Amber spun and marched up the path.
“I like what I do, Dr. Chambers. I’ve already learned a great deal from you, so I hope I don’t lose this job, but I gotta say that I wasn’t kidding about keeping your silence.”
“We’re that obvious?”
“Oh yeah. You guys are as subtle as an earthquake.”
“You think you can give me advice?” The phrase was sharper than Chambers intended.
“Me? No sir. At this point in my career, I don’t give advice. I just do what I’m told.”
Chambers followed Amber up the grade. He already knew everything she had said about the path. He kept track of all the digs in all their stages, but hearing her speak gave him a sense of joy.
The others waited for them at a small crevicelike opening. Chambers’s practiced eye could see that the opening had once been larger but had long ago been covered over—intentionally. He moved closer and crouched to study the base of the gap. “Stacked.”
“That’s what we think,” Nuri said.
“Can someone fill the new guy in?” Cove sounded lost.
“Stones don’t stack themselves, Ed. The opening looks natural, but there are stones set one on top of another in a pattern. That means the place was sealed and then, over the centuries, covered with natural debris.”
“So there’s something important in the cave,” Cove said.
“It’s not a cave, it’s a tunnel.”
Nuri added more of an explanation. “Using satellite T-ray technology, we’ve been able to locate several tunnel systems.” He took a moment to explain how T-rays can see what lies below grade. “We then used airplanes carrying the same kind of technology to get a more accurate picture. This area, we believe to be a previously unknown Essene compound.”
Chambers continued to study the opening. “The Copper Scroll is not as useful as some believe. The laundry list of treasures is intriguing, but so much has changed, and the references are so vague, that no treasure associated with the scroll has ever been found. We’ve talked about this.”
“I remember. The scroll isn’t a map, it’s an inventory.” Cove looked in the opening.
“Right. The first lines read, ‘In the Valley of Achor, in the ruin, under the steps at the east entrance, forty long cubits: a chest of money, seventeen talents.’ ” David moved Cove aside and peered into the tunnel. “The problem we had is that no one knows where the Valley of Achor is. Several have made educated guesses. We figured it would be a place the Essenes had traveled. We know that most of the sect lived in a compound near here; many lived in Jerusalem. Josephus wrote that the group didn’t live in one city but in large numbers in every town. The historian Philo said there were more than four thousand in Palestine and Syria.”
“They lived here?” Cove asked.
“Maybe,” Chambers said. “We won’t know until the site is properly excavated. At this point, I’d assume that this is what’s left of a fortress monastery.”
“But I don’t see any buildings.”
“That’s not unusual,” Amber said.
“You’ve been inside?” Chambers stuck his head into the opening.
“Yes, David, we have. We’ve done some GPR work. That’s why we called you.”
“Wait.” Cove stepped back and took a few shots. “What’s GPR?”
“Ground-penetrating radar,” Chambers explained. “Radar signals are sent into the ground, and a computer program renders a color image based on the returns. Solid rock looks different from sand on the screen. Air pockets look very different. Someone hand me a flashlight?”
“Here.” Simon gave him a thick flashlight. He also held out a hard hat.
Chambers took the objects and crawled through the opening, which he estimated to be just under a meter high and about a half meter wide at its broadest point. A tight fit. To enter, Chambers had to crawl over fallen stone, natural and cut. His first desire was to stop and analyze the marks on the tooled stone, but there would be time for that later. First things first. Reconnoiter the narrow passage, then return to the details.
As he swept the space with his flashlight, the beam revealed a corridor roughly carved from the natural rock. The ceiling cleared the top of his head by the length of his arm. If he stood on his toes, he could touch the cool stone. The passageway was a consistent meter in width. The floor sloped down at about ten degrees. The air was dry and smelled of dust.
Kneeling, Chambers pushed aside a few rocks, each the size of a grapefruit. They rested on packed dirt. With his bare hand, Chambers dug a small hole until he hit unyielding stone. A little more digging revealed the stone was the tread of a step. He replaced the dirt. It was common practice to leave such stairs covered to protect them for future study.
