Soul Catcher (3 page)

“Of course. Down the hall and to the right.” Bakewell gave her a curt nod and rounded the table, holding the door open for the two of them.

“Nice to meet you, Mandy and, uh, Fred.” He poked his head into the hall. “Amanda!”

The blonde came click-clacking from the front desk. “Yes, Senator Bakewell?”

“Please show Mandy and Fred to the refreshment area and then show them out. Let Harrington know I’m ready for him.”

“Yes, sir.” Amanda pointed a hand in the direction she came from. “Right this way.”

Malini followed her directions, Jacob sidling up next to her.

“What now, Mandy?” Jacob asked.

“Now, we get a drink,” she said.

Amanda stepped ahead of them and opened the door to a small kitchenette area with three vending machines, a microwave, and a coffee pot next to the water cooler. “Help yourself,” she said. “Cups are in the cabinet. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be back to check on you in a moment.” She took off toward her desk, no doubt to inform Mr. Harrington the senator was waiting.

Malini reached into the cabinet and pulled down a Styrofoam cup. She poured a half cup of coffee.

“Care to share what we’re doing in here?” Jacob said.

Raising the cup to her nose, Malini sniffed. “It’s in the coffee,” she said.

“What’s in the coffee?”

“Watcher elixir. Here, smell.”

Malini held the cup under Jacob’s nose, the scent of cinnamon, sulfur, and spice growing stronger with the movement.

Jacob sniffed, then gagged. “Yep. That’s the stuff. Doesn’t make sense though. He spends most of his time in Washington, D.C. Do you think the Watcher is here?”

She dumped the coffee down the sink and stared at the wall. “I’m not sure. Amanda has been influenced for quite some time, and she lives here. Bakewell is here regularly but not frequently enough to maintain the type of influence I suspect. The Watcher must be reaching him in D.C. too.”

“Huh,” Jacob said. He leaned up against the counter and sighed.

Healer or not, trying to think like a Watcher was never easy. With a deep breath, she rinsed the cup out and poured herself some water. She raised the Styrofoam to her lips.

Sniff-sniff
. She lowered the cup and stared down into the water. “What business is Harrington Enterprises in, Jacob?”

“I don’t know.”

“Can you Google it?”

Jacob pulled out his phone and typed the company’s name into the search bar. “A bunch of things: pharmaceuticals, energy, water purification.”

Malini held the cup under his nose.

Jacob took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s in the water.”

“Gives new meaning to drinking the Kool-Aid,” Malini said.

“Looks like Lucifer is up to his old tricks again.”

“Yeah, and there’s nothing we can do. The Watcher might not even be here. It’s wherever this water is bottled.”

They both stared at the water cooler as if it would sprout lips and start giving them answers. Out of the corner of her eye, Malini glimpsed a man in a sharp navy suit pass by the open door to the break room. Something about the way he moved was too graceful, inhuman. She turned her head to get a better look. Dark wavy hair, a smile that could sell toothpaste, and navy blue eyes. He straightened his red tie, and then moved beyond her line of sight. The saccharine sweet, sulfur scent of Watcher hit her and Jacob at the same time.

“He’s—”

Jacob was already around the corner. Malini followed, kicking off her heeled shoes and running down the hall at breakneck speed. As she turned the corner into the long stretch of hallway to the atrium, she saw the Watcher tapping the button for the elevator frantically. Unnatural eyes locked onto hers, and a knowing, nervous smile twitched across the demon’s face. Without missing a step, Jacob’s hand moved toward his ankle, calling the water from his flask. He hadn’t counted on Amanda. She leapt around the desk, blocking their target with her body and distracting Jacob.

“Hey, you can’t run in here,” she said.

He shoved her out of the way in time to see Blue Suit disappear into the stairwell. Malini cruised around Amanda, kicking off the desk to pick up speed and corner into the stairwell. Luckily, bright light filtered through windows lining the small space. Sunlight limited a Watcher’s power; they might have a prayer of catching him.

In defiance of gravity, Jacob cartwheeled over the stair rail, dropping to the landing a floor below. The move would be dangerous for an ordinary human, but Soulkeepers developed superhuman agility and strength over time. The Watcher wasn’t smiling anymore.

