The Bovine Connection (23 page)

“You’re free to go.” He raised his eyebrows, amused. “But you can’t be causing a commotion like that in an airport! After 911, well, hell, I’m sure you know that being a reporter from D.C. and all,” he said in a husky voice. “I’m going to let you go, but I want you to immediately leave the airport and be on your way. I’m sorry about your satchel. You can fill out some paperwork and give us a detailed description. I’ll take charge of the search. If it turns up, where can you be reached?”

Angelica picked up the business card and handed it to the officer. “Here is my cell number. Do you have a pen? I’m staying at the Brown Palace Hotel. I’ll write it on the card,” she said, as she took his pen and wrote down the information. Angelica handed him the card.

As she was leaving the room, she glanced back to see the other officer who hadn’t said but two words, giving her a flirtatious look. Angelica smirked at his audacity after the afternoon she’d endured.

I
n front of the airport, Angelica held her purse over her head as she stood in the rain in the cab line. After a few minutes, a cab pulled up to the curve and Angelica jumped in as the driver threw her suitcase into the trunk.

“The Brown Palace Hotel, please.”

The cab driver looked around at Angelica while shutting the door. Her hair and clothes were wet from the rain. “Yes ma’am,” he said without hesitation.

In the cab on the way to downtown Denver, Angelica took her cell phone out. “Hey, it’s me.”

Gail answered. “Hey you, how are ya?”

Angelica sank into her seat. “Terrible! I’ve lost my satchel with my files, laptop, the story… I’m freaking out!”

There was silence on the other end of the phone, and then Gail asked. “How?”

“It was on the plane with me and then when the flight landed, I woke up and waited for everyone to exit. When I went to get it out of the compartment, it was gone! I was exhausted. I slept the entire time so someone could have taken it at any time during the flight.” The cab driver was looking up at Angelica in the mirror eavesdropping.

“Why would someone take your satchel - do you think it was taken because of the story? The weird phone call and all… what do you think?” Gail went silent.

Angelica looked out the window and bit down on her bottom lip. “It’s odd… I don’t know… I really just don’t know. Look, I’m on my way to the hotel to meet with Dr. Goolrick. I’ll see you in D.C. tomorrow.”

“Okay, sweetie, bye,” Gail managed to reply before Angelica hung up the phone. It had started raining harder on the way to the hotel. The drops of water were hitting her window and creating large splashes.

The cab driver looked up in the mirror. “It’s really coming down now.” Angelica met his eyes and nodded. She had been so tired from the lack of sleep that she hadn’t paid much attention to anything since she had left the lodge. She laid her head back and watched the rain in the grey haze.

H
er hair and clothes were almost dry as the cab pulled up to the valet in front of the Brown Palace Hotel. Angelica paid the driver and stepped out slowly. She grabbed her suitcase from the curb and pulled it behind her as she stepped through the front entrance of marble and stained glass. Angelica usually preferred more modern amenities, but she had a fondness for art deco architecture and was intrigued by the history of the Brown Palace Hotel. It reminded her of growing up around downtown Asheville. She had only lived a few blocks from the art deco, limestone, terra cotta trimmed buildings, where she spent a lot of time at the bookstore and pharmacy-deli.

Pulling her luggage through the lobby, she found the front desk and checked in. The ornate hotel was busy with guests.

Once she had her key, she hurried through the lobby, quickly passing the other guests and taking little notice of the golden marble walls, wrought iron railings, and ceiling of stained glass.

Angelica opened the door to her room and put purse on the dresser. Walking over to the bed, she stopped, looked around the room, and then collapsed onto the fluffy duvet comforter. She was still completely shaken from the ordeal at the airport, and exhausted from the sleepless night spent with Michael, but knew she needed to conjure up some energy for her interview with Dr. Goolrick.

As she thought about Michael, she considered calling him but decided not to. She needed to focus on work, and she knew he would be able to hear the stress in her voice. Angelica didn’t want to tell him about her satchel, cautious not to worry him. She wasn’t sure it was taken intentionally.

Angelica walked over to the phone and dialed room service. A woman answered warmly. “Welcome to the Brown Palace. What will it be this afternoon?”

“Hello, please send up a glass of a Macallen 12 neat… water… Oh, and ice, thank you,” Angelica hung up the phone. She glanced down to notice an elegant dark mahogany bedside table. She reflected back on Paul Colbeck’s comparison between ETs and angels, so she opened the drawer and pulled out the Gideon’s Bible, randomly flipped through the first chapter, Genesis. Angelica stopped when she noticed 6:4
“The Nephilim Giants were on the Earth in those days. And the Sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair and they took wives unto themselves and bore children -- mighty men, of renown.”

Hearing something fall behind her, Angelica jerked and sharply closed the Bible. She looked around and noticed her suitcase had fallen over. She put the Bible back in the drawer. As she turned to walk into the bathroom and shower for dinner, she noticed sparks of light flickering in the air around the room.

Angelica rubbed her eyes, sat down on the bed and watched them flicker. She instinctually closed her eyes and then opened them, and the sparks were still there. She sat there curiously observing them for a moment before they suddenly disappeared. Angelica frowned. “Odd,” she thought aloud.

After a hot and refreshing shower and pulling her hair back into an elegant side sweep twist, Angelica looked at the clock as she dabbed her neck with perfume and took sip of Scotch. It was five thirty-three. She realized she needed to get down to the restaurant to meet with Dr. Goolrick soon. She put the glass down on the desk and walked over to the mirror. She straightened her black silk blouse and black skirt, then retouched her lips with red color and slipped on her nude heels. She grabbed her small black Chanel purse, put it under her arm, and briskly left the room.

