Guardian's Joy #3 (37 page)

At the other end stood Sanctuary Hall, a
tall, imposing building that housed municipal offices and rooms for
community activities. Side streets appeared to be completely
residential.

The clinic, another colonial style structure,
stood behind Sanctuary Hall. Once inside, it looked much like any
other small medical facility with offices, laboratories and testing
facilities on the first floor and rooms and surgeries on the
second.

“I thought you guys didn’t get sick,” JJ
whispered as the entered the general reception area.

Nardo laughed. “We aren’t susceptible to most
bacterial infections, but that isn’t the same as disease free and
we still have strokes, heart disease, cancer, a lot of pregnancy
complications and injury. We heal fast which can be a problem if a
bone is set incorrectly. And then there’s demon poison which most
of us can fight off if we’re in good shape, but if untreated leaves
scarring and sometimes nasty complications. Then there’s…”

“Okay, okay. I get it,” JJ stopped him with a
laugh. “Let’s sign in and get this over with.

The receptionist smiled politely and pointed
out the direction they should take. “Go to the end of the hall and
turn right. You want Room 136. Dr. ad Fenton’s name is on the
door.”

A nurse dressed in an old style white
uniform, white shoes and a starched cap on her head, led them to a
modern looking exam room. She introduced herself as Nurse
Rosemary.

“Doctor is running a bit late, but he’ll be
here shortly. You must be someone special,” she paused but went on
brightly when no one added further information. “Doctor rarely sees
patients anymore. There’s a gown on the table for you to change
into and you,” she smiled at Nardo, “Can get comfortable in the
waiting room. I‘ll show you where it is.”

“No,” Nardo and JJ said together and JJ
continued. “I’m only here for a blood test.”

The nurse looked momentarily confused as she
consulted the clipboard in her hand and then the smile was back in
place. “No, Doctor is quite specific.” She pointed to the chart.
“It says here full examination, a series of blood tests and that
Doctor will take the patient’s history himself.” She frowned.
“That’s usually part of my job.”

JJ looked at Nardo whose opinion was a shrug.
“Okay,” she told the nurse, “But he stays.”

The nurse pursed her lips and in her best
talking to a naughty boy voice said, “Now, now, gentlemen aren’t
allowed. We don’t want Doctor to be unhappy.”

“Then Doctor can kiss my…”

“We’ll explain when he arrives,” Nardo
intervened.

The nurse looked like she might argue until
Nardo widened his stance, crossed his arms over his chest and got a
look on his face that definitely said, “Make me.” She scurried from
the room.

“You look very mean.” JJ tried to hold in the
laughter as she quickly stripped out of her clothes.

“Thank you. I’ve been practicing.”

“Good, because I want you to look just like
that when I tell ‘Doctor’ I’m not doing the stirrup thing.”

“Why? You can look fierce. I’ve seen
you.”

“No one can look fierce in one of these.” She
fingered the paper johnnie coat.

Nardo wiggled his eyebrows but didn’t get a
chance to say what he was thinking because the door opened and the
white coated doctor strode in.

“I’m Doctor ad Fenton.” He stopped mid stride
with a look of surprise, but quickly recovered. “I’ll have my nurse
escort you to the waiting room.”

“Thank you, but we’ll all be more comfortable
if I stay.”

The doctor frowned, but there was little he
could say. Ignoring Nardo, he turned to JJ. “Miss Justice, is it?
Your coloring is a bit unusual. Rare, I might say.” He’d only seen
the combination once before.

“I know. People usually think I bleach.”
She’d heard a lot of comments over the years about her dark golden
skin and almost white hair. This doctor must be pretty astute to
recognize it as natural so quickly.

“Yes, well, they would, wouldn’t they.” He
took out his pen. “I’ll need some history.”

JJ didn’t like this man. His attitude was
condescending and in between jotting down her answers to routine
questions, he looked at her like she was a specimen in a jar.
Though she supposed, in a way, she was. When the questions shifted
from medical to personal, she hesitated… and lied.

“Where were you born?”

“Don’t know.”

“Mother’s name?”

“Don’t know.”

