Chapter Three: And Deception Grows
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trust that you will find my invention to your liking, Mr. Vanzyl,” the dark masked figure said to his colleague.
“Is it safe?”
“Of course. I have spent only the last five years of my life in my lab researching it and perfecting the product that you now hold in your hands.”
“The ectoplasmic mask,” Vanzyl replied. He looked at his face in the mirror. Right now, it was a horrible mess of scars left from the accident that sent him into seclusion and a life of crime.
“Put it on. Let me see if it works as well as expected,” his companion said. Vanzyl held the mask up to his face. The gooey concoction literally began to take on a life of its own. It slithered onto his head and face and began to conform to the shape of his skull. It felt cool and soothing, and it smelled faintly like Vaporub. He closed his eyes as it did its work.
“My God! I can’t believe the difference! Look at yourself in the mirror!” Vanzyl looked in the mirror his colleague provided. He was no longer a hideously scarred man, but now, devilishly handsome. His eyes were open wide, and took on a nice almond shape. His natural Dutch features came through, the high cheekbones, the carved and distinct nose, and the square chin.
“You are a genius! I am now ready to assume the identity of Stacey Van Dyke. Where is he, anyway?”
“Come, I have him properly indisposed.” Vanzyl followed his colleague through a darkened hallway and down a winding stairwell. Vanzyl could hear banging and muffled cries coming from behind a door. His friend opened a door, and inside, tied tightly to a chair, was the real Stacey Van Dyke. His eyes grew wide over the silver duct tape gag when he saw his own twin walking into the room and staring at him.
“Hello, Van Dyke. I look good as you, don’t I?” Stacey Van Dyke mumbled some curses under the gag. Then he asked pitifully, what are you going to do? Why do you look like me? Vanzyl understood and he said,
“You see, Mr. Van Dyke, you aren’t going to that banquet for Lots of Love tonight. I am. I have some, shall we say, business interests to fulfill, and you are getting in my way. After I’ve fulfilled those interests, you shall be disposed of properly. Stacey yelled and jerked in his chair.
“Struggle all you want. You won’t be escaping those ropes. Ah, in the meantime, I must catch my limo to The Drake Hotel. Ta-ta for now, Mr. Van Dyke.”
No! NO! Let me out of here! Vanzyl and his friend closed the door to the makeshift dungeon, leaving the poor man trapped inside.
“I should expect you at the banquet later?”
“Yes. I will be there to help you collect the women. Three of them, right?”
“That is correct. Caitlin Ryan, Rena Knight, and the biggest treasure of all, the senator’s daughter, Autumn DuVall.”
“Heh, heh, heh. She will bring a very hefty price on the white slavery market.”
“Hey, being a member of The Network has its perks. I’m sure that we can clear at least a half a million for each of them.” Vanzyl said. He looked at his watch. “I have to be going. I will see you later.” He hurried up the stairs.
Nobody suspected the truth, and nobody ever would, until unfortunately, it was too late.
* * * * * * *
The limo pulled up in front of The Drake Hotel at the end of the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue. I had never been here before, but I’d heard so many wonderful stories about the hotel. It was very old, but it had been remodeled many times over, and I know for a fact that wedding receptions there start, start, mind you, at $75 bucks a head. So this was no small time party that we were attending. I tried to prepare myself for the people that I would encounter inside.
The chauffeur opened the door and helped the women out, and then the men stepped out behind us. Autumn stood in the glimmer of one of the streetlights, and the way that it caught her made her look like a movie star. She had her hair done up in a cute French twist, with the ends of her hair curled into circles at the top. She wore jeweled combs in her hair and matching diamond studs in her ears. With her white mink coat and matching red gloves over her cranberry gown, she looked stunning.
“You are the prettiest girl here,” Joshua whispered in my ear, as if sensing my uneasiness. He held out his arm to me. Giggling, I took it.
