To Run With the Swift

by Gerald N. Lund

  When Gisela strode into the room a minute or so later, the pouch on her shoulder, her face grotesquely disfigured, still wearing her blood-spattered blouse and the skirt with the large bloodstain on the front, I sensed instantly that something had changed. Wiping at my cheeks with the back of my hand, I straightened and sat back. I saw that Rick’s eyes were fixed on her too.

  “How is Niklas?” Doc asked.

  Her mouth pinched into a grim line. “Niklas is paralyzed from the waist down. The doctor thinks that he will never walk again.”

  One hand flew to my mouth. “Oh, Gisela,” I cried. “I’m so sorry.” And to my surprise, I really was. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

  She stopped in midstride and stared at me, as if she had no idea who I was or where I had come from. Then she spat out her words in a low hiss. “You will not speak his name again in my presence. If you do, you will die. That I swear.”

  Far off in my mind, I heard Rick’s voice. “Be careful, Danni. This changes everything.”

  She moved around the desk and took her place on her throne/chair. Doc moved around to stand beside her. She glared at me for several seconds, then took Le Gardien from her shoulder and laid it on the desk in front of her. She then opened another drawer and took out the dictation device again. She turned it on, laid it on the desk, and pushed it toward me. “You have one hour. If I am not satisfied with what you give me, all of your family is lost.”

  I sat there, rigid as a stone, wondering what to say to that. I knew without any doubt that there was nothing I could do to give her control of the pouch. And I was just as certain that the pouch was not going to accept her as its new keeper.

  She eyed me suspiciously for several moments, then spoke. “I have carefully studied all that you wrote in your journal about the pouch. I have also read what El Cobra had to say about it several times. So let’s skip all of the general stuff. Get right to how you make it work. Do I have to actually be holding the pouch to make it work?”

  “No.”

  She smiled. “That’s better. If I find you are being dishonest or withholding truth from me, it will not go well with you.”

  “I meant, ‘No, I can’t help you.’” Suddenly I heard Rick’s voice echoing in my head. “You have to stop a sick dog, but don’t hate it because it’s sick.”

  And those simple words opened a floodgate of understanding. “Lady Gisela, I cannot help you. No matter what you do to me, the pouch will not accept you as its keeper.”

  Color darkened her face, and little drops of spittle formed at the corners of her mouth.

  I rushed on. “But I have another offer for you. One that you may find even more attractive than the pouch.”

  Rick stiffened. In my head, I heard him say, “Danni, what are you saying? What can you offer her that she’ll accept?”

  Some tiny portion of my words seemed to have gotten through to her, for she was studying me closely now, searching for any signs of betrayal. So I plunged. “Out of the bleachers, Rick. I need you right here beside me.”

  “I’m here,” came the instant answer. And he actually got up and came over to stand beside me, again laying a hand on my shoulder. Doc tensed but then quickly relaxed again.

  “Lady Gisela, what if I could promise you that your son will not be paralyzed. What if I could tell you that from this very day he will begin to get the feeling back into his legs?”

  She fell back in her chair, her eyes wide with wonder. “You can do that?”

  “No, I can’t. But the pouch is telling me it will be so if you will but listen to me.”

  For almost a full minute, those hooded, smoldering eyes took my measure. Finally she said, “Go on.”

  But Rick spoke in my head first. “I’m here. Can I say something to her?”

  “This is an equal partnership, my friend,” I said. “You don’t have to ask.”

  He sat forward. “Lady Gisela, will you permit me to suggest a couple of things—”

  She turned on him angrily. “You are here as an observer only, Mr. Ramirez. If you speak again, I will have you removed.”

  I started to protest. Rick beat me to it. “Oh, I am much more than that.” And with that, he pointed at the pouch with one hand, his fingers splayed out like a magician’s. When the pouch lurched forward several inches, I gasped. So did Gisela. Doc actually fell back a step.

