The Tender Shore: A Matt Ransom Mystery

by Bobby Underwood

  "That reminds me. Grandma got back early and said if I ran into you, you could go up now, or wait until morning, whichever you preferred."

  I preferred a world where I could make love to LeAnn and read books on the beach and never have to deal with death and loss and schemes to bring about both, but though I'd had some good years in-between Paris and now, it seemed to be happening all over again. I told her to tell Edna we'd be up in a bit.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  For evil men carry out their work in darkness, but their deeds cannot remain hidden, for men of good conscience are guided by a light which sees all

  Doc opened the door and nodded to me, but smiled and embraced LeAnn. She had that effect on people, even crusty old birds like Doc. Edna's room was lavish and elegant, and there was a breathtaking view of the Rio night from a massive window perfectly centered so wherever you moved in the room, you could see it. "They might as well have given you a dining table next to the kitchen, Edna," I said. "I can put in a word for you if you like. I'm personal friends with the owner's great-granddaughter, you know." Meagan had just walked into the room wearing bright blue silk pajamas and looking adorable. Her laughter was genuine. Meagan's, that is.

  Edna sighed, but I knew she had a heart as big as the view from her window. "Yes, I imagine your humor would appeal to a certain demographic. No offense, darling" she said to Meagan. Meagan just smiled, undisturbed. I winked at her. "Yes, those with exquisite taste," I responded, making Meagan smile wider. Edna ignored me.

  "How are you my dear?" she asked LeAnn with genuine warmth and interest.

  "I'm fine, Edna. It's kind of you to put us up in such a wonderful place. We've never been to Rio."

  "You are quite welcome, sweetheart. You are welcome to stay here anytime you wish, free of charge. Just give me a call and the dates and I'll arrange it. I also own the Louvre in Paris where you stayed and a few other places around the globe. I simply do not wish to advertise it. Half of the profits go to various charities and churches around the world and we are quite comfortable living off the remainder.”

  "What about Miami?" I had to ask.

  "I do not own any in Miami. I bought the house for Stacy on Miami Beach so she would have someplace her own, far away from the more damaged areas. She is a sweet girl, much more capable than she realizes, and she deserved a chance in life for happiness that her former position might not have afforded her."

  That was one of the biggest understatements I'd ever witnessed.

  "Now, dear, have a seat and tell me all about the coffee shop."

  LeAnn was always eager to converse about Summer Dream, and you could hear the pride in her voice as she talked about the little changes she'd made, the decisions about this and that. Edna's face was softer now, listening intently and nodding in agreement at certain calls LeAnn had made concerning decor and other matters. Edna said it all sounded wonderful and you could tell she meant it. LeAnn had no parents, no family other than me, so it meant something to have Edna feel that way about her even if we didn't see her all that much anymore.

  Doc and I just sort of sat around and relaxed while all this was going on. The lights of Rio were beautiful, and there was a huge illuminated grassy area with trees running along the roads between the hotels and the shoreline. Doc gave me a head gesture and I followed him to the window as Meagan was telling LeAnn and her great-grandmother about her day touring the plantations. Doc reached into his pocket and the window silently disappeared into the ceiling. We stepped onto the patio's Spanish tile and he repeated the action. The glass silently moved back into place. We stood enjoying the evening breeze and the sounds of living going on below us. I waited, knowing Doc from the old days when he worked the bodies. He wanted to tell me something or he wouldn't have brought me out here.

  "She's wonderful, isn't she? Meagan, I mean."

  I was surprised.

  "Yeah, she's a terrific kid."

  He nodded. "She's a big ball of fun, and she could stop hearts beating without even trying."

  Now I was really surprised.

  "Yes, she can."

  "Edna has cancer." Just like that. I felt like I'd been hit in the gut. A sucker punch I hadn't seen coming.

  "But now.."

  "Yes, now it's different than it was a couple hundred years ago. That's why she has so long. Probably five or seven years unless there's a breakthrough. Hell, it's Edna, so if that's what they give her, she might live fifteen and it'll be almost time anyway. We're not exactly spring chickens, Edna and me."

  I had never considered the possibility of Edna ever dying and I didn't like doing so now. "Shit."

  "She wanted you to know, but she didn't want to be the one to tell you."

  "Who else knows? Meagan obviously doesn't."

  "No one. She isn't going to tell anyone until…until it's imminent."

  I was pretty touched, and had to get hold of myself or start tearing up. Damn!

  "In case we both go at the same time or something, she wants you to look after Meagan."

  "What about her mom, Emily? And why Meagan and not Alison too? And why me?"

  "Edna feels Alison will be fine, but she is worried that Meagan's openness and passion for life may make her vulnerable. She felt you would be the best person to watch out for her if we were both gone. Or, heaven forbid, she were gone and I was unable to do so. Keeping up with such a vibrant young girl on the cusp of becoming a woman is not an easy task for much younger men." He added, "She also felt LeAnn would be exactly the right person to help and guide her at such a time, so she really gets two people watching over her rather than one."

  "What about her mother?"

