“Such is the accepted wisdom.”
“But you weren’t one hundred percent certain it was fake, so you had it stolen. How did you prove it wasn’t the real staff?”
She laughed. “I’ll say it again, Agent Drummond, neither Ajax nor I would have any reason to want that absurd fake staff. We were told from the cradle it was fake, so, you see, I fear you will have to look elsewhere for the mastermind behind your thief.”
Nicholas stretched his arm across the back of the sofa. “May I speak to your chief of Operations? Lilith Forrester- Clarke?”
“Lilith? Whatever for?”
“I believe Ms. Forrester-Clark was involved in obtaining the services of a particular thief, even traveled herself to the Topkapi to verify the thief was there, in place, ready to execute the theft.”
She said, “If Lilith traveled to Istanbul it would be to discuss something with the museum director, Haluk Dursun. Haluk is a consultant for the Genesis Group. Feel free to contact him, of course.”
He nodded. “I shall. Tell me, where do you think the staff is?”
She paused, smiled at him. “Perhaps it now resides at the bottom of a lake, or is being sold on eBay. Some people are so credulous.”
“Still, I would like to speak with Ms. Forrester-Clarke. Is she here with you now?”
“No, she is in Rome, doing the foundation’s work.”
“Ah, now that’s strange. We called there, looking for her. We were told she was here with you.”
“Whoever you spoke to was clearly mistaken.”
“When might I have the pleasure of meeting your brother?”
“Soon, I expect. Perhaps he’ll run into your partner and bring her back with him. Does Agent Caine enjoy Scotch?”
“She’s more of a wine drinker.” Nicholas knew he needed to buy Mike and Kitsune more time. “The Genesis Group is quite renowned. You and your brother are young to be running such a large foundation.”
She shrugged again. “I was raised to run the Genesis Group, it’s the family business. I’m surprised you aren’t running yours.”
“Perhaps I will one day, but for now, I’d rather track down criminals.”
He set the drink on the marble table beside him, looked closely at that beautiful, lethal face. “Tell me, Ms. Kohath, what have you done to further your search for the Ark of the Covenant?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
She smoothed a hand over her sleeve, and he saw a slight tremor, but when she spoke it was in a teacher’s voice, “I cannot tell you about the scope of our searches for the Ark. That we keep close, but I will say that our search has continued throughout many years, since the Ark ties to our family all the way back to Moses, a Levite. Also, the Ark’s discovery would be, indisputably, the most important archaeological find in history. The Genesis Group wants to be the one to discover it. No, I want to be the one to discover it. As I said, it is my family’s duty to find it, to be reunited with it. I’m very determined, Agent Drummond.”
“So determined that you will allow nothing to stand in your way? Stealing the staff from the Topkapi to prove it’s a fake? Manipulating the weather to empty the Gobi Desert of sand to uncover your mother’s lost site, killing thousands of people in Beijing in the process? Don’t you believe that is a bit over the top, Ms. Kohath? A bit extreme? A bit crazy?”
Calling her crazy, it had simply come out of his mouth. But it had triggered her. He saw the sudden wildness in her eyes, like rolling fog, gathering speed, momentum. Would she try to kill him now? Right in this room? Then the madness died and she was once again in perfect control of herself, and that, he’d learned over the years, was what happened when madness melded with brilliance. She even laughed.
“Controlling the weather? Surely that belongs in the realm of science fiction. And blow all the sand out of the Gobi Desert? A romantic and terrifying notion.”
“Terrifying, yes, but romantic? I strongly doubt it if you were one of the thousands who choked to death on the sand. That does not include the missing.” He tapped on his ear three times.
“It is tragic, of course, but when there are huge storms such as the one that buried parts of Beijing, I suppose it natural to weave all sorts of conspiracy theories as to its genesis. This is a very odd idea you’ve got, Agent Drummond. May I inquire where and how you dreamed this up?”
