TAYLOR LOOKED AT HER WATCH. IT WAS ALMOST HALF PAST midnight. What was taking him so long? “Shouldn’t Scotty have called us by now?”
“Maybe Crosse was late,” Jack said, but Taylor could hear the anxiety in his voice.
She had a bad feeling. “What if something went wrong? Maybe we should drive around the block.”
“Give it a few more minutes. We don’t want to do anything to scare Crosse off,” Jack said.
She tapped her fingers against the dashboard, feeling like a coiled spring ready to explode. “What if Crosse brought guards with him? Maybe we misjudged or underestimated him.”
Jack was lost in thought and didn’t reply.
Soon it was 12:45. Something was definitely wrong. “Drive around the block. Let’s see if Scotty’s car is still there,” Taylor said.
Jack started the car and drove, finally turning in front of the church, where Scotty’s car was still parked. “They must still be inside.”
“But I don’t see any other cars. Where’s Crosse’s car? Do you think he didn’t show?” Taylor asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe. But I think Scotty would have texted us. I’m going in. Scotty could be hurt or tied up.”
Before she could stop him, Jack got out of the car and ran up the stairs. Inside, the church was pitch-black. “Scotty?” he called, but no one answered. He heard the sound of ragged breathing. Pulling out a flashlight, he found Scotty lying on the ground in a pool of vomit. He was drenched in sweat and white as a sheet.
“What the hell?” Jack said as he ran to him and helped him up. Scotty’s legs buckled twice before Jack was finally able to get him to a standing position.
“Crosse,” he managed to croak out. “Those coins . . .”
“Come on, let’s get out of here. We need to get you to a hospital.” Jack half carried him out and down the steps to the waiting car.
“What happened?” Taylor cried, jumping out of the car and helping Jack get Scotty situated.
“Should we call 911?” she asked.
“No, it’ll be faster if we just take him. Mount Sinai in Queens isn’t far.”
“I don’t need to go to the hospital,” Scotty whispered.
Jack turned to look at him. “What are you talking about? You can hardly walk.”
He shook his head. “It was some kind of supernatural thing. I’m feeling almost normal again now.”
“What?” Taylor asked.
When Scotty had explained what had happened, Jack asked, disbelief in his voice, “Are you freaking kidding me? He chanted a spell and you almost had a heart attack?”
“I don’t know. The pain in my chest is almost gone. But that’s not all. We would have gotten him if he’d come out the front of the church.”
Taylor thought for a moment. “Well, he did have a day to check out the site.”
Scotty said, “No. There’s no other way out of there. I checked it out to make sure all the exits were covered. There’s just the side and front door, which both lead out to the courtyard and directly here.” Scotty swallowed and took a deep breath.
Jack banged his hand on the steering wheel. “How the hell did he get away then? Did you tell anyone about the meeting?”
Scotty shook his head. “No!”
“Should we go to your office, let them know Crosse is still out there?” Jack asked.
Scotty didn’t answer for a minute. “My boss is gonna kill me. I’m going to lose my job.”
“Well, we have to do something!” Taylor prodded.
Scotty sighed. “Go.” He pulled out a card and handed it to Taylor. “This is the address of my field office.” He leaned back against the seat, his breath still coming in short gasps, and closed his eyes.
Jack put the vehicle in drive.
“He has twenty of the coins now,” Taylor said in a wooden voice. “And we have no way to find him. The FBI isn’t going to be able to do anything. I have to call Jeremy.”
He answered on the first ring, and Taylor quickly brought him up to speed.
“He used the coins to make Scotty sick?” Jeremy clarified.
“Yes. And now he’s got twenty. We’ve got to let Father Basil know. It’s even more imperative that he guard the last ten.”
Jeremy sighed loudly. “I’ll call him now. And be careful.”
She disconnected and looked out the window as they pulled away, wanting to believe they stood a chance, but her heart was heavy and her hope was gone.