A. I. Evolution: The Coming of Christopher

Chapter 25

Jane sets her travel case on the low table in front of her and pulls out her laptop, flipping it open on her legs as she sits back in the padded chair. In moments, she has accessed the airline's website, reserving them two seats in first class, which is all that was left on the flight for Seattle. The arrangements were fine with her, because she knows that Christopher is a tall man and the extra leg room would be appreciated.

She waits anxiously for Christopher to exit the elevator directly across the lobby from where she is sitting. A half hour passes by and she is tempted to go up to the room to see what the problem is, but she doesn't know what his room number is. She keeps checking her watch, and looking to the elevator doors, impatiently for the next ten minutes. "What is keeping him? We need to get moving if we are going to catch our flight," she thinks.

She checks her watch one more time, before getting up more than slightly irritated by how long he is taking to gather his things. She crosses the lobby to the front desk and asks the attendant for Christopher's room number. The man is reluctant to give her the number because the room is booked under only one name, and hotel policy prevents him from giving it out to others. "I can call up to his room, if you want? That is all I can do Miss."

"Fine. We have a plane to catch and he should have come down twenty minutes ago." Jane watches the numbers that the man is pushing and can see that he is entering the room number as he dials. Ten eleven. She smiles slightly, realizing that he is not doing anything to prevent her from seeing the number.

The phone rings continuously with no answer, and eventually the attendant hangs up. "Sorry Miss, there does not seem to be any answer. He is probably on his way down now."

"Thank you for trying. I will wait by the elevator for him then."

The attendant nods his head in acknowledgement, as Jane turns towards the two elevators that lead up to the rooms and down to the casino below at street level.

The display above the elevators, which show the floor the carriage is on, both reveal that they are at the bottom, waiting to be summoned. "I will wait five minutes, and if they don't go up to the tenth floor then I will go up myself," thinks Jane.

It seemed like the longest five minutes of her life, but in the end, Jane couldn't wait any longer and pushed the button to summon the carriage. The car eventually moves up from the lower Casino area to the lobby floor, and she enters before the doors have fully opened, pushing the tenth-floor button. The elevator is fast, but still not fast enough for Jane's liking, because she is now convinced that something dreadful has happened to Christopher.

The doors slide into the edge of the opening revealing the tenth-floor. She steps out, looking down the long hallway in both directions, hoping to see him lugging his suitcase down the hall. The hallway is empty, not just empty, but barren and lifeless, causing a deeper feeling of dread to overtake her. She glances to the small plaque on the wall in front of her that indicates that room Ten eleven is to the left.

She rushes down the hallway, checking the numbers on the side of the doorways till she comes to the last one on the right. The number is displayed beside the door, confirming that she has the right one, but the door is slightly ajar, making her heart rate increase.

One more look down the hallway to make sure there is nobody looking or moving towards her, gives her the nerve to enter the room. She pushes the door open enough that she can slip inside, only to find that the room is empty. There is no suitcase on the low folding base designed for a suitcase to rest on. A quick look in the bathroom reveals that his toothpaste and shaving kit is still there though.

Jane moves to the main part of the room and can see empty chip bags and chocolate bar wrappers in the waste basket beside the TV stand. "He was here all right, but it looks like he left in a hurry?"

Jane reaches for the phone on the bedside table and calls down to the front desk. Then, after a couple of rings the attendant answers with the normal, "how can I help you?"

"Hello, this is the woman you were talking to just a few minutes ago in the lobby. I remembered Christopher's room number and I came up to get him, but he is not here now. His suitcase is gone, but his toiletries are still in the bathroom. Did you see him come down the elevators and go past you?"

"No Miss," says the attendant suspiciously. "I would have seen him, unless he went out the back way to the courtyard."

Jane turns to the window that looks down on the back courtyard and stretches the phone cord, almost taking the phone from the table with her as she looks out the window and down on the large open space they were just at an hour ago. "He is not there, but I could have missed him."

"Sorry Miss," responds the attendant. "I wish there was more I could help you with, but he might have just left, not wanting you to know where he was going. The hotel can't get involved in domestic affairs."

Jane wants to yell at him for such a derogatory remark, but checks herself, knowing that he is just stating the obvious and protecting the hotels interest. Instead she calms herself slightly. "Thank you for your help. I will contact the authorities, so we can get some answers."

"Do you really think that is necessary, Miss?"

"Yes, I am afraid that it is. If there is anything the hotel can do to assist them, then I think it would be in the hotel's best interest to get ready to supply the C.I.A. with whatever they ask for."

There is a brief pause on the other end, as the attendant processes this latest information. "The C.I.A.? Who is Christopher Stronge?"

Jane smiles at his sudden hesitation, even though she is deathly afraid of what may have happened to Christopher, because it is now obvious that he did not leave on his own. "That is something I can't divulge at this time, because it is a matter of National Security."

"Oh," is all the front desk attendant can get out.

"I have to call them now, so please excuse me."

"By all means Miss."

Jane hangs up the phone and grabs her cell phone from the side pocket of her snug jacket. A quick check for the number in her recent file gets the phone ringing for Ron in Bangor. "Hello Jane, I was just getting my morning coffee before heading to the office. How can I help you?"

"Ron, it's about Christopher. He is missing, and I suspect that Mr. Wong Fung is responsible!"

"What! How did this happen and when?"

Jane speaks quickly into the small device, getting overly excited by Ron's response to her statement. "Just about thirty minutes ago, I think. I was just waiting for him to come down from his room when..."

"Please slow down Jane, and just give me the details, so I can get someone there to help you."

Jane takes a deep breath and lets it out before turning serious and hitting the high points of the last couple of hours.

"I see," says Ron. "OK. I will contact the C.I.A. Please don't let on that you know about Mr. Wong Fung."

"I understand. I will just tell them that he is missing, and I called you to let you know."

"Good. They will probably have someone there within the hour."

"Thank you, Ron," says Jane softly, before disconnecting the call.