Born of Deception Page 20

  I’m having a vision.

  The strong aroma of burned sugar plays around my nostrils and my heart pounds. I want to call out for Billy to help me, but he doesn’t know what is happening. I can hear his voice coming as if from a great distance.

  “Anna?”

  Like Cole once taught me, I try to breathe through the vision and not let it terrify me, whatever it is, but the visions, accompanied by electric flashes of light, are quite simply terrifying. I see Calypso, her mouth open wide in a scream as her dark eyes are turned inward in terror. She looks as if she’s being eaten from the inside out. I half expect to see blood erupting from her mouth. Then I see Walter, his face pleading. I can’t hear what he’s trying to tell me, only that something is very wrong. He’s trying to warn me and screams my name over and over.

  “Anna! Anna!”

  Shuddering, the images and lights fade and Billy is kneeling next to me with one arm about my shoulders. People are looking at us strangely and I shiver, feeling oddly cold.

  “I’m so sorry,” I tell him. My cheeks burn with embarrassment and I would give anything for the last few minutes not to have happened. I need to talk to Cole. I need to warn Calypso.

  “Are you all right? What the hell was that?”

  I shake my head. “I haven’t had one in so long. I didn’t expect . . .”

  “What are you talking about? Isn’t this the same thing that happened during rehearsal?”

  I blink, surprised. “No. This was different, this was—” I stop and he presses on.

  “What was it?”

  I take a deep breath. “I need to leave. Can we get out of here?”

  He nods and pays the bill while I put on my jacket. I hesitate before stepping out onto the sidewalk, making sure to look both ways. It’s much darker than I thought it would be, and I imagine danger behind every shadow.

  “What’s going on, Anna? Are you in some kind of trouble? Are you sick?”

  His voice is low and concerned and I can tell my behavior has put him on alert. I try to sort out how much I should tell him. I’ve lied to him once and can’t do it again. Nor do I want to put him in danger. “I have visions of the future sometimes,” I finally say.

  I don’t look at his face. If he doesn’t believe me, I don’t want to know it. I just can’t think of anything else to tell him.

  “My aunt used to have visions of the future,” he finally says. “Or at least she used to know when something bad was going to happen to one of us kids. We learned to trust her instincts. She didn’t act like you did though. She’d get all quiet and stare off into the distance for a few moments. We learned to take her warnings pretty seriously.”

  I glance over at him in surprise. I had been expecting incredulous denial, or perhaps derision, not calm acceptance. Maybe there are more Sensitives out there than I’ve ever even dreamed of.

  “So what did you see? It looked pretty upsetting.”

  I laugh, but there is no mirth to it. I can’t even explain what it was. I just want to get back to the hotel and telephone Cole. I need to talk with him so badly. I shiver and Billy puts his arm around me.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  We round the corner to the hotel and I see Cole’s motorcar out front. I quicken my step. “Cole!” I yell, waving my arm. The figure opening the hotel door turns and I want to sob in relief. He’ll know what to do.

  His anger hits me before I can even see his features. He’s furious. Why? What did I do? Then I feel Billy’s arm tighten around my shoulders and I know.

  I shrug away from him, ignoring the look of hurt crossing Billy’s face. I can’t worry about him right now. I have to explain to Cole.

  “Where on earth have you been? Did you ever think that people might be worried about you?”

  Cole’s fury lashes out and I feel Billy stiffen next to me. He and Cole face off, like day and night, staring each other down.

  “That’s no way to talk to a lady,” Billy says.

  “No! It’s all right. It will be all right. Billy, I have to talk to Cole about what I saw. Please go inside.” My voice is pleading and he looks undecided, clearly not wanting to leave. I give him a little push. “Please.”

  The look on his face is unreadable but he does what I say, though he and Cole bump shoulders as he passes.

  “I’m sorry,” I tell Cole as soon as Billy was gone. “I was hungry and left without telephoning you first to let you know I got back safely.”

  His jaw works and I anxiously want to run my fingers along the side of his face to make him feel better, but I can’t. “What’s going on, Anna?”

  I nod toward his motorcar. “Can we get inside there? I need to talk to you.”

  “Are you afraid of what he might see?”

  His voice is bitter and my mouth drops open.

  “What are you talking about?” I ask.

  I understand his jealousy and know how it must have looked to him, my walking up the street with Billy’s arm about me. I have felt it plenty of times over Calypso, but as he always tells me, we have more important things to discuss.

  “No. Never mind. I had a vision, Cole. We need to talk.”

  He brings himself under control, though I know I haven’t heard the last of it.

  “What happened?” he asks once we’re inside his motorcar.

  “I was eating dinner . . .”

  “With him,” Cole states flatly.

  “Would you stop it? I didn’t even go to the café with him. He was already there so I ate with him. Now do you want to hear what I have to say?”

  He shuts his mouth.

  “I was eating and I smelled burned sugar, then the visions started.” I put my hands over my face as if that could block the images I’d seen. “When it was over, I felt so awful that Billy brought me home. That’s why I was leaning against him.”

  I feel a pang of guilt and erect a block so Cole can’t feel what I’m feeling. I can tell from the pain in his face that it’s too late and I look away.

