by Nancy Madore
“There’s no record of it happening before,” Will agreed. “It was probably the language of their fathers. Lilith said the angels taught them how to speak it. Asmodeous could have been reciting a spell to help him resist the power of the ring.”
Nadia wondered. “I had the sense he was speaking to Lilith,” she said. “She seemed to be paying close attention to everything he was saying.”
“Could be,” he replied.
A sense of dread was coming over Nadia and she realized that there was another reason why she’d been looking forward to the debriefing. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was still simmering in the background. Something truly terrible. Not that the D.C. attack wasn’t bad enough. Many of the speculators were claiming that it might have wiped out half the world’s population if it hadn’t been contained when it was. And yet her father had implied that something even worse was in the works. Something that threatened all life on earth. Surely it wasn’t just some environmental issue that he was referring to. How could anyone—even a djinn—justify such a diabolical plot that, in the end, amounted to little more than an act of environmental extremism?
“There are a lot of unanswered questions,” said Will. “I was counting on that debriefing.”
“Me too,” she admitted.
“Then you see why we have to go through his things,” he said. “I know it’s going to be hard on you Nadia, but we all need closure—including you. We’ve got a couple days to put together a list of his contacts for our final report to the Department of Defense and then we’re out of it.”
“You won’t be following up on his contacts?” ask Nadia.
“We’re only contracted to investigate confirmed threats with ties to djinn,” said Will. “Our process is pretty invasive, as you yourself have seen. There has to be clear, imminent danger to justify the measures our department is authorized to take. We’re already on thin ice after what Gordon pulled in going after Asmodeous alone. From this point on, we have to do everything by the book.”
Nadia’s sense of dread was growing stronger. She didn’t want them to close the case. She couldn’t bear for it to end like this. And yet—could she handle what they might discover if the case remained open?
“My father said that things had passed the point of no return,” she said. “There was an urgency about him that I’ve never seen before. I feel like this is bigger than just the D.C. attack.”
“There might have been more to it,” he agreed. “It’s even possible that Lilith is now involved. But without proof ...” he allowed the thought to hang there.
“When did you want to go over there?” Nadia asked.
“Today.”
“Today!” Nadia recoiled. “But…Gordon isn’t even back yet!”
“We don’t need Gordon for this,” said Will. “And we can’t put everything on hold for him.” He shook his head in frustration. “There was no reason for him to stay on after the debriefing. But he took it pretty hard when the ring didn’t work. I’m sure he blames himself. And rightly so. He had no business trying to conjure a djinn all by himself.”
“When is he coming back?” asked Nadia, feeling as if the entire thing was her fault. She was the one that insisted Gordon come alone. Had she secretly hoped that Asmodeous would escape?
“Who knows,” answered Will.
Nadia was thoughtful. “The thing is…my father implied that the real threat was coming from somewhere else,” she said, thinking out loud. “He kept saying he had no choice.”
Will put down his cup of coffee and took Nadia’s face in his hands. He waited for her eyes to meet his before he began speaking. “Are you up for this?” he asked. “Because if we do discover that there’s something more to this, our goal will be to stop whatever Asmodeous had planned. Are you on board with that?”
Nadia just stared at him.
His expression became sympathetic. “I understand that you need to make sense out of all this,” he said in a much gentler tone. “Hell, I would want that too, if it were my father. But don’t forget that Asmodeous is first and foremost a djinn. Their interests conflict with ours.”
Nadia knew this was true but she couldn’t bring herself to say so.
Will kissed her nose. “You know what?” he said—“Let’s not analyze it until there’s something to analyze, okay? We have no idea what Asmodeous was planning, if anything. Let’s take it one step at a time. If we find something, we’ll decide what to do then. Agreed?”
This time Nadia lifted her face to meet his lips. “Agreed,” she said.
“We probably won’t find anything,” he warned her. He seemed to understand how reluctant she was to let it go. “You know,” he began thoughtfully, taking her hand and forcing her to sit next to him on the bed—“You’re not in any way responsible for the actions of your father. No, please don’t look away from me, Nadia. I know what I’m talking about.” He paused, as if what he was about to say was difficult for him. “My own father…he wasn’t exactly what you would call a stand-up guy.” He laughed, as if this were an understatement. “I thought I knew the worst of it until he was arrested. The charges were bad. Horrible really. Too horrible to contemplate.” He winced, as if remembering. “He was killed by one of the other prisoners before the trial.”
Nadia was too stunned to speak. Questions flashed through her mind, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask them.
“The worst part was the not knowing,” he continued. “I spent a lot of my life feeling shame that didn’t belong to me. Feeling…lots of things that didn’t belong to me.” Nadia’s eyes had filled, and he smiled. “You’re a good person, Nadia,” he said. He grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him. “You, are, a, good, person,” he repeated, emphasizing every word.
Nadia forced a smile. “Thank you,” she whispered, gently extricating his fingers from her face and moving away from him as casually as she could manage.
She felt bereft. He was warning her to let go—but she didn’t think she could. She needed answers.
