“Yeah. We got the translation, though I haven’t got a clue what it means yet. I’ve been trying to work it out most of the morning, but I think I’m gonna have Joe take a look at it.” His voice trailed off.
“You ok, buddy?”
“Not really, man. I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault that Terrance and Frank are both dead.”
There was a long silence. There was nothing Sean could say that would change how his friend felt. But he said it anyway. “There’s no way we could have known this would happen. We were just doing what we always do.” Tommy continued, “I’ll be ok. I just wanted to touch base with you.” He changed the subject in hopes that his mood would lighten. “How’s Vegas?” A laugh came through the earpiece. “What’s funny?” Tommy’s face turned curious.
“Emily and I bumped into a hit squad last night. We barely got out thanks to some help from a new friend.”
“Hit squad? Emily’s there?” His tone changed drastically.
“Yeah. There’s a group called the Order of the Golden Dawn that is interested in the same thing we’re looking for. Ever heard of ‘em?”
“The Order of the Golden Dawn? They haven’t been around since the 1920s.”
“Apparently not. A bunch of them tried to take out me and Em last night.”
“What’s she doing there?”
“Still trying to figure that out.”
There was another moment of silence.
“I’m going to call Joe and see if he can help with this translation,” Tommy said.
“You think his wife will let you talk to him?”
Tommy laughed. “I hope so. He knows more about this stuff than both of us.”
“Good luck, buddy. You safe?”
“Yeah, I’m at Will’s place right now. He was there when the shooter returned last night. I crashed at his place.”
“Alright. Let me know what Joe says.”
“Will do.”
Chapter 20
Sean hung up the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. He’d gone upstairs to speak privately with Tommy and also to give the ladies a few minutes to get to know one another. He was still suspicious of the mysterious Spaniard who had miraculously come to their rescue. Maybe it was just part of his training and experience. In his mind, someone always wanted something. It was a rare thing to find a genuine Good Samaritan who was just out to step into the line of fire and help a stranger. Her story seemed legit, though. But he felt like he needed to more. A part of him wanted to know more. And for now, they were just going to have to trust her. He hoped she was one of the good guys.
He climbed back down the stairs and found the two women talking casually where he’d left them.
“How’s Tommy?” Starks asked as she saw Sean appear at the base of the stairs.
“He’s fine except that he got shot at last night.”
Emily looked concerned. “Lot of that goin’ around.”
Adriana spoke up. “Your friend is in grave danger.”
“He’s ok,” Sean answered. “He spent the night at a cop’s house last night. That’s where he is right now.”
She shook her head. “You cannot trust anyone. Especially not the police. The order has their fingers in many pockets.”
“Should we trust you?”
“Probably not,” she squinted her eyes. “But if I wanted you dead you already would be. And unlike someone who would use you to find something I needed, I have brought you something.”
“What do you mean?” Emily interjected.
“Come with me and I will show you.”
Sean and Emily gave each other a “why not” glance and followed the Spaniard towards the rear of the house. She led them down a flight of stairs that headed towards the garage. When they entered, they saw the familiar surroundings from their arrival the night before.
“I still wanna take a ride on that duke,” Sean commented coolly as they walked past the bright red sport bike.
Adriana cast him a playful glance. “You would look silly on the back, I think.”
He snorted and the side of his mouth rose to a flirty grin.
“I like her,” Emily poked quietly.
Their host stopped at a plain looking door at the other end of the garage where a key panel kept the portal locked. She punched in a random sequence of numbers and a moment later the mechanism opened with a click. “What I am about to show you has only been seen by two sets of eyes in over three thousand years,” her tone was respectful and serious.
Sean and Emily looked at each other briefly with wide eyes. “Why are you showing us?” Sean asked.
Adriana eyed him sincerely. “Because you are not searching for the treasure for worldly gain.”
She pulled open the heavy door and a small burst of air escaped from within. Inside, a series of florescent lights came on automatically leading into a staircase cut from the stone of the mountain. The three entered and followed their hostess down the stairs that led further and further into the man-made cavern.
After walking for a minute or so, the group entered a circular room. It had been carved smooth out of rock. The walls were decorated with odd-looking engravings. There were Petra glyphs from Assyria, Sumer, Babylon, Egypt, as well as others that seemed far more unique, possibly from farther back in history. A small safe sat atop an old wooden stand off to the side.
“How did you find this place?” Emily questioned as she turned around in circles, staring at the wondrous display of history surrounding her.
In the middle of the chamber, a pedestal stood alone rising up from the rock floor. An oddly shaped piece of gold lay on top of it. The object was designed to look like a leaf from a tree. It was decorated intricately with lines and cellular irregularities just as a real leaf would have. From one end to the other, the piece was probably eight inches long and four inches wide at its broadest point.
Sean stepped closer to get a better look at the strange plate.
“I discovered this room after years of searching,” Adriana said. “It was actually luck that led me here. Initially, I was not even searching for anything related to the golden chambers.”
“What were you looking for?” Sean asked.
She cast him a cryptic smile. “I was looking for a painting. It had been taken by the Nazis during the second World War.”
“Searching for stolen World War II loot?” he grinned, cynically. “Lot of rumors about that kind of stuff. Hard to find, though. The Nazis were very meticulous about how and where they hid things. Who was the artist?”
“Van Gogh.”
He was impressed and gave Emily a sideways glance showing it.
“How did a Van Gogh lead you to Nevada?” Sean inquired.
“It is a long story, Mr. Wyatt. Like I said, it was mostly luck that led me here. I also had a little help from some new friends as well as some old ones. The painting’s maker has little to do with why I am here, though.”
Sean doubted it was mere luck. Still, he didn’t press the issue. “How long have you had this?”
“Not long. A little over a year,” she said plainly. “I had the house built around it to keep it safe until I could figure out the next piece of the puzzle.”
“Next piece?”
“Francisco Coronado’s expedition was mostly a disaster. He lost money, resources, and years of his life in the pursuit of the cities of gold. However, it wasn’t a total failure.” Adriana pointed to the golden leaf. She continued, “Coronado had considered that the men who had told him the stories of Cibola and Quivira could have been delusional or simply liars. But he believed that there was probably an element of truth to what they’d said. So, he was careful to investigate every possibility. “He met a shaman from a local tribe in what is now New Mexico. The old man gave Coronado a riddle. He said that if the Spaniard was able to unravel that mystery he would find the treasure that he sought.”