Key of Knowledge

Chapter Thirteen

IN Danas opinion, there were a lot of things you could say about Bradley Charles Vane IV.

He was fun, smart, and great to look at. He could, depending on his mood and the circumstances, present a polished, urbane image that made her think of James Bond ordering a vodka martini in Monte Carlo—and then turn on a dime and become a complete goofball ready to spray seltzer down your pants.

He could discuss French art films with the passion of a man who didnt require the subtitles, and be just as fervent in a debate over whether ElmerFudd or Yosemite Sam was a more worthy adversary for Bugs.

Those were just some of the things she loved about Brad.

Another was his house.

Townerscalled it the Vane House, or the River House, and indeed it had been both for more than four decades.

Brads father had built it, a testimony to the lumber that formed the foundation of the Vane empire. Using that lumber, and with a skilled eye for the surroundings, B. C. Vane III had created both the simple and the spectacular.

The golden frame house spread along the riverbank, edging itself with spacious decks and charming terraces. There were a number of rooflines and angles, all of them balanced into a creative harmony that showcased the beauty of wood.

It offered lovely views of the river or the trees or the clever hodgepodge of gardens.

It wasnt the sort of place you looked at and thought, Money. Rather, you thought, Wow.

Shed spent some time there, tagging along after Flynn when she was a kid and tagging along with Jordan when she was older. It was a place where shed always felt comfortable. It seemed to her it had been created with comfort as its first priority and style running a close second.

Another thing you could say about Brad, she decided, was that he didnt skimp on the refreshments when he had a gathering.

It wasnt anything fancy, at least it wasnt presented that way. Just some sort of incredible pasta salad that made her contemplate going back for more, a lot of interesting finger food, ham slices, and some dense, dark bread for sandwich making.

There was a round of Brie skirted by fat red raspberries, and crackers nearly thin enough to see through that crunched with satisfying delicacy at every bite.

There was beer, there was wine, there were soft drinks and bottled water.

She already knew she wasnt going to resist the mini cream puffs mounded in a tempting island on a platter the size of New Jersey.

All this was spread out casually in the great room, where a fire snapped and sizzled and the furniture was the kind you could happily sink into for weeks at a time.

Not fancy, not so you felt like you couldnt rest your feet on the coffee table. Just classy. That was Bradley Vane, right down to the ground.

Conversation buzzed and hummed around her, and she was drifting into a happy coma brought on by good food, warmth, and contentment.

Or would, she thought, ifZoe would stop squirming beside her.

“Youre going to have to do something about those ants in your pants,” Dana told her.

“Sorry.”Zoe shot another look toward the archway. “Im just worried about Simon.”

“Why? He had a plate with enough food piled on it to feed a starving battalion, and hes hunkered down in the game room. A nine-year-oldswet dream.”

“Theres so much stuff in this house,”Zoe whispered. “Expensive stuff. Art and glassware and china and things . Hes not used to being around all of this.”

Neither am I, she thought, and struggled not to squirm again.

“What if he breaks something?”

“Well.” Lazily, Dana popped another raspberry into her mouth. “Then I guessBradll beat him to a bloody pulp.”

“He hits children ?”Zoe exclaimed.

“No. Jesus,Zoe , get a grip. The place has survived nine-year-old boys before—at least three of them are alive and in this room. Relax. Have a glass of wine. And while youre at it, get me some more raspberries.”

Half a glass,Zoe thought and got to her feet. But even as she reached for the bottle, Brad lifted it.

“You look a little distracted.” He poured the wine into a glass, handed it to her. “Is there a problem?”

“No.” Damn it, shed only wanted half a glass. Why didnt he stay out of her way? “I was just thinking I should check on Simon.”

“Hes fine. He knows where everything is in the game room. But Ill walk you back if you want to take a look,” Brad added when she frowned.

“No. Im sure hes fine. Its very nice of you to let him play.” She knew her voice was stiff and tight, but she couldnt help it.

“That, rumor has it, is what a game rooms for.”

