Cupid's Treasure - Mystery of the Golden Arrow (26 page)

“Is this it?” Jacques asked as he held it up in his hand grinning from ear to ear.

“Let’s go home,” Jonathan said, looking down at Amber whose golden gaze was treasure enough for him.

“That sounds good.” She smiled as he dipped his head and kissed her again.

Poof!

Jacques caught the apple and the cherub.

~*~

Joseph waited until they had all emerged from the cave before he walked into the clearing. “You have something that I want.”

“And what might that be?” Jonathan asked.

“Aphrodite,” he said.

“Why do you need her?” Patricia asked.

“She is a primordial being, more ancient than Zeus,” Joe explained.

“Who are you?” Amber asked. “Why are you doing this?”

“You really don’t recognize me?” Joseph asked. “We have met before, most recently at the lab in Brooklyn where I took your blood and used it to restore my youth.”

“You’re the doctor?” Amber asked incredulously.

“I am much more than that, my dear. You don’t recognize me? It is I, Ambrosio.”

“I thought you were cursed by Apollo, that your skin would burn in the light of day,” Eros said.

“Ah, but it was he who burned in the light of day.” Joseph smiled. “Isn’t it?”

“You’re responsible for his accident?” Eros asked. “This makes so much sense now that you take revenge over the curse he put on you.”

“I’m terribly lost here,” Jacques said. “Who is Ambrosio?”

“He’s one of
Artimis’s minions,” Eros said. “Did she put you up to this? Is it the golden apple she wants?”

“I did not come for the apple, but the silver tipped arrow you took,” Joseph said.

Jonathan looked at Eros. “I thought you said it was your arrow?”

“I may have borrowed it,” Eros said.

“Aphrodite, you will come with me,” Joseph commanded. “It is your blood mixed with the others that has healed me enough that I may walk again in the sunlight.”

“She’s staying right here,” Jonathan said, stepping in front of her.

Joseph produced a black remote control with a blinking red light. “Do you recognize this?” he asked Jonathan.

Jonathan slowly nodded.

“I thought you might,” Joe said. “I have taken your mothers and aunt and placed them in grave danger.”

“What are you talking about?” Patricia asked her accomplice. “I don’t understand! What is that?”

“I wouldn’t say much more, my princess. You are an accessory to their kidnapping and possible murder,” Joseph said as he took her video recorder. “We wouldn’t want to leave behind any evidence, now would we?”

“You never said anything about danger,” Patricia said, backing away from them, “or this.”

“But, princess, where are you going? I owe you so much,” Joseph said. “Without you none of this would have been possible. You wanted immortality. I can still give you that.”

“No.” Patricia shook her head.

“Did you really think you would have him on his knees by asking nicely?” He smiled. “But then again you can ask so nicely.”

“What?” Patricia asked as she looked over at the condemnation on everyone’s face. “I just wanted the truth to be known.”

“You wanted to be venerated, and you will be,” Joseph said. “You don’t need a newscast for that. I will see that you are worshiped.”

“All I wanted was to be respected,” she cried.

Joseph tsked. “Your actions hold so very little of that.”

“Where are they?” Jonathan asked as he stepped forward.

“Oh, I would not do that.” Joseph crossed the distance in a heartbeat, taking hold of Amber. He laughed, this time revealing his fangs.

Jonathan turned to see the woman he loved in the monster’s arms. Patricia cried out in fear and shrank back against the rocks.

“Ah-ah-ah,” Joseph said when Jonathan took a step toward him. He placed his thumb over the trigger of the bomb. “They are in a vehicle not too far away, and it is rigged to blow.”

“Joe the fish is a vampire?” Jacques asked. “I so didn’t see that one coming.”

“The first of my kind,” Joe gloated. “I fell in love with my Selene, but when Adonis discovered our love, he cursed me so that the sun would burn my skin, and because of this, I could not meet my love the next morning. We had planned to run away and marry.”

“But I’ve seen a photo of you in the sunlight,”
Jacques said.

“Yes,” Joseph said. “It is fitting, don’t you think, that my redemption lies with the goddess of love?” He laughed at the memory. “When I first used your blood to restore my fading youth, I was exhilarated to find that it also allowed me to walk again in the sun.”

“I remember the tale now,” Eros blurted out. “Hades promised to help you if I brought him Artemis’s silver arrow. But when you stole it, she, too, cursed you. She cast a spell so that the silver arrow would burn your skin.” He looked at Jonathan meaningfully.

“She did not. She blessed me,”
Joseph said, his eyes turning red in anger. “I hunted a swan for her each night with a bow and arrow given to me by Hades. After hearing my tale and knowing all of my offerings to her, she gave me immortality and fangs with which to take the blood of my offerings to my beautiful Selene.” Joseph moved the hair away from Amber’s neck as he spoke.

She cried out when he nuzzled her neck. He looked at the moon.
“To my fairest, Selene, the moon goddess. With this sacrifice I shall become invincible, greater than Zeus even, and I will restore you, my moonbeam.”

Amber’s eyes never left Jonathan’s as she was held against the monster. To have finally found him, her son, her family was enough to make her heart full and to know what love truly was. I love you,” she mouthed the words to Jonathan.

“First to be cursed, perhaps,” René said as he entered the clearing, “but not the only.”

Joseph looked over at the new arrival, giving Jonathan enough time to retrieve the arrow in his side pocket and toss it to his son who withdrew his bow, nocked the arrow, and let it fly.

The arrow passed between Amber’s arm and her rib cage, striking
Ambrosio right through the heart.

“
Aaauugh!” he cried out as he fell to the ground. Jonathan dove to the ground to get the bomb’s trigger. He watched in horror as the madman’s finger pressed against the button.

