Order of Truth

by Lisa Caviness

  “We can’t let that happen.” Carson pointed to Russell Sinclair’s open diary. “I found references to what he called ‘his island insurance plan,’ but so far nothing to indicate a location.” She studied the diary, then flipped the page. “Wait. I found something, ‘The Caduceus holds the secret. A tetrad of plates of green will show the way.’” Carson reread the passage.

  Reid leaned over her shoulder and stared at the diary page. “Caduceus. Caduceus,” he said scratching his head.

  Holly glanced up from her position on the floor. “A caduceus is a wand with serpents intertwined around the staff.”

  Beaming at his wife, Reid nodded. “You’re right.” He paced the length of the room then stopped. “Hermes, the Greek god of trade and wealth, carried a caduceus. Hermes is sometimes referred to as the trickster. Also, in Roman history the caduceus is carried in the left hand of Mercury, the god of financial gain, commerce, messages, merchants, tricksters, and thieves.”

  “What’s with this guy? He’s a walking Google search engine,” Angie said, staring at Reid.

  “You’ll get used to him,” Lila said.

  Cody glanced at Angie. “The Order was started by Russell Sinclair, Lila’s great-grandfather. He based The Order around the number seven. Their logo contains a heptagon and seven symbols are imbedded in their core principles.”

  “Most everything related to The Order is shrouded in symbols and cryptic messages.” Holly swept her curly brown hair up into a ponytail. “The leader of The Order is called the Grand Commander and each one has continued to use secret messages and symbols.”

  Adam opened a portable safe in a corner of the room and drew out the emerald tablets. “Plates of green.”

  “The emerald tablet of Hermes.” Reid pulled up a photo on his laptop and pointed. “Actually, the text on the emerald tablets is said to be authored by Hermes Trismegistus who is associated with both the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. The emerald tablet is an ancient artifact that is purported to contain a powerful formula for achieving personal transformation and bring about the evolution of our species. Around 400 AD, in order to protect the tablet, it was buried somewhere in the Giza plateau, which is near Cairo, Egypt.”

  “Cairo? Near the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx?” Lila asked.

  “Exactly.”

  “What does all this have to do with the secret island and emerald mine?” Holly asked.

  Reid studied the two plates then placed them together. “We’ve dealt with symbols associated with The Order in the past. I believe each small tablet contains a portion of larger clue.” He pointed to the tablets that when placed next to one another contained the letters msvvy and pz pu. “Tetrad means four. We don’t have them all.”

  Lila rubbed her temples. “The piece of paper that fell out of box Garvin gave had only two names: Willa Dickerson and Morris Beak. We have Garvin and Willa’s plate and we can assume Morris Beak has the third plate. So where is the fourth plate?”

  “I got a bite.” Angie leaned toward her screen. “Someone talking about Stonegate. Seems it’s a small investor group.” She continued to tap her keyboard. “The contact didn’t know where it was incorporated but knows the name of one of the board members. His name is Peter Shaw.”

  Chapter 33

  She hated the dark. She’d been taken from her bed in the dark of night. Her eyes had been closed when a strange man with garlic-scented breath scooped her out of bed and taken her for a long car ride.

  She wanted to cry but what was the use? No one would help her. Inside the room, she huddled under a wool blanket which smelled like mold and thought about her friends. Did they miss her? She’d stopped trying to figure out what day it was. Days and nights didn’t matter here. Perhaps her class had already taken the annual fourth grade field trip to the zoo. She’d begged her foster mother to pay the five-dollar fee so she could go. Her foster mother finally agreed and on the last day to submit the permission slip and money, Lila, with swelled pride, presented the envelope to her teacher, treating the simple task as if she were paying for a trip to the moon. Despite her vow not to cry, tears leaked from her eyes. Did anyone miss her?

  Lila sucked in a breath. No more tears. The blanket had become her lifeline. Sometimes she wondered if she were dead but as long as she could feel the scratchy wool, she was alive.

