Carol Higgins Clark Boxed Set - Volume 1: This eBook collection contains Zapped, Cursed, and Wrecked. (17 page)

P
hil and Dodie walked down Eighty-eighth Street to East End Avenue and entered Carl Schurz Park. Once the private garden of Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor of the city of New York, it was now a fourteen-acre neighborhood oasis, with beautiful views of the East River and the surrounding bridges. As Phil and Dodie followed the park’s winding paths, they scanned the landscape with their flashlights. The only people they encountered were out strolling with their dogs.

“They’re not here,” Phil finally said. “Let’s head up toward Central Park. I’d like to stop by Lonnie’s first and see if there are any more people who might want to join us.”

“Sure.”

As they walked along, saying nothing, Dodie finally felt compelled to break the silence. “How are you doing?”

“Not so well.”

“Sorry. It was a stupid question.”

“Don’t be sorry. I just can’t stop thinking about Chip. He is such a good guy. I just know he’s never been mean to a girl. In fact, he’s polite to a fault. If any guy doesn’t deserve having a woman taking out her frustrations on him, it’s Chip.” Phil shuddered. “I can’t imagine having a brand like that on my arm for the rest of my life. But if she slipped him a drug his body can’t handle…”

The sound of happy, vibrant mambo music interrupted him. It was the ring Phil had chosen for his cell phone, but at this moment it frayed his nerves. He pulled the phone off his belt and answered quickly. Chip’s sister, Natalie, was calling from San Diego. Understandably, she was a wreck.

“Phil, is there any news?” she asked, her voice quivering.

“No, Natalie. We’re out looking for Chip right now.”

“I wish I could get on a plane, but there are no flights to New York. I’ve been researching knockout drops. They are very dangerous if you have respiratory problems. Do you remember last year when Chip had walking pneumonia? It was really bad.”

“Yes,” Phil answered, his voice tight.

“And he’s just getting over a cold. He was still coughing when I talked to him yesterday.”

“Natalie, we’re going to find him,” Phil said, forcing optimism into his voice.

“My parents are driving down to the city. I’m so worried about them, too. They’re upset and it’s late and the roads are dark.”

“They insisted.”

“I don’t blame them, I’d do the same. But please, Phil, call me back soon. Even if there’s nothing new. Sitting here waiting for the phone to ring is torture.”

“I promise, Natalie.”

She started to cry. “He’s my little brother. He needs my help, and I can’t be there for him.”

“Oh, Natalie. He loves you so much. He’s always talking about how good you are to him.”

“He is?”

“Yes. Don’t worry, he’ll be okay.”

“I don’t know who this girl is,” Natalie said vehemently, “but if I ever get my hands on her…”

“How about this?” Phil asked, trying to lighten the tone of the conversation. “When we catch her, I’ll personally arrange a meeting between you. We’ll put you in the ring together. She won’t stand a chance.”

“You’re damned right she won’t stand a chance. I won’t need any knockout drops. One punch is all it’ll take!”

“That’s the spirit. I’ll call you back soon.” When he hung up the phone, his face crumbled. He grabbed Dodie’s hand. “We’ve got to walk faster. I’ve got the feeling we’re running out of time…”

G
eorgina decided to smoke one last cigarette before she got to work. She tapped Chip on the shoulder. He didn’t move. Out cold and down for the count, she thought. Well, that’s good. I don’t need for him to wake up, screaming in pain. Her thoughts drifted. She was oblivious to the sound of the cars on the highway above. Fifteen years. Fifteen years since some stupid driver got distracted by the sight of a cruise ship and lost control of his car. The vehicle jumped the divider and slammed into Nana’s cab. She was on her way to Newark airport. We were going to have such a wonderful vacation together. Georgina glanced up at that very highway with tears in her eyes.

So many things happen by chance, Georgina thought bitterly as she lit her cigarette. She inhaled, then sat up. Huck only got to know her roommate because he spent so much time hanging around their dorm room. At first, he’d told Georgina he “didn’t take to that girl.” So if she hadn’t been Georgina’s roommate, then he never would have realized that in fact, he
did
“take to that girl” quite a bit. And here I am for the first time in the sacred place that he promised to visit with me. He had promised to be by my side and comfort me when I finally stood at the spot where Nana left this earth. Where was he now? Georgina wondered. Where was her roommate now? Georgina ran her fingers through the grass. Did Nana’s blood spill right here? If it did, it’s all been washed away. Like every chance I had of living a normal happy life. She finished her cigarette, stubbed it out on the ground, then angrily threw the butt as far as she could.

“Well, Chip, it’s time for your initiation into Georgina’s club of cheating losers. I know you were just pretending to like me, like all the others. It always ends up the same way.” She picked up the branding iron. Her hands were shaking.

H
uck Darling and his bride, Isabelle, had been out with friends near his office on Wall Street when the blackout hit. They’d ended up having a great time. It turned into a big party at the restaurant where they were having dinner, and the owner gave them dessert for free. All the melting ice cream you could eat.

Luckily Huck had driven his car to work that morning. After dinner, he and Isabelle had dropped their oh-so-fabulous, socially connected friends at their pads around town, and were about to pull into the garage of their building when Huck’s cell phone rang. It was his mother in New Jersey.

“Huck, our lights are back on.”

“That’s great, Mom. We’re still in the dark. Isabelle and I are just about to pull into the garage and walk up twelve flights of stairs—”

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “It’s going to be awful. And I’m wearing these heels…”

She’s beautiful and rich but definitely high maintenance, Huck thought. For him, the whole package was more than worth it.

