“Well, never mind that,” Trinity said to Zeke. “Tell me everything that you know about these church fires… everything.”
It happened that Zeke didn’t know all that much, though he rarely let them stop him from talking. Prather had only told him that the churches had been destroyed using the formula of unmaking, though that hadn’t exactly been news to him. Though his adult novelty shop was profitable by itself, Zeke’s real business was in paying attention to other people’s… he always made it a point to keep a tympanic membrane to the ground.
He’d known about the thrust of the official arson investigation and the involvement of Perfect and Ray’s fledgling group of heroes already. Alcheman’s call had helped him put the pieces together, and he spun a story for Trinity that was more truth than not, about Alcheman mentoring a group of heroes who were investigating the church fires.
“Alcheman?” Trinity repeated. She frowned.
“I know what you’re thinking… you’re behind the times, Trin,” Zeke said. “He’s come out of retirement for one last big case.”
“Don’t ‘Trin’ me,” she said. “So what’s her involvement? No, don’t answer that yet. I don’t want any more of her attention than I have. Hang on, I need to make a couple of calls.” She turned away from Zeke and opened her phone again, hitting a couple of buttons and then putting it to her ear. Her dark hair bounced from side to side as she waited. “Hello, J… oh, Nana.” Her voice became as cold and distant as a new moon. “Is Dr. Day available? No? Well, could you tell him I’ve been detained on the east coast and won’t be… the amine sequences? Now? Yes, I did them. Hold on.” She snapped her fingers and a piece of paper appeared in her hand, from which she read as arcane and impenetrable a series of words and numbers as she’d ever recited from a grimoire. “Yes, I had them checked… look, I don’t work for you. I work with Dr. Day. Just give him the message.”
She hung up without waiting for a response, then let out something between a growl and a sigh.
“Still playing at being a scientist?” Zeke said.
“Somebody has to keep an eye on what they’re doing at DELPHI,” Trinity said. “Their work is too important to humanity to be stopped, but they brush right up against several things man really was not meant to know. It’s easier to keep an eye on them as a member of their faculty, that’s all. If I had anybody that I could trust to stay close by their lead researchers, believe me, I wouldn’t be doing it myself.”
“Yeah, it didn’t sound like you’d trust another woman around their lead researcher.”
“You may have ‘that kind of face’, Zeke, but it can be removed,” Trinity said.
“Er, uh, didn’t you have another call to make?” Zeke asked.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did,” Trinity said. She stuck a pair of fingers in her mouth and let out an ear—and other things—piercing whistle.
“Jesus Fucking Christ!” Zeke cried, his eyes blinking momentarily shut from the pain. When they reopened, there was a man in a white trench coat and slouch hat perusing the shelves across from the counter.
“Not quite,” Morgenstern said as he turned around. “And really, you people have got to quit handing me lines like that. I’m almost embarrassed to take them.”
Discuss this story on the Livejournal feed.
« « 78: Shell Games IV 80: Shell Games VI » »Note: I'm trying out a new comment system. It's new and subject to jiggerypokery. It's moderated. Detailed guidelines to come but follow the general rule: be excellent to each other.
If you enjoy reading, please consider a financial contribution.
« « 78: Shell Games IV 80: Shell Games VI » »