by K. T. Tomb
Asa plopped a grape into his mouth and chewed it. He kept his eyes on Saul, noting the man’s obvious excitement. Asa didn’t care about the latest discovery. He was only funding the dig for his own reasons.
“Did you hear me, Asa? If we could find the First Menorah, it would be the biggest discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls.”
Asa ate another grape and said, “What else have you found at the site?”
***
After an hour of soul-searching, Sara had finally come to a decision.
She would invite Judge to Jerusalem. She needed him for her plan to find the mysterious Chamber mentioned in the carving. He had skills that no one else on her team possessed, especially Saul. The question was, would Judge come if she asked him to? Sara had treated him rather severely over the years, giving him every right to ignore her request for help. Then again, he had been the one who had called her to share his discovery of the text on the bowl. If he wasn’t interested in it, he would have just sent her photos and an email so she could amend her records. It was obvious he, too, thought there was more to the inscription.
“I’ll call him in the morning and ask him out here,” Sara said, “then we can work together like adults and put the past where it belongs: in the past.”
As Sara made her decision, Judge was boarding a flight to Tel Aviv. Sara’s complete lack of interest in him had been like a hammer to his soul, at first. Judge had been just seconds from walking away from his work table and stepping into oncoming traffic, when Taj walked up to him.
“Judge,” Taj said, “were you just on the phone with Sara Goldstein? She is amazing! I’ve read all of her papers. I always thought you two made a great team.”
Judge didn’t look up, but said, “Really, Taj? And why’s that?”
Taj was surprised that Judge would talk to him. “Because, while you’re both respected archeologists, you each have areas that you work best in. Sara is more likely to take the slow, cautious method, while you are more aggressive. From everything I’ve seen and read, you need both sides to balance out. And you do that for each other.”
Judge turned to the young man and really looked at him for the first time. He saw Taj’s enthusiasm for examining the past and sharing it with the present. “Taj, you are right. That’s why you and I are going to Jerusalem right now.” Judge stood up, turned off his computer and lamp and looked down at Taj, who hadn’t moved.
“What, you mean now? I can’t go to Jerusalem today!” Taj said, slinking back to his desk.
Judge stared at the young man. “Why not? What’s holding you back?”
“Nothing, except, well…” Taj said, letting his voice trail off.
“Well what?” Judge called out to Taj.
Taj turned around and didn’t say anything above a mumble. Judge couldn’t hear him, so he asked Taj again.
“I can’t go, because I don’t have a passport,” Taj said.
Judge’s jaw dropped. “How is that possible? All you ever talk about is leaving to go work in the field, and you don’t have a passport?”
“I know,” Taj said, still refusing to face his hero, “but I’m going to get one soon.”
Judge took ahold of Taj’s chair and spun him around. Then he leaned down and looked straight into Taj’s terrified face. “You will have a passport by the next time I see you, or I will hit you so hard that you will travel back in time. Is that clear?”
“Y-y-y-es, sir,” Taj managed. Judge gave him a light slap on the shoulder and then walked out of the room and down the stairs to his crate cell in the basement. Judge grabbed his go-bag, which included his passport, international firearms license and emergency cash and the carry case with his M9 and ammunition. As he walked out of the museum, Michael appeared in the doorway of his office.
“Heading to Israel?” Michael asked.
Judge nodded. “She needs me out there.”
Michael smiled and handed him an envelope. “I agree. That’s why I booked you on the 7 p.m. flight. If you had taken five more minutes to decide, I was going to drive you out there myself. Have a safe flight.”
***
After a 13-hour flight sitting next to a 65-year-old grandmother who, in her words, was his biggest fan, Judge landed in Tel Aviv.
Despite the Iraq incident, Judge had no trouble with security, mostly because his role had been an undercover one and had never been released to the public. Still, Judge felt eyes on him, and not friendly ones. He wasted no time in renting a car and getting on the road to Jerusalem. It was 3 p.m. in Tel Aviv, and the bright light of the afternoon washed away any drowsiness Judge might have felt. As he hit the road, he turned on his phone, and noticed a missed call from Sara. She hadn’t left him a message, so he dialed her number.
