The Sean Wyatt Series Box Set 4

by Ernest Dempsey

  “Are you saying Leonidas had the sword, too?”

  “No,” Tommy said. “But I’m saying it wouldn’t take much—if there were something that could help a small group of troops—to turn the tides of battle.”

  The others considered his point, and the room fell into a long silence.

  Tommy’s phone rang in his pocket, interrupting the quiet moment.

  “Hello. Tommy here.”

  Sean and Adriana watched and listened as their friend went through the motions of his phone conversation. When he ended the call, Tommy’s eyes burned with a grave intensity.

  “That was Helen and Joe.”

  Sean grinned. “Mac and Helen? How are they?”

  “They’re good,” Tommy said in a serious tone. “I put them in charge of the dig site in France. They said they found something.”

  “What?” Sean asked.

  Tommy stared blankly beyond his two friends. “It was in a stone cylinder.”

  “What was?” Adriana said.

  “A vellum codex. The writing had faded, but was still visible due to the way it had been completely sealed in wax. They said they’re still working on the entire translation, but it references all nine of the heroes from the sculpture by name. It was stamped with a Templar cross. And it mentioned the sword.”

  Adriana broke the stillness after a minute of contemplation. “Okay, just so I understand what you’re saying, this codex mentioned Templars. Does that mean we’re looking for the Holy Grail now? Or a sword?”

  Tommy shook his head. “Not the grail. I think we’re looking for Excalibur.”

  7

  Aachen

  The dramatic church spires soared above the rest of the old city. Wet cobblestone streets curved in and out between the buildings. Cafes made of brick stood across from taverns built from stone. In spite of the rain that fell earlier, the cafes still had their outdoor sitting areas open, though no one took the offer. The empty chairs were a permanent fixture, something that probably couldn’t be done in an American town. The seats would have been stolen long ago.

  Europe had its share of thieves, but they were too busy picking pockets or targeting items that would fetch a higher price than simple street chairs.

  Inside the tavern, a group of revelers laughed and shouted, sharing stories from the day or maybe from long ago.

  Sean kept his eyes alert as he and the other two made their way down the street toward a cafe where they’d meet their German contact. Thing was, she wasn’t actually German.

  June Holiday was Tommy’s friend, the woman he’d kept secret from Sean and Adriana for the better part of the year. She’d grown up in the United States but had attended university in Germany. Identifying more with the culture there, she’d remained in Germany ever since.

  Tommy had met her when he first arrived in the border town before he began work at the dig site in France. He’d been in Aachen for a day, touring the university, when the person giving the tour introduced them.

  June worked at the university as a researcher. Her specialty was in genetics, which intrigued Tommy. His initial thoughts were how he could get June to help with some of his own projects at IAA. There were many times they had to outsource genetic testing of samples. She could be his connection in Europe.

  Of course, it wasn’t just work that endeared Tommy to June. Her locks of golden blonde hair trickling down past her shoulders, her bright smile, the radiant blue eyes, and her enthusiastic personality made her impossible to resist.

  Tommy just hoped he didn’t screw it up.

  When he was in France, he’d slipped across the border several times on weekends to take her out for dinner or coffee. They talked mostly about work, which turned out to be fine since they had a mutual interest in each other’s careers. After the third date, however, things got more personal. During one conversation, the time passed so quickly they didn’t realize they’d been talking for nearly six hours—until two o’clock in the morning.

  Their connection was unlike any Tommy had ever felt with a woman. Part of that was due to the fact he didn’t have much time to date since he was busy most of the time or out of town.

  Being on the eastern border of France had opened the door to opportunity, and Tommy had walked right on through.

  The three visitors rounded a corner and turned right down another street. A collection of black and white umbrellas sat over more chairs and tables in front of a cafe on the left a few dozen yards away.

