Blood Loss

36

Ren grabbed a coffee and pulled out a magazine she had stolen from reception. It was promoting Summit County, and each town had its own section. It was made up mostly of advertorials, with columns or pages of relevant ads beside them. She saw one ad for The Merlin, then a general article for luxury holiday home lets, and beside that an ad for a company called York Property Management. One of the employees was a fit-looking cheery man with a strong, chiseled face, who by virtue of his age, and unusual surname, appeared to have spawned a most unlikely child.

‘Bob,’ said Ren. ‘Could I pick your tiny mind?’

Bob came over. ‘Sure. Go ahead.’

‘I was flicking through these ads masquerading as a magazine, and came across a gentleman by the name of Gabriel Labati.’ She pointed to the picture. ‘Is the ungainly Jared Labati the offspring of this rugged specimen?’

‘Yes, he is,’ said Bob.

‘So, Gabriel Labati works for York Property Management. Do they manage any of the homes on Wildcard Drive?’

‘Yes. I got Mike’s report here. Two.’

‘Has anyone taken a look around them?’ said Ren. ‘We still don’t know where the girls were kept.’

‘Mike and a few of the other detectives had a look around the outside and there were no signs of a break-in anywhere,’ said Bob. ‘We don’t have probable cause to go inside. The owners won’t give us permission because they’re deferring to York and obviously York is maintaining that no-one could have gotten into the houses because they had the keys, and they’re such an outstanding management company that there was no way anyone could have gotten their hands on them.’

‘OK,’ said Ren. ‘Do you know is York where Jared Labati did the work experience Tom Olson mentioned?’

‘I presume so,’ said Bob. ‘Gabriel Labati only has one job.’

‘So Jared would have had access to keys for a lot of houses …’

‘What are you saying?’ said Bob.

‘Just that sometimes people have things that we don’t expect them to have.’

‘Deep,’ said Bob. He glanced down at her mug. ‘You need to slow down on the coffee, missy.’

Ren grabbed the empty mug and stood up. ‘Coffee anyone?’

Bob shook his head. ‘You’ll have a stroke.’

‘I’ll have a coffee, thanks,’ said Cliff.

‘Yeah, me too,’ said Colin.

No thanks.

Ben shouted yes from Gary’s desk at the back of the room. Gary had left him with a stack of statements and was walking toward the door.

Ren stood up.

Whoa. I do not feel right.

She took a few more steps.

Whoa. Something is … I’m going to …

She reached out for the desk.

My head. I need to … zzzzzzzzzzz …

Ren slumped to the floor, landing hard on her side, striking her head off the ground.

‘Jesus Christ,’ said Bob. He bent down beside her and rolled her onto her back. He started to loosen her shirt collar. Gary rushed over and knelt at Ren’s feet, lifting them onto his lap. ‘Cliff, grab me a cushion or something to prop her feet up.’

‘Do you think maybe her belt is too tight?’ said Bob.

They stared at each other.

Ren’s eyes opened. What the …? She struggled to get up.

‘Jesus Christ, Ren,’ said Bob. ‘You scared the crap out of us.’

She looked at Bob beside her, and Gary at her feet. She started laughing. Ow.

She started to sit up. Bob and Gary took an elbow each. She realized Ben was right there in the middle of them.

‘Sit down over here,’ said Gary. ‘Take it easy, take it easy …’

‘The color just drained from your face,’ said Robbie. ‘It was freaky.’ He handed her a cushion.

‘What am I supposed to do with this?’ said Ren, holding it on her lap.

‘It’s all that caffeine,’ said Bob.

Don’t take my sunshine away.

‘You need to get checked out by a doctor,’ said Gary.

‘I fainted,’ said Ren. ‘That’s all.’

‘Yes, that’s all …’ said Gary. His voice was flat. ‘You’ve had a head injury.’

‘“Head injury” sounds very dramatic,’ said Ren.

‘You didn’t see it from here,’ said Bob. ‘That was a dramatic tumble.’

‘I’m not taking any risks,’ said Gary. ‘You go to the doctor, then you go back to the Inn to rest. Come back in the morning.’

No, no, no, no. ‘Gary, please don’t.’ She started to get up. ‘I’m fine. Seriously.’

I need to get back to Denver. I need to flee people. Paul. And Ben. And myself.

‘Ben here has got some great reflexes,’ said Bob. ‘He came to your rescue almost as quick as me … and he was at the back of the room.’

Ren smiled inside.

‘Damsel in distress,’ said Ben.

‘Seriously, Gary,’ said Ren, ‘I am fine-’

‘Bob, could you recommend a doctor to Ren?’ said Gary. He left the office.

‘I am going to lose my mind if I have to relax for the day,’ said Ren.

‘It’s only until tomorrow morning,’ said Bob. ‘I hate to say this, and I never thought I would, but you look like crap.’

Ugh. ‘I’ve bolted,’ said Ren, ‘you can’t lock the barn door now.’

‘It’s not that bad,’ said Bob. ‘You get to sit back and have a rest. I’d love a day off.’

‘It was funny coming to, though,’ said Ren. ‘You and Gary were right there, and your hand is hovering over my belt and Robbie’s standing to one side. And Ben. It was like those “special” movies you get in hotel rooms …’

Bob laughed. ‘Ren, you brighten up my life.’

‘“Please Officer” could be the title,’ said Ren. ‘“Or Officer (Going Down)” or “The Long ‘Charm’ of the Law.” That would be you.’

‘If I said something like that, it would be sexual harassment,’ said Bob.

‘And I’d love every minute of it,’ said Ren. She stood up. ‘I can’t believe I have been rendered invalid. This “head injury” business. I haven’t eaten — that’s all. I forgot to eat.’

‘Really?’ said Bob. ‘Is that really something people do? I don’t buy it.’

‘I swear to God,’ said Ren. ‘I haven’t eaten since … I had dinner last night.’

‘That is not good,’ said Bob. ‘I’m on Gary’s side.’

‘Bob, you know me, you know I eat like a horse …’

‘I see you drink coffee and eat my Jolly Ranchers.’