Sara picked up on the first ring. “Judge! Thank you for calling me back. What took you so long?”
Judge laughed. “I was a little busy. What do you need?”
“I was wondering if you could come out to Jerusalem. This is hard for me to say, but I could really use your help if I’m going to search for the First Menorah.”
Judge’s smile widened, and he decided to play with her a little bit. “I don’t know, Sara. The last time we worked together didn’t pan out that well.”
He could hear Sara getting a little anxious through the phone. “Judge, that wasn’t your fault. I know that. Please, I would really appreciate it.”
“Fine, Sara, since you asked so nicely,” Judge said, “I should be in Jerusalem in less than an hour.”
“What? How is that possible?” Sara said.
“After we spoke on the phone, I hopped on a plane to come see you. I realized you were hard up for help since you were actually teamed up with the likes of Saul Gass. So, where exactly am I going?”
Sara gave him directions and said, “Judge, I really am glad you are here, and not just because you’re helping me find the First Menorah.”
Emotions washed over Judge. “Me, too, Sara. I am sorry I ever left.”
Chapter Ten
When Judge arrived at Sara’s office, she was waiting outside for him. He walked up to her until there was only a foot of space separating them. They stared at each other for a minute, neither one saying anything. Finally, Judge spoke up.
“Sara, I owe you an apology. I never meant to lie to you, and I hated every second of it.”
Tears threatened to blind Sara at Judge’s apology, but she managed to say, “I am sorry, too, for not giving you a chance to tell your side of the story. That wasn’t fair to you.”
Judge smiled. “So what do we do now? Shake hands? Hug?”
Sara eyed him. “What would you like to do?”
A mischievous smile crawled onto Judge’s face as he traveled that last foot. Then Sara was in his arms and on his lips. “This,” Judge said as he kissed her, “and much more.”
Sara didn’t want to melt against Judge, but her body betrayed her. She placed her head on his chest and sighed as his arms folded around her. Sara didn’t realize how much she had missed Judge until that moment.
“I know, Sara, and I feel the same way,” Judge said, kissing the top of her head. They stood in place for ten minutes as dozens of people passed them, staring at the odd display of affection. Sara finally pulled away from Judge and noticed the glances they were getting.
“What? You’ve never seen two people reconcile after years of fighting?” Sara yelled, and Judge laughed. She took his hand and led him into her office.
“So, what’s new?” Judge jokingly asked.
Sara sat down and motioned for him to do the same. “Well, since I last talked to you, Saul has proven he is useful at one thing, and that is getting our benefactor to cough up more money.”
“Well, that is useful,” Judge said. “I’ve always thought Saul would make a better promoter than an archeologist.”
Sara had to agree. “And I’ve done some exploring of a cave system we found. We’ve already determined that while the end we found was made by nature
, there are several branches that are man-made and pre-date Christ.” She handed Judge a map that showed the cave’s mouth. He looked it over, and noticed how far it was from the Temple Mount.
“Do you think there is a connection between the cave and the First Menorah?” Judge asked.
Sara saw what Judge was getting at. “Anything is possible at this point, but we won’t be sure until we find The Chamber. Any ideas on that?”
Judge looked at the map again and nodded. “Solomon’s Temple is the safest bet. There are several rooms that would qualify as The Chamber. We know from other researchers that the First Menorah sat on an altar that King Solomon made from solid olive wood. The first clue makes me believe the altar wasn’t as solid as we’ve been led to believe. Furthermore, I would guess that the menorah fell not only through the altar, but also through the floor of The Chamber. Since no one was looking for the menorah and no one’s been allowed to dig on Temple Mount, the trapdoor might be fairly obvious to the trained eye.”
