The Templar Map

by K R Hill

  Dalton did not turn to look. “I need you to step outside. This is a crime scene. The police are on the way.”

  “Jax,” whispered Dalton into her hair. “Why don’t we get away from all this?”

  She pulled away and looked in his eyes. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying what I’ve always wanted. When this is all over, why don’t you and me just fly away? We’ll go somewhere nice, somewhere in the tropics, close to the ocean, and start a new life.”

  “I don’t want to be left again.”

  “No, I’ll never make that mistake again. Good or bad, we’re in this together. I shouldn’t have left you.”

  “All I want is you.”

  “Then that’s what we’re going to do.” Sitting there against the wall, Dalton whispered in a frantic voice, and told her about his plan to end the case.

  A siren sounded a few blocks away, and Dalton said, “I need you to get your phone. The police are going to be here in a moment. You need your lawyer here with you. I’m sure they are going to haul us both to the station for questioning.”

  Jax stood and brushed the tears from her cheeks, took a breath, and looked about. She rubbed her arm as though she was cold, brushed off her pants, and walked to the kitchen counter and picked up her cell phone.

  ***

  The air conditioning in the police department made the room cold.

  FBI agent Lowenthal shouted, “I have three witnesses that say you jumped on the hood of that car right there in that photo, and killed the driver with three shots. I also have blood samples and bullets from your gun that prove you killed the man.”

  Mr. Steinberg, a round little bald man who wore spectacles on the end of his nose, jumped to his feet and slapped the table. “You don’t have a body. If you don’t have a body you can’t charge my client with a crime. Mr. Dalton and I have better things to do than sit here and be subjected to the FBI ranting and raving about blood and bullets. My client is not being charged with a crime, gentlemen. Good day to you.” Mr. Steinberg stood and kicked over his chair and tugged on Dalton’s shoulder.

  Dalton stood up and looked around the room. “You lost a body? I’ll bet your boss wishes his jaws weren’t wired together so he could shout at you.”

  Dalton pulled on his blazer and walked out of the interrogation room.

  Special Agent Lowenthal followed him into the corridor. “I think your friends over there want to speak to you, Dalton.”

  He followed Lowenthal’s gesture. At the end of the hall, standing in the waiting room, were two buff young men that he had seen before. Between them stood Commander Rossi, his arms crossed on his chest, his hand tapping a hundred miles an hour on his arm.

  Lowenthal leaned forward and whispered, “When we got to the scene of the shooting, they were there. Two of them were covered with blood as though they’d carried a body, but we couldn’t touch them because they have diplomatic passports. Ain’t that a bitch? Now they’re just hanging around the police station, waiting for your ass to get out.”

  Dalton approached the three men. “What do you want, Rossi?”

  “I should’ve kept a closer eye on Dent. It seems he had his own agenda. That organization that helped Devonshire get those paintings out of Europe, also hired Uri Dent. They’re out there, Dalton, and they know about you. We took Dent’s body away as a professional courtesy, and now I’m giving you a heads up. Careful in the shadows. I’m here to tell you that whatever they have planned for you, I have nothing to do with it.”

  “Listen, Rossi, I’m tired. I want to get rid of the Key. Why don’t you meet me on top of the Long Beach Yacht Club? Beside the jetty, at two o’clock tomorrow afternoon? Meet me there, and I’ll turn it over to you.”

  The commander raised his chin as though he was trying to decide whether he believed the man before him. “Why would you do that?”

  “That thing’s not doing me any good, okay? People have been trying to kill me ever since I looked at it. My client doesn’t want it because it will tie her to the illegal dealings of her

  husband. I just want to live, okay?”

  “Tomorrow at two o’clock.” The commander nodded.

  “Look, I’m trying to do the right thing.”

  ***

  It didn’t take Jax’s lawyer very long before she was free. After all, the intruder had broken into her house and assaulted her. She had defended herself in her home, and the suspect had died. He had a record, and that helped support Jax’s story. There would be no charges.

