The Cleric's Vault (26 page)

No
one would even remember seeing him exit the townhouse.
 
He headed down the steps and veered
onto the sidewalk towards his car.
 
Only one more stop to make before heading home for the night.

*****

Emily
had already slipped into some pajama pants and a t-shirt and slumped down in a
comfortable spot on the couch to watch her favorite show.
 
A glass of dark cabernet waited beside
her on the nightstand nearby as she turned on the television with a flick of
the remote.
 
About ten minutes into
the show, a knock came from the front door.
 
Puzzled at who would be coming by at that hour, she set her
drink back down and pulled on a robe over her t-shirt and pajama pants.
 
When she arrived at the entryway, she
gave a quick look through the peephole.
 
Eric Jennings stood appearing frantic outside her door.
 
His face was panicked and he kept
looking around in both directions.
 
Curious, she opened the door.
 
“Eric?
 
What’s the matter
with you?”

“I
need to get off the street.
 
Can I
come in?”
 

His
words were rushed, unnerved.
 
She’d
never seen him that way.

“Sure,
Eric.
 
Come in.
 
What happened to you?”
 
She held the door wide open for him as
he passed by.
 
She noticed a cut on
his arm that was bleeding through the white long-sleeved shirt he wore.
 
His face had a small, similar wound and
his hair was completely disheveled.
 
His forehead was also dotted with beads of sweat.

“Close
the door.
 
Quickly, please,” he
begged.

“Ok.
 
Ok.
 
Just relax,” she said in response.
 
A quick glance outside yielded nothing suspicious.
 
She closed the door and stepped into
the living room where he’d helped himself to a seat on the couch.
 

He
sat nervously on the edge.
 
“They
came after me, Emily.
 
They sent
someone to my house to kill me.”

“Whoa!
 
Slow down a second there.
 
Who sent someone to kill you?”

“Golden
Dawn.
 
Those pieces of crap sent
someone to kill me.
 
I think they
found out I was investigating them.
 
Maybe I got too close.
 
I
don’t know for sure,” his words came out in a gush.
 

“Just
take it easy.
 
Sit down and tell me
everything.”
 
She gave another
quick glance outside to make sure no one was there before returning to the
sitting area.

Emily
had known Jennings’ main experience with the Justice Department had been as an
office guy.
 
Unlike her, he wasn’t
accustomed to being shot at or put into harrowing situations.

“I
was at the house,” he began still panting a little, “cooking some supper, when
some guy came in.
 
It’s all a blur,
but I guess I turned the corner from my kitchen into the living room and bumped
into him before he was ready to shoot.
 
In his surprise I was able to knock the gun away and fight him
off.”
 
He paused for a moment
before finishing.
 
“I shot
him.
 
I killed the son of a …” his
voice trailed off in deep thought.

“Have
you called the police?”

He
shook his head, lost in his own mind.

“So
the body is still there at your house?”

A
slow nod gave confirmation.

“Eric.
 
I need you to focus,” she tried to
regain his attention.
 
“You said
something about Golden Dawn.
 
How
do you know it was them that sent this guy?”

“I’ve
been investigating them for some time.
 
I’ve always known they were working with someone on the inside, but I
was never certain who.
 
Now I think
I know.”

She
waited for the answer.

“Sam
Townsend.”

The
words hit her like a lead weight but her expression never changed.
 

“You
don’t seemed surprised,” he said.

She
decided that Eric didn’t need to know that she had met with Sam earlier that
day.
 
“I am and I’m not,” she said
flatly.
 
“I always had my
suspicions about him.
 
He gained so
much authority so quickly.
 
And I
am always wary of those internal affairs types.
 
You never know whose best interest they have in mind.”
 
Her response seemed to settle Jennings
down momentarily.

He
nodded.
 
“I know.
 
I’m just shaken up from the whole
thing.”

She
relaxed a little too.
 
“It’s going
to be fine.
 
You’re safe here.”

“Thanks
Emily.
 
I really appreciate it,” he
forced a slight smile.

“Would
you like something to drink?
 
Seems
like you’re a scotch guy, right?”

