Nightmare - A Novel Part 19

Mother Ara was in the living room. A handprint in the dust on the piano lid showed where she had smacked it, presumably in triumph. Tan stood by the couch, her braid over oneshoulder.

"What's the matter?" Tan and Kendi asked in unison.

"The chocolates," Mother Ara said. "They were bothering me, but I couldn't say why. I didn't especially notice them before."

"Neither did I," Tan rasped. "So what?"

"There's a chocolate missing. See?" Mother Ara opened the box and held it so Tan could get a look.

"She probably ate one," Tan said. Then her expression grew interested. "You think the killer ate it? Might be able to find traces of saliva, but it's a slim-"

"No," Mother Ara interrupted. "I saw Iris's medical records. Wasn't she allergic to chocolate?"

Tan rubbed her chin. "I think she was, yeah. So why-"

"-would she have chocolates in the house at all?" Mother Ara finished with a victorious gleam in her eye. "Her boyfriend would almost certainly have known about her allergy and not given them to her. And she herself wouldn't have eaten one. So who gave them to her and who took the missing one?"

"It's worth asking the boyfriend about," Tan said doubtfully. "Might have brought them over for himself. Or she might have bought them for him him and he left them here." and he left them here."

"I may be grasping at straws here," Mother Ara said, "but Iris was the twelfth victim. There were twelve chocolates in the box and now one is missing. What if the killer 'gave' them to her and then took one himself?"

Tan still looked doubtful. "We'll check into it, I guess. Don't get your hopes up, though."

"Maybe we should count the shoes," Kendi said.

Blank looks followed. Kendi took the two women into the bedroom and explained. "Iris was too neat to leave her shoes jumbled around like that," he finished excitedly. "Maybe the killer did it or something."

"But why would he?" Tan asked.

"I don't know," Kendi admitted. "But serial killers do weird stuff, right? Maybe this is one of them." He knelt down and started sorting shoes. With the air of someone who was humoring a child, Tan joined in. Mother Ara watched from the door. In short order, they discovered there were eleven shoes in the pile. Ten of them made pairs, leaving one extra. The trio searched the closet, then looked under the bed and in the dresser. The mate was nowhere to be found.

"It's a clue," Kendi said breathlessly. "Twelve shoes, but one's missing. Twelve chocolates, but one's missing."

Tan was looking more excited now. "Twelve victims, but one finger is missing. The killer is taking souvenirs. Dammit, I can't believe we missed this."

"Fresh pairs of eyes," Mother Ara said. "Do you suppose there's anything like this in the other houses?"

Visibly restraining her enthusiasm, Tan got to her feet. "We should search through this house first. Look for anything else that comes in twelves-eggs, flowers, sets of dishes, anything. And good work. Both of you."

Kendi glowed with pride and excitedly set to work searching the rest of the house, but no other sets of twelve came up. Tan gathered up the shoes and the chocolates as evidence, though she said there was little hope of finding anything on them.

"The killer's too smart to leave his DNA on them," she explained.

"What about sweeping for trace DNA?" Mother Ara said. "If the killer came in to cut off Iris's finger and take souvenirs, he couldn't avoid leaving skin cells behind."

"The same," Tan replied, "goes for all the other people who have ever set foot in this house. It's at least thirty years old. If we sweep for trace DNA, we'll get hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of sequences. It would take years just to sort them out, let alone identify who they belonged to. Come on-I want to get another look at Vera Cheel's house."

Mother Ara turned to Kendi. "You don't need to come," she said. "Cheel's house is a recent crime scene, and there's a greater chance the news services will have found out about it and be there by now."

"I was there before," Kendi protested.

"Only because I needed you there to recreate the Dream scene," Mother Ara said firmly. "That was risky enough. I don't want you endangered, and I certainly don't want your face skating up and down the news webs. Inspector Tan and I can handle this ourselves." She put a hand on his shoulder. "You were invaluable, Kendi. None of us will forget that, all right? I promise I'll tell you all about it."

