The Hades Conspiracy (A Delphi Group Thriller Book 3)

by John Sneeden

  “I still hate you.”

  “We’re going radio silent now.”

  “Copy that,” Reid said.

  “What a view,” Amanda said.

  Zane shifted his gaze past the cypress trees on the other side of the pool. The dim outline of mountains rose to the west, their steep slopes adorned with a smattering of lights. An incredible view indeed.

  “Gorgeous,” Carmen said. “I could get used to this.”

  “I’m glad you like our little sliver of paradise,” someone said from behind.

  Zane turned to see two people crossing the patio, a man and a little girl. The lights from the house made it hard to see their faces, but he assumed the man was Lawson. And if that was Lawson, the little girl was likely his daughter.

  The man spoke again. “It was love at first sight for both of us.”

  As he came down the steps, Zane immediately recognized Roger Lawson’s features. He was a handsome man in his early forties with a high forehead and dark hair combed back with copious amounts of gel. He clutched a pipe in his right hand, something Zane had seen in most of the Australian’s online photographs.

  When the two arrived at the table, Zane shifted his gaze to the child.

  His eyes widened in surprise. It wasn’t a child at all.

  ***

  The person Zane had thought was a small child was actually a mature woman. She was certainly an attractive woman, with wavy blond hair and soft facial features that made her look younger than she probably was.

  “Jerusalem was a bit crowded for us,” Lawson continued, “so we figured the surrounding hills were a perfect substitute.”

  Carmen rose and extended a hand. “I don’t think any of us would argue with your choice.”

  Zane noticed Lawson leaned down and draped an arm across the woman’s shoulder, suggesting she was his wife. But if so, then who was the woman inside?

  “I’m Roger Lawson.” He shook Carmen’s hand. “And this is my wife, Camilla.”

  Amanda addressed Lawson. “A pleasure to meet you. I must say I was impressed with some of your pieces inside. Egyptian?”

  “Brilliant,” Roger said. “You must be the archaeologist. The statues are a part of my Heracleion collection.”

  “I’d narrowed it to Heracleion or Alexandria.”

  Roger turned to the others. “My apologies. Heracleion—or Thonis-Heracleion to some—was a prosperous port city on the coast of ancient Egypt. It was built around a series of majestic temples and canals. Unfortunately, it sank into the ocean about two thousand years ago and has been shrouded in mystery ever since.”

  “Dear, that’s enough.” Camilla nudged her husband’s leg. “They aren’t here for a history lesson.”

  “No, that’s fine,” Zane said. “I’m not a historian, but I find it fascinating.”

  “Just don’t talk to him about the Old Testament,” Amanda joked.

  “Please.” Roger gestured toward the chairs.

  As everyone settled into their seats, Eitan returned with five bottles of San Pellegrino. He set them gently on the table then retreated to the house.

  “I was shocked at the news from the Vatican.” Lawson removed a pouch of tobacco and filled his pipe. “I still find it hard to believe my friend is dead.”

  “Roger and Luca were like brothers,” Camilla said.

  “My condolences,” Zane said. “I heard nothing but good things about him.”

  Roger lit his pipe and took a few puffs before speaking. “There aren’t many people I trust in this business,” he said around the stem. “Luca was someone I’d trust with my life. He often asked for my help, and I was happy to oblige.” After a brief pause, he looked at Zane. “Do they know who did it?”

  Zane shook his head. “As of this morning, they have very few leads. To be perfectly honest, it’s one reason we’re here.”

  “I see,” Roger said.

  Carmen leaned forward in her seat. “We want to thank you for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice. I hope we haven’t inconvenienced you.”

  Roger and Camilla exchanged a brief glance. “You actually caught us at a good time. I’m in between projects.” He gestured toward the pool with his pipe. “As you can see, I’m a very blessed man, and I don’t take that for granted. When I came into all this wealth, I made a pact with myself… the more my material things grew, the more I would try to help my fellow man. Besides, you’re here investigating a mystery, so how could I refuse?” He beamed.

