***
Around an hour later, Doctor Burns made his way back along the dark corridor and found the door to Edgar's study. Carrying his medical bag, he stepped inside and saw a figure standing on the far side of the room, staring out at the night sky. For a moment he said nothing, as he watched Edgar's flickering outline picked out by candlelight, and he tried to work out exactly what kind of man he was dealing with. One thing was certain: he knew that Edgar Le Compte had somehow managed to accelerate Kate Langley's healing process.
“Is your evaluation of Ms. Langley complete?” Edgar asked suddenly, still staring out the window.
“It is.”
“And what conclusions have you reached?”
“That she has the most remarkable injuries I've ever seen in my life,” the doctor replied, setting his bag down on a nearby chair. “Deep, lacerating cuts that go skin deep but no further. It's savage and delicate at the same time. There are also clear signs of a struggle, as well as bite marks on her left shoulder and ankle.”
“Bites marks?” Edgar replied, turning to him with a faint smile. “And in your opinion, doctor, what kind of animal could be responsible for these marks?”
“Something bigger than a dog.”
“A wolf, perhaps?”
“There are no wolves on Thaxos!” Doctor Burns replied, his voice betraying considerable irritation.
“We shall see. Perhaps if my men bring back a corpse, you will change your mind.” He paused for a moment. “And her vital signs are stable?”
Doctor Burns nodded.
“So,” Edgar continued, making his way over to a drinks cabinet in the corner of the room and taking out two glasses, “I take it that we can stop worrying that she needs to be taken back to your surgery?”
The doctor watched as Edgar poured two glasses of brandy. The man was clearly confident, but while Doctor Burns would usually bristle at such behavior, on this particular night he felt disposed to give his host the benefit of the doubt.
“Again,” Edgar said, “I must apologize sincerely for troubling you tonight. You must understand that when I discovered Ms. Langley in the maintenance hut, her body was bloodied and I feared for her life. In my haste, I dispatched one of my men to fetch you at once, and it was only after he had departed that I realized Ms. Langley was perhaps in less danger than I had initially believed. I cleaned her up and made her comfortable, and I believe that this is all she needed. Physically, at least; the emotional damage might be rather more considerable. Tell me, though... Has she woken yet?”
“Not yet,” Doctor Burns replied. “She stirred a little, but I told her to rest.”
“That would seem to be the best approach. I'm sure that in the morning she will be able to tell us precisely what happened. In the meantime, I shall prepare another party to go out and search my land for signs of a wolf. My men will not rest until the culprit has been caught.”
“You really believe that a wolf is responsible?”
“I can see no other plausible explanation.”
“And the fact that there are no wolves on Thaxos doesn't deter you from this view?”
“I am certain that her injuries are consistent with a wolf attack,” Edgar replied, crossing the room with the two glasses of brandy in his hands, before passing one of the glasses to the doctor without even asking if he wished to partake. “It stands to reason, therefore, that there must be a wolf here. How and when that wolf reached Thaxos is certainly a question of importance, but I believe it is vital to catch the animal at the earliest possible opportunity. After all, it might strike again.”
“If there is a wolf on Thaxos,” Doctor Burns replied, “it can only have arrived on one of your boats.”
“A few rats I can accept,” Edgar said with a faint smile, “but a stowaway wolf? I'm not sure that such a creature could go unnoticed. Not everything on this island is my fault.” He raised his glass. “Join me in a toast, won't you? To Ms. Langley's good fortune in surviving with such superficial injuries, and to her swift recovery.”
As the doctor took a sip of brandy, he felt that the whole situation was insane. Having lived on the island all his life, he knew damn well that there were no wolves, yet he also realized that there was no way such a creature could have hidden away on Edgar's boat and then made its way unnoticed onto the island. It was as if a wolf had simply materialized on Thaxos out of thin air.
“I'm sure,” Edgar continued, “that Ms. Langley will be up and about tomorrow, and you are most welcome to come up and see her again. She will of course be able to make her own decisions regarding her medical treatment, although I imagine that she will simply want to get back to work. I confess to not knowing her very well, but she strikes me as the type of person who prefers to get back into the saddle rather than dwelling on past misfortunes.”
“I'll be very interested to hear what she has to say,” Doctor Burns replied.
“As shall we all.”
Taking another sip of brandy, the doctor had to admit that it was quite the finest vintage he had ever tasted in his life. In fact, everything at the mansion seemed to be of the finest quality, and he couldn't help but feel impressed that Le Compte had managed to create such a luxurious home in such a short period of time. As stiff and formal as the man seemed, Le Compte also seemed less like the monster that others had described. He had undoubtedly saved Kate Langley's life, and he was most certainly very generous with his hospitality, even at such an ungodly hour.
