by AE Jones
“Captain Morrison never talked to me about angels, and I haven’t had to cover up for them in past cases.”
“Normally, angels stay out of the limelight. When they do get involved, that means it’s pretty damn serious.”
“And all because of this artifact this box protects?”
“Yes.”
Dalton held his hand out to Jean Luc. “May I see it?”
Jean Luc hesitated, but after a few moments, he placed the box in Dalton’s hand. I don’t know what I expected, but the box didn’t change in any way, and Dalton didn’t stand up and scream, “I remember!” So I let out the breath I’d been holding and took a sip of my coffee.
“Do you think the demon stole the other box to try and figure out where this artifact is?”
“That seems to make the most sense,” I responded.
“And the tablet?”
Jean Luc spoke up. “It could be a description of the artifact. It may be connected to the boxes.”
“Does this artifact have a name?”
I swallowed hard before answering. “The Key of Knowledge.”
“And you never found this Key?”
I stared at him, praying my face showed no emotion. “No.”
Dalton turned the box over. “Sounds pretty cryptic to me. Looks pretty cryptic, too.”
“Last year, we almost had a supernatural war over it, so it’s very real.” I picked up the photos from the table. “We need to find these artifacts and get them back.”
“When I was saying goodbye to Director Hamilton,” Misha added, “I asked her to send the .jpeg files to me so I can blow them up and we can get a closer, more detailed look.”
“When—”
Misha interrupted me. “You’d run out of her office by then.”
Dalton set the box on the table. “You’re pretty easy to read, McKinley. You might want to practice your poker face a little bit more.”
I bit back my retort and looked down at the box sitting on the table. If that were the case, the ugly truth would already be out there for all to see.
* * *
Now that I was sure the Key was part of this case, I had a few missions to accomplish. First, I drove to John Carroll University. We needed more information about the Key, and Father Brown was my best source. I dialed Father Brown’s office and was told he was hearing confessions at Gesu Church. Somehow I always ended up meeting the good Father in the confessional. The irony was not lost on me.
I sat in the back pew of the church, waiting for the confessional door to open. After a few minutes, an elderly lady came out of the room and bobbed her head at me before she knelt in the pew across the aisle and began to pray.
I slipped into the confessional and closed the door. The room still looked the same. Two chairs and a small table with a Bible were all that could fit in the tiny space. Father Brown stood up as soon as he saw me, tall and lean and reminding me of Jimmy Stewart. Not the frazzled Jimmy Steward in Rear Window, but the Jimmy Stewart at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life, when he got his family back.
“Hi, Father.”
“Kyle! It’s been a while.”
“Did you have a good sabbatical?”
He gestured to the chair on the other side of the table. “I did. I arrived back last night, in fact. But somehow I don’t think you’re here to talk about my trip to Greece. What’s wrong?”
I pulled out the photo of the box from the museum and handed it to him.
He nodded. “You showed me this picture last year.”
I shook my head. “This isn’t the same box.”
His eyes narrowed on the picture. “Do you have the other picture from last year so I can compare them?”
I pulled the small box from my pocket. “I thought it might help if you could compare it to the real deal.”
His eyes widened as he held out his hand, which was shaking slightly. I set the box on his open palm, and he ran his fingers over the carvings reverently. I didn’t say anything while he examined it. After a few moments, he seemed to come out of his musings and set it on the table by the picture. “You’re right, the carvings are similar, but not exactly the same.”
“Can you interpret it?”
“Most are wards against evil.”
“Why do you think there’s another box, Father? Is it some sort of backup?”
Father Brown stared at the picture again. “I don’t know. Do you think the Key moves from box to box?”
“Maybe there are extra boxes, so if the person who’s absorbed the Key is killed, it goes into one of these receptacles and the next Key is chosen?”
“Possibly.” Father frowned. “But if that were the case, and if it held the same Key each time, wouldn’t the wards look the same?”
I rubbed my hand over my face. “Do you think there could be more than one Key of Knowledge?”
His eyebrows drew together. “The prophecy reads as if there is only one path for Knowledge.”
“So then what’s the other box for?”
Father locked his gaze on me. “Maybe there are other types of Keys?”
“Holy crap.” I cringed. “Sorry, Father.”
He smiled. “No apologies necessary. What I just said was a ‘holy crap’ in the making.”
“Have you been able to interpret any more of the prophecy?”
Father Brown pulled out the small book of scriptures he always carried. He extracted a folded paper from the book and opened it, flattening it on the small table next to me. The folds in the paper were worn, as if he opened it constantly. Maybe he did.
At the top of the sheet the prophecy was written in a language no one except Father Brown had been able to interpret. At the bottom of the page was what he had translated so far. I gazed up at him, and he began reciting it without looking at the paper.
“‘Evil thrives among us
Angels descend, preparing for battle,
Key of Knowledge in hand
With it the tides turn
And light will triumph.
