Double Threat

by F. Paul Wilson

  “Like?”

  “Like their Tesla tower,” Juana said.

  “Has that got something to do with those electric cars?” Daley said.

  “Not a thing.” Tadhak gestured around the store. “What do you think?”

  (“I think he wants to move from the subject of the Pendry Clan.”)

  Well, we were getting off topic.

  (“Still, I get the feeling he’s not too fond of the Pendrys. And Juana certainly isn’t.”)

  “What do I think?” Daley said as she did a slow turn. “It has potential.”

  She was trying to sound noncommittal and didn’t have to try too hard. She had her doubts about Nespodee Springs being the right place for her.

  “I think you should give it a try,” Juana said.

  (“She’s right. I like this town. It agrees with me.”)

  Yeah, but I’m the one who’s got to pay for it.

  “Here’s my situation,” Daley said. “I’ve got another five months left on my apartment lease back in LA. No way can I commute from LA, so that means getting another place nearby. Two apartments plus the rent here means this place has to more than pay for itself—and pretty damn quick—or I’ll go broke.”

  Jason jiggled the keys in his hand. “I think I can solve your problem.” He pointed to the ceiling. “This store has a furnished apartment directly above. It’s empty now. I’ll let you have both for free for the remaining five months on your LA lease.”

  The offer stunned Daley. “Really?”

  “I’ll even throw in a cleanup.”

  She glanced at Juana who seemed unfazed. What was the connection between these two?

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Well, first off, I like you.”

  “We just met.”

  “Yes, but you’ve got an air about you that gives me confidence.”

  (“He’s sensing my presence, no doubt.”)

  No doubt. What else could it be?

  (“Do I sense sarcasm?”)

  “Secondly, I think a healer will be good for this town. And last, I don’t much like the idea of the tourists heading to and from the spa seeing empty storefronts on Main Street. It makes Nespodee Springs look down on its luck. It’s not. Sure, it’s seen better days, but it’s not dying.”

  (“Makes sense to me.”)

  You’re already sold on the place, so he’s just saying what you want to hear.

  Her upbringing was reminding her that if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.

  “What if, after the five months are up, I’m losing my shirt?”

  He shrugged. “Then you walk away, no strings.”

  “And what if, after five months, I’m doing well?”

  Here she saw potential for a rip-off: If she was making a go of the healing, he could jack up his asking price for the rent. And she’d be forced to pay it, because if she didn’t, she’d have to walk away from the successful reputation and traffic she’d built.

  “I charge every tenant the same rate per square foot. You’d be no different.”

  What was she missing here? Where was the catch?

  He seemed to read her mind as he smiled and said, “There’s no catch, Daley. I don’t need the money. I have a successful energy storage business that feeds and houses my extended family very well. This is just a sideline for me. You might say I’m emotionally invested in Nespodee Springs. My goal here is full occupancy.”

  (“I don’t see a downside, Daley.”)

  Neither could she. But she couldn’t commit just yet. This was happening too fast. She felt like she was bring pushed into something. She couldn’t escape the feeling that this meeting was a setup, engineered by Juana. But why?

  (“What’s holding you back?”)

  Even Pard was pushing.

  “I’ll tell you what,” Jason said. “I’ll even throw in the utilities, including cable TV—we have our own dish—for those five months.”

  No question: He really, really wanted her here. Again, why? She couldn’t buy into full occupancy as the whole reason. Some other agenda was in play. But what? How could she possibly be important to this town?

  (“Well, that ices the cake, as far as I’m concerned.”)

  Not for me.

  Daley held up her hands. “This is an important decision. Can I have a little time to think about it?”

  “Of course,” Tadhak said. “I wouldn’t want it any other way. Take all the time you want.”

  “I’m just going to sit in my car for a bit. Just to gather my thoughts.”

  “Of course.”

  Daley returned to the Crosstrek and rolled down the windows. She watched Juana and Jason walk back to the real estate office. Both of them cast furtive glances in her direction.

