She spotted the conduit. It was painted brown like the brick, but the color was different enough to prove that it wasn't original construction. The conduit went down to a metal box attached to the wall. The junction box, she thought. It had an oversized padlock. With all the people wandering around, there was no way to pick the lock without attracting attention.

The conservative solution was to come back much later, when it would be dark and quiet. However, that plan required patience and she hated to wait. The attentive police officers gave her an idea.

She went over to a fireman who was giving orders to the rest. He was a tall, handsome man with a bushy, brown mustache.

"Hi!" She gave him her friendliest smile.

His eyes lit up and he returned the smile. "Hi. What can I do for you?"

"I'm Deborah Page, from Sure Safe Security. We received an emergency alarm signal from this location."

"There was some kind of small explosion."

"I hope n.o.body was hurt," Marina said.

"No serious injuries so far, but we're still searching the building."

"Thank G.o.d." She smiled again, making sure he got a nice look at her perfect teeth. Aligning and whitening those teeth had required a lot of painful dental work. "I wonder if you could help me with something. I need to reset the security system."

"Go ahead."

"The control panel is inside that box." She pointed at the phone junction box. "And I forgot the key. I was hoping one of your fine, young men could snip off the lock."

"Oh." He glanced at the box. "Should we check with the manager first?"

"I tried calling but he's not answering. I'm sure it won't be a problem. Sure Safe Security is preauthorized for situations like this." She tilted her head and smiled a third time. She projected innocence and sweetness.

He gave orders to his men.

Another fireman grabbed a hydraulic cutter from the back of a truck. Marina led him over to the box, and he chopped off the lock easily. The cutter simply sliced through the thick, steel hasp.

She opened the box and found a confusing nest of wires inside.

"Is that all you need, miss?" the fireman said.

"Yes, thank you. I'm all set. Good bye."

He hesitated, then left her alone.

Marina called Edward. "I'm looking inside the junction box."

"OK," he said. "There must be a form or a printout which will tell you which numbers are in use."

"It's on the cover. I'll take a picture with my phone." She snapped a photo of the printout.

"Got it. I'll get right to work on these numbers. What's your plan?"

"There's nothing else for me to do here, so I might as well go home. Tell Aaron to meet me at the apartment for a late dinner."

"Yes, ma'am," he said. "Good night."

A door buzzer woke Aaron. The clock showed 7:30 AM. Somebody was ringing his apartment from the front door of the building, but there was no good reason for anybody to visit, certainly not at this hour. n.o.body outside the Society even knew he or Marina lived here.

Marina got out of bed at once. "It could be a solicitor. Go check it out while I get dressed. We should head over to headquarters anyway. We've slept enough."

Still naked, he went to a speaker by the front door and pressed the reply b.u.t.ton. "h.e.l.lo? Who is it?"

"Aaron? Is that you?" a woman said.

The voice was very familiar, but hearing it was such a shock that his mouth just hung open.

"Say something. I know you're there."

"Yes, Mom," Aaron said at last. "It's me."

Chapter Thirteen.

Marina hurried over, still in her underwear. "Is that really your mother?"

Aaron nodded. "What do I do?"

"How did she find you? This is very bad. Wait! Who was that guy we met on the street a few days ago?"

"Pete Sanborn. s.h.i.t! He saw us come out of this building. He knew my parents were looking for me." He shook his head. "We made a huge mistake. We should've never come back here."

"We were distracted by the mission, but that's no excuse. d.a.m.n it." She squeezed her eyes shut. "Ethel will be so p.i.s.sed."

"I have to talk to my mother."

"No!" Marina said. "We should sneak off before more damage is done."

"But I never said goodbye to her. I owe her one, final conversation."

"Terrible idea." She shook her head.

"I have to."

"You'll be the one who explains it to Ethel."

"I understand." Aaron pressed the reply b.u.t.ton on the intercom. "Come on up." He buzzed her in.