  “There it is,” Tommy said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

  His traveling companions knew his exuberance wasn’t due to the meal they were about to have. It was the blonde woman sitting with her legs crossed, wearing a navy-blue sundress, tortoiseshell sunglasses, and a smile that seemed permanently stuck on her face.

  She waved to the group and stood up from her chair in the corner. Tommy’s smile broadened as they approached. He ignored the hostess at the podium just outside the black railing surrounding the outdoor sitting area, and walked straight over to June.

  Sean and Adriana paused and watched as the two hugged each other. There was a quick exchange of pleasantries before Tommy turned to his two friends lingering a few yards away.

  He motioned them over and turned back to June. “June, these are my friends, Sean and Adriana.”

  She smiled pleasantly to both of them and shook their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’ve heard so much about you. Especially you, Sean. Tommy says you two have been friends since childhood.”

  “Oh, I’m sure that’s not all he’s told you,” Sean said.

  Her teeth gleamed in spite of the overcast sky. “He said you have a penchant for getting into trouble.”

  Sean raised an eyebrow. “Did he tell you that he’s the one dragging me into trouble more often than not?”

  June cast a sidelong glance at Tommy, who blushed and put on his best Who me? face.

  “He omitted that part.” She turned to Adriana. “You, he wasn’t so forthcoming about. But he did have some complimentary things to say.”

  Adriana nodded at Tommy. “Aww. You’re so sweet.” She reached out and squeezed his cheek with finger and thumb.

  “Okay. Enough with the introductions. Can we please sit down?” Tommy said.

  “Is he always this testy with you?” Sean asked June.

  “Always,” she said, taking a cue from Sean.

  Tommy gasped, but before he could defend himself the server came by and asked for their drink order. Everyone ordered coffee. Tommy got his with a little extra milk.

  “So you’re here to take a look at the Charlemagne DNA,” June said while the others looked at the menus.

  She didn’t beat around the bush. There less than two minutes and straight to business. Sean appreciated that.

  “Yeah. Your friend here,” he motioned to Tommy, “thinks there might be a connection to an ancient weapon of untold power.” Sean ended the sentence with his best monster truck announcer voice.

  Tommy scrunched his face at the comment. “What? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  June’s eyebrows shot up, and she twisted her head slowly until she faced Tommy. “You didn’t mention anything about an ancient weapon. Something you forgot to say to me?”

  He tried to shake off the question, but her gaze was going nowhere.

  “Wait,” Adriana interrupted. “You didn’t tell her your theory?”

  “Theory?” June said. “What theory? Yes, please. Tell me your theory, Thomas.”

  Tommy was cornered. And all three of his companions were enjoying watching him writhe.

  “Yes, it’s just a theory. Okay? Probably incorrect,” he said finally.

  “You sounded pretty sure about it when you told us back in the States,” Sean said.

  Tommy’s face turned deep red. “Okay. Fine. You guys just love giving me a hard time, don’t you? Yes, June. I’m sorry. I do think there might be a connection between the DNA sample you checked out and a
very old sword.”

  “Not just any sword,” Sean added.

  Tommy flashed him an irritated look. “Would you let me finish?”

  Sean put up his hands in surrender.

  “Like I was saying, I did some research, and there are some really interesting bits of information that coincide with one very specific sword from history.”

  “Excalibur?” June asked.

  Tommy’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”

  She snorted a laugh. “Seriously? I’m no historian, but how many famous swords are there? Can’t be that many. I just guessed the one that sticks out most. What did I win?”

  Tommy shook off his disbelief and scooted closer to her, more smitten than he’d been a moment before. “I’m impressed.”

  “Thank you?”

  Sean chuckled at the way she’d phrased it as a question. “I like this one, Tommy. Try not to screw it up. Otherwise, we might have to ditch you for her.”

  Tommy tried to ignore his friend’s joke. “Anyway, I didn’t mention it because I didn’t want to sound crazy, but yes, I think there might be a connection between Charlemagne’s DNA and Excalibur.”