He’d met only one other criminal in his life like her—very smart, utterly focused, perfectly presented, and greatly talented at manipulation. A true psychopath. If he didn’t know what Cassandra Kohath had done, and he’d simply met her, would he still believe her crazy?
Nicholas smiled, took another sip of Scotch, let the peat scent rise up his throat. He said mildly, “You’re a very good liar.”
“Me? A liar? I’m not lying, Agent Drummond, I have no need to. I have no earthly idea what you’re talking about.” She looked at her watch, a lovely thin rose gold band that circled her wrist three times, like a small golden snake. “This house is vast. I hope your partner isn’t lost. Or perhaps looking in places that are not safe.”
“I’m sure she’s fine, probably being escorted back by a dozen or so of your guards. Bulgari, is it?”
Cassandra moved her wrist this way and that. “Why, yes, it is. You have a good eye.” She rose with a smile and took his glass from the side table. “Let me freshen your drink.”
“Thank you.” Nicholas rose at the same time and brushed against her. She looked up at him and gave him a slow smile. As she turned to the drinks cart, Nicholas took the opportunity to signal Mike again; he tapped his ear three times. She needed to get back, and quickly.
“Kitsune’s here, but there’s a problem.”
He tapped again three times.
What had happened to Kitsune?
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Mike couldn’t believe her luck. When the palazzo had been renovated, the bathroom was given two doors, one to the main hallway and the second that opened onto a passageway to the interior of the house. She wouldn’t have to get rid of Adcock. He couldn’t cover both doors. She went out quietly through the interior door and hurried down the deserted hallway, this one similar to the front foyer, with white plaster walls covered in discreetly lit art, all of it starkly modern. She went to the end of the hall to a door she knew from the plans led to stairs to the lower levels. As she went through the door, the lights went out around her.
Mike stepped into complete darkness. She pulled the bag out of the front of her jeans, put in the earwig, clicked it on. She pressed the flashlight button on her cell phone. It glowed, giving off enough light to get down the stairs.
“Perfect timing, Nicholas. The EMP is working. I’m in the stairwell. It’s very dark.”
He acknowledged her with one tap. He would only signal back if there was a problem. When the door closed behind her, she walked carefully down the pitted, worn stone stairs, thankful for the grip on her boot soles.
She made it to the basement quickly and found herself stepping into a large room with four identical doors, not the single one she was expecting. Which door was the right one? She pictured the blueprint of the basements; yes, only the one door, and it was on her far left, facing the interior of the mountain. She walked quickly to the door and quietly turned the knob. It was alarmed, she knew; there were cameras in the corridor, but without the power, there were no lights, no Klaxon wailing. Nicholas’s micro-EMP had worked perfectly. She’d give him a big hug for that one.
She said quietly into her collar, “Checking in. She’s not here yet, I’m going in farther to see if there’s another door.”
The smell of dirt and must were ancient, but there was a newer smell as well, human sweat. Someone had come through here minutes before her for the scent to linger like this. Thank heavens she’d missed whoever it was. She moved carefully, pausing every few steps, wondering where Kitsune was. Had she chosen the wrong door?
She stepped into a large storage space that was between the basement proper and the actua
l tunnel. For art storage perhaps. No, that wasn’t right; it was far too damp and musty down here to store anything valuable.
There had to be another door, another way out of this space.
She followed her cell phone light another few steps, saw a corner up ahead. She pressed the phone hard against her leg, blacking out the light, and turned into the new corridor. Three steps in, she froze.
There was a fight going on, she could hear the noises clearly, amplified in the dark enclosed space.
It had to be Kitsune, and she was in trouble.
Mike’s first instinct was to rush forward, but she stopped herself when she heard three taps in her ear—a warning from Nicholas to get out and get back to him. Now.
Then, silence. Mike risked a quick look. She made out the figure of a man coming toward her with what looked like a small sack over his shoulder. She backed up, ran back into the corridor where she’d found the four doors, and ducked into the stairwell just as the man walked by. He was carrying Kitsune, and she was clearly unconscious. Or dead. As they passed, Mike heard a moan and breathed again.
