The Medusa Stone

Chapter 27

At the lodge, Purdue elicited the help of a local paramedic to remedy Don’s minor wounds, three bullets having grazed his upper arm and right oblique. Nina was quick to cover up their illegal doings as being victims of a failed hijacking while sightseeing. Her story was delivered so well that there was no doubt the visitors from Scotland were just shit out of luck while touring the small towns of Eastern Europe.

As soon as the young Ostrava inhabitant medic left, the three of them gathered in Don’s room this time, since he was resting and on his way to being high as a kite in a few minutes.

“Was it all for nothing? So we found the place, but did we find anything concrete?” Don asked, instantly bursting into a fit of laughter. “Excuse the pun!”

Purdue and Nina smiled at the word play Don probably genuinely employed by accident. Purdue looked exhausted, as they all were, but it weighed heavily on him that Nina was almost killed point blank today. She would never believe that her welfare was the most important thing to him, what with her always accusing him of dragging her into life-threatening circumstances. Her face and clothing was dirty, but she was unscathed.

“We did not leave empty handed,” Nina consoled Don and relished Purdue’s pleasantly surprised reaction.

“What do you mean?” he asked her.

She stuck her hand in her corduroy jacket pocket and brought out a handful of crumpled paper. “I have not had a look at these yet, but I am pretty sure they must be important,” she said, unfolding them and flattening each on top of the other on the corner of Don’s bed. With the rubbing of a flat hand, she smoothed them out, minding the writing so that she would not wipe the already fragile lettering on it.

“What are they?” Don asked.

“I got them off what looked like an SS officer, Don,” she revealed. “Just before the shit struck the fan too, so at least we may have gotten some clue as to the workings of this anomaly.”

“Or why we have determined how we think it works,” Purdue agreed. “ But I hope that will shed some light on what causes it.”

“Let me put this on the desk,” she decided and walked over to Don’s room desk. It had a study lamp, hotel stationery of the lodge and a pen. Purdue leaned over her to see the words on the paper.

“Oh, it is in German. Nina, you’re up,” he surrendered.

Carefully she read what she could make out in the disorganized and scratchy writing of the writer, which she guessed was the unfortunate proud Nazi himself. One line at a time she copied what she learned on the old document over onto the stationary pad in English.

When she had completed the first page, she tucked it under those she had not translated yet, snatching it from Purdue’s curious hand.

“No! You lads don’t get to read this until I am done. I want to be involved too!”

Purdue frowned, “But you already know what it says, madam! You translated it into English, after all. How can we have the information before you?”

Don snickered in the background.

“Aye, but if I am sitting here translating while you two are already speculating on the contents, I will miss out on the outcome, don’t you see?” she defended. “Now just give me a few minutes and I will deliver all the information at once.”

Purdue exchanged looks with Don, both men shaking their heads in defeat.

They bantered on in a low enough tone to enable the historian to do her thing. Outside, the rain died down a bit for the first time, allowing the earth to breathe a little as the night wore on to the early hours of the next day.

There was a knock at Don’s door; a weary, but insistent rapping so irritating that Purdue felt compelled to open it. Nina was unable to concentrate on the almost illegible wording and released a string of cuss words under her breath. She cradled her head in her hands, sinking her fingers into her hair in frustration.

“Costa!” Purdue exclaimed.

Nina almost gasped out loud, literally kicking back her chair to see past Purdue’s body. Peeping through the space between Purdue’s left arm and his body from the desk she saw someone move.

Don saw him too, shouting, “Hey! Zorba! You made it out alive!”

Purdue caught the soaking wet and wounded professor and helped him inside.

“Looks like I’d have to call that paramedic back,” Purdue said.

“No, no, I am really fine. I just look like shit,” Costa stated firmly. “Please, no paramedics or hospitals or that stuff, okay?” As Purdue set Costa down slowly to seat himself on the floor, he went to collect a dry towel from Don’s en suite bathroom.

Costa smiled gratefully for the towel and started drying his wild black locks, peeking from under the towel at Nina. She looked elated to see him, but she only said, “Welcome back stray cat.”

“How are you feeling, Dr. Graham?” he asked Don.

“Man, I feel fantastic!” Don grinned, slurring his words.

Costa looked up at Purdue, motioning to Don with his head. “Drugs?”

“Legal ones, but yes,” Purdue smiled. “What the hell are you wearing?”

He was referring to Costa’s overcoat, one he had not worn before. It looked disturbingly like the coats of security men at the warehouse. Because of Costa’s height, the long coat was not long enough to reach his ankles, leaving his legs sticking out bare. He was also wearing an over-sized pair of boots looted from the same guard, from the looks of it.

Nina was only three pages into the total of six she estimated would be filled after translation, but she was dying to point her attention to her crush, especially after having thought he had died in the crossfire. Especially after he answered Purdue with, “I lost my clothes. I was practically naked…”

‘Don’t, Nina! Don’t picture that, because you will be moaning out loud!’ Nina’s inner voice warned.

“…from the dog attack. But I managed to kill the animal,” Costa lied.

“My God!” Don caught his breath. “Dogs hate me. I am deathly fucking scared of canines! How big was it?”

“Huge, like Cerberus without all the heads,” Costa replied believably. “Ripped my bloody clothes to bits when I tried to get away… and the fence shredded the rest! So I borrowed these to get back here.”

“Poor thing!” Nina said sympathetically. “You should jump in a hot shower immediately, Costa, or you’ll catch your death.”

“Good idea, Nina,” Don agreed. “Nina’s found some documents that might shed some light on the process of this stone working.”

“You have?” Costa asked with a gleam in his eye. “Do share with me, Dr. Gould. I’m afraid I was absent during class.”

Nina laughed. “My lecture is only due once I have translated and checked the names on these documents, Prof. Megalos. Now be a good boy and go warm your bones.”

Fighting the dirty double entendres her choice of words evoked, Nina did her best to speed up her deciphering of the handwriting and language.

Costa obliged and promptly left for his room for a shower and a change of clothing.

“Hurry up, Zorba!” Don cried. “You don’t want to miss class, eh?” He sank back in his bed. “Christ, I’d kill for a stiff one right now.”

Nina’s eyes flashed up from the page, pushing more images from her head before continuing.

“You!” Purdue smiled. “I know you are the type to marry double vodkas with painkillers, but not on my watch. My worries are already full up with trying not to get my expedition party killed, especially after today. I don’t want to worry about your drinking habits killing you too, old boy.”

“I really thought Costa was done for,” Nina remarked, looking at Don in the mirror.

“Funny,” Don remarked, “he did not ask what happened to Heidmann.”