Moffat's Secret

by J. C. Williams

  Grandpa Hadley had moved to the burbs but kept his shop in town. Chad knew the grandson Charles from high school. He was called Chuck. Chad had a locker next to Chuck’s. Chuck was a live-on-the-wild-side senior, two years older than Chad. They shared some classes since Chad was already working at the senior level, his IQ already prominent. The situation probably was not ideal for Chad’s social development, especially since he had not yet experienced the growth spurt that would take him to his adult height. Chuck picked on Chad back then. For most of the year. Up until that day in April.

  Archer walked into Chuck’s garage. It was immaculate. However, he saw only one bike being worked on. The three other bays were full, but with cars. Two looked like regular repairs and one appeared to be a very expensive import. Two men were on the import. Two more were working the other bays. A successful business. The dream of grandpa Charles lived on.

  Chad said hello to an attractive woman talking on a phone in the office, just off the repair bays. Chad mouthed a silent question – Chuck. She pointed to the back.

  Not sure he could pick out Chuck after twelve years, Chad got close to the import and called out his name.

  The man that stepped out from under the hood resembled the Chuck from high school. Skinny. Lanky arms. Darting eyes. A wary smile. But there were wrinkles in the face and much less hair. In fact he was quite sparse on top.

  “Chuck, you probably don’t remember me,” Chad began.

  Chuck squinted and then almost beamed a smile. “Squirt, is that you?”

  Embarrassed, Chad answered, “Yeah it’s me, but I’m not called Squirt, anymore.”

  “Of course not,” Chuck said facing a man bigger than himself. A man trimmed by his jogging and rock climbing. “You’d probably kick my ass now.”

  “Not my intention,” Chad said.

  “What brings you here?” Chuck fumbled for his name.

  “Chad. Chad Archer.”

  “Yeah. Chad. Hope this isn’t some suppressed anger that you need to confront, is it? No irreparable mental anguish caused by the school bully.” Chuck stepped toward Chad and stuck out his hand.

  Chad shook it. “Nothing like that. In fact, it was Donny who was the bully. If I remember, you got him to leave me alone. Your bullying was just a tease. Donny was the more physical kind.”

  “There’s something I never asked you, Sq… Chad. Why did you do it?”

  Chad recalled the day that they were both at their lockers when the assistant principal suddenly appeared and confronted Chuck. ‘Let’s see what you have there Mr. Hadley.’ Chuck was caught with a half dozen fake IDs in his hands. His high school business was about to come to an end. His high school itself was about to come to an end. Expulsion was right around the corner. Chuck faced the AP with his hands behind his back. Chad saw what was happening and quickly snatched the IDs, saving Chuck.

  Chad answered him, “You would have been expelled. Wouldn’t graduate. I really thought it could destroy your life. That’s why I took them.”

  Chuck nodded. “I guess you were smart in more ways than just books. I never saw the consequences but you did. And you were right. I never would have had this shop, or probably my wife, or the two best kids a person could have.” He nodded toward a picture pinned to the wall of an eight year old girl and her six-year-old brother. “I was pissed at you at the time. I didn’t even say thank you. All I thought of was the three hundred dollars worth of IDs that you said you threw away.”

  “That’s okay. You can thank me now by helping me.”

  “What do you need? I can fix any kind of car or bike,” Chuck said waving his arm around the garage.

  “Let’s talk outside,” Chad said leading the way.

  Archer took a deep breath and told Chuck what he was after. “From what you said, I doubt that you still make fake IDs, but I wonder if you know someone who does? I’m in a bind and I need to travel without being traced. I need good stuff. Passports and drivers licenses.”

  Chuck frowned.

  Chad read his feelings quickly. He knew this was a mistake. He had just labeled the man as once a fraud, always a fraud.

  “Sorry. This wasn’t right. I shouldn’t assume. I was wrong. Forget you ever saw me.”

  Archer walked away. Chuck Hadley turned toward the office and his wife.

