Spirit Guide, page 12
Seeing me, my old school nemesis turned to me and removed his hat. “A word with you, Madame Chalamet.”
“Certainly,” I said, warily.
Stepping back from the open door, I let him enter. He barely glanced around the room before taking a seat, gesturing for me to do the same as if the place were his own. It gave me a strong desire to reach into my pocket for my man-stopper and shoot him.
“What brings you, Parnell? Not too busy draining the life force of young girls to visit?”
He didn’t respond but started a speech that was clearly rehearsed. “It’s come to my attention that you have an exceptional talent, Elinor. I would like you to consider using it to benefit all of mankind.”
I blinked. That wasn’t what I had expected.
“Exceptional talent? To benefit mankind? Whatever do you mean?”
He made a depreciating cough into his hand. “I see that in my eagerness to win you to my cause, I have not explained myself fully. A little bird in the Beyond has told me that you visited her with your apprentice. That your living flesh was able to maintain itself in the Beyond in a manner that I have not been able to do myself.”
I made my face blank, hoping that the two girls would not crack open that door to listen in on what was about to be a very interesting and revealing conversation.
I said blandly, “You know the body cannot go into the Beyond, only the soul. Our spirit.”
This close, I could see that the flesh was tightly stretched over his skull, his cheeks sunken, and his skin had a waxy sallowness to it. The man was definitely unwell.
He waggled a figure at me. “Don’t be shy. We both know that isn’t so. I designed my kingdom in the Beyond so only the living can enter. It is protected against the dead, otherwise ghosts would be wandering in and out of my domain. They litter the Beyond like pests.”
“Naturally; it is their sphere.”
“A sphere we should claim.”
Thinking of Ebbe’s companion, I said, “What of Labrenda Elstad? What is she? For she certainly is not alive!”
“A simulacrum. A construct. Elstad herself transitioned to the Afterlife long ago, but Lady Losendahl insisted she was the price for her cooperation in my experiment. So I showed her how she could shape whatever she wanted in the Beyond. That creature is simply a doll to bring comfort. Anything can be created in the Beyond by the living. You showed me that.”
How I wish I had not!
“So you are the Creator Mys Losendahl spoke of?”
“Let me explain—”
“Please do.”
He nodded to me, as though he was a king receiving a subject. “Did you ever wonder why mediums who have lost their minds in the Beyond appear younger than their true age? Why their faces have a cast of youth to them that does not fade away, no matter how many years pass?”
“If I had thought on it at all, I’m sure I would have concluded that it was their lack of wits which made them appear younger than their age. Just as a child’s innocence makes them youthful.”
“And there you would be wrong!” he exclaimed excitedly. His eyes flamed with feverish interest as he leaned over his knees as if to touch me. Thankfully, there was a span between us that didn’t permit it. “It is because their minds wander in the Beyond! That is what keeps them young. The same energy that allows ghosts to exist for centuries in the Beyond flows from the medium’s trapped mind backward into the body held on the Earthly plane.”
“Interesting, but not really of value to those who cannot think or care for themselves without assistance.”
Caught up in his own story, he barely paid my distaste at the idea any attention. “Now, think about this. What if the body and the mind could both go into the Beyond? To bathe themselves in the aura of a place halfway between earthly life and death?”
“Looking youthful? Is this what this is about? Taking girls like Lorraine Kaplan and Renee Bassett into the Beyond to do who-knows-what to appease vanity?”
“Mys Bassett is now an immortal. I’ve enshrined her pure essence to live forever,” he said piously. “Unfortunately, Mys Kaplan was flawed. She could not understand the great honor she was receiving and left the project.”
“Let me guess. She jumped— or was she pushed— in front of a train?”
Again, Parnell ignored what he didn’t want to answer. “I used my mind, like you did fighting that ghost-dragon, to create my palace: a retreat on a scale as grand as a king’s. In the Beyond, you are only limited by your imagination.”
Not a very good one. He couldn’t remember what his paintings should look like.
“Creating and maintaining are two different things.”
“Just a minor problem. All it needs is enough energy, enough soul-spirit, and it will live forever in the Beyond. That will be fixed once my last disciple takes her final vows.”
“In two days’ time? During the full moon, I suppose?”
“The first night of the full moon is tonight.”
At his words, I felt a desire to rush to the window to check the night sky. It took a lot of willpower not to do so.
“What I really came here to discuss with you is how you could help me. We are so close to learning the secret to never aging. Of stopping disease! Imagine, Elinor, a world where no one dies? My name— I mean, our names would go down in history as the ones to bring this great gift to mankind.”
I wasn’t going to waste time imagining any such thing. Instead, I was wondering when I should start shouting for Dupont to arrest him.
“You have the talent I need! It took months using volunteers before I was able to have both body and soul transported into the Beyond using my subject’s dream-state. I must know how you do it!”
“First, tell me how you do it yourself. As a sign of good faith.”
Since he thought I had my own method, Parnell confided in me. Or maybe it was just his need to brag that made him talkative.
