Nordlys: The Northern Lights Orgy Club

17

"Stig!" Moby shouts, banging his fist twice against  the front door of a townhouse.

Stahri hangs back by their car, checking his phone display. There is a long quiet pause before Moby bangs on the door again. A faintly muffled "ja?" finally answers.

"Open up!" Moby demands.

There is a slow, protracted unlocking of locks, and fumbling at the door knob, before the door opens, revealing a red-eyed, puffy-faced Lars. The stench of alcohol hits Stahri like a blast.

"Heyyyy! Welcome, my friends! It's a party now" Lars declares, slurring his speech. "Come and have a drink with me!"

Stahri looks down at his phone again, and then back up at Lars, a calculating expression briefly crossing his face. He nods to Moby, and they both move inside the house, Stahri having to brace himself against the much stronger smell of alcohol once he gets inside. Lars grabs a bottle of clear liquid and lobs it to Moby.

"It doesn't seem as if Mary has come back" Stahri comments.

A scan of the room shows that a massive amount of destruction has taken place in the main living area. Pictures are smashed and hanging at odd angles, lamps knocked over, broken crockery litters the floor, and the chandelier over the dining table is hanging by a wire.

"I told you, she left me" Lars replies morosely.

Stahri flares his nostrils, taking in the various scents. Alcohol is the strongest, overpowering the stank sweat and salty tears. Mary's scent is attached to the furniture, but it is faint, three days old at least.

"Her phone location says she is here, Stig. Why would it say that?" Stahri asks in a perfectly calm voice.

"I don't know, Tex, she must have left it" Lars shrugs, taking a swig straight from the bottle. "Maybe she dropped it when she did all of this" he waves at the mess in the room.

The vodka is not strong enough to mask the fresh scent of a Lie. Stahri flicks a glance at Moby, who takes Stahri's phone and immediately turns to search the rest of the house.

"Have you had any water?" Stahri asks.

"Tonight is no time for water!" Lars protests. "We are celebrating my freedom!" He chuckles bleakly.

"On second thought, it may be too late for water" Stahri analyzes. "Do you have a bucket?" He queries.

Lars shrugs in an exaggerated, drunken way.

"I'll check the garage, you stay here" Stahri gestures with his hands palm down to emphasis his request.

In the garage, he finds Moby swiveling about while holding his phone aloft. "I've narrowed the signal down to here, but I don't see a phone in the car" Moby informs him, pointing to the window. "I don't know where else it could be!"

Stahri lets out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Check under the seat" he suggests.

"Do you have the key fob?" Moby asks.

Stahri searches his pockets, producing a key fob from an interior coat pocket, holding it up. Moby opens the car door, leaning down to check under the seat, then stands up and shakes his head.

"Did you look all the way under?" Stahri asks.

"This car was just detailed, the upholstery is still a bit wet. Whoever cleaned it would have pulled out the phone if they found it" Moby theorizes.

Stahri frowns. "I just gave him this car two days ago, why would he have it detailed?.... Call Mary's phone again" he requests.

A muted ringtone sounds from the front passenger panel. "Glovebox!" Moby exclaims, opening it to reveal a small sparkly purse, which he hands to Stahri.