“Is the woman still alive?” Sadie asked. “I got the impression that she had passed away.”
Seneca shook his head. “Dead for a while I’m afraid. I think her death may have been the catalyst that broke Lindell and made him what he is today. She was very important to him. Follow me.”
The three of them slipped into the Mother room, and Seneca took off the mask that had become his trademark. Beneath the harlequin’s exterior was a man in his thirties with hair the color of snow and eyes like chips of ice. His face was marred by stubble, and his features were etched with concern. He looked worried, and given all they knew about Nero, he was right to be.
“Who are you?” Edward asked.
“My name is Nick Gentry, and I’m the only one on this island that might be able to save your life.”
“Why are you here?” Sadie asked.
“I’m a member of a government task force called The Halo Group. We were created specifically to investigate cults, orders, covens, and all sorts of weird religious groups that probably have their hands in something illegal. My job was to infiltrate The Slaves of Solomon, learn what’s really going on, and expose the group for what it is.”
“So what is the group?” Edward asked.
Nick smiled and winked at Sadie. “Among other things, it’s a cover for highly organized, highly motivated white-collar criminals who are hiding behind religion as a means of boosting their bottom line.”
“That’s a broad generalization,” Sadie said, exposing her tattoo.
Nick’s smile faltered but only for a second. “I’m only talking about the movers and shakers of the group. I apologize if I’ve offended you.”
“Not at all,” Sadie said. “I’m a little ashamed to even admit I’m a member at this point.”
“So what is Nero wanting us to do here? Where does that map lead?” Edward asked.
“To the temple,” Nick explained. “Where the ‘angel’ rests. I know where it is.”
“What is the angel really?” Edward asked. “Alastor the Executioner?”
“Alastor is the angel Nero worships. Lindell’s angel is something altogether different.”
“You mean there are two angels?” Edward asked, confused.
“Kind of,” Nick said. “You’ll see soon enough.”
“So what should we expect at this temple?”
Nick shrugged. “You better see for yourself.”
“Do you have a boat? Or is there a way we can get off this rock?” Sadie asked.
Nick nodded. “There’s a boat on the other side of the island. Nero was careful when designing this place. He put the dock in a concealed inlet where no one would stumble onto it. You have to know it’s there. Otherwise you‘d never find it.”
“So how do we get out of here?” Edward asked.
Nick was about to answer, but Nero’s booming voice interrupted him, streaming through the hidden speakers. “The angel has been there for a while and is probably willing to wait a few more days. I’m not nearly as patient!”
“We have to hurry,” Nick said. “There’s a way out through this room.”
“But there aren’t any doors or windows,” Sadie observed.
“There is a door,” Nick said, scanning the photos on the walls. “You just have to know where to look.”
After several moments, he found the photograph he was looking for. In that one, Lindell’s mother was smiling warmly, wearing sunglasses and a big floppy hat. She’d either been gardening that day or sunbathing, and her cheeks were pink from the exposure. Nick touched the photograph, pushed gently, and a panel slid open on the wall to reveal a set of steps leading down below the house.
“This seems too familiar,” Sadie said. “The last time we followed you downstairs we ended up here.”
Nick smiled. “Maybe these steps will lead you home. Click your heels together three times and say the magic words!”
The staircase was well lit by electric light, and the walls were covered in ancient signs and symbols. The passageway’s sole purpose seemed only to provide an emergency escape. More angelic scenes had been painted on the walls at the base of the staircase, and these were markedly different than the ones seen in the cave. For starters, the scenes all featured the same angel, and this one was distinctly female.
“Those paintings,” Edward said, understanding immediately.
“They all feature the face of Lindell‘s mother,” Nick said as he reached the end of the tunnel. “Speaks volumes about the man‘s psychology, if you ask me.”
Edward and Sadie pressed in close behind Nick, feeling safer with him around. The tunnel ended with a door that opened up into a dense thicket of jungle. Nick opened it slowly, afraid that Nero might be waiting for them on the other side. But there was only jungle ahead.
Chapter 29
They followed Nick Gentry into the jungle. Without the mask, his features were kind and sensitive. The mask had given him a cold-blooded menace, but seeing his real face was enough to make them trust him a little more.
“We’re going to head back to the beach,” Nick said. “And we’ll go to the temple from there. Nero will have a much harder time watching us that way. There are no cameras or microphones on the beach. Plus, if he comes after us, we’ll have an escape.”
“We will?” Sadie asked. “Do tell.”
“The ocean,” Nick said as if it were the most sensible idea in the world. “We’ll swim away.”
“Of course,” Edward said, not bothering to hide his skepticism. “Why haven’t we dog-paddled back to civilization? That would be so much easier than traipsing around the jungle with the poisonous snakes and man-eating tigers.”
“Let‘s do more walking and less talking,” Sadie said. “I’m ready to get off this rock.”
“We have to go to the temple first and stop what Nero has planned,” Nick said.
Edward and Sadie both stopped. “You can't be serious,” Edward said. “This man is dangerous. We aren't soldiers or police.”
