Final Target

Chapter Eight

"Karlstadt says he'll give you twenty million," Jan van der Beck said. "Not a dollar more."

"If he'll go twenty, he'll go twenty-five. Keep pushing."

"You can say that, but Karlstadt doesn't push easily."

"Then you'll earn your thirty percent."

"His people aren't above taking me out to the country and trying to squeeze your whereabouts out of me."

"Isn't it lucky you don't know?"

"Lucky for you."

"What did you find out from Henri Claron?"

"Nothing definite. I'm still working on him."

"He knows something?"

"Oh, yes. Henri's not a good actor and he's a frighten ed man. Almost as frightened as his wife. She kept looking at me as if I were torturing Henri."

"If he's that nervous, I'm surprised he hasn't been erased."

"He could have taken out insurance." He switched subjects. "Karlstadt's getting very edgy. He's heard about the Russians, and thinks you may be dealing with them too."

"A little worry never hurt anyone."

"Yes, it has, and this time it may be me."

"I promise I won't leave you hanging out on a limb."

"If he goes to twenty-five million, you'd better be prepared to wrap this up in a hurry."

"Then work on Henri Claron."

"What does one have to do with the other?"

"Everything. It all has to come together to get me back to Amsterdam. Come on, Jan, you can do it."

"I'm dealing with Karlstadt. I don't have time. Maybe I can find someone else to put the squeeze on Henri." He sighed. "I'll do my best, Michael."

"One more thing. Can you do some snooping on the Wind Dancer?"

"What? I will not help you steal that statue, Michael."

"I don't want to steal it. I just want to know about security and if it's going on tour anytime soon."

"That sounds pretty suspicious to me. Forget it. I have too much on my plate."

"Well, maybe later." Travis put away his phone and moved over to stand at the window. Karlstadt wasn't the only one on edge. He'd never seen Jan this disturbed, and the Dutchman wasn't one to go off the deep end without cause. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned the Wind Dancer. It had just occurred to him that since he had found Cassie at the foot of the statue, it might be an avenue worth exploring. Ordinarily, Jan would have agreed with only a few complaints, but his refusal had been curt. It was obvious that he was very worried.

There was still time though. As long as they were bargaining, Jan was safe. Karlstadt would be dangerous only after the deal was made. At that point Travis would have to move with lightning speed to avoid Karlstadt suspecting a stall.

No lights in Cassie's room tonight. He'd been there three nights already this week. Jessica had started calling him when the episodes began, and they had been able to cut the last one to under fifteen minutes.

What would happen to Cassie Andreas when he left?

And how the hell would he manage to get away from here if he didn't get the information about Vasaro from Henri Claron? There was no way Andreas would consider letting him go. He'd made plans before he arrived here, but it was time to refine them.

He didn't want to leave with Cassie on his conscience. But would he do it if it came down to a choice?

It didn't have to come to a choice. Find a way to get the kid to come back to normalcy and the problem was solved. Andreas might even be so grateful, he'd forget about finding who led the attack on Vasaro. The best of all possible solutions if-

The phone rang.

"Get here right away/' Jessica said tersely. "It's started."

He glanced at the house. He'd been so absorbed, he hadn't noticed the lights had come on. "Right away."

"Don't leave," Cassie pleaded. "The monsters don't stay long anymore, Melissa."

"They wouldn't show up at all if you'd come back and let Jessica help you."

"Scared. Nicer here."

"No, it's not. It's wonderful outside. Remember? I'll show you so many beautiful things."

"Scared. Beautiful in here. I could show you-but I can't find it."

"What can't you find?"

Cassie's agitation was growing. "Can't find it. It's here but I can't find it."

"What?"

"It was supposed to be here."

Melissa was afraid if she persisted, she'd jar Cassie back into the nightmare state. Could she flow back into the child and find out what she was thinking? It was risky. The last few times it had been easier to separate from her, but she didn't know what would happen if she gave Cassie what she wanted.

What the hell?

She edged closer, then closer still. She could feel Cassie's agitation like huge waves.

Closer.