  Dalton wrapped Jax in his blazer the second she came out of the interrogation room. He led her down the hall, and after a few words with the lawyer, they left the police station.

  Chapter 26

  On the way back, Singh drove while Dalton sat in the back with Jax.

  While they were driving, Jax’s phone rang. She spoke for a couple minutes and put the cell back in her purse. “It was a nurse in the hospital. He said that Ted left.”

  “Have you spoken to Ted today?”

  “For a little while.”

  “You didn’t mention the shooting, did you?”

  The smile disappeared from Jax’s face, and she looked down. “He knew that something happened. He heard it in my voice. I’m not good at hiding things like that.”

  “You told him it was Gregory?”

  “Gregory and his driver, yes. I told him.”

  Dalton reached over and placed a hand on top of hers. “You know he’s going to protect you, right?”

  Jax nodded her head. “That’s what he does for his family. Ever since high school, Ted’s been watching out for me. Even when you went away and played dead, Ted was always coming by and helping out, giving me pep talks to keep me going, getting me back into school.”

  Dalton laughed and shook his head. He looked out at the traffic. “The guy’s lying in a hospital bed and hears you were in a shooting. So, he checks himself out and goes to play big brother.”

  “I don’t know if he can thump anybody. The nurse said he took a wheelchair, so he’s not walking too well.”

  “That doesn’t matter. Last mission Ted and I served together, he was more dangerous after he got wounded than he was before. Maybe it was just a flesh wound, but it made him angry and mean. Crap. He considers you family, and he thinks somebody’s out to get his family.”

  Jax laid her head on Dalton’s shoulder. “I wish we could get this over with.”

  “That’s what we’re doing.”

  ***

  They entered Dalton’s building from the parking lot and walked up the old marble staircase. On the landing they crowded together as Dalton played with the key in the lock, trying to get the door open. Just as it clicked, he saw movement through the glass, and he froze.

  “Singh, where is your gun?” he whispered.

  Singh reached beneath his jacket and pulled out the sawed-off shotgun. He took a breath as though he was about to explain why he’d bought the shotgun…and about his family in India and how he cooked rice as well.

  But Jax covered his mouth with her hand, and pointed into the office.

  Holding his hand in the air and raising one finger at a time Dalton counted silently, one, two, and opened the door.

  Singh ran into the office with the shotgun held out in front of him.

  “Whoa!” shouted Nick. “It’s me, Nick! Don’t shoot.”

  “I’m glad you’re back.” Dalton shook his hand and pulled him forward, and they embraced.

  “I’m glad to be back,” said Nick. “And this must be Jax. It’s about time you two got together. I’ve been reading all about you for months now, trying to talk some sense into this fool, trying to get him to knock on your door.” He stepped around Dalton, took Jax’s hand in his own, and they spoke for a few minutes.

  “A lot has happened since you left,” Dalton said.

  Nick pushed his hair back. “I’ll bet it has, Boss. I’ve been following along as much as I could with e-mails from my computer buddies
. They’ve been telling me as much as they know about what’s going on. Is it true that Sophie Devonshire hung you out to dry? A fingerprint, is that all they have? We wiped that place down two or three times. There’s no way we left a fingerprint behind.”

  “Yeah, but I sent in the Italian special forces. That’s their specialty. They could’ve planted a fingerprint. That’s what they do.”

  Dalton sat down in the creaking desk chair. He pulled the Velcro loose on his shoulder holster and set his weapon on the desk. “So, tell me about Texas.”

  “Yeah, good old Sophie Devonshire is not who she pretends to be. I got birth certificates and everything to prove it. We have a lot of leverage.”

  “You have all the paperwork with you?”

  “I have paperwork and digital recordings of the interviews I did with witnesses. These are people that knew them both, neighbors and schoolmates. Remember what I told you about that birthmark?”

  “Yeah, and our client definitely has one.”

  Dalton walked around the desk and sat down on it in front of Nick. “And you still have what we took out of the basement, right?”

