The Mountain Mother Cipher (The Arkana Archaeology Mystery Series Book 2)

by N. S. Wikarski

  He walked back inside and cast a furtive look around the apartment. Daniel lay huddled fast asleep under a mound of blankets on the floor. Good. No way Hunt was going to share the sleeper couch with that weirdo. He couldn’t prove it but he had a deep suspicion the kid was batting for the other team. Probably didn’t even know it himself. Hunt chuckled and wondered what the boy’s wives thought about that. Probably nothing. Four silly gals who’d spent their whole lives shut up in that tomb of a compound. Likely too dumb to figure out anything was off with weasel face. Leroy could never understand the attraction holy rollers had with virgins. He’d take a whore who knew stuff any day of the week over ten giggling morons who were no damn good in bed.

  The mercenary glanced down at the golden object in his palm once again. He slipped it into his pocket and padded barefoot to where he’d left his shoulder holster slung over a chair. He checked the clip on his pistol and attached a silencer. Pay day had finally come around.

  The streetlight outside cast a yellowish glow over the lump sleeping on the floor. Easy pickings. Leroy aimed for where he guessed Daniel’s head to be. He lingered a moment, savoring the thought of finally parting ways for good. He’d be well rid of the whole lot of them with their undertaker suits and hangdog faces. He took aim but at the last second something stopped him from pulling the trigger. He hesitated as a new idea came flying out of nowhere and hit him smack between the eyes so hard that it gave him a headache.

  Leroy lowered the gun. A troubled frown crossed his face. Generally he avoided thinking whenever possible because it was hard work and made his skull cramp up. He preferred to shoot first and never ask questions. But this time he decided to risk burning up some grey cells over the matter. He rubbed the back of his neck distractedly as more thoughts crowded into his head. There wasn’t room for them all.

  Hunt resisted these strange new notions because, in addition to disliking cogitation, he was a creature of habit. He preferred the safe, familiar routine of shooting folks and getting paid for a job well done. It was simple and straightforward and he liked it fine the way it was. But his thoughts were rapidly haring off into uncharted territory.

  “Leroy, you’re too smart for your own good.” His momma’s words jostled with the multitude that was already occupying his brain pan.

  “No, ma’am, I ain’t. I’m just smart enough to make it pay.” But was he?

  He ground his teeth in annoyance. He was just spoiling to shoot somebody tonight because of the way he’d been thwarted earlier in the day. He flashed back bitterly to that blond Ken doll playing hide and seek behind the boulders. He’d tried to kill Kenny once before and been interrupted, and just when he was on the point of finishing the job proper, the fool went and tripped over his own feet and slid off the side of a mountain. Leroy didn’t credit himself with an overabundance of brains but even he wouldn’t have done something that stupid. Prancing idiot! The whole episode left him with an itchy trigger finger. He felt an urge to go back up the mountain and shoot Kenny’s corpse just for spite. Too far out of range to hit him though. Damn!

  Leroy drew his attention back to the question at hand. What to do, what to do? For the moment, he put his pistol back in the holster, set the bee on the table beside it and lay down on the sleeper couch. He laced his fingers behind his head and turned the problem over some more. Ordinarily, he would have just shot his two bunk mates and taken off with the bee. Not that he had anything personal against Brother Hammy. In fact he liked the little dung ball. The Turk had what the Frenchies called panash which meant he knew how to have a good time. It endeared him to the mercenary but this wasn’t Brother Hammy’s lucky day. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fortunes of war and all that. Now Daniel was a horse of a different color. Leroy would have loved to put a bullet in that pasty faced bastard’s head just on principle. His holier-than-thou crap made Hunt like to puke. But he restrained himself. There was more at stake here.

