The words froze in mid-sentence, crystallised in her mind, and hung there like shards of ace. She had been trying to think of something earlier, something that spoke to the issue of the demon’s behaviour with Ross, something from her past. Now she knew what it was. It was her father’s behaviour toward Gran years ago.
It was the same. It was exactly the same.
In a moment’s time, everything carne together, all the loose ends, all the answers she had been unable to locate, all the missing clues. She felt her breath catch in her threat as she thought it through, trying it out, seeing if it fit.
She knew who the demon was.
She knew why John Ross could not escape it
A wave of heat rushed through her, Maybe she had been wrong about the Lady after all. Maybe the Lady knew Nest would see what Ross could not.
But was there still time enough to save him?
She was on her feet, her bag flung aver one shoulder, running for the exit and the taxi stand.
CHAPTER 22
John Ross went up to his apartment and stood at the window looking down at the ruins of Fresh Start, fuming. A crew from the fire marshall’s office was picking its way carefully through the debris, searching for dues. He scanned the busy streets for Andrew Wren, but the reporter was nowhere to be seen.
Why was the demon working so hard to discredit him? What did it hope to gain?
Where the Wiz was concerned, the answer was obvious. The demon hoped that by discrediting Simon, it would derail the progress of his programs. If enough doubt was cast and suspicion raised as to the integrity of the work being lone at Fresh Start and Pass/Go, donors would pull bade, political and celebrity sponsors would disappear, and support from the public would shift to another cause. Worse, it would reflect on programs assisting the homeless all across the country. It was typical demon mischief, a sowing of discontent that, given enough time and space, would reap anarchy.
The more difficult question was why the demon had chosen to paint him with the same brush. What was the point? Was this phoney theft charge supposed to send him into a tailspin that would lead to an alliance with the Void? Given that the demon intended to subvert him and claim his magic, this business of manipulating bank accounts and transfers seemed an odd way to go about it.
He chewed his lip thoughtfully. It might explain the fire, though. Burning down fresh Start at the same time Simon Lawrence was being discredited would only add to the confusion.
If the plan was to bring down Simon and put an end to his programs, an attack from more than one front made sense.
He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets angrily. He wanted to walk right over to Pass/Go and deal with his suspicions. But he knew there wasn’t really anything he could do. Andrew Wren was still in the middle of his investigation. He was checking signatures and interviewing bank personnel. Maybe the signatures wouldn’t match. Certainly the bank people wouldn’t remember seeing either him or Simon.
Except, he remembered suddenly, the demon was a changeling and could have disguised itself as either of them.
He turned away from the window and stared at the interior of the apartment in frustration. The best thing he could do was to follow through on his promise to Nest and get out of town. Do that, put a little distance between himself and whatever machinations the demon was engaged in, and take x fresh look at things in a few days.
Don’t take any chances with the events of the dream.
He glanced at his watch. It was already approaching four o.”clock, and the festivities at the Seattle Art Museum were scheduled to begin at six sharp.
Dropping into his favourite wing chair, he dialed Pass/Go and asked for Stefanie. Told that she was in a meeting, he left a message for her to call him.
He went into the bedroom, pulled his duffel bag out of the closet, and began to pack. It didn’t take long. There wasn’t much packing to do for this sort of trip, and he didn’t have much to choose from in any case. It gave him pause when he realized how little he owned. The truth was, he had never stopped living as if he were just passing through and might be catching the morning bus to some other place.