An Old Friend Of The Family (Saberhagen's Dracula Book 3) by Fred Saberhagen

Author:Fred Saberhagen [Saberhagen, Fred]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: JSS Literary Productions
Published: 2010-05-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Again Judy was not alone in her own warm bedroom, though it was the middle of the night. Her waking was gradual and without fear, but she knew he was there even as she woke.

Judy turned over in bed and looked. This time his dark figure was standing beside the dressing-table chair.

“Have I alarmed you?” Dr. Corday’s normal voice inquired softly.

“No.” She sat up in bed, and was irritated to find herself involuntarily fingering the top button of her nightgown again. “What is it?”

“The truth is that I feel a need to talk. And I much prefer your company to that of anyone else I can talk with tonight.”

“Won’t you sit down?”

“Thank you.” The chair in his hand moved with ghostly silence. He settled into it without a sound.

“I wanted to thank you,” Judy said, “for what you did today.”

“It was my pleasure, as well as my duty, to be of service.” And her visitor made her a little seated bow.

“Can you tell me anything more about Kate?” When her question had gone unanswered for a moment Judy added: “I’m certain now that she’s still alive. Don’t ask me how I know. But I was right about Johnny, wasn’t I? It’s the same feeling.”

“Indeed, you were right. You have a talent in such matters.”

“But you don’t want to talk about Kate yet. All right, I trust you.”

He was silent for a long time, and motionless in his chair. at last he said: “It is long, I think, since anyone has trusted me in such a way. Strange, it had not occurred to me for a long time, that I was never any longer trusted…ah, Judy, I am tired tonight.”

“Can’t you get any rest?”

“That is one thing I wished to discuss with you tonight. In the morning you will hear that I have disappeared from my motel. The police, as they believe, have put me in a storage there, so they may check up on me with the authorities in London before they begin to question me intensively.”

“Are you in trouble?”

He almost laughed, though not at her, she saw with relief. Perhaps at himself. “My dear! I am never out of trouble, one might say. Tomorrow the police will not find me available for questioning. But tomorrow night I shall be active again, and perhaps you will see me then. The task for which you so justly summoned me will be completed—if I can do it. The truth is, the enemy has proven to be rather more powerful than I at first suspected. Still, I believe I can succeed, if I am given occasional help as effective as your help was today.”

“Oh yes! Anything. Of course. Do you have a place where you can rest?”

“Fortunately I long ago made preparations for a visit to the New World. You see, real rest is not always easy for me to obtain, particularly when I am this far from home. My enemies no doubt have counted on that fact. Oh, yes, it is my enemies that we are here concerned with.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.