by Alex Lukeman
"That's cold. How much money?"
"Around four hundred million."
"Why are we getting involved with this? This looks like FBI or Treasury territory."
"We intercepted an encrypted satellite transmission last week from the Chinese consulate in San Francisco. There's a Colonel from Chinese Military Intelligence in the consulate named Wu. He pretends he's a trade official. He called his boss, General Yang. Yang is chief of their MI. Wu told him about an old book Connor found in Bhutan and Yang ordered him to get the book and Connor's money. The money went to accounts in Macau controlled by Yang."
"Chinese MI? Why would they do something as stupid as that? It doesn't make sense. What's in the book?"
"We don't know. Connor had a niece who might know. I want to ask her about it. Doctor Connor is coming here today."
"Doctor?"
"PhDs in oriental and ancient languages. She's one of the top experts in the country."
Carter pictured an expert PhD niece. Someone academic looking. Maybe in an earth tone baggy suit, with large glasses and gray hair, around fifty.
Harker said, "The FBI had Wu under routine surveillance. I requested a photo and they sent one over but my gut says they're holding something back."
Nick didn't respond.
"Zeke Jordan is the liaison. You know him. Talk with him and see what you can find out."
A voice came from the intercom on Harker's desk.
"Director, Doctor Connor is here."
"Escort her up."
While they waited, Carter thought about his car and decided to call Triple A and ride back with the tow.
CHAPTER THREE
Selena Connor didn't look like a fiftyish, gray-haired professor. It wasn't the way she looked that got Carter's attention, though that would have been enough. It was the way she came into the room, all contained, taut energy, with the rippling grace of an athlete. She was in her thirties. Her hair was short and reddish blond. Her face was tan from the outdoors. She had high cheekbones and violet eyes. There was a small mole above her lip.
She wasn't wearing a baggy suit or big glasses. She had on a smooth silk jacket and slacks and a pale blouse that picked up the violet color. In her left hand she carried a black leather computer case.
Carter stood and Harker introduced him. They all sat down.
Harker said, "What have you got there?"
"My uncle's laptop. He'd never left it with me before. I haven't looked at it, but I thought you might want to." Her voice was controlled. There were lines of tension in her face.
Got the lid on, Nick thought.
"Doctor Connor," Elizabeth said.
"Please call me Selena."
"Selena. The people who killed your uncle were after a book he acquired in Bhutan. We need to know what's in it."
Selena gave Harker an odd look. How did she know about the book?
"It's gone. I don't know where it is. I haven't read all of it, but it's a copy of an ancient text about immortality, mostly written in Sanskrit. Books like that are rare, but this one is unique. What's in it is impossible."
"Impossible?" Harker tapped her pen against her lip.
"Part of it is written in Linear A. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I'd never believe it. Linear A is one of two written languages from the Minoan Empire, before 1600 BCE. There are no books written in Linear A. There shouldn't be anything Minoan in the Himalayan region at all."
"You're sure the book is gone?"
"My uncle kept it on his desk, but it's not there now. He was going to scan it onto his computer."
"So it might be on that laptop you brought."
"It could be."
Harker began tapping on her desk. "The money from your uncle's accounts went to China."
"China? Part of the book is about the first Chinese emperor, Qin Huang."
"Emperor Huang?" Carter said. "The one with the soldiers and horses?"
"Yes. Huang placed an army of terracotta soldiers and horses outside his tomb. Chinese farmers found it in '74. It's a big tourist attraction."
Selena brushed a wisp of hair away from her forehead.
"The book described Huang's search for immortality. He was obsessed with it. It also repeated old stories of treasure in his tomb. Everyone knows where it is but it's never been excavated."
Harker told Selena about the intercept.
"Then you know who did this! Can't you arrest him, this…Colonel, or whatever he is?"
"We don't have hard evidence. Besides, he has diplomatic immunity."
Nick's ear began itching. Since he was a kid it had itched when things were about to get complicated, a personal early warning system. Then again, sometimes it was just an itch. He scratched it.
Harker set down her pen. "Maybe there's something on that laptop. Let's take a look."
Selena handed her the case. Harker took the computer out and plugged it into a port on her desk. The display booted up on the wall monitor. The screen filled with folder icons.
"Lots of files." She clicked on one labeled Beijing. The file was a list of bank account numbers in the Chinese capitol.
"That might help track the money. I don't see anything about a book."
Selena said, "It looks like financial files labeled by location, like the Bahamas or Caymans, or by industry and city. There's one labeled Li Shan. That's where the emperor is buried. Open that one."
The file was a draft proposal to excavate the tomb of the First Emperor, complete with time lines and cost breakdowns. There was nothing about the book in the file.
"There's a file with my name," Selena said.
"Let's see it."
It was a letter from William Connor to his niece, dated a week before his death.
My Dearest Selena,
You know how I hate clichés. Please forgive me for the one I use now. Quite simply, if you are reading this letter then something has happened to me. I do not contemplate this with equanimity, my dear, but life sometimes forces unpleasant possibilities upon us. I am leaving this note and my computer with you in hopes you never read it.
