The Temple Mount Code

by Charles Brokaw

  Lourds wasn’t even aware of the effect he had on women. As far as she knew, he’d never taken the time to try to figure out why they were attracted to him. She knew from personal experience that he had an immense appetite for the pleasures of the flesh, and she’d come to suspect that making love only allowed him to take necessary mental-health breaks from his true passion.

  He took what women willingly offered, but he didn’t chase after them the way he did his mysteries. That had been a hard lesson to learn.

  She had spent a few years thinking about everything that had happened to her in that relationship, trying to figure out what she’d done wrong. As she’d come to realize, she hadn’t done anything wrong. If anything, she knew she should take solace and pride in the fact that their relationship had lasted through most of the two years they had spent together at the university.

  According to Lev, no one else had ever occupied so much of Lourds’s life.

  ‘You’re quiet.’ Lourds glanced up at her.

  ‘Just thinking.’

  ‘Too hard, I’d wager.’

  ‘Perhaps.’

  ‘So what are you thinking about?’

  ‘How good it is to see you again.’

  Lourds grinned at her, that little-boy expression that was pure guile and mischief and innocence all at once. ‘You’re a married woman, Frau Von Volker.’

  She frowned at him and felt a momentary flicker of anger. ‘Don’t call me that.’ Her voice came out sharper than she’d intended.

  Genuine regret marked Lourds’s face. ‘I apologize, Alice. That was inappropriate. Please forgive me.’

  Just like that, the anger and awkwardness she’d experienced were gone. That was what it was like being with Thomas Lourds. He didn’t judge her. He never had. He was only trying to be funny, to get a moment’s respite during a hard situation.

  ‘You’re forgiven. I overreacted.’ And she was way past feeling that her attentions to Lourds were in any way suitable for a married woman. She still loved him but at the same time she realized that she’d never be able to have him. That didn’t keep her body from responding to his proximity, though. Every now and again, her breath caught at the back of her throat.

  She was his for the asking.

  And he probably didn’t even know it.

  Finally, he picked up a small candelabrum from one of the tables.

  She joined him. ‘Is that what you were looking for?’

  His grin was all the answer she needed. ‘Yes. This was something I gave Lev a long time ago. Evidently he put it to a new use.’

  The candelabrum was a Jewish menorah for celebrating Hanukkah. Instead of the traditional six branches fanning out in an elliptical pattern around the main branch, this one had eight. It was supposed to be lighted during the eight days of the Jewish holiday. The shamash, the servant candle, was the candle that was used to light the other candles. Carefully, Lourds twisted that thin spire.

  To Alice’s surprise, the short candle base pulled free. A tightly rolled piece of paper occupied the hollowed area.

  Lourds took the paper out, gently set the menorah aside, and opened his prize.

  Standing on tiptoe, too aware of Lourds’s clean, soapy smell and cologne, Alice peered over his shoulder and read the note.

  Thomas, you’ll have to see this from my point of view.

  At the bottom of the piece of paper was a deftly rendered pictograph.

  ‘Is that a Pegasus?’

  Lourds smiled. ‘It’s a flying horse, all right. But this is al-Buraq, not the mount from Greek myth.’

  ‘The flying horse that Mohammad rode?’

  ‘The very same.’

  ‘What does it mean?’

  ‘It means I have to return to Jerusalem.’

  Although she’d been expecting the answer, Alice’s heart felt pierced. She didn’t like the idea of getting Lourds back and losing him again so quickly. ‘When?’

  ‘The sooner the better. A lot of people are looking for this, and I’m not even sure what it is.’ Lourds looked at her. ‘Alice, I don’t know how to thank you enough. Without you, I’d never have found this.’

  Wordlessly, Alice gave in to the desire that had fueled her since she’d seen him that afternoon on the terrace of the Albertina Museum. She pulled him to her and kissed him soundly.

  Lourds hesitated only for a moment, and she thought the fact that she was married – no matter how miserably – was going to stop him. Then he bent down and swept her up in his strong arms.