  He thought of his cowboy heroes. He’d patterned his entire life around their exploits on the silver screen. What would Ramon Navarro do in a situation like this? He scowled. Maybe that was the wrong caballero to ask. What would Eli Wallach or Lee Van Cleef do? They’d take the money and run. That’s what they’d do. After kicking the crap out of Clint Eastwood first, of course. Leroy shook the image out of his head. He didn’t think either the white hats or the black hats had an answer for him this time. Sure as shootin’, he was on his own.

  He stared at the ceiling for what seemed like hours and pondered the topic some more. It all boiled down to one of two choices. He could collect his payday now or he could wait. The mercenary rolled his eyes in frustration. He hated to wait for anything but maybe this one time it would be worth his while to rein himself in. That little gold bee was proof positive that a treasure existed. He wasn’t sure what the other doodads were like but they would probably fetch as much as the bee. Maybe more.

  He sat up. He’d reached a decision. He was going to stay in it for the whole game. He’d stick with Daniel until the kid had sniffed out all the relics. Then and only then would Leroy cash in his chips. When that day came, as a special reward to himself for being patient, he’d blow the kid’s brains out gratis. But not today. He sighed deeply with a sense of fleeting disappointment. Nope. This wasn’t the day.

  Leroy lay back down and drew the covers around his shoulders. The sun would be up soon. They had an early flight back to the states in the morning. There wasn’t any more to be done tonight. With stolid composure, he settled down to catch forty winks before dawn.

  Chapter 40 –Ties That Bind

  Zachary and Faye sat facing one another in the parlor. The boy’s backpack rested on the floor next to his feet.

  A car motor could be heard outside and then a gentle rap on the front door.

  Faye rose to answer. When she swung the door open she was greeted by a woman and a man—Zachary’s parents. The woman was about forty with black hair pulled so tightly into a bun that her eyebrows seemed to be permanently lifted in surprise. The man was tall with a sallow complexion. He wore a drab brown suit that matched the color of his eyes and hair.

  “Marta, Bill, please come in.” Faye stepped back to allow them to enter.

  “Granny Faye!” Marta exclaimed and swept the tiny old woman into an embrace. “So good to see you.”

  Her husband followed her lead and bent down to give Faye a peck on the cheek. “Hello, Granny,” he murmured.

  The couple’s demeanor changed the minute they set eyes on the boy on the couch.

  “You have a lot of explaining to do, young man!” the woman said sharply.

  Faye interposed herself between mother and son. “Don’t be too hard on the boy, Marta. He’s been a model house guest while he was here.”

  Zach gave Faye a furtive look of thanks. He apparently wasn’t sure if his brief career as a burglar was going to be a topic of discussion.

  “I certainly hope so!” his father exclaimed. “Do you have any idea how many decades you’re going to be grounded?”

  “I believe I’ve punished him enough already.” Faye gestured for her guests to seat themselves. “He’s actually been working quite hard during his visit.”

  “Yeah, and I’ve got the battle scars to prove it.” The boy held out his hands for inspection. His fingers and palms were covered in blisters. “Staying with Gamma was kind of like being on work release.”

  “Good!” his father said. “Maybe you’ll think twice next time before taking off and worrying us half to death.”

  Zachary looked down at the carpet but said nothing.

  “Bill, I do think he’s learned his lesson.” Faye tried to forestall any more scolding by changing the subject. “Where’s Sally? I haven’t seen her since last Christmas.”

  “She’s home studying,” Marta replied. “Just like Zach should be.”

  “Gimme a break,” the boy moaned. “It’s summer!”

  “Sally is taking extra credit courses.” The woman gla
red at the boy. “Just like you should be.”

  Zach rolled his eyes but kept silent.

  “Can I offer either of you some refreshments?” Faye asked tentatively.

  “No need,” Marta replied. “We’ll only be staying a few minutes. Just long enough to collect this one.”

  “Are you ready to go?” his father asked.

  “All packed for the gulag,” Zachary muttered under his breath. He stood up and slung his backpack over his arm.

  Just then, an assertive knock was heard on the front door.

  “Gracious me, who can that be?” Faye speculated.

