“Did you call Rachel?” Derek asked
quietly. He looked drawn,
strained. It had been a long, tense
night for everyone.
“Yeah,” Alex nodded. “She’s keeping watch. At least she has that detective with
her. He’s almost a bodyguard, Derek. He wouldn’t stand by an’ let something
happen to her.”
“Nick?”
“The gate knows not to let him
in. The cameras are all working; I
checked the tapes first thing – zip.”
Derek nodded. “Then we are as prepared as we can be.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “Not the best time for our new butler to
arrive.”
“Maybe. Sometimes,” Nick commented, “the quickest way to learn is to get
thrown in at the deep end.”
“It doesn’t get much deeper than
this,” Alex remarked softly. “I know
we’re safe enough in this house .. but I keep jumping at shadows. After last time that guy was here … ”
“Yes,” Derek said heavily.
“Derek, you thought about getting Kat
off the island?” Nick asked. “She
didn’t sign up for this. It isn’t fair
she should have to face any danger.”
“He could get to her outside,
Nick. For now, Kat is safer inside the
perimeter with us.”
Nick didn’t like the idea but he kept
silent. If ever there was a time for a
united front, it was now.
“Be careful,” Alex warned. “Can’t you arrange for a cab to pick up Hugh
at the airport? Do you have to go
yourself?”
Derek sighed. “What impression will it make if I do that?”
he asked. “Besides .. outside, I may
get a clearer head. I have been too slow!”
“Could be those artifacts,” Nick
remarked. “Peri thinks they’re harmless
to us but they may be giving off some kinda radiation.”
“Inside a lead container?” Alex
wondered.
“It’s magic, Alex, not science. Old magic.
Black magic. Peri says she has
no experience of it because stuff that strong hasn’t been around for thousands
of years.”
Kat came into the kitchen and
halted. Conversation around the table
halted too.
“Did I sleep too late?” she ventured.
“No, Kat, we were all up very early,”
Derek replied with a smile.
“You’ve been doing a really fantastic
job,” Alex added.
“Looking after us real well,” Nick
said, winking at her. “Just one of
those .. late to bed, early to rise nights.
They happen.”
Kat nodded. “Okay. Derek, we’re
running low on some things.”
“I’ll take you,” Nick offered. “Alex, you wanna come along for the ride?”
“Yeah,” she smiled. “Make a change to get out.” She didn’t want to stay in the house alone.
“Great. I’ll make up a list,” Kat beamed and headed out again.
Instantly, the atmosphere became charged
with tension once more.
“Nick, call Peri. Bring her up to speed,” Derek ordered. “I know it is risky for her, but I want her
here. Soon as she can. Tell her, the artifacts will remain locked
away.”
“Okay,” Nick nodded.
“In the meantime, our priority has to
be finding a way to .. safely release the magic in those artifacts. If we can do that … ”
“Right. Soon as we get back, we’ll make a start.”
Derek checked the time. “I must go.
We should be back around lunchtime.”
“Good luck,” Alex murmured.
*****
Merlin was up early because she hadn’t
been to sleep. With William in the
house, the only time she had to do any research was when he’d retired for the
night .. and he was another one of those people who never needed much
sleep. Aquila stood an invisible guard
outside the door while Merlin typed quickly and got more deeply mired in
frustration. She was breaking virgin
ground here. There was no information
on these things because they’d never been used. They’d vanished into oblivion with the rest of the city.
These artifacts, however, hadn’t died,
hadn’t been destroyed. The magic
powering them was strong enough to overcome a mere cataclysm. And now they’d surfaced again, literally,
and carrying an even greater threat because, in these days, people didn’t care
so much about good and evil. They
didn’t even bother with good and bad.
It had all blurred into staying alive however they could. And certain people in all innocent sincerity
were curious about archaeological artifacts.
They’d poke and probe and fiddle.
One day, by accident, they’d discover a way to put Piece A with Piece B,
and .. hey, look Piece C goes .. in here, wow ..! And people like Merlin would .. what? Die instantly, no matter where they were? Vanish?
Be consumed by some monstrous evil released from the Pit? She didn’t know. There was no way to
know.
“Anything?” Aquila murmured.
Merlin shook her head. “Nada.
