They saw Charles and Patrick having a word just outside the drawing room. To their rear, Purdue noticed a stack of leather satchels and a badgered old coffer. When Patrick saw Purdue, Sam, and Nina ascend the stairs to the ground floor, he smiled and gestured for Purdue to come back to the meeting. “Did you bring the wine you so bragged about?” Patrick asked mockingly. “Or did it get stolen by my agents?”
“God, I would not have been surprised,” Purdue muttered jokingly as he passed Patrick.
When he entered the room, Purdue gasped. He did not know whether to be charmed or alarmed by the vision before him. The man who stood by the hearth smiled warmly, his hands locked obediently in front of him. “How have you been, Purdue Effendi?”
17
Foreplay
“I can’t believe my eyes!” Purdue exclaimed, and he was not kidding. “I just can’t! Adjo! Are you really here, my friend?”
“I am, Effendi,” Adjo Kira replied, feeling rather flattered at the billionaire’s delight in seeing him. “You seem very surprised.”
“I thought you were dead,” Purdue said sincerely. “After the ledge where we were fired upon… I was convinced they’d killed you.”
“They did regretfully kill my brother, Effendi,” the Egyptian lamented. “But that was not your doing. He was shot while driving a Jeep to rescue us.”
“I hope the man got a proper burial. Trust me, Adjo, I shall pay restitution to your family for everything you did to help me get out of the clutches of both the Ethiopians and those goddamned Cosa Nostra fiends.”
“Excuse me,” Nina interrupted respectfully. “May I enquire who exactly you are, sir? I must concede that I am a bit lost here.”
The men smiled. “Of course, of course,” Purdue chuckled. “I forget that you were not with me when I… procured,” he looked at Adjo with a mischievous wink, “the counterfeit Ark of the Covenant from Aksum in Ethiopia.”
“Do you still have it, Mr. Purdue?” Adjo asked. “Or is it still in that godless house in Djibouti where they tortured me?”
“Oh my God, they tortured you too?” Nina asked.
“Yes, Dr. Gould. Prof. Medley’s husband and his trolls were to blame. I must admit, even though she was present I could see that she did not approve. She is dead now?” Adjo asked eloquently.
“Aye, she was regrettably killed during the Hercules expedition,” Nina affirmed. “But how did you get involved with that excursion? Purdue, why did we not know about Mr. Kira?”
“He was held by Medley’s people to find out where I was with the relic they so coveted, Nina,” Purdue explained. “This gentleman is the Egyptian engineer who helped me flee with the Holy Box before I brought it here — before the Vault of Hercules was sought.”
“And you thought he was dead,” Sam filled in.
“Correct,” Purdue confirmed. “That’s why I was dumbfounded to see my ‘late’ friend standing alive and well in my drawing room just now. Tell me, dear Adjo, why are you here, if not just for a rekindled reunion?”
Adjo looked a little uncomfortable, uncertain of how to explain, but Patrick volunteered to fill everyone in. “Actually, Mr. Kira is here to assist you in returning the artifact to the rightful place you stole it from, David.” He cast a quick reprimanding glance at the Egyptian before continuing the clarification so that everyone could get up to speed. “As a matter of fact, he was coerced by the legal system in Egypt to do so, fueled by the insistence of the Archaeological Crimes Unit. The alternative would have been a prison sentence for aiding a fugitive and accessory, for stealing a valuable historical artifact from the people of Ethiopia.”
“So, your punishment is similar to mine,” Purdue sighed.
“Except that I would not be able to pay that fine, Effendi,” Adjo clarified.
“I should think not,” Patrick agreed. “But you would not have been expected to, either, being an accessory as opposed to being the main perpetrator.”
“So, this is why they’re sending you along, then, Paddy?” Sam asked. He was clearly still bothered by Patrick’s inclusion in the expedition.
“Yes, I suppose. Although all expenses are covered by David as part of his penalty, I am still expected to accompany you all to make sure that there is not more skullduggery afoot that might result in a bigger crime,” he explained with brutal honesty.
“But they could have sent any senior field agent,” Sam replied.
“Yes, they could have, Sammo. But they picked me, so let’s just do the best we can and get this shite sorted, hey?” Patrick suggested, patting Sam on the shoulder. “Besides, it will give us a chance to catch up on the past year or so. David, shall we imbibe while you explain the course of this upcoming expedition?”
“I like the way you think, Special Agent Smith,” Purdue smiled, holding the bottle up as prize. “Now, let’s sit down and first make note of the necessary special visas and permits we will need to get past customs. After that we can work out the best route, with the expert help of my man Adjo Kira here, and proceed with the charters.”
For the rest of the afternoon and up until late evening the group planned and plotted their return to the land where they would have to face the disdain of locals and the ill words of guides until their mission could be accomplished. It was wonderful for Purdue, Nina, and Sam to be back together in Purdue’s massive historic manor, not to mention being in the company of the two respective friends to make it just a bit more special this time round.
By the next morning, they had everything planned and each was burdened with the task of assembling their own gear for the trip, along with checking that their passports and travel documents were correct by order of the British Government, Military Intelligence, and the Ethiopian delegates, Prof. Imru and Col. Yimenu.
The group gathered briefly for breakfast with the stern eye of Purdue’s butler upon them, should they need anything from him. For once Nina did not notice the silent conversation between Sam and Purdue as their eyes locked across the large rosewood table while Lily’s cheerful classic rock anthems echoed far away in the kitchen.
After the others had gone to bed the evening before, Sam and Purdue had spent the few hours of privacy between them exchanging ideas on how to expose Joe Carter for the world to see, while at the same time toppling a large chunk of the Order for good measure. They’d agreed that the task was difficult and would take some time to set up, but they knew they would have to organize some sort of trap for Carter. The man was not stupid. He was calculating and spiteful in his ways, therefore the two had to take time to think through their plans. They could not afford to leave any ties unchecked. Sam had not told Purdue of the visit from MI6 agent Liam Johnson or what he had disclosed to the visitor that night, when he warned Sam of his conspicuous spying.
Not much time was left in the way of plotting Karsten’s downfall, but Purdue was adamant that they could not rush things. For now, though, Purdue had to concentrate on getting the courts off his case so his life could return to relatively normal for the first time in many months.
First, they had to arrange for transportation of the relic in a locked container, secured by customs officials under the watchful eye of Special Agent Patrick Smith. He practically carried Carter’s authority in his wallet with every step taken on this trip, something the high commander of MI6 would not readily approve of. In fact, the only reason he’d dispatched Smith on the trip to oversee the Aksum Expedition was to get rid of the agent. He knew Smith was too closely acquainted with Purdue to be overlooked through the Black Sun’s scope. But Patrick, of course, did not know this.