  “Touch the pouch, Lady Gisela,” Rick commanded.

  Gingerly, she reached out and touched it with one finger. Her eyes widened. “It’s warm.”

  “It is warm because I told it to be warm,” he intoned solemnly.

  “Is that true?” I asked, not sure whether to laugh or to be spooked.

  “Don’t bother me right now, missy,” he said, chuckling, “I’m working here.”

  “So you have the power to use the pouch?” Gisela asked, new respect evident in her eyes.

  “Do you have to ask?” he said, waving his hand again. The pouch lurched forward another few inches.

  “Holy cow, Ramirez,” I cried. “When did you learn to do that?”

  “About ten seconds ago, actually.” Then, aloud, he added, “Now may I speak?”

  Still very wary, Gisela nodded.

  “Surely you know that the FBI and Interpol are closing in on you. Your time is over. Your crimes have come to an end. You yourself said that you would be leaving tonight. I think you assumed that you would be leaving with the pouch. But as you can now see, that isn’t going to happen. So we have something that will compensate you for your loss.”

  “We do?” I said in my mind, rocking back.

  “Yes, we do.”

  “What?”

  He grinned at me. “I have no idea, partner. Your turn. It’s time, Danni. Do it!” And then, to my utter amazement, he leaned forward and laid the pistol on the table. As he sat down again, Doc snatched it up and pointed at both of us.

  “Why did you do that?” I cried silently.

  “Because that way will get us nowhere.”

  I wanted to scream at him that while that might be true, it did give us some measure of control in this situation. But I got ahold of myself and asked, “Do what? What am I supposed to do?”

  “Whatever Grandpère told you to do.”

  I sat back, my mind a whirl, trying to remember. And then it came. Your task is to convince Gisela and Niklas to leave tonight. Not make them leave. Convince them that leaving is the best thing for them. And this was followed quickly with, Gisela and her son will not get away with all they have done. But it is very important that they think they have.

  But how? And that answer came from Rick as he spoke again to me. “What are they going to need most if they go into hiding?”

  That was easy. Protection. Anonymity. My head came up. No, they needed money! Buying a completely new and comfortable life takes money. Lots of money.

  “Yes!” Rick cried. “So give it to them.”

  “I ...” I was suddenly confused. How did I—and then I laughed right out loud. That startled Gisela and Doc. They stared at me like I had lost my mind.

  I laughed again. Oh, I was going to lose much more than that tonight.

  Leaning in, I asked one question of her. “Since you have read my journal and El Cobra’s report, tell me, Lady Gisela, what was it that sank the boat El Cobra was using to get away? You and I both know it wasn’t swamped by another boat.”

  I could tell from her eyes that she instantly knew what I was referring to. She tried to hide it, pretending nonchalance, but the greed was unmistakable. After a moment, she said, “You cannot offer what you do not have. Niklas sent someone to watch. They saw the FBI diving team at the site. They saw them bringing up the gold.” She almost spat at me in disgust. “Do not play me for the fool, Danni.”

  “Whatever else I may think of you, Lady Gisela,” I said, “I have never th
ought of you as a fool.”

  “I don’t need some old pouch to destroy you,” she growled. Her answer was completely off topic, as if I hadn’t even spoken.

  Which chapped me no end. “Sorry, Gisela, but your record in trying to use the pouch against me or Rick is less than sterling. In a word, you just got your butt whipped.”

  She whirled and faced Doc. “I will not sit here and be lectured to like some misbehaving child, especially by this piece of American trash. I will not let her set the conditions of what happens next.” She picked up the pouch and held it to her. “And I will not let her sit there and try to intimidate me. Now, Raul, either you put a stop to this, or I will.”

  Raul raised the pistol until it was pointed at my heart. “Danni, you will speak to Lady Gisela with courtesy and respect. You will refer to her as Lady Gisela or Madame Gisela or Lady von Dietz, or you will not speak to her at all. Any more of your caustic comments, and this conversation will terminate. Do you understand me?”