“They talk about me in town, do they not?” Edgar asked after a moment, almost as if he had read the other man's mind.
“You've made quite an impression,” the doctor replied, “and the people of Thaxos are something of a captive audience. It doesn't help that your house is up here on top of the hill, overlooking the whole damn place.”
“What do they say about me?”
“All sorts of things.”
“Such as?”
Pausing, Doctor Burns thought back to the events he'd witnessed earlier that night, when Isobel Cavaleri had announced her dark plan in the cantina. As a man of medicine, the doctor had immediately excused himself, preferring to have no part in such an immoral conversation. Now, as he stood in Edgar's study and drank the man's brandy, he felt as if he should perhaps let him know that certain people were plotting against him, even though he felt certain that the plot itself was just a load of alcohol-fueled hot air.
“I see that you are reluctant to answer,” Edgar continued with a faint smile. “Perhaps I should not put you on the spot like this. I understand that it might be a little awkward, especially if you feel that you would be betraying any confidences.”
“It's not that,” he replied. “It's just... You've rubbed people up the wrong way, you know, and you've managed to make quite a few enemies, even though you've barely met anyone. Thaxos is a tight community, and everyone knows everyone else. It didn't take much for a kind of group-think situation to occur. People band together when they're scared.”
“I fear that my grandfather's reputation preceded me.”
“That's part of it, but there's also the rats. They're everywhere, Mr. Le Compte, and they're ruining the island.”
“I am aware, and I have already begun to take measures to deal with the problem. I can assure you that soon there will be no more trouble with rats on Thaxos.” He paused for a moment. “In fact, I have begun to plan a small garden party, which I hope will encourage the local community to see me in a very different light. I am aware that I lack the social niceties, and that I often come across badly, and I would very much like to correct that error.”
“A garden party?” Doctor Burns couldn't help but smile at the simplicity, and perhaps even naivety, of the idea. “Well, it'd certainly have novelty value. I doubt there's ever been a garden party on Thaxos before.”
“But do you think it would help?” Edgar asked. “There will be food and drink, and of course I shall arrange for a band to play. It will all be free of charge, and I'm sure some ac
tivities can be devised for the local children. Perhaps I shall even open the house up so that people can take a look around. Curiosity seems to be a very human instinct, and I hope that it might overcome any reticence that exists among the general population.”
Sighing, Doctor Burns recognized the keenness in Edgar's voice, and he realized that far from being a monster, he was actually desperate to become more popular among the locals. Although he still had reservations, he was starting to feel that he might be able to help after all.
“I think that an honest gesture would be appreciated as such,” he said eventually, “and that if you can deal with the rat problem, that would also go a long way toward making things right.”
“Then all hope is not lost,” Edgar replied. “The rats shall be gone in the very near future.”
“Some of the locals might be harder to win over than others,” the doctor continued. “Some of them are a little...”
His voice trailed off for a moment.
“Some of them are what?” Edgar asked.
“It's just idle talk, really. Some of them are more angry than others. There was a death recently, you know. A young girl named Alice Marco, very popular here on Thaxos. She died after being bitten by one of your rats.”
“I was not aware of that,” Edgar replied, as a shadow of concern crossed his face. “I must confess to being shocked by the news.”
“As you can imagine, it has turned some members of the community against you. They see the rats as a symbol of your thoughtlessness in coming to Thaxos and acting as if you own the place.” He watched as Edgar, clearly shocked by this revelation, turned and walked over to the window. “Mr. Le Compte,” he continued, “you have to accept that there is real anger here. The death of Alice Marco just confirmed for many people the idea that your return... Well, it has not entirely been perceived as a good thing.”
“Evidently,” Edgar replied, lost in thought for a moment before finally he turned back to look at the doctor. “So will you help me?”
“Help you? To do what?”
“To change things. I don't want it to be like this, I want...” He paused again. “I want the people of Thaxos to like me. There, I said it. Perhaps that sounds rather pathetic and weak, but I want them to welcome my return. Such things should not be important to me, but they are. I could throw money at the problem, of course, but I believe this would not be the best approach. As a respected member of the community, I believe that you might be in a good position to help mediate and remove some of the tension. Please, will you help?”
“I'm not really sure that I can -”
“But will you at least try?”
Doctor Burns stared at him for a moment, genuinely shocked by this latest development. There was a look of desperation in Edgar's eyes, as if he genuinely cared about his standing on the island. Having spent so many hours listening to Ephram's pronouncements of doom over the past few months, he was starting to think that perhaps Edgar was merely misunderstood. The man before him now was certainly no monster, but instead seemed like someone who had been insulated from the real world and who had no idea how to interact with the rest of the island.
