Brett Battles - No Return

Wes did have one idea, but he shook his head. “No one.”

“No enemies in town? Someone who might want to do you harm?”

“This is the first time I’ve been here in seventeen years. So no.”

“You’re from L.A., right? Any problems down there that might have followed you up?”

“No. Of course not. Look, whoever did this was obviously interested in our equipment, and was just waiting for an opportunity to take it.”

“Perhaps,” Stevens said again.

“But your camera’s still here,” Andrews pointed out. “Odd to leave that but take everything else, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re more interested in computer equipment,” Wes said.

“Do you think this is related to what happened in Miss Mendes’s room last night?” Stevens asked.

Wes hesitated. This was getting close to his own theory. “It is kind of coincidental, don’t you think?”

There were several more questions, all variations on ones already asked. When Wes was done, he found Anna in the lobby with Alison, so he slumped into the chair across from them.

“The manager said he’d put you in the room on the other side of mine,” Anna said. “He also said he’s comping you, too. Think he’s afraid we’re going to say something bad about the place on the show.”

“We should say something,” Alison said. “Anna’s room last night. Yours tonight. Who’s next? Me?”

“I doubt it,” Wes said.

Alison didn’t look convinced. “I’ll tell you one thing, I’m sleeping with a chair jammed under the doorknob until we leave.”

They fell silent for several moments.

“Should we tell the others?” Anna asked.

“Danny’s busy with his new lady friend,” Wes reminded her.

Alison rolled her eyes, disgusted. “The way you said that just sounds wrong.”

“Tell me a way to say it that sounds right.”

Alison paused for a moment. “Wow. I can’t think of one.”

“What about Tony?” Anna said.

“His room’s next to mine,” Alison said. “I could tell him.”

Wes nodded. “Sure. Go ahead.”

The door to the outside opened, and the night manager walked in, all energy and nerves. “Mr. Stewart, I’ve got you all set. I even sent someone out to get you some toiletries.”

“That wasn’t necessary,” Wes told him.

The manager waved him off. “I also wanted to let you all know that we are adding extra security every night for the remainder of your stay.”

“Thank you,” Anna said.

“Let me get you your keys.”

The man all but jogged to the reception desk. A moment later he was back with two keycards, one a spare in case Wes needed it.

As Wes took them he said, “I don’t remember seeing any damage to my room door. Could whoever broke in have had their own key?”

“I don’t see how,” the manager said, immediately defensive.

“Then how do you think they got in?”

“I guess that’s what the police will have to figure out.” He gave them a quick smile. “Please let us know if there is anything else you need.”

He made a hasty retreat to the reception desk.

“Don’t think he liked the question,” Alison said.

Wes rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m beat.” He stood up and led them outside.

Detective Andrews was standing near the doorway to Wes’s old room, talking to one of his colleagues.

“Any chance I could get my clothes?” Wes asked.

The two cops stopped talking and looked at Wes. After a moment Andrews said, “Hold on.”

He disappeared inside the trashed room, then returned a few seconds later.

“Yeah. It’s fine,” Andrews said. “But we’re going to have to keep the suitcase for evidence.”

“Why?” Wes asked.

“We got a partial fingerprint on the lock. Need to send it to the lab in Bakersfield.”

“I guess that’s something,” Wes said. “Can I go in now?”

“Yeah, just don’t touch anything else.”

“We’ll help you,” Anna said.

Before they entered the room, another thought came to Wes. “What about the camera and its case? Can we take those, too?”

Andrews pinched his mouth in annoyance. “Stevens, they want to know if they can take the camera bag, too.”

Wes crossed the threshold, hoping his presence would press the point. The other detective was near the bed, looking through a notebook. There were two uniformed officers present, one with a still camera and one putting Wes’s suitcase in a large plastic bag.

“Stevens?” Andrews said.

Stevens glanced up. “Huh? Yeah. That’s fine. It’s clean.”

Wes was about to ask Alison to get the camera bag, but she made a beeline for his clothes before he could. “She might need some help,” he said to Anna, then grabbed the camera bag himself.

Once they were loaded up, they headed over to his new room. As he was fumbling with the keycard, he heard a car pull in to one of the spots behind him and its door open.

“What’s going on?”

Wes looked over his shoulder in time to see Danny get out of the passenger side of an old Lincoln Continental.

“Switching rooms,” Wes said.

The driver’s door opened, and Dori stepped out. “What’s with all the police?”

“Weren’t you guys going out to dinner and then the bar?” Anna asked Danny.

“Just ate,” he said. “Gonna walk to the bar from here. So, what is with all the police?”

“Someone broke into his room,” Alison said.

“You’re kidding,” Danny said.

Wes went into the new room and put the camera bag in the closet. “You can dump the clothes on the dresser.”

Danny and Dori followed everyone inside.

“Do they know who?” Dori asked.

Anna shook her head.

“Did they take anything?” Danny asked.

“My laptop,” Wes said. “And the auto-backup drive.”

“Oh, crap. The footage,” Danny said. “Who the hell would do that?”

Wes shook his head, more in defeat than as an answer. “Can we talk about this later?”

“Great idea,” Anna said. She started for the door. “Let’s give him a little space, huh?”

“Sure, sure,” Danny said, but didn’t move. “Man, that sucks.”

“Danny,” Anna said.

“Come on, babe.” Dori wrapped her arm through Danny’s and pulled him toward the door. “Wes, I’m so sorry. Danny’s right. That does suck.”

Wes nodded, but said nothing.

Anna glanced at Wes, then left, but Alison lingered inside a moment longer.

“If you need someone to talk to, I’m just around the corner.”

“Thanks,” he said.

She smiled, and looked for a moment like she was going to say something else. But whatever it was, she decided to keep it to herself, and left.

Once Wes was alone, Danny’s final question ran through his mind again.

Who the hell would do that?

The idea Wes had had earlier hadn’t gone away. But there was no way he could be right.

No way.

Boom .

Wes popped open his eyes.

He was in bed, the room still dark, a sheen of sweat covering his arms and chest.

“Are you all right?” Anna whispered.

Boom. Boom .

Wes turned toward the sound. “What the hell is-”

“Wes, are you awake?” It was Alison, her muffled voice coming from the other side of the door.

He and Anna shared a confused look.

“Hold on,” he said loud enough for Alison to hear. To Anna he whispered, “Stay here. I’ll see what she wants.”

He glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. 2:53 a.m.

Two hours of sleep. Great .

He grabbed his T-shirt and his jeans off the floor and pulled them on as he headed across the room. When he got to the door, he cracked it open just wide enough to look out. Alison, dressed in a pair of lime green sweats and an L.A. Dodger’s baseball cap, stood alone just on the other side.