by Ian Jarvis
‘This ring is silver.’ Lafont replaced it on his finger. ‘Grant’s blood was unable to tolerate it because he is loup-garou.’
‘What?’
‘Grant is a supernatural creature, Colonel. He returned from death because he isn’t alive in the way that you and I are. You saw for yourself how the fatal wound healed. My moon ritual on his blood revealed the truth in esoteric visions and the silver test confirms it. He is loup-garou.’
‘Seriously?’ Adler shook her head and laughed. ‘Loup-garou means werewolf in your language, doesn’t it? Are you seriously talking about wolf men from horror films?’
‘I’m talking about the real thing: lupine shapeshifters.’
‘Amazing! You’ve opened my eyes to many strange things, but this...’ Adler laughed again, a nervous reaction as she attempted to process the unbelievable information. ‘I had no idea that werewolves were genuine. Are you certain about this?’
‘Absolutely. You witnessed his resurrection. You saw the silver reaction, and the magic does not lie.’
‘This is what you could sense when you saw him in Edinburgh?’
Lafont shrugged. ‘I could sense something wrong with him; something supernatural, but I didn’t know what. I could also sense danger. In Haiti, we were well aware of the wolf spirit that can possess certain humans.’
‘So you’re saying at the full moon...’
‘Some change, yes, but most loup-garou can control the change. They master the wolf spirit and are able to transform any time during the dark hours.’
‘Incredible. Truly incredible.’ Adler stood thinking for several moments, her heart pounding. ‘These supernatural feelings you picked up from him - are they the same feelings you get from Ligeia and Elva?’
‘No, fortunately he isn’t like your girls.’
‘Evidently not. We haven’t seen either of them howling at the moon.’
‘Please don’t be flippant about this. I’ve never liked Elva. As I keep telling you, she doesn’t feel right.’
‘You win,’ sighed Adler. ‘If it makes you feel better, I’ll find Ligeia another playmate and get rid of her as soon as we reach America.’
‘That’s good, but Grant is our most pressing problem. In light of what we now know, you need to eliminate him immediately.’
‘Oh, no, Padre.’ The Colonel smiled. ‘If this is true, I don’t view him as a problem at all. I see Mister Grant as something else entirely.’ Her eyes were drawn to the model of the house on the altar with the circle of ash around it. ‘I have to ask, what is that?’
‘Something I constructed the moment I discovered the truth about Grant. I’ve mixed his blood with the ash.’
‘Very nice. What for?’
Lafont smiled. ‘Allow me to explain.’
Chapter 22
Rex stood peering through the French doors in the Charlington Hall library, gritting his teeth and attempting to quell the surges of feral anger that rose and subsided with increasing regularity. A vast corner room, the glass doors provided an excellent view of the terrace and gardens and a side window overlooked the moat. Dusk had fallen and a bright full moon shone down illuminating the trees and shrubbery with its cold silver rays. Rex knew this had to be the cause of his erratic mood swings, although being kidnapped and stabbed in the heart by a bunch of lunatics didn’t help matters.
Childishly oblivious to his feelings, Ligeia sprawled on a lengthy couch behind him with the American doctor and a blonde-haired man who sat reading a computer tablet. Adler poured whisky at a drinks cabinet and Sergeant Gruner stood quietly watching by one of the bookcases, his brawny arms folded and his expression wary. Rex took a deep breath to control his anger, deciding this had to rank as his weirdest birthday ever. The whole thing was beyond belief and utterly crazy. He was being held captive by mercenaries, apparently to amuse a singer who had obvious mental health problems. Colonel Adler didn’t appear particularly sane herself, what with her pandering to such abnormal whims. She also employed a voodoo witchdoctor and had pet serial killers strolling around in the guise of Laurel and Hardy.
The thought of Charlotte Michie being murdered by Hardy, or Alistair Ramson as he really was, brought on another rush of fury. Rex closed his eyes and tried concentrating on his personal song, as Quist had taught him, but it only served to make him feel foolish which generated even more anger.
