Secrets Of The Serpent's Heart (The Arkana Archaeology Mystery Series Book 6)

by Wikarski, N. S.

  “Well, if nobody’s staying in the house for a while you should probably clean out the refrigerator,” the neighbor advised. “You don’t want food spoiling, do you?”

  That issue had already been anticipated. An Arkana sweeper team would swing by to secure the place after he was gone. To Mrs. Martin, Zach replied, “We have some family friends who are going to come over later and straighten the place out since we don’t know how long she’ll be gone.”

  “It’s nice that you all pull together to help out such a sweet old lady.”

  Zach could feel tears forming in his eyes. He looked away. “Yeah, we all do our part. I’m sorry, Mrs. Martin, but I really have to be going.”

  “Oh, of course.” She gave his shoulder a sympathetic pat. “You take care and give my best wishes to your grandmother for a speedy recovery.”

  “Thank you. I’ll do that,” he murmured as he ducked his head and hurried inside.

  The parlor seemed eerily quiet. He’d never entered that room in the past year without feeling elated at the prospect of seeing Hannah. Now she was gone. Just like that. He didn’t want to think about how scared she was. He shoved away darker thoughts that hinted she might not even be alive at all. Instead, he focused on the task at hand. He wanted to know how somebody had gotten inside. Scanning the front of the house, he couldn’t see anything out of place.

  Fortunately, the Arkana paramedics had sidestepped a police investigation that morning with the story of Faye’s heart attack. The authorities never came inside to investigate which made Zach the first person to inspect the crime scene. Once he walked into the kitchen, he immediately noticed that a panel of glass in the back door had been broken. That meant the intruder had come in through the garden. The tyro walked out into the yard. The ground was still too hard to show footprints though it looked as if one of the withered flower beds by the fence had been trampled. He guessed that whoever abducted Hannah had exited that way. His eyes narrowed as he considered the escape route. The privacy fence was six feet high. Even if Hannah had been drugged, it was hard to imagine somebody scaling that fence with a girl slung over his shoulder. Zach concluded that more than one person was involved in the abduction.

  He walked back inside the house, making a mental note to have Maddie tell the sweepers to repair the window. Unplugging the monitor from Hannah’s PC, the tyro carried the computer out to his car. There was no telling if the hard drive might offer a clue about the Arkana so he figured he’d better take it. Then he found Faye’s laptop and carried that out as well. The sweepers would go through all her papers to remove anything incriminating. Zach’s only other task was to find his Gamma’s cell phone. He knew she’d called Maddie from upstairs. He ran up to her bedroom but didn’t see it. Then he rifled through the dresser drawers and found it under a pile of handkerchiefs. Pocketing the phone he was on the point of leaving when he paused and turned his head.

  For no good reason, he walked to Hannah’s room and stood in the doorway for a moment. The air smelled like the cologne she favored. It reminded him of lilies. Was it lily-of-the-valley? He hadn’t been paying attention when she told him what it was. In the middle of her bed, propped against the pillows, was the plush stuffed cat he’d given her long ago. It reminded her of her pet kitten—shot on the crazy preacher’s orders. She’d started to cry when she first saw the fake feline. He hadn’t realized she still had it, much less valued it enough to keep it near her when she slept.

  His eyes traveled to her closet. A hanger was hooked over the top of the door displaying a fancy pink dress. He ran his fingers across the soft fabric. She’d told him about the outfit but he hadn’t seen it before. She said it was supposed to be a surprise, that he’d see it on prom night. Every time she mentioned this dress her eyes would light up. She was so excited to be going to a formal dance. And now...

  He felt himself choking up. Fleeing the room he ran back downstairs, slammed the door and jumped into his car. There was nothing left to see. And too many things he wanted to forget.

  ***

  Maddie stood in a patient’s room in the Vault infirmary watching Faye’s monitor. The blips on the screen were steady. The Memory Guardian’s heart was beating normally. She was in a deep sleep.

  The door behind her opened and Zach slipped in. “How’s she doing?” the boy asked.

  The Chatelaine shrugged. “As well as can be expected after tumbling down a flight of stairs.”

