Joshua hesitated for a split second. “Of course.”
Chopper wasn’t sure if he believed the kid or not but he decided to let it slide for the moment. “There’s something else.”
“Yes?”
“Do you have a brother named Daniel?”
The change that came over Joshua was shocking. His face flushed and his eyes glittered with repressed hostility. “Yes. What about him?”
Bowdeen tried to soften his approach. “Is he working on some sort of project for your father?”
Joshua gave a mirthless laugh. “My brother is basking in my father’s approval because of some special work he’s doing. That much is common knowledge. I don’t know the nature of the work though.”
“Maybe I can shed a little light,” Chopper offered.
“You can?” Joshua stared at him, obviously hungry for whatever crumb of information he could drop.
“I found out it might have something to do with valuable objects that need to be found and brought back to your father.”
Joshua appeared flummoxed by the news. “Objects? What sort of objects?”
Bowdeen shook his head. “That I don’t know. Only that they’re worth a lot of money and your father seems to be gathering a bunch of these objects.”
Joshua mulled over the mercenary’s comment for several moments. “My brother has been traveling a good deal. All around the world. Whenever he returns from one of his trips, I’ve noticed that my father remains in a joyous mood for days afterward.”
“But you don’t know where Daniel goes or what he brings back?”
Joshua gave a frustrated sigh. “I only know that he’s been seen in the company of that man who wears the odd attire.”
“You mean Leroy Hunt?”
“Yes, I believe that’s his name.”
Bowdeen rubbed his chin. “Well, that makes sense. If your brother is transporting something that’s worth a lot of money, he would need a bodyguard. That’s the kind of work Leroy is good at.”
“So you know this man,” Joshua asked.
“Yeah, I know him. We were in the army together.”
Joshua stared unseeing through the window at the aircraft being loaded outside. “Do you think there’s any connection here? My brother collecting valuable objects? Me collecting valueless people?”
“I don’t know son, but I think you’re in a better position to find out than I am.”
“Yes, Mr. Bowdeen,” Joshua replied vaguely, lost in private thought. “As soon as I return from Europe, I intend to make some inquiries of my own.”
Chopper smiled to himself. Maybe at last the puzzle pieces were about to fit together.
Chapter 31—An Immodest Proposal
Maddie glanced up from the pile of documents on her desk to see Erik leaning casually against the doorframe.
He gave a mock salute. “Hey there, chief. Surprised to see me?”
“Nope,” she replied laconically, hastily scrawling her signature on the top page before shoving the pile to the side and giving him her undivided attention. “Faye told me you were coming back stateside.”
“Faye?” The Paladin frowned briefly. “How did she know?”
“Griffin called her.”
Even though he looked vaguely irritated, Erik didn’t offer a comment. Instead he drew a chair up in front of her desk and sat down. “I suppose you want to know what this is all about.”
Maddie leaned back and studied him appraisingly. “I already have a pretty good idea of what it’s all about but let’s hear your version of the story.”
He crossed his arms defensively. “I don’t like having my time wasted, that’s all.”
“You consider it a waste of time to stop a bunch of crazies from getting their hands on a powerful artifact?”
“I do when two other people are already on the job and I’m cooling my heels waiting out a blizzard.”
“So your leaving had nothing to do with Cassie?” Maddie challenged.
He gaped at her in shock. “Who told you Cassie and I were involved?”
“Nobody needed to tell me, kiddo. The gossip was all over the Vault. I picked it up by osmosis.”
He flushed and stared at the floor. “And you automatically jumped to the conclusion that I left because of her.”
“Oh, it wasn’t just me who jumped.” She shrugged matter-of-factly. “Cassie and Griffin and Faye and I all jumped together. It was a regular trampoline party.”
He clenched his jaw but remained mute.
“So let me repeat my question. Did you leave India because of Cassie?”
