***
Racing out of the storage shed, Kate ran back across the garden, with a shovel in her hand. She glanced toward the house, terrified that Edgar might have spotted her, but so far there was no sign of anyone. Figuring that she had to help the man in the grave, she started digging as fast as possible.
V
“Nathaniel, are you there?” Cavaleri hissed into her phone as she made her way along the dark corridor. She checked the screen, to make sure that there hadn't been a mistake, before trying again. “Nathaniel, we're pulling out. Something's not right about all of this. Meet me at -”
Before she could finish, she heard a faint groaning sound on the other end of the line. She'd called Nathaniel's number thirty seconds earlier, and although someone had picked up, no actual words were forthcoming.
“Nathaniel?” she continued. “Is something wrong?”
“Hello, Inspector,” whispered a familiar female voice.
Cavaleri stopped in her tracks. Her heart was racing and although she was trying to stay calm, she felt as if everything was spiraling out of control.
“Who am I speaking with?” she asked.
“It's me,” the voice replied. “Don't you recognize me? It's Alice Marco. At least... I think so...”
“Alice?” She froze. “Where are you, Alice? What are you doing with Nathaniel's phone?”
“It started ringing while I was...” Alice paused, with a hint of confusion in her voice. “Why don't you come and see, Inspector? We're in the old dining room, the one on the east side of the building. I've made a terrible mess, but it wasn't my fault. Something in my soul just... overtook the rest of me...”
“Can you put Nathaniel on the line?” Cavaleri asked.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Why do you think?”
“Why don't you tell me?”
“Okay.” She paused. “I drained his blood, and then I picked his bones clean. His bare spine is on the floor in front of me right now. There are still a few small pieces of meat tucked away in various parts, but... I think I'm full now. Yes, I've eaten enough for one night. Enough of him, anyway.”
Cavaleri waited a moment, telling herself over and over that there was no way Alice Marco would be party to any of Le Compte's games. Alice was a good, kind, decent girl, yet there was now a dark edge to her voice, as if a sliver of steel had been inserted into her soul. Given the fact that she had been living in Edgar Le Compte's house for a few weeks now, it was clear that she might have been exposed to his world.
“Everything looks so different,” Alice continued. “It's as if the whole world has a crack in it, and all these lights and colors and thoughts are leaking through from... somewhere... They're beautiful but I find them very confusing. Why couldn't I see them before?”
“Stay right where you are,” Cavaleri replied, checking under her jacket to make sure that she still had her gun. “I'll be there in a few minutes, Alice. Just... Don't do anything until I get to you.”
Cutting the call, she looked down at the Crucifix of St. Joan in her right hand. If the plan had gone perfectly, Edgar Le Compte would be dead by now, but she figured she had to abandon everything and get the hell out of the mansion. There would always be time to regroup, to go to Doctor Young and figure out what had happened, but she was certain that Nathaniel and Tom had been caught somehow, and she had no intention of going blundering into the same trap. Turning, she hurried along the corridor and began to make her way across the ballroom, heading for the next corridor, which would lead to the main hallway. She quickened her pace, desperate to get away -
“Good evening, Inspector.”
Almost jumping out of her skin, she turned to find Edgar Le Compte standing nearby with a faint smile on his lips.
“Don't come any closer!” Cavaleri shouted, holding the crucifix up.
“Fascinating,” he continued, with a flicker of emotion in his eyes. “It has been a long, long time since I saw the Crucifix of St. Joan. It has been kept in the church, has it not? I was always quite happy knowing that it was out of harm's way. Father Henderson had many faults, but his faith was strong and for that reason, if for no other, I found him very interesting. And the crucifix itself, of course, has a storied history in relation to my own family.”
He took a step toward her.
“I'm not joking!” Cavaleri shouted, standing her ground. “If you come anywhere near me...” Remembering her gun, she pulled it out from under her jacket and aimed it at Edgar. She rarely ever pulled her gun, but when she did, it always made her feel in control; this time, however, she felt as if she was still in danger.
“A weapon in each hand,” Edgar replied, holding up his own hands for her to see. “And I am unarmed. This would seem to be a very unequal confrontation, Inspector. Whatever am I to do?”
“Get down on your knees!”
“No.”
“On your knees!” she yelled.
“No.”
“I'll shoot.”
“Go ahead,” he replied calmly. “Right in the heart, perhaps? Or will you aim for my head? Either way, it will be very interesting to see what happens in the seconds after you've pulled the trigger. Any lingering doubts that you might possess will be washed away, won't they, if I am unharmed?” He smiled. “Tell me, what do you think will happen if you shoot me? Will I simply drop down dead, or will... something else occur?”
