“Oh, so you’re trying to get rid of me?” he asked, pretending to be offended.
She put her hands on his chest and pushed him playfully. He didn’t budge. “No. I’ll come along for the ride.”
“It’s up to you. I’d prefer you stay somewhere safe.”
“As sweet as that is, we both know that’s not going to happen. And besides, how unsafe can it be? Aachen is a nice place.”
“A safe place where a scientist was murdered in his lab.”
It was Adriana’s turn to sigh. “I know. Honestly, maybe I need to be there to have your back. I know Tommy will be there, but you can never have too many allies.”
He knew she was going to get her way no matter what he said. If he was honest, he’d rather she be with him than off doing her own thing. She’d been looking into a new mystery lately, a painting that went missing during the early years of World War II. Adriana had made quite a name for herself in the art underground. She’d successfully discovered and returned more priceless works of art than any other single investigator in history. As a result, she’d also picked up a few enemies of her own.
“So when do we leave?” she asked before he could fire off another protest.
Sean sighed. “Tommy’s getting the details sorted out on our end. He’d like to get access to the crime scene. That’s not going to happen. I spoke with Emily about the North Koreans. They’re trying to get more information on the case, but right now it’s coming at a trickle. Hard to get any real intel on that country since they’re so closed off from the world.”
“Look at it this way: we’ll have time to pack.” He offered a weak smile.
“I already packed.”
The front door opened, and a moment later Tommy entered the room. “Well, it looks like everything’s all set on my end. Heard anything new out of Emily yet?”
“Not yet,” Sean said, giving a quick shake of the head. “She’ll keep me in the loop.”
“Well, I’ve got some news. Under tight security, some scientists at the university near Aachen have analyzed the remaining sample. The results should be ready by the time we get there.”
“Well done, Schultzie. What does that mean?”
“It means we can find out what that scientist was learning about Charlemagne. By doing that, we can try to draw a connection between his murder and the North Koreans at the dig site in France.”
Adriana cocked her head sideways and passed Tommy a dubious, narrow-eyed glare. “Did you order the sample analysis, or were they already doing that and you’re just taking credit?”
Sean giggled. His friend was busted.
“Okay, yes,” Tommy confessed. “They were doing it independently. But I did have to request access to the analysis. I would love to be able to get into that scientist’s lab.”
“Won’t happen,” Sean said. “With a full-on murder investigation, I doubt the German authorities will be happy to have us poking our noses around. It would be best if we get in with your friend, get what we need, and get out of there.”
“What is it we need, anyway?” Adriana said.
Tommy fumbled for an explanation. “Well…”
“He doesn’t know,” Sean answered for his friend. He turned to Tommy and shook his head. “Honestly, this feels like a wild goose chase. If you think you’re going to find any connection between your medallion and some DNA samples from a guy who’s been dead for a thousand years, you’re drifting toward the crazy side of the river.”
“Look, I know it’s a stretch, but let’s see where it goes. I mean, Germany is nice this time of year. Maybe we can relax, get out and see the sights.”
“You found a girl!” Adriana said out of the blue.
Tommy was taken back by the sudden comment. “What? That’s silly. Me? A girl? Come on.”
Sean crossed his arms and stared at his friend with disbelieving eyes. “Seriously, you’re an awful liar.”
“What’s her name?” Adriana asked.
Tommy sighed. “What? No. You know what? Just… no, I’m not doing this. We’re going to Germany to investigate a potential connection with a probably priceless artifact. This has nothing to do with a woman.”
“Oh, so there is a woman?”
Tommy’s face flushed red. “Look, can we just get back on task? We’re going to Germany to investigate why an innocent man was killed and a possible connection to the medallion I found in France. End of story.”
The other two remained silent for a moment, so he continued. “With any luck, the university will have already come up with some answers.”
“So she’s a professor at the university,” Sean said with confidence.
“You know, I don’t have to listen to this. We’re dealing with a very serious matter.”
“You’re right, buddy. I’m sorry.”
“We both are,” Adriana added, desperately fighting back the smile that was trying to escape.
“Yeah,” Sean agreed. “We both are. You’re right. Let’s just go over there and figure out what’s going on with this medallion thing.”
“Thank you,” Tommy said, exasperated. He was visibly relieved they’d finally dropped the subject.
Sean’s eyes narrowed and his lips curled in a mischievous smirk. “And while we’re there, if we happen to bump into a lady friend of yours, that’s just a bonus.”
“All right, you know what? Yes. Yes, there’s a woman at the university who happens to be a friend of mine. No, I wouldn’t mind seeing her again. Okay? But nothing ever happened between us.”
Adriana turned sympathetic. “Oh, why? Why didn’t it work out?”
Tommy put his hands out wide. “Isn’t it obvious? We live a few thousand miles apart. I can’t just drop what I’m doing, hop in the car, and drive out to meet her for dinner.”
Sean understood. Distance had strained things with him and Adriana. Not to mention the fact that Adriana’s hobbies were extremely dangerous. Fortunately, she’d been spending most of her time with him in the States lately. They went a few weeks without seeing each other, but those times usually happened after long stretches together.
Still, Sean was curious how Tommy had been able to keep this a secret. He decided not to press the issue for now even though it itched his mind like a flea on a dog.
He’d get to the bottom of it sooner or later.
Tommy struggled to get them back on topic. “Can we please focus?”
His guests nodded.
“Please continue,” Sean said, fighting back the urge to giggle.
“Okay. What we know is that the verse on the back of the medallion is from Matthew 26. It’s a quote from Jesus when Peter cut off a man’s ear in Gethsemane.”
“When they were about to arrest Jesus,” Adriana said.
“Right. The guy who lost the ear was Malchus. Of course, Jesus reattached it for him. It was one of the last miracles He performed. Anyway, that’s beside the point. The thing is; why was Peter carrying a sword?”
Tommy let the question hang in the air for a moment while his friends considered it.
Sean and Adriana exchanged a questioning glance.
“Funny,” Sean said. “I never really thought about that before. I mean, I’ve known that story since I was a kid, but it never dawned on me that Peter was armed. Of course, I knew he was. Just never bothered to ask why.”
“Exactly!” Tommy exclaimed. “He was armed, carrying a weapon right there on his belt. Why? Up until then, the entire mission of Jesus had been about peace and healing and hope for eternity. Why would one of His closest followers be carrying a weapon?”
“Some of the disciples were zealots,” Adriana offered. “They were ready for a rebellion against Rome. At least in their minds they were.”
“That’s a good thought,” Tommy said, “and we know that a few of them were zealots, for sure. Peter had all the makings of one.”