The Angel of Darkness - Caleb Carr [326]
“And the Dusters?”
“They are everywhere on the street.”
“Don’t make any play, then,” I told him. “If you can see some of them, that means there’s even more what you can’t see. Stay out of sight.”
“Yes. But if the chance comes—she dies, yes?”
Looking back into the kitchen, I saw that the Doctor and Miss Howard had come into it. They were watching me as I talked, probably knowing full well who was on the other end of the line.
“I don’t know about that,” I said, looking to the Doctor.
” But Señorito Stevie—your friend has died—”
“I know,” I answered. “But it might be more complicated than we thought. We need to know—to know why she’s doing this.”
The aborigine gave that a moment’s thought and a sigh before answering, “I tell you, Señorito Stevie—in jungles I have seen in my journies, there are villagers who live near the lairs and hunting grounds of tigers. Some of these tigers kill men—some do not. No one knows why. But all know that the tigers who do kill must die—for once they drink the blood of man, they never lose the taste for it.” I couldn’t figure how to answer him: half of me knew that what he was saying, terrible as it was, made very real sense. “Señorito Stevie? You are there?”
“I’m here.”
“Will you hunt the tiger with me, or will you try to ‘understand’ it?”
I looked to the Doctor again, knowing, even in my sorrow, what I had to do. “I can’t,” I said, turning away so that the Doctor and Miss Howard wouldn’t hear me. “I can’t do it with you. But you go on. And don’t call here again—they’ll try to stop you.”
There was another pause; then El Niño said, “Yes. It is best, this. It is not for us to decide what is the way—only the gods and fate can determine who will reach her first. I understand you, my friend.”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I understand you, too.”
“I hope I shall see you again. If I do not—remember that I still wear the clothes you gave me. And when I do, I see your face, and feel your friendship. I am proud of this.”
The words put me near to tears again. “I’ve got to go,” I said, replacing the receiver on its little hook before El Niño had a chance to say anything more.
“The aborigine?” the Doctor asked.
I nodded, moving into the kitchen. “He’s down on Bethune Street. She’s back there with Ana. But the neighborhood’s crawling with Dusters.”
“I see.” The Doctor started pacing around the kitchen table. “Has she returned to the house simply to collect her things? Or to rid herself of the burden of Ana Linares in the safety of her secret hideaway?” After pondering this for a few seconds, the Doctor rapped a fist on the table. “In either case, we have run out of time—the crisis will play out tonight. If Marcus is successful, we can use the full power of the Police Department to enter the house. If not—”
“But even if he is,” Miss Howard added, “can we be sure she won’t harm the child before we get there? Or while we’re trying to get in?”
“We can be sure of nothing,” the Doctor answered. “But we must try to attend to what we can. With that in mind, Sara, I suggest that you call Señora Linares. Advise her that we must now take action, and that its results may not please her husband. She may wish to seek safety in some place other than her own home.” Nodding in agreement, Miss Howard moved to the ‘phone just as Cyrus entered the kitchen and put a strong, comforting hand to my shoulder. “Ah, Cyrus,” the Doctor went on. “Some of your excellent coffee is called for, I think—we won’t be catching up on our sleep anytime soon, and clear heads will be needed.”
“Yes, sir,” Cyrus answered. Then he looked down at me. “Might be enough time for you to get a little rest, Stevie. You could use it.”
I just shook my head. “I don’t want to sleep,” I said, remembering what’d happened the last time I’d drifted off. “Make that coffee strong, though.”
“Always do,” Cyrus said. “Oh, and Doctor—the detective sergeant asked me to tell you that he’s gone down to headquarters to give his brother a hand. Says he’s worried about how long it’s taking.”