Lasher lotmw-2

by Anne Rice

  “Yes…”

  “OK, what did these people see? What did the people at these medical clinics see?”

  “No one at any of the clinics noticed anything. But we are talking about enormous institutions, you must realize. There seems little doubt that Rowan and Lasher slipped in, with Rowan impersonating a staff doctor or a technician as the situation required. She completed various tests and left before anyone in any of these places was the wiser.”

  “And this you know from the material she sent this Dr. Larkin?”

  “Yes.”

  “Amazing, but a doctor could do that, couldn’t she?” Michael said. He tried to keep his voice steady. He didn’t want anyone taking his pulse. “Last proof that she was alive was February twelfth,” he said again. He was trying to calculate the date, the number of days. His mind went blank.

  “There has been one other small bit of intelligence,” said Ryan. “And one which we do not like.”

  “So tell me.”

  “Rowan made huge bank transfers while she was in Europe. Huge transfers through banks in France and in Switzerland. But the transfers stopped at the end of January, and thereafter, only two simple checks were cashed in New York, on February fourteenth. We know now the signatures on these checks were forgeries.”

  “Ah.” Michael sat back. “He’s keeping her prisoner. He forged the checks.”

  Aaron sighed. “We don’t know…for certain. She was described by those in Donnelaith-and those in Geneva-as being pale, sickly. Her companion was said to have been very attentive; indeed, she was never seen when not in his company.”

  “I see,” Michael whispered. “What else did they say? Tell me everything.”

  “Donnelaith is an archaeological site now,” said Aaron.

  “Yes, I knew that, I believe,” said Michael. He looked at Ryan. “You’ve read the Mayfair History?”

  “If you mean the file from the Talamasca, yes, I did examine it but I think our concern here is simply this: where is Rowan and how can we reach her?”

  “Go on about Donnelaith,” said Michael to Aaron.

  “Apparently Rowan and Lasher had a suite in the inn there for four days. They spent considerable time exploring the ruins of the castle, the Cathedral and the village. Lasher talked to many, many people.”

  “Must you call him by that name?” asked Ryan. “The legal name he used was different.”

  “The legal name has nothing to do with it,” said Pierce. “Dad, please, let’s just get this information out. This Donnelaith, it’s an archaeological project apparently funded entirely by our family. I’d never heard of it till I read the Talamasca file. Neither had Dad. It was all administered by…”

  “Lauren,” said Ryan, with a faint tone of distaste. “But that’s all beside the point. They haven’t been seen there since January.”

  “Get on with it,” said Michael as gently as he could. “What did people see when they looked at them?”

  “They are described as a woman five foot seven in height, very pale and in ill health, and an extremely tall man, possibly six and a half feet in height with luxuriant long black hair-both American.”

  Michael wanted to say something, but his heart was rushing on him, no doubt of it. He felt the increased rate, and a little pain in his chest. He didn’t want anyone to know this. He took out his handkerchief, folded it and patted his upper lip. “She’s alive, she’s in danger, the thing is holding her prisoner,” he whispered.

  “This is anecdotal material,” said Ryan. “It would not stand up in a court of law. We are conjecturing. The forged checks are another matter altogether. They make it incumbent upon the legacy to do something immediately.”

  “The forensic statements are quite a puzzle,” Aaron said.

  “Yes, that is a maddening kettle of soup,” said Pierce. “We sent forensic samples of the blood we found here to two different genetic institutes and neither will give us a straight answer.”

  “They are giving us an answer,” said Aaron. “They are saying that the specimens must have been contaminated or tampered with because they pertain to a nonhuman species of primate which they cannot identify.”

  Michael smiled bitterly.

  “But what does this Dr. Larkin say? Rowan sent him the stuff direct. What does he know? What did she say to him on the phone? I have to know everything.”

  “Rowan was agitated,” said Pierce. “She was afraid she might be cut off. She was desperate that Larkin receive the medical material and take it to Keplinger. The whole thing alarmed Larkin. That’s why he is cooperating with us. He is devoted to Rowan, doesn’t want to break her confidence, but he shares our concern for her.”