But now both Kitsune and Grant were prisoners. Mike wanted to follow, but there came three more taps in her ear. She whispered, “Kitsune’s here, but there’s a problem.”
Three taps again. Crap.
At the top of the stairs she listened carefully and heard nothing, so she opened the door. The hallway was still empty. She started back toward the bathroom, paused. Which was the bathroom door? She was so brilliant she’d forgotten to count, and now she was faced with a long series of closed doors.
She’d walked halfway up the hall, pulling open doors, when a man came around a corner. He wasn’t a guard in black. He wore khakis and a polo shirt, black boots. He was tall, fit, young, quite handsome. Her hand hovered over her gun. Then she recognized him from his photos.
A British voice said, “What are you doing? Are you lost?”
Mike relaxed her hand and turned on a high-wattage smile.
“I am lost, how did you know? I went to the bathroom and I think I must have come out the wrong side. I’m supposed to be meeting my partner in the Blue Room, but I can’t figure out which door leads back. Can you help?”
“Partner?” the man asked.
“I’m Special Agent Michaela Caine, FBI. We’re here to speak to Cassandra and Ajax Kohath.”
He inclined his head. “Then you’re in luck. I’m Ajax Kohath, Agent Caine.” Up close, he was even more handsome, curling blond hair, chiseled features, like his twin sister’s. Her perfect counterpoint.
Mike nodded. “I’m very glad you came and not one of your guards.”
Her voice was friendly; his was not. “Let me get you to the Blue Room. It’s through here.”
Adcock and another guard came around the corner. “Found her, Adcock,” Ajax called. “She’d gotten lost in the dark. When will you have the lights back on?”
“Sir, we’re working on it. The generators are on, but there’s something wrong with the computers—they won’t reboot.”
“Get it figured out.” They started up the hallway.
Mike said, “I hope Ms. Lilith Forrester-Clarke is in the Blue Room with Agent Drummond and Ms. Kohath.”
“Lilith? No, she’s in Florence today, I believe. She’s hard to keep track of, always on the go. Now, Agent Caine, the Blue Room is through here. Let’s go meet your partner.”
He turned a knob and the door opened directly into the room. Nicholas rose when he saw her. “Got lost, did you?”
“I did. Thankfully I ran into Mr. Kohath and he kindly showed me the way.”
Ajax shook Nicholas’s hand, nodded to his sister, studied her face for a moment, before saying, “Forgive my tardiness. I was in the basement, attending to some of our newest stock.”
Cassandra said, “How lovely to meet you, Agent Caine. May I offer you a drink? Wine, perhaps, or Scotch, like your partner?”
“Thank you, no, nothing for me. I apologize for taking so long. I got very turned around on my way back.”
Ajax walked to the cart and poured himself a vodka rocks. He turned, gave them both a salute, and drank it down.
Mike said, “Nicholas, have you explained to Ms. Kohath why we’re here?”
Cassandra said, “Not entirely. I will say that he has many curious ideas about the staff of Moses and the Gobi Desert. He even wanted to speak to Lilith, to accuse her, I believe, of hiring the thief who stole the staff from the Topkapi. But he cannot since Lilith is in Rome.”
Mike said, “But Mr. Kohath said she was in Florence.”
“Wherever,” Cassandra said. “I’m sure if you look long enough, you will track her down.”
Nicholas leaned forward. “You could phone her. I don’t happen to have her number.”
Ajax shrugged, said very quietly to his sister, “Tell them.”
Cassandra stared at Ajax. “Tell them what exactly?”
Ajax took his sister’s arm, as if to steady her. “There is no use trying to pretend. We might as well tell them the truth and be done with it.”
“I don’t know, Ajax, I’m not certain—”
Ajax said to Nicholas and Mike, “Lilith is no longer in our employ.”
“Ajax, really—”
He shook his head at Cassandra, faced the FBI agents again. “Look, I apologize for the deception. It’s been a bit embarrassing, really. We don’t want it to reflect poorly on the foundation, or the family. We’ve been considering coming forward, but it’s been a busy time and to be honest, we’ve been torn.
