I opened the thick folder, struggling to accept how much information was available, waiting all these years for someone to do their goddamn job. I flipped through the photos, a few old enough to be in black and white. Behind each photo, someone—possibly Ben—had written things like,“A politician,”or“On the board of Wells Fargo.”Some of the written documents were hard to understand, using terminology that went over my head, but I got the impression that all their leads had run cold—dead end after dead end.
Toward the bottom of the folder, I came across two photos of young boys. Eliot was easy to recognize with his blue eyes and jet-black hair, but The Director took a bit more observation, maybe because his dying image still floated in my mind. Behind each photo, someone wrote,“Adopted, likely illegally. No trace.”I searched for more information about them but found nothing. I also wondered why I hadn’t seen any mention of Mr. White in the dozens of documents. The High Council was mentioned a few times, but Ben’s team had clearly known less than I did about them. It must have been frustrating working for years on a case that went nowhere, fighting against forces that operated from the shadows.
I closed the folder, my head aching. I needed a shower and a good sleep. The thought of being surrounded by The Society’semployees was terrifying, but it would be even worse to discover I was at the wrong place and not any closer to finding Hayden. I wondered if he believed I was coming for him, and whether that belief brought him comfort or dread.
Tammy stepped out, her gray hair still damp. “Found anything helpful?”
“No, but I don’t understand most of it.”
“I’ll have a look.” She lit a joint, spreading a strong scent of weed.
“Shouldn’t we be sharp?” I asked.
“I’ll be sharp tomorrow.” She handed me the joint, and I took it and inhaled. It was strong enough to put Jenny’s joints to shame, and it would likely knock me out until morning.
“What are the chances of anyone recognizing you?” Tammy asked as I handed her back the joint.
“I don’t know. It’s been a long time, and I doubt they expect to see me here.”
She nodded. “I’ll wake up early and have a walk around the area. Later, we should head over to the shopping center we drove by to eat and ask the locals about this motel.”
“Okay.”
I took one more puff and went to wash the day from my skin.
*
“This place is a ghost town,” Tammy said as she entered the room. I had just finished getting dressed after getting a decent night’s sleep.
“You didn’t see anyone?”
“One or two people, but they kept to themselves and drove their own cars. It might be that they were driving somewhere else to get picked up by The Society, but I’d rather wait a day or two before following anyone in your car.”
“Should I also go look around?”
“Don’t bother. Let’s just drive to the shopping center—I’m starving.”
I was too. This time, she agreed to let me drive, and I took it as a sign of trust. It took us about ten minutes to reach the shopping center, which was a miniature by LA standards.
We sat at Applebee’s with only three other customers. When a waitress came to take our order, Tammy put on a friendly smile and said we were looking for a place to stay and were considering Delight’s Hot Springs Resort.
“Oh, you can do better than that place,” the waitress said, hands on her hips. “Nobody goes to Delight’s anymore—lord knows how it’s still open. They used to be more popular back in the day, but it’s like they stopped trying!” She seemed thoughtful. “They do have their regulars, though. I frankly can’t imagine why anyone would stay at the same motel for such a long time, but to each their own, I suppose.” She recommended two other nearby motels, and we pretended to consider them.
After we finished eating, we walked around and asked more people for a good place to stay, specifically about Delight's Hot Springs Resort. Most didn’t know the place, but those who did either thought it had been closed or that it wasn’t worth our time.
It all boded well for us staying at the right place, but it didn’t bring us any closer to finding out where The Society was taking its employees.
Back at the motel, Tammy went to take a nap while I walked around the premises, wearing a hat in case I was seen. It was hot, but not humid. The swimming pool caught my eye. The water seemed clean, and the open sandy plains in the background made for a peaceful scenery. But I hadn’t brought sunscreen, and the sun was high in the cloudless sky, meaning I’d need to wait a few more hours.
Before heading back to the cabin, I decided to go to the reception desk and pretend to be searching for activities for “mom” and me. Cherry was behind her desk, listening to a local radio station and reading a magazine. She looked startled when she noticed me, as if the concept of people walking into the reception area was rare—which I was sure it was.
“Hey there,” I said cheerfully and walked closer, enjoying the cool AC.
Cherry put her magazine down, which may have been Playgirl from the glimpse I got. “Oh, hi! How are you and your mom doing?”
“Super. We’re debating what to do around here tomorrow. Any interesting places you can recommend?”
“Oh, you’ve come to the right place.” She grabbed a stand with pamphlets and placed it between us. “How much walking are you interested in? Some of the trails around here can be brutal.”
