“Will it stop someone like Nari?”
“At the least, it would delay her.”
“Is there anything else I should know?”
“Yes. Someone like Nari cannot enter a building that is consecrated. If you’re ever in trouble in the streets, get into a church. Thankfully, in Venice, remember, there are over two hundred.” She smiled. “I’ll remember.”
Sean took her hand in support as they went up to Jared’s room. He told her he’d be just outside, waiting, if she needed him.
She gave a little cry at the door when she looked in at Jared. He was beyond ashen. IVs pumped blood into him through a needle in his arm. He looked as if he was dead already.
“You’re back.”
She started, turning to see that Cindy was slumped into a chair at the rear of the room.
She didn’t look much better than Jared. She had almost no coloring; her beautiful hair had taken on a lusterless hue. Her sweater was buttoned wrong.
“I’m here.” She came over to Cindy, wondering if her cousin-in-law was going to throw off her touch when she tried to hug her.
But Cindy’s malice hadn’t remained. She broke into a flood of tears. “I love him so much!” She looked at Jared with wild eyes. “I thought that ... oh, God, Jordan! I was ... no, I am ... certain that he was having an affair with that woman. The contessa. But ... I love him.” She gripped Jordan’s arm, and her pupils seemed large and distorted.
She was on a tranquilizer, Jordan realized.
“It’s that woman. That’s why he’s dying.”
“He’s not going to die,” Jordan said, wishing that she was certain.
“I’ve called the police. They’re going to come and talk to me. I’ve hated to leave him . .. but you’re here now. You?if I’m out of the room, and he takes a turn ... you’ll come get me.”
“Of course.”
Jordan gently disentangled herself from Cindy’s frantic hold and went to sit by her cousin’s side.
He had been dead still. He moved his head then, from side to side. His lips started moving. She leaned low. “Jared, it’s going to be all right,” she said firmly. Tears rushed to her eyes. “Jared, they’re giving you blood. It’s going to make you live. It’s going to cure you.” She was amazed when he suddenly gripped her wrist. His eyes opened on her. “Jordan!” He gave her a weak smile. “Forgive me. Cindy .. . never forgive me. Police, no, the police, too late, God, no ... God can’t forgive me.”
She smoothed his brow. “Jared, it’s going to be all right.”
“No ... dying.”
“Not anymore. You’re not going to die.”
Cindy had heard him and had risen. Jordan shifted aside so that she could reach him. She was crying again. “Jared, don’t you dare die, I love you, I forgive you, I’ll see that she dies, that evil, evil woman .. .” Jordan watched as she leaned over Jared, holding him tight. He had stopped speaking. For a moment, it felt to Jordan as if her own heart stopped. Then she looked at the machines that were monitoring him. His pulse was slow, but steady.
He was still breathing.
There was a soft tap at the door. She looked to it. Roberto Capo was standing there. She gasped with surprise and pleasure, and walked out. He was alive and well. On second thought, not too well. He looked thin and pinched, and before she could hug him, he lifted a hand, warning her away, and sneezed.
She ignored the hand and gave him a hug. “You’re all right.”
“Non troppo bene!” he said. “Not all right, but hopefully ... soon. I’m so sorry you were worried.” She saw that Sean was there, just as he had said he would be. “Sean, I’d like you to meet?” she began.
But Sean stopped her. “We’ve introduced ourselves.”
“American cop,” Roberto said sagely, indicating Sean.
“Yes,” she said and smiled.
“We will find out the truth behind the contessa, eh?” Roberto said.
“Yes.”
He held both of her hands for a minute, then sighed. “I have come to talk to Cindy. She called ... very upset She doesn’t know how, but she thinks the contessa made Signore Jared sick. I have come so that she can talk to me.”
“Thank God it’s you, and not Alfredo,” Jordan murmured.
Roberto shrugged. “Alfredo is here, too. In the waiting room.” Cindy wasn’t up to handling such a skeptic at the moment, Jordan thought. She looked at Sean.
“Perhaps you could go introduce yourself to another Italian. And explain ...” Sean arched a brow to her.
“Explain about some of the murders in America.”
“Sure. Except that?”
“Alfredo speaks English perfectly.”
Sean nodded with relief. “Sure.”
“Thank you!” Jordan whispered. He walked down the hall to the waiting room.
“Roberto, maybe you could talk to Cindy here, away from Alfredo. She’s . . . she’s on medication, I’m sure. And not making much sense.”