“We have to stop all of this or millions of people will die. Please.” There was a note of pleading in Nick's voice that hadn't been there before. “Besides, you don't know how to get off of this island without me. You're at my mercy.”
“Well played,” Sadie said. “I guess you're right. We have no choice.”
“I don't want to use my leverage to get your cooperation. You just don't understand how crucial it is that we stop Nero before he carries out his plans.”
“Let's go,” Edward said. “The sooner we finish this the sooner we can go home.”
“Thank you,” Nick said. “Follow me.”
It only took a few minutes to reach the beach, and no one really said much during that time because they were all too busy traversing the underbrush and swatting at mosquitoes.
“We need some answers,” Edward said once they reached damp sand. “You seem to have them. If we're going to help you, at least clue us in.”
“I’ll tell you what I know,” Nick said.
“How long have you been infiltrating The Slaves of Solomon?” Sadie asked, taking her shoes off and walking barefoot across the sand.
“Over a year now. I met Lindell at a black-tie fundraising event that his organization was holding. I chatted him up, made a generous donation secretly funded by the U.S. Government, and before the night was over I had a private meeting with the man himself. He offered me an invitation into the group based on my donation.”
“That sounds really cavalier for a group of criminals,” Edward said. “I can’t believe he would offer you a membership into the group without checking you out first.”
“The attendees of the fundraiser had been screened and vetted in advance. Everyone there was a potential candidate for membership. You didn’t get a ticket unless there was some interest in you.”
“So what was your cover?” Edward asked.
“As far as Lindell knew, I was a contractor doing work for the Department of Defense in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just im
portant enough to land a spot in the cult, but not so powerful that I would pose a threat to anybody else.”
“Did belief play a part in your membership? Or was it strictly about money and connections?”
“The money and connections are what got me in. Everything else was just window dressing as far as these guys were concerned.”
“So what are you investigating?”
Nick paused, unsure of how much information to release. “As we all know, Lindell or Nero as he‘s calling himself now, has an acute fascination with the end of the world. Based on my interaction with Lindell, I think that fascination stems from a need to make his own personal pain go away and to punish all those who believe in God. He’s been delving into biological warfare. Super viruses, deadly bacteria, nasty, nasty stuff.”
“Morningstar,” Edward said.
“Exactly. Think Jim Jones and his little Kool-Aid party. Only on a much bigger scale. Remember the angel statue and what the black goo did to that monkey? Think about what that germ could do if released in a big city. Alastor, the angel, is the provider of the virus and the puppeteer behind the whole show. He’s using Nero to do his dirty work, pulling his strings.”
“Playing him like a fiddle,” Sadie said, prompting a look of consternation from Nick.
“Sorry,” she said. “I couldn’t resist.”
“I thought we were supposed to be freeing the angel,” Edward said. “It doesn’t sound like he needs freeing. I saw him in that Quonset hut. Didn’t exactly seem trapped to me.”
“That’s because he isn’t. He's just biding his time. The angel we're going to see at the temple isn't what you think.”
Edward stopped walking and grabbed Nick’s arm. “He keeps talking about the apocalypse and freeing the horses of Armageddon. Somehow, some way, one of us is going to be the trigger that unleashes Morningstar into the world. Doesn’t your Halo Group organization have contingency plans for situations like this?”
Nick sighed. “I’ve managed to sneak a sample of the Morningstar virus into the hands of one of our operatives. They have been analyzing it for a while and attempting to synthesize an antidote. But let’s be clear. Nero has siphoned a lot of money into scientific research. It’s an option that’s always on the table as far as he’s concerned. The Morningstar virus is why he came to this island in the first place. Alastor appeared to him in Rome and told him to come here. He‘s following the angel‘s orders.”
“So what do you know about this angel?” Edward asked.
“There are stories about Alastor wreaking havoc on a small town called Crowley’s Point not too long ago. Apparently, he plagued that particular little corner of the world with the curse of Lot’s wife. The military spent nearly six months there trying to figure out what really happened.”
“Curse?” Sadie said.
“People turned into nice tidy little hillocks of salt the moment they set foot outside. Plenty of people lost their lives in that town.”
“So no halo for this angel,” Edward said.
“Not at all. Besides that incident and what we’ve learned on this island, that’s about all I can tell you about him.”
“None of this makes any sense. If Nero is planning to unleash widespread destruction on the earth, why go to all the trouble of bringing all of us here? Couldn't he just do all the dirty work himself?”
“Think about it,” Sadie said. “Lindell brought some of us here to exact revenge. That’s why Kelly and Henry were included. Franklin weaseled his way into the group as a power grab. I’m probably on the revenge list too.”
“But what about me?” Edward asked.
“I suspect you’ll find out soon enough,” Nick said. “I don't have the answer to that particular question. But I’d venture to guess that you more than the others tie into Nero’s plans to bring about his version of the end of the world.”
They trudged across sand for a mile before threading their way back into the jungle. Nick seemed to have an eye for the terrain and chose the path of least resistance, guiding them through natural trails worn down by the persistent passage of wild animals. His presence made Edward and Sadie feel better. They had a slight sense of hope now that hadn’t been there a few hours before.