  -----

  The second ten-mile run of the day didn’t make Chad feel any better about himself. He packed for Dallas. He included his climbing equipment and clothes. They were for a side trip to Arizona. The doorbell interrupted his packing.

  Chad was surprised by his visitor, but he was wise enough to walk a few steps toward the street, away from the front door, away from any hidden microphones.

  “Chuck. I’m sorry again. Let’s talk out here. The house is bugged. How did you find me?”

  “Your mother. You’ve done well, Dr. Archer. Congratulations. You’ve put your brain to good use. Look. I owe you. I owe you enough to say that whatever you are planning to do, you shouldn’t. You steered my life in a better direction once. I should return the favor. But, I always respected what you did. You have good sense. If I don’t help you, you’ll probably keep looking. It sounds like you are in a mess. You are likely to stumble into a bigger mess if you approach the wrong guy and get arrested. At least if you see this guy I know, you’ll be safe.”

  Chuck handed Chad a piece of paper with a name and number.

  “He’s expecting your call. Good luck.”

  “Thanks, Chuck,”

  “Sure, Squirt.” Chuck smiled and left.

  Chad had some work to do before Dallas.

  Chapter 97

  Cruising up Haskin’s long driveway in a taxi, Archer had time to admire the acres of grassy fields, the running stallions, and of course the large white house a half mile in front of him. It could be the opening scenes of the television show Dallas, he thought.

  Two other cars were parked in front of the wide steps that led to large wooden doors. An iron handle in the shape of an oil rig adorned each door. Chad found a bell and rang it.

  Haskin opened the door, surprising Chad. He expected a servant.

  Haskin looked relaxed. He was shoeless, his gray socks sliding over the parquet wood floor. “Chad, it’s good to see you. Thanks for meeting here. I thought it best that we keep it private. Boyer said you sounded concerned. You are not using your own phone. We want to hear what’s going on.”

  Haskin rambled on, leading Chad into a study. It was a man’s place. Large, oversized, leather chairs complemented leather sofas. Dark green wallpaper with vertical white stripes provided the only brightness in the decor. The pictures were Old West hunting scenes. Indians. Buffalo. Cowboys. Trappers. Mountain men. Several floor lamps cast a cone of light above and below their red and pumpkin shades.

  Boyer stood up as Chad entered. They shook hands.

  “What would you like to drink?” Haskin asked.

  “Would you happen to have Macallan?” Chad asked remembering Sandy’s granddad.

  “Good choice,” Haskin said. He didn’t ask if ice was desired. He would never serve it with ice.

  “Thank you,” Chad said taking a sip. It tasted better in a glass than it had from a paper cup.

  “Sit down, bring us up to date and tell of us your urgency.”

  Chad filled them in on Stonehenge. He didn’t mention Sandy was with him and didn’t know if they knew. He said that he heard a story about the guardians of Stonehenge and their relocation to York Minster. That was his next stop. There he heard a story about a treasure named after a man named Moffat.

  “Admittedly, I thought I had passed the point of reality to realm of myth and legend. Yet some instinct told me to follow it. I looked up York Minster and a person named Walter de Gray.”

  Chad continued to layout the circumstantial facts. Haskin and Boyer listened respectfully. Finally, he stopped. His drink was empty.

  Haskin commented. “I see why you felt you needed to tell us this in person. We would have
thought you lost all sense of logic with those stories. I follow it. Where does it lead us? Let me freshen your drink.”

  Chad noticed Boyer remained impassive through the entire monologue.

  Chad gave them his opinion. “I think there is a group who feel they are the guardians of secrets. Perhaps they are protecting what they think are ancient rituals and knowledge. In addition in the late 1200s, they became protectors of some of the Templars secrets, items taken from Jerusalem. Aman thought so as well when they questioned me. If the guardians were meeting in York Minster in 1350 and someone spied on them learning a secret, they probably killed him. At first I thought Moffat was an innocent constable. Now I think he was a part of them. He may have been the murderer or was in league with the murderer. The guardians were already under suspicion for their secret meetings. In fear for their group and the real treasures and secrets, they decided to move the objects. As a deception they planted a gold piece on the thief and made up a story about a treasure. At the same time, they assigned the movement to two of their group accompanied by Templars. They made Moffat go with small team. When Moffat disappeared, people believed he knew something. It fanned the rumors of a treasure. I believe the locator stone was among the items. Or, it may have been the only item with Moffat. Other items remained hidden or could have been taken away by other guardians.”

