Blood Ties (17 page)

She had bone white hair, done in long, tight curls that looked like ropes pulled tight into a knot at the back of her head.
As white as a dove’s wing,
Jake thought. Something inside him sparked at the sight of her. He’d never seen a woman so beautiful, and for several seconds the only thing he heard was his own pounding heart.

Chapter Nineteen – Memories of a Ghost Hunter

“Jake isn’t the only one with a strange past.”

~ Cole McJunkins

The Lady Dănești stepped straight up to Jake and gave a slight nod of her head, holding out her hand. Chung stepped forward as Jake took her hand, raised it to his lips, and gently kissed her knuckles. Her cool, pale skin smelled of lilies. He could see the faint cornflower blue outline of veins on the back of her hand, and the sight of it thrilled him.

“Lady Corina Dănești,” Chung said formally, “allow me to present to you Mister Jake Lasater. Jake, this is the Lady Dănești.”

“It is truly an honor,” Jake said, releasing her hand. She nodded to him again, and he caught himself watching her hand drift gracefully down to her side. Jake heard a rustle behind him and had to force himself to turn away. Skeeter came around the table, but Cole stood where he was, his eyes locked on the Lady. He had a strange look on his face, as if his eyes weren’t focused on her, but on something beyond.

“And this is Skeeter,” Chung added as the slim girl approached. “Skeeter, this is Lady Dănești.”

“Milady,” Skeeter said and curtsied more formally than Jake would have thought possible for the young rabble-rouser. The Lady again nodded her head.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Skeeter.”

Jake saw Skeeter turn a sidelong glance to Qi who nodded with a smile on her face. Qi’s eyes turned to Jake’s knowingly, and he would swear she could see his heart pounding. Her eyes teased him, but he couldn’t fathom why. He looked away and stared once again at Cole who seemed to be riveted to the floor.

“And the gentleman at the far end of the table,” Chung said, motioning towards Cole, “is Cole McJunkins, Jake’s partner in mayhem.”

“Lady Dănești,” Cole said cautiously, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He gave a polite nod of his head. It wasn’t apparent enough to be obvious, but Jake picked up unease in his partner’s posture and wondered why. The Lady watched Cole for a few more seconds and then the others. She gave a strange little smile. When she nodded her head, she added a slight bow to Cole. Jake sent a questioning look Cole’s way, but his partner either didn’t notice or didn’t feel like giving him any sign of what troubled him. With everything going on around him, Jake felt like a blind man in a shooting gallery.

“It’s a sincere pleasure to meet all of you,” she said with a distinct accent, “but if you will excuse me, I have something of import I must discuss with Master Lau Xing.” She held out her arm and Chung took it gently.

Jake thought about her accent … it reminded him of Szilágyi, but it didn’t sound quite right. He wanted to hear her speak more, but it looked like he’d have to wait.

“Of course, Lady Dănești. We can go to my office.”

“That would be acceptable,” she replied and nodded to everyone in the room one at a time. She nodded at Jake last, and he thought he saw her delicate, white eyebrow rise slightly behind the spectacles. Chung led the Lady out the way she had come.

The room grew quiet for long seconds as Jake stared openly at the closed door.

“Jake,” Cole’s voice broke Jake out of his stupor. “You got a minute?”

Jake shook his head, struggling to clear the image of Lady Dănești from his thoughts. “Yeah, sure, Cole,” he replied, turning. Cole moved towards the back of the room with an uncomfortable look on his face. Skeeter looked at Jake and then at Qi, her innocent eyes not picking up any of the cross-play going back and forth. Skeeter sat down where she’d been, and as Jake stepped past, Qi looked at him with smiling eyes that seemed to know a great deal more than he did.

Jake stepped up to Cole, and they both turned their backs on Qi and Skeeter, lowering their voices to whispers.

“What the hell was that all about?” Cole asked.

“What’cha mean?” Jake asked, confused.

“I ain’t never seen you go gaga over a woman like that before.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t go gaga.” It was the only lie Jake ever told to Cole.

“Oh, pu-lease,” Cole said, “You shoulda seen yourself.”

“Well,” Jake conceded, “she is one hell of a fine lookin’ lady.”

“Jake,” Cole said seriously, “remember what I said about Helga being the most intimidating woman ever?”

“Yeah.”

