Carter intended to find him. However, as he looked around, away from the mountain toward the vast expanses of rolling hills in either direction away from it, he was aware that Mt. Ararat itself need not be the resting place of the ark.
“Let’s go, Carter, before I decide to lay around in some hookah bar for the rest of the month.” As usual, Jayden was impatient to get moving even though he wasn’t exactly sure where they were going. Carter consulted a local guidebook he’d picked up at the airport and had studied some on the bus ride over. Around them, people passed by wheeling carts, guiding livestock such as goats and sheep, and riding all manner of wheeled vehicles from bicycles to small trucks.
“The largest guide company is Ararat Trekking, and they have an office in the center of town. I say we check in there and see if there’s anyone we can chat with. Then from there, see if we can arrange a guide to take us to the two sites associated already with Noah’s Ark finds.”
Jayden signified his agreement with a shrug and the two waited for a man pulling a cart laden with caged roosters to pass, and then set off on foot down the street. As they moved the snow stopped falling, the light wind died out and the sun shone a little through the clouds. Carter unzipped his parka and began to enjoy the experience. Although he and Jayden had been to the Middle East many times on deployment, Turkey was a first for both of them, and they soaked up the experience like any first-time traveler to the country.
“Here’s what I don’t get, though,” Jayden said as he walked, deliberately looking away from a woman approximately his same age. It was difficult for him, but he avoided eye contact with the women they passed, most of whom were covered from head to toe including face scarves. He knew that they had strict customs here and that he could not afford to ruffle any feathers on their current agenda.
“What don’t you get?” Carter asked.
“If this map was made back in the pre-Titanic days, then how could it point to the discoveries that were found in the 20th century?”
Carter shrugged. “Maybe they found them first and the modern people re-discovered them independently? I don’t know but I figure it’s worth a shot.”
The walked along in silence for a while. “You know, Carter,” Jayden said after a spell, “I’ve got to tell you, this is by far the best job I’ve ever had. Especially if I live through it.”
Carter smiled and shook his head. “Omega’s first official case is turning out to be a doozey, I’ll give you that. But hey, we go the extra mile for our clients.”
“Extra fifteen thousand miles or whatever it took to go halfway around the world.”
“Whatever it takes. If Noah’s Ark does exist, no one wants it to fall into the hands of a black market collector who only cares about himself.”
“No one except that black market collector and his obviously well-paid minions, you mean.”
“I stand corrected.” Carter held his guide book up to his nose, then looked down the street. An elderly man with a long white beard was walking by and he held the book up to him. The man stopped, smiled and looked at the open page. Carter knew not a lick of Turkish, so simply pointed to the photo of the tour company’s storefront, then looked around at the street and shrugged.
“Ah!” the man exclaimed before turning and pointing down the road.
“He says we take a left down there,” Jayden guessed. They both thanked the man by nodding and smiling before continuing down the street. They turned left onto a busier street that was paved, although the traffic seemed to be of the same chaotically mixed variety as the last street. Carter recognized the sign for the place from half a block away, since it was one of the few two-story buildings on the street. As they continued down the road, Carter made it a point to keep his situational awareness up, keeping his head on the proverbial swivel. He wasn’t looking for a repeat of being accosted as they were in Newfoundland, and certainly didn’t want to end up back in the clutches of Treasure, Inc., as they were aboard the ship.
“Hey, did you ever contact Maddy?” Jayden wanted to know. “Not that I don’t think you know what you’re doing, mind you, but you know—”
“Yeah, yeah she’s an archaeology expert, I get it. No offense taken. I sent her an email yesterday from our room. I’ll check it tonight. I doubt she’ll have anything at this stage for us, but once we get into a situation where we need more detail about something specific, she’ll come in handy.”
“Oh I bet she’ll come in handy all right,” Jayden said, a mischievous tone to his voice.
“Seriously, bro?”
“Seriously, when are you two going to tie the knot? Not that I’m looking forward to losing one of my drinking buddies, but you know, you two are good together.”
Carter moved along in silence, sidestepping a gaggle of running children until they were in the clear again. He saw the mountain tours outfit up ahead on their left and began gravitating toward it. “We’ll see. I asked her to officially join Omega, full time, but she declined, so… Getting her to consult with us is the next best thing.”
“That’s just work, though,” Jayden persisted. Most guys don’t work with their wives, it’s not necessary is it?”
“Nope. But we both do a lot of travelling for our careers. Okay, so here we are. Remember — I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but no mention of you know what.”
“Your future wife?”
“The A-R-K, Jayden.”
“Oh, thaaaat! Gotcha. Mum’s the word. I just want to climb that big ole volcano just for that fun of it, yep, that’s me!”
“Good.” Carter reached the front door of the place and found a set of dusty glass doors with pull bars. He pulled one open and they walked inside to a small, bare floor with only a stairway leading up, a sign next to it on a stand reading: “Mt. Ararat Climbing Tours Upstairs.”
They looked around for second, seeing absolutely nothing else of interest on this bottom floor except for a single closed door on the far wall. From upstairs they could hear the chatter of people conducting business, phones ringing, quiet music playing. Reaching the second floor, Carter was relieved to see a normal-looking place of business, with a help desk of some sort, a waiting area with a couple of chairs and then a cubicle area behind the desk staffed with half-a-dozen workers.
A middle-aged, bearded man eyed the two westerners with interest and walked out from around the counter to greet them. He introduced himself in English, saying his name was Ayaz. Carter and Jayden introduced themselves as well, using the same fake names they’d used to make the initial contact by calling from the hostel.
“Oh yes, I remember, you said you would be coming by. Welcome to Doğubayazıt. Are you enjoying your stay thus far?”
Both Americans nodded vigorously, aware that they were being watched by some of the other locals in the place, although they weren’t the only westerners here. A group of European tourists was seated in the adjacent room, planning their trip with an employee.
“Unbelievable!” Jayden said with over-the-top enthusiasm. “Never seen anything like it. So authentic!” Carter stepped on his foot.
“What my friend, here, means is that you have a unique way of living here, all in the shadow of Mt. Ararat, and that we look forward to our climb.”
The tour operator beamed. “Yes, well most of those who trek Ararat come away as a changed person. Our mountain is a special place indeed.”
Jayden helped himself to a cup of tea brewing in a pot meant for customers. “Indeed,” he echoed before taking a sip of the steaming aromatic liquid.