  He smiled at her. ‘I’m sure there are a lot of bedrooms here. Pick one and tell me how to get there.’

  Anger flared through Von Volker as he watched the image of the American professor carrying his wife through the halls of his house. He watched them on the computer monitor. Their intent was unmistakable. In that moment, he wanted to go to the schloss, get one of his shotguns, and blow the American’s head off his shoulders.

  ‘Herr Von Volker, if you want me to stop this, I can.’ The schloss’s security chief looked uncomfortable.

  They sat in the off-site security headquarters in one of the guesthouses. From there they could access the schloss’s closed-circuit security system. Six computer monitors rotated views of the house. The central one tracked Lourds’s progress through the hallway.

  Evidently Alice was giving directions to one of the guest bedrooms. She wanted to avoid the one she shared with her husband. Von Volker took a measure of pride in that. If she wouldn’t love him, he ensured that she feared him.

  ‘No. Leave them alone. Let them have their fun. Because there will be no more of it after tonight.’ Von Volker kept his voice calm. Von Volker was more angry about having to cut short his festivities at the after-rally party. He had whipped the crowd into a proper frenzy, and he’d gotten caught up in the pull of it all himself.

  He was also angry because he could see how much his wife was in love with the American. Expectation glowed on her face. In that moment, he hated her in a way he’d never hated anyone.

  On the screen, Alice and Lourds began removing each other’s clothing. Von Volker made himself watch. Once they found out he had seen them, they would fear him even more. He would use that against them and enjoy every moment of it.

  Alice lay beneath Lourds as he laved her breasts with kisses and his gentle tongue. Her breath grew shorter, and her needs grew stronger. Then his kisses drifted farther south until he was probing her sex yet again, driving her closer and closer to the edge – until she shattered and lost all control.

  Her cries of pleasure filled the bedroom, and she knew she would have been mortified if she’d been in her right mind. Gasping, she lay back as Lourds raised himself above her and looked down at her, chuckling.

  Finally, her breath returned, and she could feign a frown. ‘You don’t have to gloat.’

  ‘This? This isn’t a gloat. This is happy.’

  ‘You’re awfully proud of yourself.’

  ‘Shouldn’t I be?’

  ‘Possibly. Of course, doing that to me has always had those results. You have always been a cunning linguist.’

  Lourds grinned even larger. ‘It’s truly a shame that bit of wordplay only works in English.’

  ‘Because you’ve been with so many women that don’t speak English?’

  He froze for a moment, and she could see that he didn’t know what to say.

  ‘My bad. Now I’m the one who’s transgressed.’

  ‘I forgive you.’

  ‘How very gallant.’

  ‘But I am going to exact a punishment.’ Lourds adjusted his hips and sank into her.

  Alice’s breath grew short again. Then he began to move, and the slippery, glorious friction made coherent thought all but impossible.

  August 8, 2011

  An hour before dawn, Lourds woke and started to get up so he would be gone before Von Volker’s research team returned to the schloss. Alice grabbed him and slid on top of him. The lovemaking this time had more tenderness than
desperation, and Lourds knew they were both resenting the fact that they had to part.

  But the mystery wouldn’t wait, and Von Volker wasn’t a man to forgive trespasses.

  Afterward, Lourds showered and dressed as she watched him. He didn’t feel self-conscious about her watching, but he regretted the way his leaving was making her feel. On one level, he didn’t want to go, but on all the others, he was excited to get back to Jerusalem and find out what Lev had left for him there.

  And he thought he knew the exact place to look for the sign.

  When he was ready to go, he leaned over and kissed her once more. ‘While I’m gone, see if you can sort through Lev’s artifacts. In case there’s something else there we’ll need to know about later.’

  ‘I’ve already got a copy of the catalogue on the items that his people have compiled.’

  Lourds nodded. ‘That isn’t all of Lev’s collection. I know of at least a dozen pieces that are missing. I sincerely doubt that Lev got rid of any of them. Concentrate on the ones representing the Muslim faith.’