Not a solitary thing.”
Aquila didn’t appear concerned but
Merlin knew she was. There wasn’t an
enemy she wasn’t willing to take on.
She might die doing it .. or at least find herself in the forest in a
towering fury, but she wouldn’t back off from the fight. This was different. There was nothing to fight. Breaking a spear, snapping an arrow,
smashing a sword rendered those weapons ineffective .. but there was always
someone holding them. These were just
pieces of pottery, given deadly force and deadly purpose. Putting Aquila against them would be like
sending her to fight a whisk, a cake mix and an egg. On their own, nothing.
Aquila found herself to be useless .. and she didn’t like that.
“Well,” Merlin went on quietly, “look
on the bright side.”
“Is there one?”
“Always. There’s nothing to be found.
That suggests to me several things.”
She twisted round to face herself.
“It could very well be a last resort weapon. Time was running out.
They packed everything they had into this one attempt an’ then did run
out of time. They never put it together
.. and they never had a chance to make any more. This one is all there
is. We know its location. Situation’s contained.”
“So long as it stays in three separate
pieces, we’re all right,” Aquila reasoned.
“Not fine, but all right.”
“Another bright side – we know we can
trust the people guarding it. Nick has
the key and he won’t give it to anyone.
No one’s gonna accidentally assemble it.”
“I trust him,” Aquila remarked,
folding her arms. “The others .. not as
much. I’d prefer it if those pieces
were here. The best guard of any
doomsday weapon is the person it’s intended to kill. It would never be used.”
“Another bright side,” Merlin
continued. “Just cos we don’t know how
to make this thing safe doesn’t mean no one does.”
“The magicians who created it in the
first times.”
“I was thinking more of asking the
boss. If nothing else, Michael can
arrange to dispose of it.”
Aquila nodded. “Good idea.”
“Okay, let’s rejoin. William was always an early riser.”
“How much longer is he going to be
here?” Aquila asked as she came closer.
“I don’t know. He got a – ” Merlin grunted slightly as
Aquila returned, “ – call yesterday afternoon.
Made him go quiet. Usually a bad
sign.”
In what way? Quiet isn’t bad.
“Yeah, well, you were always real
close to William. You liked him. Trust me on this. When William goes quiet, he’s thinking .. hard.”
*****
“I’m not one for grocery shopping,”
Nick commented. “Not when there’s two
women to do it for me. I’m better
suited to acting as chauffeur. I’ll
wait outside.”
“Okay,” Alex smiled and went into the
store with Kat. Alex felt safe knowing
Nick was on guard duty.
He leaned against the Mustang’s hood
and idly watched the street. Equally
casually, he took out his cell phone and called Merlin.
“Yeah,” she said shortly.
“It’s me. How you doing?”
“Aquila and I have discussed it an’
come to the conclusion that we’re all right.
Not fine, but all right. What
about you?”
“Okay, I guess. Looks like you were right about this being a
weapon powered by magic.”
“How’d you know?” she asked.
“It’s coded in the Bible. We’ve been four days crunching numbers, ever
since Derek got a message from Joseph which told him to look there. Secret energies, weapon of destruction,
death will follow death, from the first times, um .. the three shall become one,
enemies will be swept away, DR, RH, and the crowning revelation - used summer, two thousand one,” he
relayed.
He got silence.
“Merli, it isn’t gonna happen. Joseph got a message to warn Derek. We know about it. Now we can prevent it happening.”
“Who’s RH?” she asked.
“Guy called Randolph Hitchcock. Ex-Legacy.
Used to work with Derek years ago.
Long story cut down – Hitchcock was engaged to a woman named Alicia, but
Derek was in love with her too. She was
killed by a demon cos she didn’t stay by the car. Hitchcock blamed Derek.
The guy never married. He nursed
his grievance till it became a full fledged vendetta. About .. six years ago, he turned up at the house with this
container he’d had excavated out in the Holy Land. Inside was a scroll. He
wanted us to decipher it. Derek
did. It was .. written in blood on
human skin, and it was Cain’s confession to murder. Derek was cursed by the thing.
Big showdown in the foyer, Hitchcock escaped. I would’ve gone after him but Derek said to let him go. Now he’s back .. with more gifts from the
Holy Land.”