  (“What’s wrong? Isn’t this what you wanted?”)

  I don’t know what I wanted.

  (“This seems perfect.”)

  Exactly.

  (“Sorry?”)

  Juana is setting me up.

  (“Right—setting you up in the business you wanted.”)

  Do I want it? I’ll be walking a tightrope. I’ll have to let people know they’re sick, and yet … if I let them know that I—we—cured them, I could wind up in the middle of scenes like the one outside my apartment.

  (“The solution might be a surrogate.”)

  Daley’s immediate thought was a surrogate mother, but then she realized it also meant someone acting in place of someone else.

  You mean give someone else credit for the cure? But that’ll put them in the very position I’m trying to avoid.

  (“Not someone else, something else.”)

  Like what?

  (“Let me think on it while you seal the deal with that Tadhak fellow.”)

  You really think we should pull the trigger on that store?

  (“I absolutely do. You’re risking nothing except your time, and … I don’t know why, but somehow this place feels like home to me.”)

  Shaking her head, Daley stepped out of her car and headed for the real estate office thinking that just might be the strangest thing Pard had ever said.

  5

  Rhys’s father joined him at the monitor as he centered the image of Juana, Tadhak, and the new girl on the screen.

  “You just missed the handshake between Tadhak and the girl,” Rhys said. “They were all in that empty store down a ways. I think she’s renting it.”

  “She’s opening a business? What’s she selling?”

  Eye-roll time. “Maybe if the telescope was equipped with a long-range mic I could tell you, but as it is—”

  “Just thinking out loud, Rhys. What would the Duad want with a store?”

  “You think she’s the Duad? How can she be? Takes two to make a Duad. Where’s the rest of her? It can’t be Juana, can it?”

  Dad shook his head. “Doubt it. Juana’s too much of a fixture around these parts. But … you never know.”

  “What’s the next step?” Rhys said. “If there is one.”

  “Oh, there most certainly is one: a welcoming committee of one—you.”

  What?

  “Me? I think you should go, being the patriarch and all.”

  “No, that would attract too much attention, attach too much importance to her presence.”

  He couldn’t believe this. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “It has to be you. I can’t exactly send Cadoc, now can I? Head down there now, size her up, see what she’s planning.”

  … size her up, see what she’s planning …

  Well, she was kind of cute from a distance. No harm in getting up close and personal to check her out.

  After a trip to his quarters where he ran an electric razor over his face and splashed on a little aftershave, he headed down the hill. He decided to walk. The breeze was pleasant and he could do with a little exercise. Not a bad trip going to town—all downhill that way since clan rules stated everyone had to live in the hills—but it could be a real chore com
ing back on a hot day.

  He checked in at the real estate office but Jason Tadhak wasn’t there.

  Tadhak was a mystery. His battery company had to have made him a millionaire a dozen times over, yet he still spent a lot of time hanging out at his family real estate office. Yeah, his ancestors had built the town and the spa and still owned all the buildings, but he had to have more profitable ways to spend his time.

  Rhys moved farther along and found Tadhak in an empty store with Juana and the newcomer. The door was open, so …

  “Anybody home?” he said, knocking on the door frame.

  Juana and Tadhak registered shocked recognition—had to be the first time in a long time they’d seen him in town—while the newbie simply looked curious.

  “Mind if I come in?” he said into the silence.

  “Rhys, right?” Jason said, stepping forward and offering his hand. “I haven’t seen you in a dog’s age.”

  “I keep pretty busy up at the Lodge. And how are you, Juana?”

  She frowned and stayed behind Tadhak. “You know me?”

  He gave her his warmest smile. “Everyone knows Juana and her Harley.”

  She nodded stiffly. “I’m good, Mister Pendry.”

  “Oh, please—it’s Rhys. My father is Mister Pendry.” He turned to the new gal. He saw now that her cap carried the Dodgers’ logo. He wasn’t a big baseball fan himself, but he leaned toward the Padres. “And who might you be?”

