Blood in the Marsh (28 page)

“I had the strangest dream,” Chelsey said as she walked over and sat down on the floor beside Lyra. “I dreamed we were little again, about seven or eight, and we were riding our bikes. We rode by this house and saw Lucius sitting out front on one of the benches—you know that one beside that huge old oak? Anyway, the gate was open and we just rode in like we’d been invited and he waved and invited us to have lemonade with him. We sat down, he looked at us, and then he said, “Chelsey, it’s important that you listen to what I have to tell you. One day you’re going to have to play a very important role in Lyra’s life, far more important than just being her best friend. One day you’re going to have to walk away from her in order to help her. When that day comes, I want you to be very strong. When the time comes, you must turn your back on her, as if you have no feelings at all for her. As far as anyone else knows you will no longer care for her, in fact everyone will believe that you hate her.”

Chelsey paused and looked at Lyra. “I told him he was just a crazy old man and I’d never do anything like that and then he said something even stranger.”

She stopped and Lyra waited for a moment for her to continue. When she didn’t, Lyra prodded her gently. “Come on, Chels. What did he say?”

Chelsey frowned and stared at the floor. “He said, ‘If you are her friend, if you want to save her, you must. It’s your destiny.’“

She looked up at Lyra with a troubled expression. “Isn’t that weird? I mean, I hardly even remember Lucius. You were the one who always wanted to visit him and I never understood what you saw in him. He was just an old man. And now I’m having dreams about him. Lyra, what’s really happening to us? Are we trapped in some weird parallel universe or have we just stepped over into the Twilight Zone or what?”

Lyra took Chelsey’s hand and tried to smile. “No, I don’t think so. I think we’ve just gotten caught up in something that’s out of the ordinary. Chelsey, I really think it’s time you knew everything, but I’m not sure you’re ready to hear it.”

“I have to!” Chelsey whispered urgently. “Lyra, I really have to.”

“Okay.” Lyra nodded and leaned closer, talking in a soft, fast whisper. “This is what I know…”

Michael walked into the study and saw Lyra and Chelsey sitting on the floor with their heads close together. They both looked up as he walked in and Lyra fell silent. Chelsey looked from him to Lyra then squeezed Lyra’s hand.

“Thanks. I think I’ll go get something to drink.”

“I can get it for you.”

“No, I sort of need a few minutes alone. You can keep Michael company.”

“You sure you’re okay?” Michael asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Lyra watched Chelsey leave then looked at Michael. “What were you two talking about?” he asked.

“About everything.”

“I thought we weren’t going to tell Chelsey everything.”

Lyra stood up, picked up her notes, and put them in the desk. “We were wrong. She’s in just as much danger as the rest of us and she deserves to know what’s really going on.”

She turned and faced him with a solemn expression. “Chelsey had a dream about Lucius.”

Michael crossed the room to her and took her hands. “You sound worried.”

“Not worried, just resigned.” She pulled in the direction of the couch.

“Want to tell me about it?”

She waited until he was seated beside her then told him about Chelsey’s dream. “Lucius is trying to tell us something. Only we’re not paying close enough attention.”

“And what is it you think he’s trying to tell us?”

“How to win.”

“Win?”

“Yes! How to beat Adoul!. It couldn’t be much clearer. Her role’s defined so all she has to do is remember what he told her to do and do it when the time comes.”

Michael studied her for a moment. Suddenly he noticed the top of the gold pendant peaking out of the top of her shirt. “What’s that?”

She pulled it free from her shirt and Michael studied it for a moment. “It’s very unusual. Where did you get it?”

“That’s what I wanted to tell you. Lucius gave it to me.”

He looked up with his brows drawn together. “You never said anything about him giving you anything like this.”

“That’s because I only got it Friday. Right after Nick left and we were going to make a list of things we needed to check on. I went to the den to get a pad of paper out of the desk and this was on top of the pad in the drawer.”

“Well, maybe it’d been there all along.”

“You know it hasn’t. We’ve both looked through that desk and everything else in this house and it wasn’t here until Friday. I know it’s from Lucius. Look on the back.”

He turned the pendant over. “Do you have any idea what these symbols stand for?”

“No.” She slid it back inside her shirt. Somehow, she seemed to draw strength from the slight weight of the pendant against her skin.

“There’s something else. A dream…”

“About Lucius?”

“Yes, but there was someone else in this dream. I think it was Adoul.”

Michael’s attention was focused entirely on her as she related the dream to him. He didn’t say anything for a few minutes then he put his hand on her shoulder. “And you think the dream and the pendant are connected.”

She nodded. “I think it’s a clue, and if we can find someone who can tell us what happened when he was here before, maybe we can figure out how to use the clues and defeat him. And we have to find a way to defeat him.”

He nodded and pulled her over to him. “I know,” he whispered, burying his face in her long hair. “I just don’t want to take a chance on you getting hurt in the process.”

Lyra pulled back and looked up at him with an uncertain expression. “Michael, I…”

“What?” he asked as she looked down.

After a few moments, she spoke so softly he could barely hear her. “I don’t want to be a virgin anymore. If I’m not then Adoul won’t want me.” She looked up at him at last. “Will you please make love to me?”

Michael looked surprised and for a moment he didn’t answer. “Lyra, I’d like nothing better than to make love to you. But not because you’re running from Adoul. That’s not the way I want it to be between us. So, I guess the answer is no. Not now, anyway. Not until you’re ready to make love for no other reason except that you want me.”

“But I do!”

He smiled and touched her face. “And I want you. But I want it to be special and beautiful. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promised you that. But I also won’t make love to you because we’re afraid of Adoul. I won’t give in to that fear and I don’t think you should either.”

Lyra looked at him for a long time then nodded and looked down. “Okay.”