The Paladin let out a groan of exasperation. “How many ways do I have to say it? One last time for the record, the answer is NO! I wish everybody would stop grinding on that. I left because it was a bad use of resources. Cassie and Griffin are both experienced field agents at this stage of the game. They know what they’re doing and they don’t need me to babysit them. I arranged for a security team to back them up. End of story!”
“Uh huh,” Maddie replied impassively.
They sized each other up like two boxers circling before the first punch.
“Um. Excuse me.” A tyro entered carrying an enormous stack of papers. “Sorry to bother you.”
The Paladin turned his head to stare at the new arrival, then frowned as if trying to jog loose a memory. “You look familiar. Do I know you?”
Maddie intercepted the question. “You’ve probably crossed paths at some point. This is Faye’s great grandkid. Zach, meet Erik. He was on field assignment in India.”
The tyro nodded a greeting, listing slightly to balance the paper tower in his arms. “I finally got permission from Gamma, er Faye, to get trained.” He darted a guilty glance at Maddie. “That is... uh... I mean... Maddie had the final say-so.”
“Damn skippy,” the Chatelaine agreed.
“Can I please put these down?” Zach pleaded. “They weigh a ton.”
“Over here.” Maddie patted the left corner of her desk.
He advanced, unloading the files with a grunt of relief.
Maddie scrutinized the paperwork and then their bearer. “What is all this stuff?”
“Expense reports from the scouting expedition you sent to Peru.”
“The whole stack?” The Chatelaine’s voice rose in outrage. “What did they do, buy a gold mine while they were there?” Her eyes narrowed. “And exactly why did they send you with the reports? You’re not assigned to their department.”
“I dunno,” Zach protested innocently. “I heard one of them say because I’m related to Faye you probably wouldn’t strangle me.”
“I see,” she muttered ominously. “I’ll deal with them later.”
Zach’s attention shifted to Erik. “India, huh? Then you must be part of the team that’s trying to stop those crazy Nephilim dudes.”
Erik nodded warily.
“Weren’t there three of you?” The tyro persisted. “What happened to the other two? Did you get the artifact already? Where is it?”
The Paladin shifted in his seat, nettled by the barrage of questions.
Maddie half rose from her chair and scowled at the teenager. “Isn’t there somebody else you could be annoying right now?”
Zach’s mouth snapped shut in mid-question.
“You better make yourself scarce, kid,” Erik advised. “Take it from one who knows. Her bite is way worse than her bark.”
The tyro’s eyes slid toward the war club in the corner of the office. “I guess maybe I should get back to filing.” He scuttled toward the door. “Nice to meet you, Erik,” he called over his shoulder.
“Likewise,” the Paladin murmured before turning his attention back to Maddie.
By now, she was tapping her long red nails on the desk blotter. “Shall we get back to the matter at hand?” she asked pointedly.
Erik rolled his eyes, steeling himself for the inevitable cross-examination. “Whatever.”
The Chatelaine cut to the chase. “So le
t me get this straight. You figured you’d be more useful filling out field reports at Home Office than stopping whatever mayhem those Bible-thumping dimwit s are cooking up. Is that the gist of it?”
“Oh, I’m all for stopping the dimwits but I can do it better from here,” he retorted.
Maddie instinctively reached for her pack of cigarettes. Clutching them helped to calm her nerves even though smoking was forbidden anywhere except in the bell tower. “I’ve got a feeling that whatever you’re about to say is going to make me wish I could light up right now.”
“You’re not wrong,” he agreed. Leaning forward in his chair, he fixed her with a serious gaze. “I came back because I want to volunteer.”
“Volunteer? Volunteer for what?” Her face froze as the truth hit her like an icy bucket of water. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Why are you so surprised? You’ve been shopping that pet scheme of yours around the Vault for the past year with no takers.”
“But... but...,” she spluttered. “I never expected it to be you!”
“Who else then? I mean, seriously.” He threw his arms wide. “You know as well as I do that nobody else has the skills to pull something like that off.”
