Eight Days to Live

by Iris Johansen

  Millet gestured mockingly for her to precede him through the arched doorway. “The Offering Room.”

  She went through the doorway and stopped in shock. It looked like a small stadium, with at least forty rows of stone benches. In the center was a black granite altar facing a wall on which the Judas mosaic hovered like a dark vulture.

  “I told you. It’s magnificent, isn’t it?” Millet asked. He pointed to a spot on the left side of the altar. “That’s where I stand. Where all the audience can see me.” He smiled. “And the Offering can see me. In that moment, they know I’m a god. Able to take their life or give it. I can see it in their eyes.” He held Eve’s gaze. “I’ll see that look in her eyes.”

  She tore her eyes away from him to the far left, where a ramp led into the stadium. “Where does that go?”

  “Outside. No member is permitted in the temple until the time of the Offering. Then they can only come to the stadium. They have to understand that they may have power in their own world, but here I’m the only power.”

  “As long as you stay Guardian. What if they boot you out?”

  “That won’t happen. I keep my eye on anyone who seems unstable. They have accidents. Or become candidates for the Offering.”

  “But you were afraid of the consequences if they found out you’d lost Hadar’s Tablet.”

  He scowled. “I wasn’t afraid. It was a matter that had to be addressed. The tablet is considered holy. I’ll find a way to get it back after I get rid of the MacGuire woman.”

  “How many members will be here tomorrow night?”

  “Between nine hundred and a thousand. There are a few thousand more around the world, but if they have an adequate excuse, they’re permitted to excuse themselves once every five years. It’s important that they attend frequently, not only to do homage but to witness. Witnesses can be declared accomplices in a court of law. Guilt is the strongest bond in the world. I have photos taken of everyone who attends the Offering and make sure they know that the pictures are kept in a safe place.”

  “Blackmail? Charming. And you decide what excuse is adequate?”

  “Of course, I’m the Guardian. I rule the Offering.” He turned to her. “I’ve decided I’ll let you see the MacGuire Offering tomorrow night. It will be thrilling for you. The roar of the crowd, the chanting. I’m the king. I’m death. They all fear me. It will be a preview of your own private ceremony.”

  “I can hardly wait.”

  His exhilaration faded. “You’re not as nervous as I hoped.” He studied her. “Perhaps it’s because you’re ill. Your cheeks are flushed, and your lips are so dry, they’re cracked. I may have to have Faruk fly you in some antibiotics. I don’t want your reactions to be dulled.”

  “Perish the thought.” She had obviously seen all she was going to see. Guards. Corridors. Main ramp to the stadium. Now, give him something to make him think he’d won. “You’ve proved your point. This Offering Room is . . . a little frightening. I’m ready to go back to my room.”

  “It’s my decision whether you go or stay.” Then he slowly nodded. “But maybe you did have a jolt. Now you know that the Offering is actually going to happen. It can’t be stopped. For two thousand years, the Master has taken his vengeance.”

  “And how many times have you presided?”

  “Seventeen at the Offerings themselves.”

  “And I’d bet hundreds more on the side.”

  He smiled. “But experience is a fine teacher. The members don’t like a quick cut. They want a scream or two, and I know just how to please them.” He gestured. “Now we’ll go back and let you rest and absorb. I want you fresh for tomorrow night.”

  She headed for the arch. She was dizzier than she had been when they started. She was glad that she’d been able to concentrate on the way to the Offering Room.

  Did you get it, Jane?

  I’ll try again later, but this may have been my best chance.

  I hope you were with me. . . .

  GOT it!

  Darkness lessening, Jane realized.

  Gray.

  Lighter.

  Lighter still.

  Fast. So fast.

  Much faster than the last time.

  Caleb!

  Her lids flew open.

  No Caleb.

  She was no longer in his arms as she had been when she had gone to sleep. She was still in the car but leaning against the passenger door.

  She sat up groggily and pushed her hair back from her face. Where was Caleb? Had he gone back into the bar? She had to tell him about the temple. She had to tell him that Eve—

  They weren’t in the bar parking lot any longer.