"Just don't talk to anyone else," Tan added.

"But what am I supposed to do all day?" Kendi asked, feeling only slightly mollified by Mother Ara's words.

"Do what you like, as long as you don't stay by yourself." She cleared her throat. "Kendi, I know this is a sensitive issue with you, but-well, I'd feel a lot better if you talked about this with someone. You witnessed a horrible act and you were almost killed. You really should talk about this with-"

"Not right now," Kendi said. "I'm okay. A little shaky, but okay. I don't need a therapist-or a counselor."

"Kendi, you can't-" Mother Ara halted and pressed her lips together at the expression on Kendi's face. "All right. We'll discuss it later. Like I said, do what you like for now. Go to cla.s.s if you feel up to it, or stay at my house for the day."

With Ben. Kendi scratched his ear. Maybe being left out wouldn't be so bad after all.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

Even a gift can be poison.

-Daniel Vik

Ben was waiting when Kendi arrived at his and Ara's house. "Well?" he asked without preamble.

"I found a clue," Kendi said eagerly, and told him what had gone on. Even though Inspector Tan had told him not to talk about the investigation, he didn't think the prohibition included Ben. Ben's blue eyes went wider and wider as Kendi spoke, and he found himself embellishing on some of the details. His chest swelled and he felt like a hero, as if he had caught the murderer instead of just finding a potential clue.

They were on the living room sofa. Kendi had pulled his long legs up and he felt rather like a gra.s.shopper. Ben sat cross-legged next to him. He wore black sweats and white socks. The weather had grown heavy and moist, and there was a faint electric charge in the air. Black-bottomed clouds were visible through the windows. Kendi was glad of an excuse to stay indoors. It wouldn't be much fun changing cla.s.ses in the rain. Although water falling from the sky had been a rarity for him in Australia, it had been all too common on Giselle Blanc's frog farm, and most of the time he and the other slaves had been forced to continue working in it. Rain was no longer fun or a novelty.

"It must've been creepy," Ben said. "I wish I could have gone."

Kendi laughed. "I got creeped out a couple times," he admitted. "I kept expecting to find a dead body or something." He scratched his nose and gave Ben a sidelong glance. His red hair gleamed softly in the lamplight and a light scattering of freckles gave his face a boyish look. He was shorter than Kendi, and stockier. It made him come across as solid and immovable, unlike the ever-shifting, always-changing Dream.

Kendi shifted position to sit cross-legged like Ben. Their knees almost touched, and Kendi could feel Ben's body heat. A coppery taste filled his mouth. Pup and Pitr Pup and Pitr, he thought. Remember Pup and Pitr Remember Pup and Pitr. He made himself lean casually back against the rear of the couch.

"So what have you been doing while I was gone?" Kendi asked.

"Working out." Ben pantomimed lifting weights.

"Getting some definition?"

Ben flushed slightly. "A little. See?" He rolled up his sleeve, displaying a solid arm just as a heavy sheet of rain crashed against the window. Ben dropped his arm and looked nervously at the ceiling. It sounded like someone had dropped thousands of marbles on the roof.

"Don't like storms?" Kendi said.

"No," Ben said shortly. "It's stupid, I guess, but-"

Thunder smashed through the room loud as a cannon. Ben jumped sideways and ended up half-tangled with Kendi. They struggled for a moment, and Kendi was intensely aware of Ben's warm body against his own. After a moment, they separated.

"Sorry," Ben said sheepishly. His eyes, bluer than deep pools of water, didn't leave Kendi's face. "Thunder always does that to me."

"Yeah." Kendi's voice was thick. "That was a big one."

Ben's eyes stayed on Kendi's, and Kendi didn't want to look away. His heart beat fast as the raindrops. Was he reading this right? Or was he wrong again, like he had been with Pitr and with Pup? He wanted to know, yet he didn't. Slowly, Kendi's hand crept toward Ben's.