There was another moment of silence.
“But, Nick, assuming you’re right, and
I have no reason to believe you’re not, this .. gift is harmless to you.”
“Sure, except you’re not there.”
“I don’t know this individual. How would he know I would be there?”
“He found out somehow. Maybe he’s working with someone this time,
someone who knows and who told him.”
Merlin was silent again.
“Anyway, the reason I called is ..
Derek wants you back there, soon as you can.
The artifacts are locked away an’ they’ll stay locked away. No one’s gonna open that box. The risk to you is minimal an’ we’ll do all
we can to keep it that way. We need you
back in the loop, babe.”
“Okay, I’ll come but it won’t be just
yet. I got things to clear up here
first.”
He heard a strange edge to her
voice. “Today?”
“Maybe. If not, tomorrow for sure.”
“An’, Merli? Keep an eye out for Hitchcock.”
“Sure thing, Nicky. Speak soon.
Bye.”
Nick ended the call and pushed the
phone back in his pocket. Then he
watched the road.
*****
“Have I got the all clear yet?” Pete
Miller inquired.
Rachel hesitated. “No.
I did mention it to Alex when she called me last night. There’s .. some kind of lockdown over there
at the moment. I don’t think anyone’s
being allowed in.”
“Your daughter’s there. Aren’t you worried?” he frowned.
“Yeah, of course I am. But I know she’s safer in that house on that
island than she is outside. Nick’s
there an’ he would never let anything happen to Kat. He’d die first.”
“What is he? Ex-cop?”
“Not exactly. He was in the Navy. He’s a former SEAL.”
“Oh …
Right.” Pete nodded. “What about you?”
“What about me?” Rachel blinked.
“Wouldn’t you feel safer in that house
on that island? Behind those siege
walls?”
She gave it honest consideration. “Actually .. no. Yeah, I’d feel safe, but not safer.” Rachel watched his expression.
“Pete .. it’s tough to explain.
That place .. it’s like a second home for me. The people there are like family.
We trust each other, we love each other, and we fight like hell with
each other. But I can leave an’ go to
my first home whenever I want. They all
live there. And, in that atmosphere,
sometimes .. it’s too intense, y’know?
Siege walls are right,” she commented on a sigh. “They’ll be developing siege mentality
too. Batten down the hatches, no one’s
getting in. Sure, I could go over there
an’ be sucked into that. Stress levels
would skyrocket. I’m better off outside. I’m alert an’ aware, and, most importantly,
I’m calm. If they need something doing,
all they have to do is call me an’ I’ll do it for them. They know that. Now I’ve been warned, I’m not gonna escort this guy over there,
am I?”
“What guy?” he asked steadily. “Has he got a record?”
“I don’t think so,” Rachel
admitted. “I don’t think he’s ever been
caught. He’s just .. dangerous. He’s a man with an obsession. A compulsion. He wants revenge, Pete.
And I am not gonna let myself be the instrument of his success.”
Pete watched her. “Okay then.
I was gonna fly back tomorrow but maybe I’ll hold fire for a while.”
“Why?” Rachel wondered.
“You’re not behind those siege walls,
doc. You need a bodyguard.” He grinned.
“Guess what?”
*****
Derek arrived at the airport. The long drive had helped to clear his head
as he’d hoped it would but it had also impressed upon him the fact that he was
a little vulnerable. He felt Randolph
Hitchcock was close by. He knew the
man. They had once been friends as well
as colleagues. Then Alicia had died –
been killed, he amended – and Randolph had lost his way. Soon after, he had left the Legacy. Derek knew, after the last time they’d
locked horns, that Randolph was not the type of man to plot a second attempt at
revenge then not be around to watch it happen.
He was here, somewhere in the city.
Derek’s outward appearance was one of
poise and calm. His mind was churning
but it didn’t show in his face. He went
into the arrivals terminal to wait for Hugh Satterley. He carried a small card rectangle with
Hugh’s name on it. The flight had
landed some forty minutes before but there was baggage retrieval, immigration
and Customs to be cleared. No one was
standing there, looking like they were waiting to be picked up. He felt sure he hadn’t missed Hugh.