  “It’s safe. I got it stashed away where no one is going to find it.”

  “Good. Keep it that way.”

  “But who is getting hungry?” asked Singh from across the office, banging some pots and pans in the corner.

  “And you’re still here in the country?” Nick walked over to Singh’s work area.

  “Singh is a regular gangster now.” Dalton laughed. “The guy carries a sawed-off shotgun and drives like a maniac.”

  “Oh, Mr. Nick, you should have seen me driving Ted’s Malibu. That is a real car, with a four-speed transmission, and a big V-8 engine. American muscle.”

  “No! Did Ted let him drive the Malibu?”

  “He did more than drive. He ground a few pounds of gears in the transmission trying to figure out how to use the clutch, but he did good. Singh laid rubber like you wouldn’t believe. He saved us.”

  “Saved you?” asked Nick.

  “Oh, you haven’t heard?”

  Jax picked up a blanket from the sofa and wrapped it around her shoulders. “I hired a man named Gregory to find Dalton. But something went wrong. Maybe that artifact thing made him want more money.”

  Dalton placed his hand on her shoulder. “She had to defend herself. Gregory’s driver was killed.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Nick.

  Dalton clapped him on the shoulder as he passed. “We’re doing this thing tomorrow. I need to know who’s going to come along. Singh and I have arranged a little exchange.”

  “Exchange for what?” Nick looked around.

  “I’m exchanging Solomon’s Key for our freedom. They get the Key, and we get to walk away knowing they’re not chasing us. I’m getting real tired of looking over my shoulder every time I step through a door or turn a corner on the street. I want this to be finished.”

  “We all want that, don’t we?” Jax looked around the room.

  “The only way you’re going to finish it is to hand over the Key. Then we all have to disappear.”

  Dalton walked over to the white board. “Exactly. We don’t know if they’re going treasure hunting with the Key map or what they’re going to do with it. But I’m more than certain they don’t want anybody talking about it. So that means we have to disappear for a while. Is everyone good with that?”

  “That is fine with me. I will be happy to be back in India. I have missed my temple. I will take time to be there every single day, after I take care of my sick mother. That is where I will be, in the temple, praying.” Singh took a deep breath that everyone in the room heard.

  “Me? I’m good. As long as I got an Internet connection, I’ll be good wherever I’m at. Maybe I’ll go down to that little village in Mexico that you’re always talking about, Boss.”

  “Good,” said Dalton, turning to the white board. “Let me show you the plan. Singh, is everything ready to go with your brother-in-law?”

  Singh shut off the water and wiped the inside of a pot with a dishtowel. “Yes, Dalton. He assured me today that the product is just perfect and ready to go.”

  “That’s all I needed to know. The only thing we can’t control is Gregory. I invited the Vatican soldiers to be there so I could turn the Key over to them. That means the Israelis will probably be following them to the trade. What happens with Gregory is out of my control, but you guys you have to be ready for anything. So, here’s the way I see it going down.”

  Dalton drew on the whiteboard and explained the location and the times, and exactly how he saw the trade unfolding. For more than half an hour he answered questions and explained where each member of the team was going to be.

  When everybody seemed content about their part in the transaction, they took the cushions off the sofa and laid them about the office on the floor. One by one they stretched out and tried to sleep.

  Chapter 27

  Just after six that morning, Dalton smelled bacon and curry. He rolled over on the uncomfortable cushion from the sofa, and pulled Jax close. It felt good having her there, being able to reach out and touch her, feel the soft curve of her hip beneath his hand. He opened his eyes and looked at her sleeping face.

  The smells from Singh’s cooking drew his attention to the corner, where the Indian man with the soft middle was humming a song as he stirred a pot in his makeshift kitchen.

  Dalton stood up and walked over. “Singh, where in a bacon-and-eggs breakfast does curry powder fit in?”

  “Good morning.” Singh held up a letter opener that he had been stirring with.

  “Why are you using my letter opener? Never mind.”

