Faith Defiled (Gray Spear Society Book 14) (6 page)

"What should I try next?" Iris said.

"I don't know, ma'am." Laurence looked over at her plate. "It's all so... interesting."

"Maybe we should just pay and get out of here. I want some real food."

"I was just thinking the same thing."

She asked for the check. The chef grunted and muttered in Japanese when he saw how much food was left on her plate.

While she waited for the check, she closed her eyes. She sent her consciousness across the city and settled in the mind of Walfred, the leader of the Warriors of Dagda. She looked out through his eyes.

He was also eating dinner. He and a large number of other men were enjoying an outdoor barbeque under the stars. Hunks of beef and pork were roasting over a bed of coals, and the meal looked more appetizing than the one Iris had just eaten. The men were all dressed in the subdued browns and greens of hunters.

A benefactor had given her the ability to temporarily borrow the eyes of others. Her power had some annoying restrictions though. She needed to establish a "lock" at close range first, and her spirit could travel thirty miles at the most. Despite these hurdles, it was an incredibly useful power, and she had leveraged it to create a far-flung criminal empire. She could effectively be in the room with her enemies, and they would never know.

Iris opened her eyes.

"See anything interesting, ma'am?" Laurence said.

"The Warriors are having a celebratory barbeque."

"They deserve it. I just read an interesting report about Taggart's sermon." He pointed to the display on his phone. "He made at least three million dollars."

"Not bad for a humble preacher," Iris said.

"What's even more interesting is what happened afterwards. A group of three armed men and a woman abducted him using his own car. They asked Taggart how he had decoded the writing, and then they let him go unharmed." Laurence leaned forward and whispered, "The Society?"

"It seems likely."

Iris was a Pythagorean, and they were mortal enemies of the Gray Spear Society. For security reasons, the Pythagoreans normally didn't tell anybody else about the Society. Word might get around, and if the Society heard, they would trace the information back to its source. Iris had confided in Laurence because she trusted him completely. He was very good at keeping secrets, and if he succumbed to the enemy, she was screwed regardless.

The check finally arrived. Laurence paid with a credit card, and they left.

Iris shivered a little in the cool air outside. December in San Francisco wasn't exactly cold, but it certainly wasn't warm. The temperature hovered in the region where it was always difficult to choose the right clothes. She was wearing a jacket over a dark red gown, and her legs had goose bumps.

She didn't have any bodyguards with her, and she was only lightly armed. If the Gray Spear Society discovered who she was, nobody would be able to save her from their wrath. She wasn't arrogant enough to think otherwise. Maintaining a very low profile was the only way to stay safe, and that meant walking around with hardly any protection at all. Laurence would be almost useless in a fight.

They were in Japantown. The neighborhood wasn't nearly as big or impressive as Chinatown, but there was still plenty of Japanese culture on display. She saw several restaurants that all served Japanese food. A pagoda made of concrete stood tall in a plaza.

"It sounds like everything is going according to plan," Laurence said. "Maybe we should accelerate the schedule?"

Iris shook her head. "Let's not get overconfident. Remember, Vulture had every advantage. He was talented, experienced, and powerful. He had a solid organization in place and a good plan. All of his people vanished without a trace. We may never know how they died or even where. Even my Guardians of the Pit were wiped out to a man. We must never forget we're playing for very high stakes here, and the smallest mistake could be fatal. We'll stick to the plan. The Society won't know what's really going on until after Olivia is dead."

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Now, let's find a hamburger joint. Seeing the barbeque made me hungry for beef."

* * *

Marina looked around headquarters. Olivia was hiding somewhere in the building, and Marina's job was to find her. It was a fun game that taught an important survival skill.

Marina went to the science cage first. It contained many cabinets and drawers that were the right size for a little girl. The cage had come with the building, and it had been built to contain electrical discharges. The battery research company had worked with very high voltages. Corrie had turned the cage into a research station where she performed physics and chemistry experiments. She hadn't been home in weeks though, and the equipment had started to get dusty.