Derek looked all around, casually
studying the people waiting in the concourse with him. He didn’t see Randolph Hitchcock but he
didn’t relax his vigilance, not for a second.
Then people began flooding thru the
doors and reunions were made. Derek
lifted his card, scanning each new arrival for someone he couldn’t
recognize. Eventually, a man in his
late forties appeared, brown hair starting to silver at the temples, amiable,
polite expression, erect stance, an almost military way of moving. He saw the card, smiled, and approached.
“Dr Rayne? I’m Hugh Satterley. Very
pleased to meet you, sir.”
“Hugh,” Derek nodded, extending a
hand. “How was your flight?”
“Long but eminently comfortable,” Hugh
replied, taking the hand in a firm grip.
Derek tensed briefly. He saw .. Hugh, in the kitchen at the house,
pouring water into a metal bowl. Copper
.. or possibly bronze. Then it faded.
Hugh was frowning. “Are you all right, sir?”
“A little tired .. as I suspect you
must be. Come, the car’s this way. Everyone is very pleased you are here. The past month has been .. unsettled for
us.”
“I’m sure it will settle again very
soon, Dr Rayne. I’m looking forward to
.. making my contribution.”
“I’m pleased to hear it,” Derek
smiled. “This way.”
*****
“Good morning, Peri,” William
greeted. “You’ll be pleased to know I
shall be leaving this afternoon.”
“Oh .. stay a little longer,” she
urged. “You’re such talkative company.”
He laughed softly. “No .. I really must be going.”
“Your phone call. It came.”
“Yes.
You were there.”
Merlin watched him. “What have you gotten yourself into this
time, William? What .. little plot are
you assisting with?” She smiled
slowly. “What possible hold has
Randolph Hitchcock got over you that you are obeying his orders ..? The great manipulator, William Sloan, being
manipulated? I have got to write this in my journal.”
William’s face was stone. “Randolph ..?” he queried.
“Yeah! Strangest thing. You’re
ex-Legacy, just like he is.”
“I recall the name, of course I do.”
“When did you last see him?”
“Why should it concern you?”
“I have some very good reasons for
wanting to know. Now .. the truth, for
once in your fucking life!”
“Randolph has no hold over me,”
William stated, his voice cold. “I am
merely .. a traveling companion.”
“So he is here in the city.”
“Unless he’s already moved on
elsewhere.” His chin rose in mild yet
defiant challenge. “Cell phones are wonderful
inventions. You can be anywhere.”
Merlin met the challenge head on – she
didn’t know any other way. “Sit down,
William. You’re not going anywhere till
I get the whole story.”
“You can’t keep me a prisoner here.”
“Why should today be any different to
the last five? You turned up with some
stupid yet true reason and you’ve stayed to watch me. I haven’t gone anywhere because I’m too occupied watching you. We’re two people under house arrest. Yeah, I can keep you here. Don’t think that I can’t.” She pointed. “Sit.”
William perched his rump on a barstool
at the kitchen counter.
“Coffee?” she smiled.
“Thank you,” he accepted, his hooded
eyes watching her every move.
“Don’t worry, it isn’t poisoned.” Merlin poured the coffee and sat opposite
him, the counter between them. “What’s
the plan?”
“I don’t know.”
Her eyes narrowed. “He hasn’t told you?”
“No, not yet.”
William considered his options –
Randolph’s dismay or Merlin’s abilities.
He decided he could live with dismay.
“I’ve requested the information on
several occasions. He refuses to give
it.” William shrugged. “He’s .. a very clever man. He probably realized that it would come to
this, you interrogating me, so .. he never said. I can’t tell you what I do not know.”
“You told him about me. You betrayed a confidence, William.”
“Not specifically,” he replied. “I .. simply mentioned the fact that an
armed guard lived at the house. Later,
I told him that this person was married to Mr Boyle. No names were ever given.”
“What was his reaction?”
“Not what I expected,” William
admitted.
“Do you know why?”
He looked up. “He said something about .. some item meant
originally as a curiosity but its purpose changing.”
Merlin glanced away. “He knows what it is. The bastard knows exactly what it is.” She looked back at him. “Did you tell him about Carl Chang?”
