The Pilate Scroll

by M. B. Lewis

  They started down the stairs again and reached the first floor in seconds. To their surprise, there were two doors there—one to the lobby, and one led outside.

  “What do you think?” Duke said.

  Kadie’s head swiveled between the two doors. “I think I’d rather take my chances outside, don’t you?”

  Duke nodded. Brian did the same.

  Duke again led the way as he pressed gently against the door leading to the outside. He squinted as the mid-day sun shoved its way into the dark stairwell. After a few moments, he let the door shut and turned to her.

  “It looks like we’re on the North side of the hotel. There’s a sidewalk and bushes next to the building. I’m guessing from where we are to where Mac is waiting in the cab, is about a hundred yards. Could be more, could be less.”

  “Okay. I like our chances better outside than inside.”

  “Agreed. You two ready?”

  Kadie nodded and checked Brian. He nodded as well. The three of them moved to the door, and Duke again opened the door slowly. After checking both directions, the three of them slipped outside. Kadie went last and ensured the door didn’t slam shut. No sooner than the door shut, Duke stopped, then whirled back to face them.

  “Get back inside,” he whispered as he corralled them back to the door. “There’s one of them right there.”

  Kadie looked at the closed door. There was no handle on the outside to open the door.

  35

  Kadie grabbed at the flat surface of the door. “We’re stuck out here. What’s wrong?”

  “One of the GDI goons is walking up the sidewalk toward Mac.” Duke glanced back and forth. “Quick, get behind these bushes.” The three of them darted behind the big bushes between the sidewalk and the building. Kadie was surprised to see there was enough room for them to walk between the two. Duke crouched down and motioned for them to do the same.

  “We’ve got to figure out a way to get around that guy,” Duke said.

  They sat in silence for a moment before Kadie looked up.

  “They obviously are looking for us, right?”

  “Seems that way.”

  “But as far as they know, we don’t know that.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, why don’t I call Curt and tell him to meet us at the pool. Maybe they will all head that way to meet us. Then we can run to Mac’s cab and head to the airport.”

  Duke mulled over what she said. “It might work.” His chin rested in his hand, his thumb tapping the side of his jaw. Then he stopped, and his eyes grew wide. “Brian, didn’t Mac teach you how to use the video camera on your drone?”

  The boy looked up. “Yeah. Mac is smart. He taught me—a little while ago.”

  “Do you think you could use it right now?”

  The boy paused for a moment, then nodded. Kadie could see he wanted to smile, but he was nervous.

  “Brian,” she said. “Do you think you can help us?”

  He looked at her. “Yeah.”

  Setting the Pelican case on the ground, he unpacked Rupert and began to align the gyros. He pulled out his iPhone and attached it to the controller. After fiddling with the drone for a minute or two, he turned to Duke.

  “Will you go set Rupert out in the grass o-on the other side—of the sidewalk?”

  “Okay,” Duke said.

  The gruff pilot gently picked up the drone and crept to an opening in the bushes. Kadie peered over the top of the bush to the left; no one else was on the sidewalk. To the right, the GDI thug was still walking away from them, about a hundred feet away now. He might turn back at any second and start walking toward them. Kadie hoped Duke was thinking the same thing she was. He needed to hurry.

  Suddenly, Duke sprang from between the bushes across the sidewalk, into the open grassy area about twenty feet away. He knelt, set the drone down, and bolted back to the bushes, keeping the GDI man in sight the entire time. Once behind the bushes, he scooted next to Brian.

  “Let ‘er rip, Brian,” he said.

  Brian smiled and pressed the controller.

  The three of them peered over the top of the bushes as the drone whirred to life. The four propellers made a soft humming sound, and Kadie worried it might alert the GDI man. A second later, it hopped up ten feet above the ground, and Brian focused on his iPhone and sent the drone about a hundred and fifty feet into the sky. It took him a moment to turn the drone in the direction he wanted and lock the camera on the GDI man who was between them and Mac.

