Although there were few taxis available, Jimmy finally managed to hail one and arrived back at his apartment in Manhattan past 2 a.m. Despite the late hour, he called Justin. For Justin's bar, it wasn't closing time yet.

Jimmy, "Are you familiar with that guy? Is he reliable? Do you have a secure line?"

Justin, startled by Jimmy's omitting his and Romany's names, quickly responded, "Come to the hotel tomorrow afternoon; the line there is secure," he said and then hung up.

A smile spread across Jimmy's face. Justin's vigilance was still sharp; that was good. If he had spoken directly over the phone, it likely would have been a trap. Frankly, since his training at the FBI Academy, he had lost all faith in the confidentiality of telephone communications. The FBI had too many ways to obtain call information; the only question was whether they had the authority to tap into other systems.

Since Justin said there was a secure line at the hotel, it should be trustworthy. Satellite phones are relatively safer, and if a landline is a private network, its security is also assured.

After taking a bath, Jimmy lay in bed but couldn't stop thinking about the smoky figure in the basement of Romany's mansion. It reminded him of the smoky demon he had seen during the exorcism in Little Rock, which made the more he thought about it, the more unnerving it felt.

He had contacted Justin urgently because he was anxious. If this matter truly required intervention, he had to arrange for some external support. If not calling over Priest Royte himself, at least he needed to have Priest Royte recommend someone reliable to collaborate with; otherwise, he would not get involved at all.

Jimmy kept thinking about that "thing" below because he had discovered something strange when he touched the wall. From behind the safe down to the floor, there was an unaccountably icy chill, while a wall just over a meter away was at a completely normal temperature. This was not normal, unless there was a narrow, vertical freezer behind that wall, but within the range of his Heart Eye Observation, he had detected nothing of the sort.

Now suppose that the thing in the basement could travel up this chilly passage. As a nonstandard demon, it could easily make the necklace in the safe disappear; that could explain the lack of drag marks on the velvet cushion. But there was still a question to answer: Why had only the necklace disappeared and nothing else?

If the disappearance of the necklace was unrelated to the "thing" below, that would be part of the next day's work. He would "borrow" some equipment and reagents from Jones, then examine every part of the safe and room for any findings. If there were indeed clues that could suffice, avoiding dealing with the "thing" below would be ideal; tracking humans was always marginally safer.

His mind spinning, Jimmy didn't even know when he fell asleep, only realizing it was already 11 a.m. when he woke up.

What a long sleep that had been; he rarely got that much rest. Too much sleep wasn't actually good; despite waking, Jimmy still felt lackluster and somewhat uncomfortable. Considering the previous day's experiences, it seemed the more than an hour of continuous squash had taken its toll on his body.

Mary and Jenna had taken turns playing, allowing each ample time to rest, while Jimmy barely paused. Although he exercised and stayed fit regularly, he clearly wasn't accustomed to such prolonged, intense activity.

Enduring his discomfort, Jimmy headed to the bathroom once more. Taking a hot shower soothed him slightly.

Jimmy changed into a suit and called Jones. Fortunately, even though he was no longer on Peter's team, Jones was willing to help out. That afternoon, Jimmy planned to swing by the office; there, in a surveillance vehicle, was Jones's own emergency toolbox filled with fingerprint dusting powder and luminol solution (which, when used in a darkened environment, causes blood traces to emit blue fluorescence).

Jones was not only willing to supply some reagents but even offered to lend his toolbox. Jimmy declined, however. Borrowing a small amount of reagent was one thing, but walking around with an FBI toolbox was far too conspicuous.

Jimmy found two small bottles with lids and prepared a briefcase to carry them, but he still needed some tools. He planned to purchase them while out for lunch, items like a small brush, tape, spray bottle, and cotton swabs. Though small, these were all tools he might need.

Indeed, Jones's toolbox would have been the most convenient with everything in it; Jimmy had used those tools and reagents during his training. Unfortunately, as a probationary agent, he wasn't authorized to request equipment.

After organizing his things, Jimmy went out to eat. Later, he made arrangements to rent a car since he had several places to visit, and driving would be easier. Renting a car in New York was a breeze; Jimmy simply called, signed a contract at his doorstep, and received the keys to drive away.

Jimmy's first stop was the Intercontinental Hotel. Thankfully, after flashing his silver shield card, he was granted permission to use a secure phone line to receive a call. Using a spare phone, he contacted Justin, who then dialed into the hotel phone line.

Justin, "Jimmy, what's happened?"

Jimmy, "That Romany, are you familiar with him? Can he be trusted?"

Justin, "I've dealt with him, but we're not close."

Jimmy, "The case of the missing necklace is quite tricky. It's either an inside job or the work of an experienced pro. It's going to be tough and troublesome either way."

Justin, "Do you have a conclusion?"

Jimmy, "What I just outlined is the initial assessment. I'm planning to take some equipment today to see if there's any other clues. If there isn't, we'll just have to withdraw. We can't handle this case."

Justin, "I understand. You work on that first. If anything unexpected happens, contact me."

Jimmy, "Okay, also, what does this guy do?"

Justin, "Small-time arms dealer, mainly operating in Central and South America. Not a big player. He's provided weapons for my clients before. If you can handle it, do it; if not, let it go. It's all up to you."

Jimmy, "Got it. Let's leave it at that for now. Be careful with what you say on the phone next time, and avoid sensitive topics."

After hanging up, Jimmy left the Intercontinental Hotel and headed to Federal Square. Jones proved to be reliable, filling the two bottles with reagents for Jimmy without asking what they were for.

With the most important reagents prepared, Jimmy drove away from Manhattan on his way to Long Island. As he passed through Queens, he purchased some tools he needed at a local supermarket. Although they weren't professional grade, they would suffice in a pinch.

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