come with him if I wanted true peace. Ah, shit, it's right there at the edge of my brain.
Give me a minute, Frank."
"Take your time. Think back. What do you
remember?"
"Coming to me. Fuck, he entered my dream—the
man from the photo."
"Visualize the album we
looked at, Rand, the one from the front desk. The man you saw in your dream, have you seen him
before?"
"I think so, but in the
picture we couldn't make out his face. One thing is clear though, the man that attempted to drag my
ass into Never Never Land sat in a chair
holding an object."
"Right, keep thinking. We
thought we saw the outline of a man's body and he clutched something—"
Rand looked into his eyes. "Not something, a
bayonet."
"Are you sure?"
"A bayonet is a bayonet is
a bayonet, Frank. I excelled in history in high school."
"Yeah, you're doing great.
So he is a
solider?"
For the first time since
he'd been pulled back through the portal, Rand looked around the room. The desk had been upended, and all
the pictures hung catawampus on the wall.
The floor lamp was broken and their empty shoulder bags had been tossed against the window, shattering
two panes.
"He's a soldier, all right, and much
more."
"What do you mean?"
"I saw the boys—Charlie and
Brent, or at least I think it must have been them." A visible shiver tore through him. "I've never seen
such stark, black terror in anyone's eyes.
Their arms came out...reaching, straining toward me."
'They're still alive, Rand. That's all that
matters."
"You gotta pull them back
like you did me. I don't think I can live now that I saw the look...."
Frank fell silent.
"You can get them out of there, can't
you?"
"I don't know, Rand. I've
never been up against such powerful energy." He ran a knuckle down his cheek. "I almost lost you, another
ten seconds and...."
"Yeah, serves your
unredeemable ass right after scaring me shitless in the cab tonight."
Frank laughed.
"You think that's funny?"
"Not at all," he said his voice softening.
"You just heard my laugh of relief."
Rand rolled his eyes.
"Come on; let's get you back in bed. We have
a big day ahead after this."
* * * * *
With the taste of cotton in
his mouth, Frank answered his cell phone on the fourth ring. "McGuire."
The voice reminded him of
Katherine Hepburn's fractured speech in her last years. "I fell in love yesterday, Mr. McGuire. Oh, not
really because I'm married to our Lord,
but your young assistant is a charmer."
"I heard your meeting with
Rand went well, Sister." Frank chuckled despite the buzz of wasps in his head and the wrenched
muscles in his neck. "Has something come
up?"
She bypassed his question
with one of her own. "Can you meet me at Lafayette Cemetery this afternoon?"
"Sure, what time?"
She paused, her voice
cracking with humor. "If we don't meet within the hour, the afternoon will be over."
Frank glanced to the window
and remembered he'd pulled the curtains shut in the middle of the
night against the broken panes. "Damn. I mean, dang, you mean we missed the continental
breakfast?"
"And lunch, Mr. McGuire. Do you know where
Lafayette is located?"
" Yes, the Garden District on Hillary Street."
"Will Mr. Brennan accompany
you?" Another staccato chuckle. "Beauty is
something that can be perceived, and also something that can
be experienced. God meant for us to see
His glory."
"Right." Frank looked at
Rand's puzzled face and rolled his eyes. "I'll make sure the Lord's perfect creation joins us."
Frank snapped his cell
phone shut to Rand's question. "What was that all about?"
"Sister Francoise Genevieve is smitten with
you."
"She's a nun."
Frank smiled. "Oh, well,
she made it clear her appreciation for beauty has been pre-approved by God."
"My head is killing me, and
I have a score to settle yet with the Mack truck that hit me last night, so don't fuck with
me."
"I'm merely the messenger."
Frank rose from the bed and rifled through his travel bag on the nightstand. "Did you happen to pack
Aleve,
Give me a minute, Frank."
"Take your time. Think back. What do you
remember?"
"Coming to me. Fuck, he entered my dream—the
man from the photo."
"Visualize the album we
looked at, Rand, the one from the front desk. The man you saw in your dream, have you seen him
before?"
"I think so, but in the
picture we couldn't make out his face. One thing is clear though, the man that attempted to drag my
ass into Never Never Land sat in a chair
holding an object."
"Right, keep thinking. We
thought we saw the outline of a man's body and he clutched something—"
Rand looked into his eyes. "Not something, a
bayonet."
"Are you sure?"
"A bayonet is a bayonet is
a bayonet, Frank. I excelled in history in high school."
"Yeah, you're doing great.
So he is a
solider?"
For the first time since
he'd been pulled back through the portal, Rand looked around the room. The desk had been upended, and all
the pictures hung catawampus on the wall.
The floor lamp was broken and their empty shoulder bags had been tossed against the window, shattering
two panes.
"He's a soldier, all right, and much
more."
"What do you mean?"
"I saw the boys—Charlie and
Brent, or at least I think it must have been them." A visible shiver tore through him. "I've never seen
such stark, black terror in anyone's eyes.
Their arms came out...reaching, straining toward me."
'They're still alive, Rand. That's all that
matters."
"You gotta pull them back
like you did me. I don't think I can live now that I saw the look...."
Frank fell silent.
"You can get them out of there, can't
you?"
"I don't know, Rand. I've
never been up against such powerful energy." He ran a knuckle down his cheek. "I almost lost you, another
ten seconds and...."
"Yeah, serves your
unredeemable ass right after scaring me shitless in the cab tonight."
Frank laughed.
"You think that's funny?"
"Not at all," he said his voice softening.
"You just heard my laugh of relief."
Rand rolled his eyes.
"Come on; let's get you back in bed. We have
a big day ahead after this."
* * * * *
With the taste of cotton in
his mouth, Frank answered his cell phone on the fourth ring. "McGuire."
The voice reminded him of
Katherine Hepburn's fractured speech in her last years. "I fell in love yesterday, Mr. McGuire. Oh, not
really because I'm married to our Lord,
but your young assistant is a charmer."
"I heard your meeting with
Rand went well, Sister." Frank chuckled despite the buzz of wasps in his head and the wrenched
muscles in his neck. "Has something come
up?"
She bypassed his question
with one of her own. "Can you meet me at Lafayette Cemetery this afternoon?"
"Sure, what time?"
She paused, her voice
cracking with humor. "If we don't meet within the hour, the afternoon will be over."
Frank glanced to the window
and remembered he'd pulled the curtains shut in the middle of the
night against the broken panes. "Damn. I mean, dang, you mean we missed the continental
breakfast?"
"And lunch, Mr. McGuire. Do you know where
Lafayette is located?"
" Yes, the Garden District on Hillary Street."
"Will Mr. Brennan accompany
you?" Another staccato chuckle. "Beauty is
something that can be perceived, and also something that can
be experienced. God meant for us to see
His glory."
"Right." Frank looked at
Rand's puzzled face and rolled his eyes. "I'll make sure the Lord's perfect creation joins us."
Frank snapped his cell
phone shut to Rand's question. "What was that all about?"
"Sister Francoise Genevieve is smitten with
you."
"She's a nun."
Frank smiled. "Oh, well,
she made it clear her appreciation for beauty has been pre-approved by God."
"My head is killing me, and
I have a score to settle yet with the Mack truck that hit me last night, so don't fuck with
me."
"I'm merely the messenger."
Frank rose from the bed and rifled through his travel bag on the nightstand. "Did you happen to pack
Aleve,
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