  Minutes or hours later a clanging sound signaled an arrival. She gripped the blanket, drew in a breath, and waited.

  “Lila,” a voice called.

  She expelled a sigh. The lady was nice. She had a gentleness about her which Lila on instinct decided she could trust. Maybe. Still, she drew the blanket closer and didn’t answer.

  “Lila, you need to come with me.” A light flashed in her eyes, blinding her so she turned away.

  A light touch grazed her shoulder. “I won’t hurt you.”

  But there was something to fear.

  “Come child. You’ll get me in trouble, too, if I don’t deliver you.”

  Strong arms guided Lila out of the bed and through a door. A few more steps and darkness turned to light. She shivered in the thin nightgown. They were in a long, narrow hallway, overhead lightbulbs leading the way.

  “Where am I?” Lila said, her voice hoarse. She glanced at the woman. With her dark hair pulled back in a bun and a pale blue shirt with matching pants, she appeared like the nice nurse at her doctor’s office. But she worked for them.

  Lila’s heart rattled inside her chest as they stopped in front of a door.

  The woman turned and kneeled in front of her. “I wish I could help you. Be dauntless.” She squeezed her hand, and Lila didn’t want her to let go. For the first time in a long time the kind eyes of an adult gazed at her. But when the door opened, she whimpered when the woman pulled away.

  Lila shuddered and skittered close to the woman.

  The man sneered and yanked her away, dragging her into the room. “Brat.” He hoisted her up and roughly tossed her onto a metal table. The odor of tobacco crashed over her, making her gag. She hated the smell of tobacco, which reminded her of grumpy foster father number four. Now, another grumpy man applied leather restraints to her arms and legs. Terror dripped through her body.

  “Don’t hurt her!” the woman said.

  The man whipped around. “Shut up.”

  Eyes wide, the woman stepped to the back of the room.

  Two more men entered. The older man stood in a corner and folded his arms, as if overseeing whatever was about to happen. The young one rushed to her side, peering at her through thick, square glasses.

  Lila stared at the men. She forced herself to keep her eyes open. Study these men. She’d be able to tell the police what they looked like after she was rescued.

  Lila grimaced against the restraints then moved her gaze to the mean man. Two disgusting hairs protruded from his bumpy nose. Dark brown hair and even darker eyes made him look sinister.

  She shifted her gaze to the younger man with the square glasses. Brown hair framed his face and a fresh, reddened scar sat above the top of his glasses. With his white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, Lila didn’t take him for the fighting kind.

  The door flew open and a blonde woman entered. Something familiar stirred. She’d never met this lady but something about her…

  “Hello, daughter,” the blonde woman said.

  “You’re…you’re my mother?” Confusion blanketed her.

  “Yes. Do you remember me?” With a gentle touch, the woman moved a strand of hair from Lila’s face.

  “No.” Lila’s entire body stilled, as if she were caught in suspended time.

  “Such a pretty child.” Cocking her head sideways, she continued to stroke her hair.

  “If you’re my mother, why did you give me away?” Lila had been told she was left at a fire station or hospital, but she wasn’t sure which.

  “I had to. But now you are very important to my future.” She leaned in closer.

  Another older woman
entered the room. She carried an air of authority, like the stern principal at her school. “You had your time, April,” she said.

  April’s eyes blazed then softened. “Thank you, Mother.”

  This woman was her grandmother?

  “You may begin,” Grandmother said.

  The mean man pinned down her arm and rubbed a solution on her forearm.

  Lila stared in horror as he grabbed a needle. The long metal point glinted in the light.

  Then she screamed.

  * * *

  “Lila! Lila!” Cody rushed into the room. “Are you okay?”

  Drenched in sweat and out of breath, Lila jerked up in bed. For a moment, the surroundings were foreign, then after blinking a couple of times she remembered she’d fallen asleep in one of the bedrooms at the farmhouse. “I’m okay.” Humiliation washed over her. She hadn’t wanted Cody to see her like this.

  Cody kneeled in front of her. “You’re not.” He wiped away tears she didn’t know existed. He held her face in his warm hands. “You’re safe.”

