CHAPTER TWENTY

 

 

GRAHAM NOBLE

 

With everyone gone, Graham expected to catch up on his sleep, but instead, the phone woke him up. His sister called to say she and the others were taking Kelly to DGI because she’d been seriously injured and the Marshalls had attacked them at the house with destroyers.

He told her he wouldn’t be of any use at DGI, so he refused to go into Denver. He knew Rayna seemed disappointed, but he didn’t realize she wanted him to be there for her. Graham was more concerned about himself. He had to get things ready for the doctors to work on prepping Didracomine. This drug could be his legacy.

Graham knew he wasn’t going to be able to get any more sleep, so he called Bitterman to come pick him up, dressed, and headed down to wait for his car.

At one in the morning, the hotel was quiet. Outside, he could hear sirens in the distance. The air was a little chilly, but while he preferred warm weather, he and his family settled here because they hoped the Marshalls would search for them in the warmer climates.

While he waited for the car to arrive, he considered his options. Had he been Americanized enough to stand up to Thomas should he come face-to-face with the man again? Or would he fall back on tradition, kneel down, and give up his life? Honor meant everything in his older life, but here it seemed to have little value. For years, he’d watched politicians caught in sex scandals, and they were always able to come back from them. Stories of redemption resonated in this culture. Where Graham came from, redemption was available only in death. Sex wasn’t much of a scandal, but abandoning your duties in life certainly was. And the Noble family had definitely done that and worse.

So it seemed his choices were to allow himself to be killed and, thus, atone for his crimes, or to try to kill the Marshalls, which would compound them. Graham liked being alive, and he liked being rich in a world that worshipped money. Did honor really matter? Was it a core value, or could he discard it as he’d done with his responsibilities back home? Of course, he’d been a child then. Things were different now.

In his mind, it all came back to the drug. If he could get it to work without Lucas or himself assisting the patients, he’d have his own redemption, and he’d earn the respect of the medical field. That mattered more to him than anything else because it would ensure a better legacy for the Noble family.

While Jonathan had told him to remain here, he knew he wasn’t safe anywhere as long as the Marshall Clan had destroyers. Leaving the hotel against Jonathan’s orders did two things. First, it showed that he didn’t take orders from anyone, and second, if there were destroyers after him, it would protect the other guests in the hotel.

Bitterman pulled up to the curb, exited the limo, and moved around to open Graham’s door for him. In his homeland, Graham would have been a servant. That station was decided by birth and could not change.

“Thank you,” Graham said as he entered the car.

Bitterman started. “Um, you’re welcome?”

Graham realized it was the first time he had ever thanked Bitterman for his services. Payment was thanks enough, perhaps, but he wondered about that. How did he go from being destined to servitude to being one of the privileged few?

“I know I woke you and took you away from your family,” Graham said.

“I’m on call twenty-four/seven, sir. Are you feeling all right?”

“I’m fine.”

Bitterman nodded and closed Graham’s door. “Where to, sir?” Bitterman asked as he slid into the driver’s seat.

“Home.”

Bitterman glanced over the seat at him, eyes wide and concerned, but then he shrugged and put the car in gear. Bitterman must know his place, Graham thought. Do I?

He didn’t speak on the ride home. Instead, he pondered his place in the world. He liked being on top. He liked being the boss. He liked the power and the respect. He didn’t want to lose those things. He focused his thoughts. His upbringing might dictate that he respect Thomas, but he refused to be limited by his past. Thomas was just a former employer who needed to let go of his vendetta. Graham had never personally done anything to Thomas or any of the Marshalls. And he refused to accept responsibility for the actions of his father for stealing Clara from the Marshalls then leaving the other realm, and his uncle for killing Vanessa.

Bitterman pulled up and stopped before the open security gate. “Um, sir?” he said.

Graham leaned forward and scanned the property through the windshield. The porch light was on. He didn’t see any movement. One of the front doors was closed, but the other wasn’t even on the hinges. He could see it lying on the floor, butted up against the staircase. “It’s all right. Let’s go in.”

“Are you sure, sir? Perhaps we should call the police.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Bitterman shook his head and pulled forward.

He parked next to the Lamborghini, stepped out of the limo, and opened Graham’s door. “Will you be needing my services again tonight?” he asked.

Graham shook his head. “No thanks, Bitterman. Go on home to your wife.”

“Sir, she left me last year.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

Bitterman nodded.