“This ends tonight,” she told him, trying not to let her hands shake. There were tears in her eyes, but she still felt as if she was in control. “Thaxos isn't going to be in your thrall anymore. The island is going to be free, and my sister...” Her voice trailed off.
“Who put you up to this?” Edgar asked.
“No-one, I -”
“Your emotions are real,” he continued, “and that's no shock, but you're far better organized than I would have expected. Someone helped you get into my home tonight, and that same person tipped you off about the Crucifix of St. Joan. Who?”
“That's none of your concern.”
“Am I under arrest?”
“No,” she replied darkly, adjusting her finger on the trigger, “you're not under arrest.”
“I see. So this is to be an execution.”
“It's an act of freedom.”
“Then you'd better get on with it,” he continued, taking one more step toward her until he was just a few feet away. “Have you ever murdered someone in cold blood before, Inspector, or will this be your first?” He smiled again. “Let me give you a pro tip. It's best to now dwell on things, so don't relive the moment over and over in your mind after you've killed me. Try to find a distraction, or -”
“I don't need your advice,” she replied, cutting him off. “Your arrogance really knows no bounds, does it?”
“I'm not sure it's arrogance, Inspector. Simply confidence.”
“You're full of yourself,” she continued. “You never learn from your mistakes, do you?”
“What mistakes?”
She checked her aim. The gun was pointed directly at his face, ready to blow his wretched smile apart as soon as she pulled the trigger.
“Go on, then,” he continued. “Join the illustrious ranks of murder. It won't be the first time someone has shot me lately. Poor Doctor Burns tried much the same thing once.”
“I -”
“Or would you like a party first?” he asked, raising his right hand. “I always throw such wonderful parties.” With that, he clicked his fingers and the room suddenly burst to life, with candles burning all around and a band playing at the far end, while Cavaleri found herself surrounded by hundreds of masked men and women, all dancing to the music. Turning, she was momentarily dazed, before looking back at Edgar and seeing the calm, confident expression on his face.
“What...” she gasped. “Where... How?”
“Sometimes it can get so lonely up here,” he replied with a smile, as a masked couple waltzed past him. “I like to liven the nights up.”
/>
“Where did all these people come from?” Cavaleri asked, as another couple danced around her briefly.
“They all came to Thaxos many years ago,” he told her. “Not all at once, of course. Two by two, mostly. And two by two, they ended up staying forever. I suppose you could say that I collected them. I'm very fortunate, however, because I can make them appear and disappear at my command. They never outstay their welcome, they never challenge me... They just come and join me when I want them.”
“Make them go away!” she shouted, with the gun still aimed at him.
“Why? Don't you want witnesses?”
Suddenly all the dancers stopped and turned to stare at Cavaleri, and moments later the band's music came to a stuttering halt. The band-leader cleared his throat, evidently unsure as to what he should do next.
“You have an audience,” Edgar continued. “If you believe that what you're doing is right, then you must not hesitate. Have a brave heart, Inspector. Lift your soul higher and do what you believe is in the best interest of the people on Thaxos. You have always struck me as someone with a firm heart. Prove it now.”
Cavaleri turned to look at the masked faces that were staring at her. They all had such expressionless eyes, and they seemed to be waiting for her to make her decision.
“Every second you want,” Edgar added, “is another second that your dear sister remains under the water. Poor Karya must be so cold.”
“Don't you dare say her name!” Cavaleri sneered, stepping closer to Edgar until the gun was aimed directly into his face.
“Get it over with,” Edgar said firmly. “You're starting to bore me.”
Cavaleri focused on his grin, trying to will herself to pull the trigger. Tears were streaming down her face now, but she couldn't quite bring herself to murder a man in cold blood, even a man such as Edgar Le Compte.
“She never sleeps, you know,” he continued. “She's down there all the time in the freezing water, just looking up at the surface as if it were a blanket of stars. Can you imagine how much she wants to come up and join the world of the living? She can't, though. She and her friend are both stuck down there until I allow them up, and to be perfectly honest with you, Inspector, I have no intention of allowing them up in the near future.” He paused. “But if you killed me, they might be released.”
“You bastard,” Cavaleri whispered, feeling her resolve starting to strengthen.
