“I would have already been gone if I knew how to get out.”
The next thing Nathan knew, he was lying in an orchard at the bottom of the Tor. There was no sign of Raphael. And Nathan still had no answers, except he was more powerful than Raphael realized. Had he dreamed the whole thing?
Frustrated, he stood and dusted off his pants. He was more lost and confused now than before. Raphael had opened up a lot of questions without offering any explanations. Nathan needed to contact Kendall and Jake. He still didn’t trust himself to be around Kendall, but he had to tell them about Brandi’s visit and about Raphael. And he still had to find a cure to his curse. Raphael had said there was a way, but it would be severe. He’d also mentioned a chalice. Could this be the same chalice Jake had mentioned in the message? Could the Blue Chalice be the Holy Grail?
“I’m going to get that chalice if I have to do it at gunpoint,” Jake said as the bus took the group back to the house. After the lights, everyone decided to call it a night. There was excitement, but everyone complained of headaches.
“I’m starting to think that’s the only way we’ll see it before the caretaker returns,” Kendall said.
“I’m not waiting for the caretaker to come back.”
She didn’t want to wait either. The sense of danger was stronger than ever. Nathan was in trouble.
As soon as they got inside, Kendall’s pulse quickened. “Something’s wrong.”
“What do you mean?” Halle asked.
“Someone’s been here,” Kendall said. “Check the chalice.”
“I don’t have a key,” Halle said.
Jake ran toward the stairs and the group followed. “You don’t need the key,” he said.
The door to the Upper Room was open and everything was in shambles. Chairs and a table were overturned with drawers emptied on the floor.
“Oh no,” Halle wailed. “The Blue Chalice. Call the police.”
“Do you think Nathan took it?” Kendall whispered as the others surveyed the damage in horror.
“You know how desperate he is to get rid of his curse,” Jake said.
Desperate enough to steal? Probably. “Why didn’t he let us know he was here?”
“My guess is he wants to try it to see if it works first.”
“Brandi could have taken it,” Kendall said. “She was here.”
“I’m ruined,” Halle moaned. “They’ll think someone from our group did it.”
“But we were all together,” Larry said. “The thief must have broken in during the tour.”
“I’m going to check the caretaker’s room and see if he was there,” Jake said. “Make sure no one comes that way.”
The group lamented the loss of the chalice while waiting for the police. After a few minutes, Jake hadn’t returned. Kendall said she would go watch for the police to arrive. She hurried down the steps to the caretaker’s room. Jake stood by the bed. Kendall noticed the smell at the same time she saw the lump underneath the covers. Her legs went weak. “Nathan?”
“No.” Jake moved away from the bed.
Kendall saw gray hair topping the bundle. “Who is it?”
“The caretaker, I’d guess.”
Kendall looked at the body. The cause of death was obvious. His throat had been cut. Could Nathan have done this? Or Brandi? Kendall walked closer to the bed. She had to know. The caretaker was staring at the ceiling with an expression of shock. His fists were clenched as if he’d woken to find someone over him. The smell of decay was more noticeable up close. She touched the sheet and focused. Nothing. Cringing, she touched the tip of one finger to his cold fist. She had a hard time with bodies and death, unless they were old. Old death was history. New death was just… death. She forced herself not to recoil. If she didn’t pick up something from his skin, she would have to touch his blood. She shuddered at the thought and focused her mind.
The first thing she felt was fear. She knew he had in fact woken up and found someone standing over him. Surprise, shock. He hadn’t known the man. A man. The murderer was a man. Part of her was hoping it had been Brandi in order to eliminate Nathan. She concentrated again and tried to see the man’s face. Someone touched her shoulder and she jumped.
“We have to get back with the group.” Jake bent and picked up a bloody knife that lay underneath the edge of the bed. He stuck it in his boot.
“What are you doing?”
“Do you want him arrested?” Jake asked.
“You think Nathan did it?”
“Not if he was in his right mind.”
More than anything, that told Kendall how much Jake cared about Nathan. He believed Nathan was guilty, and he was still protecting him.
“It might not have been him. Nathan’s not a murderer.”
“But he’s losing control. And we know he’s desperate for a cure. If this chalice is the Holy Grail, this could be it.” Jake took off his shirt and wiped their footprints as they walked toward the door. “They’ll find out we know him. We don’t want to connect any of us to this room. We’ll already look suspicious since we’re the newcomers.” He locked the door and wiped off the knob. “Hurry.”
They shut the door and wiped the other side of the knob. Jake slipped on his shirt, and they went back to join the group. The police arrived minutes later. They examined the room and took down everyone’s information and location at the time of the accident.
“Are we going to tell them about the caretaker?” Kendall whispered.
Jake nodded. He told the officer about the strange noise coming from the caretaker’s room. “The thief must have been searching for the chalice.”
“While we were in the house.” Alice clasped her hand over her mouth.
The officer went to the caretaker’s room. “Locked,” he said. He looked undecided. “Is there another key? I think we’d better take a look at this room.”
“The caretaker told me there are extra keys to the bedrooms in the office,” Halle said.
“It’s not there,” Jake whispered to Kendall. “I already checked.”
Halle checked the office, but the key to that room wasn’t there. “He must have taken it with him.”
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to open the door,” the officer said.
Halle’s eyes were wide. “Whatever you need to do.”
He kicked the door in and immediately stopped. “Everyone stay back.”
Alice gasped. “Is that a dead body?” She started to faint and Jake lunged to catch her, then quickly handed her off to Larry.
“My God,” Halle said. “This can’t be happening. This place is supposed to be peaceful, a place where people rejuvenate their spirits.”
The officer put them all in the living room. Within minutes, more police arrived. A detective questioned each of them. Alice told him about the man she had seen watching the house. “I really didn’t think much about it, with so many tourists in the area and the proximity of the house to the Chalice Gardens. But he was”—she blushed—“very handsome. When I found out Nathan Larraby was joining us, I thought it must be him.”
The detective frowned. “The billionaire?”
“He was supposed to be a guest,” Alice said. “But he hadn’t arrived yet.”
The police were interested in Nathan Larraby and asked Halle about the missing guest.
“They’re going to suspect him,” Kendall whispered to Jake. “Should we tell them we work for him?” Either way, it wouldn’t be good for Nathan.
Jake nodded and asked to speak to the detective. He told him who they were and about their relationship with Nathan.
Halle was standing within earshot. “You know Nathan Larraby?”