Dead Souls Volume One (Parts 1 to 13)

  ***

  Today, Doctor Burns' sign remained in place above the door to his surgery. It was a little dirty perhaps, since Doctor Burns had stopped cleaning it a few years back, but the afternoon sun still caught its edges.

  “Do your best for these people,” he muttered to himself, “and they will do their best for you.”

  Stopping by the front door, he paused for a moment and looked up at the sign. It had been many years since he'd really paid it much attention, but for a few seconds – still a little drunk after the garden party up at Edgar Le Compte's mansion – he found himself blinking at the sign and wondering where all the years had gone. Had he really spent four decades sitting behind his little desk, dispensing advice and medicine to the people of Thaxos? He'd been a young man when he arrived, but now he was getting old and he could no longer ignore the fact that one day soon he would have to send word to the medical board on the mainland, telling them to start looking for his successor. Not yet, though. He told himself that he still had a few years left. Making his way inside, he felt a little unsteady on his feet, and he was just about to lock up and take an early night when he remembered something that suddenly seemed extremely important.

  “The wolf,” he muttered.

  He walked – a little unsteadily, it had to be said – through to the yard at the back of the surgery, and then he headed into the tool-shed. Pulling the tarpaulin off the bench, he stared at the dead body of the wolf that had been killed by Le Compte's men. A few days ago, he'd asked them to leave the body here so that he could give it a proper burial. Since then, he'd been so busy, and all those thoughts of nobility had somehow faded away. He was tired and still drunk, but he told himself that these things were not an excuse. The wolf had been a majestic beast and it simply would not do to leave it in the tool-shed for even one more night. He would simply have to summon up the strength to get the job done, and it could not be delayed a moment longer.

  “Doesn't seem right,” he muttered. “None of it seems right.”

  Grabbing a spade, he stumbled out into the yard and stopped for a moment, trying to pick a perfect spot for the grave. He was having a little trouble focusing, thanks to the five – or was it six, or maybe even seven? - glasses of champagne he'd somehow ended up drinking at the party, but finally he staggered over to the corner and realized that the wolf would probably want to be buried in a part of the yard that received a lot of sun during the day. To this end, he carefully pressed the edge of the spade into the dirt and started to dig, although the process was somewhat slowed by the fact that the whole world seemed to be spinning around him. Finally, after a few disconsolate attempts to dig a decent-sized hole, he lost his balance entirely and tumbled down to the ground.

  He sat up and sighed.

  “When did all of this become so difficult?” he muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.

  Groaning as he felt his old bones creak, he nevertheless managed to get back up. He grabbed the handle of the spade and once again set about digging the grave. When he was a young man, the job would have taken him just a few minutes. Even now, in his sixties, it should normally have taken only a quarter of an hour. With all the champagne in his belly, however, he ended up spending fully forty-five minutes, until finally he leaned back against the wall and stared down at the rough, uneven hole that he figured would just about be good enough. Dropping the spade, he wiped his brow again before stumbling back toward the tool-shed.

  “Alright,” he said out loud as he wrapped the tarpaulin back around the wolf and prepared to lift it. “Let's -”

  As soon as he tried to haul the wolf's body up into his arms, he was shocked by its weight. He tried to steady himself, but instead he merely ended up falling back against the wall and dropping the wolf. Muttering a few select curse words, the doctor reached down and decided to try another tactic: holding onto the wolf's rear legs, he began to drag it across the ground until finally he managed to get it to the edge of the grave.

  “Sorry, old boy,” he muttered, pausing to catch his breath. “I know it's not perfect, but at least it's better than being tossed into the sea, eh? You...” He paused, admiring the wolf's majestic fur, which still seemed so fine despite the bloody bullet-hole in the back of its head. Although he'd never seen the wolf when it was alive, he imagined it as a proud animal, and he hated to see it in such a terrible state.

  “I'm sorry,” he added finally. “Just... I'm sorry. Happens to us all in the end, though.”

  With one final burst of energy, he pushed the wolf's corpse into the hole. He grabbed the spade, ready to fill the dirt back in, but first he had to lean back against the wall and catch his breath. He felt so old and tired, he wasn't even sure that he could get the job done, and it was only now that he realized he had somehow lost his hat during the day. The evening sun beat down on the top of his head, slowly burning his skin and giving him a headache. He knew he should just go inside, but he was determined to give the wolf an honorable burial. It seemed like the only decent thing he could do at that particular moment.

  “It's time for him to go,” said a voice suddenly. “It's a disgrace.”

  “Whatever happened,” said another voice, “he clearly made a mistake. I mean, if you can't trust your doctor, what are you supposed to do? I've got a bunion. Should I go and ask him for help or not?”

  “He's always been good to me, but now I'm starting to wonder if he really knows what he's doing! I mean, surely it's not hard to determine whether someone's alive or dead? Did he perform that autopsy or not? The old fool must have been lying. Then again, he looked pretty wasted today, so maybe he's got a drinking problem?”

  “Do you think we can contact the authorities on the mainland? Maybe get them to send a replacement?”

  Turning, Doctor Burns looked at the wall that ran along the far side of the yard, and he realized that two people were making their way along the alley. They were talking about him, discussing all his recent faults and failings, and he continued to listen to them as their voices receded into the distance. For a moment, he turned their words over and over in his mind, feeling every cut of disappointment and humiliation. He still didn't understand what had happened in the case of Alice Marco, but he told himself that it would all become apparent in the morning once the effects of the champagne had worn off. One thing was certain, however: he knew that if he'd truly made a mistake and signed the girl's death certificate when she was in fact still alive, he could no longer trust himself to serve the people of Thaxos. He would have no choice but to resign immediately. And then what? Retirement? He wasn't ready to admit that he was old, not yet. He still felt like the same man who arrived on Thaxos all those years ago and took his first lungful of the island's air.

  “Let's get this over with,” he muttered, forcing himself to somehow muster enough energy to start filling in the hole. He began to shovel dirt down onto the wolf's body, until finally the crude grave was finished. He leaned back and admired his work. It wasn't the most fitting grave in the world, but it would do for now. Reminding himself to put some kind of marker in place, he dropped the spade and staggered back inside. With champagne still sloshing about in his belly, he needed more than anything to get some sleep. First, though, he had a couple of house-calls to make, but he figured he could hide his drunkenness well enough.

  Tomorrow would be better, he told himself. Tomorrow, he would be back to his usual self. Tomorrow, he wouldn't feel so old.

  II

  “It's okay,” Kate said, pressing a glass of water into the girl's trembling hands. “Why don't you drink this? It might make you feel better.”

  Alice stared at the water for a moment, but she seemed uncertain about what to do next. After a few seconds, she looked up at Kate as if she wanted to ask, but something seemed to be holding her back. Ever since she'd woken up, she'd seemed horrified, and her eyes darted across the room as if she expected to see something waiting for her in the shadows.

  “How are you feeling?” Kate continued, s
itting next to her. They were in Edgar's study, next to a window that offered a stunning view of the island all the way down to the port town. “Doctor Young said you were suffering from shock. It seems you've been through a lot lately.”

  “I...”

  Kate waited.

  “I feel cold,” Alice managed eventually, her voice sounding fragile. “Really cold.”

  “Here,” Kate replied, grabbing a blanket from the back of one of the chairs and arranging it carefully over the younger girl's shivering shoulders. “You should get warmer soon. Maybe we should go outside where it's -”

  “No.”

  “Okay, maybe later.”

  There was a pause as Alice raised the glass to her lips and took a sip, but her hands were shaking so much that she spilled as much as she drank. Kate reached up and helped her to steady the glass until finally all the water was gone.

  “Does that feel better?” she asked finally.

  She waited for a reply.

  “What...” Alice paused. “Why... I... What happened to me?”

  “You were sick,” Kate continued, trying to offer a reassuring smile. “From what I've heard, you were bitten by a rat and you succumbed to some kind of rare virus. The other doctor here, Doctor Burns, actually declared you dead because your heart-rate had dropped so low.” She paused for a moment as she realized how crazy the explanation sounded, but she figured Doctor Young must know what he was talking about. “It's okay, though. You're safe now.”

  “They... thought I was dead?” Alice asked.

  Kate nodded. She knew there was more to the story, that Alice had actually been buried for a few hours, but she felt that the girl had already been through enough torment. She could learn the rest of the story once she had recovered.

  “And now I'm here?”

  “Edgar Le Compte thought it would be a good idea to unveil you to the whole island,” Kate continued. “I think maybe he went a step too far. People were so convinced that you'd died, they seemed to react with a kind of panic. I'm sure they'll realize it's all okay eventually, though. It'll just take a while before they come around to understanding what really happened.”

  “Why am I so cold?” Alice replied.

  “I don't know,” Kate told her, placing a hand on the girl's forehead and realizing that she felt like ice. Her color was off too, as if her skin was more blue than red. “I think I should go and get Doctor Young, just so we can be certain that there's nothing else wrong. Wait here -”

  As soon as she got up to leave, she felt Alice's freezing hand on her arm.

  “Don't leave me.”

  “I'm just going to -”

  “Don't leave me,” Alice said again, with tears in her eyes. “Please, I don't want to be alone, not even for a moment. I'm so cold, and I'm scared I might...”

  Her voice trailed off, but the fear in her eyes was palpable. Again she glanced across the room, as if she was worried that someone else was nearby.

  Forcing a smile, Kate retook her place on the sofa right next to Alice. She felt hugely sorry for her, and although Doctor Young had insisted earlier that the effects of the virus were now wearing off, Kate couldn't shake the feeling that something was still very wrong. For one thing, Alice's skin was preternaturally cold, and for another it was clear that she seemed troubled by what had happened to her.

  “I'm sorry I disturbed you in the room earlier,” Kate continued after a moment. “I shouldn't have been snooping around. It might be better if you don't tell Edgar or Doctor Young that I was there.”

  “What room?” Alice asked.

  “When you were waiting to be revealed to everyone,” Kate reminded her. “You had the cloth over your face and I was in your room for a few minutes. Remember?”

  “I don't remember very much,” Alice replied. “I remember being in my godfather's shop, and there was a rat. Then I remember feeling sick at my parents' house, getting hotter and colder at the same time, and I think I was in the doctor's surgery for a while, but everything went black and then I remember standing on the steps just now, but apart from that...” She paused . “I remember... I think I remember being...”

  Kate waited for her to finish, but it was clear that she was struggling with her memories. Finally, she put a hand on Alice's shoulder, hoping to give her a little comfort. It was as if Alice had woken from a terrible nightmare, something that had seized her mind and was still not willing to let go, even though she was awake now.

