The Remote Traveler (The Remote Series Book 1) Read online

  Everybody at the Farm held Evan personally responsible for her suicide. When Layla let out her hatred Evan seemed to get almost defiant. She switched her line of thought to how much she would miss her mother and all of the things that they would never do together. She felt particularly sad about not having her mother at her wedding. Evan became more despondent. Layla caught on to the trick. Her feelings were being communicated to Evan. Hatred raised a defensive posture and Evan reflected the hatred toward Yvonne. The rules were starting to form. When she woke up in Edward’s arms it took a while for her to be able to move. Apparently the spirit needed a small amount of time to reconnect physically. Edward was still out. He seemed to be in a peaceful state. Layla was still highly agitated. She held Edward while he was out. It took five minutes for Edward to come back.

  “Edward, where did you go?”

  “I was back at my apartment I wanted to see what was happening.” Edward looked at Layla’s agitated state. “What is going on with you?”

  “I went to the farm and Evan locked himself in his office. I was feeling pure hatred for him. He became angry and guarded then when I was feeling sorry for my mother, he became despondent.”

  Edward caressed her cheek. “Lover, let me tell you that you are extremely despondent right now. I try to keep my thoughts neutral. Your thoughts may affect him, but they also affect you. You are tearing yourself up both mentally and physically. I think that you may be causing yourself some damage.” Edward pushed her out of bed and dragged her to the full length mirror. She looked worn and exhausted, while Edward looked much the same as when he went to bed and that fact could not be denied. There could be a physical price to traveling. He took Layla back to bed and lay down with her. They left their bodies and stayed with each other in the room. After fifteen minutes they returned and looked at each other. Layla looked tired, but her appearance seemed to be much improved over her appearance fifteen minutes ago.

  “We need to work on keeping our intent neutral. The axiom ‘intend no harm’ has weight. I also noticed that we could go different places even though we were lying together. Let’s be sure that we always compare notes. We need to figure out what the rules are.” Layla looked at the clock. “We need to get ready for happy hour. I am starved. I could eat a horse. Every time we travel we eat the fridge.” They showered and left for the party.

  Edward and Layla decided to walk to the pub. As they approached Layla noticed that there was something different about the pub.

  Edward didn’t wait for the question. “It is three quarters scale. It will hold eighty people with another twenty in the courtyard. Terri designed it that way.”

  “Who was Terri?”

  “That was my father’s first wife. She did the original design of the Inn. This was the last building that she designed. That is why we call it Terri’s place. She died the same day as Anna’s husband Gregory.” Edward waived his hand toward the pub. “Perhaps you recognize the pub it has been in six movies. Susan shuts the resort down periodically and rents it out as a movie set.” There was a paper banner over the door, ‘CONGRADULATIONS LAYLA AND EDWARD’. There were thirty people waiting for them in the pub.

  Susan gave both of them a warm kiss, “I thought that you should meet your new family.” Bill, Alex and Anna greeted them next. Anna made sure that everybody knew that Bill was father of the bride. Bill was dressed in an expensive European suit. Anna and Alex took him shopping to replace the wardrobe that Alex had burnt with his house. Beth and Arlene found a tailor that they approved of and setup a tailor’s shop next to their shop. Alex wanted Bill to have European clothing as a further cover for his new identity. Susan had Beth and Arleen find a tailor and had him set up a shop in the service area several years ago. Bill made it a point to stay away from the newlyweds as a matter of respect. Layla dressed in the new dress that Beth made for her. She was wearing the new ring and jewelry that Edward had bought earlier today. Bill did not believe the transition. You look like a million dollars.” Layla hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear.

  “Ten million, it is Edwards wedding present to me. We are going to Zurich to put the money in the bank tomorrow. Come with us.”

  “It’s your honeymoon.”

  “Then it will be our choice.”

  Bill started talking to Lynn and Susan, “This is some place you have here. How large is it?”

