The War Gate (31 page)

“Why wouldn’t Drake have left a bloody footprint?” asked Sebastian. “There must have been blood on his shoes.”

“Not if he dragged the body backward down the stairs,” said Chubby. “It was downhill most of the way until he had to load it. If he was careful he could have done it.”

“Was Drake a pill-popper back then?” asked Sebastian.

Avy shook her head. “No, never. His wife has several prescriptions. I don’t know if she took prescription drugs back then—not sure about Nembutal. It’s worth a look for pharmaceutical records or receipts. Drake could have pilfered half a dozen pills from his wife’s personal stock.” She flipped her hair back. “I can’t believe this is all we have! Is it that bulletproof? Are we wasting our time?”

“What about Lizzy?” asked Sebastian. “Maybe she’s covering up something.”

“My mother is spineless. She’s always been preoccupied with her social status. That’s all she’s ever cared about. Even if she did know something, she wouldn’t jeopardize that loyalty with her husband. Besides, a wife can’t be forced to testify against her husband, even if he is brought up on the charges.”

“Maybe if we leaned on her,” suggested Chubby, “so she gave up the information under pressure.” He blinked. “I can’t believe I said that.”

Sebastian frowned. “That’s a long shot. We’re aiming with a short barrel. There’s too much against it. She could tip off her husband, blowing the thing wide open.”

Chubby moved his chair closer, keeping his voice down. “Avy, I know you don’t like it, but what if you were to, say, take a trip back to watch the murder? You could look for something at the crime scene that might help convict Drake.”

Sebastian balled a fist. “You told him that much, Avy?”

She nodded. “He deserved the truth, so I told him everything.”

Sebastian slapped the tabletop. “I’d love to see you try explaining that to a jury. Sure, you saw him do it because you Gate Walked back to the actual scene. That’ll hold up in a court of law. Not.”

“I never said that I would try such a thing,” said Avy. “It’s too dangerous. I wouldn’t even know how to do it. I couldn’t bear to watch such a thing anyway. Janus wouldn’t approve.”

Chubby looked at her with those steel eyes again. “Then why did he give you the gift in the first place? There must be a reason for it. Maybe you could find what we’re missing here. Isn’t it worth a try?”

No one spoke for a tense moment. The conversation had reached an accusatory level. Some of the patrons in the small archives room showed signs of discomfort, having heard the raised voices.

Sebastian sighed. “He does have a point. We need one of Janus’s guidance seminars right now. He has a cosmic playbook that he goes by. He could tell us what’s allowed in a situation like this.”

“What if I go poof?” Avy looked at Sebastian, her brows raised. “I could screw things up by getting caught in a loop or something. Is that where you want me to end up, Sebastian?”

“I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean it that way. Of course I’d want it to be safe for you. Jesus, I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.”

“You have to admit it’s the best tool you have in your arsenal to get to the truth,” said Chubby.

She pushed back from the table, gathered up her notes and tucked them in her purse. They walked out together. When they passed the front desk, Abigail Folger averted her eyes from the three.

“I need a place where I can think,” said Avy. “Can we go to the park?”

Chubby agreed to take them.

Avy looked out the window on the way, mired in a thick fog of confusion. It seemed she could see everything yet saw nothing. Enjoying a normal ride down the street seemed impossible. There were no sights, sounds, or colors due to a mind reeling from one conundrum to another. It was going to take a miracle to fit all the puzzle pieces together.

She had no permanent residence or job. Her uncle slash father, she felt certain, was a cold-blooded murderer. Her mother couldn’t understand that her own life might be in danger. Drake’s security force would stop at nothing until they destroyed her life or killed her outright. Sebastian had lost everything dear to him. If things got any worse, she felt certain he would be dragged down along with her. Chubby would follow, hanging onto to Sebastian’s cuffs, taking the same trip. To hell.

After arriving at the park, they strolled over a long grassy hill toward the lake. It was already uncomfortably warm from the noonday sun. A crowd had gathered by the water’s edge. Several people tossed breadcrumbs to the ducks and geese that jockeyed to get into position for the offerings. Several children tried to play keep away with a dog that insisted on stealing their Frisbee.