  “I wish they could build a trash truck that was quieter.” Nick closed the office door behind him with his foot as he balanced two Starbucks carry trays. He went over and set them on the desk.

  “Everyone, check your weapons before we leave. Make sure you have plenty of ammo. I don’t think there’s going to be gunfire, but it’s best to be prepared.” Dalton picked up one of the plates of food, reached down and returned a cushion to the sofa. Then he sat and ate.

  The city was waking up. There was a cold chill in the air, a California chill. That meant the temperature had dropped into the forties during the night. One or two cars drove slowly down the street. Behind the wheel of one, Dalton saw the driver sipping from a travel mug.

  “Okay, everybody! Singh is going to the airport.”

  Nick and Jax and Dalton joked with Singh as they followed him out of the office, down the stairs, and out onto the sidewalk. There was an awkward silence as they stood on the corner waiting for the taxi. During that time of waiting, Dalton leaned over and glanced around the corner of his building, toward the approaching trash truck. He nodded to a morning jogger coming toward him, then watched as the woman turned the corner and side-stepped around Singh and the others.

  It was Nick and Jax who broke the silence. They patted Singh on the back and told him to have a good trip. Nick mentioned something about their wild ride on Signal Hill, and the Volkswagen, and they laughed.

  “Remember what I told you, Singh,” said Dalton. “Buy a few souvenirs and stuff them in the same bag. That way, if they open the bag when you arrive in India, it’ll look like a cheap souvenir. You do have it, right?”

  “Yes, Mr. Dalton. Stop worrying. I have the Key.”

  And you called your brother-in-law, right? He’s knows I’m coming to pick up our copy?”

  Singh did the head-bob thing. “Yes, he knows. We’ve been over this and over this. Now all you have to do is drive over there and pick it up and everything is done. We all go on our own ways now. You’ve done a fine job of planning this.”

  The taxi arrived, and Singh drove away, waving in the rear window.

  Dalton waved until the sound of a struggle made him turn.

  Gregory must have walked around the corner of the building while everyone was saying goodbye to Singh. Major Gregory had his
arm wrapped around Jax’s neck, and was dragging her to the corner, a pistol against her ear.

  Nick dropped his coffee and reached beneath his jacket for his weapon.

  “No, Nick!” Dalton grabbed his arm. He stood there as Gregory pulled Jax a few more feet, and stopped.

  “Don’t let him get around the corner,” whispered Nick.

  Dalton took a half step forward.

  “He’s going to put her in a car. Stop him!”

  Dalton reached toward her, wanting to pull her back, to touch Jax, touch the memories and protect her. But all he could touch was cold air.

  Jax struggled and fought, twisted and threw her elbow into the assailant’s ribs, but Gregory knew all the tricks. He was much too big and strong.

  “I know you have it, Dalton. Give it to me now and I’ll let her go.”

  “What are you talking about? Just let her go, Gregory. This is between me and you.”

  Nick took a step into the street.

  “Stop! I will not be flanked.” Gregory pulled back the trigger and cocked the weapon. Only a slight twitch of his finger, and Jax’s head would explode. “I know you have Solomon’s Key. It’s worth millions. Give it to me, or lose her.”

  “I don’t have it with me.”

  “Then we have a serious problem, Mr. Dalton. Say goodbye to your woman.” Gregory stepped away from Jax and extended his arm straight, the gun against her temple.

  “Wait a minute. Don’t do this. Don’t take her away from me again, please. I’ll get it for you. I know where it is. All I have to do is drive over there and get it. I’m begging you, please don’t do this.”

  As Dalton spoke, he saw a wheelchair come slowly around the corner of the building behind Gregory. He tried not to let the expression on his face change, or Gregory would know that something was behind him, and turn and shoot.

  Ted rolled forward until he was about four feet behind Gregory. Slowly he locked the wheels into place, and picked up the pillow in his lap. Bits of foam and cloth silently burst from the pillow and fell to the sidewalk as Ted fired his pistol.