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? We wormed our way past the different characters and took the elevator to the ballroom level, and I led Mark through the hallways, past conference rooms where lecturers droned on and on about their different topics.
?Soon, we slipped in a side door of the Mercury Ballroom.
?The ballroom had undergone a change. With the celebrity speaker finished the previous night, the crew had begun to break the room down. The platform stage was gone, as were the screen, curtains, and folding chairs that created the illusion of a theater.
?The lights were subdued, but I could see the huge empty room. The only thing left from Mark’s speech was the large podium.
?I drew close, as the semidarkness made the room seem threatening. “Are you sure we should’ve come here?”
?“I…think so,” Mark attempted.
?“You made it!” a voice said, as Mark and I both jumped.
?I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart. We turned and faced a shadowy figure as he approached.
?“Joe, thanks for calling,” Mark told him with relief.
?“No problem,” Joe stated, “it was a good idea that you gave me your cell number.” He went to the podium and held out the elaborate pipe.
?Mark took it from him carefully.
?“Why all the secrecy?” he wondered.
?I answered for Mark. “No reason. It’s just so busy now. Mark, we really should go.”
?“Hey!” Joe said. “You were the lady that asked all those questions. I got the impression you two didn’t like each other.”
?“How did you ever get an idea like that?” Mark said with an attempt at a casual laugh.
?I hoped Mark’s laugh didn’t sound as fa
ke in Joe’s ear as it did in mine.
?I decided I should help. I moved close and took Mark’s hand. “I just like to challenge him.”
?Joe gave a confused wave and headed out another door.
?We were alone in the dark theater and Mark turned to me, our hands still connected. I bent slightly and our lips met.
?Electricity shot through me from my toes to my scalp, and I felt as if I melted into a puddle of want.
?He pulled back, and we looked at each other with bedroom eyes.
?“Had to make sure that first kiss wasn’t a fluke,” Mark croaked.
?“Of course,” I sighed.
?Still holding hands, Mark led me into the well-lit hallway and both of us leaned against the wall and breathed hard, trying to gain some equilibrium.
?I fought to get my mind off my desire and back on the case. “Is that the pipe you got from the tobacco booth the first day?”
?Mark turned it over in his hand. “Look! It has the small red ‘X’ on the bottom.”
?I frowned. “Is that significant?”
?“The pipe I was given had this mark. When the police showed me the pipe with my fingerprints, I didn’t think to look for it.”
?My mind was getting clearer now, though that was one hell of a kiss. “So, you’re sure this is the one you were given?”
