Chapter 12: Whisper Revealed

The cab was out of sight and it took me a minute to pull myself together.

I crossed the street. I still couldn't think of any good excuses to give the police. My plan to make it look like I hadn't been in the room was all I had to go with. I needed an alibi, and if Whisper wanted my help, he would provide me one. I went into the alley and looked around.

The alley didn't go very far. There were three doors on one building and two on the other. Fire escapes climbed both, but otherwise there was nothing but trash bins. No one was waiting. "Great..." I said under my breath.

I turned and started toward the street. Then I saw someone enter the alley, blocking the exit. I stopped, wary of another potential attack. If my Charm had helped me to stop Mr. Speedy in the hotel, maybe it could help me with new aggressors.

"Ral?" came a female voice.

"Who's asking?" I returned, not answering their question.

They started to approach, walking cautiously. "I warned you more were coming. Why didn't you listen?"

It was early afternoon. The sun was high overhead but the two tall buildings I stood between blocked out any direct light. By the ambient light I had difficulty seeing her clearly. The voice was definitely female, but the question was one I would expect only from Whisper.

I let my eyes adjust to the dimness and watched as she continued to draw near. Thanks to Doctor Holzer, I could tell she wasn't lying to me about the warning. Still it was a shock to see a woman rather than a man. I was expecting some small wiry guy with glasses and a bad haircut. Instead, a young woman stood before me. She had shoulder length white-blonde hair, a fair complexion and startlingly light blue eyes. She reminded me of clear, bright mornings after the snow had fallen back at home.

The outfit she wore was closer to what I expected. A dark green t-shirt that only barely hid the bulge of her breasts. It was tucked into utility style khaki-colored pants. She even wore what looked like military boots. I knew the clothes weren't military. Anyone could find the same outfit in pretty much any outlet, even Wal-Mart. She was dressed down, in something accepted as every day. The only thing that stood out about her was her face.

If she used Master PC as much as I believed, her face and body could have been a disguise. I could accept that she was a woman, but maybe not so alluring in real life.

I guess I was staring too hard or the look on my face seemed sour because she said, "Ral, I'm sorry if me being a woman has upset you, but this is who I am and I would appreciate at it if you would stop looking at me like that."

That snapped me out of my thoughts. "I'm sorry. You caught me off guard. I guess with all the cloak and dagger stuff you pull, I just always thought of you as a guy."

"I've always been a woman. I just don't let on that I am. Most people mistake me for a man and that's fine with me." She adjusted the backpack she had slung over one shoulder as she spoke.

"Because it keeps you safe?"

She nodded.

"Fair enough. You asked for my help and I'm going to need yours in return. Tell me what you have because my room is wide open. I'm sure someone has called the hotel security by now and the police are on their way."

"No, your room is safe for the moment, but my calculations only give us five maybe six minutes before anyone finds something amiss."

"Your calculations?"

"Yes," she said, and then she turned back down the alley, walking away.

I followed. "Where are we going?"

"You're in need of an alibi. It will be best to not even be close to the hotel when the police show up." She turned the corner back the way she had come. I expected her to stop and wave down a cab, but she kept walking. We crossed the next street and then turned at the next one. She stopped next to a silver Toyota Camry, pulled out a keychain and I heard the telltale sound of the anti-theft alarm being disarmed. "Get in," she said as she climbed in the driver's seat.

I got in and buckled up. She looked at me. "Don't trust my driving?"

"Habit," I replied simply. "Where are we going?"

"First, we have to establish your alibi. Know a good restaurant?"

My stomach growled at the idea of food. I nodded. "But we'll need better attire."

"Why?"

"We're having a luncheon interview. I'm going to hire you for my store as my new clothing designer."

She gave me a coy look then said, "Fine. As long as you don't really expect me to model your clothes."

"If you know as much about me as I believe you do, then you'll know I have only one rule..."

She continued looking at me.

I shook my head. "No one has to do anything they don't want to."

"A good rule to follow. Too bad the rest of the Mind Magi don't follow it." She started up the car and pulled away. "You said we'd need better clothes. The rest of mine aren't much different than this."

"And the rest of mine are back in the hotel suite. We need to stop at a business suit shop. Somewhere we can each get clothes appropriate for the interview and have them tailored immediately."

Whisper nodded and turned a corner.

"How well do you know New York?" I asked, not sure where we were.

"I'd say pretty well. I not only memorized the map for the city and surrounding area but most of the business listings and their specialties."