Marina opened the door of the cage as silently as she could, but an annoying squeak made her wince. Going through the cabinets was a quieter operation. She peaked inside each one, and most were packed full of scientific apparatus. She didn't know what the stuff was for, and that bothered her a little. Her expertise on the subject of killing was unparalleled, but she was weak on other topics. Scientific and technical matters baffled her in particular. She wished she didn't have to rely on assistants all the time, but working alone wasn't an option.

Olivia wasn't in the cage, so Marina moved on. She went to the machine shop on the northern side of headquarters. Imelda owned this territory, and the mechanic was working there now. She was a tall, skinny Mexican woman. Her course, black hair was tied back to keep it from getting caught in machinery. She had a pleasant face brightened by a wide smile. She was wearing stained, blue coveralls over a black T-shirt. A tool belt hung loosely on her bony hips. She was using a mill to make a replacement component for a broken sniper rifle.

Imelda looked up from her work. "Playing hide and seek with Olivia again, ma'am?"

Marina nodded. "She's getting better at it."

"She's a smart kid. It's fun having her around, even though she scares me a little."

"Yes. She'll make a perfect wife for Wesley someday."

Marina started poking around among the lathes, saws, drill presses, and sanders.

"She's not here, ma'am," Imelda said. "I won't let her get near this machinery. It's too dangerous."

Marina nodded and moved on.

She checked her office next. There weren't many places to hide in there, so it didn't take long. She couldn't help but notice all the paperwork on her desk. She had fallen well behind.

A lot of it was personal correspondence from other commanders in the division. By ancient tradition, they sent hand-written notes back and forth using special couriers. The notes were news, observations, requests for advice, or sometimes just emotional rants. Commanders let down their guards to each other in ways they couldn't in front of their teams. It was also a great way to share hard lessons learned. Marina wasn't very social by nature, and responding to the notes was work. She was rarely caught up.

Another big pile of paperwork was for the construction of the new headquarters. She was building a new shopping mall in San Jose as a cover, and her people would be located in a massive bunker deep underneath. It was a huge project involving enormous excavations. The sensitive work had to be done by special contractors approved by the Society, and there were elaborate procedures to keep most people in the dark about the details of the project. Imelda was the only one who had the complete picture. It would be at least a year before the San Francisco team could occupy their new home, and even that deadline was ambitious.

Marina continued to work her way around the building. She checked a storage closet and a bathroom. She arrived at her private quarters and hesitated. That room was off-limits to Olivia, but a smart girl would take advantage of that fact. Marina had taught Olivia to always take risks and do the unexpected. It was the best way to stay one step ahead of her enemies.

Marina silently pushed open the door and slipped inside. The lights were off, and she left them that way. She didn't need to see to get around her own bedroom.

She held her breath so she could hear better. Olivia had instinctive ninja skills, so finding her in the dark would be a challenge, but Marina was up for it. She knew of very few people who were better ninjas than herself.

Marina crept through the room on her belly like a snake. She heard the slight rustle of cloth rubbing together. She had several clothes racks in her bedroom, and they provided a perfect place for a little girl to hide.

Marina heard a gasp.
Got her,
she thought.

She approached her quarry until she could hear Olivia breathing. Without warning, Marina reached out and grabbed her.

Olivia squealed in fright. She slapped Marina on the head, and suddenly, Marina felt crushing depression. Images of pain and death filled her mind. She desperately wanted to kill herself, but she had too much self-control to let it happen.

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Olivia cried. "You scared me!"

"Fix it," Marina said through her teeth.

Olivia groped around until she found Marina's head again. The depression immediately vanished and was replaced by a bubbly, happy feeling. Marina just wanted to feel normal but decided to let it go. The unnatural joy would wear off soon enough.

She went to the light switch and turned it on. Olivia emerged from behind a clothes rack. The girl was wearing a black sweat suit with a hood like a good little ninja.

