He looked at the solemn expression of the new bodyguard and wondered what she was made of. Purdue did not simply grab anyone off the street to be his watchdog and he did not buy the whole sergeant thing either. There was more to her, Sam thought, than some rank she had abandoned for reasons unknown. With her hair tied tightly in a long braid she looked stern and merciless, every bone of her skull etching shadows in her face and temples. Sam found her crudely attractive and for a moment he wondered how many scars her body boasted, but then he uttered a deep sigh to make it go away and prevent him from an awkward position in the company of two ladies.
The Jet Ranger dipped from the influence of the air pocket and suddenly Nina, Sam and Calisto were alert and looking about.
"Sorry about that!" Purdue cried out from the copilot seat while Gary only sniggered with the throttle between his knees. He looked out from his side window and pointed downward for Purdue and his passengers to find the airstrip drawing a uniform line on the earth beneath them. Soon they would cross the borders of continents and countries to peek into the ancient past that cradled the mysteries of legend — of the knife that shanked a Nazarene and with that, took into it the brute power of gods.
Chapter 15
After two days of continuous flying and occasional breaks to refuel and enjoy proper meals, the party arrived in Nepal, specifically Lumbini. It was an alien and beautiful world of temples, lying in the embrace of the Himalayan paradise sought out by explorers and tourists from all over the world. Exhausted, the five travelers stumbled from the jet before it was taxied back to the hidden hangar in the canopy of woodlands outside the town.
"I think a few hours of rest would be in order," Nina suggested, hoping that Purdue had the same idea.
"From your lips, darling," Calisto sighed, wincing at the discomfort of her bag's strap eating into her shoulder.
"What do you have in there, sergeant?" Sam chuckled. "An RPG?"
She laughed with him. But she laughed in such a manner as to suggest that Mr. Cleave was not far off in his assumption. Calisto looked at Nina and winked, leaving the historian to giggle in amusement at Sam's sudden realization, which subsequently removed his smile.
"Come on, everyone! Time is money. A night's rest here in the birthplace of the Buddha should do us all wonders, I think," Purdue called out, as he walked to their waiting car. It was a 4×4 with a canopy of tarp and iron bars, but the bed of the truck was lavishly laid out with ample cushioning and straps to secure the passengers comfortably.
"Fucking Purdue, thinks of everything, doesn't he?" Nina nudged Sam as they examined the back of the vehicle.
"Aye," Sam replied, with an impressed nod and reached for his dwindling pack of cigarettes to mark the occasion. Nina gasped. Her big eyes reminded him of the request not to smoke around her and he promptly replaced the pack before it even came out of his pocket. He hung his head in disappointment and gestured with his arm for her to step onto the back of the truck. Gary joined them while Purdue sat in front with his guide, Jodh, who was driving. Calisto kept an eye on her employer from the back, sitting against the small window that divided the cab from the back. Her hand remained firmly in her bag, grasping something inside as they drove to their accommodations on the edge of town. Sam found himself spellbound by her hidden hand, but she ignored him in lieu of staying vigilant.
Calisto watched Jodh intently. She had received no intel on him subsequent to their arrival a few minutes ago. That made him a marked man in her eyes, until she was told differently. One positive trait of her paranoia was that she never got caught off-guard by betrayal, because she normally found every single person she encountered threatening in some degree.
Jodh did not look like a typical guide from Nepal. He was young and attractive, in his thirties. From what she could hear he spoke perfect English and wielded an impressive vocabulary. Even his choice of clothing was modern in the milieu of this country — jeans and Caterpillars, Ray Bans and a sports watch.
"What are you holding in there, sergeant?" Sam suddenly asked, drawing both Nina and Gary's attention to Calisto.
"How curious are you about that, Mr. journalist?" she asked in her teasing husky voice.
Nina scoffed at her flirting. Sam withdrew a little. He did not want Nina to think he was interested in the new female any more than he should be, but Gary did not hide his wide smile. The pilot peeked at her hand, "Is that a gun you are handling there?"
Calisto slowly pulled her hand free, revealing a palm full of jelly beans, which she shoved into her mouth.
Gary sank back, disappointed.
The town passed behind them as they drove and the party looked out the back at the beautiful architecture of several temples and statues, which towered a few stories into the air. It was late afternoon and the pale sun still managed to ignite a golden glimmer on the domes and windows of the ancient religious buildings.
In the wake of their vehicle they saw the triangular magnificence of the sloping bronze shrine on the side of the road, its walls white and marble-like under the miniature awnings of golden design. Among the meager traffic were donkey carts and bicycles leisurely making their way in all directions, peacefully unaware of time. As they turned in another direction, driving carefully at a snail's pace, a breathtaking monument came into view in the distance. The World Peace Pagoda reminded Sam of the Taj Mahal, but it was simpler and whiter than snow. It squatted like a puff of whipped cream slopped onto the ground, almost luminous white with a majestic dome rounding it perfectly overhead.
From the back of the truck they marveled quietly at the beauty of Lumbini, as if saying anything would stain the moment with words, meaningless in comparison to the atmosphere the buildings exuded in their souls. Just before they reached their hotel they passed a massive statue of the seated Buddha, cast in bronze, maybe gold. Its face evoked calm in all who beheld it, the hands of the figure rested on its lap.
"No wonder Buddhists are so relaxed," Sam noted. "Look at that bloke, smirking where he sits, watching over the anthill of scuttling humans."
That bloke? Nina sighed. "Do you have any culture in you, Sam Cleave?"
"Of course I do. I just don't get excited about semantics. We are in Nepal. You should meditate away that stress in your shoulders, Dr. Gould," he smiled. Sam meant it, but he tried to formulate his words so that they would fall on Nina's ears as friendly mockery.
"For your information, Mr. Cleave, I meditate often," Nina informed him and snubbed her nose at him to look out at the layered roofs of the thorny temple passing them.
After dinner Nina opted for a shower while the men became acquainted in the bar. Purdue had Calisto by his side, and ordered a round of drinks for him, Sam and Jodh. Gary was a nondrinker, due to his profession. The lounge of the bar was warm and cozy with a fire in the hearth and soft traditional music playing from a damaged old speaker behind the counter of the bar. On the walls hung portraits of previous dignitaries and celebrities who paid a visit, including Dave Purdue's old friend and world-famous explorer Jefferson Daniels, who posed with a Nepali beauty who's swarthy skin challenged his overly done spray tan and ridiculously white teeth. Other black-and-white photos farther back in the room dated from a few decades before, fading behind the glass of their photo frames as if time had reached through the barrier and aged them.
Calisto's dark eyes gleamed in the yellow flicker of the fire and candlelight. She paid close attention to her surroundings as she followed close behind Purdue. Her feet fell inaudibly as she moved, even though her shoes were hard-soled.