If the leasing agent was right and Continental Movers had only been in business for a month, then they couldn’t have handled the antique lady’s move. Their operation was a front to throw him off the trail. They had to be on the payroll of the Somebody who had vanished Miz Rhonda and little Hannah. And they weren’t the only ones. The wino who had steered him to Continental Movers in the first place had lied to him. That meant the bum was part of the cover-up as well.
After Leroy had reached these unnerving conclusions, he recalled another oddity that had been nagging at him. He remembered the “For Rent” sign lying on the grass in front of the bungalow in Phoenix. On a hunch, he decided to dig up some facts about that property’s rental history. He burned up a few more hours on the phone and the internet trying to track down the owner of the house. When he reached the right party, his suspicions were confirmed. The property had only been rented a week before he arrived to ask questions. That meant the old lady who lived in the bungalow was in on the scheme too.
Leroy sipped his beer and considered what all these facts meant. He wasn’t swimming in the shallow end of the pool like he’d thought. It was more like the deep end of the ocean. This Somebody had bottomless pockets and a network of connections that would give the Nephilim a run for its money. Hunt still didn’t know who Somebody was, but his detective work today had led him to one inescapable conclusion. The cowboy wasn’t only being watched by agents of this invisible Somebody who had tapped his phone and vanished all his leads. He was being played—jerked around like a puppet on a string. Somebody was deliberately sending him on a wild goose chase from one end of the country to the other. Even as he seethed inwardly, he knew he didn’t have enough intel yet to cut himself loose from those puppet strings. He’d have to dance in the wind a little while longer. He planned to follow up on every fake lead that Somebody threw his way in the hopes that he could dig up a paper trail that would lead straight back to the puppet master. He now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that everything and everybody was connected. The trio of relic thieves, Miz Sybil, Miz Rhonda, and even little Hannah. If he could find that invisible Somebody, he knew the preacher’s runaway bride couldn’t be far away. Find one, and he’d catch the other. This wasn’t just a simple missing persons job anymore. Leroy despised being played. Somebody was going to pay.
Chapter 27—Snow Fun
“There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you two.” Griffin trotted toward Cassie and Erik as they ambled up to the hotel entrance. After dinner, the scrivener had sent them off in order to immerse himself in research. He said the pair distracted him, so they went out to explore the extensive grounds of the Regal Hotel in Bhuj. In an effort to kill time, they’d strolled around the perimeter of the golf course for half an hour and loitered next to the giant outdoor chess board for half an hour more. Erik eventually suggested a dip in the pool. He and Cassie were on their way to their rooms to retrieve swim suits when Griffin came rushing through the main entrance to meet them.
“I’m guessing from that wild-eyed look on your face, you figured something out?” Cassie asked archly.
Griffin took no offense. Instead, he treated his teammates to a wide grin. “I have indeed. Wait until I tell you.”
Erik quickly assessed their surroundings. Eyeing the porter helping several guests unload luggage near the front doors, he said, “We might want to take this discussion somewhere off the beaten path.”
“How about sitting in the gazebo?” Cassie suggested. “Nobody seems to go there.”
The resort featured an open-air structure which belied its name since it was shaped more like a Chinese pagoda than a gazebo, but it contained benches and a good view of the city lights beyond the hotel grounds. Given that it was a warm night and their rooms were stuffy, Cassie’s idea met with instant approval.
The paladin immediately struck off toward the rear of the building with the other two trailing behind.
Fortunately, nobody else was strolling the grounds when they claimed seats inside the wooden pavilion. Griffin took one bench while Cassie and Erik seated themselves on the opposite side.
“I’ve solved the riddle,” the scrivener announced, his eyes dancing with excitement.
“Way to go, Grif!” Erik patted him on the back.
“You are the bomb!” Cassie added enthusiastically.
The scrivener allowed his colleagues to fuss over him for a few moments before holding up his hand for silence.
They settled down, barely suppressing their elation.
Griffin glanced from one to the other. “Let me begin at the beginning.”
“That’s a lot better than trying it the other way around,” Erik murmured dryly.” We were confused enough already.”
Cassie jabbed the paladin in the ribs and shushed him. “Go ahead,” she said encouragingly to Griffin.
“When we left Dholavira, I had a hunch that the Pleiades might hold the key to solving the riddle, so I began my research with them. I was able to confirm my theory that the stars were once described as a flock of doves. The Greek word peleiades quite literally means ‘doves,’ and the constellation name is sometimes spelled that way as well. That was proof positive that the ‘kindred’ of our African bird referred to the Pleiades. Mythology aside, I discovered that the star cluster held great meaning to the ancients. Are you aware that the entire street system of Mohenjo-Daro is oriented toward the heliacal
