Paying off the cab at the next intersection, they made their way through the park again. Kat had to admit, Lily was right, buying a house so close to the park was ideal. Not only would they be able to time travel at a moment’s notice, but it was also one of her favorite parts of New York. She and Dore would be able to walk across the park, time travel forward to 2025 and have lunch at The Loeb Boathouse, or go back to the 1800s and have dinner at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. They could even go rowing on the lake, or, if she was feeling adventurous, visit Grantham at his house in Old Westbury. Kat wouldn’t have to worry about the guards. She could time travel from the golf course and walk to the house.
The only thing she had yet to visit was their new office. Like the house, it was ideally situated in the East Village, but until they moved to 1964, and settled in, it would remain unfamiliar office space. She found herself thinking about it when they reached the lawn area. They would have to drum up business in the real world. They would have to advertise, make themselves known to the police. Perhaps they should contact Fleming and see if he was still interested. It was doubtful if MI6 still wanted them dead, nineteen years after the war had ended.
She glanced at the others. Lily was talking to Giselle, but Dore was walking alone, so she caught up with him and hooked her arm with Dore’s.
“Can we have a chat about the detective agency? We might get Hades to finance the house, but we can’t expect him to bankroll the agency.”
Without breaking stride, he said, “You mean, how are we going to make money?”
“Exactly. We’ll need clients.”
He grunted. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in the most obvious client.”
“You mean MI6? Well, that’s the thing, I’m not sure. They’re probably worth a sizable amount of money, and if we’ve got an office in Hell, we’ll probably have some amazing connections, but we’re supposed to be dead.”
He smiled and put an arm around her waist. “Hmm. Actually, that may be a good thing. Can you imagine us showing up at Fleming’s office, and his secretary announcing us? Commander, there are a couple of Zombies out here who would like to see you. We’d need to call Fleming and check the lay of the land. But after 19 years, what if Fleming is dead in 1964?”
“That’s easy. We’ll call Winston Churchill. He still owes me a favor for not assassinating Hitler.”
“Well, I wouldn’t worry about it, Lass. If Hades agrees to give us the money for the house, we’ll have a home and an office. I’m sure we won’t starve. In the meantime, what are we going to do about Grantham? We can’t have people trying to kill us all the time.”
“Once I’ve been to the palace and sorted out the house, we can both go and see him. Maybe we can broker a truce.”
He laughed. “Aye. There’s nothing like a truce between Zombies.” He looked around. They had reached the lawn area, and for once, there were few people around. “Well, it looks quiet enough. You girls might want to put your long dresses on.”
The sun was setting on the horizon when they arrived in 1866. It was a warm and balmy evening, a soft breeze was blowing, and the Hansom cabs were still standing in line. They weren’t worried about Rostock anymore. He worked for McInnes, and Grantham would have warned him not to make further waves.
She gazed at Giselle and Lily. They looked so pretty in their long dresses; it seemed a shame to have to rush back to Hell. Then again, they weren’t on holiday and Hades would be waiting for news. So they all strolled back to the hotel, aware of the clatter of horses and carriages trotting back and forth on Central Park West, not that it had been called Central Park West in 1866.
When they reached their room, they saw the beds were made, a fresh arrangement of flowers was placed in the vase by the hearth, and the windows were cracked open. It wasn’t as luxurious or hi-tech as their suite in the Langham, with its marble bathroom, color TV, and cordless phones, but it had a welcoming air nevertheless, and Kat would never forget the wonderful food in the restaurant.
“Well,” she said, when they all stood while looking at each other, “unless anyone can think of a reason to stay, we’d better make a move. Are you all OK?”
“I must admit, I’m confused,” Giselle said. “We’ve been to 2024, 2025, now that we’re back in 1866, and in the next few minutes we’ll be in 1954 again… but in Hell. I don’t know where I belong anymore. I loved 2025 because it was beautiful. Grantham commutes from 2025. Why can’t we live there?”