  He came to stand beside her, staring down at his ancestor. In a nervous voice, he asked, “When is she going to wake up?”

  “We don’t know, kiddo,” Maddie replied gently. “There was a lot of swelling around the brain. The doctors had to induce a coma. Until the swelling goes down, she’ll have to stay this way.” Changing the subject to take his mind off the problem, she asked, “Did you get the stuff?”

  “Yeah, the two computers and her cell phone.” Turning to look Maddie in the eye, he asked, “Who did this?”

  “If I had to guess, it was Leroy Hunt. He’s Abraham Metcalf’s hired gun.” She laughed bitterly. “All the time, I thought I knew what he was up to. I guess I made the biggest mistake a person can make. I underestimated my enemy. Turns out he wasn’t such a dufus after all. Somehow, he found a way to throw my people off his trail.”

  “I don’t think it was one guy who pulled this off,” Zach said. He explained what he’d found in the backyard.

  “Maybe Metcalf sent a few other lackeys along to help out.” Maddie shrugged.

  Zach’s temper flared. “How can you be so calm about this?”

  “Hey, kiddo, pipe down. Even if Faye can’t hear you there are other sick people in the vicinity.” She grabbed him by the elbow and steered him out of the infirmary and back across the Central Catalog to her office. Once there, she closed the door. “Have a seat,” she ordered.

  He sullenly dropped into a chair.

  Settling behind her desk, she said, “You’ve obviously got something on your chest, so let’s hear it.”

  For once, Zach didn’t seem worried about the war club propped in the corner. He stared at the Chatelaine angrily. “Gamma’s in a coma. Hannah’s been carried off and you’re acting like it’s business as usual instead of grabbing every gun in this place and storming the Nephilim compound to get her back!”

  “You think I don’t care?” Maddie challenged. “I think the problem is that loss is a new experience for you.”

  The boy refused to back down. He returned her glare. “So you’re saying that once I’ve lost as many people as you have I’ll learn to shrug it off?”

  Maddie enunciated her reply through gritted teeth. “I’m saying that I’ve learned not to bleed until I’m cut. Kid, try to remember. Faye is still alive. She might pull through this. Hannah is still alive too.”

  “You don’t know that for sure!” he cast back fiercely.

  “Yes I do,” she retorted with conviction.

  Zach paused in his tirade, stunned enough to look her in the eye. “How?”

  “From what I’ve observed and what Faye has told me about her, Hannah is a very smart girl.”

  “Yeah, she is,” the tyro agreed, softening.

  “But she’s something a lot more important than smart. She’s determined and resourceful. When she was fourteen, she figured out a way to escape a compound protected by armed guards and razor wire. She’s got a powerful will to live and to live life on her own terms.”

  The boy wasn’t entirely convinced. “But it’s not up to her, is it!” he challenged. “That old weirdo she was married to probably wants her dead.”

  Maddie laughed outright at his statement. “Metcalf? Please. He dotes on her. He’s the last person on earth who wants to see her dead. Trust me on this. She’ll find a way to stay alive.”

  The tyro lapsed into silence.

  The Chatelaine tapped her long fingernails on the desk blotter, considering. “My biggest problem, at the moment, isn’t what to do about Faye or Hannah. It’s what to do about you
.”

  A stunned look crossed the boy’s face. “Me? I didn’t cause this mess.”

  “No, you didn’t.” Maddie cast an appraising look at him. “But you’ve got an overwhelming urge to finish it. And to finish it right now.”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s true,” he admitted.

  “You’re so angry that you’re itching for payback.”

  “Is that so wrong?’

  Maddie smiled. “No, it makes sense given how much they both mean to you. But as it stands now, the only thing you’d accomplish by going off half-cocked is to get yourself killed.”

  Zach jumped out of his chair. “So what am I supposed to do? Sit and twiddle my thumbs while you and the rest of the Arkana bigwigs discuss strategy?”

  Refusing to be offended, the Chatelaine replied smoothly. “Aside from lots of experience with loss, I’ve had even more experience dealing with reckless young hotheads.”

