The Spear of Atlantis (Wilde/Chase 14)

by Andy McDermott

  ‘I was going to give it back! I thought I could use it to help you, like in the movie. And it worked, it worked!’ she added, suddenly thrilled.

  ‘What worked?’

  ‘The trikan, I made it steer in the air! I was trying to stop the door closing, and it went where I told it to!’

  Nina had no time for fantasy. ‘I very much doubt that, Macy.’ She turned back to Agreste and the Emir. ‘I am so sorry that—’

  ‘It did, Mommy!’

  ‘Macy! That’s enough. I’m sorry my daughter took something,’ she continued.

  Macy started to cry. ‘If it is found where Mr Chase said, then we shall say no more about it,’ Fadil told her kindly. ‘But what about the spear marker?’

  ‘The men who stole it escaped in a boat from the marina,’ Nina told him. ‘They were headed for Spain.’

  The Emir glanced at the starboard windows. The mountainous Spanish coast was a ragged line against the horizon, lit by the setting sun. Other ships were visible before it; some commercial vessels giving the stationary cruise liner a wide berth, others from the Spanish coastguard. ‘Did anyone see this boat?’

  ‘No,’ said Snowcock. ‘But everyone’s been focused on the evacuation.’

  ‘Maybe you should refocus,’ Eddie snapped. He pointed at his temple, where the lead raider’s boot had left a vivid mark. ‘I didn’t imagine getting punted in the head.’

  ‘Sir,’ said the officer searching for security footage. ‘I haven’t been able to access any CCTV recordings – I’m still locked out. But I have got the door recordings.’

  ‘What are they?’ Alula demanded.

  ‘All the door touchpads have a camera,’ said Snowcock. ‘Every time someone uses a card or a passcode to open one, they’re recorded. We can review them to make sure nobody’s gaining unauthorised access.’

  ‘And you can watch them?’

  ‘Yes, Your Royal Highness.’

  ‘Then do so! Find the recordings from the exhibition hall.’

  The officer searched for the relevant file. ‘It won’t show everything that happened in the room,’ Snowcock cautioned. ‘The recordings are only to check who’s unlocked the door; they’re not very long.’

  ‘Then let us hope that is enough to clear you, Dr Wilde,’ said the Emir.

  ‘Here,’ said the officer. He clicked the mouse.

  Everyone crowded around the console. The video image was distorted, taken with a fish-eye lens, but the Atlantis exhibition was immediately recognisable.

  Nina saw herself, one hand outstretched to touch the screen. The recording had begun as soon as the keypad appeared. Her past self tapped in the first digits, then paused, looking to one side as the evacuation alert sounded. Finally she resumed, entering the last numbers before reaching for the door handle—

  The redhead on the screen suddenly disappeared behind the door as it burst open and black-clad figures rushed through. Then the recording ended. ‘That’s all there is, sir,’ said the officer.

  ‘It was long enough,’ Alula told him, fixing Nina with an icy glare. ‘She let them in!’

  ‘I was trying to get help!’ Nina replied. ‘The Emir had fallen into the vault – I couldn’t get him out, so I went to open the door and find someone.’

  ‘The door was locked,’ said Agreste. ‘You used a code to open it – whose?’

  ‘The Emir’s . . .’ she said, trailing off as she realised she was digging herself deeper into a hole.

  Alula’s response was almost explosive. ‘What?’

  ‘How did you get my code?’ the Emir demanded.

  ‘Think it’s about time you lawyered up, love,’ said Eddie.

  ‘Answer His Majesty!’ shouted Alula. ‘You are not in America – you do not get to stay silent!’

  ‘I saw him type it in on the bridge, okay?’ Nina shot back. ‘It was a date, it was easy to remember.’

  The Arab woman gave her brother a furious look. ‘I should never have allowed Lobato to let you have a master code,’ she said, before whirling back to Nina. ‘And you opened the door for the thieves!’

  ‘They knocked her flying!’ Eddie countered. ‘She didn’t know they were there.’

  ‘How would they have known to be there at that precise moment if she had not told them to be there? She is a part of this – she is probably behind this!’

  ‘Enough.’ The Emir spoke quietly, but there was anger behind the single word. ‘Alula, you may be my minister of security, and my sister, but you do not, ever, tell me what I can or cannot do.’