  “You just need to focus on getting better,” Kate told her eventually. “Doctor Young seems like he knows what he's doing, and he's adamant that you'll be okay. You just need to get some rest, try not to push yourself too much, and wait for your body to recover.”

  “Will you stay with me?” Alice asked. “Please, I don't want to be alone.”

  “I'll...” Kate paused. “I'll stay with you until Doctor Young comes back. After that, I've got a ferry to catch. I'm going home today.”

  “Home? Where?”

  “Back to London. I promised I'd stay until after the party, but things have been crazy around here lately and I feel like I need to get away and clear my head. I had a bit of a medical drama of my own.”

  “But can't you stay a little longer?”

  “I...” Kate paused. “I really need to get going today.”

  “Okay,” Alice replied, unable to hide her disappointment, “I understand.”

  “But you won't be alone,” Kate continued. “I promise. You'll have your family, your friends... Hell, after everything that's happened, you're going to be the center of attention. Everyone's going to want to talk to you.”

  “I don't know what I'll say to them.”

  “I'm sure it'll be fine,” Kate reassured her. “It's not as if you've done anything wrong. They're just going to be so pleased to have you back.”

  As if on cue, Kate and Alice both turned to the door as they heard raised voices elsewhere in the house. A woman was shouting, with a man trying to calm her down, and there were at least a couple of other voices adding to the cacophony. After a moment, Kate realized she could also hear Jacob trying to calm everyone down. It sounded like bedlam, and she felt certain that wherever he was in the house right now, Edgar would definitely not like the disturbance.

  “My parents,” Alice whispered, without much enthusiasm.

  “See?” Kate replied, turning to her. “They'll make you feel better, won't they?”

  Alice stared at the door as the voices came closer.

  “I remember,” she said suddenly, turning to Kate. “I remember being dead.”

  “You...” Kate paused. “You remember what?”

  “I was dead,” she continued. “I remember it. I remember what it was like and where I went, every second of it. I was in -”

  “Alice!” a female voice screamed, and seconds later Catherine Marco came rushing over to envelop Alice in a huge hug. “Oh my God, my dear sweet girl, what are you doing here?”

  Alice stared at Kate, seemingly lost in the hug.

  “Let me look at you!” Catherine continued, dropping to her knees and placing her hands on her daughter's cheeks. “My God, you're frozen. We must get you home at once!” With tears of joy in her eyes, she grabbed Alice's hands and tried to get her to rise from the sofa, but Alice seemed too stunned to comply. “My darling,” Catherine continued, “we must get you out of here. I don't know exactly what has happened, but we must take you home where you belong!”

  “It's a miracle,” Maximo muttered as he reached the sofa. He puts his hands on Alice's shoulders, as if he couldn't quite believe that she had really returned. “It's a gift from God.”

  “Come,” Catherine added, still trying to pull Alice up from the sofa. “We must celebrate!”

  “I want to stay here,” Alice replied weakly.

  “Don't be foolish -”

  “I don't want to go outside!”

  “What are you talking about?” Catherine asked. “My dear, perhaps you're delirious. I still don't und
erstand exactly what happened to you, but it's clear that you're confused. Come home and we'll get you into a nice hot bath, and then we can try to work out how this whole thing happened. And we must find some way to thank the Lord, because he has surely delivered you back to us from the jaws of death! He must have heard our prayers and seen our tears, and he must have realized that he had taken you far too soon. His mercy shows no limits.”

  “I don't want to go,” Alice told her. “I... I feel... I don't want to go home.”

  “There's no need to be scared,” Maximo told her. “Alice, you must come with us. You don't belong up here. Whatever has happened to you -”

  “I'm staying here,” Alice replied, slipping her hands free from her mother's grasp. “I don't want to go outside and I don't want to go home, not yet. I want to stay right here. I can't go back, please don't try to force me -”

  “Alice,” Catherine continued, sitting next to her. “I...” She paused, before looking at Kate. “Please, can you leave us alone with our daughter for a moment?”

  “Of course,” Kate replied, getting to her feet.

  “Please don't go,” Alice snapped, grabbing Kate's hand. “Don't leave me here!”

  “I'll be right outside the room,” Kate told her, surprised by how quickly and strongly Alice seemed to have taken to her. “You should talk to your parents. They've had a huge shock.”

  “But we're...” Alice paused, with tears running down her cheeks. “I need to talk to you later. I think we're the same.”

  “The same?” Kate asked.

  “Promise you'll talk to me later!”

  “Sure,” Kate replied, pulling her hand away, “we'll talk. Just spend some time with your parents first. They've been through a huge shock.” With that, she turned and made her way to the door, while rubbing her wrist in an attempt to get a little heat into it after Alice's icy touch.

  When she reached the corridor outside the study, she realized there was someone nearby. A woman in a police uniform was pacing agitatedly up and down, while muttering something into a mobile phone.

  “Where the hell are you, Fernando?” the woman hissed. “For God's sake, tell me!”

  From the phone, there came the faintest hiss of static.

  “Jesus Christ,” the woman continued, before glancing over at Kate. As soon as she realized she wasn't alone, the woman put her phone away. “Inspector Isobel Cavaleri,” she said, heading toward Kate with an outstretched hand. “You must be Kate Langley. I've heard a lot about you, but we haven't had the pleasure yet of being properly introduced.”

  Kate shook the woman's hand, but it was a loose handshake and Kate couldn't help but feel that Cavaleri was studying her.

  “You're Le Compte's personal historian, I believe?”

  “Archivist,” Kate replied. “Until today, anyway.”

  “This is a messed-up situation, huh?” Cavaleri continued. “I don't even know where to begin investigating.”

  “What is there to investigate?” Kate asked.

  “Well, there's a desecrated grave,” Cavaleri replied. “That's certainly one thing of note. I was down in the town square when I heard Catherine Marco screaming. When I got to the house, I found that she'd just returned from the cemetery where she'd found that Alice's grave had been disturbed. We were just trying to get her to calm down when people started returning from the garden party, and that's when we heard all these crazy stories about Alice being alive, so we came up here and...” She paused for a moment. “Where's Edgar Le Compte?”

  “He's...” Kate paused as she realized that she hadn't seen Edgar for a while. He'd been angry earlier, and somehow Kate felt it was better for him to be alone while he calmed down. “He's around,” she continued finally. “I'm sure he'll be through soon.”

  “This has got something to do with him,” Cavaleri replied. “I can feel it in my guy, it's got all the twisted hallmarks of some stunt that Le Compte cooked up. I knew that garden party was too good to be true, but did anyone listen to me? Of course not. They just lapped it all up like goddamn puppies. I swear it was almost like he'd got inside their minds and changed their thoughts. At least most of them finally snapped out of it.” As she spoke, her phone began to ring. “Excuse me,” she continued, checking the screen, “I have to take this.”

  Kate watched as Cavaleri made her way along the corridor.

  “Fernando,” she was hissing into her phone, “you keep calling me but all I hear is static. Where the hell have you got to? Did you find anything on that boat or not? You need to get off, there might be people coming soon!”

  Turning and heading back to the door that led into the study, Kate stopped for a moment and watched the heartbreaking scene on the sofa. Maximo and Catherine Marco were sitting on either side of their daughter, wrapping her in their arms and sobbing as they tried to cope with everything that had happened over the past few hours. For her part, however, Alice was simply sitting with a fearful look in her eyes, as if she found her parents' attention to be somehow disturbing. When she turned to look directly at Kate, it was clear that she felt lost and terrified, and Kate couldn't shake the feeling that for some reason Alice seemed to be looking at her for answers.

  In the distance, seen through the window, Edgar Le Compte's large black boat could be seen disappearing over the horizon.

  III

  “You seem worried about something,” the old woman said eventually, breaking the silence. “Is it the girl?”

  For a moment, as he adjusted the position of the stethoscope on Anna's chest, Doctor Burns barely registered her words. His mind was elsewhere, going over and over the day's events as he tried to get them to make sense. All he needed was a single thread of logic to link all the extraordinary things that had happened, but as hard as he tried, he couldn't come up with anything. Finally, however, he glanced up at Anna and realized that he hadn't been paying attention to her at all.

  “I hear things,” she replied with sadness in her voice. “Ephram was rambling about it when he brought my dinner earlier, and people stop sometimes near the window and discuss the latest news. It's the Marco girl, isn't it? He's pulled some kind of stunt with her. She's not dead anymore.”

  “I'm sure it's nothing,” Doctor Burns replied, trying to focus on the sound of the old woman's heartbeat, which was a little more erratic than usual. “It'll all resolve itself in time.”

  “They're saying that you had a living girl put into the ground,” Anna continued. “Apparently she was dug up at the behest of some other doctor, and he discovered that she was still alive. I just wanted you to know that I don't believe it for one second, Alistair. You've been taking care of me for four decades, and I trust you with my life. I know that you'd never make such a mistake.”

  “That's very kind of you,” he replied, “but I think there's a little more to it.”

  “Such as?”

  He paused for a moment. “It must have been my fault,” he continued eventually, “because otherwise... I mean, what other explanation could there be?”

  “Edgar Le Compte is involved.”

  “A man,” Doctor Burns pointed out. “That's all he is. A difficult man, for sure, and a man who has a certain mystique, but still just a man. I hardly believe that he can raise the dead from their graves.”

  “Then you don't know him.”

  She watched as the doctor put his stethoscope away. His hands were trembling slightly and his focus seemed a little off; she felt it was almost as if he was drunk, although she told herself that there was no way Alistair Burns would ever consume alcohol before visiting a patient. He was a good man.

  “Your predecessor had none of this to worry about,” she said after a moment. “Doctor Lassiter was a good doctor and a fine man, but he had it easy. After all, during his tenure the island was free of the Le Compte family. We all thought they were gone forever, and that their little tricks were over.”

  “Your point?”

  “That the Le Comptes will play with your mind just f
or their own amusement. That they'll have you doubting your own sanity.”

  “I am a doctor,” he replied, “and that means that there are certain immutable things that I hold to be true, and that I cannot ignore. Facts, science... Things that hold true for life wherever it is found.”

  “But you are also a man of faith,” she pointed out. “You're a doctor, but you also believe in God. That must mean that you have room in your mind for things you cannot fully comprehend.”

  “Let's not start comparing Edgar Le Compte to a god,” he muttered. “If that man is anything, he is more of a devil.”

  “Consider the possibility for a moment,” Anna continued, “that he is something else, something in-between. Consider the possibility that the girl really did die, and she was properly buried in hallowed ground, the way the Lord intended. Everyone – you, her parents, the people in this town – all did the right thing. And then -”

  She paused, as if she was scared to say the words.

