“The star map,” Purdue remarked, pointing at the mad celestial scribblings on the one sheet of parchment. Both Ofar and Penekal nodded mysteriously, both men appearing much more serene for having relayed the predicament to modern ears.
“Now, as Prof. Imru may have explained to you in our absence, we have reason to believe that the sage is walking among us once more,” Ofar said. “And every star that has fallen thus far has been significant on Solomon’s map.”
Penekal added, “And so has the specific power of each dawned in some form only recognizable by those who know what to look for, you see?”
“The housekeeper of the late Madame Chantal, hung by a rope of hemp in the mansion in Nice a few days ago?” Ofar announced, waiting for his colleague to fill in the blanks.
“The demon Onoskelis, in the Codex, is said to have spun ropes of hemp to serve in building the Temple of Jerusalem,” Penekal revealed.
Ofar continued, “The seventh star in the constellation of Leo had also fallen, one dubbed Rabdos.”
“The lamp lighter of the Temple during its construction,” Penekal explained in turn. He lifted his open hands up and looked about into the darkness draped over the city. “The lamps had gone out everywhere in the immediate lands. Only fire will make light, as you have seen. Lamps, lights of electricity, will not.”
Nina and Sam exchanged glances, looking spooked but hopeful. Purdue and Adjo both shared a reaction of interest and mild excitement for the strange dealings. Purdue nodded slowly, grasping the patterns presented by the watchers. “Masters Penekal and Ofar, what do you need us to do, in effect? I understand what you say is happening. However, I need some clarification on what my colleagues and I were called in for exactly.”
“I have heard something unsettling about the latest fallen star, sir, in the taxi on my way here before. Apparently, the seas are rising, but against any natural reason. According to the star on the map that my friend pointed out to me last, it is a terrible fate,” Penekal bemoaned. “Mr. Purdue, we need your help in obtaining the remaining diamonds of King Solomon. The Magician is collecting them, and as he does, another star falls; another plague is due.”
“Well, where are these diamonds, then? I am sure I can try to help you excavate them before the Wizard —,” he said.
“Magician, sir,” Ofar’s voice shivered.
“Sorry. Magician,” Purdue corrected his fault swiftly, “finds them.”
Prof. Imru stood up, motioning for his stargazing allies to take a moment. “You see, Mr. Purdue, that is the problem. Many of King Solomon’s diamonds had been scattered among the well-to-do — the kings, heads of state, and collectors of rare jewels throughout the centuries — and thus the Magician has resorted to cons and murder to obtain them one by one.”
“Oh my God,” Nina muttered. “That is like a needle in a haystack. How will we ever find them all? Do you have records of the diamonds we are looking for?”
“Regrettably not, Dr. Gould,” Prof. Imru lamented. He uttered a silly chuckle, feeling foolish to even bring it up. “As a matter of fact, the watchers and I were humorously teasing that Mr. Purdue was rich enough to buy the respective diamonds out, just to save us all the trouble and the time.”
Everyone chuckled at the hilarious absurdity, but Nina watched the mannerisms of the Master Mason, knowing full well that he was putting forth the suggestion with no expectation, save for Purdue’s extravagant risk-taking innately prodding. Again, she kept the supreme manipulation to herself and smiled. She looked at Purdue, trying to caution him with a glance, but Nina could see that he was laughing a bit too hard.
No fucking way, she thought. He is actually considering it!
“Sam,” she said, in the din of the merriment.
“Aye, I know. He is going to bite at that bait and we cannot stop him,” Sam replied without looking at her, maintaining his laughter in an effort to look oblivious.
“Sam,” she repeated, unable to formulate a retort.
“He can afford it,” Sam smiled.
But Nina could not keep this to herself anymore. Promising herself to state her opinion in the most amicable and respectful way, she rose from her seat. Her petite frame challenged the giant shadow of Prof. Imru against the wall of the Masonic Temple in the blaze of firelight between them.
“With respect, Professor, I think not,” she argued. “It is not feasible to resort to common financial trade where the items are of such value. Dare I say, it is preposterous to imagine such a thing. And I can almost assure you, from experience, that the ignorant, wealthy or not, do not easily part with their treasures. And we certainly do not have the time to locate them all and engage in tedious bartering before your Magician finds them.”
Nina made sure to keep her tone to the side of suggestion, her voice light to imply that she was merely proposing a faster method, while in fact she opposed the idea completely. The Egyptian men, not men accustomed to even entertaining a woman’s presence, let alone allowing her to join in the discussion, sat mute for a long moment while Purdue and Sam held their breath.
To her utter surprise, Prof. Imru replied, “I do agree, Dr. Gould. It is quite absurd to expect, let alone to execute in time.”
“Look,” Purdue started in on the joust, adjusting himself to sit on the edge of his seat, “I appreciate your concern, my dear Nina, and I do agree that it seems far-fetched to do such a thing. However, one thing I can attest to, is that nothing is ever cut and dried. We can employ various methods to attain what we want. In this case, I’m sure I could approach some of the owners and make them an offer.”
“You are shitting me,” Sam exclaimed casually from the other side of the table. “What is the catch? There has to be one or you have lost your marbles, old man.”
“No, Sam, I am quite sincere,” Purdue assured him. “Hear me out, people.” The billionaire turned to face his host. “If you, Professor, could gather information on those few parties who possess the stones we need, I could get my brokers and legal people to procure those diamonds for a fair price without bankrupting me. They will draw up certificates of ownership after an appointed expert verifies their authenticity.” He gave the professor a steely look, dripping with confidence the likes of which Sam and Nina had not seen in their friend in a long while. “That is the catch, Professor.”
Nina smiled in her little corner of shadow and fire, nibbling on a piece of flatbread while Purdue made his deal with his former opposition. “The catch is that after we have foiled the Magician’s errand, King Solomon’s diamonds are legally mine.”
“That’s my boy,” Nina whispered.
At first shocked, Prof. Imru gradually realized that it was a fair proposition. After all, he had not even heard of the diamonds before the stargazers discovered the chicanery of the sage. He was well aware that King Solomon had possessed gold and silver in exuberant volumes, but he was unaware of the king holding diamonds, per se. Apart from diamond mines discovered in Tanis, in the northeastern region of the Nile delta and some accounts of more sites possibly accountable to the king, Prof. Imru had to concede that it was new to him.
“Do we have a deal, Professor?” Purdue pressed, looking at his watch to urge the answer.