Page 29 of Immortal Unveiled

“I’ll start at this end,” Manus said and pointed to the far corner of the unit.

“Looks too dark back there,” Kim said. “Let me see if there’s a light switch.”

A moment later, a neon light attached to the ceiling illuminated the unit. Manus glanced up. This was a good sign. No demon had been here yet, otherwise the neon light would have burned out as it always did in the presence of a demon. While the demons didn’t have an aura by which to identify them, something about their presence reacted with mercury and neon, both ingredients in fluorescent and neon light tubes used in many industrial buildings. Flickering and burned-out neon lights had saved many a Stealth Guardian’s hide.

“Thanks.”

“I’ll start up front. What are we looking for?” Kim asked.

“Anything a thief might have found valuable.” By thief he meant demon, but of course Manus couldn’t voice that thought. It meant letting Kim in on a secret few were privy to.

Manus lifted the first box off the shelf and opened the lid. It was filled with old files, too many to go through in detail. He leafed through them. They were mostly old tax files and receipts. He closed the box again and opened the next one. It was heavier and contained old books. Some appeared to be first editions. Manus knew that Nancy had been an avid collector of antiques and anything old, and first editions certainly seemed to fit the bill. But could any of these books be valuable to a demon? Since he couldn’t inspect each and every one more closely while he was with Kim, it was best to call in reinforcements.

Manus looked over his shoulder and noticed that Kim was going through a box containing photos. Perfect. She would be occupied for a while. He turned his back to her and pulled his cell phone from his pocket, set it to silent, and typed a quick message to Enya. He pressed send and received a positive reply just moments later. Satisfied, he slipped the phone back into his pocket and glanced over his shoulder. Kim was still going through the box of pictures.

Manus went through more of the boxes. One contained antique dolls, another was filled with tin soldiers and other metal items, a third contained manuscripts and playbills. It appeared that Nancy hated throwing anything out. The next row proved to be more fruitful. One box contained artifacts that appeared to be genuine though he couldn’t be sure. He rummaged through the box, lifting figurine after figurine out of it.

Had Nancy stolen items from the museum with the intent of reselling them later? Had she not been as honest a person as everybody assumed? Had she maybe even dealt with the demons, supplying them with artifacts they were looking for? He had to consider this possibility. What if Nancy had been a double agent? It was something he had to bring up with his colleagues. But he couldn’t voice that suspicion to Kim. Just the idea that her mother could have stolen items from the museum would crush her. The possibility that she could sell them to the evilest creatures that existed would destroy her faith in humanity.

Making sure Kim hadn’t seen the items, he packed them back into the box and closed the lid. “Are you finding anything?”

Kim turned her head toward him. “Old photos. Lots of them. But nothing a thief could want. And you?”

“Old tax records, bills, a doll collection, but nothing that looks valuable enough to warrant—” He stopped himself. It wasn’t necessary to mention her mother’s death again. “Nothing of real value.” He glanced outside, where it had gotten dark. “It’s getting late. Let’s see if we can go through the rest of the boxes.”

For over an hour, they continued searching the boxes, but nothing stuck out as important. Manus was glad when Kim started to yawn.

“Shall we call it a night?” Manus asked.

Kim rose and brushed the dust off her pants, and Manus couldn’t stop his eyes from roaming over her slender legs. He could think of a lot of things he wanted her to do with those legs, all highly inappropriate yet deliciously tempting. If only they’d met under other circumstances. Then he could at least take her to bed for one night of passion.

“I think I’ll come back tomorrow during the day,” Kim said.

Manus swallowed away his sinful thoughts, hoping they weren’t reflected on his face. “Good idea. I’ll drive you home.” Though it would be safer if he got her a taxi.

“Thank you. I appreciate all your help.” She glanced around the unit once more. “I wish I knew what we’re looking for.”

“I’m sure if it’s here, we’ll find it.” Whatever it was. “And if it isn’t, then we’ll follow other leads. I still think we should talk to your mother’s colleagues at the museum.”

It would give him an opportunity to figure out if there was any way Nancy could have stolen anything from the museum that subsequently got her killed. It was his best guess.