  “This Dr. Larkin is here,” said Michael. “I saw him at the wake.”

  “Yes, he’s here,” said Ryan. “But he’s reluctant to discuss the medical materials taken to the Keplinger Institute.”

  “One can infer,” said Aaron quietly, “from what the doctor is willing to say that he has extensive test material on this creature.”

  “Creature,” said Ryan. “And there we go off into fantasy land again.” He was angry. “We don’t know that this man is a creature or a…subhuman type, or anything else. And we don’t know what the man’s name is. We do know he is genial, educated, intelligent, and speaks rapidly with an American voice, and that the people who spoke to him at Donnelaith found him interesting.”

  “What in the world has that got to do with it all?” demanded Pierce. “Dad, for the love of…”

  Michael interrupted. “What did Rowan send to Dr. Larkin? What has the Keplinger Institute found out?”

  “Well, that’s it,” said Aaron. “He won’t give us a complete report. But he might give it to you. He wants to talk to you. He wants to do genetic testing on you.”

  Michael smiled. “Does he, now?”

  “You’re right to be very suspicious of this,” said Ryan. He seemed to be vacillating between angry impatience and exhaustion. “People have approached us with genetic proposals in the past. We are perceived as a closed group. Consent to nothing.”

  “Like the Mormons, or the Amish,” said Michael.

  “Exactly,” said Ryan, “and there are many excellent legal reasons not to allow this sort of testing. And what does it have to do with the Curry family anyway?”

  “I think we are straying from the point,” said Aaron. He looked meaningfully at Michael. “Whatever we call this companion of Rowan’s, he’s flesh and blood, and obviously passes for human.”

  “Are you listening to your own words!” Ryan demanded, plainly furious.

  “Of course I am,” said Aaron.

  “I want to see the medical evidence myself,” said Ryan.

  “How will you know how to interpret it?” Pierce asked.

  “Just hold on,” said Ryan.

  “Dad, we have to talk this out.”

  Michael raised his hand for calm. “Listen, the medical tests aren’t going to determine anything. I saw him. I spoke to him.”

  The room was silent.

  He realized this was the first time he had uttered such a thing to the family since the entire incident had happened. He had never, never admitted to Ryan or to Pierce, and certainly never to any other Mayfair, what had happened on Christmas Day. He found himself glancing now at Mona. And then his eyes fixed on the man to whom he had told the whole tale-Aaron.

  The others stared at him in clear and unembarrassed anticipation.

  “I didn’t think he was six and a half feet tall,” said Michael, trying again to steady his voice. He ran his hand back through his hair, and stopped himself in the act of reaching for a pen he didn’t need. He closed his right hand into a fist, then opened it, splaying the fingers. “But then I was having a pitched battle with him when he was here. I’d say he was my height, six foot two at most. His hair was short. It was black, like mine. He had blue eyes.”

  “Are you telling me,” Ryan asked with deceptive calm, “that you saw the man who went off with
Rowan!”

  “You said you actually did speak to him?” Pierce asked.

  Ryan was clearly pale with anger. “You can describe or identify this person?” he asked.

  “Let’s get on with what we have to do,” said Aaron. “We almost lost Michael on Christmas Day. Michael was unable to tell us anything for weeks. Michael was…”

  “It’s OK, Aaron,” said Michael. “It’s OK. Ryan, what do you want to know? She left with a man. He was six feet two, he was thin, he was wearing my clothes. He had black hair. I don’t think he looks the same now. His hair wasn’t long. He wasn’t so tall. Do you believe me? Do you believe anything anybody’s told you? Ryan, I know who he is. So does the Talamasca.”

  Ryan seemed incapable of responding. Pierce was also obviously stunned.

  “Uncle Ryan, it was ‘the man,’ ” said Mona flatly. “For Chrissakes, get off Michael’s case. He didn’t let ‘the man’ through. It was Rowan.”

  “Stay out of this, Mona!” Ryan flashed. It seemed he would lose control completely. Pierce laid his hand on his father’s hand. “What are you doing in here!” Ryan demanded. “Go on, out.”