Since Brads voice echoed her tone,Zoe simply nodded. “Um. Dana, she wanted some more. Of these.” Mortified for no reason she could name, she scooped some of the berries into a bowl, then carried them and her wine back to the couch. .

“Pompous ass,” she said under her breath and had Dana blinking at her.

“Brad?” Dana snatched the bowl of raspberries. “Sorry, honey, you got the wrong number.”

Jordan wandered over, sat on the arm of the couch beside Dana and stole a couple of berries before she could stop him.

“Get your own.”

“Yours are better.” He reached out to play with her hair. “So, howd you get this blond stuff in here?”

“I didnt.Zoe did.”

Nipping one more berry, he eased forward to look past Dana, wink atZoe . “Nice job.”

“Any time you need a haircut, its on the house.”

“Ill remember that.” He sat back again. “So, Im sure youre all wondering why weve brought you here tonight,” he began and made Dana laugh.

“Now theres a pompous ass.” But she laid a hand on his thigh. “I guess since were here to talk about the key, and Im the one whos supposed to find it, Ill start.”

Handing Jordan what was left of the berries, she pushed herself off the couch and snagged her wineglass from the coffee table. Even as she took the first step, Jordan slid down into her seat. He gave her a quick grin and draped his arm behindZoe over the back of the couch.

“Come here often?” he askedZoe .

“I would have, if Id known youd be here, handsome.”

“You guys are just a riot,” Dana muttered, then eased past a frowning Brad to the wine bottle. What the hell, she wasnt driving.

“Now, if everybodys all comfy and cozy?” She paused, sipped her wine. “My key deals-with knowledge, or truth. Im not sure the words are interchangeable, but both, either, or a combination of them applies to my quest. Theres also a connection to the past, the now, the future. Im taking this, after some fiddling around and dead-ending, to be personal, as applies to me.”

“I think youre right about that,” Malory put in. “Rowena stresses that were the keys. The three of us. And mine was personal. If were going to consider a pattern, thats part of it.”

“Agreed. The male-type people in this room are part of my past, and of my now. Odds are, Im probably going to be stuck with them one way or the other, so theyre part of my future as well. We know, too, there are connections among all six of us. My connection to each of you, and yours to me, to each other. There are the paintings fromMals part of it that added a link.”

She, as did the others, glanced at the portrait Brad had hung over the mantel. Another of Rowenas works, it showed the Daughters of Glass, after the spell that had taken their souls. Each lay pale and still in their crystal coffin.

“Brad bought that at auction, without knowing what was going to happen here, just as Jordan bought one of Rowenas paintings, the young Arthur on the point of drawing the sword from the stone, at the gallery where Malory used to work. Also years before we knew what we know now. So… this, in turn, connects all of us with Rowena andPitte and the goddesses.”

“And Kane,”Zoe added. “I dont think its smart to leave him out.”

“Youre right,” Dana agreed. “And Kane. Hes messed with most of us already, and its pretty clear hell mess with us again. We know hes bad. We know hes powerful. But those powers arent without limits.”

“Or someone or something limits him. He took a slice out of me,” Jordan continued. “Then Rowena sends a little potion home with Dana. You guys saw this yesterday.” He opened his shirt. The cuts were now only fading welts. “They started healing minutes after we slapped the stuff on them. The point is, whatever he did couldnt hold up against Rowena. And whatever she did to counter it couldnt erase it completely.”

“To which we conclude,” Dana finished for him, “that theyre pretty evenly matched.”

“He has weaknesses.” Absently Jordanrebuttoned his shirt. “Ego, pride, temper.”

“Who said those were weaknesses?” Dana wandered over, sat on the arm of the chair Brad had taken. “Anyway, its more. He doesnt really get us—the whole human or mortal thing. He doesnt get us as individuals. He skims the surface, picks up on our little fantasies or fears, but he doesnt really get to the core—or hasnt. Thats how Malory beat him.”

“Yes, but when he has hold of you, its hard to see clearly, hard to know.” Malory shook her head. “We cant underestimate him.”

