Technomancer (Unspeakable Things: Book One)

face was full of mixed emotions, mostly shock.
    I swallowed, unable to think of any way to get out of telling her. If I just handed her the letter, would that be better than hearing the truth from a friend? I didn’t think it would be.
    “It says Robert signed with a false name. That the license and the certificate aren’t legal. They’ve been trying to contact you to come back and clear things up.”
    I explained the situation in a hushed voice and she began to quietly sob. People around us gave me dirty looks. I’m surethey all figured I was breaking her heart. I folded the letter and slipped it into my back pocket while she wasn’t looking. The note gave details she didn’t need to hear. Robert had signed as Harry Houdini. The people at the White Rose hadn’t found this amusing. I figured Jenna wouldn’t find it amusing either, so I made the letter disappear. Not only had she been jilted, the guy clearly thought it was funny. I wasn’t even sure Robert Townsend was his real name.
    I paid the check and walked her toward the elevators.
    “Are you OK, Jenna?” I asked.
    She didn’t answer me. The elevator dinged and two couples stepped out. Their conversation halted as they saw the two of us. Jenna had her hands over her face and was shaking with suppressed sobs. The two men looked uncomfortable and tried to avoid staring, but they did frown. The women glared at me quickly, then looked away. I realized I had a bag over my shoulder, heightening the image that I was in the act of dumping her. Jenna made no move to get onto the elevator despite the fact I had my hand holding it open.
    “Should I leave you alone?” I asked.
    “Come up with me. I have more to tell you.”
    I nodded and guided her, lightly touching her elbow. She finally stepped into the elevator, and when the doors slid shut in front of me, I felt a wave of relief. When we reached her room, I headed for her minibar and made her a drink. She took it wordlessly.
    “Remember when I told you about how it happened? About how Robert vanished? I left out some things. I changed some details.”
    “Why?”
    “Because the details made it sound more like Robert was leaving me. And I didn’t want it to sound that way. I knewif it did, the police would ignore the case. Once I had the story in my mind I stuck to it, even with you. I didn’t think it would matter. I didn’t think the details would stop you from finding him.”
    “So, he didn’t get sucked into a rift?”
    “Well, he did go into it and vanish,” she said, “but he wasn’t sucked up by it. He stepped into the shimmering, burning air, talking to me about how cool it looked. He didn’t seem scared at all.”
    “And the shoe?”
    Jenna looked a little embarrassed. “I ripped it off his foot. I thought maybe it was pulling him in, somehow mesmerizing him. He wasn’t acting like himself. So I went after him and grabbed his left foot. His shoe came off…he yanked it away from me.”
    I nodded, rubbing my temples.
What a bastard.
It was one thing to take off on her—but for Townsend to not even call and let her know he was still alive? I was convinced now that Robert Townsend, or Houdini, or whoever he was, still breathed somewhere. He had quite a sense of humor, our friend Robert. I intended to discuss it with him when I got the chance.
    “He seemed possessed. I thought I was helping.”
    I wanted to apologize for my sex, but I figured it was bad timing. I didn’t need to associate myself with this cad in her mind.
    “Love requires trust, Jenna,” I said. “Don’t let this man ruin your life.”
    “As of right now, he’s done just that,” she said.
    I looked at her, hearing a new tone in her voice. She was angry now. I saw a look on her face that reminded me of the Jenna I’d first met down in the casino. I recalled she was willing to do anything to get vengeance then. Now, Isupposed she was doubly dangerous. If I were Robert, I wouldn’t come near her again. It occurred to me that perhaps he knew about her smoldering temper. Maybe that’s why he’d bailed out on her in such a cowardly fashion. I also wondered what else she might have lied about.
    I had a sudden thought. “What about the ring?” I asked. “Do you still have it?”
    “Yeah,” she said, lifting it up.
    I stared at her. “If he was such a bastard, why would he leave you his ring?” I asked.
    As I watched, she held up her hand and removed the ring. She reached out her hand toward me. “You