  "Emily is a wonderful person, and she loves her daughters, but she is much more in tune with Alison than Meagan. It took a few decades for everyone to become completely sterile after the phage. Meagan was one of the last born successfully. Edna feels she has always been special because of that. A gift from God, she calls her. You know how she is, she always talks like that, but I think she means it literally in Meagan's case. She feels Meagan is meant to do something special at some point in her life. Edna wants to make sure she gets that chance."

  We were silent for a long time. The breeze was growing stronger and it felt good to be alive. Doc finally spoke.

  "I assume your answer is yes?"

  "Yeah, I mean of course it's yes. But I'm not planning on it coming to that."

  "Me either. Just between you and me, I really love the old gal, and don't know how I got along before her." His hand disappeared into his pocket and the glass came up before I could respond.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  For her love is the lifeline that tethers him to the tender shore, so that he does not lose his way in the darkness

  Meagan was showing LeAnn the Saint Alexandra pendant Edna had given her to wear. LeAnn in turn showed her the Saint Christopher necklace she'd had since Paris. Since New Chicago, actually, but everything after the diner slaying, where the Cherry 6 was executed, was all tied up with what happened in Paris. There was more girl talk as Doc and I watched on, having concluded our business. I caught Edna's eye once, but she gave no indication that she knew I had been told, other than a small smile. It was meant to reassure me, as Edna's faith was unshakable. Maybe Doc was right and she'd squeeze fifteen out of it, or maybe she'd beat it entirely. Or maybe her faith was so strong, her relationship with God so secure, that it didn't matter because she knew He would take care of her.

  It wasn't until Meagan dragged a willing LeAnn away to look at some baubles she'd found at one of the shops that Edna turned her attention to me. "So, here we are once again, in Paris." There was a weariness in her voice I knew was not connected to her physical health, but her spirit. Doc seemed to have disappeared.

  "Stacy has informed me of the particulars. Is there anything of which she is unaware?"

  "Well, just the extent of my true powers. I'm not supposed to reveal them to anyone. LeAnn knows, of course."

 
I was used to Edna's gaze of quiet resignation, which was equivalent to an eye-roll in a less refined Southern lady. But this was the evening for surprises, none more startling than her burst of unrestrained laughter. I realized I'd never heard her let go before.

  "I will miss your attempts at humor one day." She must have caught the expression on my face. I couldn't quite check it in time. "But not for many years." It was her way of telling me she wasn't ready to kick the bucket just quite yet.

  "I wish to ask a favor."

  The surprises just kept coming.

  "Doc already asked."

  "No, that was not a favor. That was something you would have done anyway, even had the subject not been broached, because you are a good man, and LeAnn is perhaps the most wonderful creature left on Earth."

  I agreed with the last part, but Edna spoke of LeAnn with an unexpected tenderness. I knew she cared for her, but it was obvious those feelings ran deeper than I had contemplated, if I had ever contemplated them at all. I hadn't realized how much she cared for Stacy either. Edna kept her feelings pretty close to the vest. Curiosity finally got the better of me.

  "So what's the favor?"

  "The disc you have, it is all that is left of the…recipe for…creating a soul. When Danny stole the information, possibly to win Stacy back after facing the fact that he indeed was soulless, there was…information which was not on that disc."

  I could hear laughter from another room, feminine and lovely.

  "What other information could they need to run a black market 'souls for sale' Edna?"

  She sighed. "The formula had a separate file. I actually gave orders to destroy both pieces of data, but apparently the person wiping them failed to take into account one of the older redundant systems. Once I discovered the formula for giving a bio-organic a soul had been taken, I discovered the other information was still there." She left it there.

  "Which means?"

  "Which means the people attempting to profit in the desperation of others are unaware of the consequences." I waited this time. "It cannot be done, Matt. The formula only works when you are…creating a bio-organic, as it is extremely fragile and complex, interacting with all other elements in a sequential order. If introduced into an already live bio-organic it creates a very painful and agonizing cascade of the technology which within hours destroys the biogenic elements as well. It was tried by that bastard Ballard in an attempt to give souls to pre-existing people, and cut costs. It was finally deemed an utter failure, but not before over two-hundred people suffered an excruciating end."

  "Like sheep to the slaughterhouse," I whistled. "And all because they weren't as lucky as me."

  Edna leaned forward, her tone sharp, "No! You must never think that! It is an old saying, but it is true that God often does work in mysterious ways. You have a soul because you were meant to have a soul. He had a purpose that only you could fulfill, Matt. You accomplished it in Paris, bringing light to the darkness before others could be lost. Perhaps you are doing so again."

  "So what is the favor?" I finally asked.

  "You must destroy the disc, and when you find the location of where this is being done, you must destroy that as well. The temptation to use it for…new creations, or worse, give false hope to people who have figured out something is missing, is far too great."

  I sighed. "I know a kid named Pablo who's going to be disappointed."

  "Annette's young man? Yes, Stacy has spoken of him. He is setting up a way for her to monitor Aerodyne's various arms from her home in Miami. He appears to be quite competent. How did he strike you?"

  "Good kid. Loves Annette. They've been liven' on the streets. Came to Miami to chase down a soul, discovered they couldn't afford it. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he already had one."