Find.

Find what?

A tongue of thought darted out and touched Melissa.

Oh, God.

"Nol" She tore free in panic and spiraled away into the darkness. Get away. Get away. Get away.

"Come back, Lonely…"

Melissa's heart was going to jump out of her chest. Wake up. Get control. Jessica and Travis would come in soon wanting to know if there was anything she could tell them about the episode.

Lie. She had to lie. She couldn't talk about that horror. Breathe deep and try to calm down. Tell them how well everything had gone. Cassie and she were growing closer even when separated. In time she had hopes of being able to persuade Cassie to come back. They'd be glad to hear that, so glad that maybe they'd mistake her anguish for the usual tiredness.

If not, she'd have to lie.

Travis showed up at the front door of the manor at four the next afternoon. "We need to talk," he told Jessica. "Where's Melissa?"

"In her room, studying. What's wrong?"

"Time's wasting. We need to find a way to get Cassie well."

"What do you think we've been doing?"

"It's not moving fast enough." He went to the bottom of the stairs and yelled, "Melissa!"

"Do you know how little studying she's been able to get done since she got here?"

"She's bright enough to make it up. Hell, she's bright enough to run rings around most of us." He started up the stairs. "She didn't hear me. I forgot about those solid oak doors. Come on. We'll go to her."

"And do what?" She followed him. "We're making progress. You heard Mellie last night."

"Yeah, bubbling with enthusiasm." He knocked on the door of the blue room. "See how polite I'm being?"

Melissa opened the door. "I'm studying."

"Later." He went inside and sat down in a chair. "Will you go get all the stuff you told me Andreas sent with Cassie, Jessica?"

"I'm surprised you couched that as a request. But you forgot to say please." Jessica left the room.

"Jessica doesn't like orders." Melissa sat down on the bed and crossed her legs. "You're lucky she's going along with you. What are you up to, Travis?"

"Cassie. We need to do some brainstorming. We're moving too slow."

Her gaze narrowed on his face. "What's happening?"

"Don't you want Cassie well as soon as possible?"

"What's happening?"

He smiled. "Let's just say I can't wait years for Cassie to come back to us, and you told me I had to stay until she was well."

"Something's going on with you."

"And something's going on with you. Last night it was clear you were hiding something."

She stiffened. "Jessica didn't notice."

" Because she wants to believe you. Do you want to talk to me about it?"

She didn't answer.

"Then don't give me the third degree, Melissa."

"Here they are." Jessica carried four photo albums and several notebooks into the room. "But I've gone through all of these before."

"I've no intention of covering old ground." He was flipping through one album. "Tell me what you've done with these."

"Nothing much. I selected certain photographs to show her and test responses."

"The result?"

"Nothing from any family members. One photograph…" She turned the pages until she found the picture. "Cassie and the statue of the Wind Dancer. I thought there was some…flicker."

"I found her with the Wind Dancer at Vasaro. That's the only photograph she recognized?"

" I don't know. It's the only one I sensed…" She shrugged helplessly." It's hard to tell."

"Then you could have been mistaken," Melissa said. "How could anyone tell what Cassie's feeling? Was there a muscle response or any change in expression?"

"Maybe. A little. It's just…an impression."

"But you could have been wrong." She reached over and turned the page. "What other pictures did you show her?"

Travis flipped the page back." Let's stay with the Wind Dancer for a while, shall we?"

Melissa's lips tightened. "Why? It's only a statue."

"But a remarkable piece of art. It's recognized as one of the most valuable treasures in the world. The Andreas family claims there were historical references that indicate the statue was in the hands of Alexander the Great during his first campaign in Persia, that it once belonged to Charlemagne and was passed down to several famous historical figures through the ages. There are legends that men and nations rose and fell because of the statue's presence on the scene."

"Idiotic."

"Most legends are." He smiled. "But that doesn't stop them from being fascinating, and I'm sure the stories increased the value of the statue. We're a culture intrigued by fairy tales."

"I'm not. What's your point?"