“Shoot me,” he replied, as if he genuinely wanted her to try her best, “and then use that dirty old crucifix. I'm sure you have it all figured out. And even if -”
Before Edgar could finish, Cavaleri fired the gun. She blinked for a fraction of a second, but when she opened her eyes she was shocked to see that it was not Edgar she had shot, but one of the masked women, whose mask had been blasted apart by the bullet. Blood was pouring from the hole in her face and she fell back into the arms of her partner, while all the other guests screamed and began to run. Turning, Cavaleri tried to work out how she had missed Edgar and where he was now, but it was as if he had suddenly disappeared.
“My dear,” the masked man said, cradling the dying woman in his arms. “Can you hear me?”
Cavaleri looked down at the woman and watched for a moment, mesmerized as thick, dark blood poured out through the hole that had been blasted just below her left eye. Pieces of the shattered mask were mixed in with the wound, and it was clear that she was already dead, even as more of her blood ran down the side of her face and dribbled onto the floor, almost as if it was being poured out of her.
“Murderer,” the man continued after a moment, turning to Cavaleri. “You're a murderer!”
“It was an accident,” she replied, taking a step back. “You must have seen what happened!”
“My darling,” he said, looking back down at the woman, as tears fell from his eyes and ran down his mask. “It's okay. Everything will be okay. Please, don't be scared...” He ran his hands through her hair. “Please, God, let her escape the pain. She was a good woman. Just let her go gently...”
Turning, Cavaleri saw that the rest of the dancers had all fled from the ballroom, while the members of the band were staring at her in stunned silence.
“You saw!” she shouted. “You must have seen! I was aiming at Le Compte, not at her! I...”
She paused as she realized that the band-members were all staring at her with dark, angry expressions, as if they didn't believe her.
“Please,” she continued, taking a few steps toward them, “you saw what happened!”
“This is all quite horrific,” Edgar said suddenly.
Spinning round, Cavaleri raised the gun and tried to fire at him, but the weapon was somehow ripped from her grasp and sent flying across the room, finally slamming against the wall and clattering to the floor.
“I understand that you have five more bullets in there,” Edgar continued, watching her from the other side of the room, “but I really don't have the patience to go through the motions. None of them would ever hurt me. On another day, in another mood, I would certainly have let you give it your best shot, but today I have rather a lot to deal with.”
“And what about this?” she asked, holding up the crucifix.
“That...” He paused. “That is another matter.”
“It's true, isn't it?” Cavaleri continued, making her way toward him, and passing the weeping masked man in the process. “This thing really can kill you?”
“I'm not sure if it can kill me,” he replied, “but certainly if it is driven through my heart it will cause me considerable problems. For as long as it remained lodged in place, I would be powerless and, for all intents and purposes, dead. My only hope would be if someone eventually came and removed it, in which case I believe I would be able to recover. Regardless, I would certainly be out of the way for quite some time.”
“So maybe that's the best option,” she said, stopping a few feet from him as she tried to work out her best chance of attacking him. “If I can't kill you, I'll put this in your heart and then I'll bury you so deep, no-one will ever find you. It won't be six feet under or even twelve. It'll be fifty, and I'll put you in an iron coffin as well!”
“That would be... unfortunate.”
“Not for me,” she replied. “Not for my sister, either, or for the people of Thaxos.”
“Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, you still face one considerable hurdle, Inspector. You still have to get the crucifix into my heart, and I'm not sure you have much chance.”
“Don't underestimate me.”
“Who sent you?” he asked, his tone changing suddenly, as if he was tired of playing games. “Give me a name.”
She shook her head.
“I'll find out anyway. You'll just be saving me a little time, and yourself a great deal of pain.”
“Let's just say that you've got a lot of enemies,” she continued, “and some of them are closer to home than you might realize.”
“Closer to home?” He paused. “Didi? No, she's far too stupid to pull off something like that. It can't be Dr. Langley or Ms. Marco, so...” Another pause, and finally a flicker of realization crossed his face. “Well, now that is something I didn't see coming. Doctor Young must be responsible for goading you to come up here. I'm right, aren't I?”
“It doesn't matter,” she replied, trying to pick the perfect moment to lunge at him.
“It matters a great deal,” he continued. “My own... Well, I knew he had certain issues with me, but I felt that our relationship was improving of late. I shall have to have a stern word with that boy once this is all over. A very stern word.” He paused. “But for now, why don't you make your move?” He held his arms out, as if to welcome her. “Come on, Inspector. I'm even giving you a head-start. Why don't you come and get me?”
Cavaleri took a deep breath, aware that the odds were against her.
“I see the hesitation in your eyes,” he added. “You're weakening.”
She shook her head.