“If you’re in the car, why don’t you just drive out here? I’ll turn the air conditioner on in your room. It’ll be nice and cool when you get here.”

“Mom, thanks for the offer, but it’s already late and I have to get to work early tomorrow. It’s a new job…”

“You’ll have to go to work if there’s a blackout?”

“Well, we won’t know that until the morning, now will we?” he tried to joke.

Isabelle leaned over toward Huck’s phone. “I think we should come to your house,” she called out to her mother-in-law. “The thought of climbing up all those stairs to our hot, dark apartment filled with all those boxes…”

“You see, dear? Why don’t you just drive on out? Make your bride happy.”

Which is the worse of two evils? Huck wondered. Putting up with a cranky Isabelle in a hot apartment or facing a tough commute in the morning from New Jersey and risk being late for work?

Isabelle looked at him with a sour expression. “Well?”

C
lay’s cell phone rang as he and Lorraine were trudging down Sixth Avenue. He answered without checking to see who it was. Not good.

“Hey, dude, I know you were upset about your bicycle. But what did you do with Diane’s tap shoes?”

“What are you talking about?”

“What do you mean what am I talking about? She took them off in the bathroom, and now they’re gone.”

“It’s pretty dark in there. Take another look.”

“We took a lot of looks. If you took them as some sort of joke to get even with her, okay. But bring them back now. She’s very upset.”

“I’ll be home later.”

“What is with you? She borrowed your bike because she really needed it. I know you’re mad but you’re overreacting.”

“No, I’m not!” Clay shouted. “She had no right to use my bicycle without asking!”

“Clay, this is important. Her agent called. The producers of the show want to see her again first thing in the morning. She’s been going crazy searching all over this apartment in the dark. She won’t be able to sleep tonight if those shoes aren’t back here.”

Clay hung up and turned off his phone. “My roommate thinks I took his girlfriend’s shoes because I was mad about the flat tire. That’s good. I’d grabbed them before I knew about the flat. Now at least I have an excuse.”

“Whatever works.” Lorraine sighed.

In the low Forties they headed west. Fire trucks came racing down the block past them, and screeched to a halt at the end of the block. Flames were shooting out of the windows of the fourth floor of a small apartment building. Tenants were standing on the sidewalk and a crowd was gathering.

A candle situated too close to a curtain had set it aflame. The apartment dwellers had done their best to get the fire under control but finally gave up and roused their fellow tenants.

Lorraine and Clay paused to watch the excitement. The flames lit up the night sky.

A woman near Lorraine gasped. Lorraine turned her head.

“Didn’t I see you on
The Darkest Days
?” the older woman cried. She had her hair pulled back in a bun and was dressed in a long nightgown that was partially covered by a lightweight bathrobe. Her feet were stuffed into fluffy bedroom slippers.

Lorraine smiled. “Yes, I had a nice part on that last year. I was in several episodes.”

“You don’t have to tell me! That’s my favorite soap opera of all time. They should bring your character back.”

“Do you live in that building?” Clay asked with concern, trying to change the subject so they could make their exit. Now he was really desperate for the money to get a new apartment.

“Yes, it’ll be fine,” the woman answered dismissively. “They’ll get it under control. I’m on the ground floor which doesn’t seem to be affected.” She turned back to Lorraine. “I’m going to write to the producers and tell them I saw you tonight, and they should bring you back—”

Lorraine cringed at the thought of letters to producers.

“—you were so convincing as a conniving you-know-what.” The woman laughed, then pretended to whisper. “I won’t tell them you were wearing ugly but comfortable shoes.” She held up one foot. “I’m just like you, I love for my feet to feel good. I wear these all day at home. I can’t bear to throw them out no matter how ratty they get.”

Lorraine smiled through gritted teeth. “Thank you so much, but please don’t write any letters to the producers. I’m about to start a film and will be very busy—”

“Which one?”

“Lorraine, we’ve really got to be going,” Clay said.

“And who are you?” the woman demanded.

“I’m an actor, too.”

“I’ve never seen you in anything.”

“Oh, you will,” Lorraine said quickly. “He’s so talented. We really have to be going.”

“Please just wait a minute. I want to get a picture with you. Someone around here must have a camera. My mother is not going to believe it…”

“D
addy, I feel terrible that we can’t find him. No one has,” Alexis said as she hung up her cell phone. She’d called Dodie, who said that there was no news and Chip’s family was getting more and more upset.

“We’ll keep looking, dear,” Conrad promised as he steered the Rolls-Royce past the area on the West Side where the cruise ships docked. “It’s so dark here at night…”

Alexis’s cell phone rang. It was always ringing. This time it was her mother. “Alexis, where are you? I called your father’s house and I was surprised you weren’t there yet.”

“Mom, you won’t believe what happened,” Alexis said, then gave her mother a rundown of the events of the last couple of hours. “Becky is with us. She saw the couple get in a cab in front of the comedy club.”

“Alexis, be careful.”

“We are. By the way, I think I saw Lorraine on the street near the Treetops Hotel.”

Conrad looked at Alexis. “Did you have to bring that up to your mother?” he whispered.

“Daddy says I shouldn’t have brought that up to you.”

“What do I care? She’s out on the street instead of hanging around the bar of the most expensive hotel in the city looking to meet producers? She must be up to something.”

“Totally.”

“Put your father on.”

“Hello, dear,” Conrad said wearily.

“I’m not going to give you a hard time,” Penny assured him. “I just want to say it’s great that you’re helping search for that poor boy. Just be careful, please. And keep me updated. I’m not going to sleep until I know you’re on your way home again.”

Conrad felt his heart twinge. Could those words be prophetic?