  Her heart was pounding with panic as she realized where the car was parked now.

  It was a few yards from the door of Faruk’s hangar.

  There should be a way I can work it out, Caleb had said.

  No!

  She opened the passenger door and was out of the car in seconds.

  No. No. No.

  She threw open the door of the hangar. The harsh overhead lights were blazing.

  And Caleb was crumpled on the floor across the room.

  She ran toward him.

  White. So white.

  Blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

  Dead?

  Please God. Don’t let him be dead.

  She fell to her knees on the concrete. Was he breathing? “Why?” Tears were pouring down her cheeks. “Dammit, why would you do this? Don’t you die. Do you hear me? Don’t you die, Caleb.”

  “I . . . hear you.” His eyes were still closed. “I’m . . . not dying. I need to rest. It was . . . not fun.”

  Relief, then anger. “Stupid. Incredibly stupid.” She couldn’t stop the tears. “After what happened to you before, you went right back for an encore?”

  “We needed to know where the temple is located.” His eyes opened. “Faruk . . . knew.” He smiled. “Tears?” He reached up and touched her damp cheek. “Nice . . .”

  “You don’t deserve them.”

  “Of course I do. I’m a hero. I saved the day.”

  She wiped her cheeks on the back of her hand. “There’s blood coming out of your mouth. Do you have internal injuries?”

  “Nothing so dramatic. I bit my tongue when I was trying to persuade Faruk.” He struggled up on one elbow. “I think I was clenching my teeth. I don’t remember.”

  “Where is Faruk?”

  “Over there, behind the plane. He’s fast asleep. He’ll stay that way for the next two hours. When he wakes, he’ll think he was just exhausted and curled up for a nap.”

  She stared at him in bewilderment. “How? I saw you. He nearly put you into shock before. And you said that you got out before he caused any real damage.”

  “I had to find a way to go in without being pulled deep.” The color was coming back into his cheeks and he sat up. “I told you, it was like sinking into a quagmire. You either walk carefully, lightly, over a marsh, or you skirt around it. I’ve been diving in and backing out.” He added, “The problem is that I’m very strong. And the only way I could walk lightly was to divide my attention.”

  “When you put me to sleep,” she said.

  “And kept you asleep. It worked . . . sort of. Even then, it was difficult as hell.” He added soberly, “I was able to get Faruk to give me coordinates and draw a rough map of the area around the temple. But there’s no way I’d be able to keep him under control if I tried to make him take us there.” He frowned. “Unless I can think of a—”

  “We don’t need him,” she interrupted quickly. “You found out everything we have to know. We can send the coordinates to Joe. You’re sure Faruk is just sleeping?”

  “See for yourself.” He got to his feet. “Maybe I’d better check. You were coming back out of the dream stage when I was putting him under. I was distracted.”

  Faruk was slumbering peacefully, curled on his side.

  “He won’t remember?”
/>   “No, he won’t remember anything but talking to me about a rug shipment and deciding the money wasn’t good enough.” He took her elbow. “Eve?”

  “She has a fever. That bastard hasn’t given her any antibiotics.” She smiled grimly. “But she made sure I can draw a map of the interior of the temple and that I know the number of guards in each corridor.”

  “What a unique woman.” He moved toward the door. “Then let’s get out of here and find a place where we can send the info to Joe Quinn and Venable. We’ve still got a long way to go, but now we’ve got a start.”

  Long way? They had to juggle Roland and Millet and some thousand or so cult members and try to keep Eve alive. Damn right, they had a hell of a long way to go.

  “Then by all means, save the day, Caleb,” she said dryly. “You do it so well.”

  “I do, don’t I?” he said cheerfully. “I’ll work on it.”

  ROLAND PHONED JANE TWO HOURS later. “I can’t find a way to get Millet away from your Eve. He doesn’t want to leave the temple on the day of the Offering. That’s his big day. He’s in his glory.”

