Solomon's Gold

by Alex Lukeman

  "I wonder why Solomon didn't hide his treasure there?"

  "He probably thought it would be too easy for someone to find it," Selena said.

  "Eilat is essential for Israel's survival," Nick said. "Everything comes up through here. Oil, goods, you name it. Every time the Arabs tried to block the sea routes, it started a war. First it was the Suez crisis in '56. Then the Six-Day War in '67."

  "Amazing, that Israel survived."

  Nick nodded. "They're fighters, the Israelis. You have to hand it to them. They've been at war since 1948. Eilat even has its own independent defense force. It includes pretty much everyone over sixteen who lives here."

  "They need one," Selena said. "This is a tempting target for the fundamentalists. Particularly coming from Egypt."

  "The Israelis have built an electric fence along the border to keep them out."

  "It may keep them out, but it will also keep us from getting into Egypt," Selena said. "How are we going to do it?"

  Nick looked at his watch. "I think the only way is from the water. Ronnie and Lamont will be here in a couple of minutes. We'll talk about it then."

  Selena leaned on the patio railing. It was a beautiful, winter day. The temperature was in the low seventies. Fluffy wisps of white cloud drifted across a deep blue sky that might have been painted by a Renaissance master. Sunbathers covered the smooth sands of the crowded beach in front of the hotel. The excited cries of children running through the surf drifted up to her.

  It was hard to reconcile the scene of relaxed comfort and normal human actions with the constant menace that surrounded this pleasant spot.

  "I'm sorry about Rivka," Selena said. "I didn't get a chance to know her, but I can see why you liked her."

  "Yeah. I think the two of you would have gotten along fine. I'd love to get my hands on the son of a bitch who sent those people after us."

  "We'll probably never know who it was."

  Ronnie and Lamont came out onto the patio.

  "Man, what a beautiful day," Lamont said. "Makes me want to put on a suit and head for the beach."

  "Maybe when we get back," Nick said. "Pull up a couple of chairs. We'll talk out here, in the open."

  "You think they might have bugged the room?" Ronnie asked.

  "I wouldn't put it past them. Pretty convenient, don't you think? Ari puts us up in this nice hotel, all expenses paid. Who can turn down a deal like that?"

  "You have a suspicious mind, Nick," Lamont said. "One of the reasons we get along."

  "I want to talk about the target, and about the politics we're mixed up in."

  "What politics?" Ronnie asked.

  "I talked with Harker earlier. We're skating on thin ice with Corrigan. Harker says that Corrigan's Chief of Staff is out for blood, and we look like a pretty good sacrifice to political correctness and budget control."

  "Those people never learn," Lamont said. "What else is new?"

  "The best thing that could happen is that we find that damn gold and we don't have to kill anybody to do it."

  "Works for me," Ronnie said. He raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck.

  "How are you feeling, Ronnie?" Nick asked.

  Ronnie's face was still swollen and bruised from his fall.

  "I'm okay. I get headaches once in a while. A couple of aspirin takes care of it."

  "You're sure."

  "I'm okay, Nick."

  "All right."

  Nick had a white beach bag by his chair. He reached down into it and took out a map he'd marked with the location of the ruins discovered in the scan. He spread it out in front of them.

  "I have satellite shots on my phone, but this is all we need."

  He tapped the site of the temple with his finger.

  "The scan turned up what was probably Ezion-geber, buried under the sand. Not far away, there's an old Egyptian temple."

  He pointed at the map. "It's about twelve miles south of here. There's not much left of it except a floor and a few columns. The scan showed a large space underneath it. Harker thinks that's where the gold may be hidden. The ruins are about a hundred yards from the shore."

  "We could rent a zodiac," Lamont said.

  "That's what I was thinking," Nick said. "There are a lot of underwater parks and attractions here. A lot of people rent boats. We'll get a boat and say we're going snorkeling. We can rent whatever gear we need. I want to wait until dark to go ashore in Egypt. Unless we run into an Egyptian patrol, we should be able to land and get to the target without interference."

