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Crown Vic to a Parallel World: Stolen Love The third and final installment of the ongoing adventures of Church Philips
34
Dinner and a Destination
Dinner was uneventful. Cellarius objected to a spot at the table, but I insisted, and for once, he acquiesced. Joe surprised me by showing up in an outfit other than his outsized sweat suit. He was wearing an Andy Philips design from several years ago. It was one of the Palace Garden Flower Collection. I could tell by the colors.
I assumed that was the last collection Andy sent to Joe before my brother switched exclusively to sweat suits. The no-longer-fashionable clothes looked good on Joe. I was glad he had something that fit him. Andy seemed to approve and that made me happy as well.
Joe's outfit aside, the mood in the big dining room was somber and subdued. It matched my own. I suspected that was partially because of my overflow magic that carried my melancholy to everyone near me and partially due to the circumstances. As for me, I was getting tired again. It had been a very long, emotional day that had started very, very early for me. At seven in the evening, I'd already been awake for eighteen hours and my energy was flagging.
Everyone praised the meal I'd put together. They praised it to the point I suspected them of overdoing it, but I figured it was just my depression that made it seem that way. The only person I couldn't please was Tobit. He wouldn't eat the prime rib, or the roasted chicken. Mary programmed a plate of chicken fingers and apple slices to appeal to his youthful pallet. He ate those with gusto.
After dinner, and over the objections of Cellarius, we all cleared the table and put away the leftovers. Once the table had been wiped down by me, the task left to me because of my long reach, we returned to the table for a situation update. Mary opened the discussion. She was using her sweetened singsong voice so her son, who sat on her lap, wouldn't know she was worried. "How's my little girl? Has she called?"
Bem's grimace told me Hannah hadn't called, and he was not happy about it. He took up the question. "She texted her report but didn't call. It's still early. I told her to call us." He plowed forward with the report without giving Mary an opportunity to harp on the lack of phone call.
"She's been in contact with Primis. Verpa has done as instructed and kept his mouth shut about our conversation this morning. Hannah sent an outline of the household schedule and a description of the two guards who are staying at the house. Originally, there were two men guarding Verpa. One of them left yesterday when the male / female team arrived with Primis. Once Primis was safely back home, the man from the `Primis recovery team,'" Bem said using air quotes, "left as well. Now there is one man and one woman and the house."
Bem took his phone from his pocket and opened a screen, presumably to access some notes. "The woman, who was part of the recovery team and was also Ancillarum's contact, has been identified. Her name, or at least the name she is using around Verpa, is Pytho Nissam. I sent her name and description to the Steward for investigation. The Steward was able to execute a quick search based on the information we provided. He will do a more thorough investigation as time permits.
"The name is an alias. The physical description returned several possibilities and we're working to narrow down the list. The woman, this Pytho Nissam, has been overheard referring to her male teammate as Tacita, but we don't know if that's a name, an alias, or a nickname. The word means quiet or silent.
"It seems the man doesn't say much, so this term may just be a reference to his nature rather than an identifier. I included his description in the report I sent to the Steward. Steward Summas is working to identify the man as well. We don't have names for the two men who departed, and Verpa hasn't been forthcoming with any additional information."
Bem swiped the screen of his phone several times and steadied his gaze when he arrived at the screen he wanted. He kept his eyes on the phone as he spoke. "Lenis and Neb have done a great job with the list of Domus' properties for rent. Most of the ones that fit our criteria are located in Litus Descendit on the east coast of the Protectorate."
"The shore town?" I asked when I recognized the name.
"Yes," Bem raised curious eyes to me, "do you know it?"
I nodded, happy to have something to add. "We were there, Shawn and me. It was the first stop on our original honeymoon tour. Ars recommended it and made the reservations. It was the first stroke-fest of many." I shook my left fist back and forth in the air to mime male masturbation.
"Stroke fest?" Bem asked, he inclined his head toward me and opened his eyes wide in question. I rubbed my face with my palms and sighed into them. "Aaaahhhhhhhhh!" I dropped my hands, having grunted out a fragment of my frustration with the memory of that leg of our honeymoon vacation. I pointed at Bem. "I told you what he did...Ars; shoving us into situations all over the fucking world."
Bem's eyes slid across the room to where his son sat on Mary's lap, then returned them to me with a pointed glare. I instantly realized I'd sworn in front of Tobit again. "I'm sorry." I blurted.
Mary stood up from her chair with a lurch and a singsong, "it's time for all good little boys to be in bed." She lifted Tobit and flew him through the air with a mix of her strength and her telekinesis. She breezed him to the head of the table where Bem waited to welcome his son into his arms. Bem hugged and kissed his boy, then kissed his wife, and wished them both a goodnight. They left the room without another word to anyone.