  ‘Like the figurine of Iblis?’

  ‘Exactly.’

  ‘I’ll keep watch for them and let you know if and when they arrive.’

  ‘In the meantime, you need to watch yourself. If Von Volker figures out I’ve been here – ’

  She put her warm fingers against his lips. ‘I know, Thomas. This is a game I’ve played before. You’re not the only lover I’ve taken since I’ve been married.’ She smiled at him. ‘I tell you that only so you don’t have to feel as though you’ve been the one to help me break my marriage vows.’

  ‘I was trying hard not to feel guilty over that.’

  ‘Sarcasm?’

  ‘It’s a language-rich skill.’

  Her beautiful eyes sparkled as she grinned mischievously. ‘I’ll also bet that I’m not the only married woman you’ve bedded.’

  ‘A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.’ Lourds captured her hand and kissed her fingers.

  ‘You’re not a gentleman.’

  ‘I do try to keep the tattered fragments in place.’

  Alice picked up his hat from the bed and settled it atop his head. ‘Go. Before you’re caught and we’re undone.’

  Lourds kissed her and pulled back. ‘If everything goes well, we’ll see each other again soon.’

  ‘Not soon enough.’

  Lourds walked through the house, thinking about the night he’d just had and how familiar everything had seemed. It was as though they’d only been apart a few days, not years. All the moves were still there, and they still played each other’s bodies like finely tuned instruments.

  The main thing that occupied his mind, though, was what puzzles awaited him in Jerusalem. Lev had mentioned a book, so everything would start there.

  As he approached the front door, movement to his left caught his attention. He started to turn, thought he saw a man, then an explosion opened a black hole in his head.

  31

  Jagdschloss Volker

  Outside Vienna, Austria

  August 8, 2011

  Certain he was going to find his brains lying in a pool at his feet, Lourds cracked his eyes open against the harsh white light shining full in his face. The overpowering glare made learning any details about where he was being held difficult.

  He was definitely being held, though. Leather straps bound him to a chair. He struggled against them, found they were more than strong enough to hold him in place, and succeeded ultimately only in making his already pounding headache worse.

  Resigned, he leaned back against the chair and listened. The quiet told him that either the room was soundproofed or it was far from the neighbors. Either reason was bad.

  A door opened. Tense, heart pounding, Lourds waited. He was pretty certain he knew who’d kidnapped him.

  ‘Professor Lourds.’ Von Volker’s voice was immediately recognizable. ‘Did you have a good time getting … reacquainted with my wife?’

  There was no possible way that could be answered. Lourds didn’t even bother to try.

  ‘Come on, Professor Lourds. Surely you have some cutting remark to offer the man you just cuckolded.’

  Fear made Lourds speak, but not for himself. ‘Where is Alice? What have you done to her?’

  Von Volker laughed, and Lourds hated the man for that.

  ‘I’ve not done anything to Alice. She doesn’t even know we’re here.’

  Lourds felt a little relief, but he was hardly in a position to be worry-free. ‘If you’re going to blame anyone for Alice’s indiscretion – ’

  ‘I should blame you?’

  ‘No, you pompous ass, you should blame yourself.’ Lourds didn’t know he was going to say that until he’d already spoken. But he remembered the fear and loathing he’d seen in Alice’s eyes and couldn’t hold back. He blamed the pain inside his skull, and the fact that he was possibly still addled.

  Someone removed the light shining in his face. It took a moment for his vision to clear well enough to make out the small room and the three men in it.

  Von Volker sat in a comfortable office chair. The room was small and barren except for a long counter that ran the length of one wall. A double stainless-steel sink with hose attachments occupied the center of the counter. The floor was concrete, and in the center of it was a large grill over a water drain.

  The presence of the drain chilled Lourds’s blood. The room was a kill room, a place where game was brought to be cleaned and dressed after being shot.

  The two men with Von Volker were grim-faced hard-cases who wore pistols in shoulder holsters.

  The Austrian glanced around the room and smiled. ‘I surmise that you’ve fathomed the purpose of this room?’

