“It’s important that you know.”
“Why?”
“Because you can help us. You might be able to help us more than you realize.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Your daughter. Lara.”
“My daughter is an infant. She’s not some kind of weapon.”
“She was born with ten witch genes.”
“I thought nobody had them all.”
“Lara is the first,” my father said.
I felt anger rise inside. “Then if she was so important to you and your bloody Council, how come you let the Lapras steal her away?”
My father didn’t answer right away. He turned and stared out the window at the pageant of colored lights. It seemed right then that I could sense the weight of his age. His body had not grown weary but perhaps his soul had.
“I remember the night Lara came to us,” he said finally. “There was a full moon in the sky, straight overhead, and the whole world felt as if it were bathed in a sweet radiance. The light seemed to come from a celestial realm. There was music, too, not a sound I heard with my ears, but a vibration inside, which filled me with incredible joy. I thought it was my imagination—the dreams of a proud grandfather running wild. But when I spoke to the members of the Council, they said they felt the same thing. When Lara was born, it was as if a great being entered the world.”
“You’re scaring me, Dad.”
“Why?”
“You sound like a religious fanatic.”
He smiled. “Maybe I am. But Cleo felt the same way I did and she’s not easily moved. She privately named the child Isis, an ancient name for the divine mother. Isis was the primary Egyptian goddess. Legend has it that she bathes her devotees with a healing white light at the time of death.”
“Does Cleo believe this light activates the witch genes during the death experience?”
“That’s a shrewd insight. Cleo says that’s how the death experience pushes us on to the next level in human evolution.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. If this Cleo’s so wise, why wasn’t she able to protect my baby?”
“You were heavily guarded. The Council was watching both of you night and day. But on the seventh night something strange happened, something we had never encountered before. A red cloud seemed to descend on the house where you were staying. It was probably more mental than physical, although it caused the stars to dim and the moon to vanish. Suddenly, we all became confused, and none of us knew exactly where you and Lara were. Our panic grew and we kept searching the house but we couldn’t even keep track of each other. When the red cloud finally lifted, at dawn, we realized someone had snuck into the house and taken the child.”
I wiped at the tears on my cheeks. The loss had returned with almost the same pain as before. I had to struggle to breathe.
“But your Council’s so old, so wise. They must have a theory how this happened,” I said.
“Ask them when you meet with them tomorrow.”
“I will. How old is Lara now?”
“She must be close to a month.”
I nodded sadly. “She was born right around the same time as Jimmy’s baby.”
“The Lapras took him as well.”
I almost jumped from my seat. “What are you talking about? Jimmy’s baby is dead.”
“They just led Jimmy to think that.”
“How?”
“They stole another baby from somewhere else and killed it and gave him the body. At that age, tons of babies look alike. They didn’t have to use an elaborate scheme to fool Jimmy and Kari.”
“How could they do such a thing?” I gasped.
“The Lapras will do anything to achieve their goals. They appear to be devoid of empathy.”
“Why did they take our babies?”
“They took Lara because they somehow scanned her cells and discovered she possesses all ten genes. They see her as a potential ally.”
“A one-month-old baby.”
“The Lapras think long-term.”
“Why did they take Jimmy and Kari’s baby?”
“Probably to manipulate Jimmy so he will put pressure on you—when the time is right.”
“What does that mean?”
“The Lapras know we’re going to try to get Lara back. The more leverage they can exert over Jimmy, the better. Remember, all he knows about is Huck. Only James knows about Lara. Lara will mean nothing to Jimmy.”
“But when I explain that she’s his daughter . . .”
“We’ll see,” my father said. He glanced at his watch. “Russell should be back soon.”
“What kind of errand did you send him on?”
“It concerns Lara. But let him explain how it went when he returns.”
“Russell acted shocked that I ended up in the morgue. But it seems you guys wanted me to get kidnapped and dumped in that meat locker. What went wrong?”
“The Lapras kidnapped you from the meat locker before we could get there.”
“I assume you had me heavily guarded?” I said sarcastically.
He lowered his head. “We took every precaution.”
“I’m sorry, Dad. I had no right to snap at you like that.”
“No. We deserve it.” He looked miserable. “I’m a doctor and you’re my daughter. The Council put me in charge of reviving you. There were four of us in a van. We knew when you had been placed in the freezer and when you would begin to pass out from hypothermia. We also had two people at the freezer. They had a camera on you and were sending us a live feed of what you were doing.”
“You saw me talking to the steer and using the hook to break the hinges?”
“That was very clever. But I’m your father, it was torture to watch you suffering. At the same time, if you had escaped, we would have had to start all over again.”
“What happened next?” I asked.
“We lost our live feed. We tried calling the men guarding the meat locker but neither responded. Then the same thing happened the night Lara was taken. A red haze came and we began to have trouble communicating with each other. It was like we were all speaking a foreign language we had never heard before. Then we got lost.”
“On your way to the meat locker?”