  Mona didn’t move.

  Pierce gestured for her to be quiet.

  “This thing,” said Michael, “our ‘man,’ our Lasher. Does he appear normal to other people?”

  “An unusual man,” said Ryan. “That is the testimony we have. An unusual man, well-mannered, rather gregarious.” He paused as if he had to force himself to go on. “I have all the statements for you. And by the way, we combed Paris, Geneva, Zurich, New York. Tall as he is, he does not attract that much attention. The archaeologists at Donnelaith had the most contact. They said he was fascinating, a little peculiar, that he spoke very fast. That he had strange notions about the town and the ruins.”

  “OK, I see what’s happened. She didn’t run away with him; he took her. He forced her to take him there. He forced her to get the money. She persuaded him to have these medical tests, then she got the stuff out when she could to this Dr. Larkin.”

  “Not certain,” said Ryan. “Not certain at all. But the forgery gives us something legal to go on. Also the money deposited for Rowan in banks abroad has now disappeared. We have to act. We have no choice. We have to protect the legacy.”

  Aaron interrupted with a little gesture. “Dr. Larkin said that Rowan said she knew the creature wasn’t human. She wanted him to study the genetic blueprint. She wanted to know specifically whether or not the creature could breed with humans, and with her in particular. She sent some of her own blood for analysis.”

  There was an uneasy silence.

  For the space of a second, Ryan looked almost panic-stricken. Then he drew himself up, crossed his legs, and laid his left hand on the edge of Michael’s desk.

  “I, don’t know what I believe about this strange man,” Ryan said. “I honestly don’t. All this Talamasca history, this chain of thirteen witches, all this. I don’t believe it. That’s the frank truth. I don’t. And I don’t think most of the family believes in all this either.” He looked directly at Michael. “But this is clear. There is no place for you to go now to search for Rowan. Going to Geneva is a waste of time. We have covered Geneva. The Talamasca has covered Geneva. In Donnelaith we have a private detective on twenty-four-hour duty. So does the Talamasca, who are, by the way, very good at this sort of thing. New York? We’ve turned up no real leads, other than the forged checks. They weren’t large. They aroused no suspicion.”

  “I see,” Michael said. “Where would I go? What would I do? Those are really valid questions here.”

  “Absolutely,” said Ryan. “We didn’t want to tell you all we’d found out for obvious reasons. But you know now, and you know that the best thing is for you to stay here, to follow Dr. Rhodes’s advice, and to wait. It makes sense from absolutely every standpoint.”

  “There’s one other thing,” Pierce said.

  His father looked plainly annoyed, and then again too fatigued to protest. He raised his hand to cover his eyes, elbow resting on the edge of the desk.

  But Pierce went on.

  “You have to tell us exactly what did happen here on Christmas Day,” said Pierce. “I want to know. I’ve been helping with this all along. Mayfair Medical has been left in my hands. I want to continue with Mayfair Medical. Lots of the others want to continue. But everybody has to talk to everybody else. What happened, Michael? Who is this man? What is he?”

  Michael knew he ought to say something, but for the moment it seemed impossible. He sat back, staring past them at the rows and rows of books, unable to see at this moment the stack heaped on the floor or the mysterious gramophone. His eyes moved almost furtively to Mona.

  Mona had slumped back in the chair and slung one knee over the arm of it. She looked too old for the white funeral dress, which she had demurely crumpled between her legs. She was watching him with that level and somewhat ironic gaze-her old self, before the news of the death of Gifford.

  “She left with the man,” Mona said very quietly and distinctly. “The man came through.”

  It was her teenaged flat voice, bored with the stupidity of others and making no concession to the marvelous. She went on:

  “She left with him. This long-haired guy, this is the man. This thin mutant guy, that’s who he is. The ghost, the Devil, Lasher. Michael had a fight with him out by the pool, and he knocked Michael into the water. There’s a smell out there that comes from him. And the smell is in the living room where he was born.”

  “You’re imagining things,” said Ryan, so wrathfully that it was almost a whisper. “I told you to stay out of this.”

