Joe changed lanes glancing back in the rear-view mirror to make sure no one was following. A white luxury sedan passed in the far right lane and continued further and further ahead.
“Sean, you there?” Morris’s voice snapped him back to the moment.
“I don’t think Jurgenson is the one calling the shots.”
“No?” Trent sounded surprised.
“Nah. The way that this whole thing has been going down, makes me think he’s just the manager of the team.”
“But not the owner?”
“Right.”
“So who is?”
Sean could tell the cop’s voice was being kept a little low. He imagined an entire crime scene investigation going on in the background. Trent must have surely been huddled in a corner of the church somewhere so no one else could hear the conversation.
“I’m not sure. There are only a few people in the world who even know about the legend of the lost chambers. Until this whole thing started, I didn’t really know much. And most of what I knew about it came from Tommy.”
“You said a few people. Who else would fit into that category?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure that out, but no one comes to mind. Tommy never did any presentations about the chambers story. It was something that he and I talked about in private. He was always really secretive about his research on it, too. I can tell you this, though; Tommy put his life into that myth. He wants to find the lost chambers more than anything else. It’s completely absorbed him.”
“Not one person comes to mind that he may have been in contact with?”
For a moment, Sean looked out the window of the truck, watching the fiery colors of the forest blur by. “There was one guy that I saw leaving Tommy’s office once, about six months ago. I had never seen him before. Now that I think of it, I don’t think I ever saw him after that either. He was an older gentleman, walked with a fancy looking cane and dressed in a pin-striped Armani three piece. Not sure why it was, but he had a scowl on his face, like someone had just stolen his last piece of candy.”
“Didn’t get his name?”
“I went in and found Tommy sitting at his desk with his hands crossed. Guess he was thinking pretty hard about whatever he and the old guy had discussed. But he never told me what they talked about or who the man was.”
The detective silently contemplated the scenario and the few details they had.
Sean decided to go on. “All I know is that I have a chance to stop these guys, and that is exactly what I intend to do.”
Resignation came from the other end. “I guess there’s no changing your mind, Sean. You know that I could call the police down where you’re headed.”
“I realize that. But you know as well as I do if you get other authorities involved we may never get Tommy back.”
Morris contemplated the problem. “Ok, Sean. I will give you a little more time, twenty-four hours. But that’s it. After that, I want your full cooperation with this. You hear me?”
“Yeah. I hear ya.”
“Good. Just don’t get yourself killed.”
“We’ll see.”
The line went dead.
Chapter 52
“You sure that was a smart thing to do, tellin’ that cop where we’re headed?” Joe cast his friend a skeptical look in the mirror. “I mean, why wouldn’t he just set up a road block and bring us in?”
“I don’t think he will do that.”
“Well, why did you tell him where we were going, then?”
Sean smiled, “Because, Mac, we might need some help when this thing goes down.”
“Well, I don’t like it.” Joe cast a glance at Allyson who had remained somewhat silent the last few minutes. “Isn’t there someone you can call on this? I mean, you work for Axis, right? Can’t they do something?”
“I’m not sure what they would do at this point. The FBI is already involved. As Sean knows, our agency tries to keep a very low profile. I’m afraid we might be on our own in this one.”
Sean nodded in agreement.
“On our own again, huh?” Joe echoed. “Great. So, tell me something, Sean, how did you figure Rock Eagle was the next place we need to go?”
“The thought had crossed my mind before. It seemed like the only logical spot on the continent. But what really gave it away was when the sexton started talking about an altar.”
“An altar?”
“Yeah. The history of Rock Eagle and Rock Hawk is a pretty big mystery, as I’m sure you know.”
This time Joe nodded. “Yep, those are a couple of odd spots for sure.”
Allyson was confused. “What is this place you guys are talking about?”
“Rock Eagle and Rock Hawk are located down in east Georgia, fairly close to Augusta,” Sean explained. “The names “eagle” and “hawk” refer to two giant stone effigies that are in the shape of birds. Rock Hawk, was built out of a darker stone, so it appears almost black. A few miles away from there, Rock Eagle was constructed out of white stones. They are actually quite amazing designs.”
“So what does this have to do with the golden chambers?”
“Well, the riddle mentions a raven and a dove. Maybe whoever gave the name Rock Eagle and Rock Hawk was just trying to help keep the mystery hidden.”
“Makes sense,” Joe added. “I’d never actually considered that before. And the altar?”
Sean smiled. “Glad you remembered. When the first excavations were done at the sites, researchers believed that the stone mounds were some sort of mass graves. They expected to find dozens, if not hundreds of human remains underneath.”
“Did they?” Allyson asked.
“No. In fact, they only found two skeletons, one at each site. Turns out, the bones found at the Rock Hawk site were of a female and those discovered at Rock Eagle were that of a man. What tipped me off, though, was an odd little detail of the story.”
He paused for a moment, reflecting. “It is said that Indians from many parts of the region would pilgrimage to both sites to place stones there. Over the years, there must have been hundreds and hundreds of rocks brought from all over the southern part of the continent to be placed on the giant stone birds. Generations of Indians traveled to the altar where “the sacred bones lay.” The two people buried there must have been extremely important. Perhaps even the first natives to settle the area.”
“According to the new theory, the first Egyptians to settle here.” she realized.
“Exactly. They were the father and mother to a new nation.”
The moment was heavy in the truck, as the last little detail sank in.
“So, you think these two birds will lead us to the chamber?”
“More than that, Allyson. I think the birds watch over it.”
Joe and Allyson cast a questioning look at him.
“Think about it. The medallion Tommy found has two birds on it divided by some kind of line or pole. I think that line marks the location of the first chamber.”
“You know,” Joe added, “I think you might be right. But how do we find that line?”
“Well, I wasn’t sure about that until I remembered another oddity in the area. You see, the two birds face each other, even though they are miles apart. Almost exactly at the midpoint between them, a set of totem poles were erected.”
“That is interesting.”
“Even more fascinating, these totems were built out of stone, not wood. Now why would the natives go to so much trouble?”
“They wanted them to last forever,” Allyson jumped in.
“Exactly. But there is one more piece to the puzzle. And if I know Tommy, he has already figured it out. If he’s smart, he will take those guys to the totems without the key.”