“Lot of work ahead for J&J,” Luther said.
“Tell me about it,” Fallon muttered. “I’m going twenty-four/seven here.”
“That’s not good, Mr. Jones,” Grace said. “Sooner or later you’re going to burn out. That would be a disaster. The Society needs you at your best in the months ahead.”
Fallon snorted. “Not like there are a lot of options here.”
“Yes, there are,” Grace said. “You just need to focus on the problem for a couple of minutes the way you focus on other issues. Start by getting yourself an assistant.”
“Forget it. I work alone.”
Grace smiled. “That’s what Luther used to say, too. At least until you assigned me to work with him. You’ve got to admit that we made a pretty good team.”
“There’s a reason I work alone,” Fallon said bleakly. “No one can stand working with me for longer than about five minutes.”
“That’s not true. I’ve been your research assistant in Genealogy for several months. I didn’t have a problem working with you.”
Across the room Luther grinned but kept quiet.
“You’re different,” Fallon grumbled.
“So? Find someone else who is also different. You need an assistant, Mr. Jones. Make hiring one a priority. Think of it as a puzzle that needs to be solved as soon as possible.”
“It would have to be someone I could trust with the Society’s secrets,” Fallon said, unconvinced.
“Of course. But it won’t be the first time. Keep in mind that the founder of J&J, Caleb Jones, eventually acquired a partner who became his wife. She was the second Jones in Jones & Jones, remember?”
“You don’t need to tell me my own family history. I’m sure as hell not looking for a wife.”
“We’re talking about you getting an assistant, not a wife,” she said soothingly.
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “I’ll think about it. Oh, by the way, I need you to set up a new identity for Damaris Kemble. She says Craigmore never told the Nightshade board that she existed but I don’t want to take any chances. Bury her deep in the Society’s genealogy files for me, will you?”
“Uh.” Grace stopped. “I thought J&J had people on staff whose job was to invent new IDs.”
“Well, sure, for routine things like giving an agent a temporary cover for a case. But I’m talking about a whole new personal history here. I want it solid all the way back for several generations. Far as I know you’re the best there is at that kind of thing, at least when it comes to creating a phony past within the Society.”
Grace’s mouth went dry. “Excuse me?”
“Hell, the one you did for yourself after you got rid of that son of a bitch Martin Crocker was damn near perfect. If I hadn’t been keeping an eye on Crocker at the time because I had a hunch he was into some illegal business activity, I never would have looked twice at the circumstances of his death, let alone started to wonder about his butler. Have a good trip home.”
The phone went dead in Grace’s ear. She closed it slowly and looked at Luther.
“That’s Fallon for you,” he said. “Mr. Personality.”
“He knows everything,” she whispered. “He has all along. He even knew about the Burnside Clinic.”
“Yeah, that’s also pure Fallon. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m more than ready to get out of here.” He looked down at the computer sitting on the desk. “What do you say we pull up those reservations and see what time our plane leaves?”
Reality sluiced through Grace, leaving her chilled.
“Okay,” she said quietly.
She got up and crossed the room to the desk. Quickly she entered the address for the travel agency. When it came up, she keyed in the code for Luther’s reservation.
“You’re leaving at two-fifteen,” she said.
“Great.” He collected the cane. “Time for lunch.”
“Not for me.” She straightened slowly. “My flight to Portland leaves at one o’clock.”
Luther looked at her, expressionless.
“Portland,” he said. “Forgot about that part.”
She nodded, afraid to say another word, terrified not to speak.
There was a short, heavy silence.
“I’ve been thinking,” she started carefully.
“What a coincidence,” Luther said. “So have I. What do you say we both go to Portland—”
“I could pack a few things—”
“You could pack everything you own. Then you could fly home to Hawaii with me.”
She smiled, her eyes misting.
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, I could do that.”
His hands settled on her waist. He drew her to him. “You do know where this is going, don’t you?”
She put her arms around his neck, happiness soaring like a glorious operatic aria through her. “I think so, yes.”
“I love you,” he said. “But you probably already know that also, what with you being such a hotshot aura talent and all.”
“I love you, too.” She brushed her mouth lightly against his and drew back slightly “And for your information, no one can see actual love in an aura, not even a high-grade aura profiler like me. That’s why you have to say the words.”
“I can do that,” he promised. “And I will. Often and always.”
“Often and always,” she vowed.
FIFTY-ONE
The knock on the door came just as Grace was wedging a pair of boots that she would probably never wear in Hawaii into a suitcase.
“I’ll get it,” she said to Luther.
He straightened from the box of books he was taping and glanced out the window. “Looks like an old lady in camouflage, dark glasses and a black raincoat. I think she’s carrying.”
“My landlady,” Grace said. “And it’s not a gun, it’s a special camera.”
“Interesting landlady.”
Grace opened the front door. “Hello, Arizona. Come on in. It’s wet out there.”
“You got that right.” Arizona stomped into the small foyer, shaking water off her black raincoat. “I’ve been out doing recon all morning. Days like this I’ve got to stay extra alert. Folks up at the institute like to schedule a lot of clandestine deliveries on rainy days. Probably figure there’s less chance that someone is doing surveillance.”
“I’d like you to meet Luther Malone,” Grace said. “Luther, this is my landlady, Arizona Snow.”
Luther nodded politely and held out his hand. “A pleasure, ma’am.”
Arizona took off her mirrored glasses and gave Luther a squinty-eyed look. “So you’re the one, huh?”
“The one what?” Luther asked.
Arizona snorted, stripped off her thick leather gloves and shook his hand with great vigor. “No need to play games with me, young man. I recognize another pro when I see one. Minute I spotted you coming up the walk with Grace, I knew you were the one she’s been waiting for all this time while she was lying low here in Eclipse Bay.”
Luther smiled at Grace. “Actually, I think I was the one doing the waiting.”
Arizona winked. “Got it. Going undercover is a real pain, isn’t it? But since you’re here now, I reckon it was mission accomplished, eh?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Luther said.
Grace went into the kitchen. “How about a cup of coffee to warm you up, Arizona? I just made a fresh pot.”
“Thanks. I could use it.” Arizona surveyed the boxes and suitcases. “Well, looks like you two are shipping out together this time.”
“We’re going to get married,” Grace said. “We’re moving to Hawaii.”
“Still working for the agency, though, right?”
Luther raised his brow in silent inquiry. Grace smiled.
“Definitely,” she said smoothly. She handed the filled mug to Arizona. “But we’ll also be running a little restaurant on the side in Waikiki.”