by Alex Lukeman
I, Solomon, King of Israel, write these words. Eighty summers have passed and my time is near. I fear Rehoboam will not hold the kingdom together. I cannot trust my father's secret with him. The bounty God gave to us to maintain His Temple and protect His people must not be lost. My father keeps sentry over half the wealth he accumulated to build the Temple and protect the future of the kingdom. Though I set down the path below, only one guided by Yahweh will find it.
Begin at Bir es Seba, near the Well of the Patriarch, in the Wilderness of Zin. There are signs for the journey. Look for the first where the water gathers and follow in the steps of Moshe. The second is twenty two parasa to the south. The third will bring you to a high place and the final marker that will guide you to the bones of my father. Beware the
The translation ended there, where the damaged section began.
"Holy shit," Selena said.
CHAPTER 5
After she learned what was written on the scroll, Elizabeth called a meeting of the team. As usual, they met in Elizabeth's office, sitting on the long couch across from her. Stephanie was off to the side of Elizabeth's desk with her laptop.
Anyone with common sense would know it was unwise to upset the people sitting on that couch. The long scar running across Lamont's face made him look like someone you didn't want to meet at night on a lonely street. Ronnie Peete had a kind of quiet menace about him that was completely at odds with his generous nature. Nick gave off the energy of someone who could explode into action at any moment. Even Selena was not exempt. Once you got past the distraction of her good looks and obvious athleticism, you could sense a watchful wariness that missed nothing.
"Selena," Elizabeth said, "tell us what you found on the scroll."
"Not another damn scroll," Lamont said. "The last one was nothing but trouble."
"This one will be too," Selena said.
"What scroll?" Ronnie asked.
"It was found in Jordan back in the 1920s," Selena said, "but nobody knew it. It was inside a sealed pot that wasn't opened until recently."
She explained about Friedman's request and the Jewish Museum.
"The scroll was written in code. I couldn't make sense of the meaning until Steph and I gave it to Freddie. It took him almost no time at all to crack it."
"Figures," Lamont said.
"It was written by King Solomon. No one's ever seen anything written by him. You can't imagine how important this is."
"Solomon again," Lamont grumbled.
"King Solomon? What does it say?" Ronnie asked.
"It's a bombshell," Selena said. "Nobody ever dreamed something like this existed. Solomon begins by saying that he doesn't think his son Rehoboam will be able to keep the kingdom together."
"The kingdom?" Ronnie asked.
"The kingdom of Israel. As a matter of fact, he was right. After Solomon died, it fragmented. Solomon goes on to say that he can't share the secret of his father's tomb with Rehoboam. His father was King David. Then he says that half the wealth raised by David to build the Temple is buried with him. He's talking about the First Temple, the one destroyed by the Babylonians, four hundred years later."
"Wait a minute," Nick said. "Isn't David's tomb in Jerusalem?"
"That's where it's supposed to be," Selena said. "But the scroll says different. That alone is enough to upset everyone."
"What does it mean, half the wealth that was raised to build the temple?" Ronnie asked. "How much wealth?"
"There are two sources that describe the money raised. One is in the Bible, in Chronicles. The other source is the Roman historian, Josephus. Chronicles says that a hundred thousand talents of gold and a million talents of silver were raised. Josephus says it was a tenth of that, but it's still a lot of gold and silver."
"What does a talent weigh?"
"No one's quite sure. It varies according to culture, but a biblical talent probably weighed around seventy-five pounds. It could be more, or a little less. Even if we take the lower figure that Josephus mentions, that would be five thousand talents of gold. Three hundred and seventy-five thousand pounds. Almost nineteen hundred tons. "
Lamont whistled. "All that gold is hidden in David's tomb?"
"According to the scroll, half of it. Solomon was afraid that when he died no one would know where it was. He gives instructions on how to find it. That explains why it's written in code. The scroll says to follow a path that begins in the Wilderness of Zin."
"The Wilderness of Sin? Where's that?" Nick asked.
"Sounds like a wild place to visit," Lamont said.
"Not sin, Zin," Selena said. "The Wilderness of Zin is part of the Negev desert, in the south of Israel. It spills over into Jordan."
"So all someone has to do is follow the instructions if they want to find the tomb and the loot?" Ronnie said. "That sounds too good to be true."
"It is," Selena said. "Part of the scroll is missing. What's there gives the starting point and directions to something called the first marker. It says to follow in the steps of Moses. It ends with a warning, but the scroll is damaged at that point. There's no way to tell what that means."
"Oh, man," Lamont said. "I can see where this is going."
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.
"Come on, Director. The bones of a biblical king guarding tons of gold? You're going to send us out to try and find it, aren't you?"
Elizabeth smiled. "As a matter of fact, I was thinking of doing exactly that."
"How are we supposed to find it, assuming it still exists?" Nick asked.
Selena said, "The scroll says the path begins at Bir es Seba, near the well of the Patriarch. That has to mean the well of Abraham."
"Where's Bir es Seba?"
