The First Book of the Pure (27 page)

“What’s shakin’ Ger’? New case?”

“No, just parts of an old one I keep picking
at from time to time – bones from yesterday’s trout. Don’t worry
about it.”

“I’m not worried, but I do think I should
know what my partner’s working on, don’t you?”

Gerard sighed, and decided he ought to tell
Dave about it. “What
is
pertinent is that an old case, the
murder of Jenny Helvicki, has been a burr under my saddle for a
long time, and I just got a pretty good lead.”

“All right, let’s hear it.”

With another sigh, Gerard started talking.
“The Schmidt organization was responsible for the hit. I know that
in my heart. I’ve worked through the details on this case too many
times. It had to be them. Too many details lead straight back to
that organization.”

“Whoa now. They’re a bad bunch, but let’s not
be leapin’ off any cliffs, eh?”

“I know, but they did it. Now I have info
that tells me who received the address where we had her hidden.
Whoever got it would have known the safe house location, and is
responsible for the murder of that girl and two cops.”

“So, you got a name?”

“Mr. DeHaan, who works for the Schmidt
organization. I came back to the office to track him down and find
out what I can about how he fits in.”

“Ok. Let me make a couple of calls to Vice
and see what they’ve got. Since you’re keeping this quiet, I assume
you haven’t done that.” Dave spoke with enough lilt in his voice to
make it a question.

“No, and I’m not real sure I want to do it
now either.”

“They don’t have to know specifics. I’ll just
get what info they’re willing to give. It might not help much.”

Gerard fixed him with a stare. “Ok. Be
careful.”

Gerard started his research online, which was
so much faster than researching had once been. Dave started working
the phones. A little checking and a few phone calls later, six
hours had passed. Nothing was easy, and nothing good seemed to
happen with any real speed.

“Lots of dirt on Schmidt, but nothing that’ll
stick, so nobody’s pursued it in the courts. That ol’ boy’s been
dead for over a decade. You know that, right? And yeah, this Jenny
Helvicki case seems to rest right on that organization, but again,
it’s all Teflon coated.”

“I’m aware that Karl Schmidt
was
dead,
but the organization still exists.”

“Whoa there, Sport. What do you mean by, ‘was
dead’?”

“I have it on good authority that Karl walked
back into his headquarters last week and took control. He
was
dead, but it doesn’t seem that he is now.”

“Then he wasn’t dead, Gerard. C’mon, don’t go
spooky on me now. If he
was
dead, he
is
dead. I
understand it’s a pretty permanent thing.”

“Okay then, he
seemed
to have been
dead.” He stretched out the word
seemed
. “Better with
that?”

“Some, So who’s the lead you’ve got?”

Gerard seemed anxious to leave that line of
questioning behind and move on. “Mr. Jack DeHaan is technically an
accountant for them, but it doesn’t look like he actually attended
a college or trade school for accounting. I know that isn’t too
conclusive, but I suspect he does something else entirely for
them.”

“Why don’t we go ask this DeHaan character a
few questions, and see where he falls in all this crapola?” Dave
stood to get his hat, an Indiana Jones kind of hat that would have
fit in nicely in the early 1930s.

“Thanks, partner. Let’s do that. I'll talk
with DeHaan, and you run down anything else we have on Schmidt. We
can compare notes tomorrow.”

“Don’t think so Gerard. We’re going together.
Let’s go see Mr. DeHaan.”

***

Shifting back to the present, in the hospital
room, Gerard locked eyes with Dave. “But we never did go see him
together, did we Dave?”

“No. Funny thing about that. You kept
distracting me, and we never got to it.”

Chapter 3

More Info

Dave was whispering. “I know all that. Most
of it anyways.”

“I know my friend, but you’ll see it all
differently as I go along. Have patience and let me explain some
things. You need to know about some other people too. Some of the
people in this story are pretty old.”

Dave’s whisper was hoarse. “Old is okay. I’m
getting there too.”

“But not old like they are. All right,
there’s this man named Gheret. He’s the oldest man alive I think.
It’s hard to say, because people this old hide it from
everyone.”

Dave’s eyebrows went up.

“Well, it's impossible to hide completely,
but they’re quite good at it. They all look like they’re thirty
something, or even younger. But they’re far older. Gheret was born
back when people were more savage than today, and could barely
speak to each other. As most people gauge time, Gheret is ancient.”
Seeing Dave’s raised eyebrow again, he continued. “The world isn’t
as old as you might think, Dave. Be that as it may, he’s pretty
old. He’s lived many lifetimes, in many identities. He’s skipped
through some periods of time, because that’s also a talent these
Pures have. They can kind of suspend themselves, and revive many
years later, still young in body.” He’d stopped for a large coffee
on his way in and now caught Dave’s eyes focused on it. “You know
I’d share this with you if you could have any yet.”

Gerard settled back in and took most of the
day giving a synopsis of what Karl had shared with the reporter he
had kidnapped. He spoke of Maximus Palamos from ancient Rome, a
soldier and later a philosopher, still alive and fighting.

Mary Parker, now called Ruby, condemned to
death at the Salem witch trials; not hung, not dead, and certainly
older than her 1692 identity would indicate.

Robert Dunning, the son of one of the most
powerful and evil men to ever live. He despised his father and what
he stood for, making a life with his partner Maximus Palamos.

Geronimo, an Apache, one of Gerard’s own
people, reported to be unkillable in the old west, and still alive
an cheating death.

He spoke of Karl Schmidt, which caught Dave’s
full attention. He was evil incarnate, seeking nothing with his
vast wealth and experience but his own gain.

From there Gerard kept talking with more
current information, and some people whom Karl either had not
known, or of whom he had simply not spoken.

“So, this Gheret had kids, and their stories
are interesting too.” He began weaving what seemed a legend, a
fantasy that was beyond belief – yet from fourteen years experience
Dave knew Gerard had never lied to him, so he listened to him weave
this wild tale.

Achar, the son of Gheret’s second life.

An’Kahar, the Pure surviving son of
Gheret.

Annu’e, Gheret’s wife of the Inuit people and
mother to Achar, Luntar and An’Kahar.

Elihas, son of Ohma and Geronimo.

Ger’on Goyette, Chicago detective.

Gheret, the oldest known Pure.

Goyahkla, later known as Geronimo, a full
blooded Apache war leader.

Karl Schmidt, also William.

Kenneth, a well known reporter and
abductee.

Luntar, the middle son of Gheret, killed by
his brother An’Kahar.

Mary Parker, also Ruby.

Maximus Palamos, a Roman soldier, then a
pupil of Mu’dar, then “Uncle Max” to Robert, and also his
partner.

Mu’dar, the teacher who accepted Maximus as a
student and had a great influence on him.

Ohma, Geronimo’s wife in Chicago.

Robert Dunning, later identify of the
aforementioned Duke Robert.

Robert Duval, son of William, later Duke of
Normandy.

Ruby, a Pure woman: the first we meet.

William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy, King
of England.