  “Can you take it around the front of the hotel and see the entrance?” Duke said.

  “Okay.” Brian maneuvered the drone to the front of the hotel. He had to take a moment to check his surroundings before descending the drone to see the entrance. When he reached the lower altitude where he could see the front door, he turned to Duke. “Watch—this.”

  He zoomed the camera until he could see the faces of the people standing under the overhang in front of the hotel. As he zoomed in, they identified Curt and one of the other thugs at the front.

  “Hold this position here, Brian,” Duke said. “Kadie—you ready?”

  “You bet.” She pulled her iPhone out and dialed Curt’s phone. The GDI security man answered on the first ring. Duke and Brian watched on the screen.

  “Kadie,” Curt said over the phone. “Where have you been?”

  “Curt,” she said. “I-uh . . . I heard you were looking for me. We’re all at the pool right now if you’d like to join us.” Duke gave her a funny look, and she shrugged her shoulders with a grimace. “Bye now. See you soon.” She hung up and looked over Brian’s shoulder.

  “It’s working,” Duke said. Curt and the man with him bolted back into the hotel lobby. “They’re heading for the pool. Okay, go back to the guy on the sidewalk.”

  Brian climbed Rupert higher and turned back toward the sidewalk on their side of the hotel. After a few moments, he was able to lock on the man who still casually strolled along the sidewalk.

  “Bummer,” Duke said. The GDI man didn’t budge.

  “Give him a second,” Kadie said.

  “Your faith is strong, young lady,” he said.

  “I had a good teacher,” she said and smiled at him.

  “Look!” Brian said.

  He tilted the controller so Duke and Kadie could see better. The GDI man was talking on his phone, then tucked it in his pocket, and started running in their direction.

  “Everybody stay low and be quiet,” Duke said.

  The three hunkered down as the GDI man ran past their position.

  “Follow him with the drone, Brian,” Duke whispered. He rose slightly to check their surroundings. The GDI man disappeared around the corner.

  “He’s headed to the pool, too,” Kadie said. “Now is our chance.”

  “Yup, let’s go.” Duke rose and helped both of them out of the bushes, and they hurried along the sidewalk.

  “They awe all at the pool,” Brian said.

  Kadie looked over his shoulder. “Now’s the time to run.” The three of them broke out in a jog until Brian stopped.

  “Brian, what’s wrong?” Kadie said.

  “I have to bring—Rupert home.” He pressed the home button on the controller, then started running again.

  Good boy, she thought. Ahead she saw Mac’s cab pull up, and Mac hopped out of the front seat and waved at them.

  “Almost there,” Kadie said.

  Duke reached the cab first and opened the back door. Brian hopped in and slid to the other side, then Kadie sat in the middle.

  “Where’s the drone?” Duke said.

  Brian stared at the screen for a moment. “It is overhead. It will come down now.”

  Duke searched the sky. “I see it.”

  The drone descended quickly and landed with a soft bounce in the grass twenty feet away, and Duke sprinted over, picked it up, and sprinted back to the cab. Mac had climbed back in and shut his door, and Duke reached the cab and climbed in.

  �
��Let’s go,” he said as he shut the door. He handed the drone back to Brian. “Nice work back there, Brian. You saved us.”

  Kadie smiled at her brother and ruffled his hair with her fingers. He did do good. “Thank you, Brian. You were awesome.”

  Brian Jenkins blushed and giggled as he sat between them. “I’m a team player.”

  36

  Istanbul, Turkey

  En route to Istanbul Airport

  * * *

  The four sped away from the hotel in a cab with their few personal belongings in the trunk. Kadie’s stress level increased as she sat in the cab. How would running out on GDI impact her career? Would she get fired? Did it matter? She basically quit. Should she call from the airport? Why were they searching for them in the first place? Kadie struggled with her options, which still included turning around and returning to the hotel.

