The Quest (19 page)

“Yes I know them. They’re my friends.”

The cop walked along my side, a little too close for my liking. Ahead, a racing police cruiser stopped abruptly. Great. More testosterone.

“Shelley, what’s going on here?” Jackson asked.

I stopped a few feet from him and Tom. My eyes darted from Jackson to D. Scott.

“They were trying to reach you,” D. Scott said. “I have strict orders–”

Jackson faced the demon cop. “From whom?”

D. Scott glared at Jackson.

“Guys, I appreciate your efforts, but Jackson and Tom are friends of mine. There’s no need for any hostility. Please let them pass.”

“Are you sure, Ms. Baxter? Would you like one of us to stay with you, just in case?” the demon cop who tried to stop me earlier asked.

“It’s okay,” I replied with a shake of my head. “They’re
friends
.”

“Please understand, we were commanded to perform a job and we plan to follow our instructions,” D. Scott said.

For a demon, he impressed me with his politeness. “I understand, and I appreciate your help, but I don’t need it anymore. I’m going to call Sal soon.” I looked at Jackson. “Come on.”

The patter of steps followed me as I headed back toward the house. I assumed they belonged to Jackson and Tom.

“Why are demon cops parked outside the house?” Jackson asked.

A thought flashed in my mind as if I’d waken from a dream. I never gave Jackson the address to Boss’s house. I stopped at the front door and spun around to face him. “How did you know where to find me?”

“Can we go inside first?” Jackson asked as he swung his hand holding the folder by me.

I crossed my arms and stared into his brown eyes. “No. It’s not my house. But you know that, right?”

Tom stepped around Jackson. “Some of us can get access to other databases to obtain information.”

“And?”

“You have a tracking device on you,” Jackson finished. “We brought tools to remove it, but we need to talk first. Can we go in now?”

A sense of joy filled me. They could get rid of the damn charmed bracelet, and I wouldn’t have to worry about someone following me. But if I removed it and the tracking device showed it in one location for an extended time, Galluzzi would suspect something fishy. Shit, I’d have to think more about the idea.

Inhaling a deep breath, I led Jackson and Tom inside. Tabby stood in the middle of the room with her arms folded under her breasts. Her tight brows and pursed lips revealed her concern. I shut the door behind Tom, then stepped around him.

“It’s all right,” I said, walking toward Tabby.

“Are they going to leave?” she asked. “I couldn’t sleep well knowing they were parked outside.”

“They won’t leave until they get an order from Sal. I need to call him.”

Tabby lowered her crossed arms. “You want me to get the phone for you?”

“No, I’ll call after Jackson and Tom leave.” Yes, I wanted the demons away from the house, but since Jackson and Tom came with information, I decided to hear them out first.

She looked at the two men behind me. “Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee?”

“Oh, coffee would be nice,” Tom replied.

She veered her gaze to Jackson. “Same for me,” he said.

She strode down the hall a second later with her ponytail swinging behind her head.

“What’s going on?” Jackson asked.

I told him about the deal with Sal. Similar to Boss’s reaction, Jackson’s face tightened.

“You should’ve walked away and contacted me,” he said. “The pack can provide better protection.”

Not wanting to argue over what I should have done according to him, I stretched my arm, pointing it down the hall. “Shall we get to business?”

Frowning, he led the way to the back of the house. He stopped at the patio window. “Nice home.”

Tom stood next to Jackson and gazed out the glass doors. “Nice yard.”

Jackson slowly turned and glanced around. “I’ve never been inside a vampire’s home before. This is very clean, and organized.”

I scooted a chair away from the dining table, then sat. “The coffin is in the basement.”

Jackson took a seat across from me. “I’m sure it is.” He grinned as he placed the folder on the table.

Tom took the seat next to Jackson. “We found some interesting information.”

“Tom found the information. He’s a very good detective, one of our best,” Jackson said proudly as he opened the folder.

“What did you find?” I asked.

Tabby appeared with two mugs in hand. She set one in front of Tom and the other near Jackson. “I’ll be back with milk and sugar.”

Tom smiled as he reached for the cup. “I’ll take it the way it is.” He sipped on the hot drink and then set the mug down. “Jackson and I searched for information on Project E and we located the names for the initials.”

