Page 3 of Circle of Death
Dammit! The griddle is starting to smoke. I flip the pancakes just in time. A little dark on top, but still presentable. I really need to focus when I cook. When the pancakes are done on the other side, I grab a pair of oven mitts and carry the whole plateful out to the terrace.
I have to say, even slightly overdone, my pancakes are world-class. I toss one to Bando. He catches it in midair and gobbles it down. The rest of us dig in.
It’s a beautiful morning, and a beautiful setting. The terrace overlooks the garden, our own private paradise. Just beyond the bushes and flowers, I can see the bustle of pedestrians and vehicles on Fifth Avenue.
After years of living under Khan’s repression, the city is trying to get back to normal. People are starting to trust each other again, instead of worrying about getting rounded up in random police raids or getting murdered en masse, like Khan was planning.
I admit I feel a little guilty living in a thirty-two-room house while so many people are still struggling. I actually resisted moving back here. I thought it might make us too visible to the wrong people. It was Margo who convinced me. She said I’d earned it. I decided she was right. Besides, this isn’t just my home. It’s my headquarters. And I need it now more than ever.
Maddy pours a river of syrup over her second helping of pancakes. “Not your best,” she says, spearing into her stack with a fork. “But still great.”
I don’t want to spoil the mood by telling the family what I know—what I’ve learned about the evil brewing on the other side of the globe. First, I need to be sure things are ready on the home front.
“How are the guest rooms?” I ask. We have half a dozen. Almost never used.
“Why?” asks Margo. “Are we expecting company?”
“Yes, we are. Party of five.”
Margo raises her eyebrows. First she’s heard about it. I still keep a lot to myself.
“Who’s coming?” asks Maddy. I can see she’s excited by the idea of having some new faces around the house. Maybe someyoungerfaces.
“Work associates,” I say. “People I trust with my life.”
“Sounds like you know them pretty well,” says Jessica.
I slice into my pancakes. “Actually, we’ve never met.”
CHAPTER 2
“PLEASE! I’M NOT inkindergarten!”
Maddy’s right, of course. She’s a college freshman, majoring in criminology. And she absolutelyhatesit when I walk her to school. She’s made that very clear. Many times. But the City College campus in Harlem just reopened. And there are some pretty rough neighborhoods along the route.
“I’m nineteen, remember?” she says. “And I can throw lightning bolts!”
She’s right. I know she’s a very capable young woman. But I’m a little overprotective, and I don’t apologize for it. I love this girl so much.
“I need the exercise,” I tell her. “I’m getting on in years.”
“Which is why I’m embarrassed to beseenwith you!”
After a while, she gives up and stops arguing. She knows that there’s no stopping me anyway. I’m just happy to have a little extra time with her. Even when she’s doing her best to ignore me.
As we walk north, we see signs of the city coming back from the repressive Khan years. Shops are reopening. People are walking freely. There’s new construction everywhere. Things have improved a lot in the past year. But there are still plenty of danger zones. Sometimes one good block is followed by three bad ones. And I’ve heard about some problems near Maddy’s school. That’s the real reason why I’m tagging along.The Shadow knows.
When we start seeing clusters of other students heading toward the campus, Maddy stops and puts her hand on my arm. “Okay,” she says, “I can take it from here. Really.”
I decide to do a shape-shift. It’s a power I evolved while I was in my long chemical coma. And I have to say, I’m getting pretty good at it. In a second, I’m no longer Lamont Cranston. I’m a doddering old man, white-haired and hunched over.
“Oh for God’s sake…” Now Maddy’s evenmoreembarrassed.
“Pay attention now,” I say. “See how harmless and vulnerable I seem?” Even my voice is weaker.
“Youareharmless and vulnerable,” says Maddy. “And you’re even older than you look.”
CHAPTER 3
