Chapter 28

Despite herself, Ariel perked up. "He thinks so too?" she thought, feeling a surge of hope.

"Do you recognize her?" Ariel prodded, taking a seat on the bed.

Leroy glanced at the photo and shook his head. "No, who is she?"

Ariel looked down at her lap, contemplating. Should she tell him?

"Ariel?" Leroy said, sitting down next to her.

She fidgeted with the coat, feeling his eyes on her. A solution suddenly struck her. "I'll tell him, but only the parts I can."

"You're right, Leroy, I didn't fall behind yesterday," Ariel began, unfolding and then refolding the coat on her lap.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his smirk. "Go on..." he encouraged.

Seeking a bit of revenge, Ariel's foot moved next to his suggestively. Watching his smirk fade, she smiled and continued, "I went back to the room. It was... my intuition."

Leroy nodded thoughtfully. "What happened then?"

Ariel reached over and took the photo from his hands. "I was drawn to this. I think it's important to the case, but I don't know how."

Leroy leaned closer to examine the photo. "Like I said before, she seems familiar. If you think it's important, we should try and find out who she is," he suggested, looking to Ariel for her consent.

Ariel nodded eagerly. It felt like a million pounds had been lifted off her chest. Leroy could help her figure this out, and she was no longer harboring a secret from him (or at least not the whole secret).

"So, you found it in that room..." Leroy said, standing to pace thoughtfully. "What do you think that place really is?"

Ariel pursed her lips in thought, then shook her head. "I'm not sure. Do you think Mr. Warner would know?"

Leroy brightened. "Good idea, yes. We'll ask him when we get to the theater."

"Leroy..." Ariel suddenly said.

The monk looked over at her wonderingly.

"Do you think we could keep this to ourselves?"

A wise smile formed on his face. "This is the Jasper part, isn't it?"

Ariel glared but nodded. Leroy's smile widened. "This is what he's mad at you about; you won't tell him you found this picture?"

Ariel stood and folded the coat over her arm. "Nope."

"But you'll tell me."

Ariel looked up at Leroy, her expression serious. "He knows something he isn't telling me," she lied. Or maybe it wasn't a lie. She was sure there was something Jasper wasn't telling her.

Leroy grinned. "It's no problem, your secret is safe with me."

Ariel smiled back. "Good. Now how much do you want to bet that everyone left us?"

Leroy glanced at the door. "I wouldn't put it past them."

"Let's go. We can ask Mr. Warner if he knows what the room is."

Leroy nodded, looking at the picture one last time before following her out. "You know, I was thinking," he said as Ariel locked the door, "what if she's one of the old actresses there? What if that was Marlowe's office or something?"

"An actress?" Ariel repeated as they started down the hall. She hadn't thought of that.

"Yeah, you've seen how Warner goes on about Shiloh. Maybe Marlowe had a favorite."

"It makes sense, but isn't this kind of a young picture?" Ariel mused, studying the photo again.

Leroy looked thoughtful, but couldn't come up with an answer. "We'll just have to see, I guess. There's a hall I found when looking around with Taylor the other day. It's full of awards the theater has won, and the walls are covered in pictures. Maybe she'll be there?"

"Maybe," Ariel agreed. "Let's look when Jasper sends us out to investigate."

After a short trip down the hall, Ariel wasn't surprised to find the lobby empty. "They left us, typical," she muttered, exchanging a look with Leroy. She slipped her coat on, and they stepped out into the light rain. Ariel squinted into the bright hue the cloud cover was creating. Leroy had been right: patches of blue sky and sun spots were scattered among the gray clouds. It would all clear up by this evening.

As they walked past the festival grounds, Ariel noticed most stands were closed up, colorful tarps draped over them to keep out the rain. A handful of people were moving about, carrying things to the stage or taking things from the stalls. She wondered if Noah was among them, running about in the wet and mud.

It wasn't long before they reached the theater. Ariel started up the stairs, gripping the rail as the wooden planks were slick with rain. Just behind her, Leroy nearly slipped. Ariel laughed, then nearly fell herself. Reaching the top relatively unharmed, she took the monk's arm, and the two of them quickly passed through the doors.

Ariel only felt it for a moment: the stomach-churning sensation, followed by dizziness, and a sharp twinge of pain in her head. But then it was over, and they had stepped inside. "I hate the rain," she said with a shiver, running her fingers through her damp hair.

"I know," Leroy grumbled, shutting the door behind them.

