Paradise Hacked (First Circle Club Book 2) Read Free Page B

were the rule. The bodies weren't torn apart like this. What's wrong with the color balance? The muscle tissue looks brown."
    "That was the real color," Haymaker said. "The victim was cooked through. He was long dead before he hit the ground."
    "Ugh," Lisa said.
    "It gets stranger. A bunch of feds showed up and took away the body. They claimed they were from the Office of Experimental Aero-Physics. They told me the victim was a test pilot, but I'm sure there is a lot more to the story. The way they acted made me think cover-up. That's when I decided to call you guys."
    Virgil took out his phone and searched the internet. He quickly found the home page for the O.E.A.P.
    He read out loud, "Part of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation. The O.E.A.P. studies advanced, experimental technologies which might be applied to air and space travel. There are pretty pictures of airplanes and spaceships."
    "I already saw that," Haymaker said. "The website is just a single page which lacks essential details. It doesn't say who is in charge or what specific projects they're working on. The only contact information is a phone number."
    "Did you call the number?" Sara said.
    "Not yet."
    She took out her own phone. "What's the number?"
    Virgil gave her the number, and she dialed. She listened for a moment.
    Finally, she said, "This is Sara Blandish from the Illinois State Police. I need information regarding a death this morning. It's an urgent, criminal matter. Please call me back at...." She gave her own number and then hung up. "It was an answering machine."
    Virgil knew her real name was Sara Bass. Blandish was just a cover story. The whole club carried fake Illinois State Police identification.
    "We'll see if they call you," Haymaker said. "In the meantime, let's discuss possible causes of death. What could do that to a man?"
    Sara took another look at the pictures on his phone. Everybody waited for her to render an opinion. She was the expert on death.
    "I don't see any sign of burning," she said, "and the tissue damage is very uniform. I'm thinking intense radiation."
    "Like a microwave oven?" Lisa said.
    "Exactly."
    "What about a microwave communication tower?" Haymaker said. "I've heard they can be very dangerous."
    "Theoretically," Sara said, "but hanging out in front of a radar dish on a tower isn't exactly easy to do."
    "Maybe he was flying an experimental aircraft which used microwaves," Virgil said. "An explosion threw him at the ground at high speed."
    "I have a suggestion," Haymaker said, "although it may not be appropriate. Could we ask Barachiel?"
    Everybody else looked at each other thoughtfully. Barachiel was chief of the guardian angels and one of the most powerful lords in Heaven. Sara and Alfred reported to Barachiel, but communication with the archangel was reserved for matters of great urgency.
    "I don't know," Sara said. "Our mission is chasing down supernatural adversaries. There is nothing obviously supernatural about this case."
    "But we don't know there isn't," Haymaker said. "It doesn't hurt to ask."
    Sara made a face. "I suppose, but don't get your hopes up."
    She stood up and walked over to a shelf. She grabbed a silver tray which had become a little dusty from disuse. The basement had a utility sink, and she washed the tray thoroughly with hot water and soap. Then she filled it with a thin layer of clean water and placed the tray on a table.
    Sara stood before the tray and said, "Barachiel! Can you hear me? Are you there?"
    Virgil, Lisa, and Haymaker walked over. At first, Virgil only saw the reflection of the ceiling. Then the image turned blue, and the angel appeared.
    Barachiel had the appearance of an astonishingly beautiful woman in a golden gown. Diamonds twinkled in the gauzy fabric. White, feathered wings were as large as the canopy of a tree. The angel's face was sublime perfection.
    Children played on a grassy field in the background. They were tossing sparkling balls