Epilogue
They really could have gone anywhere.
And Grant was surprised when Shelly told him, “I want to know this ancient city a bit better. It’s full of wonders.
And what the heck. We can try the Fountain of Youth.
It just might take—you never know! Seriously, I’d love to go to the beach.
Wait! I want to go to the Castillo de San Marcos, the Spanish Military Hospital …
have a chance to really look at the art and the shops on St. George Street—”
“Maybe even take one of the great haunted tours?” he asked.
She’d laughed and shrugged. “You never know who you might meet.”
“So,” he suggested, “how about a week here, and then let me take you back and show you some of the wonders of Rome?”
“Are you sure you want to go back?” she’s asked him.
“I love Rome. And I love St. Augustine, of course. So, yeah, what do you think?”
The McFadden brothers were back at the Krewe offices in northern Virginia.
Zach and Skye were thinking about a Caribbean cruise.
Of course, they suggested that Shelly and Grant might want to join them, and Shelly said she’d have been happy to do so, except that she really, really wanted to see more of St. Augustine.
Their first day, they explored the fantastic Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, learning that it was the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States, offering three hundred and fifty years of history.
Grant loved that Shelly was fascinated by the Spanish period and wanted to learn more about it.
She engaged easily with the park rangers dressed in period clothing and loved exploring the casements and seeing the amazing view of the city from the gun deck. She smiled at him at one point.
“You’re not bored to tears, right? I mean, you’ve done all this—”
“The schedule changes here, always fun, and out on the green … I loved that you wanted a picnic out there for lunch.”
“Right, well, we won’t be going to Brendan Cosby’s restaurant anymore, you know.”
“Ah, but we have fabulous restaurants all around the city,” he assured her.
They spent their day on the beach. And it was great, too, just lying beneath a beautiful blue sky, feeling the breeze, playing in the water …
They took the trolley tour, wandered down St. George Street, enjoyed a sunset cruise, and explored the Plaza de la Constitución, hearing the good stories and the bad, for it was now a bustling center of the city, but once …
Executions had taken place there as well.
But it was a learning week, and a good week. An especially good week because every night they were together, laughing about the things that had happened during the day, enjoying one another …
Growing serious when Angela or Jackson called to report on the case, assuring them that their cyberforce was seeing that everything was set down.
That no more curse tablets could be put into effect.
Exactly a week later, they flew to Rome. They met with Salvatore Giordano and Alfredo Durso there, men who were relieved and grateful that the entire situation had been laid to rest.
And they explored the Colosseum, the Forum, the museums, the Spanish Steps, and so much more.
Shelly was awed by the Vatican, the amazing art and …
One really stuck with her. The Capuchin Crypt and museum, where the bodies of departed brothers became bones, and bones became fixtures on altars, parts of candelabras, and even artworks.
They met the spirit of a friendly brother who was just looking after others, despite the many, many years since he’d departed.
He was fascinating.
But again, it was the nights that were so wonderful.
Amazing nights in which he felt he came to know another person in a way that went beyond all else.
They came to understand one another so completely, to love being together in every way.
Of course, they’d both had years in which they’d needed so much to be pretense, and still …
It was special.
It was on their next to last day there that they received the call from Jackson.
“How has the vacation gone?” he asked.
“Beautifully,” they said in unison, grinning at each other. They were on a speaker call.
“Great. Because I need you to report on Monday morning. You were heading back Sunday, right?”
“Yes, we get in sometime around noon, I believe,” Grant told him.
“Good. We’ve got a situation. Get credit for those tickets. The plane will get there for you around ten or eleven tomorrow morning. I’m afraid I’m going to need to get you right on this situation.”
“And that is—”
“A strange case in France—Brittany, to be exact. Seems that years and years ago, there was a war hero, Marquis Jacques Montfort, much like Gilles de Rais—a friend, in fact, of the man—and of Joan of Arc. The thing is, like Gilles de Rais, he turned out to be a horrific murderer, except he excelled at killing adults. Of course, he, too, was discovered, but his castle is now one of those places that draw tourists from around the world. And there’s always someone out there … ”
“How many? How many—”
“Two thus far. But I’ll send you all the details; you can read everything we have while you’re on your way.
We sent an agent out immediately, but this is going to need more.
There will be a car there; we’re going to have you and a few folks from Blackbird out there working on it.
We were asked by the French government for help.
They heard about your work here and in Rome, and …
well, France is beautiful this time of year,” Jackson said.
“So! Enjoy your last night before returning to …”
“Murder and mayhem, gotcha,” Grant said.
“As I said, all the details that we have are on their way to you. You’ll meet up with Mason Wickham and an officer from the French force when you get there. I will warn you about one thing.”
“What’s that?” Shelly asked.
“A body was discovered by a young influencer and … well, she was supposed to be doing a great social media video about the fun of visiting the castle.”
“And?” Grant asked.
“And she found the first body. She’s a bit on the … emotional side. Maybe she’ll have calmed down by the time you get there. Oh, another thing.”
“What’s that?” Grant asked.
“This historic French murderer used miles of tunnels beneath the castle for his kills and disposal grounds. Dark, not all investigated, not all found, most likely. Take care; be prepared at all times. Because historically … well, the kills went on and on. But enjoy your last night.”
“Uh … we can try!” Shelly said.
“Try and try not, do or do not!” Jackson said lightly. “Do … as we all know …”
“Time is precious,” Grant said quietly.
They ended the call. He looked at Shelly.
“Time is precious,” she repeated softly. Then she managed a smile. “And I intend to make sure our time here is precious in the extreme!”
“And I will do all that I can to help make that true!” he assured her.
Time …
He took her into his arms.
Because tomorrow …
Well …
That night …
He would let tomorrow be tomorrow!