“I lied.” He swallowed and licked his lips nervously. “Lady Dănești has that Valkyrie beat by miles and miles.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Jake blurted loud enough for Qi and Skeeter to turn their heads. Jake lowered his voice. “You just met the woman, and she sure as hell didn’t look like no Valkyrie.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Cole turned his eyes away, looking for a way to explain his reaction in a way that Jake would understand. “Did I ever tell you about my grandmother? The one in Louisiana?”

“No, I don’t recall that you did.”

“Her name was Alidia, but everyone called her Tante Lid. Back around the turn of the century she had a reputation as a … a … hell, there wasn’t even a word for it … she was just Tante Lid. Everyone knew what she was. She used to walk around the surrounding parishes … wherever her spirit led her.” He hesitated. “She exorcised demons and hunted ghosts.” Cole looked into Jake’s eyes to see if his partner believed him. Jake’s face was placid, not doubting. “I only have a few recollections of meeting her, but I’ll tell you, she left an impression.”

“How do you mean?” Jake asked, wondering where this was headed.

“The last time I saw her, my mamma took me. By then Tante Lid was known for leagues and leagues, but as a healer not a hunter in those days. Time had taken its toll on her. I’d never been to her home before. I was sick, you know? Real sick. I’d had a fever for two weeks and was coughing up blood for a few days. Folks looked at me the way you and I look at a man who’s gut-shot and ain’t gonna make it. You now?” Jake nodded, thinking of the men he’d seen die. “Mamma put me up on a neighbor’s plow horse, and I remember us walking for … hell, it seemed like forever … through this weird forest smack dab in the middle of bayou country. The cypress had opened up, replaced by this stretch of tall, straight trees I’d never seen before. They made up a canopy of sorts. They were spaced evenly—I’d have to say precisely—as if they’d been planted like that at the beginning of time. The ground under ’em was clear—which is weird if you’ve ever been to Louisiana—and the sun came down all shimmery and dusky, like we were under water or something. Well, Tante Lid’s little white house finally came into view, and it was  …” Cole turned his eyes to Jake, “it was like the whole place glowed there in the middle of that dancing shadow … and it felt like a piece of heaven had dropped out of the sky and landed right there.”

Jake was intrigued but didn’t see a point. “What’s this got to do with the Lady?”

“I’m gettin’ to that,” Cole assured him. “As we come within earshot of the house, I start to hear chanting … or praying … whatever you wanna call it. My mamma pulls me down off the horse and carries me up the steps. I couldn’t even walk by this time. The door opens and there’s this tall fella standing there all in white. His skin was as black as my mamma’s, his hair as white as his clothes. I remember wrinkles that looked like they were a hundred years old. He looks down at my mamma and then stares directly at me, smiling like we’re old friends. ‘We’ve been expecting you,’ he says, and my mamma nods as if that’s the most natural thing in the world.”

Cole locked eyes with his partner. “Jake, I’m tellin’ ya. There was no way he could have known we were coming.
No way.
So, my mamma carries me through the door, and every wall, nook and cranny is covered with red candles, the light making the place as bright as the sun. In the middle of the room is a table covered with a white cloth, and there’s seven people standing around it, all of ’em in white and holding hands. On the far side is Tante Lid. She looks older than the man at the door, but she’s got this strength … from deep inside. Even I can see it.

“All of a sudden that strength of hers, well I feel it flow into me. My head clears a little, and I don’t feel like I’m gonna die. Tante Lid smiles at me and my mamma and then nods to the table in front of her. My mamma lays me down, pulls my legs straight, and crosses my hands across my chest. ‘Don’t be scared,’ she says and kisses my forehead. My mamma steps away, outside the circle, and Tante Lid places her hand over my eyes. I hear her whispering something in a language I don’t know, and the praying or whatever starts up from the folks around me.”

Cole’s words trailed off, as if he were there once again reliving those events.

“And?” Jake asked.

“Well, I woke up the following day. Them folks were still standing over me and still chanting. When I opened my eyes, Tante Lid held up her hand and they all went silent. I took a deep breath, the healthiest I’ve ever been, and I ain’t been sick since, Jake. Not
once
.”

“That’s a hell of a story, Cole, it truly is,” Jake said, sounding confused. “But what’s it got to do with Lady Dănești?”

“Well, never being sick ain’t the only thing I got up off that table with. Ever since that day I’ve been able to sense things … unnatural things … not necessarily bad, or even good for that matter … just unnatural … like I have some sort of connection to …
beyond
. I can sense when ghosts are about, or when something terrible happened in a particular place. Tante Lid gave me something, a little piece of whatever she had. You know what I’m saying?”

