The Peregrine Omnibus Volume One

by Barry Reese

“You need someone you can trust. With Leopold and your friends so far away, you’ll need an aide. Someone who knows your secrets… and to whom you can confide all your troubles.”

  “I don’t need a sidekick.”

  Warren Davies smiled sadly. “I knew you would say that… so I took the liberty of taking a few precautions.”

  Max whirled on his father, anger making his face splotchy and red. Despite the cold air all around him, he felt like he was burning up. “Damn you! I loved you. I’ve tried to honor you. And this is what you do to me? Treat me a damned puppet?! Go back to Hell!”

  The snow began to blow harder than ever, blotting out all visions of his father. Max felt himself falling backwards, tumbling head over foot… and he wondered again: was this real? Or just some awful nightmare?

  He hoped for the latter.

  CHAPTER XII

  The Peregrine’s Nest

  Max sat up with a start, recognizing his surroundings at once. He was in the storm cellar of his home, which he always kept locked up tight. It contained his equipment and papers, everything that would link him to the Peregrine…

  “You startled me,” someone said from the shadows and it only took a second for Max to place the pleasing feminine voice.

  “Evelyn?” he asked, all too aware that his mask was still in place and that his pistol remained tightly clutched in one hand. He looked down at it as Evelyn, lovely in a black dress and coat, moved into view.

  She followed his gaze, shrugging. “You wouldn’t let it go,” she said by way of explanation. “And I learned a long time ago not to argue with an armed man.” Evelyn followed with a small laugh that was a bit too shrill. She was nervous… and so was Max.

  He rose from the cot upon which he lay, reaching up to remove his mask. There was no point in hiding the truth now… and Max felt certain that his father, if he truly existed, was responsible for this. “How did we end up here? The last thing I remember was being downtown.”

  “I was out with friends—a producer and his wife—when I thought I heard you calling my name. It was strange, really… we were all alone on the street and they said they heard nothing but…” Evelyn chewed her lower lip, her gaze locked on some faraway place. Max thought she looked beautiful. “I excused myself from them and went looking for you. A couple of blocks away, I found you. You were lying in an alleyway, bleeding from your shoulder.”

  Max glanced over at his wound, which had been patched up rather clumsily. He peeled away the bandage and saw that there was a small bloody furrow where the bullet had grazed him.

  Evelyn moved to stand beside him, still looking uncertain. “You told me to bring you here… even walked me through how to fix your arm. But you never woke up. It was like you were… sleepwalking.” Evelyn reached out and took the Peregrine mask from Max. “Is this what you do at night?”

  “You must have heard the rumors about me…”

  “Of course. But who would really believe them? How many men dress up like a bird and shoot people?” Evelyn gazed into his face, seeking some sign of the cultured, funny man she’d been so attracted to. “Why do you do this?”

  Max contemplated coming up with a lie… but in the end, he decided to tell her the truth. Perhaps his father had been right, because relieving himself of the whole story seemed very cathartic. He told her everything, beginning with the death of his father, all the way up to his odd vision that preceded his awakening. During the whole affair, Evelyn remained at his side, even taking his hands in her own.

  When all was said and done, she whistled softly and said, “And I thought I had daddy issues…”

  Max laughed a bit too loudly but Evelyn joined in easily enough. “You must think I’m a candidate for a sanitarium.”

  “Not really. We all have our vices and oddities.”

  Max raised her hands to his lips and kissed them softly. The move surprised them both, but it felt natural, as well. “What are your vices, Evelyn?”

  A wicked smile touched her full lips. “Perhaps I’ll tell you about them, Mr. Davies. But now is not the time.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because, in your little fever dream, you told me to call the airport and have them clear us for flying.”

  That brought Max clear of any fantasies he might have been developing. “I did?”

  “Yep. We’re supposed to be flying to Kassel, Germany. Wherever that is.” Evelyn shook her head, sending her lovely curls flying. “Do you really have a plane that can fly that far?”

  “Yes. A special one. It’s the fastest plane in the world and capable of making several round-the-globe trips without refueling.”

