The Search is On

Whitney, Lacey, and Kaitlin hurriedly followed Dexter out of the ballroom toward the main lobby entrance. Raised voices could be heard, but crowds blocked the girls from putting faces to those voices. That didn't matter to Whitney as she pushed her way through the throng of people. Only then did the girls witness the end of Sela's exchange with Alexis.

Despite her hatred of the Wynwicks, Whitney quickly surmised that Sela was on their side based on her older friends' reactions. To the blonde heiress, it appeared to be a choice between the lesser evil, as she didn't want to take the side of Olena's mother anyway.

"What did you do?" Lacey challenged her older sister.

"Moi?"

"Yes, you," Peyton declared, turning toward Lacey afterward.

As Poppy dragged Stephanie away from the reporters, Peyton began to fill the three younger girls in on what they had missed. Priscilla, Merritt, and Kiki chimed in occasionally to Lana's chagrin. Surprisingly, Lacey turned out to be the girl most upset over missing Edward and Regis Laffont getting splattered with food. The redhead appeared appropriately dismayed by Lana's use of Poppy and Step for baseless allegations. Still, Peyton caught a slight smirk from the younger Stratton sister and admonished her for it.

"Yeah, yeah, but have you seen Ramsey?" Whitney questioned.

"Yeah!" Lacey agreed, eagerly for information.

"We saw her outside before everything broke loose," Merritt revealed, causing Lacey to gasp.

"She was with that younger girl, too," Peyton recalled.

"Who?" Whitney queried.

"Was it Norah?" Kaitlin asked, with Lacey nodding along.

"Who?" Whitney repeated, looking at her two friends in confusion.

"Yep, that's who she was with," Merry confirmed.

"Who the hell is that?"

"She's a sophomore on The Buzzy Bee. You know, the one with Daisy always," Lacey explained to her co-BFF. The redhead held back any critical comment, even though she knew Whitney had been around Norah several times.

"Daisy! Where the hell is Daisy?" Whitney exclaimed.

"Actually, I think Norah is usually minding Dexter," Kaitlin clarified. She'd know best as the Beals and Kirbys live next to each other.

"Daisy's supposed to keep Rammy out of trouble. Wait...Hey, kid, where's your sister?" Whitney questioned, turning to where she'd last seen Dexter. "Where the fuck did he go?"

"Where did whom go where?" a new voice inquired.

"Uncle Graham! Uh, nobody. Don't worry about it," Whitney said dismissively before turning her attention to another topic. "What's going on? Did something happen? Where is...What are you doing with her?!"

Graham shook his head slightly as he knew precisely who Whitney spoke about. He and Lotus Thirlby had stuck together during all the commotion. And she currently stood just beyond his right side.

"Lotus was upstairs with me for the meeting. We came down to see if we recognized anyone in the crowd."

"Step away from my uncle, Wynwick witch," Whitney growled.

"She's a Thirlby," Graham responded, turning to offer Lotus an apologetic look.

"Same thing," Whitney spat.

"Even if so, they're on our side in this fight. So stop behaving like a little girl."

Whitney recoiled at her uncle's order. For all her life, Graham had always been the family member who gave her everything she wanted and never scolded her. Of course, she glared at the cursed woman next to him as the reason for the sudden development. As one of Nosy Nectar's earliest subjects, Lotus had built quite a wild reputation for herself. If that slut seduced Uncle Graham, she's going to pay!

"Now, have you seen your father?" Graham asked, earning a swift headshake from his niece. "I just received a message from Dalton. He said your dad stormed out of the suite, vowing to make somebody pay. So keep an eye out for him. We don't need tonight to get worse, okay?"

"Not okay. You'll have to find Dad. I'm going outside," Whitney proclaimed, startling everyone around her.

"Wait, you can't--" Lacey began to argue.

"We need to find Rammy!"

"Oh, right!"

"You're not going out there," Graham declared, reaching out to grab his niece's wrist.

"I have to find Ramsey!" Whitney forcefully insisted before shifting into a pleading. "I have to!"

"It's too dangerous out there...and you don't need to find Ramsey," Graham said, looking out the window. That gave Whitney hope that he'd spotted her co-BFF. "Hillary, her mother, is out there. She'll find Ramsey if she's still out there."

"Her mom?! That's not good," Lacey fretted.

