Chapter 31 – Aye, Spy
Faye had just emerged from Hannah’s sick room when she saw her second-in-command bearing down on her.
“Good goddess, Faye!” Maddie exclaimed. “You look like hell! When was the last time you got any sleep?”
The old woman put a cautionary finger to her lips. “Shhh. You’ll wake her. Let’s go out to the waiting room where we can talk.”
The two women walked down the corridor and seated themselves on one of the couches in the reception area. A single nurse was stationed at the front desk, immersed in paperwork. She took no notice of the pair.
“I can’t believe you brought her here!” Maddie hissed in a low voice. “To the infirmary right inside the vault? “
“She was unconscious when she arrived, and for her own benefit, she will be sedated when she leaves. Hannah won’t have any notion of the location where she’s been,” Faye replied serenely.
“But what if she starts asking questions while she’s here?”
“That seems unlikely since she’s never been inside a hospital before and has no basis for comparison. Given the circumstances, I was far more concerned about the questions which might have been raised by the emergency room staff at my local hospital if I had taken her there instead.”
“I suppose.” Maddie backed down. Her eyes swept the reception area and focused on a cart against the wall which held a coffeemaker. Its contents appeared to have been brewed several hours earlier. “I need caffeine. Can I get you some?” she offered.
Faye sighed wearily. ‘Yes, I believe that might help perk me up.”
Maddie trudged over to the cart and returned with two small paper cups. “I can already tell this stuff isn’t going to be any good,” she said apologetically.
“It will serve the purpose nonetheless,” the old woman answered philosophically as she took a sip.
The nurse rose from behind the reception desk. She said, “I have to check on a few patients. Do you have any questions for me before I go?”
“No, dear. We have everything well in hand for the time being.” Faye smiled.
Once she had disappeared down the corridor, the two women resumed their conversation.
“How’s she doing?” The operations director tilted her head in the direction of Hannah’s room.
“I believe she’ll be fine physically.”
“Physically?” Maddie asked cautiously.
“Yes,” Faye paused. “We had a brief conversation when she woke up. It led me to conclude that she’ll be dealing with the emotional effects for some time to come.”
“Poor kid,” Maddie said sympathetically. “What an ordeal.” She eyed her superior. “For her and for you.”
The old woman waved her hand airily. “I’ve lived through much worse than this, though I do confess I could use a good night’s sleep.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Maddie volunteered. “I thought I could keep an eye on things while you went home for some shut eye.”
The memory guardian studied her companion for a few seconds. “I’d happily leave her in your care if only I could be sure you won’t frighten the child half to death. I don’t think she’s quite recovered from her last interaction with you.”
Maddie grinned. “I’ll be on my best behavior around her. No swearing, smoking, or spitting. I promise.” She held up three fingers in the scouts’ salute.
“Well, I suppose.” Faye relented. She struggled to her feet, but Maddie laid a restraining hand on her arm.
“Before we go in to see her, there are a few other things I wanted to cover with you.”
“About our team in Spain?”
The operations director frowned. “Not so much about them. Last I heard, they were climbing some mountain where they thought they might find the relic. If they do, that will put them way ahead of the game.”
“Is it Daniel then?” Faye prompted, sitting back down.
Maddie shook her head. “Nope, I know where he is and what he’s doing. Stewing on Malta, trying to decipher the riddle. That’s not what concerns me.”
“Then what does concern you?” Faye asked gently.
Maddie blew out an exasperated sigh. “I’ve been having one of our people tail Leroy Hunt. Ever since Metcalf gave him the assignment of finding Hannah, I thought it would be a good idea to keep close tabs on him.”
“That’s an excellent plan.” The memory guardian nodded approvingly.
“Yeah, except when the intel I’m getting is way more disturbing than what I expected to hear.” Maddie fidgeted in her jacket pocket for her pack of cigarettes.
Faye glanced pointedly toward a No Smoking sign on the wall.
“Dammit!” Maddie swore softly. “Sorry, Faye, but I could really use a smoke.” She impatiently jammed the pack back into her pocket.
“So, you came across some upsetting news?” Faye jogged the conversation along.
“Yeah, right.” Maddie shook off her distraction. “It turns out Leroy met up with an old army buddy of his named Orvis Bowdeen. Our agent tailed them to a bar in the city. Turns out this Bowdeen character is also doing some work for the Nephilim.” Maddie made air quotes around the word “work.”
Faye raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Indeed. What kind of work.”
“The kind that makes me plenty nervous,” Maddie shot back. “Metcalf hired him to give weapons training to some of his boys.”
“That doesn’t seem particularly alarming to me,” Faye demurred. “After all, Hannah told us as much a few weeks ago.”
“Wait,” Maddie commanded. “There’s more. Bowdeen is now supposed to tighten their electronic security systems.”
“Also not surprising given Hannah’s disappearance,” Faye rejoined. “It’s only natural that Metcalf would increase surveillance to prevent such an event from occurring again.”
“Hold on,” Maddie raised a cautionary hand. “I’m not finished yet. Bowdeen is also supposed to tighten security and train fighting units at all the compounds around the world.”
Faye finally began to feel some anxiety over Maddie’s unwelcome news. “It sounds as if they’re preparing for war,” the old woman murmured.
“And that’s not the worst of it,” the operations director continued. “Bowdeen was freaking out about something he called ‘the diviner’s grand plan.’”
“The what?”
“That’s what he called it. He wanted Leroy to tell him what the big picture was and