“I know it sounds impossible. I know every street in this city. But it didn’t matter which way we turned. We kept coming back to the same place.”
“Where?”
He shrugged. “Nowhere. We were driving in circles. It went on for hours. Finally, it was as if a veil lifted and we knew which way to go. But when we reached the freezer, you were gone and our partners were dead, their throats slit. They had been murdered.”
“Were they friends of yours?”
“Yes.”
“I’m so sorry.” I paused. “I understand how I froze to death in the real world. But when I woke up here, in witch world, I was frozen as well. Who put me in the meat locker here?”
My father hesitated. “It must have been the Lapras.”
“And they froze me in exactly the same place?”
Before he could respond, there was a knock at the door, four quick taps. We both stood. “Hello?” my father called.
“It’s me,” Russell replied.
My father let him in and immediately asked how things had gone. Russell looked pleased. “Excellent,” he said.
“What’s this all about?” I asked.
“There’s a phone call you have to make,” Russell said.
“To who?”
“The Lapras,” Russell said.
“Huh?” I thought I would be sick.
My father glanced at his watch. “It’s a complex situation. It’s probably better the Council explain it to you tomorrow. For now, the Lapras have contacted Russell, and through him they have made it clear they want to meet with you.”
“Why?” I asked.
My father answered. “Lara’s upset she’s been taken from her mother. And it seems she’s upsetting her cap
tors.”
“How? Is she crying nonstop?” I asked.
Russell grinned. “I think she’s doing a lot worse than that.”
My father reached for the phone. “It’s getting near dawn. We have to call them soon.”
I shook my head. “Please, don’t rush me.”
“The call doesn’t have to be long,” Russell said. “All they want you to do is to agree to meet them at a certain time and place. Try to make the meeting near midnight. That’s midnight in witch world.”
“Why?” I asked.
“So you can meet with the Council first,” my father said.
I tried to think fast. “Do you guys know where Lara is?”
“I told you she’s in Las Vegas,” my father said.
“How can you be sure?” I asked.
“Las Vegas is their main center of power,” my father said. “Not so long ago the government used to test atomic weapons in the desert not far from here. These tests were supposed to have been curtailed years ago but they still go on, at least underground. The Lapras have a major interest in man-made radiation because it leads to mutation, and mutation leads to evolution, eventually, although most mutations are of a negative type. The Lapras don’t care, they’re only interested in creating more people with witch genes. If they have to ruin a hundred to make one, they’re happy.”
“You mean they deliberately expose normal people to radiation?” I asked.
“Yes,” my father said. “It’s a long story. We don’t have time to go into it now. Just trust that we know they would keep Lara in Las Vegas. Besides, the Council can feel her here, although we don’t know exactly where she is.”
“Why don’t you know?” I persisted.
“They keep moving her around,” Russell said.
“Wait,” I said, turning to Russell. “Did you contact them about talking to me or did they contact you?”
“They contacted me,” Russell said.
“Let’s place the call,” my father said.
“Wait! What’s Lara done to force them to contact me?”
My father shrugged and turned to Russell.
Russell spoke carefully. “It seems Lara is an especially aware child, and she wants her mother back. To keep her happy, the Lapras say they’re willing to work with you.”
I was confused. “Why should they care if my daughter’s miserable? They don’t strike me as a sensitive lot.”
Russell answered. “We think she’s making them pay for what they’ve done. That’s our best guess.”
“Pay how?” I asked.
“We don’t know,” my father said, growing impatient.
I could see I was pushing it. I pointed to the phone. “All right. Go ahead, make the call,” I said.
My father handed the phone to Russell, who quickly dialed the number from memory. “The less you talk, the better,” Russell said. “Many ears will be listening on the other end. Just agree on the time and place and get off.”
“Fine,” I said, feeling extremely nervous.
Russell finished dialing. I could hear it ringing. Someone picked up. Russell began to speak.
“Hello. . . . Yes, it’s me. . . . Yes, I know the time. . . . Yeah, she’s right here. . . . She’s agreed to cooperate. . . . Of course . . . Yes . . . You can speak to her now.”
Russell gave me the phone. I struggled to keep my hand from shaking. “Hello?” I said.
A man with a haunting voice spoke. He hardly sounded human; his words could have been electronically created. At the same time, he was very persuasive.
“Hello, Jessica Ralle. It’s a pleasure to finally speak to you. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Who is this?”
“My name is Frank.”
“Frank. Are you the one who stole my child?”
I thought I heard him smile, if such a thing were possible over the phone. “We didn’t steal her. We merely moved her to a more secure location. You’re free to visit her whenever you wish.” He added, “It’s our understanding you want to meet and discuss her future.”
Russell, who was leaning close enough to hear, nodded.
“Yes,” I said. “But I want to meet in a public place of my own choosing.”
“We’ll meet where we choose to meet,” Frank interrupted. “We’ll pick you and Russell up in front of the Mirage at midnight, tomorrow night, this time zone. Understood?”
“No. I want to—”
“This is not negotiable.”
