“See you soon, Mr. Karsten.”
26
Releasing the Scorpion onto the Snake
Nina passed along the last of the beer before the Hercules started to circle above the makeshift landing strip just off the health clinic of Dansha, in the Tigray region. It was, as they had planned, early evening. By means of his administrational assistants, Purdue had recently procured a permit to use the abandoned airstrip after he and Patrick had discussed strategy. Patrick took the liberty of informing Col. Yimenu, as he was obliged to do according to the deal Purdue’s litigation team had struck with the Ethiopian government and its representatives.
“Drink up, lads,” she said. “We are now behind enemy lines…” she glanced at Purdue, “…again.” She sat down as they all opened their last cold beer before the task of returning the Holy Box to Aksum. “So, just to be clear. Paddy, why are we not landing at the perfectly good airport in Aksum?”
“Because that is what they, whoever they might be, expect,” Sam winked. “There’s nothing like an impulsive diversion of plans to keep the hostile on their toes.”
“But you told Yimenu,” she reasoned.
“Yes, Nina. But the majority of civilians and archaeological experts fuming at us will not be notified soon enough to travel all the way here,” Patrick explained. “By the time they get here on word of mouth, we will be en route to the Yeha Mountain where Purdue discovered the Holy Box. We will be traveling in an unmarked ‘Deuce and a half’ cargo truck with no noticeable colors or emblems, making us practically invisible to Ethiopian nationals.” He exchanged a smirk with Purdue.
“Grand,” she replied. “But why here, if it matters to ask?”
“Well,” Patrick pointed to the map under the pale light fixed to the roof of the craft, “you will see that Dansha is roughly center, halfway between Aksum, here,” he pointed to the name of the town and slid the tip of his index finger across the paper towards the left and down. “And your destination of Lake Tana, here, southwest of Aksum.”
“So, we’re doubling back once we’ve dropped the box?” Sam asked before Nina could question Patrick’s use of the word ‘your’ instead of ‘our’.
“No, Sam,” Purdue smiled, “our beloved Nina will be joining you on the journey to Tana Qirkos, the island where the diamonds are. In the meantime, Patrick, Adjo, and I will be traveling to Aksum with the Holy Box, keeping up appearances for the Ethiopian government and Yimenu’s people.”
“Wait, what?” Nina gasped, grasping Sam’s thigh as she leaned forward, frowning. “Sam and I are going alone to steal the bloody diamonds?”
Sam smiled. “I love it.”
“Oh, fuck off,” she moaned, falling back against the side of the plane’s belly as it rattled into a roll, preparing to land.
“Come on, Dr. Gould. It would not only save us time to get the stones to the Egyptian stargazers, but it will be the perfect cover,” Purdue coaxed.
“And the next thing you know, I’ll be arrested and become Oban’s most infamous resident again,” she scowled, putting her full lips to the neck of the bottle.
“You’re from Oban?” the pilot asked Nina, not looking back as he checked the controls in front of him.
“Aye,” she answered.
“Terrible about those people from your town, hey? Such a shame,” the pilot said.
Purdue and Sam also perked up with Nina, both as oblivious as she. “What people?” she asked. “What happened?”
“Oh, I saw it in the paper up in Edinburgh about three days ago, maybe longer,” the pilot reported. “A doctor and his wife died in a car crash. Drowned in Loch Lomond after their car ran into the water or something.”
“Oh Jesus!” she exclaimed, looking horrified. “Did you get the name?”
“Yes, let me think,” he shouted over the roar of the engines. “We were still saying how his name has something to do with water, you know? The irony of them drowning, you know? Uh…”
“Beach?” she forced out, desperately wanting to know, but dreading any affirmation.
“That’s it! Yes, Beach, that’s it. Dr. Beach and his wife,” he clicked his thumb and third finger, before he realized the worst. “Oh my God, I hope they weren’t friends of yours.”
“Oh, Jesus,” Nina wailed into her palms.
“I’m so sorry, Dr.Gould,” the pilot apologized as he took the turn to prepare for landing in the dense darkness that was rife all over Northern Africa lately. “I had no idea you hadn’t heard.”
“It’s alright,” she panted, devastated. “Of course you had no way of knowing that I knew them. It’s okay. It’s… okay.”
Nina was not weeping, but her hands were trembling and her eyes were frozen in sorrow. Purdue put his arm around her. “You know, they would not have been dead now if I had not fucked off to Canada and caused the whole identity fuck up that caused her abduction,” she whispered, clenching her teeth at the guilt that rode her heart.
“Bullshit, Nina,” Sam protested gently. “You know that is shite, right? That Nazi bastard would still have killed anyone in his way to…” Sam stopped short of stating the terrible obvious, but Purdue finished the damning blame for him. Patrick was silent and elected to remain so for the moment.
“On his way to destroy me,” Purdue murmured with dread in his admission. “It was not your fault, my dear Nina. As always, your involvement with me made you an innocent target and Dr. Beach’s involvement in my rescue drew a bull’s-eye on his family. Jesus Christ! I’m just a walking death omen, am I not?” he said, more with introspection that self-pity.
He let go of Nina’s shivering frame, and for a moment, she wanted to pull him back, but she liberated him to his thoughts. Sam could read very well what was respectively taxing both his friends. He looked at Adjo across from him as the plane’s wheels thrust the Hercules’ weight onto the cracked, somewhat overgrown tarmac of the old airstrip. The Egyptian blinked very slowly, his way of gesturing for Sam to relax and not react readily.
Sam nodded imperceptibly and mentally prepared for the forthcoming undertaking to Lake Tana. Soon the Super Hercules came to a gradual halt, and Sam could see Purdue staring at the Holy Box relic. The white-haired billionaire explorer was no more his jovial self, but instead sat lamenting his obsession with historical artifacts with his locked hands hanging loosely between his thighs. Sam took a deep breath. It was the worst time for mundane inquiry, but it was also very important information he needed. With as much tactful timing as he could, Sam briefly glanced at a silent Patrick before asking Purdue, “Do Nina and I have a vehicle to get to Lake Tana, Purdue?”
“You do. It’s an inconspicuous little Volkswagen. Hope you don’t mind,” Purdue said listlessly. Nina’s wet eyes rolled back and fluttered as she tried to make the tears stop before stepping out of the massive aircraft. She took Purdue’s hand and squeezed it. Her voice cracked as she whispered to him, but her words were far less upsetting. “All we can do now is to make sure that two-faced motherfucker gets his come-uppens, Purdue. People associate with you because you because you are enthusiastic about existence, and curious about beautiful things. You lead the way to a better the standard of life with your genius, your inventions.”
In the background of her engaging voice, Purdue could faintly perceive the creak of the back flap opening and the others steadily getting ready to carry out the Holy Box from Yeha Mountain’s bowels. He could hear Sam and Adjo discuss the weight of the relic, but all he truly heard was Nina’s trailing sentences.