Page 44 of Stone
“It’s my office, damn it! It’s my property that’s missing! I have the right to know!”
“We’re not certain,” Billings repeated. “But it could be blood. The security guard did admit that he fired six rounds at the intruder, and knew he’d struck him.”
Blood. The creature had been hit and wounded.
Elsostared over at his shattered floor-to-ceiling window.Somewhere out there was an injured gargoyle creature with the bag of artifacts that included the seal. To him, it didn’t matter if the creature died from his wounds. What was imperative was thatElsohad to get thekalorshaiback before it did. He had to regain possession of the seal, and now time was of the essence.
“Mr.Elso.” The second officer gestured for him to leave the room.“We need you to leave. This office is off-limits until further notice.”
Elsoglanced around at the mess, when he caught sight of a small object lying on the carpet almost directly underneath the broken safe. Recognizing it, he started to retrieve it when a hand came up to stop him.
“Mr.Elso—”
“I need to get something,” he snapped, and shoved away thehand. However, the officer refused to budge, grabbed his arm, and quickly pulled it behindElso’sback.Elsogasped at the pain.
“Let me go, jackass!”
The officer—Barnes, by the name on the tag—remained calm. “You need to leave, Mr.Elso. This site is off-limits.”
“I still have business to conduct! At least allow me to gather a few things first!”
Officer Barnes shook his head. “Sorry, sir. But if it’s any consolation, CSU should be finished with their investigation by morning. You should be able to return by tomorrow at the earliest.”
Elsorealized he couldn’t press the issue. Nor could he bulldoze his way past the officer without getting himself arrested and possibly raising suspicion as to what he was so eagerto retrieve. Glowering at the man, he shook himself free of the officer’s grasp and left the office.
As he entered the elevator, he placed a call. It was answered on the second ring.
“Yes?”
“Are you aware theesmeshbroke into my office this evening and stole the bag containing thekalorshai?”
Finestragasped. “No. This is the first I’veheard of it.”
“The security guard managed to wound it. Somewhere out there is a woundedesmeshwith my seal. Worse, it has knowledge of my office and its location.”
The elevator dinged and the doors parted.Elsostepped out into the vacant lobby. At the same time, he dropped his voice. “I want that thing found. Now that it’s wounded, it’s more dangerous. It may evengo off on the public.”
“What do you want done if we find it?”
“Whenyou find it, I want it eradicated for good. I want my seal back, and I want it back before tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.”
The call ended asElsoexited the building. Pocketing his phone, he paused on the sidewalk and gazed up at the sky.
“I don’t care where you are,you son of a bitch. I’ll find you,” he whispered. “I don’t care if you are the guardian of the seal. It now belongs to me, and I want my property back.”
He glanced down the street and watched as a CSU van pulled up behind a parked NYPD unit. Ignoring it, he walked to the corner of the block to flag down a taxi.