  “I might be Daley,” she said, stepping forward and offering her hand.

  She had a firm shake. He liked that.

  “‘Daley’? Is that a first name or last?”

  Her blue eyes nailed him from beneath the peak of her cap. “It’s an only name.”

  “Like Beyoncé? Or Adele?”

  “More like Plato.”

  Rhys found himself taking an immediate liking to her. She had attitude. And he liked her looks. That slim, lithe body, the impish twist to her lips. She had a waiflike quality, and the face peeking out from under the cap brim reminded him of Sarah Silverman. He placed her at just a couple of years younger than he but she seemed to house an older, more experienced person.

  He noticed her left hand then. What was the story with that golden color? He figured it would be rude to ask.

  “I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you’re renting this space?”

  She nodded and appeared about to speak but Tadhak butted in before she could answer.

  “Well, well, well. What brings you down to town from on high, Rhys?”

  A dig—a gentle one, but still a dig. Rhys ignored it. The Pendrys immigrated to the area more than a century ago, but the Tadhaks had been here even longer. Forever, it seemed. Rhys’s people had bought their land from the Tadhaks and the relationship had always been cordial, but Jason seemed to have a perpetual chip on his shoulder where the clan was concerned—not a big one, but noticeable.

  “Just taking in some of the last of the winter air.”

  “Yes, I imagine it gets a little stuffy up there in the Lodge.”

  That chip again … but Rhys focused on Daley.

  “What sort of business, if I may be so bold to ask?”

  “New Agey healing stuff.”

  That sounded harmless enough.

  “Partnering with Juana?”

  The answer was important: If the two of them were linked they could be the Duad.

  “No,” Juana said. “Daley has her own thing.”

  Her own thing …

  Well, damn. That was no help. But maybe Dad would finally get over his Duad obsession.

  “Can I ask why here instead of, say, San Diego?”

  Juana answered for her. “I suggested Nespodee Springs as a place to start.”

  Rhys fought a dubious frown. Start what? New-Agey healing stuff? That seemed a stretch. Why was this gal really here?

  Daley said, “And Mister Tadhak here made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

  Interesting …

  Rhys gestured around at the empty shelves and counters. “Looks like you’ll be needing some stock.”

  Daley raised her eyebrows. “Ya think? I’m going to check into that tomorrow.”

  He’d learned what he’d needed to know, but felt an inclination—no, a desire—to hang around.

  “Well, if you need any help setting up, just call up to the Lodge and I’ll come down and pitch in.”

  Rhys bit back a laugh as he saw Jason Tadhak’s jaw literally drop open.

  “Thanks,” Daley said. “I probably won’t need to take you up on that, but I appreciate the offer.”

  Taking that as his cue to exit, Rhys made the appropriate nice-meeting-you and good-seeing-you noises and left.

  As he headed back uphill toward the Lodge, Daley’s image stayed with him and he felt a strange lightness of spirit. He figured in the coming week he just might show up at Daley’s shop and help her set up, whether she asked him or not.

  Just to continue his investigation, of course. Nothing more than that.

  6

  Daley wondered at Jason Tadhak’s slack expression as he stared at the empty doorway and said, “That was … surreal.”

  “I gather he’s not the sociable type,” Daley said.

  “Not Rhys in particular, but the Pendrys as a breed are totally self-absorbed. For one of them to offer to ‘pitch in’ and help a newcomer set up…” He shook his head. “And Rhys, of all people. He’s the heir apparent to the head honcho.”

  “You must have made an impression on him,” Juana said.

  Daley shrugged. She wasn’t looking for a relationship. Kenny, however, would be four hours away. Maybe …

  She shook it off. She had to focus on getting this place up and running and start honing her healing chops.

  (“Admit it: You found him attractive.”)

  He’s good looking, sure.

  (“And charming.”)

  If you say so.

  “If he’s such a recluse,” Daley said, “why was he here?”

