Merlin didn’t go to Angel Island. Carl’s remarks and insightful answers had
set her thinking along a totally new path.
Magic. Now that would account
for a lot of things. And the most pressing
thing was that she didn’t feel ready.
Evil,
sure, bring it on. She’d go up against
the biggest and meanest downstairs could throw at her. Magic .. that was different. Modern magic .. to be honest, it was
weak. Whereas evil had, over the millennia,
become distilled so, while it wasn’t as widespread, it was more concentrated
where it did occur, magic had been diluted.
The weapons it created could be easily defeated. But this wasn’t modern magic. This was magic from the first times, from
prehistory. It was potent, and it might
well be deadly.
She
decided to go home and do more research.
If Derek was truly desperate to read the letter and see the packaging,
he could come to Paradise Drive and do it there. He could take the things away with him. She didn’t think it would do much good in their search for the
answers.
Merlin
swung by Joseph’s building as it was more or less on her way home. Actually, it was a long way past her home,
but this was Joseph. While she was
checking the door to the first floor apartment, his neighbor from upstairs came
down to check out who she was.
“Mr
Millward’s away in England. I’m
watching his place and I will call the police if you don’t have a damn good
reason for being there.”
The
barely veiled belligerent tone lifted her heart. Joseph had good friends in this place.
“I
do have a good reason,” she said, turning to look up at the woman on the
stairs.
“I’m
waitin’ to hear it.”
“Joseph
.. I worked with him at the Luna Foundation.
He … There was an accident and
he was killed. I was just here to make
sure no one had forced an entry and gone thru his stuff. If you’re looking out for the place, that’s
great.”
“He’s
dead ..? Joseph? Oh no ..! That sweet guy?”
“I’m sorry too. I miss him so much. I was at his funeral only two days ago, in
England. His nephew has asked us to
clear out his apartment. Mail personal
stuff back home, sell the furniture an’ so forth. We’ll swing by again on Monday.
Do you know if he owed any rent?”
“You’d
have to speak to the landlord. Ground
floor apartment.”
“Okay. Thank you for being such a good friend.”
She
put a hand on the door, protecting it against unwanted intruders. It seemed a decent neighborhood but the
watcher upstairs couldn’t watch all the time although she’d done a damned good
job so far. Then Merlin waved and went
down to notify the landlord and pay any extra rent Joseph might have owed.
They
were given to the end of the month to clear it out. Merlin paid the two weeks outstanding and returned to her
car. She paused for a moment and shook
her head, considering that dying was just the start. There was so much which came after it. Then she started the engine and continued on her way.
*****
Derek
was working in his office, studying the faxes again. He felt much more alert and able to give each resume the
attention it deserved. Although he
wasn’t the type to be swayed by physical appearance – not when it came to
hiring staff – he did wish the resumes included photographs. Perhaps that would come later, once he’d
reached the short listing and interviewing point in the process.
The
polite knock on the door made him let out a short sigh. This was, in some ways, a lot more important
than Carl’s intriguing artifacts. Those
were short term and would be gone in a matter of days. Certainly in less than a month. A new butler, however, was, he devoutly
hoped, a long term affair. If anything
demonstrated the eighty/twenty rule, this had to be it. Eighty per cent of their time would be spent
examining the artifacts and all it would lead to was an entry on the Legacynet
database. Twenty per cent would be
devoted to engaging a new member of staff but would lead to years of discreet,
dedicated service. For now, Carl’s
project would just have to wait.
“Come,”
he called, feeling just a little irritated at the interruption.
The
door slid open. Derek looked up at a
total stranger. He blinked, wondering
how the hell she’d gotten past all the security. The elderly woman smiled at him.
“Who
- ?” he began, starting to rise.
“You
don’t know me,” she cut in. “But this
is important and Peri’s busy. So I’ve
come to take you back.”
“I’m
not going anywhere with you!” Derek instantly protested.
“Derek,
I am Peri’s great aunt Maude,” she replied, calmly but briskly. “I had breakfast with Joseph this
morning. He needs to see you. How soon can you be ready to go?”
“What
do you mean?” Derek frowned, his initial alarm subsiding. “He needs
to see me?”
“He’s
got a message for you,” she said.
