‘Did you find anything?’
He glanced at her. ‘An entire village buried beneath the sand. It was remarkable. But before we had a chance to excavate the site, they came in the night.’
‘They? Who are they?’
‘Hooded men in black tunics. They stormed our camp after sunset, wielding ancient swords. We tried to fight back, but they were too strong. The bodies of the others were dragged into the desert… For some reason, I was kept alive.’
Jasmine was familiar with the incident. As a fellow historian, she kept her ears tuned to reports of any developments in her field — good or bad. ‘Your expedition made the news. When your team failed to return, the authorities were sent to find you. They spent days searching the desert.’
‘Did they find anyone?’
She shook her head. ‘All they found was your camp. Everyone was presumed dead. And as far as I remember, there was no mention of an archaeological find.’
He sighed. ‘The desert hides its secrets quickly.’
Jasmine knew her next question would sound indelicate, but she also knew it had to be asked. After all, her life was at stake too. ‘I hate to ask you this — I really do — but do you have any idea why they spared your life?’
He shrugged. ‘I honestly don’t know. Sometimes I wish they hadn’t.’
‘Have they questioned you?’
‘Repeatedly,’ he answered. ‘And I have told them everything that I know. I was merely there to interpret our discoveries. I was not the team leader.’
Jasmine nodded. ‘I know the feeling.’
He looked at her. ‘What do you mean?’
‘My story is similar,’ she explained. ‘Just like you, the whole reason I was in Egypt was to put my team’s discoveries into the proper historical context. And just like you, we were also looking for Alexander.’
‘In which part of the desert?’
‘We weren’t in the desert. We were in Alexandria.’
Kaleem grimaced. ‘My dear, Alexandria has been picked clean. They even have a name for those that search there. They are known as the Fools of Alexander.’
She nodded. ‘Trust me, I know. I’m very well aware of the reputation. But what if I told you that the fools weren’t so foolish after all?’
‘Are you saying that you found Alexander?’
Jasmine smiled. ‘Not Alexander, no. But we may have found a clue that no one else has seen. We were exploring the tunnels under the city when we came across a wall covered in ancient carvings. It implied that Alexander’s body had been moved long ago.’
‘Are you surprised by this message? Because I, for one, am not. Alexander’s whereabouts have been unknown for centuries. It only stands to reason that his body has been transported elsewhere. The question is not if he was moved. It is when? And where? And how?’
‘That’s three questions.’
Kaleem smiled. ‘Yes, I guess it is.’
Jasmine realized that saying anything more would come dangerously close to revealing the secrets that her team had worked hard to uncover, but she thought it was worth the risk. If their captors had interrogated Kaleem, he would know what type of information they were seeking.
She lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘What if I told you that I could answer two of those questions?’
A look of hope spread across his face.
66
In case of emergencies, Manjani had memorized a wide variety of escape routes from Amorgos. He knew the schedule of every ferry with service from Katapola and the northern port of Aegiali. He also had the names of a few local fishermen who would be more than willing to take him from the island for the proper compensation.
And yet none of those was good enough for Cobb.
Not with so much at stake.
With a single call to Papineau, he arranged for a seaplane to pick them up near the harbor and whisk them back toward Alexandria. Five hours later, they were touching down in the blue water several miles from the Egyptian coast, where McNutt and the speedboat greeted them. Tired from their journey, few words were spoken until they reached the yacht.
Manjani stared at the vessel in total disbelief. He was used to canvas tents and broken cots, not multimillion-dollar boats. ‘This is your base of operations?’
Cobb nodded. ‘Make yourself at home.’
As they crossed the aft deck Papineau stepped out from the lower lounge to greet them. He was anxious to hear Manjani’s take on things, but he didn’t want to pepper him with questions just yet. ‘I trust the arrangements were satisfactory?’
Sarah nodded. ‘I have to give you credit: you’re one hell of a travel agent.’
‘Thank you, my dear. I’m glad you approved.’
Cobb patted him on the shoulder. ‘She’s right. Nice work.’
Papineau smiled. ‘For once, it seems I have done something right. Perhaps the tide is turning, and there are clearer seas ahead.’
‘Let’s hope,’ Cobb said with a shrug. ‘In the meantime, I need to hit the head. How does the command center in ten minutes sound?’
‘Ten minutes is fine, but let’s meet in the lounge instead. I think that would be better for Hector.’
Cobb grimaced. He sensed something was wrong.
Before Cobb had a chance to find out, Papineau extended his hand toward their guest. ‘Dr Manjani, I presume? I am your host, Jean-Marc Papineau. It’s good to have you aboard. Please let me know if I can do anything to make your stay more comfortable.’
Manjani noticed Papineau’s designer suit and guessed that it cost more than the cottage on Amorgos. ‘Thank you. I appreciate the hospitality.’
Papineau smiled warmly. ‘Josh, would you please show Dr Manjani to the lounge? I need to have a quick word with Jack before we start our briefing.’
‘No problem,’ said McNutt as he took Manjani’s elbow and led him inside. ‘Hey, are you really a doctor? Because I have this rash on my thigh that won’t go away. I can take off my pants, if you’d like.’
Cobb rolled his eyes but let it pass. For the time being, he was more interested in what Papineau had to say about Garcia than Manjani’s response to McNutt. ‘So, what’s going on with Hector?’
‘I’m afraid he’s rather agitated,’ Papineau answered.
‘That time of the month?’ Sarah asked.
Papineau ignored the wisecrack. ‘He’s having a few issues with the star map that you asked him to analyze. He can’t come up with a solution, and he feels like he’s letting us down — particularly Jasmine. Right now, he’s a bit of an emotional wreck.’
Cobb appreciated the insight. ‘Is it really that bad?’
‘I’m afraid it is. I fear he’s close to his breaking point.’
Sarah patted Papineau on the back and reassured him. ‘Don’t worry, Papi. It will be all right. We’ll take it easy on him. I promise.’
Ten minutes later, Sarah wanted to scratch Garcia’s eyes out. ‘We did the hard part! We found the goddamn map! All you have to do is math!’
Garcia yelled back. ‘For the last time: I can’t figure out the equation if I don’t have all the variables! It’s impossible! It can’t be done!’
‘Then tell me what you’re missing so we can figure this out!’
‘It’s not just one thing, Sarah! There are just too many factors involved!’
Cobb heard the commotion and hustled into the lounge. He found McNutt, Manjani, and Papineau standing in the back, watching the fight from afar. None of them was tempted to intervene. In fact, McNutt was eating a sandwich.
Cobb knew they didn’t have time for arguments, not at this stage of the game. So he ordered the two combatants to shut the hell up and sit the fuck down at the center table. Then he sat on the chair between them to put a stop to their squabbling.