Page 7 of Intangible
“Okay. What can I do to help?” she asked. Memphis couldn’t help but be impressed. He swore he could hear the steel coursing through her veins.
“Tell me everything you can remember. Every smell, sound, anything that could help.” He leaned up against the cell, waiting for her to answer.
“How do you not fall back through? I thought you were a hologram.”
“It’s complicated. I can make inanimate objects either solid or not, but people and animals are always intangible for some reason. We can discuss it later, but for right now, let’s focus on getting you out of here.”
Thayer nodded her head, looking at him in confusion. “Right. How they kidnapped me is all still a blur. I’m sure they drugged me somehow, one minute I’m in my dorm, the next I wake up in the back of a vehicle.
“I think I’m in a cellar or something. It smells dank. I’m almost positive we drove down a dirt road to get here. The vehicle slowed down and I was thrown around some. I also remember being brought down steps while I was still blindfolded.”
Memphis nodded his head absently in thought. He knew she could be anywhere. Without an idea of how long she was in the vehicle or which direction they drove in, it would be almost impossible to find her. He was shaken from his thoughts a few minutes later by her quiet question.
“Can’t you hike out to see where I am, then bring back reinforcements?”
Looking up, he reminded himself not to get attached. It just gave a victim false hope in their rescue. But something about her just called to him. It wasn’t just her beauty that shone even through the grime she was being forced to live with. Her strength called to him. He knew without a doubt that, if given the opportunity, she would fight her way out.
“I can’t get that far from you or I’ll just disappear back home. It’s another one of the weird rules that governs my… condition. Keep going. What else did you notice?”
“I’ve seen at least four different men, but they wear ski masks, so I don’t recognize their faces. The men that abducted me were older, but the ones that bring me food are young, like high school. It smelled like pine when we arrived, like in the mountains but not in New England. I don’t know what else I can tell you.”
For the first time, Memphis noticed that she was dressed in nothing but a pair of flannel pajama pants with a tank top. Her feet were bare.
“They abducted you in your sleep?” he asked.
“They got into my dorm room somehow. My roommate was gone for the weekend, so it was just me. I think they broke in really early in the morning. They put something over my face to knock me out. When I woke up, I was in a vehicle like a van or truck. Maybe a truck bed with a cap?”
He nodded his head absently, deep in thought. It was pretty brazen to abduct someone from a dorm where anyone could see you, no matter what time of the day. Did they know her roommate would be gone or was it just luck? If the roommate had been there, were they prepared to kill her?
“Memphis?” He was jolted out of his thoughts. “I’m scared I’m running out of time. The man who hired the other men came back a couple days ago. He was mumbling something about upping the pressure,” Thayer whispered as a tear escaped down her cheek. She swiped at it with a stubborn motion. “The other men I can handle pushing me around, but something about him terrifies me.”
“What else can you tell me? Did you catch this man’s name or the names of the others? Did he mention anything about what he meant by upping the pressure?” he asked gruffly, hating how scared she was.
He didn’t really mean to come across that angry, but he couldn’t afford to become too attached to this woman. He had learned early that he couldn’t risk becoming emotionally involved in what he did because sometimes he was too late to save them. It was important that he be able to go back to his life no matter how this ended.
He watched Thayer as she searched her brain for something to add. Finally, she met his eyes, shrugging her shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” Thayer whispered as she swiped at another tear rolling down her cheek. “I never saw his face.”
“No, don’t be sorry.” Memphis took a step toward her, impulsively crossing back through the bars before stopping. “You’re doing great. I’ll get this information back to Knox so he can start working through it.”
He walked back to the dark corner. Sometimes it completely freaked people out if he just appeared or disappeared in front of them. He had learned it was best to do it unseen, if possible.
“Memphis?” Thayer called out in panic. Stepping back into the little bit of light allowed by the bare bulb from the tunnel, he waited for her to continue. “Will you come back? I…” Her voice faded away as she looked around the room, desperately trying to find a reason for him to return.
“I’ll come back,” he finally said quietly before stepping back into the shadows. Thayer didn’t actually see him leave, but Memphis heard the sob that escaped her as he faded away. She could survive until he returned, he told himself.
Memphis came back into his body with a gasp, startling Knox awake. After flailing for a minute with wild eyes, Memphis finally settled back into his chair.
“Easy, buddy,” Knox said, handing him a bottle of water. “Did you find her?” Memphis threw the rabbit at the coffee table. “What?” Knox asked, leaning toward him with concern on his face.
“Where is the senator?” Memphis asked.
“Out walking your fucking dog. What did you see?” Knox leaned forward with a scowl, as if ready to pound the information from Memphis. It was obvious now just how much Thayer meant to these two men.
“She’s still alive.”
“Thank God,” Knox said, leaning back in his seat with a deep exhale.