  “And then what?” Doctor Burns asked as he closed his medical bag. “Edgar Le Compte came along, dug her up and breathed life into her again?” He turned to Anna and saw from the look in her eyes that this was, perhaps, what she was seriously suggesting. “If a man could do such a thing, I would be the first to embrace him, but it is simply impossible. Life is life and death is death, and they cannot be blurred together.”

  “And yet she lives and breathes.”

  He opened his mouth to argue with her, but no words left his lips.

  “You're not a fool,” she continued. “Look at it logically, Alistair. Don't let your beliefs cloud your judgment.”

  “Perhaps I imagined -”

  “You imagined nothing,” she replied firmly. “You know she was dead. Don't let fools convince you otherwise. Hold true to yourself, man!”

  They stood in silence for a moment as the truth settled in the doctor's mind.

  “I examined that girl's body after she died,” he said eventually, his eyes wide with fear. “I took a scalpel and I sliced her skin, and then I opened her chest and weighed her organs. For God's sake, I took her apart piece by piece until...” He held up one of his trembling hands, as if to prove his point. “I literally carried her still heart across my examination room. I placed it in a metal pan and I weighed it, and then I put it back in her chest. I did the same to her liver, her lungs, her brain... I damn near took her apart like she was some kind of machine, and when the autopsy was over... I know I didn't imagine those things. It's impossible.”

  “And now she's up there at the house, isn't she?” Anna continued. “She walks, she talks, she thinks...”

  “How?” he asked. “Either I am losing my mind and I imagined the autopsy, or...”

  “Or Edgar Le Compte has done this thing,” Anna pointed out. “I know it's a difficult concept to believe, but if you can believe it, then everything else falls into place.” She paused for a moment. “He came to me two days ago. He was right here in this room.”

  “Ephram would never -”

  “Ephram has no idea.” Another pause. “It was him, you know. It was Edgar.”

  “I'm sure, but -”

  “I mean my Edgar. The man I loved all those years ago.”

  “He's looking mighty fit and healthy for someone who should be over a hundred years old.”

  He forced a smile, but after a moment he saw that Anna was absolutely serious.

  “He was already over a hundred years old when I first met him,” she replied. “I don't know the full story, but I know that there is something ancient in his heart. Back then he was different. Harsher, angrier. It was his anger that scared me more than anything, because while he tried to keep it under control, every so often it would burst out and...” She paused. “His anger caused so much suffering. When he is truly filled with rage, anything can happen. I remember one time his sister earned his ire. She was this flaky, playful girl named Madeleine. One day she pushed him too far, and let's just say that he made her regret it.”

  “He murdered his own sister?” Doctor Burns asked.

  “No. He couldn't murder her. She was... She is... like him. Very much so, in some ways. But he caused her to suffer so much pain, and she ended up being hauled off to an asylum, some place called Tor Cliff. I imagine she's there still.”

  “But...” He paused for a moment. “No. This is all nonsense. I'm fully aware that you knew Edgar Le Compte's grandfather, but the Edgar Le Compte who is here on Thaxos now -”

  “Is the same man.”

  “No!”

  “I swear it's true,” she continued. “He admitted it himself when he was here two nights ago, but there was no need for him to say the words. I already saw it in his eyes. I don't know why he went away for so long, or why he finally came back, but as God is my witness, it is him. All that is left is for us to all hope and pray that he never rediscovers the anger that used to fuel his cruelty, because if such a thing transpires... I don't want to even imagine what might happen to the entire island.”

  Taking his coat from the chair, Doctor Burns paused again. He wanted to dismiss Anna's words, or to humor her aged rambling, but at the same time he felt as if there might be some truth to her claim. After all, he remembered Alice Marco's autopsy so clearly, and he couldn't quite bring himself to accept that he might have somehow imagined the whole thing. Still, he had always prided himself on his rational mind, and he couldn't yet accept that such an astonishing story might be true. Edgar Le Compte was just a man.

  “Don't let him get into your mind,” Anna warned him. “If you give him the chance, he'll wrap his thoughts around your own and change the way you see the world. Then he'll either tire of you and let you limp away, or he'll use you to relieve his boredom, in which case there'll be no helping you. I fear that you are becoming his plaything, Alistair.” She paused. “What happened to your hand? Why are you wearing a bandage?”

  “You need to rest,” Doctor Burns replied. “You're still weak.”

  “You don't believe me, do you?”

  “I believe that you think think all of this is true.”

  “But you'd rather tell yourself that you're losing your mind, that you imagined that poor girl's autopsy, than accept that Edgar Le Compte is who and what I say he is. You'd rather believe that you're mad, than that the world could breed such creatures.”

  Doctor Burns turned and headed to the door, feeling as if there was no point arguing with the old woman.

  “Then go and see her,” Anna said after a moment. “Ask to see Alice Marco's chest again. If there's a scar, you'll know that it's all true. And if there isn't, you'll know that I'm just a crazy old woman. It's a simple enough way to settle all of this. Why don't you go up there right now?”

  He glanced back at her, but no words seemed suitable.

  “And tell me this,” she continued. “Have you felt at any point that your mind is not your own? That maybe he has reached out and pushed your thoughts in the wrong direction?”

  He gave her no reply. Instead, he slipped out of the room and pulled the door shut, before taking a moment to gather his thoughts. He knew she was right, that he had a duty to go straight back up to the mansion and examine Alice Marco for himself, but he figured that since he was still affected by the champagne, he should probably delay the visit until the following day. After all, if that scar was really there, it would be too deep to ever fade away.

  IV

  “Edgar, are you -”

  Stopping suddenly as she reached the door, Kate saw that there was a figure at the far end of the room, framed in silhouette by the sunset that was visible through a large window. She knew immediately that after searching for him for the best part of an hour, she had finally managed to find Edgar Le Compte. Deep down, she felt that if he truly did not want to be found, he would have remained hidden. His turned back was a deliberate challenge.

  “Hey,” she continued, staying by the door. “I just thought you should know that Alice Marco's parents showed up, but she'
s refusing to go back down to the town with her. She seems scared of going outside. I think maybe she's not well, but I can't find Doctor Young anywhere, so...”

  She paused, hoping that he might at least acknowledge her presence in some way, but it was almost as if he hadn't even heard her speak. She'd noticed before that Edgar had a tendency to sometimes withdraw into his own mind, and this seemed to be such a moment. Normally she'd just leave him alone, but this time she didn't have the luxury of that option. Besides, she knew Edgar well enough to still be convinced that he had allowed her to find him.

  “She's very cold,” she added, making her way cautiously to the middle of the room. She paused, waiting for some kind of reply. “She looks pale, too. I'm worried that maybe she's bleeding internally, so I think maybe you should get someone to check on her. I'll be gone in a couple of hours, but -”

  “Gone?”

  Slowly, he turned to her with a dark look in his eyes.

  “I told you I'd be leaving today,” she continued. “There's a ferry leaving tonight for the mainland. I said I'd stay for the garden party, and I did, but I've managed to find a connecting flight from Athens. I can be back in London by tomorrow night.”

  She waited for a reply.

  “Edgar -”

  “No.”

  She paused.

  “I'm sorry?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  She waited for him to explain, but he simply continued to stare at her as if the matter was settled and it was her duty to back down.

  “What do you mean?” she continued. “I told you I'd be -”

  “You're not going to leave,” he replied, interrupting her. “Not today. It's out of the question.”

  “I've got a flight booked,” she told him. “The ferry is in two hours and -”

  “No. It's simply out of the question. I need you to stay here.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him that it was impossible, but something caused her to hold back. There was something so definite about his tone of voice, as if he simply refused to consider any other possibility. She'd heard Edgar speak this way to Didi and to Jacob, but she'd never before been on the receiving end of it herself.

  “Edgar,” she continued after a moment, “we already discussed this. After everything that happened last week, I feel like I can't be here. I need to -”

  “The archive work is not complete,” he replied, interrupting her again.

  “I know, but -”

  “I hired you to do a job.”

  “I know, and normally I'd -”

  “Are you in the habit of walking out on your employers?” he continued. “I was in the archive room earlier, and the boxes are still piled up, there are papers everywhere. The job is not done and it's still a total mess in there. Barely a week ago, you were coming up with grand plans about the archive. I was under the impression that you were a conscientious and professional worker who could be relied upon.”

  “I am,” she replied, “but what happened to me out in that maintenance shed... I mean, I still don't know exactly what attacked me, but whatever it was, I almost died.”

  “But you didn't die,” he pointed out, “did you?”

  She waited for him to continue.

  “Did you?” he asked again.

  “No, but -”

  “And as I've already told you,” he continued, “the wolf was caught and killed. There's no more danger here. I can assure you that for as long as you remain on Thaxos, you will be under my protection, and when I say that, it means something.”

  “I still need to...” She paused. Technically he was right, and there was a part of her that felt bad about leaving, as if she was somehow being weak. At the same time, she felt that life on Thaxos was rapidly becoming unbearable. “I'm truly sorry about abandoning the project, but I keep having nightmares about what happened, and I feel as if the only way to get back to normal is to leave.”

  She waited for him to reply, but he merely stared at her for a moment, as if he was contemplating his next move.

  “Fine,” he said eventually. “If that's your decision, I suppose there's not much I can do to stop you. It's not as if I can hold you here, is it? There's no physical reason why you have to remain in my proximity.”

  “Thank you for understanding,” she replied. “Maybe I'll come back some day to visit, but in the meantime I can recommend half a dozen good archivists who I'm sure would be thrilled to come out and take my place.”

  “Don't worry about that. Perhaps it was a foolish idea. There's no need to go raking up the past.” He paused again. “Well, I suppose you have a lot of packing to do, so I shouldn't detain you a moment longer. I shall be rather busy up here dealing with the fallout from everything that happened, so I shall not be available to come and wave at you as you sail off into the sunset. Goodbye, Ms. Langley. I hope you have a pleasant journey.”

  “Right,” she replied, realizing that he was being somewhat brusque. “Again, I'm sorry but -”

  “There's no need to keep apologizing,” he told her, turning back to look out the window. “You're entitled to make your own decisions. Be sure to lock the archive room up before you leave. I wouldn't want anyone wandering in by accident. It's better to seal the past away altogether. I have so much to deal with right now. Unexpected visitors, prying eyes, stowaways...”

  Realizing that he clearly wasn't in the mood to talk, Kate turned and headed to the door. She wanted more than anything to make him understand, but she figured that the atmosphere at the mansion was so toxic, she'd be better off just getting out of there as fast as possible. Thaxos felt like a dream, and she wanted to get back to the brutality of London life.