“Father’s?”

“Don’t know. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?”
Her answers were similarly vague to the next few.

Nardo’s lack of surprise at her deception
reassured her she was doing the right thing in keeping this
information to herself.

After several more questions, she told the
doctor, “I don’t think this is necessary.”

“I’ll decide what’s…” He was startled into
backing up when Nardo took a step toward him.

Nardo’s smile was not friendly. “Moving right
along,” he hinted.

Gregory took the hint. He put the clipboard
aside and began a cursory exam. When he moved to her back, he ran
his fingers over the tattoo on her shoulder. This was proof
enough.

“Something wrong, Doctor?”

The doctor snatched his hand away. “No. No,
it’s that I rarely see a tattoo on a member of the Race,” he
blustered.

The cold fingered feeling of a lie crept up
her spine. “If I’m anything at all, I’m only half Paenitentia. That
might make a difference.”

“Yes, well, we don’t know that yet, now do
we.” He wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to her.
“Take this down the hall to the lab to have your blood drawn and a
swab taken. I’ll call with my results and we may need an extended
examination.” He nodded once to Nardo and was gone.

They waited until they were outside before
they spoke.

“Supercilious bastard,” Nardo growled.

“He can call, but he better not ask me to
come in again. He gives me the creeps. And what was with the paper
gown? He didn’t do anything that couldn’t be done in my street
clothes, except finger my tat.”

Nardo nodded. “I almost asked him about that,
the tat, I mean, but by that time I just wanted you out of there.
He said you rarely see a tattoo on a member of the Race. As far as
I know, you never see a tattoo. Our bodies absorb the ink. The
twins have tried it probably a dozen times. It doesn’t take.”

“I don’t care what his credentials are. The
guy’s a creep. Let’s get out of here.” JJ headed back the way
they’d come, but Nardo grabbed her hand.

“One more stop to make. We’ve been invited to
lunch. Remember?”

*****

Dr. Gregory ad Fenton’s fingers trembled with
excitement as he punched the number into the phone. He didn’t wait
for a greeting when someone picked up on the other end. He blurted,
“It’s her, By the Nephilim, it’s her.”

“Are you sure?”

How dare the man question him? “Of course I’m
sure. She just left my office. Same hair, same skin. I touched her,
dammit. I saw the tattoo.”

“Did she recognize you?”

“No. Why would she? She was never a part of
my research. If she saw me at all, it was from a distance. It
wouldn’t matter anyway. She remembers nothing I tell you, nothing
but her name.”

“Is that possible?”

“I questioned her, Captain, and I resent your
questioning my expertise. I would know a great deal more about the
girl if she hadn’t been accompanied by a damned Guardian. I’d
already have the information if you hadn’t seen fit to dispose of
her before I had a chance to examine the body.” The fools had
thrown away a perfect specimen for study. By the time someone was
sent to retrieve her, it was too late.

He’d read the reports and the results of the
testing the coven provided. The girl was strong, a purer strain
than any of the other ‘witches’, who, until recently, had little
power individually and could only perform with the combined
strength of the coven. He’d wanted to test the child then, study
her himself, but the High Lord forbade it.

“She was disposed of according to the High
Lord’s wishes,” ad Primus said on the other end.

“Yes, yes, I’ve heard all this before.” And
he’d also heard how their leader’s wishes changed twenty-four hours
later. “The question is how should we handle this?”

“The High Lord must be informed.”

“Of course he must.” Gregory changed his tone
from one of exasperation to one of professional concern. “But it’s
been a long time, Captain, and we don’t know what’s happened to her
in the interim. Is she still a viable candidate to bear the next
generation? How have her powers developed? I believe we should
investigate further before making that call. Our first priority
should be the safety and well-being of the High Lord.”

This woman was a throwback to a time when the
Paenitentia had no trouble providing offspring for the perpetuation
of the Race. Her body could provide him with invaluable information
for his research. Once her fertility was verified, she could also
be the ideal receptacle for insemination by another genetic
throwback; his more modern recreation of the Nephilim.

