“Okay,” I said smiling. “And get some Cool Whip, too.”
The girl nodded. “Cool Whip? What is that?”
“She doesn’t know what Cool Whip is!” exclaimed Steve. “Boy, does she have a treat in store!”
It wasn’t long before the holiday arrived and our little group happily put our routines aside to enjoy the day.
Nadia and I worked in the kitchen, preparing the turkey. Side dishes that were already cooked were put into one of the oven’s warming trays. The men, after having put in a nominal appearance in the kitchen, adjourned to the second floor to watch the game on the big-screen television.
Glancing around the empty kitchen, I grinned. “Well, I guess it’s up to you and me to get this show on the road. All of the boys have skedaddled.”
Nadia smiled and gestured to the tablet that sat on the table before me. “What are you working on?”
“Oh, I thought I’d catch up on my reading. The turkey’s going to cook itself and won’t need me to baste it for a while. Might as well do something productive while I wait.”
I opened the tablet, then frowned.
“I need my password,” I said. “We change them so often, I can’t begin to remember them.”
“Here,” said Nadia. “Let me.”
She typed in an array of numbers and letters and voila the program opened.
“Thank you,” I said. “But I wish we didn’t have to change them so frequently.”
Nadia frowned. “I only follow the recommended protocol. It’s for safety, you know. Hackers hijacking the program could be a disaster.”
I sighed. “I know. Like what happened in Los Angeles at Hollywood Presbyterian.”
I was referring to the use of ransomware – programs utilized by cybercriminals to encrypt files, most recently in the health care industry. Once the files are locked, the bad guys extort money from the hospital or clinic (usually paid in bitcoins) before agreeing to unlock. This can create havoc in a health care environment and can be a life-or-death issue when you’re dealing with a patient’s medical records. Thus, we tried to be extremely careful. It was well-known that I had inherited quite a bundle from my father and my aunt. Thus, we were prime targets for this heinous type of crime.
“So,” added Nadia. “We must be very careful. Not open suspicious emails and take care with our passwords.”
“Yes, our passwords. I just wish I didn’t keep forgetting to write them down to take home. I can’t say how many times I’ve sat down to do some work and realized I don’t have the new password with me.”
“Don’t you keep a list of your passwords somewhere? You must have so many of them – your Facebook, Twitter, bank accounts, everything. Me, I have only a couple and it’s easy.”
I smiled at her. “Just between you and me, I do have them written down in a book. But I’m not telling which book!”
Nadia laughed. “And, I’m not asking!”
I grinned. “Okay, now I’m going to try to get some work done while this bird cooks.”
I was about to say more when Steve’s friend Max came down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Hi,” he said. “Just thought I check on you all. Need any help?”
“No,” I replied. “I think we’ve got everything under control.”
“Good. Mmmm, do you think we could have some more beer?”
I laughed. “It’s in the fridge. Help yourself.”
“Thanks. That’s really a slick setup you have up there.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, the two bedroom suites and the entertainment center. Sweet! But where’s that spiral staircase at the end of the hall lead to?”
I took a deep breath. The staircase he was referring to led to the tower room – the place I’d found my mother hanging so many years before. Today, I kept that room vacant and had let both Steve and Nadia know it was off limits. There was a door from the tower bedroom that led to a widow’s walk overlooking the craggy, black rocks that surrounded the house. I was afraid someone could possibly trip and fall from that precarious wooden walkway and, for that reason and others, I kept the room locked. But I didn’t need to let Max in on all that ancient history.
“It leads to another bedroom, however, that room is hard to heat so we keep it locked.”
Max nodded, obviously accepting my explanation. He grabbed a six-pack from the refrigerator and, with one more half-hearted offer to help, hurried back up the stairs.
I watched him go shaking my head. “Why don’t you go join the boys,” I said to Nadia.
“There’s nothing really to do now. The bird will basically cook itself.”
24
The Old Man
Thanksgiving
THANKSGIVING WAS NOT a time for celebration in the Morrison house. The old man lay on his bed, eyes closed, breathing shallow. Mary and Terrance stood in the doorway, watching him.
“Is he dying?” whispered Mary.
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Shouldn’t we do something?”
Terrance took a deep breath. His future depended on his grandfather surviving. “Perhaps. Let’s give it another twenty-four hours. It’s a holiday – there won’t be anyone available anyway. If he hasn’t awakened by noon tomorrow, well, we’ll see.”
Mary nodded. “Okay. I need a drink.”
Terrance patted her lightly on the back. “Me, too.”
The couple quietly closed the bedroom door and descended the staircase to the floor below.
Lying still on top of the bedcovers, the old man could hear their footsteps receding down the hallway and then down the stairs.
Fools, he thought.
Little did they know the extent of his powers. Drained from his encounter with the subject, he’d forced his body to slip into a state much like a bear does in wintertime.
Hibernation – his breathing and heart rate slowed to a point just before death. In this state, he could more rapidly recuperate and renew his formidable strength.