“That
would be great, Emily.
 
My nerves
are shot.”
 
He seemed grateful.

She
stood up and headed into the kitchen.
 
Quietly, he rose from his chair and followed her.
 
His movements made no sound with the
background noise of the television peppering the silence.

In
the kitchen, she pulled a rocks glass from the cupboard and filled it with ice
from the freezer side of a stainless steel unit.
 
The ice clinked in the glass as she set it down on the
counter.
 
The golden liquid caused
the cubes to crackle as it poured over them.
 
She stopped when the glass was half-full and swirled it
around for a second.

Jennings
stood at the edge of the kitchen, watching her closely.
 
Slowly, he reached his hand into his
jacket, feeling for something within.
 
He watched as she finished making his drink.
 
Just as she turned to head back to the living room, he
pulled his hand out of his coat.

Chapter 49

Nevada

On
the outside, The Prophet seemed as stoic as always.
 
“What do you mean they’ve left the country?” he said calmly.

“Wyatt
and a few others went to Ecuador.
 
They just landed in the city of Cuenca about an hour ago.”
 
The voice on the phone was quick and
concise.

“Do
we know why they are there?
“Yes, sir.
 
We believe they may
have found information regarding an old priest who once lived there.
 
Apparently, he had a fairly significant
stash of ancient relics.”

Realization
slightly changed the old man’s demeanor.
 
“They must be looking for the missing artifacts from Carlos Crespi’s
vault.
 
But why?”

A
silent moment passed before the voice on the other end answered.
 
“We aren’t sure why, sir.
 
But we think they are after some kind
of map and that there is a connection between the priest’s collection and what
we are after.”

Lindsey’s
eyes grew wide.
 
Of course!
 
All the signs were there.
 
How could he have missed it before?
 
The old priest’s cache of ancient
pieces represented a wide number of cultures from the other side of the
globe.
 
They had no business in the
western hemisphere.
 
He
silently cursed himself for not thinking of it sooner.
 

“Is
your team in place?” he resumed the conversation quickly.

“They
will be within the hour.
 
We know
where they are staying and where they are headed.”
“Really?” he was pleasantly surprised.

“Yes,
sir.
 
We believe they are going to
inspect one of the Cathedrals in the city.”

“Do
you know what they are looking for, other than the priest’s treasure?”

“Not
yet.
 
But we will.”

“Watch
them closely.
 
When they find
whatever it is they are looking for, take Schultz alive.
 
We may need him to put the final pieces
in place.
 
Execute the others.”

His
voice was cold as he gave the order.
 
The sentence came out as easily as if he’d told a dog to roll over.
 
He didn’t wait for a reply from the
other line and simply hung up the phone.
 
A curiosity lingered in his mind, though.
 
What was Wyatt up to?

Chapter 50

Cuenca, Ecuador

The
Hotel del Vista Magnifico rested halfway up a nearby mountain that overlooked
the twinkling city.
 
It was a
popular tourist attraction because of the breathtaking views of the town, as
well as the natural beauty of the area.
 
Originally, in the late 1800s, the hotel had been a coffee factory.
 
Ecuador’s coffee exports were unique in
that they were the only country in the world to export all varieties of
coffee.
 
The plantation had suffered
through a series of poor harvests and bad processing practices.
 
The building sat vacant for a decade
until a young Spanish entrepreneur purchased the old facility for an extremely
small fee.
 
He spent two years
remodeling the facility and turned it into one of the grandest hotels in
Cuenca, even in the country.
 

The
high ceilings of the original building had been left intact for the main
entrance and hallways.
 
The
walkways on the upper floor were surrounded by wrought iron railings and wall
sconces.
 
Sandstone tile covered
the floors giving a rustic yet glamorous feel to the facility.
 
Enormous, black Spanish-style
chandeliers hung both in the entryway and down each hall.
 
Originally, they probably held candles
but were now illuminated with fake, candle-shaped electric bulbs.
 
The black, iron wall sconces still used
real candles, though.
 
Their little
yellowish flames reminding patrons of years long gone.
 
