Page 61 of Black Curtain

I stared around the cavernous foyer, trying to think as that sickening, muscle-vibrating pain slowly receded. I still had no idea where we were. I’d learned exactly nothing for all of that pain and nausea and panic and being sure I was going to die.

My mind went back to the plane, the car rides.

But we were still so high from the cakes.

That was good, right? We couldn’t have gone far. Even on a plane.

We couldn’t be more than a few hours out from having eaten the cakes. I had no idea how long they lasted, but it couldn’t be more than twelve hours. Even if it took Brick maybe four or five hours to bring us here from the resort in New Mexico, we should have less than seven hours before we could think normally again.

We wouldn’t be so wacked out of our gourds if we’d been traveling the whole night.

But itfeltfurther than that.

Itfeltlike we were very far away from our friends.

How had Brick gotten us here so quickly?

I found myself surfacing more of those images, more of those disturbing memories from the trip here. The cars, the possible trucks. At least one plane.

I’d seen a city out of the windows of that last car.

Flashing lights. Other cars.

People covering the sidewalk.

I hadn’t been able to see any of it clearly, but I remembered the feel of it.

“Drugs,” Dalejem offered.

I turned, looking at him, and Jem motioned towards his own head.

“Drugs,” he repeated. “The cakes work until they work. They work as long as it takes for the messages to get through. They could have stopped them… slowed it down. Drugs,” he repeated, again motioning by his head.

I understood this. Almost.

But that annoyingly smug voice was still talking.

“…THE TASK I HAVE SET FOR YOU IS SIMPLE AT BASE. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO FULFILL THAT TASK IS ALREADY HERE, IN THIS HOUSE… WHICH IS ALSO THE SCENE OF THE CRIME I WOULD LIKE YOU TO SOLVE.”

The vampire’s voice held a smile.

I heard it when he went on.

I could almost see him.

“I APOLOGIZE FOR THE EXCESSIVE DRAMA OF MY APPROACH, BUT THIS REALLY SEEMED THE ONLY WAY. I WOULD LIKE YOU TO SOLVE A PUZZLE FOR ME, QUENTIN… WITH THE HELP OF YOUR MATE AND SOME OF YOUR MORE RESOURCEFUL FRIENDS. I AM EVEN GIFTING YOU MY OWN CHILD, NAOKO, FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS EXERCISE…”

I heard another low growl from Dalejem.

I didn’t look over at where he and Nick stood by the wall.

I didn’t look away from the direction the voice came from, echoing down from the ceiling. I didn’t stop my obsessive crouching over Black.

“YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN MY CHILDHOOD HOME. I HAVE EQUIPPED THIS HOME WITH EVERYTHING I HAVE MANAGED TO COLLECT OVER THE YEARS RELATING TO THE HISTORY OF THIS CRIME. SOME COMES FROM NEWSPAPERS AND POLICE REPORTS AT THE TIME… BUT MUCH INCLUDES THINGS I HEARD AND SAW, AND EVERYTHING I COULD PULL FROM WITNESSES AND THEIR FAMILIES ACROSS THE YEARS SINCE. I APOLOGIZE THERE IS NOT MORE…”

I frowned, glancing down at Black.

Black glanced at me.

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