The Templar's Code

CHAPTER 36

“The car may be dented, but the engine still runs,” Caedmon informed Edie, refusing to acknowledge that they’d hit a roadblock. After all the years of study, this was the closest he’d ever come to deciphering the mystery of the Knights Templar.

Monks. Warriors. Mystics. New World colonists. It was fast becoming a heady brew.

Of one thing he was certain: Sir Walter Ralegh not only discovered the subterranean sanctuary, but he removed something from it. Meaning Ralegh succeeded where Giovanni da Verrazano failed. Although the unwitting Verrazano most likely led the swashbuckling Englishman to the prize, the Italian sea captain having mentioned the Newport stone tower in his ship’s log. Enough of a clue for Ralegh, Bacon, and Dee to put the pieces of the Templar puzzle together. After all, it’d been known for centuries that a large contingent of knights managed to elude the Inquisition, escaping by sea. But until the sixteenth century, nobody knew where they’d escaped to.

Now that he knew the where, Caedmon was determined to find out what precisely Ralegh found in the Templar sanctuary. Once he knew what he was looking for, he could then begin the hunt in earnest.

“May I borrow your laptop?”

“Be my guest.” Edie popped out the memory chip before handing over her two-pound dynamo. Reaching into her field kit, she removed a resealable plastic bag. “Mind filling me in?”

“Not in the least. I’m checking for the next available flight to London. I believe there’s an airport at Providence. Even with the translated Ralegh communiqué, I’m still very much in the starting blocks.”

“And going to London will change that how?” In the process of placing the memory chip into the plastic bag, she stopped in mid-motion. The woman didn’t just stare at him, she out-and-out scowled, no doubt thinking him completely bonkers.

“There’s a chap in London, name of Rubin Woolf. In addition to being an antiquarian, Rubin is an acknowledged Baconian expert.”

“And you’re thinking that this Rubin character can shed some light on Bacon and his esoteric cronies?” Edie ran her thumb and index finger across the top of the plastic bag, sealing the memory chip inside.

“If Francis Bacon came into possession of a ‘glorious’ Templar relic, Rubin might know something about it. The man is quite obsessed.”

Edie chuckled. “One pod, two peas. Okay, let’s do it. Let’s go to London.”

“I think you should know that London can be beastly in March: chill wind, driving rain.”

“That’s why the umbrella was invented.” She cocked her head to one side, a questioning expression on her face. “You’re sending a mixed message. Do you want me to accompany you or not?”

Caedmon hesitated. Two days ago Jason Lovett had been executed, the murder weapon emblazoned with an octogram star. Moreover, the man’s cottage had been thoroughly ransacked, the intruder leaving a painted star as a parting signature. While he didn’t know how the symbol related to those two violent episodes, he had to assume the beautiful bastard was still on the hunt.

“You’re taking way too long to answer a simple question.”

He wordlessly stared at her, not certain how to reply. My brave, beautiful Edie. Although he willed it otherwise, he couldn’t erase the image of her perilously clinging to the shaft.

“According to the computer, there’s a flight leaving Providence, Rhode Island, at seven twenty this evening. There are two seats still available,” he said finally, deciding the best way to keep her safe was to keep her close. “And the umbrella was invented by the ancient Egyptians.”

“Well, praise be, the riddle is finally solved.”

Ignoring her smirk, Caedmon booked the flight, keying in names, dates, and his credit card number.

Edie glanced at her watch. “We have plenty of time to hike out of here, return to our hotel and catch a bite to eat, then drive to Providence. Lucky for you, I packed my passport.”

“How fortunate,” Caedmon deadpanned as he reached for his field kit. The instant he leaned over, he experienced an excruciating burst of pain.

He glanced down, flabbergasted to see an arrow protruding from his upper arm.