As
an answer, it did more than simply deal with a question. It brushed aside all the other matters
demanding his attention and spurred him into action.
“Come
with me,” he instructed. “We’ll go to
my room.”
“It’s
been a real long while since I had an invitation like that,” Maude commented
with a wicked grin. “Lead on, young
man.”
Nick
was just coming in to start his day when Derek walked out.
“You
got those names .. for me .. yet?” he inquired hesitantly as Derek walked
straight past without so much as a word.
“Check
them all,” Derek tersely instructed.
“And don’t unlock that container until I get back!”
“Where
you going?” Nick demanded, his voice rising and not because of the growing
physical distance between them.
“To
see an old friend.”
The
younger man shrugged tautly, his eyes becoming harder. “Fine, whatever you want.” He shook his head and muttered, “This is
just like the old days … ”
“What
is?” Alex asked, coming in. “Was that
Derek just hurrying out?”
“This
place, the veiled comments an’ abrupt orders, and, yeah, that was him.” Nick put down his mug of coffee on his
workstation and paused there. “It’s
like it was when Sloan was in charge.
He’s keeping stuff back again.”
“There’s
always a reason when he does that, Nick,” Alex remarked, but her voice was
uneasy.
“Sure,
I know. But is it a good reason or a
bad reason? We never found out until it
was almost too late for us to make it right again.”
Alex
shook her head, unable to answer. “We
might as well make a start without him,” she remarked, and held out her hand
for the key.
Nick
angled his head at her. “I quote –
don’t unlock that container until I get back.”
Alex
sat down, folding her arms and giving a disgruntled sigh. “You’re right. It is just like the old
days.”
*****
“Hi, sweetie. Breakfast rush just about done?” Rachel
inquired.
“Yeah,
just about. What would you like?”
“It’s
okay. I can fix my own,” Rachel said
with a smile.
Kat’s
shoulders dropped and her face became briefly resentful. “You want me to take more
responsibility. To .. use my time
better. Well, I am. This is my summer job, Mom. Let me do it.”
Rachel
sank onto a chair at the table. She
felt like Kat had just turned on her and slapped her face. And the worst thing was that she knew Kat
was right. This wasn’t dangerous
work. It was helping the Legacy but,
unless Kat got careless with one of the sharp knives, no way was it putting her
life in peril. She’d tried to make it a
little easier for her daughter and it had been hurled back in her face.
“All
right,” she said, sounding a little hurt.
“Tea an’ toast.”
Kat
swung into action. “Mom, I’m
sorry. Derek was in earlier an’ he said
we’d discuss an amount for my labor. If
he’s paying me to do this job .. I wanna earn it, okay?”
“That’s
very generous of him, Katherine.”
Kat
heard that and told herself not to react.
‘Katherine’ invariably meant trouble somewhere in the future.
“I
told him he didn’t have to but he insists.
Mom, I didn’t mean to snap. It’s
just .. all this is my responsibility now an’ I wanna do a good job.”
Rachel
smiled. “Sure, Kat, I understand. I admire your dedication to the task,
especially when you could’ve said no and enjoyed the rest of your summer. We have talked about you getting a job
before, haven’t we? I’m sorry too that
I .. overstepped the boundaries.”
“So
.. we’re cool?”
“Absolutely,
we’re cool,” Rachel laughed.
With
the bread in the toaster and the kettle on for the tea, Kat came to the table.
“Mom
.. about your friend, the one you’re having dinner with this evening … ”
Rachel
looked up and Kat saw wariness in her mother’s eyes.
“I
just wanted to say it’s okay,” Kat said.
“I’m still not sure if I wanna meet him but .. it’s okay that you’re
going out with him. I have no
objections.”
Rachel
sat back slightly. “You don’t?”
“No.” Kat glanced back at the toaster then faced
Rachel again. “I have friends and ..
okay, sometimes I choose my friends badly an’ they get me in trouble, but, on
the whole, my friends are people we both like.”
“Yeah,
they are,” Rachel agreed.
“So
I figure you’re allowed to have friends too cos otherwise it wouldn’t be fair.”
“That’s
a very grown up attitude, Kat,” Rachel commented. “And it’s very appreciated.
Thank you for understanding.”
