Chapter 12
Dreams
Derek glanced over his shoulder in puzzled
alarm at the sound of flying footsteps rapidly approaching. “Andrew?”
“An urgent message, sir,” Andrew
panted. “You’re to look for a box,
small, wooden, heavily carved, and you’re not to touch it, at all. Not with bare hands, not with gloves. Peri – Mrs Boyle, that is – has just called.”
Derek hesitated for a fraction of a
second then bellowed, “Alex! Touch
nothing!”
Two rooms down, Alex dropped Steve’s
shoe, her heart in her throat. She
watched it as if it would turn and bite her.
A moment later, Derek arrived.
“Are you all right?”
“I think so. I’ve touched a lotta stuff, Derek. I had to,” she admitted with a shrug. “This place is a mess.”
“Clothes are acceptable. Our target is a small wooden box.”
“Oh .. well, I haven’t seen anything
like that. How small is small?” she
frowned. “And .. how do you know
anything about it?”
“Peri told me, via Andrew. I expect Nick told her. I’m going to call her now to get more
detail.”
They left Steve still oblivious and
went downstairs again. Merlin answered
almost immediately.
“You guys okay? Haven’t touched it?”
“We haven’t seen it so we’re fine,”
Derek replied. “Peri, Alex is here with
me and you’re on the speaker.”
“Hi, Alex.”
“Peri, how did you know?” Alex asked.
“Did Nick tell you?” Derek queried.
“No, Carl did. Carl Chang.
Apparently, when you sent Steve over there with some – ”
“A pottery shard.”
“ – yeah, Steve also took with him a
box. He let Carl take a look. And, as Carl always wears gloves when
handling relics, he still had gloves on when he looked at the box. When he handed it back, there was a sticky
resinous film on the gloves an’ they caught fire. Derek, I’m only repeating stuff an’ I know
I’m not making much sense. I’m
beat. Speak with Carl. Ask him questions. Then you’ll know what to search for. I’m going to sleep now. I’ve done all I can for one day.”
The line clicked dead. Alex’s gaze rose to Derek’s face.
“A box which, when handled, leaves
behind a resinous film.”
Derek nodded. “An alien substance which could work its way
into the blood stream and trigger .. this behavior?”
“Call Carl,” Alex instructed. “It’s about time we got lucky.”
*****
“He’s the only person in your dream?”
Rachel repeated slowly, thinking this was unusual. There were either people, or there were no
people. One guy .. stuck out.
“I don’t see anyone else,” Kat
confirmed.
“But you can’t make out any detail.”
Kat shook her head. “Not yet.
I will though. Another couple of
nights. Three at most.”
“I don’t know if we have that much
time.” Rachel thought quickly. “Kat, you dream this every time you sleep?”
“Yeah, it’s really quite boring. Only the end is different cos it grows. But I can’t slip to the end part, I have to
go thru everything else first.”
“Okay .. do you have any plans for
today?”
Kat eased back. “Why?”
“An idea. May not work,” Rachel admitted, “but we can
try. What if we artificially speed it
up? Take a nap now. Then another in a
few hours. Then sleep tonight. Like I say, it may not work. You might only get to a new end an’ stick
there. But, if it does work, we’ll make
up a lotta time.” She watched her daughter. “Will you help, Kat? Please?”
“Sure,” Kat instantly agreed. “If it means Nick gets saved, I’ll do
whatever I can.”
*****
Derek pressed out the number and
waited. He didn’t wait very long.
“Yo, you’re thru to Dr Carl
Chang. How can I help you?”
“Carl, it’s Derek.”
“Hey, Derek! Couldn’t wait, huh? I would’ve brought it with me tomorrow,
complete with a proper report, but I can tell you over the phone. I thought, first look, very superficial,
casual, that it was Mesopotamian. It
isn’t. Still old but not that old. This is Seljuk Turk, around the time of the
Crusades. Twelve hundred, give or take
five years.”
“Very good,” Derek congratulated. “I wondered if it would throw you. I can see it didn’t. However, that isn’t why I’m calling, although
I do look forward to receiving the report tomorrow. I’m calling about the box Steve Anthony
brought with him.”