A nicely dressed couple smiled warmly at her as she stepped in the elevator. Angelica watched as the couple moved closer to each other. She discreetly observed their interaction as the man slid his hand down the woman’s back and looked intensely into her eyes.

Angelica remembered the way Michael touched the small of her back when he moved beside her. She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath, noticing the smell of pleasing cologne lingering in the air. She felt relaxed, temporarily forgetting about her satchel and the time spent in the tiny, intimidating room with airport security. Angelica reluctantly shifted her focus from Michael to her interview with the Doctor.

T
he grand lobby of marble and ornate gold trim was all around her. Angelica looked up to see the beautiful stained glass ceiling and black wrought
iron railing wrapped around each floor. She wasn’t sure in which restaurant the doctor had intended for them to meet. While on the phone with him, she had forgotten there were several restaurants in the hotel so she took a guess and walked into the Ship Tavern first, and looked around.

There were only a few couples sitting at the bar, so she walked over to the Palace Arms Restaurant.

“Hello, has a gentleman come in alone tonight for dinner, maybe in the last twenty minutes or so?” Angelica glanced around.

The hostess thought for a moment. “No, I don’t believe so.”

“Thank you,” Angelica turned and walked out.

Since it was still a few minutes until six, she decided to wait in the lobby. Angelica sat down in one of the chairs facing the front entrance and the direction of the restaurants. She folded her arms and looked up to admire the stained glass ceiling. After a moment, she noticed a gray-haired man with an American bomber style brown leather jacket and dark taupe slacks walk into the Palace Arms Restaurant, and then step back out into the lobby. He was looking around as if waiting to meet someone.

“That must be the doctor,” she thought aloud. Angelica got up and walked over to him. “Hello… Dr. Goolrick?” she asked. The man looked around as he took his little oval-shaped reading glasses off and slid them in the inside pocket of his jacket.

“Yes, hello, Ms. Bradley, I went into the restaurant and the hostess said an attractive young lady had just come in and left. She was looking for a gentleman so I guessed that was you.” His eyes were kind, she noticed.

“Yes, nice to meet you Dr. Goolrick,” Angelica extended her hand and Dr. Goolrick shook it.

“Very nice to meet you, Ms. Bradley.”

“So I see you prefer the Palace Arms? That sounds perfect,” Angelica said, as they turned and walked toward the restaurant.

They sat in silence for a full minute at the table not sure where to start. Angelica looked around and commented on the elegance of the hotel. “This hotel reminds me of my hometown, Asheville, North Carolina. I’m fascinated with art deco, whether it is art or architecture, I love the period from which it came.”

“Yes, I am an art lover, as well. Do you know the hotel’s history?”

Angelica smiled. “Not much.”

“Well, it was built in the late eighteen hundreds. Let’s see… Construction started in l888, if I remember correctly, and it opened in 1892. The hotel has its own artesian well.”

“Interesting, I did not know that.” Angelica tilted her head in curiosity.

“Yes, and the design is Italian Renaissance, crafted from Arizona sandstone. The architect created medallions depicting Rocky Mountain animals for the lobby.”

Angelica enjoyed listening to the doctor. “Oh.” She leaned in closer and cupped her chin.

As their dinners arrived, Dr. Goolrick was still talking. “The famous 1911 murders in the ‘Marble Bar,’ where a man shot and killed another man over a beautiful socialite,” he announced, sounding like a tour guide. “It was quite a big deal here in Denver. She was the wife of a wealthy businessman and political candidate.”

“How intriguing,” Angelica said softly.

“Yes, you know, there are rumors that the hotel has been haunted ever since.”

“Haunted,” Angelica giggled. “That is fascinating. I hope my room is not haunted!” she said playfully. “Thank you for sharing some of the history of this beautiful hotel with me. Most of all, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule on such short notice. As you know, I’ve just arrived from Elberton today, interesting trip… I spent a great deal of time with Matthew Tillman. He took me to the locations where the mutilations occurred.”

“I see,” Dr. Goolrick nodded blankly.

“The carcass at the Keller ranch was quite unusual, to say the least.” Angelica pursed her lips and put her fork and knife down after noticing the bloody drippings on Dr. Goolrick’s plate next to his half eaten steak.

“Yes, indeed, the poor animal. The stage of decomposition must have been terrible to witness. The notion that someone would perform such a heinous act is incomprehensible. Don’t you agree?” The doctor took a sip of his cabernet, analyzing Angelica.

“Yes, the cuts to the animal and the removal of the organs and tissue… Who do you think is responsible, doctor?” Angelica looked intensely at him. She was anxious to hear what he would say.

In her room earlier, she had concluded that he would put some scientific explanation behind this story and give her readers something more sophisticated to contemplate.

“Angelica, I’m going to be frank…” The doctor sat up straight and his tone became deep and more authoritative. “When I started my career as a medical doctor, you would have never heard me utter the words I am about to speak. The very thought of such things did not enter my mind.”

Angelica pushed her plate forward and rested her arms on the table as the doctor was speaking. “My attention was given to local research activities, attending seminars, journal clubs, and enthusiastically supporting colleagues in their scientific career… Nevertheless, a political murder of an environmental/animal activist, who just so happened to be a good friend of mine, changed the course of my interest in the field… I am convinced his murder was committed in an effort to reduce complex political issues by removing any modifier or nuance. Anyone such as my friend that challenges benign generalizations on this unique subject matter is in grave danger, my dear. Generalizations have a great effect on controlling the message to the masses – causing an agree/reject reaction before rational analysis begins. When these simple explanations are diminished by introspection and non-biased logic, only then do the true layers of truth reveal themselves. To say it in a more pedestrian manner, most people do not want to know the truth, and those that do, seldom want it to be told if it gives away any of their power or control.”