Michael Jaeggers - Honeymoon hotel

Nora led them to a spacious, expensively decorated room on the third floor. Large picture windows looked out over the lake and distant hills. "This is your sitting room," Nora said. "Wood for the fireplace is in the box there." She opened a connecting door. "This is your bedroom. I'm sure you'll find it comfortable." There was a big king-sized bed under a blue and white striped canopy. She indicated another door, "And the shower…" The shower, Dick noted, was large enough for three people; it had an overhead nozzle and two fine spray nozzles which shot a stream of water midriff – front and back. Dick couldn't help thinking, "What a great play pen." Something must have shown on his face, because Nora dimpled and Sue blushed.

"Dr. Morgan and I would like you to be our guests for cocktails before dinner this evening," Nora said.

Sue glanced at Dick, who replied, "That's very kind of you, Mrs. Morgan."

"You must call me Nora. And Dr. Morgan shall insist that you call him Tom."

"All right, Nora," Dick said. "What time?"

"Well… let's see. You're the only guests we have at the moment. Lord Medwell and Lady Margaret will be checking in tomorrow; then we have another young American couple due in on Thursday. So we can be flexible about dinner time tonight. An hour from now?"

Sue felt grimy after the flight and car trip. She said, "I would like to take a shower, and change into something else."

Nora was immediately apologetic. "Of course, my dear. How thoughtless of me. I'll have your bags brought up at once." She glanced at her watch. "It's five thirty now. Shall we say seven thirtish?"

Neither Sue nor Dick were prepared for Dr. Morgan when they met him two hours later. He had a stern military bearing about him which was deceptive, for he turned out to be just as warm and friendly as Nora. And, as his wife had said, he did insist on being called 'Tom'. He was at least two inches taller than Dick's six feet, and weighed in the neighborhood of 220 pounds – and it was a lean 220 pounds at that. A grey mustache cut a thin line across his lips. All in all, Sue thought as she stared at him in open admiration, he cuts a dashing figure… like something out of a liquor ad or a suspense film about Scotland Yard. He, like his wife, exuded an animallike sensuality. Side by side, the Morgan couple definitely would be attention-getters, even in a crowd of sophisticates.

Dick and Sue both felt at ease with them during cocktails in the huge library. This was surprising in view of the fact that Nora was in her mid thirties and Tom probably in his middle or late forties.

From the library, they went to the baronial hall-like dining room where the four of them were served by a dour and silent old Irish maid. It was not until the final course that Sue got around to asking, "What kind of a doctor are you, Tom?"

"A retired one," he said, smiling mysteriously as he held up his wine glass to the candlelight and inspected its contents.

Nora said, "Tom! Don't tease." She turned to Sue and said, "He was a gynecologist – a very successful and famous one, I might add."

Tom snorted as though enjoying a private joke and a look of warning was flashed by his wife. As brief as it was, it sufficed, for the man came back to his winning ways again. "All sorts of rich ladies with all sorts of rich ladies problems." He shrugged and laughed. "A very lucrative profession. I made enough in ten years to refurbish the family castle. And here I am."

Nora commented, "Actually Tom is much too modest. He has a great many other talents. Right now he's doing some very important research on ESP."

"ESP?" Sue asked.

"Extra sensory perception," Nora explained.

Tom, who was rolling a fork back and forth between his thumb and forefinger, looked up and said, "It's mainly a hobby – something to keep me busy – although the government is interested in the experiments. I believe that ESP can be enhanced by putting a person in a light hypnotic state; then we place someone very close to this person in another room and attempt to establish communication between the two."

Dick, whose eyes had widened, said unbelievingly, "You mean mental telepathy?"

Tom nodded, and smiled. "I can understand your doubt. I'd be incredulous myself if I hadn't received proof that it seems to work… at least with some people."

Sue was sitting there engrossed, in rapt attention. This was the most fascinating thing she had ever listened to in her life.

Nora said casually, "Why not try the basic experiment tonight, using Dick and Sue? Let them see for themselves."

"Oh, could we?" Sue blurted out.

Dick added quickly, "That would be one sure way of making a believer out of me."

Morgan shook his head and frowned. "No… I don't think it's…"

Sue interrupted, pleading in a little girl's voice, "Please?"

Nora laughed, "You've piqued their curiosity, Tom. You won't be a good host unless you show them how it works."

Morgan glanced from Dick to Sue and then over to Nora. He pursed his lips and said, with considerable reluctance in his voice, "I generally need more time to get to know my subjects better." He looked thoughtful, then nodded, "All right. Let's try it anyway. It may not work, but…" he held out his hands, palms up, and smiled, "we'll see."

Sue was feeling slightly apprehensive when she followed the Morgans into the library. She had never been hypnotized before; it would be a novel experience… and a little frightening. Dick, now that he had shot off his mouth, was suffering some qualms also.

Morgan moved a large maroon leather chair out into the center of the room and then turned a rheostat in the wall until the lights dimmed. A switch was pushed and a thin beam shone down from a spotlight on the beamed ceiling. "Sue, you sit here." Soft harp and flute music floated out of hidden stereo speakers.

Shivering with suppressed excitement, Sue did as she was told. With considerable ceremony, Morgan took down a black leather box from the mantel. He opened it and brought out into the light a green pear-shaped amulet on a gold chain. Then he removed a sealed white envelope and handed it to Dick. "These are your test messages. So you won't think it's some kind of a trick, I would like Sue to give you three numbers between one and twenty before you leave this room. You will read and follow the directions opposite each of the numbers. For example, if she said 'four, eighteen and twenty', you would read paragraph four – where it says you are to concentrate on an image of a cow chewing grass. Paragraphs eighteen and twenty are, of course, on different subjects. Understand?"

Dick nodded. Nora took his arm and said, "Come on. Our station is in the waiting room across the hall." Dick was all too aware of her hand on his arm; her presence up close was a tangible thing, and the musky scent of her perfume was as elusive as a night bird's call.

"Wait!" Morgan ordered. "You don't have your numbers." He turned to the girl, "All right, Sue."

She pooched out her lips in thought, then blinked and smiled. "Three, seven and… ah… fourteen."

As Nora lead him out of the room, Dick found his eyes fastened on the pendant dangling from Morgan's hand. He would like to have remained and see Sue go under, but obviously that was not part of the experiment.

When they got to the waiting room, Nora reached in front of him to open the massive door. The bodice of her crepe dinner gown gaped open and Dick saw – with an immediate feeling of hunger – that she was not wearing a bra for those magnificent breasts. Quickly, he forced his eyes away. He thought Nora looked amused. "Sit here," she said, motioning to the couch. He sat, as ordered. Nora seated herself beside him and handed over the envelope to be opened. "Three, seven and fourteen," she said.