Raiders

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

“Spill the beans, Prof,” Zara said, checking her watch. “What’s it say?”

“It’s a note to the British,” Lloyd said. “He’s mocking them.”

“Over what?”

“He says he has the codex, and writing it in one of his codes just adds insult to injury.”

“The Nectanebo Codex?” Nigel said in awe. “I still don’t believe it.”

Mason moved closer to Ambrose. “What else does it say?”

“I’ll translate it: My British Friends, in here I found something more precious than all the treasures of Egypt that I will keep with me until my dying day, but I deny it to you with these parting words — you win the gold but you lose the gods. Napoleon.

“I don’t understand,” said Milo.

“It’s easy,” Lloyd said. “We know the Romans discovered the sarcophagus and moved it to Alexandria. We also know that Napoleon found it on his Egyptian expedition. We also know that he was forced to hand everything over during the capitulation at Alexandria when the British beat the French — including the sarcophagus you saw in London. But now we know Napoleon found the damned codex in the sarcophagus before the British got to him so he took it for himself. Leaving this note was just one of his famous flourishes. He had a very dry sense of humor.”

“Yeah,” Zara said. “Because this is truly hilarious right now.”

“I don’t know,” Virgil said. “Seems pretty funny to me. The British were supposed to find this note hundreds of years ago. He was taunting them.”

“I guess when he was talking about finding the gods he was referring to the Book of Thoth,” Caleb said. “So he knew… Napoleon Goddam Bonaparte knew.”

“But he never went back to Egypt,” Eva said. “So he never found his gods.”

“Quite right, my dear,” Ambrose said.

Mason took a deep breath. “That’s our job.”

“So where do we go from here?” Caleb said.

Eva looked in silence at the note in Ambrose’s hands for a few seconds and then turned to face him. “Any ideas?”

Ambrose smiled broadly. “Paris. You go to Paris.”

“Paris?” Zara said. “That’s a big place.”

Eva said, “We all know how big Paris is. We need to go to Musée de l’Armée. The Army Museum, am I right, Ambrose?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re sure?” Mason said.

“She’s right,” Ambrose said. “The military museum also serves as Napoleon’s museum and mausoleum. His tomb is there along with most of his personal possessions and even a recreation of his home on St. Helena where he was in exile. He says in the note that he would keep the codex with him until his dying day. He’s buried in Paris, so that's the next logical place to go.”

Mason reached out for the scrap of paper and studied it for a few seconds before handing it back to Ambrose. “And you’re sure you made the right translation?”

Ambrose looked almost offended, but it was Nigel who replied.

“Dr Lloyd’s the leading scholar on the subject, Mr Mason. You won’t get a better translation anywhere in the world. If he says the codex is in Paris then it’s in Paris.”

Outside in Beaumont Street they heard sirens and then saw flashing blue lights bouncing off the Randolph Hotel. Milo darted past Nigel and looked out his office window. “Three vehicles — two police cars and one unmarked Jag. Judging by the guys clambering out the cop cars, I’d say they’re all armed response.”

“What?” Caleb said, marching over to the window. “Damn it!” He turned to Mason and sighed. “Looks like secret service as well, Jed. Two dudes in black suits looking pretty serious in the Jag.”

Mason looked at Ambrose and the director with dismay. “I thought we said no police?”

Watching through the window, Mason watched as the men climbed out of the big, black car and walked with purpose up the museum steps a few steps ahead of a cluster of armed policemen. They were too far away to see their faces, and now they slipped out of sight as they reached the main entrance.

“They’ll be here in a few minutes,” Nigel said. “And I never called them!”

He was right. A minute or two later they were striding through the Egyptian section, making a beeline straight for Nigel’s office. Mason watched them as they approached the open door, his heart quickening as they drew closer. The way they moved reminded him of the men he’d seen on a documentary about the Men in Black, and now one of their jackets blew open in the wind to reveal the handle of some kind of service pistol in a shoulder holster.

Now they entered the office and flashed their ID cards at Nigel. The lead man was tall, with dark blonde hair and a strong jaw. His eyes glinted darkly in the low light of the office as he turned to the armed police officers. “We’ll take it from here. Go back to the entrance and make sure no one comes in.”

After scanning the faces of the small group, the senior agent walked up to Ella and took hold of her shoulders, kissing her hard on the mouth. Mason and the others watched in shock as Ella ran her hands up the man’s back until they were wrapped around his neck. When he finally released her, Ella Makepeace sighed and said, “I always knew you were a hotshot, Ben, but I had no idea you were this good.”

Mason and the others stared at Ella in disbelief for a few seconds as she stood on tiptoes and kissed her boyfriend for a second time. She turned back to them and smiled. “Everyone, meet Ben Speers, MI5 agent and world’s greatest kisser, Ben, meet the Raiders.”

“Wait just a goddam minute,” Zara said. “This is Ben, as in your Ben?”

She nodded “Uh-huh.”

“Good to meet you,” Ben said, giving a shallow nod of acknowledgement. “Is that Raiders as in tomb raiders or something?”

“No,” Mason said bluntly, and told him what RAIDERS stood for. “We’re in asset recovery.”

“Neat,” said Ben. “I hope it’s all above board and legal.”

“Of course,” Ella said. “You think I’d hang out with a bunch of crims?”

“Look,” Mason said impatiently. “We’re in a hurry. The last thing we need right now is the interference of the sodding SIS.” He glared at Nigel and Ambrose.

Ella and Ben stopped to kiss again, and Zara pretended to vomit. “Can’t you wait till you get a room, at least?”

“Sorry,” Ella said, picking a piece of fluff of Ben’s shoulder. “It’s just been a while since we saw each other.” She turned to her boyfriend and locked eyes on him. “I thought you were out of the country?”

“I was, but an hour after landing I got a call from Henderson in the Met. I’m surprised you never called me yourself, El.”

“I can fight my own battles, Ben,” she said defensively. “I don’t have to call my boyfriend up every time I get in a scrape.”

Ben looked momentarily offended, but then things changed fast. One of the security guards burst into Nigel’s office without knocking, his chest heaving up and down with the speed of his breathing. “It’s the armed police down at the entrance! They’ve been shot and the gunmen are heading this way!”