Avy sat on a patch of thick grass. For a minute, it all seemed so normal, a reprieve from the cave of her dark thoughts. It would be nice to relax for a while without a care in the world. Not that she could be that lucky. She thought about what Chubby had suggested about going back. Back to another time and place where nightmares were real. To relive it in the flesh. To do so would require watching the events unfold minute by horrible minute. Avy shivered. She would have to witness a murder, all the while keeping her eyes peeled for evidence. If she did know how to get to that place, maybe it could be stopped. Would that mean stopping her own birth? If there had been no crime there would have been no Janus to set things right. Avy would not have been fathered. It was all so damn confusing.

She gazed up at a puffy cloud that looked like a bearded old man. “Why can’t you ever make things simple?” she asked the face. She looked to either side of her, embarrassed by her outburst. Both men were flat on their backs, eyes closed. Chubby already had a snore in full swing. She lay back, cocked her arms under her head. “Oh, why not?”

###

She yawned. Her face felt tight with an irritable burning sensation. Wincing, she realized she had been asleep. Checking her watch, she found that six hours had passed. The sun was an orange ember in the west—the same sun that had given her a nice little burn. Both men beside her were still asleep, their faces blotchy pink. She had an impulse to wake them but decided against it. “Let ’em rest,” she muttered.

She walked to the water’s edge. There were a few families left in the park. Some couples strolled hand in hand on the lakefront path. The waterfowl had retreated to the center of the lake. She put a hand in the water, bringing a cool palm to her face, making small pats to bring some relief to her burnt skin. It felt good.

Then her nose wrinkled.

A pervasive stench hung heavy in the air. The odor tweaked something in her memory. Sure enough, when she turned around, she saw the transient standing on the lake’s edge not twenty feet from her. He did not wear his blanket over his shoulders like he had before, but stood cloaked in a filthy raincoat that reached to his knees. It seemed more than a coincidence that this man would be in close proximity to her again in such a short amount of time. He looked ridiculous in a family park setting.

He turned his head toward her with a spastic jerk. “Ah, it is the lass again. You should refrain from following me, you know.” His chuckle sounded like a death rattle.

She didn’t get the joke, nor did she want to. “What do you want?”

“I want for nothing except another beautiful day like today. I want it tomorrow, too. I want to have many more beautiful visions, including someone like you gracing that panorama.” He raised a hand in the air for dramatic effect. A sparrow flew by him, nicking his finger. The bird somersaulted into the water, where it floated on the surface for a moment before it tipped on its side and sank.

She took a few steps back. “I haven’t got time to discuss psychology or sociology with you. Nobody understands your stupid doubletalk. I don’t like you including me as a character in your little fantasies either. Your Thespian delivery went out with W.C. Fields. Goodbye.”

Avy walked away with hurried steps in the direction of the reclining men. Sebastian had just sat up when she reached him. He rubbed his face, then gave Chubby’s foot a shake. The other man awoke.

Avy glanced over her shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”

Sebastian yawned. “Gah, how long have I been asleep?”

“Hours,” Avy said. “Can we just go?”

She did not want a confrontation that might result in an out-of-control scene. The point was moot when both men got to their feet and Sebastian looked past her toward the lake. He stepped around Avy, then scowled. “You again! What the hell are you doing here?”

The decrepit man cranked his head in several directions. “Ah, hell has nothing to do with this place. I thought I was a free man in paradise.”

“I think you stalk pretty women,” said Sebastian. “Your motives don’t have anything to do with walking around in paradise. I asked you what you were doing here.”

“Why, I am a resident of this fine city. Have been all my life. This is one of my favorite haunts.”

Chubby stared at the man, uncertainty washing across his face. “I’ve been a resident in Raleigh all my life. I sure as heck don’t ever remember seeing you. Nobody could miss someone like you in lockup, and you look like the type that would have been there at least once. You don’t even ring a small bell.”

“Is that another of the Praetorian Guard who harkens? Greetings. I am like Quasimodo, the one who rang the big bell. I am never seen but often heard. Who might you be, you voluminous mass of preponderance?”

“I think he just insulted me,” said Chubby.

“This isn’t worth it,” said Avy, clutching Sebastian by the forearm.