  “Can I ask you one final question?” Edgar added suddenly.

  She looked back over at him and saw that he was still looking out at the sunset.

  “Why did they all run like that?” he continued. “I gave them what they wanted. I removed the rats and I brought Alice Marco back to them. So why did they run? I thought they'd be grateful, I thought they'd understand that I did it for them, and yet when they saw Alice they seemed to react with horror. This was... not what I had anticipated.”

  “I think they were all just shocked,” Kate told him, “and...” She paused. “I don't think anyone quite understands what really happened. The doctor claimed to have performed an autopsy.”

  “That pathetic old drunk? I find it hard to believe that anyone listens to him. He damn near caused Alice Marco to be buried alive. It was only Doctor Young's intervention that averted a terrible tragedy, and then thankfully he was able to quickly revive her.”

  “Maybe you should just give people time. They only want to -”

  “I've given them enough already,” he snapped. “I've given them everything, and they threw it back in my face like a bunch of superstitious peasants. If that's how they want things to be, then I suppose I must simply accept the situation. I certainly won't be going out of my way to earn their friendship anymore. Once was enough.” He paused again. “I don't understand these people, Ms. Langley. I've tried, but their emotions, their responses... It's all alien to me. I was a fool to think that I could bridge such a great divide. They have their part of the island and I have mine, and that is simply how it shall have to be from this day forward. I can assure you of one thing, however. They will regret the day that they chose to reject my gifts.”

  Kate stared at the back of his head, and she couldn't help but fear that Edgar was going to close himself off at the mansion, cutting all ties with the town and living a quiet life with just Didi and Jacob for company. She wanted to tell him to try again with the people of Thaxos, to make him see that he'd simply gone too far, but somehow she knew that he wouldn't understand. There just seemed to be a part of Edgar that could never truly connect with the rest of the human race, and the mansion – high up on the hill, separate from everything else – was almost a metaphor for the man himself.

  “I'll be leaving for the port in one hour
,” she told him. “I hope you'll come to the door at least, to say goodbye properly.”

  She waited, but no reply was forthcoming.

  “Edgar?”

  Again, there was nothing.

  “If you don't come,” she continued, “then I guess this is... goodbye.”

  She waited.

  Nothing.

  Turning, Kate walked away from the door, even though there was a part of her that desperately wanted to stay.

  V

  “Have you see Fernando Mediaci?”

  As he reached his front door, Doctor Burns found that Isobel Cavaleri was waiting for him. The sun had almost set and he'd been hoping to get home and sleep, but with a sigh he realized that his night was not yet over. He knew this look in Cavaleri's eyes: she was like a terrier, and there was no way she'd give up on her little witch-hunt until she was satisfied.

  “He was up at the garden party,” he replied wearily. “I believe so, anyway.”

  “How would you know?” she replied tartly. “You were drunk. I saw you slouched on a chair before midday.”

  “Actually I was...” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his key. “Yes. I was drunk. It was foolish of me to allow it to happen, but there we are. All men are foolish occasionally.”

  “What the hell happened to Alice Marco?” she continued. “I thought you signed a death certificate?”

  He paused, feeling his anger start to boil.

  “Well?” she asked. “Did you sign it or not?”

  “I did.”

  “And I thought you performed an autopsy?”

  “I did.”

  “So why the hell is she walking around up there?”

  As he slid the key into the lock, Doctor Burns turned to her.

  “Did you cut that girl open or not?” Cavaleri asked.

  “Of course I did.”

  “Then explain this situation to me.”

  “I can't.”

  “You're the town doctor,” she pointed out. “Can't you even tell the difference between life and death? Hell, even I can tell whether someone's dead or not. Just give 'em a good kick and see if they wake up. It's not rocket science!”

  “Of course I can tell the difference, but -”

  “So was Alice Marco dead when she was in your exam room, or not?”

  “She...” He paused for a moment. “She was dead. She had no heartbeat, and rigor mortis had begun to set in. I removed her vital organs, as per the usual procedure, and I examined and weighed them before putting them back in place and sewing her shut again. I documented the whole process, in accordance with local law, and I filled out the death certificate with all the necessary information. Information, I might add, that I could have obtained in no other manner.”

  “And you're certain of this? There's no way you could have been drunk?”

  “Let me show you something,” he sighed, pushing the door open and leading her into the dark hallway. Once he'd set his bag down and switched on the light, he headed through to his office and began to sort through the files on his desk. Eventually he found the one he was looking for, and he opened it to reveal the photos from Alice Marco's autopsy. He'd half expected them to be missing, and for his madness to be confirmed, but instead his blood ran cold as he stared at the image of Alice Marco's naked body on the cold metal slab, with her chest carefully cut open and her organs exposed. In the first photo, her intestines glistened under the harsh light of the laboratory.

  “Let me see,” Cavaleri barked, hurrying across the room and snatching the photos from his hand.

  “You see?” he replied. “I always document my work.”

  “This makes no sense,” she continued, flipping through the set of photos, each of which showed a different stage of the autopsy: Alice's brain in a dish, and then her heart, and in another photo her lungs; one image even showed her with the top of her skull removed. “Doctor,” Cavaleri added as she held up the last of the photos for him to see, “you're a man of science, and I've come to trust your opinion over the years, so I'm going to ask you this question. In your professional capacity, how can you reconcile these photos with the fact that Alice Marco is alive and more or less well up at Edgar Le Compte's mansion?”

  “I can't,” he replied.

  “You can't?” she sneered with barely-disguised contempt.

  “It cannot be explained.”

  “Fat lot of good you are,” she replied. “You're not in on this with him, are you? That's the one thing that might make sense here. You and Le Compte aren't cooking up some kind of grand scheme to fool everyone?”

  “Of course not -”

  “If I find even the slightest hint of evidence that the pair of you are colluding,” she continued, “I'll throw the book at you both. For example, if you came up with some kind of wax model of that girl and used it to stage a fake autopsy -”

  Grabbing the photos back from her, Doctor Burns slipped them back into their folder.

  “In all my years as a physician,” he replied after a moment, “I have never been so insulted. To suggest that I could be swayed into assisting with a so-called joke that is so repulsive and so ungodly -”

  “You helped advertize his goddamn party,” she pointed out. “He had you in his pocket.”

  “That was different, that was...” He paused as he realized how bad things looked. “Inspector Cavaleri,” he continued once he'd regathered his composure, “I'm afraid that I must ask you to leave. If you wish to continue this conversation tomorrow, I would be most happy to discuss things with you, but right now I'm tired and I must retire to bed.”

  “Got some champagne to sleep off, have you?”

  “I have to be up early.”

  “I'll get to the bottom of this,” she replied. “There's one central fact in all of this that isn't in dispute. A girl can't die and then come back to life, not unless Edgar Le Compte is a goddamn...”

  She paused, as if she'd suddenly experienced a moment of realization.

  “Unless he's what?” Doctor Burns asked, even though he was worried about the possible reply.

  “I don't believe in fairy tales,” she continued, turning and heading to the door. “There's a rational explanation for all of this, and I'm damn certain that Edgar Le Compte's up to something. When I found out what he's doing, I'm going to make sure that he pays. He's a clever guy, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's made sure to cover his tracks, but no matter how smart he is, I can take him down, and anyone who's in league with him. Do you understand?”

  Doctor Burns nodded wearily.

  “If you see Le Compte,” she added, “tell him I'm onto him. And if you happen to bump into Fernando Mediaci, tell him I'm looking for him.”

  “Is he in trouble?”

  She turned back to him. “Not at all. I just want to know what happened to him. The last time we spoke, he was... engaged in some activity that carried a degree of risk. I haven't heard from him for a few hours, and I want to make sure he's okay.”

  Once Cavaleri had left, Doctor Burns began to arrange his medical equipment ready for an early start the next morning. Outside, the long, lazy light of evening began to give way to the dull black of night, and eventually the doctor felt a faint chill. Heading through to the kitchen, he was just about to close the window when he happened to glance out at the yard and spot the freshly-dug pit where earlier that day he'd buried the wolf. He stared for a moment, wondering if he had truly begun to lose sight of the dividing line between life and death, before pulling the window closed.

  Aware that he was too restless to sleep, he poured himself a whiskey and returned to his study, where he began to re-examine the photos from Alice Marco's autopsy. He told himself that he was missing something vital, but each of the images served only to confirm what he already knew: that girl was dead when she was on his table, yet now she seemed to be alive again. As the room darkened around him, he realized that all his certainties in life had now been stripped away.

  VI

  ??
?It looks like it'll be a calm crossing,” Doctor Young said as he and Kate stood at the dock, watching the ferry's slow progress past the harbor wall as it maneuvered into position. “I don't think we'll have to worry too much about seasickness.”

  Smiling politely, Kate turned and looked back up toward the mansion at the top of the hill. There were a couple of lights in the windows, but the place still seemed so isolated all the way up there, with a swathe of dark land separating it from the lights of the port town. She couldn't help but think of Edgar spending the rest of his life up there, living in eternal isolation from the rest of the island.

  After a moment, Doctor Young started to whistle some old show-tune, although finally he stopped as he saw the look on Kate's face.

  “Are you worried about him?” Doctor Young asked.

  “Aren't you?” she replied, turning to him.

  “I've known Edgar Le Compte long enough to understand that he'll always be okay. We should be more concerned about the people he's being left with.”

  “I just don't like the idea of him and Didi rattling around in that place,” she explained. “They're not good for each other.”

  “Of course they're not. Hell, they'll drive each other crazy, picking at each other, fighting, screaming... But at the end of the day, I promise you that Edgar will be fine.”

  “And Didi?”

  “I think she can look after herself. She's tougher than she looks. Anyway, it's too late now. The boat's here. It's not your problem, Kate. It's not mine, either. Edgar's made his own decisions.”

  “Maybe he'll leave Thaxos?” she suggested.

  “No chance. He's here for good. He always said that when he returned, he'd never leave again. He'll be here until the day he dies.”

  Kate turned to watch as the boat's engines were cut and it began to edge closer to the quayside. She'd hoped that Fernando might be working tonight, so that she could say goodbye to him, but the deckhand was unfamiliar. Glancing back across the town square, she realized that a small part of her was going to miss Thaxos, even though she still felt compelled to leave. Ephram, for one, had always been good to her, and although she'd promised to keep in touch when she dropped by to see him earlier, she knew deep down that it was a promise she wouldn't keep.

  “Allow me to take your bag,” Doctor Young said as the deckhand jumped ashore.

