Roth: Protector(Shapeling Trilogy #1) (2nd edition)

Chapter 16: Sting

Roth fired up his laptop and listened all night for the beep alerting him to a voicemail on the virtual phone number he'd given the detective. Shortly after daylight, he wondered if the P.I. had double-crossed him.

While considering whether to pay another visit to the detective, his computer sounded.

"Why is your computer beeping?" asked a sleepy Rainey.

"Someone left me a voicemail."

"Someone...as in..."

Roth ignored her hint for a name and listened through his earbud to the message from the P.I., "I've been contacted."

"I have to leave for a few hours," he told Rainey.

"I want to go with you."

"Absolutely not."

"You've been up to something and I want to know what. I'm going stir crazy staying in this room day after day."

"You may not be here much longer."

"And why is that?"

"Rainey, if I could answer your questions, I would. I'll be back shortly. And whatever you do, don't leave this room. While I'm gone, why don't you busy yourself by pondering the translation sent from Endesha?"

"Roth, you have a strange fixation on those hieroglyphs. They have no meaning to the scientific community."

"I think you're wrong. Keep trying." With a final warning to Rainey about staying in their room, he left the hotel by way of the back parking lot. Squatting behind his car, he prayed and flew away as a pigeon once again. After reaching the detective's building and landing in the alley, he shifted back into his human form and entered the complex. Locating the men's restroom on the second floor, he washed his hands while waiting for the only other occupant to leave. Before the door completely closed behind the man, Roth had become a mouse and scampered into the hallway. He darted toward the detective's office and squeezed under a crack in the door, wedging himself into a space between the wall and a bookcase. All he had to do now was bide his time. Years of shifting had taught him the art of patience.

Eventually, the office door opened and the P.I. entered. Sitting wearily behind his desk, he drummed his fingers on the surface and stared at his bookshelf. He spotted something and went to retrieve it. Roth scampered farther into the dark space hiding him. The P.I. grabbed a book off the shelf and returned to his desk. For the next hour the detective read a detective novel.

Suddenly, the door to the office burst open and a boy of maybe seven or eight tossed a sack on the floor and ran. Roth and the P.I. made their moves at the same time. Roth scampered for the open door and the P.I. rushed for the bag. The P.I. saw him and growled, "Damn mouse. I killed one of you last week. Now it's your turn."

Don't think so. Roth darted into the hallway. Praying the prayer, he rose on feline paws and raced toward the fleeing child.

Behind him he heard the detective shout, "What the... That's impossible!"

Staying several feet behind the boy, Roth followed him outside the building. The child continued running until he reached a narrow side road and then stopped and glanced around, apparently checking to see if he was being followed. His gaze rested on Roth as a cat and then scanned past him before darting into the side road. The child ran until he reached an alleyway between old buildings. At the end of the alley he sat on a rusted metal stool, grinned, and reached into his pocket to pull out several coins.

Roth rose from behind a trash bin and approached the child with his palm outstretched, jangling his own coins. The boy jumped up and his startled look evidenced his intent to run. Speaking in Arabic, Roth said quickly, "Would you like to earn some money?"