He rose and paused. Something was chewing at his enthusiasm. His heart began to pound harder, but not from the thrill of a new find. His old friend claustrophobia demanded to be noticed. He determined to ignore the phobia. He had done so many times before; he could do it again.
Focus on the task at hand.
A familiar soft glow six meters into the tunnel grabbed his attention: light from a laptop computer. Next to it rested a device with a long handle. At its end was a narrow metal plate: the GPR.
The sound of others entering the tunnel echoed off the stone walls.
“Not bad, eh?” Nuri sounded pleased with himself.
“Not bad at all,” Chambers admitted.
“David?” It was Ben-Judah. He stood behind Nuri. Chambers had to admire the elderly man’s ability to climb through tight openings, but then he had been climbing in and out of holes for decades. “Is it … I mean, could it be?”
“Too early to tell, Professor, but I’ve got a good feeling about this.”
“I thought you’d be impressed.” It was Amber.
Chambers turned and directed his light toward the voices. The tunnel was filling with people. “Amber, tell the others to wait outside. We’ve got too many boots in here as it is. Everyone will get a turn.” To Nuri he said, “Fill me in.”
“Yes sir.” Nuri saluted.
“Can the attitude, Dr. Aumann. You made a stellar find here. Let’s not ruin it with childishness.” Chambers wanted to be the voice of reason, but he knew Nuri and the others were thinking the same thing: he had been the most childish of all.
“Don’t forget, David, he found this with your planning.” Ben-Judah sounded like a father trying to soothe a pair of angry children.
“Thanks, Professor. We might be a quarrelsome team, but we are still a team,” Nuri said.
Amber stepped to a spot just behind Nuri and to the side of Ben-Judah. “We’ve got some unhappy campers out there. Especially the photographer. He said something about us preventing him from doing his job.”
“Yeah, he’s a tad pushy. He’ll live and we’ll make certain he has some time in here, but first I want to hear a rundown. How about it, Nuri?” A second later he added, “If you please.”
Nuri moved past Chambers and picked up the laptop. “Based on an analysis of the T-ray surveys, we found this site. We surveyed it by eye for most of the day when Amber noticed the patch of loose rocks you saw at the base of the opening. It matched the airplane T-ray survey. We moved some of the stones and felt a slight breeze. You know how caves ‘breathe,’ drawing air from the outside and later expelling it.”
“Right. It’s caused by the difference in air temperature between the inside of the cave and the exterior.”
“As the tunnel expert, you know that the same is true for underground structures. We felt air coming from the spaces around the debris field. Actually, Amber noticed it. Further investigation led to the opening. We noticed the same things you did about how the opening had been sealed. At some point, perhaps because of a tremor or just centuries of weather, a portion of the seal wall gave way. We widened the opening and made entrance.”
“You’ve walked the tunnel?”
“Wouldn’t you?” In the dim light, Chambers saw Nuri cock
an eyebrow.
“You bet I would, especially one this clean. What’s at the end?”
“A pile of stone. A portion of the ceiling caved in. We can’t explore farther until the way is cleared. It might be a dead end, or it might be another seal wall.” He shrugged, then turned the laptop to David. “I think you will find this interesting.” He pointed at two white smears on an image of dark red and blue lines.
Chambers took the laptop and studied the GPR image. “Air pockets. Where is this?”
“You’re standing on it. Well, almost on it.” Nuri walked a few more strides into the tunnel. “Here.”
Chambers looked at his feet for a moment, then looked at Ben-Judah. “East entrance, in the ruin, under the steps—”
“Forty long cubits, a chest of money—seventeen talents.”
“Forty long cubits,” Chambers mumbled. “A standard cubit is about half a meter, a long cubit might mean a royal cubit. That’s about twenty-two inches. So something near to twenty to twenty-four meters.” Chambers judged the distance to the opening. “We’re about that far from the entrance.”