“‘The war will be long
And fraught with treachery
Lives will be lost
And the Key will change hands
Only the true keeper will
Save us from annihilation.’”
“You memorized it?” I asked.
“I had to memorize the mass in Latin, Kyle. Learning two stanzas of the prophecy wasn’t difficult.”
“What about the third stanza?”
“Nothing yet. Now that I’m home, maybe more will come to me.”
I held the tattered page and stared at it until the characters blurred. I had hoped maybe the Key would clue me into something—anything—that might help us. But as usual, when I needed the rolodex to start spinning in my brain, it was quiet.
“I can’t read it either.”
He blinked at me. “Why would you be able to read it?”
“I…ah…”
“Kyle. What haven’t you told me?” And he gave me The Priest Stare, the one that made most people fall all over themselves to confess each and every one of their sins. Good thing I hadn’t been raised Catholic.
I sighed at my stupid slip-up. Father Brown knew the Key had possessed Dalton, but I’d never told him it had transferred to me. He took the paper from me and grasped my hands.
Looking up into his Jimmy Stewart-esque face, I blurted, “I have the Key in me now.” So much for not crumbling under The Stare. Maybe I could blame the ambiance. I was in a confessional, after all.
He jerked back as if I’d smacked him. “You have the Key in you? How does it feel?”
I shrugged. “I don’t feel much different, if that’s what you mean. Except when my brain goes haywire when the Key tries to tell me something.”
“And what does it tell you?”
“Not much, really. I see names periodically, and I can read Latin now.”
“And how are you faring with this additional responsibility?”
Leave it to him to go
right for the hard questions. “I’m okay with it. I just wish I understood what it was trying to tell me. I don’t seem to be hardwired to receive the messages the right way.”
To stop him from asking any more questions about how I was doing, I pulled the second photo from the envelope I’d brought with me and handed it to him. Misha had blown the picture up so the writing was easier to see. Jean Luc had said the writing was in the same language as the original prophecy, so I wasn’t surprised when Father looked at it and gasped.
“Is it the prophecy?” I asked.
“The beginning looks the same, but there are some different symbols here. This may help me finish translating the prophecy.”
“Sorry to throw more work at you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Kyle. I’m happy to help. May I keep this photo?”
“Yes. And Father, remember, you can’t tell anyone about this. You aren’t supposed to remember anything.”
“Absolutely. I’ll call when I have more translated for you.”
I thanked him, picked up the box, and left the confessional. The old woman from before was still praying, and when I didn’t kneel, she pursed her lips at me.
I’m not sure if she thought I was shirking my penance duties or if she was jealous because I didn’t have to say a gazillion Hail Marys. Either way, I didn’t feel any lighter as I left the church and headed out into the rain.
Chapter 15
My next mission was to check on Doc at the lab. She’d been spending a lot more time there lately. Sabrina had always been dedicated—she was a doctor, after all—but now she was bordering on obsessed. Was it because Jason had shut her out?
She’d scolded me plenty of times about not drowning in self-pity. Maybe I needed to give her the same speech. I found her in the lab scrubbing the exam tables.
“What are you doing, Sabrina?”
She stopped. “Isn’t it obvious? Is something wrong?”
“No, I’m avoiding the office. Now don’t you avoid my question.”
She started cleaning again. “I answered your question.”
“So we’re going to be literal girl today, huh? Fine. We can play it your way. Why are you spending so much time at work?”
“I’m not spending too much time at work.”
“Call him.” I held up my hand when she opened her mouth. “Before you pretend to be obtuse, I’m referring to Jason. Call him.”
“Obtuse? Is that your word for the day?”
“Maybe. Is yours bitchy?”
Her mouth tightened. “He doesn’t want to talk to me.”
“It’s been long enough, Sabrina. Call him and don’t take no for an answer. You didn’t even know about his shifter side. He can’t blame you for keeping secrets. And he needs someone in his corner.”
“I’ve tried to get him to talk to me, but he won’t listen.”
“Then make him listen. With all due respect, you’re older than the hills. I think you can get a thirty-something male to listen to you.”
Sabrina’s mouth quirked. “I am older than Methuselah. I can try again.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“And what about you?” Sabrina asked, wiping the table again.
“What about me?”
“Please don’t make me use your word of the day. How are you doing?”
I decided to go with the truth. “Dalton’s a control freak, and I’m having a hard time coming to grips with pretty much everything right now.”
“How’s Griffin doing with all of this?”
“He’s being very supportive.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“Of course.”
Sabrina stopped cleaning and leaned her hip against the table. “But?”
“But everything feels wrong right now. And he can tell because of his damn shifter senses. It isn’t him. It’s me. And I know it sounds lame coming out of my mouth, but it’s true.”
“Not to repeat the advice you gave me, but you should talk to Griffin about it.”
“What do I tell him? My previous boyfriend is back in my life and I’m mourning what could have been. That’s not fair to him.”
“Griffin is a big boy. He’ll tell you what’s fair and not fair. Don’t shut down again, Kyle.”