Kat gave her a sympathetic smile. She knew exactly what Giselle was feeling. She felt the same way herself. “It’s a question of logistics, Ellie. We need to run the agency in parallel with the office in Hell. As it is, 1964 is in the future. But don’t worry about it. You’ll love 1964, we’ll be able to take vacations in 2025, and after sixty-one years, which will go by in a flash, we’ll actually be living in 2025, and we won’t have aged.”
“It’s just that I’ve been cooped up in Hell for two hundred years. I feel like breaking out.”
“And you will, Ellie, just not all at once. Don’t forget; we haven’t heard the end of the Grantham business. I’m quite sure we’ll be going there again very soon.”
So they cleared a space in the middle of the room, extracted their artifacts from the desk drawer, and prepared to teleport. It was an odd feeling. They were going back to Hell, and no one was looking forward to it. They’d got used to living in the real world again, eating real food and feeling real sunshine, Giselle had even developed freckles. They hadn’t cared that it was dangerous; it was all part of being alive. Now they’d be amongst dead people again.
“I don’t know why you’re all looking so miserable,” Dore said. “In two shakes of a lamb’s tail, we’ll be looking at houses in 1964, and Kat will be drinking Columbian coffee with Hades, or horseback riding with Persephone. It’s not all bad.”
Kat gazed at him. “You’re absolutely right Jock. Hell ain’t so bad.”
It was two o’clock in the afternoon when they arrived back in Hell, not much later than when they’d left. Except that it was a Wednesday. Two days had passed. It was hard to fathom. Had the time passed while they were in 2025, or had it been while they were in 1866? They’d spent time in both eras. Not that it mattered a great deal. They’d done as much as they could with Grantham, the Elites could close down Holiday of a Lifetime, the ranch house at Quiggly’s Gulch would be demolished, and it was anyone’s guess what would happen to McInnes.
Kat spent the first hour or so making phone calls. First, to Persephone to say they were OK, and that she’d fly out to the palace soon. Then to Pernass, to tell him what had happened and suggesting he might want to close Holiday of a Lifetime down. And finally, Jonathon Steel, to set up a meeting to offer him a position with the Demon Detective Agency. By the time she’d finished, Dore, and the girls had changed and looked set to travel again, which Kat suddenly realized was a problem, not for Dore or the girls, but for her. Dore was her partner. He’d been her partner since the spring of 1942. They’d been through so much together; it was hard to remember what life was like without him. Now she was going to close the deal with Hades, and she wanted him with her.
“Jock, I hate to spring this on you, but I’d like you to be with me when I go to the palace. Is that likely to be a problem?”
He scratched his head, something he always did when he needed time to think. “Are you sure?” he said finally. “Last time I came with you, I was ordered to go riding with Persephone. Not that I minded; it was a terrific ride.”
“And I can’t promise that won’t happen again, but you’re my partner, Jock. You’ll be my Doctor Watson in all this. Hades needs to know that. We weren’t able to bring Grantham in, in any real sense, and I want Hades to buy into that. If you’re with me, we’ll be presenting a united front… so to speak.” She glanced at Giselle and discovered that she was giving Dore pleading looks.
“What about the girls,” he countered, obviously affected by the expression on Giselle’s face. “D’you
think it’s safe for them to go house hunting on their own?”
“In New York, in 1964? Yes, it’s perfectly safe. Anyway, if all goes as planned, they’ll only be looking at one house. If that falls through, they’ll be looked after by a real estate agent…”
Dore glanced at Giselle, who was still giving him pleading looks. “How do you feel about that, Ellie? Will you and Lily be all right on your own?”
Giselle winced. “I’d prefer it if you were with us. If we do have to stay in a hotel, even in 1964, I can’t imagine it’s normal for two women to book in.”
“Ellie, for God’s sake,” Kat snorted. “I was booking into hotels without a man in Egypt in 1941. This is the USA, not the third world.” She looked at Lily. “Do you have a problem with this?”
Lily shook her head. “Not really. Then again, I’m not shagging anyone.”