“You must tell me,” said the man, “if both of you are entitled to the delights of yon damsel, or if you are permitted to accost her at the same time.”

Sebastian made swift strides across the grass, his fist cocked for a punch. Avy caught up with him, attempting to halt him with an arm lock. He drug her a short distance across the grass.

“Stop it!” she yelled. “Can’t you see what he’s doing? This is what he wants—he’s baiting you.”

Sebastian pulled back, fuming. His face had transformed to a mask of rage. Avy could see the pulse pound in his neck. He made a move to throw her off, but then relaxed.

Chubby arrived at his side. “She’s right. He’s looking for a lawsuit. I know the kind. Let him go. He’ll try it with somebody else.”

“Please, honey!”

Sebastian turned around, relaxing somewhat. He took Avy’s hand, then escorted her toward the car. They could hear the transient’s voice rise up from the knoll.

“What’s the matter, magic man? Afraid of a little competition?”

Sebastian broke his stride but kept walking. Avy found the accusation stunning. The “magic” moniker referred to Sebastian’s vocation. It meant the transient knew at least that much about him.

They drove back to the motel in silence. Gretchen met them at the door. Chubby threw the deadbolt after they were inside, then picked up his dog.

“I’ve never seen that person,” said Chubby. “It doesn’t mean he hasn’t been living in some back alley somewhere. I’m wondering if he is just another one of Drake’s men hired to harass us. You’ve already spotted him once near the motel and now he shows up in the park. I’m not saying he’s dangerous or anything. Maybe he is meant to throw us off our routine while they have something else up their sleeve. At least Gretchen seems to us alert when he is around. She can be our warning alarm.” With more conviction he said, “But it isn’t safe anymore.”

“What are you saying, Chubby?” asked Avy, although she knew the answer.

“I say we pack up, change locations. That will rule out coincidence. If he finds us again, we’ll know he’s involved.”

“Then what?” Sebastian asked. “We can’t touch this guy—you said it yourself. He’s trying to provoke us into a confrontation. It’s pretty clever, if you ask me. If we raise a hand to him we’ll find ourselves slapped with charges of assault on a homeless person—a hate crime.”

“We call the cops the next time he shows up,” said Chubby. “At least they’ll run a field report on him, then check him for outstanding warrants. We can claim harassment or public nuisance. In the meantime, I say we move out to be on the safe side.”

“We can go back to my old motel across town,” suggested Avy. “That’s a long trek for him, even if he does want to chase us down again.”

That settled it. They packed up their belongings in Chubby and Avy’s vehicles, then checked out. They drove the backstreets to the Flat On Your Back Motel and rented the same room Avy had occupied before. They stashed the vehicles in the back lot. There were no adjoining rooms, so Chubby had to settle for a neighboring unit.

They gathered in Avy’s room where they watched TV for a few hours, mostly the news, but took in a half-hour sitcom, which afforded them a laughter break. Chubby broke out a deck of cards near midnight. They played poker with a fierce intensity that kept them riveted to the game. After Sebastian won twelve straight hands in a row, Avy looked at Chubby, which caused both them to burst into laughter. The magician had palmed so many cards from the deck that a poker champion could not have beaten him.

Sebastian raised his brows in mock surprise, giving them a look that said he never cheated.

“Here I thought he was just getting lucky,” said Avy.

Chubby slapped his thigh. “He doesn’t have to turn his back on us. He does it straight to our faces.”

It was the perfect tension breaker. Sebastian did a few more sleight of hand tricks for their amusement, switching cards, transforming the suits. For a finale, he made the deck vanish into thin air via the wave of a hand. Chubby found the missing deck stuck under his left buttock. The room erupted in laughter again.

It was late when they decided to turn in. Chubby offered a “Goodnight,” beginning to push himself up out of his chair. He made it to a crouched position before he stopped cold.

Gretchen’s ears perked up. She blew out a hissing whine. The dog approached the door on unsteady feet. Avy looked at her watch, it read ten after two in the morning. Rising, the three adults looked at the dog. Gretchen pawed the carpet at the door’s base. She let out a squeak. Chubby crept toward the door. Avy swung her hand in a chopping motion. “I can look through the curtains,” she whispered. “Don’t open it.”