Arkana Archaeology Mystery Box Set 2

by N. S. Wikarski

  “Bet you’d kill for a decent internet connection right about now,” Erik said dryly.

  Griffin gave him a wry smile.

  As the other two exited through the doorway of the observatory, Cassie waved at the tyro standing on the other side of the citadel to get his attention. He gave a shy wave of acknowledgment in return, knowing it was time for him to secure the carving to the calendar stone beneath. The flower had disclosed its mysteries to the trio. Now it would wait until Daniel and his henchman arrived. Cassie glanced nervously at the etching one last time. Hopefully, the Arkana still had a good enough lead before the Minoan lily was forced to confess its secrets for a second time.

  Chapter 26—Unstrung

  As a general rule, Leroy Hunt hated mornings. Sunlight blasting him in the eye and the sound of chirping birds usually gave him an uncontrollable urge to dive for his pistol. But this morning when the alarm clock buzzed, he sprang out of bed with an unusual surge of energy. He had big plans for this day. As he brushed his teeth, he couldn’t help feeling that the tide was surely turning in his favor. He had first noticed a change in the wind during his dinner with Chopper. Not only had he gotten a free meal out of the evening, he’d also gotten a boatload of information out of his old army buddy. Chopper probably didn’t realize that he’d given Leroy his best lead yet as to where the old man had stashed those pricey doodads of his. Next time the cowboy was in the preacher’s study, he would have to pay close attention to that wall of paneling with all the cameras trained on it. He’d be willing to bet that behind it lay his fortune.

  Aside from the prospect of imminent wealth, Leroy had other reasons to feel like he was strolling in high cotton. Today was the day he was going to turn the tables on the invisible Somebody who’d been dogging his every move. He had deliberately called Abe on his bugged cell phone to say he was going to check out a few more leads. He’d been hazy on the details because he knew his message would be intercepted by Somebody. While Abe and Somebody were sitting tight and waiting for him to report results, Leroy intended to slip out and do some private legwork around town.

  As he stood before his closet considering what clothes to wear that morning, he gave a regretful sigh. His distinctive appearance was ordinarily a source of pride, but he allowed that it could also be a problem if he needed to keep a low profile. Today, he knew he’d have to don a disguise, but he sure didn’t have to like the idea. Shoving aside racks of cowboy attire and his cherished Stetson hat, he selected a nondescript pair of blue jeans, a tee shirt, and loafers. He topped the ensemble off with a windbreaker and trucker cap pulled down low over his forehead. Just in case his features might still be recognizable in that get-up, he added a pair of dark sunglasses. After checking his look in the mirror, he slipped out the fire door of his apartment building and exited down the alley. Leaving his truck parked in its usual spot, he walked to a bus stop several blocks away.

  Hunt kept an eye peeled to see if he’d been followed but as far as he could tell nobody was tailing him. He had to transfer twice in order to reach his destination. Bus number three let him out right in front of the moving company office where he mentally congratulated himself on his cleverness in pulling this ruse off. A few seconds later, his good mood faded into an agonized “Awww, hell no!” at the sight which greeted him.

  In what was becoming an unfortunate pattern, he stood before an empty shop with a grim expression on his face and murder in his heart. No sign in the window, not a stick of furniture left inside. The Continental Moving Company was gone without a trace. After he’d been so careful and taken such elaborate precautions, there was nobody left to interrogate. The cowboy remained transfixed beneath the el tracks as a train roared overhead. Its deafening noise effectively muffled the string of curses issuing from his lips.

  After he’d calmed down enough to look at the situation rationally, it occurred to Leroy that there might be a reason the moving company had vanished. He recollected the shabby appearance of the business the last time he’d visited. It wasn’t too much of a stretch to imagine they could have folded while he was away in Arizona. Maybe there was no darker force at work here than bankruptcy. Well, their bad luck had just become his bad luck too. He needed to find out who had paid for Miz Rhonda’s move. Knowing that the moving lady might bridle at a question like that, he’d been prepared to break into the office after hours to check the files. But there were no files left to check, not here anyway.

