Elly reached for Jordan's Medicinal Herbs and Flowers of Harmony and opened it carefully. She used a clean cloth napkin to turn the pages so as not to risk marring them.
The volume was in excellent condition, she noticed. Evidently it had been little used during the years it had resided in the libraries of various collectors. The paper was of good quality and had lasted well. There were no marks or tears on the pages.
She leafed through the herbal slowly, admiring the beautifully rendered illustrations of familiar and not-so-familiar herbs and plants. Mary Tyler Jordan had, indeed, been a true artist, she thought. There were photographs, but it was the superb botanical drawings that compelled and transfixed. Each was fine enough to hang in a museum. Each showed details in a way that no camera could ever capture.
She found the thin slip of paper when she turned to the last chapter. It had obviously been placed there to mark a page that contained a drawing. Shock sizzled through her when she saw the elegantly rendered flower on the page.
"What is it?" Cooper asked.
Startled, she raised her head and saw him lounging, arms crossed over his bare chest, in the doorway. He had put on his trousers. His feet were bare, and his hair was tousled.
"I think I know now why Griggs tried to steal my flower and possibly Rose, too," she said softly.
She turned the herbal around so that he could see the drawing.
Cooper dropped his arms and padded across the room to the table. He picked up the small case he had left there earlier, removed his glasses, and put them on.
He studied the picture closely. After a few seconds, he looked at the green bloom in the vase on the windowsill.
"It's a drawing of your flower," he said quietly.
"Correction, it's a drawing of Rose's flower." She turned the book back around so that she could read it. "And just listen to what Jordan wrote in the text."
*****
…When I awoke, I found this astonishing flower still clutched in my hand. I am convinced that, in some way that I cannot explain, I was able to use it to navigate through the catacombs and return to the surface.
My memories of the time that I was lost in the alien underworld are, at best, shards and fragments devoid of meaning or context. I have been told not to trust any of the images in my head as they are likely all delusions and false recollections forged by a troubled mind. The experts say that I show symptoms of the type of severe parapsych trauma typically induced by an encounter with either a UDEM or an illusion trap.
But I have this drawing and my dreams to remind me that I once journeyed through a strange and wondrous rainforest, a realm lit by an emerald sun and a jade moon, an underground world of vibrant green where every shadow conceals mysteries waiting to be discovered.
Chapter 31
COOPER SPENT THE MORNING IN ELLY'S COZY KITCHEN, A cup of amber-root tea within easy reach, his computer at hand, and his notes spread out across the table. With the exception of occasional visits from Rose, who came upstairs periodically to check in and grab a snack, he had the place to himself.
Ormond Ripley had been right about the headlines in the morning papers. The Cadence Star led with "False Tip Leads to Raid on Casino." The accompanying photo showed a shot of Ripley standing in the middle of his crowded club looking politely amused. The caption underneath said, "Ormond Ripley accepts apology from police department spokesperson. Claims he will not sue."
The tabloids used more colorful language. "Has Wonder Boy Lost His Touch?" screamed the Cadence Tattler. Beneath the main headline was: "Cadence PD Humiliated by DeWitt's Big Mistake."
All of the papers featured large photos of a tight-mouthed, grim-faced DeWitt, dressed in a really sharp, hand-tailored suit, getting into an unmarked car outside The Road.
The detective had to be squirming this morning, Cooper thought. That was a good thing. People who started to squirm usually tended to start screwing up.
"I'll be waiting," Cooper promised the photos. "I'm good at that."
Elly had opened her shop punctually at nine. Judging by the frequent muffled tinkling of the doorbells, he assumed that she was either doing a brisk business or else her neighbors were making excuses to stop in to get updates on her personal affairs.
In the interest of saving time he had contacted Emmett London first thing. The job of researching DeWitt's background had been turned over to Wyatt's assistant, a man named Perkins.
The business of finding the former owner of Mary Tyler Jordan's Medicinal Herbs and Flowers of Harmony was a little trickier. Cooper had reserved that task for himself.
Thanks to Elly, he had the names of the three collectors known to have copies of the rare volume in their collections.
It took patience and some serious name-dropping to get the first two on the phone. They had informed him that their copies of the Jordan herbal were still in their libraries.
He got lucky with number three. Edwin Sheridan was a retired member of the Cadence Guild.
"Thank you for speaking with me, Mr. Sheridan," Cooper said in his most polite tone.
"My housekeeper said you told her this was Guild business." The voice on the other end of the line quivered with age. "Used to be a Guild man, myself, back in the days when this was Connor Hyland's town."
"That was a little before my time, sir." Say, about fifty years before. Cooper added silently. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. It had been a long morning.
Edwin snorted. "Let me tell you, son, when Hyland was in charge, things were different in this town. The Cadence Guild upheld tradition. There wasn't any of this modern nonsense about going mainstream, that's for damn sure."
"I understand, sir."
"Every time I pick up a newspaper these days there's some damn article about how the Cadence Guild is trying to modernize, trying to become a respectable social institution. Ridiculous."
Cooper cleared his throat. "As a matter of fact, sir, I'm from the Aurora Springs Guild."
"Aurora Springs, eh? Now, there's a good, solidly run, old-fashioned outfit. I hear they've got a proper respect for tradition over there in Aurora Springs."
"We like to think so, sir."
"Heard the new Guild boss there was all set to marry a nice young woman from a good Guild clan a few months back but that the wedding got called off."
"It was postponed, sir, not canceled."
"Is that right? What happened?"
How in green hell had he ended up discussing his love life with Edwin Sheridan? Cooper wondered.
"There were some complications," he said evenly, "but the new boss is working to straighten them out. Sir, I'd like to ask you about your copy of Jordan's herbal."
"How the heck did that book become Guild business?"
Cooper looked at the herbal in front of him. "It came up in the course of an internal Guild investigation."
"Ah, one of those," Edwin said wisely. "The Guilds police their own."
"Yes, sir. Could you tell me if-"
"That's one damn good reason why the organizations shouldn't get involved in this mainstreaming stuff. First thing you know, they'd have to open up their files to every police detective or attorney or politician who conies along thinking he can build a reputation by going after some high-ranking Guild man."
"You make a very good point, sir. Now, about the herbal. Is it still in your collection?"
"Nope, sold it a few months back. To tell you the truth, I didn't even know it was in the library. You see, it was my wife who was the collector in the family, not me. She passed on a few months ago."