The jungle grew more and more dense the further inland they went. Brush turned into impenetrable walls of shrubbery. Single shoots of bamboo gave way to solid walls of the plant, growing so close together that passage was impossible. Trees were larger and thicker and spaced in such a way that their branches intertwined. Monkeys frolicked, leaping from tree to tree, chattering to themselves, most likely gossiping about all the humans.
They hadn’t heard any violin music in quite some time, nor had they run into any more of Nero’s traps. There was no sign of the madman or any other members of the group. Edward considered this as they were walking and remembered that Nick Gentry had been the one assisting Nero at the house on Archibald Street. The good feeling he’d had only moments before turned sour, coiling up in the pit of his stomach like a serpent waiting to strike.
Nero couldn’t have done everything without help.
“How did you arrive here?” Edward asked, giving voice to his suspicion. “You still haven’t told us that. You said that Nero has a boat, but the fact that Nero doesn‘t know you‘re here would lead me to believe that you didn‘t come aboard that boat.”
“Very good,” Nick said, smiling. “You’ve been thinking things through. I would expect no less, and I encourage your suspicion. I didn’t come on Nero’s boat as you’ve pointed out. I came on an inflatable raft launched off the deck of a Navy ship about ten miles out.”
“Navy?” Sadie asked. “You’re military?”
“Not strictly,” Nick said. “The Halo Group pulls from a variety of influences. The United States Military cooperates when it wants to, which isn’t all the time. It all depends on which power struggle is taking place at the moment of need or who in the organization is willing and able to call in a favor.”
“OK,” Edward said. “I can go along with that. But there’s something that doesn’t make sense. I can see the need for anonymity and solitude while infiltrating the group, but the group doesn’t even know you’re here. Why come alone?”
Nick smiled again. “Who said I was alone? I have plenty of friends on this island right now. Their job is to find all biological threats and render them useless. My job is to contain Lindell‘s mania to this island and find out about all the other dirty secrets he may be hiding here.”
“Like the angel,” Sadie said.
“Like the angel,” Nick agreed, wiping the sweat off of his brow. “And speaking of angels, we’re here. Let's move in quietly and see what we can see. I don't know what we're up against.”
As they emerged from the thicket, Edward and Sadie gasped at the sight of an ivy-covered temple that looked as if it had been there for thousands of years. From their vantage point, the temple looked deserted. No cultists armed with semi-automatic rifles. No angels materializing out of shadow. Nothing other than a centuries-old building made of stone that the jungle was busy reclaiming for the island.
Nick rushed forward in a crouched run, darting from tree to tree, searching for something that only he could see. He motioned for Edward and Sadie to stay put while he checked everything out. He had just turned to motion to them when he clutched his neck in a frenzied panic. Eyes wild, he spun toward Edward and Sadie, begging them for help as he fell at their feet.
Confused and frightened, Edward and Sadie rushed over to him. Edward was the one to notice the tiny dart sticking out of Nick’s throat.
“Blowgun,” Edward said. He touched Nick’s neck and felt a steady pulse.
“I didn’t kill him,” Nero said, speaking through a bullhorn from the steps of the temple. “I just feel like this is something we should do alone. After all, we’ve been through so much together. He’s not part of my plan.”
“Wake up,” Sadie said, shaking Nick by the shoulders. “Wake up.”
“He won’t die,” Nero explained. “But he’ll be out for a little while. Don’t waste the effort on him. Instead, why not come and view the angel that will bring about the end of the world? And while you‘re at it, maybe you could meet Alastor as well.”
Edward looked at Sadie, hoping she had a solution. She winked and pulled Nick’s robe back to reveal the Glock .9mm. Edward smiled and surreptitiously grabbed the gun, tucking it tightly away into the waistband of his slacks.
“Let’s go see this angel,” he said.
Chapter 30
When they entered the courtyard they knew they were in trouble. Nero stood at the foot of the steps with his arms open as if to welcome them home. But he wasn’t alone. Members of The Slaves of Solomon stood on both sides of the path leading to the temple steps. All of them were dressed in robes of vermilion and masks with painted expressions. Some of the masks were sad. Others were melancholy. A few were drawn with looks of confusion or anger. None were happy.
Yet only Nero’s mask had tears. If hierarchy could be measured in terms of emotion, his was drawn to be the saddest of them all.
The Slaves all carried guns that were aimed at Edward and Sadie. “You ever do anything like this while you were in the group?” Edward murmured as they walked slowly toward the impressive architecture.
“You mean hold somebody at gunpoint? Nope. I was working my way up to it. I just got fitted for my mask and robe a couple of weeks ago.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Edward asked.
Sadie nodded. “Trying to lighten things up. If we‘re going to die, might as well joke about it.”
The steps leading up to the temple door were carpeted in vines, ivy, and creepers. Some of the vegetation had grown up through the stone, cracking the rock in places and bleaching it in others. Strange angelic symbols had been chiseled into the steps. The temple had been built to resemble a pyramid, but it wasn’t strictly Egyptian nor did it resemble the terraced Aztec temples that normally sprang to mind.
The Tears of Nero (The Halo Group Book 1) Page 18