The Hades Conspiracy (A Delphi Group Thriller Book 3)

by John Sneeden

  “You find out soon. He’s going to like you like you.”

  The man leaned in closer. His breath was a putrid mix of cigarette smoke and cheap beer. His lips moved toward her cheek. Emily managed to squirm her wrist free and caught his face with the back of her hand. She expected to be punched, but instead, the man laughed and rose from the bed. Looking at one of the others, he said, “Put her back down. Maybe she learn to behave better next time.”

  Emily knew what was coming next. “No, don’t do that. I promise not to—”

  “Remember this next time.” The tall man shook a finger. “We’re going to have lots of questions for you.”

  “I’ll tell you now… please!”

  One of the remaining men grabbed her and shoved her down on the mattress while another retrieved something out of a nearby drawer. She squirmed, pleading with them not to do it. The man held her more tightly, then Emily felt a sharp sting on her upper arm.

  Seconds later, she sank into the ocean again.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Menaggio, Italy

  THE WHITE FIAT 500x raced north along the SS340. With one hand on the wheel, Zane looked to his right. The last rays of the afternoon sun glistened on Lake Como. On the far side of the waters sat the picturesque village of Veranna, its buildings splayed along the shore like a jeweled necklace. Zane enjoyed the history of Rome and the culture of Florence, but given a choice, he would always gravitate to the mountain lakes of the north.

  Keeping one eye on the road, he lifted his phone and studied the GPS screen. They were under thirty minutes out from their destination, a nondescript point on a rural road northwest of Menaggio. Despite spending the better part of two hours analyzing satellite images the night before, they were unable to see anything significant in or around the location. There were no buildings or structures of any kind, which Zane thought odd.

  “How much longer?” Amanda asked from the back seat.

  “Twenty-seven minutes.”

  “Is she still asleep?”

  Zane glanced at Carmen, who was curled up in the passenger seat next to him. Her eyes were closed, but he doubted she’d really slept through their conversation. “I think there are visions of rigatoni dancing in her head.”

  Carmen’s mouth turned up in a smile. “Hush. Let me stay there.”

  Twenty-five minutes later, Zane made the final turn. As expected, it was a rural road, devoid of structures. The closest building was a small petrol station about two miles back.

  Carmen stirred. “Are we there yet?”

  “Just about. That’s a pretty amazing body clock.”

  Carmen straightened and opened her eyes. “No, I heard the little voice on your GPS.”

  As if on cue, a female voice with a British accent spoke from the phone. “You have reached your destination.”

  Zane slowed the car and scanned both sides of the road for anything of significance.

  Amanda pointed through the gap in the seats. “There’s a gate over on the left.”

  Zane brought the car to a stop opposite the gate. Just beyond, a paved drive wound up into a thick forest that covered the crown of the mountain. He presumed it led to a house.

  “I guess this explains why we couldn’t see anything from the satellite views,” Carmen noted.

  “I’m surprised we didn’t at least see the gate,” Amanda said.

  Carmen nodded. “Maybe it was all constructed after the most recent images.”

  Not wanting to park so close to the entrance, Zane continued down the road, eventually pulling behind some bushes lining a field on the left. It wouldn’t completely conceal the vehicle, but it would have to do. After killing the engine, he got out, opened the rear hatch, and removed a small piece of luggage hidden under a pile of clothes. He opened it then removed the faux bottom. Underneath were pistols, magazines, and flashlights.

  After Zane distributed the gear, the three walked back down the road.

  “Nebbia,” Carmen said.

  Zane looked at her. “What?”

  She nodded to their left. “Fog.”

  Zane looked down the mountain. A raft of steel-gray clouds had already covered most of Lake Como and was slowly making its way up the slope, a common occurrence here. A foggy mist would appear over the water at dusk, then fill the entire valley as the evening wore on. To Zane, it added to the charm and mystique of the area. Upon arriving at the gate, they slipped through the shrubs and began the trek up the paved drive.