“You
have your life an’ I have mine, an’ .. we have to make our own mistakes and
enjoy our successes. I love you,
Mom. I shouldn’t stand in the way of
you being happy.”
Rachel
gave a puzzled half smile. “Did you
talk this over with Derek?”
Kat
nodded. “Actually, Derek and I have a
lot in common. His Dad died when Derek
was young, just like mine. His Mom
started going out on dates an’ stuff too.
He just explained to me how he felt about it an’ how he dealt with those
feelings. And I could understand what
he meant. It helped me see that .. I
shouldn’t get unhappy cos you’re having dinner with a friend who happens to be
a guy. It doesn’t mean he’ll be my Dad
an’ he’ll marry you an’ move into our house.
It just means .. he’s a social partner, a friend, company for you. And I’m cool with that.”
She
went to butter the toast and pour water on the tea bag.
“Y’know
.. sometimes I think it would make a lotta sense if Derek and I just got
together,” Rachel commented in a quiet voice.
“Why
don’t you?” Kat asked, carefully keeping her tone light and her back turned to
her mother.
“That’s
a very good question,” Rachel sighed.
“I mean .. I respect him immensely.
I am attracted to him because he’s a good looking guy with a huge amount
of charisma. Most of the time, we get
along an’, when we don’t, the arguments are always interesting and very
stimulating. He makes me think. Once, maybe, I might have taken it further,
explored a relationship with him, but you didn’t want me to. It was still too soon, for the both of
us. You an’ me. I didn’t want to hurt you, Kat, by letting
you think I was somehow .. cheating on your Dad. And .. maybe it was right that nothing developed. It could make working together very
difficult.”
Kat
returned to the table and put down the plate and the cup and saucer. “If you ever decide you might want to try
again,” she said softly, “I have no objections. I like Derek. I wouldn’t
mind him being my Dad.”
Rachel
smiled. “He certainly knows how to talk
with you, that’s for sure! Kat, honey,
I don’t know if I’ll ever remarry. I
loved your Dad and that won’t ever change.
But he is gone and .. sometimes the thought of living my life alone ..
it’s tough. As for Derek .. well, I
guess it’s something to think about.”
*****
“She
should be here by now,” Nick muttered, scooting his chair back to the
phone. “I’ll call, find out what’s
keeping her.” He pushed the speed dial
number for Merlin’s cell phone and heard it start to ring.
After
a few seconds, a voice said, “Yep.”
“Hi,
babe. Where are you?”
“Almost
home.”
“What
.. you’re on the ferry?”
“No
.. I’m almost at Paradise Drive. Nick,
I got the letter and the packaging. Can
you come pick it up?”
“Why
can’t you bring it here?” he frowned.
“Difficult
to explain. Tell me something – when
you’re near those bits of pottery, are you getting any strange feelings?”
“Not
one. Neither’s Alex. I asked last night.”
“Your
gut isn’t telling you anything at all.”
“No,
it isn’t. But yours is.”
“Yeah. I just don’t know what. Carl and I had a really long talk this
morning and it’s given me a few new leads.
I wanna check ’em out first .. and I feel safer doing that at a
distance. I may be able to tell you
more when you get here.”
“Okay. I’ll take the Range Rover.”
“Oh
.. I still have your car. Jeez, I’m
sorry. I forgot.”
He
smiled to himself. “Your mind’s on
other things. I’ll be there soon as I
can.”
“Good. I miss
you.”
That
warmed his heart. “Should I bring a
bag?” he grinned.
“Just
yourself.”
“Deal.” He hung up and rose. “I’ll go pick up the letter an’ packaging.”
“I’ll
stick with this,” Alex muttered, silently adding I can’t do anything else
because Derek won’t let me so I may as well do your job, Nick.
“I
wouldn’t go for depth, not yet,” he advised, heading for the door, her
resentment totally ignored. “Derek
hasn’t decided which ones to take further.
I’d just go for basic background.”
“Why
is Peri scared?” Alex inquired quietly.
“She
isn’t. She’s just .. not feeling safe.”
“Isn’t
that the same thing?” Alex wondered, frowning slightly as she looked toward his
back.
“Not
in my experience,” Nick called.