"You use Master PC?"

She nodded.

"Are you a Mind Magi?"

Her brows furrowed and she glanced at me, "Me? No." She went back to watching the road.

I continued to watch her. I was puzzling over the way events were going and the fact that most of the people I tended to count on were women. Apparently I was too silent in contemplation too long because Whisper said, "Look, Ral, I'm sorry if my looks disturb you. I'm even sorrier that you're as handsome as ever, but we can't do anything about that. Please, put it out of your mind so we can focus on what we have to do." Again she looked at me from the corner of her eyes.

I nodded and looked away. She was right. I couldn't get distracted.

"I know you've got a ton of questions. Just ask me and I'll tell you what I can. You'll have to trust that anything I don't answer is because I haven't confirmed it yet."

"Confirmed? How? You know so much about me, but because of your nature of not trusting anyone, I don't know squat about you. How about relieving some of that? How about proving you trust me, just like you said on the phone, and telling me something about yourself first. That will give me a better understanding of who you are and what your motivations are."

She nodded. "Fair enough, but why don't we get our suits first. I'll tell you about me and answer your questions as we eat," she said as she pulled us into a parking garage.

We got out and I followed her to a Men's Warehouse. I chuckled quietly at the simplicity of her choice. It wasn't the most expensive or the most prestigious, but they made good suits and tailored them on the spot. I was impressed.

It didn't take long to find suits that fit close enough that the tailoring wouldn't take more than a few minutes each. I gave an extra big tip to the sales girl to help speed the process along. We were going to leave wearing the new suits. I was still wearing my dress boots from earlier and Whisper got new heels and stockings.

When I had first seen Whisper in her new suit, I was stunned. The street clothes did tone down her looks, but the sharp business suit brought out her confidence and beauty in a way I wouldn't have guessed at. When we were paying for the store's services she fidgeted and tugged at it. She looked uncomfortable.

"Leave it alone," I said softly.

She looked up. "I don't do suits Ral."

"I realize that, but you look good in it. It looks good on you. Leave it alone."

She rolled her eyes and started for the doors. I followed and had to grab her arm when she stumbled in the heels. They were only two-inch heels, but she was used to the wide support of her boots. "When we get done talking to the police I'm changing back into my normal clothes."

"That's fine, but we still have an 'interview' to have. Then we'll head back and talk to the police."

We got to her car. She got in and started to slip her new heels off to drive. I said, "I wouldn't. You could get a run up those stockings."

Again she rolled her eyes. "This is why I avoid all this crap."

I chuckled as she put her heels back on.

A few minutes later we were being seated at a fairly nice restaurant. We both ordered and I had to stop Whisper from fidgeting so much.

"Can I at least take the jacket off?"

I nodded and did the same. When I looked at Whisper again I was stunned. The darker clothes she had been wearing, even the dark color of the suit jacket had made her look so pale, like a ghost. Now, in the white blouse, she seemed almost translucent. I couldn't actually see her bones or blood or anything, but she looked like she could fade away.

Whisper noticed me staring at her. She sighed, "Ral. Snap out of it. This is why I wear dark colors. Lighter ones make me look worse."

"So this is what you really look like?" I asked gently.

She nodded. "I thought about changing my appearance for meeting you but then remembered what I had already said about trusting you. I can't show trust in you if I'm not at least a little bit honest with you."

"Thank you. And honestly, you look nice, even in the blouse."

"No I don't. I look like a ghost."

I chuckled. "Okay, I was thinking the same thing, but really, it suits you. Especially the whole 'don't notice me' theme of yours."

"Oh, please! Tell that to all the guys who passed by me while I was waiting for you earlier..."

"I would say you're afraid of personal attention, but that would be getting too personal. How about we work on this trust thing a bit more?" I stopped to wait for her to either nod or shake her head. She just watched me, apparently ready for me to continue. "Would it be too much to ask for your name?"

She crossed her arms and contemplated me for a moment. The move distracted me because she was accenting her chest. I doubted she realized it. I sat back to make it look like I was just trying to get comfortable for our meal.

I sat there patiently. Time was important to both of us and she finally relented. "Okay, but you have to swear to never pull me up. Got me?"

I nodded. "You have my word."

"My real name is Pamela Ericson. Pam to my friends."

I nodded and then leaned forward. Softer I asked, "Do you have another name to go by? Whisper just doesn't go over well in crowds."