Tommy felt like he could get a pass from the wife simply because he had been kidnapped in the fiasco. Surely she held a little sympathy for that.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door unlocking.
Will came through the opening with a bag from Panera Bread Company and a couple of coffees in a drink carrier.
“Breakfast?”
“Yeah, I’m starving.”
“Coffee with milk, right?”
Tommy eyed him with a suspicious grin. “How’d you know that?”
Will raised his eyebrows. “Seems like you mentioned it a few weeks ago.”
Smiling, Schultz seemed to accept the explanation and took the proffered beverage. He smelled the intoxicating and soothing aroma of the brew.
Good coffee was something Tommy loved. On one of his trips to Spain he’d learned of what they called white coffee. The smooth consistency of the milk was a great combination with the bitter earthiness of the coffee. He drew a big sip into his mouth, careful of how hot the drink was based on the warmth of the cup. “Ahhh,” he exhaled. “Now that’s good Joe.”
“Glad you like it. Got an egg soufflé for you too,” he added as he set the food out on the counter nearby.
“Thanks,” he said and grabbed a fork from within one of the brown bags. “Oh, speaking of Joe, I need to see him as soon as possible.”
Will looked dubious. “You sure that’s a good idea?”
“She’ll get over it,” he said confidently, masking his uncertainty.
“You think Joe knows what that riddle means?”
Tommy shrugged. “It’s worth a try. He probably has a better idea than I do. Joe’s good at these sorts of things.”
“Maybe you should call first.”
“Yeah, probably,” he laughed at the thought and took a bite of the soufflé.
Chapter 22
Nevada Desert
The morning had been less than hospitable to Alexander. His conversation with Jennings did little to reassure him. He knew that his mole in the Justice Department would do anything he ordered. The problem was whether or not he could follow through without drawing more attention. Last night’s shootout had been just as much of a fiasco as the ordeal in Georgia a few weeks prior. That was the sort of thing that got far too many people asking questions. He sipped his coffee while sitting on a balcony overlooking the desert to the west.
In the distance behind, the Grand Canyon wound its way through the landscape. Lindsey had gone there once as a child. He recalled the experience as unpleasant. It had been a particularly hot day. At the time, he hadn’t cared for the desert climate. His father told him of how sacred the land was. He believed that the veil between God and man was thinner out there in the desolate plains. Young Alex didn’t fully understand at the time. But as he grew older, his appreciation of spiritual things became stronger. He spent hours each day studying Biblical texts. Raised a devout Mormon, he also spent a great deal of time researching the books of the Latter-day Saints and believed strongly in their ideals and teachings. He had been a zealous advocate for the church. Until sixteen years ago.
Lindsey had been chosen to be one of the twelve apostles, a group that was part of the council of the church presidency. It was his father’s dying wish that Alex become part of the president’s cabinet, and because the elder Lindsey was one of their primary benefactors, the church conceded to the old man’s request. The other members of the group of apostles were receptive, at first, to the younger Lindsey’s ideas and thoughts. He’d brought about new revenues and means of bringing in more converts through outreach programs and fundraising efforts. His influence grew stronger both within the church and outside of it. He had headed up subtle public relations campaigns that began erasing what had, for a long time, been a beleaguered opinion of Mormon beliefs. Then everything changed.
The church’s then president, Howard Hunter, passed away after serving only one year in the position. It was an unexpected event, and it forced the cabinet of advisers and apostles to prematurely gather together in prayer to elect their new leader.
It was no secret that Alexander wanted to be the next president, or prophet, as it was known. During the months leading up to Hunter’s death, Lindsey had become noticeably more aggressive in his pursuit of the head position, something that was out of character for any apostle. Alexander had even mentioned publically how he would run things if he was in charge, something that left a foul taste in the mouths of the other council members. Apostles were pious men and were not expected to promote their own ends toward advancement since it was believed that God would choose the next leader through inspiration. When it came time to elect the new leader, he was not even among the final few nominated, a fact that had incited him to question the chamber’s chairman.
The group elected Gordon Hinckley, effectively ensuring Lindsey’s path to succession wouldn’t happen anytime soon. Alexander was outraged. His family had contributed tens of millions of dollars to the church. The fundraising and outreach programs that he’d put together had helped double the church’s revenue in just a few short years. Yet he’d been told he was too young to be elected and that his brazen pursuit of the presidency belied a character not in keeping with the traditions of a prophet. They claimed that some of his ideas were too radical and would set a bad precedent. In the proceeding weeks he resigned from his post with the council and officially left the church, effectively wiping his name from their record books. He vowed then to make the old fools regret their mistakes. He never forgot that vow.
A warm breeze swept up the mountainside as he sipped his coffee. Caffeine was something the church had warned against. After his brisk exit he’d immediately revolted against most of their teachings, including many of the temperance beliefs.
His quiet reflections were interrupted by the ringing of a cell phone on the table next to him. He reached over and picked it up, hoping it wasn’t more bad news.
“We have their location, sir,” the voice came through the earpiece.
