The Medusa Stone

Chapter 17

Dr. James Heidmann was acting more anxious than usual, but Purdue and Don deliberately ignored it. They were almost on German airspace while under them the beauty of the North Sea sparkled like a sapphire in the late afternoon sun. Once in Germany, they would refuel Purdue’s Bell 407 and stay the night at one of the lodges near the hangar he rented.

Purdue sat alongside Nina and Don. Behind them, Costa was reading, and James was leering out the window in an apparent daze. Nina could not stand his incessant remoteness. He reminded her of a moody Emo teenager, seeking attention. Even though Purdue had urged her not to rock the boat with Heidmann, Nina could not help but feel just a little mean streak well up inside her, daring her to bully him. At the very least, she wanted to shake him out of his bubble.

“So, James,” she said loudly, forcing him to attend to her.

“Yes?”

“Is your insurance company at least going to settle the damages at the British Museum for you?” she asked sincerely. Purdue gave her a look of reprimand, knowing full well what she was doing, but she ignored him. James shifted in his seat as he formulated an answer.

“Of course,” he smiled. “Thank God for insurance, hey?”

“Although, that broken piece was priceless. No amount of money can replace that,” she added, sounding convincingly sympathetic.

“That is true, Nina. But at least I still have the others. Sometimes you just have to accept loss and move on,” he sighed.

His last sentence caught Nina more than she thought it would. In fact, it shut her up for a good while after. Fortunately for her, Purdue and Don had been chatting. Otherwise, Purdue would have known exactly what about Heidmann’s statement shook Nina to the core.

Sometimes you just have to accept loss and move on.

The words floated in her head as she tried to decide if it was an educational moment.

It had been a good few hours in the large helicopter, and everyone was getting tired of the monotonous slapping of the blades, even with the head gear and occasional music on the headphones. Heidmann returned to his zoned out state, Costa put his book down and looked at the waves far beneath them, admiring the vastness of the ocean.

“We’ll be in Hamburg soon, people!” Purdue smiled. “I’m sure we can all do with a good hot meal and some sleep.”

“Sleep?” Don exclaimed. “Not until I’ve had a strong libation to aid in my sleep.”

“I’m with you,” Costa chimed in. “I could do with a beverage or two.”

“Of course. Of course!” Purdue said. “Just don’t blame your hangovers on me tomorrow. And since we don’t know the place too well, it would be best to stay alert.”

“Absolutely,” Heidmann said. “It is not a friendly town to begin with, but if we still have to deal with the type of people I met at the warehouse, we had better be armed to the teeth too.”

“Done!” Don roared. “I never go anywhere without being armed. Learned that the hard way in the Congo a few years ago.”

“I’m sure. There are many places I have been before where I almost got killed. I was stabbed in 2001 because I had nothing to defend myself with in this strange country,” Costa added with a show of the scars on his chest and shoulder that had everyone gasping.

“Which country was this?” Purdue asked.

“Canada,” he replied.

They all laughed, thinking Costa was joking, but he shook his head. “No. Seriously!”

“Did they apologize afterwards?” Nina asked with a smile.

Again the bunch chuckled at the insinuation based on the polite country’s reputation.

The group landed in Hamburg in the late evening. Purdue’s secretary had taken the liberty of checking them into an inconspicuous lodge near the airport, to make their departure to the border the next morning go smoothly. Purdue and Nina took care of the arrangements and paperwork while Don assisted the group leader with the mapping. Heidmann marked the map to point out the general vicinity of the warehouse so that Purdue’s pilot could prepare for a safe distance landing out of range. From there, they would continue on foot.

Just before midnight all the planning and logistics were taken care of for the first leg of the investigation. They had one last night cap in the house bar before turning in, enjoying some low-intensity chatter due to their weariness and the warm hearth fire.

“Shouldn’t we perhaps get each of us a sidearm?” Heidmann asked.

“Do you know how to use a gun, James?” Don asked robustly to make sure that everybody heard him.

Reluctantly James shook his head. “I can shoot, but I don’t own a gun. My worst handicap would be to load the weapon. They are all so different. Dr. Gould, do you own a firearm?”

Nina looked up with a surprised jerk. She was halfway through her fourth Jack and Coke, apparently now affectionately known as ‘The Lemmy’, named after the late Motörhead front man the owner was a diehard fan of.