Just below the second floor balcony was
a rectangular pool surrounded by more sandstone tile.
 
The coping on the edge of the pool, though, was black
marble, an absolutely exquisite accent to the lighter colored flooring.

An
attendant in a vintage bellhop outfit had showed Sean, Adriana, and Tommy to
their rooms, all on the front side of the hotel that overlooked the city. After
dropping off their gear in their respective rooms, the group met up with
Mauricio back in the main lobby.
 

Mauricio
spoke like a man who was used to being in charge.
 
“I’ve made arrangements to eat here if that is alright with
you.
 
They have an excellent menu
of local fare that I’m sure you will all enjoy.
 
I know it is a little late for dinner, but I assume everyone
is hungry from the journey.
 
After
that, we will go to the church.
 
Good?”

Everyone
nodded their approval and Mauricio motioned for them to follow him.

He
led the way down the hall to a place where the rooms ended and the corridor
opened up into a larger space.
 
There were wooden bistro tables dotting the area and a bar at one
end.
 
Huge glass windows opened up
to a courtyard outside and yet another view of the city below.
 
An older couple sat at the bar having a
few drinks but other than that the room was empty.
 
A few tables had been pushed together to accommodate the
large group.
 
Four plates with a
variety of appetizers of fresh chips and salsa, potato cakes, tamales, and a
green salad were spread out before them.

“It
looks awesome, Mauricio,” Tommy said as he sat down.

Their
host pulled a chair out for Adriana, an act of chivalry she accepted with a
slight smile.
 
A waiter brought out
two pitchers of fresh juice with large chunks of yellow, pink, and white fruit
in it and poured a glass for each person.
 

“Dig
in everyone,” Mauricio said with a huge smile.
 

While
the group ate, the waiter continued to bring out more dishes for them to
share:
 
Spanish rice, avocado
halves filled with tomato, onions, and chopped tuna.

“How
long have you been with the police in Atlanta, Will?”
 
Mauricio asked.

Will
finished swallowing his food before answering.
 
“I’ve only been with the force in Atlanta for a short
time.”
 
After he spoke, he grabbed
a glass of juice to chase the spicy salsa and salty potatoes.

Mauricio
pressed on, “So what made you decide to become a police officer?”

Will
coughed slightly and set down his drink.
 
He looked extremely uncomfortable as if all eyes at the table were on
him.

“Well,
I don’t now.
 
I guess it made the
most sense to me.”
 
He wiped his
mouth with a napkin before continuing.
 
“Bad pay.
 
Long hours.
 
Jackass bosses.
 
Seemed like a fun choice at the time.”

Everyone
at the table burst into laughter and continued eating.
 
He took a deep breath, satisfied that
everyone seemed to accept his answer.
 

The
conversations continued in a random fashion for another twenty minutes or so
until the waiter returned; light from the chandeliers shone off of his bald
head.
 
“Will your party have
dessert tonight, Senor?” He asked politely in a slight accent.

Maurcio
shook his head.
 
“No, gracias.
 
We must be going.
 
Just the bill, please.”

The
food had been so delicious, everyone felt a little disappointed that they
wouldn’t get the chance to see what dessert would be like.
 
There was a sense of hurry, though;
they couldn’t get to the church soon enough.
 

Sean
doubted they would find anything tonight.
 
They would probably have more luck in the daylight.
 
From his experience, those sorts of
things could take weeks or months to uncover.
 
Ancient secrets didn’t remain secrets because they were easy
to find or decode.
 

After
a few minutes, the waiter returned with the bill, which Tommy called for.
 
Mauricio seemed indignant.
 
“Please, my friend, allow me.”

Tommy
shook his head and smiled.
 
“Tell
you what, I’ll get this, you get the cervezas later.”
 
The stout Ecuadorian seemed satisfied with the accord and
allowed Tommy to pay the tab.

The
group stepped out into the cool, fresh air.
 
A little rain had come through while they were eating,
coating the cobblestone sidewalk and road.
 
They got back into their vehicles and, few minutes later,
were weaving their way back down the mountain towards the town.
 

