Cal paced the length of the basement, hands clasped behind his back. "Someone must be looking for us," he said. "We can't have just vanished without a trace."
Rose answered without opening her eyes. "Oh, I'm included in the search? I would have assumed someone like me didn't warrant a search. I'm better off forgotten."
"Don't pretend to be stupid," Cal said with a scowl. "He's scouring the earth for you, and you know it."
Rose smiled slightly, gritting her teeth against yet another shiver. "If you mean Jack's looking for me, then you're right. And he will find me." She breathed slowly, colder now than before she went to sleep. A dull ache filled the back of her head.
Cal darted a glance at her and was surprised at how pale she had become. She lay on her side, hugging herself tightly. "Are you all right?" The question was out of his mouth before he could stop it.
She raised an eyebrow. "Showing concern for me? Or just afraid of what Jack will do if I die here?"
"I shudder to think what kind of threat an unwashed vagabond poses to me."
"You would be surprised," she said, rolling over to face the wall. "You would be quite surprised indeed."
Cal slumped down against the wall. He chewed the inside of his mouth, anxious for a smoke. "Become a man, has he?" he grunted.
"I'll thank you not to keep talking," Rose said coldly. "I'm trying to get a little sleep."
Cal ran his hands through his hair. It stood up in black, greasy spikes. His suit was rumpled and dirty; his shoes were scuffed. His body ached. When I get my hands on—
He jumped as the floor above them creaked. "What's the matter?" Rose asked. "Afraid?"
"No! Just startled. It's silent as a tomb down here." He clapped his mouth shut, instantly regretting his choice of words.
*****
"Ma'am, he insists—"
"Amanda!" Jack called as he hurried up the stairs.
Amanda laid aside her hairbrush. "Let him in, Polly," she said. She faced the mirror when Jack burst through the door.
"Okay," he said breathlessly. "Maybe you're right."
Slowly, she picked up a powder puff. "About what?"
"About Rose and Cal being taken by the same people."
"And what made you come to that conclusion?" She powdered her cheeks lazily. "Yesterday, I was a fool for even considering the idea."
"I'm sorry for just dismissing you like that," he said. "But really, it is a farfetched idea."
"Then why do you think it's what happened now?"
"I—I can't explain it. I just have this feeling. I woke up last night and couldn't get back to sleep. I—look. I'm not an idiot. I don't know why whoever went after Cal decided to include Rose, but there is nothing I won't do to get her back. Even if it means getting him back, too."
"So, that's what it was. You couldn't bear the thought of helping him."
"Maybe a part of me thinks he deserves this."
Amanda turned to face him. "But do I?"
*****
"When are we gonna do something with them?" Brian asked, impatience wearing his voice thin.
"Would you calm down?" Martin snapped. "It's only the second day. We're still on the first box of oatmeal."
"Which he's not eating," Brian said.
"What? How do you know that?"
"I watched through a chink in the door. She's eating both their bowls. He just scowls at it until she takes it."
"Huh." Martin pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and placed it between his lips. "Well, if what we give him isn't good enough, maybe we shouldn't give him anything."
*****
"Are you sure you're all right?"
Rose nodded. "I'm fine," she said. "Why are you so concerned?"
"It's hotter than an oven in hell down here, and you won't stop shivering," Cal said. "That doesn't seem all right to me."
She held in a chuckle. "Don't worry about me," she said. "I'm fine." She lay on her back, arms crossed over her chest. She knew she should get up, force herself to move, but it was as though the heat had melted her bones to syrup even as she shivered. Her own heaviness was too much to lift. The ache in the back of her head showed no signs of abating. She pressed her lips firmly together and stiffened. I am not cold. He's right about the heat. I am not cold.
They both turned at the sound of the door opening. Martin walked down the stairs slowly, his feet pounding ominously into the wood. He carried the pot and spoon they expected to see Brian carrying. Rose sat up, eager for the warm oatmeal. Cal held out his bowl, his lip curling into a disgusted sneer as the smell hit him. But Martin walked past him without so much as a glance. Silently, Rose picked up her bowl. Martin met her eyes briefly, but his face was a blank mask.
"What about me?" Cal asked indignantly.
The mask never wavered. "You don't seem satisfied with what we've been giving you," Martin said. "So, let's see how ya like what we give you now."
Cal jumped to his feet. "You can't do this!" he shouted at Martin's back. "You can't—"
Martin turned around slowly. "If we can't, then stop us."
When the door closed behind him, Rose said, "You can have some of mine."
Cal stared at her. "What?"
