by Karen Diem
Please don’t picture him naked. Andy fidgeted, breaking his stance. He rubbed his hands on the sides of his legs. “I maybe picked up someone’s fridge with a couple fingers. Her weights don’t go high enough to make me sweat.”
Wyn doesn’t own real weights, just the tiny three-pound ankle belts. The only other place he would’ve felt safe trying that would be… Hurt, Zita rounded on him. “You picked up my fridge and didn’t mention it? I’m your friend and coach. You’re supposed to tell your coach these things… plus, I need to sweep under there.”
He flushed. “Coins fell from my pocket and rolled under there.”
She sniffed. “You still could have told me. I’d have made sure you didn’t miss any.”
Andy rolled his eyes. “They were quarters. No way was I going to leave them there until you finished working out.” I need to stop talking. Messing with my voice like this will give me a sore throat if I do it too long.
The tension left Jerome, and a laugh boomed out. “OK, you got me beat.” He scratched his head and sat down again in his chair, turning sideways to see them. His feet reappeared on top of his desk, and he typed on the keyboard, not even paying attention to the screen where data zoomed by, too fast for her to read. “Somebody upstairs likes you, man. We’re cool. I’m in. Bonus round, I’ve decided how you can pay me. I’m waiving my usual fees in exchange for a favor.” White teeth flashed, and a hint of the clever teenager they had known peeked out in the mischief of that smile.
Wyn stiffened, and her voice dripped with ice. “That depends on what the favor is.” Tension drew her form tight, and she crossed her arms over her chest.
Zita set her hand on her friend’s shoulder, careful to keep her touch gentle. You okay or did some bad history just slap you upside the memory? Whatever happened before, we got your back this time. Jerome’s never hurt you, right?
Right, but when someone asks for a favor, it’s never anything you want to do, Wyn replied.
Although he remained silent, Andy stepped between Wyn and the other man. We’re here for you.
Jerome’s teeth flashed again. “Oh, you can afford it. I’m going with you. Why just be the man with the computer when I can be a better dressed and more dashing Indiana Jones?”
Silvery hair shone as Wyn shook her head. “That’s unwise.” Her mental voice was curt, but the stiffness melted from her shoulders. I’m fine. Don’t pry.
Jerome tapped his sword. “It’s a great idea. As I recall from the prison break, there’s a lot more of the bad guys than of you. I owe a couple of those assholes a punch. I can find what you need and take care of myself.” He polished his fingernails on his chest and examined them. “Also, I’m really bored.”
Zita answered Wyn mentally. Even if rummaging through heads were in my skill set, I wouldn’t pry into minds. I assume people think stupid stuff most of the time like I do, and I can come up with my own garbage. If you want to talk later, I’ll eat ice cream, nod, and sound outraged like you told me to do last time. Skydiving would take your mind off things better though.
Yes, that would distract me, but mental paralyzation due to fear is not an acceptable replacement for ice cream. The hard edges gone, Wyn’s voice murmured assent. “Simplicity is best.”
Jerome had a familiar mulish gleam in his eyes. He spoke. “Yes, well, you have a deadline, and I have what you need.”
With a mental flashback to hours-long arguments between her brothers, Zita sighed. Let’s cut this short before daylight comes so I can teleport Wyn back to her conference before the crappy hotel computer link cuts out and ends the video call or something. We don’t need to tell him about party line, and an extra body wouldn’t hurt. “We may as well agree. If nothing else, he can’t turn us in without incriminating himself that way. If he’s got practice slinking around taking dirty pictures for divorces, he might be better at sneaking around than the rest of us.” Or at least you two. “Though if we have to have him tagging along, he needs to find out a couple other things, too.”
Wyn nibbled her bottom lip. “True, but…”
Jerome snorted. “Tagging along? You all are blessed to have me given that I can take and give punches better than most. Also, I haven’t photographed other people doing the nasty since my days as the best-dressed PI apprentice ever. I’m choosy about what jobs I accept.”
If he’s that discriminating, he wouldn’t attempt to accompany us. Why are you arguing on his behalf? Wyn pressed her lips together.
