“I read a lot, and I once had access to an arcane book on Hunters and the Illuminati.”
He chuckled again. “The Illuminati? I thought that was an old myth.”
“Frankie Jones doesn’t think so. She asked me what I knew about them when I gave my statement yesterday.”
That drew a long look. “Interesting.”
“I thought so. Sam, how many high-ranking people in this city are paranormals?”
“A lot. Jones and her boss, the DA, at least one member of the City Council, and a state senator. There’s also a shifter on the Council. The head of one of the largest corporations headquartered here is a mage, and Carleton owned the company that hauls the garbage. That’s one of the reasons trash pickup is at night. And the Catholic bishop here is a witch. A white witch, but a witch just the same.”
Well, that put a number of things in perspective. With the City of the Illuminati gone, along with the entire ruling Council, those Illuminati out in the world who had infiltrated government, industries, and churches were suddenly on their own. I knew for a fact that few of them knew each other. The Council kept a tight rein on their subordinates, and while the station chiefs in London, Munich, and Cuzco had more knowledge and understanding of the organization’s strategies and goals than the average member, no one had the whole picture. Two members of the Order might know each other for years without knowing the other was part of the Order.
But when directives stopped coming from the City, highly placed insurgents would take whatever measures they felt necessary to enhance their own and the Order’s goals. And since the major goals were power and wealth, that was what they would pursue.
Calling in a Hunter, or multiple Hunters, to facilitate an ascent in position would be a logical action.
“Is something wrong with your breakfast?” Sam asked.
“No. Why?”
“You stopped eating.”
I realized I had a forkful of egg and sausage halfway to my mouth. I shook myself out of my reverie and chomped the mouthful.
When I finished chewing, I asked, “Do you have any contacts in DC or New York?”
He shook his head. “Why?”
“You said there had been a rash of beheadings in other cities.” If my guess was correct and the Illuminati were making a push, there were more of them in New York and Washington than anywhere else on the continent.
“This book you mentioned.”
“Yes?” I suddenly wondered if I’d said too much.
“You think it was true?”
“The person who wrote it thought it was true, and the person who gave it to me certainly did.”
He nodded, seeming to drift off into thought.
From Rosie’s I went to the public library and went through the hassle of getting a library card without a driver’s license. Luckily, I had my rental agreement, and with that and my passport, they finally decided I was entitled to borrow their books.
What I did was reserve time on a computer, which was in a tiny cubicle with a huge red sign admonishing me that I was not allowed to access any porn sites, and also telling me that such sites were blocked and I couldn’t see them anyway.
Looking up the DA and Frankie and the bishop was pretty straightforward. I wasn’t sure what I was trying to find but hoped that some pieces of information might help to identify a thread that would lead me to a network of mages who controlled Westport. The bishop didn’t worry me since the Illuminati were all mages. But I read everything I could find about him, thinking that in a pinch he might be an ally. I chuckled when I discovered that his sister ran a tea shop advertising herbs and “natural remedies.”
Frankie turned out to be the daughter of the DA’s former law partner and had gone to his university. From the DA’s Wikipedia page, I followed threads of information through the organizations he belonged to. One of those was a private club, the membership of which was secret. But a Google search turned up twenty more influential individuals, all in the Westport area, who claimed membership in that club.
Little information was available on The Columbia Club, but comparing public information about its members was enlightening. The members included a Westport city councilman, a state senator, and at least two of the members who might be classified as heads “of one of the largest corporations headquartered here.” Frankie’s father was also a member, as was the mayor’s chief of staff. It appeared that paranormals had an inordinate amount of influence in the city.
Pairing that with a shifter on the City Council and Carleton’s waste disposal business, I wondered how they managed to keep the conspiracy theorists from going bananas. But somehow Blair and his bosses managed to keep it all quiet. Actually, I thought, that might have been the true purpose of Blair’s unit.
From the library, I hiked a mile to the building where the Columbia Club’s address was listed. I found a private mailbox company, and when I enquired about getting a box, the guy at the counter assured me of absolute confidentiality and that my address would appear as a real address, not a mailbox. That left me with nothing, since I couldn’t find an online presence for the club. No web page, no announcements of meetings, no charitable activities.