“I gotta tell you, Derek. For a while there, I was torn but I figured
your second opinion took priority over the mysterious box. Like I just said to Peri, I’d sure like to
get it into the lab. It’s got some ..
interesting qualities, though .. more chemistry than history.”
Derek briefly closed his eyes. The shard was nothing, a way to maintain a
friendly contact, nothing more. This
once, Derek wished Carl hadn’t been so dedicated to friendship and had been
more consumed with curiosity.
“Carl, can you tell me, exactly, what
happened when Steve came over?”
At this, Carl paused. “Is there a problem?”
“Peri mentioned the residue on your
gloves. Steve isn’t feeling very
well. We’re trying to discover if there
is a causative link.”
“Oh, gee, I’m sorry to hear that. An’ yeah, he wasn’t wearing gloves when he
handled it. Sure, however I can
help. Okay, let me think for a second.”
Carl took a deep breath. “Right, I was filing, or trying to, when he
turned up. I was glad to have any
excuse, y’know? I have to admit, for a
second I believed he was Nick. He gave
me the cardboard box with the shard. I
put on gloves, opened the box, took a look inside but didn’t touch. Then he said, in passing, what did I think of
the other box. He advised me not to open
it. I took it from him and examined it,
didn’t open it. It’s small. Two, maybe two an’ one half inches square. It’s almost cube shaped. It’s heavily carved. They look like coils. Reminded me of Celtic knotwork. It wasn’t that. The coils, I saw on closer study, are
vines. They have leaf buds. There’s a cipher in the middle of the
lid. Couple of initials. I think they’re .. double D. Couldn’t swear to it cos I didn’t look long
enough. Might’ve been double R or double
P. I asked Steve what did he think the
wood was; he didn’t know. I sniffed at
it. It could be sandalwood. There’s definitely a resinous tang but with a
sweet perfume too. I told him I thought
it was Indian, from
“Please,” Derek said, nodding.
“I went to lift the shard outta the
box but noticed, in time, thank God, that my gloves were compromised. They were coated with a sticky, resinous gunk
which had obviously leached from the wooden box. It was a blue green color which was starting
to turn yellow brown. The gloves were
getting warm. I peeled ’em off, tossed
’em in the trash. Couple of seconds
later, my trash can’s in flames. Had to
use an extinguisher. End of story,” Carl
concluded.
“It does appear to have interesting
qualities,” Derek mused quietly.
“Yeah.
I was glad I didn’t open the
box.”
“Thank you, Carl. That was most useful. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“For sure. We’re looking forward to it. An’ I hope Steve feels better soon.”
“I’ll pass on your good wishes.” Derek hung up and thought deeply. Alex leaned forward.
“You think Steve did open the box?”
she ventured.
“Yes, I do. Both Steve and Nick. I also think they had no choice. Once they’d touched it, closed, they were
compelled to go on and lift the lid.”
“And .. whatever’s inside .. compelled
them to do what they’ve been doing ever since.”
Derek nodded. “Like a self replicating virus, it’s in their
bodies, their minds. They don’t need the
box anymore. The danger to them has passed
.. although subsequent handling may prolong the exposure. However, the danger to us is very real. Steve passed it on to Nick. As far as we know, Nick hasn’t passed it on
to anyone else. It should be in his
room.” He looked at her. “Shall we go?”
*****
Feeding the rat. Nick tapped the fingers of one hand idly on
the steering wheel as the ferry plowed its way across the Bay. He’d heard the phrase before. He was guilty of it and had been before Steve
had given him the box. Nick had fed the
rat for over ten years.
Feeding the rat meant an addiction to
adrenaline. To dangerous sports, to
risking life and limb just for the natural high. Some guys couldn’t control it and turned to
other addictions – alcohol, narcotics.
Nick always had been able to control it because first the Teams and then
the Legacy gave him easy access to danger.
Yet now .. he was losing that control.
No. He’d lost it. His rat was always ravenous these days. Time spent not pushing his body into and thru
life threatening situations was time wasted.
