The Cathari Treasure (Cameron Kincaid)

by Smith, Daniel Arthur

“What is the orange line?” asked Marie.

  “The train downtown. Let’s hurry.”

  The three walked quickly to the platform and did not have to wait long for the next train.

  Cameron and the women could not keep themselves from scanning the neighborhood before they boarded the train. They stood in the center of the train car expecting someone to run up to the window looking for them. No one did. The train pulled away from the stop.

  Cameron eased himself a little. Though Nicole did not look fazed Cameron could tell that Marie was unsettled. Since the shooting Marie’s manner had been stoic and now Cameron was sensing wear.

  “They were waiting for us,” said Cameron.

  “So it seems,” said Marie. She was staring blankly into the window.

  “Good catch with that guy at the counter.”

  “He smelled repulsive.”

  “I don’t think it was his intention to fool us. I think we caught him off guard.”

  Marie nodded her head. “I knew some of our people here in Boston.”

  “They must have all been compromised,” said Cameron.

  “I would like to think that some made it into hiding,” said Marie.

  Cameron looked at the subway map on the wall of the train. They were heading downtown.

  Marie looked at Nicole and then to Cameron, “We need to get to Montreal. I don’t know where we will be safe until then.”

  “I’ll get you there,” said Cameron.

  When the train stopped at the Chinatown station Cameron led them off. “I have an idea. Stay here.” He walked over to speak to the station agent. Marie could see the agent giving direction to Cameron by motioning his arm toward the exit. Cameron thanked the agent then left the station with the women.

  Marie put her arm around Nicole.

  The open-air markets were stocked with fish and frogs. Nicole looked curiously into each stall. Cameron sensed Nicole’s dismay. He explained that the frogs were used to make dumplings.

  Nicole pursed her lip. “Hmm,” said Nicole, the first sound she uttered since they had left the Mercedes.

  “Though you may not eat them, a lot of people do. They’re like chicken but sweeter,” Cameron caught himself, “Of course, you don’t know what chicken tastes like.”

  “It’s not a fish,” said Nicole.

  “No,” said Cameron.

  “We eat fish. Sparsely though,” said Marie.

  “I thought you were vegan.”

  “Not exactly, mostly, fish are part of the old tradition.”

  “Not impure,” said Nicole.

  “Right,” said Cameron. He nodded.

  A few blocks down the street Cameron and the women went into a small restaurant. Cameron could tell the strong smell offended Marie and Nicole when they shared a wide-eyed glance to each other.

  The three sat at a table and ordered tea.

  “So what do we do now?” asked Marie.

  “We wait. A bus will be pulling up to that corner in about an hour. When it does we’re getting on it.”

  “It goes to Montreal?” asked Nicole.

  “Bingo,” said Cameron. “The Chinatown bus is low profile, and puts us in Montreal this evening.”

  “You’re going with us?” asked Marie.

  “In for a penny, in for a pound.”

  “I don’t understand,” said Nicole.

  “I’ll get you to where you need to go.”

  “You will be rewarded when you do, though we have nothing to give you now,” said Marie.

  The waiter put three teas on the table. Marie and Nicole each slid their hands around their teacups and, in low whispers, recited the Lord’s Prayer. Cameron grabbed a sugar packet and ripped the end open. “That’s fine for now,” Cameron said to the waiter. When the waiter turned away, Cameron fixed his gaze on Marie and waited for her to finish her prayer. When Marie finished praying she matched his gaze.

  “I’m not in this for the reward,” said Cameron. “I would like to talk to these Rex Mundies about the damage they did to my car.” His eyes flashed to Nicole and then back to Marie, “Among other things.”

  Nicole began shaking her head. “The Rex Mundi, there is no talking to them. Their pursuit is endless and they will do whatever they need to, to get what they want.”

  “That is enough,” Marie said to Nicole. Then to Cameron Marie said, “We appreciate your help Mister Kincaid, we need it. She is right though. They can not be dealt with.”

