The Eye of Shiva

CHAPTER 29

"Where were we?" Elizabeth said.

"That it's a set up. An unknown person or persons with resources wants us to think Pakistan is behind the attacks on the embassies," Stephanie said.

"Not just any resources," Nick said. "Who has the ability to manipulate cell phone intercepts and conversations?"

"That's easy," Lamont said. "An intelligence agency. Like NSA or Langley."

"They're not behind it," Elizabeth said.

"I didn't say they were. There are plenty of others who could do it."

Harker toyed with her pen. "I think you're right."

"Who are we talking about?" Nick asked. "China? Russia?"

Selena brushed the back of her hand across her forehead. "Remember I asked earlier who benefits? We haven't answered that question. What will happen because of the attacks? What's the benefit and to whom? That could tell us who's behind it."

Elizabeth said, "Blowing up the embassies doesn't accomplish anything except get a lot of people angry. It's like poking a stick in the eye of India and America. Both countries have to respond and they have to do it soon. The public is screaming for someone to blame. They want revenge."

So do I, Selena thought. Lamont was looking at his fingernails. Nick was silent. All of them were thinking the same thing. For Ronnie.

Stephanie's computer beeped. She looked at the screen.

"Oh, oh."

"I don't like it when you say that," Elizabeth said. "What's happening?"

"The NSA report's been leaked. It's gone viral."

Elizabeth picked up the report and set it back down again. "This report makes it look like Pakistan is to blame. It's going to create a lot of pressure on Rice to strike at them. The sabers are going to come out."

"This can't be a coincidence," Selena said. "Now we know who benefits. Someone who wants to make a lot of trouble for Pakistan, even start a war."

"It can't be the Indian government," Elizabeth said. "Their Prime Minister has gone out of the way to avoid provoking Pakistan. It's made him unpopular and it's probably going to cost him the next election."

"Who's the opposition over there?" Nick wanted to know.

"The right wing. It's Hindu and nationalistic and bitterly opposed to Pakistan."

"It might not be the government," Selena said, "but it could be a group inside the government. We said it could be an agency. How about India's intelligence agency?"

"You're talking about a right wing conspiracy to drag India into a war," Stephanie said.

Selena nodded. "And us right along with it."

"Déjà vu all over again," Elizabeth said. "We've been here before."

"Why is there always some lunatic who wants to start a war?" Nick said.

"If there wasn't one, we'd all be out of a job," Elizabeth said.

"What's the next step?" Selena asked.

"I have the records of the intercepted calls," Steph said. "I've been developing a program to pinpoint where a call comes from when it's encrypted in a microburst or there's no GPS info. It's got some bugs but I might be able to narrow down the source some more."

"Outstanding," Nick said. "Nail the bastard down."

"I'll try. I can't guarantee anything."

"All right," Elizabeth said. "Steph, see what you can find out. We can't do anything without more information."

She picked up the report again and set it off to the side.

Steph cleared her throat. "About that coin Nick found in the Philippines," she said. "I did some research on it."

"Go on," Elizabeth said.

"It comes from the early sixteenth century. It's rare, worth thousands. Coincidentally, three of them turned up at an auction in Hong Kong two weeks ago. They went for 22K as a lot."

"I don't believe in coincidences," Elizabeth said.

"Abu Sayyaf had a dozen more besides the one I brought back," Nick said. "Some were bigger. They'd be worth more than a hundred grand."

"That would buy a lot of things that go boom," Lamont said.

"It's strange that a bunch of rare coins like those would turn up in the hands of terrorists," Nick said. "Where would they come from?"

Selena looked thoughtful. "There's one possibility that would explain it," she said. It's pretty far-fetched, though."

"What's that?"

"Who is it that runs ISOK again?" Selena asked.

"Abdul Afridi," Elizabeth said.

"Afridi could have stumbled on some of the lost treasure of the Mughal emperors."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "What lost treasure?"

"I never heard about a Mughal treasure," Steph said.

"The Mughals again," Lamont said.

"The Mughal Empire was richer than Rome," Selena said. "In 1739 a Persian king named Nader Shah invaded India and sacked the treasury at Delhi. Accounts from the time say he set off for home with a train of elephants and pack animals that stretched for a hundred miles. All loaded down with treasure."

Lamont whistled. "You're making it up."

"No, it's true. After he got back home, no one had to pay taxes for three years."

"Too bad that guy's dead," Lamont said. "He'd make a good president."

"Are you done?" Elizabeth said.

"Sorry."

"How do we know the treasure really existed?" Nick said.

"Because of the Peacock Throne and the Koh-I-Noor diamond. They were part of the Mughal treasury. The diamond is one of the British crown jewels. That's the reason we know the treasure is real and not a myth. The throne was made of solid gold and decorated with diamonds, pearls, rubies and sapphires. One of the stones on the throne was known as the Timur ruby. That's another one of the crown jewels. A second large ruby was called the Eye of Shiva by the Hindus. It was supposed to have sacred powers. That's lost."

"Where's the throne now?"

"Nobody knows," Selena said. "Nader Shah started back with it toward Persia and that's the last anyone saw of it. The treasure caravan got caught in an early winter storm somewhere in Afghanistan. There's one account that claims the throne and several pack animals bearing chests of gold and jewels were swept over the side of a mountain by an avalanche. People have been looking for it ever since. It's worth hundreds of millions of dollars, if it still exists."

"That's a great story but what does it have to do with the coins I found in the Philippines?" Nick said.

"What are the chances of more than a dozen valuable coins from the sixteenth century turning up in the hands of a bunch of terrorists?" Selena said.

"Slim to none," Stephanie said.

Selena nodded. "What if that story is true and Afridi found some of the gold that was swept away? The coins are almost unheard of and they're from the right time frame. If Afridi found that treasure, the coins make sense. Maybe that should be our next assumption."

"We're getting off the track," Nick said. "The coins don't explain the attacks, or why someone would want to start a war."

Elizabeth looked at Stephanie. "Steph, this program you're working on. How soon can you get it working on those calls between Abu Sayyaf and Afridi?"

"It's hard to say. I need time to tweak it. It might only take a few hours but it could be longer."

"Then you'd better get going," Elizabeth said.