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> “Where should I look first?” Woody asked.
“There’s an old Department of Paranormal archive in Washington, D.C. In the basement of a building not far from Capitol Hill. Don’t write this down.” She whispered the address and Woody nodded.
The bribed cop poked his head in. “Time’s up, Father.”
“They say they’re going to try you for treason,” Woody said as two guards came to take Miss Walker back to her cell.
“Funny who gets to define treason,” she answered. “If that little bird comes back? Pay attention.”
Woody pushed through the protestors gathered outside the prison. Some shouted “Death to traitors!” Others cried “Free Sister Walker!”
When he returned to the Daily News offices on Park Row, there was another letter waiting for him. It was postmarked from Mississippi. There was no return address.
Marlowe Industries laboratory
Northern California
The eager young man apprenticing in Jake Marlowe’s laboratory stood behind Marlowe, waiting for the great man to notice him. When he did not, the young man cleared his throat. “Mr. Marlowe, sir?”
“Yes? What is it?” Marlowe said, barely glancing up.
“Mr. Petrovich just… expired, sir.”
Jake placed a paternal hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Just call him the Diviner. No names. Makes it easier. Less personal.” He patted the young man’s shoulder exactly twice and then peered through the lens at the lightning crackling inside the chamber. It would do for now. The Diviners they were bringing in simply weren’t powerful enough, not even with the extra boost of serum Jake was pumping into them. Some couldn’t take it at all; they convulsed, went mad, left this world burning up from the inside. Others managed a wild boost of Diviner insight into the supernatural realm, but it cost them. No matter what, Jake had to do whatever was necessary to keep the portal from closing until the modifications to the Eye were complete. Once the Eye was rebuilt according to the King of Crows’s specifications, once they got it to Death Valley, it would all be worth it.
He couldn’t kid himself, though. What he would need to make it happen was the formidable energy of Evie O’Neill, Memphis Campbell, and all their friends. What they had was something special. Something unprecedented. Revolutionary. He was still furious that Sam had managed to escape, and that it had been Evie O’Neill who’d helped him right there in Jake’s own house!
I built them, Marlowe thought with a touch of pride. He was disappointed to think of all his prototypes being destroyed in order to stabilize the breach so that they could capture the King of Crows and harness the power inside the land of the dead for American interests. But in order to build something extraordinary, you often had to make sacrifices.
He could hear Margaret Walker in his head now: You talk all the time about making sacrifices, Jake. But why is it always other people having to put their comfort and lives on the line? What sacrifices have you been willing to make?
Margaret Walker. She never liked him. She never really understood his great plan. Margaret was very smart, but there was only so far she could go. The bloodline, of course. It limited her.
The lightning in the glass dazzled Jake, but there wasn’t enough of it.
More. He needed more.
“Bring in the next Diviner,” Jake said.
The young employee of Marlowe Industries turned a bit green. “Another one, sir?”
“That’s what I said.”
“If you don’t mind my saying, sir…”
“I’m sure I will.”
“It’s just… they scream so much. I-I’ve never heard such screaming.”
“This is unprecedented territory we’re entering. Imagine if you had been driving your wagon across the vast plains to stake a claim that would allow you to establish yourself in this country for generations to come. Well, this is our new frontier. And we must drive our wagons forward, damn the cost.” Marlowe’s enthusiastic smile hardened. “Of course, if you’re unable to complete simple tasks, I can always ask someone else. Many would welcome this opportunity.”
“No, sir. That won’t be necessary.” The employee grabbed the keys for the holding cells. After all, this was a great opportunity in a land that wasn’t quite as full of them as people thought. He wanted to make a name and a fortune for himself. He’d better do as he was told and stop asking questions. At the door, though, the employee looked over his shoulder at his boss. “Mr. Marlowe?”
“Yes?”
“Do you know my name?”
Jake Marlowe stared. “It’s Mitchell, isn’t it?”