  Carmen looked at Amanda as they entered the cover of the trees. “Any idea why a group might want a map so badly? How could it possibly be so valuable?”

  “The first thing I thought of was some hidden cache of treasure,” Amanda replied. “Have you heard of the Copper Scroll?”

  “Wasn’t that one of the Dead Sea Scrolls?” Carmen asked.

  Amanda nodded. “It was found in Cave Three at Qumran in 1952. It describes a mysterious stash of coins, vessels, gold, and silver. Some have estimated the value of the supposed treasure at millions of dollars.”

  “I’ve heard of that scroll but didn’t realize it was a map,” Zane said.

  “It’s not a map, per se, but it does describe where the treasure is hidden. Unfortunately, I doubt it will ever be discovered because the places it described either can’t be deciphered, or they no longer exist.”

  Zane looked at Amanda. “That reminds me of what Dr. Pauling talked about in the video. He said it was like having the map of a neighborhood, but you don’t know where the neighborhood is.”

  “Precisely,” Amanda agreed. “And like the Copper Scroll, the place this map describes may never be found.”

  “Maybe it gives the location of Atlantis,” Carmen added. “It seems like every few years, someone claims to have found it. I’m guessing every treasure ring in the world would like to get their hands on its location.”

  “Assuming it’s a real place, the discovery of Atlantis would certainly pay financial dividends,” Amanda replied. “Imagine the street value of the artifacts.”

  As the group continued in silence, Zane surveyed the woods. The fog wound through the trees like a gray phantom. He saw and heard nothing, save for the occasional flap of wings as birds settled in for the evening. He wondered if the group who’d killed Pauling knew of this location. It was certainly possible. After all, the residence in Venice was not owned in Pauling’s name, yet they’d managed to find it.

  Twenty minutes later, the road emerged from the woods near the mountain’s peak. Carmen slowed and pointed. Darkness had fallen, but Zane was able to see the outline of a one-story home just ahead.

  “You didn’t see this on the maps?” Amanda whispered.

  “To be honest, I do remember seeing a few rooftops near the top of the mountain,” Zane admitted, “but I never related them to the GPS coordinates since they were so far away.”

  “It doesn’t look like anyone is home,” Carmen said.

  Zane studied the windows. As far as he could tell, she was right. It was pitch black. There was no light anywhere, indoors or out.

  “Let’s have a look.” Zane gestured to the right. “Just to be safe, we’ll loop around and come in through the back.”

  Zane led them across the open space. The residence was encircled by a short stone wall, which they followed around to the rear. After listening for any signs of activity, Zane moved over to the gate and undid the latch.

  Carmen entered first with her gun drawn, sweeping to the right and to the left. “All clear.”

  The small courtyard was mostly bare. To the left was an untended garden, and to the right was a table and chairs. Against the wall behind the table was a lawn mower and gas can. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Zane walked to the rear door and removed the lock pick kit. The lock was an older model, probably the norm in the relatively crime-free areas surrounding the mountain lakes. Two minutes later, there was a loud click as the lock snapped open.

  “I’ll go in first,” Amanda whispered.

/>   As part of her training, Brett had taught her how to disable most commercial and private security systems. If one beeped upon entry, she knew how to remove the casing and turn off the alarm with a series of quick wire cuts. After removing a pocketknife, Amanda opened the door and entered. Thankfully, there was no sign of an alarm, so she waved them in.

  “Well, we know this is Dr. Pauling’s house,” Carmen noted as she entered. “Not one bit of clutter.”

  A large living room ran from one side of the house to the other. As Carmen had noted, the interior was consummate Pauling. There was very little furniture, and the only personal items in view were a stack of magazines on a coffee table.

  Carmen frowned as she looked around. “This is it.”

  “This is what?” Zane asked.

  “This is the room the video was filmed in. The windows, the curtains, they’re all the same.”