“Im not. But up to now, I think, he has underestimated us.” Thoughtfully, Dana studied the portrait. “He wants them to suffer, simply because part of them is mortal. Rowena talked of opposing forces: beauty and ugliness, knowledge and ignorance, courage and cowardice. How without one the other loses its punch. So hes the dark, and you cant have light without dark. I figure hes essential to the whole deal, not just an annoyance.”

She hesitated, then took a drink. “Its no secret that Jordan and I were intimate. I dont think its any secret that were… intimate now.”

Jordan waited a beat. “Ive never known you to get flustered talking about sex, Stretch.”

“I just want to make it clear to… people. To you, that Im not sleeping with you as a way to find the key. Even if that has something to do with it,” she continued quickly, “because as somebody told me recently, sex is powerful magic—”

“If you do it right,” Jordan interrupted.

“So lets see what we know,” Brad said, trying to get back on track. “None of this would have happened—past— without Kane.” Brad tapped his index fingers together, “His presence and manipulations influence the search for the key. Present.” He held up a second finger, “And theres no finish to the spell without him.” And a third. “Hes a necessary factor. Theres no reward without work, no victory without effort, no battle won without risk.”

“Its another traditional element of a quest,” Jordan added. “An evil to be overcome.”

“I understand all this,”Zoe said. “And its important. But how does it help Dana find the key?”

“Know your enemy,” Brad told her.

“Thatnutshelled it,” Dana agreed.

“But theres more,” Flynn noted. “Blood has been shed. Another traditional quest element. I can read, too,” he said. “Why was it Jordans blood? Theres a reason for it.”

“Might be because Jordan pissed him off, which hes really good at doing,” Dana said. “But more likely its because I need Jordan to find the key.”

“Stretch, you need me for so many things.”

“Lets ignore the ego burst and stay focused.” Dana gestured with her glass. “The keys knowledge. Something I know, or have to learn. A truth that has to be sifted out from lies. Kane mixes his truth and lies. What is it hes said or done thats truth? Thats one of the angles Im playing. Then theres the last bit of the clue. Where one goddess walks another waits. Thats a stumper so far. Malorys goddess was singing, and she re-created that moment, and the key, by painting it. Following that, my goddess,Niniane , should be walking. But where, why, when? And which goddess waits? Would that beZoes ?”

“Maybe youre supposed to write it,”Zoe suggested. “Like a story, I mean. The way Malory painted hers.”

“Thats not bad.” Dana considered. “The thing is, I never wanted to write, not like Malory wanted to paint. But maybe its something Im supposed to read, and God knows Im not hitting on anything in the six million books Ive gone through so far. So maybe I have to write it myself, first.”

“Maybe Jordan does.” Flynn played absently with Malorys hair as he thought it through. “Hes the writer— not to diminish my own considerable talent, but I report. He just makes shit up.”

“Really good shit,” Jordan reminded him.

“Goes without saying. Im thinking here that if for nothing other than the cohesion and the exercise, Jordan could write all this out. In story form. Maybe when Dana reads it, the scales will fall from her eyes, shell pull out the key, and we can all have a party, with cake.”

“Its not an entirely stupid idea,” Dana decided.

“I think its great.”Zoe shifted in her seat to beam at Jordan. “Will you do it? I just love reading your books, and this would be even more fun.”

“For you, gorgeous?” He picked up her hand and kissed it. “Anything.”

“Im feeling a little queasy.” Dana patted her stomach. “How soon will you have something I can see?” she asked Jordan.

“Okay, now you sound like an editor. It could force me to have a creative tantrum and slow everything down.”

“Do you? Have creative tantrums, I mean.” ToZoe , the idea was fascinating. “Ive always wondered how it works, with artists and all.”

“Oh, God, now shes called him an artist.” Dana got to her feet. “I must go home and lie down.”

Ignoring her, Jordan gaveZoe his attention. “No, not really. Its a job, just happens to be a really great job. My editor—my real editor,” he added with a glance at Dana, “is a woman of discerning taste, skill, and diplomacy.”

“Your editors a woman? How does it work? Do you work with her all the way through a book, or does she tell you what she wants you to do, or…” She trailed off, shook her head. “Sorry. Way, way off topic.”

