Dragon Gate (6 page)

I checked the hallway, but it was clear. I moved toward the exit, and while I could hear Graham’s voice, I could no longer make out the words. I knew I wouldn’t be able to follow it anyway.

Nothing suspicious caught my attention as I swept through the building. I even checked the room behind the banquet in case a team of renegade mercenaries were hiding there with M60s. The room was empty.

I returned to the door leading to the banquet room and scanned the crowd again. Graham had them riveted as he explained the benefits of his wonder drug. I didn’t pay much attention to his speech. My job was to keep him safe.

“So,” he said, “what started as a homeopathic remedy turned out to be the basis for our new drug, Didracomine. We’re currently gearing up for clinical trials. Tomorrow we’re going to do a limited demonstration. While there’s a lifestyle component our center provides, we can discuss possibilities of duplicating that elsewhere when we move to the trial stages. If you haven’t already signed up and you’d like to attend, please speak with Dr. Jenkins before you leave.”

He wrapped up, thanking everyone for listening, and the crowd applauded.

When he stepped away from the lectern, I joined him at the table while Dr. Jenkins returned to the stage.

I glared at him. “You should have told me you were speaking.”

He grinned. “I assure you, I’m not in any danger here. Besides, you’re just supposed to be my date tonight, not my protector.”

“I’m very good at multitasking.”

“I’m sure you are.”

I stepped closer and jabbed my index finger into a particular nerve cluster and held it there. Graham’s face went pale, and his lips tightened.

“I can talk nicely while I inflict pain.”

I moved my finger, and he grabbed a deep breath and would have doubled over if I hadn’t caught him.

“Smile for the good people, Graham.”

He forced a smile and waved at a few people.

“Now sit your ass down and don’t ever withhold vital information from me again. Are we clear?”

He rubbed his side where I’d jabbed him. “Crystal.”

Dr. Jenkins made a few announcements, but I didn’t pay attention. Eventually she told everyone to have a wonderful evening. Finally! I grabbed Graham’s arm and pulled him to his feet, ready to guide him back to the car with a minimum of small talk.

Virginia rose and leaned close to me. “Are you all right?” she asked.

I turned to her. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you missed Dr. Noble’s entire speech. Did something not agree with you? I was worried you fell in.”

CHAPTER FIVE

JONATHAN SHADE

While I knew Rayna was upset by her mother’s death, she did an incredible job of keeping it off her face. We returned to my car.

“You know who did this,” I said as I opened the door. “Talk to me.”

Rayna closed her eyes. “Yes. Thomas Marshall believes my family is responsible for his wife Vanessa’s death. He and—”

I blocked her path to the door. “Back up. Is your family responsible for Vanessa’s death?”

“My uncle Lucas is, but that means the entire family carries the burden too.”

“How so?”

“Because it’s tradition. A family is only as good as the weakest member.”

“That’s messed up.”

“It’s how things are where we’re from.”

“Okay.” I got out of her way so she could get into the car, but she made no move toward it.

“As I was saying, Thomas and his twelve sons tracked us here, and they plan to eliminate us one by one.”

“Twelve sons?”

She nodded.

“I guess he really went for the whole keep-your-wife-barefoot-and-pregnant routine.”

Rayna shrugged. “He has sixteen daughters too.”

“Jesus! That’s twenty-eight kids. His wife must have had litters.”

She shook her head. “Vanessa was his main wife. His lesser wives provided most of the children.”

“A polyamory cult?”

“Are you going to keep interrupting me, or can I tell you about the situation?”

“To be honest, I’ll probably keep interrupting because I want to make sure I understand the situation.”

“Fair enough.”

“So is it strange that Thomas has more than one wife?”

She shook her head. “No, where I’m from, the women outnumber the men, so men take multiple wives.”

“Sounds like a place I’d like to visit.”

“I don’t think so. There’s something to be said for indoor plumbing.”

“There is that.”

“As a point of honor, Thomas and his sons have come after us to make us pay for what they consider to be treason and sacrilege.”

“Pay with your lives.”