Down, down, she pursued, floors flying by, hot on the demon’s heels. The male frantically tried a doorknob, a gold lion’s head ring flashing in the bright sunlight. Locked. Malini smiled. Jacob succeeded in reaching his flask and his broadsword of ice formed in his palm. They had him!

With suicidal resolve, the Watcher dove over the railing, twisting out of reach of Jacob’s stabbing blade. Malini watched the demon drop to the landing below, forcing her feet to move faster down the stairs. Only, they’d reached a lower level of the building, and the topography changed. This floor housed a spa with a tranquil atmosphere, partially drawn curtains decorating the stairwell. The Watcher grinned at her one last time before sinking into a sliver of shadow. Navy blue eyes, suit, and golden lion’s head ring disappeared in a plume of smoke, leaving behind only a wisp of sulfur stench.

“Damn!” Malini rolled her eyes at the ornate doors to the spa with contempt.

Jacob channeled his sword back into his flask. “Do you think he was the source of contamination?”

“I don’t know. The elixir was inside the bottled water. If that was the Watcher responsible, he contaminated the bottle at the source. Senator Bakewell spends most of his time in Washington. If he’s influencing him there too, we’ve got a very busy Watcher on our hands.”

“Still, it’s possible.”

“Yeah, but did you notice his suit? He’s posing as an executive. There’s something else going on here, Jacob.”

“We could go back upstairs and grill Amanda for more info.”

“She’s influenced too. She won’t tell us anything.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“We need to collect ourselves, talk to the council, and do our homework on Harrington Enterprises. My gut tells me this is bigger than Senator Bakewell.”

“Shoes?” Jacob asked, glancing at her bare feet.

She shook her head.

“You’re the boss.” He led the way toward the atrium to meet Lillian.

“And I can parallel park too,” Malini said under her breath.

The Council

T
he next day, Malini arrived in Eden alone with two things on her mind: Harrington Enterprises and Cheveyo. She needed to ask Abigail and Gideon for help researching where the infected Harrington water was produced and distributed. Until she understood the connection between Senator Bakewell and Harrington, she was putting out a fire with an eyedropper.

Cheveyo was another story entirely. He’d been missing far too long. With two experienced Helpers on the case, finding him should have been easy, but every lead came up empty. She’d even visited the In Between and searched for his thread. Maybe he’d been taken by the Watchers? She hoped not. They needed every Soulkeeper left alive to stand any chance of keeping Lucifer at bay.

Abigail met her at the door. “No Jacob today?”

“Laudner family brunch.”

“Ah yes. How is Aunt Veronica doing?”

“Ninety-six and still gripping to life with both crotchety hands.” Malini laughed.

“Same as I remember then.” Abigail led the way through the jeweled foyer of The Eden School for Soulkeepers.

“How are things with you and Gideon?” Malini asked.

“Oh…Uh…Good, I suppose. Settling in.”

“You don’t sound thrilled exactly. Is married life not what you expected?” Immediately, Malini regretted the all too personal question.

She dipped her head. “Oh, marriage is fine…perfect actually. Eden, on the other hand…”

“What about Eden?”

“Honestly, sometimes this place feels like a prison. Both Gideon and I would rather be working alongside the other Soulkeepers.”

First Grace and the twins, now Abigail. Didn’t anyone appreciate the safety of Eden? Malini paused outside the hallway. “I’m sorry, Dr. Silva. It’s just too dangerous for you right now.”

“Yes, of course. After Lucifer’s threat at our wedding, we should be thankful for Eden.” She didn’t sound thankful.

Malini nodded and let it drop.

“How long do you have today?” Abigail asked.

“A few hours. My family thinks I’m studying at the library. I should be, of course. Senior year, you know.”

“That’s right! Have you applied anywhere?”

“Your alma mater.”

“University of Illinois? They’d be fools not to admit you. What will you study?”

“Journalism.”

Abigail turned away but not before Malini caught a flash of skepticism. Everyone assumed she’d study medicine because she was a Healer, but the idea of having to allow people to die on a regular basis when she had the capability to heal them didn’t appeal to her. Life and death were a delicate balance, so easily thrown off by the most benevolent of actions. No, she would be an observer, ferreting out evil and bringing it to light.

At the stairwell, Malini noticed the halls had been conspicuously empty. “Where is everyone, anyway?”