“This way,” Autumn said, leading us through the front door. We followed her and my brother up the carpeted stairs to the ballroom. I was in complete awe at the hotel’s beauty, with all of the beautiful furniture and lights and the people were just gorgeous. A woman in a pretty blue strapless gown at the door took our invitations.
“Check your coats, ladies?” Joshua offered. He helped me out of my coat and cape. The cool air on my shoulders made goosebumps rise up on my skin.
“Babe! That dress is fabulous! Let me look at you!” He took my hand and spun me around.
“Mom, you’ve really outdone yourself this time!” he exclaimed. Mom beamed. Then he took our coats over to the coatroom.
“Autumn!”
“Daddy! Mum!” The DuValls came over to us. The senator looked very dashing in his tuxedo with a matching silver metallic tie and vest. Mrs. DuVall looked equally stunning in a blue velvet one-shoulder gown that matched her eyes and complimented her red hair very nicely. Senator DuVall gathered his petite daughter into his arms.
“Honey, you look beautiful.”
“Thank you Daddy. Mrs. Ryan made my dress. She made all of our gowns.” Senator DuVall turned to Mom and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“You’ve done a wonderful job, Mrs. Ryan.”
“If I’d known, I would’ve asked you to make my gown,” Mrs. DuVall commented in her thick British accent.
“Anytime, anytime,” Mom said.
“Caitlin, how are you? I haven’t seen you in a long time!” Senator DuVall hugged me and kissed my cheeks.
“Just fine, Sir.”
“How are the children? Keeping you busy?”
“Quite,” I laughed. “My cheerleaders just took first in the Midwest Regional Competition, so they’re going to State in March.”
“Congratulations! You must be very proud of them.”
“Proud and tired. Have you ever tried chasing around twenty-three teenagers with raging hormones?”
“I just chased around one,” he said, pulling his daughter to his side. “That was enough for me.”
“Maggie, may I speak to you a moment?” Mom asked. She pulled Mrs. DuVall to the side.
“What’s going on, Thelma?”
“Where is the infamous Stacey Van Dyke?”
“Mr. Van Dyke? How did you learn about him?”
“Your daughter.”
“Oh, Autumn,” Margaret laughed. “She’s so outspoken sometimes. What did she tell you?”
“That he’s a rich and charming widower.”
“That part is true.”
“Is he coming? I’d like to see him for myself.”
“He should be here by now.” Maggie looked at her watch. “He’s a little late. He probably got held up in traffic or something. You know…”
“Mary Margaret! You are looking especially beautiful this evening!”
I looked and saw a man with dark wavy hair, beautiful features, and dressed in a classic tuxedo with spit shined shoes strolling over to my mom and Autumn’s mom.
“Josh honey, why don’t you get me some champagne?”
“Sure babe. Wait here.” He walked away, and took Rick and Eric with him.
“Who is that man talking to your mother?” Rena asked me.
“Oh my God! That’s him!” Autumn gushed.
“Who’s him?” I asked.
“Stacey Van Dyke! Oh my God, he’s even more handsome than the last time I saw him! Come on girls, you have to meet him.”
“Yeah, sure,” I said. For some reason, my enthusiasm had dropped to zero. I followed my girlfriends.
“Stacey!”
“Autumn! I haven’t seen you since you were in high school. You have really grown into a fine young lady!” He spoke with a strange, yet hauntingly romantic accent that I’d never heard before. Stacey hugged Autumn, and then to my surprise, kissed her on the mouth! I looked around. Rick was at the bar, so his back was to us, thankfully. I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t say anything. I bit my tongue until it almost bled.
“Stacey, I’d like you to meet my best friends. This is Rena Knight.”
“A pleasure, my dear.” He kissed Rena’s hand.
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine,” Rena, said, blushing.
“And this is my other best friend, Caitlin Ryan.” Stacey looked me over, and then, slowly, picked up my hand, and very slowly, kissed it.
“Such a pleasure to meet the acquaintance of such a beautiful young woman, if you don’t mind me saying so.”
“Um, not at all.”