"The modern name is Beersheba. It's a city in southern Israel, in the Negev desert. Beersheba is at the edge of the Wilderness of Zin. "
"What does it mean, following the steps of Moses?" Ronnie asked.
"It's probably referring to the biblical journey of Moses when he led the Jews out of Egypt," Selena said. "Part of that journey led through Beersheba and south through the Arabah Valley on the border of Jordan."
Nick shook his head. "How do we keep getting involved in these biblical stories?"
"I don't have an answer for that," Selena said. "Ask your buddy Adam, next time you see him."
"He's not my buddy, whatever else he is."
Elizabeth tapped her pen on the desk. "If there is any possibility the tomb exists, it needs to be found."
"We're not equipped for that," Nick said. "It could be anywhere. It would take an archaeological expedition to find and recover it."
"That could be arranged," Selena said.
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.
"I could fund it. I can't think of a better use for the money."
"You're not an archaeologist," Nick said.
"No, but Alan Friedman is. He'd jump at a chance to go looking for this. Can you imagine what it would mean to find the tomb of King David? Not to mention the gold?"
"I can imagine the trouble it would create. Why do we need an archaeologist?"
"For one thing, he can authenticate anything we do come across. For another, it lends us a respectable cover if anybody asks. He is the Director of the Jewish Museum, after all."
"Us?"
"You don't think I'd let you go looking for something like this and stay here, do you?"
"Selena..."
"This isn't like parachuting into Syria or looking for terrorists hiding in the mountains. All we'll be doing is driving around the desert looking for a tomb. How dangerous can that be?"
"Have you told Friedman about the scroll yet?" Elizabeth asked.
"I wanted to talk with you first."
"You think he'll want to go looking, based on the scroll?"
"I'm certain of it."
They waited while Elizabeth thought about it.
"We have to pursue this," she said. "It's too important. The last thing the Muslims would
want is for Israel to find the tomb of David and part of the money that built the First Temple. It would be proof that Israel and the temple existed long before Mohammed came along, which of course they deny."
"Those people are nuts," Lamont said. "Where do they think all those big stones in the Wailing Wall came from?"
Elizabeth continued. "This is the sort of thing that can lead to war over there."
"Give us the Gulfstream," Nick said. "We'll fly in and follow the clues on that scroll. We should know pretty quick if we're going to get anywhere or if it's all a wild goose chase."
"You're dreaming if you think you can just fly into Ben-Gurion and head off into the desert," Elizabeth said. "As soon as you set foot on Israeli soil, Mossad and Shin Bet will start asking questions. They'll never believe you're there on a simple archaeological expedition. After all the times you've been in Israel and everything that's happened there, they're going to want to know exactly what you're doing. You're going to have to tell them."
"If we tell them, they'll take the whole thing over."
"What do you expect me to say? Of course they'll want to take it over. It's their country and their history. If you do find anything, it belongs to Israel. The only possible way is to play it straight with the authorities."
"It would be better if we didn't tell them," Selena said.
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "Why?"
"You said yourself that once word gets out it will raise tensions. Telling the Israelis is the best way I can think of to let everybody know what's on that scroll. When it comes to leaks, Tel Aviv is as bad as Washington."
"Nothing's as bad as Washington," Nick said.
"Do you have a better plan?" Elizabeth asked.
"I could stall Friedman and we could go ourselves. Disguised. We've done it before."
"You're the one who said you needed Friedman to lend credibility."
"That's if we travel openly."
"Security in Israel is tighter than a gnat's ass," Lamont said. "No way we're gonna sneak around in the desert without getting caught."
"He's right," Ronnie said. "Out in the open is the only way to go. We could be in country for weeks. There's no cover and we can't avoid their patrols."
"Director, can you can talk to someone over there and smooth the way?" Nick said. "If they want to put minders with us, maybe we can minimize the Israeli presence."
"That might be doable," Elizabeth said.
"Do you want me to talk to Friedman?" Selena asked.
"How long would it take to get ready?" Elizabeth said.
"Not long. An exploratory expedition doesn't require a full team with equipment, like you'd need for a dig. "
"Okay. Go ahead and give him a call."
"I'll go downstairs and do it now."
CHAPTER 6
Selena had Friedman on the phone. She told him what was written on the scroll.
"This is hard to believe," he said. "You are sure of the translation?"
"Yes. It's accurate."
"The implications are staggering."
"How would you like to go looking for the tomb?" Selena said. "Perhaps mount an expedition?"
"Are you serious? I'd like nothing better, but I don't have the funding for that."
"You don't need to worry about money. I can arrange funding, whatever is needed. I wasn't thinking of a full-blown expedition at the moment. More like an initial exploration. Your expertise will help."
"What about the authorities? If we do find something, we'd need permission to do any digging or to remove anything that we find."
Selena thought about how much to tell him. Friedman didn't know she worked for Elizabeth, or anything about the Project.
"There won't be any problem with the authorities. I have excellent connections in the Middle East. Besides, all we're doing is looking. If we need to set up an archaeological dig, there's plenty of time for that. For now, let's keep it simple. Just us and some people I know who can act as protection if we need it."
"You think we might need protection?"