  "A patrol would be bad luck," Ronnie said.

  "Yeah, it would. If we do, we have to try not to kill them."

  "Fat chance of that," Lamont said. "Those guys have to be trigger-happy. Can we get better weapons? All we have are our pistols."

  "I asked Harker," Nick said. "No dice."

  "What about the Israelis?" Selena asked. "They must have patrol boats out there. They'll spot us."

  "Harker can't help us. We're supposed to be minding our own business and the Israelis aren't going to cooperate. We'll stick close to shore and play it by ear. It's not a great plan, but I don't see any alternatives."

  "And when we get to the temple?"

  "We find a way into the space underneath it," Nick said.

  He reached into the bag and took out a baseball sized lump of what looked like cheese-colored putty.

  "I kept back some of that Semtex I gave to Herzog. Also the detonator. Just in case."

  "You sly old dog, you," Lamont said.

  "Easy with the old part, Lamont. If we can't find a way in, we'll blow a hole through that floor. I also kept our climbing gear. We can drop a rope and see what's in there."

  "I hope there aren't any spiders," Selena said.

  CHAPTER 38

  They rented snorkeling gear and a zodiac from the Eilat Marina.

  It was mid afternoon. The owner told them they had to be back in a few hours. He warned them not to stray south into the Gulf, or to approach either Jordan or Egypt. He recommended the coral reef nature preserve as a good spot for diving, and handed Nick several brochures about various water attractions.

  The man waved at them as they headed away from the marina. The water was calm. The boat moved smoothly over the surface.

  "I wonder if he'd be so friendly if he knew we were going to take his nice new boat somewhere where people might shoot at it," Lamont said.

  "Anybody ever tell you you're an optimist?" Ronnie said.

  "Can't say as I can remember anyone saying that."

  "That figures."

  "Was that an insult?" Lamont asked.

  "Don't start, guys," Nick said.

  Lamont was at the helm, keeping the speed low, killing time. The Israeli shoreline and the mountains behind Eilat drifted by to starboard. They neared the border between Egypt and Israel as twilight descended. They spotted a patrol boat some distance off to port. It paid no attention to them and soon disappeared.

  "There's a border post coming up soon," Nick said. "Take us farther away from shore. I don't want to get spotted."

  The boat was powered by a forty horsepower Mercury outboard. Lamont opened the throttle and headed away from land. When he thought they were far enough, he turned south again.

  Nick consulted his GPS.

  "We're more than halfway. That's Egypt to starboard. About another eight klicks and we head in."

  "This is almost too easy," Ronnie said.

  "Don't say that," Lamont said, "you'll jinx us."

  "That's what I meant about not being an optimist."

  "It does seem kind of odd," Selena said. "We haven't seen anyone out here, except for that one patrol boat. Not since we left the tourist area. Not even a fishing boat."

  "I'll take what we can get," Nick said. "Maybe the gods are smiling on us."

  A few minutes later, he looked again at the GPS.

  "Lamont, head for shore. We're opposite of where we want to be. Keep it throttled down."

  "
Copy that," Lamont said.

  He turned the zodiac toward Egypt. By now, the sun had set. There was still light in the sky, and the horizon was rich with deep orange, red, and purple. A pale moon was visible overhead. The frothing wake behind the boat turned luminous in the fading light.

  "Pretty, isn't it," Selena said. "There must be some kind of phosphorescent life here, to light up the wake like that."

  "Land coming up." Lamont pointed.

  Ahead of them, a line of white surf marked the shore, glowing with the same light as their wake.

  Five minutes later they were in Egypt.

  CHAPTER 39

  They dragged the boat onto the beach, above the high water mark. The ground was hard packed and strewn with rocks, covered with wind-blown sand. Ahead, broken columns rose from a courtyard of stone, dark shapes silhouetted against the last of the light. With the end of the day, a strong breeze had sprung up. It made an eerie sound as it whistled through the ruins.

  "This is spooky," Lamont said. "Something about it."

