Chapter 23

Dima turned the stone over in her hands, her fingers tracing it smooth surface. She held it up to the light, transfixed by the sparkles that seemed to emanate from beneath the surface of the glossy black stone. It was all almost too much to believe.

She looked out the cabin window at the darkening sky. They were headed south, eager to put as much distance between themselves and the Trident, if that’s who, in fact, they had encountered earlier, as possible. Their destination was Key West, where Maddock and his crew made their home. She considered how odd it was that she had so quickly and completely put her trust in these men but instincts told her it was the right decision.

She glanced up as Maddock and Bones entered the cabin.

“Are you enjoying your pleasure cruise?” Bones asked.

“Oh, yes. Getting shot at today was a high point.”

“Stick with us. You’ll get used to it.”

She frowned. “You say that like it’s a good thing.”

“That’s just the way it is.” Bones pulled up a chair and sat down beside her.

“You’re confident this is the second Noah Stone?” she asked, looking at the artifact they’d brought up from the sinkhole. “I mean, it certainly looks the part.”

“Absolutely.” Maddock reached into his pocket, pulled out the triangle-shaped stone that had belonged to Bones’ family, and handed it to her. “They’re the same size and shape, the color is slightly different but both appear to be formed of the same stone — a stone the likes of which we’ve never seen. But the clincher is the way they react to one another. Try bringing them close together.”

Dima had already noticed the strange warmth in the stones but as she brought them closer to one another the heat intensified. “This is impossible. Stones don’t work this way.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Bones said. “We’ve seen some very strange phenomena from unusual stones. It just might surprise you to find out what all is possible.”

“You’ve seen stones that grow hot when they come close to one another, even without an energy source?”

“The heat is a new thing, but we’ve seen stones that absorb and amplify light, stones that pass energy from one to the other, and much crazier stuff.”

Dima looked him in the eye, searching for signs of deception, and found none. “You two are either full of crap or you have led a very interesting life.”

“A little of both.” Maddock said.

“You said our next move would be to search for the book of Noah. Any idea how and where, exactly, you want to start? I was hanging my hopes on the Native American legend, but it seems like we’ve hit the end of the line on that score.”

“I’m thinking we need to follow your friend Robert’s trail. Clearly he was on to something. Do you have any idea where he was when he sent you the document? That could at least give us a starting point while a friend of mine does some checking of his own.”

Dima wondered exactly what sort of checking Maddock’s friend might be doing but that wasn’t important right now.

“I’m not sure. There was no return address on the package and the note was cryptic.”

“What about the postmark?” Maddock pressed. “Where was it from?”

Dima felt like an idiot. She hadn’t even looked at the postmark. From the moment she had laid eyes on the fragment she could think of little else. The book of Noah had consumed her. “I don’t know,” she confessed. She hated making the admission. Maddock and Bones were so…competent, and she wanted them to respect her as well. And then she had an idea. “But I know somebody who can find out for us.”

* * *

It felt like an eternity as she waited for Addie’s reply. Dima had left the box in which the document had been shipped, inside her desk at work. She had texted her assistant, asking her to locate the package. Finally, two hours later, her phone rang.

“Hey Dima, it’s Addie. So sorry for the delay. I’m a little bit busy since I took over your job for you.” Addie’s tone held only a touch of chastisement.

“I know, and I really appreciate it. I promise I’ll explain when I can, but right now things are…weird.”

“Does it at least involve a good-looking guy?”

“Yes,” she said, glancing at Bones. “Several, in fact.”

“Ooh! Do tell.”

“I will next time I see you. I’ll even bring a few pics. These guys spent a lot of time with their shirts off.” She winked at Bones who was grinning broadly. “Did you find the shipping box I asked you about?”

“I did, but I totally can’t read this postmark. It’s ‘dog’ something.”

Dima frowned. “Did you say dog?”

“Yeah. Tell you what. I’ll snap a picture and text it to you. How’s that?”

“Perfect.” Dima hesitated. “Addie, has everything been all right there? I mean, nobody’s given you a hard time or anything have they?” She hoped that, with the Trident apparently on their trail, Addie and her colleagues were safe, but she still worried.

“They’re college students and I’m a teaching assistant who suddenly responsible for their final grades. They all give me a hard time.”

“That’s not what I mean. Are you safe?” She tried to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She just hoped Addie wouldn’t get caught up in all of this.

“Safe?” Addie asked. “Yeah, I’m good. Dima, I wish you would tell me what this is all about.”

“Trust me. It’s better that you don’t know. Just keep your eyes open, okay?”

“Okay.” Addie stretched the word out in true Southern fashion.

“I gotta go. Send me that picture, okay?”

“Will do. Love you.”

“Love you too.” Dima ended the call and waited. Moments later, a text message came through. It was a snapshot of the postmark on the package.

Bones moved to her side and looked as she zoomed in on the image. “Dogub… what the hell is that? Greek?”

“No. It’s Turkish.” She sprang to her feet, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a squeeze. “I know exactly where Robert was.”

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