“I can speak to a few people,” the doctor said eventually, with a sigh. “No promises, mind, but I can certainly have a word in the right ears. You're dealing with superstitious people, though. If you heard some of the things I've heard, foolish ideas being discussed as if they're fact...” He paused, thinking back to Ephram's suggestion the previous night that perhaps vampires might be real. “Trust me,” he added finally. “You'd never believe that smart people can be so dumb.”
“If you could at least persuade them to give me another chance,” Edgar continued, “I can take it from there. The garden party will be my attempt to set the counter back to zero, so to speak, and to ensure that better relations are fostered. If you would be so kind as to encourage people to at least give me the benefit of the doubt and attend in a few days' time, I would be extremely grateful. I know that money is not the solution to life's problems, but I would also like to make a donation to your medical center, in order to improve things on the island. Perhaps the center could even be named after the young lady who so unfortunately lost her life.”
“One step at a time,” Doctor Burns replied, “but yes, I'll speak to people, and a donation is always welcome. Public opinion might take a little while to turn, but I think it can be done.” Checking his watch, he saw that it was almost one in the morning, and a sudden wave of tiredness hit his body. “And I'm sorry, Mr. Le Compte, but I'm afraid I must be on my way. I have patients coming in seven hours, and I could use some rest.”
“Might I ask one final question?” Edgar asked. “It's about one of the local residents, a woman named Anna Kazakos. I asked her grandson about her health, and he was rather reluctant to tell me. I know you can't reveal any specific details regarding her condition, but... is she okay? Is there any urgency to her condition?”
“She's...” Doctor Burns paused, knowing that he was legally barred from divulging any information but still feeling as if he could trust Edgar to be discreet. He had never broken his oath before, but something seemed different this time, as if talking to Edgar was somehow acceptable. “She's fine,” he said after a moment. “She spends most of her time in bed, but given her age I'm not too concerned. Might I ask why you're so concerned about her?”
“No reason,” Edgar replied, as a flicker of emotion crossed his face. “Clearly I have detained you for far too long tonight. I shall have you driven home at once.”
“Thank you.” The doctor paused for a moment, feeling genuinely sympathetic to Edgar's plight, and he felt himself starting to wonder if perhaps he might be able to help after all. “I would like to come back up here tomorrow, just to check on Ms. Langley for myself and to ask her a few questions. As the only medical -”
“Of course,” Edgar said, holding his hand out. “You have been so helpful, Doctor Burns, and I'm sure that we can assist one another in the future. I am so very much in need of some counsel from the local community, and I hope that I can count on your for assistance now and again.”
Although he hesitated for a moment, the doctor finally shook Edgar's hand. A faint shiver passed through his body, but he forced himself to smile, even though he felt as if he had just passed across some kind of threshold and maybe even made a deal with the devil.
II
It came in waves, attacking her with greater ferocity each time.
Turning, she tried to crawl to the door, but a fraction of a second later she felt something grab her by the waist, its claws digging deep into her flesh before it dragged her back. The pain was intense and as she tried to resist, she felt her flesh being torn open. Twisting, she used her free leg to kick out blindly at her attacker. Hitting nothing, she tried to focus on the huge dark shape that towered above her, but something quickly smashed into the side of her face, momentarily knocking her unconscious before she opened her eyes again and found that she was already on the other side of the room.
In too much pain now to move, she felt hot breath on the back of her neck. She tried to turn, to see again the face of her attacker, but something held her back: there was pure, unadulterated fear in her heart, and she felt almost frozen, as if there was nothing she could do to save herself. She heard a growl, close to her ear, and then she felt the breath again, this time on the side of her face. Again she tried to turn and see her tormentor, but again she felt as if her body was paralyzed, as if the fear was filling her limbs and holding her in place.
“Please,” she tried to whisper, the word emerging as an ill-formed, mangled guttural moan. “Don't -”
Before she could finish, she felt the claws dig deep into her waist, gouging out her flesh and spinning her around so fast that her head hit the wall. She tried again to call for help, but suddenly she felt her body being lifted up. Reaching out, she grabbed hold of a nearby table, but her hands were too weak and her grip slipped loose. Tears were flowing from
her eyes as she felt herself being carried across the room. There was a pause, and then she felt the claws again, this time on her chest. She cried out in pain as the sharp talons dug deeper into her flesh, slipping closer to her heart until she felt it burst open and blood -