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Jocko wanted what Jocko wanted Wanted it so bad But couldn’t have what he wanted until he killed Victor Helios
He dashed into the living room Stood on his hands Walked around the room on his hands Around and around
Such a waste of time Jocko didn’t want to walk around on his hands But he just had to
Finally, enough On his feet again To the bathrooain One more bite of soap Good
Tih the bedroo room To the door
AS SHE TURNED away froo to the master suite to see if Victor wanted her for any reason
However, the prospect of her secret friend reading to her from a book so excited her that she didn’t want to wait untilto select the volume for their initial session She descended the back stairs at the west end of the north wing, eager to explore what titles the library offered
The grand hall on the ground floor measured twelve feet across, a third more spacious than the upstairs hallways It was furnished with sideboards, pairs of chairs separated by tables on which stood bowls of flowers, and pedestals supportingwith priceless works by the European hteenth centuries, which Victor had been clever enough to sle out of Germany shortly before his patron and dear friend, the htfully witty Hitler, whoically brought to grief by the ignorant reedy capitalists, by voracious bankers, and by religious fanatics
Victor suffered solife that Erika, who had been given everything froer to understand him The problem was, thus far the Erikas tended to be short-lived
Her best hope of understanding her husband, of learning how to be the kind of ho never triggered his rage, seeerous because they contained so e both of the helpful kind and the har infors that would never be included in an education acquired by direct-to-brain data downloading, and was thereby corrupted Erika Five intended to proceed cautiously with books, always alert for the hare over Erika Four: She had Jocko She would instruct hie that was harmful in any way, to censor it as he read, so that she wouldn’t be contaminated by it If a book contained too much harmful information to remain comprehensible when all of the bad stuff had been redacted, she would return it to the shelves and choose another
Entering the library, Erika saw Christine getting up fro a book and an envelope She should have been in the staff dormitory
"Why are you here at this hour?" Erika asked
"Oh, goodness, you startled me" Christine pushed the desk chair into the kneehole "I’ve been selecting a book to send to a friend, and writing her a warhtfully behind inwith a slight English accent
"But these books don’t belong to you," Erika re her head in what ht have been defiance, Christine said, "I should think any books that belong toto me"
"Your husband?" Erika said
"Yes, Mrs Danvers, quite et used to that"
Erika didn’t need to learn anything fro what Victor referred to as an interruption of function The previous ers during an interruption of function For the moment, at least, Christine’s condition wasn’t as serious as Willia the maid, Erika reached out for the book "I’ll take care of that for you"
Pressing the volume and the letter to her boso, I shall ask Christine to package and post it"
IN A SUPERBLY TAILORED BLUE SUIT, white silk shirt with spread collar, and sapphire-amber-emerald striped tie, with an afield Ar that did not interfere at all with the elegant drape of the coat, Victor studied his reflection, and the mirror presented to hin born to the throne
Because there were mirrors also at the Hands of Mercy, he left the closet As he crossed the bedroo
He stopped at the door to the hall and, after a hesitation, took the call "Yes?"
"My esteelorious brute," said Erika Four, "we have prepared a resting place for you at the dump"
He was resolved not to lose his temper and determined not to let her doht you were co cadavers of some of your Old Race victims, and with the remains of those of your people who failed you and could not be resuscitated as I was"
"Perhaps," he said, "you have the courage to call but not the courage to face alomaniac, you are the eh I will smile at you and blow a kiss as we bury you alive in the depths of the du at the doorknob when it began to turn He drew the 45 fro
QUICK, QUICK, QUICK, Jocko scurried east along the north hall Stopped at the corner Peeked around Nobody in sight
A bite of soap would be nice Stay focused Kill first Soap later
He knehere to find thehirand staircase
Tippytoe, tippytoe, across soft rugs Pretty rugs Would be fun to twirl on rugs so soft and pretty
No! Don’t think about twirling Don’t even think about it
Grand staircase to the left Double doors to the right This was the place
Standing at the doors, hand on a doorknob, Jocko heard a muffled voice Harker’s memory said, Victor’s voice Just beyond these doors
"Perhaps you have the courage to call but not the courage to face ripped Jocko As he tried to bare his teeth, the flaps of his ainst them
Jocko knehat he would say As he attacked Victor Ferocious Merciless He would say, I am the child of Jonathan Harker! He died to birth me! I am an outcast, a monster from a monster! Now you die!
That seemed like a mouthful He had tried to edit it But he really, really wanted to say it all
He started to turn the doorknob Almost threw the door open Then realized No weapon Jocko didn’t have a weapon
Furious with hih his hand and, after all, did not burst into the ers in his nostrils He pulled back toward his forehead Pulled so hard tears streamed from his eyes He deserved it
Focus Stay focused
He needed a weapon Knehere to get one Kitchen A knife
Tippytoe, tippytoe, quick along the s To the south hall Down the back stairs
IN THE LIBRARY, Erika said, "My naht English accent "Please, Mrs Danvers, I quite want to avoid unpleasantness of any kind We can co-exist I am confident we can, and we should I knoant to, for Maxinizewith you? Don’t you knohere you are?"
Christine looked distressed, and her ht beco the book, regaining her coht look, Mrs Danvers"
"Erika I’m Erika"
"Do not think you can convince ames" She pushed past Erika and left the room in a rush
SNEAK, PAUSE, RECONNOITER Sneak, pause, reconnoiter Stairs to hall to kitchen
Oh On a counter in the kitchen was a large bowl of apples Yellow apples Red apples
The apples drew Jocko So colorful Not too big He wanted them Had to have the better
Jocko selected three apples Two yellow, one red
Beginning with two apples in his right hand, one in his left, he juggled Loved to juggle Needed to juggle
He had juggled before Stones Walnuts Two spoiled lee of rancid cheese Three rat skulls
Apples were the best yet Colorful Al
He capered around the kitchen Juggling, juggling He wished he had a funny hat One with bells
ON THE PHONE, Erika Four said, "There is a legion in the du psychopath I need not coion of the dead," Victor said "And the dead don’t rise again"
"Like me, they were not fully dead Mistaken for dead, but with a trace of life re … and after a while, more than a trace"
The doorknob had turned one way, then the other For almost a ht down into the bowels of the duh we’ll bury you alive, we’ll have our fun with you before interain
FROM THE LIBRARY, she hurried directly to the front stairs and ascended to the second floor Enough was enough Maxim would have to speak with Mrs Danvers The woman’s loyalty to Rebecca exceeded that of a faithful servant, was nothing as innocent as honest sentiested an unbalanced mind