Jackson thumbed through the papers. Locating a document, he took it out of the pile and slid it over to me. “These are all clan leaders, two are councilman, and of course, one is for Galluzzi.” He pointed at the initials and the handwritten names.

“Which councilman are these?” I asked.

“Demon and warlock,” Tom answered.

“Oh my God.” My heart picked up a few extra beats as I silently read the name Martin Sneidagier. “Is this the warlock councilman?” I pressed my finger to the paper, next to the name.

“Yes,” Jackson said. “And he is still alive.”

I swallowed hard. The demon councilman associated with the project made sense to me. The warlock councilman’s involvement left me flabbergasted.

“What’s wrong?” Tom asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I’m a little stunned by Martin’s involvement with this project and the fact he is still alive. This was a demon project. What reason would he have to contribute to it?”

“That’s a very good question. I sent an email message to the local warlock clan leader to see if we could meet with him. I’d like to start an inquiry. I checked before we came here and he hadn’t responded,” Tom said.

A deep feeling within me made me wary of the warlock.

“Something else bothering you?” Jackson asked.

“Boss spoke to Martin yesterday. Martin told him the council wanted Boss to leave Indianapolis and lead the investigation for Arturo, the missing vampire councilman.”

“Really?” Jackson asked with a hint of surprise in his voice.

I nodded. “Do you think it’s possible the warlock could be trying to take Boss away from your investigation on the Senator? Surely, Martin didn’t play a role in Arturo’s disappearance. Arturo was helping Boss.”

“I’m not sure, but I think we should approach this warlock with caution,” Tom said. “We need to gain his trust and find out if he’ll share any information with us about this project.”

Good theory, but my gut warned me the warlock would not willingly cooperate. A warlock working with demons said plenty in my book.

Tabby stopped between Tom and Jackson with a half gallon of milk in one hand and a small glass container in the other. “Would you like milk in your coffee?” She set the glass on the table.

Jackson lifted his mug. “I’ll have some.”

While Tabby poured milk into Jackson’s cup, Tom sipped his coffee, and I peered closer at the paper on the table.

“These letters, L.D., don’t have a name,” I said.

“We have no idea what that letter stands for. It didn’t appear on all the documents,” Jackson said.

“Is it on the one that states that Project E is a success?” I asked.

“Yes,” Tom answered.

Interesting. I glanced at the papers in the folder. “Did you find your Alpha’s initials on any of the documents with Project E?”

“A few,” Tom said, holding his mug. “His initials appeared in eighty-nine until early 1990. What’s even more interesting is that when his disappeared, the letters L.D. started appearing.”

“That is odd,” I commented. “Any idea what E stood for?”

Tom set his cup down as Tabby left the room again. “Well, I searched through our Alpha’s records during 1989 through early 1990 and managed to find one mention of Eve.”

“Eve?”

“It was written in his day planner, the same day he attended a meeting,” Jackson said.

“And the meeting was the last one he attended, according to the signed agendas we found,” Tom added.

“So you think the E stands for Eve?” I asked.

The two men nodded. “It makes sense to me,” Tom said.

“Do you have any ideas who Eve is or why they named a project in her name?” I asked.

Tom and Jackson shook their heads. “Not a clue,” Tom said.

Tabby returned to the seat next to me. “Maybe Eve is code.”

Both men paused, then turned their heads and stared at her.

“What?” she asked as her gaze darted between them.

“Damn, I didn’t think of that,” Tom said. He scrubbed his hand over his chin. “In a biblical sense, Eve came from Adam’s rib in the Book of Genesis. She was the first woman created.”

“It could also stand for evolution,” Jackson said, as his gaze met mine. “Change. Evolving. What a perfect name for a project.”

My heart raced. “The first woman created that is unlike any creature in the world.”

Jackson nodded. “Exactly.”

“Oh my God,” Tabby said. “You have proof now.”

While my heart pounded with joy, I knew what we had discovered was not sufficient evidence to convict the Senator of murder. The documents proved a project existed. They didn’t state what the project entailed.

“This isn’t enough,” I said, shaking my head.