“Its okay. Do you want to write?”

“Write? Me?” The idea had her exotic eyes going wide before she laughed. “No. I just tike knowing how things work.”

“Speaking of work, weve got a full day of it tomorrow.” Malory gave Flynns hand a pat. “Thats my cue. Ill go round up Moe for you,” Flynn told Dana.

“Im running low on dog food. He eats like an elephant.”

“Ill drop some off.” He caught her face in his hands. “Keep him close, okay?”

“He doesnt give me a lot of choice.”

“Flynn, would you round up Simon, too?” Automatically,Zoe began stacking dishes. “Hes probably attached to Moe at the hip, so he shouldnt give you any trouble.”

“Sure.”

“Wed better cut out too. Im going to see if I can get this one started on his homework.” Dana jerked a thumb at Jordan. “Any tips for that,Zoe ?”

“Bribery. Thats my method.”

Brad stepped over, laid a hand onZoes . And made her jump like a rabbit. “You dont have to bother with those.”

“Sorry.” She instantly set the plates down. “Habit.”

It seemed to Brad that the woman deliberately misinterpreted every second word out of his mouth. “I just meant you dont have to pick up. Anybody want coffee?”

“I do.”

“No, you dont.” Dana gave Jordan a nudge toward the doorway. “Its work for you, pal. You can have coffee when youve gotten a couple of pages done.”

“Bribery.”Zoe nodded approval. “It never fails.”

Moe bounded into the room, a wild blur of fur. In his delight to see everyone, he leaped, licked, swept glasses off the coffee table with an exuberant tail, and nosed his way into a plate of cocktail shrimp before he could be controlled.

“Sorry, sorry.” With one hand hooked in Moes collar, Flynn dragged the dog, or was dragged by him, toward the door. “Ill put him in Jordans car. Bill me for damages. See you. Oh,Zoe , Simon needs a few more minutes to finish a game. Jesus Christ, Moe! Hold up!”

“This is my life now,” Malory said happily. “Its kind of great. Thanks, Brad, sorry about the dishes. See you tomorrow,Zoe , Dana. Night, Jordan.”

“I have to go save my upholstery.” Jordan grabbed Danas arm and pulled her toward the door. “Later.”

“Stop yanking me. Smooches, Brad. See you in the morning,Zoe .”

The door slammed behind them, and there was absolute silence.

It had all happened so fast, was allZoe could think. Shed never intended to be the last one to leave. It was horrible. Horrifying.

She considered running into the game room and grabbing Simon, but she wasnt exactly sure where it was. And she could hardly stand where she was and shout for him. Still, she needed to do something .

She bent down to pick up the glasses Moe had knocked to the floor. At exactly the same moment, so did Brad.

Their heads bumped. Each of them straightened quickly, then stood taut as bows.

“Ill get them.” He crouched, gathered up the glasses, set them on the coffee table. He was close enough to catch her scent now. It was always different, sometimes earthy, sometimes light, always very female.

It was one of the fascinating things about her, he mused. The variety of her.

“Coffee?”

“I really should just get Simon. Its nearly his bedtime.”

“Oh. Well. Okay.”

When he just stood, looking at her,Zoe felt embarrassed heat creeping up the back of her neck. Had she done something wrong? Left out something?

“Thanks for having us.”

“Glad you could make it.”

During the next long pause, she had to make a conscious effort not to bite her lip. “Simon? I dont know exactly where he is.”

“The game room. Oh.” Amused at both of them, Brad laughed. “You dont know where the game room is. Come on, Ill take you back.”

The moreZoe saw of the house, the more in love with it, and intimidated by it, she was. To begin with, there was so much of it, all of it charming or stunning or just lovely. She imagined the things she noticed on tables or shelves were several levels up from knickknacks.

Brad veered off through an archway into what she assumed was some sort of library. The soaring ceiling was done in wood and made the room feel open while still managing to be co2y.

“Theres so much room.” She stopped, appalled that shed spoken out loud.

