Maddie smiled broadly. She could finally see where he was heading. “Of course. Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, material suppliers. Those guys must have seen or heard something useful, even if they didn’t know it.”
“I can find out which contractors the Nephilim used and question them. That’s step one. I’m guessing that the basic construction is already finished but there’s always spec modification, repair, maintenance, and the list goes on. It shouldn’t be too hard for me to tag along with one of the work crews and actually get onsite.”
“That’s a great idea,” Maddie conceded in shock. “Why didn’t I think of it?”
“Because you were too busy bleeding red ink over those budget reports of yours. That is, when you weren’t scaring the stuffing out of the tyros.” He gave a sly wink. “I’d say you had your hands full.”
She chuckled good-humoredly. “I suppose.”
The paladin rose to go. “After I find out which companies the Nephilim used, I’ll be able to talk specifics with you about the best way to infiltrate.”
“OK. This actually might work,” she agreed in surprise. “Go for it.”
He paused in the doorway. “Maddie?” He sounded uncharacteristically earnest.
She was already sorting through the stack of documents Zach had brought. “Hmmm?” she inquired absently.
“I promise I’ll be careful...” He paused. “And I’m not just saying that. I really will this time.”
“Thanks, kiddo,” she replied gently. “That means a lot.”
As a further reassurance, he added, “I like being among the living.”
“I like you among the living too,” the chatelaine concurred, fixing him with an intent stare. “Considering the number of gray hairs you’ve given me over the years, if anybody is gonna take you out of this world, it should be me.”
Chapter 32—Three Little Words
Daniel pressed his cell phone to his ear, listening intently. “Pick up! Please pick up!” he whispered. After five rings, his prayer was answered.
“Hello?” The voice on the other end sounded groggy and disoriented.
“Oh, Chris! Thank the Lord you’re there.”
“Where else would I be?” the librarian protested grumpily. “It’s the middle of the night.”
“No, it’s not. It’s eight o’clock in the morning.”
“What morning?” his friend countered.
“Saturday.”
“Saturday!” Chris moaned. “It’s my day off. Do you understand the concept of DAY OFF? It means I was out partying til the crack of ‘Why-the-frak-am-I-still-up?’ and I was planning to sleep past noon.”
“I... uh... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you, but I need to see you right away. It’s urgent.”
“OK, Danny Boy. OK. Calm down.” A wide yawn could be heard over the line. “What’s this about?”
“The relic clue. I made a mistake. It’s a catastrophe. I need your help to figure it out.”
“The relic?” Chris perked up, alert now. “Alright. Meet me at the coffeehouse around the corner from my apartment.”
The librarian gave him an address in the Lakeview District on the north side of the city. “Do you know how to get there?”
“I finally figured out how to use a GPS device,” Daniel murmured ruefully. “I’ll find it. Give me an hour to make the drive.”
“See you there in an hour. I’ll be the guy with bloodshot eyes slumped in the back corner wishing he was dead.”
“Thank you, Chris.”
“You owe me bigtime.”
***
Daniel had never been to Chris’s neighborhood before. It was an older section of the city. By the looks of them, many of the houses had been built at the turn of the twentieth century. Despite their age, all the buildings were kept in good repair and their gardens lovingly tended. Because the streets were much narrower than the ones downtown, traffic moved at a slow crawl when it moved at all. The delay allowed Daniel to observe the pedestrians swarming in and out of the small boutiques that lined the major avenues of the district. The scion noticed that the neighborhood was populated by a disproportionate number of young males—in their twenties or thirties and most were dressed very stylishly. Daniel was fascinated by everything he saw. The neighborhood appealed to him on a level he couldn’t quite explain. In some alternate dimension where the Nephilim didn’t exist, and he had the luxury of choice, he could easily see himself living here.
He spent the next ten minutes trying to find parking on one of the congested side streets, eventually claiming a space four blocks away from the coffeehouse. Glancing apprehensively at his watch, he jogged the remaining distance in order to meet Chris on time.
Daniel was surprised when he arrived at his destination. It wasn’t, as he’d expected, one of the green mermaid coffee shops which dotted the downtown area. This establishment must once have been a neighborhood grocery store given its huge rolled glass windows and tin ceiling tiles. When he entered, the smell of roasted coffee beans assailed his nostrils. The scent was vaguely pungent, and he couldn’t decide if he liked it or not. A dozen people stood crowded around the front counter waiting to be served.
Fortunately, Chris had arrived ahead of him and staked out a small table in a dim back corner. The librarian motioned him over. He wore a fedora dipped low over his forehead. “The light hurts my eyes,” he complained when Daniel came to stand before him. Glancing up through half-closed lids, Chris scanned the scion’s appearance. A look of displeasure clouded his handsome features. “You decided to wear that today?”
Daniel glanced down at his distressed leather bomber jacket. He’d just bought it and was quite proud of the purchase. Then he noticed that Chris was wearing an almost identical jacket himself.
The librarian sighed. “Danny Boy, I know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but you’ve got to stop copying my look. People at work are asking me if we call each other up to decide what to wear every day.”
Daniel blushed with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize....” He trailed off helplessly.
Chris patted the empty chair next to his. “I think it’s great that you ditched your mortuary chic ensemble but it’s important for you to develop your own