  “Thanks,” Kate replied, feeling a faint tremor in her chest. She paused as Doctor Young carried her bag onto the boat, and then she climbed aboard herself. The tremor was lingering, as if something was slipping between her ribs and causing them to vibrate a little.

  “You feeling okay?” he asked after a moment.

  “Fine,” she replied, although it was a lie. All evening, she'd been feeling little flutters just behind her ribcage, and although she'd been trying to ignore them she was starting to worry that they were getting stronger. She figured it was probably just stress, and she'd already decided that she'd get her heart checked out properly when she got back to London.

  “I'm a doctor,” he reminded her, “and you're a bad liar. Tell me what's wrong.”

  “Really, it's nothing,” she insisted, even as she felt a jolt of pain arcing through her chest. Taking a seat, she turned to watch as the deckhand began to push the boat away from the quayside. With every passing second, however, the uncomfortable sensation in her chest became stronger, and finally she felt Doctor Young put his arm around her shoulder and ease her down onto the bench.

  “Is it here?” he asked, pressing a hand against her chest.

  “It feels...” She gasped as she felt the pressure building, as if something was pushing down with inordinate strength against her breastbone. “I don't know what it is...”

  “What about here?” he continued, squeezing her left shoulder. “Do you have any pain here or lower down in the arm? This is important, Kate.”

  She shook her head.

  “But you're feeling breathless, aren't you?”

  She nodded.

  “Is she okay?” asked the deckhand as he made his way over to them.

  “I don't think we can risk this journey,” Doctor Young told him. “Can you -”

  “I'll be fine,” Kate insisted, sitting up before suddenly she felt a powerful jolt of pain in her chest, as if a hand had reached through her ribs and clamped its fingers tight around her heart. She let out a cry of pain and sank back down against the bench, while trying to take short snatches of breath.

  “Take us back to the shore,” Doctor Young said firmly. “Now! This woman needs proper medical attention!”

  As she listened to the sound of the boat changing gear, Kate tried to tell him that she'd be fine, that she still wanted to get to the mainland. Every time she tried to speak, however, she felt as if the fingers tightened a little more around her heart, and finally she tasted a hint of blood in the back of her throat. Turning her head, she felt the boat bump against the quayside again as another burst of pain exploded in her chest.

  “Kate, it's going to be okay,” Doctor Young continued, pushing the hair back from across her face. “The deckhand and I are just going to lift you gently off the boat and onto dry land, okay? I don't really want to move you right now, but it's better than staying here.”

  She tried to tell them that she was okay, but the pain was throbbing now in her torso and she was powerless to resist as she felt herself being lifted up and then finally being placed on the stones that lined the quayside.

  “I'll go and get Doctor Burns,” the deckhand said.

  “No,” Doctor Young replied, “it's okay, I'm a doctor. Anyway, I think I know what's wrong here.”

  “Heart?” Kate managed to whisper. “Is it my heart?”

  “Yes, I think it's your heart, but -”

  “Heart attack?” she asked. “Am I having a heart attack?”

  “I don't think it's quite that,” he replied, checking her pulse. “It's more of a minor cardiac event, but I still think we need to monitor it. There's absolutely no question of you going on the boat tonight. We need to get you back to the house so you can rest, and I'll stay to monitor you overnight.”

  “Am I going to die?” she asked.

  “No chance,” he told her, “not while I'm here. Don't worry, Kate, I think this is just a minor manifestation of your heart murmur, probably brought on by stress. With some rest and a few extra check-ups, I'm certain you'll be back on your feet in no time.”

  “Are you both staying, then?” the deckhand asked.

  “Yes,” Doctor Young told him. “I'm sorry, but there's no way she can travel in this condition.”

  “No refunds,” came the reply. “It's in the terms and conditions, you buy a ticket, you don't -”

  “I know,” he snapped. “Just go!” He checked Kate's pulse again. “Tell me about the pain,” he continued. “Is it the same as before, or worse, or better? Just try to describe it as best you can.”

  “It's...” She took a deep breath as she realized that the worst of it had passed now, although she could still feel its echo in her body. “I think it's getting better. I'm -” Turning, she watched as the ferry made its way out to sea, and she realized that she was going to have to stay on Thaxos a little longer after all. After a moment, she turned back to Doctor Young. “I can tell you exactly what it felt like,” she continued. “It felt like a hand in my chest, clutching my heart and squeezing it. It's like... it was worse in the boat, when we started to leave the shore, and now it feels a little better.”

  “I'll give you something to help you calm down,” he replied, turning to his bag and opening the top.

  As she waited for him to find whatever he was after, Kate turned and looking up toward the mansion on the top of the hill. There were still lights in several of the windows, and after a moment she squinted and realized that she could just about make out a figure up there, looking out from the study. In fact, as she stared, she began to feel as if the figure was watching her, almost as if someone up there in the mansion knew e
xactly what had just happened down by the quayside.

  “Edgar...” she whispered, before suddenly she felt something sharp in her arm.

  “It's just a sedative,” Doctor Young told her. “I'm worried that if you have too much adrenalin in your system, this murmur might develop into something else. You'll start to feel relaxed soon. Not sleepy, just relaxed.”

  “Edgar...” she whispered again, her eyes still fixed on the lights of the mansion. Somehow she knew that he was staring straight back at her, and she couldn't help but feel that the events of the past few minutes were no coincidence. She wouldn't be leaving Thaxos just yet. Edgar had got his way again.

  VII

  “Careful,” Doctor Young said as he opened the door and reached up to take Kate's hand. “You're under doctor's orders to take it easy.”

  “I'm not an invalid,” she replied as she carefully climbed down from the truck's passenger seat. It was dark now, but there were lights in some of the windows of Edgar's mansion. Kate couldn't help but feel as if she'd somehow lost a challenge and been forced to back down, and as Doctor Young grabbed her bag and set it down on the gravel, she looked up at the windows and half expected to see Edgar staring back at her.

  “Come on,” Doctor Young said, leading her toward the steps. “There's no shame in admitting when you need help.”

  “I feel fine now,” she protested.

  “And twenty minutes ago you were gasping for air on the floor of the ferry,” he pointed out. “Please, Kate, don't be a difficult patient.”

  “But -”

  “Kate!”

  She sighed. Although she knew he was right, she still felt that Edgar would see this as some kind of victory.

  “As soon as you've worked out what's wrong,” she continued, “I'm leaving. This doesn't mean I'm staying on Thaxos for more than a few more days, okay?” They started to make their way up toward the main door. “Are you sure I can't get a room down in the town? I know someone who has rooms for rent.”

  “I need you where I can help you in case anything else goes wrong,” he told her.

  “But it's not like we don't have phones -”

  “Kate, this could be serious. I know I've tried to play things down, but when we're talking about the heart, extra precautions have to be taken. Any kind of cardiac event requires attention.”

  Although she wanted to argue with him some more, Kate allowed Doctor Young to take her into the house. No sooner were they inside, however, than they were joined by Didi, who came sauntering through from one of the nearby corridors, dressed in an almost-too-short silk dressing gown and wearing a pair of sunglasses. With flip-flops on her feet and some kind of plastic pink flower in her hair, she looked absolutely ridiculous, as if she'd just escaped from a fairy princess gulag.

  “I thought you'd, like, gone away?” she asked, sounding distinctly unimpressed as she took a sip from the champagne flute she was carrying.

  “Long story,” Kate muttered.

  “Is something wrong with you?”

  “I'm fine. Where's Edgar?”

  “Oh God,” Didi replied, taking off her sunglasses. “His foul mood was the last thing I needed after the day I've had. I mean, Jesus Christ, I woke up a little while ago and I could feel this raging monster hangover coming on, so I figured I needed some hair of the dog.” She raised the champagne flute. “Cheers!”

  “Your solution to a hangover is to get drunk again?” Kate asked.

  Didi grinned.

  “Very inventive,” Doctor Young muttered. “Remind me to run some numbers on your liver some time.”

  “My liver's fine,” Didi continued. “I'm still young. I figure when I get old, like twenty-eight or twenty-nine, then I'll start knocking off the sauce a little. The liver's an amazing organ, y'know. It, like, regenerates and stuff like that. Don't they teach you anything at medical school? I don't know why they don't make every organ out of whatever they make the liver out of. It's like the black box of the human body. When the rest crashes and burns, the liver'll tell you what really happened.”

  “I want you to go upstairs and rest,” Doctor Young told Kate, conspicuously ignoring Didi. “I need to consult some files and then I'll come up and run some tests on you in an hour. Until then, you're not to exert yourself in any way, is that clear?”

  “What's wrong with you?” Didi asked.

  “Nothing,” Kate said darkly. “Sure, I'll rest.”

  “Are you pregnant?” Didi continued. “I was wondering if I saw a hint of a bump the other day.”

  “I am not pregnant!” Kate snapped at her, before realizing that she'd over-reacted.

  “Huh,” Didi added with a smile. “Well, if you want, I've got some brilliant slimming tablets I can let you use. They make it so you never wanna eat more than a lettuce leaf at a time, and they're guaranteed to drop you a dress size in one week. They're especially good if you've got fluid retention, so you should definitely give 'em a go.”

  “Thanks for the offer,” Kate replied, forcing herself to remain calm. “If I ever want to look like a stick insect, I'll be sure to let you know.”

  “Did you hear what I said about taking it easy?” Doctor Young asked Kate, leading her to the foot of the stairs. “That includes arguments, so get to bed before I have Jacob come and escort you.”

  “Fine,” Kate muttered. “Just...” She turned to Didi. “I think maybe I should talk to Edgar first, he's -”

  “He's gone off somewhere,” Didi replied, taking another sip of champagne.

  “What do you mean?” Kate asked.

  “After you left,” she continued, “he kinda stood at the window for ages, looking out with that mean old look in his eyes. I tried to cheer him up, but he kept going on about the people from the town and Alice and you and something about a stowaway, I dunno exactly what was bugging him. Eventually, about half an hour ago, he suddenly, like, headed for the door. I asked him what was wrong, but he was all in a rage, said he needed to get his frustration out. I told him he could get it out with me in bed, but he said he'd end up snapping me in two.” She giggled. “I guess he doesn't know how much punishment I can take, huh? Even after all the rough stuff we get up to.”

  “Where exactly did he go?” Kate asked.

  Didi shrugged.

  “But he was angry?”

  “I don't think I've ever seen him quite so mad,” Didi replied. “He said he was sick of the people here showing their disrespect. He kept muttering about how he'd tried to do nice things for them and they'd shoved it back in his face, and he was gonna make them regret it. Like, he's not just a bit pissed off. He's properly fuming about the way his dumb-ass garden party kinda all fell apart at the end. Something about big gift he tried to give them, and they weren't exactly over the moon. Anyway, I tried to get him to calm down, but eventually I thought he was gonna clock me one in the mug, so I struck first.”

