Lizard Men of Los Angeles | Page 6

supposed to be built by lizard people five thousand years ago."
"The lizard people are real," Cairo said. "We saw one of them at the theater this evening, and it was one of them that attacked Rosenberg at his house. But what was Veronica's part in all of this?"
"She was real interested in those gold tablets. See, Bruno, he was sure there was another way into the tunnels. He was telling me about it at the mansion, about how he had all of Mr. Shufelt's maps and everything, and about how he thought Brother Perdurabo could help him find the entrance. That's when Veronica made her move. I bet she convinced Bruno she'd be better at that tantric stuff than me."
"The maps are at Galt's apartment?"
"He used to show them to me. I tell you, I don't understand half the things he'd say to me, and those maps ain't like any maps I ever saw." She leaned forward and said to Mrs. Lockhart, "Turn right on Grand Avenue, and go slow. We're almost there."
Mrs. Lockhart parked the police cruiser on the nearly deserted street and killed the lights. Downtown Los Angeles was a gray place, nothing like the outlying cities with their palm trees and ocean views. Cairo hunched his shoulders slightly as Mildred led them into a Spanish-style apartment building that had seen more prosperous days. No one answered the buzzer labeled "B. Galt," so they climbed the stairs to the third floor, where Cairo opened the door as easily as if it hadn't been locked.
The apartment consisted of a living room, a bedroom, and a kitchen: red tile floors, arched doorways, white plaster walls, and ceiling fans. The Spartan furnishings included no paintings, plants, or knickknacks. Two glasses sat in the kitchen sink, one of them showing lipstick traces, and a handbag lay on the rug beside the couch. Mrs. Lockhart made a quick inspection of its contents. "It's Veronica's," she said.
A drafting table stood against the far wall of the bedroom. Cairo shuffled through the neat stacks of paper and said, "Come look at this."
A map of downtown Los Angeles was taped to the surface of the table, onto which three vellum overlays had been added. Several hundred short lines crisscrossed the top layer. The second layer showed several longer, more complex lines, one of them winding through El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park downtown.
The third overlay contained the outlines of a lizard, resembling the Gila monster of Arizona. Its head stretched north of Chinatown and its straight, stubby tail terminated at the Los Angeles Central Library, only a few blocks from where they stood.
"That's the map," Mildred said. "Crazy, ain't it?"
"The lizard I understand--more or less," Mrs. Lockhart said. "The other two diagrams baffle me."
Cairo shook his head. "Mildred, did Bruno ever say anything that might make sense of all this?"
She shook her head. "I don't think he understood it so much himself. That's why he was going to Brother Perdurabo."
"We'll search all the rooms," Cairo said. "There must be something else here to--"
At that moment the front door of the apartment flew open with a crash. A dark figure stood in the hallway, silhouetted by the hall light.
"Bruno?" Mildred said.
The figure groaned and toppled face-first onto the floor.
*
Cairo rolled the man onto his back. He had an athletic build, short blond hair, and wire-rimmed glasses. One lens had shattered and his khaki work clothes were bloodied and torn. "Is this Bruno?" Cairo asked Mildred.
Mildred nodded, wide-eyed. "Is he...?"
"Alive at the moment," Cairo said. "But not at all well."
"Lizard men..." Bruno whispered.
"Easy," Cairo warned. "We have to get you to a hospital."
"No time," Bruno whispered. "I'm...a walking dead man...have to warn...lizard men...on the move...kill us all...take back their city..." His eyes suddenly opened wide. "Lizard queen! Must stop...the lizard queen!"
"Where are they?" Cairo asked intently. "These lizard men, how do we find them?"
"To...the tunnels...from...the tunnels..."
Cairo looked to Mrs. Lockhart. "He's making no sense. If you'd be so kind as to get his feet, perhaps we--" He broke off as waves of heat began to pour off of Bruno's body.
"Lizard!" Bruno screamed. "Queeeeeeeeeeeen!"
"Oh no," Cairo sighed. "Not again."
Flames leaped out of Bruno's clothing and the glass of his spectacles melted and ran like tears. The skull inside Bruno's head seemed to glow as if made of molten lava.
"Your hands," Mrs. Lockhart said sharply. "Where you touched him."
Cairo looked down. Smoke was already rising from his skin.
"I'll get ice," Mrs. Lockhart said, moving swiftly to the icebox in the kitchen. Cairo ignored her. He backed away from Bruno's furiously burning body and lowered himself into a cross-legged posture on the floor. He closed his eyes. Flames flickered between his fingers and then, just as suddenly, died out. A moment later Cairo opened his eyes and inspected the