  “Where did they take it?” Boyer asked.

  “That is the puzzle. Moffat was never heard from again. I believe the two guardians used the Templars and Moffat to construct its next hiding place. Then the guardians killed them and disappeared into time and to their own homelands.”

  “How did the guardians communicate back to the group where it was?” Haskin asked.

  “They didn’t have to. It was already decided by the spy’s bloody writing. East North One Seventy. Remember, the guardians did not plan to return to York Minster for several years. There was no way to find a new location and pass it on. So, they used the legend of Moffat’s Secret. They would all know it.”

  “You told us that people have searched for the treasure for centuries. Why do you think you can find it?”

  “I believe everyone else started the search in York, at the Minster. We have seen already on the stone how a long lasting fixed point was used as a reference. I think it applies here as well. And since the stone in Jerusalem was marked with the Stonehenge location, that’s the starting point. I expect to find the best spot to start from in Stonehenge and then go east until I can go no further, because there was no distance associated with East. Then, I’ll go north one hundred seventy miles.”

  Haskin moved to the desk and looked up a map of England and did some measurements. “If you go east first like you said and stop at the coast, then go north. Due north one seventy, across the water, or one seventy on land?”

  “We’ll have to see,” Chad said. “The key will be to pick the correct starting point in Stonehenge. Chad impulsively, maybe instinctively, had just lied to Haskin. Why, he asked himself. His plan was to go north first, then east. He had already seen on the map the difficulty of starting by going east.

  Haskin studied Archer. He swished his drink, sniffed the single malt, and took a long sip. Chad waited. Did Haskin suspect a lie?

  Haskin broke into a smile. “You have been fantastic, Chad. You made more progress in two weeks than Henry had in five months.”

  Chad replied, “Thanks. But I had Henry’s notes and calendar to help me.”

  Boyer spoke up, “What did you learn in Ipswich?”

  Chad answered quickly. Something was up. He had not told Boyer about Ipswich. “Nothing. I don’t think Doc did either. I am not sure why he went. I did learn that museums are changing to more interactive displays to fit into the world of children nowadays. A world more tech savvy and with shorter attention spans. I did manage to learn about Ipswich and its history. I expect it’s a typical English coastal village. They all have a history back to the Normans.”

  “How will you know you are at the right place when you do come across the locator stone?” Boyer asked.

  “I’ll know it when I see it. There will be a clue of some kind.”

  “Do you think the whole East North thing was created by them to begin with and planted by Moffat?” Haskin asked.

  “No. I think something was stolen. Perhaps even the gold coin. Or, something else. Something that Moffat retrieved before help arrived.”

  Boyer asked. “How is Professor Acosta coming with her work for you?”

  More alarm bells went off for Chad. Had he told Boyer about Acosta? If they were keeping an eye on him, he couldn’t blame them. After all Chad had refused their bodyguard.

  Without any show of surprise, Chad reported that Acosta was still looking for clues about the movement of a sacred object. She believed it was in support of a potential grant.

  Chad added an additional opinion. “I think we may not find the next stop for the tablets, or the next stop after that. If the tablets continued a northern journey they may have passed the Rio Grande. The Native Americans have many creation theories, sacred myths, sacred places, and sacred objects. I’m going to Arizona tomorrow to do some rock climbing. I will try to find a certain native guide in the area. One that Doc and I used four years ago. I’m hoping he can put me in contact with someone who might know the old legends. Perhaps there is one about tablets coming from the south. It’s a long shot.”