“The story is, once my father got started, he couldnt stop. Hed get another idea, add it into the design.”

“Its a wonderful house,” she said quickly. “So much detail without being fussy. You mustve loved growing up here.”

“I did.”

He stepped into another room.Zoe already heard the roar of engines, the vicious gunfire, the breathless chant— come on, come on, come on—of her son.

The video game was some sort of urban car war that flashed over an enormous wall-size TV screen. Simon sat cross-legged on the floor rather than in one of the cushy recliners in a room that fulfilled every boys fantasy.

A pool table, three pinball machines, two video-arcade games. Slot machines, a soda machine, a jukebox.

The ceiling here was coffered, framed in honey-toned wood that shielded strips of lights.

There was another fireplace, with cheerful flames snapping, as well as a small, glossy bar and a second television with an entire cabinet devoted to various components.

“Gosh. This is Simon Michael McCourts personal version of heaven.”

“My dad loves toys. We spent a lot of time in here.”

“I bet.” She stepped up behind her son. “Simon. We have to go.”

“Not yet, not yet.” His face was fierce with concentration. “This is Grand Theft Auto Three! Im really close, really close to having them call out the National Guard. Tanks and everything! Im kicking Swat Team butt. I could set a record. Ten more minutes.”

“Simon. Mr. Vane needs his house back.”

“Mr. Vane is fine with this,” Brad corrected.

“Please, Mom. Please. Tanks.”

She wavered. She saw more than the heat of competition on his face as he stared at the screen. She saw joy.

Someone died on-screen with a great deal of splashing blood, and from the delighted cackle she figured it wasnt Simon.

“Its a little violent,” Brad realized and winced. “If you dont want him playing this sort of thing—”

“Simon knows the difference between reality and video games.”

“Right. Good. Why dont we go have that coffee?” Brad suggested. “A few more minutes cant hurt.”

“All right. Ten minutes, Simon.”

“Okay, Mom, thanks, Mom. Im going to do it,” he mumbled, already back in the groove. “Im going to do it.”

“Its nice of you to let him play with your things,”Zoe began as they left Simon to the battle. “He talked about being out here before for days.”

“Hes a great kid. Fun to be around.”

“I certainly think so.”

She found herself in the kitchen with him—another spacious, stunning room. This one done in bright, cheerful white and toasty yellows that would make it seem sunny even on a gloomy day.

She coveted the acres of counter space, the forest of cupboards, some with gorgeous seeded glass. She admired the sleek appliances that had to make cooking a creative joy rather than a mundane chore.

Then it occurred to her that she was, once again, alone with him.

“You know, I should just go back with Simon, and let you… do whatever. Well be out of your way quicker.”

He finished measuring out coffee before he turned to her. “Why do you think I want you out of my way?”

“Im sure you have things to do.”

“Not so much.”

“Well, I do. A million things. I should really be ready to pry Simon away before he loses control and starts another game. Ill just go get him, and well let ourselves out.”

“I dont get it.” Forgetting the coffee, Brad stepped closer to her. “I really dont get it.”

“What?”

“Youre comfortable enough with Flynn and Jordan to flirt with them, but two minutes with me and youre not only blowing cold, youre halfway out the door.”

“Its not flirting.” Her voice went sharp. “Not like that. Were friends. Theyre Malorys and Danas boyfriends, for Petes sake. And if you think Im the sort of person whod—”

“Then theres that,” Brad continued with what he considered admirable calm. “The way you automatically jump to conclusions, usually the wrong ones, when it comes to me.”

“I dont know what youre talking about. In the first place, I barely know you.”

“Thats not true. People get to know each other pretty quickly in intense situations. Were in one, and weve been in one for close to two months now. Weve spent time together, we have good mutual friends, and youve cooked me dinner.”

“I didnt cook you dinner.” Her chin came up. “You happened to be at the house when I cooked dinner. You ate. Thats different.”

“Point for you,” he acknowledged. “You know, for some reason your response to me causes me to start sounding like my father when hes annoyed. Theres this tone he gets in his voice, this change of body language. Used to bug the hell out of me when I was a kid.”