  “When he and Rowan left,” said Mona, “she turned the alarm on so help would come for Michael. Or he did it himself, the man. Any moron can see now from all this-that that is what happened.”

  “Mona, I am telling you to leave this room now,” said Ryan.

  “No,” she answered.

  Michael said nothing. He had heard all these words, but he could think of no way to respond to them. He wanted to say that Rowan had tried to stop the man from throwing him in the pool. But what was the purpose? Rowan had left him drowning in the pool, or had she? Rowan was being coerced!

  Ryan made a small sound of exasperation.

  “Allow me to say,” said Aaron with patience, “that Dr. Larkin has a great deal of information which we do not have. He has X rays of hands, feet, spinal cord, pelvis, as well as PET scans of the brain, and other such tests. The creature’s not human. It has a confusing genetic makeup. It is a mammal. It is a primate. It is warm-blooded. It looks like us. But it isn’t human.”

  Pierce was staring at his father, as if afraid his father would come unglued at any moment. Ryan merely shook his head. “I’ll believe this when I see it, when that Dr. Larkin tells me himself.”

  “Dad,” said Pierce, “if you look at the forensic reports, it’s the same picture. They said, contaminated, or tampered with, or spoiled, because otherwise it’s the blood and tissue of something with a nonhuman genetic makeup.”

  “It’s what Mona said,” said Michael. His voice had dropped very low. He roused himself a little and looked at Ryan and then at Mona.

  Something in Aaron’s manner was disturbing him, had been all along, but he didn’t know what it was, and he hadn’t known he was disturbed until he failed to look at Aaron.

  “I came home,” said Michael, “and he was here. He looked like her. He looked like me. He might have come from…our child. Our baby. Rowan had been pregnant.”

  He stopped. He let, out a long slow breath, shaking his head a little and then realizing he ought to go on.

  “This man-thing was newborn,” he said. “He was very strong. He taunted me. He…he was moving like the straw man in The Wizard of Oz…clumsily, falling down, laughing, climbing back up. I should have been able to wring his neck. I wasn’t. He was much much stronger than he looked. I connected more than once. Should have pulverized a few facial bones.
No damage except a cut. Rowan did try to stop the fight, but it wasn’t clear to me then…and it isn’t now…whom Rowan was trying to protect. Me? Or him.”

  He hated hearing these words from his own mouth. But it was time to get it all out, for everything to be shared, the pain and the defeat included.

  “Did she help him knock you in the pool?” Mona asked.

  “Mona, shut up,” said Ryan. Mona ignored him utterly. She was looking at Michael.

  “No, she didn’t,” said Michael. “And he shouldn’t have been able to do it alone. I’ve been decked once or twice in my life. It took big men and lucky punches to do it. He was thin, delicate, he was sliding on the ice out there; but he shoved me and into the pool I went. I remember him looking at me as I went down. He has blue eyes. He has very black hair. I told you that already. His skin is very pale, and kind of beautiful. At least it was then.”

  “Like the skin of an infant,” said Aaron softly.

  “And all of you are trying to tell me,” said Ryan nervously, anxiously, “that this is not a human being?”

  “We’re talking science, man,” said Aaron, “not voodoo. This is a creature, so to speak, of flesh and blood. But its genetic blueprint is not human.”

  “Larkin told you that.”

  “Well, more or less,” said Aaron. “Let’s say I picked up the message from him.”

  “Ghosts, spirits and creatures,” Ryan said. It was as though the wax he was made of was beginning to melt altogether.

  “Come on, Dad, take it easy,” said Pierce, and for the moment sounded like the elder.

  “Gifford told me that she thought the man had come through,” Ryan said. “It was the last conversation I ever had with my wife and she said…” He stopped.

  Silence.

  “I think we are resolved on one point, Michael,” said Aaron, with a touch of impatience. “That you remain here.”

  “Yeah, I got that,” said Michael. “I’m staying. But I want to see all the reports. I want to become involved on every level. I want to talk to this Dr. Larkin.”

  “There is one other very important matter,” said Aaron. “Ryan, for obvious reasons, did not consent to an autopsy being performed on Gifford.”