  “Don’t tell me,” he raised his hands in protest. “You’re going to assign me some more filing as penance for going off on you.”

  “Nope. I’m going to give you something to hit.”

  Zach was so surprised by her words that he sank back down into his chair and gawked at her. “Huh?”

  “You’re a little young for this kind of training. I ordinarily don’t approve it til a candidate is at least eighteen but this is a special circumstance. Tomorrow you’ll report to the Security Division. You’ll be taught hand-to-hand combat and how to use weapons.”

  “And what am I supposed to do with all that?” Zach asked helplessly.

  “In the short term, it’ll satisfy your need to pummel somebody and you’ll learn how to do it properly. It will also tire you out enough so that you don’t get into mischief during your downtime. While you’re busy with that, me and the rest of the old fogies will have that strategy session you mentioned earlier. Once we figure out how to handle the situation, we’ll give you what you want most.”

  “And what’s that?”

  Maddie smiled sardonically. “A way to get your girlfriend back.”

  Chapter 39—Arrivals And Departures

  Leroy listened to the click of his boot heels echo down the marble corridor. He hated coming to the compound. The place always gave him the heebie-jeebies. Daniel slouched along at his side. The runt’s shoes didn’t make any noise at all. They’d just returned from overseas and Leroy hadn’t expected to be summoned to a debriefing with the old man. Usually, Daniel handled that part of the operation. The cowboy could sense that something was off but he didn’t know what. They reached the preacher’s office and Daniel knocked. There was no answer. He tried again with the same result.

  Finally, he cracked the door open. “Father?”

  Leroy could see the preacher sitting at his desk staring off into space. The old man had certainly slid downhill since their last meeting. Abe seemed to be shriveling up like a maple leaf ready to fall off the tree—all crinkly and brittle around the edges.

  Daniel entered the office, followed closely by Leroy. He stopped directly in front of the desk. “Father, we’ve returned,” he announced in a louder voice.

  That seemed to snap Metcalf out of his trance. “What?” he barked, looking around the room half-blindly.

  At close range, Leroy could tell that there was something wrong with the old man’s eyes too. They were glazed over and the pupils were so big they looked like black train tunnels in the middle of his face.

  “We’re back,” Daniel repeated. “You wanted to see both of us.”

  Abe blinked several times, trying to bring his eyes back into focus. Staring down his nose at the two of them, he said, “Oh yes. That’s right.” He must have realized he’d been caught napping so he tried to seem dignified and in charge. Standing up, he straightened his tie and commanded them both to sit.

  The visitors dropped into the bucket-bottomed chairs that forced them to look upwards at the preacher—bully pulpit style.

  Metcalf didn’t take a seat himself. He leaned against his desk and eyeballed them critically. “First things first,” he began. “I trust your mission was successful.”

  “Yessir, boss,” Leroy hurried to reassure him. “Got your doodad right here.” He set a metal box on the desk beside the old man.

  Metcalf took a few moments to unpack and examine the artifact. “Some heathen goddess, no doubt,” he murmured, not expecting an answer. He set the statue down. Transferring his attention to Daniel, he asked, “Did you have any trouble?”

  “None,” Daniel answered smoothly.

  Hunt did a double-take. The kid had become a seasoned liar during the time they’d been working together. Daniel wasn’t planning to say diddly about the two thieves or the two bandits who came after. Well, maybe he was right not to. There was no sense in ruffling the old man’s feathers for no reason.

  Without smiling, Metcalf said, “You are both to be congratulated.”

  “We aim to please, boss.” Hunt felt even more certain that something wasn’t right.

  “There have been a few developments since you left,” Metcalf continued. “I chose to wait until your return to inform you.” He shifted his position and fixed the cowboy with a baleful glare. “I’ll begin with the news that your friend Mr. Bowdeen attempted to kill me.”

  “What?” Leroy stared up at him in disbelief.

  Daniel looked from one to the other. “Who’s Mr. Bowdeen?”

  Metcalf waved his hand dismissively. “An acquaintance of Mr. Hunt’s who has been working on several projects for me. Projects which don’t concern you.”