“There is a halfway state, hovering between life and death, when the Beyond opens to the living. I give my subject a special drink I’ve concocted to open themselves up to these wonders.” I bet you do! “Like a horse pulling a carriage, they bring me along with them. But while they can stay in the Beyond as long as they are in their trance, eventually I am pushed out. However, as each girl’s spirit is enshrined forever in my palace, I gain the power to stay longer and longer.”
And what of these girls enshrined forever?
“You are corrupting the nature of the Beyond! As you seek to live in a space never meant for us, do you realize that ghosts are becoming corporeal on the earthly plain? That they can now re-animate themselves here, not as spirits but as flesh and blood? It goes against the natural order of life!”
Perhaps he was too far into his madness to see my horror at his scheme, for he continued talking as if he had not heard my warning.
“Without the ritual preparation I’ve taken, it is impossible for the living to remain in the Beyond without inflicting damage upon yourself. Even Ebbe is starting to flag in her dedication, although I’ve increased the dose of what keeps her in the halfway state, hovering between life and death. That is why I’m here to see you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Ebbe told me you were there, inside my palace. Yet you appear so healthy, so vibrant, my dear Elinor. You must have exceptional spiritual strength. I must know your secret!”
For some reason, Parnell believed that it was I who had transported Twyla and myself to the Beyond. I put it down to his arrogance; he would never believe a mere apprentice had such a talent. To protect Twyla, I did not correct that notion.
“It was pure chance, Parnell. I doubt I could achieve it again,” I said lightly. “One of your nasty ghosts, a well-known killer of girls in the Hells, showed up here, and I panicked. It simply happened; probably a dormant skill provoked by the need for survival.”
“Yes, yes. That one has been a bother.”
I said firmly, “Which is a good reason for stopping these experiments. Why don’t you let me know where Lady Losendahl is? I’m sure the baron will provide you with a reward.”
He pulled back, settling his shoulders against the high-backed plum-colored chair. Too late, I realized I had pushed him too hard. “No. I think it would be better if you were to come with me, and I will exchange you for Lady Losendahl. You are worth more to me than an untrained girl obsessed with her dead friend.”
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “Really? That’s your plan? That I take Ebbe Losendahl’s place? No, thank you.” His face flushed with anger; at least it gave some warmth to his skull-like face. “I think I’ll call Sergeant Dupont in here to beat the information out of you.”
“Lady Losendahl is in a heavily drugged state, at a location your pet gendarmes have not been able to find. Yes, I’ve seen them sniffing around. Without my appearance in the next hour to wake her, she will slip into a coma and die. Is that what you want? When just a little help from you could save her?”
For a moment I was tempted, but it would not do. This was an obvious trap, with my survival doubtful. “I’m sorry, Parnell, but I decline your offer to immolate myself.”
Standing, I was ready to escort him to the door. He did not get up, but twirling his hat brim between his fingertips, said, “To sweeten my offer, I will give you information about your father’s murder. You are still investigating that, aren’t you, Elinor?”
Chapter Seventeen
His words froze me.
“What would you know of it? And why would I believe you?”
“Was I ever a liar? A braggart, perhaps, but I’ve never said anything that was untrue. Why would I be here, confident that I can convince you, unless I knew something of value? Such as the name of the man who killed Mysir Augustus Chalamet.”
“You don’t know it. You can’t know it,” I protested.
“Oh yes, Elinor, I’ve known for a couple of years now. The information came to me through an associate, the provider of that delightful concoction that puts my volunteers on the verge of death. The man doesn’t know that I know, of course. Otherwise he might think of eliminating me, even though he benefits from my research just as much as I do.”
I clenched my hands behind me to stop myself from launching myself at his face.
“I don’t believe you. This is just some cruel joke of yours, on top of all the other twisted games you’ve played with these girls’ lives. You’ve known since our training days my purpose in becoming a member of the Morpheus Society, and now you seek to use that to make me agree to this ludicrous plan of yours.”
With that detestable wide grin, he stood up and made his way slowly to the door.
“Think on my offer, Elinor. Guide me for one final trip into the Beyond, where I shall stay forever, and in exchange I shall tell you the name of your father’s killer. But the clock is ticking. Meet me at the Fontaine Park mermaid at midnight. I will bring Lady Losendahl, but you will bring no one.”
“I will not agree to any of this until you can show me some proof that you know anything.”
“Something that your pet police officer, Inspector Barbier, doesn’t know? Well, Elinor, for you I shall share a little morsel. Mysir Chalamet was murdered because he knew of a greater crime and was about to speak of it.”
“A greater crime? What crime?” I demanded. What did he know that I didn’t?
He wagged his finger at me again. “If you wish to know more, you must agree to help me.”
“I will do it, Parnell, but we will meet at one a.m. I have things to settle beforehand. Take my offer or not.”
He nodded. “Till then.”
After he left, I struck a match to a candle and placed the candlestick in the window. Anne-Marie and Twyla both emerged from the bedroom, speaking at the same time.
“You can’t really be going, madame!” said Anne-Marie.
“So Mysir Lafayette is the one kidnapping girls? We should tell Sergeant Dupont.” Twyla strode to the door.
“No. Come sit down and let us make a plan.”