"None of you are going outside without coats, either—especially you, Whitney. You're supposed to say warm after your bout of hypothermia," Graham reminded.

"But I have to--"

"Do I need to call Frida?" Graham threatened, pulling out his phone. "I didn't think so. Now, I need to find your father. Girls, please don't let her go outside. It's for her own safety."

"We won't, Mr. Diamond," Peyton reassured.

The girls watched as Graham raced over to the ballroom to find his brother. Whitney's only satisfaction came from watching Lotus head in the opposite direction toward the hotel lounge. Then, realizing the coast to be clear, the cheerleader captain began issuing orders.

"Katie, Lacey, go upstairs and get our coats. Cat, go--where the hell is Cat? Dammit, I'll have to summon some Babybees," Whitney griped, pulling out her phone.

"Oh, no, you don't," Priscilla said, grabbing Whitney's phone out of her hand.

"Prissy!"

"I'm not letting my little cheersister rush into danger. You're following your uncle's order," the former cheer captain told her protégé.

"No, I need to save my friend! You people don't understand how tunnel-vision Ram--whoa!" Whitney's rant abruptly ended as her legs wobbled.

Fortunately, Peyton and Priscilla rushed forward to grab each of Whitney's arms as she started to fall toward them. Lacey added her help two seconds later.

"Make room," Peyton ordered, motioning at the sofa their group had claimed previously.

Snapping out of her shock, Lana dashed over to help, issuing commands to anyone nearby.

After getting Whitney seated on the couch, Peyton directed her friends to prop the teen's back against one end of the sofa, then lift her legs onto the cushions. Then, the daughter of two doctors immediately questioned how Whitney felt.

"I'm okay. Just felt a little tired and got woozy. It's no big deal," Whitney replied dismissively.

However, when the blonde attempted to sit up and get off the sofa, Peyton and Jamie-Lynn stopped her. The two future medical students shared a look.

"Whitney, you haven't been taking it lightly tonight, have you?" Peyton questioned. "You know you're supposed to after your scare. That's why my mom wanted you to nap earlier."

"I can't sit on my butt. I have too many things to--"

"And that's why you were assigned chaperones. Where's Summer?" Peyton questioned.

"Successfully distracted."

"Now is not the time to brag!" the elder Tarver sibling snapped.

Her college friends glanced at one another. They usually heard that tone only when directed at Lana.

"What about Chastity? I thought--oh, right. She went off to play detective."

"Wait, what?" Whitney questioned in surprise.

"That's none of your concern," Peyton continued. "What about Spencer? I thought he got assigned to you?"

"Geez, Pey, don't make it so obvious. If you want to find Spence to bone, just ask her where he's at?" Lana couldn't help but tease.

"Now is not the time for your shit either," Peyton growled. "This is serious!"

"Spence?" Kiki repeated.

"Spencer?" Merritt did as well, rolling the name over her tongue. "Spencer Vine?"

"Sloane's brother?! He's here?' Priscilla asked, popping up to scan the lobby.

"I think he's busy doing something for Dad or Uncle Dalton," Whitney revealed.

"Aw, that sucks. Peyton totally had a moment with Spence at the mansion the other day. Completely eye-fucked him. Pretty sure her panties were drenched as well," Lana remarked, never letting up on her bestie.

"Mansion? I thought you were at the cabin?" Priscilla questioned.

"I did not eye-fuck...Shut up, Lan!"

"We need to visit The Hollow more often," Kiki whispered to Jamie-Lynn, who rolled her eyes in response.

"What about your mom? Where is she at?" Peyton continued her interrogation of Whitney.

"Whoa!"

"Peyton! Are you trying to make her feel worse?" Lacey screeched.

"Fine! What about my mom? Has anyone seen her lately?"

"I'm fine! I don't need a babysitter. I have to go see if Rammy--whoa," Whitney sounded, quieter this time. She'd attempted to lift herself off the couch before feeling light-headed again. "I, um, I think I'll just rest here for a minute."

"Brilliant idea," Peyton remarked sarcastically.

"But I don't need a chaperone! Nobody tell my mom, dad, or Fri--"

"What is this?! Are you hurt? What's wrong, pumpkin?!"

"Frida...fuck," Whitney finished, knowing her independence for the night had ended.

---

"Holy Moley! We're like real-life detectives!" Chastity squealed in delight.