  Before she could rise, Zach darted over to the foyer. “I’ll get it,” he volunteered. He grinned when he saw who the new visitor was. “Now how did I know it was you?”

  Maddie looked startled. “Haven’t you left yet?”

  Zach turned back to the occupants of the parlor. “Mom, Dad, allow me to introduce you. This is Gamma’s friend Maisie.”

  “Maddie,” the visitor growled through gritted teeth. “You know my name is Maddie.”

  Zach’s parents looked bemused. “Very nice to meet you,” they both said in unison.

  “I’m glad Granny Faye has somebody in the neighborhood looking out for her,” Marta commented.

  “Oh it’s better than that,” Zach offered impishly. “They’re both on the Neighborhood Watch together.” He gave Maddie a sly glance, daring her to offer a plausible explanation.

  “The Neighborhood Watch!” Marta gasped. “Why Granny, don’t you think you should leave that to the younger generation?”

  Faye looked at Zach archly. “I’ve been thinking about that very subject quite a lot lately.”

  Maddie looked from Zach to Faye, her face registering both confusion and alarm. “I…I…uh…didn’t mean to interrupt a family gathering. I can come back later.”

  “No dear, it’s quite alright. Come in.” Faye gestured for her to enter.

  “We were just leaving,” Bill volunteered. He stood up decisively as did his wife. The couple frog marched their son to the door with Faye toddling behind.

  “Zachary has expressed an interest in coming to visit me on a regular basis,” the old woman said.

  Bill paused to regard his son. “Has he? Good. He needs to be around someone who won’t stand for his moon bat ideas. A grown-up who’s practical and down to earth.”

  Faye and Zachary exchanged a meaningful glance.

  “I think Gamma’s just the guy for the job,” Zach declared, giving her a hug. “Til next time.”

  Faye tousled the spikes in his hair. “Come back to visit me after your next birthday. Then we’ll have a nice long chat.”

  “You can count on it.” The boy grinned.

  His mother gave him a searching look, apparently trying to fathom the strange rapport that had developed between her son and his ancestor. “Thank you for keeping an eye on him, Granny Faye.” She hugged the old woman and then nudged the boy outside.

  Faye waited until the trio was safely in their vehicle and down the street before she shut the door.

  “What the hell was that about?” Maddie asked, mystified.

  “The consequences of curiosity,” Faye murmured cryptically. She didn’t elaborate.

  The Operations Director took a seat on the now vacant couch. She appeared distinctly grouchy. “Do you ever answer your phone anymore? Maybe I should just buy a house down the street given the number of times I’ve had to drive over here during the past week!”

  “I am sorry for the inconvenience. Now that Zach is gone, things can get back to normal.”

  Maddie scowled. “Maybe, maybe not.” Her tone was ominous.

  Sitting down in her purple arm chair, Faye leaned forward, “What is it, dear?”

  “We may have a situation.”

  “A what?”

  “Griffin called for sweepers to be sent to a location on Mount Ida. Apparently our guys had a run-in with some local bandits.”

  “Oh dear.” Faye felt a growing uneasiness. “Did you speak with him? What happened?”

  Maddie shrugged helplessly. “I haven’t been able to reach any of them. I only found out about the sweepers because the Anatolian Ops Division contacted me for authorization.” She paused. “But that isn’t the worst of it. I just got a transcript of Hunt’s last phone call to the Nephilim.”

  “Yes?” Faye asked guardedly.

  “Hunt and that Daniel character were getting ready to leave Turkey. He said they got the relic.”

  “But that’s good news!” Faye exclaimed. “Apparently they aren’t suspicious that it’s a fake.”

  “No,” Maddie’s gloomy expression didn’t change. “That part went OK. But Hunt said they had some trouble recovering it.”

  “You don’t think they encountered our team, do you?”

  “I don’t know if it was the whole team. I can’t confirm anything from our end because I haven’t had a report for days. I’m hoping it’s because they’re already on their way back home. When I called the hotel where they were staying, all I was told was that their party had checked out.”