"I don't know if there is one. I know only that Cassie must have run from her bedroom straight to the Wind Dancer that night."

"That's ridiculous." Melissa got up from the bed. "Everyone knows she ran to her nanny for protection." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "It's stupid to assume she'd run to an inanimate object at a moment like that."

"I'm not sure." Jessica frowned. "Her father said she was terribly fond of it. She'd make up stories about the statue and play in the library where he kept it."

"It's dumb," Melissa said fiercely. "The statue has nothing to do with any of this."

"How do you know?" Travis gazed at her with speculation. "Did she confide in you in one of your nightmare trysts?"

"I'm just being logical. Neither of you seems to know the meaning of the-" She strode toward the bathroom. "Excuse me."

Jessica blinked as the door slammed behind Melissa. "Well, no one can say my sister doesn't have decided opinions."

"Have you ever discussed the Wind Dancer with her?"

"Only casually. Naturally, I told her the circumstances of Cassie's trauma." She shook her head. "I'm sure she didn't mean to blow up. She's been under a good deal of stress lately, and she didn't want her study time interrupted."

"She didn't hurt my feelings." He leaned back. "Have you ever considered going back to Vasaro and re-creating the scene there?"

"Not if there's any other way. Too traumatic. The cure could be worse than the illness."

"But you've considered it?"

"I've considered every step imaginable. Even if I wanted to take Cassie to Vasaro, her father absolutely refuses to allow it."

"Oh, that could be a problem." He thought for a moment. "What about the Wind Dancer? That's part of the picture."

"Andreas lent it to the Museum d'Andreas in Paris."

"I'm checking to see if the statue is going on tour anytime in the near future."

"You are?" She looked at him in surprise. "Then you do believe there's a connection."

"I don't know. I'm grabbing at straws, but if we could take her to Paris and arrange for her to-"

"The President is not going to permit her to go anywhere until the people who attacked Vasaro are found." She stared meaningfully at him." Isn't that your job?"

"I'm working on it." He smiled as he recalled that that was the phrase Melissa had used. "Maybe we can ask Melissa to broach the subject of the Wind Dancer during the next episode with Cassie."

"After that reaction?"

"Persuade her." He stood up. "The clock's ticking. If we don't make a breakthrough soon, we may be forced to take radical action."

"Radical? Things are going just fine. I don't intend to rock the boat."

He gave her a sober glance. "Rock it, Jessica."

She was going to throw up.

No, she could stop it, Melissa told herself It wasn't as if it hadn't happened before. Just don't think about it and do the usual things. She bent over the washbasin and splashed cold water in her face.

But it hadn't happened before. Not like this. Dreams were dreams. This was reality.

Damn him. She should have known Travis would dig and probe until he came up with a lead. It wouldn't do him any good. She would stop him and it would go no further.

Emerald eyes staring…

Sweet Jesus…

She rushed to the toilet and threw up.

"You look pale." Jessica frowned worriedly as she watched Melissa come down the stairs. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Melissa smiled. "I've probably been hitting the books too hard. I've been cooped up in that room all day. If you're feeling sorry for me, you could get me a lemonade and come and keep me company on the porch. I need some air before I go back to the grind."

"I could use a glass myself." She headed for the kitchen. "Go on out. I'll be with you in a minute."

Melissa settled on the swing and sent it moving gently. It was a hot, muggy night, and she could hear the frogs croaking in the pond behind the house. Summer sounds. Life sounds. Wonderful…

"Daydreaming?" Jessica handed her a glass and sat down beside her. "You look a lot better."

Melissa laughed. "I'm not sure that's a compliment. It's dark out here."

"There's moonlight."

Melissa looked up at the sky. "Yes, there is."

Silence.

"Mellie, why did you blow up this afternoon?" Jessica asked hesitantly.

"I was waiting for that question. I worried you, didn't I? You thought I was irrational, and considering the fact that you're not sure how well balanced I am anyway, it-"

"That's not true. I know there's nothing wrong with you. I just wondered why you got so upset."

" I'm sure you gave Travis all kinds of excuses for my lapse."

