Sean Wyatt Compilation Box Set

by Ernest Dempsey

  “Thank you so much,” Emily said, taking the cup with a look of relief.

  “How’d you sleep?” Sean piped up.

  “Fine, thanks,” she replied and took a seat on the opposite end of the couch from where their host had been sitting. She gazed out the gigantic windows. “What an amazing view.”

  “I love the enormity of it,” Villa said.

  “So, now that Em’s up, I’ll ask you a question that she and I are both probably thinking,” Wyatt interrupted.

  “Yes?” The chocolate eyes probed his face.

  “How did you happen to know those guys were going to show up at the Venetian?”

  She walked over by the window and gazed out at the sunrise over the faraway mountains as if considering her answer.

  “A long time ago, my father told me a story, one that many have heard before. It was a legend really, a myth.”

  “Let me guess,” Sean chimed in, “the seven cities of gold?”

  Adriana nodded. “Yes. The stories of Quivira and Cibola reached one of my family’s cousin’s, a governor in Mexico. He spent his entire family fortune on expeditions into what is now the southwestern United States, searching for this supposed treasure.”

  “Wait a second. You’re not talking about Francisco Coronado? Are you?” He seemed more interested now.

  “Very quick to make the connection,” She seemed impressed. “Yes, that is correct. He was a cousin of my ancestors. He frequently sent letters to my family back in Spain, mostly depicting the stories he’d been told about the magnificent cities and how when he discovered them our family would be the wealthiest on the planet. Sadly, he failed miserably and died a bankrupt man.”

  “So, you’re trying to pick up where he left off,” Emily threw in her two cents.

  “No,” Villa shook her head. “I have no grand delusions about seven cities of gold.”

  “Then what is it?” Sean looked sincere as he asked the question.

  “When Francisco Coronado first came through the American Southwest, he was led to believe there were magnificent golden cities that could be easily overtaken with a small army. He thought the gold could be plundered and taken back to Mexico and then Spain.”

  “You said, ‘first came through.’ What do you mean by that?” Sean questioned.

  “When Coronado returned to his estate in Mexico, he realized there must have been some sort of flaw with the story. If there were truly seven cities of gold, someone would have discovered them by then. Even rival tribes would have been tempted to overthrow the natives that had built them. Such a construction would have been nearly impossible to keep secret. That’s when he began to research the idea of the golden cities more deeply. None of the local natives from the Yucatan had ever heard of such a place save for a few who had only a faint recollection of whisperings from the past.”

  “Are you saying the people who told Coronado about Cibola and Quivira were lying?” Emily wondered.

  “You two already know the answer.” She pointed to Sean, “Your friends Joe and Tommy figured it out rather easily, I might add.”

  The light went on in Sean’s eyes. “Coronado figured out that it was something else. He must have come across some information that told him there weren’t any golden cities but they were actually four golden chambers.”

  He wondered how she knew about his friends but decided to let it go for the time being.

  “Exactly,” she smiled at him. “But there was something else that Coronado learned of that is of far greater importance.”

  Starks and Wyatt looked on, intrigued by the exotic woman silhouetted by the sunlight now pouring into the great room.

  “Your friends McElroy and Schultz realized that there was something more to the chambers than just a treasure. They know that the rooms point to somewhere important for some of the ancient peoples of this hemisphere. What they didn’t realize is what lies at the end.”

  “The end?” Emily moved to the edge of the couch, completely intrigued.

  Their host turned to face them both. She sipped the last of her coffee and set it on an end table nearby as she stepped closer. “The end of the path.”

  Sean nodded. “That’s what Joe called it, essentially. He said that the chambers were beacons, a trail to lead them home.”

  “Yes. He is mostly correct in saying that.”

  “Mostly?”

  “There is something else that your friends don’t know about.”

  The audience of two waited, eager to hear the revelation. She leaned close to both of them, eyeing one then the other. “It is rumored the fourth and final chamber is the resting place of an ancient power, one that, if discovered, could change the course of human events forever.”

  Chapter 19

  Atlanta

  Tommy hadn’t slept well during the night. He didn’t like sleeping in unfamiliar places. Other people always kept their home temperatures either too cold or too hot. Not to mention the fact that he liked to have a floor fan going to provide a little background noise.

  Will’s house had been a little cold, but he’d had worse. His inability to get any rest had more to do with the events of the previous night than his sleeping environment. A friend murdered for the second time in the last month and the ensuing shootout had rattled him more than anything. Regret and anger mingled in his head as he sat overlooking downtown Atlanta from Will’s midtown condo. He scratched his messy hair and looked down at his phone.

  No messages.

  Tommy’s thoughts went back to the events of the previous night. He’d been playing them over and over again in his mind. Who was the killer? They had to be a pro. The only trace of the mystery shooter the police found were bullet casings lying all over the floor of the hallway and near the lab entrance. There were probably more police stationed there since the occurrence. It was still odd they couldn’t find anything. No fingerprints. No blood. Nothing.

  He sat, thoughtful, for a few moments and then moved his hand across the glass-top coffee table to grab his cell phone. His fingers scrolled the touch screen until he found Sean’s name and pressed it. The other line rang a few times until the familiar voice came over the other line.