  “He’s right, Danni,” Rick said, speaking aloud. “Danni apologizes, Lady Gisela. She is very sorry.”

  “It means nothing coming from you, Mr. Ramirez, though I appreciate that your words and demeanor are those of a gentleman. It is she who must apologize.”

  I will not apologize to this woman after all she has done to me and my family. I will not.

  “Yes,” Rick said, now back in my head, “you will, or we will lose. Remember that old saying, ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.’ Well, if you scorn her further, she will fight you to her dying breath. And we’re running out of time, Danni.”

  The old temper flared up and I swung on him. “Don’t you ...” I stopped, fuming. I had planned to say, “Don’t you lecture me,” but I knew he was right, so I bit off my retort and looked at Gisela. “Rick is right,” I said meekly. “I apologize for speaking to you in a disrespectful manner, Lady Gisela. I will not do so again.”

  “You had better not,” she said, still seething.

  Then I swung on Doc. “But this works both ways, Raul. So you tell Lady Gisela that the next time she calls me American trash, or treats me like I am six years old, all bets are off and it’s open season between us.”

  “Fair enough,” he said with a nod. He looked at her. “She’s right, Madame Gisela. Your verbal swordplay does nothing for us.”

  Frowning, she looked away. Raul looked nervous, evidently wondering if he had gone too far. Then, surprising us both, Gisela got to her feet, leaned over the desk and picked up Le Gardien, and started to walk away. “Madame Gisela,” Raul said, “where are you going?”

  I was totally alert now. Where was she going? Now that she had the pouch, was she going after my family again? But, even as that thought came, I realized that she was not headed for the door. Not the main door, nor either of the side doors. When it finally dawned on me where she was going, I leaped up. “No!” I shouted.

  But I was too late. She lunged toward the fireplace and flung Le Gardien into the flames. Then, quick as a cat, she picked up the large iron poker and held it up like a sword, prepared to fend me off. But my eyes were not on her. My gaze was riveted on the pouch. New logs had not been put on the fire for some time now, so the fireplace was a glowing bed of red-hot coals. In an instant, there was a soft puff of smoke, and the fabric burst into flames. I stopped, too shocked to go further. In moments, the whole pouch was aflame. I saw the braided rope handle just kind of melt away. Then, a tiny explosion of flame within the flames popped as the hand-carved wooden button caught fire.

  I turned away, unable to watch, and moved slowly back to my seat. Rick came to me and took me in his arms. “Remember what Grandpère said. It’s only a tangible sign of an inner power,” he soothed. “The power cannot be destroyed.”

  I jerked free of him. “That pouch has been in my family for over two hundred years, Rick. It was much more than a piece of cloth you hold in your hands.”

  He was instantly stricken. “I know, Danni. I’m sorry.”

  I watched as Gisela sat back down again, her face radiant with triumph. I saw that Raul was a little shocked by what had just happened, but since she had just eliminated what he saw as a problem, he said nothing. “Okay,” she sneered. “Now we can talk.”

  My answer to that came out quite calmly. “You just lost the right to have the title of ‘Lady’ connected to you in any way, so like it or not, from now on it’s Gisela, or Lady Witch.”

  She just laughed. Then a mysterious, catlike smile spread across her face. “Now, Danni McAllister, see if you can convince me that when you speak of gold, you indeed have something tangible to offer to us.”

  Just that quickly, my anger was pushed back. I smiled with genuine pleasure, knowing that I could answer that with complete honesty. “I give you my word, Lady Gisela. We do indeed have much that is tangible to offer to you in exchange for the safety of my family.”

  CHAPTER 39

  We sat there for a moment, two great cats in the same cage, circling each other, looking for any sign of weakness. That was interrupted when the phone on the desk rang. She snatched it up. “Ja,” she said. Then she came straight up out of her chair. “What?” Her eyes widened, even though they were now just dark slits in her swollen face. “I’ll be right there.”

