Ghost of a Chance

26 The Outing

Jessica was waiting for Alex in the back yard of the alchemist shop. She stood on the little patch of grass overlooking the herb garden with her back to him. Alex knew she heard the click of the gate as he let himself in, but she didn’t turn, forcing him to wait to see her until he was closer.

When he was within five paces of her she turned, flinging her long red hair around so that when she faced him, it draped over the front of her right shoulder. She wore a cocktail dress that clung to her generous figure in ways that made Alex forget all about his problems. It hung below the knee, but had a slit in the left side that rode up quite a bit. A single strap went up over her left shoulder, accented with a polished bronze clasp, and she wore a matching necklace of metal plates that reminded Alex of the ornamental collars worn by Egyptian Pharaohs.

“Hello, Alex,” she said, her voice quietly amused. “You’re right on time.”

Alex wanted to reply, but he worried that if he spoke, the vision before him would disappear. A girl that beautiful couldn’t be real. She wore just enough makeup to accent her face, with blush on her sharp cheekbones, and the dark red lipstick she favored.

“You look fantastic,” he said, finally.

He held out his arm and she stepped forward, slipping her hand onto it.

“And where will we be going this evening?” There was the faintest hint of a challenge in her question, as if daring him to impress her.

“I hope you like Chinese,” he said, desperately hoping she did. He didn’t actually have a backup plan, or any money to pull one off. Nevertheless he fixed an easy smile on his face and held her calculating gaze.

She smiled. A dazzling display of white teeth, red lips, and raw sexuality that told Alex he could relax.

“I adore it,” she said.

“Good,” Alex said. He still didn’t have any real money, not even enough for a taxi, so he hoped his charm and a quick story would keep the lovely Jessica from being too upset. “We’ve got a table at the Lucky Dragon,” he told her.

“Oh,” she cooed. “And here I thought private dicks didn’t make much money.”

“We don’t,” Alex said. “So we’ll have to go by crawler.”

He resisted the urge to hold his breath while she appraised him with cool eyes. She raised an eyebrow, and then a subtle smile returned to her lips.

“Sounds like fun,” she said. “The Lucky Dragon is in the Core, right? We can take the Lightning Lord’s new line.”

Alex was confused for a moment, but then remembered the construction on Central Park west where the workmen were building Barton’s new elevated crawler rails.

“I thought they were still testing that,” he said, remembering the story he’d read in the paper.

“It opened today,” she said. “It’s supposed to be faster than anything in the city.”

“Well,” Alex said, leading her through the gate and into the front yard of the shop. “Then we simply have to try it.”

He wasn’t sure if her enthusiasm for the crawler ride was genuine, or if she was putting it on so he wouldn’t be embarrassed. Her face was unreadable, and Alex decided then and there not to play poker with her. In either case, he was grateful for her easy, friendly, sexy manner, and he realized he was grinning like a mental patient.

Alex toned his smile down to a quirky grin that Leslie would think it made him look dashing. As he did so, he realized that their conversation had lagged.

“How goes the elixir brewing?” he asked and immediately felt like an ass. She was taking a much-needed break from her very demanding job, and he was asking her to bring it along.

Idiot.

“Let’s not talk about that,” she said, her smile never slipping. “How’s it coming with the kidnapped man?”

Even as the words came out of her mouth, Alex caught a flash of chagrin in her expression. It disappeared almost instantly, but Alex could tell she’d regretted it as much as he had his own awkward question.

“Let’s not talk about work at all,” he said, remembering not to grin like a loon.

She smiled back at him and leaned close so that her arm and shoulder were pressed against him.

“I think I’d like that,” she said.

By the time they reached the elevated crawler station a few minutes later, Alex was desperately glad to see it. So far, their non-work conversation had dealt with the weather and the few front-page stories in which Alex wasn’t involved.

He really needed a better angle. It was like he was a teenager on his first date.

