Immortal Read Online Free Page B

to guard the SUV, one of them gesturing to the still open doors of the sedan ahead.
    ‘Great disguise, guys,’ Ethan said as he moved toward the car. ‘We’d never have known.’
    The men ignored Ethan, instead standing rigidly to attention as he walked to the sedan and climbed into the rear seat. Lopez joined him from the other side.
    ‘Very cloak and dagger,’ Ethan said as they closed the doors. ‘Are we off to Tracy Island?’
    Douglas Jarvis, an elderly man dressed immaculately in a dark blue suit that contrasted with his neatly parted white hair, turned in the front seat and offered Ethan a grin.
    ‘I see you’re back to your usual self, Ethan.’ He looked at Lopez. ‘Nicola, how’s things?’
    ‘Could be busier,’ she replied cautiously. ‘What’s the occasion? And why not call us instead of damn near running us off the road?’
    ‘Security,’ Jarvis replied calmly. ‘Calls can be monitored, and we want our little accord with you two to remain discreet, remember? The Defense Intelligence Agency has
uncovered an anomalous incident that occurred twenty-four hours ago in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The trail’s already gone cold and management aren’t keen to send agency resources in to
investigate.’
    ‘Which is where we come in, right?’ Ethan said.
    Douglas Jarvis had once been the captain of a United States Marines rifle platoon, a post he had held when Ethan had served as a lieutenant in the Corps. Their friendship, cemented during the
invasion of Iraq, had extended to Jarvis’s current employment with the Defense Intelligence Agency and to their unusual, discreet accord with Warner/Lopez Inc.
    ‘Command and control won’t throw money at this, and the Pentagon’s certainly not interested,’ Jarvis confirmed. ‘It’s the perfect case, well worth your
time.’
    ‘What’s the story?’ Lopez asked, curious, despite herself.
    Jarvis produced a glossy black file and handed it to her.
    ‘Santa Fe Medical Examiner autopsied the remains of a desert bum by the name of Hiram Conley, found dead after a clash with state troopers. Ten hours after Hiram Conley died his remains
were described as mummified. The examiner attempted to extract material from the body and found an intact bullet that fell from the victim’s shoulder, and another, older one lodged in his
right femur. They got the older bullet to the state crime laboratory for tests.’
    ‘So what’s the big deal?’ Ethan asked.
    Jarvis gestured to the file that Lopez was holding.
    ‘The state laboratory ran tests on the bullet, which was found to be a musket ball, and we picked up jurisdiction of the case after they made inquiries to the FBI at Quantico. Carbon
dating, along with estimates of bone regrowth around the ball prior to extraction, confirms that the wound was sustained approximately one hundred forty years ago.’
    Ethan stared at Jarvis.
    ‘That’s not possible. A hundred forty years?’
    ‘The tests must have been contaminated,’ Lopez said, opening the file. ‘If the wound had been opened to extract the bullet, anything could have gotten in.’
    ‘The bullet was lodged firmly in the bone,’ Jarvis said, ‘the medical examiner’s pictures show it clearly. And the tests were run three separate times, once by the state
laboratory and twice by specialists on my own team at the DIA when we took over the case. All the tests confirmed the age of the wound.’
    Ethan forced himself to think clearly.
    ‘We should get in touch with the medical examiner first, find out everything we can about where the body was found. The troopers who shot him need to be questioned too.’
    ‘Already done,’ Jarvis said, ‘and all parties signed nondisclosure agreements. However, the medical examiner has vanished and we need her found. Fast.’
    ‘What happened?’ Lopez asked.
    ‘An attack on the facility at the morgue. The lab assistant got the musket ball out of the lab for tests, but by the time she’d returned the medical