CHAPTER 95
Joe hung up the phone and leaned his hands against the bar. Without a word he left the
early evening crowd in the bar and staggered into his office, shutting the door.
He'd asked the man on the other end of the phone if he was positive. His contact had
few details, but believed his information to be correct. "Can you let me know when you
have more details?" Joe managed to choke out before he couldn't talk any longer.
Richie found him a half-hour later. Joe was weeping with his face buried in his hands as
he sat behind his desk.
"Joe? What happened?" Richie asked. When the older man didn't reply, Richie called
back into the bar. "Mac! You need to get in here."
Duncan MacLeod wasted no time. He could see from Richie's face something was
terribly wrong.
Duncan walked over to the desk and knelt beside his friend. "Joe, what is it? Is it your
daughter?"
He couldn't think of anything that would have the man this torn up.
Joe managed to shake his head. "No … Amy's fine … at least I think she is."
Richie and Duncan exchanged a look of concern.
"It's Methos. He's gone. He's dead." Joe stammered.
The two immortals were stunned.
"Are you sure? How do you know this? Who saw it?" Duncan's questions poured out at
once as Richie collapsed on the sofa in astonishment.
"The Watchers … they say he's dead … and that Cassandra did it." Joe continued, his
voice hollow.
"Cassandra?" Duncan sat back on his heels. This was not possible. They'd made their
peace, at least for now. "This can't be right."
"It's right MacLeod. Evan McFarlin heard her with his own ears." Joe spat out with
frustration. "She and Evan are friends and have been for many years. She's known he
was her watcher and they had a sort of friendship. I think they were even intimate a few
times. Seems she had a few too many when he took her to dinner last week and began
recounting her accomplishments. She claims to have taken the head of the infamous
Methos, the world's supposed oldest immortal."
"He told you this?" Duncan still didn't want to believe.
"No … I got it second hand from another contact, but he's going to call me back with
details … I'll need to know them when …" Joe's voice trailed off, but they all knew what
he meant. Beth would want to know what happened. It was the least they could do for
her.
"God!" Richie exclaimed as he pounded the sofa. "How could she do this to Beth? I
thought they were friends?"
The phone rang, it was Evan McFarlin. Joe asked him for all he knew as Duncan and
Richie stood waiting.
Joe wiped his eyes a few times and then thanked Evan.
"Well?" Richie asked, unable to wait patiently while Joe found his voice.
"He said after more than a bottle of wine, Cassandra started rambling about how the 4
horsemen killed her people. He said she went on and on about how brutal and cruel
they were. It was the most she had ever shared with him about her life." Joe began.
"She was particularly venomous when she spoke of Methos and what he had taken
from her … first her life, then her freedom … her virtue, and when he was done with her,
how he let the others have their turn. She thanked whatever gods there might be that
she had escaped into the desert, but had vowed with every step that one day she would
have her revenge on him."
"I thought she'd found peace with all of that … at least while Beth and the child were
alive." Duncan replied.
"Evidently not. She said she hunted him down and took his head, taking particular
satisfaction in watching his insides spill on the ground." Joe gripped the edge of the
desk as he tried to keep his emotions in check.
"Did he say where?" Duncan wanted to give his friend a proper burial if he could.
"No … just that she'd taken his Quickening." Joe replied. "Cassandra excused herself
from the table before he could find out. He thought she was going to the ladies room,
but she disappeared. She was pretty drunk and he figures she went to sleep it off. He
said he will try to find out more details when he meets her next."
Duncan shook his head as he stood and turned to walk out.
"Where are you going?" Joe asked.
"To tell her." Duncan replied. "It's not something that will get easier by waiting."
"We're coming with you." Joe insisted as he struggled to his feet and Richie handed him
his canes.
Duncan nodded. "She'll need us all. I wish Amanda were here."
Amanda had stayed behind in Europe to check on a few of her properties. It had been
three weeks since they'd brought Beth and Cassie back to Seacouver, and during that
time it had been relatively quiet. At least one of them stopped by most every day to see
them and just two nights before Beth had them over for dinner with she and Esperanza.
She'd been so strong and seemed to accept the fact that Adam wasn't with her, but this
was going to crush her. They knew how deeply she loved him. To make matters worse,
it had come at the hand of a woman she thought was her friend … the woman they'd
named their daughter after.