“I’m not going to shut down again. Wasn’t I just warm and fuzzy with you?”
“You called me bitchy.”
“That’s what tough love is all about.”
She glared at me.
“Fine. I’ll talk to him if you get the hell out of here and find Jason.”
Doc peeled off her gloves and threw them in the biohazard bin. “Deal.”
“I’d shake on it, but first you have to wash up.”
* * *
I was going to be an adult. I’d left the office earlier so I wouldn’t skewer Dalton, but now I was in a better frame of mind. I decided to go back, and if he was still there, I wouldn’t let my emotions get the better of me. While I was being an adult, I called Griffin to talk, but got his voicemail, so I left him a message that I wanted to see him. One item crossed off on my adult check list.
My I-can-handle-this-mantra repeating resoundingly in my head, I took a deep breath and walked into the office with a confident bounce to my step.
Misha and Jean Luc were sitting at the table, and Talia was busy in the kitchenette. All three studied me, concern etched across their faces.
“Is Dalton here?”
“No, ma petite, he left right after you did.”
I let out my breath in relief. Maybe I wasn’t as confident as I thought.
Talia set two mugs on the table for me and Misha. “Coffee for you two. French roast.”
I looked at Misha, who in turn looked at the mugs like they were going to explode. We had been down the coffee-as-sludge road with Jean Luc many times before.
When she saw our hesitation, Talia laughed. “No worries, unlike Jean Luc, I make good coffee.”
“Excusez-moi? I know how to make coffee.”
Talia wrinkled her nose. “Your coffee smells like something that could raise the dead, Jean Luc. I can’t even imagine what it tastes like.”
Jean Luc sputtered in an adorable French kind of way. “I do not make bad coffee. I have never had any complaints.” He glared at Misha, who suddenly became very engrossed in his computer. Then Jean Luc’s gaze swung to me.
“Ah. Well…your coffee is a little strong.”
Misha snickered.
I glared at him. “Help me out here, you chicken-shit demon.”
“I’m sorry, my friend, but your coffee is abominable.”
I nodded my agreement.
“Mon Dieu! Why have you not said anything before?”
Talia walked over to Jean Luc and ran a soothing hand down his arm. “Because they love you and didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “And yet you have been on the team for two weeks and felt the need to announce it?”
“I would have done it sooner, but it took me a while to figure out.” Talia turned to me as if to change the subject before Jean Luc could sputter again. “How are you doing with everything, Kyle?”
“I’m okay. This Key business has me a bit freaked out. I’m worried it might trigger Dalton’s memories.”
“We cannot hide everything from him,” Jean Luc replied. “Maybe he is here for a reason, like Running Wolf said.”
“Running Wolf?” Talia asked.
Jean Luc squeezed my shoulder and then sat next to Talia.
I bit my lip and heard Doc’s voice in my head telling me to get on with it. “When I realized I had absorbed the Key,” I told Talia, “it directed me to a man named Running Wolf, who is kind of a spiritual welcome wagon. He told me the names the Key shares with me are people who have done or will do something important. The problem is, I have no clue what to do with the names once I receive them.
“But the real kicker was when he told me I wasn’t the one he had been ex
pecting. He had been given visions of a man with turquoise eyes.”
“Dalton,” Talia whispered.
“Right. Even though my brain has all the info from the Key, I apparently don’t have the actual power, which is probably why I short-circuit when it tries to tell me something. We don’t know if the power’s been lost, or if Dalton still has it locked inside him.”
Talia grimaced. “God, this is…”
“A disaster in the making?” I supplied.
Misha came around the table and hugged me to him. “You can’t think that way, little one. We’ll figure this out. You’re not alone.”
“I know, big guy. It helps to have you three here backing me up.” I pointed to the table and the running laptops. “Have we learned anything new about the case?”
Misha sat again and started typing. “My father said the elders of our clan might have some information for us about the demon clans who don’t live on earth.”
“Oh, good,” I said.
“Yes. They’ve asked to meet with me tomorrow.”
“Do you mind if I tag along?” I asked.
“Let me call my father to see if we can all be part of the meeting.”
“You mean we finally might get to meet your elders?”
“You are an official part of the clan now, Kyle.”
“True, but I didn’t think it meant I get to ride on the rollercoaster. I thought I was still relegated to the kiddy rides.”
Misha chuckled. “Father has been asking to see you.”
I grinned. “Who would have guessed that Boris would actually come to like me?”
“You grew on him.”
“You make it sound like I’m fungus.”
Misha’s chuckle blossomed into a full belly laugh.
Chapter 16
All this talk of Running Wolf and the names the Key teased me with reminded me about the most recent name the Key had given me—Marlene Thompson. She had to be connected with the case. Maybe if I concentrated on her name, I would be able to see her face, or flash on something else about her.
It was worth a try, and Jean Luc, who closed my office door behind us with a definite click, was here to help with the experiment.