  “I’m sure you can arrange something. I meant it. I’ll make sure you never get those coins.”

  “I realize that you’d do it. We all have our weaknesses, and yours is Eve Duncan.” He paused. “So I’ve got to find a way to give her to you. But you’re the one who has to make sure Millet is far enough away from her to make it work. He’s given you the option of choosing the transfer point. I want him at least forty minutes away from the temple.”

  “But I don’t know where this temple is,” Jane said. “And he’s supposed to bring Eve for the transfer, remember?”

  “But you don’t really think that’s going to happen? He knows that he has you. He’ll scout out the area and set up an ambush. He’s not a great brain, but he’s very clever at what he does.”

  “He won’t bring Eve?”

  “No way on earth. He’ll hold her in case something goes wrong.”

  “At the temple.”

  “Yes.”

  “Then how do we get her out of that temple?”

  “We send Millet after you, and we go in and get her.”

  “How?”

  “There’s a secret tunnel that leads from outside to the corridor going to the Offering Room. Only the Guardian was supposed to know that it exists, but Adah Ziller was very persuasive. She told me that she and Millet used to play some of their erotic games in the passage. It was a kick for her. Later, she used the passage to sneak into the Offering Room and steal the tablet.”

  “Why do I have to go? Why can’t you bring her out that way yourself?”

  “Because we have to go past Millet’s guards to get to her. They know your face. They probably know that an exchange is going to take place. I’ve made sure that Millet’s men don’t know me. I couldn’t get to the room where Millet is keeping Eve without an okay from Millet.” He paused. “Unless it seemed I had a purpose in those corridors. What better purpose than bringing the sacrifice for the Offering? I get you and Eve out of the room with some pushing and shoving and general rough handling, and we go back down through the passage.”

  Jane was silent a moment. “It’s too much of a risk. I couldn’t trust you.”

  “But you’ll still have the coins. We’ll meet at a designated spot a few miles from the temple, and I’ll have your bottle examined by my expert. You can bring one man, Gavin or MacDuff or anyone else you choose, and have him stay with the coins until we bring Eve out of the temple. Of course, I’ll also have someone there to guard the coins on my behalf. Unfortunately, I have as little trust as you, Jane. The moment that I take possession of the coins, you’re free to go. I’m quite certain you’ll protect your right to do that.”

  “But then I’ll know where your temple is located.”

  “But will I care? The Judas coins are all I ever wanted. I’m afraid I’m not truly a religious man. It was useful to me on occasion. On the offering table, I disposed of two business associates who got in my way. But I’m careful. No one can prove I’m one of the chosen. Money blurs the memory and twists truth. I’ll let you and Millet battle. I don’t give a damn who kills whom after I get the coins.” He said softly, “I’ll be the only one who really wins. So what about it, Jane? It’s the best deal I can give you.”

  “Where should I meet you?”

  He chuckled. “So that you can figure out the location of the temple? No, I’ll tell you the meeting place after you’re in the air and five minutes from the destination.”

  She hesitated. “Then how can I tell Millet where we should arrange the exchange?”

  “I’ll give you the coordinates for that.” He paused. “Agree, Jane. It’s your best shot.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Don’t think too long. I want those coins. I might have to have a talk with Millet about enjoying his time with Eve to a greater extent.” He hung up.

  She turned down the volume and glanced at Caleb. “You heard? He wants me to walk into the lion’s mouth.”

  Caleb’s gaze was on her face. “And you’re thinking about doing it.”

  “We can make it safer. We can make sure that Millet is a good distance away from the temple. We were going to bring Jock and the others into it anyway. He told me that he was good at guerrilla tactics.”

  “There’s no way it can be safe,” he said flatly.

  “Safer,” she repeated. “And we knew that Millet wouldn’t give up Eve if he could prevent it. She’s a witness against him. So Roland is right. Millet would set a trap for me.”

  “That doesn’t mean that Roland isn’t going to do the same thing.”