  “That’s amazing! Did you invent it?”

  “Well, parts of it. A friend of mine named Clark aided with other aspects.” Max smiled at the look of amazement she wore, reaching out to touch her cheek. “But you’re not coming with me. Remember the visions I had about you being in danger? The only way I can see to avoid that is for you to stay here.”

  “Absolutely not.” Evelyn’s eyes flashed. “This is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me, Max. And I’m not about to let you cut me out of it.”

  “But what if those visions were real?”

  “Then I’ll take the experience of being mauled by a mummy and put it into my next performance.”

  “You’re the crazy one,” Max laughed.

  Evelyn jumped as the phone rang upstairs. Max held a finger to his lips and then moved over to another phone, gently lifting the receiver from its cradle. He heard Nettie’s voice immediately.

  “Mr. Davies isn’t in, Sheriff. But I’ll sure enough tell him you called.”

  “Make sure you do. Mr. Beauregard Ellis was found shot to death this evening… and next to his body was a small note pad with your employer’s name on it. That makes him a suspect, Nettie… so if you see him, you best let me know… or you’re an accessory.”

  Max set the phone back down, not bothering to hear Nettie’s answer. “We have to go. Trench has set me up.” He looked around the storm cellar—his “nest.” Should he burn its contents? Once they found out he was missing, the police would surely search the house.

  A spiteful thought came to him. If you’re listening, dad… I’ll leave it to you that no one disturbs this place. If they do, my usefulness to you is over…

  Evelyn was brushing back her hair, looking flushed and excited. “So now we’re fugitives, are we?”

  “You seem to like that.”

  Evelyn shrugged, but the smile never left her face. “I need a fancy name like yours. Maybe Swan? Goes well with Peregrine, I think.”

  Max put his mask back into place, wondering just where all this would go in the end. Evelyn seemed to enjoy the danger just a tad too much… but she would certainly keep things interesting, he suspected.

  CHAPTER XIII

  Winged Devils

  “This plane is amazing.”

  The Peregrine sat at the controls of his proudest creation, allowing himself the briefest of smiles. During his solitary crusade against evil, Max had missed out on the pleasures of sharing his creations with others. “I call her Nite-Wing. She’s the fastest plane in the world… if I open up the engines all the way we can reach speeds of 340 mph.”

  Evelyn’s eyes flew open. She sat at Max’s side, dressed in a pair of khaki slacks and a safari-style button-up shirt. A leather flight jacket completed the outfit and gave her the look of an adventuress.

  Max, meanwhile, was dressed in full Peregrine regalia, including mask.

  “You get more interesting all the time, Max” she purred, watching in admiration as his fingers danced along the controls. Out the main window, she could see ocean waters through the fog.

  The Peregrine found himself telling her more than she probably wanted to know, in an effort to impress her. I’m acting like a school boy, he thought wryly. “The Nite-Wing has an 18-cylinder engine and 15-foot propellers. It’s also got a triple-fin tail to aid in flying.”

 
“How did you pay for it? It must have cost you a mint.”

  “My parents left me a large nest egg… and some of my inventions have been put to private use by the government, providing me with even more income.”

  “Does anyone in the government know you’re the Peregrine?”

  “One or two friends, yes. They help keep a few of the prying eyes out of my business. But there’s only so much they can do without arousing suspicion on their end. And I’ve gotten sloppy lately. Attracted too much attention on the local level. That’s why I left my home and came to Atlanta.” He paused, swallowing hard. “I wonder sometimes if I’m not trying to get caught.”

  “Your father’s the reason you can’t give it up, though. It’s not like you’re crazy.” One corner of Evelyn’s lips turned upwards in a smile. “Is it?”

  “You believe me about my father being a ghost?”

  “Why not? You dress like a bird and shoot people. We’re flying in your super-secret airplane. I can certainly believe in ghosts when all that other stuff is around.”