Bem waited for the door to close behind them before he told me to `go ahead,' with what I'd been saying. I went back to my story, but with less venom. "It's a resort town for rich vacationers. There was a human trafficking ring there that specialized in abducting kids into sex slavery. Shawn and I broke it up.
"At the time, I was still na•ve enough to think our presence there was a coincidence. It took two more of those coincidences for me to realize that Ars was using us as his left hand. He used us where he knew there were problems and we either acted as the front for his agents, or he sent us into known trouble spots and hoped that we would stumble into the wrongdoing and fix it because of our natural altruism. We did a hell of a lot of fixing those years. We spent a month there...in Litus. I remember it well enough."
Bem didn't ask for details. His mind was on more practical concerns. "Well enough to get around?"
I shrugged to show I wasn't going to commit myself. "It's been years. That was...let me think, it was the start of our honeymoon tour, so a month and some change after we were married. Say September of 2021, and I haven't been back since. So that was...let's see," I did some math on my fingers, "sixteen years ago or thereabouts. We were there for a month, so I remember it better than some spots, but I'd be lying if I said I knew it well enough to be a tour guide."
"Are the locals likely to remember you?" Bem asked to keep to the sensible.
I felt my face flush with embarrassment as I was forced to admit my time in that little town was likely to be permanently emblazoned on the memory of at least a few of the locals. "Yeah, uh...we...uh, oh shit...Solum culture was still pretty new to me and what with my size and one thing and another, I'm pretty sure they'll remember me." I dropped my face in my hands and hoped Bem would stick to the facts and not ask me for an explanation.
He did as I hoped. "Sounds like we'll need to keep you out of sight then. Good to know."
"Why?" I asked before I thought about the reason.
Bem answered me without condescending. "We don't want it known that we're looking for Shawn. I chartered a plane and booked a suite at a hotel we can land on top of. I used Divided Light as the front and their account to book the accommodation.
"The plane will be here by ten tonight and will want to depart immediately. It's an eight-hour trip from here to there, so you can sleep on the plane. I booked transportation around the city in the form of a luxury bus. You," Bem said meaning me, "and Andy and Leah will use that to look for Shawn WITHOUT making yourselves known to anyone."
"Church," Bem addressed me directly, "we don't know that he's there, we think it's possible that he's there. There are other places Shawn could be, but Litus Descendit has the highest concentration of buildings that fit the criteria. Many of the buildings are seasonal rentals but some are commercial buildings. None are occupied at this time. The idea of them being seasonal rentals is actually more attractive than we originally thought, because in a place where there's a high turnover of temporary residents, a stranger wouldn't raise eyebrows, on season or off.
"It would be a very simple matter. A plane could land on or in a building, drop someone off, and leave without anyone thinking much of the event. It's approaching the summertime, so very soon it will be as hot as it ever gets there, which means it's the end of the vacation season. Things will be slow from June to August, and they'll pick back up in September when the weather breaks. That means ample opportunity to hide someone you don't want found.
"The point I'm making, Church," Bem readdressed himself to me, "is that I don't want you to expect to find him. This is the first place we're looking. He may be there, or he may not. Either way, you need to keep it together. You've done very well, but if you have to leave Litus without having found Shawn, you can't do so in little emotional pieces.
"The other thing you can't do is charge in if you find him. If he's under guard, they could kill him. I'll say that again because you need to hear it. If Shawn is under guard and you go charging in, they could kill him, and you'll have to live the rest of your life knowing how close you came to rescuing him. You'll have to live with the idea that you failed because you went rushing in without thinking."
Bem glared at me as he spoke like I was an ill-behaved child. I resented the way he treated me, but I also understood why he'd done it. The man wasn't wrong, and I knew it.
Bem went on speaking directly to me. "The simple reality is, you're strong enough to overpower anyone we send with you, but you MUST let the others lead. If and when you find him, you let Leah or Andy tell the others where he is, and you stand back."
"Like a fucking hunting dog." I muttered angrily.
Bem heard me but didn't address my grumbling. "I'm sending Cy, Vulp, Neb, Met, Andy, Comitis, Leah, and Paul with you. Met will be there in case medical support is needed, Andy and Leah will be the search team, and Cy, Vulp, Neb, and Leah will be the extraction team if the need for that arises. Neb is absolutely in charge. You will let her coordinate and you will follow her orders. This is no different that when we first got together. As long as you treat it that way, everything will work out fine, just like it did then."
I nodded my agreement, but I didn't completely agree with my friend. He was wrong about one thing. The situation was different than it was eighteen years ago. Back then, I only thought I loved Shawn. I only thought I knew who I wanted to save the world for. Eighteen years later, I knew that I loved Shawn.
I committed myself to following directions because that was what I needed to do to make sure I got him back. That's what I needed to do to make sure I got to hold him again, to love him again, to show him how much he meant to me. What he meant was not rushing in without a plan. What he meant was swallowing my loneliness and letting the experts do their jobs. What he meant was doing whatever it took to get him back.