*****
Having
done this a few times now, Derek discovered it was getting easier. The first time, there had been a jolt of
psychic pain. With each successive
occurrence, it had decreased until, now, he hardly felt it when Maude reached
in and twitched his spirit free. He was
sure he wouldn’t have felt anything if Merlin had done it but Maude lacked Merlin’s
deft touch.
He
also noticed more of the journey this time.
Possibly Maude was slower, or it could be because Merlin deliberately
fogged the first part. On this
occasion, Derek was aware that they were moving thru a long tunnel of darkness,
not toward the light but toward a gray disc which slowly grew to become the
forest.
“You
doing okay, Derek?” Maude asked, striding briskly along the path.
“I’m
fine, thank you,” he replied. “Did
Joseph say anything more about this message?”
“Wouldn’t
tell me. I asked but he said he’d
promised to tell you.”
“Oh,
I see. How is he doing?”
“Just
fine. Don’t you worry none about
him. Before too long, he’ll be rushed
off his feet with things to do an’ new stuff to learn. He’s talking about starting up some kinda
walking society.”
They
reached the river. Maude halted and
began to build the bridge. The river
wasn’t particularly wide here but it was fast moving. The bridge she built was solid, sturdy, a comforting timber box
bridge.
“Okay,
let’s go.”
Derek
followed her across and they hurried on, eventually arriving at a one story
thatched cottage down a shady, tree lined lane. There was a front yard, already planted but it looked new. It hadn’t grown in yet. Derek paused to admire Joseph’s new home but
Maude was already along the short path and banging on the door.
It
opened. Derek blinked. “Joseph … ”
“Dr
Rayne, sir. Welcome. Do come in.
I’ve just put on a fresh pot of coffee.”
Yet
again, Derek felt that strange sense of disjointedness. He always did when he came here. It was all so normal. Back there, sorrow, sadness, tears. Here .. coffee, the smell of baking,
sunshine and gentle warmth.
Contentment. Satisfaction and
rest after a life spent well.
Derek
walked toward him. “We were all so
shocked to hear that you’d died. Peri
told us you were doing all right but .. I never quite believed it. I knew I wouldn’t, not till I’d come to see
you.”
“Thank
you, sir, for those kind thoughts. It
was a little bit of a shock for me too but .. as you can see, I’m settled now
and I’m fine. Really. And it is a very great pleasure to welcome
you to my new home. Please, sit down.”
“Joseph,
I’ll go see to the coffee,” Maude said.
“You get down to business. You
an’ me, we got forever. Derek doesn’t. He’s got a life to get back to.”
Derek
glanced at Joseph and smiled faintly.
“I don’t have to rush back straight away. My body can last without me for at least twenty four hours.”
“It
shouldn’t take that long, sir,” Joseph replied.
Derek
didn’t request that Joseph not call him ‘sir’ and use his name instead. Some habits were so ingrained that they
could never be broken. Joseph probably
thought Derek and automatically said sir.
“Maude
says .. you have a message for me?”
“I
do, sir, yes. Very disquieting too.”
Derek
sank into an armchair. Joseph sat
opposite him. Maude brought in the
coffee.
“I’ll
be blunt,” she said. “I’m staying to
listen. The woman didn’t say I
couldn’t. You tell him, and I’ll hear
it at the same time. Then, if we need
to do anything, I can start the ball rolling.
Okay?”
“What
woman?” Derek frowned.
Joseph
gathered up his thoughts. “I was out
walking yesterday,” he began, “and I sheltered in a wood because it started to
rain. A woman was waiting there for me,
sir. She was the one who gave me the
message.”
“Did
you know her?” Derek queried.
“No,
sir. She’d never been to the house ..
at least, not while I greeted callers.
But she knew me .. and she knows you.”
Derek
frowned. “Can you describe her?”
Joseph
could and he did. “She never told me her
name, sir. When I asked, she just said
she was a messenger. And she made me
promise to tell it exactly as she told me.”
Derek
nodded. “Very well, Joseph. What is this message?”
*****
Merlin
heard the front door open. “I’m up
here!” she called, sliding the book back on the shelf.
Nick
took the stairs two at a time, eager to see his wife. He came thru the door and halted sharply. Merlin had the grace to blush as his gaze
finally came to rest on her face.