“Have
you ever been to Cuenca?” Mauricio directed the question towards Adrianna.
 

“Yes.
 
But it has been a long time,” she
responded, looking out the window at the shops and colorful buildings as they
passed in the streetlight.
 

“Sean
tells me you have some friends here in the city you want to see.
 
Perhaps I can take you where you need
to go while they investigate the church.”

“That
won’t be necessary,” she said quickly.
 
“I can get there myself.”

“Fair
enough,” he ended the conversation, sensing she didn’t care to keep it going
any further.
 

Sean
smiled.
 
She was a confident,
strong woman.
 
But there was
something so mysterious about her.
 
He had realized that whatever she was doing in Cuenca was her business
and interfering or asking too many questions might upset the apple cart.
 
He was glad to have her along,
though.
 
She’d proven herself more
than useful in the short time he’d known her.
 
And though he hoped they wouldn’t need that usefulness
again, he doubted they would be that lucky.

He’d
seen organizations like Golden Dawn before.
 
Men who were bent on something didn’t give up easily,
especially when they had lots of money.
 
Kill two henchmen, four more pop up in their place.
 
It was part of the reason he’d quit
working for the government.
 
In two
short years, he’d lost track of all the men he’d killed.
 
While some people had problems dreaming
about victims or some sort of post-traumatic stress, Sean had never experienced
those things.
 
And that fact
bothered him.
 
To him, killing the
men who were trying to kill him was justified.
 
They were bad people trying to bad things.
 
What got to Sean in the end was the
fear of never knowing when someone would get the drop on him.
 
With every mission he’d completed
during his short career, the paranoia grew a little stronger.
 

The
more he traveled, the more he realized how many things he wanted to do in his
life, how much he wanted to see, how much he wanted to learn.
 
He could sense these things slipping
away as his life went deeper and deeper into government work.
 
A life of international intrigue was
definitely exciting, but he began to realize that the life he could have
outside of it was worth living.
 
Sean had forged few, lasting relationships throughout the years.
 
While living a typical, suburban life
wasn’t ideal, it certainly had some benefits:
 
friends, stability, not getting shot at, maybe even a wife
and family.

Sean
thought about the day he’d quit the agency.
 
When he approached
Emily about retiring, she’d scoffed.
 
“This is who you are, Wyatt.
 
You’re a machine.
 
You’re
the best Axis has.”

“You’re the best agent Axis has, Em,” he’d replied.

The comment had made her blush.
 

“I appreciate that but you know it isn’t true,” she
paused.
 
“We need you.
 
The government needs you.
 
Your country needs you, Sean.”

“I’ve heard that speech before, Em.
 
I’ve done my time.
 
And that time has done me.
 
I can’t sleep at night.
 
I’m tired every day.
 
I’m slipping.
 
I know it.
 
If I
keep going at this rate, I won’t last long.”

She knew he was right.
 
She had seen it in his eyes.
 

“What will you do?” she asked.
 

“I don’t know yet.
 
Something else.”

“Here
we are,” Mauricio announced as he opened his passenger door.
 
“Iglesia de Carlos Crespi.”

The
small caravan of vehicles had come to a stop just outside an enormous
church.
 
The enormous stone
structure was breathtaking.
 
Lights
had been positioned pointing upward to accentuate rounded columns at various
points of the church.
 
Great wooden
doorways presented three entrances into the building near where they had
parked.
 
The group exited the car
and stared at the building.
 
Standing
on the side street, they could see the glorious domes at the other end of the
cathedral.

Adriana
touched Sean’s shoulder.
 
“I’ll be
back in an hour,” she said quietly.
 
He just smiled and nodded.
 
She took off at a jog and disappeared around the corner of the
street.
 

“Where’s
she going?” Tommy asked.

“I
don’t know but she can take care of herself.”

Mauricio
never saw her run off.
 
He got out
of his car and stepped close to the three visitors and gave an odd tip of the
head to his two drivers.
 
They
immediately got in their cars and drove away.
 
“There is something you should know,” he said quietly, just
above a whisper.
 
“This is not the
church you came to see.”