Silence.
“Are you?” I said.
He shifted his gaze away from my own and I heard his teeth grind together.
“You’re off the hook,” he said at last. “I’ve no intention of hurting you. I won’t let her do it either.”
“And what about Bleys and Random and Fiona and Flora and Gerard and —”
He laughed, which cost him a wince and a quick clutch at his chest. “They’ve nothing to worry about from us,” he said, “right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think,” he told me. “I could have trumped back to my old apartment, scared hell out of the new tenants and called an ambulance. I could be in an emergency room right now.”
“Why aren’t you?”
“I’ve been hurt worse than this, and I’ve made it. I’m here because I need your help.”
“Oh? For what?”
He looked at me, then looked away again. “She’s in bad trouble, and we’ve got to rescue her.”
“Who?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“My mother,” he replied.
I wanted to laugh, but I couldn’t when I saw the expression on his face. It took real balls to ask me to help rescue the woman who’d tried to kill me — not once, but many times — and whose big aim in life seemed to be the destruction of my relatives. Balls, or —
“I’ve no one else left to turn to,” he said.
“If you talk me into this one, Luke, you’ll deserve the Salesman of the Year Award,” I said. “But I’m willing to listen.”
“Throat’s dry again,” he said.
I went and refilled the glass. As I returned with it, it seemed there was a small noise in the hall. I continued listening while I helped Luke to a few more sips.
He nodded when he was finished, but I had heard another sound by then. I raised my finger to my lips and glanced at the door. I put down the glass, rose and crossed the room, retrieving my blade as I did so.
Before I reached the door, however, there was a gentle knock.
“Yes?” I said, advancing to it.
“It’s me,” came Vinta’s voice. “I know that Luke is in there, and I want to see him.”
“So you can finish him off?” I asked.
“I told you before that that is not my intention.”
“Then you’re not human,” I said.
“I never claimed I was.”
“Then you’re not Vinta Bayle,” I said.
There followed a long silence, then, “Supposing I’m not?”
“Then tell me who you are.”
“I can’t.”
“Then meet me halfway,” I said, drawing upon all of my accumulated guesswork concerning her, “and tell me who you were.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do. Pick one — any one. I don’t care.”
There was another silence, then, “I dragged you from the fire,” she said, “but I couldn’t control the horse. I died in the lake. You wrapped me in your cloak…”
That was not an answer I had anticipated. But it was good enough.
With the point of my weapon I raised the latch. She pushed the door open and glanced at the blade in my hand.
“Dramatic,” she remarked.
“You’ve impressed me,” I said, “by the perils with which I am beset.”
“Not sufficiently, it would seem.” She entered, smiling.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I didn’t hear you ask him anything about the blue stones and what he might have homing in on you as a consequence of your attunement.”
“You’ve been eavesdropping.”
“A lifetime habit,” she agreed.
I turned toward Luke and introduced her. “Luke, this is Vinta Bayle sort of.”
Luke raised his right hand, his eyes never leaving her face. “I just want to know one thing,” he began.
“I’ll bet you do,” she replied. “Am I going to kill you or aren’t I? Keep wondering. I haven’t decided yet. Do you remember the time you were low on gas north of San Luis Obispo and you discovered your wallet was missing? You had to borrow money from your date to get back home. She had to ask you twice, too, before you paid her back.”
“How could you know that?” he whispered.
“You got in a fight with three bikers one day,” she went on. “You almost lost an eye when one of them wrapped a chain around your head. Seems to have healed up nicely. Can’t see the scar —”
“And I won,” he added.
“Yes. Not too many people can pick up a Harley and throw it like you did.”
“I have to know,” he said, “how you learned these things.”
“Maybe I’ll tell you that too, sometime,” she said. “I just mentioned them to keep you honest. Now I’m going to ask you some questions, and your life is going to depend on giving me honest answers. Understand —”
“Vinta,” I interrupted, “you told me that you weren’t interested in killing Luke.”
“It’s not at the top of my list,” she replied, “but if he’s in the way of what is, he goes.”
Luke yawned. “I’ll tell you about the blue stones,” he muttered. “I don’t have anybody on a blue-stone detail after Merle now.”
“Might Jasra have someone tracking him that way?”
“Possible. I just don’t know.”
“What about the ones who attacked him in Amber last night?”
“First I’ve heard of it,” he said, and he closed his eyes.
“Look at this,” she ordered, removing the blue button from her pocket.
He opened his eyes and squinted at it.
“Recognize it?”
“Nope,” he said, and closed his eyes again.
“And you don’t mean Merle any harm now?”
“That’s right,” he answered, his voice drifting off.
She opened her mouth again and I said, “Let him sleep. He’s not going anywhere.”
She gave me an almost angry look, then nodded. “You’re right,” she said.
“So what are you going to do now kill him while he’s out?”
“No,” she replied. “He was telling the truth.”
“And does it make a difference?”
“Yes,” she told me, “for now.”
Chapter 7
I actually did get a fairly decent night’s sleep despite everything, including a distant dogfight and a lot of howling. Vinta had been disinclined to continue at questions and answers, and I hadn’t wanted her bothering Luke any more. I persuaded her to leave and let us rest. I sacked out on the comfortable chair, with my feet propped on the other one. I was hoping to continue my conversation with Luke in private. I remember chuckling right before I fell asleep as I tried to decide which of them I distrusted less.
I was awakened by the first brightening of the sky and a few arguments of birds. I stretched several times then and made my way to the bathroom. Half an ablution later I heard Luke cough and then whisper my name.
“Unless you’re hemorrhaging, wait a minute,” I replied, and I dried myself off. “Need some water?” I asked while I was doing it.
“Yeah. Bring some.”
I threw the towel over my shoulder and took him a drink.
“Is she still around?” he asked me.
“No.”
“Give me the glass and go check the hall, will you? I’ll manage.”
I nodded and passed it to him. I kept it quiet as I eased the door open. I stepped out into the hall, walked up to the corner. There was no one in sight.
“All clear,” I whispered as I came back into the room.
Luke was gone. A moment later I heard him in the bathroom.
“Damn! I’d have helped you!” I said.
“I can still take a leak by myself,” he replied, staggering back into the room, his good hand on the wall. “Had to see whether I could negotiate,” he added, lowering himself to the edge of the bed. He put his hand against his rib cage and panted. “Shit! that smarts!”