“NASA
would be proud of this set-up,” Nick remarked in a flat voice. “I thought you hated all this.”
“How
often do you find me in here using it?” Merlin countered. “It’s a tool, Nicky. It isn’t what I do for a living.” She pointed. “There’s the stuff from Carl.”
“Any
clues?” he asked, picking up the wrapping.
“The
packaging is postmarked Kingston-upon-Thames, England. The Customs form states terracotta
historical artifacts, fragile. The
letter isn’t signed and it’s word processed an’ printed. There’s no handwriting to analyze. The words used … ” She shook her head. “I’d
say they’re typical. Evidence of a
knowledgeable, even academic, mind.
Remembering it was being sent to a university, it isn’t surprising.”
“Derek
might be able to pick something up from
it,” Nick commented and added, “When he gets back, that is.”
“Has
he gone somewhere?”
“To
see an old friend.”
“Oh. That’s nice,” Merlin remarked. “Actually, it’s good,” she continued.
“It
is? How?”
“Those
things might be making me twitchy but they’re not affecting Derek. They don’t seem to affect you or Alex. That has to be good. Right?”
“I
guess.”
“And
.. they’re not compulsive. They’re not
drop everything and look at me. If
Derek can just take off like that … ”
Nick
shrugged, not having any opinion on the subject. At least, not one he’d liked to share.
“You
found anything?” he asked, nodding at the computer. “I see you hacked into the Legacynet.”
“I
have access,” she corrected. “We all
do. We need it, for checking out Legacy
members.”
He
regarded her steadily. Not even Merlin
could evade that steady stare.
“Okay,
it’s a back door access,” she qualified quickly. “And .. I haven’t really had a chance yet to look. Do you wanna beer? I need you to do something for me an’ I could use a drink.”
“This
time of the morning?” he queried in surprise.
Merlin
wrinkled her nose. “I got a feeling ..
I may be up against something really big an’ I don’t know if I can do this, not
on my own.”
“Then
call in reinforcements.”
“I’m
not sure even that would be enough. In
the circumstances, I think I deserve a drink.
Don’t you?”
“Okay,”
Nick agreed and followed her downstairs.
Merlin
went to the icebox, took out two bottles and handed one to him. They sat at the counter and both idly
twisted off the bottle caps.
“Has
this gotten you scared?” Nick asked quietly.
“Depends
on how you define scared, I guess,” she replied, startling him. From out of the corner of her eye, she
noticed him glance quickly sideways at her.
“I’m not cowering under the blanket scared. But I don’t feel ready to face this .. whatever it is, and that
makes me very uneasy.”
“What
can I do?” he demanded. “Tell me. It’s yours.”
“You’ve
seen these things, I haven’t. Can you
draw me a picture? Life size? Describe them to me. I may be able to nail down where they’re
from an’ when .. an’ why.”
“Alex
has already looked,” Nick informed her.
“She turned up zip.”
“Maybe
she wasn’t looking with the right eyes.”
Merlin
went to a drawer, opened it and got out a notepad and pen. She put them on the counter and sat down
again.
“I
thought we’d more or less gotten the time an’ location,” Nick commented as he
began to sketch an outline. “There’s no
decoration on them, they’re just plain terracotta.”
“Carl
believes it’s Sodom and I’m certainly starting to agree with him. The time .. I think I know but I’d like to
be sure.”
“Are
they evil?” Nick asked, passing the first drawing to her.
“No,”
she said softly, studying it with narrowed eyes, “I don’t believe they are ..
not in themselves. Their purpose ..
that’s different. If they were evil,
I’m sure you would’ve gotten some kinda feedback. You’ve been around it now, Nicky, few times. You know how it makes you feel.”
“An’
I didn’t feel anything. So what is it
that’s gotten you so wound up?” he frowned, drawing the second picture and
handing it to her.
“Magic.”
*****
“Where’s
Nick?” Rachel asked.
“Gone
to visit with Peri,” Alex replied.
“This is the guy.”
“Excuse
me?”
“This
one. Hugh Satterley. He’s ideal.
The right background, right interests.
About the right age. He’s got
heaps of experience. This one is
definitely worth an interview. I’m
getting the right vibes.”
