They each circled the house, and met in the middle.
“Anything?” Caleb asked.
She shook her head. “You?”
He shook his, too.
Suddenly there was a noise, and they both spun around.
The front door to the house opened, and a large, black man, 50s, stood in the doorway. He took several steps in.
He stopped before Caleb and stared.
Caleb stared back.
“Caleb?” the man finally asked.
Caleb’s expression softened.
“Roger?” Caleb asked.
The man broke into a smile, as did Caleb, and they both embraced in a huge hug. They held it for several seconds.
Who is this? Caitlin thought.
Roger began to laugh—a deep, warm, generous laugh. He held Caleb by the shoulders and looked at him. Caleb was a big man, but even so, Roger towered over him.
“Son of a bitch,” Roger said. “I haven’t seen you in what…a hundred and fifty years?”
“More like 200,” Caleb said.
They both stared at each other, surprised. Whoever he was, this had clearly been an important man in Caleb’s life.
Caleb turned, and held his hand out to Caitlin. “Excuse my manners,” he said. “Roger, may I introduce Caitlin Paine.”
Roger did a half bow. “A pleasure to meet you, Caitlin.”
Caitlin smiled back. “A pleasure to meet you, too. How do you guys know each other?”
“Oh,” Roger said, smiling, “let’s just say we go way back.”
“Roger is one of my oldest friends,” Caleb said. “He’s saved my life once or twice.”
“More times than that,” Rogers said, laughing.
Rose peeked her head out of Caitlin’s jacket, and Roger’s eyes lit up. “Well, hello little fella,” he said, coming over and petting her.
Rose licked his huge palm.
“How did you know we were here?” Caleb asked.
“Caleb, please,” Roger said, as if the answer were obvious. “This is an island. Your scent has nowhere to go. It’s visible from miles away.”
“So you knew the second I got off the boat,” Caleb said, smiling. “And you waited to see where I’d go.”
“Of course,” Roger said. “Wouldn’t you? But I would have guessed it would be here.” Caleb looked carefully over the room. “Why?”
“There’s only one reason one of us comes to the Vincent House. The sword, right? Isn’t that what you’re after?”
Caitlin and Caleb looked at each other.
“We might be,” Caleb said warily.
Roger smiled.
“You know, the thing about that sword,” he said, “is that only the person meant to find it will. As in, The One. I know you’re not The One. And as for your friend, with all due respect…well, I don’t mean to make any assumptions, but unless she—”
Caitlin reached into her pocket and held out the small, silver key.
Roger stared at if for several second, speechless.
His jaw dropped.
“My god,” he said, in a whisper.
He looked at Caleb, as if for confirmation, and Caleb nodded back.
He exhaled.
“Well,” he said, humbled, in an entirely different tone, “this does change everything.”
He looked Caitlin over. He shook his head.
“I never would have guessed,” he said.
“So then…you know where it is?” Caleb asked.
Roger nodded. “Not here,” he said.
Caitlin and Caleb exchanged a glance.
“That key,” he said, “was accurate at one time. But not anymore. It’s a decoy. The Vincent House is no longer the place you’ll find it in. Now it’s just the place you need to go.”
Caitlin was thoroughly confused.
“But—” she began.