“Or an enemy,” Tara corrected. “The Holy Lance is one of the most prized relics in the Christian world. Many rulers, including some of the early popes, believed that it held special powers. Some thought that it was a weapon handed down by God that would redeem mankind. Others believed that the blood of Christ is what gave the weapon its supernatural power. Either way, that spear has been one of the most coveted items in history, right behind the slightly better known Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant.”
The three older members of the group were impressed. Tommy commended them. “I have to say, that’s an intriguing story.”
Sean agreed. “Something like that would be pretty intimidating, holding the spear of destiny like that.”
“Right. The question is,” Tommy considered his words for a second, “did Holger Danske get his hands on it? And if he did, how did he escape, where did he go, and what did he do with the lance?”
Alex frowned. “That part we don’t know. But now it seems like we have a good place to start.”
There was still something troubling Sean. “You know, this all seems like a lot of trouble to go to for a man that most of the history books don’t recognize as being real. Holger Danske is just an old fairy tale to most Danes. It seems a little odd that if he did something as incredible for his home country as stealing the Holy Lance, he would have been recognized for it in some way. Instead, it’s like they wanted him to disappear.”
“Which makes sense,” Adriana continued for him. “Think about it. Charlemagne’s power covered all of western Europe by the time he was crowned emperor in AD 800. Holger would most likely have had to disappear completely to stay safe. Once he had the lance, his mission for King Gudfred was complete, but he could never return home to Denmark. With the help of his trusted friend, Asmund, he vanished forever.”
Sean nodded. “Good point. And if Charlemagne really did steal the lance, there’s no way he could make a public claim about it. He would have to try to recover it in secret.”
“That would be a tough operation to keep quiet,” Alex said.
Tommy had been thinking for a few minutes and finally posed a question to the group. “So we think we know what we’re looking for. And we think we know where to look next. But what about the guys chasing us? Why do they want the lance? It would be nearly impossible to sell something like that, even on the black market. No way they could keep that a secret for very long.”
It was a good question. And no one had an answer right away.
Tara did have another question though. “What did you say the name was of the man that’s after you? Not the underlings, the guy in charge.”
“Jim said his name is Gerard Dufort. Apparently, he’s bad news.”
Tara ran a quick check online but could only find the things Dufort was comfortable with the public at large knowing.
Sean knew she wouldn’t find much on the Internet. Which was why he had someone better he could talk to for this kind of situation.
Chapter 26
Sean made the phone call once he, Tommy, and Adriana were back in the car and headed to the hospital. Tommy was busy making flight arrangements to Copenhagen while Adriana drove the car. She shook her head and passed Sean a wry smile.
“What?” he asked as Emily’s phone rang in his earpiece.
“You boys and your phones,” she answered in a dry tone, staring straight ahead with a mischievous look in her eyes.
Before Sean could defend himself, his longtime friend Emily Starks answered. “What can I do for you this time, Mr. Wyatt?” she answered in a sarcastic tone.
“Nice to hear your voice again, too, Em.”
“Cut the BS, Sean.”
True, he thought. Emily Starks wasn’t one for too much chitchat. She liked to get to the point, which put her and Sean on the same playing field most of the time. It was one of several reasons they made such a great team when he worked with her at Axis, and why she desperately tried to get him to stay when he decided to retire.
“I need information on someone.”
A short snicker came through from the other end. “Funny. The last guy you wanted information on ended up dead. That wasn’t you, was it?”
“No,” Sean said. “I’m pretty sure it’s the guy I need info on now.”
“Oh?” She sounded intrigued. “Who’s the next dead guy?”
“Hilarious,” Sean shook his head as Adriana steered the car down another street. The white sides of the hospital appeared on the horizon, beyond the huge oaks and smaller buildings intermingling on the outlying area of the campus. “His name is Gerard Dufort. Frenchman. I think he lives in Paris. I hear he’s pretty ruthless. Also hear he has quite a bit of money.”
“Quite a bit would be an understatement,” Emily cut him off. “Dufort’s wealth is in the billions. He inherited a huge sum when his parents died. Some speculated he was the one that caused the accident. No one will ever know for sure. Too much time has passed now.”
“Wait,” Sean stopped her. “You know this guy?”
Emily sighed. “I am in the intelligence community, you know. Yes, I know who Dufort is. We’ve had our eyes on him for a while. He runs one of the largest human trafficking rings in Europe, maybe even in the world. The sex slaves he sells come from around the globe and from all walks of life. We have an agent watching him, but she hasn’t checked in today. I’m worried something’s up.”
“You don’t think he got wind of what she was doing, do you?”
“Not sure. We’re checking on it now. If I don’t hear from her by two o’clock this afternoon, I’m going over there to have a look around for myself.”
This last piece caught Sean off guard. “You’re in Paris right now?”
“Yeah. We have a team in place, ready to take down Dufort. But we can’t go in until we have concrete evidence on him. Up until now, everything we’ve got won’t hold up.”
Sean didn’t like the idea of Emily going into the lion’s den all alone, but he also knew she would have a backup plan. If she had a team in place and they knew she was going in to take a look around, Dufort wouldn’t dare lay a finger on her. If she failed to return, her team would tear down the building.
He decided to pry a little further. “What else can you tell me about Dufort?”
“Well,” she paused for a moment, “he’s a fairly prominent member of the Parisian community. He engages with many charitable organizations, probably to keep eyes off his darker exploits. Of course, hobnobbing with those wealthy elite types might be another way he networks for more business.”
“Ironic.”
“For sure. He is also a member of an extremely private collectors club.”
Sean’s face curled slightly. “Collectors club? Like vintage race cars or something?”
“No,” Emily corrected. “The kinds of things that you and your boy, Tommy, dig up all the time. They’re into ancient artifacts, relics, and pieces that should be in museums. Usually, they buy things from treasure hunters on the black market. Sometimes they get them from legitimate auctions. I guess you could say that Dufort’s club is kind of the IAA’s competitor. Whoever has the rarest and the most expensive items is held in the highest regard. It’s like some kind of fraternity where whoever has the best collection is the most powerful. The whole thing sounds kind of strange to me.”
Adriana eased the SUV into a parking spot and shifted it into park while Sean finished his conversation.
It was Emily’s turn to ask a question. “Why all the interest in Dufort?”
“I’m helping an old friend with a treasure hunt,” he oversimplified the answer. “I guess Dufort is looking for the same thing we’re looking for, except he’s sent some of his henchmen to stop us.”