  “When did all this go down?” Hunt was genuinely flummoxed and Metcalf must have realized that he wasn’t faking surprise.

  “Shortly after your departure. He entered my office late at night with a pistol. He would have murdered me if not for Joshua.”

  “Joshua!” Daniel yelped.

  “Yes, your brother had the presence of mind to follow Bowdeen and dispatch him before he could pull the trigger.”

  Leroy let out a low whistle. “If that don’t tear the rag off the bush...”

  “You had no idea Bowdeen was planning to assassinate me?” Metcalf challenged.

  The cowboy was the picture of injured innocence. “Boss, I ain’t seen Chopper for more’n six months. Ain’t talked to him either. If a feller is too dumb to know his own luck, then he gets what he deserves. That’s all I gotta say.”

  The preacher’s eyes narrowed. He studied Hunt in silence for several seconds. Apparently satisfied that the cowboy wasn’t involved, he changed the subject. “To offset that unpleasant business, we’ve had a triumph of sorts. You’ll both be pleased to know that Hannah has been safely returned to the Nephilim.”

  Daniel gulped. “H... H... Hannah is back here?”

  “Indeed.” The old man gave a satisfied smile. “Of course, she remains traumatized by her ordeal in the Fallen World. She won’t speak to anyone. I trust over time, we can undo the damage. She’ll remember where she belongs—and to whom she belongs.”

  Leroy was too stunned to open his mouth for several seconds. He gave a shaky smile. “How’d you manage to get her back, boss?”

  Metcalf scowled at Hunt. “No thanks to you, that’s how. I had my son Joshua search your apartment while you were out of the country. I wanted to see what sort of progress you’d made in tracking her. I must say I’m very disappointed, Mr. Hunt. Joshua found photos indicating you’d been following my wife for quite some time. He took the necessary steps to recover her. Why wasn’t I kept informed of your findings?” He leaned over the cowboy. “Did somebody pay you to keep her whereabouts from me?”

  Leroy felt seriously rattled by this unexpected turn of events. He had to think fast. “You got it all wrong, boss.”

  The preacher folded his arms across his chest. Some of his old arrogance had returned. “Enlighten me,” he demanded.

  “You settled for hookin’ a minnow when I was fixin’ to land you a whale.”

  The analogy
was lost on the old man. “What?”

  “It was like this, Mr. Metcalf. I tracked the gal to where she was hidin’ and what do you think I found? The house she’s stayin’ at is connected to them thieves.”

  “That’s impossible!” Daniel exclaimed. His complexion had gone dead pale. “How could she possibly be involved with them?”

  “You mean the three devils who have been interfering with your artifact search?” Metcalf asked.

  “Yessir. I’m pretty sure little Hannah had no notion what was goin’ on. She was just a lost lamb out in the big bad world who fell in with the wrong crowd. Miss Cassie found her and took her in, near as I can figure out.”

  The preacher rubbed his head, trying to follow Hunt’s narrative. “Who is Miss Cassie?”

  “The deadliest female east of the Pecos to ever pack a bug-zapper, that’s who.”

  Metcalf stared at him blankly.

  “She’s one of the three thieves, father,” Daniel chimed in to clarify. He turned toward Hunt. “You’re saying that Hannah somehow became mixed up with those people?”

  “The little gal couldn’t of known the score. See, she was livin’ in that house with a kindly old lady. I don’t think the granny had any notion who she was workin’ for either. But them three did. I figure they planned to keep Hannah as their ace in the hole in case they ever got into a tight spot with y’all.”

  “Yes, that makes sense.” Metcalf agreed, softening toward Leroy. “So you were trying to set a trap for the entire crew?”

  “I was tryin’ to set a trap for more than them three,” Leroy demurred. “When I was in the middle of trackin’ your little bride, it come to me that somebody was feedin’ me false leads. That somebody had a whole bunch of people on his payroll. I expect this Mr. Big has got himself a set-up the size of yours with pockets just as deep.”

  “I find your story hard to believe.” Daniel peered at his bodyguard intently. “You’re saying the three thieves are taking their orders from some mastermind who heads a secret organization that rivals the Nephilim?”