  Camilla laughed. “Roger is like a little boy when it comes to these sorts of things. He’s been talking about your visit all day.” She reached over and placed a playful hand on his leg.

  “It’s certainly a mystery,” Carmen said. “And it’s one that has a lot of pieces. In fact, I don’t even know where to begin.”

  “Why don’t we start at the beginning?” Roger sank back in his seat, puffing on his pipe.

  “Do you know Dr. Richard Pauling?” she asked.

  “I’ve run into him at a few digs,” he said through a cloud of smoke, “but I don’t know him well. Someone told me he’s gone missing.”

  “He did. Unfortunately, he’s presumed dead.”

  “My heavens.” Roger removed the pipe from his mouth. “What on earth is happening? Surely this isn’t all related?”

  “We believe it is.” Carmen looked at Zane. “Why don’t you take it from here?”

  For the next half hour, Zane told the story from beginning to end. He divulged everything he knew about the map, the relic, and the shadowy group that seemed to be after both. He’d previously thought about withholding a few pieces of the puzzle but decided full disclosure was the right path. Lawson might be able to provide some crucial answers, and he couldn’t do that unless he had all pertinent information. There was a risk in putting all your cards on the table, but that was the only way to make progress.

  When Zane finished, Roger puffed his pipe in silence, digesting all he’d heard.

  Carmen said, “You indicated you had a good relationship with Father Cortesi. Did you ever discuss the stolen relic with him?”

  “I haven’t spoken to Luca in months, and your description doesn’t sound familiar. Do you have a picture of it?”

  “Yes, I have an image.” Amanda was already pulling it up on her smartphone.

  “What are your thoughts?” Roger asked.

  Amanda spoke as she searched through her files. “I’ve examined it for hours. Not only do I not recognize it, but I’ve never really seen anything like it before. My latest theory is that it might be some sort of ceremonial object.”

  “That doesn’t sound like something anyone would kill for.”

  “We agree,” Zane said.

  “Here, have a look.” Amanda passed him the phone.

  When Roger looked at the screen, his eyes widened. He stared at it silently for several minutes then enlarged the image and held the phone close to his face. Finally, he looked at Amanda. “You’re sure this is what was taken from the Vatican?”

  She nodded.

  Roger passed the phone to his wife.

  “You recognize it?” Zane asked.

  “When I first looked at the photograph, I immediately recognized the shape,” Lawson said. “I’d seen it before but couldn’t remember where or when. Then it hit me. I went to dinner with another collector several years ago, and he told me about rumors of a strange relic that had come on the market. Supposedly, it had been stolen from the American government, or at least it was held by the Americans at some point.”

  “The U.S. government?” Zane asked.

  Roger took the phone back from his wife and looked at the image again. “It was held at the National Museum of Iraq and was given to the Americans when they entered Baghdad in 1993.”

  “It’s a well-known fact the museum curators turned over a lot of artifacts because they feared they might be taken by looters,” Amanda said. “As best I remember, it was done by mutual consent.”

  “That’s
correct. I’m not saying the Americans were at fault. In fact, it may have passed to them for safekeeping.” Roger took a few more puffs before continuing. “In any event, my dinner companion didn’t have a photograph, but he drew me a picture on a napkin. I think I may still have it in my office.”

  “So you never saw the relic itself?” Carmen asked.

  “Never. The rumors faded, so I assumed it was either a hoax, or someone had purchased it.”

  Amanda sat forward in her chair. “So what is it?”

  Roger set his pipe on the table and chuckled. “That’s the interesting part. It’s a key.”

  “A key?” Zane frowned. That wasn’t the answer he’d expected. “A key to what? A building?”

  “No, nothing of the sort.” Roger glanced briefly at his wife. “It’s a key to Sheol.”

  “Sheol?” Carmen asked. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

  “It’s a Hebrew word. You might know it better by its Greek equivalent, Hades.”

  “Hell?” Zane asked.

