The Paladin (21 page)

Celeste made a beeline toward the delicious cry of misery.

Less than half an hour later, she stood, concealed by a fallen maple tree, watching a small girl sitting in a tilted backyard swing. The backyard belonged to a nondescript white frame house that had somehow withstood the storm's fury.

From inside the dwelling, she detected the sound of slurred threats and cursing, punctuated by the meaty sounds of blows being landed. She heard a single, sharp cry of pain that was no doubt a woman.

Cattle at play,
she thought ruefully.
The number on the calendar may change, but people don't. While Momma and Daddy are occupied, I think I will take their sweet, sweet daughter to dinner.

Celeste was ravenous, and even from several feet away she could hear the flow of blood coursing through the girl's veins and arteries; the sound as irresistible as a Siren's song.

In complete silence, Celeste crossed the back yard and stood before her intended victim, ready to feast upon the sweet flesh of youth. The little girl was low hanging fruit, begging Celeste to partake, and never in the four thousand years had she once hesitated to kill…until now.

The little girl sat on the cheap swing, her dirty toes barely touching the ground. Her small hands were clasped tightly before her chin in prayer.

"Please God, please help my momma. Don't let Tommy kill her, please? Make Tommy go away; please…he hurts us…I don't like to see Momma cry. Please, please, please help us!"

A spasm of regret shot though the creature, shattering even her blinding hunger.
Damn you, Silas Cole, for what you have done to me!

Jenny Anders opened her eyes, beheld Celeste standing before her, and gasped.

"You are pretty," said Jenny, her face lighting up. "Did God send you to help us? Are you an angel?"

Celeste smiled in spite of herself.

"Looks that way, doesn't it?" said Celeste. "Now be a good girl and stay here and swing."

"Thank you so much!" said Jenny.

I am an idiot.
Celeste climbed the concrete steps to the porch.
Bet Silas is watching from Heaven, laughing his butt off at me right now.

Celeste opened the door and found the house in a complete shambles. Standing over an unconscious, bleeding woman was a shirtless, rail-thin man. She thought his mean black eyes and sharp features made him look like a rat.

"What the hell do you want?" he spat. "Get out or I'll give you a taste of what I gave this bitch!"

"Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, believe me, I want more than a taste," Celeste said, as she closed and locked the door behind her.

25

"You poor thing," Sara said cradling Brenda in her arms.

Sara, Brenda, Maggie, and Silas sat in the dingy motel room Maggie had rented after her run in with Bill Long. From outside came the near constant hum of trucks coming and going from the adjacent truck stop.

"Brenda, is there anything I can do?" said Silas.

"Thank you, but no. I feel better just knowing he is where he belongs."

"Your mother is taking your father's death pretty hard," said Maggie, "shouldn't you be with her right now?"

"I need to be here, so stop trying to get rid of me."

"So be it," said Silas. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything."

"I need you to get Sara to a safe place. At least as far as Knoxville or Chattanooga."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Sara exclaimed. "You may need me."

"Don't back talk me, girl!" said Silas. "You will do as I say; it's for your own good. No doubt that scoundrel, Beck, will try to avenge himself by coming after the last of the Coles."

"But Silas, I'm an old woman now and I don't have that much time left anyway. Let me help."

Silas walked over and knelt down beside her.

"Turtle, you can help by doing what I say," said Silas with a smile. "Peace of mind knowing that you are safe is an enormous help."

"After I drop Sara off, I will be back."

"Don't threaten us, Blondie," said Maggie.

Brenda gave Maggie the finger.

"Brenda, be reasonable—" began Silas.

"I'm helping and that's that!" Brenda said.

Smiling ever so slightly, Brenda rose from the bed and took Silas's arm.

"Besides, handsome, I would like to get to know you better," she said in a well-practiced, sultry voice. "This whole possession thing is, well…makes me hot."

"Hot?" Silas said, his face turning red. "Ummm, Brenda, what does that mean?"

Maggie rose from her chair and stalked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Silas.

"Need some air," she spat as she ripped open the door and slammed it behind her.