  Max nodded, understanding her point. His life was full of oddities and once you began to accept them, everything else fell into place. He glanced over at Evelyn and grinned. “When all this is said and done, how about you and I go someplace? Away from Atlanta, I mean.”

  “What exactly are you proposing?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

  “A vacation. That is, if you’re not busy with a new play.”

  “Nothing that starts in the next few weeks.” She reached out and squeezed his hand. “I’d like that.”

  Before Max could respond, the entire plane began to rattle loudly. Checking his instruments, the Peregrine noticed that the fog had increased tenfold, leaving him flying blind. “We can’t be far from Germany,” he said, shouting over the rising din. “We’re in the North Sea now.”

  “Turbulence?” Evelyn asked, checking to make sure her seatbelt was buckled.

  Just then, the fog parted a bit in front of them and Max saw something through the haze… a figure of pure impossibility. “I don’t think we’re that lucky,” he whispered.

  “What do you—oh my God!” Evelyn’s voice became strained as she, too, saw the thing ahead of them. It bore the body of a woman, bare-breasted, but the lower extremities transformed into feathery bird legs complete with claws. The thing’s face was a mockery of humanity, its mouth parting to reveal razor-sharp teeth. Gigantic wings spread out from its back, flapping as it remained airborne. “What is that thing?”

  “A harpy,” Max answered, banking the plane away from the creature. From the back of the vessel came a terrible ripping of metal, following by a steep decline in altitude. “And she’s not alone from the sounds of things.”

  “What should we do?” Evelyn asked, her hair beginning to whip about wildly. The cabin was beginning to depressurize and Max knew that there was no saving his plane.

  “Unbuckle,” he shouted, doing the same. Grabbing Evelyn’s wrist, he pulled her towards the back of the plane. “We haven’t got long. Have you ever parachuted before?”

  “What?” she asked with alarm. “Of course not!”

  “What about that movie you made? Perils of Gwendolyn?”

  “That was three years ago!”

  “Evelyn…”

  “That was a movie, Max! I didn’t actually jump from a plane!”

  The Peregrine plucked up a parachute in one hand and began slipping the straps over Evelyn’s shoulders. “Count to three and pull this cord.”

  “You’re not serious!”

  Another sudden impact knocked both of them off their feet. Max was up first, drawing his pistol. “Something just entered the rear of the plane,” he said.

  “A harpy?” Evelyn asked, pulling herself up by holding on to the side of the plane.

  Max didn’t respond—the answer was clear enough when one of the horrible creatures, hissing and snapping at the air, moved into the cabin. The harpy looked from Evelyn to Max, obviously trying to decide which would make the better meal. The Peregrine decided to make the choice a simple one by unloading his pistol in the thing’s direction. The bullets struck home, driving through the harpy’s body and sending a stream of bluish-tinged blood to the floor.

  The plane’s nose took another steep turn downwards and Max felt the wind buffeting him. “You have to jump, Evelyn!”

  “What about you?”

  The Peregrine pulled her towards the door, which he opened with a grunt. He peered out enough to see that they were no more than a few hundred feet up… and dropping rapidly. Two more of the harpies were outside, circling the falling plane. “I’m coming… but I’ll be distracting them away from you.”

  “Max,” she screamed as he pushed her towards the door. “I love you.”

  The Peregrine paused for a second. She couldn’t actually mean those words, for they barely knew each other… at least in the intimate way that led to such things. The power of the moment was at work, he mused… but the look in her eyes…

  Throwing caution to the wind, he kissed her hard on the mouth before whispering “I love you, too.” Before she could reply, Max hurled her out of the plane. She fell, screaming, to the rapidly approaching ground.

  The Peregrine grabbed hold of a spare parachute and leaped from the plane, targeting one of the harpies with his pistol. His first shot went wide left, but the second shot caught the thing in its wing. While Evelyn opened her parachute, Max drew a bead on the remaining creature. It saw him and lunged, clawed hands outstretched.

  Max waited until the thing was so close he thought he could smell its fetid breath. Then he fired a bullet straight between her eyes.