Esperanza was just about to turn the lights out in the shop when she saw the three men
coming up the front walk. From the look on their faces she knew something was terribly
wrong.
She didn't wait for them to knock, but opened the door.
"What is wrong?" she asked, a sick feeling hitting the pit of her stomach when they
didn't reply immediately.
Esperanza knew there was something different about them because of what had
happened with Beth and the baby's early delivery, but she didn't know the complete
truth.
"Something's happened. Where is Beth?" Duncan asked as he gave the woman a hug.
"She is upstairs with the baby." Esperanza replied. "It's Adam isn't it? It's bad."
Duncan nodded and the woman covered her mouth to stifle a cry. "I'll go watch after the
baby and tell her you are here." She said as she wiped her eyes on her apron.
When Beth came down, she had Cassie in her arms. She'd seen Esperanza's face and
for some reason felt the need to have the baby close.
"Duncan, Richie, Joe …" she greeted each of them as they stood in the main room.
"What's wrong?"
"Beth, will you sit down? We need to tell you something." Duncan asked her, his voice
sad and gentle.
Beth shook her head and Richie moved to stand behind her, his arm around her
shoulders when she wouldn't move. "What happened?" she asked, knowing it was
something terrible but not prepared for what Duncan said next.
"It's Adam." Duncan began, trying not to lose his nerve. "Beth I'm sorry."
"No" Beth shook her head as she stumbled back into Richie. "No that can't be. I'd have
known. I'd have …."
Duncan took Cassie from her arms as Beth's legs gave way. Richie caught her and
helped her to the nearby chair, never letting go of her as she started to cry. "I didn't feel
it. I'd have felt it. He's alive. He has to be alive because I'm …."
But the looks on their faces let her know they honestly believed what they were telling
her. They didn't know about the connection and her belief that if Adam died, she would
also die. She'd never shared that. Now she realized she had been wrong. She must
have only felt when his mortal life was taken ... when it wasn't permanent ... when it
wasn't his head. That must be the case because this wasn't Garrett or Rick Shafer
trying to manipulate her by lying, these were the friends she trusted with her life. They
wouldn't say this if it were not true.
Richie held her tightly as her body shook with tears. None of the men were unaffected
by the sight of her heartbreak. Their eyes were moist and their hearts heavy. They knew
nothing would ever be the same for any of them.
"How?" Beth managed to choke out after several long minutes. Richie had shifted to sit
with her in the chair and she listened with her face buried in his shoulder.
Duncan didn't want to tell her when he couldn't explain why. He wished they had more
information first. Beth sensed his hesitation and looked up through her tears. "What
happened?" she repeated.
"Cassandra took his Quickening." Joe answered. "We don't know how or when. But she
told someone she had done it."
Beth let out a strangled cry of outrage. It didn't make any sense. None of this made any
sense.
"I can't … I can't breathe." Beth gasped. Richie moved to help her put her head between
her knees so she could try and calm down, but it didn't help.
"She needs to lie down." Esperanza's voice came from the doorway. She'd given them
privacy, but the sound of Beth's sorrow had drawn her back downstairs.
Beth's mind clouded over and Richie lifted her and laid her on the sofa as Duncan
handed the baby to Esperanza.
"I'm so sorry." Richie repeated as he placed the cool cloth Esperanza brought with her
on Beth's brow and bathed her face gently. "I wouldn't have you hurt like this for
anything."
Beth could hardly hear him, she was so lost in her grief. Before when Adam had gone,
she'd kept hope alive and believed one day he would return. Now she had no hope. She
only had Cassie, and the little girl would only be with her for a time and then she would
face more than a lifetime of years alone.
She would never see Adam again, or hold him or feel his arms so strong around her. He
was truly gone and after all the loss she had sustained, she wasn't sure she could
handle this.
She began to cry harder, curling up into a ball on the sofa. Joe spread the afghan over
her shoulders and sat across the room in one of the over stuffed chairs. He would stay
as long as Beth needed him, they all would. He checked his messages to see if any
more news had arrived, but there was nothing. There was only the sound of Beth's
heart breaking again and again.
Duncan excused himself and went to make a call. He called Beth's father to let him
know what had happened, or at least all he could tell him. The older man said that her
sisters would be on the next flight out. He knew his daughter would need them. When
he hung up the phone, Peter Harris sat for a long time with quiet tears slipping down his
weather worn cheeks.
