AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Eric grunted. “Good, you’re paranoid to the point of psychotic. Just how I like my people. Actually, it did come from the Trinity Masters, but they don’t know it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jane Dell,” Eric said.
“Oh, well, that changes things.” Lancelot relaxed a bit.
“Who is Jane Dell?” Hugo demanded.
“She’s scarier than me,” Eric said. “And also a little old British lady. Double terrifying.”
Hugo mouthed, “I don’t understand.”
“Jane Dell was British Intelligence for over forty years, and a member of the Masters’ Admiralty,” Lancelot explained. “Through her husbands, and her work, she has connections and acquaintances everywhere. But most importantly, one of her grandsons was a legacy to both the Masters’ Admiralty and the Trinity Masters. Marek is one of the few people who knows about both societies, and he wasn’t planning on joining either, but then he fell in love with two Americans. He’s a member of the Trinity Masters now…but I’m guessing he still talks to his grandmother.”
Eric jumped in. “Marek has no idea how much information he revealed. Jane was able to make some educated guesses about who the Trinity Masters are recruiting, based on their conversation. Lorelei—another British woman I would back in a fight—has an ongoing search running for new information about our pet psycho, Alicia. When Jane’s report with the list of recruits was added to the database, it flagged one of the names as being connected to Alicia. Sylvia Hayden.”
“Okay,” Lancelot said, wondering why he hadn’t been given this information from the get-go. Once more he stared up at his companion.
Hugo must’ve noticed Lancelot’s murderous glare. He cleared his throat and looked a little nervous. Good.
“Sylvia’s name threw up another flag,” Eric said. “She’s connected to Hugo.”
“A tenuous connection,” Hugo warned. “Seven years ago, I was invited to guest lecture a political science class at Northwestern. She was my student.”
“Tenuous, but it’s better than the fook-all we have now,” Lancelot said. “I say we stop searching and go talk to this former student.”
Hugo hesitated.
“If you’re about to lecture me, Dr. Marchand—again—about not wanting to involve her…” Eric’s voice deepened. “Don’t.”
Hugo straightened his back, looking nobly affronted. “Alicia Rutherford is a ruthless killer. Involving Sylvia in this investigation would endanger her. We must think on the ethical ramifications.”
“Lancelot, smack him upside the head for me.”
Without hesitating, Lancelot reached up and whacked Hugo on the back of the head.
Lancelot didn’t speak much French, but he knew a fair number of curse words. Hugo was using most of them as he jumped up from the arm of the chair.
Lancelot smiled at his partner in crime, feeling better since he got to smack the other man.
“That is for being a naive ass who assumes I give a shit about morals,” Eric said. “I give a shit about keeping our people alive. Don’t get me wrong, without people like you, people like me would be cave savages, and there is a time for existential doubt about morality. But this isn’t it.”
Personally, Lancelot was still more than a little irritated that both of them—Hugo and the fleet admiral—hadn’t told him about this lead. If it had been up to him, he would have started with questioning an acquaintance, instead of wasting time on searching the house, which his instincts had told him would be a waste of time.
This also explained part of why Hugo had been sent—his previous connection with this woman, Sylvia.
It seemed they both had secrets.
“Go question the woman,” Eric said. “That’s not a request, Dr. Marchand. It’s a goddamn order.”
“Moral implications of involving Sylvia aside, I am…wary of the Trinity Masters.”
“Like I said, good. But I want you even more paranoid. If the Trinity Masters have Sylvia on a short list, and Sylvia knows Alicia…”
“Fook.” Lancelot put the pieces together, and his gut tightened. This situation was potentially far more dangerous than he’d known it would be when he’d gotten on that plane. Anger at the fleet admiral for sending him in blind was pointless. He’d been a soldier. He knew orders didn’t always come with a “and here’s why” explanation.
“What?” Hugo demanded.