  “Hey, man,” he said into the device.

  “You doin’ OK?” Sean’s voice asked from the other end.

  “I’ve been better,” Tommy replied. “Got shot at last night over at Tech.” He hesitated then added, “Terrance is dead.” His response skipped all pleasantries and got straight to the point.

  Tommy let the words sink in for a minute.

  “What happened?” Sean asked after a moment of thought.

  “Someone broke into his lab. They must have been looking for what we had him working on. I guess when Terrance wouldn’t give it to them, they shot him.”

  “Does the family know yet?”

  “His ex-wife has been notified. But his son is over in Iraq right now. Not sure if they told him yet or not.”

  “I don’t mean to be insensitive, but did the software work?” Sean asked.

  “Yeah. We got the translation, though I haven’t got a clue what it means yet. I’ve been trying to work it out most of the morning, but I think I’m gonna have Joe take a look at it.” His voice trailed off.

  “You OK, buddy?”

  “Not really, man. I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault that Terrance and Frank are both dead.”

  There was a long silence. There was nothing Sean could say that would change how his friend felt. But he said it anyway. “There’s no way we could have known this would happen. We were just doing what we always do.” Tommy continued, “I’ll be OK. I just wanted to touch base with you.” He changed the subject in hopes that his mood would lighten. “How’s Vegas?” A laugh came through the earpiece. “What’s funny?” Tommy’s face turned curious.

  “Emily and I bumped into a hit squad last night. We barely got out thanks to some help from a new friend.”

  “Hit squad? Emily’s there?” His tone changed
drastically.

  “Yeah. Apparently, there’s a group called the Order of the Golden Dawn that is interested in the same thing we’re looking for. Ever heard of ’em?”

  This was one of those times having encrypted phones was handy. Sean had demanded it when he signed on with Tommy’s agency. As they discussed the secret society, there was no telling who might be listening in.

  “The Order of the Golden Dawn? They haven’t been around since the 1920s.”

  “Apparently not. A bunch of them tried to take out me and Em last night.”

  “What’s she doing there?”

  “Still trying to figure that out.”

  There was another moment of silence.

  “I’m going to call Joe and see if he can help with this translation,” Tommy said.

  “You think his wife will let you talk to him?”

  Tommy laughed. “I hope so. He knows more about this stuff than both of us.”

  “Good luck, buddy. You safe?”

  “Yeah, I’m at Will’s place right now. He was there when the shooter returned last night. I crashed at his place.”

  “All right. Let me know what Joe says.”

  “Will do.”

  Chapter 20

  Las Vegas

  Sean hung up the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. He’d gone upstairs to speak privately with Tommy and also to give the ladies a few minutes to get to know one another. He was still suspicious of the mysterious Spaniard who had miraculously come to their rescue. Maybe it was just part of his training and experience. In his mind, someone always wanted something. It was a rare thing to find a genuine Good Samaritan who was just out to step into the line of fire and help a stranger. Her story seemed legit, though. But he felt like he needed to more. A part of him wanted to know more. And for now, they were just going to have to trust her. He hoped she was one of the good guys.

  He climbed back down the stairs and found the two women talking casually where he’d left them.

  “How’s Tommy?” Starks asked as she saw Sean appear at the base of the stairs.

  “He’s fine except that he got shot at last night.”

  Emily looked concerned. “Lot of that goin’ around.”

  Adriana spoke up. “Your friend is in grave danger.”

  “He’s OK,” Sean answered. “He spent the night at a cop’s house last night. That’s where he is right now.”

  She shook her head. “You cannot trust anyone. Especially not the police. The Order has their fingers in many pockets.”

  “Should we trust you?”

  “Probably not,” she squinted her eyes. “But if I wanted you dead, you already would be. And unlike someone who would use you to find something I needed, I have brought you something.”

  “What do you mean?” Emily interjected.

  “Come with me, and I will show you.”

  Sean and Emily gave each other a why not glance and followed the Spaniard toward the rear of the house. She led them down a flight of stairs that headed toward the garage. When they entered, they saw the familiar surroundings from their arrival the night before.

  “I still wanna take a ride on that duke,” Sean commented coolly as they walked past the bright red sport bike.

  Adriana cast him a playful glance. “You would look silly on the back, I think.”

  He snorted, and the side of his mouth rose to a flirty grin.

  “I like her,” Emily poked quietly.

  Their host stopped at a plain-looking door at the other end of the garage where a key panel kept the portal locked. She punched in a random sequence of numbers, and a moment later the mechanism opened with a click. “What I am about to show you has only been seen by two sets of eyes in over three thousand years.” Her tone was respectful and serious.

  Sean and Emily looked at each other briefly with wide eyes. “Why are you showing us?” Sean asked.

  Adriana eyed him sincerely. “Because you are not searching for the treasure for worldly gain.”

  She pulled open the heavy door, and a small burst of air escaped from within. Inside, a series of florescent lights came on automatically, leading into a staircase cut from the stone of the mountain. The three entered, and Sean and Emily followed their hostess down the stairs that led farther and farther into the man-made cavern.