Weaver and Collack had done their jobs after all. “Where?”
“In the mountains outside of Las Vegas. We traced a call from Schulz’s phone a little while ago. We are moving in now,” the voice continued.
Lindsey wondered what Sean Wyatt was up to.
“Wait.” He thought for a moment. “Fall back and watch. They may still be of some used to us. Perhaps they will lead us to the next clue.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lindsey hung up the phone and peered out into the vast desert. Let the pawns make their moves.
Chapter 23
Cartersville, Georgia
The phone near the computer rang loudly. Joe McElroy was busy reading through the day’s news on the monitor when he heard the ring.
His wife was outside working in the yard. Since he’d gotten home from the hospital, he’d not been able to do the kind of things he had before. One day last week he went by his office at the ranger station at the state park just to grab a few things, but other than that Joe had been resigned to staying at home while his arm healed. It drove him crazy being cooped up like an animal. Even though the things that happened a few weeks ago were harrowing, he had not felt so alive in a long time. Adventure was something that he missed, but he was content with his life. He had a good woman, a great job, and a beautiful cabin in the woods. But helping Sean had brought out something in him that he’d thought was long since dead.
Another ring snapped him back to the cabin. “Hello?”
“Joe!” the familiar voice said loudly from the other end. “How you feelin’, buddy?”
“Tommy...” He shifted uneasily in his chair. “I’m doing much better, thanks.” While he spoke he stood up and looked outside to make sure his wife was still blowing leaves. She was down the driveway a good hundred feet away accompanied by the distant sound of the machine attached to her back. “What’s going on, buddy?” he asked, satisfied she wouldn’t know what he was doing.
&nbs
p; “I need your help with something.”
Joe eased back into the chair at his workstation, eagerly anticipating what Tommy had to say. His beady eyes gleamed, and his smile raised the beard on his face slightly. “What ya got?”
“The translation for the second stone.”
McElroy was already busy typing on the keyboard. He stopped suddenly. “Really? That was quick. How’d you pull that off?”
“A friend had some software that solved the riddle.” Tommy paused. “Now that friend is dead.” He paused a few seconds. “There are some odd lines in this one. It says, ‘In desert mountains above the meadows’ sand, the sunlight points the way. The lions watch the gate to the spider’s lair. Though the distance is great, take guidance from the eagle’s wings to the river between the great mountains in the southern land. Leaves of three unlock the door.”
Joe sat quietly thinking for a minute. The sound of the leaf blower still penetrated the wall from outside, confirming his wife was still busy. “Lions?” Joe sounded confused. “I don’t remember hearing much about lions in Native culture. Although there is one place...” He began typing furiously on the computer’s keyboard again. After a few moments, he clicked the mouse on something that caught his eye on the screen. Bandelier National Monument. That’s probably your best place to start lookin’.”
“New Mexico?”
“That’s what Google says.”
“You’re not looking at Wikipedia, are you? Because —”
“No,” Joe cut him off. “I’m looking at the government site. Bandelier had a Native settlement there a long time ago. They left behind some ruins and a couple of stone lions lying side by side on the ground.” He read a few more lines on the screen before continuing. “Seems that no one really knows why the two lion sculptures are there.”
“I’ll take a look at it. Any idea about the rest of the riddle?”
Joe typed in some new words and phrases into the search engine, but as he scanned through the content, nothing caught his eye. “I’ll have to get back to you on the rest of it, buddy. Nothing is really popping out at the moment.”
“OK, Mac. I appreciate your help.”
“No problem, Tommy. Sean still out in Vegas?”
“At the moment.”
Suddenly, Joe heard the door leading into the garage start creaking open. He realized the sound of the leaf blower was painfully absent.
“Sorry, partner, I gotta go. Talk soon.” He didn’t wait for Tommy to say goodbye and hung up the phone just as his wife entered through the door.
Chapter 24
Las Vegas
Sean stared at the book in disbelief. He’d heard rumors that such a thing existed. But in his line of work he heard a lot of things. Adriana was turning out to be a woman full of surprises. “May I?” he asked, longing to see the pages within.
“Of course,” she motioned for him to proceed. “Put these on.” She produced a pair of white gloves from a pocket.
After he slipped them on, he cautiously opened the first page of the old book. Fortunately, he had learned enough Spanish over the years to be able to interpret most of what he saw. A lot of the contents were just gibberish, mentioning conditions, supplies, etc. There was a picture of the golden leaf drawn on one page, probably from the description the shaman had given. But what came after that was what interested Sean.