She and Tamsin currently sat alone in the Witzler Hotel's Security Office, or the Monitor Room as Chastity kept calling it. They've been accompanied by Sinclair Pierce and the on-duty security guard until events called the two men away. Sinclair left first to perform a duty for his uncle, but the guard had dashed off when all hell broke loose, and every man on deck was needed. Although they'd been instructed to wait for the guard's return, Tamsin continued to work her way through security footage from earlier in the evening.

"Just the facts, ma'am," Chastity commanded in a stern voice before swinging around to face the seated Tamsin. "Can I get to say that to the perp? Can I? That's Joe Friday!"

"Could've sworn it sounded like Barney Fife," Tamsin muttered under her breath. Then, she perked up as she spotted a pink Volkswagen Beetle come squealing into the frame. "Okay, I think I found when you arrived. Geez, Chas, you drive fairly dangerously."

"That's right, ma'am. I drive fast to stop crime in its tracks," Chastity continued in her stern voice before shifting back to her regular one. "Leaping lizards! We need to think up a name for our crime-fighting car."

"Our what?"

"Charlie Brown! We skipped creating a name for our detective duo. Fudgeberries!"

"Watch the language, Chastity," Tamsin ordered automatically. Rather than pay attention to the bubbly receptionist, she watched the footage from outside the parking garage. How long does it take her to walk down?

"Sorry! It's just that we need a catchy name for our real-life detective partnership, like Crockett and Tubbs, Tango and Cash, and...um," Chastity paused as her brow creased with intense thought.

"Turner and Hooch?" Tamsin supplied, cursing herself immediately for giving her co-worker the opening.

"Sweet Christmas," Chastity gasped before screaming. "Yes! We need a doggy detective partner!"

"No, we don't--Hey, there you are."

"Where?!"

"On the screen. And with all your packages," Tamsin commented, shaking her head. "Wait, is that Tomohiro Tenno? Yes, it looks like the pictures I've seen."

"Frapsolutely! Wait, why are you rewinding it? I thought we wanted to follow him."

"We are. We want to see where Tenno was in the hotel," Tamsin explained.

"He looks funny," Chastity giggled as they watched their person of interest walk backwards into the hotel. "Galloping Gremlins! We can be Daphne and Velma! Let me hear you say jinkies, Tam."

"We're not having a dog partner, and I'm not saying jinkies," Tamsin responded, sounding exasperated as she switched camera footage.

"Phooey! You said it, but not very well. Try again!"

"Not happening."

Chastity appeared despondent as the wheels turned in her brain. Then, she perked up as an idea clicked.

"Mulder and Scully! We can be Mulder and Scully!"

"Do you see any UFOs or ghosts?" Tamsin asked rhetorically as she switched to watching Tommy Tenno ascend in the elevator. But, of course, Chastity took the question seriously.

"Ghosts?! Where?!" the ditzy blonde shrieked, turning to stare at the bank of security monitors. "By Caesar's Ghost! We're in a hotel with spirits?! This is just like Ghostbusters. We gotta get everyone out of the ballroom! That's where Slimer is headed!"

"Chastity! Take it down a few levels. There aren't any ghosts haunting the Witzler," Tamsin declared, watching as Tenno entered the elevator on the 6th Floor.

"All old hotels are haunted, Tam. It's a fact!"

"Shush! We're about to see which room Mr. Tenno was in this evening."

"Do we know the person?"

"He's not there yet...wait...Room 623. Hmm, that's directly below Graham's room," Tamsin remarked. She wondered if it was a coincidence or something more.

"Do they have any spycraft in here?" Chastity questioned, opening a file cabinet. "We can drill a hole in the floor and put a camera down--"

"What are--No, we're doing no such thing. We need to figure out the name of the person who reserved that room," Tamsin explained, frowning at the decision over whom to ask for that information.

"Names! We can use our real names! Should we be Good and Kupp or Kupp and Good?"

---

Dexter stopped to peer down the hallway. It was a dead end. Turning around, he backtracked to the previous intersection. Taking a left this time, Dex made his way through the bowels of the hotel, off-limits to guests.

Eventually, he reached a large double door, read the sign, and entered. Making his way past crates, Dexter ignored several garage doors along the loading dock and finally stopped at a lone, regular-sized door, with several cigarette butts littered on the ground near it.