  “You hit him?” Kate replied.

  “He likes it rough,” Didi continued. “It's not the first time I've lamped him one. Anyway, so then he went stalking off into the night, said he was walking to the town. Obviously I offered to go with him, but I get the feeling he wanted to take out his frustration some other way. Anyway, I wouldn't like to be whoever comes across him first, 'cause he's in one hell of a foul mood.”

  Shocked, Kate turned to Doctor Young.

  “He'll be fine,” he told her. “Don't worry about Edgar, worry about yourself.”

  “I'm not worried about Edgar,” she replied, “I'm worried about what he's going to do in town.”

  “I'm sure it won't be anything too dramatic,” he continued, taking her hand again and leading her up the stairs. “I imagine he''ll probably just make a fool of himself, exacerbate all the tension, and then come storming back up here. His bad moods tend to last for a few days, so tomorrow might be a little tricky too. We can all find out in the morning. For now, I'm prescribing bed-rest and a check-up by me in...” He checked his watch. “Maybe a little longer than an hour. Le
t's say midnight. I think I might have a few things to do first, and later I need to take a look at Alice too. I only came here for a few days' holiday, and now look at me, taking over the medical care for half the island.”

  “Fine,” Kate replied, “but just so you know, I hate being told to rest, and I hate being told to relax, and I definitely hate being told to calm down.”

  “Then don't make me keep saying it,” he replied. “Go on, get back to your room. I'll get Jacob to bring your bag up.”

  “And I'm leaving as soon as you tell me I'm better. Tomorrow or -”

  “I'll decide when you're fit to travel,” he told her. “If there's really something wrong with your heart, I'm not willing to take any risks. Like it or not, while you're here, I'm your doctor.”

  Sighing, Kate turned and made her way up the stairs. Every footstep felt like another surrender, and she couldn't shake the feeling that somehow Edgar was responsible for her having been unable to leave the island. More than anything, she was determined to make sure that this little stay didn't last much longer. As soon as Doctor Young told her she was free to leave, she was still going to get the hell out of there on the first ferry.

  “What are you looking at?” she muttered as she passed the portrait of Edgar's grandfather.

  As she headed to her room, she suddenly became aware of a soft sobbing sound coming from behind one of the other doors. She paused for a moment and listened, and then finally she pushed the door open and saw Alice Marco sitting on the edge of a bed with her face in her hands. For a moment, Kate felt that maybe she should just leave the poor girl alone, but finally she figured that if there was one time she should butt in, it was now.

  “Hey,” she said, making her way over and putting a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”

  “I can't leave,” Alice replied, looking up at her with tears still falling down her cheeks. “My parents wanted me to go home, but I... I just can't... I don't even know how to explain it. I just feel as if I can't leave this house, as if stepping foot outside will...”

  Her voice trailed off as she glanced at the door with a look of horror in her eyes.

  “Maybe you're in shock,” Kate pointed out.

  “It's something else,” Alice replied. “It's like I'll fall apart if I go too far from this house. Does that sound crazy?”

  “No,” Kate replied. “In fact, I think I actually understand a little too well.”

  “I thought you were leaving tonight?”

  “Change of plan,” Kate continued. “I guess I'll be here a little longer.” She paused for a moment as she realized that Alice still seemed to be freezing cold. “Have you just been sitting here for the past few hours?” she asked eventually. “Has no-one come up to check on you?”

  “I keep thinking back to everything that happened,” Alice continued, staring straight ahead. “It's like...”

  Kate waited for her to finish the sentence.

  “It's like I have all these strange memories that don't make sense.”

  “Earlier,” Kate replied, “you claimed you remembered being dead.”

  “It was like I was here but not here,” Alice replied. “I was wondering the streets of Thaxos, calling out for someone to come and help me, but I was all alone. Every house, every building, was completely deserted. I even tried the cantina, but the whole island was deserted, except for...” She paused. “I could tell there was someone watching me from up here, from the mansion. It was like I could feel his gaze burning into me. Eventually I tried to hide, but I didn't know what I was supposed to do or where I should go, and I was just panicking more and more. I tried to find something to eat, but I wasn't really hungry. The store was closed, so I broke the window and went inside, but there was no sign of my godfather and all the food was rotten, as if it had been there for years. My parents weren't around either, and the whole town seemed so dusty and empty, as if it was completely uninhabited. Everything was just... blank and empty, and lifeless. Except this house. I could tell that someone was up here, but I was too afraid to come and see. But then I heard something moving nearby, and I chased after the noise and that's when I saw...”

  “Saw what?” Kate asked.

  “You'll think I'm crazy.” She paused. “There was a wolf, standing at the edge of town, staring straight at me. I don't now what it wanted, but I wasn't scared. I should have been terrified, shouldn't I? There was just something so calming about its eyes, as if it understood what was happening to me. And then there was a noise, like an animal screaming, and the wolf ran. I wanted to follow, but...” Another pause. “The screaming continued until it was almost on top of me, and I turned and...”

  “And then what happened?”

  Alice stared into space for a moment, with a slight frown forming.

  “Alice?” Kate continued. “What happened next?”

  “And then I woke up in one of the rooms here,” she continued, “with some kind of cloth over my face, and a doctor was examining me. There are other things I remember too, but only in flashes. I saw a blinding light, and I felt myself becoming almost weightless, and I think I heard voices nearby, talking about me. I wish I could remember what they said, but...” She paused again, and her shivering seemed to be getting worse. “I feel sore,” she added. “Deep down, in my chest, and all through my head, I feel saw and tender, like something's wrong.”

  “You're as cold as ice,” Kate told her. “If I run you a warm bath, would you see if maybe it helps? I think we need to get your core temperature up or you're going to get sick again.”

  Alice paused for a moment, before finally nodding.

  “Doctor Young's going to come and check on you later,” Kate added. “He's going to check on both of us, actually. We can be sick together.”

  “I don't want to be sick,” Alice replied. “I want to be like I used to be.”

  “I can't really claim to understand exactly what's been happening to you,” Kate continued as she headed through to the en-suite bathroom and turned on the taps. “Doctor Young seems to know what he's talking about, though. I trust him.” She tested the water with her hands, to make sure that it was the right temperature. Steam was already filling the room. “We're kind of both in the same boat,” she continued. “I think we'll be okay, though. He seems like a good guy. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm going to follow whatever advice he gives me.”

  She paused for a moment, reaching up to check her pulse. Her heart-rate felt normal, and she felt better than ever, but she couldn't help thinking back to the moment when she collapsed on the boat. She'd never felt so sick before in all her life, and it had seemed to come and then go with such abruptness, almost as if someone had flicked a switch in her body.

  “I want to be myself again,” Alice said as she walked slowly and painfully through to the bathroom. “I feel like I'm someone else. Even my body seems wrong somehow. The way I walk, the way I think... Something's not right.”

  “It's been a crazy day,” Kate continued. “I'm sure things are going to be better tomorrow. Doctor Young can tell you more about this virus you contracted, and about how it affected you and more importantly about what it means going forward. You'll feel better once you know the facts. And maybe it's better that you don't remember everything that happened to you over the past few days. It sounds like you're well off with a spot of amnesia.”

  “I was buried, wasn't I?” Alice asked.

  “Apparently.”

  “I don't remember that part,” she continued. “I suppose I should be thankful that small mercies, shouldn't I? If I had woken up while I was down there in that coffin, I should surely have...”

  Her voice faded away.

  “There's no point dwelling on things like that,” Kate told her. “You've got enough to deal with as it is.”

  Alice smiled weakly as she began to undress.

  “I'll give you some privacy,” Kate told her, heading to the door. “Just try to relax and stop worrying about things. I know this place can seem strang
e, but tomorrow's another day and...” She paused for a moment and turned back to Alice. “Things seem different when the sun's up. At night, I guess that's when the shadows start to seem a little more menacing. Just let me know if you need anything, okay? There aren't many of us normal people up here, so we need to stick together.” She paused. “God, you know, I never really considered myself to be normal until I came here.”

  She smiled, but Alice seemed too busy with the slow, painful job of undressing to really respond.

  “What did you mean,” Kate continued, “when you said earlier that you thought you and I were the same?”

  “I...” Alice paused. “I don't know. It's just that I feel everyone at this house knows something I don't, except for you.”

  Kate smiled, watching as Alice continued to undress.

  “You need a hand?” Kate asked, feeling sorry for her.

  Alice shook her head.

  Heading out to the bedroom, Kate paused by the window, looking out at the dark night and, in particular, at the lights of the town down by the harbor. She couldn't help wondering what Edgar was doing out there, and how his anger might manifest itself. If he truly had gone to the town, there would probably be ugly scenes, and there was a part of her that wanted to see whatever happened. The idea of Edgar drunkenly getting into a fight in the cantina, or skulking through the darkened streets, was a little absurd. Then again, she told herself that it wasn't her problem. If Edgar and his anger management issues were going to cause a scene, then maybe that was what was required in order for him to learn a little humility. In fact, she -

  Suddenly she turned as she heard a scream from the bathroom.

  “Alice?” she called out, hurrying to the door. “Are you okay?”

  As she stepped into the bathroom, the steam obscured her view for a moment. Finally, however, she saw Alice standing by the bath, completely naked and with a horrified look on her face.

  “Alice?” Kate continued, stepping closer. “What -”

  And that's when she saw it.

  Running vertically down Alice's chest, from just below her collarbone, down between her breasts and over her belly until it stopped just above her crotch, there was a thick gash, held together by large metal staples. There was blood on the surrounding skin, too, as if the process of undressing had caused the wound to be partially reopened, and in some places the staples seemed to be straining to keep the edges of skin together, revealing glistening meat through the gap.

  “What is this?” Alice asked, her voice trembling as she stepped toward the mirror. “What happened to me? What have they done?”

  Kate made her way over and took a closer look. The gash was thick and deep, as if the skin and muscle had been torn apart and then crudely pushed back together.

  “Don't touch it,” she said, as Alice reached her hands up and began to tug at the metal staples.

  “What is it?” Alice whimpered. “Please, tell me what they've done to me...”

  “Stop that,” Kate continued, pulling her hands away. “Whatever this is, I really don't think you should do anything to it.”

  “What have they done to me?” Alice asked, on the verge of tears.

