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9

Cat and Mouse

’I understand why you didn’t trust me,’ said Papastamos, ’but you should have What? You think the Greeks are ignorant of these things? Greeks, of all people? Listen, I was a boy in Phaestos on the island of Crete, born and lived there until I was thirteen Then I went to ot the ot what I saw and heard there Did you know that there are places in Greece even nohere they put the silver coins on the eyes of the dead, to keep them closed? Hah! Those slits in the eyes of Layard He kept opening his eyes!’

Darcy said to him: ’Manolis, how could we know? If you took a hundred people and told the a vampire, how many do you think would believe you?’

’Here in Greece, in the Greek islands, ten or twenty,’ the other answered ’Not the young peoples, no, but the old ones who rees of Karpathos, for example, or Crete, or better still in Santorin - maybe seventy-five out of a hundred! Because the old ways die hard in such places Don’t you knohere you are? Just look at a map Six hundred miles away is Romania! And do you think the Romanian peoples don’t know the Vrykoulakas, the vampire? No, no, we are not the innocent childrens, my friends!’

’Very well,’ said Harry, ’let’s waste no more time You know, you understand, you believe - we accept that But still arn you that ’

’I’m not so sure,’ Manolis shook his head ’And in any case I have had the experience of the real thing When I was a boy thirty years ago there was a sickness The children were groeak An old priest had lived on the island in a remote place in the stony hills He had lived there, all alone, for many years He said he was alone for his sins, and dared not surround himself with the people Recently he had been found dead in his place and they had buried hie priest went there with the people - with the fathers of the sick children - and dug hi! And how did they deal with hih the heart I cannot be sure, no, but that night there was a big bonfire in the hills, and its light was seen for miles around’

’I think we should tell Manolis everything,’ said Sandra

’We will,’ Harry nodded, ’but first he ca’

’Ah!’ Manolis gave a start and stood up ’My God, but now this varoaned ’Ken Layard!’

’Of course, the poor Ken This ue They have found the naked body of a mortician He is dead with a broken neck And Ken Layard’s body has disappeared And then - ’ he spoke directly to Harry,’ - then I re undead, and that you want him burned very quickly And then I know But this is not all’

’Go on, Manolis,’ Darcy prompted him

’The Saht of the trouble under the old wind the fishere It is - it was - the Sairl, a prostitute, died on the streets three, four nights ago She has been exa - the, how do you say, malnutrition? - or perhaps she fainted and lay in the alley all night, and so died of the exposure But most likely it is the anaemia Hah! You know this anaemia? No blood in the body? My God - anaeroaned ’She must be burned, too’

’She will be,’ Manolis promised ’Today Believe me, I will see to it!’

Sandra said: ’And still we’re no closer to discovering who the vampire is, or what he’s done to Ken And I for one would like to kno those bats got in here’

Harry indicated a do fireplace where its flue went up into a brick wall ’At least there’s no great mystery there,’ he said ’As to Layard: he’s now in thrall to this thing and, depending how strong his will is, serving it faithfully And the vampire’s identity? Well, there’s a clue I can follow up I think I may know someone who has the answer’

’What clue?’ Manolis faced him ’Any clue - all clues -are for me No more secrets Also, I want to know about that word the bats made on the wall: what did it mean?’

’That’s the clue,’ said Harry ’Faethor fixed it so that I couldn’t o and see hi, Manolis looked fros, and in such a way He is what?’

’No more secrets?’ said Harry, wrily And: ’Manolis, even if we had an entire day to waste, still we couldn’t tell you everything And even you wouldn’t believe it all if we did’

Try me!’ Manolis answered ’But in the car First you dress and I take you to breakfast, then to the police station in town I think is the safest place And ’

’Very well, ill,’ Darcy agreed ’But wein our oay And Manolis, we have to be sure that all of this will go no further than you’

’Anything you say,’ the other nodded ’And anything I can help you with, I will You are the experts But please, we are wasting the tiot dressed as quickly as they could

Bytheir plans were finalized, and by noon Manolis Papastamos had set them in action Once he’d knoas to be done, he wasted little tih was now the owner of a suitably worn and well-thumbed Greek passport, stamped with a visa for Romania Ostensibly, its bearer was an ’international dealer in antiques’ (a cover which had brought a wry smile to Harry’s face), one ’Hari Kiokis’, a naive hiht to Gatwick, London, leaving Rhodes at 9:10 that night, and Darcy would stay here and ith Manolis E-Branch had been put as completely in the picture as possible, but for now Darcy hadn’t called in any esper help First he must ascertain the size of the problem, and after that he’d call on help as required and available directly through Sandra

Harry’s flight to Bucharest via Athens was at 2:30; with an hour to spare he and the others had lunch on the high balcony of a taverna overlooking Mandraki harbour And it was there that one of the local policemen found them, with information for Papastaed; if he hadn’t been a policeand He arrived in the road below their balcony on a tiny e backside almost entirely obscured ’Hey, Papasta a fat arm ’Hey, Manolis!’