He craved the natural high. He
couldn’t get enough.
And yet .. he was so tired. His body hurt with weariness. He ached with the need to sleep and ached
with the hunger to be doing something risky.
The rat was sinking in its teeth, demanding, insisting, threatening to
gnaw its way to his soul and suck it dry.
The next dare was up to Steve. Twice now, Steve had been narrowly freed from
losing. Nick had just missed out on
winning. Whatever the dare was, it would
be tough, biased toward a victory for Steve.
As it should be, Nick thought. My
dare was the race and then the hunt.
Biased toward my strengths. His
dares .. so far, they’ve been nothing.
Setting off the alarms. Making
out with girls. Making a pass. Easy stuff.
A cheap thrill. Nothing like I’ve
given him.
It’s corrupting me.
He blinked, frowning, wondering where
that stray thought had come from.
Don’t you get it? Have you totally lost your way?
Oh great, he sighed. I have a conscience. Well, you can shut the fuck up cos I ain’t
listening. I’m free of all that now. Conscience. Morals.
Ethics. Whatever gets the job
done and brings me out on top, that’s
what’s important.
The ferry docked and Nick started the
Mustang’s engine. Soon, one way or
another, it’d be over.
*****
“Nick has never been this untidy,”
Alex muttered, sorting thru a heap of discarded clothes. “Peri will go mad when she sees this.”
“I think she’s been incredibly
restrained,” Derek remarked. “But then,
even though she could let it out, she can’t.
She will never be completely normal, never able to enjoy a completely
normal life. She dare not.”
Alex shuddered. “Can you imagine what would have happened if
Nick had given the box to her?”
It was not a nice image. Derek’s face darkened. The only comfort he could take was that Nick
hadn’t done it.
“What do we do with it when we find
it?” Alex asked, shifting the subject.
“Isolate it. Keep it under lock and key, and then find a
way to destroy it.” He shook his
head. “Steve lied to me. I see it now.
I asked him if anything unusual had happened to him since leaving New
York, and he said no. But someone had
given him a gift.”
“It could’ve happened in New York,”
Alex pointed out.
“No.
That’s impossible. Once he had
handled it, the .. substance, the poison was in his blood. Imagine,” he invited. “We meet for the first time, two complete
strangers. We start up a
conversation. I offer you a gift, insist
you take it. Do you stop to think about
putting on gloves? I would say not. You may stop to think you don’t want a gift,
but, if I’m insisting, you would accept.
You take it. And, by then, it’s
too late.”
He shrugged. “It may have been totally innocent but Steve
should have mentioned it. It’s
unusual. So, once the poison was in his
blood, he resisted it for as long as he could and then he gave in. He opened the box. I believe that happened the morning of his
second day with us. Steve could not have
resisted more than twenty four hours.
Remarkable really. He’s very
strong. Nick lasted only a few hours in
comparison. It happened here, Alex. In the city.
At the airport. On the ferry.”
“Do you think he was targeted
deliberately?” Alex wondered, her voice uneasy.
Derek looked at her and smiled without
humor. “Don’t you? Nick would have passed it on to one of
us. We would’ve passed it on again. This house would have been corrupted and we
would have turned to the Darkside. It
was deliberate.”
She nodded. “Well, I guess, now we know, we won’t be
fooled into accepting it like Nick was.”
“Hmm.”
Derek straightened. “Taking it to
Carl was a tactical error.” He looked
around but not really seeing anything.
“Nick would have no reason to hide this artifact and I cannot see
anything resembling the box Carl described.
Yet I recall Nick was careful to lock his door the other day and maybe
he has concealed it – he is a Legacy
member, after all, and he knows very well what my reaction to it would be. We have no time left now to search. Nick will be here shortly. Alex,” he continued, focusing on her face,
“as far as he is aware, we do not know anything. Today is the same as yesterday. He must remain in that state of
ignorance. And it is only the outside
which is superficially the enemy. The
Nick we know is aware and alive, and he has asked for help. The help we give him must be to act as if we
know nothing.”