Someone pounded on the front door. Ben jerked back and jumped to his feet. "Who the h.e.l.l?"

Kendi sat up. Ben hurried to the foyer as the pounding continued. Kendi sighed. It was for the best. So far Kendi had fallen twice for someone who wasn't interested. This was probably a third time. He should put Ben out of his mind. He should- Ben came back into the living room leading a dripping Dorna, Jeren, Willa, and Kite. They were laughing, even Willa, and Dorna's eyes sparkled with merriment.

"You got any towels?" Jeren asked.

Ben nodded and trotted out of the room. Kendi got up. "What the h.e.l.l are you guys doing here?"

Kite shook himself like a dog. His s.h.a.ggy, dark hair flung water droplets in all directions. "We're looking for you. You haven't been in your room lately, and we thought you might be here."

"Why didn't you just call instead of running out in the rain?"

"It wasn't raining when we left," Dorna said. "Where have you been?"

Kendi opened his mouth to tell them about the investigation, then remembered Inspector Tan's warning. "Studying with Mother Ara," he said instead. "Tutoring. You know."

Ben came back with an armload of towels and distributed them about the room. Jeren made brrrrrrrr brrrrrrrr noises as he dried his hair, and it stood out in brown spikes. The scar around his left eye stood out sharply against his skin. Willa dried herself with quiet efficiency and handed the towel back to Ben with a soft "Thank you." Dorna wrapped hers around her hair like a turban and Kite dropped his around his neck. noises as he dried his hair, and it stood out in brown spikes. The scar around his left eye stood out sharply against his skin. Willa dried herself with quiet efficiency and handed the towel back to Ben with a soft "Thank you." Dorna wrapped hers around her hair like a turban and Kite dropped his around his neck.

"We wanted to know if you wanted to play Hide and Seek," Dorna said.

Kendi shot a look at the window. Water sheeted down the pane in a solid gray ma.s.s. "Uh-"

"Not outside, dummy," Kite said. "In the Dream."

"Oh." Kendi looked at Ben. "I-"

"It'll be great!" Jeren enthused, stepping forward and blocking Ben from Kendi's view. "Dorna said it's great practice, and we all need the d.a.m.n hours. Whoever's It gets to choose the landscape."

"And we're going to play for money," Kite said. "Whoever's It has to pay five freemarks to the first person to touch home base, and anyone who gets tagged has to pay It five freemarks."

It sounded like fun and Kendi found himself caught up in the enthusiasm. It would also take his mind off the fact that Ara and Tan were out there investigating Vera Cheel's house and he wasn't.

"Sounds great!" he said. "Let's-" Then he noticed Ben again. He was standing in the doorway to the hall, several wet towels in his hand. Ben wasn't Silent, which meant he couldn't play. Kendi hesitated. "Hey, maybe we should do something else. I mean, you know, something we can all do."

"No," Ben said in a neutral voice. "Go ahead. I should finish my workout anyway. You can use the living room."

"Hey, thanks Ben," Jeren said before Kendi could respond. He turned his back on Ben and brandished a red dermospray. "Everyone got theirs?"

Kendi produced his own from his pocket, then shot a guilty glance at the doorway. Maybe he should back out, go do something with Ben. But Ben was already gone. Kendi stood there, torn.

"Just got mine refilled before I hooked up with you guys," Dorna said. "I've been out of drugs for two days now, and I kept forgetting to go back."

"Drat it," Willa muttered. "I've only got one dose left after this one. I'll have to go to the dispensary in the morning. I hope it stops raining by then."

Jeren thumped his dermospray, then turned to Kendi. "Here, let me." He s.n.a.t.c.hed Kendi's spray and pressed it against Kendi's arm before he could say anything. The familiar thump thump sounded as it shoved the drug under Kendi's skin. Willa and Kite followed suit. sounded as it shoved the drug under Kendi's skin. Willa and Kite followed suit.

"Uh, thanks," Kendi said. "I guess we better get into position."

