Geometry

Chapter 5

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The next evening, Marina stood in her pantry with Ray and Fraser behind her and the velvet-wrapped saber in her hand. "I cannot believe we all walked off and left this in the car."

"Ray and I walked," Fraser qualified. "You were carried, and in a sufficient state of agitation that the lapse is perfectly understandable."

Marina's glance over her shoulder was reluctantly amused. "Is that what Canadians call a fit of grief-induced hysterics? Agitation? I'd hate to see what qualifies as 'pissed', then."

"I don't think Fraser can get pissed," Ray commented. "Too impolite. He can barely do 'irate'."

"Really, Ray," Fraser chided. "You are giving Marina a highly skewed view of my personality."

"Stuff it, partner. So why we standing in your pantry, Marina?"

Her smile was wicked. "Watch this." She looked down at Dief, who was sitting at her feet. "Show 'em, Dief."

Dief cocked his head and Ray would have sworn the wolf grinned, then barked, using that same short, two-bark combination he used on the elevator doors. There was the suck-pop sound of an airtight seal breaking and a soft current of escaping air moved across their faces. The narrow back wall of her pantry moved back about an inch and slid smoothly behind the pantry shelves and out of sight. Lights brightened in the dark space, illuminating a hidden room. Ray and Fraser exchanged amazed glances.

Marina grinned and entered. "C'mon."

The room wasn't all that large, perhaps sixteen feet square, and wooden storage racks -similar to the kind samurai swords were displayed on at flea markets- covered three of the four walls.

Ray was willing to bet these floor-to-ceiling versions weren't cheap pine imitations, though. They shone with subtle deep ebony enamel that reminded him of the inky black gloss on the GTO. Blades of all shapes and sizes lay in the curves, some in sheaths, some with the gleaming blades exposed.

One sword -a Japanese katana, Fraser thought- lay in a freestanding rack in the center of the room, and Marina gave the hilt a lingering caress as she passed it. She set the saber gently in an empty rack, still in its velvet wrapping.

"It'll be fine here until you need it."

Ray itched to touch, but remembered these were probably valuable antiques and ruefully restrained from picking any up.

To Ray and Fraser's surprise, Marina pulled the little picture of herself and Richie from her pocket, together with a red silk cord. She walked over to one particular sword, a gleaming slim blade with an ornate grip, and used the cord to bind the picture to the hilt, then kissed her fingertips and brushed them over the picture.

"I love you, Richie," she murmured, "I haven't forgotten. I'll never forget."

Fraser and Ray came over and looked over her shoulder at the rapier.

"Was it his?" Fraser asked gently.

She nodded. "I kept it after he died. I couldn't bear to lose the only piece of him I had left." She leaned against Ray's shoulder. "Let's go."

As they left, Marina spoke. "Reset security." The lights flicked off, and the door slid closed smoothly.

"That's taken care of. If you need it, bring Dief over and get it. The master override on the security system is keyed to his bark. It'll get you anywhere in the building."