Alex drew in a breath. “All right.
I’ll try.”
“Try hard.”
They left the room, locking the door
behind them, and went down to the control room.
“Derek .. if the box was given to Nick,” Alex slowly began, reasoning it
thru as she spoke, “Steve must have taken it back. Okay, I’m not saying he stole it from Nick’s
room, he probably has open access seeing as how they’ve been best buddies for
the last couple of weeks, but he took it.
He must have. How else could he
have shown it to Carl? That was after
Nick became a victim.”
Derek paused. “Well done, Alex!”
“I couldn’t see it in Steve’s room
either. I know I didn’t know what to
look for when I was in there but Steve hasn’t accumulated a collection of
souvenirs or bric-a-brac. There were
just clothes everywhere. But it could be in his car. He might not have removed it after his visit
to Berkeley.”
“When you get a chance, go and
look. Be careful. If it is there, remember, don’t handle it
directly. Use tongs or an item of
clothing you won’t miss.”
She nodded. “Yeah.
I have a scarf someone gave me for Christmas one year. I wouldn’t be sorry to see that burn. Derek, keep Nick’s attention away from the
cameras. I can act the part but not when
he’s coming straight for me.”
“It’s the fundraiser tomorrow,” he
commented. “I have to discuss it with my
head of security. That should give you
enough time.”
*****
Take a nap. Sure.
Just lay down, close your eyes, and …
The only problem was Kat wasn’t sleepy.
“Mom, I want to, I just can’t. I’ve tried reading a very boring book, it
isn’t working. I can’t get to sleep.”
The expression on Rachel’s face clawed
at Kat’s heart. It was sympathy mixed
with disappointment and just a trace of desperation.
“I have an idea,” Kat went on. “Hypnotize me.”
“Kat, I can’t. Derek wouldn’t want me to. I don’t want to. This is important but not that
important. An’, besides,” Rachel added,
“I could affect the outcome.”
“Mom, you do this every day.”
“You’re not ill, sweetie.”
“I’m not asking you to put me under
an’ tell me to dream. I just need a
little help in falling asleep. Can’t you
suggest that I’m tired? That I just
can’t keep my eyes open an’ that, after I’ve slept, I’ll wake naturally an’
feel fine?”
“The equivalent of a glass of warm
milk at the end of a strenuous day?” Rachel cautiously translated.
“Yeah, exactly that,” Kat smiled. “It can’t hurt. It could help.”
Slowly, still reluctant, Rachel
nodded. “Okay. Let’s go to your room.”
Upstairs, Kat stretched out on her
bed, her hands folded loosely on her stomach.
“Mom, it’s okay. I know you don’t
want to, but you have to.”
“The dream isn’t dangerous .. is it?”
Kat shook her head. “Not to me.
I’m like .. an observer.
Everything happens around me but I don’t seem to be part of it.”
“Okay, honey. I’ll .. get you to a state of deep
relaxation. After that, it’s up to you
whether you sleep or not. I won’t put
pressure on you.”
“Fine.”
Rachel looked around for something
small to hold. Kat had plenty of things
in her bedroom. It was like her – a room
half child, half young woman. Rachel
selected a gold pendant with a silver inlay.
“Concentrate on this. Try not to blink or look away. Just watch it. Remember to breathe. In .. an’ out. In .. an’ out. Listen to my voice. Breathe .. in .. an’ out. See the shiny metal, how it flashes so
regularly .. an’ breathe in .. an’ out.
You can’t look away now. It’s
captured your eyes. You’re being pulled
in. It’s your whole world … Your eyelids are heavy. You feel very relaxed. Your body is heavy, sinking down into the bed
… So warm an’ comfortable. In .. an’ out. You can’t lift your hands, or your arms. You’re relaxed an’ feeling very tired … ”
Kat’s eyelids drifted shut.
Good luck, Rachel thought.
It didn’t matter to her that Kat had
suggested it, Rachel still felt like ten kinds of traitor rolled into one for
doing this to her child.
*****
“Ah, Nick,” Andrew greeted as the
front door closed, “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Why?” Nick frowned.