  Susan’s pride burst out with her voice, “On this side of the road, we own two hundred eighty acres. Three years ago we bought the farm on the other side of the road and that is 160 acres. We grow all of our own food here. We have four green houses, where we raise both flowers and vegetables. All of the terraces are planted with blueberry bushes. There are five small orchards of fruit and nut trees totaling thirty acres. We raise horses run a shooting club, security service and a film production studio. And then there is the Inn.”

  Bill was impressed, “I have been to the shooting club. That is some equipment that you have there. Sidney did a hell of a job setting that up. Is it legal?”

  “Suki has a license for the shooting club and an export license to ship small amounts of arms to foreign countries. We need to get permission from the receiving country to make it legal.”

  “You mean to tell me that this kind of fire power is legal?”

  “Yes, we can even get the use of the military firing range for long range shooting. I will have Noah and Adam take you out there before you leave. Why don’t you join Alex at the door?”

  Layla, Edward, Bill, Anna and Alex greeted all of the guests as they entered. Bill was surprised by the number of women that greeted both Anna and Alex with a passionate kiss.

  Bill commented, “My wife would have killed me if another woman kissed me like that.” Anna smiled and patted Bill’s shoulder.

  “We have a long personal history together. At one time or another we have rescued most of the people here and have had in depth financial dealings with them. We have had an intense personal relationship with all of these people.” Angela walked in the door with Troy, Jeff, Cassandra and a couple that Anna was thrilled to see. Frank and Francesca had flown in from LA.

  “Bill this is Frank and Francesca. They own the plane that you flew to Manchester on.”

  “Thank you for the flight in. I am sorry that you had to use another plane.”

  “Bill, Frank and I have the new plane. Lori and Connie have the second best. We are working pilots too.” She turned to Anna.

  “According to your security, Roger and Ralph will be landing the Twin Otter, on the road in about fifteen minutes. Countess Liliana will be coming in with them. She wouldn’t miss this party for anything.” After all the guests had been greeted Susan and Lynn walked up behind the newlyweds. “Let me have that stack of cards. I will put them in the safe.” Layla looked at Susan.

  “Do you really think that is necessary?”

  “Pick a card and look at it.” Layla picked Francesca’s card.

  “Oh my…!” Susan put a finger up to her lips. It was a draft for 20,000 Pounds.

  “It would embarrass her if you said something.” Layla moved to open Susan’s card. “Please, don’t do that it would embarrass both Lynn and me if you did it here. Just let Lynn put the cards away for now.”

  Alex cornered Lynn, Susan, Noah and Adam, making sure that all of their mothers were on the other side of the room.

  “I have decided that I am going to split my ten percent between all of you. I was going to do it earlier, but the moment kept escaping me.” The loud screaming and cheering drew their mother’s over instantly.

  “What’s this all about?”

  “Alex just gave us his share of the Inn!”

  “Why Alex…?”

  “I didn’t want any doubt about the ownership of the shares. The Inn needs to be secure. It’s not like anything is going to change anyway.” Susan and Lynn pulled Alex out into the night air behind the hedgerow. Bill had to know.

  “Anna, where are Lynn and Susan going with Alex?”


  “They are going to take him to the stables and screw his brains out.” Bill could not believe his ears.

  Bill was blown away, “You are not going to stop them?”

  “Hell no, if he gave me that kind of present I would screw him right here in front of everyone.”

  “How much did he give the kids?”

  “I imagine the shares are worth eight to ten million.”

  “Why give it to them?”

  “They’re his kids. Noah was conceived in that stable and all four of them were delivered in the main house.”

  “What about Edward?”

  “Alex and I gave them a draft for ten million Pounds for a wedding present.”

  “Lynn and Susan, each gave them a million. Lynn will invest it for them. With the combined information from Francesca, Suki and Lynn it should grow at the rate of twenty percent a year.” Susan pushed Bill’s shoulder lightly. “With the two million that Lynn put in your name you should be quite comfortable too.” A shocked look came over Bill’s face. “Oh Alex didn’t tell you! Act surprised when he does. He will never throw anyone to the wind. There is a Chinese saying, ‘When you save someone’s life you are responsible for that person’.”

  Bill shook his head, “That means that you are responsible for their actions. Not their welfare.”