"Get lost?" a voice challenged when he opened the door.

"You try not to," Dex shot back. "And you're welcome."

"I figured at least one worker would be taking a smoking break. The pair doing so by the kitchen looked sketchy. Well, c'mon! We have to get upstairs and tell your sister what happened," Norah said in exasperation as Dex still stood by the open door. "And thanks."

"Uh, what about Ramsey?" Dex asked, leaning out the door to glance around outside.

"I'll fill you in while we walk. Where's the closest elevator?" Norah inquired.

Norah filled Dex in about what happened outside, on the edge of the fracas. She also praised Ramsey for noticing the leather-jacketed man passing out envelopes and brown bags. Dexter couldn't believe someone appeared to have paid spectators to throw the eggs and tomatoes.

"Ramsey just went off and tailed this guy? Wow," Dex remarked in awe.

"Yes. She wouldn't let me go with her. Oh!" Norah exclaimed as they started up the elevator, receiving another message from Ramsey at the same time. "The man went into some place called The Penalty Pub."

"It's a sports bar," Dex responded, earning a surprised expression from his junior reporter partner. "Uh, my dad took me there to watch the World Series clincher. He was meeting some old baseball buddies from high school."

"Makes sense," Norah acknowledged. With her quest for knowledge, she was well aware of Cameron Kirby's high school playing days and his stint as interim head coach for the Honey Hollow High squad last summer.

The elevator ping sounded as they reached the 5th Floor. Norah took the lead, checking the signs for which direction they should head for Room 515. When they knocked on the door, the pair walked inside to discover Daisy in discussion with Ms. Graff and her friend. Also in the room were Barney Barrie and another young man they didn't recognize. They stood watching the scene outside the hotel on the television. Norah swiftly concluded the stranger to be Nathan Toone, based on the overlapping connections in the room and his tan.

"Ramsey might be in trouble," Norah remarked, bringing the room's conversation to a halt. "Uh, I can't say for sure, but she followed an agitator from the fight outside to a bar in the Wax District."

"Rammy did what?!" Daisy squealed, immediately pulling out her phone to check for messages. "Wait, is that her coat?"

"Explain," Fawn ordered, ignoring Daisy's second question.

Norah gave another brief recap. Ms. Graff's friend, Brandy Fallon, began to grumble under her breath while shooting dirty looks at Fawn.

"You two were out in the middle of that?" Fawn's alarmed expression spoke volumes.

"Hold on. What bar did Ramsey follow this man to?" Brandy queried.

"Penalty Pub," Dex supplied.

"Yes, The Penalty Pub," Norah confirmed after rechecking the message.

Brandy made a sound somewhere between a snort and a growl. While she did that, the leggy blonde stormed over to the closet.

"Can't you get your newspaper kids to behave for one night?" she bitched at Fawn. "We just rescued that one from Barrow's room. Teach them some common sense!"

Norah and Dexter glanced at Daisy and each other. They hadn't heard anything about Daisy getting into trouble.

"I'm not their advisor," Fawn stated. "Marissa took over The Buzzy Bee from Topaz."

"Well, you should be!" Brandy replied, tossing Fawn's coat across the room at her.

"You know why I'm not!" Fawn countered, putting on her jacket.

"Whatever! Instead, you get your best friend to save another kid," Brandy griped, putting on her own coat.

"Wait, what's going on? Where are you going?" Daisy questioned.

"To save your friend, duh. And this is going to be way more dangerous than you walking in on a high-profile affair," Brandy proclaimed, snapping her fingers at Nate and Barney. Next, she whipped out her phone.

Norah and Dex looked at each other with wide eyes. His sister had a story, and she had better tell it to them.

"Why?" Daisy continued to question.

"Of all people, how does she not know?" Brandy challenged Fawn before turning back to the three high school reporters with a raised eyebrow. "Anyone? I thought you were journalists."

"High school," Norah responded, a little perturbed by the older woman's tone.

"Because The Penalty Pub is owned by Sig Wiberg. He's an ex-cop," Brandy explained, placing her hand on the room's door lever. "And his best friend on the **** is Jethro."

Even Fawn shook her head as no one except Nate seemed to get the connection.

"Gawd! It's a damn Klackhurst bar!" Brandy finished, yanking the door open.