  “She’s right,” Amanda said. “If it was light outside, I’d bet we’d see the mountains.”

  “At least we know we’re at the right place,” Carmen said.

  Zane glanced around the room. “Let’s begin our search. Since we’re using this door as our exit, let’s start at the front and work our way back here.”

  He clicked on a flashlight and led them down a center hallway that ran toward the front of the house. They passed a kitchen on the left, followed by a couple of crisscrossing corridors. The house was only one story, but it covered a lot of square footage. As they neared the front, Zane shone his light into a room on the right. It looked like a study, so he signaled Carmen that he’d begin searching there.

  Carmen peeked in the room across the hall. “This looks like a bedroom, so I’ll start over here.”

  “I’ll see if there is anything further down.” Amanda kept walking.

  Zane entered the study. Like the living room, it was simply decorated with a desk and chair on one end and a bookshelf on the other. Unfortunately, there was nothing in plain view—no papers lying around, no stacks of important folders, and no electronic devices. Zane decided to begin his search at the shelf. The first clue had been hidden inside a book, so why not do the same again? Using his light, Zane began a slow examination of the spines. Unlike the library in Venice, these books weren’t exclusively about archaeology. There were a few, but most were a diverse mix of history, geography, astronomy, and travel.

  He had just pulled out an atlas when he heard Carmen call to him from across the hall. “Zane.”

  After sliding the book back, he crossed to the bedroom. Carmen stood in front of a wardrobe on the right. The doors were open, and she trained her flashlight on something inside. “Check this out.”

  As he came alongside, he saw a small laptop on the top shelf. “Who puts their laptop in a wardrobe?”

  “An eccentric archaeologist?” She looked at him with a smile. “I think we just found our map.”

  “Perhaps.” Zane pulled it off the shelf. “But let’s not get our hopes up until we can take a look at the files.”

  As Zane moved toward the bed, he felt a vibration in his pocket. The phone. He frowned. They were using burners, so he knew there were only two possible callers—Amanda or someone from Delphi Headquarters. He guessed the former.

  Carmen fished for her phone as well.

  Zane unlocked the screen to find a text message from Amanda. Get up here quick.

  The urgency bothered Zane. If she’d found the map she’d simply have brought it back to them. He tucked his phone away quickly. “Let’s see what she’s got.”

  After setting the laptop back in the wardrobe, the two made their way to the front. After finding the foyer empty, Zane noticed a sitting room through a doorway on the left. Amanda held silent vigil at the window.

  She waved them over. “Here we go again.”

  Zane and Carmen stood on either side of her. The fog outside was thick now, making it hard to see more than twenty yards or so. A brisk wind swept across the yard, causing the chime on the front porch to sway and jingle. Other than that, Zane saw and heard nothing.

  He gave Amanda a confused look.

  “The woods,” Amanda said. “Look at the woods.”

  Zane shifted his gaze toward the trees.

  Carmen’s body stiffened next to him. “I see it.”

  Zane saw it too, several beams of light moving back and forth in the fog. Vehicles made their way up the drive.

  “It was providential,” Amanda said. “I just had a feeling something was out there, so I came to the window. At first, I didn’t see anything, then a little tiny glow appeared way back in the woods. As soon as I saw the light, I knew it couldn’t be good.”

  Zane continued to stare at the trees. A few seconds later, a black SUV broke out of the woods. There were more behind it. “Let’s go. We’ll exit through the back.”

  He led them back through the foyer and down the hallway. Car doors were already opening and closing outside. His pulse quickened. They were moving faster than he’d imagined. At most, they had a minute to get out of the house.

  If they didn’t, they’d be trapped inside.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CARMEN DREW HER pistol as she followed Zane to the back. She’d heard the doors slamming outside as well but was still confident they could get out without being seen. For one, the new arrivals probably didn’t expect to find anyone here, making it doubtful they’d encircle the home. Zane crossed to the rear door and stared through the glass. A few seconds later, he gave the all-clear signal and reached for the knob.