“I have no intention of bugging the hell out of you. Well leave.”

In Brads mind there was a time for talk and there was a time for action. When you were fed up, it was time for action. He closed a hand over her arm to keep her in place, watched temper and nerves rush across her truly spectacular face.

“There it is,” he told her. “Your usual response to me. Annoyance and/or nervousness. Ive been asking myself why that is. I spend a lot of time asking myself questions about you.”

“Then you must have a lot of time to waste. Let go. Im leaving.”

“And one of my theories is,” he continued easily, “this.”

He cupped his other hand at the nape of her neck, pulled her forward, and kissed her.

Hed wanted to kiss her for weeks. Maybe for years. Hed wanted the taste of her on his lips, on his tongue, in his blood. And the feel of her, he thought as he slipped an arm around her waist to bring her more firmly against him.

Her mouth was so full, soripe,sand much more potent than hed anticipated. Her body quivered once against his, in shock, in response. At the moment it didnt matter.

Just as it didnt matter if this single act was taken as a declaration of war or an offer of peace. He only knew hed slowly been going mad waiting to hold her.

Shed hesitated instead of pushing him away. And that, she would think later, when thinking was an option again, was her mistake.

He was warm and hard, and his mouth was skilled. And God, it had been so long since shed been pressed against a man. She felt the need lift inside her, from the toes to the belly to the throat, followed by that long, lovely pull and flutter that took it all the way back down.

For one mad moment, she drew him in. The male scent and flavor, the strength and the passion, and let it tumble through her in a kind of joyful spree.

It was like a carnival, like the giddiest of rides when you couldnt be sure—not absolutely—that you wouldnt be flung out of your seat and into the air.

And wasnt that fabulous?

Then she slammed on the brakes. What choice did she have? She knew what happened when you rode too fast, too hard, too high.

And this wasnt her place, this wasnt her man. What was hers—her child—was playing in the next room.

She pulled out of Brads arms.

He was shaken, right down to the soles of his feet, but he stared into her eyes and nodded coolly. “I think that made my point.”

She was no quaking virgin, and a long way from being an easy mark. She didnt step back, that would have been retreat, but stood firm and kept her eyes level with his. “Lets get a few things straight. I like men. I like their company, their conversation, their humor. I happen to be raising one of my own, and I intend to do a good job of it.”

She looked, he thought, like an angry, and aroused, wood nymph. “You are doing a good job of it.”

“I like kissing men—the right man, the right circumstances. I like sex, under the same conditions.”

His eyes warmed to a deep, foggy gray that was unexpected and compelling. The charming creases in his cheeks—too manly,Zoe thought, to be called dimples— deepened. Her fingers itched to trace those creases, and the sensation warned her she was in trouble. “Thats a relief to me.”

“Youd better understand that I make the conditions at this point in my life. The fact that I have a kid and Im not married doesnt make me easy.”

Angry shock leaped into his face. “For Christs sake,Zoe . Where did we veer from me finding you interesting and attractive and wanting to kiss you to finding you easy?”

“I want to be clear, thats all. Just like Im going to be clear that nobody uses my kid to get to me.”

The shock, the anger iced over. The chill hit him from a foot away. “If you assume thats what Im doing, youre insulting all three of us.”

She felt twin jolts of guilt and embarrassment. As she started to speak, Simon flew into the room. “I rule! Beat your high score, sucker!” He danced around Brad, shaking his index fingers in the air in a victory dance.

With effort, Brad folded his emotions further inside, then hooked an arm around Simons neck. “A momentary event, I promise you. Gloat while you have the chance, you midget.”

“Next time Im beating your butt in the NBA play-offs.”

“Never happen. And when I humiliate you, you will crawl to me on your belly like the insignificant worm you are.”

As she watched the exchange, saw their obvious enjoyment of each other, her guilt only increased. “Simon, we have to go.”

“Okay. Thanks for letting me mop the floor withya .”

“Im just luring you in, so crushing you will be more gratifying.” With his arm still around the boy, he looked at the mother. “Ill get your coats.”