Twyla stood there, unmoving, her hand still outstretched toward the doorknob.
“Please, come sit down and let me tell you what I plan to do.”
Reluctantly, she returned to take a seat next to Anne-Marie. Both were perched on the edge of their chairs.
“We have a couple of hours to think how we can handle this. If we go to the police or the duke, I am sure we shall never find Lady Losendahl.” Twyla opened her mouth, but I put my finger over my lips to bid her to be quiet.
“But—”
“No buts. He will be on the lookout for anyone that looks like a guardia. The duke and baron are men who would be easily spotted. We shall use helpers Lafayette won’t notice.”
“You are thinking of Marcus,” said Anne-Marie, who had noticed my signal placed in the window.
I nodded. “He and his fellows would be of great help. Hopefully, he will see the candle and join us soon.”
“Marcus? The street rat who helped me find Hannah Wahl?” asked my apprentice.
“Yes. We’ve been friends for some years, and he knows how to move through the city better than anyone.”
“If he’s coming, I had better lay in more food,” said Anne-Marie. She rose and went to place another order. My room service bill was going to be astronomical this month, especially as I no longer received a discount from the Crown in handling their Noise Ghost.
“But what shall I do?! I want to help!” wailed Twyla.
“You have one of the most important duties in the whole plan. If I get lost in the Beyond, you need to find me.”
About half an hour later, Marcus arrived. At fourteen, he was going through a growth spurt and was starting to fill out a man’s coat, though the arms were still a bit too long for his bony frame. He had a jaunty kerchief tied around his throat, its ends tucked down his shirt front as either an attempt at style or warmth.
“Madame,” he said, shedding his cap. His eyes swiveled around casually, taking in Twyla, Anne-Marie, and everything else. I was sure he had just priced every knick-knack in the room.
“Thank you for coming at such short notice, Marcus. I hope you don’t have any plans for this evening?”
“I took a pass on those opera tickets, madame, as soon as I got word about your light,” he said, grinning. “You’ve got another job for me? Must be something special, it being this time of night.”
While we were talking, I went to my desk and pulled out the flat bag where I kept my spare money. Counting out small bills until they made a stack, I rolled it and handed it to Marcus, who made it quickly disappear in some inner pocket that a cut-purse would never reach.
“What’s this for? I haven’t done anything yet.”
“That’s for finding the body of that young lady we were looking for. It is part of a reward that Baron Losendahl will give you in the near future. Tonight, I will shortly be meeting a gentleman in Fontaine Park at the mermaid statue. I want you and your friends already in place. The carriage I get into needs to be followed, and word sent back here about wherever it goes.”
“That’s all?”
“Of course, you can’t be seen.”
“If we don’t want to be seen, we won’t be seen,” he said proudly.
“Good, because if you are, you risk my life.” My melodramatic phrase, right out of the penny-paper adventures, evidently excited him.
Anne-Marie emerged with another tray of food from the Crown kitchens. I encouraged him to take what he wanted, and he stuffed his pockets while I told him the particulars of my plan.
“Remember, once you know where the carriage has taken me, you are to send word back immediately to Anne-Marie.”
He nodded. One last apple going into another capacious pocket, he put his cap back on, sketched a dramatic bow, and left.
Now, I just needed to figure out a way of getting out of here without having Sergeant Dupont following me. For that, I’d need Anne-Marie’s help.
About thirty minutes before I needed to be at the park to meet Parnell, Anne-Marie opened the door to the hall and told Sergeant Dupont that there was a rat in the kitchen.
“Come in and take care of it. Quietly, though, as madame and Mys Twyla are asleep in the next room.”
From behind the door, hidden from view, I heard his big guardia boots stomp across the threshold. He paused just after entering the suite, and I had a view of his bull-sized back as he stood looking about, searching for the rodent.
“Over there. To the right is the kitchen door. It’s in there. Catch it or kill it, I don’t care, but it can’t stay here.”
Anne-Marie wasn’t the best actress, for her voice showed no fear or trepidation. In reality she would have beaten such a thing with a broom herself, but Sergeant Dupont didn’t know her, and he obediently went where her finger pointed.
As he disappeared through the swing door, I slipped out into the hall and made a quick race down the stairs to the lobby.
You could always rely upon finding a cab in the hotel district due to late-night parties, the theater, or the opera, which meant comings and goings at all hours. I dismissed two cab drivers as possibilities: one looked like a well-fed family man, and the other too nervous. The third man had a face that meant business, and I noticed a stout stick under his floorboard.
“I am meeting someone who might be unfriendly. Can you assist me?”
He tipped his hat, even as he asked, “In what way, madame?”
“He is to let a friend of mine return to the Royal Hotel in your cab, but he might prove obstinate about letting her go. Or have friends with him.”
“No worries, madame. I’m always on the side of ladies in distress. And Bob, that’s my horse, he won’t let anyone catch us if we don’t want them to.”
I scrambled in and gave directions. It did not take us long, and once we reached the park, I paid my driver in advance, adding a substantial tip, as well as a folded note. Opening Father’s watch, I saw I was a little early.