“It’s no secret. It’s an accepted, long standing
practice. Carl and Derek have known
each other for a long time.”
Merlin nodded. “So he sent this .. thing to Carl, knowing
Carl would get excited because he wouldn’t have a clue and that he’d have to
take it to the Luna Foundation for examination. A curiosity, nothing more.
Something .. to keep them occupied. Meanwhile, Randolph was presumably advancing
his plan. And then he found out about
me, and his little curiosity became the tool it was always intended to be.”
She shook her head. “What do you know of this .. curiosity?”
“Nothing.” He leaned forward slightly.
“You say it’s a tool?”
“It’s like a smart bomb. It’s targeted at Enforcers. You think I’d be living here otherwise? I can’t go there, William, not till I know
how to disable the magic inside those three components. So far, they’re still separate. It’s like having the explosive, the
detonator and the timer. Put them
together, it makes a bomb. But, even as
they are, they’re dangerous. Magic from
the first times, courtesy of the magicians of Sodom.”
She laughed softly, sadly. “He’s played you like a violin. I’m not much better. Carl was just used, plain an’ simple. Randolph’s been moving his plan along and
he’s kept you hanging. He’s cut me from
the loop without even trying, and those people on that island are defenseless. Don’t tell me he hasn’t got the smarts to
pull this off because we’re not dumb, William, neither of us. And, if he’s gotten around you an’ me … ”
William said nothing but he was
frowning.
“I can maybe understand why Hitchcock
is hell bent on doing this, but I don’t get why you’re helping him. Do you hate Derek that much that you’d want
to see him dead?”
William looked up sharply. “No.
I don’t.”
“Then why are you doing it? You’ve shown Hitchcock the way in, you’ve
told him about me, you’ve aided him every step of the way. Why? He’d still be stewing someplace else if
you’d kept away.”
William studied the counter. “I don’t know. Peri, I honestly do not know.”
It was the truth.
Merlin paused for a moment,
rearranging her thinking and then attacking this from another angle.
“If you’d had a choice, would you have
done it?” she asked softly.
William frowned. “It is always a challenge to take on Derek
Rayne, and I do like to win .. as you know.
But the battles I have enjoyed the most are .. intellectual, not physical. If Hitchcock had come to me with an idea on
how to publicly embarrass Derek, put him in a bad light, discomfit him ..
probably, yes, I would have helped. But
more than that ..? No. I would’ve agreed only as an exercise in
manipulation. Play Randolph off against
Derek, feeding information to both sides and then watching who won. But now people are at risk of more than
embarrassment .. and it seems I am to blame.”
She swallowed. He’d told the truth again. And that told her William hadn’t been given
the choice.
“William, tell me about how he made
contact with you. What happened?”
“He called me, unexpectedly. Randolph hasn’t been a member of the Legacy
for some time. He told me he’d heard
how I was now retired. He invited me to
meet him for a drink, supper. He’d
rented a house not too far from me. I
accepted.”
“And what happened when you got
there? Do you remember ..?”
William thought back. “I arrived at the correct time. He showed me his collection of
artifacts. Small, for so many years of
dedication. And then … We had supper, talked, and I went home.”
Merlin watched him. “Any particular artifact catch your eye?”
“Not that I recall. There were some very nice pieces from
Ancient Egypt. Some small statues. Pieces of jewelry. A bowl. All smuggled out,
of course. Why?”
“No reason, just .. trying to get
ahead of the game. Nothing from the
Holy Land?”
William shook his head. “Not that I could see.”
“Okay. Well, thanks for sharing.”
“I didn’t have much choice.”
“No,” she said enigmatically. “No, you didn’t.”
*****
Nick watched Kat put the groceries
away. Eventually, she swung round to
face him.
“What is it?” she demanded. “Whatever it is, please, just tell me.”
He pushed away from the wall. “Let’s go grab a cup of coffee, huh?”
“Is it my Mom?” Kat asked, not moving.
“She’s fine. It’s us. C’mon,
kiddo. There’re some things which need
to be said. You’re in the house which
means you’ve involved. You need to
know.”
“Okay,” Kat agreed quietly and
followed him into the kitchen.
