Chapter 39
Seacouver
Amy Brennan-Thomas stood outside of Joe Dawson's room, tapping her fingers absently on her arms. She'd done as he asked and checked into the activities in Paris... both the public ones and the immortal ones. Now she wondered how much she should tell her father. If she held anything back... would he know?
Through the small window in the door she could just see him inside talking with that woman doctor from last night. Dr. Anne Lindsey if Amy's memory served correctly. A friend the doctor had said... but a quick glance through the database had revealed that Anne Lindsey wasn't just a friend... she was the former lover of Duncan MacLeod.
Amy had never met the Highlander... all she knew about him was from the Chronicles. But she did know that it was for a chance to get to know the Scotsman that Joe Dawson had first broken Watcher protocol... His own comments in MacLeod's Chronicle said it all..."A man of honor and integrity. If there can be only one at the end, I hope it will be a man like Duncan MacLeod."
Within the room, it looked as if Dr. Lindsey was bidding farewell. Amy took a beep breath and carefully applied a cheerful smile as she reached to open the door.
"Dr. Lindsey... how nice to see you again." Amy's voice was carefully upbeat and pleasant.
"Amy... I was just assuring Joe that he's doing well. If he keeps this up he may be discharged tomorrow... if he has someone at home to help." Anne flashed Amy a genuine smile... glad to see that the young woman had returned for another visit. While she knew Joe would likely have a home nurse... she hoped that she was at least opening the way for Amy to stay in Seacouver and assist her father's recovery.
"That's wonderful, doctor." Amy crossed to Joe's side and leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek. If she thought she was fooling anyone... it certainly wasn't Joe, who gave her a bit of a snort, but said nothing aloud.
"Well... I'll see you tomorrow, Joe. You too Amy, if you are about." Anne shifted the chart in her hands... wanting to say more... but then decided against it. She left.
"I don't think you fooled her, either," chuckled Joe to his daughter. "Now, what did you learn?"
"I probably shouldn't tell you anything... it might upset you... delay your recovery. I do want you to recover." Amy argued as she pulled up a chair.
"Not knowing is upsetting me. What have you got?"
Amy let out a large breath and then pulled out the folder of papers she had printed up... news stories, photos, Paris Chronicle information... all she had been able to find using Joe's computer at the bar and his passwords. "I really think I shouldn't, but here it is."
Joe thumbed through the pages. "No one has a fix on this immortal yet?"
"The council has everyone checking in to be certain no one has lost their assignment. Other than male, dressed in black, big... we have little to go on. Whoever this maniac is... he seems to have arrived in Paris recently... and been on a tear for the past few days... killing mortals and immortals alike."
"Which immortals?" Joe asked, the concern obvious in his voice.
"A French dueling teacher named David Maillot, and a recluse that some say may have been Cassius Marcellus."
"Marcellus? How did he get to him?"
"That was the explosion... no one seems to know. The Watcher on him had left for the evening. The old man never goes out... he seldom has visitors. Someone got... sloppy." Amy shrugged.
"How did we get the description?" Joe wanted to know.
"The Watcher on Kenneth... he saw the boy meet with MacLeod who had been missing for a day. The Watcher overheard the boy give the description to MacLeod."
"Mac's in Paris?"
"He and Methos have been there since the day after you were shot. Basically they've been holed up on the barge... but MacLeod did go to see someone at the school where the second attack later took place. After the attack... he was visited by a schoolgirl. The Watcher then lost him."
"Lost him?" Joe's face was reddening. Amy sought to calm him down.
"Evidently Methos misdirected the Watcher to a hospital... told him MacLeod was taking the girl there. They never arrived."
"And Methos?"
"Went into the barge... and vanished." Amy shrugged with a knowing little smile.
"Yeah... he's good at that. Anyone found him yet?"
Amy shook her head.
"And MacLeod?"
"He had a visitor this morning... male... dressed in black... big fellow... the Watcher didn't get a good look at him."
Joe swallowed. "And?"
"No one there now."
Joe relaxed physically in the bed... but his mind was going like a freight train. Mac and some unknown immortal... together... a missing schoolgirl... Methos vanishing? Did this mean the unknown immortal who visited Mac was a friend or an enemy? Had they left to fight? Were they working together? No... if Mac and this immortal had gone to fight... Mac wouldn't have shrugged off his Watcher... Besides... Joe knew Kenny had no love for the Highlander... like as not he'd give him a bad description just to throw him off.
"Has Kenny had any run-in's with anyone since he surfaced in Paris?" he finally asked.
"I checked... an unknown bearded immortal who left him alive and Nick Wolfe." Amy nodded at Joe's reaction. "It was Nick's Watcher who reported things... he wasn't really close enough to get a good look at the immortal... big man, bearded, brown hair. He was very good. The Watcher didn't recognize Kenny at the time until he turned his report in."
"Anything else?"
Amy sat quietly for a moment. "Nick Wolfe's Watcher reported he was spending time with a schoolgirl."
Joe looked at her quizzically, "Same one?"
Amy shrugged. "The details are... sketchy." Should she tell him Methos had asked her help to pull Wolfe's Watcher for a day or so? Amy fingered her ring... carefully pulling it off and on... turning it about on her finger. Then... as if realizing it might be telling Joe too much about her state of mind... she carefully folded her hands in her lap.
"Joe continued to flip through the pages in the folder. "Who else is in Paris."
Amy held her breath. "Amanda," she finally said. "She's the only recent arrival we are aware of. There are about a dozen immortals living in Paris these days."
"Has Amanda met up with MacLeod?"
"Not so we know."
Joe continued thinking. Finally he looked evenly at his daughter. "Amy... I need you to go to Paris and keep this under your hat. If the Council asks... tell them I asked you to check on MacLeod's whereabouts for me." He was relieved to see Amy nod. Joe took a deep breath... ignoring the minor pain from his healing gunshot wounds, "Now this is what I want you to do..."
