Death Dream (58 page)

Muncrief has kidnapped Angie and if anybody knows where Muncrief is, it'll be Jace.

He'll tell me, Dan said to himself. I'll get it out of him if I have to kill him.

CHAPTER 45

At first Angela had been afraid, especially when her prince spoke to her in Uncle Kyle's adult voice. But before she could ask, his voice became brighter, younger, and he began to show Angela the lovely kingdom that would be theirs.

Through leafy woods and across sparkling streams they traveled, sometimes on magnificent horses decked in colorful trappings and jingling leather harnesses, sometimes walking across sunny warm meadows rich with the fragrance of new flowers.

"Nothing dies here," said the prince as they drifted lazily in a golden sailboat across a crystal blue lake, lying on silken pillows and watching the soft white clouds gliding across the gilded sky. "It's always springtime, always as warm and beautiful as you are, my Angel."

"Always?" Angela asked dreamily, watching a pair of swallows flit overhead.

"Always," said her prince. "Unless you want it otherwise. "If you would prefer winter and snow and palaces of ice—"

"No, no!" Angela laughed. "I like the springtime much better."

Kyle Muncrief watched Angela carefully as she reclined on the pillows in the stern of the little sailboat. He had dressed her in a gown of pink and white, jeweled her and curled her blonde hair just so. He had even removed her braces and made her teeth white and straight and perfectly even.

This is how Crystal would look, he told himself. This is what Crystal deserves, to be a princess, to be happy and loving and without a care. Beyond pain, beyond fear and hunger and everything that the world can do to us. This is what we deserve, Crystal. This is what I bring to you.

Angela saw a shadow pass over the prince's youthful face. His smile faded. He looked solemn, almost somber.

"What is it?" she asked gently. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," he said. "Now that you're here with me, my love, the whole world is fine and right."

"But you look sad."

"I was thinking of all the years I spent searching for you. That's all." He brightened, smiled. "Now those dark years are over. You're here and we'll be together forever."

"Forever," Angela agreed. In the back of her mind she wondered what her mother was thinking, what her father might be doing.
How long have I been here?
But it didn't matter. Time had no meaning in this enchanted world. She wished she truly could stay in it forever.

And yet . . . "I'm getting hungry," she said. "Aren't you?"

"Of course," said the prince. "I should have thought of that."

He got up from the cushions and moved forward in the boat, ducking low beneath the boom. Angela could not quite make out what he was doing, but when he turned around and started back toward her, he was carrying a magnificent ebony tray inlaid with ivory, with a feast set out upon it.

He placed the tray at her feet. "Pheasant, pomegranates, sweetmeats from Arabia, the finest wine of France."

Angela gaped. "I've never eaten pheasant. Is it good?"

"Try it and see."

"And the only time I've had wine was at special dinners, Like birthdays, and then my Daddy would only let me have a little sip of it."

The prince smiled at her. "You can drink all you want here. It's delicious and it won't harm you in any way."

Angela smiled back as she accepted a goblet from his hand.

Muncrief watched her sip the wine and then taste the dishes he had laid out for her.
If Lowrey told me the truth
, he thought,
the system will stimulate the appetite centers of her brain and she'll feel as if she's really eaten a meal.

Angela thought that the food was quite bland. Almost tasteless. And the wine didn't fizz in her nose the way grandpop's champagne did at Christmas dinner. She nibbled at this and that, taking precisely what she wanted and no more, without a parent at her elbow to tell her to finish her plate.

"Do you like it?"

"Oh yes," she said. It was not exactly a lie. She did like all of it, even if it was rather tasteless. And it seemed to fill her up. Her hunger was gone.

The sun was setting behind the hills on the far shore of the lake. The boat turned around all by itself, as if guided by magic, and pointed its prow back toward the castle. Angela saw its proud towers jutting high against the reddening sky.

"It will be night soon," said the prince.

"I'll have to go home," Angela said.

"Not yet. Time doesn't matter here, you know. It's not the same as in that other world."

"No, I suppose it isn't."

"This is a much better world, isn't it?"

"Much," she agreed."

