Read Online Behold a Dark Mirror by Theophilus Axxe - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Theophilus Axxe
Ads: Link
in the bathroom. Behind the curtains. He let himself sink into the armchair. A tear rolled down his cheek. Another. A whine rose up his windpipe, first quiet, then louder.
Life was upside down, nothing was working–but at least Jaya had still been with him. What he always had taken for granted, all that his life was built around, had vanished overnight. But Jaya had still believed in him. And now she was gone: They had taken her away. His lips parted in a cramped fold, and he sobbed.
Dawn had painted a dash of lighter blue on the ocean when Jenus gathered himself. All their belongings were there, including the cash. He drove his body through the mechanics of washing, shaving, changing clothes. The phone rang.
He dove across the bed to answer the jig. The speaker crackled, a voice spoke. "If you want your girl back, ask the hotel for your messages." The dial tone returned right away.
Jenus hit the hotel operator.
"Operator 3, may I help you?"
"Messages for my room?"
"Sir, please hold." Pause. "Sir, there is an envelope for you. You may collect it at the reception desk. Is there..."
Jenus sped out of the room without closing the door. He rushed through the hall, the lobby, and banged his fists on the reception desk. The receptionist flinched and rushed to pull Jenus's message. He tore the envelope, stared at the sheet.
"You have something that we want," it said. "We have someone that you want. Eat this paper to show your good will, do it in front of the person at the service desk–who knows nothing of this, so don't ask; we'll find you."
The second band of hoodlums had found him. Jenus walked to the service desk. "Hey, see this?" He showed the sheet to the clerk. "Watch!" And he munched it before the baffled concierge.
When Jenus returned to his room the sun was rising. He needed to be in Mexico City at 7 PM, that is, 7 AM Mexico time. Flying would take ten hours and would keep him busy. He picked up his things, bought some food, loaded the aircar, and took off.
*
Getting to his appointment proved to be more difficult than expected. He logged the aircar onto Mexico City's Traffic Dispatcher and keyed in his destination, but the system would not clear him for a thoroughfare. So he wound up flying back-routes and barely made it on time.
The address was a pile of rubble in a deserted neighborhood. A nearby phone booth was the only feature in sight; it looked in perfect order. Roads were narrow. The aircar did not clear the debris, so Jenus had to park at a distance. He could not hear the phone ring from the cockpit. He pulled the vehicle's cellular plug and took it to the booth, where he inserted it in the line output of the phone station. That would establish a remote link with the phone in the aircar.
He waited in the vehicle. The phone rang. He reached for it, halted. How badly do they want to help me? He thought. The phone stopped ringing. Ten minutes later, it rang again. Stopped. It rang again in ten more minutes. This time, Jenus pressed the connect button.
The phone booth blew up with a roar, the shock wave from the blast rocking the aircar.
"Shit!" Jenus said. "Oh shit!"
He took off in a panic as fast as he could, missed an overhanging façade from a nearby ruin by a hair, and sped up into random headings until he managed to get a grip on himself. As soon as he could keep a course, he drove downtown. Still shaking, he parked in a long-term garage and headed for the public framepost, where he dialed Gus's condo.
Maybe I'll get him before he goes to the lab, he thought.
*
Jenus rang the doorbell. Gus's thick black beard showed at the door, hiding his face, enhancing his bald scalp. The creases at the corners of his brown eyes deepened as he greeted Jenus good-naturedly.
"Jenus! I've been looking for you since yesterday morning."
"Yesterday?" Jenus said.
"Well? It was Monday and
Life was upside down, nothing was working–but at least Jaya had still been with him. What he always had taken for granted, all that his life was built around, had vanished overnight. But Jaya had still believed in him. And now she was gone: They had taken her away. His lips parted in a cramped fold, and he sobbed.
Dawn had painted a dash of lighter blue on the ocean when Jenus gathered himself. All their belongings were there, including the cash. He drove his body through the mechanics of washing, shaving, changing clothes. The phone rang.
He dove across the bed to answer the jig. The speaker crackled, a voice spoke. "If you want your girl back, ask the hotel for your messages." The dial tone returned right away.
Jenus hit the hotel operator.
"Operator 3, may I help you?"
"Messages for my room?"
"Sir, please hold." Pause. "Sir, there is an envelope for you. You may collect it at the reception desk. Is there..."
Jenus sped out of the room without closing the door. He rushed through the hall, the lobby, and banged his fists on the reception desk. The receptionist flinched and rushed to pull Jenus's message. He tore the envelope, stared at the sheet.
"You have something that we want," it said. "We have someone that you want. Eat this paper to show your good will, do it in front of the person at the service desk–who knows nothing of this, so don't ask; we'll find you."
The second band of hoodlums had found him. Jenus walked to the service desk. "Hey, see this?" He showed the sheet to the clerk. "Watch!" And he munched it before the baffled concierge.
When Jenus returned to his room the sun was rising. He needed to be in Mexico City at 7 PM, that is, 7 AM Mexico time. Flying would take ten hours and would keep him busy. He picked up his things, bought some food, loaded the aircar, and took off.
*
Getting to his appointment proved to be more difficult than expected. He logged the aircar onto Mexico City's Traffic Dispatcher and keyed in his destination, but the system would not clear him for a thoroughfare. So he wound up flying back-routes and barely made it on time.
The address was a pile of rubble in a deserted neighborhood. A nearby phone booth was the only feature in sight; it looked in perfect order. Roads were narrow. The aircar did not clear the debris, so Jenus had to park at a distance. He could not hear the phone ring from the cockpit. He pulled the vehicle's cellular plug and took it to the booth, where he inserted it in the line output of the phone station. That would establish a remote link with the phone in the aircar.
He waited in the vehicle. The phone rang. He reached for it, halted. How badly do they want to help me? He thought. The phone stopped ringing. Ten minutes later, it rang again. Stopped. It rang again in ten more minutes. This time, Jenus pressed the connect button.
The phone booth blew up with a roar, the shock wave from the blast rocking the aircar.
"Shit!" Jenus said. "Oh shit!"
He took off in a panic as fast as he could, missed an overhanging façade from a nearby ruin by a hair, and sped up into random headings until he managed to get a grip on himself. As soon as he could keep a course, he drove downtown. Still shaking, he parked in a long-term garage and headed for the public framepost, where he dialed Gus's condo.
Maybe I'll get him before he goes to the lab, he thought.
*
Jenus rang the doorbell. Gus's thick black beard showed at the door, hiding his face, enhancing his bald scalp. The creases at the corners of his brown eyes deepened as he greeted Jenus good-naturedly.
"Jenus! I've been looking for you since yesterday morning."
"Yesterday?" Jenus said.
"Well? It was Monday and
Similar Books
