by J. M. LeDuc
He wrote the first clue on the left side of the board:
Trust no one.
“Well, I’m afraid I’ve blown that one, haven’t I?”
“Do you really think your grandfather meant that you were not supposed to trust anyone? That you had to walk this journey alone?”
Brent turned from the board to look at the girls. “He always said that a few good friends were worth more than a hundred acquaintances, so no, I don’t think he meant that literally. I believe it was his cryptic way of telling me to be very careful who I brought into my inner circle.”
He turned back to the board. “And I have. So let’s check that one off and move onto the next one.”
With age comes wisdom.
“He’s talking about the Endowment,” Maddie said. “And if I remember your letter, he continues to talk about it in subsequent clues. Put them all up on the board so we can connect them.”
Brent wrote the rest of the clues under the first two:
Youth is for the foolhardy.
Foolishness leads to death.
The pen is mightier than the sword.
Both can kill you.
Use them wisely.
He stopped there because in his grandfather’s note there was a line of delineation before the last clue. “Maddie, I think you’re right. They seem to link together. One leads into the next,” Brent said, “so let’s start with the obvious. He’s telling us that, as we grow older, we also grow in wisdom.” Brent checked off the first item.
“That to try to stay young is foolish,” Maddie said, continuing Brent’s line of thought. He evidently agreed because he checked that one off, too. “In the next clue, he’s telling us that foolishness will lead to death.”
Brent turned, faced the girls and placed both hands on the table. He leaned in slightly. “The letters from the vault stated very clearly that if the Endowment was ingested, the ultimate outcome would be God’s destruction of mankind and everything else that roams this earth. So, this is simply telling us that if we or anyone else tries to use the formula, it will end in death.”
Maddie thought for a moment about Joseph’s letter, and the formula she was given, the chemical compound that was now in her purse. Why would he give her the formula and, if all else failed, tell her to give it to Ferric, if it would ultimately lead to the world’s destruction? He wouldn’t, she said silently to herself. This, she thought clutching her purse tightly, is not the formula. It’s a fake. She felt a little better about what she knew, but the others didn’t. Joseph had made it very plain that no one but she was to know about this formula. Maddie hated not telling the others, especially Brent, but she understood she had be faithful to what Joseph asked. He would never steer her in the wrong direction.
“Hello, Maddie, are you there?” Brent stood in front of her, snapping his fingers in her face.
“Hmm? I’m sorry, were you talking to me?”
“Come on, Maddie, I really need you right now. Where did you go?”
“I’m sorry. Something you said made me think of Joseph and my mind started to wander.”
“Come back to the present. I’d just said that these last three clues seemed to be linked together, as you suggested, to let us know the consequences of someone using the formula. But the links seem to end there. Do you agree?”
Maddie studied the board. “Things do get fuzzy here. The next three are definitely different from the three that come before them.”
“Doesn’t this all seem too easy? I mean, the first three are so simple. Do you think he could’ve meant something else?” Chloe asked.
“They’re only simple, Chloe, because we have the letters you and Brent found in the vault. Without them, these first three clues wouldn’t make any sense.”
“Right, that’s why Lucille said that everything would become clear once we have both my grandfather’s note and the information from the vault, but the next three aren’t so clear.”
Brent and Maddie hashed out the three clues, “The pen is mightier than the sword. Both can kill you. Use them wisely.” They concluded the clues must have something to do with the books Brent received as a gift. He went to retrieve the boxes from the other room.
“Excuse me, babe,” he said to Chloe as he put one of the boxes on the table in front of her. Chloe got out of her chair and moved aside so that Brent could get past her. “Argh, this thing hasn’t gotten any lighter in the last few days,” he said.
Chloe had that floundering feeling again, as though she had no purpose. She got up to check on Lucille, but Maddie and Brent were so engrossed, they didn’t notice or respond. Brent instructed Maddie how to handle the books. As she was putting on the white cotton gloves in order to safely handle the literary treasures, Chloe left the room and joined Susan at Lucille’s bedside. They were talking like long-lost friends.
“Look at you,” Chloe said, smiling. Amazing compared to just a little while ago, she thought.
They looked up at Chloe. Lucille, eyes open wide, smiled brightly. “Come here, my dear. It’s so nice to be coherent enough to actually meet you.” She reached out for Chloe, who stepped closer.
“I think I’ll go check on the supplies,” Susan said, excusing herself.
“I have so much to thank you for. I really don’t know where to start.”
“You don’t have anything to thank me for. It was all Brent’s doing. I just followed orders.”
“Yes, and we both know how difficult that can be for us women,” she said.
They laughed at the comment. Lucille picked up on Chloe’s serious expression and said, “Don’t sell yourself short, my dear. You are an integral part of this band of misfits, and if that’s not enough, you’re the only one in this world that our dear Captain cares so deeply about.”
Chloe smiled broadly as she listened. “I appreciate your kind words,” she said, “I love him so much, but there’s a great deal I don’t know about him. The more I find out, the more I don’t know. It has me a little scared.”