  The cab cruised south along the coastline. She had studied the map earlier—the airport was well over an hour away. And the traffic was heavy. Instinctively, she checked her purse for both her and Brian’s passports. They remained safely tucked inside. Good thing because it was far too late to go back to the room if she didn’t have them.

  She turned to Duke. “Maybe we should go to the consulate.”

  “It’s not going to keep them from you. They can enter as easily as you can.”

  “But there are Marines at the embassy.”

  “Yes, but your GDI friends seem to have their fingers into everything and everyplace. I’m not sure how safe you’d be there either.”

  Kadie thought about it and nodded as her face fell.

  “What’s wrong?” Duke said.

  Kadie didn’t turn—she just stared at the back of the driver’s seat. “I was just thinking about how vulnerable we are, even after we return to the States.”

  “At least in America, you’re on your own turf. You have resources available you don’t have here.”

  She turned to him and nodded. Behind him, the highway they paralleled bristled with vehicles. On her side of the car, a mishmash of residential and business buildings. They would leave the back streets and side roads and reach the highway any minute now. That would expedite their travel to the airport, but what was the plan? Were Duke and Mac going with them? Or were they staying here? They would be in danger, too, if they stayed. Regardless of whether Curt wanted them dead because they knew about the Aramaic Vase or because Kadie had an interest in Duke didn’t matter. He wanted them dead and would likely carry it out in the most devious manner possible. They’d never see it coming.

  “The turn for the highway heading west is about three kilometers away,” Mac said. “Then we’ll start to make some—” The right front fender collapsed as shattered glass and debris flew into the back of the cab.

  Mac was cut short as a truck T-boned the taxi in the front fender and spun the cab halfway around in the middle of the street.

  The cab came to a stop; nobody moved for several seconds. Kadie’s vision was blurry, and she realized Duke was unbuckling her and pulling her out the left side of the cab.

  “Brian,” she murmured.

  “He’s okay,” Duke reassured her. “Mac is helping him out the other side. He’s not hurt.”

  Kadie glanced over her shoulder, her vision slowly returning. Within moments, Mac had Brian out the other side. That made her feel better; until the shot rang out.

  “Everybody down,” Duke yelled. He pushed Kadie to the ground as more bullets impacted the side of the taxi.

  “Mac, get him out of here!” Duke grabbed Kadie’s hand. “We can’t stay here! Let’s go!”

  They scurried low to the ground until they reached the traffic flow. The gunfire stopped for the moment, but that did not mean the shooters weren’t pursuing them. Kadie looked behind her, relieved that Mac and Brian escaped through the crowd on the sidewalk in the opposite direction.

  “Who’s doing this? GDI?” she said. The fogginess faded fast as everything came back into focus.

  “I was hoping you knew.” Duke led her across the ten-lane highway, dodging the fast-moving cars until they reached the other side of the road. They paused in the overgrown grass lining the highway, giving them a second’s reprieve to find their attackers.

  “There.” Duke identified two men running on the median. “Well, it’s not Curt, but doesn’t mean it’s not his guys.” The two men headed toward them, closing the one-hundred-yard gap in a hurry. One of the men aimed an automatic rifle at them, but the cars passing by robbed him of a clear shot. Numerous vehicles honked, swerved, and slowed when they saw the man brandishing the rifle in the middle of the highway. Kadie squeezed Duke’s hand. Her judgment was foggy at best for the moment, making her grateful Duke’s wasn’t. Whatever he did, his instincts were spot-on.

  “We’ve got to move,” Duke said. He turned and ran into the wooded area behind them, dragging her along.

  “What about Brian?” she cried.

  “He’s with Mac. He’ll be fine. You won’t be any good to Brian if you’re dead. We’ll call them as soon as we lose these two clowns.”

  They weaved their way through the trees into an open field. She didn’t like leaving Brian, but he was with Mac. Could he be trusted? Duke seemed to think so, and for now, that’s all that mattered.

  “I hope you’ve still got your volleyball legs. We’ve got to sprint.”