Andrew blinked. “I wanted to go over the arrangements. For tomorrow.
The caterers will – ”
“I’m pretty beat. Can’t this wait?”
“Till when? Tomorrow evening?”
Nick’s jaw twitched. “Okay.
Spit it out.”
Andrew straightened his shoulders, his
face becoming cold. “Certainly,
sir. The caterers will arrive around
nine thirty tomorrow morning to begin setting up. I’ve told them you’ll process them as soon as
they get here. I trust that’s
acceptable.”
“Whatever,” Nick dismissed.
“They’ll park up on the drive while
they unload an’ then move their trucks behind the garage. The musicians will arrive at eleven and set
up on the terrace. They need to let the
instruments acclimatize.”
Nick sighed.
“I’m sorry if this is boring you,” Andrew
commented. “I assumed you’d wish to be
informed of such matters.”
“I don’t give a shit.”
“Then I won’t detain you any longer,”
the steward said coolly. “Please tell Dr
Rayne that I’d like to see him at his earliest convenience.”
“Sure.”
Nick took the stairs two at a
time. He didn’t go to the control room,
and he instantly forgot Andrew’s request to pass on the message. He went on, to the next floor, and to Steve’s
room. He’d already loosened his firearm
in its holster.
*****
Steve’s eyelids fluttered open. For a moment, the merest fraction of a second
yet a vast eon of time, he felt safe, comfortable, and he knew exactly where he
was and what he was meant to do here. He
was a Legacy member, and this was his new house. He had a lot of ground to make up and a
thousand fences to repair. He had not
made a good start. Steve had screwed up
before he’d even arrived.
Then it vanished. Like it had been wiped away. A slow grin spread over his face. Man, life was good. He was right where he wanted to be.
He sat up, working his mouth. His throat was dry and he was hungry. But he wasn’t tired anymore. He felt alive, fizzing with energy. Ready for the next challenge.
“Which is down to me,” he
recalled. “He nearly cut my throat. What a bastard. I thought he was my friend but, Steve, he
isn’t. He doesn’t care about me. He cares only about winning. Now there’s a thing … Okay, so I give him something where he has to
lose. Guaranteed. No more Mr Nice Guy. What a rush … ”
Pick your time. Fundraiser tomorrow. That’ll be over by early evening. After that.
When everyone’s nice and relaxed, duty done, responsibilities safely put
away till the next time. Perfect.
His head turned toward the door as the
handle started to move. Steve was on his
feet a second later, easing silently forward.
The door opened a little and he grabbed it, jerking it all the way.
“Hi, bro! How you feeling?” Steve exclaimed with a
grin. “You don’t look so good. Me ..?
I feel great.”
Nick’s mouth was a thin, resentful
line. “Tired, that’s all. I had a long night.”
“Screwing around, or just screwing
your wife?”
“Being screwed over,” Nick replied.
Steve slapped a hand onto the other
man’s shoulder. “Then I’ll go easy on
you .. today. Try an’ rest up. I’ll need you sharp.”
Nick’s eyes flickered. “What’s the dare?” he asked quickly.
“Still working on the fine detail,
bro. Patience,” he winked. “I’ll tell you .. but not just yet. C’mon, let’s get downstairs an’ do an honest
day’s work for once, huh?”
*****
Merlin was completely zoned out. But her mind was still busy, still churning
over the problem, trying to find a way out.
As a result, she had some strange dreams.
She was sitting in a garden
somewhere. There were roses. Lots of roses. The perfume was overpowering. The day was warm and sunny and she felt quite
lethargic. Her first visitor was someone
she didn’t know, just an anonymous passer-by, a construct put together by her
mind. A little piece of everyone she’d
ever met. The woman sat beside her on
the bench.
“Lovely day, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Merlin replied.
“What he’s going thru right now, you
understand better than anyone. Better
even than him. You’re the ideal guide.”
“Are you saying that I’m addicted to
danger?”
“No, I’m not.”
“That’s good because I’d have to hit
you if you were.”