  “Then what on earth is the matter, dear? You look positively stricken.” Faye wasn’t used to seeing the Operations Director appear quite this worried about anything. The image alarmed her.

  Maddie rubbed her eyes wearily. “Hunt said he ran across one of the people from Karfi. One he thought he’d taken care of before.”

  “Good heavens! That means he spotted Griffin or Cassie or Erik and knows at least one of them is alive!”

  “That’s just it. He said he tied up that loose end. From the physical description he gave Metcalf, I think he meant Erik.”

  Faye was too shocked to speak.

  Maddie sighed. “I hope to goddess this is bad information but, if it isn’t, Erik may be dead.”

  Chapter 41 – Swap Meet

  “Come in, my boy, come in!” Abraham’s face was beaming.

  Daniel stepped tentatively over the threshold of his father’s prayer closet.

  Unexpectedly, the old man wrapped his son in an embrace. He held him for several moments before saying, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

  Daniel winced at the unexpected contact as well as his father’s choice of scriptural text. Apparently he fancied himself to be the voice of God now. Flustered, the young man stepped back a few paces and cleared his throat. “Ahem, yes, well…Thank you, father.”

  “This is a day of great rejoicing for the Nephilim. Come, sit down and tell me all about your travels.” He indicated the two chairs drawn up to the small table under the dead Diviner’s portrait.

  To Daniel’s mind, the portrait seemed to be glowering less fiercely today than usual. Not that the thought gave him any comfort. His head was still too full of other images. A golden bee flying through the air to land at his feet. A young man flying off the edge of a cliff to meet his death.

  He sat down as instructed and drew a small wooden box out of his coat jacket. “Here it is,” he said simply. He pushed the box across the table to his father who fell on it eagerly.

  With trembling hands the old man opened the lid. He seemed overcome with deep emotion. Daniel thought he saw his father brushing tears out of his eyes.

  The Diviner gazed hungrily at the golden bee. “So long, so long,” he murmured. “I have waited many years to behold this sight.” He took the object out of its wrapping and held it up. Even in the dimness of this heavily-draped room, it gleamed.

  Abraham looked up in surprise as a new thought struck him. “Where is Mr. Hunt?”

  “He accompanied me to the gates of the compound and then instructed the driver to take him back to the city. He did say he would contact you later about his fee. I got the impression that the prayerful atmosphere within our walls upsets him.”

  Abraham nodded sagely. “It is often the case that the Fallen are uncomfortable in the presence of sanctity. No matter. I understand he acquitted himself admirably during your trip,
did he not?”

  Daniel hesitated. He wanted to say that Hunt acquitted himself as befitted a cold-blooded murderer but he bit back the words. “He insured that we recovered the artifact without hindrance. There was a young man. He—”

  “Yes, I heard about that.” Abraham cut him off. “Mr. Hunt did the right thing under the circumstances and afterward escorted you out of the country before any entanglements with the law might arise. All quite satisfactory.” The Diviner was smiling again. Almost grinning in fact. Even the thought of collateral damage couldn’t suppress his elation, it seemed. He turned the bee over in his hands, noting the script on both sides of its wings. He peered up at his son. “Have you translated this yet?”

  Daniel shook his head. “Not in any depth. I ran into some difficulty with my computer program and didn’t have all the necessary reference material with me in Turkey to resolve the problem. I have copied down all the hieroglyphs from the artifact and I should have the full translation in a day or so.”

  The old man studied his son’s face for several seconds. “Never mind that for now, my boy. You need rest.”

  Apparently the Diviner had noticed Daniel’s haggard appearance. What he attributed to fatigue, Daniel attributed to an increasingly guilty conscience.

  “You should spend some time with your wives and children.” Abraham stopped short. “That reminds me. There is another matter we need to discuss.”

  Daniel was only half paying attention so his father’s next words caught him completely off guard.

  “I’ve reassigned Hannah.”