“It’s a good start,” Jackson said, upbeat. “The project was a success in 1991. Galluzzi was an Attorney General at the time. Your mother worked for her–”

“We looked for my birth record in the database and didn’t find it,” I said, knowing where he planned to go next.

Jackson lifted his cup. “Yes, but we didn’t search the warehouse. I think we need to go back and look. There is information missing from the database that might be shelved.”

And with thousands upon thousands of documents, what a great way to hide information.

“If we can find my birth record, it would support our suspicions,” I said. “But it’s not enough. We still need concrete evidence linking her to the murders.”

“You said the vampire that stopped by last night asked to look in demon records for a petition filed in 2006 and a birth record from the 1960s. I want to look in those two areas. We know Galluzzi, our Alpha, and the demon clan leader were born during the sixties. If Sal is sending someone to help you search, have them try to locate those birth records while we focus on 2006.”

“We could be wasting our time looking in those years. That vampire took my memories. Do you really think he stopped by to give us a tip where to look?”

“He saved your life, didn’t he?” Tom asked.

Twice, and I didn’t understand why. “Sure, but it doesn’t make sense why he would help me.”

“He saved your life for a reason, so I’m inclined to believe he wants to help. Why?” Tom shrugged. “I think only he can answer that question.”

Doubting I’d get any answers from the vamp, a sigh expelled from me. The vamp only appeared when my life was in grave danger. Maybe if I jumped in front of an oncoming train I could bring him out from hiding.

Tabby leaned her elbows on the table. “I think you’re off to a great start. You’re building a case. You just need a few more facts to finalize it.”

I leaned back in my chair, thinking about the information we’d gathered thus far. Project E was potentially about me. If we could find my birth certificate, and the year matched up, we could prove the link. The greatest evidence could come from the warlock, but I highly doubted he’d testify to the truth. My gut instinct told me the councilman was not a good person and would be more of a hindrance than a helper. We definitely had the making of something big, but we needed more to win our case.

“Is there anything else in those papers that can help us?” I asked.

Tom’s head bobbled. “Maybe. I looked for a connection between Billy Rodriquez and the Senator. I believe they might have met when they went to college at Indiana University. They both have transcripts during the same time and attended some of the same classes. We located a photo of them together at a rally. Right now, that’s all we have. I assigned two people to look at old newspapers and search bank records for any suspicious activity.”

Following a money trail seemed like a great idea, especially if something happened to me.

“I’m one hundred and ten percent confident Billy is working for her,” I said.

Jackson closed the folder. “So are we, but we need to prove it.”

“And we need to prove Galluzzi set everyone up at the dump for a slaughter. If we’re looking for petitions and birth certificates, were not getting close to what we really need.”

“We will get there,” Tom said confidently. “We want justice as much as you do.”

Jackson finished off his drink. He directed his gaze at Tabby as he set the empty cup down. “It was good to see you again. Thanks for the coffee.”

Tom thanked her too and then stood.

“So, I’ll see you tonight?” I asked.

“You’ll see Tom before me. I’ll stop in later,” Jackson said as he got up from his chair. He lifted the folder off the table.

“Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it,” I said as I rose.

“Do you want us to unlock your bracelet?” Tom asked. “We have the tools in the car.”

“Oh.” I glanced down at my ankle. The red area on my skin itched and burned. I really wanted to get rid of it, yet I didn’t want to risk my job. I needed a few more days to gather evidence. If I removed the bracelet, Galluzzi might find out and terminate me. She’d love to. Would I give her the opportunity?

“I’ll pass on that offer for now. Once we get enough evidence, you can be sure I’m calling you.”

“Are you sure about this?” Jackson asked.

No
.
“Yes.” I nodded.

“All right. Call if you find out anything more, or change your mind,” Jackson said with a stern gaze.

I chuckled. “I will, and I’ll have those demons gone soon. You can count on it.”

Tabby stepped away from the table. “I’ll show them out.”

As they left down the hall, I returned to the basement. First order of business involved calling Sal. Stopping at the dresser in the bedroom, I picked up my purse and dug inside for the phone. A spark of anger flickered when I didn’t find it.