Dorna and Kite took easy chairs. Willa sat on the floor in the lotus position and Jeren stretched out on the couch. Kendi positioned himself on his spear.

"You are one weird Aussie," Jeren said. "Aren't you afraid you'll slip and that thing'll get you in the b.a.l.l.s?"

"No," Kendi said shortly, suddenly annoyed at Jeren. "You better be quiet. It's easier to get there without a lot of noise."

Jeren shrugged and lapsed into silence as Kendi closed his eyes.

A few moments later, the five of them were standing on the flat, featureless plain that marked neutral territory in the Dream. Kendi was the last to arrive, since he had to leave his cave and walk to the edge of the Outback before he could join the others, who had already learned to transport themselves. Whispers hissed around them.

"Who's It?" Willa asked. In the Dream, Kendi noticed, she seemed taller, more sure of herself.

"My mother and your mother were hanging out the clothes," Kite chanted, pointing to each person at each word. "My mother socked your mother in the nose. What color was the blood?" His finger landed on Jeren.

"Green," Jeren said. "Like snot."

"G-R-E-E-N and you are It It." Kite's finger pointed at himself. "My turf, then. Here goes."

He spread his arms wide. The ground rumbled and the air swirled. Green shoots speared up from the ground, thickened, and widened into solid, leafy walls. New-mown gra.s.s sprouted beneath Kendi's bare feet. The air coalesced into fluffy clouds and bright sunlight. In a few moments the group was standing in the center of a garden maze. White marble statues gleamed above granite benches, and a fountain sprayed cool water high into the air.

"There are lots of entrances to the center," Kite announced, and Kendi counted eight. "It isn't a real maze-there are also lots of pathways and openings."

"Lots of places to hide, in other words," Dorna said. "Let's go."

Kite plucked a blindfold out of thin air and tied it around his eyes. Kendi marveled at the other boy's control. So far conjuring objects had proven difficult for him, though he was becoming adept at molding landscapes. Kite started counting.

"Why the f.u.c.k are we standing here?" Jeren said. "Run!"

They scattered. Kendi dodged into the twisting hedge-lined paths until he was alone. Whispers murmured sibilants all around him. He could sense other people moving about in the maze like a swimmer senses ripples in a pond, but it was hard to figure out exactly where they were. He closed his eyes and tried to sense who was where. Jeren was off that way. Willa was two pathways over. Dorna was ...was ...Kendi furrowed his forehead in concentration. He had a hard time fixing on her. And where was- Kite barreled around the corner. Kendi felt him coming and his eyes popped open. With a whoop and a yell, Kite pounced. Kendi dodged and fled, trying to remember which way home base was. Kite stayed right behind him. Kendi concentrated as he ran. He needed an obstacle, something to slow Kite down. The earth rumbled, and a boulder burst out of the ground between the two of them, blocking the pathway. The smell of damp earth filled the air. Kendi continued to run down the leafy corridor. An opening to home base was just ahead of him.

"Oh, no you don't," Kite said from the other side of the rock. Tendrils of plants and vines shot inward from the two hedges, weaving themselves into a thick barrier just ahead of Kendi, who screeched to a halt. Kite started to clamber over the boulder, but it was too smooth for good purchase and he slid back to the ground. Kendi tried to push through the vegetation. It was too thick. He needed something to cut through it, or a way to go over it.

Kendi felt Kite's mind pressing on his own. The boulder started to crack. Kendi wanted the rock to exist, big and solid, while Kite wanted it to crumble into rubble. Whichever one of them could force his own perception on the other would win. They were on Kite's turf, which gave him an advantage, but Kendi's Silence was strong. Dozens of cracks raced over the boulder's surface, and Kendi could feel it weakening. Kendi narrowed his eyes. He wanted a solid boulder. He wanted the cracks to disappear. They would disappear now now. There was a moment of resistance, then the cracks smoothed over and vanished.

"Home free!" yelled Jeren from the center of the maze.