Sara chuckled. “You and your trapdoors. Do you actually go searching for the damn things?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. They are perfect for showing off my strength and quick reflexes,” Judge said, puffing out his chest.
“So what do you want to do? Scout Temple Mount tomorrow, see what we can find?” Sara asked.
“Yep, then we can go back late at—” Judge began, but Saul interrupted as he burst into the office.
“Judge Foster, what are you doing here?” Saul asked.
Judge glanced at Saul and tried not to hate him for his incompetence. A wiry fellow, Saul captured his thinning brown hair in a sparse ponytail. Judge didn’t like the way Saul’s beady eyes darted from him, then Sara, and then once again at the map on the desk.
“I’m here, Saul, to clean up your mess,” he said, “since you missed a set of clues that could solve one of the biggest mysteries in religious history.”
Saul rushed forward until he was bumping his chest against the stomach of the much taller Judge. “Watch yourself, Adventure Boy! Just because you made one tiny discovery, don’t think that you are part of this dig!”
Judge had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from laughing at the little man. Sara didn’t have the same problem. “Saul! Step back before Judge swats you like a fly! I invited him here and he IS part of my dig now, whether you like it or not!”
Saul turned toward Sara. “What? Why? We don’t need him. I got Asa to front us with more money. That means more men and bigger bribes to get us into King Solomon’s Temple.”
The urge to laugh had finally passed, so Judge spoke. “We don’t need bribes; we just need a couple of unescorted tours of the Temple. As for men, we could probably use at least one more…just to give everything you find a second look.”
The implied insult turned Saul’s ears red. “You got lucky with one bowl; don’t let it go to your head,” he said, then looked back at Sara. “I don’t know how Asa will react to having him here. Not after Iraq.”
“That’s why I’m keeping you around, Saul. Your job is to keep our benefactor nice and relaxed. You do that which you’re good at and we’ll do the same; it will be our job to find the First Menorah,” Sara said.
Saul didn’t like the sound of that, but moved on. “What about the caves? Asa is very interested in the caves.”
“The caves are a mix of man-made and natural channels. I’m guessing at this point, but I believe they might run under the length and breadth of Jerusalem. Tell him that,” Sara said.
“I will,” Saul said, moving toward the door, “and I will try to keep him calm about Judge, but he cost Asa a lot of money, countless artifacts, and one of his closest friends.”
Judge cocked his head. “And who might that be?”
“Jamir, of course; they had been friends since childhood,” Saul said, and then left the office.
Judge looked at Sara and said, “Did you know that?”
Sara shook her head, and it got Judge thinking about the Iraq incident all over again. What if Asa had a part in that plot? he thought. It would explain where Jamir got the money for the explosives.
“We need to get to Solomon’s Temple and find that chamber,” Judge said. “I have a feeling we may have some trouble on our hands sooner rather than later.”
“Agreed, but surely you don’t think Asa and Saul are planning something?”
“I don’t know,” Judge said, “but I wouldn’t put it past either of them.”
An hour later at the Mamilla Hotel, Asa was listening to Saul update him on the search of the caves. “Asa, the caves turn into man-made tunnels at some point, and we believe they may have served as an underground highway in ancient times.”
Asa leaned forward. “I want you to take me there. Now.”
“Of course, Asa,” Saul said with a bright smile. “I can arrange for someone to give you a tour of the cave mouth.”
Asa’s stare intensified on Saul, making the smaller man shrink some more. “No, Saul. I want you to give me a tour of the tunnels. All of it!”
Saul didn’t like the idea of going into the caverns, but he disliked making Asa mad even more. “Of course, Asa. I will call ahead and have the workers get ready.”
“No, you go to the site right now,” Asa said as he stood. “Jamaal and I will follow in thirty minutes.”
“I will do as you say, Asa, but I must warn you, the caves are quite tight. Jamaal may not fit.”
“Do not worry, Saul, Jamaal will not be entering the caves. I doubt I need protection from the caves or from you, correct?”