’Come on up,’ Manolis called down to him ’Have a beer Cool down’

’You won’t feel so cool in athe taverna and panting his way upstairs

When he arrived Manolis offered hiot his breath back, and in wheezing Greek told his story ’Down at the an ’We were recording statelanced at Manolis’s coies in the Greek fashion ’I lish friend We took stateirl, a receptionist as on duty the night you saved his life She said in her statement that so It was her description of this one that I found interesting Here, read it yourself’

He took a crumpled, sweat-stained official statement form from his shirt pocket and handed it over Manolis quickly translated what he’d been told, then read the statehly, and his forehead creased into a frown And: ’Listen to this,’ he said, reading aloud

’Itwhen this man caoneHe’d heard how someone had been rescued from the sea and wondered if it was his man I took him to see Mr Layard in his room where he was sedated The Captain said: "Ah, no, this one is not an to turn away but he didn’t followwith his hand on the bump on Layard’s head, and he said: "This poor lad he is not one of mine"

’I said he e: although he had said he was sorry for Layard, still he was shtened up in his chair as he listened to this, and now he asked, ’And the description?’

Manolis read it out, and e, and wearing dark glasses even in the dawn light I thinkI think I know this one’

The fat policeman nodded ’I think so, too,’ he said ’And ere watching that fleapit the Dakaris,him come out of there’

’Hah!’ Manolis thumped the table ’The Dakaris? It’s a spit away from where they found that poor whore!’ And at once: ’I’m sorry, Sandra’

’Who is he?’ Harry demanded

’Eh?’ Manolis looked at him ’Who? Oh, I’ll do even better than that and show you where There he is!’ And he pointed out across the harbour

The sleek white h the deep-water channel, but the distance wasn’t so great that Harry’s keen eyes couldn’t read her name ’The Lazarus!’ he breathed ’And the name of the owner?’

’The same, almost,’ said Manolis ’Jianni Lazarides’

’Jianni?’ Harry’s face was suddenly drawn, lined, grey

’Johnny,’ Manolis shrugged

’John,’ Harry echoed him And in the back of his mind another voice - or the memory of one - said, Janos!

’Ahhhr Harry clasped his head as pain lanced through his skull It was sharp but short, nothing so bad as a full-scale attack, aBut it confirmed his worst suspicions For Janos could only be a name he’d learned from the dead - perhaps from Faethor himself - hom conversation had been forbidden He unscrewed his eyes and let in the cruel sunlight and the concerned expressions of his friends And: ’I know him,’ he said, when he could speak ’And now I know I’o and see Faethor’

’But why, if we already know our man?’ Darcy asked

’Because we don’t know hih,’ Harry told him, as the pain quickly subsided ’And since Faethor spawned him, he’s the onehas changed,’ said Harry as they drove into the airport in the car Manolis had provided ’Everything stands I go to Ploiesti, to see if I can learn anything froht there, even sleep in the ruins of his place if I have to It’s the only sure way I can think of to contact hiht - definitely! Now that this "Lazarides", Janos Ferenczy, controls Ken Layard, he can locate anyone he wants to Anyone associated with er, and more especially so here in the vampire’s own territory’ He paused and looked into each face in turn, then continued:

’Darcy, you stay here with Manolis, dig up everything you can on Lazarides, his crew, and the Lazarus Go right back to the start of it, when they first appeared on the scene Manolis can be of real assistance there; since Janos has chosen himself a Greek identity, it shouldn’t be too hard for the Greek authorities to fill in his origins and background’

’Ah!’ said Manolis, looking at Harry in his drivingHe has dual nationality, this one Greek, yes - and Roasped at once And: ’Harry, he can travel freely where you o with extreht about it for a moment, and said: ’Well, and maybe I should have expected aseither By the time he knows I’ain Anyway, I’ve no choice’

’God, I feel so helpless!’ Manolis complained as he parked the car and they all climbed out ’Inside, a voice says, "arrest this monster aboard his ship!" But I know that this is impossible I understand we must not alert him until we know all about him Also, Ken is in his hands, and-’

’Save it, about Ken,’ Harry cut in, heading for the departure lounge ’There’s nothing anyone can do for him’ He turned his haunted eyes on Manolis ’Except destroy him, which would be a mercy And even then don’t expect him to thank you for it Thank you? God, no! He’ll have your heart out first!’