“The truth is, we had to dismiss Lilith earlier in the week, and it’s not something we take lightly. She’s been with us for a very long time, is almost as familiar to the industry as a part of our company as Cassandra and myself. You mentioned the stolen staff of Moses, taken from the Topkapi last week?”
Cassandra said, “Agent Drummond believes we hired the thief to steal the staff.”
Ajax said, “Well, now they’ll know the truth. As I’m sure you know, our family’s legacy is deeply rooted in the search for the Ark of the Covenant. Lilith, acting on her own initiative, decided to help us along by hiring someone to steal the staff of Moses, or the rod of Aaron, whichever you wish to call it.
“Once we realized what she’d done, what a horrible position she put us all in, we asked Lilith to turn herself in. Instead, she ran. So honestly, we don’t know if she’s in Rome, or Florence, or Timbuktu. But if there’s anything we can do to help you find her, the foundation—and my sister and I—are at your service.”
Nicholas took an easy sip of his Scotch, then clapped slowly, once, twice, three times. “Well done, and all on the spur of the moment. Or was it? Did you practice it? An excellent tale. I don’t even know where to start.”
“I do,” Mike said. “Where’s the staff of Moses?”
CHAPTER FORTY
Ajax shook his head. “We don’t know, we never saw it. Lilith came to us and admitted what she’d done. She said the thief she’d hired refused to give it to her, and so she refused further payment.”
Mike said, “I see, this all came as a great surprise, and neither you nor Ms. Kohath had anything to do with the theft.”
“Of course not. The staff at the Topkapi is a fake, everyone knows this. There was no reason to steal it. When Lilith admitted what she’d done, we told her how badly she’d compromised our company’s values, and severed her from service.” He shrugged. “Stealing isn’t how the Genesis Group works.”
“Lovely sculptures you have in your garden,” Mike said. “All acquired through digs you’ve sponsored, yes?”
Cassandra looked ready to slap her. Oh yes, sister, come on, try it.
Instead, Cassandra stood. “I’m afraid I am terribly behind schedule, and as you can tell, there’s a problem with our electricity, so I must attend to it before my next appointment. I hope your concerns have been answered. Ajax, could you see our guests out?”
“Of course.”
Nicholas
said, “I fear we will need affidavits from you.”
Mike said quickly, “However, we cannot do it now, we will need to hire a stenographer. Would tomorrow morning suit you?”
“Let me check my schedule.” Cassandra pulled out her cell phone. It had to be dead, no way it had survived Nicholas’s micro EMP. Mike caught Nicholas’s eye, made a small gesture toward the door. He finally stood.
Cassandra frowned. “Ajax, may I have your phone, please? My battery seems to have died.”
Ajax pulled his from his pocket.
“Strange. My battery is dead, too.”
Cassandra looked at Nicholas. “I don’t suppose your cell phone is working, Agent Drummond?”
He pulled it out of his pocket. “Yes. Not sure what your problem is. Perhaps the Italian mobile service has gone down.”
“Perhaps. Well then,” she said. “Seeing as I have twice as much work to do, I would ask that you call before you arrive in the morning.”
• • •
As they walked to their car, Mike said, “Nicholas, sorry to rush you out of there, but Kitsune was captured. I saw a man carrying her over his shoulder down in the tunnels. I don’t know if her husband is down there, but it looked like a bunch of storage rooms, perfect for hiding people. Or bodies.”
“Now we have to rescue her and Grant.”
“And we need to plan it better. I’m very glad we got out of there alive, it was close there for a moment. I saw blood on Ajax’s shirt cuff, and I’m willing to bet he didn’t cut himself shaving. You don’t think—”
“That Lilith is the sacrificial goat? That she’s dead? Wouldn’t surprise me.”
“I just hope they don’t hurt Kitsune before we can get to her.”
Why was nothing ever easy? Nicholas wondered. But as Mike said, at least they were still alive.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
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