The tray had disappeared, with all the dishes and goblets and everything. Nobody has to clean up after dinner, Angela said to herself. This is a much better world!

"Crystal," said the prince.

"Crystal?"

"Do you mind if I call you Crystal?" he asked. In the deepening shadows of twilight his face seemed to change slightly.

"My name's Angela."

"Yes, but Crystal is a pretty name too, don't you think?"

"I like my own name."

He made a smile. "Very well, Angela dearest." A breeze blew across the water, rippling the placid lake, making the sail strain, chilling her.

"Angela," asked the prince, "do you truly love me?"

"Yes," she said without an instant's hesitation.

"Would you like to stay here in this world with me forever?"

"Yes." Angela knew that she would have to go back home to her parents and her brother sometime. But not now. Not yet. This game was too wonderful to leave so soon.

The prince saw that she was cold and put his arm around her shoulders. "Do you know how long forever is?" he asked.

She nestled close to his warmth. "Forever is forever."

"We'll grow old, you know."

"You said nothing ever dies in this kingdom."

"Yes, that's true. But we will grow old."

"That's all right."

"Would you love me if I were old, Angela? If I were old and ugly and fat?"

She laughed. "But you're not. you're young and slim and handsome."

Muncrief decided not to press the issue any farther. He did not want to alarm her. Not yet. Not before night had fallen and it was time for bed.

It took a concentrated effort of will for him to slide the visor of his helmet up. He looked through the doorway into the motel bedroom. yes, the sensor net was draped across the bed, waiting for him to put it on her.

It was tough to drive with the windshield gone. Dan pulled off the highway as soon as he could. His eyes felt raw with grit and he imagined he looked like one of those old-time open-cockpit fliers, face caked with dirt and windburn.

Once he got his bearings, Dan realized that he was closer to Jace's house than the lab. He decided to try the bungalow first. As he stopped at a red light a car full of kids pulled up beside him.

"Hey, whyn't you trade that junker in?" called one of the boy, grinning at him.

Dan grimaced, hoping that the police did not find him before he found Jace. He glanced down at the telephone between the seats. pulling over to a dark, tree-lined curb, he dialed home.

"Yes?" Susan's voice was quivering.

"It's me, honey. "

"Dan! Where's you been? I've—"

"No time to talk now," he said. "I'm okay and I'm going after Jace. He should know where Muncrief is. "

"Oh."

"Have you heard anything?"

"No."

"I'll get Jace to tell me where Kyle is. And if he's got Angie I'll get her back."

"He's got her." There was not a shred of doubt in Susan's voice.

"Then I'll get him," Dan said.

"Dan, I—"

"What do you say when I use words like testosterone or coitus?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I've got to hear it from you, Sue. I've got to know this is reality and I'm not stuck in one of Jace's simulations."

"This is no time—"

"Sue, I don't know if you're real or not! I don't know if I'm really here or if I'm still in the VR chamber at the lab."

She hesitated, then replied, "Well, I usually say something like . . . uh, I love it when you talk scientific."

Dan felt his breath gush out of him "Yeah. Right. Jace wouldn't know that." This is reality, Dan told himself. Not a sim.

"Thanks honey. Now I'm going to find Muncrief." He hung up before Susan could reply. I've got to find Jace first, he thought. He'll know where Muncrief is. Then I'll get them both.

It took a bit of hide-and-seek before Dan found the street where Jace's bungalow was located. He nosed the Cutlass slowly down the unpaved driveway behind the houses on the street itself, then stopped in front of the place. It was hard to tell if Jace was home or not. Dan turned off the car lights and studied Jace's bungalow for a few moments. With all the windows painted black and the front door shut, the place would look abandoned even if had a party going on inside.

He turned off the ignition and got out of the car, gravel crunching underfoot as he went to the door. It was locked. He rapped on it once, twice, and then suddenly banged on it with both fists as if he wanted to tear it apart.

Great! he raged at himself. Take it out on a door. Break your stupid hands on a goddamned door when what you really want to do is break Muncrief's neck.

He stood puffing, glaring at the unyielding door. No, he told himself. What you really want to do is find Angie. Find her and get her home safe. Then I'll break his fucking neck.

