“Sounds dangerous.” Concern filled her tone again. Alex shrugged, then realized she couldn’t see him.
“Could be,” he said. “I’ll talk to you about it in the morning.”
“Be careful,” she said.
Alex promised that he would and hung up.
He caught the crawler across town to the five and dime that stood on the opposite side of the street from Thomas Rockwell’s apartment. Climbing the stairs to the industrial building, he let himself into the dead man’s workshop and marveled again how neat and orderly it was. His eyes did try to avoid the table in the back with the hotplate, where Thomas’ shadow lay, permanent yet unseen.
Setting to work, Alex went around the room assembling a long line of jars, pens, and inks onto the center workbench. When all was in readiness, he tore a blank sheet from the large pad in the desk drawer and fitted it into the brass holders. It took him almost an hour to draw the finding rune. He checked and rechecked his notes, forming every line and curve precisely, making sure each one contained the proper inks and additives.
When he had about twenty minutes of work left, he stopped. He’d taken off his jacket, and his shirt was heavy with sweat from the exertion of channeling the power of the universe down into the rune. Patting himself dry with a towel, he went downstairs to the five-and-dime next door. He bought a cheap, brass ring from a case on the counter, then moved to the phone booth in the rear of the store.
“Evelyn,” he said once she picked up. “I’m over at Thomas’ workshop and I think I’ve figured out what Thomas was doing. Where he went wrong, I mean.” He paused as her breathless voice filled his ear. “No,” he said. “I don’t mind. Come on over.”
She made him promise to wait for her, then hung up.
Alex returned to the workshop and set the brass ring he’d purchased down on the left-hand workbench. He took out his rune book and tore out two pages he’d prepared especially for this evening. Folding the papers into quarters, lengthwise, he wrapped each one around the simple brass band, then lit them. The two runes had been written to join together when cast together and Alex could see their intricate forms wrapping around the band in colorful spirals. After a few seconds, they vanished, leaving the shiny band unadorned.
Satisfied that everything was ready, he slipped the ring on his finger and put away his rune book.
It took Evelyn fifteen minutes to arrive, and when she did, the gray walls of the workshop seemed to brighten with her smile. She wore a simple shirt of deep burgundy that reminded Alex of the glittering shards of the plague jar as they reassembled themselves in the ruddy light of his restoration rune. Her skirt was beige and of the close-fitting pencil style that seemed to flow down from her trim waist, over the swell of her hips and then pull in to a tight circle at her knees. She wore white pumps with a matching cloche hat that let her black hair spill out the back in curls. Her face was tanned and smooth with bluish eye shadow and a dark red lipstick that matched her blouse.
“Alex,” she said, breathlessly, hurrying up to him. She threw her arms around him and planted a kiss on his lips. The kiss was hot and fiery, full of passion, and it brought back sweet memories of the night they’d spent in this very room. Alex wanted to dwell on those thoughts, but he pushed them away. They would be time for that later — unless there wasn’t.
“I’m sorry to get you out here,” he said when they broke apart.
“It’s all right,” she said, her smile turning sad. “I want to know what Thomas gave his life for. I want to know what he thought was worth that risk. Was it just some old book, or more than that?”
Alex sighed and led her to the workbench where he’d spent the last hour carefully laying out the finding rune.
“I thought this was right,” he said, showing it to her. He held up another paper for her inspection. “This is the one Thomas cast,” he said, indicating places where it differed from the rune he’d inscribed on the workbench. “He figured out that the original rune was drawn backwards, but he didn’t realize that the outer ring of runes isn’t aligned properly. See here.” He pointed to the inferior runes that ran around the central geometry, a complex dodecahedron.
“So, you figured it out?” Evelyn said, her brows drawn together in concentration.
“I thought so when I called you,” Alex said. “But now, I’m not sure. It just feels off to me.”
She looked over the two sets of drawings, then looked up with a helpless look on her face.
“What can I do?” she asked. Alex shook his head.
“I’m not sure. I’m going to have to go over this from start to finish. It’s going to take hours.” He looked at the papers, then back to her. “I’m sorry I brought you out here. You might as well go home. If I figure anything out, I’ll call you.” She looked disappointed, but then smiled.
“How about I go get us some dinner?”
“No thanks,” Alex said. “I actually just ate, and I need to work. I know I can get this if I just spend some more time. The only question is, how much?”
She put her hand on his cheek and he felt the warmth of her fingers.
“You look tired,” she said. “Maybe you should give it up…for the night.” She didn’t look at the neat little bed they had shared together but it was there in the tone of her voice. Alex chuckled.
“Then I definitely wouldn’t get anything done,” he said. “Go ahead,” he said, nodding toward the door. “All you’re going to do is distract me.”
“All right,” she said, taking a step away. “I see you can’t be dissuaded.” There was a strange note in her voice, but Alex felt a great swell of relief as she started toward the door. He’d pushed her pretty hard but she hadn’t done anything…
Evelyn turned after her third step. That particular step had taken her just outside the range of Alex’s reach. When she turned, there was a pistol in her hand.
“I’m sorry, Alex,” she said, leveling the gun at his chest. “I’m afraid I’m not to be dissuaded either.”
Alex put his free hand in the air. “What’s this?” he asked even though he already knew.
“You’re very eager to get me to leave,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with your rune. I think you just decided to cut me out.” She waved her gun, motioning Alex to step back, and he did. Once he was away from the table, she looked at his drawings again. “You don’t have any doubts,” she said. “This rune is perfect.”
“So, you’re a runewright,” Alex said. He’d guessed as much, but it was nice to have his suspicions confirmed.
“Yes,” Evelyn said. “I am. I may not have your skill, but I can understand what you’ve done here. You’ve finished deciphering it,” she indicated his notes. “You just haven’t finished writing it.” She looked up at him and smiled. “Fortunately, I can.”
“So,” Alex said. “What now?”
She motioned him over toward the metal bed, though he was sure she didn’t have anything so pleasant involved this time.
“Sit,” she said, then handed him a pair of handcuffs from her purse.
Alex took the cuffs and looped them around the metal bar that formed the bed’s footboard, locking the cuff first onto his bound-up left hand, then carefully onto his right. Once he was secured, Evelyn put the gun against his chest and tugged at the cuffs with her free hand.
“So,” Alex said, trying to remain calm. “You must be the person who enticed that government researcher…what was his name?”
“You mean dear Quinton Sanderson?” Evelyn said, slipping her gun back into her purse. “Yes. I got him to steal the original drawings of the Monograph runes. He was very eager to help me once I explained what they were.”