Gracie smiled. “I talk a lot of crap.”
“Not always.”
Gracie sat up. “Okay, weirdo, you win. If you want to read an email so bad, here.” She pulled out her tablet and punched up her email. She grimaced when her inbox loaded. “Fortune? What the hell, Agnes? What’s her crap doing in my email?”
“It’s for me.”
Agnes took the tablet from her and opened the email. She read the message, then looked at Gracie. “Marc is in a lot of trouble. He needs our help.”
“Yeah, you said that. What’s going on?”
Agnes turned the tablet to face her. A grainy security camera photo of Marc holding hands with a long-haired woman filled the screen.
“Who is she?”
“The better question is, where is she?”
“Okay, where?”
“Dubai.”
“Yeah, Fortune said something about that. So what?”
“I’m trying to sort this out. Marc is mixed up in something that’s out of his league, but I’m not entirely sure what it is. I did find out where they’re going.”
“What are you… gonna do?”
“I’m going to try to stop him.”
“By yourself?”
“I could really use your help.”
“How? I don’t have anything. No money, no car… how much more useless can I be?”
“You’re not useless. Come with me.”
“Come with you where?”
“Chicago.”
Gracie’s eyes bulged. “When?”
“Tonight.”
“Um… okay. But can I make a request?”
“You may.”
“Can I dress for the trip? You didn’t give me much warning last time.”
“Of course. Meet me in my bedroom at 11. Oh, and bring your driver’s license.”
“My license? What for?”
“I’ll explain later. May I borrow this for a few minutes?” Agnes held up the tablet.
“Yeah, sure, whatever.”
Agnes got up from the bed and left the room. She closed the door softly behind her. Gracie flopped on her back and exhaled. What was Agnes getting her involved in this time?
CHAPTER 79: CHANGE OF PLANS
Jacqueline paced back and forth in her office. Her email had beeped to notify her that the message she sent Lauren had been read. With any luck, it had reached Agnes as intended, and with any more luck, she could provide more insight into Marc’s mysterious girlfriend, and why they were in Dubai together.
Her cell phone rang. The caller ID came through as her parents’ number. She took a deep breath, then answered. “This is Jacqueline.”
“Hello, this is Agnes, returning your call.”
“Yes, Agnes. Did you recognize the woman in the photos? What can you tell me?”
“Sadly, not much. The truth is, I have no idea who she is or why Marc is with her.”
Jacqueline sank back into her chair. “I see.”
“Please don’t jump to any conclusions. The truth will come out, and whatever happens, Marc is going to need our support.”
“I suppose so.”
The call waiting signal beeped on her phone. Jacqueline checked the caller ID. Richardson was calling. “Agnes, I hate to cut this short, but I have to take another call.”
“Of course. Good-bye.”
Jacqueline clicked over to the other line. “Hi, Richardson. Something’s come up, and I’m going to be late tonight. I’m sorry.”
There was silence at the other end of the line.
“Hello? Richardson, can you hear me?”
She heard a deep breath, but nothing more.
“Hello? I think we have a bad connection. Listen, I have to go. I’ll call you later. Tell the— “
“How long has this been going on?”
Jacqueline’s stomach soured. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t lie to me. You’ve lied enough. How long?”
“Richardson, I’m quite certain I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Richardson exhaled into the phone receiver. “Fine, we’ll do this the hard way. ‘Effective immediately, Jacqueline Morris Winstead will no longer be serving as special adviser to the Mercurio-Atlan company. We wish her well in her future endeavors.’ This is dated December 26th.”
Jacqueline swallowed hard. “Yes, yes, well, that was a planned departure. The announcement said effective immediately, but the fact of the matter is, I am needed to wrap up some loose ends on Project… you know, I don’t appreciate your accusing tone.”
“Come home.”
“Well, I… excuse me? I cannot simply walk off the job. I’ll be home when my business for the day is concluded.”
“Come home, or I’m leaving you. Come home and be a mother to the twins for once. You have some catching up to do.”