  An idea occurred to him. The records of the moving company must have been put in storage somewhere. All he had to do was find out where that place was. He glared in annoyance at the empty plate glass window. No “For Rent” sign listing a management agent. Well, there was more than one way to get that information. He’d have to take a bus down to City Hall where the property records were kept. Once he knew who owned the building, he’d be able to get some answers about where their last tenant went. Leroy ground his teeth in vexation. He hated being a paper monkey. He hated it almost as much as sitting in his apartment monitoring surveillance feed, but there was one thing he hated more than both those activities. Standing in front of an empty building with a stupid expression on his face. He intended to get to the bottom of this.

  ***

  Several hours later, the cowboy sat on a barstool at his favorite neighborhood tavern nursing a beer. He’d slipped back into his apartment and changed into his regular clothes. Going to the bar in the evening was part of his usual routine, and he didn’t want to change that—especially not now. Not after what he’d learned that afternoon.

  He’d bounced around City Hall for half a day trying to find the department that could tell him who owned the property under the el tracks where the moving company had previously done business. Once he got a name and number, he called the owner on his burner phone. The owner referred him to the property manager. She told him the moving company had only leased the office for a month. That’s when the bells and whistles started going off in his head.

  Leroy distinctly remembered his conversation with the old wino in the alley behind the antique shop. The bum had insisted the movers had been operating in the neighborhood for years. At a minimum, they would have had to be in business for the two months prior to his visit if they’d really handled Miz Rhonda’s move. Leroy felt that familiar prickling sensation in the hairs on the back of his neck.

  If the leasing agent was right and Continental Movers had only been in business for a month, then they couldn’t have handled the antique lady’s move. Their operation was a front to throw him off the trail. They had to be on the payroll of the Somebody who had vanished Miz Rhonda and little Hannah. And they weren’t the only ones. The wino who had steered him to Continental Movers in the first place had lied to him. That meant the bum was part of the cover-up as well.

  After Leroy had reached these unnerving conclusions, he recalled another oddity that had been nagging at him. He remembered the “For Rent” sign lying on the grass in front of the bungalow in Phoenix. On a hunch, he decided to dig up some facts about that property’s rental history. He burned up a few more hours on the phone and the internet trying to track down the owner of the house. When he reached the right party, his suspicions were confirmed. The property had only been rented a week before he arrived to ask questions. That meant the old lady who lived in the bungalow was in on the scheme too.

  Leroy sipped his beer and considered what all these facts meant. He wasn’t swimming in the shallow end of the pool like he’d thought. It was more like the deep end of the ocean. This Somebody had bottomless pockets and a network of connections that would give the Nephilim a run for its money. Hunt still didn’t know who Somebody was, but his detective work today had led him to one inescapable conclusion. The cowboy wasn’t only being watched by agents of this invisible Somebody who had tapped his phone and vanished all his leads. He was being played—jerked around like a puppet on a string. Somebody was deliberately sending him on a wild goose chase from one end of the country t
o the other. Even as he seethed inwardly, he knew he didn’t have enough intel yet to cut himself loose from those puppet strings. He’d have to dance in the wind a little while longer. He planned to follow up on every fake lead that Somebody threw his way in the hopes that he could dig up a paper trail that would lead straight back to the puppet master. He now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that everything and everybody was connected. The trio of relic thieves, Miz Sybil, Miz Rhonda, and even little Hannah. If he could find that invisible Somebody, he knew the preacher’s runaway bride couldn’t be far away. Find one, and he’d catch the other. This wasn’t just a simple missing persons job anymore. Leroy despised being played. Somebody was going to pay.

