Love Immortal (35 page)

Both officers nodded and Edgar got up to
leave the room. They heard an electric can opener and a small gray
tabby darted from the back rooms into the kitchen. They heard Edgar
talking baby talk to his cat before they heard him pick up the
phone in the kitchen. “Hi mom.” There was a pause. “I’m sorry that
I can’t make dinner. The police need me to answer some questions
about a girl from the hospital. I’ll try to come by as soon as I’m
finished there.” The officers heard the phone settle back on the
hook.

“He didn’t say ‘I love you.’” Kory
whispered.

“What?”

“Don’t you always tell your mother that you
love her when you call? I do.”

“So? Maybe he doesn’t love her.”

Kory hesitated, “Or maybe he wasn’t calling
his mother, but someone else to let them know that we were
questioning him.”

Elizabeth let out a low whistle.

Edgar walked into the room, placing his cell
phone in his pocket. “Okay, I guess that’s everything. Do I ride
with you, or should I take my own car?”

“If you don’t mind, we’ll have you ride with
us. We’ll bring you back here when they’re done.”

Edgar gestured to the door. “After you,” he
said politely as he followed them out the door, locking it behind
him.

At the warehouse, Art Lewis considered the
phone call he had received from Edgar. The police were now
involved. This would complicate things.

Andy Baraven walked into the police station,
glancing at the notes Elizabeth had given him from her interview
with Edgar Durand. He found the obsidian cross Edgar wore to be
particularly interesting.

“What do you have for me?” He asked Melissa
St. Johns, a special deputy, as he walked into her office. She was
beautiful, even at nearly sixty. Andy could imagine that she must
have been courted by every man who saw her when she was young. Her
once auburn hair had turned almost completely silver, but it didn’t
make her look any older. She handed him a Yahoo map. “This is a map
to the address that Elizabeth and Kory found on the table at Mr.
Durand’s apartment. It’s a warehouse. It was rented a little over a
month ago by a company called Vex Lexicon, Inc. They are
incorporated in Delaware, and have offices all over the world. It
seems to be an umbrella company with…well, hundreds of
subsidiaries. It’s a very profitable company though. Here’s their
corporate info sheet. Don’t know if it’ll be much help.”

“Thanks beautiful,” Andy flashed Melissa his
most brilliant smile. In fact, it gave him a lot of information.
For one, Vex Lexicon was a very interesting name for a company. If
the letters were reordered, it spelled
Vox in
Excelso
, the order disbanding the Templar Knights. It
was the corporation used by the Obsidian Knights to maintain and
fund their organization. The Templars had similar corporations,
designed to help them protect innocents, but also to help fund the
order. Much of the original money for the corporation came from the
Templar fortune, but through the purchase of several successful
companies, they were well funded, to say the least.

The fact that Edgar was a member of the Order
coupled with this information gave him a very promising lead into
the whereabouts of Jewell McKean. As much as he wanted to go after
her immediately, he knew that without careful planning, they could
be putting Jewell into jeopardy. The first thing he needed to do
however was call Sheriff Payne.

Chapter 48

“There must be something we can do!” Collin
protested, looking at Percy. When Percy didn’t respond, Collin
resumed his pacing. “They know where she is! Why won’t they do
anything? Why won’t they let us do anything?”

Percy gestured for Collin to sit down. Collin
crossed his arms across his chest defiantly, staring down his
uncle, before finally submitting and slumping into one of the
velvet covered chairs facing the chaise where Percy sat. “These
people have two roles Collin. They are public servants. As public
servants, their jobs are to protect the people. They have taken a
vow before the city, or the state, ‘to serve and protect’,” he
quoted. “Some of them are also Templar Knights. They have taken a
vow before God. They have pledged their lives to protect those that
are in need of their protection. We happen to be high on their
list.” Percy sighed dramatically. “Believe me, I understand your
frustration, but we’re special Collin. That entitles us to
certain…benefits.”

“I would hardly call this a benefit!” Collin
jumped up and resumed his pacing. “Because I entangled her in this
mess, isn’t it my duty to help get her out?”