  “I still don’t get why they want you. Who are you, really?”

  “I am sorry, I can not tell you what you want to know,” said Marie.

  Cameron furrowed his brow and sighed.

  “We can tell him,” said Nicole, “he has done so much for us already. He should know what our purpose is before he is forced to the next life.”

  “Forced to the next life? I don’t think I am going to let that happen,” Cameron winked and then took a sip of his tea. “I would like to know though.”

  Marie and Nicole locked eyes and then Marie nodded.

  “Eight hundred years ago the church collaborated with the Barons of France to exterminate the Cathari and take control of the Languedoc region of France under the guise of heresy. Though the Cathari were slaughtered by the thousands and thought exterminated, a few Cathari survived. They continue their beliefs in secret and protect a secret treasure. For centuries, the operatives of Rex Mundi have pursued those remaining with a continuing goal to wipe them out and take the secret treasure. The Rex Mundi believes that the Cathari treasure can transform the world.”

  Cameron’s eyes widened, “So you mean to tell me that you are these Cathari?”

  “We call ourselves les bonnes gens, the good people. Others know of us as Cathari. We are two of many,” said Nicole.

  Marie looked deeply into Cameron’s eyes, “We live in secret, in the shadows, while the Rex Mundi live openly, always watching.”

  “Openly? When I was in the Legion, I was privy to a lot of information about a lot of terrorists groups. I never heard of the Rex Mundi.”

  “The followers of Rex Mundi go by many names, knowing and unknowing.”

  “Yeah, you said that before.”

  “It is true,” said Nicole, “Rex Mundi is the puppet master, his agents are his puppets.”

  “He? I thought you said this was some kind of group?” asked Cameron.

  “It is complicated Mister Kincaid. We, the Cathar, believe that the material world was created by an evil. This evil we call Rex Mundi. It is Latin for ‘the king of the world’.”

  “Right, the king of the world. Well I don’t know about that. Though there is a lot of evil in the world. I’ll give you that.”

  “With your help to get us to Montreal, we will finally be safe.”

  * * * * *

  Chapter 9

  Chinatown Express

  A white passenger bus with the word ‘Lucky’ written in bright red letters across the side pulled up to the curb outside the restaurant. Cameron went out first to confirm the passage and pay the fare for the three of them and then went back into the restaurant to get Marie and Nicole. He led them out of the restaurant and directed them to get on the bus with the group that had gathered by the door. Near the bus an old man and his fruit cart stood in the shade of a large umbrella. Cameron bought bananas, apples, and blueberries then joined the others on the bus. He sat in the seat behind Marie and Nicole and then from the bag of fruit he pulled a banana.

  “Nicole,” said Cameron.

  “Yes,” said Nicole. Cameron offered Nicole the bag of fruit.

  “There is some fresh fruit in the sack,” said Cameron. “We’ll be ok now. I’m going to rest my eyes, you may want to do the same.”

  “Thank you, Mister Kincaid,” said Nicole.

  Cameron smiled and tilted his head forward. Nicole returned the smile. He slipped his sunglasses on and let his headrest back on the seat. Marie tapped Nicole’s shoulder and gestured for her to turn around.

&n
bsp; * * * * *

  Cameron lifted his head off of the bus seat. The back of Cameron’s neck was damp from sleep. An old woman in a red vest uneasily made her way to the back of the bus. She placed her hand on the edge of Marie’s seat and then, helping her balance, moved the hand to the back of his seat. Evergreens silently slid past the window. The tires of the bus hummed in a droning tranquil rhythm that was easily tuned out leaving for the most part silence with the exception of a tinny noise from the too loud headphones across the aisle and the soft murmurs of an elderly couple behind him. Nicole’s head was against the window and Marie, not trying to sleep or having napped already, flipped through one of the magazines that had been left behind in the seat pocket in front of her by some earlier passenger.

  Cameron folded his arms over the back of Marie’s seat and rested his chin near her ear. “She’s sleeping?” said Cameron.