This morning, before the sun arose, I left our camp in secret and climbed high up into the mountains. So much of this rugged terrain looks the same. I feared that I would never discover the relic I sought. My suspicions were becoming greater that the medicine man who had led us to this place had either deceived me or believed that I was not clever enough to solve his riddle. When I had reached the peak of a nearby mountain, I sat in quiet prayer as the sun began to peek over the mountain range to the east. As I finished, I noticed a beam of sunlight shining through an odd hole located in a stone formation about one hundred feet away. The strange alignment of the rocks appeared to be manmade, the hole itself bored out through the center of a large square stone. I turned to see where the light was shining and found that a tiny dot of sunlight rested on a rock about twenty feet away. Curious, I walked over to the spot and upon further inspection realized that the stone—about the size of a man—had been put there by humans. I checked behind it and noticed there was a narrow sliver of space. With renewed vigor, I climbed up onto a ledge behind the large stone and leveraged it with my feet, pushing with my back against the wall. The giant piece toppled over, and I fell down and into the opening of a cave. Inside I found an ancient leaf of gold, which was illuminated by the ray of sunlight shining into a stone chamber.
I do not know who left this relic here, but they went through much trouble to hide it. Standing before it, I realized that I could not remove it from this sacred resting place.
Perhaps the medicine man believed I could not remove it or perhaps would not. He told me only the worthy could take the leaf to reunite it with the others. And the person who did so would have the power of the gods. I deserve no such power. The person who accomplishes this must be of a purer heart than mine. Still, I wonder where the other pieces are.
Sean finished reading the passage and turned the page. There were no other entries. He looked back at Adriana and handed her the book. “Others?” he asked, curious.
“The others Coronado refer to are known as the Sumer Plates. They are supposed to point the way to the second chamber.”
Emily spoke up suddenly. “Second chamber? What if no one found the first one? Couldn’t we just skip a few steps and get to the end?”
Their host turned to her as she spoke. “The path from one chamber to the next cannot be completed without the stone from the previous. Each stone, like the one discovered in Georgia, has unique qualities. The original stone does not point the way to the second chamber, only the first.”
“The stone we found at the chamber looked exactly like the first one except for the message on one side and the picture on the other,” Sean stated.
Adriana looked uncertain. “The message from each stone points the way to the next. It would be impossible to find the chambers out of order.”
She took the diary back to the safe and laid it inside carefully. “Did you happen to notice anything usual about the stone’s shape?”
Sean took a minute to think, but nothing came to mind. A beeping noise suddenly sounded from her front jeans pocket. Adriana reached in and looked at her cell phone.
“What is it?” Emily asked.
“Looks like we need to be leaving,” Adriana replied with a concerned look in her eyes. “I believe they found us.”
Chapter 25
Las Vegas
The two black Ford Explorers were parked behind a few abandoned campers in the valley at the foot of the mountain. The rotting remains of the trailers provided the only cover in the desert plains leading up to the mountains.
“How long are we going to sit here?” Angela said into her microphone as she wiped a bead of sweat off of her forehead.
James responded from the other SUV. “As long as it takes.”
“As long as it takes for what? Our engines to blow up?” He ignored her snide comment. “What if they decided to just hang out for a few days?” Frustration was evident in her voice.
“We were ordered to hold back and observe. I’m certain they will be on the move soon.”
“What’s the problem?” Emily asked as the three left the stone corridor and closed the heavy door behind them.
“I have a perimeter warning system here,” Villa answered. “Someone is on the property.”
She led them back up into the house to a small room that was probably meant to be an office but instead looked like a small security center. Six computer screens displayed camera views of different places surrounding the property. She typed a few keys, and the part of the screen enclosed by a blinking red border zoomed in. Two black SUVs sat waiting by a couple of old RV campers down near the base of the mounta
in.
“Our friends from last night?” Sean asked.
“Probably,” their host answered as she zoomed in on one of the trucks with a toggle.
“Looks like they’re waiting to ambush us.” Emily theorized.
“Maybe,” he said. “More than likely they’re waiting to see what we’re going to do next. If they were going to keep trying to kill us, they’d have already come up the mountain.”
“What are we going to do next?”
Both women looked at him expectantly.
“Well, we can’t just sit here all day. I say we make a run for it.” He looked at Adriana. “You up for a little car chase?”
She smiled and twirled the keys on her index finger.
Villa guided the SUV carefully along the mountain road until they came to the last hidden turn near the bottom. She looked back at Sean who was strapped in and ready. Then she punched it, kicking up dirt and gravel behind them.
The black Audi roared across the desert back toward the city. Up ahead they could see the campers and just behind them, the two trucks of their pursuers.
Suddenly, Sean’s phone started ringing in his left pocket. It was Joe. “Hey, Mac. I’m not sure I got a lot of time to talk right now. What’s up?”
“In more trouble?”
“You know me.” Sean said as the Q7 sailed off of the dirt road and onto asphalt again. He turned and looked behind them, switching his cell phone to the other ear. In the dust cloud behind he could make out the two black vehicles pulling out and heading in their direction.
Joe chuckled. “Yeah. I do. Listen, Sean. I just got off the phone with Tommy a few minutes ago and then tried calling him back, but he didn’t answer so I thought I’d give you a shout. You still in Vegas?”
“Yeah, sorta.”
Adriana veered the car into the outskirts of town. Their vehicle was much faster than the two chasing them. He just hoped they didn’t see any police. With the crazy scene that was surely still going on over at the Venetian, he doubted many would be out giving speeding tickets.
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