’Anyway,’ Darcy told Manolis, ’you’re absolutely right that we can’t touch him yet We’ve told you about Yulian Bodescu; he was an innocent, a child, by comparison with Lazarides Harry thinks so, anyway But once he kneere onto himwe each of us lived in fear of hell until he was finally dead!’

’Is all acadeovernunboats to sink a vampire in his ship!" No, quite iain, I think I may be tempted to take out her crew one by one!’

’If you could isolate theood back-up teahtened to do it, yes,’ said Harry ’But again this ht precipitate so Harry and the others to the passenger control desk, Manolis answered: ’Don’t worry about it I do nothing until I get your go-ahead Is frustrating, that’s all’

Harry had only fifteencalled forward At the last ht of it, I could have gone on with you to Athens and flown hos have happened so quickly II don’t like seeing you go off like this, on your own, Harry’

He held her very close and kissed her, then turned to Darcy and Manolis ’Listen, I’o ahead and finish things as best you can And good luck!’

That’s my middle name,’ Darcy told hied hiain, and then he stood back, nodded, turned and followed the crowd out onto the dusty concourse, towards the landing strip

A the many people there to see friends off, a ht Bermuda shorts and an open-necked white shirt watched Harry’s plane take off He was a Greek who ran the occasional errand for the Russians Now all he had to do was discover Harry’s destination and pass it on

Not too difficult His brother worked at the passenger information desk

Harry made his Athens connection and landed in Bucharest at 5:45 The airport and its perireen shirts, drab olive trousers and scuffed boots; but their presence seemed pointless and the , out of which nothing had ever co to come out of it and in all honesty weren’t much interested They were there because they’d been told to be

As Harry passed through custo passports scarcely looked at him; all eyes were turned towards the three or four iven red-carpet treath the airport and out into the ’freedom’ of Romania Harry reckoned he was lucky

Manolis had fixed him up with one hundred and fifty Aold He caught a taxi, dumped his holdall on the back seat and told the driver: ’Ploiesti, please’

’Eh? Ploiesti?’

’Right’

’You English?’

’No, Greek But I don’t speak your language’ And God, I hope you don’t speak Greek!

’Hah! Is funny! We are both speaking English, yes?’ The man was unkeh

’Yes,’ said Harry, ’it’s funny Er, do you take dollars? Areen

’Eh? Eh? The dollars?’ His eyes stood out ’Sure, by gosh! I take it! Ploiesti is - I don’t know - sixty kilo?’

’Is ten dollars,’ he grinned, shrugged

’Fine!’ Harry handed over theback and closing his eyes He didn’t intend to sleep, but neither did he want to talk

The Ro with sureen to be seen Plenty of browns and greys: piles of sand and ce on to rival all the coastal regions of Spain, Turkey and the Greek islands put together Except that this had nothing to do with tourisrotesque, inhuro-industrial policy: savemore and more people under one roof, like cattle in pens Goodbye to peasant autonoe life; hello to the ugly, rearing tower blocks And all the while the reins of political control drawn tighter

Through eyes three-quarters shuttered, Harry scanned the land as it sped by beyond the s of the car The roadside en route from Bucharest to Ploiesti looked like a landscape in the aftermath of war Bulldozers worked in tea exhausts, erasing s communities wholesale to fashion empty, muddy acres in their place; while other ers with their bucket heads lifted and stretching forward, ales, now there was only earth and rubble and desolation

’More than ten thousand villages in old Ro that he was still awake, told him out of the corner of his mouth ’But old President Nicholae reckons that’s about five thousand too many What a madman! Why, he’d flatten the very o about it!’

Harry made no answer, continued to nod - but he wondered: and what of Faethor’s place on the outskirts of Ploiesti? Will Ceausescu flatten that, too? Has he perhaps already flattened it?

If so, then how ain? The last time he was here he’d co in on Faethor’s telepathic voice (Or rather, his necroscopic voice, for it was only the dead Harry could speak to in this way; he wasn’t a true telepath) Faethor had spoken to him, and Harry had tracked hinize Faethor’s place, know it for sure, when he got there As to its precise location: he knew only that the birds didn’t sing there, and that the trees and bushes and brarew no flowers, developed no fruit For the bees wouldn’t go near the his epitaph which read:

This Creature was Death! His Very

existence was a Refutation

of Life;

wherefore he now lies Here,

where Life Itself refuses to

Acknowledge hi that Ploiesti lay ten kilometres ahead, Harry shook himself, yawned, and pretended to come more properly awake He looked at his driver

’There were some rich old houses once on the outskirts of Ploiesti The homes of the old aristocracy Do you knohere I mean?’

’Old houses?’ The man squinted at him ’Aristocracy?’

