Cupid's Treasure - Mystery of the Golden Arrow (6 page)

“Easy for you to say,” Jacques said.

Jonathan picked up her suitcase to see if it was still serviceable. Whoever had searched the room had certainly done a thorough job of it. The lining of her suitcase had been torn out, and even some of her clothing had been sliced through.

He stuffed all the personal items that he could find in the suitcase and closed it. “Ready?”

Jacques looked up from his position, dangling off the bed and said, “You are serious,
oui?
”

Jonathan chuckled at him as he rolled off the bed and handed him the mouse. “Since you are the one who is impervious to her—uh—charms, I nominate you for the task.”

“Good thing I brought the real deal,” Jonathan said, pulling out a hypodermic needle from his pocket. “Can you say tranquilizer?” He twisted the cover off and flicked it with his finger.

“Where did you get this?” Jacques asked.

“Jessie,” Jonathan said.

“This does not sound like the Jessie I know,” Jacques said. “Does she know she gave it to you?”

“Ah—no,” Jonathan said with a grin as Jacques shook his head with a sigh.

“You get to be the one that gets to explain that one,” Jacques said.

“That is the beauty of the plan,” Jonathan explained. “We’ll keep it on a need to know basis, and there will be no reason to tell, so she won’t have to know.”

Jacques stood ready with a blanket as Jonathan bent to pick up the bed. He tested it. “Good, it’s not bolted down.” He lifted it slightly. “You ready?”

“
Oui.”
Jacques nodded.

“Okay, go!” Jonathan said as he flipped the mattress and box spring over. As soon as the mattresses went up, the blanket floated down.

“Did you get her?” Jonathan asked, still holding the bed up.

“I am not certain.” Jacques waited to see where the blanket bulged.

“What would make you more certain?” Jonathan asked as Jacques followed the running bulge.

“Ye-
ow!” Jacques yowled, threw another blanket down, and came away with something that looked like the laundry. “Got her,” he said triumphantly.

“Maybe we don’t need the shot.”

The blankets growled and hissed as a white paw poked out the side. “Ow,” Jacques said as her claws dug into him. “Get a pillow case.”

“I’ll do one better, I’ll get the needle,” Jonathan said. “Hold her tight now,” he said as she squirmed out.

“Non!” Jacques said, and as she slipped away, the needle stuck in his palm.”

“Sorry,” Jonathan said apologetically. “I thought I had her.”

Jacques pulled it out and read the side label. Handing it back to him he said disgustedly, “It says it’s for equine use only.”

Jonathan looked at it. “I guess it’s a good thing I missed the kitty then, isn’t it?” he asked, slipping it into his pocket as the cat darted into the bathroom.

Jacques shook his head slightly.

“Are you okay?” Jonathan asked.
“I thought tranqs didn’t affect you.”

“That was before I became flesh and blood again.”

“A horse would have been out by now, so I guess you’re good,” Jonathan said matter-of-factly as he walked toward the bathroom door. “I’m going in,” he said, closing the door behind him.

Jacques waited a moment, listening to what sounded like World War III going on in the bathroom. Jonathan emerged smiling with what looked like a kitty wrapped in a breakfast burrito.

“Here.” He held the cat out.

“Oh,
non!
” Jacques picked up the keys. “This time you hold the kitty.”

~*~

Amber luxuriated in the bubbles of the old fashioned claw foot tub. Her toes peeped above the rim on the other side. Her red toenails glistened in the soft light. . . . It was the one thing she dared to indulge in and the only area on her body she allowed to be beautiful. Anything else was inviting trouble!

She leaned her head against the back rest and closed her eyes, letting the warm water soothe her. Her mind drifted to a beautiful beach where the ocean’s
waves slowly rolled. She imagined squishing her feet in the sand, stepping along the shore until she was running joyously right into the water. She was totally immersed in the fantasy when her imagination threw a hard muscled physique into the waves with her. Their bodies were entwined on the sand, the water lapping at their limbs. She looked up into the face above hers. . . . It was him!

Amber’s eyes flew open. It had been so vivid. She shook her head with a shaky sigh, deciding bath time was over.

~*~

Jonathan slowly climbed the stairs to the second floor. He certainly didn’t want to agitate the hellcat in his arms. It was no doubt amusing Jacques who felt he had something coming to him since he’d been the one to put the needle in his hand.

The drive home had been nerve-wracking to say the least. What with the fuss ball of furry on his lap and his unlicensed grandpa driving, he was more than ready to pass this hot potato to the next player.

“I still say we should have used the pillow case,” Jacques said from down below.

“Shhh. She’ll hear you,” Jonathan whispered as he looked through the banister at him. Jacques, who was still a little woozy from the tranquilizer, crashed into the bureau as he carried the suitcase.

“Be careful with that,” Jonathan said as he slowly made his way to the Betty Boop suite.

“Why?” Jacques asked, looking at the shredded luggage in question. “Are you afraid I might damage it?”

“Good point,” Jonathan said as he stood outside the door to the Betty Boop suite. “Amber,” he called. He thought he heard her soft footsteps pause before the door on the other side, but it was hard to tell with Jacques stumbling up the stairs behind him.

“I have something for you,” Jonathan said.

“Something?”
Jacques snorted in laughter. “You mean hellcat!”

Jonathan gave him an annoyed glance.

“What did I say?” Jacques asked as Jessie walked into the foyer and looked up at him.

“Jonathan,” she said. “What did you do to my husband?”

“Why, chéri,” Jacques grinned down at his wife, “it is on a need to know basis.”

“What don’t I need to know?” Jessie asked, using her doctor voice.

Jonathan rolled his eyes at Jacques as the door to Amber’s room opened a few inches and she peeked out.