‘Please...’ Adler strolled over with two glasses of whisky and handed one to Rex. ‘Come and sit with us. We really ought to talk about your future on my team.’
‘Future?’ Rex snatched the drink and gulped down half. He remained standing, but turned from staring at the moonlit grounds. ‘Believe me, there isn’t going to be any future with you.’
‘I assure you, being a part of my team would be highly lucrative and agreeable. These gentlemen accepted my offer and have never had cause to look back.’ Adler settled herself in an armchair and gestured to the elderly doctor on the library couch. ‘You met Griffin in the tiger house. Doctor Griffin Roylott was a celebrated Beverley Hills surgeon, but he was forced into early retirement a couple of years ago by allegations of misconduct.’
‘Spurious allegations,’ said Roylott, quickly. ‘I never touched any of them, despite that girl waking from the anaesthetic with her pants on back to front. My nurses lied on oath that they’d witnessed me with my trousers around my...’
‘Oh, absolutely,’ interrupted Adler, smirking. ‘But Griffin retired under something of a cloud. I approached him and he now works exclusively for Red Globe Management. He tends to my men and he’s constantly on call if Ligeia should fall ill.’
‘Good idea,’ grunted Rex. ‘Yeah, you wouldn’t want any medical problems preventing your goose from laying her golden eggs.’
‘Indeed,’ said Adler. She crossed his legs and smiled at the doctor. ‘His skills are indispensable. As I explained, Griffin is responsible for the faces of the two comical gentlemen you met earlier.’
Rex sipped his drink, realising the Colonel was keeping the talk cryptic so Ligeia wouldn’t understand. From what he’d seen of the singer so far, he guessed she didn’t understand very much.
‘He’s quite the maestro,’ said Adler. ‘He views skin and facial bone structure as an artist’s canvas. He chose the right two people from dozens of possible candidates and I provided the medical means to accomplish the amazing end result. The transformations you witnessed are the result of unique pharmacological serums, not surgery; a permanent and rather advanced version of Botox, you might say. My parents researched and synthesised the drugs using rare South American toxins.’
‘Really?’ Having seen Laurel and Hardy, Rex was impressed, but he’d no intention of admitting it to this character. ‘So Mummy and Daddy are doctors, are they?’
‘Were.’ Adler nodded proudly. ‘They’re both dead, but my father was a true genius.’
‘It’s a shame he wasn’t a doctor of psychiatry,’ said Rex. ‘You might have turned out a bit more stable.’
Doctor Roylott smiled warmly and squeezed Ligeia’s arm. ‘Do you like the actor Tom Cruise?’ he asked. He turned to Adler. ‘I’ve been studying Mister Grant’s features. With your drugs, I could create a masterpiece there. He’d be an ideal addition to your celebrity collection.’
‘I don’t know who Tom Cruise is,’ said Ligeia. ‘But I really like Rex.’
Fury raged inside Rex. How dare these bastards discuss altering his face in such a casual manner? Night had now fallen and, if he transformed and got to work with his wolf claws, he’d show them how to REALLY alter faces. Once again he tried concentrating upon his personal melody, mentally playing it in his head, but it was a waste of time.
Rex cleared his dry throat. ‘How did you end up as Ligeia’s manager?’ he asked. Perhaps talking about something more conventional would help calm him down. ‘She appeared o
ut of nowhere last year. Where did you meet her?’
‘One of those small countries in the Balkans,’ said Adler. ‘Most people have heard the names on the news, but few can point to them on a map. My security firm were assisting in some unpleasantness there.’
‘So a gun-for-hire became the manager of a pop star? Overnight, you went from shooting people and helping to overthrow regimes to booking concerts and selling records?’
‘Pretty much.’ The Colonel laughed. ‘I knew nothing about music when I met Ligeia, of course. As you rightly point out, my talents lay in other very different areas. That’s why I employ Shane here as my Entertainment Director.’ She gestured to the blonde middle-aged man sipping wine and reading his computer tablet. ‘Shane Guevara knows everything about the entertainment world.’
‘Shane Guevara?’ repeated Rex, deadpan. ‘Shane fucking Guevara?’