Michael turned her face up to his. “I meant what I said, Lyra. I do love you.”

She nodded. “And I love you. But right now we have to think about other things, don’t we?”

“Yes, I guess so.”

She stood up and walked to stand in front of Lucius’ desk. Lucius, if you can hear me you’ve got to give me more. I don’t know what to do. How am I supposed to fight this Adoul? I’m afraid and I don’t know how. Please help me.

“What are you thinking?” Michael asked.

She turned around and looked at him. “Just that I’m kind of tired. I think I’ll go upstairs and try to get some sleep.”

She walked over and leaned down to kiss him. Michael watched her leave then stared across the room with his brow furrowed in concern.

Monday—Sea Island

“This is going to work!” Lyra whispered excitedly as she and Nick stood waiting for Michael to answer the front door. “I just know it!”

Nick smiled at her. He had to admit that their disguises were good. They had padded a body suit to make Lyra look heavy-set and then dressed her in a long-sleeved floral print dress that hung around her ankles. White padded hose and thick-soled shoes covered what part of her was visible.

A grey-streaked black wig covered her long blonde hair and brown contact lenses hid her golden eyes. She wore thick-framed, tinted glasses and her makeup made her appear to be at least fifteen years older, if not more. Nick had her put rolls of gauze in her cheeks on either side of her lower teeth, which gave her a fat-faced look.

He was dressed in a white shirt and tie, a jacket, and a curly wig of dark brown hid his black hair. Along with heavy eyebrows and a full beard, he also wore glasses. His were wire-rimmed and had thick glass, which distorted the shape of his eyes.

Lyra had called her friend, a professor, and told him that she needed a favor from him. He had been curious about why she was going to such lengths to keep her identity a secret and she told him that the people were very hesitant to talk about the history with anyone unless the person had some sort of big title or something. He agreed that she could use his name and suggested that she give her name as Estelle Banks, his long-time secretary and assistant. Dr. Getties told her that he was planning a trip himself so he would be out of town for a couple of weeks. He would leave word with his staff that if anyone called to check out her story that they be told he was off on a research-gathering trip for a new book.

Lyra thanked him and promised to fill him in on what she found when he got back from his vacation. She gave Nick the names and Nick made one of his secret calls. Late Sunday night a man showed up at the house, and by the time he left, Nick and Lyra had very genuine driver’s licenses, credit cards, and even bank accounts with their new names on them.

That morning when they had come downstairs dressed in their disguises Michael had sworn that he would not recognize them himself, but Nick wanted to test it so he and Lyra went out front. Michael went to wake Chelsey and have her see them when he answered the door.

They waited impatiently and finally Michael opened the door. “Mr. Santera?” Lyra asked in a high-pitched nasal tone, the gauze making her words a little muddled. “I’m Estelle Banks and this is my associate Dr. Bernard Getties.”

“Won’t you come in?” Michael stepped aside and let them enter. “Please, let’s go into the living room.”

“It was good of you to see us on such short notice,” Nick said in a voice tinged with a Boston accent.

“No problem,” Michael replied. “Chelsey. This is Dr. Getties and his associate Ms. Banks. They’re here to do some research for a book about the island. Dr., Ms. Banks, this is Chelsey Quarterman.”

“How do you do?” Nick nodded politely.

Chelsey smiled and turned to the woman to smile. “Nice to meet you. But why are you here? I mean…”

“Well, we were hoping you could help us out,” Lyra said in her own voice and grinned.

Chelsey’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. For a moment, she just gawked then she took a step closer. “Excuse me?”

Lyra pulled the gauze from her mouth and took off the glasses. “It’s me, Chels.”

“Lyra? God, what are you doing in that horrid get-up? You look like an escaped librarian or something!”

Lyra smiled and looked at Nick. “See? If Chelsey didn’t recognize us then no one will.”

“Oh, I get it! This is part of your little plan to snoop around and see if you can find any of those people you were telling me about.”

Lyra nodded to her. “Yes, and it looks like it’s time for us to get started. Wish us luck.”

“You got it,” Michael said. “Listen, I’m going to take Chelsey with me. She’ll be safer that way than here alone. We’ll be at the station until we hear from you.”

“Okay,” Nick agreed. “We’ll call as soon as we have something.”

He and Lyra went to the garage and got in the Jeep. They pulled out of the driveway and started down the road. Nick was watching the rearview mirror and saw the blue sedan fall in behind them.

He didn’t say anything to Lyra about it, but kept his eye on the car. As they turned onto the Sea Island Causeway, he saw another car, a black Mazda, fall in behind the sedan.

He pulled a cell phone from beneath his seat and dialed. “Happening on Augustin and 8th. It’ll go down soon. Put it down on the causeway. Keep an eye on the music box.”

“What was that all about?” Lyra asked as he hung up the phone.

“Nothing, just letting our people know where we are.”

She gave him a strange look. “And just who are our people?”

Nick smiled and reached over to squeeze her hand. “Don’t worry.”

There wasn’t much traffic so it was easy for Nick to watch the cars tailing them. As they neared a stretch of road that ran through an undeveloped area of marshland, the blue sedan suddenly increased speed and passed them.

Nick slowed down a little and looked at Lyra. “I want you to sit perfectly still and don’t make any sudden moves. We have company and I think they may make a move on us. If we get stopped, just stay calm. You’re Estelle Banks, remember that. Let me do the talking and follow my lead. Okay?”

She nodded nervously. “I’ll try.”

Nick saw the blue sedan swerve and stop, blocking both lanes of traffic. He braked and rolled to a stop then rolled down his window as the black Mazda pulled up behind them and stopped.

Two men got out of the blue Ford sedan and walked over to the car. One of them stopped beside Nick’s window and pulled a badge from his jacket. Nick smiled at him. “Yes, Officer, what can I do for you?”