’Then the war came and they were bombed,’ Harry continued ’Reduced to so much rubble The authorities never touched the place; it was left as a sort of memorial - until now, anyway’

’Ah! I know it - or used to But not on this road, no On the old road, where it bends Now tell o?’

’Yes Someone I know used to live there’

’Used to?’

’Still does, as far as I know,’ Harry corrected hi his steering wheel hard right They bumped off the road onto a cobbled avenue that wound away at a tangent under huge chestnuts

’It’s along here,’ said Harry’s driver ’Another minute and I’d passed it and would need to turn around and come back Old houses, the old aristocracy, aye I know it But you caone Your friend, too They just knock ’em flat, these old places, and whoever lives there ets knocked doith ’eh, wait and see’

Half a mile down the road and Harry knew that this was it The shells of old buildings began rising left and right behind the chestnuts, dilapidated places h a few of the chimneys still s out of the taxi and picking up his holdall, he asked, ’How about buses? I o about getting back into town to?’

’Walk back to the main road, towards Bucuresti,’ the other told hi Every kilometre or so, there’s a bus stop You can’tdollars! Here, you’ve got so Banis, my Greek friend Banis and leu - else people onder what’s up!’ And waving, he drove off in a cloud of dust

The rest of it was instinct; Harry just followed his nose; he would soon discover he’d been aquickly enough and he sensed he alking in the right direction He sa signs of humanity: smoke from distant chi in the opposite direction They looked weary to the bone and pushed a cart piled high with sticks of furniture and personal belongings; without knowing them or their circumstances, still Harry felt sorry for the a pack of salami sandwiches and a bottle of Gerate into an ancient ceraveyard didn’t bother him; on the contrary, he felt at home there

It was as extensive as it was rundown, that old burial ground; Harry walked through the ranks of leaning, untended, lichen-crusted slabs until he reached the back wall, well away fro in places; Harry climbed it where its stones had tumbled into steps and found hiht slanted onto hi him that in just another hour the sun would be down Before then he must be at Faethor’s place Still, he wasn’t worried He felt that hehis sandwiches (which had kept reer, he looked out over the sea of leaning slabs There’d been a tiiven him a minute’s peace, and when he wouldn’t have expected it He’d have been a to tell hi all these years And it wouldn’t matter at all that they were Romanian, for deadspeak -like its twin, telepathy - is universal Harry would have understood them perfectly well, and to a man they’d understand him

Ah, well that was then and this was now And noas forbidden to speak with them Except he must find a way to speak to Faethor

As that naraveyard fell into shade Harry shivered and for the first time turned and looked behind him, out of the cemetery There were erown tracks and paths, where the land was hurown scars of old craters were still plainly visible Closer to the round had beenwith the natural drainage

Harry scanned the land with the eye ofthe current scene and the scene reed into one And he knew that the taxi driver had been right: another year, maybe only apiles was surely Faethor’s, and pretty soon the bulldozers would level it, too, into the earth forever

Harry shivered again, got down from the wall on the other side and ht one And as evening turned to twilight he found and knew the place at once, just fro their s in trees and bushes hundreds of yards away, so that they scarcely reached here at all; there were no bees or flying insects and the foliage bore neither flower nor fruit; even the common spiders kept well clear of Faethor’s last place in all the world It seenore

The place was not exactly as he ree had threaded it with shtest hollow had become a pool A veritable swamp, normally it would be alive with mosquitoes, but of course it was not At least Harry needn’t worry about being bitten while he slept But that (being bitten) was a thought he could well do without!

In the deepening twilight he took out a sleeping-bag frorassy hu he answered the call of nature behind a cru to his place saw that he wasn’t entirely alone here At least the small Romanian bats weren’t afraid of this place; they flitted silently overhead, then swept away to do their hunting elsewhere Perhaps in their way they paid ho which had died here

Harry sarettes, then tossed away the stub like a tiny ht to sizzle out in a small pool of water Finally he pulled up the zipper on his sleeping-bag and made himself as comfortable as possible, and prepared to face whatever his drea voice was there at once, touching upon his sleeping mind without preamble So, and it would seem that you have co person spoke to him, and Harry sensed no small measure of satisfaction in it But in his drea here Oh, he knew Faethor’s h, but not why the vampire had chosen to seek him out Unless it was to tor he did remember was that he was forbidden to speak to the dead

What, all of that again? Faethor was ih: I didn’t seek you out but the other way around It is you who visitsforbidden to speak to eneral - surely that is why you are here, so that I may undo what has been done to you?

’Butif I speak to you,’ Harry paused and waited for the pain to strike him dohich it did not, ’there’s this pain that comes and -’