Rachel
came closer. “Isn’t Nick supposed to be
doing that while you look at Carl’s pottery shapes?” She leaned against the workstation. “Or did the team approach actually work?”
“Very
briefly, yesterday early evening,” Alex related. “Now, because Peri’s got a twitchy feeling, Derek’s agreed they
should be locked away, Nick’s gone cautious and to Paradise Drive with the key,
and I’m doing the background checks on the new butler candidates because I
can’t do a whole lot else.”
“Where’s
Derek?”
“Gone
off somewhere. He didn’t say. He just left orders that no one was to open
the box until he got back.”
“That
isn’t like him,” Rachel remarked. “Not
to say where he’s going.”
“Actually
.. it is,” Alex commented, leaning back.
“Think about it for a moment.”
Rachel
gazed at nothing and a frown slowly formed on her brow.
“Yeah. When – ”
“
– William Sloan was in charge,” Alex finished.
Rachel’s
head swiveled to stare. “You don’t
think – ?”
“No,
I don’t. It’s coincidence. It’s .. an old behavioral pattern slipping
back because I guess Derek’s feeling a little pressure right now. Joseph dying, the funeral, both of which are
stressors, followed by Carl’s mysterious artifacts, hiring a new butler …
” Alex shrugged stiffly. “I’m no expert, Rachel. Behavior, that’s your job. The reasons why we do the things we do.”
“Hmm,
maybe. So .. why has Nick gone to visit with his wife?”
“She
doesn’t feel safe here,” Alex replied.
“Those things have gotten her on edge.”
“Those
little pottery shapes?” Rachel queried, puzzled and half amused. “They’re just … Well, they’re nothing.
Curiosities. We’ll probably
never find out what they were actually meant to do.”
*****
Nick
grinned. “C’mon, magic? You shrug that off. Magic’s nothing to you. Joe an’ Shauna named you after one of the
great magicians. You can do magic.”
She
didn’t laugh. Didn’t even smile. Nick felt his grin slip away.
“Okay
.. so maybe I’m wrong about that,” he said softly. “But .. you are the
most powerful Enforcer. That’s right,
isn’t it?”
Merlin nodded.
“So
what’s the big deal about these things?
Take a hammer to ’em, smash ’em into bits. End of problem.”
“I
don’t think it’s gonna be that easy, Nick.
This isn’t magic like you know.
Shit, it isn’t magic like I
know. This is old magic, from way, way
back almost at the start.”
She paused and took a deep
breath. “Put yourself back in those
times. God is a living, visible
force. Angels exist. Evil is everywhere. You know you’re courting disaster an’ you
just wanna survive. Your city is on a
countdown to a surgical strike. You
have magicians, making artifacts and giving them huge amounts of power. Why?”
He
thought about it. “To avert the
cataclysm.”
“That’s
what I think too. And that’s why I’m so
uneasy. Again, put yourself in those
times. It’s gonna go down. Angels will be striking from above. My people will be on the streets, striking
from below. Angels are immortal – no
secret there. That information’s been
around a long time, just as it’s been long established that we don’t live forever.”
Nick
swallowed. “You mean .. it’s a weapon
aimed at Enforcers?”
“That’s
what I need to determine.”
She
drank some of her beer.
“Back
then,” Merlin continued, “there were hundreds of us. Thousands. The only thing
which saved us that night was that they hadn’t managed to finish this.” She looked at the three drawings. “It isn’t assembled. But these pieces are powerful just as they
are. They’re giving off vibes,
Nicky. Just .. taking a hammer to them
wouldn’t kill the magic. It’d release
it. You’d probably destroy the
house. And the thing which really gets
me pissed isn’t so much that they actually thought they could kill us all with
this thing, it’s the bald, blunt fact that, now, there aren’t hundreds or
thousands of us. There’s eighty spread
around the world. And, here, to contain
this an’ deal with it .. there’s only me.
This weapon is designed for mass annihilation. I’m one person. I’m gonna
get the full hit. You’ll be scraping me
off peoples’ walls in New York an’ Honolulu.”
She
shrugged and reached for her beer again.
“I’m not gonna call in reinforcements.
If this is targeted at Enforcers, they’d just die with me .. an’ that
isn’t fair. I just hope that .. it’s a
one use only, last resort weapon. A
doomsday device.”
