Laura chuckled. Saffin had thought of everything. “I want to check the security on the Treaty before things start.”
Saffin touched her arm. “I’ll do it. We’re keeping it in the vault until Guildmaster Rhys makes his speech. You stay and mingle.” She leaned closer and whispered. “And there is a very handsome man behind you watching your every move. You should talk to him.” Saffin hurried off.
“My assistant thinks you’re handsome,” she muttered to Sinclair.
“You have an excellent assistant,” he said.
Near the Declaration of Independence, Hornbeck held court, with Tylo Blume at his side. Blume didn’t look like someone who had ever been denied a place at the table. In fact, he seemed pleased and relaxed as he laughed and talked with a Supreme Court justice. He should be happy, she thought. He got what he wanted.
On the opposite side of the room, Guildmaster Orrin ap Rhys moved through the gathering, oblivious to the Archives staffers and security personnel who scurried around him. For all their tendencies to vanity and superiority, most Dananns dimmed their essence and hid their wings from sight. It made dealing with humans easier-and enhanced the intimidation factor tenfold when they flashed their full power. Not Rhys. He was never shy about his normal appearance and more than happy to attract attention. He had been a negotiator of the Treaty of London and took pride in the achievement. To have another opportunity in the spotlight pleased him enormously.
Resha Dunne spoke with a group of fairies, mostly Dananns. A twinge of pity struck Laura at the sight of the glazed look on their faces. Resha’s social skills needed serious overhauling. Her desire to help him warred with her preference for his ineffectualness. A stronger leader in the public-relations area would make her job harder.
Sinclair followed her as she slipped back to the entrance. “I want to talk to Foyle.”
“He’s in the Public Vault,” said Sinclair.
The area behind the Rotunda served as an interactive display area. The exhibit of fey documents took up the entire space by special arrangement. Foyle waited near the entrance in full-dress uniform. Many people knew him as a police officer, either for his work on the force or with the Fey Relations Committee, so there was no point in trying to pretend he wasn’t security.
“Is everything going smoothly, Captain Foyle?” she asked.
He made a slight courtesy bow. “Fine, Ms. Blackstone. Is there anything you need?” he asked.
She was surprised he remembered her name. As Laura Blackstone, she had little interaction with him since the Archives handled security, especially with the president involved. “I’m just doing a last-minute walk-through.”
She passed into the exhibit area. On impulse, she stopped and turned back. “Captain Foyle, has anyone else been inside yet?”
“Just staff, ma’am,” he said.
She nodded. “Archives?”
He nodded as well. “And security. General entrance is scheduled for after the speeches.”
She smiled. “Yes, of course. Thank you.”
She entered the exhibit. Computer screens lined the walls. Convergence and its mystery were presented first, a series of theories outlining recent thought as to how the event occurred. When the fey first arrived, they’d kept themselves hidden from the general public. They didn’t understand the world they found themselves in and tried to understand what had happened and where they were. Eventually, the Celtic and Teutonic factions revealed themselves to major governments in order to form alliances.
Original documents were on display within glass frames. The earliest documents showed High Queen Maeve’s diplomatic efforts with President Wilson. History was on her side. Wilson was keen on the unity of nations. Laura recognized Maeve’s hand in the subtle manipulations that played on Wilson’s fears of war-and especially his growing concerns with Germany. The Elvenking’s aggressive efforts to ally with the German government gave him pause, and the alliance with Maeve was inevitable. Maeve pushed for a series of stunning concessions from both the U.S. and Britain. The Seelie Court at Tara became officially recognized as a nation by treaty, and the rest of Europe fell in with their dominant allies.
Laura checked her watch. The speeches would start soon. Saffin? she sent. With the extra security wards in place, she allowed the sending a few moments to find its destination, but no response came. She retraced her path to the entrance, where Sinclair waited with Foyle. “Have you seen Saffin?” she asked.
Foyle craned his neck about the crowd. “Your assistant? She went down to the basement vault.”
Laura tapped him politely on the arm. “Ah, thank you. She said she would be checking that area. We should return to the Rotunda, Officer Sinclair. I think things are about to begin.”
They paused on the threshold of the Rotunda. The guest speakers had moved toward the podium next to the empty case where the Bill of Rights was usually displayed. Saffin should have been back upstairs at that point, but Laura still didn’t see her. She called Saffin’s cell, but it went to voicemail.
“She’s not answering her phone or my sendings, Jono. Saffin wouldn’t cut things this close. Something’s wrong.”
CHAPTER 35
LAURA LOOKED TO see if Saffin was among the Archives staff. She should have been with them near the podium. “I’m going down to the basement vault. If there’s a problem, Saffin should have called or found me,” Laura said.
“I’m going with you,” Sinclair said.
She placed a gentle hand on his chest. “No. You’ll slow me down. Your clearance isn’t as high as mine. It’s probably nothing. I’ll be quick,” she said.
“At least let me escort you to the elevator. If Foyle sees me without you, I’ll get a bad mark in my file.” His playful expression amused her, so she decided not to pull rank and let him go with her.
Terryn, have you seen Saffin? she sent.
Negative, he replied. His instant reply increased her concern. Terryn was supervising grounds security outside. If he heard her, Saffin should have. They cut across the loge. Security officers flanked the elevators. She flashed her Guildhouse badge at the nearest guard. “I need to go downstairs.”
He spoke briefly into the two-way on his wrist, and an elevator opened a moment later. As she stepped in, he started to follow. She held her badge up again. “Thank you, Officer, but I’m attending a private meeting.”
He checked her badge security level, then backed away. The doors closed. As the car descended, Laura sent a surge of her body essence into the perfect stone around her neck, and the Mariel persona enveloped her. The illusion of a long evening gown vanished to reveal a form-fitting jumpsuit.
The lower level was closed to the public for the evening. Security staffers challenged her as soon as she stepped into the theater lobby. She lifted her Mariel Tate ID. “I need to do a last-minute review in the vault.”
Two guards confirmed the ID badge before letting her approach the locked area. She slid the ID through a scanner and entered the hallway leading to the vault. She sensed a residual trail of Saffin’s essence, but there was no way to tell which direction she had gone. At a T-shaped intersection, she met two Capitol police officers. The badge went up again. “Last-minute review.”
They let her through without question. Turning right, she reached the vault area beneath the Rotunda. The open round room held the mechanism that raised the documents for display upstairs. The Bill of Rights was off the mechanism and secured to one side, flanked by two guards. The Treaty of London had taken its place on the mechanical system to be raised at the moment Guildmaster Rhys gave the formal unveiling speech.