  “What did you see?” he asks.

  I glance over at him to find him staring out the front windshield. In a small voice, I tell him exactly what I saw. “Do you think we should warn Calypso?”

  He shakes his head. “I just dropped her off. She was meeting Mr. Casperson to talk over some test he wants to conduct. She’s fine.”

  Jealousy flares and I know Cole feels it because he turns to me with a sardonic eyebrow. This time it’s my turn to look away.

  “Have you seen Walter since the séance?” he asks.

  I shake my head.

  “Because it sounds as if he is trying to warn you. Which is pretty much what Mr. Price said.” He scrubs a hand over his face and meets my eyes. The midnight velvet of his eyes has never hid his emotions so well.

  “There’s more,” I tell him, taking the medallion out of my purse. “I found this outside my hotel door just before I left for France.”

  He takes it and frowns. “What is it?”

  I shrug. “I’m not sure but I had it looked at while I was there, and the expert told me that the symbol on the front means blood death and the letters are from the Enochian alphabet, which is—”

  “I know what it is.” His voice sounds like death itself. “This is the same lettering that was on the scarab found in Pratik’s hand.”

  My stomach turns.

  Cole continues, “It took the Yard several days to even find out what language the symbols were in. It wasn’t until we started checking ancient languages that they finally figured it out.” He glances at me. “How did you find someone so quickly?”

  “The library I went to in Paris has documents and collections from the Middle Ages. It took the old librarian sixty seconds to know what it was.”

  Cole snorts. “That figures.”

  “So if we already knew that Pratik’s murder was ritualistic, what does this tell us?”

  “Good question.” Cole rubs his temples as if the whole situation is giving him
a terrible headache. I know the feeling.

  “Harrison says there are only a few organizations that actually use the Enochian alphabet. One of them is the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, though there are rumors that one of the adepts is trying to throw it out because he believes it to be demonic rather than angelic.”

  “How does he know so much?” I ask curiously.

  “Harrison was friends with a man in the order when he was younger. They keep in touch and Harrison brought him in as one of the consultants on the case.”

  I shiver. In all our days as fake mediums, my mother and I never strayed into the occult. I’d touched on it, of course, in my quest to discover the truth about my abilities, but other than saying the odd magic spell during our séances for effect, I had pretty much left the occult alone. We had run across too many mediums who’d played with it and ended up burned.

  Now here I am stuck in the middle of it.

  Cole continues. “According to his friend, a blood sacrifice is needed in order to cast spells that take a lot of energy, such as curses.”

  I can almost feel the blood draining from my face. “So we can expect more horrible things to happen?”

  “It’s a possibility and I think we should be prepared.”

  So Pratik’s blood had been stolen to do more evil. As if what had been done to him wasn’t evil enough. “Why would someone give me a clue linked directly to Pratik?” I ask.

  “Maybe they’re getting cocky,” Cole says slowly. “Or perhaps there is some reason they want us to know that something is coming.”

  We sit in silence for a moment and I wish more than anything that he would take me in his arms, but I know that isn’t going to happen. Underlying his worry and concern, I can still feel his hurt. “Be careful, Anna. I couldn’t bear it . . .”

  I hold my breath waiting for him to say the words that would make everything seem better, even in the midst of all this chaos, but he doesn’t say them.

  “I wish I could get my mother and grandmother out of town,” he finishes.

  My heart feels as if it’s being crushed and I’m having a hard time breathing. I nod and climb out of the motorcar. “You’ll be back tomorrow?”

  He nods and, after I shut the door, pulls away.

  Sixteen

  Cole hasn’t been back.

  He sent a note yesterday, telling me that he was taking his mother and grandmother to visit relatives in Bath and would be back as soon as he got them settled. I know he has to be relieved that they will be someplace safe, but I can’t help but wonder if he isn’t thankful to have an excuse to avoid me. At least his mother and grandmother are out of danger. I spent yesterday napping and reading, only going out when I was forced to. Not only was I worried that Cole might get back from Bath but I was afraid of running into Billy.

  Not because I didn’t want to see him. Because I did.

  Now I’m waiting for him to come downstairs because I have the information I need on Dr. Boyle. Not only is he in England, he’s currently residing in London. The address is in my coat pocket, as well the number of a man Uncle Arnie gave me just in case I wanted some help. I shuddered to think of what kind of help this man would offer, but I pocketed it anyway.

  I have a hard time believing that Dr. Boyle is behind Pratik’s murder. Not that I don’t think he could kill someone if he felt he or his master plan were threatened, but I can’t see him draining someone’s blood. He’s just too fastidious.

  So my plan is to talk Billy into going with me and take Dr. Boyle by surprise. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get both information and a clear read on his emotions. In other words, if he is hiding something, I’ll be able to tell.

  Now I have to talk Billy into helping me without telling him why.

  Cole would have kittens if he knew what I’m about to do, but if there’s a chance that Dr. Boyle knows who killed Pratik or where Jonathon is, I have to take it. Plus, I think I’m a little annoyed that Cole isn’t here when I need him.

