He suddenly felt more cheerful than he had in a very long time. No, this sensation was beyond cheer. More like something called joy.
“No,” he said, “I didn’t know that.”
“You didn’t get one of your feelings?” she asked.
“Sometimes only words will work.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The muffled thunder of theexplosion reverberated across the rugged cliffs. Alice yelped, startled, even though Owen had kind of told her to expect it. She turned in the seat and looked back through the rear window. There was nothing to see at first. For a strange moment the hotel on Cape Midnight was silhouetted against the night sky.
Seconds later the hotel collapsed in on itself. Flames shot high into the night.
“You were right,” Alice said. She settled back into her seat. “Rose destroyed the house. How did you know she would do something so drastic?”
“It was all there in her psi profile. She had lived with a dream of revenge for too long. The belief that you were locked up at Serenity Gardens gave her some satisfaction and kept her going. When she discovered that you had escaped months ago and that her former lover, Kelbrook, had lied about the circumstances of her son’s death, she was enraged. Hell hath no fury, et cetera, et cetera.”
Alice went cold. “I wonder if she was inside the hotel when the explosion occurred.”
“She isn’t the type to deliberately take her own life, but I do think there’s a high probability that she didn’t make it out alive.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“That house had a hole-in-the-wall in the basement that leaked paranormal energy like a sieve, and the concealed hallways were filled with tanks of hallucinogenic vapors. And then there was the poisonous vapor in the underground game rooms and the chemicals in the lab. The whole place was a ticking time bomb. I doubt if Rose was in a mood to consider the risks she was taking when she lit that match.”
Chapter Forty
Hours later they returned tothe Amber Palace. Alice could not wait to get back to the room.
Owen had made the call to the FBPI as soon as they were safely on their way back to Illusion Town, but the Bureau had insisted on in-person interviews and statements at its Illusion Town headquarters in the Emerald Zone. On the plus side, the agents had been happy to take the Gamer’s journal off her hands, and she had been even happier to get rid of the nightmare-filled book.
Then, because the Gamer’s lair and the lab were connected to the Underworld, the Guild had gotten involved. The local boss, Gabriel Jones, had requested information and background before sending ghost hunters into a hazardous zone to investigate.
The lobby of the Amber Palace was crowded with people wearing T-shirts imprinted withSociety of Alien Abduction Experiencers.A large banner over the long front desk readWelcome, Experiencers. Aroped-off area at the far end of the lobby was dominated by what appeared to be a dinner plate the size of a car. It was covered by a transparent dome. Inside the dome, several acid-green inflatable humanoid figures with oversized heads could be seen. The sign declaredYou Are Not Alone. Register Your Experience Now.
“Looks like there’s a new convention in town,” Owen said.
Alice started to comment but they were walking past the newsstand, and the headlines on the special edition of theCurtaincaught her eye. The story of the events at the Hotel of Dreams had broken a few hours earlier, but she had not yet had a chance to see any of the media coverage.
She grabbed a copy. “Charge it to Room 803, please,” she said to the woman behind the counter.
“Sure,” the vendor said. “I recognize the lucky dust bunny. Cute little guy.”
Sebastian, perched on Owen’s shoulder, chortled and went full-on adorable. The vendor was enchanted.
“Listen to this,” Alice said. She read the headline. “ ‘Dunstan Kelbrook and Others Dead in Nightmare Hotel Fire. Serial Killer’s Secret Lair Revealed. FBPI and Guild on Scene.’ ”
“Let’s wait until we get up to the room,” Owen said. He took a firm grip on her arm and hauled her toward the elevators. “Damn. I knew we should have used the tunnel entrance.”
She looked up from the newspaper and saw the gaggle of reporters, curious tourists, gamblers, and some intrigued Experiencers surging toward them.
“The Deranged Bride is back,” someone shouted. “The one who didn’t murder her husband after all. She’s got the lucky dust bunny with her.”
Sebastian chortled happily and waved his sunglasses at his fans.
“Oh,” Alice said. “This is my fault, isn’t it?”
“Yep.” Owen reached the elevator and rezzed the call button. “ ‘I’mtired of sneaking around,’ you said. ‘No one’s trying to kill me now,’ you said. ‘Let’s walk into the hotel like normal people,’ you said.”
