He jogged down the street, looking in windows, but didn’t see him. On the next street, a car started and pulled out with a squeal. He must have run out the back door of one of the shops. “Damn.”
What if there were two of them? Kendall was alone. Jake hurried back to the shop where he’d left her. She was watching out the window, green eyes narrowed. When she saw him, her face relaxed. She stepped out onto the street to meet him.
“No luck?”
“I lost him.”
“Was it Nathan?”
“No. But he looked familiar. I’ve seen him somewhere.”
“Here in Glastonbury?”
“I don’t think so.”
“If it wasn’t Nathan, who could it be? Who knows we’re here? It’s not as if we flew here by plane. We fell through a maze.” Her eyes widened. “Could it have been Raphael? Did he have long hair?”
“He was wearing a hood. Let’s grab a bus before the others start back. I’d rather see the chalice now.” They hurried toward the bus stop, but the others were waiting. Too late. They’d have to put off finding the chalice yet again.
Back on the bus, Halle moved to the seat in front of Kendall and Jake. She looked worried. “You aren’t injured, are you?” she asked, her voice then dropping to a whisper. “We can’t lose you now.”
“I’ll be fine,” Kendall said.
As they got closer to the house, the talk on the bus turned to the magnificent Nathan Larraby. Alice was the only one who had actually seen him; at least she thought it was him since he was so handsome, but the others joined in his physical and financial praises until Jake felt like jumping off the bus. “If I hear another person say how amazing Nathan is, I’m going to walk the rest of the way.”
“Jealous?” Kendall smiled. “You shouldn’t be. The women are drooling over you every time you walk by.”
By the time the doors of the bus opened, Jake had seriously considered using pressure points to put them all out. Larry wasn’t much better. He seemed as intrigued with Nathan as the women were. “Finally,” Jake exclaimed, getting off the bus.
“I hope he’s here,” Kendall said. That irked him even more than the women and Larry gushing over Nathan. But Nathan wasn’t there. Everyone scattered to get ready for dinner and the moonlight tour at the abbey.
While Kendall showered, Jake tried to call Nathan. He still wasn’t answering his cell phone, and the hotel said he wasn’t in. Selfish bastard. Didn’t he know Kendall was worried?
He left the room and heard a voice coming from the caretaker’s bedroom. He hurried to the door. It was locked, but he heard a window opening. Jake ran out of the house and around to the window. He saw someone running toward the Chalice Well. A woman with red hair.
After Kendall showered and dressed, she went to find Jake. The hallway was quiet. She could hear everyone laughing in the kitchen. This might be the best time to at least touch the door to the Upper Room and see if she picked up anything. She climbed the stairs. The familiar buzzing filled her head, and her breath felt heavy in her lungs.
“What are you doing?”
Kendall turned around and saw Halle at the bottom of the stairs.
“I was just looking around. Is this the Upper Room?”
“Yes. As I mentioned, it stays locked. I was looking for you.” Halle held up an envelope. “You have a message.”
Finally! It must be from Nathan. She hurried down and took the envelope. Kendall was written across the front. “Thank you,” she told Halle, and went to her room to read in private.
Kendall closed the door. She opened the letter and took out a folded piece of paper with the words, Be careful. You’re in danger.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
SHE RAN BACK to find Halle. “Who delivered the letter?” Kendall asked.
“A woman.”
“What did she look like?”
Halle frowned. “She was young, maybe late twenties, kind of nervous. She just said, ‘Could you please give this to Kendall Morgan,’ and then she left. Like I said, she seemed jumpy. She kept looking over her shoulder. There was one thing I noticed. She had on a hat, but a few strands of hair had slipped out. Really pretty red hair.”
Brandi.
“Is everything OK?”
“Yes. I need to find Jake.”
“I saw him going toward the gardens about ten minutes ago.”
“I think I’ll take a walk too.”
“Don’t be too long. We’re having fish and chips at seven, and then the bus will take us to the abbey.”
“I’ll be ready,” Kendall said, edging toward the door. Clutching the letter, she hurried toward the garden. Jake would be pissed that she’d left the house, but it was daylight and she had to let him know about the letter. Alice walked in from the street. “Kendall, I see you’re getting some fresh air too. I hope you’re recovered from that incident at Camelot. I’m so excited about tonight. Maybe we’ll even see King Arthur.”
“If we’re lucky,” Kendall said. “Have you seen Jake?”
“I did. He went for a run.”
A run? Kendall’s alarm bells started ringing. Jake wouldn’t go running away from her unless he was chasing something. “Which way did he go?”
“Toward the orchard across the road.”
After Alice moved on, Kendall started running toward the orchard that joined the Tor. She cut between the trees, listening as she ran. She felt someone behind her and turned. Jake emerged from the trees, scowling at her. “I told you not to leave the house.”
“I don’t like orders any more than you do. I was looking for you. Halle said a woman just delivered this to the house.” Kendall handed Jake the letter. “I think it was Brandi. Halle said she had on a hat, but some red hair had slipped out.”
“It was Brandi. I just chased her here from the house.” Jake opened the letter and read it. “I need to get you out of here. We’re going back to the hotel.”
“I’m not leaving until we get to see the chalice. I don’t know if it’s what we’re looking for, but I think there’s something powerful up there.”
“You went up there?”
“I tried, but Halle interrupted me.”
“I’ll take you to the hotel. Then I’ll come back and get the chalice. I’ll bring it to you.”
She took Jake’s hands in hers. “We’ll find out answers here, not back at the hotel. The abbey and the Protettori are somehow connected. I know you think it’s a risk, but it’s important.”
Jake fussed and cussed and fussed some more, but he let the subject drop. “At least let them go without us. We’ll look for the chalice while the house is empty.”
“You stay and look for it. I’ll go with the group. I might pick up something else from the abbey.”
“You’re not going anywhere without me. I’ll make a deal with you. We go to the abbey for the first part of the tour. We’ll slip away and come back here to find the chalice. Then we go to the hotel.”
“Deal.”
They went back to the house and had a quick dinner. The fish and chips were delicious, but neither of them ate much. Kendall knew from the look on Jake’s face that he was in bodyguard mode. He showered and she changed into the dress that seemed to be a requirement for her role. The bus dropped them at the entrance to the abbey. Jake stuck to her side like Secret Service on a president. There were several men and women in costume. Monks, nuns, knights, and she got a glimpse of Henry VIII. A man who introduced himself as Richard Whiting gave them a tour.