I felt frustrated but Russell indicated I was to accept the meeting.
“I’ll agree to your terms on two conditions. First, Lara must be with you when you pick me up. Otherwise, I’m not getting in the car.”
“She’ll be there, I promise,” Frank said.
“Second, I want to talk to her right now.”
“Talk to her?”
“Yes. Put her on the phone.”
“She’s an infant. She can’t talk yet.”
“Put her on the phone or the meeting’s off. And that is not negotiable.”
There was a moment while Frank seemed to move his phone.
Suddenly I heard a delicious cooing sound. It was just baby talk, pure nonsense, and it made every cell in my body come alive.
“Lara, this is your mommy!” I gushed. “Mommy’s going to see you real soon! I promise!”
The cooing sound ceased. Frank came back on the line.
“Are you satisfied?” he asked.
“I’ll be satisfied when I get her back.”
“Then come to the meeting with an open mind.”
Frank hung up. Russell smiled and gave me a thumbs-up. My father reached out and hugged me. He touched my cheek, brushing away a tear. I still didn’t understand why he had left me to grow up without a father. I needed to know he loved me.
Yet I felt his love then.
“You did well, Jessica,” he said.
I wept. “I just want her back. I don’t care what it takes.”
My father nodded. “We’re going to do whatever it takes.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, I CAME to on a bench three blocks from the Strip and six blocks from the MGM. I hiked back to the hotel, wondering why the Lapras had chosen to dump me in such a nondescript place. While I walked, I tried to figure out what to tell the others. I assumed they would be happy to see me, and pissed.
I figured right.
The shit hit the fan when I stumbled through my hotel door and waved hi to everyone. Waves of hugs and heated questions quickly followed. Everyone seemed to be talking at once, I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Of course they wanted to know where the hell I had disappeared to.
I ran through my prepared speech. I was careful not to deviate from it.
“I’m sorry I scared you yesterday when I vanished. It wasn’t something I planned. And I didn’t fail to call because I wanted to scare you all. You guys know I’m not a drama queen. But some stuff has happened that I have to talk to Jimmy about in private and no, I wasn’t out with another guy. It’s complicated. I’ll explain everything after Jimmy and I talk. Okay?”
Alex raised her hand. “Excuse me, Double-O-Seven. Take a look at my eyes. Notice they’re bloodshot. Check out Debbie’s and Jimmy’s eyes. You’ll see they’re just as red. None of us has been able to relax since you disappeared. I don’t know about the others but I think I deserve a hell of a lot more than that silly canned speech you just gave.”
“Absolutely,” Debbie said.
“You did put us through hell,” Ted said.
I held up a hand. “I’ll tell you more later. But it’s important I talk to Jimmy first.”
“I’m your best friend,” Alex said.
“I thought I was her best friend,” Debbie said.
“Jessie just lets you think that,” Alex said.
Al, Alex’s new squeeze, stood up. Alex had already introduced us; he seemed like a nice guy. Physically, he was far from imposing. On the short side, he was sligh
tly plump, with a baby face and long, tangled brown hair. Yet there was a strength to his voice, and he was obviously very intelligent.
“I think we should let Jessie talk when she feels like talking. A weekend in Las Vegas is a big deal to me and I don’t want to waste any more time worrying about where she was. So let’s do what Jessie wants and drop it.”
Alex glared at Al before stalking off to her room.
“She’s not a morning person,” I tried to reassure him.
“She does have an hour every other week when she’s real sweet,” Debbie added.
Jimmy was rubbing my shoulders. “What would you like for breakfast?” he asked.
“Coffee, bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage, wheat toast,” I said.
Jimmy reached for the phone but then glanced around the room—the mental temperature of the suite was still pretty high—and appeared to change his mind.
“Let’s eat downstairs,” Jimmy said.
I agreed. I dressed quickly and got out of there with Jimmy before anyone else could give me another speech. Frankly, I was grateful to Alex’s new friend. Al seemed the most composed of the lot. When we were leaving the suite, he was busy calling the police to tell them that Jessica Ralle had returned safe and sound and was no longer a missing person.
I pleaded with Jimmy not to question me while we ate, to just let us enjoy our food. Patient as always, he bowed to my wish. I think he was so relieved to see me again, alive and well, he wasn’t yet in the mood to chew me out. At the same time, I knew his patience had its limits. I had to satisfy his questions.
There was no way he was going to believe my bizarre tale without a clear demonstration of my powers. I was prepared to give him that, but I wasn’t sure what abilities my seven witch genes represented. Other than telling me I was a potential healer, my father had remained mute on that subject.
I knew I was strong and fast, and that I was somewhat intuitive. But I had no idea how long it would take for my powers to fully manifest. My father had hinted that it could take years, and that they changed form over time.
I was famished. I ate a ton and I was pleased to discover I didn’t get a bellyache. Jimmy raised an eyebrow when I finished off the bulk of the scrambled eggs and ate most of the toast, his two favorite morning foods.