“That gown of yours compliments your shape beautifully, my dear. You have very fine taste in clothes.”
“Thank you.” Now it was my turn to blush. He was really cute!
“This isn’t your mother, is it, my dear?”
“Yes, she is.”
“No! I thought she was your younger sister.” Mom laughed.
“Oh Mr. Van Dyke…”
“Please, call me Stacey. May I offer you ladies something to drink before dinner?”
“Well, my fiancée just went to get us something, but I’m sure that my mother might appreciate having a drink with you.” My mother gave me a slight pinch on the arm. I jumped, but I didn’t say anything else.
“Oh, nothing for me, thank you,” Mrs. DuVall said.
“Mrs. Ryan, what do you drink?”
“Anything white and not too dry,” Mom answered. A waitress passed by with glasses of White Zinfandel on a silver tray. Stacey grabbed two glasses and handed one to Mom.
“A toast, to the ladies with the prettiest girls in the room.” Stacey clinked glasses with Mom and took a sip of his wine. Mom did the same.
“Very nice. That’s the best I’ve had in a long time.”
“Um, girls, come and go to the powder room with me. I need to refresh my lipstick after Josh kissed most of it off. Be right back, Mom.” I hurried off to the ladies’ room with Autumn and Rena at my heels. Once we were inside, I set my purse down on the sink and looked for my lipstick. Rena and Autumn sat on the couches in the lounge.
“So Caitlin, what do you think? Is he cute, or is he cute?”
“Hey, I can’t lie. If I wasn’t engaged and the man were twenty years younger, I might give him a run for his money.”
“I love his accent,” Rena said.
“Autumn, you never told us what line of work he’s in,” I said just before parting my lips to apply more color.
“He’s a pediatric medical researcher. He’s really the one that spearheaded this foundation, and he and Daddy have been friends for a long time.”
“Does he work at Children’s Memorial?” Rena asked.
“Actually, he travels around the world, working at different pediatric hospitals. He’s really a very fine scientist.”
“Too bad such a fine man like that is all alone,” Rena lamented. “Caitlin, your mom seems to like him. You might be getting him as a stepfather someday.”
“Very funny,” I said.
“Hey, I wouldn’t mind a rich relative,” Rena smiled.
“You can have one of mine,” Autumn said with a laugh. Then she got serious again. “Caiti, do you feel better now? I mean, those weird feelings you have, are they gone?”
“I think so. I don’t know why I was feeling that way.”
“You’re just kind of wound up about all the stuff we’ve been through, that’s all. But trust me, nothing can happen tonight. Not with our folks around.”
“I guess not. Mom’s already threatened to bash the skull of any kidnapper that dares lay a finger on me.”
“I’m ready. Let’s go back to the party. Our boyfriends are probably wondering just what.” We went back into the ballroom. Sure enough, Joshua met me at the door with a glass of something red with some fruit floating on top.
“I remembered that you have to watch your alcohol intake, so I got you some cranberry juice instead.”
“No problem. Thanks honey.” I took the glass and drank a few sips. “Where is your mom?” I looked around. She was standing alone with Stacey Van Dyke! I didn’t see the DuValls anywhere, and then suddenly, I spotted them at the head table, talking to another man I didn’t recognize.
“Looks like she’s being charmed by that Dutchman.” I said dryly.
“Hey, I thought it’s what you wanted.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“Was? Caiti, are you okay?”
“Why does everybody keep asking me that?”
“Because you seem to think that lighting is going to strike in the same place twice. Babe, nothing is going to happen tonight. This place is crawling with people. Do you really think that some kidnapper would have the audacity to show his face around here tonight?”
“Josh…” He held a finger up to my lips.
“You are going to be just fine.”
“How do you know?” He smiled and said,
“Because I am not letting you out of my sight for a minute.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes.”
“You are such a pushover.”
“I know you are,” he traced a line from my neck to my bosom, “but what am I?” Then he pulled me close and kissed me long and passionately.