Kathy MacMillan. She’d thought he was an idiot too.

The station at the end of the test line for Barton’s elevated crawler was a platform built over the northbound side of Central Park West, across from the museum. Two sets of shiny metal rails about four feet apart ran along the street, supported by thick steel poles every half block or so. They didn’t look like the heavy square rails that trains ran on, but more like polished rods. They seemed flimsy, and Alex wondered how they could hold up a crawler in the first place. To say nothing about how a crawler could navigate them without falling off onto the road below.

As Alex and Jessica watched, a crawler came into view, speeding along the outermost set of rails. It was moving much faster than the ones Alex was familiar with and its legs weren’t blue but a rather violent shade of purple. Sparks of energy crackled and popped where the hundreds of energy legs touched the rails, but the vehicle showed no signs of slipping.

“That’s amazing,” Jessica said with a look of wonder and delight.

“Come on,” Alex said, taking her by the hand and hurrying toward the stairs that led up to the platform. A few minutes later they sat side by side on the crawler’s upper deck, watching Central Park fly by at an unbelievable sixty miles an hour.

Alex had never spent much time in the park, despite the fact that the brownstone was only six blocks from the east side of it. Jessica, however, seemed to love the park and happily commented on the various points of interest as they passed.

It was strange to move so fast without the noise or vibration of machinery. Alex could hear the crackle and hum of the electrified rail that fed power to the crawler directly from Empire Tower, but that and the wind were the only sounds.

A regular crawler would have taken half an hour to get to the core from the museum, but the elevated one dropped Alex and Jessica off at the end of the line, Empire Tower, in just over ten. By the time they got there, they were both laughing and chatting happily about their experiences in New York.

“You know people used to live in there,” she said, looking up at Empire Tower as they headed east toward the Lucky Dragon.

“Some still do,” Alex said, telling her about Bickman and his wife, who now had apartments up above Barton’s etherium capacitors.

“Is he as handsome as everyone says?”Jessica asked with a grin.

Alex laughed and described Barton, studiously avoiding any details that might lead to a work conversation. The talk took them three more blocks and right to the door of the Lucky Dragon.

The restaurant was crowded and noisy and smelled absolutely wonderful. Alex had been here once before, but never to eat. If he was being honest, he was far too nervous the last time to even think about food.

He wasn’t thinking now, and his stomach grumbled just for emphasis. It had been a while since he’d eaten.

The tables at the Lucky Dragon were full of elegant food and elegant people. Jessica would fit right in, but Alex felt a little under-dressed as he saw several men in formal attire. More worrying was the crowd of people standing outside, apparently waiting for a table.

“Do you have a reservation?” the hostess asked when Alex approached her. She looked him up and down, obviously taking his measure, and if her expression was to be believed, finding him wanting.

Without answering, Alex handed over the ornate, handwritten card. The hostess read it and looked uncertain.

“Just a moment,” she said.

She went inside and disappeared. Alex looked at Jessica and she looked suitably impressed.

After a minute the hostess came back, all smiles this time.

“Right this way, Mr. Lockerby,” she said. “Unfortunately we are booked solid tonight, but the owner said to put you at his private table.”

She led the way through the dining room to the back, past an enormous tank filled with colorful fish, and pulled aside a silk curtain. Beyond was a small room with an intimate table inside and a sideboard along the wall.

“Someone will be with you in a moment,” the hostess said. Alex thanked her, and she withdrew.

“Okay,” Jessica said with sly grin. “I’m impressed.”

Alex held out her chair and she sat. Alex sat across from her and pulled a silver lighter out of his pocket, putting it on the table.

“What’s that for?” Jessica asked.

Before Alex could answer, a Chinese man in an oriental robe came in with a teapot on a tray and two handle-less cups.

“Good evening,” he said in accented English. “Mr. Chow has arranged for your meal; it will be along shortly. Right now, I will perform for you the tea ceremony, an ancient custom of my people.”

