“I’ve never let you down before, have I?”
Father Giovanni laughed. “Seriously? Do I need to recite the list? You want my museum to fund this trip? I want assurances that you’ll get the job done. Neatly. Without complications. Legally!”
“You’re sending someone to watch me?”
“A research partner.”
“A babysitter!”
“Call it what you will, but this is how it’s going to be. Consider this my way of looking out for . . . the museum’s interests.”
This trip wasn’t going to happen without the kind of strings the father could pull. So Zack sucked up his pride and nodded. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”
Chapter 2
Williamsburg, New York
Three days later Father Giovanni had the necessary paperwork completed and the exploration permits secured.
It was nice to have friends like Father Giovanni.
Zack finished a few last minute transportation arrangements and shipped the equipment he’d need to his contact in Greenland. That night he returned to his apartment in New York to get a few hours of rest.
As he crossed the polished marble floor of the lobby, he gave a polite nod to the doorman.
“Back for a while this time, Mr. Cole?” the doorman asked.
“Not this time, Patrick,” Zack said, stepping into the elevator. He rode to the fifth floor of the seven-story building and smiled as he stepped out into the hall. He was going to Greenland. As much as he loved his day job, he loved his archaeological adventures even more. It reminded him of the times he had with his grandfather.
He unlocked the door to his apartment, dropped his keys on the little table by the door, and surveyed his surroundings.
Everything was in perfect order.
The telltale trails of a vacuum cleaner streaked the plush gray rugs that lay over the dark hardwood floor. Evelyn, the cleaning lady, must have been in that morning. The apartment was spacious with large rooms and even larger windows that bathed the evening moonlight across the few tastefully arranged pieces of furniture Zack owned.
“I’m home,” he called into the emptiness, flipping on a light switch, knowing the only answer he would get was the anticipated silence.
His answering machine light was flashing. He had three new messages. He took a seat in his favorite black leather recliner and pressed play.
The first message was from Melissa—a friend who wanted to be more than friends. Zack rolled his eyes at the soft purr Melissa used when she left a message. “Zack, I haven’t heard from you in days, are you still in town? We have to catch up. Call me. I miss you.”
He hit the delete button, and the next message played.
“Zack, you promised to cook dinner. I’m calling to collect.” Dianne was direct. Sometimes it was attractive, other times it was downright annoying.
He hit the delete button again.
These women, like most Zack knew, only wanted one thing—his money. They were a pleasant diversion at times, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to see them again. He had bigger things to focus on.
He hit play to listen to the last message. “Zack! This is your old buddy Frank. Yeah, I’m back. We need to—”
Zack had pressed the delete button before the message finished playing.
He drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out.
Frank Waterson was an amateur archaeologist Zack had the misfortune of doing business with from time to time. Contrary to Frank’s belief, they weren’t old buddies. Frank was more like a remora that Zack couldn’t shake. He had an uncanny talent for getting into and out of tight situations and was far more trouble than he was worth. Whatever his angle, Zack was not getting involved with him again.
Chapter 3
Early the next morning, Zack waited on the tarmac of Teterboro Airport, next to his Cessna Citation X class as his pilot went over the checklist. The plane was small and versatile, propelled by twin turbofan engines built by Rolls Royce.
Zack ran an impatient hand through his short, rakish brown hair. The researcher that Father Giovanni insisted he take with him should have been here by now. She was almost half an hour late. He’d give her ten more minutes, and that was it.
It was just before dawn and his stomach growled at him because he’d skipped breakfast. He had been in such a rush to get here that he hadn’t had time for food. Or so he’d thought. Turns out he could have had a three-course meal and still been here on time.
“Sorry, I’m late. Who expected New York traffic to be so bad this early?” a woman said from behind him.
Zack rolled his eyes and turned around. At last, he got to meet—
His jaw dropped. It was Father Giovanni’s niece, the girl from the photograph. The picture didn’t do her justice.
She was dressed in sturdy cargo pants, hiking boots, and a thick black sweater that accentuated her trim, athletic figure. Her green eyes studied him just like he studied her, and her short brown hair blew across her cheeks in the early morning breeze.
“So you must be the legendary Zachariah Cole,” she said, lowering her pack to the cement covered entryway to the airfield.
“Zack,” he corrected. All his life people had wanted to call him by his given name, but he preferred Zack. It was the name his grandfather called him.
“You look like a Zachariah to me.”
He let the comment pass. “So. You’re the amateur archaeologist Father Giovanni is sending with me?”
“I’ve done some fieldwork before, so I’m not exactly an amateur. But I’m happy to get a chance for more even if it is just Greenland,” she said, extending her right hand. “Sydney Langtry.”
Zack forced a smile and shook her hand. She had a strong grip.
“I hear you’ve got more than a few skills to share,” Sydney continued. “Uncle Sal says I can learn a lot from you.”
Zack shrugged. He was good, and he knew it. He didn’t feel the need to brag.
She continued, “So what’s the plan here? We’re going to dig until we find . . . what? Some pottery? A Viking ship? What kind of equipment are we bringing? Laser imaging scanners? Micro displacement sensors? Ground-penetrating radar? Or are you old-school and bringing just a trowel and feather duster?”
Zack refused to give her the satisfaction of being right about several of those pieces. “You ask a lot of questions, don’t you?”
“Hey, asking questions is a good way to find things out.” She looked at him with an arched brown eyebrow.
