The Amulet of Power - Mike Resnick [77]
“Well, nothing good is going to happen here,” he said. “They know where you are. You’d better get your bag. If they want a second chance at you, they’re going to have to find you first, and I know this country about as well as anyone.”
26
“So where are we going?” asked Lara as the safari car made its way up the winding road.
“We’re going to stop by my house first,” answered Oliver. “It’s where I’ve got my old hunting rifle, and Max is there, too.”
“Who’s Max?”
“He’s my dog—a Jack Russell terrier. He’s got a hell of a mouth on him. Believe me, nobody’s going to sneak up on you when Max is around.”
She looked out the window. “I can’t really see it clearly, but it looks like the land’s very beautiful.”
“It is,” he said. “Karen Blixen’s old estate is just a couple of miles from here.”
“And where do you live?” she asked. “I’ve never visited your house.”
“We were always going out into the bush,” he said. “You weren’t paying to see a house. But it’s very close by, on Windy Ridge Road.”
“Windy Ridge?”
“It’s well-named,” replied Oliver. “The way the wind whips through here, especially in the rainy season, it could put Chicago to shame.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” said Lara. “How much property do you have?”
“Four acres,” he said. “There are a couple of local leopards living in the neighborhood, but Max lets me know whenever they’re around.”
“Leopards?” she repeated, surprised.
He smiled. “This isn’t Nairobi. This used to be farming country. Now it’s filled with British ex-pats and it’s the exurbs, which is as built-up as it’s ever gotten to be. And as long as there are places to hide, and dogs and horses to eat, there are going to be leopards. They’re like coyotes in America; just when you’re sure they’re gone, when you haven’t seen any in a year and you’ve searched every inch of the countryside and declared the place free of them, suddenly you’ve got a leopard in your lap.”
“Now I know why you keep your rifle.”
“The rifle’s for bandits,” he replied. “Oh, I’ve shot over the leopards’ heads a couple of times to scare them off, but my hunting days are over. I’ve come around to the view that leopardskins look better on the leopards and ivory looks better in an elephant’s mouth.”
He turned to the right, and she saw a small sign telling them that they were on Windy Ridge. A quarter mile later he pulled up to a large old wooden house, surrounded by verandas and patios, and with immaculate grounds.
“It’s lovely,” commented Lara.
“I wish I had something to do with it, but I only bought it a few years ago, and the gardeners came with it.”
The car came to a stop and they got out.
“That’s curious,” said Oliver.
“What is?”
“Max. He’s always here to greet me.”
“Maybe he’s sleeping.”
He shook his head. “Something’s wrong.”
“Why don’t you look for him in the house and I’ll check the yard?” suggested Lara.
“All right.”
“A Jack Russell terrier, right?”
“Yes.”
While Oliver entered the house, Lara began walking around the grounds. There was no outdoor lighting, but wherever one of the rooms was lit, it cast some light out onto the yard. It was when she went around the back of the house that she found herself in near-total darkness.
She could see the outline of a small wooden shed about fifty yards behind the house and decided to walk over and check it out in case the dog was there. She was just reaching for the door when she heard a rustling sound behind her and spun around to see what had made it.
She found herself facing the largest leopard she had ever seen. She reached for her pistols and realized that they were still packed away. She pulled out the Scalpel of Isis, prepared to sell her life as dearly as possible.
And then, rather than leaping upon her, the leopard spoke. His mouth didn’t move, but she could hear the same hollow tones, the same insubstantial voice, that had told her to find Gordon’s letter.
Why are you here? it demanded. Your path must take you elsewhere, across the sea. Find me, free me, release me, and I will give you dominion over the lives of men.
“I’m on my way,” she said, “but