The office was pleasantly quiet. Simone had turned Sherrie’s radio off as soon as the receptionist had walked out the front door, a pleasant respite from the usual noise that followed the girl everywhere she went. Nick stood over Simone for a second, watching her work straight-backed and barely moving.
“How can you sit so long at that thing?”
“Hmmm?” The web browser flicked from page to page, slowed to let the cursor glide over a few lines before clicking on another link and moving on.
“Simone?” Nick leaned against the desk, bumping the keyboard to get her attention.
“Nicholas, did you want something?”
“Any calls?”
Simone reached across to the message pad and flicked over the blank top page, shaking her head. “Let’s see, Elliott and Sherrie are still out. Dan did call, but didn’t say anything I felt should be committed to paper. He’s finished filling reports out at the precinct and is on his way to the gallery. He promised to be back here by three.”
“He’d better be. I need to get down to Castle Rock by four. Did you finish the report on John Leary’s recent activities?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.” Simone gave a cool smile and pushed back from the desk to cross her legs, hands slipping from the keyboard to rest on the desk edge. “He and his secretary were quite active after hours. I swear Dan was blushing. That lens he talked you into buying has quite an effective zoom range; not a blurry pixel in sight. He does take a good photo, all the right angles.” Her smile warmed as she spoke. “Mrs. Leary isn’t going to be at all happy. I imagine this will be one set of family photographs that won’t make it to the mantelpiece.”
Simone’s gaze wandered back to the computer screen, fingers crept back to the keys, but Nick didn’t move. “Was there anything else?”
“I was just talking to your Professor Shaw. He’s coming over shortly with some of Flemming’s journals, wants you to take a look at them.” He slapped the Post-It note onto the monitor. “Also mentioned something about the Sangreal. Seemed excited. Know what that is?”
“You know, he really does prefer to be called Finn. Professor sounds so stuffy and he’s anything but stuffy.” Simone pulled the note from the screen and read the single word. “Sangreal. Sounds familiar. Did he say anything else?”
“Nope.”
“Finn would be the one to know. I wonder what he’s thinking?”
“Talk that over with the professor … Finn, when he gets here. Meanwhile, see what you can find in here.” He tapped the monitor. “I don’t see what any of this Albigensi stuff the professor was into could have to do with her vanishing …”
“On the contrary, Nick. This is ‘the stuff’ where ancient mysteries can be found. Secret societies, historical cover-ups. Who knows what scandals we might unearth, perhaps what Professor Flemming might have come upon?”
Nick rolled his eyes at Simone’s enthusiasm for unearthing scandals and returned to his office to call the soon-to-be unhappy wife of Mr. John Leary.
With Nick’s departure, Simone returned to her research. She bookmarked the website she had open and typed in the new search request. Sangreal … She said it out loud a few times, playing with the syllables, and then whispered, lips moving silently over the vowels and consonants as the screen filled with lists. She clicked on the first one, and smiled.
Prophetic dreams have haunted Dan Tenney since childhood, foretelling him of a life-changing event that is soon to take place. But before he can learn the meaning of his visions, he is attacked by a shadowy group of extremists: the Brotherhood of the Grail.
Finding sanctuary underground, an ancient relic comes into his possession and Dan begins to understand the path his visions have laid out before him. His quest will be fraught with an otherworldly people and an event that could tip the balance in favour of human existence-or disastrously against it. The mysterious Brotherhood will do everything in their power to prevent Dan from fulfilling his destiny as the Bearer of Ouroboros
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Genre - Fantasy
Rating – PG-13
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