Arkana Archaeology Mystery Box Set 2

by N. S. Wikarski

  She laughed gently at his vehement protest. “You’ll forgive me, my dear, if I observe that your impeccable sense of propriety can offer little more than cold comfort to a lonely heart.”

  “Are you suggesting I tell her now?” His tone was disbelieving.

  “Not this minute. Of course not. But an opportunity may present itself if you keep your wits about you.” She sighed. “Griffin, you are a kind, sweet young man who has everybody else’s best interests in mind except your own. Perhaps one day you’ll learn to treat yourself with as much consideration as you give to those you care about. Don’t you think you deserve a little happiness too?”

  “Perhaps,” he relented. “I’ll tell Cassie how I feel one day. When I’m convinced Erik has no more claim on her affections.”

  “Then let’s just leave it at that for now,” Faye conceded. “With a ‘perhaps.’”

  “Yes, let’s,” he agreed, sounding mildly relieved to be done with the topic.

  More brightly, she asked, “So what are Erik’s future plans?”

  “Even as we speak he’s winging his way back to the vault to complete some task which he believes only he can do.”

  “Oh, dear!” Faye gasped.

  “You know what he’s planning, don’t you?”

  The old woman rubbed her temples distractedly. “I’m afraid I do. I’d rather not alarm you until I can confirm his intentions for myself. If I’m right, it’s a measure of his desperation that he would choose such a grim alternative as his means of escape.”

  Chapter 30—Come Spy with Me

  Chopper Bowdeen walked through the concourse of the international terminal at O’Hare Airport lost in thought. The past few weeks had gone exactly as he’d dreaded. No sooner had he given his status report to the old preacher than Metcalf turned right around and found more work for him to do. First, he’d had to fix some problems with the surveillance set-up at the main compound. Right after he got that job squared away, he was told to prepare for a trip to Africa. There were half a dozen compounds scattered across the continent, and the diviner wanted them all brought up to speed within the next several months. While Bowdeen’s marching orders didn’t come as a complete surprise, he was frustrated to be leaving the country with no new leads other than his bizarre conversation with Leroy Hunt. That’s when he’d decided to call in reinforcements.

  He arrived at the gate where his flight was going to board in forty-five minutes. Scanning the faces in the waiting area, he realized his contact hadn’t arrived yet.

  “Good day, Mr. Bowdeen.” Joshua Metcalf glided up next to him, giving him an involuntary start. Metcalf’s son had a talent for sneaking up on a person unawares. That’s probably what made him a good spymaster.

  Chopper forced a smile. “Good to see you, Joshua. Where are you headed?”

  The young man consulted his watch. “My flight to Berlin leaves in an hour. You wanted to see me?” He gave the mercenary a searching look.

  Bowdeen cleared his throat self-consciously. “Let’s have a seat over here.” He pointed to the last row of seats near the window and far away from any other passengers in the waiting area.

  When the two men got settled, Bowdeen began. “It’s hard to talk at the compound. I should know. I set up the surveillance system there.”

  “Yes,” Joshua agreed noncommittally, a bland expression on his face.

  “I recently came across a bit of intel that doesn’t make any sense to me. I thought maybe you could help.”

  Joshua sat up straighter. The mention of obscure information apparently stimulated his curiosity. “What is it?”

  “Do you know anything about a secret facility out in the countryside? It would be maybe twenty miles away from the compound.” Chopper described the location of the site.

  “No... no, I don’t.” Joshua hesitated just long enough to make the mercenary think he was hiding something.

  “This is information your father probably hasn’t shared with anybody in the community, but whatever is going on there, it might be run by a foreign doctor. His name is Aboud. Ring a bell?”

  Joshua turned pale. “I... uh... Where exactly did you say this place was?”

  Chopper repeated the directions Leroy had given him.

  The spymaster sat perfectly still as if he’d been cast in stone. His eyes were riveted to the carpet. After several seconds, apparently weighing how much to share with Bowdeen, he murmured, “There are rumors.”

  Now it was Bowdeen’s turn to perk up and sit at attention. “What kind of rumors?”

  Joshua darted a nervous glance in his direction. “Gossip in the compound about a secret facility somewhere in the woods. Nobody knows what’s going on there. But the directions you just gave me. Well... uh...” He stopped altogether, frowning in concentration. “I’m not sure what it all means.”

  “What is it, son?” Bowdeen put a hand on the spymaster’s shoulder.

  The young man flinched slightly at the contact, and the mercenary withdrew his hand.

  Joshua turned his gaze upward. “My father charged me with an unusual task. He wanted me to gather members of the congregation who have been rebellious or disruptive. I was to place them in a van and deliver them to a rendezvous point.”

  Bowdeen was startled at the news. “Why?”

  The spymaster shrugged helplessly. “I have no idea. My father clearly didn’t want me to inquire further as to the nature of his plans. He simply said that another van would be waiting at that location to collect these individuals.”

  “But how’s this connected to the secret facility?”

  Joshua’s face grew deeply troubled. “The rendezvous point where I am to deliver these rebels is about ten miles east of the place you described and along the same road.”

  Chopper gave a low whistle. “So that’s where the diviner is sending people he wants to get rid of.”

  “We don’t know that for sure,” Joshua hastened to contradict him.

  Bowdeen merely cocked a skeptical eyebrow at his companion. “You think he’s sending them there to reward them?”

  “I... I... I don’t know what to think.”

  The mercenary was aware that Joshua prided himself on his icy composure. He never displayed any show of emotion, but this news had clearly rattled him. “So, you don’t know what this is about?”

  “No, Mr. Bowdeen, I don’t. But I intend to find out now that you’ve given me a place to look.”

  “That’s good,” the mercenary nodded approvingly. “You will keep me posted of what you find out, won’t you?”

  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. A
ll 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.”

  “Then 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, let 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.