“I do own a gun, but I never take it out of my house,” she shared.

“Then what is the use of having it?” Costa asked innocently.

Nina examined his eyes and tone of voice to determine if they would have to lock horns again, but she soon noticed that his question was sincere.

“Because I just keep it as protection against home invasion, Costa. If I bring it with me, not knowing where I will be going, I would probably lose it or leave it somewhere,” she explained.

“I still think it is a good idea, Dave,” Don insisted. “I suggested that just yesterday, Zorba.”

Costa nodded in agreement. Purdue gave it some thought and exhaled in a long sigh.

“Look, lady and gentlemen, I just don’t think it is a good idea. This group is hardly versed in tactical warfare. What if we end up in one another’s crossfire? I also think that, given the high possibility of danger, we should not have weapons that can be used against us,” Purdue lectured them in support of his decision. “God, I could have done with Calisto now.”

Nina rolled her eyes and scoffed. It made Purdue smile, remembering how his former female bodyguard from a couple of years ago had crossed swords with Nina at every turn. And usually, Nina was left disarmed in more ways than one. But they found out that Calisto had been a covert operative for the Portuguese authorities, working with MI6, which she never revealed until her mission had been completed. Calisto had been a skilled soldier, and she would honestly have benefitted the expedition now.

“I will surrender to a compromise,” Purdue offered, leaning on his elbows. “We can arm Donovan, and he can serve as our protector, should we have to resort to hostility. What say you?”

“Fine with me,” Heidmann said, “but I will be staying close to you then, Dr. Graham. If those men recognize me, I may as well shine a neon bull’s eye on my forehead.”

“Fair enough,” Don winked, raising his bottle before emptying it.

“Yes, since James will be leading the way to where he… procured… the relics,” Purdue smiled, “I think it is only fitting that he and Don lead the way while Nina checks for more Nazi trademarks. Costa and I will be there for any support because we are all in this together.”

Costa stared at Heidmann with scrutiny. Over his bottleneck, he peered into the darting eyes of the nervous archeologist and collector. Heidmann did not like it, but he nodded and smiled to the Greek art professor.

Nina saw this exchange and wondered what it was all about. Did the two men know one another? If so, they had been very convincing as mere acquaintances thus far. She sank her hand under the table and gripped Purdue’s thigh, hoping that she could direct him to the two men with her eyes. But Purdue only returned the gesture while he chatted to Don. Nina slapped his hand from her leg.

“What did I do?” he whispered, confounded.

“I’m not coming on to you, you jackass!” Nina sneered as quietly as she could. “I am trying to get your attention.” The daggers in her eyes ceased long enough for her to motion for him to see the two leering men jousting.

“Curious,” Purdue whispered.

“Do you think they have a history?” she asked.

“No, curious that you still know just how to arouse me,” Purdue remarked nonchalantly.

Nina swallowed her words for once, excusing herself and retiring with hellfire in her stride, leaving Purdue sufficiently entertained. Not that he did not take note of her insinuation, but he could not pass on that flirtation. Nina’s hand did not often find its way to his body anymore, and it was a rare gift for the taking.

Purdue thought to address the issue in a diplomatic way. “Professor Megalos, are you acquainted with Dr. Heidmann’s work, I mean, before the two of you collaborated here?”

“Not really, no,” Costa replied indifferently. “In fact, I had never heard of him until we first met. What can I say?” he smiled snidely at Heidmann, “Most of James’ collection is already familiar to the Greek Arts.”

“Apart from these two pieces, right, Costa?” James Heidmann retorted sarcastically. “Not even the well-informed Greek collector Soula Fidikos knew about Son of Zyklon-B and Klónos², did she?”

Purdue saw what Nina was trying to point out.

“Soula Fidikos is a collector, like you, James. She knows what she learns in books and what her advisors instruct her to purchase. She is hardly an authority, hardly someone to upstage with two… stolen artifacts,” Costa rejoined conceitedly.

“Alright, gentlemen. We are in this thing together. Kindly settle your differences on your own time, please. I am sure we will all benefit from what we achieve in the coming days,” Purdue reprimanded them genially. “Now, I think it is time we turn in, don’t you all agree?”

The group of men muttered in concurrence as they tossed their Euro’s on the table. Purdue was concerned about the tension, but he hoped that it was merely the result of the drinking and fatigue.