"Control!" Marina said loudly. She tried to sound angry but was still too happy. "A powerful gift like yours must be kept under control at all times. I could've easily killed you or myself. You're very lucky nothing bad happened."

Olivia looked down. "Yes, ma'am."

"I think you need to be punished. You also came into my room when I explicitly told you to stay out."

"But you said it was OK to break the rules to win."

"Yes," Marina said, "but getting caught has consequences. Taking a risk doesn't always pay off. Tomorrow, you're going to sweep headquarters with a broom. Clean out all the dust."

Olivia's black and white eyes widened in horror. "The whole building?"

"Yes. The task will give you plenty of time to think about what you did."

Olivia frowned. "Yes, ma'am."

Marina heard a commotion in the main part of headquarters. She left her bedroom to see what was happening.

Her
legionnaires
had returned from Tim Taggart's sermon. Ipo had already delivered a disappointing report over the phone, and Marina didn't have any more questions. Taggart had turned out to be a common huckster.

Marina met her team in the middle of headquarters. "Good job, even though it didn't help the investigation."

"Thank you, ma'am," Ipo said.

"But we need a plan now," Marina said.

Min Ho looked up from his computer. "I may have something for you, ma'am."

She walked over to his workstation. "What?"

"I'm seeing buzz on the internet about a book written by a guy named Brian Kelly. He was some kind of expert on the secret language of Heaven. The book is called
Symbology of the Divine
. The writing on the walls is supposed to be exactly like what the book describes."

"Really? How old is this book?"

"It was published ten years ago," he said, "but it's been out of print for nine. It sold very poorly. The publisher went bankrupt recently."

"What about Brian Kelly? Where is he?"

"That's a mystery. He dropped out of sight a few years ago, but he used to live in San Francisco, not far from where the angels appeared today."

Marina furrowed her brow. "Interesting. I think we need to buy this book."

"I can't find any copies available online, ma'am. It never became an e-book. Even the Library of Congress doesn't seem to have a copy. You'll have to buy it from a private party."

"And who is that?"

Min Ho typed on his keyboard. "I found one guy in Hayward who posted that he has it but doesn't understand it. I get the impression the writing is pretty bad."

"OK. Ipo and Yang, go to Hayward and get the book. Hanley and Katie, locate Brian Kelly. Jia will assist you."

"Yes, ma'am," all the
legionnaires
said in unison.

Chapter Four

Hanley looked up at the front of an apartment building. It was twelve stories tall and made of unpainted concrete. The surface looked like gravel. The windows were simple openings without frames, and they reminded him of a prison. He wondered what kind of architect would design such an ugly building.

He was with Katie, and they were in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. It was a crime-infested neighborhood, famous as a hot spot for drug sales. One could buy any sort of product or service in the Tenderloin no matter how illicit. Coming to the district at night made the adventure more interesting. Dealers were working on many of the street corners, and surprisingly, most were women. Excessively loud music was coming from the windows of cars.

The apartment building had an iron security fence. Hanley used a box to call apartment 708.

A woman with a scratchy voice answered, "Hello?"

"Hi. We're from Storm Cloud Publishing, and we're looking for a Mr. Brian Kelly."

"He doesn't live here anymore."

"Really?" Hanley said. "That's a shame. We have a royalty check for him. We've been trying to reach him for weeks."

"A check?"

"Yes, for twenty thousand dollars. It would be a shame if he never received the money."

The woman paused. "Come on up." The gate buzzed.

Hanley and Katie entered the apartment building. The lobby had stains on the walls and smelled like marijuana smoke. The
legionnaires
avoided a questionable-looking elevator and climbed the stairs instead. They arrived at room 708. The yellow door was plain and cheap, and it rattled loosely when Hanley knocked.

A woman opened the door. She had long brown hair which was tangled and dirty. Her short dress had white and red vertical stripes, and she obviously wasn't wearing a bra. Her gut made the dress tight around the middle. There were fresh needle marks in her left arm.