Jabez’s men had finished bringing the supplies in and closed up the front door and were busy making sure the building stayed as warm as possible for the night, repositioning the heaters and plugging up any holes in the walls. Firth found an empty pew near the front of the church where he placed his few belongings then headed back to where Adriana and Sean were talking.
The professor had overheard their conversation and decided to add his two cents. “You know, Sean, it isn’t just about what your heart and mind want to do.”
Sean looked up from the screen with a quizzical stare. “I’m sorry?”
Firth helped himself to a seat in the pew directly in front of his two companions and turned around awkwardly to face them. “In this life, there are always three parts to our path. The first is what our minds want to do. We think we know, and sometimes we use logic to uncover our way. But in the end, that isn’t always the right decision.
“The second part comes from our hearts,” he continued. “Like the young lady said, we long to make our hearts happy. Reason would make you think that if we make our hearts happy, our minds would be at peace.”
Sean hadn’t heard the professor talk like this since he’d met the grouch. Now, all of the sudden, he was a philosopher? Still, he listened patiently to see where the old man was going with his point.
“The last, and probably most important part has nothing to do with our hearts or our minds. In fact, it has very little to do with us as individuals. It has to do with the bigger picture, the grand scale of things. It is what we are called to do.”
He let the words hang in the old sanctuary for a few moments. Sean understood what Firth was saying. Sometimes, what people wanted didn’t really even matter. It was what the world needed of them, what life needed of them.
Firth narrowed his eyes. “What the universe needs of us takes all precedence. And sometimes, it may not be what is best for us. It may even call us to give up our lives. But if that is what is needed, that is what we must do.”
It was a heavy thought. But Sean understood. Adriana had looked up from her tablet while the professor was talking. His words had caught her attention too, and clearly must have struck a nerve.
Sean spoke up. “What are you sayin’, Doc? That I shouldn’t retire? That I shouldn’t try to relax? I think I’ve done my time helping out the universe.”
The professor cocked his head to the side for a second and shrugged. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t do those things. All I am saying is that when the need arises never turn your back on it. You must accept the call no matter what the consequences.”
Jabez slammed the front door to the church and plodded into the sanctuary, effectively ending the conversation.
“I’ve never seen snow like this before. It’s a good thing we stopped here for the night.” He looked at the three grave faces, not sure why everyone was so glum. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” Sean perked up. “Everything is fine. So, the snow is coming down pretty hard?” He stood up and walked over to a window.
Time had given the clear glass a grimy, dusty film. There were boards over most of the glass. But Sean could see out through a small opening in the wooden planks. Large snowflakes poured from the sky through the dim glow of the streetlights. In the short time they’d been in the church, a thin layer of snow had accumulated on the sidewalk and street. He wondered how long the storm would last and how much snow it would dump on the region. His thoughts returned to Tommy and his job with IAA. Was Firth telling him not to quit? Sean knew Tommy would be okay. There were plenty of good people who could do what Sean did for the agency.
Firth’s voice startled him from a few feet away. He turned to find the professor standing right behind him.
“I’m not telling you not to quit,” the professor said, virtually reading Sean’s mind. “I’m just telling you that if you are called, you must answer. It’s who you are.”
Sean nodded, understanding. He understood what Firth meant. The professor gave a single nod.
Adriana’s voice cut through the silence. “I think I found something.”
Firth and Sean turned their attention back to where she sat; her face virtually glowed in the darkness. Jabez was leaning over the back of the pew, staring at the screen. Sean rushed back over to her and looked at the screen, the professor followed closely behind. The older man seemed to be letting curiosity get the best of him for a change.
The Spanish woman’s delicate finger rested on the screen. It was pointing at a strange rock formation. The shape was a long rectangle canyon, cut oddly from valley between two mountains.
“I haven’t seen anything like this before,” she stated.
“How big is that area?” Sean wanted to make sure they were looking at the right spot.
She turned her eyes back to the electric glow of the display. “From what I can tell, it is only a few hundred feet long and about half as wide.”
Sean turned to Jabez then the other direction to see what Firth would say.
His mouth was agape. He shook his head slowly. “It can’t be,” he whispered in awe. After a moment, he stood up straight and looked down at Adriana. She had moved her attention to the old archaeologist. “It would seem, young lady, your theory about the footprint in the sand might have been correct after all.”
Chapter 35
The clock on the dashboard read a few minutes after four. Joe and Helen had hurried from their home in the foothills down to Atlanta. Helen reasoned it would be better for them to visit the Biosure facility during operating hours rather than after. With more people milling around, they would be better able to go unnoticed. Breaking in when no one was around would surely draw the attention of the building’s security.
A little recon had revealed what Helen had suspected. While the company employees did have ID cards, access was granted via a five-digit code. Thanks to her nifty work on the computer, they basically had unlimited access to the entire facility.
A steady stream of people dressed in business suits flowed in and out of the main entrance. The gray building was immense. It rested on the side of a hill overlooking one of the main expressways. Hundreds of huge windows along all facades provided the interior with views and natural sunlight from every angle. Enormous concrete columns supported an overhanging second floor on the entire front side of the structure. The letters spelling out the company name jutted out just over the entryway.
“Hardly a small-time operation,” Joe quipped as he and his wife stared at the monstrosity.
“Shows you how much money is in the pharmaceutical industry,” she commented.
Joe laughed. “Looks like you and I went into the wrong line of work, huh?”
She shook her head and smiled. “I wouldn’t trade my soul for all that money.” Her southern accent carried a twinge of bitterness. “Especially with this company.”
Joe and Helen had been married a long time, but he was starting to find out there was way more to his wife than met the eye. He stared at her for a moment as she peered into the building.
“We should head in,” she interrupted his thoughts, “while there is a steady stream of traffic.”
He nodded and opened the door while she exited out the passenger’s side of the car. They had both donned business suits, hoping to look as professional as possible. Joe had wondered if they should have lab coats until his wife had apprised him that most of the people coming and going from the facility would be marketers, accountants, and other cubicle dwellers. He had dug out an old, navy blue suit from the closet that was probably five years out of style. His hope was that no one would notice. He hadn’t had to wear a suit tie in years. Fortunately, he remembered how to tie the thing.