ANGEL BLUE [1]

LEAD 31: abra-cadaver

      “Was Angel Blue one of them?” I scowled.

      “Joseph narrowed the encryption code down to six files of NYPD personnel, a breach was reported but Colville must’ve hacked through the precinct’s firewall to reach them,” Sam explains.

      “What are you trying to say?” I pause.

      “Quade has our files with every scrap of information on them. He knows what schools we went to, where we live, who we talk to, how much we’ve contributed to the force…everything,” he grimaces.

      Brilliant.

      “Snag, Banks, Dad, Joseph, me,” I count out the files. “He must’ve sent the money to Washington so someone could pull your file from the FBI data banks. That means he wants to know something, Angel Blue wouldn’t be put on our files but if he had access to our files he could’ve easily decrypted our whole project from beneath us.”

      “We don’t know that, to avoid any more suspicion all we can do is act natural around Quade and be open as possible with him,” Sam reasons.

      “Even if he did find the Angel Blue file, we couldn’t make anything stick. He’s like the one man mafia of the FBI, he’ll find a way to acquit half of our team members,” I huff.

      Alkaios gives a deep throaty growl, cracking his knuckles in impatience, “If you both have finished your little lovers quarrel, Eryx and I would like to explain our situation―I think it’s direr than some printed paper, ne?”     

      Sam and I are silent.

      “Sas ef̱charistó̱,” Alkaios bows his head in thanks. “Now as I was saying, we have a slight problem with bringing Henry back from the dead. He burned the book of black magic that contained the ritual needed to extract his soul from my body. However, the sneaky little bástardos knew this and tore the page out before ever returning the book to me. I believe he kept it on his person to avoid it falling into…how do you Americans say―fall into the wrong hands?” 

      “If Nikita has the page, then I don’t see how that’s a problem,” I tap a finger against my bottom lip.

      “It’s a possibility that Nikita has the page, my beliefs are yet to be confirmed,” Alkaios folds his arms. He’s dressed in an olive green velvet vest over a white striped shirt and black slacks, far less out of date than last time. Eryx wears the same but with an exception of a grey waistcoat.

      “I think I’m missing something, how is this a major case crippling problem?” my brow twitches.

      “Come on glykós, you’re the one with the brains, you figure it out,” Alkaios sneers.

      “Ti gínetai me Alkaios, Q tha vreíte to só̱ma,” Eryx hisses at his superior in his native tongue. “I am still observing you both closely and through this, I have picked up on a few things. The new Agent, Quade, he said he was only in New York investigating the death of the other Agent―that man’s body has been flown out for burial, surely Quade’s time is up. Écho̱ díkio?”

      The only noise that can be heard is the rustle of the brown frost bitten leaves in the gutter outside the chapel. I’ve been so out of it since speaking to Greg that I think I actually switched my mind off. As part of the grand ‘distraction’ Banks mentioned something about the morgue, a grand tour if she got Snag’s permission?

      Nikita’s body is in one of the fridges, dormant and cold whilst we scramble around to find a way to free him. If Sam and I go to the morgue and remove Nikita’s body to search for the piece of paper with Q in the vicinity (who has no idea that Nikita’s been in Manhattan), could most certainly become a problem.