Atlantis

Chapter 11

“This place is freakish.” Bones couldn’t help but stare at the frontage of the Quai Branly Museum. Set in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and a stone’s throw from the Seine, the building was, in itself, a work of art, with its tall, glass panes and protruding blocks of varying size and color. “It looks like a living cubist painting.”

“I don’t think you understand cubism.” Kasey made a face and looked to Greg, who ignored her, apparently having decided to tune out the bickering.

“Tell me that doesn’t remind you of Factory, Horta de Ebbo.” Bones pretended not to notice Kasey’s surprise. “Obviously, there’s no glass in that painting, but the way Picasso represents the sky…” He gestured toward the building and then watched out of the corner of his eye as she gave a reluctant nod.

“I see your point.” Kasey tugged at her ear, something she did, Bones noticed, whenever she felt annoyed.

Bones nodded. Truth was, he didn’t know much about art, but he’d picked up a few things here and there, mostly back when Maddock was dating Kaylin Maxwell, who worked as a professor of fine arts and was a painter herself. As with many other subjects, he knew just enough to carry on a conversation, or even take someone by surprise with his knowledge.

“You should see the green wall,” Kasey said.

“At Fenway Park? Been there, done that.”

“No, it’s a section of the museum’s exterior.” This time, she even sounded amused. “Imagine an office building with big, modern windows, but the rest of the building looks like it’s made of jungle. They call it a vertical garden. I’ve seen it in pictures, but never in person.”

“Sounds pretty cool, actually. How big is it?”

“Two hundred meters long, twelve meters high.”

“I could climb that easy. How about we grab a bottle of wine and race to the top?” Bones winked.

Kasey lowered her eyebrows and pursed her lips.

“Or we could do the Eiffel Tower. Your choice.”

“Okay, time to get to work.” Greg remained on his usual, even keel. “We’ll split up. You two go in first, I’ll follow in a few minutes. Keep in touch.” He tapped his ear, indicating the communication devices with which they’d all been outfitted.

“Why do I have to go in with him?” Kasey stressed the last word.

“Because you two argue like a couple that’s been together forever. Nobody will look at you twice.”

“Chicks always look at me twice, sometimes more,” Bones said.

“I don’t know why karma has it in for me.” Kasey sighed and took his hand. “Come on, you big ape. If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right.”

“You know something? You and my sister would get along.”

“You have a sister?” Kasey winced. “Give me her address. I want to send her a sympathy card.”

The interior of the museum provided an odd juxtaposition of modern architecture and displays of artifacts from primitive cultures. Sinuous, shoulder-high partition walls snaked across the floor, and many of the exhibits were encased in glass on all sides, giving visitors an oddly distorted view of people and objects in the distance.

“Pretty creepy.” Bones looked around at the primitive displays. “I didn’t expect such funky stuff in a snooty place like Paris.”

“Their subject matter is interesting. That’s for sure.” Kasey paused to inspect a sculpture of a Maya warrior. “This guy is imposing.”

“Looks a lot like my grandmother, except she had a beard.”

“Let’s just find the crystal skull.” Kasey sighed and resumed walking. They wandered through the exhibits, feigning interest in the items on display. They moved a little slower than Bones would have liked, but they didn’t want to draw attention to themselves.

They reach the crystal skull display and stopped short.

“Lovely. Can’t say I’m surprised.” Kasey shook her head.

The pedestal where the skull normally stood was now bare, save for a sign reading, in French and in English, THIS EXHIBIT IS TEMPORARILY OFF DISPLAY. Kasey pressed a finger to her ear and spoke softly. “Greg, are you there?”

“I’m here. What have you got?” Greg sounded as if he were standing right next to them. Kasey told him about the skull. “Okay. I’m working on getting into their server right now. You two wander around and keep your eyes open. Be ready to move when I give the word.”

“I don’t know about all this cloak and dagger stuff,” Bones said. “Normally, I’d just look around for a sign that reads Do Not Enter, and walk on through.”

“It might come to that, but let’s see what Greg can learn before you go blundering into a bad situation.”

“We’re in a museum, and one full of Frenchmen at that. How bad a situation could we possibly get into? I guess they could throw wine and cheese at us.”

“You know, the more time I spend with you, the better I understand why Tam calls you a dummy.” Though she stood a foot shorter than he, Kasey somehow managed to look down her nose at him. “Have you forgotten who else wants the skull?”

“Oh yeah.” Bones scratched his head. “I actually had kind of forgotten. The company of a beautiful woman does that to me.”

Just then, Greg’s voice sounded in his ear. “Could you two turn off your mics when you start in on each other? You’re giving me a headache.” Kasey shot a dirty glance his way and Bones shrugged. “You guys need to make your way to the southwest corner of the museum. When you get there, look for a door with a sign that reads Do Not Enter.”

“See? Told you.”

Kasey pointedly ignored his gloating smile. Despite his longer legs, he was forced to quicken his pace in order to keep up with her as she strode through the museum, not slowing down until they reached the corner of the museum. She paused in front of a display of primitive musical instruments, turned, and jabbed a finger against his chest.

“I want you to follow my lead when we get in there. You understand?”

“Yeah, but I have to warn you, I’m only good at following orders up to a point. Sometimes instinct kicks in and then…” He made a wry face.

She exhaled, long and slow. “Well, do the best you can.” As she walked away, he heard her mutter something about Tam and choosing her own partners from now on.

Bones grinned and followed along behind her. Keeping an eye on the few visitors wandering the exhibit, they slipped around a display and out of sight. Kasey took one last look to make sure no one was watching, gave him a warning frown, opened the door, and stepped through. Give her time, he thought. Sooner or later, she’d come to appreciate him.