He knew from experience that the worst thing that could happen on a battlefield wasn’t death; it was watching someone you cared about suffer. That feeling of hopelessness never went away. In fact, sometimes it worsened. Over the years, Cobb had awoken to his own screams in a tangle of damp sheets more times than he could count, and the lingering nightmare in his head always focused on the soldiers under his command that he wasn’t able to save and the family members they left behind.
Those were the images that haunted him.
Not his own death, but the agony of others.
‘Trust me, there’s nothing you could have done to save her. Absolutely nothing. If you had charged in, you would be dead, too.’
Manjani nodded as he wiped away his tears. In his heart he had known the truth for months, but it was nice to have someone agree with him.
‘What happened next?’ Cobb asked.
‘When it was over, I watched the shadows drag the bodies into the swirling haze of the approaching storm, knowing that I would never see my team again, knowing that the desert would be their grave. So I wrapped a towel around my face, lowered my head into the wind, and tried to escape.’
‘How did you make it out?’ she asked.
‘Fortunately for me, the sandstorm erased my trail as I made my way toward el-Bawiti. My wallet, my phone, and most of my equipment were still at the camp. I hoped that no one would look for me if they thought I was dead. Eventually, I met a Bedouin caravan kind enough to help me to the coast. From there, I traded my watch to a fisherman in exchange for passage to Crete. Once you’ve made it that far, you have the whole Aegean to get lost in. I ultimately ended up here.’
Cobb knew that a man of Manjani’s intellect would have no trouble finding well-paying work, especially in his native Greece. ‘Why did you send the map to the Archives?’
Manjani forced a smile. ‘I knew I wasn’t going to use it, but a small part of me felt that finding Alexander’s tomb would mean my students hadn’t died in vain. I guess I was hoping that someone might pick up the trail where I jumped off.’
‘Which is where we come in,’ said Cobb, who hoped to tie Manjani’s efforts directly to Jasmine’s disappearance. Not to be cruel, but to guarantee his full participation. ‘We followed your map into the tunnels beneath the city. That’s when we were attacked. There was something under Alexandria that the bombers were trying to protect — something so valuable that they blew up a city block in order to hide it.’
Manjani nodded knowingly. ‘When I saw the reports, I somehow knew it was them. I didn’t believe the claims that it was an accident. That didn’t make sense to me. The men used swords in the desert, but I could tell they were willing to do anything to accomplish their goals. Tell me, how many people did you lose?’
‘Just our historian. They grabbed her before the blast.’
‘But why?’ Manjani asked. ‘I don’t mean to sound indelicate, but why would they take her when they were so intent on killing my team? Why would they save her and then kill hundreds on the streets above?’
Cobb shrugged. He had asked himself the same questions over and over again and had yet to think of a reasonable answer. ‘I don’t know why she was taken. Even worse, I don’t know where to find her. All I know for sure is that we came a long way to find you. With your knowledge of the map, we were hoping you could help us.’
Manjani glanced at him. ‘With what?’
‘The map made note of “the gift of Neptune”. Our historian believed this referred to a well that Caesar had dug to ensure that his drinking water couldn’t be poisoned.’
Manjani nodded approvingly. ‘Ptolemy Theos Philopator and the Battle of the Nile. I’m familiar with the tale. Please, continue.’
‘She believed the fortress that was built to protect the well eventually became a Roman temple. She also believed that the priests used the temple to hide evidence of Alexander’s tomb when the emperor demanded that the records be destroyed.’
Manjani smiled. ‘That’s actually quite brilliant.’
Sarah took the compliment on Jasmine’s behalf. ‘We’d like to think so. That’s why we thoroughly explored the cisterns and the temple. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any evidence of the tomb’s location. All we found were the symbols on the wall and the secret grotto. We were hoping you could shed some light on their significance.’
‘I’d love to,’ he admitted, ‘but I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about. What symbols? And what grotto?’
Until that moment, Sarah had been confident that Manjani was a guilt-ridden victim who would do whatever he could to help save Jasmine. But now, she wasn’t so sure.
‘You know,’ she said angrily, ‘there are few things in life that I hate more than a liar. So we’ll give you one more chance to change your story before we start to get mean. What can you tell us about the grotto?’
‘Nothing!’ he assured her. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about! I swear to God, I’m telling you the truth! I haven’t lied about anything!’
‘Bullshit!’ she growled. ‘We know you were there. I found a glow stick in the grotto, and we traced it back to you. You bought it in Piraeus before your expedition!’
‘A glow stick?’ he stuttered, completely confused. ‘Yes, I bought a case of them in Piraeus, but we only used a few in the desert. I left the rest of them with my equipment at the campsite. For all I know, the whole box is still there!’
Sarah stared at him, searching for any glance or twitch that might indicate deceit on his part, but she saw nothing of the sort. That meant the men who slaughtered Manjani’s team most likely raided the equipment before they disposed of the bodies and used the glow sticks in the cisterns. ‘You’re telling me that you know nothing about a grotto?’
‘No!’ Manjani shouted.
‘Or a pictograph?’
‘A pictograph? You found a pictograph? Where?’
‘Inside the temple. It was written in ancient symbols.’
‘Wait,’ blurted Manjani, who was trying to make sense of things. ‘You found an ancient pictograph inside of a Roman temple next to a hidden grotto?’
Cobb nodded. ‘Yeah. That about sums it up.’
Manjani suddenly smiled. ‘Please show me everything!’
62
After discussing it with Sarah, Cobb decided to show Manjani the images of their underground adventure. The viewing wasn’t only meant for his benefit, it was also for theirs. Despite his glowing reputation, Manjani still needed to prove his worth. The more insight he could provide, the more they would show him. And if at any point he appeared to be deceitful, they would shut down his access completely.
But first, they needed to go somewhere private.
Since his arrival in Amorgos, Manjani had been living in a small cottage near the harbor. Aside from Internet access, the location gave him everything he needed. The neighborhood was clean and safe, and it was within walking distance to the café, the marketplace, and the port. In less than fifteen minutes, he could be surfing the web, buying groceries, or making a quick getaway to a neighboring island.
And the view was simply breathtaking.
As much as they envied the panorama from Manjani’s porch, Cobb and Sarah were taken aback by the lack of décor inside the bungalow. Thanks to their former careers, both of them were familiar with the never-in-one-place-for-long lifestyle, but Manjani’s place took that notion to the extreme. His only furniture was a battered table, some mismatched chairs, and a threadbare mattress.
One end of the table served as his office with a mouse, keyboard, and external monitor for his laptop, while the nearer end was reserved for meals. There was a lone cast-iron skillet on the stove in the kitchen and a single set of tableware in the drying rack next to the sink. It was clear that he had no intention of entertaining guests.