At one point it was said that one hundred thousand dinars had been reforged into the Dome’s exterior. Originally, its construction had taken seven years, but considerable effort had gone into the maintenance, too. In 1960, the Dome had required additional protection, and the distinctive aluminum and bronze alloy had been added. Cast in Italy, the metal covering shone in the bright sunlight.
‘Me too.’ Lourds smiled. ‘I’m all about being safe and sound. It’s the situations and circumstances that keep disagreeing with me. If these things were hidden in safe places, however, everyone would find them.’ He opened the door and prepared to get out.
Alice caught him behind the head and pulled him to her in a passionate kiss. That surprised Lourds, as well as complicating the situation with Miriam, but it didn’t stop him from kissing her back.
She drew back. ‘I’ll see you soon.’
‘Yes.’ Lourds slid out of the car, regretting that he couldn’t take his backpack and hoping he’d brought everything he needed in his cargo pants. He also hoped the flashlight, pry bar, and other tools wouldn’t clank when he walked.
He pulled the keffiyeh into place to better shadow his face and turned to face Miriam as she got out of the car. Like him, she wore Muslim dress. They started walking toward the Dome.
‘Kissing in public?’ The note of disapproval in her tone was unmistakable, and it seemed to be even sharper because she spoke in Farsi. ‘That hardly suits a Muslim man.’
‘I don’t think anyone noticed.’
‘You don’t know that.’
‘And there are several Muslim men who have American and European girlfriends. Even when they have several wives.’
‘Whatever.’
Whatever? Lourds knew he was on dangerous ground. Not just from whatever waited on him in the Dome.
‘You know, Professor Lourds, I’m putting my ass on the line for you here, hoping you can hold up your end.’
‘I know.’
‘This is hardly the kind of thing that you should have brought your girlfriend to.’
‘She’s not my girlfriend. She’s just a … good friend.’
‘A good friend? That’s what you call it?’
‘Yes.’
‘Does she know she’s a good friend?’
‘Of course.’
‘And that you have other good friends?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you going to be good friends again anytime soon?’
‘I don’t know. I’m working hard on just surviving the next few minutes.’
‘That’s exactly why I want you to stay focused.’
Lourds stopped in the street and faced the young woman. ‘If I have hurt you in any way, Miriam, I’m sorry. That was not my intention.’
She stared at him for a moment, then let out a breath. ‘I know. Getting involved with you was my idea.’
‘Maybe I should have said no.’
Her eyes flared open wider. ‘You could have told me no?’
Lourds desperately backtracked in his mind. This was what he hated about trying to maintain a relationship that lasted more than a few days or weeks. There were just too many things to pay attention to and revisionist history regarding events and motivations shifted as suddenly and dangerously as quicksand. Translating dead and forgotten languages was much safer. ‘Of course I couldn’t have told you no.’
‘Your problem is that you can’t tell anyone no.’
Lourds felt like he’d walked out into the middle of a minefield. There were no right answers. He hated that. At least working translations, there were right answers.
‘Did you tell her about us?’
‘No. Why would I do that? I didn’t tell you about Alice and me.’
Miriam frowned.
Lourds sighed. ‘Might I suggest there’s a better time and place to work this out? We’re all consenting adults.’
Obviously not happy about the situation, Miriam turned and continued walking toward the Dome.
Lourds hurried after her. ‘Hey. As a proper Muslim woman, you’re supposed to walk behind me.’
Miriam turned and glared daggers at him, but waited until he passed her and trailed behind him. Somehow, that didn’t make Lourds feel any safer at all.
As with every other time he’d visited the Islamic shrine, Lourds found his breath taken from him when he stepped inside the wooden walkway adjacent to the entrance to the Wailing Wall. Already he could hear prayers at the Wall. Jews were not permitted inside the Dome to pray.
Muslim security guards from the Ministry of Awqaf checked all the visitors.
The huge rock face in the center of the Dome, surrounded by gorgeous pillars, was steeped in the emotional history of the Bible, the Koran, and the Talmud.
It was here that Abraham had come to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as commanded by God, and it was from this Rock that God had created the world. It was here that Mohammad had arrived on the winged beast, al-Buraq, and — some believed — his footprint was still upon the rock. It was here that the Ark of the Covenant was delivered to the First Temple, which was built by King Solomon after his father, King David, was denied the task by God. That temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians and rebuilt, renamed Herod’s Temple, and was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70.
Lourds’s chest swelled at the sight of the Rock. Even though he knew the location was argued over by the different theologies, and they even disagreed if this was the Rock, he knew there was something hugely significant about it. He could feel it. That bothered him because he preferred his feelings based in history and fact.
This, though, was pure faith.
And he’d come to plunder this holy place. Thinking that wasn’t a most auspicious beginning, especially since Lourds was immediately reminded of the penalty he faced if he got caught. But he put one foot in front of the other and got to it.
Men and women were allowed to enter through different doors, and had to occupy different parts of the Dome. Neither Miriam nor Lourds was certain where the entrance to the underground labyrinth — if it even existed — was.
Lourds walked in a semicircle around the Rock, watching carefully through the ornate pillars. He followed the small morning crowd of Muslims and tourists through the tour, ending up in the Well of Souls. The cave was located below the Foundation Stone.
He peered through the small hole that showed the interior of the cave, then continued to the entrance on the southern side, where the stairs were. The stairway was lined in brown-and-white carpet, but the hard stone underneath was evident. At the bottom, he walked through the gap between the Stone and the rock wall.
In wonder and frustration, he surreptitiously searched the room. If there was a clue to the location of Mohammad’s Book and Scroll, he didn’t see it. A steady resonance filled the room, and Lourds was reminded again of the sound of the sea. Many people believed the phenomenon was created by the enclosed space and the presence of so many people above and around the Well of Souls.
‘You see, my son, this is where the souls of the dead come to await Judgment Day.’ A man in American clothing stood holding the hand of his small son.
‘When I die, I’m going to come here?’
‘Some say that.’
The boy looked at the cave thoughtfully. ‘Seems small. And there’s no bathroom.’
Lourds chuckled, then masked the sound with a small coughing fit. Frustrated, knowing Miriam would be worried, he turned to go back up the stairs. Then the feeling he’d first gotten when he’d entered the Dome slammed into him again. This time he thought he was going to fall.