“Lily!” Giselle exclaimed. “That’s got nothing to do with it. I just want Jock to approve the house.”
Dore held up his hands. “Girls, I’ve never bought a house in my life, but Lily has. She even owned a brownstone ten years earlier. She’s the expert, not me. As far as I’m concerned, if you like it, I’ll like it. Also, the whole thing depends on Kat getting a final OK from Hades. If she needs me there to achieve that, well… I should be there. Sorry, Ellie.”
Giselle rolled her eyes. “I knew you two would gang up on me.”
“We’re not ganging up on you,” Dore objected. “This is a very tricky situation. Hades allowed us to set up a detective agency so we could stop Grantham, but we haven’t completely stopped him. All we can do is close Holiday of a Lifetime down. We have to convince Hades to let us run with this, and it’s not fair to heap it all on Kat’s shoulders. Look on the bright side, Ellie. If we can pull this off, we’ll all be leading normal lives again.”
Giselle sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Last night was so wonderful; I didn’t want it to stop.”
He put an arm around her. “Then wish us well, Ellie. If all goes well, we’ll have performed a miracle.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kat and Dore would arrive at Hades’ island at first light. With Dore and Giselle’s relationship in full swing, she doubted he’d slept much in the last two days, which meant he’d fall fast asleep once they were airborne. She’d have no one to discuss it with. Not that she could change anything. What was done was done, but at least she could get it off her chest. So when they were seated, and the sleek little Comet was racing down the runway, she turned to him.
“Jock, can you do me a favor? Can you try to stay awake for a little bit? I know you’re tired, but I need to talk to you.”
“I thought you might. You’re probably worried about Giselle and Lily.”
“I am. I know I’m being paranoid, but what if they make a run for it? Lily’s got a time machine. We’d never find them.”
He looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. “That’s impossible, Giselle’s besotted by an incredibly handsome Scotsman.” He grinned at her. “And I don’t blame her. He’s the most eligible bachelor in Hell. They’ll be back.”
They were at cruising height now, and the demon stewardess suddenly appeared with a trolley of food and drinks. Kat shook her head; she wasn’t in the least hungry, but Dore held up a hand.
“I don’t suppose you’ve got a Guinness in that wee trolley of yours?”
“A Guinness?” the stewardess croaked. “What is that?”
“It’s dark beer, made in Ireland.”
The stewardess shook her head. “We have wine, and we have whiskey, but it’s not good for you if you’re going to sleep.”
“Why not?”
“It gives you nightmares about the real world.”
“Perfect. I’ll have a double whiskey.”
When the stewardess had gone, and Dore was pouring the miniatures into a paper cup, Kat said, “Are you sure you should be drinking that. It’s not going to make you drunk, but if it gives you bad dreams…”
“Dinnea worry, Lass. After what we’ve been through, nothing would frighten me.”
But when Dore had finished his drink and finally drifted off, he slept the sleep of the dead, which, given the circumstance, was entirely appropriate. Then she too fell asleep.
She jerked awake when the seatbelt sign pinged on. To her surprise, she’d slept for most of the flight. Maybe all the time travel was catching up with her. She peered through the window. From the air, except for the large swathes of meadow, patches of woodland, and glistening golden beaches, Hades’ miniature paradise reminded her of her trip to Catalina Island when she was young.
She gave him a gentle shake. “Wake up, Jock. We’re landing.”
He stirred, peered at her blearily, and then yawned. “The stewardess was wrong about bad dreams. You’re not going to believe it, but I dreamt about Ellie in the real world.”
“Where were you?”
“Well, that’s what’s so weird. We were in Italy. Remember the house near Pistoia, where we stayed with Gramigna during the war?”
“I’ll never forget it.”
“We were there. We were walking in the garden, and Ellie was telling me about her husband. Did Ellie ever live in Italy?”
“I don’t know. Ellie didn’t tell me where she lived in her previous life. I only know it was two hundred years ago, and I’m not sure if there was a house there that long ago.”
“It was. Gramigna told me the history of that house. It was built in 1726.”
