Chapter 16
Paris
Startled, Nick Wolfe looked up from his light sleep to see Valeraine standing over him. In her hands was his wallet.
She held up Amanda's picture, "Amanda... I presume?"
Nick grabbed both from the immortal child's hands, stuffed the photo back in the wallet and shoved it into his rear pants pocket. "Anyone ever teach you not to snoop?"
"Occupational hazard... Sorry Nick... I was... curious." Val shrugged with a small smile and then sat on the edge of the table. "Tell me about her? Old love?"
Nick lay back, covering his eyes with one hand. "Hardly!" she said curtly.
"Explain... you are far too wrought over her every time her name comes up for it to have been a love affair gone bad."
Nick sighed. "She killed me," he blurted out... instantly regretting it.
"But you are still here..." Her small child's voice once again seemed to employ inflections of age and wisdom. "Tell me about it."
Finally Nick briefly explained how Amanda had killed him to make him immortal... how he'd been dying of poison when she'd shot him.
"Did you know about us... about her?" the girl asked. Behind Val... Marie-France had arisen and was quietly puttering about in Nick's kitchen looking for tea or coffee. She was already dressed.
Nick nodded. "Yeah... she died in front of me once... I had questions... she had answers."
"And you don't take 'No!' for an answer." Val laughed a bit at that. "Then why so upset with her? She obviously did you a favor."
"Not one I was interested in," Nick answered harshly... then headed to the bathroom, anxious to end this conversation.
Valeraine glanced at Marie-France, cautiously sipping her hot tea. "Now do you see why I don't want to leave yet? He needs someone... someone to watch over him." The girl smiled at her friend.
Marie-France blew on the tea, "I was thinking the same thing... but what exactly, cherie, did you have in mind?"
Valeraine slumped on the table. "I'm not certain... but at least he needs to find some joy in his life."
"Hunting with you?"
Valeraine grinned... she arched her eyebrows but said nothing at first. Then she crossed to Marie-France. "Is there any coffee?"
Marie-France sighed, shaking her head. This situation was getting increasingly complicated. Yet, there had been no one else she'd felt comfortable sending after Valeraine. The girl was exceptionally smart and she could usually get her own way. Marie-France chuckled. Well... maybe a short stay in Paris was in order... no matter what the good Dr. Edmund Adams had said. Besides... it had been a while since she'd been here... and she had always loved Paris. After all... one couldn't always huddle on holy ground. Darius' death had proven that. She glanced up as Nick exited the bathroom. Perhaps he'd like to give her some lessons... she knew how to use a sword... but it had been a while... This might be a good excuse to refresh her skills. Once more she blew into the tea and then sipped. Surely two eight hundred year old immortals could handle one green one.
***
New York
Cassandra had cleared her appointment book. Melanie Pryor wondered just what the immortal she was Watching was up to. She'd left hastily the other day... no explanation... and with a room full of clients... all needing to be rescheduled... so Melanie had been unable to follow Cassandra... or to get in touch with Cassandra's back-up Watcher. They all had back-ups these days. In the past few years... too many immortals had been lost... and too many now knew they existed. So the Watchers' routines had changed. Still... sometimes they were still losing the immortals when they made sudden changes in their daily routine.
Yesterday, Cassandra had explained she was closing her practice. Melanie glanced once more at the bonus check Cassandra had given her then as a lay-off bonus. She'd have to turn the funds over to the Watchers... but she'd get a nice cut nevertheless. Today Melanie had been busy clearing the calendar and making arrangements for the office supply rental place to pick up Cassandra's things here, ending the lease agreement... everything that needed to be done... she had spent the day doing.
Oh, Cassandra had been most apologetic... most kind in explaining that she just needed to close up and move on. Melanie had been a good worker... she would give her excellent recommendations. Melanie had meekly been grateful thinking all the while that with this turn of events... someone else would likely be assigned permanently to the psychic and Melanie would be re-assigned elsewhere. She wondered just whom she would get. Perhaps she could finagle a foreign assignment this time. Sadly she looked around at the empty office suite and gathered her things. The life of a Watcher is never easy... nor ever really dull. Melanie turned out the lights and locked the door.
It was still early... she could catch brunch with her supervisor and make her final report on Cassandra.
***
Cassandra had quietly booked a flight for London. Although she'd not yet heard anything from either Nathan Barlow or the Greek Captain now calling himself Phillip... from what she had already gathered... Lord Edward Gray... whoever he was... had lived in London at one time. Perhaps he still did.
Using an alias she had never before used... she was settled onto the flight and had carefully observed the other passengers as they boarded. While Cassandra appeared to be reading a magazine... she was scanning and watching the wrists of those who walked by.
While she knew little about the "watchers" Duncan MacLeod had told her about... and had never actually been aware of one on her... she was certain someone had to be. Well... she just had to be circumspect as if someone was following her.
She shifted the dark glasses over her green eyes but managed not to reach up to see if her hair was still calmly contained within the bun. She knew the clothes were not to her personal liking... far too severe and unflattering... but they might help her to avoid being caught by a casual observer. Her height had been another matter. She couldn't hide that too well. So she entered the plane early and hoped to remain seated. It was cutting her fingernails that had upset her the most though.
She'd worn them long for quite a while. She was proud of them! She could wear them long and still wield a sword! But they were, she had realized, a dead giveaway... and they could grow back. Cutting her hair and dying it might be the next step if someone picked up on her. But it was necessary if she were to locate Lilith's crystal.
The airline crew prepared for final departure and soon the plane was taxi-ing out to the runway. Cassandra was on her way to London. Hopefully... the Ancient's crystal would be there.
