“The legal name has nothing to do with it,” said Pierce. “Dad, please, let’s just get this information out. This Donnelaith, it’s an archaeological project apparently funded entirely by our family. I’d never heard of it till I read the Talamasca file. Neither had Dad. It was all administered by…”
“Lauren,” said Ryan, with a faint tone of distaste. “But that’s all beside the point. They haven’t been seen there since January.”
“Get on with it,” said Michael as gently as he could. “What did people see when they looked at them?”
“They are described as a woman five foot seven in height, very pale and in ill health, and an extremely tall man, possibly six and a half feet in height with luxuriant long black hair-both American.”
Michael wanted to say something, but his heart was rushing on him, no doubt of it. He felt the increased rate, and a little pain in his chest. He didn’t want anyone to know this. He took out his handkerchief, folded it and patted his upper lip. “She’s alive, she’s in danger, the thing is holding her prisoner,” he whispered.
“This is anecdotal material,” said Ryan. “It would not stand up in a court of law. We are conjecturing. The forged checks are another matter altogether. They make it incumbent upon the legacy to do something immediately.”
“The forensic statements are quite a puzzle,” Aaron said.
“Yes, that is a maddening kettle of soup,” said Pierce. “We sent forensic samples of the blood we found here to two different genetic institutes and neither will give us a straight answer.”
“They are giving us an answer,” said Aaron. “They are saying that the specimens must have been contaminated or tampered with because they pertain to a nonhuman species of primate which they cannot identify.”
Michael smiled bitterly.
“But what does this Dr. Larkin say? Rowan sent him the stuff direct. What does he know? What did she say to him on the phone? I have to know everything.”
“Rowan was agitated,” said Pierce. “She was afraid she might be cut off. She was desperate that Larkin receive the medical material and take it to Keplinger. The whole thing alarmed Larkin. That’s why he is cooperating with us. He is devoted to Rowan, doesn’t want to break her confidence, but he shares our concern for her.”
“This Dr. Larkin is here,” said Michael. “I saw him at the wake.”
“Yes, he’s here,” said Ryan. “But he’s reluctant to discuss the medical materials taken to the Keplinger Institute.”
“One can infer,” said Aaron quietly, “from what the doctor is willing to say that he has extensive test material on this creature.”
“Creature,” said Ryan. “And there we go off into fantasy land again.” He was angry. “We don’t know that this man is a creature or a…subhuman type, or anything else. And we don’t know what the man’s name is. We do know he is genial, educated, intelligent, and speaks rapidly with an American voice, and that the people who spoke to him at Donnelaith found him interesting.”
“What in the world has that got to do with it all?” demanded Pierce. “Dad, for the love of…”
Michael interrupted. “What did Rowan send to Dr. Larkin? What has the Keplinger Institute found out?”
“Well, that’s it,” said Aaron. “He won’t give us a complete report. But he might give it to you. He wants to talk to you. He wants to do genetic testing on you.”
Michael smiled. “Does he, now?”
“You’re right to be very suspicious of this,” said Ryan. He seemed to be vacillating between angry impatience and exhaustion. “People have approached us with genetic proposals in the past. We are perceived as a closed group. Consent to nothing.”
“Like the Mormons, or the Amish,” said Michael.
“Exactly,” said Ryan, “and there are many excellent legal reasons not to allow this sort of testing. And what does it have to do with the Curry family anyway?”
“I think we are straying from the point,” said Aaron. He looked meaningfully at Michael. “Whatever we call this companion of Rowan’s, he’s flesh and blood, and obviously passes for human.”
“Are you listening to your own words!” Ryan demanded, plainly furious.
“Of course I am,” said Aaron.
“I want to see the medical evidence myself,” said Ryan.
“How will you know how to interpret it?” Pierce asked.
“Just hold on,” said Ryan.
“Dad, we have to talk this out.”
Michael raised his hand for calm. “Listen, the medical tests aren’t going to determine anything.
The room was silent.
He realized this was the first time he had uttered such a thing to the family since the entire incident had happened. He had never, never admitted to Ryan or to Pierce, and certainly never to any other Mayfair, what had happened on Christmas Day. He found himself glancing now at Mona. And then his eyes fixed on the man to whom he had told the whole tale-Aaron.
The others stared at him in clear and unembarrassed anticipation.
“I didn’t think he was six and a half feet tall,” said Michael, trying again to steady his voice. He ran his hand back through his hair, and stopped himself in the act of reaching for a pen he didn’t need. He closed his right hand into a fist, then opened it, splaying the fingers. “But then I was having a pitched battle with him when he was here. I’d say he was my height, six foot two at most. His hair was short. It was black, like mine. He had blue eyes.”
“Are you telling me,” Ryan asked with deceptive calm, “that you saw the man who went off with Rowan!”
“You said you actually did speak to him?” Pierce asked.
Ryan was clearly pale with anger. “You can describe or identify this person?” he asked.
“Let’s get on with what we have to do,” said Aaron. “We almost lost Michael on Christmas Day. Michael was unable to tell us anything for weeks. Michael was…”
“It’s OK, Aaron,” said Michael. “It’s OK. Ryan, what do you want to know? She left with a man. He was six feet two, he was thin, he was wearing my clothes. He had black hair. I don’t think he looks the same now. His hair wasn’t long. He wasn’t so tall. Do you believe me? Do you believe anything anybody’s told you? Ryan, I know who he is. So does the Talamasca.”
Ryan seemed incapable of responding. Pierce was also obviously stunned.
“Uncle Ryan, it was ‘the man,’?” said Mona flatly. “For Chrissakes, get off Michael’s case. He didn’t let ‘the man’ through. It was Rowan.”
“Stay out of this, Mona!” Ryan flashed. It seemed he would lose control completely. Pierce laid his hand on his father’s hand. “What are you doing in here!” Ryan demanded. “Go on, out.”
Mona didn’t move.
Pierce gestured for her to be quiet.
“This thing,” said Michael, “our ‘man,’ our Lasher. Does he appear normal to other people?”
“An unusual man,” said Ryan. “That is the testimony we have. An unusual man, well-mannered, rather gregarious.” He paused as if he had to force himself to go on. “I have all the statements for you. And by the way, we combed Paris, Geneva, Zurich, New York. Tall as he is, he does not attract that much attention. The archaeologists at Donnelaith had the most contact. They said he was fascinating, a little peculiar, that he spoke very fast. That he had strange notions about the town and the ruins.”
“OK, I see what’s happened. She didn’t run away with him; he took her. He forced her to take him there. He forced her to get the money. She persuaded him to have these medical tests, then she got the stuff out when she could to this Dr. Larkin.”
“Not certain,” said Ryan. “Not certain at all. But the forgery gives us something legal to go on. Also the money deposited for Rowan in banks abroad has now disappeared. We have to act. We have no choice. We have to protect the legacy.”
Aaron interrupted with a little gesture. “Dr. Larkin said that Rowan said she knew the creature wasn’t human. She wanted him to study the genetic blueprint. She wanted to know specifically whether or not the creature could breed with humans, and with her in particular. She sent some of her own blood for analysis.”
There was an uneasy silence.
