Cupid's Treasure - Mystery of the Golden Arrow (19 page)

Jonathan looked out toward the street. “Then we can assume he knows where you are,” he said, looking at Amber. He turned the screen towards her next. “Do you recognize him?”

“He does look familiar,” Amber said. “My mind is fuzzy.”

“It’s from the potion.” Eros sighed. “It may never wear off.”

“Amber, I need you to tell us everything you do remember,” Jonathan said.

She nodded, looking into his face, the face of the man that had haunted her dreams since she could remember. He had been a fantasy, or so she had thought until she saw him that first night. Then, the odd feelings of having been with him before kept returning.

Amber looked at the two faces that watched her earnestly and wanted to cry.
How could I have forgotten them, my own son and his father?

“Tell me about this,” Jonathan said, clicking another button. A photo of her illuminated the screen.

“You knew?” she asked.

“I lifted the prints from your room and ran them,” Jonathan said. “Do you remember this life?”

Amber nodded. “I came over to this country as an immigrant, like many in the 1920s. I went to work in a factory. At first it was easy to hide, but eventually there came a time when I needed a new identity, and creating one became harder, what with social security numbers and finger prints.”

“What happened?” Jonathan coaxed.

“I had to turn to the criminal world for help.” Amber sighed. “Unfortunately, those same people became curious about me.”

“Curious how?”

“They wanted the secret to my immortality,” Amber said.

“It happens,” Eros said. “Just look at Genghis Khan, he drank an elixir of mercury. Alexander the Great sought it as well, and Nero . . . of course, he was crazy to begin with.”

Jonathan looked back to Amber, encouraging her to continue.

“Shortly after I became Amelia Jones they came for me. I was taken to a medical facility.” Her face took on a haunted expression as she related the tale. “I was locked in a padded cell and only allowed out when they needed my blood or to run another test.”

“I’m sorry,” Jonathan said. More than anything he wanted to protect her, to take away her pain and give it to the people who had done this.

“It was years before the opportunity to escape came,” Amber said. “When I left, I changed my looks and tried to remain one step ahead of them.”

“Do you know who is behind it?” Jonathan asked. “A name?”

“My guess is Hera,” Eros said.

Jonathan looked over at him expectantly. “Who is Hera?”

“Your mother,” Eros said.

“My mother,” Jonathan said, “is Mavis Peterson, and at this moment she is next door in bed asleep.”

“If you believe that,” Eros said, “then how do you explain me?”

“I’ve seen a lot of strange stuff, kid. It doesn’t mean I’m your father.”

“You were reborn, but your spirit—your essence is my father,” Eros said.

“Why do you think it is this Hera? What happened between her and Amber?” Jonathan asked.

“Ever since the golden apple incident things have been ugly between them,” Eros explained. “But after your death it became really bad.”

“What golden apple?” Jacques asked from his place by the entry.

“You’ve never heard of the apple of discord either?” Eros noticed Jonathan’s irritation and sighed. “It sparked the Trojan War.”

“I have read the story,” Jessie said from the bottom of the stairs.

“My darling, I did not hear you come down.” Jacques greeted his wife. “We have had the most informative evening,
oui?”
He looked to the others. “This is Cupid-eh-Eros, Jonathan and Amber’s son.”

Jessie looked shocked.

“From a past life,” he added while Jonathan sighed. He then looked at Eros and asked, “Does this apple have some writing on it by any chance that says, to the most beautiful?”

“Yes!” Eros nodded excitedly. “So you have heard of it!”

“Heard of it?” Jacques chuckled. “I own it . . . or did.” He looked at their surprised faces. “I told you my treasure was not nothing,
oui!
”

“You have the apple of discord?” Jonathan asked.

“The golden apple of discord,” Jacques corrected. “And, yes. I took it off a Spanish galleon. It was in the Captain’s private collection.”

“So you really are the ghost pirate that Agnes claimed you were,” Amber said.

“She told you?” Jacques sighed. “I am going to have to have a talk with her.”

“You know . . . giving the apple to Hera would go a long way in healing that wound,” Eros said.

“I would love to,” Jacques said. “But alas, I cannot.” He threw up his hand. “Bancroft hid my treasure, and then Agnes’s lost love stole it from there.”

“You know,” Jessie said, “it did occur to me that if Agnes was the children’s nanny and her lover lived in lodgings nearby, perhaps he was the gardener. Is there a record of employees?”

“My mother would probably know,” Jonathan said.

“Hera?” Eros asked. “I doubt it. . . . Oh, you mean the other one.”

“I came down to see what was taking you so long,” Jessie said. “Now I know.” She walked over to Amber who looked like she was in shock. “How are you doing with all this? You look a little stunned.”

Amber nodded. “I am.”

Jonathan stood up, giving Jessie his seat, and went to stand by Amber. “Why don’t you get some sleep?” Just as he said it, Kisses jumped up in Eros’s lap.

Muff, muff.

“Hey, Kiss,” he said.

“You know this demon?” Jacques asked him.

“Of course,” Eros said. “She’s my cat. . . .
Hello
. . .
Kisses?
” From his expression it should have been obvious.

Amber sighed, looking at the pair. “I have had her forever. I just don’t recall the beginning.”

Jonathan placed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s a lot to absorb.”

She placed her hand on top of his and tilted her cheek toward it.

“So you finally believe me?” Eros asked excitedly.

“I didn’t say that,” Jonathan said. He watched Jessie yawn and then Amber and then the cat.

“You ladies may want to get some sleep.” He closed his hand around Amber’s as he spoke. “I have a diary to retrieve.”