But what if those answers weren’t what she wanted to hear?
At the moment, not having the answers seemed worse. And what’s more, Nadia wasn’t ready to close the door on the only father she’d ever known.
Chapter 2
Fort Greely, Alaska
“You think you’re what?” exclaimed Amanda’s best friend, Catherine. Her green eyes seemed unusually large as she stared at Amanda in surprise. The expression on her face, combined with her pale, flawless skin and shiny-black hair reminded Amanda of a porcelain doll.
“You heard me,” Amanda replied. “I already know how it sounds so you can skip the dramatics. I’m not goofing around here. I really do think I’m being haunted. By a…ghost or something. Either that or I’m going crazy!”
“Oh, well now you’re starting to make sense,” said Catherine. “How long have you felt as if you might be going crazy?”
“Very funny.” Amanda stepped into her friend’s cubical and lowered her voice even more. “It started last night. I thought it was just a bad dream at first, but bad dreams go away.” Her own eyes grew large as saucers. “This hasn’t gone away,” she said, glancing around. “I think it’s following me.”
Catherine’s eyes shifted from one end of her cubical to the other. “Is it following you…now?”
“Yes…well, no, not right this second,” wavered Amanda, wincing at her friend’s expression of disbelief. “I know! I’m the last person you’d expect to say something like this, right?”
Catherine’s eyes narrowed. “I guess so…” she said doubtfully.
“What do you mean, you guess so?” demanded Amanda. “Have I ever mentioned ghosts to you before?”
“Well…no, but…I mean, you can be flaky sometimes.”
“Oh my god!” exclaimed Amanda. “This goes way beyond flaky!” She paused then, looking hurt. “You think I’m flaky?” she asked.
“Uh…”
“You know how I know I’m not c
razy?” Amanda interrupted. “Because I know how crazy this sounds. It’s insane. I don’t even believe in ghosts but I am telling you…something is stalking me. I feel it. It’s been practically breathing down my neck all day. And I saw it!”
“What did you see?” asked Catherine, still skeptical.
“It was just for a second,” said Amanda. “And it was only a reflection, but it looked like some kind of...half person, half wolf.” Catherine gave her that look that said, ‘Okay, I’m ready for the punch line now,’ and Amanda groaned. “I know,” she sighed. “It sounds crazy.”
“I thought you were seeing Tommy last night,” said Catherine. “Wait…could he be your wolf?”
Amanda would have normally found this funny, which just went to show how upset she was. “No, it wasn’t Tommy,” she said.
“He stood you up again?” Catherine asked sympathetically.
“No!” snapped Amanda. “He just…left early.”
“Oh,” said Catherine, nodding with understanding. “A booty call.”
Amanda suddenly became angry. “I am so sick of everyone always judging me!” she cried.
Catherine was immediately contrite. “Honey!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t mean anything by it! You say stuff like that all the time.”
“Well…when I say it I’m joking,” Amanda countered irritably.
“I was joking!” said Catherine defensively, “…sort of.” She made puppy eyes at Amanda until she smiled. It was more of a grimace, really, but it was better than nothing. “I know what’ll make you feel better,” said Catherine. “Let’s harass Flo tonight!”
“I don’t know…” said Amanda, but she cheered a little at the thought. “I hardly slept a wink last night.”
“Forget about last night,” said Catherine. “It was a bad dream, that’s all.”
Amanda thought about the image she saw in the window and shuddered. “Maybe you’re right,” she said, getting up.
“I’ll see you after work,” said Catherine. “And leave the ghost behind!”
Chapter 3
Long Island, New York
The closer they got to her father’s house, the more apprehensive Nadia became. How could she return to the scene of that last, horrific confrontation with her father? Though she’d been a willing enough participant in what occurred, it was only because she never really believed any of it was real. Looking back, it was almost as if she had been sleepwalking.
Images of the bloody struggle as Asmodeous was literally torn from Edward’s body kept flashing through her mind, shattering the last of her fortitude. By the time they pulled into the driveway, she’d decided not to go through with it.
Yet she couldn’t seem to speak. She just sat there as Will got out of the car, walked over to the passenger side, and opened her door. Numbly, she stepped out into the bright autumn sun. The sky seemed unusually blue and she couldn’t help thinking that, if not for the kidnapping, she and her father would have been enjoying the outdoors today.
How about a walk on the beach? The bittersweet pleasure she’d felt when first encountering her father in her dream that morning was still with her.
“Well, well!” exclaimed a familiar voice, “if it isn’t our own little super sleuth, Nancy Drew!” Nadia’s flagging spirits were instantly lifted by the sight of Clive walking toward them. “Girl, you clean up nice!” he declared with a low whistle.
Nadia found herself smiling.
“How are you?” he asked, growing serious.
“I’m here,” she replied in a shaky voice.
“You don’t have to be, you know,” he told her.
“I do, actually,” she told him.
“There’s the feisty little vixen who gave us what for!” he said approvingly, and before Nadia could respond, he snatched up her hand in his. His grip was warm and strong, with long, slender fingers that held her fast. He glanced at Will, who took her other hand.