Joe hung up the phone and leaned his hands against the bar. Without a word he left the
early evening crowd in the bar and staggered into his office, shutting the door.
He'd asked the man on the other end of the phone if he was positive. His contact had
few details, but believed his information to be correct. "Can you let me know when you
have more details?" Joe managed to choke out before he couldn't talk any longer.
Richie found him a half-hour later. Joe was weeping with his face buried in his hands as
he sat behind his desk.
"Joe? What happened?" Richie asked. When the older man didn't reply, Richie called
back into the bar. "Mac! You need to get in here."
Duncan MacLeod wasted no time. He could see from Richie's face something was
terribly wrong.
Duncan walked over to the desk and knelt beside his friend. "Joe, what is it? Is it your
daughter?"
He couldn't think of anything that would have the man this torn up.
Joe managed to shake his head. "No … Amy's fine … at least I think she is."
Richie and Duncan exchanged a look of concern.
"It's Methos. He's gone. He's dead." Joe stammered.
The two immortals were stunned.
"Are you sure? How do you know this? Who saw it?" Duncan's questions poured out at
once as Richie collapsed on the sofa in astonishment.
"The Watchers … they say he's dead … and that Cassandra did it." Joe continued, his
voice hollow.
"Cassandra?" Duncan sat back on his heels. This was not possible. They'd made their
peace, at least for now. "This can't be right."
"It's right MacLeod. Evan McFarlin heard her with his own ears." Joe spat out with
frustration. "She and Evan are friends and have been for many years. She's known he
was her watcher and they had a sort of friendship. I think they were even intimate a few
times. Seems she had a few too many when he took her to dinner last week and began
recounting her accomplishments. She claims to have taken the head of the infamous
Methos, the world's supposed oldest immortal."
"He told you this?" Duncan still didn't want to believe.
"No … I got it second hand from another contact, but he's going to call me back with
details … I'll need to know them when …" Joe's voice trailed off, but they all knew what
he meant. Beth would want to know what happened. It was the least they could do for
her.
"God!" Richie exclaimed as he pounded the sofa. "How could she do this to Beth? I
thought they were friends?"
The phone rang, it was Evan McFarlin. Joe asked him for all he knew as Duncan and
Richie stood waiting.
Joe wiped his eyes a few times and then thanked Evan.
"Well?" Richie asked, unable to wait patiently while Joe found his voice.
"He said after more than a bottle of wine, Cassandra started rambling about how the 4
horsemen killed her people. He said she went on and on about how brutal and cruel
they were. It was the most she had ever shared with him about her life." Joe began.
"She was particularly venomous when she spoke of Methos and what he had taken
from her … first her life, then her freedom … her virtue, and when he was done with her,
how he let the others have their turn. She thanked whatever gods there might be that
she had escaped into the desert, but had vowed with every step that one day she would
have her revenge on him."
"I thought she'd found peace with all of that … at least while Beth and the child were
alive." Duncan replied.
"Evidently not. She said she hunted him down and took his head, taking particular
satisfaction in watching his insides spill on the ground." Joe gripped the edge of the
desk as he tried to keep his emotions in check.
"Did he say where?" Duncan wanted to give his friend a proper burial if he could.
"No … just that she'd taken his Quickening." Joe replied. "Cassandra excused herself
from the table before he could find out. He thought she was going to the ladies room,
but she disappeared. She was pretty drunk and he figures she went to sleep it off. He
said he will try to find out more details when he meets her next."
Duncan shook his head as he stood and turned to walk out.
"Where are you going?" Joe asked.
"To tell her." Duncan replied. "It's not something that will get easier by waiting."
"We're coming with you." Joe insisted as he struggled to his feet and Richie handed him
his canes.
Duncan nodded. "She'll need us all. I wish Amanda were here."
Amanda had stayed behind in Europe to check on a few of her properties. It had been
three weeks since they'd brought Beth and Cassie back to Seacouver, and during that
time it had been relatively quiet. At least one of them stopped by most every day to see
them and just two nights before Beth had them over for dinner with she and Esperanza.
She'd been so strong and seemed to accept the fact that Adam wasn't with her, but this
was going to crush her. They knew how deeply she loved him. To make matters worse,
it had come at the hand of a woman she thought was her friend … the woman they'd
named their daughter after.