  They reached the ruins. Selena walked over to a broken obelisk inscribed with hieroglyphics. She ran her fingers over the worn marks, her lips moving as she translated the symbols to herself.

  "This temple was dedicated to Serket."

  "Who's Serket?" Nick asked.

  "She's called the scorpion goddess. She was supposed to have power over scorpions and poisonous snakes. That was good, if she liked you. Not so good, if she didn't. See? There's a picture of her, here. She's wearing a headdress that looks like a stylized scorpion."

  "I hope we don't see any," Lamont said.

  "Or snakes," Ronnie said. "I don't like snakes."

  "You ever hold scorpion races, when you were in Iraq?"

  Ronnie rubbed the side of his nose. "Not me, but some of the guys did. Those big sand colored ones. It was like herding cats."

  The floor of the ruins was a rectangle, two hundred feet long and half as wide. In its time, it had probably been an important temple. The floor was uneven, buckled over the centuries with the movement of the earth. Large cracks ran through the stone tiles. Broken pieces of limestone scattered about were all that was left of the roof and the walls.

  "I'm surprised any of the stone is left," Selena said. "Usually it's hauled away by the locals to build their houses."

  "Maybe there's something they don't like about this place," Lamont said.

  "The light will be gone soon," Nick said. "Spread out. Look for anything that could have been an entrance into whatever is under these ruins. Keep your lights pointed down."

  "There must have been a stairway," Selena said, "but I don't see anything that looks like that."

  Lamont started toward the corner of the temple floor. He'd almost reached it, when the floor moved under his feet.

  "Nick..."

  As Nick turned, the floor collapsed beneath Lamont's feet. His startled shout was cut short.

  "Holy shit," Ronnie said.

  They ran to the opening where Lamont had fallen through.

  "Careful," Nick said. "The rest of it might go."

  Nick lay down on the floor and crawled to the edge of the hole.

  "Lamont. Are you okay?"

  There was no answer. Nick shone his flashlight into the darkness. Lamont was sprawled below, unconscious. Something glittered at the edge of the light.

  "Tie off a rope around a column," Nick said. "Looks like he's knocked out. I'm going down."

  Ronnie grabbed rope from the pack and quickly knotted it around the nearest column.

  "All set."

  Nick threw the end of the rope into the opening and watched it fall to the floor below, next to Lamont.

  "You two be ready to come down."

  He stuck the flashlight in his pants pocket, took the rope in both hands and slipped over the edge of the opening. In seconds he was at the bottom.

  He shone his light around the space, scarcely believing what he saw. He stood in the treasure room of the richest king in history. There was gold everywhere. The space was filled with treasure. Lamont had fallen into an open area in the midst of a sea of gold. The beam of the flashlight illuminated a row of golden statues, bins of gold coins, sealed chests stacked upon one another, bars of silver in neat piles.

  A large scorpion scuttled away from the light.

  Lamont groaned.

  Nick shone the flashlight on his friend.

  "Lamont. Wake up, buddy. Talk to me."

  Lamont opened his eyes.

  "Whoa," he said. "What..."

  "You fell. The floor gave way. We're in the space underneath the ruins."

  Lamont started to sit up. His face turned white with pain and he fell back against the floor. He clutched his left arm.

  "Uhh. I think I broke something."

  "Let me see."

  Nick moved the light over Lamont's arm. The forearm was at an odd angle.

  "Hang on."

  Nick cut away the sleeve on Lamont's arm with his knife. The elbow was swollen, distorted and ugly. The forearm was slightly twisted.

  "You dislocated your elbow," Nick said. "It looks pretty bad. I've got to set it back in place. If I don't, it could pinch the blood vessels and cause some real problems. It's going to hurt."

  "Do what you have to do."

  "Ronnie, come on down," Nick called.

  Ronnie dropped down from above and knelt by Lamont. He looked at the elbow.

  "Man, that's ugly."

  "Anybody ever talk to you about your bedside manner?" Lamont said.

  Nick pulled off his belt and folded it in half.

  "Bite on this."

  Lamont put the belt between his teeth.