  Chapter 27—Snow Fun

  “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you two.” Griffin trotted toward Cassie and Erik as they ambled up to the hotel entrance. After dinner, the scrivener had sent them off in order to immerse himself in research. He said the pair distracted him, so they went out to explore the extensive grounds of the Regal Hotel in Bhuj. In an effort to kill time, they’d strolled around the perimeter of the golf course for half an hour and loitered next to the giant outdoor chess board for half an hour more. Erik eventually suggested a dip in the pool. He and Cassie were on their way to their rooms to retrieve swim suits when Griffin came rushing through the main entrance to meet them.

  “I’m guessing from that wild-eyed look on your face, you figured something out?” Cassie asked archly.

  Griffin took no offense. Instead, he treated his teammates to a wide grin. “I have indeed. Wait until I tell you.”

  Erik quickly assessed their surroundings. Eyeing the porter helping several guests unload luggage near the front doors, he said, “We might want to take this discussion somewhere off the beaten path.”

  “How about sitting in the gazebo?” Cassie suggested. “Nobody seems to go there.”

  The resort featured an open-air structure which belied its name since it was shaped more like a Chinese pagoda than a gazebo, but it contained benches and a good view of the city lights beyond the hotel grounds. Given that it was a warm night and their rooms were stuffy, Cassie’s idea met with instant approval.

  The paladin immediately struck off toward the rear of the building with the other two trailing behind.

  Fortunately, nobody else was strolling the grounds when they claimed seats inside the wooden pavilion. Griffin took one bench while Cassie and Erik seated themselves on the opposite side.

  “I’ve solved the riddle,” the scrivener announced, his eyes dancing with excitement.

  “Way to go, Grif!” Erik patted him on the back.

  “You are the bomb!” Cassie added enthusiastically.

  The scrivener allowed his colleagues to fuss over him for a few moments before holding up his hand for silence.

  They settled down, barely suppressing their elation.

  Griffin glanced from one to the other. “Let me begin at the beginning.”

  “That’s a lot better than trying it the other way around,” Erik murmured dryly.” We were confused enough already.”

  Cassie jabbed the paladin in the ribs and shushed him. “Go ahead,” she said encouragingly to Griffin.

  “When we left Dholavira, I had a hunch that the Pleiades might hold the key to solving the riddle, so I began my research with them. I was able to confirm my theory that the stars were once described as a flock of doves. The Greek word peleiades quite literally means ‘doves,’ and the constellation name is sometimes spelled that way as well. That was proof positive that the ‘kindred’ of our African bird referred to the Pleiades. Mythology aside, I discovered that the star cluster held great meaning to the ancients. Are you aware that the entire street system of Mohenjo-Daro is oriented toward the heliacal rise of the Pleiades?”

  “Is that important?” Erik asked doubtfully.

  “No, I just thought it was a fascinating bit of trivia,” Griffin replied, ignoring the groan from his colleague. “However, I did find a relevant clue in the achronical rise of the star cluster.”

  “The who of the what now?” Cassie scowled. “I know that the heliacal rise is when a star is on the horizon at the same time as sunrise, but what’s an achronical rise?”

  “It’s just the opposite—when the star appears above the horizon just as the sun is about to set. I looked up the date of the achronical rise of the Pleiades in 1000 BCE when our Minoan friends most probably visited Dholavira. It occurred on October second which was also the date of the autumn equinox at that time.”

  “But what does that mean for us?” Cassie urged impatiently.

  The scrivener paused to consider the question. “I believe the Minoans employed the Pleiades as a secondary method of emphasizing the importance of the autumn equinox in case we failed to understand the clue of the western-facing lily. After I realized how much the star cluster factored into our riddle, I delved further into its astronomical significance. The course of the Pleiades between heliacal rise and achronical rise once marked the beginning and end of both the seafaring and farming seasons. For that reason, many different cultures around the world identify them as the bringers of rain. The color blue is frequently associated with the Pleiades not only because the cluster appears blue to the naked eye, but also because they are said to control the flow of waters.”

  “I thought you said rain,” the pythia objected.

  “Not merely rain. At the beginning of the planting season, at least in the northern hemisphere, melting snow is also a phenomenon which would fall under their influence.”

