Chapter 63

Seacouver

The ringing phone awakened a very groggy Joe Dawson. He struggled in the bed to reach the light and winced at the pain in his chest as he did so. He really was feeling much better... but there were still moments when his injuries brought him up short. Pain that the level of medication he was now on could only dull slightly... not end. Turning the light on... he then grasped the ringing phone.

"Yeah... Dawson!" he barked into it.

"Joe... it's Amy."

Immediately Joe regretted his initial tone and softened it. "You all right?"

"I'm sorry... I guess it's still night there."

Joe glanced around at the darkened room and grinned, "Oh not too bad... I'm up. So... where are you?"

"I'm back in London and everything's in an uproar here."

"How so?" Joe shifted his position so he could talk to his daughter more easily.

"Methos' home... the one in north London... it burned to the ground last night."

Joe said nothing... his mind flashing through a thousand Chronicle entries in his head... who might have known about Methos... about that place?

"There was a body found in the ashes... headless."

"A quickening. Any I. D. on the body?" he asked almost fearfully.

"It's not Methos... too short. But the body was burned so badly we may never know for certain. The fire apparently started in a basement vault. Everything's gone Joe... Whatever he had stored here... Whatever of our records he might have had... It's all gone." Joe could tell Amy was upset.

"Did anyone see the old man there?"

There was a pause on the other end. Then Amy said slowly, "No... but the Watchers who called the fire in said they thought they saw Cassandra hanging around later."

"Cassandra? Isn't she in New York?"

"She managed to lose her new Watcher when she closed her New York office suddenly. No one had picked up on her until last night. Joe... would she have started this fire?"

Joe thought of the tall psychic immortal he'd met briefly when she'd told MacLeod, and him about the Methos she had once known... the murdering horseman of the Bronze Age... the immortal who'd ridden with Kronos. There had been a ferocity and a hatred about her that had worried him. Later, when that whole episode was over, he'd asked MacLeod about Cassandra. Mac had shrugged and said he'd convinced her to let Methos alone. What if she hadn't? What if this were the first of several strikes against the old immortal? Did she have it in her? Joe let out a held breath and rubbed his short graying hair. "Maybe... I don't know... check with Cassandra's previous Watcher... maybe she knows something."

"Will do... and Joe... get well soon... We miss you... I miss you."

Joe listened to the click of Amy's phone and slowly hung up his own. He considered turning the light off and then changed his mind. When Anne had left... she'd placed his laptop conveniently out of reach. Joe figured his doctor wanted to be certain he didn't try to do any additional research overnight.

"You will get a good night's sleep Joe! Don't make me pull rank on you," Anne had said with a smile.

Well... he'd tried. He'd slept most of the night... and rather soundly. Glancing at the clock and seeing the time... Joe knew the sun would be up shortly. He'd have to wait for either the night nurse or Mrs. Hutchinson to check on him and hand him his computer. But he still had his mind... and his memories. He leaned back against the headboard and visualized the Chronicle entries... One by one he went through Cassandra's students. Surely if she had set this fire... she'd had help getting in. How had she found the house? The Watchers on the Methos file were among the most reliable in the Watcher organiztion. Surely none of them had talked. They all knew that keeping Methos' secret from all other immortals was important. Surely none of them had talked when they shouldn't have? Or mentioned his name in an overheard conversation?

Had someone seen Methos in London and let Cassandra know? If so who?

By the time Mrs. Hutchinson had come on duty and had entered with his breakfast... Joe had a possible list of candidates in his head as identities for the body. At least it was a place to start.

But Mrs. Hutchinson was not handing over his laptop until he ate everything. So Joe ate. During breakfast his phone rang once more.

"Joe Dawson?"

"Yeah... who's this?"

"I'm Melanie Pryor... Cassandra's last Watcher."

"What can I do for you?"

"Amy Brennan-Thomas called me and mentioned that Cassandra had been seen in London and wondered if I knew of an immortal she might have fought."

"Yeah... it has to do with another file." Joe did not know how much this Watcher knew about Methos and he wasn't about to say anything.

"So I gather... She said if I thought of anything to call you. This may be nothing... but... a week or so before she closed up shop here... she met with an immortal named Nathan Barlow."

"Friends or enemies?"

"Friends I gather. I never actually saw them together... but I do know they met briefly. Then he went back to London."

"London," Joe nodded to himself... glaring at Mrs. Hutchinson standing over him. He waved her and his clean breakfast tray away and motioned for his laptop. She seemed reluctant to let him have it.

"Listen... Melanie... You've been most helpful... If you think of anything else... anything at all... call me back." He glared at his nurse. As he hung up the phone he snapped, "My laptop... now!"

"Mr. Dawson... you..."

"Listen lady... My research might mean life or death for someone... now hand me my damned computer!"

Mariah Hutchinson set the tray down and handed him the computer. "I still say Dr. Lindsey was making a mistake allowing you access to this so soon."

"Yeah... yeah..." he waved at her and booted his system up to pull the latest files on Cassandra... and on Nathan Barlow.

Less than an hour later he called Amy with the results. "It's likely Nathan Barlow, Amy... Check with his Watcher... I got a feeling he's our man. He's been doing research for Cassandra for years. It may have finally paid off... but I have a feeling he wasn't paid quite the way he thought he might be."

After ringing off, Joe leaned back and took several deep breaths. As if this Nestor business wasn't enough... now Methos likely had Cassandra after him once more. Joe sobered and wondered how long it would be before Cassandra's vendetta against Methos brought her into contact with Ellie... Joe shivered at the thought of what might happen if those two met. One of them determined to destroy Methos... the other one... in love with him. Joe had never seen Ellie fight... he had no clear idea how good she might be... Mac had said she was good... if a bit unorthodox. The Highlander had seen Ellie spar with Methos in London... and she'd managed to beat the Ancient... but Joe was worried. That still didn't give him a clear idea... after all... Ellie was so small she might be mistaken for a child at a distance... and likely had been. And if she had been the one who'd killed Carmen Mendoza... then likely Methos was with her. And if Methos was with her... would that bring Cassandra?

"Damn!" Joe grumbled. He hated not being there for his friends. He hated being on the far side of the world from where they were. Yet there was nothing he could do about it. He had to help his friends... it was all he could do. Thoughtfully he began collating information from the Chronicle database once more. When one of them called... if one of them called... he'd have everything ready to pass on to them.