“Sheriff Payne assures me they’ll do
everything they can to get Jewell back to her dad.” He didn’t add
dead or alive. Percy wasn’t sure if the kidnappers thought Jewell
was one of them and using her to root out any others in the area,
or if they knew that she wasn’t. If they knew she wasn’t one of the
family, they had a better chance of bringing her home alive. As
misguided as the Obsidian Knights were, they had honor, such as it
was. They didn’t kill innocents without reason.

Collin sat in the chair again. “But not back
to me. They won’t bring her back to me.” He rested his elbows on
his knees and cradled his face in his hands.

“That’s her choice Collin, but you have to
understand; I gave Avelyn a choice. She chose wrong.”

“So her only choice is to leave me? Or for me
to leave her?”

Percy didn’t answer Collin’s question.
Instead, he left the room, calling for the others. They were all
going to Dr. Babineaux’s house where they would be safe.

The Templar Knights sat in Dr. Babineaux’s
living room. Percy, Kendryck, Gladys, and Collin sat with them.
Nine Templar Knights and four Infinitas, thirteen people in all.
Although the gathered group believed that Jewell had been kidnapped
to get to Collin, no ransom demands had yet been made, and no one
was even certain that Jewell was still alive. If the Obsidian
Knights thought she was immortal, she would have been summarily
executed.

Sheriff Payne gave a brief explanation of the
rescue plan. Because the warehouse where Jewell was probably being
held was in Orleans Parrish, Orleans Sheriff had priority on the
case, despite the fact that Jewell was from Covington. The Templars
that would be involved in the rescue would be Christian Johnson and
Eric Wilder, both New Orleans police officers, and Hugh Payne,
Sheriff of the Orleans Parrish Sheriff’s department. Dr. Babineaux
would also be within a short distance in case Jewell required
medical attention. He’d also called in his best staff to work the
trauma center during the rescue. Herb Ilkay, a Templar and New
Orleans fireman would be on duty if the fire department was
needed.

Andy Baraven, a Templar and officer in the
St. Tammany Parrish Sheriff’s department would remain with the
Infinitas at Dr. Babineaux’s house on the North side of the lake.
Luke Jefferson, and Mike Forester, both Templars and firemen in
Covington would stay with Jewell’s father and Jewell’s best friend
Ashley at the McKean house along with Alex Stanley, also a Templar
and a Covington police officer.

As Sheriff Payne was briefing the Templars
and Infinitas, one of the Louisiana S.W.A.T. teams was being
briefed along with a crisis negotiation team. Surveillance teams
were starting to set up in the area to gather information.

Outside the warehouse, two of the kidnappers
were patrolling. They were armed; each carried a firearm and a
sword. A third individual, also carrying a firearm and a sword was
located at the main entrance to the warehouse offices. The windows
were tinted making it difficult to see inside, but sometimes men
could be seen as they passed close to the windows. Initial
observation indicated seven men; three outside, and an additional
four inside. A blueprint of the warehouse showed several offices
inside which could hide additional individuals. The team couldn’t
get a visual on Jewell, if she was there.

There was no active phone line to the
warehouse, so communication at this point was impossible. The team
radioed back what information they had. A law enforcement command
center was set up at one of the nearby office buildings where
Sheriff Payne met the S.W.A.T. team and the other law enforcement
officials that had been assembled.

Shortly after three a.m., Tommy McKean
received a phone call. It was short, and to the point. “Bring the
immortal and we will release the girl.” Immediately after the call
was complete, Alex called the station to begin a trace on the call.
Unlike in the movies, tracing a phone call was much easier than
they would have you believe. Within an hour, the police had
identified the phone call as having been made from a prepaid cell
phone purchased from a Wal-Mart in San Diego, California. It had
been purchased and activated only hours prior to the call and the
information on the phone’s owner was invalid. Triangulation of the
cell phone’s signal placed the call as being made from somewhere in
the San Diego area. Calls made to the number went unanswered.

“What is the immortal?” Ashley asked Alex
after hearing that the cell phone lead was a dead end. Tommy looked
at Alex after Ashley asked the question that had probably been on
his mind, but worry for his daughter had left it unasked.

Alex looked at Ashley, and then at Tommy. How
much could he tell her? How much should he tell her? Alex had known
Tommy a long time. Alex’s wife had been best friends with Tommy’s
wife. He had known Jewell for most of Jewell’s life and loved her
as he did his own children. What would he expect Tommy to do in the
same situation? He knew something that could potentially save
Tommy’s daughter’s life, but he was also sworn to protect the
Infinitas – the immortals.

