Maurice Ch. 03

Interesting.

I read the biographies of the parents starting with the father. He graduated from high with honors but for whatever reason didn't attend college, he worked at a maintenance man at the local high school and married Regina's mother three years later having met her there. According to their financial records, they were quite frugal with their money and had some money in the bank but nowhere near enough for a two week vacation, so where did the money come from?

Regina's mother was a domestic worker meaning that she cleaned houses, she worked for several families until she was hired by the.... The Lannisters. A piece of the puzzle fell into place. Their vacation was funded by the Lannisters but why? I knew of the Lannisters but not much and what I knew about them I didn't like. They are bloodthirsty liars and murderers. Regina was in really deep shit but the question was what did they want with her? As distasteful as it was going to be, I needed to find out more information about the Lannister family. I barely tapped the intercom button when Olivia came into the office carrying a file, blue this time.

"It is everything that I could find out about the Lannisters." she said. "The pages marked with the yellow stickers are things that you might find interesting; the red stickers mean that you definitely must read that page."

I thanked her and looked at the file but she didn't leave, she had something that she needed to say.

"What is it Olivia?" I asked.

"The woman, Regina... she is trying to remember things."

"What is it that you're trying to tell me?" I asked trying hard to be patient.

"She is going to leave her room today, she wants to remember." Olivia said quietly.

"What?" I asked. I wasn't questioning Olivia for she has only rarely been wrong. The "what" was said in shock and horror, Regina needed to stay in that room! "Damn it!" I swore.

Now this is where my ability to be out during the day come in handy. I tossed the file onto my desk and vanished from where I sat into the men's room in the lobby of the Royal Sonesta. I waited for a few minutes; I had to think about how to get Regina to stay by my side given that she was afraid of me. Maybe if Annie came with us it would help but not only that, it would give me another chance to examine Annie a little more closely.

I bought a paper and settled in to wait for the ladies to come down, unlike the last time I was here, I knew that I was being watched but not by one of my kind. I acted as if I wasn't aware of it and continued to read the paper.

"We have the same goal." a gravelly voice said a few minutes later.

"And what goal would that be?" I asked not looking up, I didn't need to, it was Gremlin.

"The safety of the woman." He replied.

"What do you know about what's happening?" I asked.

"Enough to know that she will not be safe until after her birthday which is now three days away."

"Who are you protecting her from?" I asked finally looking at him.

"You."

I have to confess that my mouth dropped open.

"Me?" I asked.

"Yes you but I don't believe you to be the threat." Gremlin said.

"Pray tell." I said.

"Micah Lannister and her brothers." Gremlin said his voice low.

My mouth dropped open again, so they were alive! Well sort of.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked. "And what will Micah do to you if he finds out?"

Gremlin laughed, "Micah doesn't concern me. He is nothing more than a spoiled child in an adult body who wants his toy because it was taken from him."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The Lannisters are deep into the meanings of numbers and astrology. The woman shares a birthday with Micah but not only that, they were born in the same year and at the exact same moment. In 1989, Micah was going to marry the girl even though they were just children because according to Lannister beliefs, 1989 was the year that Micah was to marry the girl even if they had to compel her to do it. The parents were compelled to bring her here to New Orleans and to stay at this hotel. No one took into account that the children would exchange rooms and when Tremaine went to collect the girl, he found the boys instead.

Instead of compelling them to forget that he was there, he drank from them not aware that the girl had come into the room and watched the entire thing. He compelled her to forget him and what she had seen and took the boys with him leaving the girl in the room. It was her that reported them missing and that was Tremaine's doing."

"Where did he take them?" I asked.

"To the conference, you see he didn't know what the plans for the girl were and as far as he was concerned he was giving the Lannisters more than they asked for by bringing two to the conference instead of one."

"That's why Yamamoto was here." I said. "It was for the wedding." and it also explained Tremaine's current involvement. He had been the one to fuck up.

Gremlin didn't reply.

"You said that she needed to be protected from her brothers, what is their role in all of this?" I asked.