He hurried back to his room to put on some clothes, but he had no idea what to wear. What was appropriate for a surprise reunion with an abandoned parent? He settled for simple slacks and a shirt.

Marina put on a black dress that was surprisingly formal and elegant. She also wore diamond earrings.

"Are you trying to impress her?" he said.

"This is my introduction to the mother of the man I love," she said. "I'm going to do it right. I just wish I had time to fix my hair."

"Let's not make a big deal out of this."

"Way too late for that."

His neck tight with anxiety, he opened the front door of the apartment. His mother was a moderately pudgy woman with brown hair. Gla.s.ses made her large brown eyes seem even larger. She wore the blue winter coat he had purchased for her as a birthday present years ago.

When she saw him, she threw herself forward and hugged him. Her cheeks glistened with tears.

"Mom, calm down," he said softly. "I'm fine, really."

She stepped back. With a fierce expression she slapped him hard across the face.

"What was that for?" He touched his stinging cheek.

"You a.s.shole! Everybody thought you were dead! We even held a service for you. I cried for days."

"I... I..." He couldn't tell her the truth.

"Is that all you have to say?"

Marina stepped forward. "h.e.l.lo." She put out her hand. "Aaron told me so much about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you!"

Mom was clearly too upset to shake hands. With a contemptuous glare she said, "You are...?"

"Carol," Marina said.

Mom studied her at length. Marina stood silently until the examination was completed.

"You're beautiful," Mom said in a tone of surprise.

"Thank you."

Mom turned her attention back to Aaron. She looked him up and down. "You're in good shape for a corpse. Your muscles are huge."

"I've been working out a lot," he said.

"Where have you been? What have you been doing all this time? Last I knew, you were a private detective. Then you disappeared."

Aaron looked down, unable to conceive of a reply. He had rehea.r.s.ed many cover stories for situations like this. He could pretend he was a spy, a drug dealer, or a fugitive from justice. Marina would back him up no matter which direction he went.

The most important thing was convincing his mother to go away. If she were part of his life again, she would be in great danger. There was a saying in the Gray Spear Society that went "a Spear only has two kinds of friends: teammates and Death."

But he loved his mother. It was ridiculous to pretend those feelings didn't exist. Surely G.o.d didn't expect him to sever the sacred bond between mother and son.

He made a decision, one that would probably get him into trouble. "Mom," he said, "I'll make a deal with you."

"What?"

"Don't ask any questions. Stop trying to find me. Don't tell anybody I'm alive. You never saw me. Do you understand?"

"Why?" she said.

"Because if you follow those instructions, I'll visit you. I don't know when or how often, but at least you'll see me. I can be a tiny part of your life again."

"Aaron!" Marina gave him a warning look.

He ignored her. "But if you break the rules, I'll disappear forever. I guarantee you'll never see me again. That's the deal."

"But..." Mom said.

"This isn't a negotiation. I want to hear a yes or a no."

"You won't tell me anything."

"I can't." He shook his head. "Sorry."

She stared at him for a long moment. "On one condition. You have to visit your dad, too. He deserves that."

"I told you this isn't a negotiation."

"But I don't like the deal. I want to tell everybody you're alive."

Marina was glaring at him, and he couldn't argue with her unspoken criticism. His mother had just turned a delicate situation into a dangerous one. Aaron might not be willing to kill her, but Marina would.

"Mom," he said, "don't play hardball. I will think about visiting dad. Now, I need you to say 'yes.'"

Mom looked at him, then looked at Marina. You were always a good judge of situations, Aaron thought. Can you see how close to death you are?

"OK," Mom said. "Yes."

"Great!" He kissed her on the cheek. "Now go. Good bye."

"When will I see you again?"

"I have no idea." He gently ushered her out the door and closed it.

He and Marina stared at each other. The disapproval on her face expressed her feelings better than words could have.

"I had no choice," he said.