“The fake Ark?” Nina asked.
“Correct,” Purdue affirmed. “It is part of my deal with the Archaeological Crimes Unit and Ethiopia’s high commissioner, a history lover called Col. Basil Yimenu, that I return their religious relic…”
Nina’s mouth opened to justify her frown, but Purdue knew what she was going to say and presently mentioned what perplexed her. “…Fake as it may be, to its rightful place in the mountain outside the village, the site from where I removed it.”
“They are this protective of an artifact they know is not the true Ark of the Covenant?” Sam asked, voicing Nina’s precise inquiry.
“Yes, Sam. To them it is still an ancient relic of great value, whether it contains the power of God or not. I understand that, so I’ll take it back.” He shrugged. “We don’t need it. We got what we wanted from it when we searched for the Vault of Hercules, did we not? I mean, there is not much more contained in this Ark of any use to us. It taught us about the sick experiments on children performed by the SS in the Second World War, but it’s hardly worth keeping anymore.”
“What do they think it is? Are they still convinced it is a holy box?” Nina asked.
“Special Agent!” Sam announced Patrick’s entrance into the room.
Patrick smiled coyly. “Shut it, Sam.” He took his place next to Purdue and accepted a brew from the recently liberated host. “Thank you, David.”
Oddly, no glances passed between Purdue and Sam regarding the fact that the other two carried no knowledge about the true identity of MI6’s Joe Carter. That was how discreet they were about keeping their secret doings to themselves. Only Nina’s female intuition occasionally challenged this clandestine business, but she could not put her finger on it.
“Right,” Purdue started again, “Patrick, along with my legal team, has drawn up legal documents to facilitate the excursion to Ethiopia to return their holy box while under supervision of MI6. You know, just to make sure I don’t collect intelligence for another country and such.”
Sam and Nina had to giggle about Purdue’s mocking of the matter, but Patrick was weary and just wanted to get it all done with so that he could return to Scotland. “I was assured that this would not take longer than a week,” he reminded Purdue.
“You’re coming with us?” Sam gasped sincerely.
Patrick looked both amused and a bit taken aback. “Aye, Sam. Why? Are you planning such ill conduct that a babysitter is out of the question? Or don’t you trust your best friend not to shoot you in the ass?”
Nina snickered to lighten the mood, but it was evident that there was a bit too much tension in the room. She looked at Purdue, who, in turn, boasted the most angelic innocence a scoundrel could manage. His eyes did not meet hers, but he was very aware of her eyes on him.
What is Purdue keeping from me? What is he keeping from me that he is, again, letting Sam into? she wondered.
“No, no. Nothing like that,” Sam denied. “I just don’t want you to be in danger, Paddy. The very reason all this shit happened between us in the first place was because the stuff Purdue, Nina, and I were into placed you and your family in danger.”
Wow, I almost believe him. Nina criticized Sam’s explanation in the sanctuary of her mind, convinced that Sam had other intentions for keeping Paddy away. He seemed deeply serious, though, and still Purdue kept an even, expressionless face where he sat nursing his drink.
“I appreciate that, Sam, but you see, I’m not going because I don’t trust you lot,” Patrick revealed with a laborious sigh. “I’m not even going to crash your party or to spy on you. Truth is… I have to go. My orders are clear and I have to abide by them, unless I want to lose my job.”
“Wait, so you’re under command to come, regardless?” Nina asked.
Patrick nodded.
“Jesus,” Sam said, shaking his head. “What asshole is making you go, Paddy?”
“Who do you think, old boy?” Patrick asked indifferently, having accepted his fate.
“Joe Carter,” Purdue stated firmly, as his eyes stared out into space, his lips hardly moving to form the dreaded Karsten’s English name.
Sam felt his legs numbing in his jeans. He could not decide if he was worried or furious for the decision to send Patrick out on an expedition. His dark eyes blazed as he asked, “An expedition into the desert to put an item back in the sandbox it came from is hardly a task for a high ranking officer of Military Intelligence, don’t you think?”
Patrick gave him the old look he gave Sam when they were side by side in the principal’s office awaiting some sort of punishment. “That’s just what I thought, Sam. I dare say including me in this mission is almost… deliberate.”
16
Demons Don’t Die
Charles was absent while the group had their brunch, discussing what was to be a quick trip to finally help Purdue complete his legal penance and to finally rid Ethiopia of Purdue.
“Oh, you have to taste it to appreciate this particular cultivar,” Purdue told Patrick, but included Sam and Nina in on the conversation. They were exchanging information on good wines and brandies to pass the time while enjoying the delicious light meal Lillian had prepared for them. She was elated to see her boss laughing and teasing again, being among his most trusted allies and being his old flamboyant self.
“Charles!” he called. After a brief moment, he called again and rang the bell, but Charles did not answer. “Wait, I’ll go and get a bottle,” he suggested and got up to go to the wine cellar. Nina could not process how lank and gaunt he looked now. Before he was a tall and lean man, but his recent weight loss during his ordeal in Fallin had left him looking even taller and a lot more fragile.
“I’ll come with you, David,” Patrick proposed. “I don’t like that Charles is not answering, if you know what I mean.”
“Don’t be daft, Patrick,” Purdue smiled. “Wrichtishousis is sound enough to avoid unwanted guests. Besides, instead of using a security company I have decided to hire private security at my gates. They do not answer to any paycheck but those signed by yours truly.”
“Good thinking,” Sam approved.
“And I’ll be back shortly to show off this obscenely expensive bottle of liquid majesty,” Purdue bragged with some reservation.
“And we will be allowed to open it?” Nina teased him. “Because it is pointless to boast things one cannot verify, you understand.”
Purdue smiled proudly, “Oh, Dr. Gould, I look forward to bantering with you over historical relics while watching your inebriated mind spin.” And with that, he hastily left the room and proceeded down to the cellar past his laboratories. He did not want to admit it this soon after having reclaimed his domain, but Purdue was also concerned about the absence of his butler. He mainly used the brandy as an excuse to part from the others in the pursuit of Charles’ reason for abandoning them.
“Lily, have you seen Charles?” he asked his housekeeper and cook.
She turned from the fridge to look at his exhausted expression. Wringing her hands inside the dishcloth she was using, she smiled reluctantly. “Yes, sir. Special Agent Smith requested that Charles pick up your other guest from the airport.”
“My other guest?” Purdue said after her. He was hoping that he had not forgotten an important engagement.
“Yes, Mr. Purdue,” she affirmed. “Charles and Mr. Smith had arranged for him to join you?” Lily sounded a bit worried, more so because she was uncertain about Purdue’s knowledge of the guest. To Purdue it looked as if she was questioning his sanity to have forgotten about something he was not privy to in the first place.