Page 8 of Acting on Instinct
“Go slow. See it in your mind.”
He did as asked and was fairly confident when he said, “After.”
“And the reason was the olfactory hallucination you mentioned.”
“Quite. Yes. After I punched him, his mouth opened, and he exhaled garlic. It was an obnoxious amount of garlic.”
“As if he ate it as protection against vampires?” Lynx asked.
“I suppose that might make sense to a concussed mind, yes.”
“A vampire hunter,” Lynx’s voice trailed off, and her gaze moved to the ceiling.
“Crazy. I know,” Nomad said.
“Garlic.” Lynx held up her hand, stopping anyone from interrupting her thoughts.
She shook her head and scowled.
She scratched her lip. The cogs whirred.
Nomad thought Lynx had finally set her hook on something—fish or underwater debris? Sustenance or garbage?
When she focused on Nomad again, she asked, “You grew up in Europe, living in various countries as your parents worked at the embassies. The ring was last seen in a salt mine in Berchtesgaden. That’s in Germany. Were you ever in the area?”
“Yes, we went there as tourists when I was a boy.”
“And there were bats?” she asked.
Ah, maybe that’s why he’d hallucinated garlic. His subconscious had made a connection: vampire, bats, cave, ring. At least that mystery was solved.
“Yes, we weren’t allowed to go into certain sections of the salt mines on our tour because the bats were hibernating. Apparently, cool, stable temperatures just above zero degrees are optimal for them. Zero Celsius is about thirty-five Fahrenheit, which is good for bats. Mystery solved.”
White’s face drooped. Obviously, that vampire hallucination wasn’t going to take them where they’d wanted to go.
But Lynx was grinning. “You know what? I think that might be true. I need to make a phone call. Actually, two phone calls. I’ll put it on speaker so you can hear it. Will you give me a minute?”
Chapter Three
Nomad
“Hey there,” Lynx’s voice was cheerful as she spoke with her phone on speaker. “Dawson, quick question for you. If I’m remembering correctly, you’re a big World War II munitions history buff.”
“I am.” He chuckled. “It sounds like you have your teeth in a new puzzle.”
“I have an idea tickling around my brain. Do you have a minute? Could you walk up the hall and let me ask you a couple of questions?”
“I do. Give me five.”
“Perfect.” As she hung up the phone, she turned to Nomad and White. “Dawson Hughs, Tidal Force.”
Nomad gave a nod. he assumed that was another tactical unit like Strike Force.
Lynx lifted the phone and pressed a single number from a quick-dial roster. She slid her shoes off and started pacing barefoot as the rings came through the speaker.
Nomad noticed White’s body tense with anticipation. In the car, White had said that when Lynx’s shoes came off, that was a sign that she was onto something good.
“Hey, Baby Girl,” a gravelly voice answered.
