Bones looked at the man and grinned. “Trust me, in our line of work, it’s not that far-fetched.”
Chapter 18
The heat struck him as soon as he emerged from the underground chamber. Maddock mopped his brow and tried to process what he’d just learned. The stone that had belonged to Bones’ ancestor had been brought to the New World by a Templar, which meant there was a good chance it was, indeed, an artifact from the Holy Land. Another stone had been lost in a shipwreck somewhere off the coast of South Carolina. When he considered Dima’s evidence that Noah possessed three stones that were at least special enough to merit a mention in the Book of Noah, the objective seemed clear to him. He was about to share his thoughts with Bones when he saw movement up ahead.
“Hold on.” He held out his hand and motioned for the others to stop.
Bones didn’t need him to explain. His friend spotted the movement as well and rested his hand on his Glock.
A short, stout young man, Native American by the looks of him, emerged from the trees and stopped at the edge of the sinkhole. He was clad in a police uniform.
“Is that you Archer?”
Archer moved to the front of the group. “Yep, it’s me. What are you doing out here Carl?”
“We got a report of shots fired in the area around your house. I stopped by there and all I saw was an unfamiliar vehicle that had obviously been in some kind of accident, and your truck was gone. When you didn’t answer the door I feared the worst so I came looking for you.”
“Well, thank you for looking out for me.” Archer said. “How did you know to check for me here?”
Maddock watched Carl closely. Archer’s question echoed his own thoughts. Maddock and the others had not been here very long. For Carl to have stopped by Archer’s house, determine that he wasn’t home, and then arrive at this spot so quickly was suspicious to say the least.
Carl hesitated only a moment before replying.
“Just a lucky guess. If I hadn’t found you quickly I would’ve put out an APB.” He frowned as his eyes passed over Maddock, Bones, and Dima. “Now, why don’t you all come up out of there and you can introduce me to your friends?”
When they exited the sinkhole, Archer introduced the group. Carl shook hands with each of them in turn. Maddock sized him up in an instant. He was broad of shoulder but thick around the middle, clearly out of shape, and his grip was weak. Furthermore, he was reluctant to meet anyone’s eye for more than a brief instant. He was no threat.
“Well, I guess we’d better be going,” Archer said. “Thanks again for checking on me.” He headed back toward the spot where they parked the truck but Carl moved to block his way.
“Wait a minute. Can I talk to you in private?”
“Why private?” Archer asked. “There’s no problem here. These are good folks.
Carl cast a sour frown in their direction and then nodded. “I just want to know why you would bring them out here, that’s all. This isn’t a place we show to just anybody.”
“They aren’t just anybody. They have a good reason to be here.”
“And that reason would be?” Carl put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest, failing miserably to look tough.
“They have the stone that…” Archer froze, anger burning in his eyes. He winced and gritted his teeth. Obviously, he knew he had made a misstep.
Maddock expected Carl to appear surprised or skeptical, but instead a look of keen interest filled his eyes. “Really?” He said softly. “The stone? How is that possible?”
“Well, we have a stone,” Maddock said. “It belongs to my friend’s family.” He inclined his head toward Bones. “In the process of doing some research, we learned about the stone that was once here and we wondered if they might be one and the same. Archer was kind enough to show us around.”
“We’re archaeologists,” Bones added. “So we’ve got an interest in history and artifacts.”
“Can I see it?” Carl said, a bit too quickly for Maddock’s liking.
“We don’t keep it with us,” Bones said. “It’s in a safe deposit box at our family’s bank. We know it’s probably not worth much but it special to us.”
“Really? Which bank?”
Maddock almost laughed. The man had no subtlety.
“Cherokee Community, close to the reservation.” Because Maddock knew Bones so well, he saw the tiny glint in his friend’s eye. “We bring it out for family reunions. I was telling Archer that if he wants to check it out, he should come up for the next one on the Fourth of July. You can come to if you like.”
“Thanks. I just might.” Carl looked around. “I guess I’d better go. Glad you’re okay,” he said Archer. He turned on his heel and hurried off.
“That’s an odd fellow,” Dima observed.
“That’s a bought fellow,” Maddock said.
Dima frowned. What do you mean?
“If I don’t miss my guess, our friend Carl is about to make a phone call to someone who is very interested in the stone.”
“Carl?” Archer asked. “The boy’s an idiot. How could he be in league with anyone of consequence?”
“It seems to be part of the Trident’s practice to buy off low-level functionaries,” Bones said. “We ran across a couple recently.”
“Archer, I think you should consider getting away for a while,” Maddock said. “Is there anywhere you can go? Someone you can stay with where the Trident wouldn’t easily find you?”
“Do you really think that’s necessary? Carl knows the story just as well as I do. If he’s in league with this Trident group, he’s told them all about the stone and about this place.” He gestured back toward the passageway.
“Maddock’s right,” Bones said. “It’s not worth the risk. Even if Carl tells them the story, there’s no guarantee they won’t come after you just to cover their bases. They might not trust him to have told them the whole story. Like you said, the guy’s an idiot. Besides, Dima’s presence here proves that you’re a person of interest in this whole thing.”
Archer considered this for a few moments and then side. “All right. I’ll do it. I’ve got a few places to choose from.”
“Don’t tell anyone where you’re going. Not even us,” Maddock said. He doubted Carl was hiding nearby eavesdropping but it wasn’t worth the risk.
“You’re good boys, but you sure do know how to complicate a man’s life.”
“Sorry about that,” Maddock said, and he meant it. Archer seemed like a good fellow.
“So what do we do now?” Dima asked. She raised her hand before either of them could protest. “It seems like there’s a chance we are after the same thing, so it only makes sense to combine our resources. If yours truly is a Noah stone, you need me. I’m something of an expert in that area. And don’t say it’s too dangerous. The Trident is already after me and I have a feeling you two can protect me better than I can protect myself.”
Maddock and Bones looked at one another and Maddock nodded.
“Good. That’s settled then.” Dima folded her arms. “So I ask again. What do we do now?”
“Bones and I are going to call our crew,” Maddock said. “I want to go after the second stone.”
Chapter 19
Tyson wanted to break something. He sat in a coffeehouse in Augusta, Georgia, near the South Carolina line, listening to Ahmed’s story. Tyson had set Ahmed to go after Zafrini while he paid a visit to New Echota. It had seemed an efficient plan, but Ahmed had botched it.
“You let her get away? And you didn’t get the document?” Tyson threw his hands in the air. "I knew I shouldn't have let you go alone."