&n
bsp; “Or perhaps you don't like the idea of an audience,” Edgar continued, glancing over at the sobbing masked man in the middle of the ballroom. “I'm sorry,” he added, “but tonight's party is over.”
Turning to him, the masked man paused for a moment before reaching up and removing the mask completely, to reveal his tear-stained face.
“Fernando?” Cavaleri said, shocked to see that he was alive.
“Don't call him by his old name,” Edgar continued. “It'll only confuse him. He's one of my men now, he does what he's told. Most of the time, I'll use him to carry out odd jobs around the estate, but I shall have to be careful. The rest of my ghosts are all so old, but he only died recently so he might be recognized when he's in town. I must admit, I had no plans to recruit any more men for a while, but when I realized he was stowing away on my boat... Well, I had no choice. I had to order Captain Hamilton to kill him.”
“Fernando,” Cavaleri called out, “it's me! Can you hear me?”
With tears in his eyes, Fernando turned to her, but he seemed not to recognize her at all. His face was ashen and stark, and his eyes seemed to have sunk a little deeper into his skull.
“What have you done to him?” Cavaleri asked.
“I believe he was strangled with a length of rope,” Edgar replied. “I'm afraid I didn't bother to tell Captain Hamilton how to finish him off, I merely gave the order that he must be dead before the boat returned to Thaxos. Hamilton's a good man, although he can be quite forgetful. Then again, he's one of my oldest ghosts. It has been so many years since that boat first sank.”
“Fernando, you have to listen to me,” Cavaleri continued. “Please, it's not too late! It can't be!”
“His mind is in there somewhere,” Edgar explained, “but it's buried deep. Perhaps when I'm not using him, whispers of his old self come to the surface, but for the most part he's nothing more than a puppet. If only you hadn't made him go onto that boat, Inspector, this fine young man would still be alive right now.”
“I...” Fernando paused. “There was... It was so dark and...”
“Don't trouble yourself,” Edgar told him. “Your work for tonight is done.”
Snapping his fingers again, he made all the party guests – including Edgar and the woman in his arms - disappear, and the candles were immediately snuffed out, leaving the room dark once again.
“So,” Edgar continued, turning to Cavaleri, “I'm sure you've seen enough.”
“That didn't happen,” she said breathlessly, her mind racing as she tried to understand. “It can't have happened. It was all some kind of illusion.”
“Such a petty little human mind. I show you great wonders and you react with disbelief. No wonder your species is sinking back into the primordial mud.”
“You actually enjoy this, don't you?” she replied, as anger began to swell in her chest. “All the pain you cause, all the misery... It amuses you. It's like some kind of... hobby...”
“Do you think I'm a good man?” he asked.
“A good man?” She stared at him, aghast at the suggestion. “A good man? Edgar Le Compte, I think you're the worst man who ever walked the planet. The cruelest, the darkest, the most evil man in all of history. I have no idea how many lives you've ruined, but it must have been hundreds, maybe even thousands, millions...”
“You still underestimate me,” he replied with a smile.
“You're a monster. There's no other word for it.”
“But don't you think I could change?” he continued. “I would genuinely like to hear your opinion, Inspector. I feel as if I'm at a crossroads. A woman once told me, many years ago, that she believed I could have a good soul again. She believed in me, and in turn she almost made me believe in myself. I've wrestled with this issue for so long and I almost came to accept that she was right, but now I'm not so sure.” He paused for a moment. “I loved that woman. I still love her, with all my heart. It has been so many decades since I first met her, but no other woman will ever take her place in my heart. The worst part is, she doesn't even know what she means to me. She will, though, one day, and I feel I do not have much longer to wait.”
“You disgust me,” Cavaleri sneered. “There's nothing redeemable about you at all, Le Compte. The only good thing you can ever do for anyone is to die.”
“Perhaps you're right,” he replied. “Perhaps the woman was wrong. I should embrace my strengths, go back to my old ways. I had fun back then, you know. I enjoyed my work, and I made an art of it. I even -”
At that moment, Cavaleri lunged at him, with the Crucifix of St. Joan raised in her hand, ready to strike down into his chest. Catching him slightly off-guard, she was able to push him against the wall, but as she attempted to drive the pointed end of the crucifix into his heart, he grabbed her arm and held her back.
“An admirable effort,” he hissed.
Trying to get free from his grasp, Cavaleri summoned every ounce of strength, but it still wasn't enough. Edgar had her right wrist held tight, and she could already tell that she would never get it free, not without breaking her arm in the process. The tip of the crucifix was just an inch from his chest, but that inch seemed insurmountable. She had come so close and now, at the last moment, she felt as if she was being defeated.
