MOON FALL (35 page)

As real as it had seemed. now that it was over, he couldn't
believe that he'd felt anything but a herald of the flu. That was
all he needed. "Tell me something."

"Yes?"

''It seems to me that if I take Mark out of town for Halloween,
he'll be safe. Isn't that correct?"

''That works in theory, but you must be prepared. There are
vectors coming together and you must be aware that things
may not follow your plans." She cocked her head. "You
wouldn't drive without wearing your seatbelt, would you?"

''Of course not."

''Then look upon the amulet as a seatbelt and alternative
plans as locking your doors and looking both ways."

He laughed. "That's an odd way of putting it."

She smiled and let go of his hands. "I thought I might better
convince you if I spoke in your terms."

"It does make more sense when you put it that way."

''They are already after you. They know you will interfere
with their plans, and that makes you a marked man. Watch
your every step, John
.
If you don't survive, neither will your
son. Or Sara."

"We'll wear th
e amulets," he said, realizing h
e was serious
.
It couldn't
h
urt. Maybe it would help.

"Good. Digest what I've told you, then come back and let
me help you remember. You cannot fight them successfully if
you remain ignorant." She rose. ''Someone is waiting for you
.
"

He looked at his wristwatch. It was past one o'clock, and
this time, he
h
ad been so engrossed in Minerva's stories that
be hadn't even h
eard her grandfather clock's chimes. "Sara?"

Minerva nodded and saw him to the door.

He turned toward her. ''Did Sara tell you she was coming
to see me today?"

''No. But I hope she tells you everything that happened to
her last week. I witnessed some of it. She's under attack, make
no mistake. John, if she tells you, don't scoff. Just listen and
accept it at face value."

"I will." He wanted to ask Minerva what she was talking
about, but fought the urge
.
"How do you know she's coming
to see me? I don't even know for sure."

"I can feel her. Can't you?"

"Yes," he said reluctantly. "Yes, I suppose I can."

"Well, Richard, do you think our meddlesome sheriff is
warming up yet?" Mother Lucy sat back on Dashwood's leather
sofa and put her feet up on his mahogany coffee table.

The doctor knelt in the middle of the carpet, rolling up the
black pentagram cloth they had used for the spell. ''Take your
shoes off, Lucy. You'll scratch the finish." He lifted the cloth,
folded it in half and took it to the armoire in his office. When
he returned to the living room, one of Lucy's spike-heeled
shoes flew at him, grazing his leg. "Bitch," he said
fondly
.

''Bastard
.
" She tossed the other shoe at him and smiled.

"Well
,
did it work?"

''It worked, but something interfered."

''The old woman."

Dashwood was amused. Lucy refused to speak of Minerva
Payne by name. "I'd say so. Lawson certainly wouldn't know
how to protect himself on his own."

''I hate her." Lucy removed her black cowl and tossed it on
the floor
.
"She's a pain in the ass."

Richard sat down at the other end of the couch. "I want you
to let Kelly Reed out of solitary confinement, Lucy."

She laughed, combing her fingers through her long black
hair
.
''You
want me to release her? You mean your precious
little twist wants her released, don't you?"

"Yes, Lucy
.
It will help keep Sara in line if she has the girl
to dote on."

"Is our little Sara giving you problems, then?" Lucy's voice
oozed venom. "Would she rather fuck the sheriff than you?"

Dashwood smiled despite his annoyance. Lucy was and
always would be the most jealous woman in the world. She'd
ordered him to seduce Sara to keep her from causing trouble,
but she h
ated that be spent any time with the young woman
and tortured him for it.

"Yes," he said, knowing it would make Lucy happy. "She'd
rather fuck the sheriff. She followed him out of the bar last
night and they kissed. I couldn't get her to come back to my
apartment afterward."

"Does she know you saw them?"

"No, of course not."

"And those mesmerizing eyes of yours didn't work?"

"I couldn't even get her to swallow a truffle."

"So she didn't dream last night?"

"I doubt it."

''And now you want me to release the Reed girl to do the
job you couldn't do?"

''Yes." He hated the Mother Superior for her need to humiliate
him, but there were other things he loved about her. Her
power, her intelligence, her greed, her lust. All those little
deadly sins that made her Lucy Bartholomew.

"Come closer." Lucy stood and unbuttoned her habit, then
sat back down, positioning herself so that he could see the
black lace garter at the top of her stocking, and a curve of
breast above the black demi-bra. He moved closer. "You say
the sheriff kissed our little Sara?"

"Yes, Lucy."

"Show me what sort of kiss it was," she ordered.

He did. Kissing Lucy was always repulsive at first. The
ridiculous old-fashioned concoction she used to keep herself
young, with its overtones of cinnamon and dampness, permeated
her skin and breath. It was, he thought, like kissing a freshly
prepared and spiced mummy. But mummies didn't move, and
Lucy certainly did. She could do tricks with her tongue that
still astounded him, and as she worked her magic, he began to
respond. Finally she pulled away and put her hand over his
erection. "I'll release Kelly Reed, but first we must do something
to put the fear of
-
“
she barked a laugh-
"God into
her."

"The lady in white might pay her a visit," Dashwood suggested.

"Just what I was thinking. But first," she said, squeezing
him hard, ''we need to renew our strength."

"Yes." He was breathing raggedly, aching with need and
repulsion. The combination increased his passion.

"Call Regina and tell her to remove Kelly's
light bulb
now.
We'll let her sit in the dark for a while while we exercise your
magic wand." She laughed throatily. "After an hour or so
without light, Kelly should be quite ready to receive the white
lady, don't you think?"