Ariel looked around. The theater was dark today, the only light coming from the oil lamps. "Kind of a creepy vibe today, huh?" Leroy said, looking around himself.

"Yeah," Ariel nodded, rubbing her arms.

Just then, muffled voices carried to Ariel's ears. "Do you hear that?" she asked, lowering her voice.

The monk nodded and pointed to a cracked door at the far end of the room. Ariel glanced at the ticket booth, and then beyond into the auditorium, as the other theater doors were open today. "Actors?" Ariel suggested, moving forward as she was unable to see the stage from this vantage point.

Leroy caught her arm and shook his head. Slowly, his gaze moved to the cracked door. Ariel looked at it too, her breath coming out in white clouds before her. "It's freezing in here," she complained, still speaking quietly.

Leroy wasn't listening; his eyes were fixed on the door. "I think the voices are coming from in there..."

Ariel strained to hear better, but the voices remained muffled. She rubbed her hands together, the cold making them stiff. "Did someone accidentally turn the air conditioner on?"

Leroy looked to her, and she nodded. They moved forward. Drawing nearer, Ariel made a point of scoping out the stage, but as it came into view, she saw no one rehearsing. The muffled voices continued.

"Leroy, no one is down there..." Ariel whispered, her teeth beginning to chatter.

At the door, the monk motioned her over. Ariel reached the door, and there was just enough room to squeeze in below him. Peering through the crack, Ariel saw a single room housing various pieces of theater lighting equipment. At the back of the room, a door to the outside was open, and standing next to this door, stranded in a sea of bouquets, was Mr. Warner.

"This is the last one," a young man said, handing off the only bunch of magnolias among the roses.

The playwright glanced down at all the roses around him and then back up at the young man. "Surely, this is a mistake, meant for someone else?" he ventured, trying to hand it back.

"No sir, it says here that it is to be delivered to a Miss Shiloh Keller from—"

"Very well then, thank you," Mr. Warner interrupted.

The young man waved and then departed. Mr. Warner stood for a few moments in silence, looking down at the magnolias with a frown. He rubbed his face with his free hand. "Becca... please not Shiloh," he sighed. Then, startling Ariel, in one quick motion he tossed the bouquet out the door.

"Ariel," a voice suddenly said.

With a gasp, Ariel nearly jumped out of her skin, bumping Leroy hard in the stomach.

"Oy, watch it, Ariel," Leroy protested, bracing himself against the door.

"I'm sorry, Leroy," she apologized, looking at him concernedly, before sending a sharp look at whoever had frightened her.

Standing several feet away was Jasper, accompanied by the rest of the GPI group. "What is going on here?" he asked, a frown descending upon his face.

Ariel pursed her lips; she didn't feel like talking to him. Recovering slightly, Leroy looked from Ariel to Jasper, and then quickly back at Ariel.

"Ariel, what's the matter with you? Why are you...?" Jasper's words trailed off, a frown forming on his face.

Ariel felt a surge of confusion. "What are you talking about?" she demanded, sending dark looks at both Jasper and Max.

Jasper glanced at Max, who gave Ariel a significant look before disappearing. Ariel glared at the spot Max had just vacated. What was going on here? She didn't feel much of anything but confusion, but soon she started shaking, realizing it must be from fear. Jasper suddenly began crossing over to her, slipping his coat off in the process. Beside her, Leroy was doing the same. Ariel looked between the two of them, beginning to feel uneasy.

"Leroy...how?" John asked worriedly.

"I don't know," the monk answered, draping his coat around Ariel's shoulders. It was still warm from his body heat, and a strange sensation spread from her neck and shoulders, a sort of hot prickling tingling her skin. Jasper reached her and hung his coat over the monk's. Ariel stared dumbly at him as he adjusted it, his gaze burning with concern. Suddenly, he took her face in his hands. Ariel flinched; it was as if his palms were red hot, the prickling that was attacking her shoulders and neck seared out across her cheeks.

"She's freezing. We need to get her back to base," Jasper announced, looking to Leroy.

The monk nodded, and in the next moment, Ariel found herself being carried down the hall. At base, Ariel was set in the same chair Mandy had been the day before. Max had been waiting for them; a hot cup of coffee was ready for Ariel as soon as she was settled.

Ariel hesitated to take the cup Max was offering her, the heat radiating from it already making her skin sting. Compromising, she slipped her hands into Leroy's coat sleeves and accepted the cup. "Thank you," she murmured, staring into the steaming amber liquid.