“We’re gonna do this together,” Clive told her.
Nadia was touched. She marveled again over how important these men had become to her in the short time she’d known them. She blinked away the annoying tears and sniffed. She would get through this.
Clive squeezed her hand as Will slipped the key into the door of her father’s house. They released her as she stepped inside. She tried not to look at all the little evidences of what had happened there, but they were everywhere. The furniture was disheveled, and there were deep cracks in the walls—some that ran from the ceiling to the floor. Two of the windows had been boarded up where the glass had shattered. And yet, it wasn’t as bad as Nadia thought it would be. At the time, it felt like the house was being completely ripped apart.
“What, exactly, are we looking for?” she asked.
“Nothing in particular,” said Will. “We’re just going to see what we find, if anything.”
“We’ll start with his computer,” said Clive, who had already located it sitting on a small desk in a corner of the living room.
“Did none of the other leads pan out?” asked Nadia. “What about the virus?”
“We only got as far as the company manufacturing the vibrators the syringes were hidden in,” said Will. “From there we reached a dead end.”
“The syringes had been placed inside the vibrators by one of the workers on their assembly line,” explained Clive. “He up and quit the same day the infected vibrators were shipped. No one’s heard from him since. A quick investigation revealed that he was hired three months ago, using a stolen identity. We have no idea who this guy is or where he came from. There are videos in the plant, but he was really careful to avoid them. He wore sweats and ball caps, and kept to himself. We have very little to go on. Literally, all we have on this guy is a urine sample he submitted for a drug test.”
“Can they identify him from that?” Nadia asked.
“Technically, no,” said Will.
“Not unless he had some kind of health issue, like a bladder infection or kidney stones…something that might carry his DNA,” added Clive.
“It’s a long shot, but it’s all we have at the moment,” said Will.
“So you think this guy brought the virus in all by himself?” Nadia asked.
“Into the plant, yes,” said Will. “They’re putting the manufacturer under a microscope, but…we’re pretty sure he was working alone.”
“What about the syringes and packaging materials?” continued Nadia. “Can’t they be traced? I’ve heard of forensics tracing duct tape back to the store that sold it.”
Clive gave a little laugh. “Yeah, and if this was an episode of CSI it would be that simple,” he said.
“And anyway, the syringes were packaged without tape,” said Will. “They were the kind they hand out to addicts, with the needle sealed in a plastic lid. Each syringe was individually stored in an ordinary zip-lock sandwich bag, if you can believe it.” He shook his head in amazement. “When you think about it, it’s a miracle we were able to contain this thing.”
“At the moment, everyone’s more concerned with finding an antidote,” said Clive. “In case the virus resurfaces. That’s how few leads we have.”
As they spoke, Clive had begun flipping through screens on her father’s computer. “Hmph,” he remarked at one point. “It looks like he used the ‘remember me’ button for most of the sites he visited on this computer.”
“Is that good?” asked Nadia.
“It could be,” said Clive. “It means we’re automatically signed into those accounts. But unfortunately, it also means he wasn’t trying to keep anybody out.”
“So you think those accounts won’t have the contacts you’re looking for,” concluded Nadia.
“Probably not,” agreed Clive. “Although it’s possible that he was so sure of himself that he never figured anyone would be checking his computer.”
“It’s also possible that he never used this computer for any covert activities,” said Will. “Many terrorists operate from public computers in lib
raries, cafes or schools, setting up private email addresses that nobody knows about to ensure they’re untraceable.” This was the first time Will referred to her father as a terrorist and it brought Nadia up short.
“I just wish that turd Gordon was here,” said Clive. “He’s so much better at this.”
“Yeah,” agreed Will. “It doesn’t make any sense, his staying on like that.”
“I don’t blame him,” said Clive. “He wanted to be at that determination hearing yesterday afternoon.”
“I guess,” said Will. “Did it seem like he was acting weird to you?”
“As opposed to what?” asked Clive. “This is Gordon we’re talking about. She’s always been emotional, you know that. And she went and got herself in some real deep shit this time.”
“I feel like this is my fault,” said Nadia.
“As you should,” said Clive agreeably.
Nadia gave him a look, but he was too absorbed in what he was doing to notice. “I’m sure teasing him about his name and calling him ‘she’ has nothing to do with it,” she replied tartly.
“Somebody’s got to make a man out of her,” Clive replied.
“What about the cells who were sent to L.A.?” Nadia asked. “Did anything happen at that seminar?”
“Nothing,” said Will. “We replaced the instructors, if you’ll recall, but we’d already captured Asmodeous by then.”
“None of the cells knew anything?” she asked, incredulous.
“That’s the way it is,” said Will. “They say ‘jump’ and these cells ask, ‘how high?’ Half the time they have no idea what they’re jumping into.”
“What about the cell you guys planted?” Nadia asked.
“She confirmed that everyone seemed to be waiting for something to happen,” said Will. “When nothing did…” he shrugged.
“If anyone tries to make contact she’ll let us know,” said Clive.