Jacqueline’s voice failed her. “What? Of all the… what!”
“Good-bye.”
The call terminated. Jacqueline sat back in her chair, defeated.
CHAPTER 80: DEPARTURE
Marc awoke to find Inanna kneeling over him with a tray of food. He sat up quickly and helped himself to a piece of finger food. It tasted sweet, whatever it was.
Tobias entered the room. “We will leave now. Eat, please.”
Marc’s heart raced. After battling his empty stomach for so long, he found himself disinterested in food. He could grab something wherever they were going. Inanna encouraged him to eat something else. She set the tray down on the floor beside him. She smiled through her morsel.
After eating two handfuls of food, Marc felt the urgent need to visit the restroom. He excused himself from the room and found the bathroom down the hall. He returned to the room where he had slept for hours and found Inanna carrying the tray of food from the room. He picked up a glass of water from the tray and took a sip.
Inanna handed the tray off to the bearded gentleman, who graciously accepted it. Inanna led Marc to the main entry to collect their footwear, then to the main room and motioned for him to kneel. Marc was uncertain of the request. He was not a Muslim and did not feel comfortable praying as though he were. Tobias clarified the request.
“Not to pray. To wait.”
Marc nodded. He knelt on the floor, and Inanna directed him to press his forehead to the floor and close his eyes. The remainder of the group knelt on the floor as the bearded man stepped around them and lit the candles on the front table. He stood over the group and spoke in a measured voice.
“At-ti-ma na-nar-at sha-mi.”
The group repeated this strange phrase. The bearded man spoke it again, then smiled as the group followed suit. Over and over, the ritual chanting repeated. Marc considered joining in once he figured out the rhythm of the phrase. Inanna’s voice pealed beside him, saying the words, and enticing him to participate. Marc took a breath and joined the next response. The bearded man left the room, leaving the group to chant without him.
The floor felt strange under Marc’s hands and forehead. It seemed almost fluid. The room seemed to spin, and yet he knew it was not moving. He seemed to be traveling across space and time, yet the room persisted, and he knew rationally that his forehead and palms touched scratchy low-pile carpeting.
“At-ti-ma na-nar-at sha-mi.”
Marc felt himself go weightless. He was sure that he was floating around the Earth. If he were to open his eyes, he would witness a sight only beheld by astronauts, and God. He felt insignificant, yet mighty. He felt worthless, yet vital. The chanting seemed to pass through him. He spoke the words, not knowing their meaning, but feeling their resonance as they vibrated off his tongue.
“At-ti-ma na-nar-at sha-mi.”
The air changed. It had a chilled edge to it, but a synthetic warmth through the center of it. He heard other voices. The chanting had stopped and was replaced by what sounded to Marc like astounded gasps. Inanna nudged him. Tobias stood over him. “Rise.”
Marc opened his eyes. The carpeting was gone. He
touched bare cement. He knelt up and looked around. His companions had risen to their feet and stood around him. Behind them he saw clusters of people dressed in all black, wearing surprised expressions. Tobias motioned for Marc to follow him. The guards and servants stayed behind. Marc took Inanna’s hand, and followed Tobias up the center of the factory floor. Marc saw piles of clay bricks but didn’t understand their purpose.
Tobias turned to Marc. “It is time.”
Marc nodded. Inanna smiled and wrapped her arms around Marc’s waist.
CHAPTER 81: OBSERVANCE
As requested, Gracie slipped into Agnes’s bedroom at 11 P.M. sharp. She dressed warmly, well-prepared for a Chicago winter night. Agnes was dressed in her usual attire: a thin blouse, tan pants, slip-on canvas shoes, and her ever-present knit bag. Gracie looked past her and saw a glass of water and tea saucer sitting on her writing desk. At least she ate something, she thought. A torn airline ticket stub laid beside the saucer, and as she inhaled to ask about it, she was snapped to attention by a tug on her sleeve.
Agnes looked up at Gracie intently. “Do you have your driver’s license?”
