“Then show me the evidence,” he countered. “They can sit down with me at my desk and show me what they’ve found. If I think it’s relevant to the case, I’ll share what we know from the crime scenes.”
Captain Keele leaned forward in his chair, the leather chirping.
“David, how long have we known each other?”
“A long time, sir.”
“Good. Then you can trust me when I tell you to just leave this one be,” he said. “Let this go.”
Sylvester was furious.
“This is my investigation—”
“Actually, it’s not,” the captain said, his voice turning impatient. “The chief and I are handing the investigation over to the NAS. They’re simply more experienced and better prepared to handle this sort of thing than we are. The department will, of course, still be involved, but in an auxiliary capacity. You’ll be providing them with any assistance they need, and they will be making the decisions. Understood?”
Sylvester glanced at the two shadowy figures again. They had not moved since he entered.
“These orders didn’t happen to come directly from Mark Godspeed, did they?” Sylvester asked.
The captain looked down at his desk.
“Sir, whatever’s doing this is extremely powerful, and extremely dangerous,” Sylvester said. “Something terrible is out there, something from another world, and I’m getting closer to finding it. This investigation is too important to be used as a public relations stunt for the NAS. In fact, there is reason to believe high-standing members of the Archangels might be involved in this violence.”
The captain’s gaze flickered briefly to the agents standing in the back. His expression was almost embarrassed.
“David, I think I made a mistake when I pulled you off your light duties. I can see now that you’re not emotionally equipped to handle something like this at present. Starting Monday, you’ll resume your work downstairs. Now I want you to go home and get some sleep. You look like you need it. That’s all.”
Sylvester turned without saying anything and left the office.
He walked slowly back down the hall to his temporary cubicle and sat. His computer monitor had clicked over to a colorful screen saver. He removed his glasses and polished them.
After a moment Garcia appeared from the hall again.
“I heard,” he said.
“Go home, Bill,” Sylvester said. “Your wife and daughter haven’t seen you for days.” Garcia looked regretful, but nodded in assent.
“For what it’s worth, sir, you did a hell of a good job on this one.”
Sylvester looked up.
“You proved a lot of people wrong, sir, including me.” Garcia hesitated a moment longer, then turned and shuffled away down the hall.
Just as he was getting closer to the truth, the NAS was pulling him off the case. Mark Godspeed was pulling him off the case.
Sylvester sat back in his chair and stared at the small box he had set on his desk. A minute passed. Then two. Suddenly he sat forward and began scooping up files and papers and stuffing them into his satchel. He threw in his Bible, along with a handful of Red Vines from the tub. Then he picked up the small box again, opened the lid, and looked inside. Appearing satisfied at what he saw, the detective snapped it closed and put it in his pocket. Standing, he pulled on his overcoat from the wobbly rack in the corner and prepared to face the weather outside.
It was going to be a long night, and he had work to do.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Jacks kept a watchful eye on the sky as they worked their way across the city, using side streets to avoid Angel Boulevard, then cutting up north towar
d Maddy’s house. The power outage, if anything, had worked to their advantage. Inky blackness covered all of Angel City. It was much easier to go unnoticed in the dark. Twice Jacks had pulled them into alleys to wait as helicopters passed overhead.
By the time they arrived at the house, rainwater had soaked through Maddy’s shoes and socks. She was shivering. They stayed out of sight and worked their way around to the kitchen window. Maddy peered in. There was Kevin, face drawn with concern, lighting candles and placing them around the house. The beginnings of a fire crackled in the fireplace. Maddy felt a lump rise in her throat.
“Is he alone?” Jacks whispered.