  Marie looked over to Nicole, placed the magazine back into the seat pocket, and then moved from her seat to Cameron’s. Cameron slid over to the window to make room for her. Marie sighed as she sat and then pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger.

  “Are you alright?” asked Cameron.

  “I get a little motion sickness,” said Marie, still squeezing, “it caught me for a moment when I stood.” She released her nose and sat upright, inhaling a large breath. “I’m fine now.”

  “That works?”

  “So it seems. It’s an old trick my grandmother taught me.”

  Marie turned to Cameron and smiled.

  “That’s a nice smile,” said Cameron.

  “Thank you Mister Kincaid. I am not a cold person. You have to understand the responsibility I have.”

  “If the last twenty-four hours is any impression, it would be easy to underestimate.”

  “It is not always like this. Sometimes yes. She knows nothing different. Nicole has lived her life in hiding, hunted. She is very strong, but I am saddened for her.”

  “Why is she -- are you -- in hiding?”

  “I told you, we are Cathari, the pure ones. Hiding has become our way.”

  “Yes, you told me she holds the key to a treasure that will transform the world.”

  “You are skeptical. Why wouldn’t you be? The Rex Mundi believes the treasure will transform the world. I told you they are wrong.”

  “That’s what I mean. Why do they think she holds the key to this treasure?”

  “She is destined to be a Perfect. The Rex Mundi, somehow, know this.”

  “She is to become perfect?”

  “A Perfect, Mister Kincaid.”

  “A Perfect? What does that mean?”

  “The woman we are going to meet. She is an elder holy woman. She is a Perfect.”

  “Like a Priest?”

  “She is among the holiest, but no, not a priest. More like a very holy monk.”

  “And Nicole is to meet this woman to --,”

  “-- To become a Perfect. Yes. Nicole has been trained in discipline her whole life, and when she meets the Perfect, she herself will become a Perfect.”

  “Why now, has she come of age or something?”

  “No, that is not how we do things. The Perfect is old and her time to pass back to the spirit realm comes soon. We travel to meet her before…” Marie held her hands up, “before it is too late.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “What does Mister Kincaid?”

  “If the Rex Mundi know this, they probably think the old woman is going to pass on some secret.”

  “They believe this to be true. New York was the first time they surfaced in quite sometime. They will not stop until they have Nicole. She has been trained for this too.”

  “Hmm,” said Cameron. He gazed at Nicole, softly sleeping in her seat, “That is a lot for the two of you to have on your shoulders.”

  “It is worth the price. Nicole is very special. To be her guardian I too have trained all of my life. We are prepared.”

  Marie placed her hand on Cameron’s shoulder and smiled at him again before rejoining Nicole.

  * * * * *

  The first buildings of the US immigration naturalization complex absorbed the southbound lane of interstate 87 followed by a series of gated sentry booths holding back long lines of cars, trucks, and utility vehicles. Cameron leaned into the middle aisle of the bus and saw the northbound sentry booths entering Canada clotted with as many cars and trucks. Before falling in behind the queues, the bus veered to the right, trailing an eighteen-wheeled livestock hauler full of hogs. Interstate 87 switched to autoroute 15 at a large sign bearing the word ‘Quebec’ in large letters between two equally large fleur de lis. Below read a bilingual French and English welcome.

  The bus drove into a staging area filled with cargo haulers and other buses.

  When the bus stopped, a potbellied border agent with a white beard and spectacles came aboard. He made his way down the aisle asking each passenger for their passport and their reason for coming to Quebec. The questioning shifted from English to French depending on the passport, which he stamped before hearing the answers. A couple of times he came across Canadian passengers and shifted his line of questioning to accommodate. Once he spoke in Polish. Though Cameron could not hear all of the interactions, he was able to make out by the bursts of laughter coming from the border agent that they were cordial.