“I’m not sleepy,” Amber said as Jessie yawned again. “I would very much like to come with you to get it.”

Jonathan looked down into her eyes and realized that if he went anywhere with her that night, he may do something he or she may regret, and he didn’t want that with her. He wanted whatever happened to be because it was right, not be induced by a drug. He looked back at Jacques. “I may need your expertise with this.”

“If Jacques is going, I am going,” Jessie said. “There is no way I could actually sleep with all this going on.”

“Then we shall all go,
oui?
” Jacques offered up the solution.

“Where are we going?” Eros asked.

“To steal back the diary of a ghost,” Jacques said.

“This ought to be good,” Eros said.

“I don’t think you should go with us,” Jonathan said.

“You’re right. I should get my arrows and go.” Eros stood up.

“I’ve changed my mind,” Jonathan said. “I think I need you where I can keep an eye on you.” He looked around the group. “There is already one little problem.”

“What is that?” Jacques asked.

“My truck is out of commission until I get more lights.” He looked at Amber. “Your car is totaled,” then to Jacques, “and you don’t have a car.”

“I have the Fiat,” Jessie said as she took a head count. “I see what you mean.”

“I’m going to borrow my mother’s car,” Jonathan said. “I will meet everyone outside in five minutes.”

The gold Cadillac rolled out of the driveway with its lights off. Jonathan started the engine at the end of the driveway and motioned for everyone to get in. Amber and Jessie had both changed clothes.

Amber, Jonathan noticed, was in the same dark pants and sweater that she’d worn the night before, only this time when she walked, she did so with a feline grace that held him entranced. “No duck walk there.”

Jacques appeared next to him in the passenger side. “There’s a duck?” He looked out with avid curiosity as the girls and Eros climbed in back.

“It was a figure of speech,” Jonathan said, hoping to drop it. “Ready?” he asked.

“Oui,” Jacques said. “Nothing like a nice family outing I always say.”

“To carry out our nefarious plans,” Jessie added.

“Perhaps this is not a good example to be setting for Jr.” Jacques tipped his head toward the back where Eros sat.

“You mean the hoodlum in back that shoots arrows at people in the park?” Jonathan asked in surprise.

“I should stay home and babysit my grandson,” Jacques said. “He needs a good role model.”

Jonathan looked at Amber through the rear view mirror and realized the dangers of being left in this car alone with her. He was afraid he would attempt to kiss her again. “No, wait,” he said looking at Jacques. “I need you here because of the
thing
,” he said softly, using his eyes to express his quandary.

“Oh,
oui
,” Jacques said, nodding in understanding.

Jonathan turned around and looked at the young man who was seated in the middle of the car between the girls. “This book was stolen, and we are merely retuning it to its rightful owner. So don’t get any ideas about leading a life of crime.” He looked back at Jacques. “Are we good now?”

Jacques lifted his hands. “That is the extent of your parenting skills?” He sighed. “I should have been a better Grandfather, but I didn’t know.”

“That’s okay. At least you were there sort of,” Jonathan said as he pulled out of the driveway. “Apparently, my
real
father left me to reside in Mt Olympus.”

“He had to,” Eros said. “Hera would have been very mad if he had stayed.”

“Tell me about this Hera,” Jacques said. “Why do you think she is behind this?”

“It all started when Zeus held a wedding banquet for Peleus and Thetis.”

“Who?” Jacques asked while Jonathan shrugged.

“They are the parents of Achilles,” Eros explained.

“I have heard of him!” Jacques said excitedly.

“Zeus,” Eros said, “however,
neglected
to invite the goddess Eris to the festivities.”

“Why?” Jonathan asked.

“She is a party pooper,
oui?
” Jacques asked.

“She is the goddess of strife and discord,” Jessie supplied.

“Ah—the ultimate party pooper!” Jacques nodded in understanding.

“So she is not the life of the party,” Jonathan said as they pulled up to the curb outside the condos where Patricia lived.
“So what?”

“Out of spite,” Eros said, “she plucked a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides and inscribed on it THI KAΛΛΙΣTHI, which as you know means
to the fairest
.”

“I had no idea that the golden apple I once held in my hands held such a tale,” Jacques said.

“She then threw it into the midst of the dancers,” Eros said, indicating that it was a horrendous offense.

“Not the worst crime I’ve ever heard of,” Jonathan said.

“It fueled dispute which erupted between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite that threatened to disrupt heaven and hell is all.” Everyone looked at Amber.

“I’m beginning to see why I chose to forget,” Amber said. “It doesn’t sound like I was a very nice person.”

“Mom, how can you say that?” Eros asked. “You were the most beloved of all the goddesses. It broke everyone’s heart the day you walked into the ocean and disappeared.”

“And dysfunctional to boot.”
Amber cringed in embarrassment.

Jonathan started to chuckle. “I wouldn’t take to heart the story of this one.”

“You still doubt me?” Eros asked. “Even though I changed into a cherub when you two kissed?”

“You kissed?” Jessie asked with a big smile.

“You know you could learn a few things from the god of subtly,” Jonathan said.

“We really don’t have one of those,” Eros said.

“No surprise there,” Jonathan murmured.

“There is
Kirke, who wove language itself into her golden hair, but she is more of a sorceress really and likes to turn people into pigs. We don’t really get along,” Eros said. “I much prefer the nine muses, though they are hardly subtle.” He laughed.

“What about a bit of silence and not shooting arrows at women in the park?”

Eros folded his arms and sat sullenly, refusing to say more.

“There is a god,” Jonathan said with just a tad of sarcasm.

“Going back to my golden apple,” Jacques said. “What happened?”