Graham started toward the front door but stopped and turned back. “Bitterman?”

The man stopped his slide into the seat and rose to look at Graham over the vehicle. “Yes, sir?”

“Have you enjoyed working for me so far?”

“Excuse me, sir?”

“Your position is secure, Bitterman, but I want an honest answer. Have we been good employers?”

“You pay me on time, and you pay me well. That, sir, is all I ask from an employer.”

Graham considered that. “Very well. Thank you, Bitterman.”

“You’re welcome, sir.”

Graham looked at the door lying by the staircase as he approached the house. He’d have to call someone to put it back in place. Could he do that now, or should he wait until the sun came up? He stepped through the entrance. He started to call to Jenkins but remembered Jenkins was dead. He realized that he took his servants for granted. He himself would have been taken for granted had he grown up in his homeland. It altered his perspective.

The bloodstains on the floor where Chantelle and Tess died were still there, and Graham stared at them. Evidently Rayna had left the lights on when she, Shade, and Brand took Kelly out of the house. She was normally better about turning off the lights when she left. As if her nod toward energy conservation made a difference when they lived in a home such as this. Back home they’d have lived in a small cottage if they were lucky—a cottage that by American standards would have been little more than a shack.

Graham started up the stairs when he saw movement above him. Kent, Mark, and Nathan Marshall blocked his path on the landing. He heard footsteps and turned to see Francis, Henry, and Robert take up positions at the foot of the stairs.

Thomas left the drawing room with Peter by his side. They stopped and gazed up at Graham as Matthew entered the foyer from the kitchen.

“The running is over,” Thomas said.

Graham shrugged. “I haven’t been running.”

“Your protectors aren’t here now.”

“I never asked for them.”

“Talented crew,” Thomas said. “In addition to four of my sons, they killed two destroyers.”

“Just so you know, they’re going to kill all of you.”

“I doubt that but it doesn’t matter. You won’t be around to see how the dust settles.”

Honor dictated that he surrender, go down and kneel before Thomas. He should lower his head and allow them to decapitate him. Then his sins would be forgiven and he would bring honor to his family name. But he had so much to do. He fought against his ingrained need to follow the family way. They hadn’t followed that path when they came to Colorado. They certainly hadn’t lived as their birthright suggested. Most of his life, he’d lived in America. The other world seemed like a dream to him. He refused to give in to a hazy memory of times gone by.

“Do my sons need to escort you down here to face me?” Thomas asked. Kent, Mark, and Nathan began descending the stairs toward him.

“That won’t be necessary,” Graham said. He moved down the steps; nodded to Francis, Henry, and Robert; and took up a position facing Thomas.

“I’m glad you came to your senses. Kneel.”

Graham shook his head. “I have a better idea.”

“Do the honorable thing, Graham. Don’t taint your family name any further.”

“Lucas is the one who wronged you, Thomas. To a lesser extent, my father too. However, Rayna and I were children. We had no say. You already killed my parents. There’s no reason to kill me or Rayna. I can tell you where to find Lucas.”

“We know where Lucas is living,” Thomas said. “You’ve lived in this decadent world so long, you’ve forgotten your place. Kneel.”

“What if I give you Jonathan Shade? He killed three of your sons.”

“We’ll deal with him when the opportunity arises. Now are you going to kneel, or are you going to dishonor your family?”

The Marshalls closed in on him but didn’t touch him. They blocked his escape but tried to allow him to hold his honor.

“You can’t fight history, Graham. Your fate was decided when Lucas murdered Vanessa and when Stephen stole and killed my inheritance.”

“How is it right that I should pay the price for what others have done? I had nothing to do with your wife’s death, and I certainly had nothing to do with the theft of your dragon. My father felt horrible about how things went down. Vanessa wasn’t supposed to be there. Lucas didn’t mean to kill her. He was just trying to keep her quiet.”

“You weren’t there,” Thomas said.

“But I’ve heard the story my entire life.”

“That changes nothing. My wife is dead, my dragon is dead, and now that I’ve found you, I can bring honor to my house by seeing to it that your family line ends with you. Kneel!”

Graham hesitated but as the Marshall brothers started to reach for him, he dropped to his knees.

“That’s better. Bow your head. This will be over quickly.”

“I don’t want to die,” Graham said.

“Yes, you do. That’s why you came back here. You knew we’d be waiting. You knew it would shame your father for you to keep hiding like a child behind a woman’s skirt.”