“That explains the boredom. Too picky,” Zita said. “He’ll just nag until we give in anyway, guys.”
The man healed after getting hit by lightning and being shot in the chest with plasma. It couldn’t hurt to have him between you and danger, Andy pointed out.
Narrowing his eyes at Zita, Jerome continued, “I don’t nag. It’s more of a bargaining thing. What else did you want?”
Zita made one more attempt at soothing Wyn. We don’t have to say more than we already have. It’ll make logistics more complicated, especially for Andy, but we need the information. Nodding with a firmness she hoped to feel later, she forced cheer into her voice. “I’m betting you nag like a diva. The second job is to identify the kid whose fingerprints are on this wrapper and locate his family. He’s an American teenage boy, the one creating portals for Zeus.” She pulled out the trash, now sealed in a plastic baggie. “The last item is to find is an escaped prisoner, Sobek. His actual name is Tracy Jones. He was kidnapping and shipping people with powers before. His men made a play to grab you when I was here last time. It’d be good to know where he is before he gets up to that again.”
Jerome’s eyes gleamed. “Done and done. It’s settled then.”
After a moment, Wyn and Andy nodded.
“Now we’ve got that squared away, give me what you have,” Jerome said.
Wyn set the paper on the desk with all the details they’d managed to glean from the Internet. “We’re interested in two applications that went to this foundation in the past few years and probably got turned down. Halja’s real name, Tiffany, will link to the committee somehow. One application will be for a Grecian temple, perhaps the Necromanteion, and likely references the Key of Hades. The second application is the more important one, and the primary artifact sought is a green gem. It’s in a jungle temple, possibly a ziggurat, probably in Central or South America.”
Jerome glanced at the paper. “You have anything else?”
“If a professor associated with an application is missing, that’s probably the right one. Our tip mentioned they were going to kidnap one to assist,” Zita offered.
The detective tapped his desk. “You never have much to go on, but at least you’ve got a full name and correct business name this time. Give me an hour for the grant application searches, then, the scope is pretty broad, even if it’s limited to one organization. The fingerprints I’ll get to you later since I have to dig up my old kit. For Sobek, I’ll have to check further, depending on how stupid he’s been while hiding. Help yourself to something in the fridge and make yourselves comfortable.”
Zita nodded. “I could do with a snack.”
“That’s a surprise,” Wyn murmured. She headed toward the door.
Andy frowned. “How can you do that in an hour?”
With a sniff, Jerome settled the keyboard on his lap. “I’m that good. Are you forgetting who created the top three Internet search algorithms out there? I’ll have the computer sitting up and begging for Snausages if that’s what I want it to do. Now, you go wait in the living room. I need private time with my main baby here to get the work going.” He stroked the monitor. Screens whirled.
With a shudder, Zita escaped to the kitchen. The way he touches that machine is so not right.
***
It took less than an hour for Jerome to come back. He offered them a sheet of paper. “Got your gem. Still narrowing down the other one and running searches on Sobek.”
“Brazil?” Wyn said, dismay in her tone.
&
nbsp; Andy grunted.
A huge grin broke on Zita’s face. “Brazil! Whereabouts?” I hope it’s somewhere I’ve never been, she thought, some place with steep bluffs or cave diving or something awesome. Wouldn’t it be sweet if we had to climb a sheer cliff, dive off the top of the other side, then find the temple underwater in a cave?
Coiling a strand of hair around her finger, Wyn scanned the information. “This doesn’t have any specific location listed other than Brazil. Well, I suppose Rio de Janeiro wouldn’t be too bad. Perhaps we’ll find this Heart of Canaiwari there.” Concentrate, Zita. While your idea sounds terrible, I wouldn’t mind a trip to the beach with a nice book.
Jerome coughed. “I may have redacted that to ensure you keep up your end of the bargain.”
Setting down the fancy organic beef jerky she’d been snacking on, Zita said, “Oye, Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and has a ton of microclimates. How can we prepare for the trip without more information?”
Jerome grumbled and gestured for her to follow him.
