'By the way, I would never, ever call you stupid. One of the things I admired and respected about you from the beginning was your intelligence. I think you know that.'
'Yes, I do,' she said. 'I apologize for implying otherwise.'
'Damn. If this conversation gets any chillier we're both going to freeze our frickin' asses off inside this car.'
Her mouth twitched. 'I agree.' She straightened in the seat. 'So, on to business. When do you want to go to The Road to the Ruins?'
'Can you really get us inside tonight?'
'I think so, yes.' She looked at her watch. 'It's almost midnight. The place will just be starting to come alive.' She reached into her purse. 'I'll phone Garrick and Phillip. I'm sure they'll still be awake. They're late-night types. We can stop by their place on the way to the club and pick up the pass.'
'What about Rose?'
She reached up and patted the dust bunny. 'I think she's had enough excitement for one evening. We'll drop her off at my apartment.'
*****
GARRICK LATTIMER SLIPPED HIS WELL-MANICURED HANDS into the pockets of his intricately embroidered black silk dressing gown and rocked gently on his silk-slippered feet. He surveyed Cooper with grave interest.
'So you're a friend of Elly's, and you're visiting from out of town,' he said.
Cooper walked across the white carpet to take in the view of the Dead City. The interrogation had begun, he thought.
From the moment Garrick and his companion, Phillip Manchester, had opened the door of the apartment a few minutes ago, he had known he was under close scrutiny by the pair.
This was going to be almost as bad as the day he invited Elly's father into his office and informed him that he would like to discuss the possibility of a Covenant Marriage with his daughter, he thought.
Garrick and Phillip were both urbane, middle-aged, and physically fit in a way that suggested regular spa and gym maintenance work. It had been clear from the start that they were very fond of Elly.
Their elegant white-on-white apartment was punctuated with valuable-looking Colonial-era antiques, the occasional elegantly lit alien artifact, and a judicious amount of pre-Era of Discord art. One large bookcase was filled with rare books.
The expensive, tasteful surroundings and the pair's polished veneer hadn't fooled Cooper for a second. He knew a couple of tough specter-cats when he saw them. Garrick and Phillip might be living a comfortable, sophisticated lifestyle these days, but he was willing to bet that somewhere in their pasts they had both spent time doing things that were a lot more dangerous and demanding than operating a fashionable antique shop.
Immediately following the introductions and a few pleasantries, Phillip had whisked Elly into the study to collect the magic nightclub pass, leaving Garrick alone with Cooper. Not an accident, Cooper knew. More like a setup.
'I'm from Aurora Springs,' Cooper said, choosing his words carefully. Elly's description of him as a friend had rankled.
Garrick nodded, as though some inner suspicions had been confirmed. 'You're the ex-fiancé, then, I take it.'
Cooper swung around, concealing his surprise with an act of will.
'She told you about me?' he asked.
'Elly mentioned that she'd been engaged for a time back in Aurora Springs.' Garrick sank gracefully into a wing chair, twitching the fabric of the silk pajama trousers beneath the dressing gown. 'She did not tell us much more than that. Never even gave us a name. Phillip and I were made to understand that the experience had been painful and that she wished to put it behind her and start anew.'
'Painful.'
'Yes. And now, after all these months, you show up out of nowhere.' Garrick smiled coolly. 'Forgive me, but we can't help but be curious and somewhat concerned. Elly has no family here in Cadence City, so those of us who consider ourselves her friends feel rather protective of her.'
'I appreciate that,' Cooper said. 'Probably more than you know. I've been worried about her.'
'She's doing quite nicely with her little business. Got a growing clientele. She has made a number of friends, but I think she gets a little lonely at times.'
Cooper looked at him from across the room. 'Meaning?'
'Meaning that, after all these months away from her hometown and her family, she is probably somewhat vulnerable emotionally.' Garrick put his fingertips together and stopped smiling. 'Phillip and I would be most unhappy if it transpired that you were here to take advantage of her or hurt her a second time.'
Cooper whistled softly. 'You guys play rez-ball with solid quartz, don't you?'
Garrick inclined his head. 'We do play hardball, yes. I would advise you not to be deceived by appearances. Phillip and I have gone upmarket in recent years, but I assure you, we have not forgotten the lessons we learned when we were in a, shall we say, less savory end of the business.'
Cooper nodded slightly. 'I believe you.'
'Good.' Garrick looked satisfied. 'I'm glad that we understand each other, Cooper. Enjoy yourself at The Road tonight.'
Chapter 17
TWENTY MINUTES LATER, FEELING VERY MUCH IN control again because she was the one with the coveted amber pass and knew where to park, Elly guided Cooper to a side street near the nightclub.
'The car should be reasonably safe here,' she said when he opened her door. 'But you might want to do the license plate ghost trick, just in case. This was once an old warehouse district. Most of these buildings are deserted now, and that means there are a lot of transients.'
He gave the poorly illuminated neighborhood and its seedy, run-down buildings a quick survey.
'Yeah, I think I'll do that,' he said.
When he had a tiny little ghost going near the license, he took her arm.
The streets, parking lots, and lanes around The Road to the Ruins were crowded with expensive vehicles. Cabs and limos prowled the scene, disgorging their well-dressed passengers. Women in glittery little dresses the size and weight of handkerchiefs mingled with men who were attired in everything from tailored dinner jackets and trousers to designer leather coats and jeans.
The club occupied one of the Colonial-era warehouses. Elly had driven past it during the day and noticed that it was virtually unnoticeable, just one more aging Old Quarter building. The only thing that marked it as unusual was the black-and-amber-trimmed door. There was no number on the door. Part of the allure of The Road was that you had to know the address or know someone who did know it.
Elly assessed the crowd and concluded that she and Cooper blended in quite well. Neither of them had changed since dinner with the Londons. The deep violet sheath and high-heeled sandals that she had on fit in with the other trendy evening dresses.
Cooper wore a sophisticated, slouchy black jacket over a sleek, gray silk shirt and black trousers. He glided through the flashy crowd like a shark through a school of rainbow eels.
'There's the VIP entrance,' Elly whispered, pointing to a second, unobtrusive doorway marked off with velvet ropes.
Two squat, massive men, who appeared to be twins, guarded the VIP door. They were dressed in silver- studded leather. Each wore a single gold earring. Their shaved heads gleamed in the flaring torchlight that lit the front of the club.
One of the twins glanced briefly at the pass that Elly showed him. With a crisp, sharp movement of his chin, he indicated that she and Cooper could enter.
'Ever been to Earth World?' Elly asked as they walked through a doorway that opened as if by magic.
'The big theme park in Resonance?' Cooper asked.