Nick poured two cups of coffee and
brought them to the table, then picked up a chair, turned it and straddled
it. He rested his forearms along the
back and put his chin on his arms.
“There’s this guy who .. really
doesn’t like Derek an’ we think he’s gonna try to get in here. His name’s Randolph Hitchcock. He’s been here before so you may have heard
the name. I’ve told the gate not to let
him thru but .. in case he does get by them and he comes to the house, you let
him in an’ then you come tell me, okay?
Don’t be a hero, Kat. You hear
me?”
She nodded.
“Chances are .. he’ll give up an’ go
home. But we’re in a lockdown
here. No one leaves, no one comes
in. You’ll be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I know,” Kat said with a brave smile.
“Okay. Business as usual .. and the new butler arrives today. Come to check us out, make sure we meet his
standards,” Nick grinned. “Derek’s gone
to pick him up from the airport. You’re
out of a job, but I can always find stuff for you to do.”
“He’ll need to be shown where things
are,” Kat responded. “And I’ll fix
lunch today. I expect he’s tired, if
he’s come a long way.”
Nick nodded, satisfied that Kat was
handling this in the way she should.
“You remember what I said about being
a hero,” he cautioned.
“Sure,” she laughed. “That’s your
job.”
*****
Derek pulled up outside the front
door. “This is the house. Like I said on the phone, it is big.”
“So I can see, sir. Very beautiful, though.”
“Thank you. Come along inside. We’ll
give you a guest room while you’re here and while you get your accommodations
arranged.”
“Most generous of you, Dr Rayne.”
Derek led the way into the foyer just
as Nick emerged from the hall leading to the kitchen. “Ah, Nick, this is Hugh Satterley.”
“Hi, pleased to meet you,” Nick said,
smiling quickly and holding out a hand.
“Nick Boyle.”
“Sir,” Hugh responded.
“I’m going to put Hugh in the master
guest room. Would you tell Alex and Kat
to meet us in the study in about .. fifteen minutes?”
“Sure,” Nick agreed. “You want coffee in the study too?”
“Yes, that would be most welcome,”
Derek nodded. “Hugh, this way.”
Hugh followed Derek upstairs and Nick
turned on his heel to go put in the coffee order. He almost walked straight into Kat.
“Is that him?” she whispered.
“Yeah. His name’s Hugh.”
Peeking around Nick’s shoulder, she
watched until Derek and the new butler had vanished from sight. Then she wrinkled her nose.
“I don’t like him very much. He doesn’t have a nice face.”
“Don’t make judgments,” Nick
grinned. “Coffee in the study in
fifteen minutes. An’ try to be polite
when you’re introduced.”
Kat glanced up at him. “Yes, sir,” she said and pulled a face.
Hugh was studying his surroundings as he
climbed more stairs. “Where did your
previous butler live, sir?” he asked.
“He had an apartment in Belvedere,
just on the mainland,” Derek replied, setting off along a hallway.
“I see. Can I ask, sir, what work goes on in the Luna Foundation?”
“We investigate reports of the
paranormal,” Derek said.
“Ah .. an intriguing field of
study. I’ve an interest in that
myself.”
“Yes, I recall your resume said your
grandfather was a member of the British Psychical Research Society. I’d be pleased to hear some of the stories
he must have told you.”
“With pleasure, Dr Rayne,” Hugh
agreed.
“Here we are.” Derek pushed open a door. “The bathroom’s over there. If you’d like to leave your bags, I’ll take
you to the study and introduce you to the others. Then we’ll leave you alone to rest for a while. It may be lunchtime here, but you’ve already
been on the move for over fourteen hours.”
“Thank you, sir. That’s very kind. I have to say that, so far, I like what I’ve seen. I’m sure I’ll be here a very long time.”
Derek nodded and smiled. Now he was home again, he felt more in
control. Randolph Hitchcock was very
firmly outside, and there he was going to stay.
“This way. For a while, there’s a tendency to get lost. Don’t worry about it,” he remarked as he led
the way back along the hall to the stairs.
*****
As Derek was introducing the man he
knew as Hugh Satterley – but was actually someone called Richard Jones – to
Alex and Kat, Randolph Hitchcock was waiting in the arrivals terminal at the
airport for the real Hugh Satterley to come thru the door. Like Derek had earlier, he held a small card
rectangle with Hugh’s name on it.