Lucille squeezed Chloe’s hand tighter and sat up so that she could be eye level with her. “Chloe, listen to me very carefully. Because of my Joseph, I know all about Brent’s past and his involvement in the Phantom Squad. From what Joseph told me, and I’m sure it was the sanitized version, I can understand why Brent tried to walk away from his past and why he never told you about it. The missions he was sent on and completed, especially his last one, left him scarred physically and emotionally.”
Chloe pictured Brent’s body and the large burn scar on his back, the one he said he’d gotten as a child when he knocked over boiling water that had been sitting on the stove. “What was his last mission?” she asked.
Lucille sat up even straighter and looked around to make sure no one could hear her. “I’m only going to tell you this so you can better understand the man you love. Do you remember the Omega Butcher a few years back?”
“Yes, of course, it was all over the news, the only topic anyone talked about.”
“The Phantom Squad, more specifically, Brent, brought his horrific crime spree to an end, but the things he witnessed, the things that happened, changed him. Actually, Joseph said that Brent wanted those things to change him, but in actuality, he wasn’t changed at all. He said that at some point, Brent would understand that he’s the man he is because that’s the way God made him. Joseph used to tell me that God had a very specific plan for your Brent, a plan that would change the face of this world forever. He used to call Brent the Chosen.”
Chloe was wide-eyed and tears ran down her cheeks as Lucille continued. “What plan?” was all she could utter.
“That’s the same question I asked. Joseph said that God didn’t make that clear to him, but would reveal the plan to Brent when the time was right. Right now, what I need you to understand is that his heart is pure, Chloe, beyond any man of his generation and maybe of those o
f the past, and that pure heart,” Lucille placed her hand under Chloe’s chin, lifting her head so they could look into each other’s eyes, “only longs for you. You and only you make him whole.”
Chloe wrapped her arms around Lucille and kissed her on the cheek and forehead. “Thank you,” she whispered through her tears.
Once their emotions settled down, they talked about other things just as two old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years would until Susan came back over to the bed.
“Excuse me, I don’t want to interrupt, but can I speak to you for a moment, Chloe?”
“Go ahead, my dear,” Lucille said. “I’m feeling a bit drowsy anyway. Remember what I said, and we’ll talk more later.”
“I will, and thank you. Now get some rest.”
Lucille closed her eyes and Chloe walked into the kitchen behind Susan who wore a deeply-concerned look on her face. “Is everything all right, Susan? The look on your face is scaring me.”
“Sorry, but I’m a little scared myself. The last blood test I took on Lucille shows that her chemistry is still not right. The seizure she had in that already weakened state really played havoc with her brain. She needs a beta-blocker and a serotonin precursor to help stabilize her, or I’m afraid she’ll have another seizure or a heart attack. I don’t know if she could survive either one.”
“A beta what and a serra who? Speak English, please,” Chloe said.
“Sorry, I tend to speak medical-ese when I get anxious. Simply put, she needs a different medication to help make her stronger so that her brain can heal properly from its trauma. I called the same pharmacy as before, but we need to have someone pick up the prescription. Could you ask Brent to have his assistant pick it up? I’d tell her myself but she scares me.”
Chloe smiled and laughed under her breath, remembering the first time she’d met Joan. She was a little taken aback and, yes, maybe a bit scared, too. Chloe walked back into the conference room where Brent and Maddie were scouring the books for clues. She told Brent that Lucille needed new medication and he should have Joan pick it up. Without looking up from his book, he told her to page Joan from his office phone and tell her to go to Coastal.
Chloe left the conference room and went back into Brent’s office. She picked up the phone to call Joan and then had second thoughts. If anyone was in the library, she reasoned, looking for Brent and if Joan had already told them that Brent wasn’t in, then she obviously wouldn’t be able to receive a page from his office. She peered through the peephole in Brent’s office door and saw that the coast was clear. She shut the bookcase before opening the office door and then headed into the main lobby of the library. She overheard Joan having a conversation with someone at her desk.
“I know this is an inconvenience, sir, but he’s not here. I told you. He left town to visit his sick aunt who isn’t expected to live and was given the last rites.”
“Well, then, as his assistant, you’re going to have to make the decision for him,” the visitor replied.
As they continued their discussion, Chloe decided not to interrupt them. She headed back to Brent’s office when her mind played over her last conversation with Susan, that Lucille needed the new medication. I’ll go myself, Chloe thought. I don’t seem to be needed for anything else. She decided not to use the back door, since it might set off the alarm. Nonchalantly, she stepped out the front door and into the South Florida afternoon sun.
CHAPTER 46
As the heat from the afternoon sun hit her shoulders, Chloe felt them relax. The last twenty-four hours had been so intense that her shoulders felt as though they were attached to her ears. Warm, fresh air exhilarated her while relaxing her at the same time. Her shoulders felt like they dropped six inches from their heightened, tense position. She loved the sun and remembered why she’d moved to the area in the first place.
By that time, Thomas and James arrived to relieve the two police officers who were still at the café across from the library. Thomas recognized Chloe from a photograph Mr. Ferric had given him. He stood up and told James to come on. He dropped a twenty on the table to pay for his breakfast. They stationed themselves by the door until Chloe walked away from the library. Then they walked outside. Thomas gave James very explicit instructions on what to do next.