"What's gotten into Maggie?" he asked.

Brenda released his arm and laughed.

"Man, you are dense! Since we hooked up with Wonder Woman she hasn't taken her eyes off you."

"Quit talking nonsense, child," he said.

"I'm afraid she's right, uncle," said Sara. "I know a crush when I see one."

"I can see now, you both are troublemakers!" Silas said making a big show of rolling his eyes. "I don't have time for this. Brenda, git!"

"All right," Brenda said. "Sara, get your stuff and let's get going."

"Try not to get married while we are gone," said Sara.

"Would that make Maggie your cousin, or aunt, Sara?"

Silas turned red as Sara and Brenda laughed together.

"Another word from either of you and I promise you we are going to the woodshed!"

"Uncle, please take this," said Sara taking a silver chain from her neck. "You may need it."

"It's the pendant I gave you the night I died. Thank you, Sara, I may need it, indeed."

"It has been a dream come true seeing you again, uncle," she said as tears filled her eyes.

"We will meet again on heaven's shore, Turtle. You can count on that."

***

"Excuse me, Miss Kirby," said the housecleaner. "There is a phone call for Mrs. Beck."

"Mrs. Beck? Did you tell them there wasn't a Mrs. Beck?"

"I tried, but they were adamant. They said knew she was recently returned from the land of…Collamarr, I think she said."

Dana looked at the older woman. "I'll take it, Nan."

Dana picked up the phone and asked, "Who is this?"

"I'm sorry, Dana, I don't have time for pleasantries or little Indians," said Maggie. "I have a proposition for the Big Dog."

"You have me at a loss," said Dana. "If you don't state your business, I will hang up."

"Tell your boss the Paladin wants to have a pow-wow."

"One moment please."

***

"Hello, this is John Beck, with whom am I speaking?"

"Why hello Mr. Beck, or do you prefer, LaBeck?"

"My name is John Beck, I am afraid I do not know a Mr. LaBeck. And you are?"

"You know me as the Paladin, but you can call me Maggie."

"Nice to hear from you, Maggie," he said coolly. "Now, what is this proposition you mentioned to my associate? Please be brief, I am a busy man."

"Oh, I'll bet you are…been a busy man for what, a couple of hundred years?"

"Now you are being silly, Maggie."

"Not according to Rufus Pritchard's diary," she said. "The old boy called you, and I quote, ‘a black-hearted cur that consorted with the spawn of the devil.’"

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion, my dear."

"My opinion is that you are one sorry son of a bitch, who is both a waste of skin and in desperate need of an ass-whipping."

"Why are you wasting my valuable time with taunts, Maggie? Cut to the chase; what do you want?"
"As you probably know by now, I was sent to put a stop to your nefarious scheme."

"Nefarious scheme?" he exclaimed. "You make me sound like a mad scientist in a cheesy B-movie."

"I thought you would get a kick out of that," she said.

"I must admit, I never expected a woman to come after me. I suppose that is why my men missed you. I suggest you get into a safer line of work, Maggie, one more suitable to your talents. Have you considered being a truck-stop waitress or perhaps a hooker?"

"That's so sweet. But  I have a job to do, Methuselah. I'm supposed to put that thing you are screwing back in the vessel, or at least harass the hell out of you until you give in. To tell you the truth, it is a lot of work for the money."

"You are breaking my heart."

"Here is the deal: give me the Collamarr so I can convince my employer that I prevailed over evil. That way, he will get off my ass, and you and your beloved…
thing
can disappear and all is right with the world again."

"Is that all?"

"Well, now that you mention it, a small gratuity wouldn't hurt."

"How small?"

"Five million."

"Dollars?"

"I think five million bucks would make for a very nice retirement. This Paladin thing has gotten old, fast. All I want to do is lie on a beach, work on my tan, and buy pretty things."

"You have got to be kidding. It seems to me, Maggie, that I have all the cards. You have nothing to offer other than harassment, which is a crime the authorities can take care of for me. Give me a good reason why I don't hang up and call the police."

