Sean didn’t pry further. He didn’t need to ask if Coop ever wanted to remarry or try to find someone else. He could tell that was never going to be in the cards by the way their host told the story.
Coop went on with his tale of how he worked for fifteen years in dentistry before retiring to his little home on the hill just south of the city.
“Now he just sits around and watches TV all day,” Charlie said, clutching a half-eaten rib with fingers from both hands.
Coop let out a genuine laugh and reached for a fresh mug of beer. He lifted the glass to his lips and took a big swig, then placed it back on the table. He rubbed his nose and then threw his hands up.
“He’s not wrong, Sean. I definitely watch too much television. But I much prefer that to the delicate art that is antiquing…” He let the words sink in as Charlie gnawed on the remainder of his last rib.
The old friends eyed each other for a moment before both erupted in laughter. Sean hadn’t really heard Charlie laugh much before. He’d just accepted the idea that his friend was going to be grumpy all the time. It was good to see him enjoying himself.
Sean’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out of his jeans and checked the message. The text on the screen was only two words from Tommy.
Call me.
Chapter 7
Before heading out to the barbecue place for dinner, Sean had taken some photos of the coin and sent them to Tommy in Atlanta. At Sean’s request, Tommy had forwarded the images to his two best researchers, Tara Watson and Alex Simms.
They were two of the best in the world at what they did, though Sean wasn’t really clear on what exactly their jobs entailed for so many hours of the day. Sometimes Sean wondered if Tara and Alex slept at the IAA labs. The way Tommy made it sound, they probably did.
It was well after dark, and the two researchers had likely been there since 9 a.m. When Sean had asked Tommy if they were still there, his friend had responded in a just-between-us tone, “I think they never leave.”
The text message Sean had received could only mean one thing. Alex and Tara had found something. He excused himself from the table and left the noisy restaurant, stepping outside into the warm evening.
The phone rang twice before his childhood friend picked up. “Hey, man. You still in Knoxville?”
“Yeah. We’re probably going to stay the night here and come back early in the morning. What have you got for me?”
Tommy ceased the pleasantries and pushed the conversation forward. “This is an extremely interesting piece. We really need to get it into the lab to get a better look at it, analyze the metals and all that.”
“I know. I’m bringing it to you in the morning.”
“Oh. Good.” Tommy paused for a second before continuing. “We still don’t know who the guy is on the front of the coin. It could be a Norse god, a king, or someone else. Definitely some kind of Viking. So far, our software hasn’t come up with a match. The kids are working on it though.”
Tommy frequently referred to Tara and Alex as “the kids.” The two were only five or six years younger than he, so the term was probably more playful than anything else.
“What about the runes?” Sean asked. He always preferred to be direct. Wasting time wasn’t something Sean did very often.
“That was why I wanted you to call me. It’s strange. The runes only spell out one word: awaken.”
Sean paced back and forth on the sidewalk, thinking about the new information. Awaken? What in the world could that mean? The thoughts started mingling with others.
Tommy went on. “Whatever it is, this coin is extremely rare. We won’t know for sure until we run some labs on it, but that kind of writing is definitely old. Where did you say this guy found it?”
“I didn’t.” Sean stopped at the corner of the building, pivoted around, and started strolling back toward the entrance again. “I need you to dig around for a guy named Francis Jackson.”
“Who’s that?” Tommy asked through the earpiece.
“This guy in Knoxville says that the coin is a family heirloom, handed down originally by Jackson. I want you to find out all you can about him.”
Sean imagined Tommy busily taking notes on the other end of the line.
“Okay. Anything else?”
“Other than figuring out who the guy is on the face of the coin, no,” Sean said after a few seconds of consideration. “That’ll do for now.”
“You know,” Tommy’s voice took on a salesy tone, “for someone who’s retired from historical work, you sure seem to be interested in this case.”
Sean snorted a quick laugh. “I knew you were going to say that. And the answer is no. I’m not coming back to work at IAA.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were going to.”
“Come on,” Tommy urged. “You know me better than that. I know you’re happy with your life. But I have to ask, what’s up with this case? Why the interest?”
Sean glanced around the parking lot, eyeing each car suspiciously. He’d been trained to always be observant, to never take anything for granted. In the years following his service to the United States government, some of that training had lapsed, but there were other old habits that died hard.
“I’ll talk to you more about it in the morning. I’d rather have that conversation in person than over the phone. And I’m not entirely sure I’m clean right now.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. A long time ago, Sean had taught Tommy a term they could use in case one of them was being followed. It was a word he’d brought to IAA from Axis. When an agent thought they’d picked up a tail, they said they were dirty. If they lost the person following them, they would say clean. Since the Russian escaped from their grasp earlier, Sean wasn’t about to make any assumptions.
“Understood,” Tommy replied. “I’ll see you in the morning. Be careful,” he added.
“Thanks, Dad, I will.” He grinned and shook his head as he hit the end button, muting the laughter coming from the other end.
Sean opened the door to the restaurant and let out a family dressed in orange-and-white University of Tennessee gear, then reentered the building. His companions still sat at the table, which had been cleared of all the empty plates. Coop was happily signing the bill. Charlie begrudgingly allowed it.
“Hey, Coop, you don’t have to pay for our dinner,” Sean protested.
“Sorry,” he responded. “It’s already been done. You’re my guests, and I’m happy to do it.”
“I tried to stop him,” Charlie defended, returning to his grumpy demeanor.
Coop folded his hands on the table and took on a serious expression. “The truth is, I feel a little guilty too.”
Sean’s face scrunched. “Why’s that?”
Coop shrugged. “I haven’t been completely up front with you, gentlemen. I’ve been keeping something from you regarding the coin.” He looked down at the table for a second with a face awash with guilt. “The coin isn’t the only thing that was handed down by my ancestors. It came with something else.”
Sean’s lips creased in a smile as if he knew what was coming next.
“What do you mean you haven’t been up front with us?” Charlie asked in a demanding tone. “Someone tried to kill me over that darn thing.”