The trio trailed after him. Once in his office, he turned back to his computer. His hands brushed over the keyboard. The screen in front of him, mostly hidden by his broad shoulders, flashed and changed to a map.
Zita stepped to the side to see better.
Jerome zoomed out until Zita could make out a few of the words, and then he turned to face her friends again. Behind him, the monitor went dark. “Fine, it’s northern Brazil.”
“That doesn’t narrow down the climate too much, but it’s definitely not Rio. Sorry, Muse,” Zita said, her eyes flicking to Andy and back again. “I guess it’s somewhere in the states of Amazonas, Roraima, or Pará from what I saw, so it could be a tropical, highland, or mountainous.”
Andy stared at the floor as if willing it to disintegrate.
“Well, if you were counting on me to get us there, I can’t arrange a flight for tonight. How will we get through security without removing masks? Speaking of which, I’ve got to find a Halloween mask somewhere before we leave, so tomorrow is the earliest I can go. Cops don’t like a big, beautiful brother like me wearing a ski mask, even if my fashion sense is impeccable,” Jerome said.
Wyn coughed and coiled another lock of hair around her finger. “Can we have a moment to discuss timelines for the trip?”
The big man shrugged and put his feet up on the desk. “Sure,” Jerome said. “I’ll go check on the other searches.”
“Thanks,” Wyn called out to him. Releasing her hair, she touched Andy and Zita’s shoulders, urging them into the living room.
Andy and Zita exchanged glances and followed her.
As soon as they were alone, Wyn whirled and whispered. “What do you two think? I can’t leave for long. I need to stay near my aunt so I can keep her as healthy as possible and prevent her Alzheimer’s from advancing. Additionally, I’ve got the conference and a meeting with my lawyer over that lawsuit. The office will need more than a moment’s notice, and it wouldn’t hurt to get background information on this Heart of Canaiwari gem. I don’t think I can do it in less than three or four weeks.” She collapsed onto one of the leather sofas and massaged her forehead.
“Let’s just get it over with and go tonight,” Andy said, his arms wrapped around himself. “There and done.”
Zita thought it through, pacing from one side of the room to the other. Her words came slowly. “As much as I usually would be all over a spontaneous Brazil trip, we need to arrange some details first, so our regular lives don’t suffer. On the plus side, they can’t go after the temple too fast.”
Andy barked out a short, harsh laugh. “What lives?”
Zita shrugged and continued to circle the room. “True enough for me. With Sobek loose, everyone wants me to hide until he’s caught, especially since he stopped by my work to check for me the other day.”
Lifting his head, Andy blinked, concern replacing his sullen expression. “Compulsive much?”
Zita kept walking. “I know, right? My boss called about it yesterday. She was already freaked about me being in quarantine before, but now I’m forbidden to come back until Sobek’s in jail again. On the bright side, I got permission to do training classes remotely, so I’ve been cramming those in to get as many paid hours as possible before she finds a legal excuse to fire me. Quentin will stay with Mamá to keep her safe and because the prosecutors want him out of easy reach. With Jen Stone loca and missing, he’s their star witness. It’s been suggested I do the same—Miguel ordered me to do so, in fact.”
“It’s as if he doesn’t know you,” Andy said.
Wyn nodded. “Is he attempting to get you to camp out on Sobek’s front doorstep?”
Zita grinned and vaulted over the back of a sofa, landing on the seat next to Wyn. She bumped her friend with her shoulder. “I know, right? So, I can go anytime.”
Andy shoved his hands into his pockets. Something ripped, and his face darkened. “The university’s decided to cut costs by having a graduate student handle the labs instead of a postdoc, so I’ve been jobless awhile, other than working for Dad.”
Wyn gasped, fingers rising to her lips. “Oh, no. Are you serious?”
“Those pendejos,” Zita said, more to support him than anything. Praise Dios that he’s finally telling her.
He nodded. “Guess I’ve got the time, other than Dad wanting me to turn to HVAC full time. I told him I’m looking for a physics position, but… the odds are horrible.”
