James Swain - Dark Magic

“Hello, Marie,” he said. “How wonderful that you came by.”

“Hello, Reggie,” his guest replied.

Madame Marie sat on the couch in his living room dressed in one of her elaborate Gypsy costumes. She looked just like the last time he’d seen her. It was not uncommon for the newly dead to drift for a few days, as if in a spiritual fog, yet that didn’t lessen the surprise.

“As they say in the old movies, fancy meeting you here,” he said. “Are you all right?”

“I suppose so, considering I’m dead,” she replied. “I’ve been saying good-bye to friends and loved ones. I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss you.”

“That was awfully nice of you.”

“You were my favorite among the Friday night group. You always came wearing your best clothes. I like that in a man.”

“Can I get you something?”

“There’s nothing I need anymore. In that regard, being dead is rather pleasant. Were you going out?”

“Matter of fact, I was.”

“Please don’t leave just yet. We need to talk.”

Reggie took a deep breath. Having a conversation with a ghost was the last thing he wanted to do right now. But this was his lifelong friend, so he dutifully sat down beside her. His weight made the cushion sag, yet Madame Marie did not move. He crossed his hands in his lap, and waited for her to begin.

“When you die, the unanswered questions that have bothered you don’t go away,” Madame Marie said. “They remain, begging for answers.”

“Really,” he said.

“One of those questions came to me right before I was murdered. I looked at my Tarot cards, and saw that the Order of Astrum had sent an assassin to kill us. I asked myself, ‘What did any of us do to deserve this fate?’ If the Order wanted us out of the picture, they could have been a little more subtle about it, don’t you think?”

“They do seem to be in a bit of a hurry,” Reggie conceded.

“Does that bother you?”

“Come to mention it, yes.”

“What do you think’s going on?”

Reggie had always left the Big Questions to the others, and preferred to dwell on life’s more pleasant diversions, like picking the ponies and playing cards at the casinos.

“I haven’t the faintest idea,” he mumbled.

“Do we pose a threat to the Order?”

Reggie had never posed a threat to anyone in his life, and chuckled at the notion. “A threat? What kind of threat can we pose to a group of madmen? Not to belittle what we do, but in the vast scheme of things, it’s rather insignificant, don’t you think? We mean nothing to them.”

“Until now.”

“How so?”

“We hit a nerve, Reggie, and now they’re afraid of us. Why else would they send an assassin to kill us?”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“And how did they infiltrate our group? We are all sworn to secrecy, yet somehow they knew who we were. How did they know?”

“I don’t have the foggiest idea.”

“You need to find out. If you don’t, you’ll be asking yourself later, like I did.”

Reggie nodded solemnly. Madame Marie had come to say good-bye, and to warn him. A better friend he’d never had. It saddened him to think that she had departed this earth, and that he would not be seeing her again for a while. Without thinking, he leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek, then pulled back upon realizing his mistake. A smile crossed her face, and then she was gone.

Reggie kept a vintage 1971 Aston Martin DB6 parked in a private garage near his hotel. Keeping a car in the city was expensive, but he wouldn’t have had it any other way. Of all mankind’s inventions, the one he’d fallen in love with was the automobile. It was the only thing he’d found which made him feel young again.

He waited for the Aston to be brought up. The drive to Connecticut was two hours plus. He had to hurry if he was going to beat the casino, and be home for dinner. He thought about his encounter with Madame Marie. What a wonderful gift she’d given him. To sit and talk and look into her face again. Simple things, yet so precious when they were taken away from you.

“Reggie! Reggie!”

He snapped out of his daydream. Holly ran toward him with a frantic look in her eyes.

“Holly-Good Lord, what’s wrong?” he asked.

Milly’s niece put on the brakes, gasping for breath. “Oh, my God, I’m so glad I caught you. Please start picking up your phone.”

“Was that you calling? I’m sorry, but I hardly answer anymore.”

“I have terrible news, Reggie.”

He grabbed her by the forearms. “Don’t tell me another in our group has died.”

“No, no, everyone’s fine.”

“Well, then how terrible can it be?”

“It’s about Wolfe.”

“I saw the news. Good riddance, I say.”

“What you saw isn’t true. Wolfe’s still alive, and he’s hunting us.”

The Aston pulled up with a rubbery squeal, and the parking attendant hopped out. Reggie tipped him generously, and opened the passenger door for his young friend.

“Can I take you somewhere?” he asked graciously.

“You need to go back to your hotel, and lay low,” Holly said.

“But why? Except for the rain, it’s a beautiful day.”

“Didn’t you hear what I said? Wolfe isn’t dead.”

“Do you honestly think Wolfe’s going to ambush me on the road? Let’s be reasonable, shall we? Now, where to?”

She grabbed his arm, and tried to squeeze some sense into him. It was no good.

“Oh, all right. I’m staying with my aunt at the Dakota.”

“The Dakota it is! Hop in.”

Soon they were on the West Side, heading up Central Park West. Reggie wore kid gloves and a tan cap when he drove, and clutched the wheel like a professional driver. He looked comical, and other drivers slowed down to wave, or snap pictures on their cell phones.

“You should charge them,” Holly suggested.

“Not a bad idea. So tell me, how can Wolfe be alive after the police shot him to death?”

“It was a trick, courtesy of the Order of Astrum.”

“I’ll be damned.”

Reggie braked at a traffic light. A group of uniformed schoolchildren crossed in front of them. Seeing Reggie behind the wheel, several stuck out their tongues. Reggie turned in his seat to look at his passenger. “Why is the Order after us, Holly?”

“I don’t know why,” she replied.

“How do they even know about us? Could there be a traitor in our group?”

“Don’t say that, Reggie.”

“Think about it. Someone tipped Wolfe off. It’s the only explanation.”

Holly bit her lip. “But who, Reggie? Who in our group would betray us?”

“I hate to say it, but I think it’s Max. He’s been having money problems, lost a bundle on the stock market.”

“But Wolfe tried to kill Max yesterday. Peter told me so.”

“Really? Well, there goes that theory, I suppose.”

“It’s not one of us, Reggie, I’m sure of it.”

The Aston rocked forward. Startled, they turned in their seats to stare at the delivery van that had tapped their bumper. The delivery driver shrugged his shoulders as if to say Sorry .

Reggie shook his fist at him. “Idiot!”

The driver shook his fist back.

“How dare he shake his fist at me,” Reggie said furiously.

The light changed. The driver beeped his horn, mocking them.

“Think you’re funny, do you?” Reggie shouted.

“Reggie, no,” Holly said.

Reggie undid his seatbelt and hopped out of the Aston. He stood in the middle of the street, and put his dukes up, challenging the driver to a fight. The delivery van driver got out as well. Almost too quickly, Holly thought. He wore a baseball cap, and on his neck glowed a shimmering tattoo. From his jacket he removed a pipe, which he whacked against his palm.