Now that Richard Jones was safely
inside the enemy’s camp, Randolph could devote his entire attention to removing
this last obstacle.
The best attacks in military history
were always two pronged. A pincer
movement. Distract the enemy with a
bluff, then move in when least expected.
And now everything was moving along at a brisk pace to a
conclusion. The guard, effectively neutralized. How, Randolph didn’t know exactly, but it
would happen. It would be interesting
to see what occurred when the three became one. The others there would be immune to the effect. But that was where Richard became so
important. Richard, and the copper bowl
known as the Eye of Thoth. It had
worked a charm on William Sloan. A very
successful first test. If it hadn’t,
Randolph would have reluctantly gone back to the drawing board. But it had.
Years of waiting came together when
he’d read the report in the paper of a minor road accident. William, acting on his orders, had called to
say one of the victims had worked as the butler at the San Francisco Legacy
house. It had been the signal Randolph
had long awaited. His patience had
finally paid off. The rusted wheels of
jealousy and vengeance had creaked and started to move again, and the shadow he
cast grew rich and long.
Randolph Hitchcock wasn’t a violent
man. He detested violence but he knew
that, for some things to come to their natural fruition, violence was sometimes
not only expedient but necessary. Such
was the case here.
People began emerging thru the doors
and Randolph held up his card. A man,
in his late forties, mild, a little anxious, saw the card, smiled, and
approached.
“Mr Hitchcock?”
“Mr Satterley, welcome to San
Francisco,” Randolph greeted. “As I
said on the telephone, Dr Rayne has been called away at short notice. These things happen, I’m afraid,” he explained
with a shrug.
“I quite understand, sir. Unfortunate, but I’m sure I’ll meet him at
some time. I am looking forward to
seeing the house.”
So am I, Randolph thought as he
smiled. “This way, Mr Satterley. It’s quite a long drive.”
For you, it’ll last the rest of your
life …
*****
“Oh, excuse me,” Rachel said as her
purse began to beep. She took her cell
phone and opened it. “Rachel Corrigan.”
“Hi, Mom.”
“Kat!
How you doing?”
Pete Miller watched Rachel’s face light. There was nothing quite like a mother’s love.
“Okay.”
“You don’t sound okay. What’s up?”
“Hugh’s here.”
“Oh …
An’ you don’t like the fact your paid summer job is over?”
There was a pause. Rachel’s smile faltered.
“I don’t like him, Mom. There’s something creepy about him.”
Rachel glanced at Pete and half turned
away. “What d’you mean, creepy?”
“He isn’t like Joseph. They sound the same an’ they act the same
but .. Joseph was always nice, y’know?
We did stuff together. Baking cookies,
that kinda thing.”
“Hugh’s different. You can’t expect him to be like Joseph, not
after a couple of hours of the poor guy walking thru the door. He’s flown all the way from England. Remember how long the flight was?”
“I guess,” Kat grudgingly
admitted. “But he’s still creepy.”
“Kat, I helped Derek choose this guy. We went thru his background together. He’s a very competent butler. Just give him a little time, okay? Don’t jump to conclusions.”
“Okay,” Kat subsided.
“And if he goes on being creepy, you
call an’ let me know.”
“Okay,” Kat repeated. “How’s Pete?”
“He’s fine. He’s here, if you wanna say hello.”
There was another moment of
hesitation, then, “Okay.”
Rachel turned back and offered the
phone. “Kat wants to say hi.”
Pete straightened his shoulders and
cleared his throat. “Hi, Kat,” he said.
“Hi.
Pete, would you do something for me?”
“Sure.”
“Look out for my Mom? She says you’re a real good friend. Peri isn’t around to ask so .. will you do
it? Please?”
“Sure, kid. No problem.”
“Thanks. I hope you’re liking the city.”
“Yeah, I am. Your mother’s a really great guide. When you come to Tulsa, I’ll do the same for you. Deal?”
“Sure,” Kat laughed. “Bye.”
Pete handed the phone back to
Rachel. “Like I thought, she’s a great
kid. Got her head screwed on
right. Knows her priorities.”
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