“Stay on this side of the street and keep an eye on her. Don’t get so close that she spots you but don’t lose her either. I’m going to cross the street and shadow her, just follow her. Don’t make a move unless you see me move in first. Got it?”
“Got it,” James said, as he stared after Chloe.
Thomas ran across the street and watched Chloe from a more prudent angle as she moved down the street in a purposeful way. She walked two blocks and then quickly ducked inside Coastal Pharmacy.
Thomas ran back across the street and intercepted James before he could reach the store. “Go back and get the car. Meet me behind the pharmacy. Move!”
James took off in the opposite direction as Thomas strolled through the door of the drugstore. From the big round mirror in the front corner of the store, he could see Chloe standing in line at the counter. With prescription in hand, she turned and walked to the front door. Suddenly, she felt something sharp jab at her between her shoulder blades. Simultaneously, a hand grabbed her arm.
“One sound, Miss Adler and you’ll be dead before the second syllable leaves your mouth.” Chloe trembled as the heavy English accent pierced her inner ear. He pushed the knife blade in a little harder so that it pinched the skin. “Walk to the back door and smile. We don’t want anyone to get suspicious.”
Chloe was so afraid that she dropped the bag containing the medication when the stranger pushed the knife in harder. Thomas kicked it to the side. “I don’t think you’ll be needing that anymore,” he said menacingly. He shoved her into the emergency exit door, causing it to open and the alarm to sound. By the time anyone checked the door, he’d already pushed Chloe into the back seat of the waiting Hummer. He told James to step on it. “Get back to the compound. Mr. Ferric will be happy to know we’re bringing a guest.”
Chloe sat quietly, her heart pounding while she tried to think of a way out. Without turning her head, she eyed the unlocked door. With a slight hesitation, she reached for the door handle, opened the door and then tried to jump from the moving vehicle. Halfway out the door, she felt arms wrap around her waist and yank her back inside.
“Not smart, Miss Adler,” Thomas yelled.
Chloe lost all control, screaming and swinging at her captor as hard as she was able. One of her swings connected and she scratched his face with her nails. The sting made Thomas angry and he backhanded her hard against her right cheek. He grabbed hold of her right wrist and twisted her arm so hard he almost dislocated her shoulder. Pain shot through Chloe’s arm into her shoulder, causing her to scream louder.
“You don’t want to make me angry,” he said as he pushed her face into the glass window of the now-locked door. For the rest of the way, he held her in that position. “You’d better hope your boyfriend loves you enough to hand over that formula before you get returned to him in pieces.”
Then Thomas twisted her arm even harder and that caused her to scream again. “Shut up. I won’t tell you again. Don’t speak unless you’re asked a question. Your voice makes me sick.”
Chloe started to cry and Thomas twisted her arm harder again. She remembered something Brent had shown her about blocking pain. She closed her eyes and took very deep, slow breaths and prayed to God for help. Dear Lord, I don’t know why we always wait until we’re desperate to come to you, but here I am. Please protect me from these people. Cloak me in the protection of the Holy Spirit and please ease this pain. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
A feeling of warmth enveloped her after she’d finished her prayer. The pain in her arm and shoulder subsided. Thank you, dear Jesus, thank you.
A half hour had passed si
nce Chloe left the library, and Brent and Maddie weren’t any closer to understanding the last three clues. He stood up, stretched from side to side causing his spine to crack in many places. Maddie looked up.
“Is that your back?” she asked.
“Yeah, it tightens up if I sit too long.” He moved his head from side to side and popped his neck in the process.
“That’s nasty. When this is over, I’m taking you to my chiropractor,” Maddie said.
Brent smiled. “Chloe told me the same thing. But we never got around to it.” Then he realized he hadn’t seen or heard Chloe for quite a while. “Where is she, anyway?”
“I’m not sure,” Maddie replied. “Last I knew, you told her to tell Joan to go to the pharmacy. Maybe she’s still in your office or in back with Susan and Lucille. I’ll go look. I want to check in on Lucille, anyway.”
“Great, and I’ll check my office. The last few days have been non-stop. She probably fell asleep in my chair.”
But he didn’t find Chloe in his office or in the living quarters of the tunnel. Maddie, who had been talking to Susan and Lucille, turned to see the look of concern on his face. “She wasn’t in your office?”
“Oh, God,” Susan said. “Where is she?”
“Nobody panic,” Brent said. “When was the last time any of you saw her, Lucille?”
“She and I were talking about, I don’t know, maybe an hour ago.”
“Susan, how about you?”
“Just after she spoke to Lucille, I told her we needed more medication and that I’d called in the prescription. She went to tell you.”
“Maddie?”
“Approximately forty-five minutes ago. You and I were going through the books. You told her to page Joan and ask her to go to the pharmacy.”
Brent’s eyes opened wide as a thought came into his head. “She wouldn’t? Oh God, I pray she didn’t,” he said, and ran out of the room back into his office. He picked up the phone and paged Joan. “Come on, pick up,” he said as he repeatedly hit the intercom button.