  She spun around to Doc. “Watch them, Raul. Don’t let them move. Don’t let them talk. I’ll be back in five minutes.” And with that she raced out through the main door of the library.

  With a gun back in his hand, Doc was all swagger and dominance again. He glared at us, waving the pistol. “You heard her. Don’t tempt me.”

  I leaned forward, staring at the floor. “Rick?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I was thinking. Maybe we ought to use this time to think and decide what’s next?”

  Though I didn’t look up at him, I sensed he was laughing. “Way to be in tune, Danni. I was just thinking exactly the same thing.”

  “Then I’ll shut up and give you some quiet time.”

  Gisela was gone a full ten minutes, but when she came back in, she shocked us all. She was wheeling Niklas in a wheelchair. His head was wrapped in gauze, and I could see where blood had dripped on his shirt collar, but his eyes were open and surveying us as she wheeled him toward us. Doc was as stunned as we were. “Lord von Dietz?” He said something in French that I think was a profane exclamation of surprise.

  Niklas managed a wan grin. “Hello again, Raul.” He looked at us. “I understand you have been busy in my absence.”

  Wheeling him around the desk, Gisela brought him up alongside her chair and locked the wheels. Only then did she look at us. And her eyes were filled with wonder.

  “This is a surprise,” I said, risking the wrath of Raul. “You don’t look like a man with a skull fracture.”

  He actually smiled. “Only a mild concussion and a blistering headache. Dr. Bauer is actually quite astonished.”

  “What about the paralysis?”

  “None. I’m a little light-headed and wobbly on my feet, but he thinks it was just temporary numbness caused by the blow to the brain.”

  “He can walk,” Gisela said, her voice husky. “Dr. Bauer gave him a cane to steady him, but he can walk.”

  She stopped short of actually thanking us, I noticed, but I could tell that she had linked the stunning development with what I had promised earlier. And why not? It was astonishing to see him up and moving.

  Niklas cleared his throat. “I understand you were in the process of making a proposal to Mama.”

  “Yes. And it looks like we have fulfilled the first part of that proposal.”

  He inclined his head slightly, but made no other acknowledgment. “Your second proposal will be a little more difficult to sell.”

  “I understand, but we are confident we can do so. Before we do, however, we need to clarify a couple of things. First, I hop
e you remember that what is given by the pouch can be taken away again. Which includes full body paralysis.”

  That hadn’t come as an inspired thought. In other words, I didn’t think I was speaking for Le Gardien. It was simply the worst possible threat I could think of to throw at him. But it worked. He blanched. “I ... I understand.”

  “Okay. Second thing. We need to know if you really are going to disappear when you leave here in a few hours. Or is this just a change of venue and it will be business as usual? In a word, does this end it between us?”

  “Absolutely,” Niklas said.

  Gisela nodded vigorously. “It is true. All the arrangements are made. New identities. New country of residence. New bank accounts.”

  “Plastic surgery to give us new faces,” Niklas added. “We will simply disappear, and you will never see or hear from us again.”

  “That must have cost a lot of money,” Rick observed.

  Surprised a little, Niklas finally nodded. “Substantial funds were required.”

  “Do you still have the seven or eight million Euros you stole in rhodium ore from us?” Rick asked. “The FBI traced it to the Russian Mafia. They even got the price that was paid.”

  “That’s none of your business,” Gisela cried.

  Niklas ignored her. After a moment, he nodded. “Yes, most of it.”

  “And how much do you still have from your various kidnapping and extortion escapades?”

  Again Gisela balked; again Niklas didn’t hesitate. “A little less than two million.”

  “Thank you for not lying about that,” I came in. “The pouch confirms to me that you are telling me the truth.” I felt a little twinge of guilt as I saw the startled look in his eyes. I believed that Niklas was being honest, but I certainly didn’t have what I would call a confirmation of that.