If Jace was home he wasn't answering Dan's pounding. Or maybe he can't hear it. Maybe he's caught up in one of his own sims. Or he's sleeping. Drugged, drunk, whatever.

But he knew that Jace hardly ever drank and never used even recreational drugs. Doesn't need them; he gets high on his own simulations.

Then Dan realized that Jace's bike was nowhere in sight, He walked around the bungalow, nearly stumbling over some junk piled up in the backyard where the distant street lights were shadowed by the trees. No bike.

He must be at the lab.

Sure enough, Jace's scrofulous bicycle was leaning was leaning against the wall next to the rear door as Dan parked along the dimly-lit loading platform.

But Jace was not in the rear of the building nor in the Wonderland VR chamber. Puzzled, Dan hurried along the corridor to Jace's office, barely noticing as he passed the computer center that two of the mainframes were busily humming and blinking. Jace's office was empty, except for the usual snowdrifts of papers.

Dan went to his own office, glancing at his wristwatch, figuring he'd phone home again and see if anything had developed.

Jace was stretched out on the black leather couch, snoring softly. He had put on a clean tee shirt, sky blue with white script lettering:
Who Dares Wins
.

Dan rapped his knuckles against the sole of one of Jace's worn boots. "Hey! Wake up!"

Jake's eyes popped open. "I wasn't asleep."

"The hell you weren't." Dan went to his desk. He wanted something to lean on, something solid to keep him from grabbing Jace by the throat and throttling him. I need him now, he told himself. I have to get him to help me.

"I wasn't," Jace insisted, swinging his legs to the floor and sitting up straight.

"You were snoring."

"That doesn't mean I was asleep."

He's already moving me off the subject, Dan realized. "Never mind that," he said, sitting in his desk chair. "I want your help."

Jace gave him a suspicious look. "Why should I help you?"

"Because I'm asking you to."

"You were ready to hand me over to the cops a couple hours ago."

"The sonofabitch has kidnapped my daughter, Jace!"

"Huh? Whattaya mean?"

"Muncrief took Angie from school. They've been missing since three-thirty."

Jace looked away from Dan and muttered, "He can't hurt her."

"How do you know that? How do You know?"

"Look, you think I'd give him a program that could hurt anybody? I'm not that dumb."

"What makes you think he's using a VR program, Jace? He's got Angie in his hands, for Chrissake!"

But Jace just shook his head. "I know the bastard better'n you do. He's not hurting your kid."

"Jace . . ." Dan felt his hands clenching into fists. "Didn't you see the mainframes perkin' away in the computer center? Who d'you think is usin' them at this time of night?"

"Muncrief?"

"It ain't the Wizard of Oz."

"Where is he?"

A shrug. "I don't know."

"But you said—"

"He doesn't tell me everything, pal. I don't know where the hell he is, but wherever it is he's got a processor and a phone link. Probably a DEC mini and an optical fiber line."

"Christ, he could be anywhere."

"Guess so."

"Help me find him, Jace."

"Why should I?"

Dan's first impulse was to yell,
Because you've helped him set up this simulation that's based on my daughter, you stupid sonofabitch, and that makes you an accessory to kidnapping.

But he swallowed his anger, took a deep rasping breath, Dan said, "Because my Angie's in trouble, Jace. Even if he's just fucking around with her mind, he's going to hurt her. Mentally. Emotionally. Can't you see that?"

Jace said nothing. He looked away from Dan, like a kid who's been caught sneaking a peek at his father's girlie magazines.

Forcing himself to stay calm, Dan thought:
There's a way to get to him. There is a way.

He hesitated, then said, "Nope."

"I guess it was too much to expect," Dan said.

"What was?"

"That you'd be able to track him down."

Jake's close-set eyes focused on Dan.

"I just thought you'd have the smarts to locate the bastard. Through the computer, maybe. Thought you'd have been bright enough to figure out how to find him."

"You didn't ask me how to find him," Jace said slowly, as though he knew he was stepping into a minefield. "You just asked me where he is."

"And you don't know."

"That's right. I don't know."