The Last Templar

Chapter 51

Standing in line at the Turkish Airlines check-in desk at JFK, Tess stared at the display on her cell phone. The screen didn't show who the caller was, and she decided not to answer it. She knew the call was probably originating from some routing switchboard, and none of die likely callers were particularly welcome right now. Not Leo from the Institute; Lizzie would have relayed the cryptic, confused explanation for her absence by now. Not Doug, calling from L.A.—no qualms there. But Reilly . . . that was the one that stuck in her throat. She hated doing this to him. It was one of the toughest decisions she'd ever had to take; but, now that she was going through with it, she couldn't afford to talk to him. Not yet.

Not while she was still in the country.

Stuffing the phone back into her jacket pocket, she finally reached the desk and embarked on the arduous check-in procedure. Once she was done there, she trailed the signs to the departure lounge and a much needed coffee, going by way of the newsstand where she picked up a couple of paperbacks she'd been aiming to read when she had the time; whether or not she could rein in her galloping imagination enough to concentrate on even lightweight fiction, given everything that was going on, was another matter.

She went through the passenger checks and reached the departure lounge, where she sank into a chair.

She couldn't believe she was actually doing it. Sitting there with nothing more to do other than wait for the flight to be called, her mind finally had a chance to wind down, take a step back, and consider the recent events more carefully, which wasn't necessarily a good thing. The last twenty-four hours, from the time she knew she was onto something to the actual moment she made the discovery, had been an adrenaline-induced haze. Now, alone and waiting to fly off into the night, she fell prey to a litany of fears and misgivings that came crawling out from deep within.

What are you thinking? Going out there, up into the Turkish backcountry— alone? What if you bump into Vance out there? What about all the other creeps you could run into? It's not exactly the safest country in the world. An American woman, alone in the Turkish outback. Are you nuts?

The panic attack about her physical well-being soon gave way to something that troubled her even more.

Reilly.

She'd lied to him. Again. A lie of omission, maybe, but a pretty serious one nevertheless. This was different from driving off with the manuscript and not alerting him about Vance waiting for her at home. She knew something was going on between them, something she liked and wanted to nurture, even though she sensed there was something holding him back that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She'd wondered if she had ruined any chance they had of getting together. She thought she'd gotten away with it at the time; there were extenuating circumstances and he was very understanding—in fact, he'd behaved wonderfully. And now, here she was, screwing up again.

How much does this mean to you, Tess?

She snapped out of her unsettled reverie when she sensed the harsh glow of the fluorescent lighting interrupted and felt the presence of someone standing there, blocking it. She opened her eyes.

It was Reilly. He was standing there, looming over her, and he didn't look thrilled.

Hugely pissed off was probably closer to the mark.

Reilly broke the pregnant silence. "What do you think you're doing?"

She wasn't sure about how to answer that. Just then, a nasal voice echoed down from the overhead PA system, announcing the opening of the gate for boarding. Passengers all around them rose from their seats and formed a couple of messy lines that converged on the gate's counters, buying her a welcome respite.

Reilly glanced at them and visibly mustered some self-control before plunking himself down beside her. "When were you planning on telling me?"

She took a breath. "Once I got there," she said sheepishly.

"What, were you going to send me a postcard? Damn it, Tess. It's like nothing I've said meant anything to you."

"Look, I'm—"

He shook his head, raising both hands and cutting her off. "I know, you're sorry, this is a big deal for you, a once-in-a-lifetime thing, a career-defining moment . . . We've been through this before, Tess. You just seem hell-bent on getting yourself killed."

She breathed out in frustration, mulling over his words. "I can't just sit back and let it slip away.

Besides, until this thing is sorted out, one way or another, I'm not going to feel safe, Kim's not going to be safe. . . . He was in our house, Sean. I'm part of this, whether I like it or not." She paused, almost afraid to ask. "You said there were things I didn't know about? Other deaths?"

Reilly nodded, then darted a discreet glance around before lowering his voice. "The other three horsemen from that night—they're dead. And they didn't exactly die in their sleep."

Tess edged forward. "You think Vance killed them?"

"It was either him or someone involved with him. Either way, who-ever's doing it is still out there, and the killing part doesn't seem to bother him at all."

Tess rubbed her eyes with fingers that, she noticed, were quivering. "What if he hasn't figured it out yet? Fonsalis"

"I think you would gave gotten another visit if he hadn't. My guess is, he knows."

She let out a deep breath. "So what do we do now?"

Reilly studied her, clearly wondering the same thing. "You're sure you've got it right?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"But you're not going to tell me where it is?"

She shook her head. "I'd rather not. Although I'm pretty sure you can make me, right?" Overhead, the nasal voice made another announcement, inviting die last passengers to board the aircraft. Tess turned to Reilly. "That's my flight."

He watched as the last passengers went through the gate. "You're sure you still want to do this?"

She gave him a nervous nod. "I'm sure."

"Let us handle it. You'll get the full credit for any find, I'll make sure of that. Just let us get him out of the way first."

She looked deep into his eyes. "It's not just about the credit. It's . . . it's what I do. And it's what I have to do." She scoured his face for signs of empathy, for clues as to what he was thinking.

"Besides, it might be out of your hands. International finds ... it can get very territorial and very messy." She managed a tentative grin. "So can I go now, or are you gonna arrest me or something?"

His jaw tightened. "I'm thinking about it." His face wasn't giving away any hints that he could be joking. Far from it.

"On what charge?"

"I don't know. I'll find something. Maybe plant a couple of pouches of coke on you." He faked patting down his pockets. "I know I have some on me somewhere."

Her face relaxed.

His expression turned dead serious. "What can I say to make you change your mind?"

She loved the way it felt to hear him ask her that. Maybe I haven't completely screwed this up yet.

She stood up. "I'll be fine." Not that she believed it.

He got up and for a brief moment, they just stood there. She waited for him to say something else, but he didn't. A small part of her was even hoping he would grab her and stop her from going. But he didn't do that either. She glanced toward the gate then turned to face him again. "I'll see you soon."

He didn't answer.

She walked off and reached the overly cheerful woman staffing the boarding pass scanner. Tess pulled out her passport and, as she handed it to her, she looked back at where she'd left Reilly. He was still standing there, watching her go. She managed a queasy half-smile before turning away and walking down the white-paneled finger.

***

The four turbofan engines whined to life as the flight crew up and down the aisles made their final preparations for take-off. Tess had been assigned a window seat for the ten-hour flight and was relieved to find an empty seat beside hers. As she watched the ground staff clear the last of the servicing gear from around the aircraft, Tess felt a strange mix of exhilaration and foreboding. She couldn't help but be excited by the journey ahead, and yet Reilly's news about die dead horsemen rattled her. She blocked the disturbing imagery her mind was conjuring up and tried to convince herself that as long as she took some basic precautions, she should be safe.

She hoped.

She was reaching for the in-flight magazine when she noticed some commotion coming from the front of the aircraft. Her whole body went rigid when she realized it was due to Reilly, who was making his way down the aisle to her.

Damn it. He's had a change of heart. He's coming to take me off the plane.

Staring at him with amazement, she felt a surge of anger. As he reached her row, she edged back against die window. "Don't, okay? Don't pull me off this plane. You've got no right. I'll be fine—I mean, come on, you've got people there, right? They can keep an eye on me. I can do this."

His face was impassive. "I know." He then eased his way into the seat next to hers.

Tess stared at him, stunned. Her mouth was having trouble forming any coherent words.

He matter-of-factly took the magazine from her hands as he buckled his belt. "So," he said, "do they have any decent movies on?"