Chapter 160

word count 1113

Boa took another sip of from the fluted glass and exhaled in a long stream. Time to chill. It wasn't often she had an interlude to shake off her facade and become plain, simple Sally Blum, her birthright name and personality. Her feet ached. The expensive boots rubbed and were tight, especially on her right foot. The private room allowed her time alone to tug off the high-heeled boot and examine the source of her pain. A blister on her big toe had rubbed and broken. Raw pink skin surrounded by blood and shredded tissue was all that was left of the swollen spot. She wished she had something to put on it. Then she remembered the bottle in her sealskin handbag. Mercurochrome! She had thought a bottle of that stuff was an odd thing for the girl to be clutching when she took it away from Priscilla. But it did come in handy at the moment. The goop would stain her skin, but she had no plans for anyone to see her foot anyway.

Rummaging in the bag, she found it, carelessly opening the bottle, extracting the dropper, applying the red liquid without a second thought. Closing the bottle, she tossed it back in her bag. Pulling the boot back on, she took a cleansing breath and resumed her Boa persona. Her driver should be here soon. Time to get the show on the road. Her cell rang, indicating her limo had arrived and waited at the entrance.

“Let's go see the good doctor,” she murmured, strutting her stuff out the door. Her injured toe felt so much better after the quick treatment. That Mercurochrome was good stuff.



* * *

Back at the precinct, they had all gathered—Buzz, Trudy, Hank, Algie, Mrs. Dunn, John, and Lisa. The boys' parents had come in person to tell Buzz about the missing diamond ring. When they heard about the abductions, they stuck around just in case the diamond was related to the strange events. It was an unusual find, and they didn't know what to think of the ring. Maybe it fit in.

At the starting point, no one knew exactly what was going on. So they got to work, comparing stories. It was like a puzzle where each person's piece of information hopefully fit into a slot to comprise a final, sensible whole. They were determined to accomplish this task, step by tedious step.

The foremost event on all of their minds were the abductions. No one wanted to see anybody get hurt. And Gil, in particular, was a favorite of them all. His being missing filled the room with a somber atmosphere.

“So, we have two people abducted. Now for what reason?” Buzz asked. He was already missing Gil because the Machine was his best detective for hypotheses.“What do Priscilla and Gil have in common, and why would someone take them? What's the motivation here, folks?”

“Well, I don't know if it is related, but as we told you, we're suspicious of Dr. Collins pulling a large diamond ring from Elliot's stomach in his emergency surgery and, frankly, just stealing it. Maybe that ring plays into this.” That said, John put an arm around Lisa and waited.

Algernon stroked his goatee in uneasy movements. He noticed Winifred motioning him to step away and talk to her.

“Algie, we've got to tell them something to make them realize the diamond is, indeed, the issue. If we're going to get Priscilla back, and possibly the jewel, although for me that is now secondary what with human life being more important—we need them to be working with us in this rather than running willy nilly not knowing what to think.”

“Yes, of course. You're right.” Algernon patted her shoulder and returned to the group.

“I think I know for certain the gem might be at the center of this,” he said.  There isn't a Brit alive who is not fascinated by the missing Princess Diana diamond, as are Winifred and myself, and my beloved Priscilla. Priscilla told me she had heard rumors of it being around these parts and I know she was fascinated. Perhaps that ring the boys had is the very diamond ring that is missing from Her Majesty's collection. Perhaps Priscilla and/or Detective Bettencourt got too close to finding out it.”

“If that's true, one or both of them would have come in contact with this Dr. Collins. Hank, see if we can track him down,” Buzz said. Hank dashed off to do the boss's bidding.

Mrs. Dunn shot Algie a tiny smile. Then the older woman suddenly shuddered and her expression changed from contentment to one of dismay. Her eyes grew smaller and her face paled. Seeing her hands starting to tremble, Algernon rushed to her.

“What's wrong, Winnie!” he asked. “Oh, I knew you should have stayed in hospital!”

“Oh, Algie. I just had an icy rush like I'd stepped over an open grave. Oh, I bet something has happened to poor Priscilla!”

“Whatever do you mean?” he asked.

“Oh, I call it my sixth sense. I can tell when someone close to me is in danger. That's a given. But what I felt just now was so much more than the usual rush. I've never had such an intense feeling before.” Uncontrollable tears rolled down the old lady's cheeks. “Oh, Algie! This isn't good.”

Buzz, seeing Mrs. Dunn crying, rushed over. “Mrs. Dunn, what's wrong?” He asked in a manner nothing like his usual gruff demeanor. The big man was visibly shaken to see his housekeeper in such a state.

“Oh, Detective Miller, I just got an awful feeling about Priscilla.”

As the two embraced, Algie stepped aside and placed a call to Frank even though he knew it was fruitless. If he'd been taken, too, then all Algie could hope for was that the American was still all right.

Along the sidelines, Trudy heard Mrs. Dunn say “Priscilla” and something in her snapped. She hadn't gone through living with the sisters and everything else to have her man rushing off at the very mention of the name Priscilla.

“DAMN YOU!” she screeched. She hurled herself at Buzz and began pounding on his chest, knocking him off his feet.

“What the fuck!” he roared as the man fell backwards. With his weak knee, he couldn't keep his balance and thus pounded to the floor, and with Trudy falling on top of him. She landed straddling the fallen man in a compromising position.

“Oh!” she murmured, smiling with pleasure, rubbing her petite body against his in a gyrating motion. Until she realized Buzz was unconscious.