  She hurriedly bowed her head. ‘I – Your Majesty, I am sorry. I did not mean—’

  ‘But you are in charge of my security,’ he went on, ‘and you failed me. Perhaps I made a mistake by giving you such an important position; I should have given it to a man,’ an unmistakable emphasis on the word, ‘better qualified. If you cannot protect me, how can you hope to protect our country?’

  Alula’s face flushed in shame – and rage – but she had no reply. Nina had something to say, though, feeling oddly protective towards the other woman. ‘Maybe you shouldn’t have typed your damn code in where anyone could see it!’ she told Fadil. ‘You’ve never used an ATM? Actually, no, I guess you probably haven’t. I suppose when your own face is on the banknotes, you don’t need to carry cash!’

  The Emir drew in a sharp breath at being challenged, but it was Alula who had the strongest reaction; any sympathy Nina had hoped to garner from her display of feminine solidarity failed to materialise. ‘Do not dare speak to His Majesty like that!’ she shouted. ‘I want this woman arrested! Now!’

  Some of the entourage’s larger members moved towards Nina. ‘Don’t even bloody think—’ Eddie began, raising his fists to defend her.

  ‘Eddie, don’t!’ Nina said, hurriedly pushing his hands back down. ‘Don’t do anything, especially not in front of Macy. They’ll have to let me go, because I haven’t done anything. You need to look after Macy while this is sorted out.’

  The Yorkshireman nodded grudgingly.

  ‘What’s going to happen to you, Mommy?’ Macy asked tearfully. ‘Is this because I took the trikan?’

  Nina hugged her. ‘No, it’s not your fault. You stay with Daddy, and everything’ll be fine. Okay?’

  Macy nodded, but with little confidence. ‘Okay.’

  ‘Good. I love you.’ Nina kissed her. ‘I’ll see you again soon, all right?’

  Alula issued an order. The men advanced again. Eddie tensed, giving them a venomous glare, but did nothing. With a last look back at her husband and daughter, Nina allowed herself to be taken from the bridge.

  The last thing she expected to find aboard a luxury liner was a prison, but the Atlantia did indeed have one. Several small white-painted rooms in the bowels of Deck 2 acted as cells; their designers, Nina mused, had probably expected them to be used as drunk tanks or places to let overheated casino losers cool off, rather than to hold someone accused of conspiring to steal a priceless artefact and assaulting the ruler of a nation.

  ‘This is insane,’ she said aloud, lying back on the bunk. How was she going to prove her innocence? It should have been easy enough – since she was innocent – but Alula had been all too quick to leap to conclusions, and the others had followed suit.

  The cell door opened. She sat up, hoping to see Eddie, but it was Agreste. ‘Have you found the raiders?’ she asked.

  The bearded Frenchman shook his head. ‘Not yet. But I will.’ He spoke briefly to the Taser-armed crewman standing guard outside, then closed the cell door. The lock clacked. ‘You are in a great deal of trouble, Dr Wilde. If you turn in your accomplices and tell me where to find the marker, I am sure the Emir will be lenient.’

  She threw up her hands in exasperation. ‘I can’t turn in my “accomplices”, because I don’t have any! I didn’t have anything to do with this.’

  ‘That is not what the evidence suggests.’

  ‘What evidence? You’ve got one video of me unlocking a door, an
d that’s it. And it’s pretty clear I got knocked on my ass when they kicked it open.’

  He shook his head. ‘That is open to interpretation.’

  ‘Only if you’ve already made up your mind that I was helping the bad guys. Which I wasn’t – I tried to stop them! And so did Eddie; he jumped off the back of the damn ship to keep them from shooting me. He could have been killed! He’d hardly take that risk if he was part of all this.’

  ‘If I believed he was involved, he would be in the next cell.’

  ‘What, so you think I secretly came up with a plan to steal an Atlantean artefact, then brought my husband, my daughter and my grandmother along as cover?’

  ‘Whatever plan there is, I will uncover it, do not worry. I used to be an investigator for Interpol, and before then an officer in the Sûreté, and I was a very good one. But my job now is to ensure the security of the items in the exhibition; because I have not been completely successful,’ a wry smile, ‘my priority is now to return the spear marker to its rightful owners in Seville. You can help me do that if you cooperate.’