  She shook her head. “Please go away.” Her body trembled, as if she had no control.

  “Lila, you are safe and I’m here.” He rubbed her arms.

  “Just go away, Cody.” Her voice broke and more tears flowed. Why wouldn’t he leave? She’d been handling these nightmares alone for years.

  “Nope. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

  She shut her eyes. But just as in her nightmare, simply closing her eyes never removed the situation. When she opened her eyes, Cody remained in front of her.

  He stood and flipped on the television although he kept the volume low. The blue light soothed her.

  “I’ll be right back.” Seconds later, he returned with bottles of water. Setting the bottles on the table, he dragged a throw off the end of the bed and placed the blanket around her. “Better?” He asked climbing into bed next to her.

  She stared at the blanket, this one soft with the faint aroma of a dryer sheet. “Umm, give me a minute.” While attuned to everything going on around her, Lila sat gazing at the floor. Counting helped to calm her and normalize her breathing. When she reached fifty, she stopped and took a sip of water.

  Television voices droned on in the background against the cadence of the air conditioning.

  He pulled her back into the crook of his arm as he leaned against the bedframe. “I didn’t know what to do after I witnessed your first nightmare. After a while, I spoke to Holly about it. She suggested I give you space and not make a big deal. She didn’t think you’d want to talk to anyone.”

  Lila nodded. “Holly was right. I would have hated you hovering over me and trying to help. Plus, I decided I couldn’t disclose this to anyone.”

  “What about now? I hope I’m not making things worse.”

  She thought a moment then shrugged. “I don’t talk about my nightmares with anyone. I haven’t been in a relationship, and when I’m with my girlfriends, I make sure to sleep by myself. It’s embarrassing.”

  “You’ve been through a lot. Don’t be embarrassed. Besides, it’s just me.” He grinned then his expression grew serious. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  The door burst open. Holly and Reid, weapon in hand, stood in front of them.

  “Are you okay?” Reid asked, his gaze sweeping the room.

  Holly slipped around Reid and sat next to Lila on the bed. “What happened? Do you want to talk?”

  Holly kept her hands folded in her lap, which prompted a silent thank you from Lila.

  Concerned stares aimed at her tear-stained face made her want to shrink into the mattress. Swallowing her pride, she pulled the blanket around her. “The dream helped me remember what happened after I was kidnapped. I was held somewhere, maybe Babylon Hall. April was there and Vivian, who oversaw the application of my tattoo.” She pointed to her forearm. “But the woman who escorted me from the room I was kept in…was Willa.”

  Cody stiffened. “Are you sure? What’s her agenda then? Still working for The Order?”

  Lila shook her head. “I don’t think so. She was scared. I don’t believe she really wanted to be there. She told me that her husband, Edgar, joined The Order but she didn’t subscribe to their beliefs. Instead, she worked as a nurse. She even helped Mary with her pregnancies.”

  Reid stepped farther into the room. “What makes you sure that Willa is the same woman in your dream?”

  “In my dream, or memories, just before she delivered me to that room, she told me to be dauntless. Willa said the same thing at the church. I know it’s her.” Lila twisted the blanket.

  “Given what happened to Garvin and Sheila, I’m going to swing by Willa’s house. Whichever side she falls on, we don’t want to lose her.” Reid backed out of the room. “Holly, why don’t we get breakfast started?”

  Holly nodded and patted Lila’s hand. She tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

  Cody placed his arm around her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She smiled. “Jogging down memory lane always makes me anxious.”

  “I want to earn your trust again. I want you. I want us.” He expelled a loud sigh.

  Remembering Nikki’s smug grin plummeted her thoughts. The moment Lila had entered the room, Nikki’s gaze was on her. Languid, her hair tousled, Nikki had slithered out of bed. Nude, she’d ambled across the room and grabbed a towel, seemingly oblivious to the horror splayed across Lila’s and Cody’s faces.