Guevara looked up from his digital pad. ‘I changed my name by deed poll,’ he said, defensively. ‘In my business, a cool name opens doors.’
‘You changed to Shane?’
‘How stupid are you? No, my name is Shane. I changed my surname to Guevara.’
‘Shane helps me organise the venues,’ said Adler. ‘He arranges the meetings with the recording industries and all the general details. He managed many acts in the past and I rely on his knowledge and advice. He knows not to disappoint me.’
‘Yeah.’ Rex nodded, bristling at being called stupid. ‘I’ll bet.’
Adler looked around the ornate library. ‘In many ways I’ll be sorry to leave Charlington Hall,’ she said. ‘I’m selling the place fully furnished through an agency and the majority of our personal effects have already been packed and sent ahead to California. Zoo people are calling in the morning to take the tiger and the birds to another collection. Still, onwards and upwards, as they say.’
‘Hey, you’ve made all the newspapers,’ said Guevara. He smiled at Rex and held up his tablet. ‘I’ve just been scrolling through the front pages. They’re saying you’re highly dangerous and warning the public not to approach you.’
Rex clenched his teeth, seething uncontrollably. So thanks to these crazy bastards everyone believed him to be a murderer? His parents and all his friends were thinking he’d stabbed a girl to death in his Edinburgh hotel? The whisky glass shattered in his hand as he unconsciously squeezed. ‘I’ve had enough of this insanity,’ he snarled, viciously. ‘I’m leaving.’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Adler. ‘I need you to remain here for the time being and I have a little supernatural surprise to ensure you do.’
‘Yea, whatever,’ said Rex, opening the French doors.
‘Sergeant.’ Adler nodded to Gruner. ‘Stop him, would you?’
The huge Serbian darted across the library, grabbed the young man and then bent double as Rex punched him hard in the gut.
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ laughed Rex. The feral anger taking over, he lashed out, launching Gruner through the air with a backhand swipe of his arm. ‘Believe me, those newspapers are right when they say I’m dangerous.’
‘Wonderful,’ gasped Adler. ‘Now that was impressive.’
‘You’re silly.’ Ligeia began to giggle, watching as the Sergeant rolled on the carpet winded. ‘That was so funny.’
‘Make the most of it,’ said Rex, vanishing through the door. ‘There won’t be a repeat performance because you won’t be seeing me again.’
‘Excellent.’ The Colonel jumped up gleefully from her armchair to watch Rex race across the terrace. ‘I was hoping he’d run.’
‘Are you sure about this, Ma’am?’ groaned Gruner. ‘You could have just drugged him as I advised.’
‘I wanted to see his power.’ Adler brought out the tranquiliser dart gun that had been concealed beneath the chair cushion and walked over to help the groggy Sergeant to his feet. ‘I had a feeling something like this would happen when I told you to stop him. Yes, that was very impressive.’
***
Rex ran down the front steps from the terrace and crossed the moat bridge. A guard turned, unslinging his machine pistol, then fell to the ground unconscious as his head snapped back from a punch. He ran faster, following the gravel driveway to his right, which he guessed would lead to the main gate of Charlington Hall. If it looked to be too heavily guarded, he’d dodge into the trees, transform out of sight and escape over the boundary fence he’d seen earlier. In lupine form, he could probably rip the steel security mesh and create a hole to get through.
The driveway curled into a small copse of beech trees, the overhead foliage creating a dark arboreal tunnel, and the young man slowed down, coming to an abrupt halt halfway through. Something felt wrong - very wrong. The hair stood up on the back of his neck, goosebumps covered his spine and he began to pant in short, shallow gasps. Rex looked around guardedly, wondering what could be causing this weird sensation, then realised the problem lay right in front of him. He moved forward and quickly stepped back. He’d no idea why, but for some inexplicable reason he couldn’t proceed.
What the hell was this?
He tried again, but something was definitely preventing him. His legs simply refused to carry him any further forward than this point. Retracing his steps several feet, he rushed and stopped again. This was insane; it was almost as if an invisible wall blocked his path.
