A Hot and Sultry Night for Crime by Jeffery Deaver

Author:Jeffery Deaver [Deaver, Jeffery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780425193693
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 2003-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Count Ignatio Magonoff turned and walked back down the stairs. Leslie’s screams and cries echoing in his ears, but no one else would hear her. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, the sun had just begun to light the sky. He opened the panel, stepped into the main house, and went to his bedroom. He bathed and prepared for bed, expectantly. Suddenly his head snapped up. He heard her one last horrible scream. She was gone at last. Lady Leslie Ann Romanoffski, who was over two hundred years old, was at peace.

Jamie sat straight up in bed at that moment, because Leslie had taken his blood, he too had heard her horrible cry and awakened from a sound sleep. He did not know what had awakened him, or its source, frightening though it was, in the swirling and dark mists that claimed it. He decided that he had had a dream. Jamie attributed his shaking to the inexplicable dream of a woman’s screaming at the point of sunrise and it had left him feeling unsettled. Margaret stirred when he rose from bed.

“Jamie,” she said, sleep heavy in her voice, “what ‘tis wrong?”

“Nothing, lass, go back to sleep,” Jamie told her. He stood before the window looking out over the mountains. A red disk burned through the mountain's mist in the sky, as if it warned of events to come. Jamie stood before the window and watched the sun begin to brighten the day.

Count Magonoff climbed into his now solitary bed and it struck him that he did not miss Leslie. He drew his first peaceful breath in many months. He was a wealthy--man. Was that the correct term, he wondered? Perhaps he could manage a way to return to some of his old ways. Ignatio was hopeful, but deep inside he knew it wasn’t possible, but he allowed a false hope to lull him to sleep.

Margaret was fully awake now, more accustomed to getting up early than late in the day. “What woke you, Jamie?” she asked, lovingly running her soft hands over his naked broad shoulders. Jamie drew her hands to his lip, kissing them and looked down into her green eyes.

“Margaret,” Jamie said quietly to his wife, “there is something very strange about this house and that man. I wish me old mother were here. She’d know what it was that is not just right.” Jamie commented. “I can almost hear her voice, but I can’t understand her words. Count Magonoff has a powerful presence. Almost,” Jamie’s voice dropping off, a far away look came over his face. “I wish to leave here as soon as it is possible,” he announced. “I wonder why it has taken their man, ah, Carloff, so long to change that wheel.”

“He could not find the correct one to fit it,” Margaret said, her voice sounding tight.

“Are you alright?” Jamie said, going to stand next to her.

“Yes, just the wee one moving about,” she assured him. She struggled to remain standing without Jamie’s assistance.

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