  “That’s right,” Lawson said. “Your relic will supposedly open the gate to hell.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  A STUNNED SILENCE fell over the group. A key to hell’s gate? Even though Zane doubted it truly opened a gate to the underworld, it might open the gate to a lost city. And if that was the case, the group was likely hoping to get there before anyone else and loot its treasures. The connection with the map was now becoming clearer. The map likely led to the gate.

  Carmen broke the silence. “You’re one hundred percent sure that’s what this is?”

  “In the world of archaeology, you never say you’re one hundred percent certain about anything.” Roger tapped his pipe on an ashtray. “I’m reasonably certain that’s what it is though. As I said, the drawings match the outline perfectly.”

  A look of confusion spread over Amanda’s face. “I’ve never even heard of the existence of such a key.”

  “I doubt the relic would appear in any textbook, and you certainly won’t find it on Google.” Roger used his thumb to pack his pipe with fresh tobacco. “And the only images have been circulated among a select group, people like me who have the resources to pay for it.”

  “If it was being offered on the black market, how did it end up at the Vatican?” Amanda asked.

  Roger struck a match then dangled the flame over the bowl of his pipe. “First of all, I don’t like the term ‘black market’ because it implies all the items are being traded illegally. Yes, some objects have indeed been obtained by questionable means, but there are others that are completely legal but are of questionable origin. In other words, items that have been rejected by museums, academia, and the like.”

  “Except in this case, it was a relic that seems to have been taken from the U.S. government,” Amanda noted.

  “Not necessarily, and that’s my point. The Americans did have it at one time, but the National Museum of Iraq is open once again, so it’s possible they transferred everything back once Baghdad became more stable.” Roger took a few puffs. “The bottom line is I have no idea what the chain of custody was before falling into the Vatican’s hands.”

  “Do you think Father Cortesi knew what the relic was purported to be?” Carmen asked.

  “One would assume so,” Roger replied. “But again, I haven’t talked to Luca in quite some time.”

  Carmen looked at Roger. “So tell us more about the key. Are there people who actually believe hell is a physical place here on earth?”

  “Not on the earth, in the earth,” Roger said through a cloud of smoke. “Literature and films often depict hell as a place under the earth’s crust. What you might not know is that there is a biblical basis for that.”

  Zane looked at Amanda to see her reaction. As a Christian who took her faith seriously, she’d surely know whether or not this was true. She saw him watching her and spoke. “Some Bible scholars do believe that hell is physically located in the earth, at least for the time being.”

  “What do you mean, at least for the time being?” Zane asked.

  “Heaven and hell are a bit more complicated than most people think. Let’s go back to the first century. The place we call hell was known as Sheol in Hebrew and Hades in Greek. The Bible tells us that prior to the crucifixion of Christ, all of the dead were sent to Hades.” Seeing confused looks, Amanda explained. “Hades was divided into two sections or regions separated by a wide gulf. The Old Testament saints who died went to the region known as Abraham’s Bosom, while the wicked—unredeemed sinners—were sent to the region most people think of when they think of hell.”

  “The bad place,” Zane said.

  Amanda nodded. “Luke tells us it’s a place of agony and torment. Peter also tells us the fallen angels of Genesis chapter six are chained in a place of darkness, which I believe is also somewhere in Hades.”

  “I’ve studied the Bible a bit, and I’ve never heard of the good region, the one you called Abraham’s Bosom,” Carmen said.

  “It comes from the sixteenth chapter of Luke, the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man lived a life of luxury in a gated home and wore the finest of clothes. Lazarus, on the other hand, lived outside the rich man’s gate. He was so sick the dogs came and licked his sores.”

  “I do remember that story,” Carmen said. “The rich man dies and goes to hell, while Lazarus goes to heaven.”

  “Essentially, yes,” Amanda said. “Remember I said Hades is divided into two regions. The passage tells us that when the rich man went to Hades, he was able to look across the gulf and see Abraham on the other side. And guess who was next to him? Lazarus, the same man who had been lying at his gate. Luke tells us angels carried Lazarus to Abraham’s bosom, which is where the name comes from.”