“It
won’t come to that,” Nick muttered. “I
won’t let it. It stays locked in the
container, I have the key. If they put
magic into it, we can look for a way to get it out again, safely. It can’t work until it’s assembled. I’ll make sure it stays as it is, in
pieces. We’ll try to find a way to ..
destroy it.”
She
sniffed. “I could’ve gotten it totally
wrong, of course.”
“You
think you have?” he asked, his voice hopeful.
“No.”
*****
William
Sloan took his bag from the carousel.
“I’ve always loved San Francisco,” he remarked as he turned to his
companion.
“I
used to. I find it difficult to love
anything now.” He spotted his own bag
and went forward to pick it up.
“Where
now?” William inquired.
“You
my friend, will go and see that young lady you know. I want her kept busy and away from the others.”
“That
could be awkward,” William remarked pleasantly. “Not only is she the armed guard I told you about, she happens to
be married to one of them.”
His
eyes narrowed as he searched a memory six years old. “Not the priest … Not
Derek Rayne. The other one. Nick Boyle.”
William
inclined his head. “She’s bright. Smart.
And, once roused, impossible to stop.”
“She
will not become .. roused. I had
intended it merely as a curiosity, something to keep them amused and occupied,
their attention focused elsewhere, but then you told me about the armed guard
and it took on another, altogether more useful purpose. Strange how life turns to your advantage
when you least expect it.”
He
straightened. “She is probably already
aware of the nature of the little gift I’ve arranged to have delivered. Your job is now a lot easier, William. She’ll not go to the house on Angel Island
until she feels she’s ready .. if she ever is.
This isn’t something she’ll want to take on unprepared. Only fools rush in. Angels take their time.”
“She is no angel,” William commented.
“The
mortal variety,” the other shrugged.
“An angel who can die.”
“If
she’s aware, she’ll warn them.”
“Oh,
I so hope she does. It’s necessary to
the plan. Having given them the tools
to destroy her, they’ll now want to find a way to avoid doing that. Self-preservation is such a prime
motivator. The simplest way is to
abandon the investigation .. and that is precisely what I want them to do.”
“When
will you tell me the full plan?” William inquired, an edge to his voice.
“When
you need to know. I’ll contact you
soon. Until then .. enjoy your reunion
with Mrs Boyle.”
*****
“Carl
isn’t to blame for any of this,” Merlin said.
“I mean .. he’s been set up. An
anonymous benefactor .. yeah, right.
Carl is just doing what he always does.”
“Bringing
it to us,” Nick commented. “We let it
in.”
“Why
wouldn’t you? It’s harmless to
you.” She shook her head. “Someone knows the routine. Someone knows I’m usually there. This thing is targeted at me. Fabulous, huh? Y’know, I didn’t think I had an enemy in the world. Thought I’d killed ’em all. How wrong could I be?”
“You
stay away till we’ve gotten this figured out,” Nick instructed, rising. “You’re not the only one with a bad feeling,
Merli. If someone knows that much about
us, enough to know to take you out first .. it means we’ll be next.”
“Nick,
don’t get ’em scared, get ’em working.
An’, promise me, those things stay locked up.”
“You
got it,” he promised. “I’ll call,
whether I got news or not.”
She
nodded. “Thanks.”
*****
“That’s
the message,” Derek said.
Joseph
nodded quickly. “That’s exactly what
she said to me, Dr Rayne.”
Derek
blinked and shook his head slightly.
“It makes very little sense.”
“Clear
as a puddle of mud to me too,” Maude agreed.
“What is the Bible code?”
“There’s
a school of thought that the Bible has messages encoded it in, predicting key
events in the future. It has been ..
remarkably accurate in some things, less so in others,” Derek replied. “We have never investigated it .. but, as I
have now been told to look there, I suppose we must try. Lives depend on it, apparently.”
He
straightened. “Let me just make
absolutely sure I have this first message correct.”
Derek
drank his coffee, lining up the words in his memory and examining them again.
