Midnight Angels (25 page)

“I know what you’re capable of, David,” Edwards said. “I’ve lost more than enough members of the Society over the years to bear witness. What I don’t know is, will your need to feed that hunger, your desire to succeed regardless of the human cost, carry over to someone like Kate?”

The Raven smiled. “Why should I factor her safety into my plan?” he asked. “Tell me why, Richard. Is it because she’s young and new to our business? Or is it because she was Andrea’s only child?”

Edwards leaned across the table. “It’s because she might also be
your
child.”

The words had their effect. The Raven sat still for several moments, looking away from Edwards, his gaze off into the distance. “And you base your little theory on what evidence?” he managed to say.

“The timing of it all,” Edwards said, sitting back in his chair. “Your romance with Andrea lasted, as far as anyone could figure, about six months. It was a tough time, as you know, for the Society. It was no secret that there was disagreement between Andrea and Frank as to the direction we should go. Nor was it a secret that there was a great deal of affection between the two of you.”

“I was always under the impression that few, if anyone, knew of our involvement,” the Raven said. “I suppose that’s an error made by all secret lovers.”

“It didn’t escape Frank’s attention,” Edwards said. “There was a high level of tension between the two of them during those months.”

“And how does this relate to Kate?”

“Think back, David,” Edwards said. “Try to remember. Your affair with Andrea broke off for reasons known only to you and her, but what I do know is the break was abrupt and left bitter feelings on both sides. Then, a bit more than a month later, we were all told that Frank and Andrea were expecting a baby. Now, it could be nothing more than mere coincidence and that Frank is indeed Kate’s father. But you have to admit, the timing does leave it open to doubt.”

“Is that all the proof you have to go on?” the Raven asked. “If so, it seems to me you’re being rash. It’s not like you to make such an emotional assumption.”

“I
don’t
have proof,” Edwards said. “But there have been enough clues dropped along the years to make me think I’m right.”

“You have a hole card, Richard,” the Raven said. “You are too smart to have entered into such a discussion without one.”

“Kate is the best person I know and one of the brightest I’ve ever been around,” Edwards said. “There is a kindness to her that never fails to remind me of Andrea. She always looks for the good.”

“But …”

“There is an edge to her,” Edwards said. “She’s fearless. It is something she had even as a child. I always expected to hear a certain level of complaining whenever we would begin training for the next level in martial arts or fencing or archery. Most little girls would have preferred to be at home or with their friends. Instead, Kate embraced the challenges of the field.”

“And you attribute this dedication to me?” the Raven asked.

“There’s a coldness to her technique,” Edwards said. “It’s hard to explain. But when I watched her through all those training sessions, I saw you on those fields and in those gyms. She relished the competition and found pleasure in taking down an opponent. Frank and Andrea resorted to hard tactics when the need arose, but they were always troubled by them. I have probably gone much further than I ever thought I would in that area, but it took a number of years to get to the point where I could barely justify the violence. I don’t think it will take Kate quite so long to adapt.”

“I have never been disappointed listening to your various theories, Richard,” the Raven said, “whether they related to art history, lost artifacts, love affairs gone wrong, and now, family lineage. But our conversation changes nothing. I won’t let anyone get in the way of my claiming the Midnight Angels as my own. I will eliminate whoever blocks my path—whether that person be a former friend or even my own flesh and blood.”

“I didn’t tell you about Kate because I expected you to leave here eager to change your ways,” Edwards said. “I thought, after all these years, it was something you needed to be aware of.”

“Does Kate know of the history?” the Raven asked.

“No,” Edwards said, shaking his head slowly. “She adores her parents and I didn’t see the point in doing anything that might diminish that.”

“Yes, having me as a father would certainly put a dent in their sainted memories,” the Raven said. “But, if you prefer she not know, I won’t betray you in that regard.”

“I need more than that, David.”

“She is next in line,” the Raven said. “I will be rid of you at some point, and if I can eliminate your successor as well, that will leave a major void in the Society, one I fully intend to exploit. So, the answer is no, there will be no deals made.”

Edwards sat back and stared across the large dining room, the fingers of his right hand rubbing his wineglass. “Then one of us will have to kill you,” he said in a soft voice.

“I wish you both luck in the attempt,” the Raven said. “Unless, of course, you agree to the one condition under which I would be willing to spare not only Kate’s life, but yours as well.”

“Which would be what?”

“Surrender the Midnight Angels,” the Raven said. “Tell me where they’ve been hidden and walk away. If you care about Kate, it should be an easy decision.”

“The Angels are not mine to give up,” Edwards said.

“Spare me the sales pitch, Richard. I find the notion of giving lost works back to some predetermined owner nauseating.”

“Which leaves us where, then?”

“Where we have always been,” the Raven said, “on opposite ends, waiting for the other to make a fatal error.”

“One final point, if I may,” Edwards said.

“It’s your bar bill,” the Raven said.

“Kate doesn’t know how her parents died. She was told it was an accident.”

“How noble of you,” the Raven said.

“That will change before I leave Florence. She’ll know how they died and at whose hand. She will then finally have a reason to want you dead, David. Just like me.”

“I look forward to the battle,” the Raven said. “And in the event I end up killing you before you find that special moment to have your heart-to-heart with Kate, I give you my word—she will die knowing the truth.”

He pushed his chair back, stood and stared at Edwards for several seconds. “And don’t think for one moment there will be any hesitation on my part. She will die knowing her parents were sinners more than saints and that the man who trained her and raised her did his all to keep her in the dark about the reality of her existence. And she will believe every single word.”

“What makes you so sure?” Edwards asked.