"Yes, Lucy. Excellent." He stood up, the erection painfully
pushing against his trousers, and made the call to Sister Regina.
Then he turned to Lucy. "Where?" he asked hoarsely.

"Your bed, I think. I'm in the mood for handcuffs and
leather."

''Your wish is my command," he murmured, as he scooped
her up and carried her to her chosen fate.

Sara Hawthorne sat back in her chair and gave John Lawson
a twisted grin. ''And that's when Minerva Payne came along
and banished the ghost. I suppose you think I'm hopelessly
insane."

"No," he said, after a long pause. "I have to admit that your
ghost story sounds perfect for telling around a campfire on a
summer night, but I do believe you."

"You do?" she asked, not hiding her surprise.
"You
believe
in ghosts?"

''I don't know what I believe in anymore," he told her. Deep
in his bones, he could still feel the inexplicable chill. Briefly,
he told her about the experience at Minerva's. "How can I
possibly judge your story when I've just been through something
nearly as weird?" he asked.

''Minerva gave me this," Sara said, pulling a leather thong
and small cloth amulet from beneath her dark green sweater.
"She says it will protect me."

John sheepishly showed her his, then replaced it under his
shirt. ''Minerva told me that you used to visit her when you
were a student."

''It's funny. Even when Kelly Reed asked me to speak with
her, I didn't recognize the name. I didn't remember anything,
but I recognized her when I saw her by the waterfalls, and I
remembered the house when she took me there."

"Do you remember her now?"

''No, not exactly. But it seems right. I know it's true. I guess
there's more missing from my memory than I thought."

He nodded. "She says the nuns fog people's memories.
Today, she told me that my brother died in my place. And that
your roommate died in yours."

''Maybe Minerva is the villain in all this," Sara suggested
hesitantly.

"I've thought about that, but it doesn't feel right. Know
what I mean?''

''Yes, I do, believe it or not."

He shook his head. "I'm beginning to think we're living in
the Twilight Zone."

"What are we going to do about it?"

"Get out of town?" he asked lightly.

"Are you serious?"

"Well, there's no reason for you to stay here," he began. "I
have to. My position ... and it's the culmination of something
my family has been involved in this since the beginning. I have
to put a stop to it. I have to see it through or I won't be able
to live with myself."

''Why do you think I feel any differently?" she asked archly.

"I don't mean it that way. But if any of these things are
true, you're living in a viper pit." He hesitated, trying to gauge
her anger. "Speaking of vipers, tell me about Richard Dashwood.
You said he drove you into town last night because you
were having car trouble."

She studied him, then nodded. "I did. The car wouldn't start,
but this morning, I had Carlos check under the hood. Something
was just loose."

''What?"

She smiled sheepishly. ''I honestly don't know. Why?"

"Do you know much about cars?"

"Squat," she admitted.

“
It's always possible someone
-
Dashwood, for instance
-
loosened
a wire to keep you from going out."

"I hadn't thought of that," she said. "What is it you want
to know about Dashwood?"

"Is he courting you?"

"Well, he's been bringing me truffles every night. Does that
count as courting?"

"In my book."

"I need a twelve-step program to get over chocolate
-
! can't
resist the damned stuff. The thing is, last night I didn't give
him a chance to give me any, and last night was the first
time I didn't get unaccountably sleepy and have excruciatingly
pleasant dreams."

"Huh? What does 'excruciatingly pleasant' mean?''

"Sexual dreams," she said, blushing.

"Are you sure he's not drugging you, then coming to your
room and
-
"

"I suspect he
is
drugging me, but I know he's not coming
to my room because I always wake up, urn, near the climax of
the dream, and I'm alone."

"No one can get in? If you're drugged
-
"

"The minute I come in at night, I put a rubber wedge under
the door. No one can get in, and whatever is in those truffles
is mild. Once I wake up I feel normal, and when I go back to
sleep there aren't any more dreams."

"Can you bring me one of the chocolates? I'll have Doc
Cutter analyze it. If Dashwood is drugging you, we'd have
proof. That'll allow me to do some serious investigating. I can't
do anything without a search warrant, but if you can get me
the truffle, well, watch out, sisters. You hungry?"

''Famished. One thing first, though. I don't want you to think
I'm going to turn tail and run. I won't leave."

"You shouldn't be living there."

''I know, but I have to."

"Why? Solving an old murder isn't worth risking your life."

"Maybe not, but Kelly is. She's been locked up in solitary
confinement all week. They have it in for her."

''Minerva mentioned that."

''Yes. I asked Richard
-
Dashwood
, I mean-
to intercede
with Mother Lucy and get her sentence lifted
.
I have to be
there for her."

"What makes you think he'll do it?"

"I used every catty trick I've ever seen in the movies."

"You promised to sleep with him," he said sourly.

''Well, I promised to see him again, but I guess I implied
more."

"You know damned well that's what you implied." Half his
mouth smiled, the other half refused. '
'
I admire your resourcefulness,
but-"

''But what?" she asked, ready to be offended again
.

"But after that kiss last night, I don't want to share you with
anyone, especially not that psychopathic charlatan."

Slowly, so slowly, a smile spread across her face. "You're
jealous?"

"You bet."

''Good
.
" She stood up and walked around the desk, leaned
against it, and looked down at him. "I'm glad
.
"

John glanced at the door, saw it was latched but unlocked.
He decided to take a chance on Dorothy's staying out for
another minute and go for it. Placing his hands on her waist,
he tugged her closer. She bent down and they shared their
second kiss. Though it lasted only an instant, kissing Sara was
as thrilling as the first time.