  “You’re not telling me anything I don’t know.” She stared thoughtfully down at the phone. “But we might work out a way to use this ploy of Roland’s when there wouldn’t be a chance if I dealt strictly with Millet. And I’d be with Eve. I’d be able to help her more if we’re in the same place.”

  “And you wouldn’t trust anyone else to be there for her,” he said roughly. “Only you. Okay, I know you wouldn’t trust me, but what about Jock Gavin. What about Joe Quinn? Let someone else take the risk.”

  She raised her gaze. “You know that I’d have a better chance to get to Eve. And you know that Millet will kill her if he thinks he’s going down. She’s hurt, Caleb. Someone’s got to be there if she needs help.”

  He muttered a curse. “And who’s going to be there if you need help?”

  “Who do you think?” She smiled faintly. “Eve.”

  “A united front,” he said curtly. “And you think that’s all you need. But this time, you may find it’s not quite enough.”

  “Then we have to do whatever is necessary to make up the difference.” She added, “I’m not fool enough to think that I can do this alone. That would be crazy. All I’m saying is that we’ve got to have a plan that will give us a chance.”

  “And still lets you go into that damn temple with Eve.”

  “Yes.” He wasn’t going to like this. “And I want you to be the one to stay with the coins and guard them.”

  “Hell, no. Don’t try to stick me with that kind of bullshit milk-toast job.”

  “Milk toast? As soon as Roland takes me away from those Judas coins, whoever he leaves with you is going to have orders to take off with them.” She paused. “And that means that you’re going to be in the way.”

  He thought about it. “If I protect your coins and get rid of Roland’s man, who’s going to try to cut my throat, am I on my own?”

  He was always on his own. He meant he wanted her blessing to turn hunter.

  Why not? she thought recklessly. He would probably do it anyway no matter what she said. He had told her that savagery could be selective, and if it concerned Eve, she would have no qualms about it.

  It did concern Eve. Tomorrow, Eve could live or die depending on what they all did or didn’t do to save her. It was time to forget about anything but getting her away from Mil
let alive.

  “Do what you like.” She lifted her phone again to call Jock. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with any plan we can put in place to get Eve out.”

  “I won’t interfere.” His lips twisted. “And I’d be touched that you trusted me enough to give me carte blanche if I didn’t realize that this time you really didn’t give a damn. You wouldn’t care if I brought that temple down like the biblical Samson did.”

  Is he right? Jane wondered wearily. The answer came back clear and direct as an arrow. Of course he’s right.

  Stop the killing. Let their damn Judas temple collapse on the heads of those bastards.

  5:05 P.M .

  Day Eight

  “THERE IT IS.” CALEB NODDED down at the knoll they were flying over. “And I believe that’s our Mr. Roland and party.” He glanced at Jane. “Last chance to change your mind.”

  She shook her head and turned to Marc Lestall, the pilot. “But fly around that knoll and make sure there’s no one else there but them.”

  “Right.” Marc banked to the left.

  Three men as Roland had promised, Jane thought. The expert to examine the bottle, Roland himself, and the third man, who was probably fairly lethal. A jeep and a motorcycle parked in the trees.

  “Clear,” Marc said. “Should I land?”

  “Just a minute.” Caleb dialed Jock. “Millet?” He hung up and turned to Jane. “Ten minutes south of here heading toward the place you agreed on with a jeep full of men and firepower.” He paused. “And no Eve.”

  It was what they had expected.

  “Then we’ll have to go find her. Remember, try to delay any move you make against Roland’s man in case Roland checks back with him. I want to keep from bringing the situation to a head before we have to do it.” She nodded at Marc. “Let’s go down.”

  Three minutes later, the helicopter was on the ground, and Jane jumped out of the aircraft.

  “You’re late,” Roland said. “But considering that your nerves are probably coming into play, I’ll forgive you. You’ve been dreading this day for some time, haven’t you?” He smiled. “And Millet has been looking forward to it with anticipation.”

  “It’s just another day. It’s you ghouls who have made it into something horrible.” She called to Marc, who was still at the controls. “Get out of here, Marc.”