  Nina pointed at her mouth. ‘Hi. Read my lips. I don’t know where it is, because I didn’t have anything to do with the robbery. Okay?’

  ‘I see.’ Agreste stood straighter. ‘Then I must inform you of the alternative.’

  ‘Which is?’

  ‘You will stand trial on charges of espionage and—’

  ‘Espionage?’ she yelped. ‘Where the hell did that come from?’

  ‘You used the Emir’s passcode to open the door. Only the Emir himself should know it, so it is technically a state secret. As minister for state security, Princess Alula has the power to bring charges against you, and that is one of several she chose.’

  ‘Oh, I see,’ Nina replied with bitter sarcasm. ‘He screws up, blames her, and she takes it out on me? Go on, then: what are her other bullshit charges?’

  Agreste intoned them as if reading from a list. ‘Assault on His Majesty; robbery; piracy; and conspiracy to commit all of the previous. Her Royal Highness is demanding the maximum punishment for each charge. I should also inform you that the maximum penalty for espionage under Dhajani law is death.’

  ‘That makes the rest kinda redundant!’

  ‘The penalties may, of course, be reduced in exchange for your confession and cooperation.’

  Nina stood, gesticulating in frustrated anger. ‘This is as much cooperation as I can give you, because I didn’t do anything! I’m innocent!’

  ‘That is for the court to decide.’

  ‘Okay, so when do I get to call my lawyer?’

  ‘When we reach Dhajan.’

  She stared in disbelief. ‘You’re taking me to Dhajan?’

  ‘This ship flies a Dhajani flag; the robbery took place in international waters, so it is under Dhajani jurisdiction. As I understand from the captain, once all the lifeboats are recovered, the Atlantia will head to Gibraltar. The damage the hackers caused to the fire control and security systems means it is no longer safe to carry passengers, so they will be offloaded there. You will stay aboard until the ship reaches Dhajan—’

  ‘Dhajan’s in the goddamn Persian Gulf!’ she protested. ‘We’re at the far end of the Mediterranean – it’ll take days to get there.’

  ‘Eight days, I believe.’

  ‘Eight— Okay, this is ridiculous. If you’re going to deny me a lawyer, then I demand to speak to the US embassy.’

  ‘You will be able to speak to an official at the American embassy in Dhajan once we arrive.’

  ‘You know damn well I didn’t mean the one in Dhajan,’ Nina snapped. ‘I meant in Spain. Or Gibraltar – that’s British territory, and I’m married to a British citizen. There must be a consulate there.’

  ‘I will pass on your request to Her Royal Highness,’ Agreste replied. ‘But before I go, I will give you one last chance to tell me where to find the spear marker.’

  ‘I. Don’t. Know,’ she said, infuriated. ‘Why won’t you believe me?’

  ‘It is not my job to believe.’ He rapped on the door. The crewman outside unlocked it. Agreste departed.

  Nina dropped heavily back on to the bunk, mind reeling. A few hours earlier, she had been a king’s guest of honour; now she was trapped in a nightmare worthy of Kafka.

  ‘There she is,’ Eddie said to Macy. They had returned to their cabin to get dressed, and after learning that Olivia was aboard the first lifeboat to return were now watching it being winched back up. The bulbous orange craft could carry almost four hundred people, but Olivia’s age and lack of proper clothing meant she was amongst the first to be helped back aboard the Atlantia. ‘Olivia! Over here!’

  ‘Eddie! Macy!’ she cried, hurrying to them. ‘Are you both all right?’

  ‘Yeah, we’re fine. What about you?’

  She was wrapped in a blanket. ‘Cold. And very uncomfortable. The seats in that lifeboat were not exactly ergonomic.’ She glanced around. ‘Where’s Nina?’

  ‘Let’s get inside first,’ Eddie said, ushering her to a door. ‘You know how I said she was a trouble magnet?’

  ‘Yes? Oh no,’ Olivia added in alarm. ‘What’s happened? Where is she?’

  ‘In a cell, and they won’t let us see her.’ He put a supportive hand on Macy as she clung to him, trying not to cry. ‘Someone robbed the Atlantis exhibition – they set off the alarms and forced an evacuation to cover what they were doing.’

  ‘So why is Nina in a cell? Do they think she had something to do with it?’