Asa said it as a joke, but Saul saw menace in his eyes. “I am your humble servant, Asa. I would rather die than allow you to come to harm.” Quickly, Saul left the room. He was unlocking his phone and calling the site before he even got to the elevators.
Back in the hotel room, Asa called out to Jamaal. “Did you hear that?”
“Yes, sir,” Jamaal said in a double bass voice that could make water ripple.
Asa said, “Call the team and tell them to prepare ten packages. If Saul is correct about this network of tunnels, if we place the packages in the right places, we could level the entire Temple Mount.”
“As you wish. A question?”
“Go ahead, Jamaal,” Asa said.
“What about the Dome of the Rock?” Jamaal asked.
Asa walked to the dining room and opened a large case on the table. He pulled out a metal instrument that fit in the palm of his hand. “This is a very powerful GPS device. Miners use them to find their way around as they work a mile below the surface. With it, I can pinpoint exactly when I am right below Temple Mount, the Western Wall, and countless other sites that are important to the infidels,” Asa said. “Besides, if the Dome of the Rock is damaged, so be it. Sacrifices are sometimes needed. Be sure the team is ready to move tonight.”
Jamaal bowed and made the call. Asa quickly changed from his silk pajamas into a shirt and pants combo that resembled a military uniform.
Revenge is finally coming, he thought to himself. We will finally bring true sorrow to those who allowed the degradation of Iraq.
Chapter Eleven
It wasn’t often that Judge felt like a tourist, but taking the guided tour of the Temple Mount pushed that button. Seeing the ruins of the temple, the sun-bleached stones in haphazard piles, while lobster-red, sweaty Americans and Europeans snapped picture after picture grated on Judge’s nerves.
“Are they really seeing this,” Judge whispered to Sara, “or are they just going through the motions of what they think they are supposed be doing at a thousand-year-old historical site?”
Sara smiled. “Quit being a snob, Judge. At least they’re here; millions of their countrymen couldn’t give a rat’s ass about history. What’s the game plan?”
Judge looked around the ruins and let his mind rebuild the walls. His eyes stopped seeing the site as the wreckage of time, and instead envisioned it as the magnificent temple King Solomon had built. As they w
alked from room to room, Judge’s brain filled in details that he had gleaned from history books. He held Sara’s hand as he moved into one of the smallest rooms of the site.
“This is it. There is only one entrance and to get here, you have to travel through a rat’s warren of halls,” Judge announced.
Sara looked at the floor, hoping to see something obvious, but there was no giant ‘X’ marking the spot. Judge kept his eyes down as well, studying the herringbone-like pattern of the stone floor. As was often the case, Judge marveled at the workmanship shown in the chamber. As his eyes traveled along the floor, he suddenly stopped, and re-examined the pattern to make sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him. Then Judge decided he needed a second pair of eyes.
“Sara, come here and take a look at this.”
Sara walked over and stared at the floor. “What am I looking for?”
Judge said, “Just look at the floor and tell me if you see something strange.”
So Sara walked around the room, while Judge kept an eye out for their guides. When he heard Sara gasp, he knew she’d found it.
She quickly moved next to him again. “Are you talking about the break in the pattern in the middle of the floor?”
Judge nodded. “I need to check the stones, so you need to stand in front of me and block the guides’ view. I’ll pretend to be tying my shoes.” They both walked to the spot and Judge knelt down on one knee as if his shoelaces had come loose. What he was really doing was checking to see how loose the stones were. At first, he couldn’t move a single stone, but then as he put a little muscle behind it, the stone popped out. As Judge looked in the space left behind, he saw that he had uncovered just part of a hole. Looking at the other stones in the broken pattern area, he calculated that he would need to remove six stones to fully uncover the hole. That was something he couldn’t do in broad daylight with guides and tourists watching. Judge replaced the stone and stood up.
“There is a hole there,” he told Sara, “but we will need to remove about six, maybe seven stones to get at it.”