“That’s right. You may need to know that for my family, it’s a point of honor to submit to the executions.”

“Run that past me again?”

“Thomas is right based on the laws of our land. As such, we are not permitted to fight back. When they catch up to us, we must kneel and accept death. My parents have already done so.”

“It’s still murder.”

“By your laws, yes.”

“You’re in our world now. Our laws apply to you too.”

“I understand that. I believe Graham understands that too.”

“So my instinct about the crime scene is accurate. Your mother simply knelt of her own volition and let someone kill her.”

“Yes.”

“That explains the lack of a struggle in there. But they still had to get into the building. Will you be all right here for a few minutes?” I asked.

She nodded.

“Good. I have something I want to check out.”

She climbed into the car, and I closed the door.

“What do you want me to do?” Esther asked.

“Keep an eye on Rayna.”

She nodded. I kept a typewriter key in the glove box, so Esther could always go to my car.

“Want me to pop over and pass along the news to Kelly?”

“Sure.”

Esther popped away. A moment later, she reappeared.

“That was fast,” I said.

“Kelly left her key at the Nobles’ place.”

“Okay, I’ll text her,” I said and reached for my phone.

“She left her phone too.”

“That’s all right. She’s fine and we don’t need to mess up Graham’s night at the moment. You stay here. Come get me if anyone shows up. I’ll be right back.”

I returned to the building and approached the receptionist’s counter. She turned toward me and held up a finger then pointed at the phone she had cradled between her ear and shoulder. “I’m on hold with the police. They’re on their way.”

“Excellent. I don’t mean to bother you. I just want a look at the guest book.”

She gave me a suspicious look.

“It’s all right. I’m a professional.” I showed her a license, and like most people, she barely glanced at it. Private investigators don’t need to be licensed in Colorado, but I kept a laminated poetic license card I picked up on eBay one night when I couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t quite as good as Doctor Who’s psychic paper, but it worked well enough for my purposes.

“Yes, I’m still here,” she said into the phone and turned away.

I pulled the book over and looked down the names on the register. I didn’t see anyone named Marshall. I would have been surprised if they’d stopped by the desk to sign in. That meant they used a different entrance.

I pushed the book back into place. The receptionist turned toward me again. I gave her a nod and left.

A glance across the parking lot and I spotted Esther standing on top of my car. She did a slow turn, watching for anyone or anything approaching. When she spotted me, I motioned for her to come over.

“No torpedoes in sight,” she said as she appeared in front of me.

“Good to know. I’m going to take a quick look around the building. Does she seem all right to you?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I suspect that emotionally, she’s a wreck. She lost both her parents today. Drop down into the car to keep an eye on her too. Okay?”

“I can do that.”

“Good. You know the drill, let me know if anyone shows up or if she seems like she might be a danger to herself.”

“It’s all berries,” she said and popped back to the roof of my car. I watched her for a moment. She gave me a nod and dropped through the roof into the vehicle. I didn’t want to invade her privacy, but at the same time, I wanted to make sure she wasn’t going to hurt herself. It was unlikely but you just never know how people will react to things.

I walked around the building, looking for other ways inside. It wouldn’t be that difficult to go in through a window, but I doubted that was the method used. It would be a little too obvious in the daytime. There were three other entrances to the building through doors, but two of those only opened from the inside and the other required a keycard. I couldn’t rule those out. Someone taking a smoke break could have let one or more people enter. That sort of thing happens all the time.

Another way in could be on the roof, but there wasn’t an easy access point, so if they went in that way, they’d need some sort of climbing gear. The landscaping didn’t include any nearby trees. If the killers showed up disguised as workmen and used a ladder, that could work. Otherwise, they’d need someone like Jackie Chan who could bounce up window to window to the top.

I tested a storm drainage pipe. It wasn’t strong enough to support a grown man. I finished my walk around then went back to the car.

Without an obvious entry point, what Mike Endar said echoed in my mind. They may or may not have magical abilities.

Survey says: probably.

Of course, it was also possible Thomas went in alone through the front door when Ann took a restroom break. Or he could have signed in under a different name. That would have been the easiest way. With normal people, that’s what I’d assume.