Gracie fished it out of her coat pocket and held it up with a flourish.
Agnes smiled. “Let’s be on our way.”
Gracie looked around uncertainly. “How, exactly?”
Agnes draped her comforter over Gracie’s head, then told her to sit on the floor. Agnes huddled next to her, pulling the blanket tightly around the two of them.
“This is really weird, Agnes, you know?”
“I know.”
“So, what do I do now?”
“Sit still. And close your eyes, please.”
Gracie squeezed her eyes shut. Agnes whispered something, then Gracie felt herself fall through the air, and then come to an abrupt halt on a hard surface. “Ow!”
Agnes shushed her. “Quiet, please.” She gently nudged Gracie. “Open your eyes, we’re here.”
Gracie looked around at a cramped room made of cinder block. A rounded lump sat on the floor in front of her. “What’s this?”
Agnes waved her off. “Don’t touch it.”
Gracie got up off the floor. Agnes stood close to one of the walls and tried to see through the small vertical window in the door. She saw a cluster of workers facing a central focal point just beyond her line of sight.
Agnes motioned for Gracie to crouch down and follow her out of the room. Agnes pushed the door open just enough to slip out of it and creep behind a row of plastic bins. Gracie crouched beside her, wondering where they were and what was going on. Agnes peered over the top of the bin, then ducked down quickly. She gestured for Gracie to get down on all fours. Gracie gave her a sneer, but she obeyed.
Agnes spotted a cinder-block wall that would provide better cover but allow them to observe the floor. She crawled away from the plastic bins and gestured for Gracie to follow her lead. Gracie crept along, trying to stop her zipper from scraping the floor and giving them away. Agnes reached the safety of a cutaway in one of the walls. It was deep enough for them to stand there together but see the factory floor. Gracie peeked around the corner and hopped nervously. “Marc!”
Agnes shushed her. Marc stood in the center of the room, holding hands with a woman with long black hair. She was dressed simply in a green dress and a gold necklace with chunky adornments. Gracie raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t at all what she had pictured at the mention of her brother having a new girlfriend. “Whoa, she could do way better than Marc,” she whispered to Agnes, who shushed her again.
A well-dressed man with dark hair and neatly trimmed facial hair walked up to a pile of clay bricks and laid his hands lightly upon it. Agnes and Gracie were too far away to hear what he said, but he spoke softly, pulled his hands away from the pile, then moved on to the next one. He repeated the process ten times. He strode to the front of the factory floor, and the workers stepped forward, facing him. Marc and Inanna stood off to the side as another well-dressed man stepped forward and addressed the crowd.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for your loyal service. Truly, this great moment would not have been possible without you.”
Agnes raised her hand to her mouth, observing intently.
“You are all here because society has cast you aside. It had no use for you, and you were all left to fend for yourselves, and indeed, left to die. Your well-being was of no concern to anyone but to me. And that concern was handed down through the centuries by this man. This man who now comes to deliver all of you from the bitter neglect that sought to destroy you. You have not been destroyed. And now, at long last, he comes, and you shall all be rewarded for your loyal efforts.”
Gracie stood on her tiptoes to get a better look at the proceedings.
The man with the neatly groomed facial hair raised his arms and uttered something in a language Gracie had never heard before. The piles of clay bricks were transformed in an instant into stacks of shimmering gold bars.
Gloria walked over to the closest pile and removed one of the bars. She nearly dropped it on her foot. One of her fellow workers instinctively grabbed hold of the bar to prevent it from falling. The man known to the crowd as Mister Syed gestured to the man to his right.
“His time has come. He has come to deliver all of you from a life of want, and disease, and suffering! Give your life to him, as I have given my life to him. Swear to him now! Your life for him!”
The crowds looked upon the stranger in awe. Gloria stepped forward and spoke. “Who is this man?”
A worker stepped out of the crowd. “His name is Tobias. He fed me when I had nothing. He gave me a fire to stand beside in the freezing cold. He gave me clothes, a place to stay, and work. I will follow him to my dying day.”
