Free The Phantom by Rob MacGregor

Diana can answer, Lily turned away to smile and wave at a passing guest. Diana recognized the man from his picture, which was frequently in the newspaper. A politician . . . no, the police commissioner. She couldn’t recall his name. He nodded to her and she smiled.
    “I’ve contracted malaria, Mother,” she said with a deadpan expression when the commissioner moved out of hearing range.
    Lily turned back to her, smiling, her thoughts elsewhere. “That’s nice.”
    “I thought you’d think so.” She stifled a smile. “That’s Alaska for you.”
    “Alaska? I thought you were in the Yucatan. Instead it was the Yukon?”
    “Probably both. ”
    Her mother waved a hand. “Well, I never have been able to keep track of your travel itinerary.”
    “Diana!”
    A handsome, distinguished-looking man in his midfifties, his hair threaded with silver, beamed and kissed her on the cheek.
    “Sorry, Uncle Dave. I didn’t know you were having a party.”
    “Oh, it’s nothing. Just the Palmer Foundation Dinner. I’m much happier to see you!” He looked her over. “So tell me about the Yukon.”
    “Oh, Dave,” Lily interrupted. “It was cold. What more do you want to know?” She turned to her daughter. “Diana, I’ll just never understand what all this traveling and exploring is about. What is it that you are looking for, anyway?”
    Diana actually found her mother endearing, even though she had no idea what Diana’s life was about. “I’m really not sure, Mother.”
    “Now look at that!” Uncle Dave exclaimed, his voice tight, his shoulders tensing as he turned toward the door. “Why in the world is Xander Drax here?”
    Diana saw a commotion near the entrance as a tall, handsome man greeted friends loudly and shook hands. Heads turned and guests started to gravitate toward him.
    “He made a very large contribution to the foundation,” Lily confided.
    “Return it,” Uncle Dave replied.
    “But he’s a respected businessman.”
    “No,” Uncle Dave said. “He’s a thug.”
    Lily shrugged and turned to Diana. “Well, why don’t you freshen up.”
    She exchanged a look of concern with Uncle Dave regarding Drax. “I think I’ll get something to eat for now, Mother.”
    Lily placed a hand lightly on her shoulder and leaned toward her ear. “Jimmy Wells is here. I’m sure he’d love to see you.”
    “Oh, really,” she said without enthusiasm. Uncle Dave winked at her. “I’m not sure Diana appreciates your matchmaking efforts, Lily.”
    “Oh, poo.”
    Diana smiled to herself and slipped into the kitchen. Caterers were busy preparing the main courses for the upcoming meal. She grabbed a plate and found a table with a variety of sliced cheeses and meats as well as breads, fruits, and pâtés. As she prepared a sandwich, she thought back on her recent trip.
    One of the reasons she’d gone to Alaska and the Yukon was to get away from the persistent courting rituals of the Jimmy Bird, as she called him. There’d been no better place to avoid him than an Inuit village near the Arctic Circle, a place Jimmy wouldn’t dream of going.
    Diana collected folklore from the elders and, in fact, was compiling legends from primitive tribes all over the world. She was particularly intrigued by legends in which the usual separations between nature and humans were blurred. Human lovers became mountains, stars, and trees. A maiden marries a merman; a man weds the moon. But what really fascinated her was when ancient legends seemed to come alive in the present.
    Her latest adventure began when an elderly medicine woman, who’d been avoiding her, finally invited Diana into her home. She prepared a cup of a soup, and Diana felt compelled to drink it, even though it tasted bitter and made her lips pucker. After Diana finished the soup, the woman told her a detailed and charming story about a whale who took a human wife.
    As she listened to the old woman talking, Diana began to perspire and feel uneasy. Finally she