"You can eat some of mine," she said slowly, enunciating each word carefully.
"What makes you think I would be willing to eat a half portion of what I already found repugnant?" he snapped.
Rose's eyes narrowed. "In case you weren't paying attention, they have no intention of feeding you anymore. And you haven't eaten since we arrived. What's that saying about beggars?"
*****
Jack sighed and pushed away the half-finished sketch of Rose. He drummed his fingers along the table. He jumped up when Amanda came in. She carried a thick packet of papers. "I knew I would find it," she said triumphantly. She dropped it onto the table.
Jack flipped the packet open and began to flip through the papers. "What is all this?" he asked.
"This is what a private detective collected last year," she explained. "Cal believed he was being followed."
Jack studied a photograph of a well-built man with delicate features and feathery, light brown hair. Even on paper, his eyes burned. "Why did he think that?" he murmured. He flipped to the next photograph. This one was of Cal, seemingly unaware of the two men in hats walking behind him. Their heads were lowered, eyes trained firmly on the ground.
"He didn't tell me very much," she said. "It had something to do with an investment that didn't go well for his partner."
Jack looked up. "But it went well for Cal?"
Amanda leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "What do you think?"
"I think it sounds like he knew he did something he shouldn’t have."
"I agree," she said. "He was afraid, which is something I had never seen before. It was quite disconcerting at the time, but then he got the report and things seemed to settle down again."
"But this report just confirms that someone was following him," Jack pointed out. "Why would that make him feel better?"
"You know Cal. He's always happiest when he's taking care of a problem."
"That he is." But he isn't always as effective as he thinks. Jack skimmed a page with the heading Cease and Desist Order. "Looks like he involved the cops," he said. "Now there's the guy I knew. Wonder if this Dexter Collins even actually did anything to him."
"Do you think he would really involve the authorities if this person hadn't threatened him in some way?"
"I think," Jack said, "I should tell you the unabridged version of the story of how he and I met."
*****
Amanda gave him a dubious look. "Surely you must be exaggerating," she said. "That simply—"
"Isn't something he would do?"
"Well, yes!" She stood up and rang for a servant. "I'm sorry, but I cannot imagine Cal doing such things." The door opened and in glided a young woman carrying a silver tray laden with a pristine china tea set. She set it down on the table without a word, daring for a split second to dart a glance at Jack, whose smile brought a blush to her cheeks. She curtsied to Amanda and hurried from the room.
"Tea?" Amanda asked, resuming her seat.
Jack regarded her with amusement. "Sure," he said.
She busied herself with arranging the table. "I suppose the humor you find in this situation is that a moment ago I was in the middle of telling you why I think you're absolutely wrong about my husband, and now I'm serving you tea." She held out a teacup on a saucer. "Well, no one ever said things couldn't remain civilized, did they?"
Trying to suppress a smile, Jack took the proffered cup. "I guess they didn't," he said.
After a few sips, Amanda said, "You believe he deliberately cheated this Collins fellow?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I do. And I think when Collins tried to do something about it, he used his money to get the law on his side."
"But if Collins was threatening him, the law would already have been on his side," she countered.
"True," Jack said. "But I'm sure he left out his part in all this."
"Are you blaming the victim?"
"Nope. He wasn't a victim. He knew what he was doing the whole time." Jack took a sip of his tea. "Always does. It just caught up to him this time."
*****
Jack settled into bed with a sigh. It was too big without Rose next to him. He didn't know what to do with his hands; nothing he tried felt right. Finally, he settled for holding his pillow, laying his hands flat beneath his head. He had spent all day with Amanda, going through Cal's files, but they hadn't managed to come up with anything more than theories. They were no nearer to finding them than they had been when they began, though deep down he was sure Collins, or someone working for him, was responsible. He closed his eyes, but his mind hummed. He didn't notice when he finally drifted off.
*****
The first thing Rose noticed was Jack's chest pressing against her back. His hand was over hers, his arm curled around her waist. She opened her eyes slowly. "There you are," she said, rolling over to face him. She lightly kissed his lips. "You'll never believe what happened in my dream."
"Tell me about it," he said sleepily. He rubbed his eyes. "Was it a good one?"
"No." She snuggled closer to him. "It was awful."
He caressed her cheek with his fingertips. "It's over now, Rose Petal."
*****
It was her sighs that woke Cal. He frowned, puzzled by the strange sounds coming from across the room. He sat up. "Rose—" The words died in his throat.
She smiled happily, embracing an invisible body. "Jack," she murmured, her breath coming faster. She ran her fingers through invisible locks. "Jack…"