Zack blinked at her. “Did you just quote Big Bird?”
“Wisdom comes from the weirdest places. You should hear what I’ve learned from Dora the Explorer.”
Zack didn’t know what to make of her. She was pretty. Well, beyond pretty, to be honest. And witty. And if Father Giovanni was sending her on this trip; he must trust her to do what needed to be done.
“I hope you packed your thermals,” he said.
“I’m from the Midwest, I sleep in my thermals,” she replied. “I won’t be disappointed once I climb aboard, will I?”
“What?” He wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly.
She pointed with one hand. “The plane. I assume this thing has passed at least one inspection since 1997?” she asked, taking a step closer to the plane.
“Oh. Right,” he said. Why was he acting like a schoolboy?
Sydney grabbed her bag and climbed the steps into the plane. She carried herself with confidence that was more attractive on a woman than layers of makeup and designer clothes. Zack picked up his own pack and climbed aboard the plane.
* * *
I hope you enjoyed this short excerpt. Want to find out what happens next? Pick up your copy of The Codex today
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Also by Daniel Patterson
The Penelope Chance Mystery Series:
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A small-town cop, Penelope Chance struggles to stay true to her faith a
s she investigates the most challenging case of her career . . . one that will bring up dark memories from her own past.
Another Chance
When Officer Penelope Chance gets the call that her fiancé has been shot outside her jurisdiction, she has a tough decision to make: trust local authorities to handle the case or jeopardize her career and go rouge.
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Coming Next.
The Armour of God Adventure Thriller Series:
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The Tyndale Code is non-stop adventure thriller intertwined with mystery, intrigue, and a conspiracy that stretches back to the time of King Henry VIII.
The Codex
Plunged together into an icy world of death and darkness, Zack and Sydney make a discovery that will rock the biblical and archaeological community. But will they make it out alive to share their discovery?
Stand Alone Novels:
The Devil’s Game
One part thriller, one part suspense, The Devil’s Game is the story of a young pastor whose work takes an unexpected turn when a man shows up claiming to be the devil himself.
About the Author
Daniel Patterson is the bestselling author of One Chance. Before turning his attention to writing, Daniel spent his days working as an executive in the Internet industry. A San Francisco native, Daniel currently resides in Southern California where he is busy working on the next book in the Armour of God series.
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Acknowledgments
They say too many cooks in the kitchen can be a bad thing. That may be true in some cases, but not when it comes to writing. If it weren’t for the hard work and dedication of my “chefs” this book would never have come to pass (to borrow one of Tyndale’s famous phrases). I am blessed to have the opportunity to thank them here.
For this book, I especially want to thank my mother and father for introducing me to the Word of God at an early age. You are my role models and my inspiration.
This book would not be possible without the help of my “chef de cuisine,” plotting partner, inconsistency finder, proofreader, cheerleader, and friend, Dina. Thank you for going on this wild ride with me.
I owe a special debt of gratitude to fellow writer Shawn Wells for helping me bring Zack Cole’s adventures to life.
Thank you to Linda Hull, my developmental editor extraordinaire. You’ve been with me from the beginning and helped make each story the best that it could be. Thank you for your friendship, guidance, and encouragement. Keep fighting the good fight (sorry, I couldn’t resist throwing in another Tyndale phrase). P.S. I hate pink too!
A huge thank you to Meeghn and Michael. Your friendship and support mean the world to me.
Of course, I can’t go without acknowledging my posse of friends that meet with me for coffee, lunch, and dinner: Sue, David, Galen, Ziad, Naomi, Peter, Jake, Corey, and Allan. Thank you for keeping me on track.
Thank you to my beta readers, especially, Susan Wachtel, Laurie Cook, JR Bray, Lorraine Lanier, Teresa Behrmann, Christene Gamble, Glenda Lynn Svensson Viljoen, and Jill Jones, your feedback, suggestions, and comments were invaluable.
Thank you, Belinda Crowe, for coming in at the last minute and catching all those pesky mistakes that snuck past us all.
To my friends and family that have been with me through the good times and picked me up during the bad—THANK YOU!
Thank you to my Facebook fans. Your likes and comments keep me motivated every day.
Most importantly, I want to thank God for blessing me with this opportunity to share these stories with you.
Finally, I want to thank you, the reader for picking up The Tyndale Code. I know there are a hundred and one other books you could have bought, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this one.
And as always, any and all errors fall squarely on my shoulders.
This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales or events is entirely coincidental.
The Tyndale Code
Copyright © 2015 Daniel Patterson.
Visit the author's website at www.danielpattersonbooks.com
The Codex excerpt copyright © 2014 Daniel Patterson.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of a brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without the written permission of the author.
Scripture quotations are from William Tyndale's (1526) New Testament, spelling modernized.
Additional scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.
Cover and internal design by Kenneth Gorden.
1526 Tyndale Bible title page recreation by Kenneth Gorden
William Tyndale bronze statue by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm. Image engraving by R. & E. Taylor, 1883.
Portrait of William Tyndale by Artist Unknown. Engraving by N. Whittock, 1836.
eBook edition published—October 2015
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Table of Contents
Main Menu
Dedication
Author’s Introduction
Epigraph
PROLOGUE
One
Two
PART I
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
PART II
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
PART III
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
PART IV
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Epilogue
The Codex Excerpt
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Also by Daniel Patterson
About the Author
Meet Daniel Patterson
Acknowledgments
Copyright Information
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