“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