  “I don't know,” Kate replied, “I -”

  Suddenly, she happened to notice a trickle of blood running down Alice's neck, coming from her scalp. She reached up and moved the girl's hair aside, revealing another thick cut that seemed to run all the way around Alice's skull, sewed tight shut with the same metal staples. It was as if someone had taken her body apart and then crudely put it back together, like a dissection.

  Or an autopsy.

  “What's wrong with me?” Alice asked, with absolute terror in her voice as she stared at her reflection. “What am I?” She pulled her hair back to look at the staples running around the top of her skull, and finally she screamed.

  VIII

  “What the hell is that racket?” Doctor Burns muttered, sitting up in bed and staring at the window on the far side of his dark bedroom. He paused, and seconds later he heard it again: a heavy thudding sound coming from the yard, as if something was trying to smash down the wooden gate.

  Climbing out of bed, he grabbed his dressing gown before hurrying out of the room and down the stairs. The thudding sound was continuing, but it wasn't regular or rhythmic: instead, it had all the chaotic violence of some kind of trapped, wild animal. Then again, although Thaxos tended to be a quiet place at night with no real pests, he couldn't discount the possibility that one of the locals might have had a few too many beers at the local cantina and somehow wandered into the yard. After all, the garden party had broken up rather suddenly, and it wasn't beyond the realms of possibility that some of the angrier men had decided to drown their sorrows.

  Making his way to the kitchen window, he hit a switch on the wall, and seconds later the outside light flickered into life, illuminating the yard. At that exact same moment, the banging sound stopped.

  Doctor Burns waited, convinced that whatever was out there, it couldn't have fled so quickly.

  After a couple of minutes, he headed to the back door and turned the key before pulling it open and looking out at the yard. There was no sign of anything out there, and the whole island seemed to be completely quiet. Stepping outside, the doctor looked first at the back gate and then at the door to the tool-shed, but there didn't seem to be any damage. Glancing over at the wolf's grave, he saw that it hadn't been disturbed.

  “Hello?” he called out.

  Silence.

  “If there's anybody out here,” he continued, “I want you to leave, is that understood? I'm too old to play silly beggars.”

  He waited.

  Nothing.

  Finally, figuring that perhaps the noise had simply been a trapped bird or something equally innocuous, he made his way back inside and locked the door again. His hands were trembling as usual, which made it harder for him to turn the key. After taking a glass of water and glancing out the window one final time, he switched off the outside light and then made his through the dark house, heading to the stairs. He was far too tired to even -

  “What is a doctor?” a voice asked suddenly.

  Doctor Burns stopped in his tracks. That voice was familiar, but it couldn't be...

  “What is a doctor?”

  Turning, he saw that there was a figure standing in the darkness nearby, visible only as a silhouette against the window. It was more than a figure, though. It was a presence, reaching out through the air between them.

  “Who's there?” Doctor Burns called out, hurrying to the counter and pulling open one of the drawers. Finding a carving knife, he turned to face the figure, who had seemingly not moved an inch.

  “Don't you recognize my voice?” the figure replied. “Come now, doctor. Please don't insult me.”

  “Le Compte?” Doctor Burns replied, taking a step forward. “What the hell are you doing here at this time of night? Are you...” He paused for a moment. “I heard something outside, in my yard. It sounded like a wild animal. There's something out there.”

  “There's something in here too,” Edgar replied.

  “I don't have time to play stupid games,” the doctor continued, turning on the light. As soon as the bulb flickered to life, he saw that Edgar looked a complete mess, with his usually immaculate clothes having been torn to shreds, and with blood smeared across his bare flesh. There were tears in his skin, too, as if he'd been attacked by some kind of wild animal that had torn ragged strips away from his body. “My God, man, what happened to you?”

  “Where do you want me to start?” Edgar replied with a faint smile. “How far back do you want me to go?”

  “Are you drunk?”

  Edgar shook his head.

  “Are you hurt?”

  “I had to take my frustration out on something,” Edgar explained, with a curiously blank look in his eyes, “so I brought down a couple of trees on my way to town. Unless someone introduces a fresh population of bears or wolves to the isl
and, I suppose there are precious few targets. I was hoping that perhaps the gesture, futile as it seemed, might nevertheless suffice. Unfortunately, when I got here, I found that I was still filled with rage. This has happened before, of course, but I've always been able to contain it. Tonight, however, my anger is particularly strong. I feel as if this entire town has pushed me beyond my limit, and I need to vent my frustration in some other way.” He looked down at his hands. “How else is a man supposed to release such feelings?”

  “You're bleeding,” Doctor Burns replied. “I can take a look if you -”

  Edgar smiled.

  “What's so funny?” the doctor asked.

  “The idea of you doing anything to help me. The idea that you could even begin to...” He paused. “You didn't answer my question from earlier, so I'll ask again. What is a doctor?”

  “Are you sure you're not drunk? Are you on some kind of drug?”

  “I'm stone cold sober,” Edgar replied, as he reached up and tore away the last few tattered strands of fabric that were once a white shirt, revealing his bare, torn chest with a flap of glistening red muscle hanging loose from the bone.

  “You...” Doctor Burns paused. “I should take a look at that.”

  “It'll heal.”

  “But -”

  “It'll heal,” Edgar said firmly, reaching up and pushing the flap back into place. “The pain is... good. It helps.”

  “Helps what?”

  “Pain is a tool,” Edgar replied, “like any other. There is no need to fear it. Pain is the body's way of letting the brain know that there is something amiss. One must simply understand the message and then act accordingly. If there is no immediate threat, the pain becomes rich and calming.”

  “You're insane,” Doctor Burns told him.

  “You know,” Edgar continued, “I always promised myself that I would never again let my anger erupt in this way. I believed that I had it under control, that I was almost a new man. It's not often that I'm wrong about anything, but I have to admit that in this case, I have been hopelessly naive. I am still the same man I have always been, and certain aspects of my character simply cannot be stifled, especially not when they have been so brazenly provoked. How did I ever convince myself that I could bury my old self and start again?”

  Doctor Burns stared at him for a moment as he tried to work out exactly why Edgar had chosen to visit him so late at night. He didn't want to overreact and risking coming across as a fool, but at the same time he felt extremely uneasy, as if he should try to get this intruder away as fast as possible.

  “You looked scared,” Edgar continued finally, with a faint smile. “I trust that today's events have not left you feeling too concerned?”

  “Today's events?”

  “It must have been quite a shock for you to have seen the Marco girl up and about again. She was a little peaky, but apart from that she seemed remarkably well for someone who not twelve hours earlier was six feet underground. Tell me, have you been able to ascertain what, precisely, happened to her?”

  “I'm keeping an open mind.”

  “But you did perform an autopsy on her, did you not?”

  “I...”

  Edgar smiled again. “Come now, doctor. A learned man such as yourself must surely be able to answer such simple questions. Did you perform that autopsy or did you not? It's a simple question. Yes or no?”

  “I... Yes, but -”

  “Excellent,” Edgar continued, “so you know that the autopsy happened, and you know that Alice Marco turned up alive and well at my garden party. Tell me, have you managed to fill in the gap between those two events yet? After all, there has to be some explanation that will draw together two otherwise contradictory facts.”

  “I'm still working on that.”

  “But you're a smart man. Isn't it usually the case that the simplest explanation is often correct? And what would the simplest explanation be in this case?”

  Doctor Burns paused, feeling that he was being toyed with.

  “You seem reluctant to make any definite statements,” Edgar continued. “What's wrong, man? Don't you trust your judgment? Or do the facts contradict your mistaken beliefs?”

  “A dead person cannot come back to life,” the doctor said firmly.

  “So what happened?”

  “I...”

  Edgar smiled yet again.

  “A dead person cannot come back to life,” the doctor repeated.

  “You keep saying that,” Edgar replied, “like it's some kind of mantra, but there seems to be some awkward evidence to the contrary. You're a man of science, aren't you? Is science letting you down at last?”

  “What are you playing at?” Doctor Burns asked finally, turning and making his way through to his office. Once he reached his desk, he suddenly realized that he had no idea why he had left the kitchen. A second ago, there had been some aim in his mind, something he meant to come and fetch, but now that idea had faded away. As he heard Edgar coming through to join him, he looked down at the desk and desperately tried to remember what he'd come for.

  “Memory playing tricks on you again?” Edgar asked.

  Doctor Burns turned to him.

  “You have a faint tremor in your hands,” Edgar continued. “Early Parkinson's, perhaps?”

  “I... You don't know what you're -”

  “You drink at night,” he added. “Just a tipple here and there. More than you should, and you tell yourself each morning that the alcohol is the reason for the tremor. It's not, though, is it? You're just deluding yourself. It's the beginning of the end for you, I believe. Old age.”

  “Absolute rot.”

  “How long have you got left?” Edgar asked. “A year? Two? How long before Doctor Alistair Burns is forced to retire for the good of his patients? Or would you prefer to push on, making more and more mistakes -”

  “I do not make mistakes!”

  “What about Alice Marco?”

  “That was not my mistake!”

  “Then what happened to her?”

  Doctor Burns opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out.

  “You remember Doctor Paul Lassiter, don't you?” Edgar asked with a faint smile. “He was the man you replaced when you came to work on Thaxos. He was so old back then and you were so young. Now he's dead and you're the one who is old. It's funny how the human lifespan works, isn't it? One moment you're a young buck, pitying the elderly, and then in the blink of an eye you're old yourself. It has taken you forty years to become an old man, forty long and slow years, but now that they've passed, those years must feel like nothing at all. I've watched so many men and women grow old, and I think perhaps I shall never truly understand the process. Tell me, how does it feel?”

  “Growing old?”

  “I cannot even begin to understand it,” Edgar added.

  “When I was a young man,” Doctor Burns replied, “I felt that the whole world was waiting for me. I felt that I could be anything, do anything, that I'd find a woman I loved and who loved me, and that we'd have children of our own, and that the possibilities were infinite, and... and...” He paused, feeling a shadow of sorrow in his chest. “Being old,” he added finally, “is the opposite of all that.”

  They stood in silence for a moment.

  “Then you have my utmost condolences,” Edgar replied eventually. “It all sounds... quite horrific.”

  “I'd like you to leave,” Doctor Burns said firmly.

  “Why?”

  “I want to be alone.”

  “To contemplate your own mortality?”

  “To go to bed, damn it! I'm tired!” He waited for Edgar to get the message. “I want you to leave!”

  “And I shall,” Edgar replied, “but not until I've finished what I came here for. Doctor Lassiter was a good man. I knew him briefly, when he himself was new to the island. Our time here overlapped for a short period.”

