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“The bakery was across the street from the hotel. Convenient.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Tell me the truth. Did I look pathetic this morning when I got the phone call from my dad and the e-card from my mother and then informed you that I wouldn’t be celebrating my birthday tonight because my only close friends are all out of town?”
“No. You looked fierce. You made it clear you could not have cared less that no one was going to show up with a cake and presents.”
She sighed. “I knew it. Pathetic.”
“Okay, maybe a little. But you hid it well.”
“Thanks. That makes me feel better. Let’s get to work.”
•••
At five o’clockthat afternoon, Luke put down his phone, got to his feet, and walked across the living room to stand in front of the glass door that opened onto a small balcony. He contemplated the view of the Space Needle framed by glassy towers.
“Either the Unplugged Experience is an innocent operation run by a high-minded nonprofit whose only goal is to explore the medicinal potential of plants, or...”
“Or it’s a cleverly disguised cover for an illegal enterprise engaged in kidnapping people and running experiments on them with weird drugs that are designed to enhance an individual’s natural psychic talents,” Talia concluded.
“Maybe both,” Luke said thoughtfully. “Think about it. TheUnplugged Experience provides a convenient way for supplies to be brought in and for people to come and go from the island without drawing the attention of the authorities. Routine activity is also a good cover for providing security to ensure curiosity seekers don’t sneak in.”
Talia glanced at her notes. “We know the island was purchased by a private trust in the nineteen fifties and administered as a botanical research facility for several years. The research was halted in the nineteen seventies. The trust maintained control of the island until about eight months ago, when it was purchased by the Wynford Institute for the Study of Medicinal Botany, a private corporation.”
“It was the Institute that invited Clive Venner to establish the Unplugged Experience on the island,” Luke continued. “Until that point Venner had been a low-level player in the meditation-and-mantras business. Why did the Institute select him?”
“I sense suspicion.”
Luke turned away from the city lights. “Yes. You do.” He checked the time. “I should head back to the hotel. We both need sleep.”
“We both need dinner, too,” she said on impulse. “You’re welcome to stay. Nothing special. I’ve got a lovely head of cauliflower in the refrigerator and some sourdough bread that won’t last until we get back. We didn’t finish off the cupcakes at lunch, so we’ve got dessert.”
Luke looked at her for a beat, evidently flummoxed. She knew she had caught him by surprise.
“Sounds good,” he said. He stopped, apparently searching for something more to say. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” She got up and went around the end of the dining bar and into the kitchen. “Wine?”
“That sounds good, too.” He watched her take a bottle out of the small wine cabinet. “About our trip to Night Island.”
She went to work with the opener. “What about it?”
“It will be obvious that we know each other. We need a cover story.”
“That occurred to me.” She got the cork out of the bottle. “I’ve got a plan.”
He groaned. “Of course you do. Let’s hear it.”
She poured two glasses of wine, set one in front of him, and gave him a triumphant smile. “Couples therapy.”
There was a short beat of silence. Luke did not take his eyes off her.
“Okay,” he said, “I did not see that coming. How does couples therapy work as a cover?”
“Simple.” She sipped some wine, pleased with her own cleverness. “We’re a couple. We’ve been having problems, so we went to a therapist who suggested the Unplugged Experience on Night Island. We need to get away from the tech and learn to focus on our relationship.”
Luke watched her, not blinking for a long moment. Then he swallowed some wine and lowered the glass. “We booked separate cabins. How does couples therapy explain that?”
“Easily.” She set her glass down and opened the refrigerator. “Our therapist does not want us to be distracted by sex. We are supposed to remain celibate during our stay on the island so that we can concentrate on the deeper aspects of our relationship. Obviously, separate cabins are the best way to make sure we don’t, you know—”