  Erik rubbed his head wearily. “I don’t see how all of this connects together.”

  “Nor did I at first,” Griffin agreed. “I searched for links among all the subjects I’ve just mentioned and eventually discovered the missing piece of the puzzle.”

  Both Erik and Cassie leaned forward, all ears.

  “The combination of rain, melting snow, and seafaring led me to consider the subject of rivers, and that’s when I found it.” The Brit paused for effect, obviously enjoying the suspense he’d created.

  “Griffin, if you don’t spill the beans I’m going to kick you in the shins,” Cassie threatened. She was only half-joking.

  The scrivener laughed. “Alright. I imagine I’ve tortured you both enough for one evening.” His face took on a sly expression. “Long ago, before desiccation set in, the Indus River flowed directly into the Rann Of Kutch.”

  “Since the Rann of Kutch surrounds Dholavira, that means the Indus must factor into the riddle too,” Erik speculated.

  “Oh, yes indeed.” Griffin’s voice sounded fraught with portent. “Though the overlord name for the river is Indus, Tibetans knew it by an entirely different appellation. They called it the ‘Lion River.’”

  Cassie blinked once as the implication struck her. “The Lion River!” she echoed. “Then the Lion’s mouth—”

  Griffin completed the thought. “Doesn’t refer to the king of beasts at all. It refers to the headwaters of the Indus.”

  “So what’s that business about a flock of doves opening the jaws of the lion?” Erik sounded suspicious as if he wasn’t entirely convinced that Griffin knew what he was talking about.

  The scrivener remained unflustered. “As I mentioned earlier, the Pleiades are frequently associated with the advent of spring rain, the melting of snow, and the opening of navigable channels for sailing vessels.”

  Cassie nodded, comprehending. “I get it. The doves would bring the rain that would melt the winter snow that had frozen the headwaters of the river. In riddle-speak, the doves fill the jaws of the lion with water.”

  “Quite right.” Griffin agreed.

  The pythia frowned as a new thought struck her. “Wait a minute. Let’s not forget where we are. In this part of India, the average temperature is about a hundred degrees all the time. I can’t see any reason why the headwaters would freeze at all.”

  “They wouldn’t,�
�� Griffin paused. “If the headwaters were actually in this part of India.”

  “I don’t like where this is going,” Erik muttered.

  “OK, I’ll play,” Cassie said. “Where are the headwaters of the Indus?”

  “In Tibet, of course,” the scrivener answered smoothly. “Hence the relevance of the Tibetan name for the river.”

  The paladin clenched his jaw. “Now I know for sure I don’t like where this is going.”

  Cassie’s reaction was just the opposite. “You’re kidding!” She smiled. “We get to travel to Tibet. For real?”

  “As you would say, ‘for real.’” Griffin chuckled.

  The pythia gave a knowing smile. “Now it all makes sense. The Minoans wanted us to wait at the tower for six months until the spring melt. Back in the day when they were at Dholavira, it would have been suicide to start a journey to Tibet right before winter.”

  “Fortunately for us, we live in the age of air travel. Since it’s only mid-October, we ought to be able to fly there, retrieve the artifact and be on our way before the first snowflake falls.”

  Erik still appeared troubled. “Where in Tibet are the headwaters exactly?”

  “They flow from the slopes of Mount Kailash which is one of the holiest mountains in the world. According to Hindu mythology, it is the abode of Shiva and Pavarti. Buddhism considers it the home of the Buddha Of Sublime Bliss. In Jainism, Kailash is the site where the founder of the faith attained liberation from rebirth. The Tibetan indigenous religion of Bön considers the mountain to be the seat of all spiritual power because it is the home of the sky goddess Sipaimen. Thousands of believers from all four faiths travel to Kailash each year to circumambulate the mountain on pilgrimage. Knowing the Minoan affinity for sacred peaks, I am confident we’ll find the artifact hidden there.”