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Survivor Part 3 (6/8)
Kay Kelly (wilusa@EARTHLINK.NET)Wed, 4 Apr 2001 04:37:15 -0400
Epilogue Two weeks later I was once again in a car driven by Adam Pierson. But this time the other passenger was Joe Dawson, and we were in Paris. I'd spent those weeks with Pierson. Back in the States, it had taken him less than twenty-four hours to get a passport that identified me as a citizen of Guyana. Since then I'd been hiding in his London mansion. Pierson had explained that he'd amassed a quick fortune in software development. That enabled him to live well, without betraying the fact that he'd been making shrewd investments since before the reign of the first Elizabeth. He called his software company Cutting Edge. And yes, he was also the proud owner of a California vineyard--named, at least ostensibly, for the software company. I never told him he'd lost a fan with the death of Jacob Kell. *** While we were in England, Joe Dawson had been at a secluded resort in Jamaica. Hopefully, he'd convinced the Watchers Duncan MacLeod had been there as well, taking a much-needed rest. In fact, Duncan had traveled to Scotland to bury Connor's remains with those of his first wife. He'd known all along he'd be able to claim the body. The NYPD had identified it--not as Connor MacLeod, but as Russell Nash, whom they'd fingerprinted in '85. All they knew about Nash was that he'd dropped out of sight after turning his antique shop over to his assistant, Rachel Ellenstein. She had later taken on a partner, Connor MacLeod. But he'd disappeared after her death, and his cousin Duncan had paid taxes on the building ever since. Not knowing of anyone else who might have been acquainted with Nash, the police contacted Duncan. He told them he'd never met the man, but would gladly assume responsibility for his burial for the sake of their mutual friend Rachel. *** Jacob's body hadn't been found; the second fire in the Kathedral had been officially written off as "set by pranksters." Of course, no one who'd seen the Quickening lightning would believe that. But on weekend nights in a non-residential neighborhood, neither of the Kathedral Quickening extravaganzas could have been seen by many people. *** I now knew that Matthew Hale and his men had actually grabbed Duncan once, after his plunge from the loft. Dawson and Pierson had seen it. They couldn't risk following Hale's vehicle on lightly-traveled country roads; but from the direction it was headed, they knew it was bound for the monastery. They rescued Duncan a few days later, and Pierson even retrieved his sword. The original Sanctuary had been an officially sanctioned Watcher operation, though only known to a select few. But Dawson couldn't believe their Tribunal would endorse seizing an Immortal against his will--at least, not without knowing he'd learned the holy ground secret. That was why he was sure Hale and his fanatical supporters had turned renegade. Hale undoubtedly *had* realized at some point that Duncan knew the secret; but if he'd been out of contact with the organization, they were still in the dark. They didn't know Connor MacLeod and Jacob Kell were dead, or that Duncan had encountered either of them. Pierson and I had told MacLeod Dawson had "killed" Hale, and we'd agreed not to tell him he might have made a bad situation worse. We couldn't guess how Hale would react to discovering he was Immortal. But he hadn't seen the outcome of Duncan's fight with Jacob. If he was out of touch with the Watchers and not able to hack into their files, he didn't know whether Duncan MacLeod was still alive. *** Anyway, Dawson had timed his return to Paris for the same day as MacLeod's. Duncan had e-mailed Pierson and asked him to come over too, and bring me along. He said he now felt able to talk about some things he'd learned from Connor's Quickening. And the three of us--that included Dawson--had been of such help to him that we deserved to hear the whole story. Pierson was puzzled by his not having suggested we meet in London. The Watchers didn't know Pierson was an Immortal, but they did know he was a friend of MacLeod's. The Highlander's paying him another visit on his way home from Jamaica wouldn't have caused any raised eyebrows. On the other hand, my going outdoors at all was a risk. The Watchers knew what Jacob's henchmen looked like and wanted to kill us. But I told Pierson it was okay. I was going stir crazy. I wanted to stay alive, but being holed up forever--even in a mansion--wasn't *being* alive. *** "I think Mac wants to show you his place, Manny," Dawson said as we drove along the bank of the Seine. "That's a sign he really thinks of you as a friend." I looked around. "He lives on a barge, right?" We were on the fringe of the city, in another of those non-residential areas dominated by recently constructed office complexes. We hadn't passed any houseboats for miles. "Yeah," Dawson replied. He apparently thought I'd meant that was nothing to get excited about, because he continued, "There's more to see than the boat. He used to keep it moored at the Quai de la Tournelle, but he moved a few years ago because too many enemies knew where to find him. It wasn't fair to guests. "Out here, he was able to buy a piece of land on the riverbank. He has it landscaped. Features a collection of sculptures by his great love, Tessa Noel--that's where he meditates every day. Come spring he'll have a flower garden too." Pierson snickered. "Good work, Joe. You did a great job of spoiling the surprise." Dawson harrumphed, and I said, "I'm glad he did. I hate sculpture, but I'll know I'm supposed to admire this stuff and act impressed." We were all laughing until, suddenly, Pierson slammed on the brake. "What the hell--?"