Boom!

“No,” Jessie cried out as a large fire ball rose above the tree tops.

“We’re okay,” Gloria called as she, Mavis, and Katie came into the clearing with Harold.

“Thank God!” Jonathan said as he gathered Amber into his arms and kissed her soundly. He looked over to see Eros still smiling at them and not a cherub. Jonathan grabbed him and pulled him into the hug. “I love you,” he said as his mother put her arms around the three of them.

Jacques and Jessie hugged Katie and Gloria then turned and saw René standing over the vampire who had burned to ash as he stood watching. They walked over and pulled him into their circle.

“It is so sad,” he said, looking down at the remains of Ambrosio. “For one who claimed to have known love, he never knew the love of a family. It is what couples do you know. They have children.”

“So they do.” Jonathan laughed, ruffling the hair atop his son’s head. “Why didn’t you change into the cherub when I kissed your mother?” he asked.

“My mission is over,” Eros said with a wink, “with the exception of this.” He tossed the golden apple in the air. Jonathan patted his shoulder affectionately and then left to walk over where Joseph’s remains were burnt into the ground. He picked the melted remains of the video camera out of the ash and headed toward Patricia who was still cowering against the rocks. Her tears had smeared the makeup she wore.

He threw the camera on the ground in front of her.

She looked up at him and said, “I’m sorry.”

“Sometimes the truth must be hidden to protect the innocent. I hope you understand that now,” Jonathan said.

She nodded, looking up at Gloria, Mavis, and Katie who had all gathered around her. “I didn’t know about the bomb. Please believe me.” She sobbed.

Mavis reached out a hand and helped her up. “I can forgive, but if you ever try to hurt my family again, you will find yourself in deep shit.”

Everyone did a double take at her use of the word.

“I’m sorry,” Mavis said, looking at everyone. “It’s been a trying two days.”

“I won’t,” Patricia said. “I promise.”

“Then I think perhaps you need some protection against the evil this man did to us all.” Mavis looked at her son and then to everyone else who stood there. “What do you think?”

“I think she was abducted along with us,” Katie said.

“Really?”
Patricia asked. “You would do that for me?”

“Only if you start protecting the innocent with your stories and not exploit them for your own fame,” Gloria said.

“Oh, I will,” Patricia said. “I’m turning over a new leaf with this.”

“Is everyone agreed?” Mavis asked.

Amber and Jonathan looked at each other and nodded.

Mavis helped Patricia up, and the ladies all followed Jacques who led the way back with a flashlight. Jonathan reached out and took Amber’s hand, and they walked together back towards the car, following behind the others. “I love you too,” she said and started to laugh.

The group could see the lights of the emergency vehicles, army, and media crews as they came out to the road. The army had cordoned off the silver balloon, placing a large tent over it.

“I’m so glad I removed that from the car now,” René said.

Charlene jumped out of her minivan and ran over to them. “Oh, my! You had me so worried.”

“We just went on a picnic,” Jessie said.

“What kind of picnic involves explosives?” she asked.

The media crew, upon seeing Patricia, raced over.

“I guess she got her wish to make the news after all,” Gloria said, watching as she refused all interviews and went to the ambulance instead.

Both Hank, in his army fatigues, and Tom, in his uniform, walked over to them.

“Why am I not surprised?” Tom asked Jonathan.

“I thought when you retired you’d get into less trouble.” Hank shook his head.

“It’s been a long night,” Jonathan said. “The van, you’ll find, belongs to Joe the fish.” He kidnapped my mom, Katie, and Mavis, along with Patricia.”

Amber noticed how he said the truth but in such a way as to change Patricia’s involvement.

“He tried to use them as leverage to take Amber away,” Jonathan said, looking over at her. He was so thankful Howard and René had arrived in time.

“Is everyone all right?” Tom asked.

“Well, Tom,” Jonathan said as he led him away, “when Joe blew up the van, thinking he was killing innocent people, he somehow managed to incinerate himself in the act.”

“And how did he do that?” Tom asked.

“He must not have been as careful when making that bomb as he thought,” Jonathan said.

“Hmm.”
Tom shook his head. “Well, I’m grateful a killer like that is no longer on the loose.”

“I think it’s safe to say that you can close the case on the motel manager as well,” Jonathan said.

“One more thing,” Tom said, “what do you know about the UFO?”

“UFO?
Where?” Jonathan asked as they went back toward the group. “We are by the base.”

Tom looked at all of them and shook his head. “I’d like to come by in the morning and get a statement if I may.”

“Absolutely, I’ll make sweet rolls,” Gloria said.

Jonathan went to stand by Jacques, René, Harold, and Eros. “I see you fixed the Pinto,” he said, looking where it was parked behind his truck.

René started to chuckle. “She is one fast pony.”

Jonathan looked at Harold. “I take it that your experiment worked.”

Harold looked over to his wife. “Indeed—oh, you meant the hover craft.” He cleared his throat and straightened his bowtie.

“I knew it would all work out,” Jacques said as he flipped a coin in his hand. “I found my lucky clover.”

He tossed it to Jonathan who looked at the golden medallion of a four leaf clover. “It’s the luck of the Irish, or so I was told.”

“By whom?”
Jonathan asked.

“The Irishman I won it off of in a game of chance.”

“Based on that story, it doesn’t sound all that lucky,” Jonathan said as he tossed back the coin, and made his way toward Amber. He placed his hands on each side of her shoulders and hugged her to him. “Ready to go home?”

She spun around in his arms and hugged him to her. “Those words have never sounded so good to me.”

Can I give some of you a lift?” Charlene asked.

While Jacques, Jessie, Harold, Gloria, and Mavis climbed in her van, René and Katie went to the Pinto.