Jonathan turned his attention to the woman who had a turban style towel wrapped around her head, and was wearing a pair of Minnie Mouse pajamas and house shoes. She peered up at him through thick rimmed glasses, and he wondered why the hell his heart flip flopped.

Spying what he held in his arms, Amber threw the door open with a cry and took her kitty from him. “Kisses,” she whispered hoarsely as she held her close.

“Kisses?” Jacques asked in disbelief as he leaned on the wall next to Jonathan. “I would think Shredder, Biter, or Destroyer would serve as a better warning,
oui?
”

“I didn’t realize you’d left. I would have gone,” Amber said.
“Was she difficult?”

“Oh, no,” Jonathan said.

Jacques added, “
Non
, that would be the understatement of the year.”

“Jonathan,” Jessie said as she came down the hall. “Did you take him drinking again? You know he hasn’t had a drop in. . . .” She paused. She’d been about to say two hundred fifty years, but with Amber now looking curiously at her, Jessie ended with, “A while.”

The kitty in Amber’s arms jumped down and ran directly to Jessie, rubbing herself on her leg.

“Hello,” Jessie said as she picked up her cat. “What a gorgeous kitty.”

Jonathan and Jacques both stared in shock.

“Watch out. She can be feisty,”
Jonathan said.

“She happens to love feisty kitties.” Jacques chuckled as he watched the cat in her arms purr.

Amber took one look at the luggage that Jacques held and asked, “What happened?”

“It looks like someone ransacked your motel room before we arrived,” Jonathan answered.

Amber gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

Jonathan watched her closely. “I know you’ve had a hell of an evening so far, but if you could tell me anything about this it would help.”

Amber glanced at the three faces of the people in front of her and knew that telling them would endanger them. She didn’t want to lie, but had to. “I had an old boyfriend that I hoped would never find me.”

“Was the man tonight your ex?” Jonathan asked.

At Jonathan’s close scrutiny of her, she nudged her glasses up. “I—don’t think so,” Amber said. “I never actually saw him.”

“You know you are safe here,” Jonathan said. At her nod he looked away, took the luggage from Jacques, and placed it on the heart shaped bed.

“Oh, that just breaks my heart to know you’ve been subjected to a stalker,” Jessie said as she walked further into the bedroom. “We’ll make sure he doesn’t get anywhere near you,” she added as she placed the kitty beside it on the red silk coverlet.

“I—know,” Amber lied again, knowing that not only was she not safe, but neither were they now. She faked a yawn.

“You must be tired,” Jessie said. “I hope you can get some rest knowing that you are safe here,” she continued as she went back to the door to gather up her own kitty.

“I will,” Amber said. “Goodnight.”

There was something about how easy it was for her to accept this that made Jonathan’s ever increasing suspicion of the situation increase. “If you need anything, just call.” He handed her the radio phone that he’d used earlier. “It’s on my station.” He clicked a button. “Just press this if you need me. Got it?”

“Got it,” Amber said.

“Good.” Jonathan smiled at her.

She glanced down at her pajamas
self-consciously. “Jessie loaned them to me.”

“Cute,” Jonathan said, then wished he hadn’t. It was actually too close to the truth. She was adorable. He ran a hand through his hair and noticed for the first time they were standing together all alone in the Valentine’s room of love. “Yeah, well.” He backed away from her like she was a live mortar. “Goodnight,” he said, closing the door behind him.

Amber watched him go, wondering what the heck had gotten into him. She looked at her kitty on the bed. Kisses looked up at her and meowed. “I know,” Amber said. “That was very odd. . . . He almost acted like he was attracted to me.” She looked into the mirror at her image. Her cat meowed. “That’s impossible!”

~*~

Jonathan set his toolbox next to the computer and looked at Harold who was still bent over the arrow, running a test. “I have something else for you.”

Harold looked up in surprise. “I didn’t hear you come up.”

“You look pretty involved over there.”

“It’s an alloy of metal that I have been unable to recognize.”

Jonathan noticed how excited he looked.

“Its magnetic properties are a hundred times higher than that of iron, yet its weight is far less. The implications of having yet another element are—” He stopped speaking when he noticed all the baggies that Jonathan was unloading near the computer. “What is it that you have for me?”

“I need some prints run and some analysis of blood DNA,” Jonathan said. “Can you do that?”

“In my sleep,” Harold replied seriously.
“Though it’s not nearly as interesting as your last find.”

Jonathan stepped back to let the older man at the controls. “I’ll leave these for you to deal with.” He headed back down the ladder. “You need anything . . . Your wife just made peach cobbler.”

Harold grinned at him. “With a dollop of vanilla ice cream if you don’t mind.”

~*~

Amber leaned against the pillows and opened the diary that she’d taken from the library. She had a little time to kill while she waited for everyone in the house to go to sleep.

I have loved in
vain. After gleaning the clues of the treasure, he left me, never to return. I have lost and will never love again.

The words she read on the last page seemed to resonate within her own soul, though she had lost the memory of it, another thing Amber blamed
them
for.

She dressed in a dark pair of pants and sweater that almost swallowed her whole. She was glad that most of her clothes were dull colors. Nothing on her would stand out at night. She wrapped a dark shawl around her hair and deemed herself fit to slip out at night unseen . . . except her white cat. She looked at the fur ball sitting in the window sill.

Amber set her purse on the bed and opened it. “C’mon girl, we need to go,” she whispered.

Kisses jumped down from the window and passed the open purse. She walked over to the pillow and looked up at Amber with big blue eyes.

“Don’t be like that,” Amber sighed. “You know I must go. These are nice people who have no idea the trouble I bring. Compared to me, Pandora’s box is a holiday!”