They stopped in the archway, both of them bathed in purple shadows. Sir Guy’s heart was swelling with love and gratitude. He took the priest’s hand, bent and kissed the blood red ruby of his ring.

“Thank you,” he said. “I thank you with all my heart, Father Nicodemus.”

Chapter Forty-eight

Chapter Forty-Eight

The Hangar

Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn

June 15, 2:50 a.m. EST

Aunt Sallie and Church were still in his office when the phone rang with an overseas call. “Well, well,” he said and showed the display to Aunt Sallie.

Auntie smiled like a happy cat in a canary store. “This should be interesting as all hell.”

Church activated the scrambler and speaker.

Without preamble, Lilith demanded, “Have you talked to your agent, Ledger, today?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know that he met with Jalil Rasouli?”

“Yes.”

“Is he on or off the leash?”

“He has my trust.”

“Okay. Good to know, I suppose,” she said. Her tone was icy and scalpel sharp. “Word is that Rasouli gave something to Ledger. Care to tell me what it was?”

“Why do you need to know?”

“Because I think Rasouli is playing a game.”

“And that would be different from his normal behavior in what way?”

“Don’t try to be cute,” Lilith said tersely. “Do you know that the new Scriptor of the Red Order is trying to recruit Rasouli as the new Murshid of the Tariqa?”

Church cocked an eyebrow at Aunt Sallie. She shook her head and began tapping keys on the MindReader interface.

“I was not aware of that,” admitted Church. “Until today the Order has been off the radar since Baghdad. I am rather surprised to learn that they are active again.”

“They never really stopped. The new Scriptor—Charles, the last of the LaRoques—took over after we took his father off the board.”

“So that was you.”

Lilith ignored that. “The Order slowed down for a bit until they could build a list of candidates for a new Murshid. Rasouli’s been on the top of that list for a couple of years now.”

Aunt Sallie signaled to Church to look at the information on her monitor. Church nodded.

“It’s my understanding that Charles LaRoque has been treated for a variety of personality disorders since boyhood,” said Church. “Paranoid schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychosis. A handful of others. How is he able to run an organization as sophisticated as the Order?”

“The priest.”

“Priest?”

“The priest,” she said again, emphasizing the word.

“Lilith, you never mentioned a priest to me. Let’s remember that I’ve asked you many times for a complete history of the Red Order and each time you’ve refused. Actually, each time you never responded at all. So, again I ask, which priest? Who is he?”