She looks up at me with tear-stained eyes. “I was doing so good,” she says. “But then he dumped me!” She bursts into tears.
“Who? Who dumped you? Pryus?” My body hums with excitement. Is she serious? This could be very good news indeed.
She nods. “He told me he loved me,” she says. “He told me he was going to turn me into a vampire—so I could finally achieve perfection and never have to worry about being fat again. But then I caught him making out with this blond bimbo vampire. I freaked out, screaming at him. Of course he just laughed at me and called me a fool.”
I give her a sympathetic look. Poor girl. Even if she is an idiot to have ever trusted someone like Pyrus. We’ve all been there, done stupid things for love.
She bites her lower lip. “I got on my knees, Rayne. I begged him not to leave me. To turn me into a vampire as he promised.” Tears well in her eyes. “I’m so embarrassed to even think of it now.” She pauses, then adds, “Finally he got fed up with me and he… well, he hit me.” She reached up and involuntarily touches her bruised face. “I guess I should be lucky he didn’t shatter my cheekbone.”
I squeeze my fists in anger. “That bastard,” I swear. I know I’m supposed to pretend to be on his side, but at the moment I can’t help it. How dare he hit a human? Especially one as emotionally fragile as Bertha.
“I was so upset. I got back here and… well…” She gestures to the bathroom. “And now I don’t know what to do. I can’t even sleep—thinking about that food being there. Rotting away, waiting for someone to discover it.”
My heart aches at her obvious pain. “Why don’t we take it outside?” I suggest. “Let housekeeping come and take it away.”
She looks up at me in panic. “No! Then they’ll all know. They’ll all know I ate all of…” she trails off, a horrified look on her face.
Right. I think for a moment. Then I smile. “I’ve got an idea,” I tell her. “We’ll take it out, tray by tray and place each one in front of someone else’s door. Then they’ll assume everyone had one room service meal. No big deal.”
Bertha looks up at me with extreme gratitude on her face. “You’d do that for me?” she asks.
“Absolutely.”
And so we start piling up the trays, sneaking quietly into the hallway, surreptitiously placing each tray in front of another door. There are so many, we eventually have to hit the next floor. But in the end, the bathroom is clear and it’s already beginning to smell a whole heck of a lot better.
“Oh, Rayne, thank you!” Bertha says, collapsing onto her bed once we’re finished. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. How can I repay you?”
“By getting yourself help,” I tell her. “Find a meeting or something. Or a doctor.”
“You’re so nice,” she says. “I had no idea. I thought you’d be totally stuck-up. After the way Teifert talked about you…”
I give her a regretful smile. “I have my moments,” I tell her. “But what you’re going through? That’s something I understand. And I would have given anything when I was going through it myself to have someone help me.”
“I want to help you, too,” Bertha says, looking bashful. “But I don’t know how.”
I hold my breath, wondering if should dare. Do I trust her?
I decide to go for it. “You can tell me what Pyrus knows about my sister and Magnus’s whereabouts,” I tell her. “That would really help.”
She cringes. “I almost forgot about your sister,” she admits. “You must be really worried about her.” She hangs her head. “I’m sorry I told you I’d slay her. I was just so mad. I wanted to prove myself to Pyrus. That I was worthy to be turned into a vampire. Not that it did any good.”
“Right.” I give her a pitying look.
“That blond bimbo I was telling you about? She’s one of his spies. Before I walked in on them, I heard her telling him something about Sunny and Magnus hiding out in New York City, in some underground place or something. I assume he was going to send me there to find them—before I freaked out on him. But now I don’t know what he’s planning…” She looks up at me and shrugs. “I just know it can’t be good.”
I swallow hard. “Thanks,” I tell her, rising from my seat. “I appreciate you telling me, more than you know.” I start toward the door, anxious to get to Jareth and tell him what I’ve learned.
“Where are you going?” Bertha asks, scrambling to her feet, looking anxious.
“To find my sister and Magnus before Pyrus can.”
“Right.” She squares her shoulders. “Good luck, Rayne. I hope you find them.”
I head out the door, closing it behind me. It’s only then that I realize I never placed the bug in her bathroom. Though I guess there’s no need now. We know Pyrus or his men will soon be on the move, and we know they know exactly where to go.
I just hope we can get there before they do.
7
Slipping the black hood over my head, I scan the airfield, making sure the coast is clear. Then I make a run for it, my combat boots pounding against the pavement. Once I reach the plane, I make a dash up the stairs, bursting into the main cabin. My eyes fall on Jareth, already sitting there, in one of the reclining leather seats. I take one look and burst out laughing.