  “What rubbish are you on about now?” Doctor Burns asked, making his way around the d
esk and pulling open one of his desk drawers. He stared down at the letter opener. A few days ago, he had stabbed the blade straight through his hand for reasons that he still couldn't quite remember. Now, he felt the same urge again, as if some other force was inside his mind, gently urging him to go against every rational impulse in his body. “Doctor Lassiter has been dead for almost four decades,” he muttered. “He's long gone.”

  “I know.”

  “So how could you -”

  “He had a faded wooden sign above the door,” Edgar continued. “He was very wary of me, and I imagine he was glad when I left. In truth, I think I scared him a little. By the end of his life, however, I'm sure he felt more content. He probably thought I was gone forever, and that the island of Thaxos was free for all eternity from the Le Compte family.”

  “No,” Doctor Burns replied. “None of this is possible.”

  “You know what I am,” Edgar said after a moment. “You pretend not to, because you're scared to admit that such things could walk among you, because I conflict with all your medical textbooks, but deep down you know exactly what I am. Don't you want to open your eyes to the truth? Don't you want to say the word?”

  Reaching into the drawer, Doctor Burns picked up the letter opener and stared at it. He was still trying to resist the urge to cut his hand, but after a moment that urge seemed to suddenly vanish, replaced by something new. A few seconds later, he set it down on the desk before opening another drawer and taking out the pistol he had always kept there for personal protection. Again, it was as if he was being pushed to hold the gun by a voice in his mind that was not his own, and for which he could not account.

  “Say it,” Edgar continued.

  “Say what?” the doctor muttered.

  “Say what I am.”

  “No.”

  “Why not? What are you scared of?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Then say it, man.”

  “You're Edgar Le Compte.”

  “And what is Edgar Le Compte?”

  “He's a...” He paused, before looking over at Edgar. “He's a cancer that's killing this island.”

  Edgar smiled.

  “You find that funny?” Doctor Burns asked.

  “I find it amusing that you prefer to call me a cancer,” Edgar replied, “instead of using the proper word. After all, cancer is something from your world, doctor, not something from mine. You're clinging to your tired old terminology rather than facing the truth.” He paused. “Say it. Say what I am. Or are you too scared to admit that I exist?”

  “You're just a man.”

  “No, you're just a man. I'm something else.”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it can't be true!”

  “Alice Marco is up at my home right now,” Edgar continued. “She talks, she walks, she breathes, and yet just a couple of days ago she was being cut open on your table. She still has the scars, you know. The process of reviving her did not involve mending her flesh. I could have done that if I had so wanted, but I chose to leave the scars intact. Cruel of me, perhaps, but she needs to understand the truth. So if all of that can happen, then what about me? Please, doctor, humor me. You know exactly what I am, so say the word.”

  “Dear Lord,” Doctor Burns replied, “protect this island and all who live here from this -”

  Edgar started to laugh.

  “Protect us from this heathen beast,” the doctor continued, “and deliver us from darkness into the light, so that we may -”

  “Retreating into religion?” Edgar asked. “Really?”

  “Shut your mouth!” the doctor shouted, suddenly aiming the gun straight at Edgar's face.

  “Or what?” Edgar asked, clearly amused. “You'll shoot me? A man of science, a doctor, will commit cold-blooded murder?” He paused. “Then again, that might be a good idea. Sacrifice your own good character in order to rid Thaxos of this menace.”

  “I wouldn't waste my life on you,” Doctor Burns replied, lowering the gun for a moment before suddenly his arm sprang back up, pointing the weapon at Edgar once again. He tried to lower it, but it was as if his arm was not his own.

  “Do it,” Edgar told him. “Blow my head apart. Finish me.”

  Reaching up, the doctor tried to force his arm down, but some other force seemed to be holding it in place.

  “By the love of God,” he muttered as he tried with all his strength to get his arm down, “save us from this -”

  Before he could finish, his finger involuntarily squeezed the trigger. The gun fired once, hitting Edgar in the chest and knocking him down to the floor.

  Doctor Burns stood completely still, staring straight ahead.

  The room was silent. The only sound was the memory of the gunshot.

  “Mother of God,” he whispered, finally able to lower the gun, “what have I done?” He moved around the desk until he could see Edgar prostrate on the floor, with a bullet wound on the right side of his chest. It was a shocking sight, and he had to fight his instinct to rush to the body and try to help. Turning away, he looked down at the gun in his hand and he realized that although he had tried not to fire, something else had taken control of his body. Then again, no-one would ever believe such an insane story. Figuring that he had to alert Inspector Cavaleri at once, he reached out for his phone. His hands were trembling more than ever as he began to dial.

  Suddenly, however, he heard a sound behind him.

  He froze in place, before finally turning to see that Edgar Le Compte was back on his feet and smiling.

  “May the Lord have mercy on all our souls,” Doctor Burns whispered, barely able to believe what he was seeing.

  “Say my name,” Edgar replied, with blood still dribbling from the bullet wound in his chest. “Not the name given to me by my forebears, but the name of my species. You see now that you can't hurt me, that I'm beyond the physical and moral laws you hold so dear, so there is no further need for pretense. How much evidence do you need, man? Say what I am.”

  Doctor Burns shook his head.

  “Say it,” Edgar said firmly.

  “No,” the old man replied, with tears in his eyes as he dropped the phone.

  “Say it!”

  “No!” Suddenly his arm raised the gun until it was pointed straight at the side of his own head.

  “Say it,” Edgar commanded him. “Deny the truth and I can promise you a pitiful death, but acknowledge what I am and I promise that things will be better for you.” He took a step closer. “Say it!”

  “I can't!” Doctor Burns shouted, as the tears began to roll down his cheeks.

  “Why not?”

  “Because vampires don't exist! They're -”

  Before he could finish, Edgar ripped the gun from his hand and then bit down hard on the old man's neck, sinking his two sharp fangs into the flesh and ripping a chunk away. Blood sprayed from the wound and Doctor Burns tried to stumble back, but Edgar held him in place and reached up, twisting his head to one side and burying his face in the open wound as blood flowed into his mouth. The old man struggled for a moment before the life began to fade from his body, and although he wrapped his arms around Edgar's bare torso, he was losing the ability to fight and his fingers merely pressed helplessly against Edgar's firm flesh.

  Finally Edgar loosened his grip.

  Slowly, Doctor Burns slipped down to his knees. He reached up and pressed his bloodied hands against Edgar's bare chest, smearing his flesh crimson before finally slumping down to the ground and landing with a cold, dead thud.

  “Thank you,” Edgar said with a smile. “Was that really so hard?”

  He stepped over to the body and gave it a gentle kick, rolling it over so that he could see the old man's dead eyes staring straight up at the ceiling. One side of his neck had been completely ripped apart. Turning to look at the wall, Edgar saw blood splattered everywhere. It hadn't been the messiest death he'd ever witnessed, but it wasn't too bad. He reached up and wiped a little b
lood from his chin.

  “Go on then,” said a voice nearby. “What is a doctor?”

  Edgar turned to see Doctor Young entering the room.

  “A doctor,” Edgar replied calmly, “is someone who helps humans navigate the thin line between life and death. I require no such competition here on Thaxos. Life and death are my domains.”

  “The people will demand a medical man, though,” Doctor Young continued. “I suppose I'll have to stick around for a while. This was just supposed to be a holiday, you know. It's dashed inconvenient that you're so determined to keep me around. Do you realize I have a dinner date next week, and tickets for the theater in London? I'm going to have to put some noses out of joint by canceling.”

  “Are you demurring?”

  “Do you think I'm insane?” Doctor Young replied. “If you want me here, what choice do I have? I suppose I shall just have to get on with things and...” He sighed. “I guess Thaxos isn't that bad. I can manage here for now. I'll have to get myself a nice shiny sign made, won't I?”

  “I trust that Ms. Langley is back at my home?” Edgar asked.

  Doctor Young nodded.

  “I shall return there shortly,” Edgar continued, kneeling next to the corpse. “For now, my anger has made me hungry and I wish to eat some real food for a change. I'm sick of all that cow meat and caviar up at the house, and that damnable wine that humans insist on drinking all the time. Kindly leave me in peace and return tomorrow morning. Doctor Burns has some patients coming, and you'll need to explain to them that he has suddenly gone to the mainland, and that you are taking over his surgery for the time being.”

  “Don't you think they'll want a better explanation?”

  “I believe most of them are already rather disillusioned with the doctor's performance,” Edgar pointed out. “The events of the past twenty-four hours should have sealed the deal. I have been steering things in this direction for quite some time now.”

  “Always a couple of steps ahead, huh?”

  “Always.”

  “Well, have a nice feast,” Doctor Young replied, heading to the door. “Try to clean up after yourself, won't you? I don't really want to have to deal with an old corpse when I arrive in the morning. I spotted some disturbed soil in the back yard just now. I think the old fool buried that wolf out there, so at least there's already a convenient grave for any bits of bone when you're finished with him. It's almost like the idiot dug it for himself. Then again, I guess we all do that one way or another during our lives, don't we? Just not usually so literally.”

  He paused for a moment, staring down at the dead body on the floor.

  “So strange,” he muttered, “how hard it was for him to admit the truth. I have no respect for anyone who denies what's right in front of his eyes. I mean, what's so hard about saying the word vampire?” He paused for a moment. “I don't suppose this changes anything between us, does it?”

  “Leave,” Edgar replied darkly. “I wish to be alone while I eat.”

  “But can't you just...” Doctor Young paused again as he struggled to find the right words. “You know what I want, and I've proved myself -”

  “Leave,” Edgar said again.

  “What more do you want from me?” Doctor Young asked. “I've done everything you've asked, I've lied to people about how we know each other, and now you want me to drop my entire life and stay here to help you. Can't you just give me something in return? I know you think I'm not ready, but you're wrong. Father, please -”

  “Leave!” Edgar shouted, his bellowing voice causing the windows to rattle in their frames.

  Doctor Young stared at him for a moment, before turning and heading to the door. He glanced back one final time at his father, before leaving the room.

  Edgar remained silent for a moment, staring down at the bloodied corpse. His anger, which had been driving him all day since the townspeople ran from his party, was finally starting to abate, and he knew that the following day he would be calm once again. For now, however, he was driven by the urge to feed. Leaning down, he opened his mouth and sank his teeth once again into the dead man's neck. It took several minutes for him to drain the remaining blood, but he was already starting to feel the strength coursing through his veins, filling him with the vitality that could only come from a fresh kill. When he was done he decided to eat a little more, so he bit down hard into the flesh.

  Moonlight streamed through the window, but the only noise in the room was the sound of the old man's body being torn apart and eaten. Outside, Doctor Young began to whistle an old show-tune as he walked away.