Midnight Jewels

Circle of justice and violence.
    The image of fire blazed fiercely in his mind as Croft took the steps to me inn two at a time. An early summer sun warmed him, but in his mind flames leaped into a midnight sky and screams echoed in the warm night air.
    Croft's mood had not improved by the time he sat down for breakfast in me dining room, where he discovered he would have to make do with a tea bag and tepid cup of hot water.
    As usual when he encountered such annoyances in a restaurant he didn't bother to tip. He was not unaware of the dirty look the waitress gave him when he left, but he wasn't bothered by it.

    The second evening with Croft began smoothly enough, Mercy reflected later. She had been filled with a deep, exciting sense of anticipation all day. That sense of anticipation flowered into happiness when he picked her up in the Porsche and drove her to an excellent fish restaurant a short distance from town.
    She relaxed and watched him drive, taking pleasure in his skill. He handled the car with a quiet, efficient competence. His reflexes were apparently excellent. The sense of self-control he radiated could be reassuring at times, she decided.
    At other times it was a damned nuisance. Croft had the ability to put up brick walls or simply walk away from subjects and questions he didn't want to discuss. Mercy encountered that stubborn resistance whenever she began to gently probe his past. It didn't take her long to decide she didn't want to ruin the evening by forcing issues Croft didn't want to have forced. She seriously questioned whether anyone could force a discussion on Croft Falconer.
    She was halfway through her salmon when he startled her by stating calmly, "I think I'll go with you to Colorado."
    "You
what
?"
    "You heard me. 1 think I'll go with you to meet Gladstone."
    She was horrified. "But you can't."
    "Why not?"
    "Because you weren't invited. Gladstone's invitation was for me alone. I got the impression on the phone that he values his privacy. I'm sure he wouldn't take kindly to having another guest foisted on him, especially one who's after the same book he wants."
    "Don't tell him I'm after it. Let him think I'm your lover and you just brought me along on vacation."
    "Well, you're not my lover, and even if you were there would be no reason to bring you along. This is a business trip, at least the first three days are going to be devoted to business. I'm hoping it will be the start of a new direction in my career, in fact. The last thing I want to do is muck up my reputation as a professional, reliable antiquarian book dealer. Successful, reputable business people do not allow their personal lives to get tangled up in their work."
    "You haven't got a reputation as an antiquarian book dealer," he pointed out patiently. "This is your first sale."
    "It's a beginning!"
    "You don't mind beginning this prestigious new career by dealing a piece of pornography?"
    Mercy took offense at that. "In case you aren't aware of it, we in the trade refer to such items as Burleigh's
Valley
as curiosa."
    "It's curious stuff all right. Most people, if they're honest, have a certain curiosity about that kind of curiosa from the age of five on up. Forget that side of things. Even if you were an established dealer, no one would question your choice of a traveling companion."
    "Why ate you so insistent on meeting Gladstone?"
    He smiled challengingly. "Business reasons."
    "You want that damn book for your own collection."
    He shrugged negligently. "Is that such a crime? I'm a collector. Collectors will go to great lengths to get what they want. Remember that, Mercy."
    "Is that a threat?"
    "Of course not, just a piece of advice. I never make threats."
    "Ha."
    "It's true." He looked surprised that she should question the statement. "Threats are a waste of everyone's time. They leave room for doubt. They encourage an opponent to test your willpower or your strength."
    "I can see you've given the subject a great deal of thought," she remarked acidly.
    "There's another reason besides my interest in
Valley
that I would like to go to Colorado with you."
    "What's that?"
    "I'd like to have the extra time with you."
    Now she really was alarmed. "I'm not sure I particularly want to be lumped in with your book collecting project." She went back to her salmon with a vengeance.
    "Mercy."
    She looked up warily. "Yes?"
    "I'm being as honest with you as I can be. I want the book. Barring that, I want to meet Gladstone. But I also want