“
‘The answers will be found in the hidden code of the Bible. The key is eight plus eight twice. Look and you will find. Forget and the price demanded will be more
than you can pay. For the sake of old
love, break the chain. Smash the
circle. Don’t believe your own
lies. Tell this, Joseph, exactly as I
have told you .. it is a matter of life and death. He is coming. You are
warned.’ ”
“Don’t
you just hate messages like that?” Maude demanded on an irritated sigh. “Why can’t they ever be simple? Y’know .. meet me under the clock at ten,
I’ll be wearing a red carnation. That I
can understand. All this .. don’t
believe your own lies? Smash the
circle? Break the chain? What the hell does it mean?”
“The
answers will be found in the hidden code of the Bible,” Derek quoted in
reply. “The first part is cryptic, I
agree. Possibly even deliberately
so. The second .. well, it sheds a
little more light. He is coming ..
whoever he is. I have been warned.”
“For
the sake of old love,” Joseph murmured.
“Love for the woman I met?”
“You
say you felt that she knew me?” Derek frowned.
“The
message was for you, sir. No one else.”
“Joseph,
there’s knowing someone and then there’s knowing
someone. I know lots of people by name
an’ reputation but I know very few of them to know what to buy them for a
birthday gift,” Maude remarked. “This
message, though, does seem to suggest – ”
“The
second type of knowing,” Derek agreed.
“Someone I knew and whom I once loved.”
“Does
it narrow the field or make it impossibly wide?” Maude inquired.
“I
am no saint,” Derek replied with a brief smile. “God knows that it is true, but the field of potential women
isn’t that wide. Don’t forget .. he is
coming. That intimates it wasn’t a
straightforward love affair.”
“Well,
if you’re done, I’d best get you back,” Maude said. “Let you make a start in figuring this all out.”
“Yes
… ” Derek rose. “Joseph – ”
“Yes,
sir.”
“Thank
you for being so diligent and continuing to be so. We have all agreed that you will never be replaced, not in the
house nor in our estimations. We can
only engage a new butler and pray he will be as competent as you.”
“Thank
you, sir,” Joseph smiled. “If you’d
like to visit again … ”
“Count
on it,” Derek promised.
*****
Nick
had just arrived back but had not yet told them of the discovery Merlin had
made when Derek hurried in.
“Ah,
good, you’re all here. A new
project. Urgent,” he began, his voice
fired up.
“You’re
gonna tell us this time?” Nick challenged.
“Conscience acting up?”
Some
tone in Derek’s voice drove the other matter into the background and brought
Nick’s belligerence front and center stage.
“What
are you talking about?” Derek demanded irritably.
“Before. You just waltzed outta here, giving the
orders, no explanations.”
“You
didn’t see her? The woman with me?”
Derek queried.
“What
woman?” Nick frowned, sensing the ground moving beneath his feet.
“Peri’s
great aunt Maude. She took me to see
Joseph,” Derek said quickly. “Joseph
had been given a message, for me. And
now .. Carl’s artifacts must remain where they are, for the present. This is more important. Lives could depend on it.”
That’s
exactly what I needed to hear, Nick thought.
“What
do we have to do?” Alex asked at once.
“Tell
me what you know of the Bible code,” Derek replied.
“Basically
.. it’s the Old Testament in its original Hebrew, the spaces removed so it’s
all one, continuous stream of letters .. and then it’s number crunching,” Alex
said.
“Make
a start,” Derek ordered. “The key is
eight plus eight twice.”
Her
eyes widened. “It could take some
time. Days, even for this computer,”
she warned.
“Then
the sooner we start, the quicker we’ll know.”
“Right.” Nick sat down and cracked his knuckles over
the keyboard.
“Derek,”
Rachel said, “while Alex an’ Nick do that .. can I help you with choosing a new
butler? Kat has school starting soon.”
“Yes. Thank you.
Another matter we need to resolve sooner rather than later. Your assistance will be invaluable.”
“Hugh
Satterley,” Alex announced. “Trust me
on this.”
“You’ve
got me till three this afternoon,” Rachel smiled.
*****
Merlin
was still mentally pacing over old ground, feeling frustration biting deep as
well as an undertow of anger.
Who’d
do this to me? Who have I really gotten
pissed?
The
doorbell chimed. She went to answer
it. She blinked, stepped back.
“Hello,
Peri. Can I come in?” William Sloan
asked with a smile.