  “To check you out,” Tadhak said. “Don’t ask me why, but it seemed pretty obvious he wanted to know who you were and why you came to town.”

  “Well,” Juana said, “my work here is done. I’m heading home. What’s your plan?”

  Daley shrugged. “Find a place to sleep, I guess.”

  “I’d offer you a room at the spa’s hotel,” Tadhak said, “but we’re full up. The power’s off here but I’ll have it turned on tomorrow. El Centro’s the best place for a motel.”

  “Then that’s where I’ll head.”

  He shook her hand and walked out. Juana followed.

  Pard popped into visibility. (“Do you get the feeling those two are in cahoots?”)

  Cahoots? Did you really just say cahoots?

  (“Well, we are out in the desert. And it’s in your vocabulary.”)

  Never! You lie!

  (“I never lie. But back to Juana—I’m wondering if she’s getting a finder’s fee for you.”)

  Well, if she is, good for her. And good for me since I wound up with five rent-free months here.

  (“Yes, there’s that.”) He gestured to the shelves and counters. (“What do you want to stock this place with?”)

  The usual New Age junk—healing crystals, Reiki stones, scented candles, aromatherapy oils, and on and on. Just got to find a place that sells it wholesale. I’m hoping for San Diego since it’s a lot closer than LA.

  (“Road trip tomorrow?”)

  Unavoidable, I’m afraid. But let’s check out this El Centro place. If they’ve got motels they’ve gotta have fast food joints and I’m starving.

  (“You think they’ll have an In-N-Out Burger?”)

  Good bet. They’re pretty much everywhere.

  (“And you’ll order animal style again, right?”)

  Is there any other way?

  Pard rubbed his nonexistent hands together. (“Oh, goody!”)

  7

  “I’m telling you, Dad,” Rhys sa
id, “she’s not the Duad.”

  They were watching on the telescope feed as Daley got into her SUV and drove off.

  “It has to be her. Who else can it be?”

  “You should be asking how it can be her. She’s one person.”

  “The stellar configurations are yielding a consistent message from the Scrolls.”

  Rhys wanted to scream Forget the damn Scrolls! He was sick of hearing about the Scrolls. He bit his tongue.

  “Not only is she just one person, she’s got only one name.”

  “Daley.” His father snorted derisively. “You mean she uses only one name. She’s got a legal name. You need to find out who she is. Check out Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat and the rest of that nonsense. She’s there, I guarantee it. She’s twenty-something. She’s your generation and none of you can stay away from those places.”

  “Hard to get very far with just ‘Daley’ to work with.”

  “We have her license plate number. The sheriff owes me a few favors. I’ll have him run it for me. We’ll get her full legal name and then we’ll track her down and learn all about her.”

  “She’s still only one person, Dad.”

  Dad’s face reddened. “Stop saying that! You sound like a broken record. She’s the Duad. I know it! I feel it in my gut! And tomorrow’s configurations will prove me out.”

  Rhys idly wondered what a broken record sounded like. He’d never owned any vinyl.

  TUESDAY—FEBRUARY 24

  1

  THE DUAD IS HERE

  “Didn’t I tell you?” his father said. “Didn’t I tell you?”

  Rhys hid his dismay. He’d been hoping analysis of the stellar images would yield that same “The Duad approaches” message as yesterday, but no such luck.

  “I still don’t see how one person can be considered a ‘pairing’ or a ‘Duad.’”

  “Only one person is new to town—the mystery girl. The sheriff got back to me on her plates and the car is registered to a Stanka Daley from North Hollywood whose age is in line with this girl.”

  Rhys couldn’t help making a face. “Stanka? Really.” What an ugly name for such a pretty girl. “No wonder she goes by her last name.”

  “The sheriff ran a check on her and she’s got no record of any sort.”

  “There. You see? So what’s the worry?”

  Dad pointed to the screen. “‘The Duad is here.’ That’s the worry.”