She gave a bark of a laugh. “You sure think well of yourself if you believe nobody else is smart enough or tough enough or fast enough or cagey enough to manage it.”
“Hey, give yourself some credit.” He flashed an impudent grin. “You taught me everything I know.”
“Yeah,” she replied in a whisper. “Maybe in retrospect that wasn’t my smartest move.”
He appeared genuinely puzzled. “What do you mean? You ought to be proud that I’m that good. I owe it all to you.”
“I am proud,” the Chatelaine admitted with an air of mortification, studying him in exasperated silence for a few seconds. “You’re gonna make me say it, aren’t you?” She gave a deep sigh. “OK, fine! It’s like this. I never had kids. Never really wanted any either but then you came along—an eighteen-year-old punk with a smart mouth who wasn’t afraid to stand up to me. Not even from Day One. So I decided to put you through the wringer just to take you down a peg. I gave you the toughest assignments I could find. Things nobody else had the nerve to tackle. But no matter what mission I threw at you, you always managed to get the job done. When there was an obstacle in your way you jumped over it or tunneled under it or blew it up but you never quit. In the end, I had to respect that.”
She paused for breath, shaking her head ruefully. “I don’t know how it happened or when it happened but you kind of grew on me. Erik, you’re the closest thing I’ll ever have to a son. And I’m worried sick at the thought—” She broke off, feeling herself getting weepy. Gripping the edge of her desk, she forced herself to continue. “At the thought of what might—”
“I know,” he cut in softly, flustered by her display of emotion. “You don’t have to say anymore. And don’t worry. Everything is gonna be alright.”
Maddie’s mood shifted rapidly from sentimental to angry. “Alright? I don’t think so! I know how you usually operate. Flying by the seat of your pants won’t cut it this time. If you get caught infiltrating the Nephilim, you die!”
“So maybe it would be a good idea if I don’t get caught,” he observed impishly.
“This isn’t a joke, dammit!” Maddie slapped her palm on the desk for emphasis. “I’m serious!”
“So am I!” he shot back angrily. Then in a calmer tone, he added, “I’ve had a lot of time to think about this. To plan a strategy that will keep me from winding up on the wrong end of a bullet.” He gave a timeout signal. “So unruffle your feathers, chief, and listen up.”
She glowered at him, unconvinced.
He sat back and laced his fingers behind his head. “We’ve been looking at this problem all wrong. Everybody assumed that to get the scoop on the Nephilim, we’d have to plant somebody inside the organization as a convert.”
“Agreed.”
“That’s a tough sell,” Erik observed. “I don’t think anybody in the Arkana is a good enough actor to go full-on fundamentalist crazy and make it look convincing.”
The Chatelaine cocked an amused eyebrow. “Go on.”
“But there are other ways to squeeze intel out of the compound without it necessarily being fatal. We caught a lucky break when Hannah told you about Abe’s building projects.”
“You mean the secret lab and the weapons training facility?”
“Yup.” He nodded. “It’s pretty unlikely that the Nephilim had the necessary in-house talent to finish those jobs. They must have hired outside help.”
Maddie smiled broadly. She could finally see where he was heading. “Of course. Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, material suppliers. Those guys must have seen or heard something useful, even if they didn’t know it.”
“I can find out which contractors the Nephilim used and question them. That’s step one. I’m guessing that the basic construction is already finished but there’s always spec modification, repair, maintenance and stuff like that. It shouldn’t be too hard for me to tag along with one of the work crews and actually get onsite.”
“That’s a great idea,” Maddie conceded in shock. “Why didn’t I think of it?”
“Because you were too busy bleeding red ink over those budget reports of yours. That is, when you weren’t scaring the stuffing out of the tyros.” He gave a sly wink. “I’d say you had your hands full.”
She chuckled good-humoredly. “I suppose.”
The Paladin rose to go. “After I find out which companies the Nephilim used, I’ll be able to talk specifics with you about the best way to infiltrate.”
“OK. This actually might work,” she agreed in surprise. “Go for it.”