"Lure."

Fuck! I now understood or thought I did, Micah Lannister intended to marry Regina on her birthday! This birthday had some astrological significance and that was why she was here. He and his family had been manipulating events from the time Regina had been born and continued to do so after the marriage plans failed.

"Her parents, how did they die?" I asked.

Gremlin remained mute, telling me all that I needed to know. They had been murdered by the Lannisters for failing to carry out their part in the plan, as I said they are a bloodthirsty bunch. On the face of it, it sounded so simple but it has been my experience that nothing is ever as it seems. Did I trust Gremlin? No because he hasn't said or done anything other than guard Regina to earn my trust.

"Give me one good reason why I should trust you." I said.

"The one called Annie." he replied.

"Annie? What about her?' I asked.

"She is mine, she has been tampered with and that displeases me."

Well shit, if that doesn't beat all! Gremlin in love or was it lust? But either way, I had just gained a powerful ally. We talked for a few minutes more before deciding that he would continue to watch and guard both Annie and Regina. We also needed to find Regina's brothers before her birthday/wedding day but let me be clear on something, there will be no wedding. I would die before I let Regina marry into that filthy family and it could come down to that, me dying.

Gremlin hadn't been gone for very long when heard someone call out, "Hey dude!" I closed my eyes, it was Edgar Allen something or another. A moment later, he was at my side grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Man are you hard to track down!" he exclaimed which begged a question, just how did he find me?

Edgar pulled up a chair and sat down. "You are totally kick ass!" he said.

"How did you find me?" I asked.

"It wasn't easy." He said. "I just kept walking around hoping that you would show up."

He was lying but I didn't call him on it, I wanted to know who sent him.

"What made you come here?" I asked.

"I saw you walk in, I was at the gift shop across the way."

Lie.

"Why are you looking for me?' I asked.

"I told you, I think you totally rock and I'm doing my thesis on your relative Comte."

Truth.

"Who are you working for?'

"No one." he replied a little too quickly.

"You cannot lie to me, who are you working for?" I asked.

"Some dude gave me five hundred dollars to see if you were in here.'

Truth.

"What did this er... dude look like?"

"I.... I don't remember, he stopped me, gave me the money to come in here."

Truth.

"Where are you supposed to go after you confirm my location?" I already knew the answer, he didn't know. Whoever sent him in would find him so I decided to send a message of my own. "When you meet this person, tell them that they are going to die. After you deliver that message, get your ass out of New Orleans and forget about me and Comte. As a matter of fact, forget about vampires entirely and find another subject for your thesis."

That would be the last time I saw Edgar Allen Long or whatever the fuck his name was. It would be another hour before Annie and Regina came down to the lobby, I was in no hurry for them to come down, and it gave me more time to think.

******

Annie was surprised by my change in attitude but didn't question it too much; she was dying to go out but planned to stay in with me. I won't lie to you and say that I wasn't scared; I was beyond that, I was terrified but I had had enough. My life was being fucked with by..... I couldn't even bring myself to say it, those things and I wanted it to stop.

I dressed in a tee shirt, a comfortable pair of jeans and tennis shoes, Annie dressed likewise. I didn't know where were headed but I was leaving this damned room. I walked to the door and almost changed my mind; Annie was right behind me and bumped into me when I suddenly stopped.

"Reggie, we don't have to go." she said.

But I did, I wanted and needed to know what happened on the night of my fifteenth birthday.

*******

I heard Annie's voice first and then Regina's softer more uncertain one. For just a moment I thought that she was going to change her mind and go back upstairs. I really was hoping that she would but when she came into view, I saw the determination mixed with fear on her face and you know what? I was proud of her. I still wished that she had stayed in her room but I couldn't help but feel a pride that was tempered with fear for her and how she would react when she found out the truth about her family and the Lannisters.

Annie spotted me first and called my name. I could tell that Regina was frightened but she didn't run. Instead she walked up to me, got right in my face and spoke.

"What in the hell do you things want with me?"