I think I am being watched by agents of the Chinese government and that it has something to do with the book I acquired in Bhutan. My translation is incomplete, but it seems there are historical inaccuracies regarding the death and burial of the First Emperor, and that these relate to a supposed elixir of eternal life.
I have prepared a proposal regarding possible excavation of the First Emperor's tomb at Li Shan. A week ago I met with a Chinese consular official named Wu Chen to discuss obtaining permission to fund and participate in such an important project. Wu offered to put me in touch with the correct people in Beijing.
In the course of our meeting I talked about the book. Not long after that I noticed a large and rather menacing Chinese man observing me at a restaurant I frequent. Then I noticed that same man in other places, at other times. It may have nothing to do with Wu, but it seems too coincidental to me.
I feel threatened. So I write this letter to you, although it may be just the foolish act of an old man.
I have placed the book in a safe place. If it does hold a clue to the secret of immortality or a key to the emperor's treasures, it is a dangerous thing to have in one's possession.
Do you remember, when we used to have our summer time together at the old mine, when you were a child, the special place you found to secret away your most precious things? That is where you will find the book.
My dear Selena, if you are indeed reading this, please know that you have always been a source of joy and delight for this old uncle of yours.
With all my love, Uncle William
They read the letter again. Selena sat rigidly in her chair. Carter watched her. It was an old habit, watching. It told him things. Right now it told him Selena was wound up tight. Close to her uncle, he thought, but she wasn't going to let anyone see it. How she really felt.
He knew what that was like.
Harker said, "Do you kn
ow what he was talking about? The place he hid the book?"
Selena's voice was controlled, neutral. "My family found gold in California in 1850. There's a house at the old mine property. In the front yard there's an ore cart full of rocks from the mine. When I was a child I hid things under the rocks. That must be where he put it. I'm surprised he didn't put it in one of his safe deposit boxes."
"No safe deposit box keys have turned up." Harker twirled her pen.
"He had at least three."
"The FBI searched his office and home. We'll check with them."
"If they have the keys, they know what's in the boxes." Nick looked at Harker. "I'll ask Jordan when I talk with him."
"Do that. Then I want you to go to California with Doctor Connor and retrieve that book. Does that work for you, Selena?"
"Anything that helps."
"Why do you want me along?" Carter said.
"They didn't get the book. If they think Selena has it they might go after her. I want you to keep an eye out." She looked at her watch and turned to Selena. "It's too late to get a flight today. We'll book one for tomorrow. What airport, Selena?"
"Sacramento. The mine is only an hour away."
"We'll arrange a car."
Carter said, "We can use mine. It's already there." He'd flown out of Sacramento. His truck was in the long term lot at the airport.
"Good. Hook up with Jordan before you go. Call me after you find the book. We'll search the rest of these files and follow up."
"What do I tell Jordan?"
Harker tapped her pen on the desk. "Tell him about the financial accounts. We'll keep the book to ourselves for now. There's no need for the Bureau to know about it."
CHAPTER FOUR
Earlier that same day, Colonel Wu Chen was sitting in a secluded red leather booth at the Happy Family restaurant in San Francisco.
Muted sounds drifted up from the street below. The only other customer was an old man across the room reading his newspaper. The smell of rice, pork and noodles mingled with the murmured conversation of waiters huddled in a corner. Wu sipped his tea. He took a bright red carnation from the vase on the table and twirled it in his hands. He thought about his conversation with the General.
"Tell me about this book."
Yang's wet voice had echoed through the satellite link.
"The American obtained it in Bhutan. The book concerns the First Emperor. It is a medical text with a formula for a draught of immortality. That is why I contacted you."
The General was always interested in anything to do with the First Emperor and his quest for immortality. Wu needed to keep General Yang happy.
"What is the name of this book?"
"The American said it translates as 'The Golden Garuda'."
Wu heard a sharp intake of breath. When Yang spoke again, his voice was controlled. Wu sensed his excitement.
"I have an assignment for you."
"Sir."
"I require the book. Obtain it and deliver it to me." There was a pause. Wu waited. "The American is rich?"
"Yes, sir. He has great wealth."
"Access his financial accounts. Transfer the funds to the account numbers I send after this conversation."
"Yes, sir. Are there any restrictions?"
"Use any means necessary. Make sure there are no complications after."
"Yes, sir."
"Inform me when you have succeeded."
Wu toyed with the flower and sipped his tea. The book hadn't been in Connor's home. The niece must know where it was. His agents would bring her to him for questioning.
Wu thought about interrogating her. He felt the beginning of an erection. He would strip her naked and bind her. That always unnerved prisoners, especially the women. Choy could question her, but sometimes his sergeant got carried away and damaged the subject beyond repair before Wu learned what he needed. No, he'd do it himself.
The water technique was effective, but time consuming if the subject was stubborn. Wu preferred the blowtorch and pliers. Or knives, the kind you'd find in any kitchen. Simple tools were always best.