“Of course.”
Jordan went back into the room. “Cindy, Roberto is here.”
Cindy jumped up. “I’m going to tell him. They have to arrest that woman.” Cindy went out of the room with Roberto, and Jordan took a seat next to Jared again. She watched the machines. She looked at his face again, stroked his cheek. Don’t die, don’t die! I know that you‘re not evil, and you might have been under the influence of a monster, but in truth, you ’re not one yourself, you can’t become one yourself!
Was his color just a little bit better?
The door suddenly opened again. It was Roberto. “She’s . . . crazy,” he said. “She ran out?I will follow.”
Jordan looked at Jared, then shook her head. Sean was still here, just down the hall with Alfredo.
She ran out, after Roberto, down the hall, and to the elevators. He watched the numbers, then started for the stairs. Jordan ran after him. They reached the bottom of the stairs after the elevator, despite the speed with which they had descended. “She was so ... wild. I’m afraid .. .”
“That she’ll hurt herself ?” Jordan queried. Why in hell had Cindy run out of the hospital?
“There .. . there’s ... Cindy.”
She was hurrying for the docks. Hailing a water taxi.
“Stop!” Roberto shouted.
Too late; Cindy had hopped in.
“We have to follow her!” Jordan said, grabbing his hand. They ran to the docks. Tourists strolled into the line right ahead of them.
“No!” Jordan whispered.
Roberto pulled out his badge. “Polizia!” he said firmly, and this time, he took Jordan’s hand, dragging her along.
They hopped on to the next water taxi that came along. Roberto spoke to the driver.
They sped over the open water, then slowed as they followed the taxi ahead through various narrow canals.
“Where is she going?” Jordan murmured.
“I know this place . . . it’s near the trattoria. She’s going to the church,” Roberto said.
She glanced at him, and suddenly something stirred in her mind.
Mistrust!
The water taxi came to the dock. While Roberto spoke with the driver in Italian, Jordan made a run for it. Skirting one piazza, she raced down a narrow alley, studying the buildings around her. She saw an arrow directing a left turn with the words Campo di Fratelli. Campo ... it meant a square with a church.
She followed the sign and sighed with relief when she saw a notice board in front, listing the times for Mass. She started for it, passing an outdoor cafe where a few people were sharing drinks.
There was a wine decanter on a table right by the street. She deftly swept it from the table, and poured out the wine as she raced for the church, praying that no one had seen her.
She ran into the church. There were a number of people in it, their heads bowed in prayer. One or two looked up.
She looked around for an urn of holy water, found it, and filled her carafe. As she was doing so, she saw that a frowning priest was walking toward her. She flipped out her cross as she filled the carafe.
“Catholic, father. Honestly. I swear to you!”
With her carafe half full, she started to run out of the church?and ran straight into a man. As she started to apologize, she gave a nervous laugh instead.
She had crashed straight into Raphael.
“Jordan!” he said with pleasure. “I had heard that you left Italy. I heard that your cousin is sick as well, I’m so sorry?”
“It’s all right. But you have to help me. Cindy is in danger.” She grabbed his arm. “Raphael, there are vampires, and I’m not crazy. The contessa is part of an awful group of?of?bloodsuckers, and I’m afraid that even the cops may be in on it. Come on!”
“Come on?” He tugged back a little as she dragged him. “Where?”
“The deconsecrated church. Please, help me!”
He let out a deep sigh, but allowed her to drag him along.
“This street is shorter,” he told her.
“No ... I need .. . first. . .”
“What? What?”
She saw a small trash can just outside the door to an office building. It would do. “I need water, canal water.”
“Jordan, please. Let me buy you a drink?”
“I need canal water. Hold this!” She handed him the holy water, dumped the trash, and filled the can with water from the canal.
It wasn’t as easy to run with the trash can, but Jordan moved as quickly as she could. Raphael followed.
When they reached the church, she hesitated at the door. Shadows seemed to be all around the church.
She felt a strange, very cold, breeze. She closed her eyes, and imagined the sounds of whispers ...
Wings in the night.
Cindy was in there; she was certain.
She went up the steps, Raphael behind her.
There were no candles lit within the church. There was no light.
Suddenly, light flashed from behind her, illuminating the aisle. “You carry buckets of icy cold water. I am the one really prepared, with something useful? like a flashlight,” Raphael said.