The Raven smiled and leaned across the table, both hands resting flat across the starched white tablecloth. “You tell me, Professor,” he said, “what daughter, caught in such a dire situation, would not believe the words spoken by her father?”

“You deserve all that’s coming to you,” Edwards said.

“We all do,” the Raven said.

Then he nodded, turned and walked silently and slowly out of the crowded restaurant.

CHAPTER
31

K
ATE AND MARCO STOOD IN THE CENTER OF THE SECOND-FLOOR
room, their bodies rigid, their faces fields of anger and confusion.

“The outside lock wasn’t broken and we were the only ones with a set of keys,” she said. “And the windows are too small for anyone to climb in.”

“But someone
did
get in,” Marco said, “and however he did it, the Angels are gone.”

Kate paced the room in a tight circle, her sneakers making an occasional squeaking protest when she abruptly stopped or turned. She thought back to all the people she had talked to—those who helped arrange the lift of the Angels from the corridor and those who had designated this place, the second floor of a jewelry exchange on the edge of the famous bridge, as the ideal hiding place, shielded from public view, yet perched atop one of the busiest and most protected streets in Florence—and couldn’t think of a single person who would betray her. All of them had been lifelong members of the Vittoria Society, loyal both to the organization’s cause and to each other. And yet, here she stood, at a loss to explain the disappearance. “I can’t believe it,” she said in a low voice. “I just can’t believe it. They’re gone. The Midnight Angels are gone. Vanished.”

“I know you trust the people who helped us,” Marco said, choosing his words with care, “but could there be one of them who, for money or whatever, would be willing to put aside his or her allegiance and betray you?”

“No,” Kate said. “It isn’t about money or power for them. They believe
in the work the group does. They wouldn’t turn their back on it now, especially not with a find this precious.”

“How can you be so sure?” he asked. “You don’t really know these people. And those Angels are worth a fortune.”

“I’m not sure about anything anymore,” she said. “Maybe I’ve been too trusting. But, on the other hand, I was very trusting of you and I’m not standing here accusing you of conspiring to take the Angels.”

“I wouldn’t take them, Kate,” Marco said, lowering his eyes, knowing he had still not won back her full confidence, regardless of the dangerous path he’d ventured on in his desire to please her. “If my word isn’t enough for you, then perhaps the fact I wouldn’t know where to hide them or who to sell them to will make you feel better.”

She looked down at the crowded street corner and shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice suddenly softer. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I just can’t get my head around the fact that we’ve lost the Angels.”

Marco shrugged. “What do we do now?” he asked.

“It’s back to square one,” she said. “We found the Angels once, maybe we can find them again. Though I’m at a loss as to how to do that.”

“How long do you think they’ve been gone?” he asked.

“I checked on them around eleven last night,” Kate said.

Marco glanced at his watch and stepped next to her. “That’s roughly a ten-hour head start,” he said, “which is probably not enough time to move them safely out of the city.”

Kate walked away from the window and glanced around the sparsely furnished, wood-paneled room. “They were moved with care,” she said, “by someone who knew what he was doing. There isn’t any marble dust or chips on the ground or against any of the walls. And it was done in darkness, late into the night when the storefronts on the bridge are shuttered and no one’s around.”

“That means whoever took them already had access,” Marco said, “there was no need to break the alarm code or the front lock, further removing him from drawing anyone’s attention.”

“But he couldn’t have been alone,” Kate said. “That would require leaving the Angels unattended and a parked van somewhere nearby, unguarded. Even you and I knew enough not to take that much of a risk.”

“Well, we seem to be able to figure out how it was done,” he said. “Now if we could only just piece together who did it.”

“Whoever undid the alarm and unlocked the front door did so without any fear or concerns,” Kate said, “which means he or she felt they were letting in someone they knew and trusted. And whoever it was had been here before. Look around. Nothing has been jostled or put out of place. Also, there are no dust prints anywhere. You remember how dusty our sneakers got when we moved the Angels? Not just out of the sealed corridor, but up to this room? They were covered in marble dust, which is totally understandable given how old and fragile the Angels are. Yet there’s not a speck to be found anywhere.”

“Which means he either covered the bottoms of his shoes or left them at the door.”

Kate nodded. “And was meticulous enough to have the area cleared of any signs he had even been here.”

“A professional,” Marco said.

“More than just a professional,” she said. “He knew about the work that was in here. Its history. Its importance. And he cared enough to treat it with respect.”

Marco studied her. “Are you trying to say you know who did this?”

“I’m just thinking out loud,” Kate said. “There could have been a breach, someone who compromised the Society and sold us out. It could even have been a request from another member of the Society to have the Angels transferred to an even safer place than this one.”

“If that were the case, wouldn’t you have been told?” he asked.

“Maybe not,” she said. “We’re being followed, there’s no secret about that. Even amateurs like us can pick out the men on our trail. Why risk the safety of the Angels by telling me they were going to be moved?”

“The people chasing us could have been just as careful as anyone from the Society,” Marco said. “They would also know there would be a lot less financial worth to the Angels if they were damaged.”

“If you’re right,” Kate said, “then the Angels are probably on their way out of Florence, lost to us forever.”

“So where do we go to find the truth?” he asked.

“Back out on the streets, make ourselves as visible as possible,” Kate said. “If the people on our trail are still following us, that would mean
they’re still on the hunt for the Angels. There would be no other reason for them to care about us otherwise.”

“And if there’s no one out there looking for us?” Marco asked. “What then?”

Kate turned away from the small window and slowly walked past him. “Then they’re gone,” she said. “They are lost to us. It will be as if they never even existed. Gone for good.”

She kept her head down as she walked out of the small shop and onto the crowded stone pavement of the oldest bridge in Florence.