He reached for his tea and glanced down. The shredded petals of the flower made a delicate pattern against the scarred table top. He brushed them aside with his hand. They fell to the floor in a shower of red, like drops of blood.
Tinkling green jade prosperity symbols over the restaurant doorway announced the arrival of his Sergeant.
Choy Gang's skin was the color of the Mongolian desert on a winter evening, betraying his mixed heritage. He was tall and weighed over two hundred and fifty pounds. His head was large and sat like a cantaloupe with crumpled ears on his massive shoulders. His hands were broad clubs, the knuckles scarred and bulbous.
Choy's fleshy face was marred with acne scars. His eyes were small and close set, almond-shaped, an odd golden color. A shiny blue shirt stretched taut across his massive chest and arms under a loose fitting brown jacket.
In the People's Liberation Army, Choy had found a home. In Colonel Wu, he had found a Master.
Choy cast a contemptuous glance at the elderly customer across the room. He squeezed into the booth. One of the waiters poured more tea. Wu ordered food in a rapid burst of Mandarin.
When the waiter was gone Wu said, "You had no trouble obtaining the information for Connor's accounts?"
"No, sir. He resisted at first, but it didn't take much to convince him to give me the numbers." Choy thought about how the old man had screamed when his finger had been snipped off. He smiled, showing the gaps between his yellowed teeth.
"You are sure the book was not in Connor's home?"
"Yes, sir. I am positive it was not there. His heart gave out too soon, before he revealed its location."
"That was unfortunate. But you did well. Now I have another task for you."
Wu watched Choy perk up. He's like a good dog, Wu thought. Give him something new and interesting to do and he's happy.
"The American owned a house three or four hours from here. Take some men tomorrow and search for the book. Use a vehicle from the black pool."
The black pool was a small fleet of cars untraceable to the Chinese Consulate.
Wu took an envelope from his jacket and slid it across the table to Choy. "Money and a driver's license. The directions to the place are also there."
Choy put the envelope in his jacket pocket as the waiter returned with steaming plates of food.
"Sergeant," Wu said, "enjoy this delicious dim sum. It's as good as we get at home."
Across the room, the elderly Chinese man took a last sip of his cold tea. He folded his newspaper and rose. He shuffled by the cash register to pay and carefully made his way down the steep stairs. His superiors would be pleased when they learned of the meeting he had just overheard.
CHAPTER FIVE
Nicholas Carter and Selena Connor stood in the heat of the parking lot. All the parked cars were still empty. Carter put his phone away. Two and a half hours before Triple A could get him out of here.
"Can you give me a ride into town? My rental's no good." He gestured at the mess under his car.
"Of course. I'm parked just over there."
A new Mercedes CL600 gleamed in the late afternoon light. Twelve cylinders and over five hundred horsepower. A fast, luxury car. A driver's car. A money car. Not many women drove cars with that kind of power. It said something about her. Nick got his bag from the rental and climbed in.
"Nice car."
"I just got it a few weeks ago."
She started up, drove out of the lot.
"Where are you staying?" he asked.
"The Mayflower Renaissance. I stay there when I'm in Washington and leave the car there when I'm out of town."
"That's not far from my place. Where do you live when you're not in D.C.?"
"San Francisco. I've got a loft in North Beach."
They pulled onto the Interstate. The interior was quiet except for the whisper of the air conditioner. Carter relaxed into th
e leather.
They were doing a little over seventy. Selena glanced in the rear view mirror and switched lanes. A BMW 740 with blacked out windows passed her and cut sharply in front.
"Jerk," she muttered under her breath. In the side mirror Nick saw a black Suburban pull in behind, riding their tail. His ear began itching.
They entered a construction zone. The right lane of the highway was bordered by heavy cement barriers laid end to end. Orange signs warned of doubled fines and men at work.
The Suburban rammed into them and drove the Mercedes into the cement. The car rebounded from the barrier in a shower of sparks and fishtailed back onto the roadway. In front, the BMW blocked them. Selena fought for control. The Suburban came alongside on the left and broadsided her back into the barrier.
The front right fender and hood buckled. Something flew over the roof. Sparks streamed by Nick's window. The Mercedes slid along the cement in a din of screeching steel.
Drivers swerved around them, horns blaring.
Carter pulled out his .45. Selena's eyes narrowed.
"Hang on," she said.
She hit the brakes and the big discs on the Mercedes grabbed the wheels. Carter wasn't ready. The seat belt stopped his head inches from the dash. The Suburban surged past on the left, scraping strips from the car, taking the mirror with it. Selena shifted down. She floored the accelerator and the five hundred horses came to life. She cut across panicked traffic into the outer lane.
They shot past the SUV and the BMW. The car filled with the smooth growl of the engine and the sound of pavement under the tires.
The speedometer climbed past ninety. Selena wove in and out of the traffic and clipped a red Honda. It skewed across the highway and flipped over onto the grass median. In the side mirror, Carter saw a gray sedan slam into an old pickup filled with furniture. Chests and chairs spilled across the roadway.
