Chapter 12: Phoenix, Arizona - Part 2

I got a wake up call at seven from the front desk telling me room service was on the way up with my breakfast and that I should be ready to leave at eight. Within minutes I heard the noise of the officer on guard checking my breakfast, then it was brought in. They hadn't asked what I wanted, but I enjoyed it, finishing all the food - scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee and juice.

I showered, shaved and got dressed in the clothes I got yesterday. Strangely, after everything that happened, I was feeling pretty good, I concluded that must have been another effect of the ability to control my emotions the aliens had given me.

There was a knock on the door, then the officer's voice, "Mr. Mannheim, your escort is here to take you to Santa Barbara."

I opened the door and the officers came in. They introduced themselves as Detective Wirtz, of the Santa Barbara Police Department, and Corporal Garcia, of the California Highway Patrol. Officially, they explained, I was to be the Patrol's guest for the flight back because we would be using a California Highway Patrol aircraft.

It was a two-engine plane, about the same size as my dad's but newer, and with turbo-prop engines instead of the piston engines on my dad's plane. The flight only took a little more than an hour.

Detective Wirtz was polite, respectful, because of my aura, and wasn't interested in interrogating me during the flight. After a brief conversation, he put his seat back and dozed off. I took the opportunity to scan him, finding out as much as I could about what he knew about the massacre.

In fact, the police didn't know much more than I did. They surmised the killers must have been terrorists of some sort, but were unclear what group they belonged to, or the reason for the attack. Though Detective Wirtz suspected I might have had something to do with the murders, while he slept I was able to build in his mind sufficient rationales to convince him of my innocence.

We were met at Santa Barbara's little airport by a patrol car and transported to the police station. Even though I was only being detained as a material witness, the police planned a rigorous interrogation of me.

A detective captain and lieutenant and an FBI agent from LA forced me to repeat my story over and over, until they were convinced I was telling the truth. Of course, by using my power I was able to convince them. Scanning my interrogators, and the rest of the department, I found the police had no more information about the massacre or my attackers than I already knew - which was very little.

When the interrogation was over and they said I was free to go, I used the police station phone to call Phoenix, asking them to arrange a ticket for me on a flight from Santa Barbara to Phoenix. After a while, Irma called back to let me know she had booked a flight leaving in about two hours. I asked the police if I could go to my father's ranch, I wanted to see what it would take to get it habitable again.

Detective Wirtz drove me. When we got to the gate, the officer posted there waved us in. Driving up to the house, you wouldn't notice anything unusual, except for the quiet and lack of movement. We parked, then went in the front entrance.

As we walked through the house toward the back, the disorder became more apparent. In the kitchen, I almost lost it again as I saw the bloodstains and remembered what caused them. In my father's office, "Is this where they got you?" Wirtz asked, looking at the broken furniture, the scattered papers.

"Yeah, I was going for my dad's gun, but they grabbed me before I could get it."

The rest of the house was in a state of disorder from the ninjas' ransacking. As we looked in Candace's room - the room she had shared with my father, and with me, once - I wondered about contacting her family. "They've been notified," he said. "Her parents are planning on having the body shipped home to Tennessee for burial as soon as the coroner releases it. They said they would fly out here, for her things, when we're ready. And we notified the servants' families too, those we could find."

I went to my room, at the end of the hall, got my bag and packed my things that the servants had unpacked only a few days ago. Then, "Let's go," I said.

In the car driving back to Santa Barbara, I thought about what I needed to do. My first concern was the safety of my women, especially Kim and Kristen. With all the publicity, my enemies must realize their connection to me.

Wirtz dropped me off at the airport saying, "Just keep us informed of your whereabouts, Mr. Mannheim."

In the terminal, I picked up my ticket, found a pay-phone. First I called my mother in Adrian. She was relieved to hear from me, though she said, "Louise called to let me know you were safe and free. That was really thoughtful of her." I agreed and asked if she would be coming to Phoenix for the funeral. "No," she answered. "I don't think that's necessary. It's better for me here with Grandma, and you can represent our side of the family."