  "Get it over with."

  "Ronnie, hold him down."

  Ronnie put his hands on Lamont's shoulders and pressed down. Nick placed his hands on either side of the injured joint.

  "Hey, Lamont, do you remember when you tried to pick up that redhead in Washington? The one with the..."

  With a quick, powerful movement, Nick pulled and twisted, bringing the joint back where it belonged. Lamont screamed, the sound loud even through the belt between his teeth. Tears ran down his face. He reached up with his right hand and took the belt away.

  "How does it feel?" Nick asked.

  "Hurts like hell, but it's better."

  "Don't move it."

  "What was that about the redhead?"

  "I figured it would hurt less if you didn't see it coming. I was trying to distract you."

  "Yeah. Thanks, I guess. Here's your belt. A little chewed up."

  Nick took the belt. "We have to rig a sling."

  "What's happening down there?" Selena called.

  "Come on down. Lamont needs a sling. Bring the pack."

  A minute later Selena stood on the cavern floor. Ronnie shone his light around the space. Nick knelt by Lamont, rigging a sling.

  "I don't believe this," Ronnie said.

  Selena walked over to one of the gold statues.

  She ran her hand over the smooth surface. The metal was cool to the touch.

  "This is our old friend Baal," she said.

  "Why would he be in here?" Nick asked.

  "Solomon was famous for building temples to different gods," Selena said. "If you believe what's written in the Bible, that's why his kingdom fragmented after he died. It was God's punishment for his heresy."

  "What do you think is in the chests?"

  "Let's find out," Selena said.

  She went to one of the wooden chests. Each one was the size of a small trunk. She lifted the lid. She reached in, took something out, and held it in front of her light. It flashed with brilliant, red fire.

  "Rubies. The chest is filled with rubies."

  "I wonder what all this stuff is worth?" Ronnie said.

  "You can't put a price on it," Selena said. "No one's ever seen anything like this before."

  Nick stood. "I guess we found what we were looking for."

  "Don't move, Nick,"
Ronnie said. "There's a scorpion crawling up your leg."

  Ronnie took a glove and slapped the scorpion away. It was an odd, greenish-yellow color. He stomped on it. It made a loud crackling noise under his boot.

  "What's that over there?" Ronnie said. "Under the canopy?"

  He shone his light on a limestone chest set on a raised plinth. A canopy of faded blue still hung above it, supported by four poles of gold. The chest was about three feet long and two feet high, and was carved with elaborate designs of vines and grapes.

  "I think it's an ossuary," Selena said. "There's an inscription on it."

  She knelt down by the box and brushed her fingers over the carved letters.

  "Wow," she said.

  "Wow, what?" Nick said.

  "The inscription says, 'David. Son of Jesse.' It's King David. "

  "The King David? The guy who took out Goliath?" Lamont said.

  "Remember what Solomon wrote on the scroll? It said that his 'father kept sentry over the wealth.' It's his father inside the box."

  "Hell of a way to end up for someone like David," Lamont said.

  "We all end up like that," Ronnie said, "sooner or later."

  "Man, you're a real bundle of sunshine, aren't you? That box gives me the creeps. Probably full of scorpions keeping him company."

  "We should get out of here," Selena said.

  "Right. Time to go home," Nick said.

  "Perhaps not," an unfamiliar voice said from above.

  Someone pulled the rope up through the opening.

  CHAPTER 40

  "What the hell?" Lamont said.

  "That is where you will soon find yourself," the voice said.

  A man leaned over the edge of the opening. The muzzles of several rifles pointed down at them.

  "I am Dalir. You've given me a lot of trouble over the last week."

  "Let me guess," Nick said. "You're the one who's been trying to stop us."

  "To tell you the truth, I'm glad I didn't succeed," Dalir said. "I don't think we would have found this, if you hadn't led us to it. For that, I thank you."

  "You the asshole that went after us in Ein Gedi?" Lamont asked.

  "Insults are not going to help your situation," Dalir said. "But if you really want to know, yes, I sent those men. They were good men."