The woman smiled. “What I’m saying is that you’ve lived with an
outer shell which has its own opinions and can function independently of the
spirit. And you have a spirit which doesn’t
always approve of what its shell is doing.
You’re lucky. You an’ your spirit
work in harmony. He’s experiencing the
opposite. He’s at war with himself and,
lacking the training and practice you’ve had, he can’t get his voice
heard. So you understand. Does Aquila blame you for things you’ve done
which she didn’t like? No. You can’t blame him for the things he’s done
and will do.”
“I don’t blame him.”
“That’s your head talking. Your heart feels wounded that he cheated on
you. Get over it. What’s more, you mustn’t let him blame
himself. He has no control. You have to beat that into him until he gets over it. That’s where being a guide will help the
most.” The woman rose. “You know all this but it never hurts to hear
it out loud.”
“Thanks. I’ll remember.”
She sat alone for a while then her
second visitor arrived and sank onto the bench next to her.
“He needs to remember who he is. What he is.
What he was,” Matt announced.
“He’s strong enough to fight but he feels powerless. Trapped.
I’m ready. You just need to call
me, okay? I can be there inside twelve
hours.”
“Okay, I’ll call you. Why are you doing this, Matt?”
“Because I’m his friend. I knew him a long time before you did. You know his life now. I knew his life then. Between us, we cover the bases. He’ll need us to pull him back. He’s taking a battering, an’ he hates
it. We just have to .. tap into the
essence an’ he’ll use it to find a way out.”
She smiled. “It’ll be something to celebrate.”
“Call me,” Matt instructed. “I’m ready an’ good to go.” He paused then put a hand gently on her
shoulder. “He can’t do it without us an’
I know you won’t give up on him.”
“No, I won’t. I’ll call you.”
Merlin sat alone again, listening to
the distant trill of birdsong and the slight breeze rustling the tree
tops. It was a beautiful day, calm,
tranquil. Utterly serene. She even wore a floaty white dress.
If this is the inside of my mind .. I
need help, she mused. I do not do floaty white dresses.
The surroundings, however, were just a
backdrop to the messages. They were
important, the rose garden, while very pleasant, was not.
Her last visitor did not look calm or
tranquil. He looked bedraggled, unkempt,
and hunted.
“I don’t know what to do, Merli. I don’t know how it happened. One second, I had it under control. The next …
I was lost.”
“It’s okay. We know you’re not to blame. You’re a victim.”
“Steve did it deliberately. He gave me a gift.”
“A box. Heavily carved. Small.
You held it in your bare hands.
After that, you didn’t get a choice.”
“Yeah.” Nick studied her. “He said he was sorry, that he’d gotten it
for me. I told him I didn’t want it but
he insisted. Said it was no use to him.”
“It wasn’t, not by that time. It’d done its work. It was time to pass it on. Yeah, he deliberately chose you but Steve
isn’t at fault. He’s in the same
situation as you. Trapped, an’ a
victim.”
“Merli … ” Nick stared at his hands, knotted together
between his knees. “I’ve done things I’m
not proud of. I broke my vows. I promised to stay faithful. I cheated on you.”
She nodded. “I know.
Not the end of the world. How
could you have prevented it? You
couldn’t. I don’t blame you.”
“But .. I promised.”
“Did you agree with what was going
on?”
He shook his head. “I was .. like a prisoner in my own
head. I could see thru my eyes, hear
everything, feel what he touched .. but it wasn’t me. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t fight him.”
“Then how are you at fault? It isn’t important, Nicky. What’s important is getting you free of this
.. compulsion. We’re working on it. Hang in there, okay?”
“You know I love you.”
“Yeah, I know. If you didn’t, you would’ve given me the box
just for the hell of it. You would’ve
told Steve every secret about me. You
would’ve done a lotta very murky things, physically damaging things. You would’ve gotten back into narcotics. You are fighting him. You have more power than you realize to
affect what’s happening.”
“I hurt people. I’ve hurt you,” he confessed in a miserable
voice.
