The Dark at the End

4

Ernst jumped at the sound of a knock on the car window. He turned and saw some disfigured derelict peering at him through the rear passenger window.

Ernst waved him away. Probably wanted to wash the windshield or “Drexler, open the door.”

That voice… he knew that-oh, no, it couldn’t be! He looked closely and saw that it was.

The One.

He fumbled for the LOCK toggle. The buttons popped up and the One entered the rear of the car. Ernst gaped at him. The hair had been burned off the right side of his scalp; scars stippled his right cheek. And his hand… his left hand was “Close your mouth. You look foolish.”

“Yes, sir. It’s just that-”

“Someone tried very hard to kill me, Drexler. To make that attempt, they had to first find me. My presence at that house was supposed to be a secret.”

Ernst tried to read his eyes, but as usual, that proved impossible. Those pools of black infinity revealed nothing. How much did he know?

“Your whereabouts was known only at the highest levels-and to Doctor Heinze, of course.”

“Did that include you?”

Ernst swallowed. Best to stay close to the facts, if not the truth. He’d learned of the One’s whereabouts through indirect means. No one could be aware that he’d known.

“No. I had no idea. The Council informed me only after the attack.”

“I feel fear washing off you, Drexler. And while I find that enjoyable, I must ask: Are you guilty of something?”

“No-no. I’m simply afraid I’ll be suspected of something of which I am innocent. We-the High Council and I-believe we have pieced together what happened. Doctor Heinze visited the baby on Friday. We believe the baby’s mother-”

“Dawn Pickering-her body was found across the street.”

“Correct. She was convinced that her baby was still alive, and we now believe she was following Doctor Heinze. We spoke to the doctor and he hadn’t seen Dawn since he’d had her removed from his office last week. But we think she was following him and trailed him to Nuckateague.”

The One looked troubled. “Sounds reasonable. It appears I underestimated that girl’s determination.”

“I assure you no one on our end let it slip. Gilda hadn’t left the South Fork for a week and Georges only once to drive you to the airport. And no one could have followed you to Nuckateague because you weren’t around.”

Ernst would have loved to know where the One went on his jaunts but knew better than to ask.

“Doctor Heinze’s visit might have led her to suspect her baby’s presence, but not mine.”

“If Dawn spotted either Georges or Gilda out there-and we believe she must have-it would be logical for her to assume that Mr. Osala was there too.”

“But Dawn Pickering did not mount that assault.”

He had a feeling the One knew the identity of his attacker-or had a pretty good idea who he was-but was testing Ernst in some way.

“No, of course not. My theory is that she informed Louise Myers-also known as Louise Connell-of the whereabouts of the baby.”

“That requires a leap in logic.”

Yes… definitely a test.

“Not so much, considering they lived across the hall from each other.”

Ernst wanted to add: Something you arranged. But he dared not. He was still baffled by the move. Weeks ago the One had instructed him to find the Connell woman-find and no more. Absolutely no contact. Ernst had succeeded almost immediately, and shortly thereafter the One moved Dawn in across the hall. He must have had a reason for that, but Ernst could not fathom what it might be. Now was not the time to ask…

Or was it?

“Is that why you moved Dawn so close to the Connell woman? So they would meet?”

“That is not your concern.”

Well, Ernst thought, glancing at the One’s scars and the stump of his wrist where it rested in his lap, whatever your plan, it certainly backfired.

“As you wish.”

“You knew the Connell woman as a youngster, Drexler. Do you think her capable of such an assault?”

“Louise Connell? No. A very determined young lady, but her weapon is her intellect. Her friend Jack, on the other hand… the one you were interested in… he’s another story.”

“Yes,” the One said. “The Heir is quite another story.”

Ernst jolted in his seat. He had never been struck by lightning, but this must be how it felt.

“Jack is the Heir?”

The One nodded. “Heir Apparent.”

Now Ernst understood why the One had grilled him in such detail about his early experiences with Jack.

“I knew it!”

The singed remnants of the One’s eyebrows lifted. “Did you, now?”

Watch it! Be careful here. Fabricate as little as possible.

“Well, I didn’t know, exactly. But he visited me on Thursday night asking where he might find you.”

“Really. For what purpose?”

Ernst’s mouth was dry. “To kill you.”

The One leaned back. “Interesting. And what did you tell him?”

“The truth: I had no idea where you were. He threatened me but became convinced I didn’t know. In fact, I laughed in his face at the possibility that he could succeed in harming you.”

Obviously, not such a laughing matter. Jack, you impress me more and more. But still… you failed.

Which put Ernst firmly back in the One’s camp.

“He very nearly did. Why didn’t you subdue him?”

“I tried but he was waiting for me when I entered my apartment and had disabled all my defenses.” Time to stretch the truth. “But I did call Szeto-”

“Ah, yes. Szeto. Where is he?”

Yes… your beloved Szeto…

“Alerted by me, Szeto and two of his men captured Jack and brought him to a property the Order keeps on the West Side. Szeto wished to torture him for revenge, I wanted information from him-specifically, how he knew about you being the One. I had surmised he was involved with the Enemy but had no idea he was the Heir. When I got there, Szeto and his two men were dead and Jack was gone.”

The One considered this. “Szeto did not strike me as the careless sort.”

“Well, in this case he was. Perhaps because he was so full of rage at Jack for killing so many of his men, and for the brutal beating he had suffered at his hands just weeks ago.” Ernst could not resist a final dig. “Szeto was competent, but I learned from my dealings with him that he suffered from an exalted estimation of his own abilities. If he had done his job, Jack would not have been around to attack you.”

The One appeared to mull this. “Still, he proved useful on a number of fronts. I shall miss Szeto.”

All but choking on the words, Ernst said, “We all will.”

Another protracted silence, and then the One said, “Drive me to the city. And as we travel, I want you to call the Council and tell them to send someone over to the Connell woman’s apartment-that is, if the Heir has left any to send.”

“We still have a few.”

“Tell them I want to know if she is there. If she is not, I want them to search her apartment for the Compendium of Srem.”

Another jolt, albeit of much lower voltage. Louise Connell had the Compendium?

“Yes, sir. And if they find it?”

“If it is there, do not touch it. If it is not, they are to leave her apartment exactly as they found it and report back to you.”

“As you wish,” Ernst said and reached for the phone.

“And while that is under way, tell the Council to send some of the local members of that Johnson, New Jersey, Lodge over to the building to see what is going on. I want a report as soon as possible.”

The Johnson Lodge? What could interest the One there?

“Right away. May I ask-?”

“You may not.”

The One leaned back and closed his eyes. The hideous injuries aside, he looked haggard, exhausted. Ernst had never dreamed anything like this could happen. And yet it had.

He wondered what that ancient twisted mind was planning.

Of one thing he was certain… Ernst was quite glad he was not Jack.