Cass opened his eyes and found himself lying on a bed in a strange room. What the heck? Where was he? What was he doing here? Had he had too much to drink at the Lumina Ball?

The Ball! Cass remembered getting ready for it, then driving to the Lumina Building, then - nothing! Just a big blank, until he woke up here, in what appeared to be a hotel room. He grabbed the telephone.

"Where am I?" he demanded.

"Room 723."

"What hotel?"

"The Wellington."

"What city?"

"Chicago."

"I'm checking out ASAP."

At the front desk, Cass discovered that his room had been prepaid and his car was in the hotel garage.

****

Back in Bay City, Lila was sitting up with her baby in her arms, when Matthew and Sofia entered her hospital room. Matthew immediately went all soft and gooey.

"There's Daddy's girl!" he gushed, "Isn't she beautiful?"

"Isn't she jist the most puhfect baby you evuh saw?" cooed Lila.

Sofia tried throwing a little cold water on the lovefest: "So - you pick a name yet?"

"We hadn't really thought about it." said Matthew, "What do you think, Lila?"

"Ah thank we should give her a name that's jist as beautiful as she is." she said.

"How about - 'Rachel'?" he suggested.

"Mah baby needs her own name." said Lila, "Somethin' sweet and pretty, laik the jasmine thet grew outside mah window, when Ah was a chile."

"Jasmine!" said Matthew, "Jasmine Cory!"

"Jasmine Rachel Cory." said Lila.

****

Cass had called the Bureau of Wizardry ( commonly called the BOW) as soon as he was back in Bay City. Agent Neil Johanssen (an adept himself, as were all BOW field agents) checked him over, using a crystal rod to focus his powers.

"You're right!" he said, "You were definitely under the influence of a powerful compulsion spell."

"So, somebody waylaid me on my way to the Lumina Ball, and put me under a compulsion to drive to Chicago, check into a hotel, and go to sleep?" said Cass, "Why?"

"So that he could take your place." said Neil, "The Lumina security tapes show you attending the Ball."

"You mean - he stole my face?" said Cass, "Who did it? Can you tell?"

Neil shook his head. "Whoever he was, he - 'wiped his prints'. That means he must have been a high-level adept. Wizard-level."

****

Meanwhile, at the Lumina Building:

"I'd like to see Jordan Stark." said Marly.

"Mr Stark sees no one without an appointment." said Ms Allen, looking down her nose.

"He can see me, or he can see someone from the BOW." said Marly, "It's up to him."

The telephone on Ms Allen's desk rang. "Yes sir? " She gave Marly a glacial look as she hung up, "Go right in."

Stark's office was dimly lit.

"So - Marly Hudson. What can I do for you?" said Stark.

"You can help me get what I want."

"You should know." said Marly, "You're a wizard!"

"Am I?"

"That Spell of Silence I put on Donna was supposed to be unbreakable. It cost me enough! Anyone who could break it must be a high-level adept. But the funny thing is, there's no 'Jordan Stark' registered with the Bureau of Wizardry."

"Planning to rat me out, Marly?" said Stark, "But if you do, you'll be confessing to dealing in black-market magic yourself. Spells of Silence are illegal."

"My lawyer will plead diminshed responsibility, because I was hit by a car and then had my face burned off! I'll cry a lot, and the judge will give me a slap on the wrist." said Marly.

"So, what do you want?"

"Give me back my face!"

"That would be - difficult." said Stark."You would have to do something for me in return."

"Name it."

"What do you think of Amanda Cory?"

"She's a stupid bitch."

"That's no way to talk about your new best friend." said Stark, "You get close to Amanda - close enough to keep me informed on her every move - and I'll restore your beauty."

"How do I know you can do it?"

"As a token of good faith, I'll put a glamour on you, and give you your face back, for a short time."

"How short?"

"An hour."

"That should be enough." muttered Marly, "Do it!"

"I already have. Run along now. Keep in touch."

Outside Stark's office, Marly pulled out her compact and looked in the mirror. Her face - her real face - looked back at her.

****

Once Jasmine had been taken back to the nursery, Sofia said, "Tell her, Matt!"

"Lila - last night - when I asked you to marry me - I got carried away. " said Matthew, "I didn't mean it."

"He's already engaged - to me!" said Sofia.

"Very well, Matt." said Lila, "Ah woan hold you to yo' proposal."

"See?" said Matthew, "I told you she'd be reasonable."

Sofia didn't think Lila knew the meaning of the word. She looked searchingly at the other woman, trying to read her thoughts. Lila merely smiled sweetly.

****

Meanwhile, at the Herald, Marly was making her move:

"Jake!"

"Oh, hi, Vicky."

She threw her arms around him and gave him a passionate kiss.

"What brought that on?" he asked.

"I want you so much!" she said, "Right now!"

"What, here?"

"Why not?" she said, "We can lock the office door."

"Then we'd have all of thirty seconds before someone started knocking." said Jake.

"Then, let's go someplace!" said Marly, "Any place! Somewhere we can be alone!"

"Hey, Jake!" Chris Madison stuck his head in the door, "Oh, hi Vicky! I just got a tip that the BOW is investigating the use of illegal magic at the Lumina Ball! It turns out the Cass Winthrop who was there wasn't the real Cass! The guy was a doppleganger!"

"If you can confirm it, that's our lead story!" said Jake.

"I'll try and get a statement from Cass." said Chris.

Jake threw an apologetic look Marly's way. "Sorry, Babe." he said, "I'm gonna be busy for the next couple of hours. I'll see you at home, later."

"Later will be too late." Marly muttered.

****

Meanwhile, Rachel received a phonecall.

"Sanpaku Akageno here." said a strange voice, "I understand that Cory Publishing is looking for investors."

"Yes, we certainly are." said Rachel.

"I myself am looking for a suitable investment opportunity." he replied, "Perhaps we should meet. Shall we say, dinner tonight?"

"That would be fine." said Rachel.

"I shall pick you up at your home at eight."

"I'll be waiting."

To be continued.