"Of course I did. Maybe a couple of them might even have merit." She sipped her lemonade. "We never kept secrets from each other. Talk to me, Mellie."

It wasn't true. She had kept so many secrets from Jessica since she had come back from the other place, but she was glad Jessica had never been aware of that lack of trust. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you I was really-" She shook her head. "Okay, I don't want Travis to get too interested in the Wind Dancer."

"Why not?"

"He's like a steamroller. Once he sets his sights on something, he won't stop."

"That's not always a bad trait."

"It can be. Sometimes people get swept along into places they shouldn't be in. All it takes is one push and it sets things toppling…like dominoes."

"And what does that have to do with the Wind Dancer?"

"That's what Cassie is trying to find in the tunnel."

Jessica went still. "You're sure?"

"Oh, yes."

"But that's a good thing to know. We can build on that. Maybe Travis's idea about using the Wind Dancer isn't too bad if we can figure out a way to-"

"No." Melissa tried to temper the sharpness of her tone. "You don't understand. It's not…it's a bad…feeling. Delving into it might hurt Cassie."

"She's afraid of it?"

She didn't answer directly. "You don't want to open that can of worms."

"I know you're concerned for Cassie, but you don't understand all the psychological ramifications of her condition. You'll have to trust me to work it out."

"Forget about the statue."

"I can't forget anything that might help Cassie. You can't either, Mellie. We have to work together."

"Half the time you don't even believe what I tell you about Cassie's nightmares."

"So I have a few problems in that area. But I do believe what you say about Cassie trying to find the Wind Dancer, because when I showed her the photograph, she-"

"You told me you didn't actually see a reaction." She smiled sardonically. "What are you? Some kind of spook like me?"

"Not fair. I've never called you a spook." She paused. "The Wind Dancer is the only lead we have. We have to pursue it, Mellie. I want you to promise me that you won't reject Cassie if she opens up the subject."

Melissa was silent.

"Please." Jessica sighed. "We have to help Cassie, and I don't know which way to turn."

What difference did it make? Melissa thought wearily. The dominoes were falling and she couldn't stop them by pretending they didn't exist. "I won't encourage it, but I won't reject it. Is that enough?"

"That's enough." Jessica leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Thank you." She stood up. "Now I've got to check on Cassie and then go to bed. Are you coming in?"

"Pretty soon."

"Don't study too late."

" I won't." She leaned back on the swing. "Have a good night."

"Let's hope we all do." Jessica went into the house.

The conversation had been a complete bust, Melissa thought in despair. She had hoped that if she introduced a hint of a threat to Cassie, Jessica would veer away from the Wind Dancer. She hadn't counted on Jessica's total obsession with bringing Cassie back. If Melissa had just left the subject alone, maybe Jessica's interest would not have been piqued.

Or maybe it wouldn't have mattered. Fate?

To hell with fate. That was defeatist thinking. Travis certainly wouldn't rely on a whim to shape his destiny. He was already trying to find a way to have his cake and eat it too. Now, thanks to Melissa's own clumsiness, she might have driven Jessica into his camp. In her heart Jessica would always consider Melissa the dependent child she had been all those years ago.

The lights were on at the gatehouse. They often stayed on most of the night. She had learned in the past several days that Travis seldom got more than four hours' sleep a night and that he was a great reader. Was he delving into that pile of books she'd seen delivered yesterday afternoon? Insatiable curiosity and a thirst for knowledge could be dangerous qualities in an enemy.

It was the first time she had acknowledged to herself that Travis could be an adversary. She had been wary of him, but she hadn't believed he offered any challenge she couldn't meet. In a weird way, she had felt a kind of bond with him. Crazy. It was probably a carryover of Cassie's trust in him and view of him as a savior. But she had enjoyed their battles of wits and admired his sharpness and intuitiveness.

She didn't admire them now. His intuitiveness was striking too close to home. He had brought the Wind Dancer out of the darkness into the light.

She could handle it. Crush down the panic. If she wasn't strong enough, she would concentrate, learn, and develop.

She only hoped she had enough time.