“You didn’t. When you’re back, I’ll explain. I understand what this is like for you. Better than you think.” She smiled gently and touched a hand to his
face. “I love you. That won’t ever change. You’re a constant challenge, an’ that makes
me feel alive. I won’t ever give up on
you, no matter what.” Her smile
widened. “You look a mess, d’you know
that?”
There was a faint answering
smile. “I don’t get a choice in that
either.” The smile dwindled away. “I have to go.”
“You won’t go far. You can talk to me now. I’ll keep you sane.”
Merlin sat alone in the garden and
enjoyed the kiss of the sunshine. She
felt calm. Serene. And very, very determined. Someone was going to pay for all this.
*****
The remainder of the day was a
washout. Alex couldn’t get to the garage
to search Steve’s Soft Top because Steve, to everyone’s surprise, came into the
control room with Nick and stuck to Alex like she was smothered in glue. Nick went into Derek’s office to debate the
security for the next day, and finally mentioned that Andrew wanted to speak
with him about something. He didn’t
mention that the main threat to the security of the guests was Nick himself.
Derek made no comment on Nick’s
appearance although he thought Nick looked ill.
Steve, on the other hand, looked much better. His body had recharged. Nick hadn’t had the chance, nor would he.
They discussed the fundraiser in
general terms and Derek decided to call it a day. No more work.
Reluctantly, Alex left to go to her manicure, pedicure and massage
appointments but reminded herself that Derek was the Precept. You didn’t get to be a Precept if you
couldn’t handle what it meant.
Derek, equally reluctantly but not
letting it show in his tone of voice, words spoken, or facial expression, left
Nick and Steve in the control room while he went to talk with Andrew. He felt there was something fundamentally
wrong in leaving them there alone when they weren’t in full possession of their
wills. They could do all manner of
damage, and not necessarily just trashing the place. Legacy people had access to secrets. For all Derek knew, they were happily passing
on those secrets to an outside party as a dare, a cheap thrill. But he could do nothing to stop it. Ordering them out, revoking their access,
would signal he was onto them.
“Andrew.”
“Dr Rayne. Is Nick all right?” Andrew frowned.
“No, not presently. He is under some stress. I must ask you to make allowances.”
“I understand, sir. I tried to speak with him earlier regarding
the function tomorrow. He didn’t appear
to want to listen.”
“Tell me instead. I promise I will listen avidly.”
*****
The day of the fundraiser dawned
bright and sunny. The temperature
rose. Andrew had stayed over so he could
make an early start. It looked to be an
excellent occasion for the Luna Foundation.
The sunshine gleamed on the stone of the tower. The flowers glowed like jewels. The lawn was immaculate. The estate was at its absolute, pristine best.
The caterers arrived in the driveway
at just on nine thirty and began to unload tables and chairs. The team swung into action under Andrew’s
watchful supervision. He’d organized any
number of garden parties for the rich and famous when he was in LA.
Derek came out once to observe and nod
his approval before returning inside.
Andrew was impressed. Most people
who were paying for this level of entertaining stayed to watch and then make
suggestions and get in the way. Derek
was different. He paid Andrew to oversee
everything, and he trusted Andrew to earn his pay.
Alex worked quietly on the Parkfield
project for a few hours before abandoning it to get ready. The massage had been good but hadn’t really
worked. She’d been tense to start and
she’d still been tense at the end, although not so much.
When I’m back from my fieldtrip, I’m
making another appointment. I deserve
it.
Steve hadn’t slept much because he
wasn’t tired and he’d worked on his plan during the hours of darkness. It was sweet, it really was. Deadly, but very sweet. He went out for a morning run before
breakfast because he was too bursting with energy to stay inside. Now he showered and shaved, donned crisp
white shirt, dark suit and green tie. He
combed his hair and studied his face in the mirror. Looking good, he thought, and went downstairs
ready to play junior host.