Amber spoke up. “While we waited on you, we took a few measurements. It fits.”
Chambers couldn’t help smiling. This was what he lived for. “Outstanding.” Then he reined in his joy. “We still don’t know what we have, but if all we ever find is this tunnel, then we’ve made a significant discovery.” He thought for a few moments. “Okay. You know the drill. Let’s get some lights in here so the workers can see what they’re doing. Professor, we need more people to work the surrounding area to verify that this is an Essene fortress or monastery—”
“No.” Ben-Judah spoke softly, but the word struck Chambers like a shout.
“No? I don’t understand.” Chambers studied Ben-Judah’s face. He seemed sad but firm.
“Open the chambers. Work stays in the tunnel for now.”
“We can’t open the chambers, Professor. We don’t even know they are chambers. They could be natural voids in the rock strata.” Chambers was uncomfortable with rush.
“The shape on the image looks man-made. They’re chambers. I want them opened as soon as possible. And the wall at the end of the tunnel. I want to know what’s behind that. I want to know right away.”
The tunnel grew silent and cold. Everyone looked at Chambers. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He had to object.
“Professor, I know you said we would be moving quickly, but there is scientific protocol to be observed. If we rush, we might destroy important evidence, not to mention what the archaeological community would say. The Israel Antiquities Authority alone would shut us down—”
Ben Judah shook his head. “That’s been taken care of. We can conduct a more thorough investigation of the settlement later. Right now, we must verify the veracity of the Copper Scroll. That takes precedence.”
“Even over established protocol?” David felt his muscles tense. “Even over science?”
Ben-Judah looked him in the eye.
“Yes.”
SEVENTEEN
David Chambers marched up the tunnel and out the opening. He heard Amber call after him, but he refused to slow. He emerged into the open air and squinted against the bright sunlight.
“Hey, what’d ya see, Doc?” Cove looked ready to burst.
“Not now, Ed.” He waved him off.
“When do I get to go in … Hey, you okay?”
Chambers didn’t answer. He moved down the hillside so quickly he slipped twice. He didn’t care. He pushed himself to his feet and continued to careen down the slope until he reached the open-sided canopies. The workers, taking advantage of the long break, watched as he moved to the area where the Toyotas were parked. He reached for the handle on the driver’s door of the vehicle closest to him. A strong hand landed on his shoulder. Chambers spun, knocking the hand down. A man, a good four inches taller than he, stood a foot away. He had the look of a man who could knock down a half-dozen men and feel only slightly inconvenienced by the process. Chambers expected to see anger but saw an emotionless face; something that frightened him even more.
“Excuse me, Dr. Chambers. May I ask where you’re going?”
“You’re Landau’s man, aren’t you?”
“One of them, Dr. Chambers. You know that.”
“Brooks, right? Harry Brooks.”
“Henry, sir. Henry Booker.” His voice had an almost imperceptible growl.
“Close enough. To answer your question: I’m leaving.”
“Yes sir. Wouldn’t it be better to wait for the helicopter?”
Chambers was emphatic. “I don’t have the patience to wait.”
“Sir, please. It would be best if you just waited. The chopper can be here in a few minutes.”
“I want to drive.”
“I understand. There’s so much to see in the wilderness.”
“Ah, sarcasm, the last resort of the slow mind.”
Booker showed no offense. “The helicopter is for your safety, sir. Mr. Landau made it clear that key members of the team shouldn’t be driving without an escort.”
“I don’t care what Landau made clear. I’m leaving, and unless you knock me out, which you won’t, you can’t stop me.”
Chambers opened the car door, found the keys still in the ignition, and cranked the motor. A moment later, he was speeding over the ancient ground, leaving a dust cloud to envelop Booker and the workers.