  “At this point, twenty-five hundred years after their transfer, everything is a long shot.” Haskin encouraged Chad.

  The subject seemed complete. Chad cleared his throat.

  “There is another reason I am here. The real reason I wanted to meet in person.”

  “Your phone?” Boyer asked.

  “Yes. I believe there is a leak or spy in our midst. In your organization. Someone is telling either Aman or the guardians all of my movements. If so, they also probably know all we have learned.”

  Haskin took the news calmly. Boyer did as well. Chad thought they would be more surprised and concerned. Maybe this kind of crisis is their everyday life.

  Chad explained further, “I don’t know who in your organization is aware of my travels and my communications. There must be dozens of people involved that handle things, like the tech you brought to Mexico. Travel planners, accounting, and all sorts of admin? Someone tinkered with my phone on the plane. There was both a battery operated GPS tracker and an eavesdropping microphone powered on when the phone is on. All my phone conversations and any conversations near my phone could be listened to.”

  Chad looked back and forth. The two men were silent. He continued, “Stonehenge and York were two places that were not mentioned where someone overheard the plans. But you knew, that is your organization knew.”

  Haskin spoke first. “We think there is a spy as well. We think we know who.”

  Chad was excited. “Who?”

  It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

  Haskin spoke up, “Detective Inspector Saundra Moffat.”

  Chapter 98

  Archer’s shock, quickly turned to anger, slipped into denial, tumbled and rumbled inside of him, and finally emerged as silence. His eyes were hard. His lips set tight.

  Haskin leaned forward in his chair. “Chad, I know this is a shock for you. We’ve been watching your back. We came to this conclusion, but it’s circumstantial. We’d like to have you hear what Boyer and I were told.”

  “Okay,” Chad accepted, his mind still reeling. He couldn’t even begin to relate this accusation to his facts about a leak.

  Haskin called a number on his cell. “George, can you come in now?”

  Turning to Archer again, Haskin said, “Chad, I know you agreed not to share any of this project. You did though. We know. This isn’t about that. I’m disappointed, but I understand that you felt she helped you. I understand the attraction as well.”

  It took all the control Chad could gather to refrain from striking out. He hid all his feelings, feelings toward Has
kin at this moment and the feelings he had for Sandy. He willed himself to listen carefully.

  A fiftyish man entered the room. He was thin, brown hair with the first signs of some gray, and dressed neatly. No distinguishing features. An everyday man, Chad thought.

  The man stepped up to Chad and looked him in the eye and put out his hand. “Dr. Archer, I am so sorry to meet you like this. My name is George. Last name is not important.”

  Chad revised his assessment - an everyday Englishman, from his accent.

  Haskin explained. “George is ex-MI6. Retired. He heads up the personal security part of our security operations. We use George to monitor the situations that we place our people in. We are all over the world. We have some very secret government projects. We provide security for our employees when they are out of the country, and even some of them in the country. George does the training as well. Things like personal protection, evasive driving, and surveillance detection. We were concerned, as you were, about the incidents occurring during your research in Israel and Mexico. We worried about you. We worried about the project. How did others know what only we should know?”

  Boyer spoke up. “At first we thought it was an internal leak as well. It made sense. George investigated. We re-vetted everyone. No leaks here.”

  Chad nodded acknowledgement.

  George spoke referring to notes in a folder.

  “We agree with your assessment that there are two factions acting against your successful pursuit. The Aman, or, possibly just a faction from within. Or, both. Secondly, a group you alerted us to, the Guardians. There is another wild card that I will get to in a bit.

  “The first, the Aman. Very dangerous because of its reach into Interpol and other world agencies. They have the means to track your travel records. Flights. Rental cars. Credit card uses. In addition, as you experienced, they have the resources to install bugs, trackers, and monitor you electronically. They have black ops teams that can eliminate threats. Though their treatment of you makes us think they are not the source of danger. More likely, it is a fanatical and zealous internal component that is dealing in violence. One blessing is that as a splinter team from Aman, they may not have the full tracking ability of Aman.