  After walking for a minute or so, the group entered a circular room. It had been carved smooth out of rock. The walls were decorated with odd-looking engravings. There were petroglyphs from Assyria, Sumer, Babylon, and Egypt, as well as others that seemed far more unique, possibly from further back in history. A small safe sat atop an old wooden stand off to the side.

  “How did you find this place?” Emily questioned as she turned around in circles, staring at the wondrous display of history surrounding her.

  In the middle of the chamber, a pedestal stood alone rising up from the rock floor. An oddly shaped piece of gold lay on top of it. The object was designed to look like a leaf from a tree. It was decorated intricately with lines and cellular irregularities just as a real leaf would have. From one end to the other, the piece was probably eight inches long and four inches wide at its broadest point.

  Sean stepped closer to get a better look at the strange plate.

  “I discovered this room after years of searching,” Adriana said. “It was actually luck that led me here. Initially, I was not even searching for anything related to the golden chambers.”

  “What were you looking for?” Sean asked.

  She cast him a cryptic smile. “I was looking for a painting. It had been taken by the Nazis during the Second World War.”

  “Searching for stolen World War II loot?” he grinned. “Lot of rumors about that kind of stuff. Hard to find, though. The Nazis were very meticulous about how and where they hid things. Who was the artist?”

  “Van Gogh.”

  He was impressed and gave Emily a sideways glance.

  “How did a van Gogh lead you to Nevada?” Sean inquired.

  “It is a long story, Mr. Wyatt. Like I said, it was mostly luck that led me here. I also had a little help from some new friends as well as some old ones. The painter has little to do with why I am here, though.”

  Sean doubted it was mere luck. Still, he didn’t press the issue. “How long have you had this?”

  “Not long. A little over a year,” she said plainly. “I had the house built around it to keep it safe until I could figure out the next piece of the puzzle.”

  “Next piece?”

  “Francisco Coronado’s expedition was mostly a disaster. He lost money, resources, and years of his life in the pursuit of the cities of gold. However, it wasn’t a total failure.” Adriana pointed to the golden leaf. She continued, “Coronado had considered that the men who had told him the stories of Cibola and Quivira could have been delusional or simply liars. But he believed that there was probably an element of truth to what they’d said. So he was careful to investigate every possibility. “He met a shaman from a local tribe in what is now New Mexico. The old man gave Coronado a riddle. He said that if the Spaniard was able to unravel that mystery, he would find the treasure that he sought.”

  “Coronado figured out the riddle,” Sean said quietly, running a finger along the unusual piece of gold.

  She nodded. “Yes. He found it here in this cave. Even though the medicine man had underestimated Coronado, he still knew that the explorer would only uncover a piece of the greater riddle, one he could never hope to unravel. “So he left the piece here in this chamber to return in secret. He soon after became ill and never returned to the mountain. However, he did leave clues in some of his writings as to how to get back here.”

  “Writings?” Emily asked.

  “The Diary of Francisco Coronado.”

  Adriana stepped over to the safe that also featured a keypad like the door leading into the secret room. Her fingers entered a set of numbers, and the little metal box opened with a click. Gently, she reached her hand inside and withd
rew a small leatherbound book. The object was worn. Its original owner had probably carried it through a vast array of circumstances. Sean knew that rain, snow, dry desert, and humidity all had different effects on the way artifacts were preserved. For as old as it was presumed to be, he was impressed with the book’s excellent condition. She brought it close and held it out to Sean so he could have a closer look. He clutched it carefully in both hands as if simply touching it might break the thing.

  “The dry air in here has helped preserve it. I was surprised it was in this good a condition considering where I found it,” Adriana pointed out.

  “Where did you say you found it?” Emily piped in.

  “I didn’t.”

  Starks puckered her lips in understanding, letting the topic go.

  Sean stared at the nearly worn-out letters on the faded brown cover. La Journal de Francisco Coronado.

  Chapter 21

  Atlanta

  Tommy paced around the cavernous apartment, deep in thought. Terrance was dead. He could have been, too. And Sean had been shot at as well. It was difficult to make sense of it all. Now Sean was telling him that the Order of the Golden Dawn was possibly at the center of it all? He’d only learned a little bit about the secret society in passing. Maybe he had seen it in a presentation somewhere.

  Tommy couldn’t remember. But he did recall that they were an odd group, bent on ancient rituals and the idea that there was some sort of ancient power they could call upon.

  The Order of the Golden Dawn had been historically insignificant, dwindling away in the early 1920s. Maybe that was their plan all along. He needed to talk to Mac. The new riddle he’d retrieved the night before had to be solved, and he had a feeling that his friend would have an answer. Of course, there was a problem. Joe had been shot during the adventure a few weeks ago. He was fine, and his shoulder was healing nicely, though still in a sling. The real issue was his better half.

  Mrs. McElroy had been less than happy when her husband was nearly killed.

  When she had arrived at the hospital, she didn’t say anything to Tommy or Sean. But the look she gave said a million words.

  He knew Sean felt guilty about involving their longtime friend with the pursuit of the golden chamber. Although it wasn’t like someone put a gun to his head. Well, none of the good guys anyway.