  ‘Yeah, and they won’t listen to anyone who says different. Look, can you do me a favour?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘I need you to look after Macy while I make some phone calls. We’ve got friends in the US government and at the UN who can help, but some of them might need convincing, and I could get . . .’ he gave her a faint smile, ‘a bit heated. I’d rather Macy didn’t hear me in full flow, if you know what I mean.’

  ‘I do indeed,’ Olivia replied as they reached a bank of elevators. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her.’

  ‘Great. Okay, we’ll get up to our rooms, then I’ll start ringing around.’

  ‘Will Mommy be okay?’ Macy asked.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Eddie told her. ‘She won’t be in that cell for long.’

  The clack of the lock brought Nina out of her frustrated funk. She assumed it would be Agreste returning, another attempt to get her to confess. So it came as a surprise when Ana Rijo entered, carrying a bag.

  ‘Ana?’ she said, sitting up. ‘What’re you doing here?’

  Ana waited for the man outside to close the door before speaking. ‘Dr Wilde. I’m glad you’re okay.’

  ‘I’m glad too, but the accommodation’s a definite downgrade.’ She regarded the bag. ‘Did Eddie ask you to bring me something?’

  ‘No, I got these for you myself.’ She seemed nervous, giving the door a worried glance. ‘You have to get out of here.’

  ‘No arguments there.’

  ‘I mean, right now. You’ve been set up – you are the . . . the patsy?’

  Nina stood. ‘What do you mean?’

  The Brazilian put down the bag and began taking out items: the high-heeled shoes Nina had kicked off in the exhibition hall and a pair of flats, then her passport and credit cards. ‘I have heard people talking. You are being taken to Dhajan, to be put on trial – but you will be found guilty, no matter what. The royal family think you are one of the thieves, perhaps even their leader. They have made up their minds already. And in Dhajan, if the Emir says you are guilty, then . . .’ A helpless shrug.

  Nina felt a growing dread. She had already considered the possibility, but having it laid out so bluntly suddenly hammered the reality home; while the small Gulf state was a US ally, it was also a nation with a history of absolute monarchy that she doubted the Emir’s programme of modernisation had much changed. ‘So . . . what, you’re busting me out of here? Why?’

  Ana produced Nina’s phone. ‘
Because I do not believe you are guilty. You are too kind. And I have seen what happens when the state decides someone is guilty before their trial has even started. Here.’

  The last item she took out was a roll of banknotes in an elastic band. ‘Those aren’t mine,’ Nina said.

  ‘I know. They are mine. You will need them in Spain. Once you get there, you will be in a country that will not extradite you without evidence, and you will be able to make a legal defence.’

  ‘I doubt breaking out of prison to get there will help my case.’

  ‘You want to stay in here?’ said Ana, with a little exasperation. ‘If they find out I am helping you, they will put me in prison too. The man outside, I gave him money to let me in, but he will not protect me. Now I have to come with you.’

  ‘You’re putting yourself in danger to help me?’ Nina said in disbelief. ‘You barely know me!’

  ‘Dr Wilde,’ Ana said, imploringly, ‘I’ve read about everything you have done. You have literally saved the world! Everyone owes you a great debt, even if they don’t know it. And I believe in paying my debts. Now, please, we have to be quick.’ She handed Nina her belongings. ‘They are winching the lifeboats back aboard. The whole ship is in chaos, nobody knows what is going on. If we are fast, we can get to a motorboat and launch it before anyone stops us. We will be in Spain in less than twenty minutes.’

  Nina donned her flat shoes. Her dress lacking pockets, she ended up putting her other possessions back in the bag. ‘That’s if you can get me out of the cell. There’s a guy with a Taser out there, remember.’

  She brought up her phone to call Eddie, but Ana stopped her. ‘Please, there is no time now. You can call from the boat; the ship’s cell towers have good range.’ A more commanding tone entered her voice. ‘Wait until I say.’ She knocked on the door.

  The guard opened it, ushering her out quickly. ‘Okay, now go, go,’ he muttered, turning to shut the door—

  Ana snatched his Taser from his belt. Before he even registered that it was gone, she had already snapped it up and fired. Twin barbs stabbed into his back, fifty thousand volts of electricity dropping him to the floor.

  Nina jumped back in surprise. ‘Holy shit!’