“I think so, Cole.”

“Well, that’s how I know, without a doubt, that there’s something very unnatural about the Lady Corina Dănești.” Cole clasped Jake’s arm, almost frantically. “Be careful,” he added.

At first Jake didn’t know what to say. He trusted his partner, had entrusted his life to Cole on a number of occasions. It was a hell of a story, and he had no choice but to take Cole at his word. He put his hand on Cole’s shoulder.

“All right, Cole. I will.”

“Jake?” Skeeter called from the table.

Rescued,
Jake thought as he stepped over to Skeeter. He didn’t see the concerned look on Cole’s face. “Yeah? What’s up, Skeeter?”

“Qi was telling me about some note. Can I see it?”

Jake looked surprised but reached into his pocket. “Sure.” He handed it over and gave Qi a questioning look. “Here you go, but I don’t see how—”

Skeeter started reading it off. “ZEPPELIN:
Have you completed the mission?
SIZLAGYI:
Nothing is …
ZEPPELIN:
We’re on our way. Prepare for our arrival.
” She looked up at Jake with that gleam in her eyes when people underestimated her. “It’s Moldavian … or Wallachian. They’re pretty much the same thing, and I never could tell them apart. They speak this in places throughout the Carpathian mountains.” She said it like she would say cowboys ride horses.

Everyone’s mouth dropped open, and Jake blinked his eyes.

“How the hell do you know that?” Jake blurted.

“Von Klattersnap taught me,” she replied, easy as you please.

“I thought you said he was German,” Jake injected. It came out almost as an accusation. Sometimes he couldn’t keep up with Skeeter’s surprises.

“He is,” she retorted. “He had me read up on Moldavian, though … said I’d need it later.”

“For what?” Cole spoke up.

“He didn’t say … just something
big
. He was funny that way.” Skeeter clearly didn’t get the connection, brushing it off as coincidence. Jake found it rather disturbing, although he was grateful Skeeter didn’t share his cynicism.

“What? You mean aside from being a mad scientist and all?” Cole asked.

“Yeah.” Skeeter laughed and rolled her eyes. “I mean aside from that. Most of the time he wasn’t such a bad guy.”

Jake shot her a critical look. “Skeeter, he damn near enslaved Evergreen, and he
did
enslave that friend of yours.”

“I did say
most
of the time, didn’t I?” she replied with an easy smile. “He was smart, too. Always made me feel like a normal kid, and he let me do mostly what I wanted.”

“If you say so,” Cole mumbled.

“Well, at least we know what it says … but it doesn’t say much, does it? I wish I’d been able to catch more of it.”

“Seems to me that he’s talking about doing something to the
Jezebel
,” Cole offered.

“Yeah, I figured the same thing, but Tyler and his men didn’t find anything, and they searched from stem to stern. Damn it! I wish I knew what the hell Szilágyi wanted.”

Cole rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. “It’s got to be related to the Lady’s package. It’s the only thing that makes sense.… But how could he be four steps ahead of us like that? We didn’t know we were coming to San Fran until two days ago, and we hadn’t even taken the job. He couldn’t possibly know how we’re going to get it back to Denver. I say we avoid the
Jezebel
like it’s a crate full of scorpions.”

“Hard to argue with you on that one,
amigo
. The
Jezebel
is out.” Jake was pleased Cole had come to the same conclusion. “I’m sure there’ll be other transports heading out of here in the next few of days. Even if they’re not going to Denver, they gotta be going somewhere.”

Qi stood and kissed Skeeter’s cheek. “I don’t believe the Lady or my grandfather will be coming back this evening.” She yawned, delicately covering her mouth, and then stretched her arms over her head. “I think I’ll turn in. Skeeter, you know where your room is. Cole, yours is just along the hallway from there.” She stepped by Jake and ran her hand gently over his. He didn’t miss the touch or the lack of any mention of a room of his own. “Goodnight, everyone.” She stepped to the door and then turned. “Oh, and Skeeter …”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“I want you to go over those words I taught you today. Don’t focus on them, just memorize them exactly how I taught you.”

“I will.” Skeeter beamed. “I promise!”

“Good girl!” Qi sent an expectant look in Jake’s direction and then closed the door.

Skeeter stood and headed for the door. “C’mon, Cole, I’ll show you to your room.”

“Thanks, Skeeter.” They both walked past Jake, and Cole gave him a wink.