She smiled. “Wow! So you took Ellie to Italy with you. How romantic.”
They were coming in to land, woodland and meadows streaking past the window, Hades’ palace glistening in the distance. She usually loved coming to Hades’ island, but this time was different. After everything that had happened, they had failed to bring Grantham in. Would Hades close the agency down?
Dore squeezed her arm. “Don’t worry, Lass. It’ll be fine. No one’s capable of bringing Grantham in. Even Hades can’t bring him in; Grantham’s living in the future. The only way to do it is to kill him.”
“I just feel so guilty. We had a wonderful time and didn’t come up with the goods.”
He laughed. “That’s not quite true. I had a wonderful time; you just got shot at.”
The plane touched down with a soft bump, the engines roaring as it decelerated. In twenty minutes, they would be at the palace, and Kat’s stomach was doing somersaults.
As on all the other occasions, it took less than ten minutes to disembark and clear the small arrivals hall, but to Kat’s surprise, there was no sign of Patrick and his beautiful old Bentley. The only vehicle in sight was Persephone’s Jeep. She was about to ask the security guard where she was when Persephone strode out of the arrival’s hall. She was wearing a long flowing dress that reminded Kat of ancient Greece.
“Sorry Kat, I was on the phone talking to my mother. She always calls at the wrong moment. Hi, Jock. Glad you could come. Haddy needs a bit of male company.”
Not knowing what to say, Dore just smiled and said, “yes, ma'am.”
“Sorry about Patrick. He’s running an errand on the other side of the island, so I’ve come to pick you up.”
“Actually, I’m glad you did,” Kat said, as they climbed into the Jeep and set off for the palace. “I’m really worried about not bringing Grantham in. I went to his house and saw his wife and children. I didn’t know what to do.”
“Grantham has children?” Persephone exclaimed, swerving to avoid a family of ducks crossing the road.
“Adopted… Grantham’s a very interesting person. He knows how to escape from Hell without an artifact, so even if I’d been able to bring him in, he’d just escape again.”
Persephone frowned, scraped hair out of her eyes, and braked to a stop. “He knows how to escape from Hell? Without an artifact?”
“Grantham inferred he knows how you do it, but he wouldn’t say how, and I believe him.”
Persephone peered at her. “That’s disturb
ing. I doubt God will allow it.”
“But he is allowing it. Grantham’s been doing this for two hundred years.”
Persephone continued to stare at her. All her happiness had gone, and frown lines had formed on her beautiful brow. “Kat, this doesn’t sound good. Haddy will have to speak to the Boss about this bit of information.”
“So this isn’t over?”
Engaging first gear, Persephone drove on. “Hell no, it’s far from over. I’m not worried about the escapees; that can be stopped, but if Grantham, as a human, has my abilities, then we’ve got a serious problem.” She suddenly laughed. “I’d like to meet Grantham. He sounds like a real character. Possibly you can set up a meeting.”
They found Hades sitting on the terrace. He was sipping coffee and talking on the phone. He terminated the call and waved when he saw them.
“Speak of the devil,” he laughed, getting up and walking over to the Jeep. “We were just talking about you.”
“Who was?” Kat asked.
“God and me. Come and have a coffee. I’ve just brewed some Columbian.”
They followed him over to the table and chairs, which seemed to be a permanent feature of the terrace. When they were all seated, and Kat was stirring sugar into her coffee, Hades said, “So, you managed to track Grantham down.”
“You already know?”
“Pernass told me half an hour ago. They’re currently processing the guards you shot.”
“Did you talk to… you know?”
“Just hung up. He wanted to know if I gave you permission to go into the future.”
“So he knew I was there?”
“Of course he did. He knows everything, but he has a policy of not interfering. That’s why I didn’t know where Grantham was hiding. He doesn’t tell me everything. There are certain things I’m not allowed to know, which is why I sent you. In fact, I still don’t know where Grantham’s hiding… until you tell me. So spill it, Kat. Tell me what happened.”
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