Nick had managed to sleep but he
didn’t feel very rested when he woke. He
felt twitchy and on edge. The dare would
come soon, today most likely. He hadn’t
pressed Steve for detail, it would’ve been pointless. It was payback for Nick not telling Steve
about the hunt. Steve would keep it a
secret to the last minute. In the
meantime, as Steve had reminded him yesterday afternoon, there was the small
matter of searching the guests’ vehicles for loose change and other
valuables. He hadn’t forgotten. It would make wearing a tie bearable. Nick showered and shaved, aware that he
didn’t look so hot, then dressed in a white shirt and a dark charcoal gray
suit. His tie was blue.
Andrew prepared a very light lunch
because, within two hours, they’d be mingling with the guests and eating fairly
constantly thru the afternoon.
The musicians were setting up at the
end of the terrace, starting to tune their instruments. The lawn was a sea of tables and chairs,
white linen hardly moving as the breeze died completely away.
Merlin arrived around one
o’clock. She felt refreshed after her
long sleep and it showed. Derek nodded
at her as she came in and headed for the stairs, and decided he wouldn’t want
to get on her wrong side. Not
today. There was a steely resolve in her
eyes and in the way she held her chin.
The final person to turn up was Rachel
and she came in about twenty minutes before the first guest drove onto the
estate.
“I would’ve been here sooner but ..
something came up,” she apologized. “I
brought Kat with me. I hope it won’t be
inconvenient.”
“Of course not,” Derek smiled. “Kat, you’ve looking very .. may I say
beautiful without you thinking bad thoughts about me?”
Kat smiled too. “A lady always appreciates compliments if
they’re sincere.”
“Then you may appreciate the
compliment I have just paid you,” Derek said, bowing gallantly.
“Is Peri here?” Rachel inquired.
“I last saw her heading upstairs,” Derek
replied.
“Okay.
Derek, I need to speak with you once I’m thru with Peri. It’s important.”
“Very well. And don’t worry about Kat. I’ll keep a close eye on her.”
Rachel’s eyes warmed. “Thank you.”
*****
Steve watched the Jaguars, Bentleys and
Rolls Royces ambling sedately along the drive.
He leaned toward Nick.
“Some loose change, huh? Won’t they have alarms?”
“Sure.
Will they think to activate them, here, among good friends?”
“Some people are born dumb,” Steve
remarked.
“Especially rich people.”
“An’ our alarms?”
“Switched off except for fire. People in an’ out. Doors left open. Easier to disable them temporarily.” Nick’s eyes narrowed as a Silver Shadow moved
thru his field of vision. “Cameras are
on a loop. They won’t give us away. Another hour, we can get to work.”
Unknown to Nick and Steve, Alopex and
Profelis were also watching and listening, but they were only interested in the
two Legacy men.
“Work?” Profelis murmured.
“Theft,” Alopex sighed.
“We let them?”
“We’re here to prevent damage to
life and limb. Theft doesn’t count.”
Profelis shook his head. “Whatever happened to keeping these guys on
the straight an’ narrow?”
Alopex shook his head as well. “That only applies to Legacy rules, not
everyday lifestyle choices. But we could
tell Peri, let her decide what to do.
Apart from that, we take no action.”
*****
The hour passed and the lawn was
buzzing with drifts of conversation.
Derek circulated, Kat at his side and enjoying herself immensely. Alex wandered thru the crowd on the far
side. Nick and Steve were nowhere to be
seen. Rachel and Merlin were inside and
hadn’t emerged yet.
“I wish Nick could be here for this,”
Rachel murmured.
“I’ll show him the picture when he
gets back.” She twisted her head to look
at the screen. “Is that it?”
“Baby Boyle.” Rachel smiled. “See .. the head. Two arms.
Two legs. Active little
soul. You’ll feel it soon.”
“Wow, yeah. It .. never seemed completely real until
now. Sure, I knew but … This is amazing.”
“It is. It always is.
Every new baby is a miracle.”
They watched the screen for a while
and Rachel captured an image for the printout.
Then, handing Merlin a bunch of tissues, she began to switch off the
scanner.
“Peri, I’m gonna tell Derek but I want
you to hear it too. Kat knows who’s
behind this.”
“Kat?”
Merlin exclaimed.
“She’s seen him. She can describe him .. in detail.”
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