  Lynn smiled, “If you don’t want it tell me which charities to donate it to.”

  Bill chuckled, “I won’t go that far.”

  Layla and Edward were locked in excited conversation, with his brothers and sisters. There was no jealousy between the siblings and they took to Layla as if she were a true sister. Adam and Noah would be involved in training Layla, so their activities would match up several times a day for the next week. In their conversation, Layla found out that Nadia, Nina, Angela, Irina, Lilia, Filiipa and Cassandra were all actually the daughters from different affairs of Gregory who was Anna’s first husband. Alice was really Anna and Gregory’s daughter and Cassandra was Gregory’s daughter by Sarah, Anna’s older sister. Victoria, who was only seventeen at the time, was adopted by Alex from the operation in Chicago. Cherry was adopted from the same operation by Sarah. She was only thirteen at the time. Sarah was five years older than Anna who was sixty-six. Alex was now sixty-two. Adam and Noah were both twenty-five and their sisters Lynn and Susan were twenty-three. Lynn was sixty and Susan was sixty-five. Liliana, Francesca, Frank, Rodger, Ralph, Beth, Suki, and Arlene were not related, but were long time business associates. The ‘Old men’ were retired SAS instructors who ran a security company with Suki. They personally picked their replacements from the SAS and Royal Marine instructor groups as they retired from the security company. The whole combination was vastly more complicated than a television soap opera. It would take Layla the entire week to come to a marginal understanding of the complex relationships at the Amazon Inn.

  The missing piece was Terri. Whenever anyone spoke of her, it was with special reverence. Terri designed the layout of the Inn, along with all of the buildings and systems. She had a quality that made her special to everyone. When Alex came back in the room with Lynn and Susan they cornered Layla.

  “Come with us and we will put those envelopes in the safe.” Layla took a cart with Lynn and Susan. She had trouble walking in high heels that the other women from the Inn didn’t seem to have. They all walked in the service center. As they walked down the hall, a voice from a door seemed to call to Layla.

  “What is in that room?”

  “That is Terri’s old office. We haven’t used it since she died. Every time we need the space we just build another wing.”

  “Do you mind if I look inside? Something is calling me.”

  “Look if you must. Lynn and I will be in her office.” Layla walked in the room. She was overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. Happiness, pride, fear, sorrow and love hit her at the same time. Nobody had been in the room since just after Terri had died. There was a thick layer of dust over everything in the room. Her hand glided over the desk and the plans that lay on top of it. She could feel Terri’s signature throughout the room. She looked at a pair of ankle boots lying in front of the drafting table. She slipped her shoes off and put the ankle boots on. They fit snugly and seemed to walk much better than her other shoes. She paced the office examining the plans and pictures on the table. A solid confidence came over Layla. She strode down to Lynn’s office no longer wobbling in the high heels. Layla walked in with a confident stride. She walked in and pushed Lynn, face down on the desk.

  “Pull up your skirt and lower your panties.” Lynn was familiar with the easy tone of the voice and firm touch. She complied and Layla administered ten sound swats on her butt. Lynn remained prostrate on her desk. Layla pulled a few coils of rope from the file cabinet. Nobody had to tell her where it was kept. She quickly bound Lynn’s hands behind her back. Layla took a feather off the desk applying it to Lynn’s sensitive areas.

  Susan heard the commotion in the hall. She walked in to hear Lynn screaming.

  “Terri I can’t take any more. You have to stop!” Layla pushed Lynn in her desk chair and took Susan by the back of her neck. Layla kissed Susan with a fierce passion pulling her to the floor, “It has been too long. I want you!” Layla and Susan made passionate love in front of the bound Lynn. When they were finished Susan remained on the floor purring.

  Susan purred, “Terri…?” Layla jumped up and ran from the room. Susan cut the ropes instead of untying Lynn so that the knots were not lost by untying them. She held the rope and said, “Terri?” She called Alex at the pub and relayed everything that had happened to Layla.

