Solomon Key

Chapter 29

Nomi grimaced at the abject poverty all around her. How could people live in such squalor? Nearby, a group of children were busy spreading out rice to dry in the sun. One little girl looked up at her and flashed a shy smile. Nomi ignored her. She hated children.

Ronald and Cleo flanked her. The cousins were not well pleased with any of them in light of recent events. Nomi was being blamed for Constance’s disappearance. Some in the family had insinuated that Nomi had killed her; a few had even accused her outright. Cleo and Ronald were in disgrace. The family had seen to it that they’d been allowed to leave England, and the charges of breaking and entering dropped. Still, they had failed. All three had been instructed to proceed directly to Uncle’s compound. None had followed the order, knowing what it likely meant for them.

“You are certain of the decoding?” Ronald asked, looking around at the unlikely surroundings.

“My professor friend is certain. And he is also certain that this village has a strong connection to the legends of King Solomon’s Mines in Madagascar.”

“I didn’t know there were any connections,” Cleo said.

“That is a good thing. It means few, if any, have searched here.”

“Which would explain why the mines have not been found.” Cleo nodded thoughtfully.

“It also means the family is unlikely to look for us here,” Ronald added.

They passed a row of colorfully-dressed people selling produce in the shade of a dilapidated building. A little boy hurried over to them, bearing a basket of apples. They all shook their heads. When he turned away, eyes downcast, Cleo stole an apple out of his basket. He took a bite and grinned. “What?” he asked, seeing Nomi’s frown. “What are they going to do about it?”

“I’m more concerned about you drawing unnecessary attention. If the family learns we are here, people might remember the foreign bully who steals apples from little children.”

Cleo considered this for a moment, then nodded.

“There’s a great deal you haven’t told us,” Ronald said to Nomi.

“Such as?” she asked, only half-listening.

“Such as how you plan on getting inside the mines without the ring.”

“Dane Maddock has the ring.”

Ronald’s eyes went wide. “How do you know this?”

“A body was found at the grave of one Mary Elizabeth Archer, and the earth was disturbed as if something had been dug up.”

“And we care because?” Cleo asked.

“If you had done even a modicum of research, you would have learned that Archer was Haggard’s one true love, and that she went by the name Lilly.” The two men gaped at her. “The incident at the graveyard happened the same night you were arrested. It is obvious what happened. Maddock learned about Lilly; you did not.”

“So, we catch up to Maddock, and take the ring from him.” Ronald cracked his knuckles. “I relish the opportunity to pay him back.”

Nomi nodded. “And if we find the mines first, we simply wait and take the ring from him.”

“If we recover the ring and find the mines, Uncle will have to forgive us. We will be the first among the cousins.” Cleo stared off into the distance, a faint smile playing across his lips.

Nomi kept her silence. She wasn’t confident that Uncle would react in that way. She could not recall a single time he had forgiven someone who had failed as badly as they. Of course, none had ever been given the opportunity. They usually ended up being forced to participate in his “games” and those never ended well for anyone but Uncle. If they reached the mines, and found what she expected to find, she would not need Uncle or any of the family. She would be a queen.