I found a pay phone in the lobby of a chain restaurant, and pulling Trevor’s number out of my pocket, I gave him a call.
“Trevor,” he answered.
“Hi. This is Erin.”
“Oh, wow. Hi, how are you doing?”
“Okay. Hey, Jolene mentioned that you’re a computer whiz.”
He laughed. “I do okay. What’s up?”
“I need to find out about a group, a private club, and I can’t find anything about them online. I was hoping you could help me.”
“Possibly. Are you sure they have an online presence?”
“I’m thinking they might not. Could I come over and talk to you about it?”
“Sure.” He sounded eager, and I felt a little guilty if he thought I was interested in dating him. At least I didn’t think I was interested, but I got a warm, happy feeling when I thought about him. He gave me his address, and I pulled out my map of the city.
The distance between Trevor’s house and Rosie’s surprised me. He lived in a suburb south of the city near the coast, and Rosie’s was on the west side. It took me over an hour to get from the library downtown to his place by bus.
The bus dropped me off at a train station, and I walked three blocks to his house, a small rancher among similar houses with neatly trimmed front lawns and flowered borders. Many had children’s toys on the front lawns or basketball hoops hanging over the garages. It vaguely reminded me of the neighborhood where I had lived with my parents.
Trevor was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans when he answered the doorbell. He opened the screen door, and I saw that he was barefoot and his hair was damp.
“Come in,” he said with a smile. “This is a pleasant surprise.”
“Well, as I told you on the phone, I’m trying to find out something about a particular group, and I’m striking out. Jolene told me that her magic involves finding and tracking, but you’re the cyber expert on the team.”
“Jolene was being modest. She does okay with computers. So, what is this group?”
“It’s called the Columbia Club. I discovered its existence because a number of paranormals in high positions here in Westport listed membership in it, along with various civic and charitable organizations. But when I tried to look it up, I came up blank.”
“Come on back.” He led me to a bedroom filled with computer equipment instead of a bed. I wasn’t sure what computers cost, but I recognized that he must have had tens of thousands of dollars invested. For the first time I realized that Lost and Found was a real business. And I was asking him to help me for free.
He sat down at a keyboard, and three monitors came to life. “So, the Columbia Club? And it’s kind of a private organization?”
All my adult life, I had gotten what I wanted by manipulating people, even Master Benedict and the heads of the Hunters’ Guild. The people I had met at Rosie’s offered me friendship openly, asking nothing in return. Some had even put their lives on the line for me. All Sam asked was honesty. I suddenly realized that since I was a child, I had never had a friend, had no idea how to be one. Wasn’t even sure what the word meant except in an abstract sense.
I shook my head. “I’m sorry. This is how you make your living. I thought I’d just come over and flirt with you a little and get something for free. But that’s not how people treat their friends, is it? I’ll go.”
Whirling about, I headed for the door, tears half blinding me, and not understanding the feelings that suddenly washed over me.
Trevor caught me halfway across the living room, laying a hand on my shoulder and turning me around.
“Hey. What’s wrong?”
I felt ashamed and refused to meet his eyes. Then I blurted, “Everyone has been so nice to me, and I’ve just been a stone-cold bitch, afraid to let anyone get close to me.”
My mind froze. I couldn’t believe I had said that out loud. I tried to pull away from him, but instead found myself pulled into a hug, pressed against him. He was warm, and solid, and felt safe. I didn’t know what to do, my arms hanging at my sides. I was afraid to return the hug. The only time I had ever hugged someone was during sex.
“You haven’t been a bitch,” he said, “except maybe to Josh, and he deserved it. You’re sweet and funny, and nice.”
“You’re lying to make me feel better.”
“A little bit, maybe.”
I looked up into his face and saw a soft smile and kind eyes.
“That’s what friends do,” Trevor said, “try to make you feel better. Now, come back and tell me why we’re concerned about the Columbia Club, okay?” He shrugged. “I’ve been paid a lot less than with a little harmless flirting.”
We went back into the computer room, and he pulled a chair up so I could watch what he did.