“Any idea where they would have gone?” Ahmed asked, craning his head to see over the mass of humanity that milled about the famed basilica.
“I think the tomb of St. Peter makes the most sense considering its history.” Tyson had heard rumors of secret places beneath the ancient tomb. Perhaps Zafrini had found something more definite. “The rest of the place is like a museum, so it’s doubtful they’d bother with it.”
“We’ll have to hurry to catch them.”
Tyson shook his head. “The tomb area is a dead end so we should be able to trap them there.”
“Fine. Let’s get on with it. I’m tired of Zafrini’s narrow escapes. If we could just get these bloody tourists out of the way.” Ahmed shot an angry look at an elderly man with a walker who barred their way.
Growing impatient, Tyson forced his way forward until he reached the spot where the Scavi tour began. An annoyed-looking man in a Swiss Guard uniform moved to block his way. Tyson’s first reaction was to knock the fellow down, but nothing good would come of that.
“Excuse me, but we were supposed to meet some friends for the Scavi tour, and I’m afraid we are running late. Have you seen them? A tall American Indian, a blond man, and a Jordanian woman? Fairly attractive?”
The guard’s frown deepened until his eyebrows almost touched. “I think you should come with me, sir.”
Tyson was suddenly aware of the other guards milling about. He had been so focused on looking for Maddock’s party that he had failed to notice something was very wrong. All around him were the subtle signs of a major disturbance: men in suits interviewing witnesses; other men, hands pressed to their ears, speaking rapidly in Italian; members of the Swiss Guard in their colorful uniforms stalking back and forth, looking like caged dogs ready to be released for the hunt.
“What is it?” Ahmed asked.
“Nothing. This gentleman was just about to help us find our friends.” Tyson smiled.
And then punched the guard in the temple with all his might. The man crumpled silently to the ground.
He turned and gave Ahmed a shove toward the exit. “Run.” As they barreled toward the door, upending anyone to slow to get out of their way, Tyson had only one thought: How was he going to explain this to Shawa?
Chapter 32
The sun shone brightly in the afternoon sky. The wind rustled a pleasant tune in the trees that lined the garden. Among their branches, colorful birds added their tunes to the harmony. It was a perfect day.
From the corner of his eye Ibrahim Shawa spotted Yusuf waiting at the garden gate. He could tell at first glance that the news, whatever it was, was not good. He closed his eyes, closed the book he was reading, and placed it carefully on the table. Next, he took three deep breaths to calm his nerves. He had been on edge of late and it would not do to lose his temper with Yusuf. After all, the man was only the bearer of bad news. He opened his eyes and forced his lips into a patient smile.
“Come,” he said.
Yusuf hurried in, stopped in front of Ibrahim, and bowed deeply, the sinuous movement of his long, slender frame affording him a serpentine quality. His small, dark eyes and light brown skin, so like that of the inaccurately-named black mamba, added to his snakelike appearance. Of course, there was nothing venomous about Yusuf.
Ibrahim return the bow with a slight bob of his head. He sat back, steepled his fingers, and waited.
“I have news, Mu’alim.” The word was Arabic for ‘teacher’, a title Ibrahim had chosen for himself long ago. Yusuf paused, his eyes flitting from side-to-side as if he could somehow escape this moment.
Ibrahim felt his anger began to rise, but he maintained his calm façade. “Please tell me, my son.”
Yusuf stiffened, and raised his chin. He didn’t quite meet Ibrahim’s eyes as he spoke. “Tyson has failed. More than once.” He cleared his throat. “I fear I do not hold out much hope for his success.”
Ibrahim’s fingers twitched, the desire to ball his fists and strike someone strong within him. Calm, he told himself. He waited patiently until the man summoned the courage to continue.
In a shaky voice, Yusuf outlined the events of the previous several days. Tyson and Ahmed had caught up with Dima Zafrini in a small coastal town in the United States, but had failed to take her, or to acquire the page from the Book of Noah. They had succeeded in finding clues to the locations of two of the three stones. However, one lead had proved to be false. They had infiltrated the bank in which it was supposedly kept, but the stone was not there. They caught up with Zafrini again as she attempted to recover the second stone from a shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of some place called South Carolina. Tyson and Ahmed had taken the items that Zafrini and her companions had recovered, but none of them proved to be a Noah Stone.
Ibrahim began to tremble with suppressed rage as Yusuf outlined Tyson and Ahmed’s latest blunders. They had followed Zafrini and two other men, former United States Navy men named Maddock and Bonebrake, to Turkey, and then to the Vatican. Both times, Zafrini and the others had eluded them. “Felipe was injured. He is recovering in a hospital in Turkey.”
Ibrahim kept his silence until he could speak calmly.
“The Vatican?” he said. “Zafrini was wasting her time there. I have placed researchers in the secret archives many times. The Book of Noah is not there.”
Yusuf’s lips moved, but he made no sound. He winced and lowered his gaze.
“What is it?”
“She did not go to the secret archives,” Yusuf said to the ground.
That was a surprise. “No? Where did she go?”
Yusuf muttered a reply to soft to reach Ibrahim’s ears.
“Speak up!” he snapped.
“She took the Scavi tour. Down into the Vatican Necropolis.”
“The Tomb of the Dead. What did she think she would find down there? There’s nothing but dry bones and graffiti.”
“I don’t know. All we can say for certain is that she and her companions went down into the catacombs and never came back out again.” Yusuf flinched as he spoke the last words.
Ibrahim looked up at the clear blue sky, a canvas for his thoughts. If Zafrini had indeed vanished beneath St. Peter’s, that meant there were places down there yet to be discovered. He would have to find a way to get men inside there as soon as possible.
“Zafrini must be found. If she has, in fact, recovered any of the stones, or the Book of Noah, we will take them from her. I need not remind you how important to me those stones are.”
Yusuf shook his head.
Ibrahim stood, reached out, and clasped Yusuf’s trembling hand. “I do not blame you. The fault lies with Tyson. Tell him I will permit him to correct his mistakes, but my patience is nearing an end. We will change the world, and we will begin by bringing peace to our land through the power we will unleash.” He did not miss Yusuf’s small frown. “What is it? Speak freely, man.”
“Forgive me, Mu’alim, but I always find it odd when you speak of peace, given the work that we do and the way that we do it.”
Ibrahim smiled and gave the man’s hand a squeeze.
“There are many paths to peace, my son. Some look to the dove, but I will bring peace by the sword.”
Chapter 33
“All right. Do you want to hear what I’ve got?” Dima said through the doorway to the balcony where Maddock and Bones sat drinking coffee. Stone had secured them a room in a hotel on the outskirts of Rome, registering it under his name so they could fly under the radar. He had further assured them that they need only contact him he would use the Myrmidon’s resources to get Maddock and the others out of the country whenever they were ready to leave. In turn, they were expected to share whatever they learned with Tam, and to turn over the Book of Noah to her when they were finished with it. Dima had balked at the last condition, but had finally agreed. Maddock had decided he rather liked Stone. The man was smart, capable, and sensible. He also didn’t flinch at breaking the rules when necessary, which meant he had a friend in Bones.