"Absolutely," Selena said. "That part of the world isn't safe right now. There are jihadists in the Egyptian Sinai and Jordan. Sometimes they cross into Israel and cause trouble. Beersheba and the immediate area should be safe enough, but we may end up far out in the desert. The scroll does talk about the Wilderness of Zin and following in the footsteps of Moses."
"I see your point," Friedman said. "How soon do you want to leave?"
"As soon as possible. I can arrange private transportation and supplies. We can pick you up in New York."
"It sounds as though you've done this before."
"I have, although not quite like this. My uncle left me money and I like to travel."
It was true, as far as it went. Friedman didn't need to know that travel for Selena usually meant dropping in from twenty thousand feet on people who wanted to kill her.
"I can be ready in two days," Friedman said.
"Wonderful, Alan. I'll get things ready on this end and expect to see you soon."
"I want to take Miriam with us. She'll be invaluable for note taking and making sure things go smoothly for us."
"Miriam?"
"My personal assistant."
"I don't see why that should be a problem," Selena said. "Two days is enough time to organize what we need at this end. Call me when you're ready and we'll pick you up at Kennedy."
"I look forward to it," Friedman said.
After he'd finished his conversation with Selena, Friedman called Miriam into his office.
Miriam Golding was pushing thirty, but looked five years younger. She was tall and dark-haired, with a prominent chin and sharp nose. Her dark eyes gave her an enigmatic look, as if more than one person was looking out from behind them. Her lightly toned skin revealed her Middle Eastern heritage. She was dressed in a plain skirt that came down to her knees and a white, long sleeved blouse.
"Miriam, we're going to Israel in a few days. If you need a little time off to shop for anything, let me know when you'd like to do that. We might be there for a few weeks."
"Israel, Director? Does this have anything to do with that scroll?"
Friedman told her what Selena had discovered.
"Doctor Connor has offered to fund an exploratory trip to determine if a full expedition is warranted."
"She must be a generous woman," Miriam said.
"She's an old friend, and absolutely brilliant with ancient languages. In any event, we could both do with a break. Josh can keep an eye on everything while we're gone."
Joshua Eisner was the deputy director of the museum.
"Where will we be in Israel?" Miriam asked.
"We'll be visiting Beersheba first. After that, we'll be heading into the desert, following the route of the Exodus."
"I've always wanted to see that part of the world," Miriam said.
CHAPTER 7
At three in the morning, the tourists walking New York's museum mile on the Upper East Side were long gone. Fifth Avenue was deserted, except for the occasional taxi or rare police car. Across from the Jewish Museum at 92nd St. and Fifth, Central Park beckoned the unwary into its winter darkness.
It was quiet on the Avenue, a blissful change from the constant sound of traffic during the day. Even so, the endless murmur of the city in the background was a reminder that New York never slept.
The museum wasn't open at three in the morning, but that hadn't kept out a late visitor. In Friedman's office on the fourth floor, a small flashlight cast an intense beam of light on a large safe.
The man holding the light was dressed all in black. A black hood covered his head, giving him an ominous look. He had a crooked nose and narrow eyes and a beard as black as his hood. He looked as though he'd stepped out of a sixteenth century illustration of the devil or one of his disciples.
The safe presented a challenge, even for a man as skilled as he was in the art of opening things that weren't supposed to be opened. It had an electron
ic keypad, which he'd expected. A red light glowed on the keypad. The keypad was not a problem, but the safe also had a biometric lock, requiring a fingerprint from someone authorized to open it.
The museum housed many artifacts of value, all related in some way or other to Jewish history. There were displays of religious antiquities made of gold and silver. Valuable paintings by well-known masters hung on the walls. An extensive collection of ancient figurines would bring a fortune on the black market. But the intruder wasn't after gold or paintings or figurines.
He was after something worth far more than that.
He glanced about the room. On Friedman's desk was a crystal paperweight, perfect for what he needed. The man went over to the desk and took a small case from his jacket pocket. He opened the case and withdrew a thin, translucent piece of tape. He shone his light on the paperweight, looking for fingerprints. They'd belong to Friedman, who had authorization to open the safe.
He found the distinctive shape of a thumb, carefully placed the tape over it, and lifted the print from the crystal. He took another strip from his case and made an impression of an index finger. One or the other would trigger the lock.
Back at the safe, he withdrew an electronic box about four inches square from his jacket and attached it to the keypad. He pressed a button on the box. A red digital display lit and began flashing through a series of numbers. Within fifteen seconds, the first number of the combination appeared on the screen.
Two minutes later, the thief had the combination. He entered the numbers and the light on the keypad turned green. Then he placed the tape with the thumb impression over the biometric scanner.
The locks on the safe did not release. The light on the keypad turned red again.
He reentered the combination and watched the light return to green. He placed the tape with the index finger impression over the scanner and was rewarded by the sound of steel bars inside the door retracting. He grasped the handle and swung the heavy door open.
Inside were several shelves on top and a large open area on the bottom. The thief ignored gold artifacts and a cash box on one of the shelves. He moved the light until it came to rest on the scroll in its glass case.