  "What makes him believe he doesn't? Isn't it a bit unusual, since all bio-organics believe themselves to be human?"

  "Just felt his love wasn't deep enough, and that he was going through the motions a lot I guess."

  Edna scoffed. "I feel that way sometimes as well. All of us do. Has it occurred to him that perhaps the insecurity of living on the streets, unable to provide for the girl he loves in a world where so many are simply going through the motions, has prevented him from embracing love, and his own humanity?"

  I smiled.

  "Oh yeah, I'm sure he's thought of it just like that on many occasions, usually while staring at the car roof and trying to get comfortable."

  I got the look rather than the laugh this time, but the girls had returned, saving me.

  "You haven't been telling stories about me behind my back have you, nana?" Meagan said, setting on the arm of Edna's chair and putting her arm around her. Edna changed back into the adoring great-grandmother role, reaching up to pat Meagan's cheek and reassure her she hadn't, even though it was obvious she was teasing. "I think it's your bedtime, dear. It's a big day tomorrow."

  That was our cue, and after some hugs between the females, Edna put her arms around me and held tight for a moment, giving me a little pat on the back. It was sort of surreal. I wondered how I would feel when she was gone and decided it hurt too much to think about it.

  "You take care of him, he's a good man and they're hard to find. Mine's asleep so I think I'll go join him."

  LeAnn steered me away from the elevator and led me down the stairwell. We were out front at the massive pool that ran the length of the Copacabana Palace. It was late, and we were alone. She left me standing by the lounge chairs, stopping at the edge of the pool and turning around to face me. The green and gold dress slid from her shoulders and down the graceful curves of her. Gold and green underthings joined the dress on the concrete. She was so beautiful and wonderful I wondered as I always did what I had done to deserve her. I always remembered something Edna had said in Paris: Love, Matt. It is the greatest gift God gives to man, and it has been given to you. There had to be a reason, and I believe she's standing right next to you.

  She was in my arms, warm water caressing our bodies as she wrapped her legs around my waist and kissed me. And then I was inside her warm waters as we made love in the pool, oblivious to everything but each other and our love. After I told her how wonderful she was in a thousand ways, she gathered our clothes in a bundle, not wanting to mess up her dress, and we dashed naked and laughing for our room.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  For this danger lies in the search for truth, not that mortal injuries may be inflicted upon us, but wounds everlasting, a darkening of our soul that we must live with until the light of heaven removes the stain

  I lay in the semi-darkness, the room illuminated only by moonlight and the lights of Rio, a 24 hour city by proclamation. If Vegas — when it existed — had miles of beach as its enticement rather than gambling, it would have been Rio. A breeze moved across the room and caressed soft strands of dark heaven flowing down the shoulders of my sleeping beauty. I had the co-ordinates for whatever darkness had taken the life of John and Danny. And Jennie. Her death was the one who touched me the most. John had been an innocent bystander, Danny culpable somehow in all that was happening, but Jennie was a different story. She had been like LeAnn once, a Cherry 6. Was her experience worse than LeAnn's? It was hard to imagine. It had stained her soul and allowed darkness to creep in and find a home. She was a good person, she had simply gotten lost along the way. If there was something beyond, as Edna so believed, and I wanted to believe, then I hoped the stain had been removed and she was at peace now, happy somewhere out there among the lights and the breeze.

  The faint sound of Tracey Thorn's sensual voice drifted through our window. Everything But the Girl's Mirrorball must have been blaring to be heard this far from the beach. Probably a party. I thought about young Meagan, about Stacy's lost and empty expression on the beach after the explosion. I thought about LeAnn and how much I loved her, and how only days ago we had been lazing on the terrace in Mexico, happy and unfettered by the darkness in Paris.

  I was sudde
nly as angry as I had ever been. It burned inside me like a hot poker shoved in my gut. I wanted to enjoy our lives again without all this. I wanted to avenge Jennie, because she had been killed by this thing as surely as if someone else had pulled that trigger. There was only one piece of the puzzle missing and I knew where to find it.

  It was going to end tonight. All of it. I felt it. It was going to end because I was going to end it. Anger was the darkness and I let it wash over me without fighting it. I might need it to keep me alive tonight. I dressed quietly, careful not to wake LeAnn. She would want to come and I could not let the darkness touch her or stain her soul. She had already shot someone, and been helpless to prevent a girl from killing herself, a girl who in truth had died long ago. LeAnn was made for love and happiness, not pain and violence.

  I had been a CR a long time, long enough to have some stains on my soul. I would have more before the night was through, of that I was certain. I could not allow this to touch LeAnn further. Her soul was natural after all, and mine had been given to me. Perhaps Edna was right, and God had given it to me for a reason. But maybe this was the reason, to take the stain so that LeAnn and others, humans, wouldn't have to bear these unseen scars. I choked on the thought, not having felt this way since that moment in Paris when I discovered the truth.

  LeAnn's long New York Yankee T-shirt had slipped up over one soft white cheek, exposing her graceful beauty. I had both weapons and as many rounds as I'd ever need. I placed my palms gently on the bed, leaned over and kissed her cheek softly so as not to wake her, then slipped out into the dark Brazilian night.