I agreed with her, hung up, then called my playmates in LA. Within seconds both Claudia and Bobbi were on the line laughing and crying at everything that had happened. After they calmed down a little, Bobbi said, "Rob can you come here for a few days? We could all be together and then go to your father's funeral together."

I paused, thinking about how much I would like to be with them. "No, I have to go to Phoenix and help Louise, my dad's wife, and I want you to stay at your condo in LA. Now listen, this is important. Do you remember the girl in Las Vegas you talked to on the phone about me and the ranch?"

"Sure, Ki... " Bobbi started to answer when I interrupted with "No names." Then I continued, "Do you have her cell number?"

"We have it," Claudia answered.

"Okay, call her and tell her I want her and her sister to go to your condo as soon as possible. I want you all together so you can protect each other. They should fly to LA right away, today or tomorrow, and you two meet them at the airport. Stay inside as much as possible. When you go out, all of you go together."

"We understand," Claudia said.

"We'll do what you want," Bobbi echoed. "But can't you come here?"

"I will, after the funeral. Do you have any weapons?"

"We've got MACE," Claudia answered. "And I know how to shoot, but we don't have a gun."

"Okay we'll think about getting you more weapons later. Now, you're clear on what you need to do? I don't want you taking any chances."

"We know Rob," Claudia said.

"It sounds so dangerous, I just wish you were here with us," Bobbi said, her voice shaky.

"I'll be there in a few days. Just make sure you're ready to handle me," I laughed.

"Ohh, We'll handle you," Bobbi said the thrill obvious in her voice. "And there'll be four of us then. Can you handle four hot girls?"

"He'll handle us, all of us, don't worry," Claudia laughed.

We all laughed at that, the girls reassuring me they would do as I said. I told them to let me know if they needed any money, but they said they had enough, even to buy airline tickets for Kim and Kristen. Finally I said, "Okay, I've gotta go now. I'll see you Monday, or probably Tuesday. Remember what I said."

"We'll remember," Claudia said. "I... we love you, Rob."

"I love you too," Bobbi echoed. "Rob, I love you so much."

I told them I loved them, then we ended the call. I grabbed lunch, then boarded the plane, and in about an hour and a half landed at Sky Harbor.

Irma was waiting for me. She looked good, wearing a blue tee-shirt and tan shorts. She smiled happily, saying, "Glad you're back, Rob, and that terrible thing is over."

"Yeah, at least I'm not under suspicion," I said as we walked toward the exit. "But it's not over, we still don't know who ordered the massacre at the ranch."

"But I thought you killed them, three of them... in Las Vegas."

"Yeah, I killed them, but we don't know who ordered it, or why," I said as we reached the Lexus. I tossed my bag in the back, climbed in the passenger seat and let Irma navigate us out of the maze of roads around Sky Harbor.

Once we were on the freeway, I asked, "Will you be putting me up in the same hotel again?"

She turned to smile at me for a moment. "No, you're the head of the family now. Louise said we need to have you at the house."

Suddenly, something occurred to me. "Can we go to the hospital?"

She turned again, looking into my face for an instant. "Why?"

"Do you have Doctor Meisner's home number?"

"No... Oh, you can get it at the hospital?"

"Yeah, let's make a quick detour. I need to find out about the autopsy results."

Of course Doctor Meisner wasn't there on a Saturday. It took longer than I thought, a half hour, to find someone at the hospital with access to his home address and phone number. When I got back to the car, I had Irma drive me to his house; luckily, he was home. Using my powers, I convinced him to meet me at the hospital tomorrow so we could go over my father's autopsy.

Now, we were on our way to the house again. Irma talked about who was coming to the funeral. Reena, my dad's first wife, was already there, staying at the house. Jill, her daughter, and her son-in-law and their children were planning on coming from Singapore, where they live, but they called yesterday to say a problem had come up with the husband's business and they wouldn't be able to make it.

"And Alison is here with her twin daughters. They're so cute, everyone loves them."

"Who's Alison?" I asked.

"She was the last of Eric's women to have children. They're twin girls, about eighteen months. You're gonna love them."