  Lila stared up at Cody. His brown eyes were kind. Despite his one slipup, he’d always been someone she could count on. As if someone gave her an invisible push, she reached up and kissed him.

  He appeared stunned as first, then he returned her kiss with more enthusiasm than Lila had been prepared for. Her stomach clenched as Cody pulled her closer.

  Seconds later, he pulled back. “Although I don’t want to stop, I also don’t want to take advantage of this moment.” He brushed his thumb across her check, then stepped away.

  She wanted to scream. Her body wanted him, but her mind urged her to run.

  Chapter 34

  Cody made a U-turn and headed back to the farmhouse. He’d intended to go to work but a call from Reid changed his plans. When he burst in the door, strained faces looked his way. “What happened?”

  “Lila received a call on her work phone. A man claiming to be Morris Beak is requesting to meet Lila alone in the park today.”

  Lila sat with her hands folded at the table next to Holly.

  Cody swiped a hand through his hair. “What time do we leave?”

  “We aren’t leaving. He said come alone so I’m going alone.” Lila crossed her arms.

  “I’m afraid for her to go alone. This could be a setup,” Holly said.

  “I agree. Do you even know the park?” Cody placed his hands on his hips.

  “Not exactly. I’ve been there once or twice. Reid and I have mapped out a plan. He’ll be close, if anything should happen. Adam and Carson will be monitoring the situation at the park, too.” Lila stood and crossed the room. “Cody, we need this lead.”

  Adam took a chair at the table. “We were tailing Morris but the last known address we had for him was in New Jersey.”

  “We don’t know much about Morris Beak other than Willa warning you away from him.” Cody paced the room.

  “We didn’t know a lot about Garvin Jennings, either, but we went.” Lila matched his gait. “You know I’m right. If this means we’re one step closer to bringing Lance to justice, then it’s worth the risk.” She stopped and faced him. “I don’t need your approval, but I’d like your support.”

  Cody sighed. “Alright, what’s the plan?”

  At two that afternoon, Lila pulled into the small parking lot of the Orange Creek Park in a rural section of town. Bright sun blinded her for a second before she shifted in the seat.

  “Testing,” Reid’s voice leapt from the inconspicuous earphones hidden by her hair.

  “I hear you,
” Lila checked her weapon, slid it in her running pouch, and stepped out of the car. She placed the pouch around her waist and clicked the bar into the buckle to secure it. As she entered the park, she noted signs which pointed to the jogging path. Dressed in workout pants and a T-shirt, Lila looked ready for a run. She twisted her torso, using the stretch to scan the park. A few mothers with kids enjoyed the playground, which was tucked into a corner of the park adjacent to three sets of basketball courts and a small pond with a family of geese swimming near the bank. Lila didn’t spot Reid or Adam, but once again she knew they were present.

  Cody approached wearing jogging attire, as well. As he spoke into the radio, he ran past her. “I didn’t spot anything suspicious. There is a tree line behind the meeting spot I’m concerned about. I checked the area and so far, it’s clear.”

  “I’m positioned a few yards south, which will give me a better view of the tree line,” Adam said over the radio. “We have a thermal detection scope on my rifle. If anyone surfaces behind them, I’ll know it.”

  Cody stopped jogging, leaned on a nearby tree, and shot quick glance at Lila. “Give the signal if you sense anything. I’ll continue to make several passes, but if you need me just signal.” He pushed off the tree. “ABS.” He took off down the path.

  Always be safe. She inhaled, eyeing his muscular ass through her sunglasses as Cody disappeared around the bend. Shifting her view, she said, “Is the camera clear?”

  “Affirmative,” Adam replied. “We can see everything in front of you.” Her sunglasses held a small camera, monitored by Reid and Adam.

  Angling onto the jogging path, Lila broke out in a light jog. When she reached the half mile point, she slowed. A few feet from the marker were a set of benches in front of a thick mass of trees and bushes. The curve of the path made it difficult for anyone to get off a shot from a distance. Beak had chosen the perfect spot for a clandestine daytime meeting.