“Major suckage, mano. You’ll find something, though.” Unable to sit still any longer, Zita hopped up and punched his arm. “If you need me, I got your back.”
Eyes welling with sympathy, Wyn rose and hugged Andy, then stretched out an arm to include Zita. “I’ll help with your resume if you want,” she offered. “With both your resumes.”
He shrugged, pulling free. “Whatever. Not a lot of physics posts out there, so I guess I’m stuck with HVAC and my website money.”
Wyn took the hint and let her arms drop. “You have a site?”
Color rose in Andy’s cheeks. “I maintain a special-interest site and receive a small stipend from fans. It’s not enough to live on, but it helps.”
This is the man who can’t handle any innocent nudity? You think you know a person, then something like this comes out. Zita brightened and bounced. “So, you run a porn site too? If you want, I can recommend it to Quentin. He knows tons of sex shops you could advertise at.”
Andy choked, and red rose in his face. “What? No, I don’t have a porn site.”
At least he’s showing more animation than he has in a while. “Qué lástima. I hear those are profitable.”
Fingers covered her mouth as Wyn tried to suppress her giggles and failed. “So, what is the site?”
“It’s a physics site, where I post the latest Farnswaggle research and news. Geez.”
Zita shrugged. “Just keeping it real. I forgot the fansite you mentioned before was that profitable, so I said what we were both thinking. That makes more sense than you getting naughty for a webcam, though.”
Wyn looked away, roses blooming in her cheeks, but made no correction.
Andy scrubbed a hand over his forehead. “Wow. So not happening. The only thing naked on my site is the physics. It’s been more popular lately since some of his theories explain people having powers and how they work.” He paused. “Even if I personally know some of those theories seem to be true, I can’t ever present any proof of it.”
Zita sifted through his statements and pulled out the part she understood. “Well, I’m glad your web stuff does well. Now, back to the gem. If they’re going after it soon, we should stop them. Nobody needs Tiffany pulling another stunt like she tried in New York. Andy, are you in? Wyn, I understand if you can’t go. Do you want to check in on us mentally and do research while we’re gone?”
After clearing her throat, Wyn announced, “I’m going. I don’t know how we’ll arrange things, but you aren’t be leaving me behind.”
“We don’t even know where or for how long yet,” Zita said.
Wyn narrowed her eyes at Zita. “I’m going. Neither one of you can see magic, and I’m also the best educated if the gem is in a temple. In the books, it’s almost always part of a giant booby-trapped statue. I have the most chance of being able to recognize it and disarm any curse.”
“It’s going to be risky. Since you won’t use your magic to fight, wouldn’t it be better if you stayed safe and helped us from there?” Zita gave it a try. Beside her, Andy nodded.
“While my faith won’t permit me to abuse magic to harm another, you will still require my assistance with any magical challenges. I accept this will be dangerous, but I have faith that between the Goddess and you two, I will come through it unscathed.” Wyn folded her hands in her lap and gave them a serene smile daring them to continue that line of questioning.
Even recognizing that expression meant her cause was hopeless, Zita played her best card. “What about your aunt?”
Her friend exhaled. “I’ll have to cast the healing spell on her right before we go, and limit the trip in length, or at least my part in it. I’ll see what vacation time I have stored up.”
Andy sighed. “Fine. Let’s go tonight then. Get it over with and get back.”
Wyn seemed distressed. “We can’t. I have to see my aunt, find a catsitter, handle the lawyer meeting, and arrange things at work…”
“Even if I’m half-packed already, we can wait a few days. If Tiffany’s driving this, she just got magic napalm burns and will need time to heal. They might not get around to leaving for months, so if we need to wait for Wyn to get things in order, I think we can.”
Andy growled in protest.
Zita grabbed his arm and pulled him aside, holding up a finger to Wyn to give them a moment.
The other woman nodded and dug through her purse.
Turning back to Andy, Zita whispered, “Dude, it’s me. Trust me, I’d rather go right away too, but our schedules are more flexible than Wyn’s, and she has a point.” She went for his weak spot. “If there’s magicky witch stuff, do you want to deal with it without Wyn there?”