“I suspected you’d be here, but I didn’t come here to die.”

Thomas shook his head. “Have you no shred of honor?”

“What if I told you your dragon is alive and well?”

“The dragon couldn’t pass through the gate. It was disintegrated.”

“Clara is alive, Thomas. Wizards from this world used their magic to protect her as she passed through the gate to this world. Let me live, and I’ll take you to her.”

“Your parents would have told me if she’d lived. They were her caretakers.”

“I’m telling the truth. I say again, grant me my life, and I’ll return her to you.”

Thomas scratched his chin. His sons grew restless, but they knew their place and remained silent. “She’s truly alive?”

“As you said, she was our responsibility. My family has cared for her all these years. You were going to slay her. My father couldn’t live with that.”

“Is that what he told you?” Thomas shook his head. “You’ve grown up on lies, boy. Vanessa and I were going to move the dragon to a new castle nearer the kingdom. Stephen and Lucas were going to stay behind. They begged and pleaded with me to allow them to come along to care for the dragon, but there was a better family waiting for her to prepare her for mating. Your family discarded honor by stealing her. The only way you can regain honor for your family name is to bow your head and give your life.”

“I think I’d prefer life to honor,” Graham said. “Spare my life, and Clara is yours.”

“The dragon is mine. Bow your head or do my sons need to do it for you?”

Graham took a deep breath. He realized his entire life had led him to this moment. And now it was over. His future drained away in his mind until it extended mere moments into the future. He would never see Rayna again. He would never work with the other doctors to perfect Didracomine. He would never see another sunrise. He could face death begging, or he could be strong and accept it. Ultimately, to honor his father, he bowed his head.

“Peter? Would you do the honors?” Thomas said.

Peter was the same age as Graham. They had played together as children. Graham fought back tears and willed his heart to slow down. He forced his fear away and stared at the floor.

He watched Peter’s boots as Peter walked by and took up his position. Graham listened to the whisper of steel on leather as Peter drew his sword.

He took one last breath, let go of his regrets, and was dead before his head hit the floor.

 

JONATHAN SHADE

 

My phone woke me up. I sat up and pulled the phone from my pocket. The display just showed a 720 number, so it was a local number, probably a cell, but the caller wasn’t in my contact list. I hit answer.

“Shade Investigations,” I said around a yawn.

“Mr. Shade, this is Detective Kramer. Where are you right now?”

“I’m in Denver. Tech Center. Why?”

“Is Rayna Noble with you?”

I rubbed sleep from my eyes. “Yes, she is. Why are you calling?”

“I’m calling about Graham Noble.”

“He’s at a hotel. If you have a valid reason to talk to him, I can get him on the line for you.”

“Um, no, he’s at his house. I’m looking at him right now.”

“He was supposed to stay at the hotel. Put him on the line.”

“That’s not going to happen, Mr. Shade. Let me rephrase. I’m looking at his head. His body is three feet away.”

The grogginess vanished in a flash. I got out of bed and padded to the door opposite the room where Kelly was recovering. I stepped into the hall so I wouldn’t wake Rayna and Brand.

“Are you still there?” she asked.

I eased the door closed behind myself. “Uh, yeah, I’m here. When did this happen?”

“I don’t have an official time of death yet. Coroner estimates six or eight hours based on the state of the body and the consistency of the blood on the floor.”

I lowered my phone to check the time: 9:57. “You’re telling me he was decapitated like his parents?”

“That’s right. And I think you know who did it.”

“I do.”

“Care to share that information.”

“A man named Thomas Marshall, but he’s not from Colorado, and I don’t have an address for him. He and his sons are trying to kill my clients. Well, client now.”

“Clearly they hired the wrong people. Why didn’t you give me this information yesterday? You said, and I quote, ‘It’s been quiet.’ No mention of Thomas Marshall.”

“I apologize for that, Detective. At the time, I didn’t have Mr. Marshall’s name. That came to light last night.”

“I don’t believe you. Care to tell me why you allowed Dr. Noble to return to his home? It was still a crime scene. He wasn’t supposed to be here, but we can tell there have been quite a few people in the house since we taped it off. We found a massive puddle of blood upstairs too.”

“Anything else?”

“Such as?”

“Other bodies? If you found a massive puddle of blood, I would expect at least one more body.”

