Aidyn to so much vapor. Vayl's focus remained on Assan, as it should. And we hoped to find all three at Alpine Meadows.
Everybody sort of wandered off, leaving me free to do what I needed. So I worked. Packing our gear calmed me more than anything. The familiar movements through my memorized checklist made me feel, well, real. I spent extra time cleaning Grief, making sure she was fully loaded and ready to smoke. I found new pockets for the toys Bergman had provided that I wasn't actually wearing, and stowed the rest of our stuff where it belonged. I came more fully back to myself when I banged my head on the van door while loading it, and finally understood why sometimes people just need to be pinched.
We left Bergman elbow deep in blood tests and Cassandra up to her eyeballs in some musty old books she'd brought with her. If worse came to worse, as I find it often does, maybe she could figure out how to bind the Tor- al-Degan before it had a chance to unleash whatever hellish plague Aidyn had drummed up. She was sure giving it the old college try. She'd read for awhile, find something pertinent and whisper it to the Enkyklios. She hadn't gotten the marbles to move by the time we headed for the van, but hopefully it was just a matter of time.
Behind the wheel again, I maneuvered the van through traffic without once swearing at the red Volkswagen that cut me off or the light blue Taurus that hugged my bumper like a lost and lonely child. When it finally turned off our street, Vayl heaved a sigh of relief. 'I expected you to slam on the brakes if that man followed you any closer.'
'The thought never crossed my mind.'
He sat silent and stared at me for so long I started to squirm. 'What?' I finally asked.
'Are you going to change now?'
The question took me back. 'Shouldn't I?'
He frowned. Then the mask came back, settling over his face like a shroud. 'Of course. Never mind.'
'Look, Vayl, it's… reliving the nightmare… this new knowledge… it's too much, you know? I don't know how to act. Hell, I don't know what to think.' I shook my head. 'It's too big for me to figure out all at once. So I'm just going to be Jaz Parks, Albert's daughter, Dave and Evie's sister, and Vayl's
Vayl's eyes snapped to my face when I said 'avhar,' and stayed there until I met them with my own. The shroud lifted and he smiled. 'I like your plan.'
'Is that what it is?'
'Yes.'
'How about my idea to rescue Cole?'
'I like it too. Where are the smoke grenades?'
'In the duffle with everything else.'
'What about this new communications invention Bergman gave you?'
'Might as well try it out.' I pulled the silver case from my jacket pocket and gave it to him. Vayl handed my hearing aid and mouth-mint to me, put his own in place. We did a little test and I got goose-bumps when Vayl's voice came to me in Barry White bass. They disappeared when he told me mine did the same.
Forty-five minutes later we reached the cul de sac behind Assan's house. We would access his property from the back, case the place, figure out who was situated where and move on to plan B, which involved heaps of smoke and a well-timed call to the fire department. During the diversion we would execute Cole's rescue, and Assan, if our luck held. But not until we found out where they were keeping the Tor-al-Degan. I was sure if we discovered the whereabouts of the Kyron, we would find all the other monsters as well. Then we'd make them wish they'd caught their own virus.
Big words for a skinny, red-headed woman who had never felt so overwhelmed in her life. Because, to be honest, I wasn't sure we could pull this off. Yeah, we would put up a helluva fight. But we were going against the most vicious, brutal minds on the planet. People who didn't believe in rules or mercy or the sanctity of life. And even worse, people with the money and the contacts to pull off whatever atrocious plan their devious little minds could concoct. To top it all off, I had no idea how to beat this beast. Starve it? Give it permanent amnesia?
We parked the van, Vayl retrieved our bag and I locked it up tight, using a special button on Bergman's key-ring to activate its security system. I wasn't sure how it worked, but I wouldn't have been surprised to learn that he'd rigged the van to blow if anyone so much as wiggled the door handle.
The oval of pavement we'd chosen as our parking lot was well-lit, but quiet. Each of the six homes that surrounded it looked fit to house a president. But, despite the lights glowing behind several of the windows, I had a feeling no one was home. It gave credence to my theory that anyone who could afford such luxury never had time to enjoy it.
We walked into the strip of trees that led to the edge of Assan's property. An artfully landscaped palm grove, it reminded me, despite the lights at my back, of a desert island. But maybe that was because I couldn't shake the feeling Cassandra's little show had given me that I'd been marooned. When we hit the border of those trees and saw Assan's expansive back yard the feeling grew into a sickening sort of anxiety.
'Vayl,' I whispered, 'something's wrong.'
He nodded. 'We will wait and watch.' Fifteen minutes later nothing had moved, inside the house or out, and I still couldn't relax. 'I was kind of expecting dogs,' I said.
'Or at least a patrol,' Vayl added. 'Let's go.'
We made the short, cross-country run to the kitchen door without incident. I started to check out the security system, then realized the door was cracked open.
'Vayl.' I spoke so low I thought even Bergman's communicators wouldn't pick me up, but he turned to look at me. I pointed at the door, said, 'Trap?'
He studied it and what he could see of the dark, empty room beyond through the window. 'Could be,' he
