The Blue Divide

Chapter 26

The vacuum passed across the same section of carpet over and over again. Lainey was too lost in her thoughts to notice. Two days since she found out that Eko was missing. Two days. If only she didn't have to work tonight. Searching was the one thing on her mind. But where to look? The police had found no sign of Eko on the beaches. They'd questioned Mrs. Kerring, but she didn't appear to know anything that would cause her husband to go after Eko.

Other possibilities ran through her mind. Had Eko been unhappy? Had he run away? Or there was the one that constantly teased the back of her brain. Had he gone home? The guest bedroom she was cleaning looked out to the ocean. The water was orange with the setting sun.

She pushed the vacuum under the bed as far as it would go and pulled it back and forth. She'd almost made a full circumference of the bed when there was a crackling sound as the vacuum sucked up something too big for it. It rattled around in the machine's underbelly. Lainey quickly shut it off, cursing. Mr. Ardent wouldn't be happy if she told him she broke it.

She turned it upside down and saw a long string sticking out of the mouth. She pulled on it and eased it out of the vacuum. There was a clatter as the hard object attached to the end came loose and dangled from her fingers. Her breath caught. It was Eko's necklace.

Sweat beaded on her forehead. Could this mean that Eko was here in the house somewhere? Was the Blood of Poseidon involved in his disappearance? She hung the necklace around her throat and tucked it under her shirt.

The mansion was quiet and empty. She walked along the hallway and pressed her ear against locked doors. There were a thousand places they could hide him in this house. She turned an unfamiliar doorknob and the door swung open. Behind it was a staircase. She'd always wondered where the stairs were that Mr. Leventis had taken to reach the basement chapel the night she'd discovered the hidden elevator. Here was her answer. She walked down the dark steps, the wood creaking under her feet.

It wound down for nearly one hundred steps and then opened up into the cavernous basement chapel. She stepped out of the stairwell, then froze. There was Mr. Leventis and Mr. Ardent. They were talking in low tones next to one of the pews. She didn't see anyone else in the room. She turned back toward the stairs and placed her foot on the first step.

"Ms. Richards." It was the voice of Douglas Ardent.

She flinched, and turned around slowly, face burning.

"Can I help you with something?"

"I was just..."

"Coming to find me. Of course," he checked his watch. "I didn't realize how late it was. I'm sure you want your paycheck." He looked at Mr. Leventis apologetically. "This'll only take a moment." He took hold of Lainey's arm and led her back up the stairs. "This house is built over an old church, you know. It has its uses on occasion."

"I'm sorry for interrupting, and—"

"Next time, just stick to your assigned areas. Mr. Leventis is a very private man, but I think I made that clear when your first came here."

She nodded, her throat tight. "Yes."

"All right. You know it isn't payday. That was just a cover up for his sake. I think you should go home."

"But I still have one more room to do."

He waved his hand. "Don't worry about it." He held the front door open for her. "We won't be needing you for the rest of the week. I'll call you if anything changes." He closed the door, leaving her on the front step.

She didn't waste time feeling offended. She went straight to her bike and coasted down the driveway. Instead of taking a right at the end, she went left. There was only one person she could talk to about this without feeling threatened. Peter Kerring.

The Kerring's lived in a yellow and white trailer at the edge of the woods. She took a deep breath and walked up the steps. She could hear the television blaring from behind the closed door. She knocked and it went silent. There was a loud rustling sound and then footsteps coming closer. Peter opened the door, his chocolate brown hair untidy, eyes hollow, and shirt unbuttoned, as if she had just dragged him out of bed.

"Lainey?" he said, eyes squinting. He scrambled to button up his shirt over his skinny torso. "What are you doing here?"

She strode inside without being invited. "Where's Eko?"

He stepped in front of her, blocking her from going into the unkempt kitchen. "Whoa, whoa, what are you talking about?"

Heat rose in her face. She pulled Eko's necklace out of her shirt. "I found this in Mr. Leventis's house while I was cleaning. It belongs to him. I know they've got him somewhere."

Peter fell onto the couch and scrubbed his fingers through his hair. "Mr. Leventis has wanted to get his hands on Eko since my dad spotted him in Porthaven. I wouldn't be surprised if someone cornered him. The Blood has been growing. There are any number of people in this town who might have taken him."

"Do you know where they'd be keeping him?"

Peter shrugged. "Somewhere in the house until they're ready to take him to the water."

"They won't hurt him will they?"

He looked at the floor. "I don't think so. Not if they want to use him."

Lainey sat beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Can you find out? Mr. Ardent told me not to come back for the rest of the week. I can't wait that long. I need to know that Eko's safe."

"Lainey, I told you to stay away from him. He's dangerous."

She shook her head. "I think he just wants to go home. I want to help him, if I can."

"So you believe me, about what he is?"

She toyed with Eko's shell necklace. "I don't want to, but I don't know what else to think." She squeezed Peter's shoulder. "You have to help me. Wouldn't a merrowman we're trying to help be less prone to do something dangerous than a captive one?"

He pushed himself up off the couch. "All right. All right. I'll go to the house tomorrow and see if I can find anything out. No promises though. I hope you don't try and do anything stupid. And if you tell anyone I helped you, Mr. Leventis will tear me apart, so don't expect me to vouch for you."

"Of course not. This is between you and me. My own grandfather doesn't even know that I work for Mr. Leventis." She smiled at him. "Thanks for this. Do you want to meet somewhere tomorrow so we can talk about it?"

"I'll meet you at Mussel Beach right when you get off school."

She nodded. It was a plan.