“We searched the rest of the house. There was a head in the sink in the master bath. There were bloodstains in the closet next to an open panic room in the master bedroom. The door to that panic room looked like someone rammed a Mack truck into it over and over again. Do you know anything about that?”

“I’m afraid not,” I said.

“And the lies just keep on coming. We found a bunch of nine-millimeter shells in the master bedroom too. If we can pull any prints from them, do you have any idea who they might belong to?”

The odds of getting prints were slim. The climate in Colorado is too dry, but she knew that, so I just said, “No clue.” Ballistics would give me away if they found any bullets, but she’d need a court order to test my gun.

“I suppose I’m done asking you questions you won’t answer.”

“You know I didn’t kill Graham or you’d have someone here to arrest me.”

“For all you know, we’re tracing this call and we’ll show up to arrest you momentarily.”

“Should I wait under the cell tower?”

“I’ve decided that I don’t like you, Mr. Shade. But you’re right. I don’t think you killed Dr. Noble.”

“Good. Do you need me to head back to Boulder to give you a statement?”

“That can wait. I’ll be here at the house most of the day. What I’d like you to do is come clean and tell me everything you can about this Thomas Marshall gentleman.”

I considered it for a moment. If the Marshalls returned with more destroyers, Detective Kramer and the other law enforcement agents would not be prepared for them. It was better to fill her in on some of it because I didn’t want anyone else to die.

“Late fifties,” I said, “Caucasian, silver hair worn long. Has, at last count, eight sons with him, ages ranging from around eighteen to thirty-five. All with long hair. Black, brown. When I last saw them, they were wearing period costumes as if they’d come from the Renaissance Festival down in Larkspur.”

“That only runs in the summer.”

“I said like that, not that they were actually from there. I don’t know where they’re from. I do know that they want to kill Rayna and that Lucas Noble is also on their list.”

“I met him. He didn’t mention anything about Thomas Marshall either.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. He’s a strange one, very private.”

“Well, that’s true. He barely spoke to us. If you’d told me all this yesterday, Graham Noble might very well be alive right now. We could have provided police protection.”

“No offense, Detective Kramer, but if you’d provided police protection to Graham, you’d be bagging and tagging the bodies of those officers along with Graham right now. I’ll warn you that the Marshalls are medieval weapons experts. They’re archers and swordsmen in particular. Don’t underestimate them. They’re killers.”

“And you’ve finally told me something useful.”

“Be careful, Detective. I’ll be back in Boulder as soon as I can, and I’ll see if I can stop them.”

“If you find them, you call the police. Let us handle it. Do not take the law into your own hands.”

“Don’t worry. My first priority is to keep Rayna safe. I’ll call you if I think of anything else. Cool?”

“We’ll have more questions, but we can go over that later. I trust you’ll inform Ms. Noble about her brother?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I’ll handle it.” I hung up before she could say anything more. I leaned against the wall and thought about Rayna, who was still sleeping. I didn’t want to wake her to give her more bad news. She needed the rest.

I walked down the hall to the other entrance to Kelly’s room. Ophelia saw me come in. She shook her head. I glanced at Kelly, who remained in her coma. Esther moved over to me.

“No change,” Esther said.

I nodded.

“Something else bothering you?” she asked.

Again, I nodded. “Graham is dead.”

“How? I thought he was at the hotel.”

“Evidently he took it upon himself to go home, and the Marshall Clan killed him. Has Mike been back?”

“No.”

“Stay with Kelly. I’ll be back in a few.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m not leaving. I just need to talk to Mike.”

“Okay.”

I stepped back into the hall and went down to Mike’s office. He wasn’t there. It was just after six in the morning, so he probably wouldn’t be back for a few more hours. I called him, left a message for him to call me back, and waited for my phone to ring.

He called me two minutes later. “Any change with Ms. Chan?”

“No,” I said. “Did your team get out to the Nobles’ house to retrieve the bodies of the destroyers?”

“Not yet. I was going to send them first thing this morning.”

“The bodies are gone. And Graham is dead.”

“So the Marshalls took the bodies?”

“Evidently.”

“Damn, I wanted to see them.”

“Yeah, I wish you’d have sent a team last night.”

“You’re implying that Graham would still be alive.”

“Oh, I’m flat out saying it.”

“Allow me to be blunt, Mr. Shade. Graham was your responsibility, not mine. Clear?”

I hung up.

How had everything spun so far out of control? I backed into the wall then let myself slide down to a seated position. I sat there for a long time.