With someone who might have magical abilities, it was better to overestimate an enemy until more data was collected. So my standing hypothesis was
armed with magic, approach with caution.

KELLY CHAN

I saw them as soon as we stepped outside. Thirteen men of varying ages clad in old-fashioned tunics stood in a line on the sidewalk blocking the path to the Rolls. They looked like extras from a
Lord of the Rings
movie. They had weapons but at the moment, they were all strapped to their backs or hanging in scabbards at their waists. I swept my eyes over them, determining whom I should kill first. I figured I could take half of them out before they knew they’d been attacked.

“Stay behind me,” I said.

“It’s all right,” Graham said. “They aren’t here to kill me.”

“Why do you say that?”

Graham ignored the question. He strode toward the eldest man, but I grabbed him and pulled him back.

“Ms. Chan, please. I told you they aren’t here to kill me. Unhand me.”

“Stay behind me or I’ll just kill them all right now.”

“There are thirteen of them.”

“Your point?”

The eldest stepped forward. “Are you hiding behind the skirt of a fair maiden, Graham?”

“Not by choice, Thomas.”

He nodded and turned his eyes to mine. “Fair maiden, I would like a word with your charge.”

“Fair maiden? Not sure if I like that. You can speak from there. One move toward any of your weapons, and I’ll kill every last one of you.”

Thomas laughed. “You say that with such assurance.”

I held his gaze. “Try me.”

“Another time,” he said. He stood still and motioned to his men. They all took a step back and crossed their arms across their chests, hands away from their weapons.

“Why are you here, Thomas?” Graham asked. He remained slightly behind me so, like a dog; at least he could be trained.

“I’m here to tell you your parents are dead.”

Graham sighed. “It didn’t have to come to this.”

“You know full well it did. As soon as your family passed through the gate, you were all dead. I promised your father I’d give you the opportunity for a quick and painless death. We’ll come for you soon. In the meantime, prove your honor and tell me where she is.”

Graham stepped forward so perhaps I was too quick to give him credit. He bowed his head and in a low voice, he said, “Clara didn’t make it.”

“You brought her through.”

“Yes, and the journey was too much for her. I’m very sorry, Thomas. She’s dead.”

Thomas stared at the ground. He had the look Jonathan sometimes gets when he’s trying to determine whether someone’s lying to him. Finally he raised his head. “I warned you this could happen.”

“You did.”

“You didn’t listen.”

“It wasn’t my choice.”

“Yes, your uncle Lucas can be quite persuasive. Your father wanted me to tell you he loved you.”

“And I him.”

“One question before we go. Where is her body?”

Graham shrugged. “It’s gone. The legends were true. Clara couldn’t pass through the gate. Her screams will live in my heart until the day I die. I hope you never hear such a thing.”

“So she never set foot on the soil here?”

Graham shook his head. “Some of her ashes littered the ground beneath the gate. Other than that, no.”

Thomas nodded. “Grieve for your parents. We shall return.”

Thomas turned and led his men across the parking lot into the darkness.

“Who was Clara?” I asked.

“None of your concern,” Graham said.

Bitterman stepped out of the driver’s seat and opened the door for us. As Graham climbed into the car, Bitterman said, “I’m sorry, sir. They seemed to come out of nowhere.”

“It’s all right, Bitterman. As they say, no harm, no foul.”

I slid into the car. Bitterman closed the door and left me alone with Graham.

“I don’t think he believed you,” I said.

“I don’t care.”

“You’re not going to tell us what’s going on.”

I said it as a statement of fact, not as a question.

He spread his hands. “It’s none of your business.”

I nodded. I didn’t need to know what happened in order to protect him, so I let it go. After all, Jonathan was the detective. I was just here because I knew sooner or later, I’d get to kill someone.

CHAPTER SIX

RAYNA NOBLE

Rayna sat in Jonathan’s car and waited. She was glad to have the time to herself. Inside of twelve hours, she’d seen her mother and father dead. She needed the time alone to arrange her thoughts.