“The rest of the council is waiting for us in the conference room, and the students are studying in the dining hall. We haven’t made the curriculum easy.”

With a snort, Malini declared her support. “Better hard now than hard later when they’re fighting for their lives.”

“My sentiments exactly.” Abigail hooked right at the top of the stairwell.

“Are Grace and Lee back from Sedona?”

“Not exactly.” Abigail flashed a knowing smile and opened the door to the room next to her office.

The conference room consisted of a long wooden table in front of an arched window overlooking the jungle. When Malini walked in, Lillian and Gideon tilted their faces up to greet her. So did Grace and Master Lee, although Malini could see right through their bodies to the chairs they sat in.

“Wha—” she said as her mouth dropped open.

“Warwick’s stones,” Abigail explained. “We figured out how they worked. They project the image of the person calling to the other stones in the set.” She motioned toward the rough, blue gemstone on the table. “Ancient cell phones.”

“Handy,” Malini said.

Inside the blue tint of his transparent image, Lee’s hologram smiled. “Good morning, Malini.”

“Good morning,” Malini took a seat across from Grace’s hologram “Any new clues on Cheveyo’s whereabouts?”

Grace spoke up first. “We found an apartment in Sedona with residual traces of Soulkeeper energy. Only, no one lives there anymore. Building manager says a woman and her son moved out over a month ago.”

“Did they leave a forwarding address?” Malini asked.

“A place in Flagstaff. The son’s name was Chevy.”

Gideon shifted in his seat. “Surely a nickname.”

“Presumably. We’re headed to Flagstaff tomorrow to confirm he’s our soulkeeper.”

“Excellent,” Malini said. “So, why do you both look so worried?”

Lee sighed. “The residue was faint, Malini. I am an experienced Helper. I’ve been tracking Soulkeepers for decades. Either he is in transition, or he has never used his power. He is going to be vulnerable.”

“Crap. Do you think Lucifer has him?” Malini asked.

Abigail shook her head. “Lucifer may have his name from the list, but if we can’t locate him, chances are Lucifer can’t either. Something about this boy is making him hard to find, both for us and for the Watchers.”

“We need to get to him first,” Malini said.

“Obviously.” Grace pursed her lips.

What’s with the attitude
? Malini scowled.

Master Lee made his best attempt to diffuse the tension. “We will find him. Before we leave for Flagstaff, we are visiting his old school and interviewing neighbors. A picture would aid our search efforts.”

“Makes sense. Thank you,” Malini said.

With nothing left to share, Abigail reached for the stone. “Thank you for being with us today. I’ll keep the stone with me in case you find anything.”

Grace nodded, reaching for the sister stone. Her image flickered and then disappeared, along with Master Lee’s.

“That was disappointing,” Lillian said, turning a paperclip between her fingers.

Malini couldn’t argue. Discouragement hung heavy in the air between them. “How are the new Soulkeepers coming along?” she asked, hoping for better news.

“Good. Bonnie and Samantha are tougher than they look, and Jesse was already good as gold after training with Master Lee,” Lillian said.

“And Ethan?”

Lillian’s eyes flicked to Gideon’s. They both made a sound like a soft groan.

“What is it?”

“He’s, um, challenging,” Lillian said.

“What does that mean?”

“Well, he has trouble following the rules,” Gideon said.

Abigail tilted her head in agreement. “He’s late for every class, has been caught trying to cheat several times, and is otherwise annoying.”

“Annoying?” Malini laughed.

She bit her lip. “He loves to be the center of attention. Yesterday, he burst into song, some obnoxious rap melody, and started grinding against one of the gnomes. We had to give the poor fellow the day off.”

As much as she wanted to keep a straight face, Malini couldn’t, overcome as she was by a fit of giggles. Soon the others joined in as well.

Lillian shook her head. “He is funny. A joy to have around most of the time. But can he be disciplined in the field? We’re not sure how much we can trust him.”

“Hmm. Yes, I can understand why that could be a problem.”

Abigail cleared her throat. “He has a past. The night I picked him up I think he was running from the mob. He admitted to stealing some money.”

“Ah. Trust is a major issue then.”

“Next time you’re in the In Between, can you follow his thread?” Abigail asked. “Give us something to go on?”