  An image flashed in Carmen’s mind. How could she have forgotten? “Zane, wait. The laptop.”

  Zane paused with the door half open. “Hurry. We’ll wait here.”

  “No, both of you get out and hide in the woods. This will only take a few seconds.”

  Zane hesitated.

  “Go!” Carmen shouted. As she turned and sprinted down the hall, she heard them leave through the back door. It was the right thing to do. There was no sense in endangering three people when it wasn’t necessary. Zane knew that. He was just glad she’d remembered the sole item of interest. The house was about to be turned upside down, and there was zero chance the intruders would miss it.

  Carmen switched off her flashlight as she ran. It slowed her down but had to be done in order to keep from being seen. She slowly entered the bedroom. There was enough light coming through the window to find her way to the bed. Feeling around, she found the laptop where they’d left it. As she turned to leave, an idea surfaced in her mind. It would take a few seconds but would be worth the time. Moving quickly, she tossed her pistol on the bed and stuffed the laptop into her shirt. Thankfully, it was one of the smaller notebook devices. After situating it over her belly, she tucked in her shirttail and tightened her belt.

  As she retrieved her pistol, a loud smash carried down the hallway. She froze. Someone was kicking in the front door. She heard another loud smash, followed by the sound of boots in the foyer. She thought of making a run for it, but spears of light were already slicing down the corridor. Escaping that way was no longer an option.

  Carmen looked around. Her heart pounded. She figured she had ten seconds to hide. As the boots neared her door, she did the only thing she could do; she stepped into the wardrobe and slid the door back into place, leaving a crack to see out.

  An authoritative voice barked orders from the foyer. “You, take your team and start at the back. Make sure all points of entry are secure. You, stay here with me to search the front. I want this place turned upside down. Go!”

  As the men marched off, Carmen breathed a sigh of relief. At least they didn’t realize anyone else was here. They had come for one purpose, and that was to look for the map. There was one huge negative though. Every square inch of the house would be searched over the next hour or two, and that included the wardrobe. She wasn’t safe. She’d have to find a way to get out.

  But how? Should she wait until most of the men dispersed then try to fight her way out the front
? If it was the same team from Venice, she knew each member would be armed with semi or fully automatic rifles. Not only that, but they were undoubtedly wearing Kevlar armor. Even with her marksmanship skills, she’d face long odds in a gun battle. Trying to make head shots in the dark would be extremely difficult, if not impossible.

  Unfortunately, trying to slip out undetected didn’t seem to be an option either. As best she could tell, at least two had remained to search the front.

  Footfalls approached, and the leader spoke in the corridor. “Search that room, and I’ll get this one. Let me know if you find anything. And I mean anything.”

  “Copy that.”

  Carmen readied her pistol. A dark shadow passed across the gap. She tensed her muscles, ready to fight if forced. Fortunately, the steps continued to the other side of the bed. Seconds later, she heard the sound of drawers opening.

  Careful not to make any noise, Carmen slid the door open a bit more. A figure dressed in black bent over the nightstand. Once he was done searching it, there was a good chance he’d come to the wardrobe next. That left her a small window of opportunity. She would slip out now then dash from the room and escape through the front door. The only thing that might disrupt her plans would be the presence of guards at the front of the house. She hoped all the men were inside but doubted that was the case.

  Carmen took a deep breath. It was time. She had to move. As she prepared to slide the door open, the man turned and marched in her direction. She cursed and slipped as far back as she could, giving her room to lift her pistol and shoot him in the face when the door opened. At this point, it was her only option.

  The wardrobe shook as the man felt around for the edge of the door. Carmen gripped her Beretta with both hands. The door began to slide open then stopped. Something buzzed in the room. Carmen frowned in confusion then realized it was a vibrating cell phone.

  The man released the door, and Carmen heard the rustling of fabric as he fished his cell out of a pocket. “Yes?”