Fools, he thought again. Why must I always suffer fools?
Disgusted and not wanting to expend any more energy than needed, he let his mind wander. The process had taken everything out of him – more than he’d thought it would. Perhaps he was dying. For once, he didn’t know.
But, did he care? Hell, yes, he did.
Shaking off his anger and fear, he thought back to when it all began – when he’d started on this fateful journey – when that old enchanter had given him this gift of almost eternal life.
25
The Old Man
The Tao of the Viper
FOLLOWING THE EXCHANGE of blood, the old enchanter had leaned close whispering in Ian’s ear. The man’s breath had smelled putrid – like rotting meat left out in the sun too long. But the words he spoke were rich and velvety, like the frosting on a New Years’ cake.
“Boy,” he’d said. “I have chosen ye – ye from all others.”
The old man remembered wondering what the enchanter meant by “chosen.”
“I know,” the man had said. “Ye feel confused. But all will become clear if ye listen to my words.”
The man then began whispering strange incantations and prophesies, things Ian did not fully understand. But somehow everything the enchanter told him lodged in his brain and he knew that, as he grew, things would become clear and he would know what to do with the knowledge being passed on to him.
“Now, lad,” the man had said. “It is time to bestow upon you the greatest gift of all.”
The old man remembered staring into the enchanter’s eyes, unable to look away.
“Do you know how old I am, laddie?” the man had asked.
Perplexed, Ian had merely shaken his head and said, “No, sir.”
“Guess!”
Frightened, Ian had taken a deep breath to calm himself. The man was certainly old – much older than his grandfather.
“Guess!” the enchanter commanded again, spittle flying from his mouth
as he yelled.
“One hundred and one,” Ian finally said, knowing in his heart that such an age was impossible.
The man threw back his head and laughed. “Not even close. Listen carefully, laddie. I was born in Constantinople in the Year of Our Lord, 1003. What is the current year?”
“Fifteen hundred and twelve, sir,” Ian had answered.
“And how old does that make me?”
The old man remembered how he had struggled to do the sums in his head.
“Five hundred and nine, sir,” he finally answered. “But that is impossible.”
The man, once again, tossed back his head, laughing with apparent glee.
“Impossible, you say? But it is so. Do you want to be ‘impossible,’ too?”
The thought of a life that long was more than Ian could envision, but he knew he coveted it. He had lived his twelve years on the edge of death and it seemed to him that it was time he be gifted something akin to eternal life.
“Yes, sir. I would like to live that long and longer.”
The enchanter frowned, his eyes showing a hint of uncertainty. Maybe he had not chosen as wisely as he thought.
Finally, however, he nodded. “Good. But there are limits that ye must adhere to. Rules to follow. Now, listen and I will explain to ye The Tao of the Viper.”
Ian remembered how he’d smiled and nodded as if agreeing to comply with whatever the enchanter wanted. However, in his heart he knew he would not obey.
Rules, he’d thought back then. I’ve had enough of rules. I will listen, but I will not follow. When I have this power, I will make my own rules.
26
Kate
Life is Good
WE SAT DOWN to dinner at a little after three. By four, we were all stuffed full of turkey, lobster, and all the trimmings.
After helping with the cleanup, Steve and his friend, Max, decided to go for a walk down by the shore. Nadia and Tom went upstairs to watch television, leaving Jeremy and me alone.
“I think that was a success,” Jeremy exclaimed as he put the last dish in the dishwasher.
“Yeah, we’ll be eating turkey for the next week. Turkey sandwiches, turkey pot pie, turkey tetrazzini, and, finally, the best dish of all – turkey soup!”
Jeremy laughed. “Maybe we can squeeze some hamburger in between, dontcha think?”
I nodded. “Probably.”
“Listen,” he said. “I’m going to take a run down to the boatyard to make sure everything’s okay. Meet you back at home?”
“Sure, your place or mine?”
“Well, we went to my humble abode last. I kinda miss the coziness of your place.”
“Okay, the Carriage House it is.”
I kissed him and watched him go. As he walked out the door, my mind traveled back to his bloodwork. I decided to tell Steve to have the analyzer’s rep come out and look at the machine as soon as possible. In the meantime, I would do some research to see if I could come up with anything that could explain those bizarre levels.
On Friday, the clinic was closed as we enjoyed an extended holiday.
Jeremy and I went to the mainland for the day, shopping and sightseeing. Afterward, we went out to dinner and then to a concert. Since it was late, we decided to stay over and come back the next day.
All day and evening, Jeremy appeared to be perfectly well, no sign of any lingering illness. I began to wonder if I were making a mountain out of a molehill about all this. There were a lot of viruses going around, as evidenced by my patient load at the clinic. Perhaps, Jeremy had just been unfortunate enough to catch two of them, one right after another.
Yet there was still the problem of his bloodwork and I knew I would have to deal with that as soon as I could.
We returned to Storm on Saturday and spent a leisurely weekend together. It had been a fun holiday and, while a part of me was eager to get back to work, another part wanted this respite to go on forever.