  Roger removed the pipe from his mouth and laughed. “I find the Bible fascinating, but it always seems to beat up on rich people. It’s as though the very state of having money puts you on God’s bad side.”

  “Not at all,” Amanda said. “Remember Abraham himself was an extremely wealthy man, perhaps one of the wealthiest of his day. Job was also rich, as was Joseph of Arimathea, the man who put Christ’s body in his personal tomb. This parable implies this particular rich man relied on his wealth and the temporal comforts of life, while Lazarus relied on God. Faith in God—trusting in Him to forgive you and save you—is the Bible’s consistent teaching on salvation.”

  “Earlier, you seemed to imply the location or the nature of hell changed at some point,” Zane said. “What did you mean?”

  Amanda nodded. “Things changed after the crucifixion. Remember what Jesus told the thief on the cross: I tell you the truth. Today, you will be with me in paradise. There is some debate as to whether the word paradise referred to Abraham’s bosom—the place I was just talking about—or whether it referred to the heaven we typically think of today. I’m in the latter camp. We know Jesus later ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, so in order for the thief to be with him, he would also need to be there. That means heaven moved to the literal heavens after the resurrection.”

  “But the unrighteous are still in Hades?”

  “Yes, and some believe that’s actually located under the earth.”

  Zane looked at Roger. “Here’s the million-dollar question. Where is this gate?”

  “Let’s go back to the Bible. Some say it describes a cosmic battle between two opposing powers: good versus evil. The seed of the woman versus the serpent. Christ versus Satan. And while that may be true, the Bible also describes two opposing geographic locations. Holy ground and unholy ground.”

  After getting a quizzical look from Zane, he explained. “Jerusalem has always been the Holy City, the place the God of the Bible lifted up above all others. Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah, the same ground upon which Jerusalem would later be built. Israel’s kings lived in Jerusalem. The faithful are told to pray for Jerusalem. Jerusalem is where the temple was built—m
ore than once. Jerusalem is where God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, was buried. There is even a place for Jerusalem in the future, after the present age has long since passed. Revelation states that in eternity, a new Jerusalem will come down from heaven like a bride adorned for her husband.”

  “What about the unholy ground?” Carmen asked. “Where is it?”

  “The answer might surprise you. It’s a place we know today as the Golan Heights, the region encompassing Israel’s border with Syria and Lebanon. In ancient times, it was referred to as Bashan. Mount Hermon lies in that region, and it’s always been associated with evil.” Roger nodded at Amanda. “Your friend mentioned the fallen angels earlier. The sixth chapter of Genesis says these fallen ones—who some call the Watchers—came down to earth and procreated with women, producing giant offspring known as the Nephilim.”

  Zane knew the story well. On a recent Delphi operation in Brazil, the team had discovered evidence some of the Nephilim might have dispersed as far away as South America. Amanda had told them the theoretical diaspora took place after Joshua drove them from the land.

  Amanda seemed to know where Roger was going. “The Book of Enoch fills in more detail. It tells us when the Watchers first fell, they descended upon Mount Hermon.”

  “Bravo.” Roger gestured toward her with his pipe. “Not only is she a Bible scholar, but she knows her apocryphal works.”

  Amanda reddened. “I’m not a scholar, just a Christian who likes to read the Bible.”

  “So Mount Hermon is associated with evil because of the Nephilim?” Carmen asked.

  “The sin of the fallen angels was the event that seemed to trigger a kind of spiritual darkness that has reigned ever since. For example, the Nephilim giants were there even after the flood. Remember I said the region was once known as Bashan? The king of Bashan was a man named Og. Strangely, he was also a Nephilim, probably part of a second incursion. He was so large his bed was said to be somewhere around thirteen or fourteen feet long. God told Moses to conquer the land and slay the hybrid beings. Og was killed during one of the battles.

  “But even after the Nephilim were killed or dispersed, Mount Hermon became a place known for occult practices, idol worship, and the dark arts. In fact, there were more temples built at Mount Hermon than any other part of the Near East, and most of those were built by cults.”