Leroy stood at her side, reminding Ariel of Mr. Warner the day before. "Are you doing alright?" he asked, staring at her in the same unnerving way everyone else was.

"Yes," Ariel nodded, still uncertain of how she had become unwell.

"Her color is returning," Taylor said, wringing out a washcloth in the sink. Ever since they had reached base, the priestess had been racing around Ariel, checking her temperature and procuring more coats to layer her in. By this time, Ariel was beginning to understand that it was not from fear that she had been shaking, but from cold. According to Max, the foyer had dropped fifteen degrees after Ariel and Leroy had entered it.

"I'll never know how you get yourself into such messes," Taylor said, coming to kneel in front of Ariel and running a warm cloth over her cheek.

"How come you weren't freezing?" Ariel asked, looking up at Leroy.

The monk shrugged and patted Ariel's shoulder. "This coat is much thicker than yours, and I suppose I have more meat on my bones."

"He calls it meat," Taylor muttered under her breath.

Leroy raised a threatening eyebrow at her. "What was that, Taylor?"

"What is the temperature of the room now?" Ariel heard Jasper asking. He was standing near the desk, staring into a thermal image of the foyer, which now seemed to be normal.

"Here," Mandy said, handing off a fresh cup of coffee she had just made for the monk, who until that moment had been locked in a glaring contest with Taylor.

"Thank you," Leroy replied, taking the coffee and managing to drink and still glare at the priestess. Mandy returned to the couch.

"How is she?" Jasper asked some minutes later when Taylor had finished tending to Ariel.

"She's much warmer; she'll be fine," Taylor answered, moving to the counter.

Jasper nodded silently, coming to stand near Ariel's armchair. "Do you feel fine? Or do you need to go back to the inn?" he asked, looking down at her, a challenging glint in his eyes.

Ignoring him, Ariel was busy peeling off some of the many coats Taylor had layered her in. "I'm staying," she answered distractedly, fighting with a coat she was half sitting on.

"Are you sure? I can walk you back," Leroy offered, pulling at the coat she was struggling with.

"I'm sure," Ariel insisted, becoming flustered as the coat wouldn't give.

The monk stood back from it and frowned. "What's the matter with this thing?"

Silently, Jasper took Ariel's arm. "He-hey!" Ariel stammered, confused as she was pulled from her seat. The coat fell to the floor. Jasper released her arm and looked to Mandy.

"Makenzie..." he began, ignoring the stunned looks Ariel and Leroy were giving him, staring at the coat and then back at him.

"Show off," Leroy muttered, taking a seat on the couch.

The atmosphere in the room shifted as Mandy, the medium, turned her gaze towards Jasper. Her serenity seemed to cast a bright glare against Ariel's dull, disheveled state.

"What is your opinion?" Jasper's deep voice cut through the tension, his dark eyes meeting Mandy's eager stare.

Mandy stood and stepped towards the window reflectively, her gaze searching the surroundings before looking back to Jasper. "There is nothing here. I see nothing, I feel nothing."

"Nothing!" Ariel exclaimed, frustration bubbling up as she kicked away the coats piled at her feet. "How do you explain what happened to me just now?"

Mandy regarded her question with an air of indifference. "The foyer is very drafty. It's cold and raining outside, and you don't seem to know what a proper coat is."

Ariel felt the blood rush to her cheeks, incensed by Mandy's dismissive tone. "It dropped fifteen degrees," she argued, pointing at the monitor displaying the temperature at around sixty degrees.

"You think something's here?" Jasper's penetrating gaze fixed on Ariel.

For a fleeting moment, Ariel's eyes met Leroy's, but she quickly looked away. Finding Mandy, she chose to glare at the medium rather than face Jasper's knowing gaze. "Yes, I do."

Mandy frowned and crossed to the couch. "You're hallucinating then."

A fiery determination sparked in Ariel's eyes. She opened her mouth to retort, but Jasper raised a hand to silence them both. "Enough. Ariel, you will join Makenzie room to room today, taking temperatures as she conducts blessings. Maybe then you two will be able to agree on what's here, or what's not."

"What?" Ariel protested, her angry glare now directed at Jasper.

Mandy almost objected but caught herself in time, clearing her throat instead.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Jasper's cool gaze met Ariel's defiant one.

Ariel, undeterred, was about to voice her objection when a sudden rap on the door interrupted them.