He paused in the doorway. “Maddie?” He sounded uncharacteristically earnest.
She was already sorting through the stack of documents Zach had brought. “Hmmm?” she inquired absently.
“I promise I’ll be careful...” He paused. “And I’m not just saying that. I really will this time.”
“Thanks, kiddo,” she replied gently. “That means a lot.”
As a further reassurance, he added, “I like being among the living.”
“I like you among the living too,” the Chatelaine concurred, fixing him with an intent stare. “Considering the number of gray hairs you’ve given me over the years, if anybody is gonna take you out of this world, it should be me.”
Chapter 32—Three Little Words
Daniel pressed his cell phone to his ear, listening intently. “Pick up! Please pick up!” he whispered. After five rings, his prayer was answered.
“Hello?” The voice on the other end sounded groggy and disoriented.
“Oh, Chris! Thank the Lord you’re there.”
“Where else would I be?” the librarian protested grumpily. “It’s the middle of the night.”
“No, it’s not. It’s eight o’clock in the morning.”
“What morning?” his friend countered.
“Saturday.”
“Saturday!” Chris moaned. “It’s my day off. Do you understand the concept of DAY OFF? It means I was out partying til the crack of ‘Why-the-frak-am-I-still-up?’ and I was planning to sleep past noon.”
“I... uh... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you but I need to see you right away. It’s urgent.”
“OK, Danny Boy. OK. Calm down.” A wide yawn could be heard over the line. “What’s this about?”
“The relic clue. I made a mistake. It’s a catastrophe. I need your help to figure it out.”
“The relic?” Chris perked up, alert now. “Alright. Meet me at the coffeehouse around the corner from my apartment.”
The librarian gave him an address in the Lakeview District on the north side of the city. “Do you know how to get there?”
“I finally figured out how to use a GPS device,” Daniel murmured ruefully. “I’ll find it. Give me an hour to make the drive.”
“See you there in an hour. I’ll be the guy with bloodshot eyes slumped in the back corner wishing he was dead.”
“Thank you, Chris.”
“You owe me bigtime.”
***
Daniel had never been to Chris’s neighborhood before. It was an older section of the city. By the looks of them, many of the houses had been built at the turn of the twentieth century. Despite their age, all the buildings were kept in good repair and their gardens lovingly tended. Because the streets were much narrower than the ones downtown, traffic moved at a slow crawl when it moved at all. The delay allowed Daniel to observe the pedestrians swarming in and out of the small boutiques that lined the major avenues of the district. The Scion noticed that the neighborhood was populated by a disproportionate number of young males—in their twenties or thirties and most were dressed very stylishly. Daniel was fascinated by everything he saw. The neighborhood appealed to him on a level he couldn’t quite explain. In some alternate dimension where the Nephilim didn’t exist and he had the luxury of choice, he could easily see himself living here.
He spent the next ten minutes trying to find parking on one of the congested side streets, eventually claiming a space four blocks away from the coffeehouse. Glancing apprehensively at his watch, he jogged the remaining distance in order to meet Chris on time.
Daniel was surprised when he arrived at his destination. It wasn’t, as he’d expected, one of the green mermaid coffee shops which dotted the downtown area. This establishment must once have been a neighborhood grocery store given its huge rolled glass windows and tin ceiling tiles. When he entered, the smell of roasted coffee beans assailed his nostrils. The scent was vaguely pungent and he couldn’t decide if he liked it or not. A dozen people stood crowded around the front counter waiting to be served.
Fortunately, Chris had arrived ahead of him and staked out a small table in a dim back corner. The librarian motioned him over. He wore a fedora dipped low over his forehead. “The light hurts my eyes,” he complained when Daniel came to stand before him. Glancing up through half-closed lids, Chris scanned the Scion’s appearance. A look of displeasure clouded his handsome features. “You decided to wear that today?”
Into The Jaws Of The Lion (The Arkana Archaeology Mystery Series Book 5) Page 18