The workers looked at each other, at their fellow worker, at the piles of gold bricks, then dropped to their knees. One by one, their voices joined to form a single chorus, around a single chant: Tobias! Tobias! Tobias!
Agnes looked across the room and saw the long-haired woman staring directly at her, sending an icy chill down her spine. She felt pressure against her forehead and heard a private message in her head.
Inanna sees you. There are no secrets before Inanna.
Agnes gasped in horror. She tried to center herself and hold her ground.
Return our brother to us, and we will leave. We do not wish to fight you or anyone else.
Inanna ran her fingers through Marc’s hair. She gave Agnes a wicked smile.
You would take my Marc from me? Inanna is pleased with her silly boy. Inanna is not done playing with him. Perhaps when I am bored with him, you may lay wreaths at his golden feet, in honor of the pleasure he gave to Inanna. After you bring offerings to me, as my devoted servants.
Agnes’s heart sank. She couldn’t bear to lose Marc, when she was so close. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Image, I need you.
Inanna threw her head back and laughed. Marc looked at her with surprise, and she kissed him. He smiled and returned his attention to the crowd of workers, and Tobias.
Inanna fears nothing and no one. My Marc will make a fine gift to Tobias, a golden man to adorn his new kingdom. Shall I show you? For a moment, she stood in a gap between dozens of chanting workers, in clear view of Agnes. She raised her hand which glowed a faint orange color, and she extended a finger over Marc’s unsuspecting head.
Agnes tugged at Gracie’s sleeve. “We’ve got to go, now.”
Gracie took one last look at the frenzied crowd. Marc stood in the center of the crowd, pumping his fist with each repetition of the stranger’s name. Tobias! Tobias! Tobias!
Agnes hurried Gracie toward a hallway that led to an exit. Inside of her head, Inanna laughed long and hard, triumphant in her victory, won by merely lifting a finger. Agnes could not have prepared for such an adversary, especially after the many ways she kept her presence ambiguous. Agnes would have much to discuss with Image when they next communicated. That is, if they communicated. Inanna might be c
apable of putting a stop to their sessions permanently, for all she knew.
Gracie tried to look over her shoulder, but Agnes kept her moving. “Wait, why aren’t you doing something to stop them? Isn’t that why we’re here?”
Agnes shook her head sadly. “I can’t stop her.”
“Her, who? Marc’s girlfriend or whatever?”
“Yes.”
Gracie skidded to a halt. “Why didn’t you say something? I bet I could take her.” She started to remove her coat.
Agnes grabbed her sleeve and pulled her backward. “Gracie, she’s a goddess.”
“Fine, I won’t go for her face.”
Agnes pulled harder. “Listen to me. She’s a goddess. I don’t know how he did it, but Marc brought her here from thousands of years ago.”
Gracie shook her arm free. “Oh, bull, Agnes. Let’s get this over with.”
Agnes felt the floor shake. “Gracie, no!” She grabbed her shoulders and pulled her through the exit door, just as the floor was replaced by inky black water. A pallet of boxes dropped into the water and sank. A split second earlier, and they would have been pulled under as well. Inanna would have seen to that without ever leaving Marc’s side; Agnes was sure of it. The door slammed shut, leaving Gracie sitting on the ground, dumbfounded. Agnes crouched beside her. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She was beaten.
Gracie stood up and adjusted her coat. “Okay, fine. Let’s get out of here.”
Agnes nodded numbly.
CHAPTER 82: A FRESH START
Agnes and Gracie walked together away from the warehouse. Gracie shivered in the cold, despite her winter clothing. Agnes, however, showed no visible effects from the cold. Gracie looked up at her and gave her a nudge. “It’s cool that you have mystical powers and everything, but you may want to think about blending in.”
Agnes smiled and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. “I thought you wanted me to stand out more.”
“Yeah, well, you’ve got to pick your moments better.”
“We’ll be out of the cold soon enough. You have your ID, right?”
The Spaces Between Us Page 32