After the tea, more men brought in trays and bowls of all different kinds of food, including a plate loaded with the restaurant’s famous dumplings. Then they departed, leaving Alex and Jessica alone.

“I don’t even know what this is,” Jessica said a few minutes later, “but it’s wonderful.”

Despite living with Iggy, Alex wasn’t much for fancy food, and with his budget, he was used to eating at dog wagons and in greasy spoons. Still, he had to admit, the dumplings were excellent.

He picked up the lighter next to his plate and lit it, setting it back on the table next to a salt shaker to keep it from falling over.

“Okay,” Jessica said, giving him an annoyed look. “What’s with the mood lighting?”

Alex laughed at that. It felt good.

“It has to do with work,” he said, “and we’re not talking about that.”

That earned him a raised eyebrow.

“You’re deliberately being obtuse,” she said. “Spill.”

“Well,” Alex said, not wanting to ruin the pleasant mood at the table. “Let’s just say that the police are angry with me right now and, if they were to try to find me with magic, this lighter prevents that.”

Her expression darkened.

“You’re not in trouble, are you?”

Alex smiled at that. She wasn’t worried at all that he might have done something worthy of being sought by the police. She was worried that they might catch him.

“It’s just a misunderstanding, but I’d rather deal with it on Monday.”

“So what does the lighter do?”

Alex picked it up and extinguished it before passing it over.

“There’s an obfuscation rune scraped into the side,” he said. “Iggy, that is Dr. Bell, wanted to try it.”

“You call Dr. Bell, Iggy?” she asked with a smirk.

“We have an understanding,” Alex said, dodging the question. “Anyway, there are better runes but they’re more complicated. This is the quick and dirty solution. As long as it’s lit, runes that link to other things, like finding runes, won’t work.”

“Well you need to get this thing with you and the police sorted out soon,” Jessica said, returning to her meal. “I might be able to free up some more time, and I think we should go out again.”

Alex couldn’t help smiling at that.

“Maybe take in a picture?” he wondered.

“I was thinking we could go to a museum.”

Alex scoffed at that.

“We could do that tonight,” he said. “It’s right there at the end of the new crawler line, and it’s open till ten. We could stop in on the way back to your place.”

“But I want to see the Almiranta exhibit,” Jessica explained. “The curator said on the radio that they won’t have it put back until Tuesday.”

Alex wracked his brain until he remembered the story he’d read in the paper. The Spanish government had sued Phillip Leland, the explorer who found the wreck of the Almiranta, claiming the ship and its treasure were their property. The museum had to take the treasure exhibit off display during the trial.

“Spain lost their case then?” he asked.

Jessica nodded, spearing a dumpling with her fork.

“It got thrown out of court,” she said. “It was on the radio.”

“I guess we can go next week then,” he said, trying not to sound too disappointed. He wasn’t much for walking around and looking at things. That was pretty much what his job was, and museums were nothing but that. Still, Jessica would be there the whole time, so it wasn’t exactly time wasted.

It was a bit of a busman’s holiday, though.

It took Alex a full five minutes for his brain to start working, though whether his mental torpor was caused by the food or his company, he couldn’t be sure. When at last his synapses finally did start firing, he stood up so fast he sent his chair tumbling across the private room.

Jessica just stared at him with wide eyes.

“What’s the matter?”

He didn’t answer, just stepped around the table, leaned down, and kissed her square on the mouth. If he hadn’t been numb he imagined she would have tasted sweet.

“Thank you,” he said. “I’ve got to find a phone.”

Before Jessica could object or protest, he raced out through the curtain into the dining room.

“Is everything all right, Mr. Lockerby?” the robed man who had been serving them asked. Alex intended to ignore him but something in the man’s face made him stop. He remembered who this man’s boss really was, and while he doubted Danny’s father cared one whit about whether or not Alex enjoyed his meal, this man didn’t know that. For all this waiter knew, Alex was an important guest, and the consequences for failing to make him happy could be dire.

