most important to us…" The female's voice behind him made the animal jump, there was no one there before.

He turned and say the old woman, her silvery blond hair was tied up neatly in a bun on top of her head, her black robes seem to sway a little in the wind.

She gave him a tender smile, "Mr Bautista, I can assure you that your sister is in safe hands. You have nothing to fear."

He looked at her a little stunned, "How…how did you get there?"

She looked up at the sun, "It is such a beautiful day for a walk, don't you think?"

She walked up to him and extended her hand, "I am the Headmistress of Lapshook Manor, Shalla. I have heard many great things about you, Mr Bautista."

"Do you know where Kay is?" He was stern looking, angry that they didn't seem to care.

She gave a look of pondering, "No, but I do know for certain that she is well. Have faith in her, David, she draws her strength from you, you know."

"If you heard what I did last night, you wouldn't be thinking she's safe."

"But she is!" She touched his shoulder wither her hand, "She cannot be anywhere safer."

"How can you say that when you don't even know where she is!" He was getting frustrated with her answers.

"I do not know where she is, but I do know she's safe."

"You're just repeating yourself, how do you know she's safe? And why is this place so hard to find?" He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"The members here like their privacy, as you well know that Kayla likes hers. Mr Bautista, I am afraid that there is nothing more I can tell you, other that she is fine. I would know otherwise."

"What is with you people? Kayla is missing! She's not answering her phone and obviously not home here. If this is her home, I still want to take a look in her room! Just to see if there's anything that can help me find her!"

"I am sorry, but I cannot allow you on the grounds, it would make our members nervous."

"What? What is this place, really? It really doesn't look like a school." He starred at her for a moment, "you are a cult, aren't you?"

Her aged grey eyes looked angry for a moment, then soften again, "Mr Bautista, I would appreciate that you would not use that term, it is actually unbefitting and insulting our home. I had hoped that we could meet in more a pleasurable way, the information remains the same. No one on the grounds knows where Kayla is, but we all know she is safe where she is, and she is not alone."

Now Dave grew angry, "Him…she's with him, isn't she? That's why you won't tell me where she is? You're protecting them? Ma'am, you have no idea what that man is…"

Shalla smiled, "On the contrary, I know exactly what he is."

To be continued…