"I have one hell of a good reason. A little movie I like to call
The Murder of Zackary Cole.

"What are you talking about?"

"For the sake of time, I will hit the highlights. I followed your three thugs when they were tailing Zack. I was there when they took the vessel. Zack recognized Cody as being your bodyguard and they all talked about how you, John Beck, yes, they mentioned your name, had sent them. Then they shot that poor sucker and he fell back into the cave, deader than four o'clock."

Beck gripped the phone tightly and took a few deep breaths.
I will skin those idiots alive!

"You still there, honey?"

"Yes," he said softly.

"I thought there for a moment you had to change your Depends."

"Don't be crude," he said.

"While the authorities would never in a million years believe the truth about monsters and magic vessels, they would take damn serious my little movie. Let's face it: you're screwed. Your old, wrinkled ass will be locked up, away from your private fountain of youth. While you wait to die, I guess Celeste will find someone else to hang with. What about that luscious Harold White? I'd bet money that after a month, she will have forgotten you ever existed."

"You're bluffing."

"Try me."

"OK, Maggie, you win, come to my home and I will give you what you deserve."

Beck sat red-faced as Maggie laughed into the receiver.

"I was born at night, but it wasn't last night. I'll get back to you with instructions. By the way, I am the last bitch you want to mess with. Send any more shape-shifting hit men and you will be locked up before you know it. Besides, an ignorant backwoods preacher stopped you both in your tracks, as I recall. Play around with me and you will be in hell together by the end of the week. So no funny stuff. Ta ta for now."

***

While watching Maggie's performance, Silas sat smoking his pipe.

"Think he bought it?"

"He has no choice but take it seriously," she said. "Our ace in the hole is that he thinks Zack is dead and that I am alone in this."

"So let me ask you, girl, what do you do for a living?"

"I was a kindergarten teacher."

"So, let me get this straight. A teacher for toddlers and an
ignorant
backwoods preacher who is in possession of his great grandson, are going up against a two-hundred-year-old head of a well-armed criminal organization and a five-thousand-year-old creature that can't be killed."

Maggie slid close to Silas and linked arms.

"We're going to kick their asses, Ghost Boy," she said with a smile.

"My sentiments exactly," he said blowing a cloud of aromatic smoke.

***

Dana hung up the phone and Beck closed his eyes. After a few moments he said, "Dana, get me Mrs. Anderson on the phone and get her fast."

26

"Hello, Mr. Beck, how are you this fine day?

"Why capital, child, just capital."

"Did you get the money?"

"It was a bit difficult raising funds on such short notice, but yes, we have your blood money."

"Oh, goody!" Maggie said. "You know that in the future, when I think of Santa, he will always wear your face."

"Shall we get on with this? I'm a busy man."

"Right you are. As a matter of fact, I have a plane to catch."

"Where can we make the exchange?"

"I have to make sure it is safe. I mean, a single girl in this cruel world can't take any chances."

"I understand."

"Have Miss Kirby and Mr. White take my money and the Collamarr down to West Wind Mall in Knoxville. There is a toy store on the third floor. At the back of the store is a ball pit. Tell Mr. White to shove the items in and then walk away."

"Such precautions are unnecessary, Maggie. As far as I'm concerned this is strictly a business deal."

"Yeah, right."

"Is that all?" asked Beck.

"Tell them they have forty-five minutes or I mail your death warrant."

"It's not possible to get there in only forty-five minutes!" exclaimed Beck.

"Not my problem," she said. "The clock is ticking…now."

***

Silas lay hidden in a tangle of fallen trees, watching the Beck house.

The Mercedes roared out of the drive, while five other cars of much less grand linage followed behind. The trailing vehicles soon scattered and hung well back, keeping the Mercedes just within visual range.

"It seems they fell for it," Silas said softly.

"Great," said Maggie, "taking the Collamarr should be a cakewalk."

"I have seen some pretty cutthroat cakewalks before," he said. "What if the beast is home?"

"Don't worry, Ghost Boy," said Maggie, holding Kali before her. "I got a flyswatter for that pest."