  “Interesting. At some point, you’ll have to tell me where you came up with this theory. For now, you may as well have a look at the results from the testing we did on that sample.”

  “Sounds good. We’ll just get something to eat and then head over to the university.”

  June’s lips curled. “Actually, I took the liberty of bringing the results to you. Thought it might be best if we didn’t interrupt a murder investigation.”

  “I could hug you,” Tommy said.

  “You can,” she said. “After you look at these.”

  She reached down and pulled a green folder out of her laptop bag next to her chair. She laid the folder on the table in front of Tommy and nudged it toward him.

  “Go ahead,” she said. “Be my guest.”

  He paused for a second, apprehensive about opening the folder, partly because he was afraid the results inside might prove him wrong. When he finally got up the courage to flip it open, he was dismayed at what he found.

  It was mostly a bunch of numbers, columns, and data points he didn’t understand.

  Before he could ask what he was looking at, June spoke up. “The sample we analyzed was definitely different than anything else we’ve investigated. This data shows that whatever Charlemagne had going on genetically was certainly something special.”

  “Special?” Adriana asked.

  “Yep. We’re not entirely sure what to make of it. However, it does seem to be some kind of mutation. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “This mutation,” Sean said, “it kept him human, though. Right? I mean, he didn’t become a monster or anything like that?”

  “Not at all,” June said. “It is definitely human DNA. If I had to guess, it just made him stronger, possibly a little quicker with his mind as well. Again, that’s only a guess at this point. As it pertains to the legend of King Arthur and his fabled sword, Excalibur, are you suggesting that the sword may have caused Arthur to be stronger and smarter than other humans?”

  “He’s only one of them,” Tommy said. “There were others who also had incredible abilities when it came to combat.” He hesitated a moment and then went on. “You know the sculpture of the Nine Good Heroes in the Cologne rathaus?”

  June had to think for a second. “Seems to ring a bell. I only went in there to do the touristy thing. This country has so many rathauses, it starts to feel like if you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all.”

  “This sculpture has nine men—three Christians, three Jews, and three pagans.”

  She smirked. “Sounds like the beginning of an epic joke.”

  Tommy was thrown off by the comment and then pushed through his laughter to continue. “True. Anyway, you know the names.” He rattled off all nine of the men in the sculpture and the similarities of the swords they carried.

  Then he took a plastic bag out of his jacket and placed it on the table. June’s eyes were drawn to the golden object inside. “What is that?” she asked.

  “A medallion I found in France when I was here last. I think it belonged to Godfrey of Bouillon.”

  Sean cut in. “Except that Godfrey is buried in a tomb at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.”

  “Right,” Tommy agreed. “So the tomb I found couldn’t have been his.”

  “It was probably a relative then, right?” June said, looking up from the medallion as she pulled it closer.

  “Possibly,” Tommy said. “We’re not sure. I’ve still got people on site in France looking around for more clues.”

  June squinted her eyes as she tried to process the information. “Okay, so let me get this straight. You wanted to know about Charlemagne’s DNA, which I could have just told you over the phone or via email. Yet you flew all the way here to find out in person? On top of that, it’s not just Charlemagne you’re investigating. It’s a whole series of ancient kings?”

  “To be fair, Judah Maccabee wasn’t a king,” Sean offered. “And Joshua was more of a guide than anything. A ruler of sorts, but not a king.”

  Tommy ignored his friend’s cynical comment. “We’re also here to have a closer look at the sculpture in Cologne. I’m hoping there could be a lead there, a clue that could help us figure out the next place to look.”

  “To look for what? Excalibur?”

  “I know it sounds crazy, but yes. I have reason—we have reason—to believe it might actually exist. Think about it. Every man in that sculpture had a similar sword. From what we know about the Arthur legend, it gave the one who carried it incredible power. If those leaders were able to get their hands on it, they would have wielded the same power.”

