Wilbur's desperation reached its height. "I'm an investment, Jack. Mr. Holmes has spent a good deal of money for my help. He won't be happy if you do this."
A thin, sickly smile crossed Jack's lips. "Do you really think Mr. Holmes cares about that paltry sum he gave you? He writes off ten times that every year. He won't have a problem with me writing you off as well."
"No. Please. I can. I won't say anything."
"I know you won't, Willy. I know you won't."
The muzzle flashed suddenly. For a moment, Wilbur's body wavered, leaning one direction and then the other. The bullet hole in his forehead made sure he was dead before he hit the floor.
"There you go, Willy," Jack said, taunting the dead man. "Have a rest. You've had a tough day."
Jack stepped over the body and made his way to the front of the room. He stopped next to the document and leaned over. For a brief moment, he considered stealing it, but it was the same as the one he had in his email. Email could be accessed through his phone. Carrying that paper around was a pointless hassle.
He strode out the door and closed it behind him. A quick search on his phone yielded the results he wanted. It was getting late, so he'd wait until morning to head to Milbrodale. No way his quarry was going there tonight. They'd be exhausted from their journey. He might as well catch a little sleep too.
Tomorrow, he'd get the key to the cipher and take out the Americans.
Chapter 11
Sean got out of the car and stretched his legs. Then he put his arms over his head and stretched them as well.
The drive from Sydney to Milbrodale took right at two and a half hours, although Reece claimed he could make it in two flat. The cave was only a few minutes away from the little town. Its location was on private property, but the owners allowed visitors due to the historic nature of the cave.
The others got out of the car and looked around.
Reece was the first to speak up. "Awfully quiet around here."
They got an early start in an effort to beat any tourists to the site. Tommy and Sean had long ago found it best if they could work without prying eyes on them at all times. Their plan had worked for now. They were the only people around.
"Let's take a look at this thing," Sean said.
He led the other three up the steps of a narrow trail until they reached the huge overhang known as Baiame Cave.
"Looks just like in the pictures I saw online," Tommy said.
"Yeah, but it's much bigger than I expected," Adriana added.
The cave drawing of the Aborigine god Baiame stood out against the backdrop of sandstone. The body of the deity was thin with a bald head, painted a dark reddish brown. Two bright white orbs occupied where the eyes would be. While the legs were fairly long, the arms were what most people noticed first. The long appendages stretched more than a dozen feet across the cave ceiling. Under the arm to the right, two illuminated boomerangs were depicted hanging in midair. To the left, tracings of hands and tools were surrounded by a chalky white substance.
"How old is this thing, again?" Sean asked.
"Some have suggested thirteen thousand years," Tommy answered.
Sean raised an eyebrow. "Give or take a few thousand, right?"
"Almost always."
Adriana stared up at the cave art, mesmerized. "This is incredible. It's just stunning to look at."
"Indeed," Sean said.
The four stood silent for a minute before Reece spoke up again. "So what is it exactly that we're looking for?"
"A foreign stone," Sean answered. "Turned and unturned."
"That second part is a little odd. What do you think it means?"
"No idea."
Tommy stepped closer to the ceiling, keeping to the path so as not to disturb the integrity of the site. He tilted his head one way and then the other. "Maybe there's something in the drawing we're supposed to figure out. Look at these hands." He pointed to the left side of the figure. "They appear to be in sort of random positions. But if you look closely, you'll see it looks like they're turning from one spot to another."
"Maybe," Adriana said. "But is this whole thing a foreign stone?" She put her hands out wide. "This cave rock looks just like the other rocks from around here."
"She has a point," Sean said.
Tommy put his hands on his hips. "So what is it then?"
No one had an answer.
"Maybe we should have figured that out before driving two-plus hours to get here," Reece joked. He chuckled and then noticed Tommy's ill expression. "Hey, I'm only kidding with you. We'll figure it out."
Sean stepped back away from the viewing area and gazed at the cave art. A foreign stone, turned and unturned. He ran the words from Mathews's document through his mind. This stone couldn't be turned, not by anything they had back then. It's too big. He had to be referring to a different rock, something smaller that he could have turned around or moved.
Sean twisted his torso and looked back down the hill. The slope was covered in tall grass that waved in the morning breeze. Something caught his eye. It was dark, unmoving. Was it an animal?
He walked away from the cave entrance and down the slope, wading through the grass and ignoring the signs that requested visitors stay on the path.
"Sean, where you going?" Tommy asked.
"Just looking at something."
He didn't turn around until he reached the strange piece of rock sticking out of the ground. It came up just past his waist. The stone probably went unnoticed by most visitors to the area, especially since it appeared that the grass was never trimmed. He put his hand on the rock's rough surface and bent down to get a better look at it. Sean wasn't sure what he was seeing, but one thing was certain: this stone wasn't from around here.
He got down on his knees and studied the earth around the anomaly. At first, he didn't notice any clear evidence of tampering. As he looked closer, however, Sean noticed a slight indention in the surface close to the downhill side of the rock's base. After a second inspection, he realized the groove matched the width of the rock almost perfectly.
"Hey, guys!" he shouted.
"We're right here," Tommy said.
The other three walked up to the rock as Sean whipped his head around, surprised to see they'd followed him. "Oh, good. You're here. Take a look at this."
Sean pointed at the indention in the ground. "It's hard to tell at first, but this thing was definitely moved at some point."
"You're right," Reece said. "You can see where the ground is a quarter inch lower there."
"Did you see anything that would pass for a cipher key?" Tommy asked.
Sean's head swiveled back and forth. "Nope. Just the rock."
Adriana stepped closer and examined the earth. "Whoever moved this did it for a reason. And they would have put it back to hide whatever it was they found. Maybe we should turn it over."
The three men balked.
"We're on private property," Tommy said. "Not to mention, tampering with a historical artifact is a big no-no."
Sean twisted his head around in both directions. "I don't see anyone. If we work fast, who will know?"
"Are you serious?"
"Look, all I'm saying is we see if this thing turns over or not. If we give it a little shove and it topples, we take a look at the bottom. If it doesn't move, no harm no foul."
"I'm game," Reece said. "Why not?"
"What? Really?" Tommy didn't stop his protest. "I just told you why not."
"Come on, Tommy," Adriana prodded. "Live a little."
Tommy sighed. His eyes flashed around the property to make sure no one was, in fact, around. "Fine. But let's make this quick."