"I promise." I said to Bem and gave the same words to Neb and the Dux brothers. "You won't have to worry about me. It's too important."
"Good to hear, Big Guy." Bem shifted his attention to the rest of the group. "I will stay here," he announced, "to coordinate incoming information and keep the operation moving forward on this end. Lenis will stay here to keep up the financial end of things and to continue to research the dealings of the enemy. Joe will..." Bem trailed off and cocked his head to the side. His arms, that had been at his sides, assumed their positions in Bem's thoughtful posture. "What will you do, Joe? I don't think we'll have any more questioning to do here. Will you accompany the team into the field, or will you remain here at headquarters?"
Joe looked from Bem to Neb. "Can you use me?" He asked the head of the field expedition.
I saw an opportunity and lunged at it. "I need you." I announced to the side of Joe's face. "Come with us. We might need to question someone and if we don't, you can help Paul keep me from doing something stupid."
"You need me?" Joe asked, barely raising his eyes to mine. He rubbed his neck like I do and finally looked at me.
"Yeah, come with us."
"That's settled, then." Bem moved on like Joe had already agreed. "The charter flight will be here by ten and they'll want to leave right away. Everyone should be in the hangar by nine-thirty with their luggage. Plan on being gone for several days because if we strike out in Litus, you'll likely set off for the next cluster immediately."
On my way out of the dining room I ran into several people that wanted my attention. Cass was the first. He wanted to wish me his best. "Good luck, my boy, God bless and Godspeed to you and your husband."
I thanked Cass for his well wishes and moved to step away from the man when he opened his arms to offer himself for a hug. I knelt down and embraced the old man. He whispered words of hope to me. "Have faith in His love and mercy, my boy."
"Thanks, Papa."
We broke the embrace, and I stood up. Cass jammed his hands in his pockets and puttered off the way he always did. My mind tried to mull over the puzzle that was Cass, but it didn't get far when it got interrupted. Lenis was at my side and needed my attention.
Lenis needed my authorization for the second ransom installment and also wanted to give me an update on the funds we had available to pay additional ransom demands. "Between your fortune, and all the other offers of funds that have come in thus far, we have access to thirty-eight billion credits in either liquid, or easily convertible assets." Lenis announced.
I was staggered by the sum. It was massive. I was almost reduced to tears by the generosity of my friends and loved ones and all the people who loved Shawn. Lenis seemed to sense my teetering emotions and made her escape before I had a chance to break down.
I didn't get a chance to dwell on the sum of money, or to wonder who had committed to the cause, because Cellarius appeared at my elbow. "Sir," his best deferential tone called for my attention, "I anticipated your departure and made preparations suitable for four day's travel." The old man dropped his eyes with what I took to be a doubt about his preparations. "Master Bem did hint at your destination and asked that I prepare a certain class of outfit for you to use during your search, but in hindsight, it may be inappropriate." Cellarius lunged for the room door. "I will repack at once."
I stopped him with a quick shout. "It doesn't matter. It sounds like I'll either be inside the room or on a bus all day. I'm sure whatever you packed for me will be fine. Where is the bag?"
The old man ceased his escape attempt and returned to stand deferentially at my elbow. "I have placed it in the luggage compartment of your `Vic,' sir."
"That's perfect. Thank you." I turned toward Paul to join him to pack his bags for the trip. "I guess we'll work on you."
"A-Hem, sir." Cellarius halted my progress with the pointed clearing of his throat. I gave him my attention. "I anticipated Mister Paul would be traveling with you, sir. I made preparations for him suitable for the same duration of time. His bag is also in the luggage compartment of your `Vic.'"
Paul thanked Cellarius and muttered something to himself that sounded like, "I'll just have to get my..."
Cellarius cut him off with a firmly spoken `sir.' Paul paused for Cellarius to have his say. "I included your keepsake cup, safely wrapped, in the interior of your suitcase."
Paul's face looked like it wanted to ask the butler how he knew that the cup needed to travel with him, but he remained silent except for a second `thank you.'
I rubbed my neck at a loss for something to do. Joe, who had been lingering roughly where we were standing called to Cellarius. "You didn't pack for me, did you?"
"No, sir." Cellarius admitted and managed to look very disappointed in himself. "I was not informed that you would be going on this...er...expedition until you yourself announced it. I will prepare for you at once."
Joe attempted to object, saying that he could pack his own suitcase, but Cellarius was already off pursuing his mission. Joe grumbled a little, much like I do when I feel like I'm being mothered or managed, but he didn't harp. I figured all three of us had some time to kill until ten. I escorted both men to the first floor, through my kitchen and into the garage. We walked outside onto the plains, through the open garage door, and looked up into the sky.