“I’m sorry,” Alex said, stopping to put a reassuring hand on the man’s arm. “I’ve just been called away to work. My companion and I will be leaving as soon as I make a telephone call.”

The man’s face blanched, confirming Alex’s suspicions.

“Please tell Mr. Chow that the food was wonderful, the service was superb, and the dumplings were exquisite.”

The man’s smile bloomed back to his face and he nodded.

“Thank you,” he said with a bow.

“Now, where can I find a telephone?”

Alex made two phone calls, using up most of the change left in his pocket. The first was to Gary Bickman. Alex had to use every bit of leverage he had with the little Brit, but he finally convinced him to have Andrew Barton meet Alex at the Central Office.

His second call was to Iggy, delivering pretty much the same message. Alex did spend an extra few minutes explaining his reasoning to the doctor just to make sure he wasn’t crazy.

“You’re crazy,” Iggy said. “Call in a tip to the cops and go back to that beautiful woman.”

Iggy always could see the right of things.

“You know I can’t do that,” Alex said. “Just meet me there as soon as you can.”

Iggy said that he would, and Alex hung up.

“That was a quick phone call,” Jessica said when he returned their dining room a moment later. “You want to explain what that was all about?”

“Nope,” he said, picking up his chair. “That’d be work talk, and we promised no more work talk tonight.” He picked up his fork and speared a dumpling. Honestly, he was glad, after this week of failures. He didn’t want Jessica to know his plan in case he failed again. Of course if he failed again the world would know because he would definitely be going up on an obstruction charge.

Or three.

“We do need to go,” he said, picking up his hat and putting away the battered cigarette lighter.

Jessica just looked at him in bewilderment for a long moment, then her playful, sexy smile came back. She set her napkin aside and stood up.

“All right,” she said. “Keep your secrets, but I’d better hear all about it on our date next week.”

Alex promised to tell her everything, and she nodded, then stood.

“I am a bit disappointed, though,” she said, fixing him with a challenging stare. “You’re cutting our meal short and all you can manage by way of apology was that quick peck on the lips? I should think you’d be more gentlemanly than that.”

Alex’s brain was firing on all cylinders now, but it still took him a long second to sort out what she’d said. Embarrassed at the lapse, he stepped up in front of her, lifted her chin with his finger, leaned slowly down and kissed her.

Everything he’d missed in that first brief kiss exploded through him. The touch of her lips was electric, and he felt her hands slide up his arms and over his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly against him.

After what seemed like an all too brief eternity, he let her go. As she stepped back, he wanted to say something, something witty or clever like the movie actors did, but nothing came to him. When she saw the struggle in his face, Jessica smiled.

“Did you smear my lipstick?” she asked.

“I’m afraid so,” he said, noting that it was now spread beyond the borders of her lips.

She reached up and patted him on the cheek.

“Good boy,” she said, her smile positively wicked. “Now where, exactly, are we going?”

She pulled a mirror out of her handbag and fixed her lipstick. Alex waited for her to finish, then offered her his arm and she took it.

“You are going home,” he said, leading her out into the dining room. When her brows furrowed angrily, he continued. “Have you forgotten your potions?”

Her face softened a bit, but she didn’t look happy.

“Iggy will meet us at the Central Office and escort you home.”

“You’re a real stinker,” she said.

“Save that for the cab,” he said. “We’re in a hurry and I, uh, I need to borrow the fare.”

The look she gave him was unamused.

“Iggy will pay you back as soon as he gets there,” Alex promised.

Jessica gave him a sardonic smile that told him she really wasn’t too angry.

“You’re one hell of an interesting date, Alex,” she said, bumping him affectionately with her shoulder. “I’ll give you that.”

“Don’t count me out yet,” he said, whistling for a cab. “You said you wanted to meet the Lightning Lord. Looks like you’re going to get your chance.”