  “We have to find her now!” Alex turned the ‘Old Men’ into a search party. He told Anna and Sarah but none of the other guests. Sarah went back to her flat to change her clothes for the search. She opened the door and found Layla sitting on the first step of the stairs leading up to the studio.

  “It was here that I broke my neck.” She took Sarah’s hands in hers and kissed them. “You finished the job.” Layla kissed her passionately. “Thank you, I could not have lived like that.” Sarah caught Layla as she passed out calling security to cancel the search. Alex made an announcement that the bride and groom were retreating to their accommodations.

  Edward carried Layla to the bedroom in the guest cottage. Lynn and Susan were pacing in the sitting room storming at Alex.

  “I told you that was Terri. Here look at the knots,” Susan pressed. “Terri had a special way of tying. She sounded like Terri.”

  Lynn held up the feather to Alex, “She tickled and spanked like Terri.”

  A wistful look came across Susan’s face, “She made love like Terri. Layla had on a pair of Terri’s boots. There was a thick layer of dust in all of the creases of the leather.”

  Edward talked to Alex, Anna, Susan and Lynn, “I think that Layla was channeling Terri. It is the only thing that I can figure out

  Edward added, “Layla can get out of body just like I can. She is extremely sensitive and can pick up vibrations from all kinds of sources. She may not remember any of this. I won’t leave her alone for a second tonight. If you are agreeable we will continue with our other plans in the morning and see where it leads.”

  Lynn rubbed her bottom, “I didn’t mind. I loved Terri. She can come back any time.”

  Edward glared at Lynn, “She can’t use Layla to do it.” He held the door open for everybody to leave. When he was alone Edward went into the bedroom and lay down on the bed with Layla. He held her tightly in his arms and put his forehead against hers. This was more like a shared dream than an out of body experience. He could clearly see both Terri and Layla. Terri was dressed in a short silk button front dress and was wearing the ankle boots that he had just seen Layla wearing. Layla was wearing a tube top, jeans and sandals. The three of them were sitting at a round café table. There was no sound in the dream, but the conversation was internal.

  “She is my wife you can’t have her!”

  Layla spoke f
irst, “Terri wants something and I can’t figure it out.” Terri reached out and brushed Layla’s cheek also reaching and doing the same to Edward with her touch feeling warm and welcoming.

  Edward responded, “I never met you, but I do love you. Dad always taught me to think of you as a mother along with Suki, Lynn and Susan. I love you as much as I do Anna.” A tear came to Terri’s eye. “Layla is my life. As you can see, she is an extraordinary woman. We will have to fight if you misuse her.” He kept receiving a strong impression of Alex. “No, you can’t have him again. Not with her body! Alex is her father in law. He would never do it.” Terri nodded her agreement.

  Layla joined in, “Terri was in her office for all these years. It’s obvious that something is holding her. We need to find out what that is. It slammed home when I put on her shoes.” Layla held out one of her feet to reveal that she was suddenly wearing ankle boots identical to the ones that Terri was wearing instead of her sandals. Layla started to cry softly again. “I can work with her on this. Something is holding her here, but I don’t think that she can hold here much longer. We will have to do this in stages.” Layla remained at the table until Terri completely faded. She faded from the dream too. Edward awoke from the dream to find Layla hugging him tightly. He kissed her softly and she responded with intense passion. Layla tore at his clothes pushing him back on the bed. The love making was fierce and brief. They collapsed back on the bed, drenched with sweat falling into a sound sleep.

  Layla and Edward were awakened by the ringing of the phone. When he answered Lynn’s cheery voice was on the other end.

  “Good morning you two, I hate to wake you but we need an early start this morning. The flight to Zurich takes just under an hour and we have things to do back here later in the day.” Frank and Francesca have some business to do there so we will be taking both jets. We have twenty people going. Be in front of the main house at seven thirty. Layla tried to get playful in the shower, but Edward kept her on track. This was an important piece of business and he wanted to be sure that it was done as soon as possible. Layla dressed in a button front purple silk dress and high heel ankle boots. She left the top two buttons undone so that it provided a glimpse of her bra as she moved. When they gathered in front of Susan’s house Bill gave a disapproving look and made a comment to her.