Esperanza was just about to turn the lights out in the shop when she saw the three men
coming up the front walk. From the look on their faces she knew something was terribly
wrong.
She didn't wait for them to knock, but opened the door.
"What is wrong?" she asked, a sick feeling hitting the pit of her stomach when they
didn't reply immediately.
Esperanza knew there was something different about them because of what had
happened with Beth and the baby's early delivery, but she didn't know the complete
truth.
"Something's happened. Where is Beth?" Duncan asked as he gave the woman a hug.
"She is upstairs with the baby." Esperanza replied. "It's Adam isn't it? It's bad."
Duncan nodded and the woman covered her mouth to stifle a cry. "I'll go watch after the
baby and tell her you are here." She said as she wiped her eyes on her apron.
When Beth came down, she had Cassie in her arms. She'd seen Esperanza's face and
for some reason felt the need to have the baby close.
"Duncan, Richie, Joe …" she greeted each of them as they stood in the main room.
"What's wrong?"
"Beth, will you sit down? We need to tell you something." Duncan asked her, his voice
sad and gentle.
Beth shook her head and Richie moved to stand behind her, his arm around her
shoulders when she wouldn't move. "What happened?" she asked, knowing it was
something terrible but not prepared for what Duncan said next.
"It's Adam." Duncan began, trying not to lose his nerve. "Beth I'm sorry."
"No" Beth shook her head as she stumbled back into Richie. "No that can't be. I'd have
known. I'd have …."
Duncan took Cassie from her arms as Beth's legs gave way. Richie caught her and
helped her to the nearby chair, never letting go of her as she started to cry. "I didn't feel
it. I'd have felt it. He's alive. He has to be alive because I'm …."
But the looks on their faces let her know they honestly believed what they were telling
her. They didn't know about the connection and her belief that if Adam died, she would
also die. She'd never shared that. Now she realized she had been wrong. She must
have only felt when his mortal life was taken ... when it wasn't permanent ... when it
wasn't his head. That must be the case because this wasn't Garrett or Rick Shafer
trying to manipulate her by lying, these were the friends she trusted with her life. They
wouldn't say this if it were not true.
Richie held her tightly as her body shook with tears. None of the men were unaffected
by the sight of her heartbreak. Their eyes were moist and their hearts heavy. They knew
nothing would ever be the same for any of them.
"How?" Beth managed to choke out after several long minutes. Richie had shifted to sit
with her in the chair and she listened with her face buried in his shoulder.
Duncan didn't want to tell her when he couldn't explain why. He wished they had more
information first. Beth sensed his hesitation and looked up through her tears. "What
happened?" she repeated.
"Cassandra took his Quickening." Joe answered. "We don't know how or when. But she
told someone she had done it."
Beth let out a strangled cry of outrage. It didn't make any sense. None of this made any
sense.
"I can't … I can't breathe." Beth gasped. Richie moved to help her put her head between
her knees so she could try and calm down, but it didn't help.
"She needs to lie down." Esperanza's voice came from the doorway. She'd given them
privacy, but the sound of Beth's sorrow had drawn her back downstairs.
Beth's mind clouded over and Richie lifted her and laid her on the sofa as Duncan
handed the baby to Esperanza.
"I'm so sorry." Richie repeated as he placed the cool cloth Esperanza brought with her
on Beth's brow and bathed her face gently. "I wouldn't have you hurt like this for
anything."
Beth could hardly hear him, she was so lost in her grief. Before when Adam had gone,
she'd kept hope alive and believed one day he would return. Now she had no hope. She
only had Cassie, and the little girl would only be with her for a time and then she would
face more than a lifetime of years alone.
She would never see Adam again, or hold him or feel his arms so strong around her. He
was truly gone and after all the loss she had sustained, she wasn't sure she could
handle this.
She began to cry harder, curling up into a ball on the sofa. Joe spread the afghan over
her shoulders and sat across the room in one of the over stuffed chairs. He would stay
as long as Beth needed him, they all would. He checked his messages to see if any
more news had arrived, but there was nothing. There was only the sound of Beth's
heart breaking again and again.
Duncan excused himself and went to make a call. He called Beth's father to let him
know what had happened, or at least all he could tell him. The older man said that her
sisters would be on the next flight out. He knew his daughter would need them. When
he hung up the phone, Peter Harris sat for a long time with quiet tears slipping down his
weather worn cheeks.