‘Oh, come on,’ muttered Rex, nervously. ‘What is this?’
Glancing over his shoulder to ascertain no one was following, he saw the curve in the drive shielded him from the house. He felt the air with his hands, knowing he must look like one of those mime acts running their palms over a non-existent pane of glass, then hurried left and right and found it was the same. He dropped onto hands and knees to try crawling instead, but it was no use.
‘Oh, shit. This is just crazy.’
Fixing his gaze on a patch of gravel three feet ahead, Rex concentrated, forcing himself to crawl to it. He began to tremble and perspire and knew he couldn’t do it.
Was this the supernatural surprise Adler had mentioned? Had that creepy voodoo guy of hers done something? If it was supernatural, he could probably overcome the magic in his wolf form. Yes, they didn’t know about the lycanthropy and certainly wouldn’t have considered that. He could fight supernatural with supernatural.
Rex looked back again to ensure he was alone, then shuddered and arched his spine. He growled as his features extended and his body swiftly crackled and twisted through the lupine transformation, the shirt and trousers splitting at the seams and falling away as a sleek black wolf appeared from the torn garments. The change complete, he moved forward on all fours, but found he still couldn’t breach the invisible barrier.
‘Oh, no, you have to be joking,’ snarled the wolf. ‘This is just...’
A dart smacked into his furry buttock and he twisted around to see Adler and four armed men quietly appearing from the shadows of the trees behind him.
‘Incredible,’ said the Colonel, lowering her silenced rifle. ‘Truly incredible. I believed the Padre, but I still had to see it for myself. You’re a genuine werewolf.’
His head swimming dizzily from the drugged dart, Rex groaned and collapsed. He attempted to stand, scratching at the gravel with his front paws.
‘You’re wasting your time,’ said Gruner, grinning tightly as he approached. ‘The tranquiliser is quite strong. We sometimes use it on the tiger.’
The bravado and forced smile concealed the Sergeant’s amazement and fear. Adler had told him what to expect, but he hadn’t fully believed and he trembled to see the huge black creature. His life in the Serbian military and his later mercenary career had exposed him to many strange and frightening sights, but none quite so strange as this.
‘Two-hundred feet from the house,’ said Adler. ‘The occult barrier is exactly where the Padre said. Excellent.’
The perspiring wolf concentrated and began to crawl, but once again came to a halt. Adler stooped to pick up a Rolex wristwatch, then walked past Rex and squat a few yards in front of him.
‘You can’t reach me, can you?’ she said. ‘I goaded you into running because I wanted to see if the Padre’s magic would work. Mostly though, I was hoping you’d transform. I wanted to see the wolf and you didn’t disappoint me.’
Rex exposed his razor teeth and snarled loudly.
‘Ooh, scary,’ chuckled the Colonel. ‘When the Padre discovered what you were, he used your blood and hair to construct this supernatural barrier and contain you. If it didn’t work, the guards at the gate were ordered to shoot you with tranquiliser, but it did work.’ She gazed in admiration at the creature. ‘Good Lord, Rex, you truly are remarkable.’
Rex bared his teeth again. He wanted to tear into these men and especially their boss, this grinning bastard woman. Was it his situation or the full moon making him feel so violent and murderous? Who cared? He lunged at the Colonel, snapping his jaws, but it was no use.
Gruner pointed his gun, but Adler gestured to hold fire.
‘I’m afraid you broke your expensive watch.’ She held up the Rolex. ‘You obviously forgot you were wearing it when you transformed. These steel bracelets are very strong, but your snapped it when your wrist changed into a paw. Your strength impresses me, Rex. Your recuperative powers impressed me; you survived a mortal wound.’ Adler laughed quietly. ‘Everything about you impresses me.’
‘Just let me go,’ said Rex, growling and panting. ‘I swear I’ll kill you all if you don’t let me go.’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Adler. ‘Originally, I wanted you to keep Ligeia happy, but now I see other benefits and opportunities. Do you recall me telling you how I never allow opportunities to escape me? The Padre calls you loup-garou, but I call you true power. Oh, I’m so glad I met you, Rex.’
