“I’m not trying to give you a hard time here,” Bones said, “but we’re stringing together evidence from different parts of Africa, which is a pretty big place. How confident are you that the Book of Noah is accurate? We’ve already seen some differences between it and the Bible story.”
Dima nodded. “Obviously, we won’t know until we investigate, but you can’t deny it’s the best lead we have. The Trident must also believe in its worth or else they wouldn’t be coming after it…and me.”
Maddock sat back and let it all sink in. It was a lot of new information to process.
“There’s something we haven’t considered, Maddock,” Bones said.
“What’s that?”
“Stones with mysterious powers. We’ve seen that before, and it wasn’t the power of God at work.”
Maddock nodded. On several occasions, he and Bones had encountered such stones, and had reason to believe their origins were not supernatural, though not of the earth.
“Would you two care to fill me in?” Dima asked.
Maddock quickly summarized a few of their exploits and the discoveries they had made. “Of course, that’s not to say there aren’t items out there with miraculous powers. We’ve found a couple of those, too.”
Dima sat slack-jawed, staring at the two of them as if she expected them to admit it was all a joke. Finally, she let out a weary sigh and shook her head. “You’re really not winding me up, are you? You’ve really seen this stuff, or at least you believe you have.”
“Come on, now.” Bones reached into his pocket and pulled out his stone. “You watched Maddock use this to take control of the mind of an animal. You’re really going to tell me you don’t believe in the supernatural? Heck, you’re a Noah researcher, which tells me you’ve always been a believer on some level.”
Dima looked down at her hands, which she held folded in her lap. “A dreamer more than a believer. I guess I hoped to find proof of God but expected to find a much more pedestrian source of the myth. Which is looking like it wasn’t that much of a myth after all.” She looked up, her eyes cloudy. “What I didn’t expect was to learn that little green men were behind it all.”
“That’s not at all what we’re saying,” Maddock reassured her. “Even if these stones didn’t come from God in the way the story claims, they got their power from somewhere, and what they do is nothing short of miraculous.”
“I suppose. But why didn’t you two tell me about all of this before?”
Maddock grinned. “Would you have believed us?”
Chapter 35
The city of Arusha, the capital of the district of the same name in Tanzania, lay near the Kenyan border. Located on the eastern edge of the Great Rift Valley, the city of nearly half-a-million people was both a diplomatic hub and a center of tourism, with such noted sites as Olduvai Gorge, Serengeti National Park, and Mount Kilimanjaro all located nearby. As he guided their rented four-by-four through the outskirts of the city, Maddock admired the lush, green landscape, with Mount Meru looming just to the north, so close he felt he could reach out and touch it. At fifteen thousand feet, Mount Meru was Africa’s fifth highest mountain. Though not nearly as well-known as Kilimanjaro, which stood forty miles to the northeast, Meru drew many serious climbers. Its slopes were also home to Arusha National Park, known for its varied wildlife and spectacular landscapes.
“So that’s where we’re headed,” Bones said, gazing out the window at the tall peak. “Should be a heck of a climb.”
“Supposedly it can be climbed in two to four days, depending on your experience and physical condition,” Dima said, scanning a web page devoted to the mountain.
“Maddock and I can handle it no problem. Have you done much climbing?”
“Enough that I won’t be a burden, and I stay in shape.”
“I’ve noticed that.” To his credit, Bones didn’t punctuate the comment with a leer, wink, or even a smile.
“If the mountain is climbed regularly,” Maddock said, “it’s a wonder no one has found any clues to the ark.”
“You have to figure that, in this climate, there’s nothing left of the boat itself,” Dima said. “All that’s left are the legends, and hopefully the stone.”
“Are there any local legends about the ark?” Bones asked.”
“Believe it or not, tourist agencies refer to Mount Meru as ‘Noah’s Ark.’ Supposedly, it’s because of the tremendous variety of species that live on and around the mountain, but maybe there’s more to it than that.”
“So, how do we proceed?” Bones asked. “Do we start by climbing the mountain?”
“We’re going to visit the park first,” Maddock said. “The ark didn’t necessarily land right on top of the mountain. We’ll split up, do some hiking, and see if either of the stones pick anything up.” They had reluctantly brought both of the Noah Stones along, figuring they had a large area to cover and having two stones would double their chances of locating the third. “We might also be able to pick up some clues from the locals. If that doesn’t work, we’ll try the peak.”
“All right.” A touch of disappointment rang in Bones’ voice. He hated to miss an opportunity to climb.
“Cheer up. I think you’ll like the lodge where we’re staying tonight. It’s got great food, hot tubs…” Out of the corner of his eye, Maddock caught the sly wink Dima sent in Bones’ direction.
Bones returned the wink. “Sign me up.” I assume the rooms are coed?”
“We’ve got two rooms. Maddock gets one, I get the other. Where you sleep depends on your behavior.”
“In that case, you’re definitely bunking with me,” Maddock said to Bones. He wondered at Dima’s flirtatious behavior. One moment she seemed to like Bones, the next she was putting him in his place. Not that he didn’t deserve it most of the time.
“What’s the political situation in Tanzania?” Bones asked.
“It’s stable overall, but there have been some terrorist attacks, mostly against religious sites. There are rumors of connections to Boko Haram, but it’s not definite.”
Bones sighed. “Good old Islamic fundamentalists.”
“The Christians’ hands aren’t clean either. They’ve made their share of reprisals and done their share of rioting. It’s a mess.”
“Sorry if I gave offense,” Bones said quickly. “I never thought to ask if you’re Muslim.”
“I’m not really anything. Growing up in the Middle East, you get to see the darker side of religious devotion firsthand. I haven’t missed it since I moved to the States.”
They skirted the national park, riding on in silence until the Hatari Lodge came into view. The so-called “luxury bush hotel” consisted of three buildings, one of which had once been the home of actor Hardy Kruger. Located near the boundary of Arusha National Park, the idyllic setting offered sweeping views of open plains, acacia forests, as well as Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru.
Inside, a short, balding man in khaki greeted them at the front desk.
“Welcome to the Hatari Lodge.” He punctuated his friendly greeting, delivered in lilting, accented English, with a broad smile.