  As an added measure of safety, I take my balisong out of my handbag and put it in my coat pocket, where I can get at it more easily.

  Billy smiles when he sees me. “I thought you’d run off.”

  He’s so handsome in his cowboy hat and his face is so kind that I can hardly even look at him. I clear my throat. “I need a favor and it’s a big one.”

  His smile disappears. “It sounds serious.”

  “It is. I need you to come with me when I confront someone and keep a lookout for me.” It sounds ridiculously silly said out loud and he raises a brow.

  “It’s not the fellow you’re seeing, is it?”

  I shake my head.

  “Good, because I don’t want to get messed up in that. All right, then. I’ll do it.”

  I let my breath out in a rush. “Perfect. Thank you.”

  “Lead on, Macduff.” He tucks my arm into his and I frown at how comfortable I have become with him. It makes me feel twitchy and guilty.

  I push the thought out of my head to concentrate on the task before me. My nerves jangle as each step takes me closer to my enemy. We take a taxi, while Billy plays twenty questions, trying to figure out what is going on. Finally he just asks what he wants to know: “Are you in any danger?”

  I give him a grim smile. “Not with you around.”

  I have the driver drop us off a block away from Dr. Boyle’s address at the end of a line of smart row houses. I would prefer not to have to go into his home but can only wait so long in this neighborhood before someone sets a bobby after us.

  By the time we get out of the taxi, I’m strangling Billy’s arm.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asks a little anxiously.

  I nod. “I don’t have a choice.”

  His jaw tightens and I know how difficult this must be for him. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?”

  “He’s not my friend,” I say shortly, and then think about it for a minute. Why not? “I actually think that will be a good idea. The idea is to intimidate him enough to not only ensure my safety but to get the information I want.”

  “Are you blackmailing someone?” he asks, his voice amused.

  “Unfortunately not. That would be more fun.” My voice is grim and he grows quiet. I feel his jitteriness through his arm, but also his determination. I feel much better knowing how seriously he is taking this. Even though he’s several years older than Cole, his playful personality and humorous outlook on life often make him seem younger.

  The sunny weather has disappeared and the rains are back. It’s as if the sky itself is dripping all around us. Suddenly I see a figure coming toward me. My heart leaps as I recognize him.

  I take a deep breath and nod toward the man. Firming my step we walk toward the man who once tried to kidnap me.

  “Dr. Boyle!” I call, raising my voice. Watching my mother taught me a lot about gaining and holding the upper hand. Of course, she has years of experience and is naturally more intimidating than I will ever be.

  I feel rather than see his surprise. For a moment he seems nonplussed as he recognizes me. “Anna.”

  Dr. Boyle hasn’t changed. He still looks like a jovial English squire. Hard to believe how callous he can be when he wants something.

  “Billy, this is Dr. Boyle. Dr. Franklin Boyle.” I stress the name so Billy knows exactly who I am talking to and Dr. Boyle knows that Billy knows.

  Billy acknowledges the introduction with a curt nod.

  “Shall we walk, Dr. Boyle?” He nods, his gray eyes watchful. I take Boyle firmly by the arm, trying not to show my repugnance. I still get a better read on people’s emotions if I touch them.

  “Whatever you wish, my dear.”

  Billy falls in behind us.

  “I’ll be right behind you, if you need anything,” Billy calls.

  I take my balisong out of my pocket and open it with an expert flick of my wrist. “And just in case my protector doesn’t impress you, know that I have a weapon and have no
qualms at all about using it.” The knife is lying benignly in the palm of my hand, the blade glistening even in the gray light of day. I give him a quick demonstration, the blade and the covers swinging ominously, before I close it up. He watches the knife carefully and knows I didn’t put it back in my pocket even though I lowered my hand to my side.

  “Your show of force is understandable but quite unnecessary, Anna. I don’t mean to harm you. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt the last time we met. And, remember, my dear, I didn’t put this little surprise visit together.”

  I keep my voice even. “I know, but whether you meant for me to get hurt or not, that is indeed what happened, so you’ll excuse my caution.”

  He nods. “Fair enough. Just know that the whole ordeal was entirely mishandled.”

  “It’s hard to kidnap someone well,” I flare before remembering that only by keeping my composure can I keep the upper hand. “But I didn’t come to discuss the past with you.”

  “Then why did you come?” he asks.

  I keep my hand on his arm, trying to sort out the myriad sensations I’m getting from him. He’s nervous, that much is coming loud and clear, and also curious. “I’ve come because I find myself in the odd position of needing your help.”

  “Indeed?” The inflection in that one word shows the depth of his surprise.

  “Yes, unfortunately.”

  “What on earth would give you the idea that I would help you with anything?” He smiles expansively, reminding me just how charming he actually can be.

  “Because, as unconvinced as I am that you have any human compassion whatsoever, I do know you have a great sense of self-preservation.”

  “I always knew you were a particularly astute young woman. I have very little compassion, nor do I want it. I have found that it only gets in the way of personal ambition. Most of the great men of the world, the ones who have accomplished much, were selfish in their pursuits. But I am not a monster. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t experiment on humans.”