Hannah was flummoxed for a second. “You mean she isn’t dead?”
“Dead!” Rhonda’s hand flew to her heart. “Wherever did you get the idea that she was dead?”
“Somebody told me so,” Hannah offered simply.
“Well, thank God they got it wrong! You must have been out of touch with her for quite a while.”
“I went to school with her a long time ago.” Hannah lied. In comparison to all the other Nephilim rules which she had broken in the past few days, a lie seemed like a very small thing now.
Rhonda didn’t appear to find the explanation strange. “Cassie certainly bounced around to a lot of schools.” The shopkeeper paused to study the girl. “You look quite a bit younger than she is though. Cassie’s almost twenty now.”
Hannah thought quickly. “I was in school behind her class, but she was nice to me, and I remembered her.”
“Then I’m sure she’d like to see you again.” Rhonda picked up a slip of paper and wrote something on it. “Here’s her address and a phone number.” She handed the note to Hannah.
“I... I don’t have a phone.”
Rhonda laughed. “Then you must be the only teenage girl in America who doesn’t.”
“Really?” Hannah tried not to sound too surprised. She thought Rhonda might be interested to know that none of the other teenage girls in the Blessed Nephilim had phones either.
“Why don’t you go over to Cassie’s place,” the shopkeeper suggested. “If she isn’t home you can probably wait by her door. I’m sure she’ll be back there soon.”
Hannah thanked her and left the shop. As she waited for another cab, it occurred to her that now she knew something that even Father Abraham didn’t know, and he was supposed to know everything. This Cassie, whoever she might be, was still alive and probably still hunting those relics too. She wondered if Daniel would feel better or worse if he knew that.
Chapter 11 – Head ‘Em Up, Move ‘Em Out
It was well past dark before Leroy Hunt arrived at the compound. Something was different. He could feel it in the air—a buzz and a crackle that this sorry old cinderblock pile had never known before. There was no Miss Violet to greet him at the door. Instead, he was shepherded along by a sentry from the main gate. People dressed in black and grey stood around whispering in corners. Much to his surprise, the sentry didn’t take him to Abe’s office nor to the dining hall. They stopped in a back corridor in front of a tiny little room. The door was open and inside stood Abe in a brown study.
“Come in, Mr. Hunt, come in.”
Hunt took the toothpick out of his mouth and put it in his jacket pocket. “What’s up, boss? Must be somethin’ important to roust a feller out after dark.”
Metcalf regarded him with a haunted expression. “It is important, Mr. Hunt. One of my wives went missing today.”
Leroy took his Stetson off and twirled the brim idly. “It’s a marvel to me how y’all could tell. Considerin’ how many better halfs you got, a body would need to take roll call every night to figure out who’s here and who ain’t.”
The diviner shot him a pained look. “It was my youngest wife, Hannah. This is her chamber.”
“Her digs, huh?” Hunt’s eyes swept the room, taking in every detail. The neatly made bed. Folded clothing. Nothing appeared to be out of place. His eyes focused on a brown and white teddy bear resting on the quilt. He walked over, picked it up, and studied it for a few moments. Hazarding a guess, he asked, “She kinda on the young side?”
“I believe she’s fourteen.”
Leroy let out a low whistle. He chose not to comment on his employer’s taste in women. Instead, he asked, “How long y’all been hitched?”
“I beg your pardon?” Metcalf asked, bristling.
“I mean how long you two been joined in wedded bliss?”
“About four months, if memory serves.”
Hunt set the teddy bear back in its place. “I don’t guess you called me out here just to shoot the breeze. What y’all want me to do?”
Metcalf sat down heavily in the bed. “I want you to find her, Mr. Hunt. As soon as possible. She may be lost or injured.”
Hunt tried to hide his irritation. “Now hold on, boss, I got my hands full with Daniel. I ain’t got time to chase down a filly that slipped her halter.”
“You will do as I tell you,” Metcalf persisted stonily. “Daniel is not ready to travel yet. Until you are needed to accompany him, your assignment will be to find my Hannah.”
“So y’all ain’t fixin’ to cut me out of trackin’ down your next doodad?” Leroy asked cautiously. He had his interests to protect, and his interests required that he keep an eagle eye on the loot.
The diviner seemed distracted. He shrugged off the question. “Of course not! Your skills are necessary to the success of that expedition. You will be contacted when the time comes to travel.” Metcalf stood up and absent-mindedly picked up a Bible that had fallen to the floor next to the nightstand. “For now, I want you to focus on this room and see if you can find any clues as to her whereabouts.”
Hunt chuckled. “I ain’t no Miss Marple, boss, but I’ll take a crack at it.” He strolled around the perimeter of the room, checking the closet, the bureau drawers, even peeking under the bed just to satisfy his employer.
“Well,” Metcalf demanded. “What can you deduce?”
Leroy flicked the carpet dust off his jacket. “For one thing, the gal didn’t leave in a hurry.”
The diviner strode over to face him. “You mean this was planned?”
“Yup.” Hunt put his hat back on. “You had everybody searchin’ high and low inside the compound?”
“Yes, and in the process, someone discovered a hole dug near the back fence. She must have escaped that way, so I’ve sent my guards to comb
