The Letter

Chasing a Phantom

Raven was never one to make rash decisions. Yet, something about Viggo Astor and finding out what became of him drove her to the point of obsession. She couldn't let it go.

She booked an early morning flight to Rome for the next day. For lodging, she reserved a room near Vatican City.

There was a hitch-the ongoing renovation at the ranch. She didn't want to postpone the progress and needed someone that she could trust to oversee the task while she was away.

She couldn't ask Beth. She had enough on her plate. Her mother was not an option. That left Arnie, her father's friend, and business partner.

Having known him since she was twelve, Raven knew that she could trust him to look after things. He was like an uncle to her though they aren't blood-related. Instead of calling him, she'll pay him a surprise visit at the office while in the vicinity. 

She arrived within minutes outside the high-rise building; the glass shining with an iridescent glow in the sunlight.

In his usual reserved spot in the private parking lot was his black Mercedes with the familiar vanity plate, DRACUL.  She pulled into the space marked visitor and drew a breath. The last time that she had stepped foot inside the building, her father was still alive.

She set the gear in park and grabbed the door handle. She froze panic setting in. "Inhale, exhale," she told herself. Her hand trembling, she jerked the door open and stepped out.

She walked through the revolving doors and approached the security desk, her sandals dragging on the marble flooring. She didn't recognize the stocky dark-haired female security guard on duty. "Hi. I'm here to see Arnie Julius." 

 "Sign the sign-in sheet," the guard said in a commanding tone, her voice gruff matching her unfriendly demeanor.

She smoothed a stray hair back into her meticulously coiffed low bun while Raven scanned the piles of paper on the desk for the sign-in sheet. Exhaling a heavy sigh, the security guard directed Raven's attention to an open book with a spreadsheet inside." "Thanks," Raven mumbled.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and hunched over the rectangle desk to sign the paper. After she finished, the security guard picked up a phone and made a call. "There's a Ms. Vashti here to see you, sir," she said in a low voice.

Arching her bushy eyebrows, the guard scrutinized Raven as she waited by the pillar. "I'll send her up." She set the receiver down. "Take the elevator to the fifth floor. The office is to the right."

 "I know where it is," Raven said impatiently. "No need for the attitude," the guard said.

Ignoring her, Raven rounded the corner to the elevator and pressed the button. "She's one to talk about an attitude," Raven scoffed as the door opened with a ding. 

 She stepped inside and prayed for the door to close as she heard fast approaching footsteps. To her relief, the door closed and with a jolt; the elevator began its ascent. "Bitch," Raven fumed at the unpleasant encounter with the security guard. 

 The elevator came to a stop.

When the door opened, she stepped out, keeping her eyes to the floor, and collided into a mid-height man in a dark gray flannel suit.  "I'm sorry," she stammered, still not looking up. "I wasn't looking where I was going." 

"Clumsy as always," a chipper voice said with a chuckle.

She looked up and gasped. "Arnie," she said wide-eyed. The last she had seen him, he had a full head of gray hair, a gut with love handles, and a salt and pepper goatee. Now he sported a clean shave and his hair dyed jet black. He also had a nip and tuck done recently, his stomach flat as a washboard.

 "Arnie," she said again in disbelief of his new look. "It's me," he said, pulling her into a warm hug, his arms encircling her. She wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, fighting back the tears. His mannerisms reminded her of her father.

She relaxed her grip as he stepped back to inspect her. "How are you?"  he said.

 She wiped a tear away from her eyes. "I'm managing," she said with a sniffle. "I'm taking it day by day." "That's all we can do," he said, his voice hushed. 

 "Come on," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder protectively and guiding her towards his office. Her breath caught as she saw the engraved door sign on the polished oak door. It still read, Ignacio and Julius.

Fresh tears welling in her eyes, Raven looked away.

He closed the door after them and pulled out a plush office chair. "So what did you want to see me about?" he said as she sat down. 

 She picked up a framed photograph from off the desk. It was of Arnie and her father standing outside on a golf course. The picture was from a few months ago. Her father, dressed in a blue polo shirt and beige pants, sported a smile on his face so bright that it could have lit up the overcast sky in the background. It was the day that he learned that Beth was pregnant. 

 She set the frame back down.

"I have a request," she replied. He leaned forward, his brows knitted. "I'm listening." "I will be away for a few days. I'd like for you to oversee the renovations at the ranch to keep everything on schedule." "The ranch," he repeated as though he had no remembrance of it. "I inherited it from my father," Raven said.

"I remember now," he said. "The ranch. I have not been there since your parent's divorced." "Yeah," she murmured. The last memory she had of the ranch was of her mother in the kitchen. Dressed in a nightgown and slippers, she stood in her father's face, yelling profanities at him for refusing to give her money to pay her creditors. 

"So you'll be living there?" he asked as she shook her shoulders to shake off the awful memory. "I already am," Raven said. "I moved there a few days ago." 

 "And you're already going away on a trip?" He said bewildered. "I'm going there because I wanted to return some belongings to someone," she said. It was the truth. Sort of.

He scratched his chin. She could see the perplexity on his face. "You're going above and beyond don't you think?" "Yeah," Raven said, nodding. "I just feel that this is something that I need to do." "Okay," he said, accepting her explanation. "I'll be happy to oversee the renovations while you're away."

She jumped up from the chair to hug him. "Thank you so much," she said. "It's fine," he said, patting her back. "It's only for a few days," she said. "No problem," he said. "You do what you have to do." "Thank you again for this," she said, trying not to cry-everything made her emotional nowadays.

Relieved that the renovations would continue without delay, she could turn her focus on Viggo Astor. Maybe the search will produce nothing. Maybe she is making a foolish choice. All she knew was that she couldn't be idle. She needed to know who Viggo Astor was and what happened to him.