  Lourds remained silent.

  ‘We’re at my jagdschloss. You know the term, yes?’

  ‘I speak German fluently.’ A jagdschloss was a hunting lodge.

  ‘Of course you do. That was one of the languages you used with Alice last night.’

  Lourds couldn’t believe it. ‘You were watching?’

  ‘Nearly the whole time.’ Von Volker shrugged. ‘I have to admit, watching her with someone else is quite interesting. The only time I ever get her so receptive to sex is when I drug her. During those times, she’s hardly a scintillating conversationalist. To be equitable, you had her fairly speechless most of the time.’ He grinned coldly.

  ‘You’re a sick, twisted bastard.’

  A nerve high on the Austrian’s face jerked. ‘I’m tempted to have my men remove one of your fingers for such an insult.’

  Lourds swallowed a thick ball of fear lodged at the back of his throat.

  ‘Do I have your attention?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Good. This will go much faster and be more rewarding for both of us.’ Von Volker crossed one leg over the other. ‘How did you find out I had taken Lev Strauss’s little religious artifact collection?’

  ‘Alice called me.’ Lourds didn’t see that telling the truth would get her in any more trouble than she was already in.

  Von Volker nodded in satisfaction. ‘Excellent. Having to fight you to get the truth out of you would be tedious. Although the thought of torturing you would be somewhat rewarding. On my part, at least.’

  ‘Did you murder Lev?’

  After a brief hesitation, Von Volker shook his head. ‘No. I wanted him alive. His death was unfortunate. There is another man, a Saudi named Rayan Mufarrij, who caused your friend’s death. Have you heard of him?’

  ‘No.’ Lourds was glad to be able to tell the truth. His mind had already started summoning awful images of what Von Volker’s men would do to him.

  ‘He’s a very bad man, a dangerous man.’

  ‘What does he want?’

  ‘Presumably what we all want: Mohammad’s Koran, the one given to him from God’s lips.’ Von Volker smiled mockingly.

  ‘You sound like you don’t believe it exists.’

  ‘For me to believe that that
version of the Koran exists, I’d also have to believe in a God. I don’t. I believe in power. In the unity of the German and Austrian people. And in our destiny to become a powerful nation – a united nation – again. I also believe in me being the head of state of such a country. Anything else is unacceptable.’ Von Volker paused a moment, then studied Lourds. ‘Do you know where Mohammad’s Koran is?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Sadly, I believe you. Torture seems like such an ideal way for us to spend the morning, however.’

  Trying to contain his fear, Lourds just stared at the man.

  ‘You see, it’s easy to believe you don’t know where an imaginary object is. However, I do want to know what this means.’ Von Volker held up the piece of paper Lev had left in the candelabrum.

  Lourds shook his head. ‘I don’t know. I was on my way back to Jerusalem to find out.’

  ‘That’s too bad.’ Von Volker put the piece of paper into his pocket and stood. ‘Because I don’t believe that.’

  More afraid now, Lourds took a breath. ‘Under the circumstances, if I knew, I’d tell you. You’ll have to trust me on that.’

  Von Volker studied him for a moment. ‘Perhaps.’ He looked at the two men. ‘I’m going to return to Vienna. Give me time to establish an alibi, since it may come out that he’s an old lover of my wife’s, then kill him. Make it painful.’ He turned and walked away, and the click of his heels against the concrete sounded loud and grim.

  Schloss Volker

  Alice tried to go about her day as if nothing had happened, but that was almost impossible because all she could think about was Thomas. Her body ached in pleasant ways from all the positions she’d found herself in during the course of the night.

  She glanced at her watch again. It was after ten. He should have been at the airport already. She’d left six messages on his cell phone. She didn’t know whether to be more afraid that he was deliberately ignoring her or that something had happened to him.

  Seated in her office space, she had a clear view of the front gate, so when Klaus’s private car pulled into the circle drive, she saw the vehicle immediately. Panic tightened her stomach, but she made herself breathe.