Nighttime Is My Time

33

"I thought I'd be gone by now, but I had a whole bunch of messages waiting for me when I got back from the brunch," Gordon Amory explained to Jean. "We're shooting one episode of our new series in Canada, and some major problems have developed. I've been on the phone the last two hours."

His bags at his side, he had come up to the front desk as the clerk was showing Sam the worksheets of the hotel employees. Then he studied Jean's face. "Jean, is something wrong?"

"Laura is missing," Jean said, hearing the tremor in her own voice. "She was supposed to have been picked up at two-fifteen to go to the airport. The bed in her room wasn't slept in, and the maid said that some of her toiletries seem to be gone. Maybe she just decided to stay with someone and is perfectly all right, but she was so definite about being with us this morning that I'm terribly worried now."

"She was certainly definite about being at the brunch when she was talking to Jack Emerson last night," Gordon said. "As I told you, she was pretty cool to me after I told her she didn't have the faintest chance of being cast in the upcoming series, but in the bar after dinner I overheard what she said to Jack."

Sam had been listening to their conversation. He turned to Gordon and introduced himself. "We have to realize that Laura Wilcox is an adult. She has every right in the world to go off by herself or with a friend, and to change her mind about checking out. Nevertheless, I think it would be wise to follow up and see if anyone, either a hotel employee or a friend, knew her plans."

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr. Amory," the clerk said. "I have your bill ready."

Gordon Amory hesitated, then looked at Jean. "You think something may have happened to Laura, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. Laura was very close to Alison. She simply wouldn't deliberately skip the memorial, no matter what plans she had for last night."

"Is my room still free?" Amory asked the clerk.

"Yes, of course, sir."

"Then I'm going to stay at least until we know more about Ms. Wilcox." He turned to Jean, and for an instant, even in the midst of her concern about Laura, she was struck by the realization of what a handsome man Gordon Amory had become. I used to feel so sorry for him, she thought. He was a pathetic loser back then, and look what he's made of himself.

"Jean, I know I hurt Laura last night, and it was lousy of me-kind of a payback, I guess, for the way she used to brush me off when we were kids. I could have promised her a part even if it wasn't the lead in that series. I have a feeling she may be desperate. That could explain why she didn't show up this morning. I bet she'll be back with or without an explanation for where she's been, and when she is, I'm going to offer her a job. And I'm going to hang around to do it personally."