  She grinned for the first time. “Try and keep up.” Kadie bolted away and stayed a good five yards ahead of Duke across the field. The faster she ran, the more her head cleared. At the halfway point, shots rang out again.

  On the other side of the field, they reached a street called Tepecik Yolu. Duke flagged down a kid on a scooter and gave him two one-hundred-dollar bills. The kid happily relinquished the scooter.

  “Hop on,” Duke said.

  “He sure gave that up cheap.”

  “Probably just stole it.” Duke climbed on and cranked the throttle, and they zipped down the street, dust and paper whirling as they sped along the pavement. Kadie pressed against his back, her hands holding tightly around his waist as she peeked over his right shoulder. Her hair danced in the wind as the scooter picked up speed. They raced southeast, weaving through a residential part of the sprawling city. When they reached another major highway, Duke made a left and sped northeast until he approached a T-bone intersection at a soccer field. As he slowed to figure out where to go, bullets whizzed by his head. He jerked the scooter to the right, followed by a small car.

  Kadie checked behind them—one of the attackers hung out the window with a pistol. Duke tried to keep the scooter in front of the car to make it harder to hit them. When he reached a roundabout, he let them close. When they were on top of him, he made a sharp right turn on a road that led into a wooded area.

  The attackers couldn’t follow and had to make at least one circuit on the roundabout. Duke zigzagged on the road, continually turning before reaching a section that was nothing but continuous ‘S’-turns. Kadie struggled to maintain her balance on the back and squeezed her arms tighter around his waist.

  Finally, the road straightened, and they drove past a large Olympic-sized swimming pool.

  “Look,” Kadie said. “There’s the coast.”

  The full span of the Bosphorus Strait appeared before them, its surface glistening like diamonds in the sunlight.

  “I see it.”

  Duke gunned the throttle until they reached the street. In front of them, a marina stretched along the coast. He peered over his shoulder. “Care to take a ride?”

  “With you? Can I trust you?” She was joking, of course, and she hugged his waist. “Let’s go.”

  Duke slid the scooter into traffic and searched for the entrance to the dock. When he found it, he ditched the scooter around a few others parked on the street. They stretched their muscles and scanned the area for the car that had chased them. It was nowhere in sight.

  Together, they hurried down the short stairs to the dock. “I think we need to fin
d a boat and go back up the strait to the hotel marina,” he said. “From there, we can contact the consulate. At this point, that’s our best option.”

  “I agree. We should have done that to begin with.”

  The two of them approached the slips where the boats moored. “Let me do the talking.”

  Kadie’s eyes bulged. “Why? Because a woman isn’t capable of finding a boat?”

  “No. Because you’re in Turkey, and the culture here is still not favorable to women. The men won’t talk to you as readily as they’ll talk to me. That’s just the way it is.”

  Kadie backed down and pondered what Duke said. He was right, of course. His comment made her remember her hijab, so she pulled it out of her purse and wrapped it around her head. She lingered at a distance while he approached three different boat owners. On his fourth try, Duke found an older man named Ibrahim who understood a little English. Duke was able to convey they wanted to go down the Bosphorus Strait to the airport. Although the older man urged them to take a longer trip, perhaps following the Strait to the Sea of Marmara, the Black Sea, or the Aegean Sea, Duke stressed that they only wanted to go to the airport. The man relented his push and said there was a small marina south of the airport. Better a small sale than no sale.

  The boat was wood; its hull was weathered and worn. The one positive aspect was the motor appeared to be in relatively good condition. The Mercury 25 horsepower outboard motor secured to the transom seemed out of place on the old boat.

  Duke paid him cash, and they walked down the steps to the boat. Kadie climbed aboard the old motorboat, and it rocked back and forth. The seats made a crunching sound when she sat. They must have been made by the same guy who made the ones on the bus in Port Said. She settled on the least damaged cushion available in the back of the boat, while Duke and the owner boarded. This man ran some sort of business for tourists, but she couldn’t tell what. He didn’t have any fishing poles, so he was either a tour guide or a water taxi.