Alex finally decided that a partial truth
would suffice…for now. “There’s a group of religious fanatics who
believe that the Templars stole the Holy Grail during their time on
the Temple Mount.” He looked at Tommy. “Do you know the history of
the Templar Knights?”

“A little,” Tommy replied. “I know that they
were headquartered in Solomon’s Temple and some thought that they
found certain holy relics there, the Grail being one of them. But
the Templar’s haven’t been around for thousands of years.”

“Well, for the most part, yes.” Alex thought
for a minute. “Well, these religious fanatics, the Obsidian
Knights, believe that they have discovered people who are immortal
because they have defiled the Grail by drinking from it. When they
find someone whom they think is one of these immortals, they’re
summarily executed as infidels.”

“Summarily executed?” Tommy’s voice was
shaking with fear for his daughter.

“They’re beheaded.” Alex looked at Tommy
sympathetically. “But since they’re ransoming your daughter for the
immortal, Jewell is probably alive.”

“But there’s no such thing as immortals,
right? Who is it they want?” Ashley asked.

“There are no people that have drunk from the
Holy Grail and become immortal.” Alex explained. The Infinitas may
seem immortal, but they aged and died as did all people and their
immortality was genetic, not the result of drinking from a mythical
cup. “They want Collin. They believe him to be an infidel.”

“But why?” Ashley looked at Alex, clearly
upset and confused. Even though he had left Jewell without so much
as a good-bye, she still liked him enough not to want him killed.
“Because he survived that accident? Have these people heard of
modern medicine?”

“Precisely because he survived that accident.
And yes, they’ve heard of modern medicine, but the only miracle
they believe in is the gift of the Grail, and Collin should not
have survived that accident. You know that as well as I do; as well
as they do.”

“Collin left.” Tommy hung his head
dejectedly. “Even if we wanted to hand him over to these people, we
wouldn’t know where to find him.” Alex looked at Tommy. Sympathy
filled his eyes. He was torn between his duty as a Templar, and his
duty as a friend. “The NOLA team will get her out,” was all Alex
could say to reassure his friend.

“I hope so,” said Ashley.

Tommy just buried his head in his hands and
wept for his daughter.

Chapter 49

“I’m not just going to sit here and wait!”
Collin said angrily, pulling against his uncle’s surprisingly
strong grip. “Not when I know where they are and what they want!
It’s my fault she’s in this mess; I’m going to get her out!”

“Collin, they’ll kill you!” Gladys
pleaded.

“I don’t care! Better me than her. If
something happens to her, if she dies…” He gave his arm a sharp
tug, escaping his uncle’s strong grasp only to fall into Andy’s
arms. Although Andy wasn’t as strong as Collin, he slowed Collin
enough for Percy and Kendryck to grab hold of him and force him
back into one of the plush chairs in Dr. Babineaux’s sitting room.
“So what? Are you planning on sitting on me until she dies? Or are
you actually going to do something to try to help me?”

Collin was angry. First he was kidnapped,
taken away from Jewell and told he could never be with her because
he had some rare genetic disorder that made him, for all intents
and purposes, immortal. Then he finds out that, because of his
disease, his true love has been kidnapped by a bunch of seriously
deranged religious fanatics who are holding her hostage and may
kill her, so that they can kill him. He was determined to do what
he could to save her, regardless of the cost to him. The people
with him could help him, or get out of his way.

Andy looked at Collin as he was held down by
his uncle and Kendryck. If nothing else, he could understand
Collin’s frustration. He quietly left the room to make a phone
call. When Andy returned, Collin was still seated in the chair, but
Percy and Kendryck had reverted to guard positions, no longer
physically holding him in the chair. Andy could see the calculation
in Collin’s eyes; he intended to find a way to save Jewell.
Fortunately, Sheriff Payne had offered a suggestion. Andy cleared
his throat to get everyone’s attention. “I just got off the phone
with Hugh.” He waited to make sure everyone, especially Collin, was
listening. “He thinks it would be best if I took Collin down to the
command center.” Andy noticed Percy’s eyes narrow. “He would be
safe there,” Andy quickly added to calm Percy and interrupt any
repudiation he might offer. “Hugh feels Collin could be useful in
the hostage negotiations.”