“How does it feel?” Edgar asked. “You did so very well, and yet -”
Reaching up with her left hand, Cavaleri grabbed the crucifix and tried again, this time managing to get the tip pressed against Edgar's chest before he managed to push her away. Clutching both her wrists now, he stared deep into her eyes.
“And there,” he hissed, “it ends.”
“You think so?” she snarled, even as she felt him squeezing her wrists tighter and tighter. Gasping with pain, she tried not to cry out, but finally her wrists snapped and she couldn't help but let out an agonized gasp.
“I will give you some credit,” Edgar continued with a smile. “You got closer than I expected. Only by a few millimeters, but I suppose I allowed myself to be momentarily distracted.” He leaned closer to her face. “You did this for your sister, didn't you? Your love of Thaxos brought you here, but it was your love for Karya that helped you make your final move.”
“Please,” she whimpered, with tears streaming down her face, “whatever you do to me, just let her go. Kill me, torture me, make me burn in hell, but just release her...”
“I was always going to release your sister eventually,” he replied, “but only once she has served her purpose.”
“Please,” she sobbed, “don't make her suffer... I'll do anything...”
“I'm always so impressed by human emotion,” he continued. “It's one area where I feel that perhaps I have a slight disadvantage. The way you care so much for people, just because you happen to be related to them by blood. I myself had a family, of course, but I ended up killing my father and mother, and as for my sister... Well, let's just say that dear Madeleine tried to cross me and now I'm sure that she regrets that decision very much. If she's even capable of sensible thought, anyway.”
“Please,” Cavaleri whispered, “let Karya go...”
“Only when she has done what I ask of her,” he replied. “Of that, you have my word. She will be free one day, but not now. She is still needed for a very important task. Believe me, I set everything up a very long time ago, and if I leave your sister and her friend down there in the depths, it is not for my own amusement. Everything has to happen in the right order, and nothing can be rushed.”
“But -”
“This tires me,” he added, tearing her wrists until they were almost ripped clean from her arms. Letting go, he allowed Cavaleri to drop to the floor, and then finally he reached down and took the Crucifix of St. Joan from her hand. Holding it up, he admired the tip. “Such a beautiful item,” he continued. “While it was being kept in the church, I could not get hold of it, so I must thank you, Inspector, for delivering it into my hands. Since it is one of the very few items that can ever actually hurt me, I shall mak
e certain to keep it under lock and key. You have done me a great service, and for that I thank you. Wait right here. This isn't something I can leave lying around on a table while I deal with you.”
Turning, he began to make his way to the door. As he reached the open window at the front of the ballroom, however, he stopped. There was a noise behind him, in the darkness. He frowned, unable to believe that a mere human could still muster the strength to attack him one final time, but finally he turned just in time to see Cavaleri launching herself at him. For the first time, he was truly surprised by her.
Caught slightly off-balance, Edgar fell back against the window as Cavaleri pushed through the pain of her shattered wrists and grabbed hold of him. Even though she was in agony, she tried to reach for the crucifix and pull it from his hands, but Edgar snatched it out of her reach. Letting go, he watched as the crucifix flew out of the window, over the edge of the balcony and into the dark garden outside.
“Well,” he said, looking down at Cavaleri's angry, tear-stained face, “you have impressed me tonight, Inspector. I shall have to go out there and recover the crucifix. You have inconvenienced me a great deal, and that does not happen very often. Please, accept my congratulations, and rest assured that I will tell Doctor Young that you performed admirably. I'm sure he'll be pleased, although he won't have long to savor the satisfaction. I shall have to deal with him most forcefully.”
Cavaleri let out a snarl of frustration.
“But first,” Edgar continued, grabbing her by the neck and pulling her closer, “I must deal with you. For a human, you have shown remarkable perseverance, and I can assure you that I will remember you for a very long time. You have taught me that humans are capable of great strength when they're trying to avenge some perceived wrong or slight. I imagine that it is your love of your sister that drove you to strike at me.”
“Go...” She gasped as Edgar squeezed her neck tighter and tighter. “Go to... hell!”
“Maybe you were right,” he told her. “Maybe I really do have a dark and evil soul. Yes, I think I must accept the situation and stop fighting my own identity. I have tried being a good man, and I failed miserably, so I must embrace my strengths, in which case...” He smiled. “Let me take you to my basement, Inspector Cavaleri. I have so many wonderful machines down there, and it has been so very long since I last had an opportunity to use them.”