“He knows of a similar woman’s existence. He
wants me to find her,” The Captain said quietly. “I can’t afford to
let her disappear again.”

“No, we can’t let her go again,” Gregory told
ad Primus, sharing the responsibility, “But that doesn’t mean we
have to tell him when she’s in custody, at least until we’re sure
it’s safe.”

“I agree, but there’s another problem.
There’s a spy in the ranks. I don’t know if we can keep this from
the High Lord.” Or from the witch woman. They needed her
cooperation.

“I know.” There was a gratifying pause on the
other end. Gregory sucked in his cheeks and counted to ten. The
little bitch was supposed to run all her reports past him for
approval and she’d said nothing about the woman. He would have to
have word with her, a very strong word. Loyalty to the cause and to
Father was all well and good, but her first loyalty should be to
him. “I’ve taken care of it.”

“It was you,” ad Primus accused.

The Captain’s words weren’t as crisp and
Gregory knew the man’s fangs were out. He smiled. “Please,
Salvador,” he said as if they were old friends, “With the work I
do, do you really think I have time to play tattletale to the High
Lord.” He’d heard ad Primus had to report in daily. “I discovered
it quite by accident. It’s over, done with, taken care of.” Or it
would be as soon as he got off the phone.

It paid to have someone in your employ who
was betrothed to a member of the captain’s security force. But
alliances changed and the advantage had become a liability. The
phone calls would cease. The reports to him would not.

“Rosemary, would you come in here for a
moment, please?”

Chapter 37

“Nice place you have here. Thanks so much for
inviting us to lunch.”

Nardo took in the wide open space of the
apartment’s floor plan and thought Hope might want to rethink
offering Deter and Marta the tiny third floor flat. When the couple
said they lived above the garage, they failed to mention it was an
oversized four car garage. This place was spacious and airy, two
things the apartment at the top of the Guardian House was not.

“It’s we who should be thanking you.” Marta
told them. “Come, sit, and eat while the soup is hot.” She led them
to the table. “Deter should be here soon. He told me not to wait.
The Director is eating out today, but I can’t take too much time
away from my duties.”

She served them bowls of thick, steaming soup
and uncovered a basket of hot, crisp rolls. She’d no sooner served
herself when the front door opened. Unwrapping his scarf and
hanging it on the peg by the door, Deter called in greeting.

“Good night and welcome to our table. My
apologies for my delay.” He took his seat and tucked his napkin
into his collar. “There was a bit of a dust up at the office today
that may be of some interest to your Lord Canaan.” Deter’s solemn
face broke into a grin that showed off his prominent front teeth.
“Someone misplaced the paper files on Canaan ad Simeon’s assets and
investments as well as those of his House and the computer files
were inadvertently deleted. It will take some time to backtrack and
rebuild, but you can assure Lord Canaan that when all is said and
done, the true picture will be revealed.” He happily dug into his
soup. “Ah, Chicken and Corn Chowder, a favorite of mine. Please
pass the rolls.”

Marta beamed at Deter, but then became
serious again. “We also have another reason for asking you here.
We’re concerned for a dear friend of ours and don’t know where else
to turn.”

“He began work on what he thought was a
strictly research project,” Deter continued, “But he’s come to
believe his work is being used for something sinister. He signed a
confidentiality agreement but has broken his vow of secrecy to tell
us what he knows.”

Marta broke in. “You must understand. Isaac
is a good and honorable man like my Deter. He wouldn’t take
breaking a vow lightly. He thinks he is being watched and two of
his colleagues have been transferred to other research facilities,
except neither mentioned the coming move to anyone and no one has
heard from either one. Both expressed dissatisfaction with whatever
they were working on and Deter is afraid he’ll be the next
transfer, something he would never agree to.”

They explained, with a few blushes and
embarrassed throat clearings, that the goal of Isaac’s previous
research had been to increase the birth rate among the Race. Now,
he believed his research was being used to increase the fertility
of a certain population within the Race. Isaac was frightened by
it.

“What certain population?” JJ asked. She eyed
the tureen of soup and wondered if it would be impolite to ask for
more. Deter was right. It was delicious.