  “If I may,” Adriana said, “I’m as skeptical as anyone when it comes to this sort of thing. Tommy makes a good argument, though. And I have to say, I’m definitely curious.”

  June sighed after taking it all in. “I have to say, this is pretty overwhelming. You three do this sort of thing all the time, running all over the world, chasing leads to old legends?”

  “Well,” Tommy said, “it’s not the only reason I came to Europe.”

  “No?”

  A sly grin crept across his face. “No. It was a perfect excuse to see you again.”

  It was June’s turn to blush.

  She reached over and touched Tommy on the arm. “That is so sweet.”

  Sean rolled his eyes. Adriana noticed and nudged him with her knee.

  “Stop it,” she mouthed.

  “So do you want to come to Cologne with us?” Tommy asked.

  June considered the offer. Before she answered, Tommy already knew what she was going to say. “I do. I really do. It sounds fun, but I have to work. If you’re still here this weekend, maybe we could spend some time together?”

  Tommy hid his disappointment well. “It’s okay. And yes, I would definitely like to stick around over the weekend. I look forward to it. One of the perks of having a company jet is we can decide how long our stay will be.”

  Sean fought off the urge to remind his friend that he and Adriana would still need a ride home. Instead, he decided to let Tommy have his moment.

  His friend hadn’t had a significant love interest since college. And even then, Tommy was so absorbed in his studies that he didn’t make time for dating. Those habits carried over into adulthood. By the time he’d started feeling lonely, the time he could have used to hone his social skills had passed him by, leaving him a bit awkward when it came to engaging with members of the opposite sex.

  He still wasn’t very smooth, but with June it didn’t seem like he had to be. Deep down, Sean hoped his friend had finally found the right girl.

  A different server approached wearing a black button-up shirt and matching pants. He appeared to be in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, with dark blond hair. “Has anyone helped you yet?” he asked.

  “Yes,” June re
plied in almost-perfect German. “The girl with the short brown hair took our drink order.”

  Sean’s eyes had drifted to the people passing by on the street before the server began speaking. When he turned his attention to the younger man, it was already too late.

  Sean saw the towel draped over the server’s right hand. More importantly, he saw what it covered: a subcompact 9mm pistol.

  Before Sean could warn the others, the server pulled the towel back so everyone at the table could see the tip of the weapon. The few passersby going about their morning routine or visiting touristy spots didn’t notice.

  “Now if you don’t mind,” the man switched to English, “slide the medallion over to me, as well as the folder. I’d prefer not to kill anyone.”

  “And yet you’re pointing a gun at us,” Sean said through clenched teeth.

  Tommy eased toward June to keep between her and the weapon.

  The server shrugged and tilted his head to the side. “I do what is necessary, Mr. Wyatt. If you want to protect your friends, you’ll do what I say.”

  “I’m sorry,” Tommy said. “Do you two know each other? Sean, who is your friend here?”

  “Mr. Wyatt does not know me, Mr. Schultz. Nor do you. Again, give me the medallion, and no one gets hurt.”

  “You’re not going to use that gun here,” Sean said, his voice cool as the other side of the pillow. “You’re bluffing or bullying, but you’re not shooting. Not with this many people around. And if you know me, you know that if you pull that trigger, you’d better put one through my skull. If you shoot one of my friends, you’ll be dead before you hit the ground. I can promise you that. But my money says that you have no intention of squeezing that trigger. Too many witnesses who’ve seen your face. So I think maybe you should put that peashooter away and walk on.”

  The gunman swallowed hard. His eyes turned to slits. Sean knew at that moment he was spot on. Whoever this guy was, he didn’t want attention. Thieves rarely did.

  “Here are your drinks,” a familiar voice interrupted the standoff. The female server returned with a tray full of beverages and began setting them on the table. She noticed the man dressed like one of the restaurant workers. At the sound of her voice, he’d concealed the weapon once more.