For the next two hours, the Toyota four-wheel drive was Chambers’s decompression chamber. He had put up with more than he thought possible over the last few weeks but had finally come to accept the challenge of leading multiple digs and doing so without concerns about a budget. He was willing to work with Amber again, even though seeing her daily brought him pain; he finally reached the point where he could tolerate Nuri for several hours at a time; and working with his old mentor was joy—until now.
Chambers was a bit of a celebrity back in the States, but he had never let that go to his head. Appearing on talk shows to discuss the newest finds in archaeology was fine. He saw it as his duty to his science, a way of creating public interest, but he never let it interfere with his work. Scientists worked with a plan, with procedures proven over time. Gonzo research could ruin a career, destroy a reputation. What Ben-Judah was suggesting might seem a small thing to the uninitiated, but it was anathema to any field archaeologist. Projects were measured in years, not in days and weeks.
He drove for two hours, going nowhere, exchanging one crowded artery with another until he felt civil enough to return to the hotel. He wanted a shower. He wanted quiet. He wanted to be left alone.
After parking the car, Chambers made his way through the hotel lobby, to the elevator, and then to his room. The door had just closed when he heard someone insert a card key. He looked at the bed. It was made, and the room bore evidence of the maid’s visit. Someone must have confused his room with their own—
The door opened. Chambers spun. “Don’t you know how to knock?”
Landau took three steps, seized Chambers by the throat, pulled forward, then placed a foot behind Chambers’s heel. Before he could speak, Chambers found himself on the bed looking into the angry eyes of Hiram Landau.
“What is my job?”
“What are you doing?” Chambers had to force the words out. He grabbed the man’s wrist and tried to pull himself free.
“I asked you a question.” The viselike grip tightened.
“Okay, okay. I’ll play along. You’re head of security.”
The grip loosened a little. “My job is to keep you alive; to keep the rest of the team alive. It’s a tough job, Dr. Chambers. Real tough, and you’re making it harder.”
“Let me go.”
“Not yet. You may think you’re calling all the shots here, but you’re not. There’s stuff you don’t know. You do not get to override my security instructions. You do not get to ignore my men. You don’t get to endanger the lives of my people or your team membe
rs.”
“All I did was take a drive to cool off.”
“Did my man tell you to wait for the helicopter?”
“Yes, but—”
“He had to blow his cover because of you. Now I’ll have to reassign him.” Landau released him.
“I can have you fired for this.” Chambers sat up.
“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re stuck with me. But feel free to try.”
“You think you can rough me up without consequences?” Chambers rubbed his throat.
“I don’t just think it, pal. I know it.” Landau pulled out the desk chair, turned it, and sat. “I’m sorry I had to do that, but you are one thickheaded man. Not to mentioned self-absorbed.”
“Oh, you know me that well, do you?” He looked at the door.
“Feel free to try, Dr. Chambers. I have a man out there, one by the emergency stairs and another by the elevator.” He motioned to the sliding-glass door and the balcony. “Of course, there’s always that way out.”
“So, what: you’re holding me hostage? Just because I took a joyride?”
Landau’s face hardened. “You didn’t take a joyride, Chambers. That’s your problem. You contextualize everything to be about you.”
“ ‘Contextualize.’ That’s a big word.”
“Yeah? Well, I read a lot.” Landau removed his pocket knife and began to clean his already immaculate nails. “You did more than take a joyride. As I said, you blew my man’s cover.”
“There was no one there but the team.” Chambers moved to the other side of the bed so he could face Landau. Not that he wanted to.
“Really? Rethink that.”
He did. “Okay, there were half a dozen workers, but you did background on all of them. So what’s the problem?”
Landau sighed. “Just because a man appears to have a clean past doesn’t mean he’ll have a clean future. People can be persuaded to go against their history and nature. You just need the right motivation.”
“Such as.”
Landau closed and returned the knife to his pocket. “Money, power, fear. Love.”
“Love?”
“You can’t have spent that much time hidden away in a library, Doc. Okay, suppose there’s something I want you to do for me, something unpleasant, untoward. I take someone you love, say, your lady friend—”
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