27
The Old Man
An Emergency
TERRANCE STOOD IN the bedroom doorway, frowning. It had been five days and the old man still hadn’t moved. His grandfather’s heart still beat, but only faintly.
They had put off taking him to the clinic or the emergency room, hoping the he would come out of whatever state he was in. But, now, Terrance was sure time was running out and something had to be done.
“How long can you go without sustenance, Grandfather?” he whispered. “How long will you survive?”
He waited, praying the old man would hear him and answer. But, his grandfather remained comatose. Terrance took one last look at him, then backed away and closed the door.
“Mary,” he called as he ran down the stairs. “We have to do something. I think he’s dying.”
“Do you want me to call the paramedics?”
“No, I don’t want him going to the mainland. We’ll take him to Kate’s clinic.”
Mary held her breath, frowning.
“You disapprove?” Terrance asked. “It was fine for you to see her. Why not the old man?”
“You know why. What you’re doing, Terrance … is it really worth it?”
Her husband laughed bitterly. “Yes, it is, Mary. I’ve explained it all to you. I thought you were on board. I guess I was mistaken.”
He turned away from his wife and walked to the side table where his cell sat, charging. He picked up the phone then looked back at Mary.
“I’d rather you do this,” he said, holding out the phone.
Mary didn’t move.
Terrance scowled, then turned his back on her.
“Okay,” she finally said, putting her hand on his shoulder. “I’ll call her.”
Terrance nodded and handed her the cell. “And, tell Kate this just happened – that he slipped into a coma overnight. We don’t want her thinking we’re abusing him, do we?”
Mary didn’t reply. She dialed the clinic and briefly explained the situation.
After she hung up, she walked to the window and looked out.
“Well?” asked Terrance.
“Kate was with a patient. She’ll call back.”
“Good. I’ll wait in the Great Room.”
Without another word, Terrance walked briskly out the door. Mary stared at his back as he left.
He was once a good man, she thought. But that bastard got into his head. And, now we will suffer because of it.
She reached up and wiped her cheeks, now wet with tears.
No more tears, woman, she thought. There’ll be time for them later. Now is time for action.
28
Kate
The Old Man
“DR. POMEROY, WE have an emergency!”
I was just coming out of one of the exam rooms, when Nadia stopped me.
“What kind of emergency?” I asked.
“I just got off the phone with Mary Morrison. Her grandfather is, she thinks, in a coma. She’s afraid he might die. I told her you’d call back.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay. Where’s Steve?”
“He’s in the lab with the rep from the analyzer company.”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. Can you ask him to come out here, please?”
Nadia hurried over to the lab while I called Mary back.
“Hi, Mary,” I said. “It’s Kate. What’s going on there?”
“It’s Ian. I can’t rouse him. I think he may have slipped into a coma overnight. I don’t know. Can you come?”
I hesitated. “It would be better if we could bring him here. I don’t know what I could do without the necessary tools.”
As I spoke, Steve appeared at my side. “Hang on a moment, Mary.”
“Steve, can you call the fire station and see if they can take the ambulance to the Morrison house and pick up the old man. He may be comatose. Ask them to start an IV and put him on a heart monitor. I’ll get a room ready for him. If he’s in real bad shape, we may have to transport him to the mainland.”
“No p
roblem,” replied Steve. “Consider it done.”
I nodded then picked up my cell. “Mary, we’re sending an ambulance. The paramedics will do an initial assessment and then transport him here to the clinic.”
“Is that really necessary?”
I frowned. What was going on here?
“Yes, Mary, in my professional opinion it is necessary.”
“All right and thank you, Kate. This is all so very stressful.”
“That’s okay. Once the ambulance is on the way, you and Terrance come to the clinic, too.”
“Of course.”
“Good. I’ll see you soon.”
I hung up, then turned to see the analyzer rep chatting with Nadia. Watching them, I remembered what Jeremy had said about her. She was an unashamed flirt. Perhaps it was the only way she managed to survive life in that brothel.
The rep caught sight of my gaze, said something to Nadia, then hurried over to where I stood.
“Everything’s shipshape,” he said. “Nothing’s wrong with that machine.”
“You’re sure?” I asked. “The results I got were pretty strange.”
“Well,” he replied. “I’ve checked it out from here to Sunday and everything is running perfectly. Perhaps something went wrong with the preparation of the sample.”
“Are you implying that I made a mistake?”
The rep blushed. “No, no, but it’s a new machine and perhaps you were in a hurry and skipped or missed one of the steps necessary.”
I stared at him. I was beginning to get a tad irritated, but had to admit that he had a point. I’d been under a good deal of stress that night and, maybe, I screwed something up. The test Steve had done on his own blood had come out fine. It was only the two done on Jeremy that were messed up.
The Tao of the Viper: A Kate Pomeroy Mystery (The Kate Pomeroy Gothic Mystery Series Book 2) Page 10