  Marie clutched two passports in her hands. Cameron recognized them as French. He had French papers of his own, French citizenship was a fringe benefit of serving the first five years in the Legion. Marie closed her eyes, whispered a prayer Cameron did not fully hear, and then put the passports to her lips. When the border agent got to Marie and Nicole he did not give their passports a second look, quickly stamping them while he asked his questions, and then with a fraternal smile he nodded and offered the passports back before moving across the aisle.

  Cameron had only his US passport to offer the agent. Cameron decided his French passport would have been preferable. The border agent looked Cameron up and down. What had not occurred to Cameron before was that he was overdressed for the Chinatown express in his blazer and slacks, most of the passengers were dressed very casually in jeans and khakis. When the border agent asked Cameron if he had anything to declare Cameron said no. The P226 was stowed safely in the bathroom where Cameron had hid the gun soon after boarding. Cameron was now certain that the handgun would be safe there. The border agent smiled, stamped his passport, and moved on to the next passenger.

  Outside the bus, the driver stood by as two uniformed men inspected the baggage compartment while another circled the ‘Lucky’ with a mirror on the end of an extended pole to inspect the underbody.

  After speaking to everyone, the border agent went back to the front of the bus and filled out a logbook while he waited for the driver to board. When the driver stepped up into the bus the two spoke briefly. The border agent let out another brief laugh and then left the bus with a wave to a small girl in the front seat.

  The bus drove around the immigration building at the north of the staging area to a queue lane made up of other buses with Greyhound and Peter Pan logos decaling their sides. Without ever fully stopping the bus slowly rolled through the queue and passed the checkpoint. Clear of the immigration complex the ‘Lucky’ sped up to continue the journey to Montreal.

  Cameron leaned forward and again folded his arms on the back of Marie and Nicole’s seat. “Easy peasy.”

  “Easy peasy, Mister Kincaid?” Marie raised an eyebrow toward Cameron.

  “We should be in Montreal in no time,” said Cameron. He then sat back into his own seat and slipped his sunglasses back on.

  * * * * *

  Chapter 10

  Montreal

  The ‘Lucky’ pulled up to a city bus stop at the edge of Dorchester Square. Cameron walked up the curb past the front of the bus. He fixated on the green dome of the building across the square, the girth of which towered over the park.

  “King of the w
orld,” said Cameron.

  “Excuse me,” said Nicole.

  “Cathedrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde,” said Cameron. He pointed at the columned structure, the statues lining the parapet. “I always thought of this church as a mini Saint Peter’s. It’s basically Saint Peter’s on a smaller scale.”

  “What do you think of it now?”

  “Its name. It is the Mary, Queen of the world Cathedral. The Rex Mundi cathedral.”

  “Ah, I see,” said Marie gazing at the basilica. She braced her elbow in her hand and tapped her chin with the fingertips of the other. “The name means nothing.”

  “All cathedrals are creations of Rex Mundi,” said Nicole.

  “You don’t say,” said Cameron.

  “As are all things in the material world.”

  “Ok,” said Cameron. He shifted his body away from the park to Marie. “So, do you know where we are to meet the woman?”

  “The person we must meet will not be available until this evening,” said Marie.

  Still early, Cameron suggested they eat before the meeting. They went around the corner to a large hotel and entered the restaurant. After eating only fruit all day, he had worked up an appetite. He ordered the salmon with a glass of wine. Marie and Nicole asked for the same.

  “You really do eat fish?” asked Cameron when the waiter stepped away.

  “I told you it is part of the old way,” said Nicole.

  “How is that?”

  “We do not eat meat or byproducts of reproduction like eggs, milk, cheese. The old beliefs are that fish spontaneously appear in the water. So fish is allowed,” said Marie.

  “So the vegan thing is --”

  “A religious practice concerning physical reproduction. The soul could return. We are more so vegetarians, though some such as Ms. Lacroux are vegan.”

  “And wine?”

  “We are also allowed wine.”

  When the food arrived, the women prayed. Cameron waited for them to complete the Lord’s Prayer and then they ate without conversing.