  With a quick yank of his own chord, the Peregrine felt salvation at hand. He tried to angle his landing towards Evelyn, who had come down in a heap of parachute and limbs in a tangle of trees. Behind him, the plane came crashing down with a thunderous roar. The heat of the flames burned at Max’s back as he reached the ground. He rolled with the impact, stopping at Evelyn’s side. She was lying on her back, eyes closed, and for a moment Max felt an overwhelming rush of fear. Had she damaged something in her landing? Had one of his stray bullets struck her?

  And then she began laughing, her eyes opening to find his.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked, unable to keep from laughing himself.

  “I can’t believe you saw Perils of Gwendolyn. That film was awful.”

  “It was,” he admitted. “But you looked very nice in it.”

  Evelyn reached behind his head and pulled him to her. They kissed briefly but a second explosion from the plane sent fiery debris high into the air and made them both scramble to their feet.

  The Peregrine stumbled further into the countryside, holding Evelyn’s hand in his own. “From the looks of the land, we’re in northern Germany. We need to head south. Kassel is close to the center of the country.”

  “How are we going to get there without your plane? And where in the world did those… things… come from?”

  Max grinned, stopping where he was and stripping off his Peregrine attire. “Trench is getting stronger. He’s near his goal… I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a few more tricks up his sleeve.” Max shoved his clothes into a small knapsack he’d brought along and strapped it to his back. Now he looked like a wealthy American on vacation, though there were fewer and fewer of those in Germany these days. War was in the air, despite the fact that many liked to believe otherwise. “Trust me,” was all he said in reply to her question.

  Evelyn sighed, but she knew that was enough. If there was one thing she’d learned about Max thus far, it was that he was never at a loss for a plan.

  CHAPTER XIV

  Ghostly Visitations

  Nettie looked past the sheriff’s burly form, holding Josh’s gaze. “Mr. Davies isn’t here. Can’t you come back later?”

  The sheriff sighed, pushing his hat back so that it perched atop his balding head at an awkward angle. There were large patches of sweat visible u
nder his arms and around his midsection, soaking right through the shirt he wore. His belly hung over the front of his pants, giving him the look of a pregnant walrus. “Now you know I can’t do that. If your master ain’t home, then I’ll just give myself a look around and wait.”

  “You can’t be doin’ that,” Josh warned. He stepped up next to the sheriff, who regarded him coolly. “This is Mr. Davies’ property.”

  “I’m an agent of the law, boy,” the sheriff warned and the look in his eyes was one that Josh and Nettie recognized all too well. It was the look they got from men and women who regarded them as something less than human… like the same property of which Josh had spoken. “Now if you don’t want your behind thrown in jail, you’re gonna back away from me.”

  Josh did as the sheriff said but there was no fear evident on his face as he did so. He was twice as tall as the lawman and could break him in half easily enough… but Josh also knew how Southern justice would view such a thing. “Mr. Davies ain’t gonna be happy if you mess with his things,” was all Josh said.

  “Yeah, well that’ll be too damned bad, ’cause I don’t work for Mr. Davies.” The sheriff ambled down the hallway, looking into various rooms in the house, his thumbs hooked through the belt loops of his overloaded pants.

  “Hello, Sheriff,” someone said from the doorway to the last room. “Something I can assist you with?”

  The sheriff came up short, looking into the face of a man who resembled Max Davies in more than a few ways… but who was obviously not the same man. He wore a tweed coat and a smart suit, his features those of the cultured elite. “Who are you?” the sheriff asked, intimidated by the upper class air that the man carried with him.

  Behind the sheriff, both Nettie and Josh exchanged confused looks. From their vantage point, it looked like the sheriff was talking to thin air.

  “My name is Warren Davies. I’m Max’s father.”

  “Oh. Well, I have a few questions for your son. Do you know where I can find him?”

  The elder Mr. Davies smiled in a slightly condescending manner. It brought a flush to the sheriff’s face and he slipped into the natural way that he handled all rich people—by completely and totally caving in. “He’s away on business, Sheriff. Is there something I can help you with?”