The Nostradamus File

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The van pulled into an abandoned factory on the southern edge of the city. Holes in the floor marked where machinery had been bolted down. Rusted barrels were stacked high in one corner. Light shone on scattered debris through gaping holes in the roof.

The man with the yellow shirt said, "This way."

"Who are you?" Nick said.

"Please, this way."

They followed him up a flight of metal steps into what had been the manager's office. Their footsteps echoed across the empty space. Broken windows looked out over the deserted factory floor. Inside the office was a battered metal desk with a man sitting behind it.

"Ari!" Nick said. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Ari Herzog was a senior operative in Shin Bet. Shin Bet was Israel's invisible shield, like the FBI and NSA combined, responsible for internal security and counter-terrorism. Nick knew him from Jerusalem, two years before.

Herzog stood. "Waiting for you, Nick. As usual, things are interesting around you." He reached out and clasped Nick's shoulder and shook his hand. "You look the same. It is good to see you, my friend."

"And you." He turned to Selena. "Selena, this is Ari Herzog. A friend from Israel."

"Nick told me about you."

"A pleasure, Doctor Connor. Please, sit," Herzog said.

Herzog wore a white shirt that looked comfortably worn. He wasn't wearing a tie. A dark blue jacket with wide lapels hung loose enough to reveal a shoulder holster and the butt of a Jericho 9mm pistol. He wore black pants and plain black shoes. Herzog's eyes were dark, intense and tired looking, his face lined by stress and years of responsibility.

"It's good to see you too, Ari. Thanks for bailing us out back there. But why have you been following us? I spotted your man." He gestured at Yellow Shirt.

Herzog ignored the question. "That's Lev," he said. Lev had the grace to look embarrassed. "This is Aaron and Gabriel." He gestured at the other two. Gabriel had fired the grenade. They nodded. Both men had the look.

"You haven't answered my question, Ari. Why were you following us?"

"Because you are searching for the Ark." The words hung in the air between them. "We know about the death of the French bookseller and the manuscript."

Something clicked in Nick's mind. "You thought we might lead you to it."

Herzog nodded. "I was picked to contact you because we worked together before. I did not expect trouble so soon, but trouble seems to follow you." He smiled to show he was only half serious.

"Who came after us in the square?"

"Thugs hired to eliminate you. We suspected something might happen. Others are also looking for the Ark."

Nick's head felt as though someone had begun to tighten a band around it.

"I don't suppose you'd like to tell me who sent them?"

"We don't know for sure. The desk clerk tipped the gunmen off that you were leaving."

Nick felt his blood pressure rising. A headache started. He's not telling me something. What the hell is going on?

"You were letting us do the work for you and take the risks. Did you plan to let us in on this, Ari?"

Herzog looked down at his fingernails. When he looked up again, Nick saw he was now talking to Shin Bet and the Government of Israel. Ari might be a friend but his country came before friendship.

"What have you learned, Nick?"

"I think we'll call Director Harker," Selena said, "before we tell you anything."

Nick had been so focused on Herzog that he'd almost forgotten she was there. He looked at her.

"You didn't see fit to warn us that someone might come after us," she said to Herzog, "warn your friend." Herzog winced at the way she said it.

She turned to Nick. "We shouldn't tell him anything without talking to Elizabeth. Call her. Assuming we're not prisoners here."

Ari sighed. "You are not prisoners, Doctor Connor. Go ahead, Nick, call."

Nick's headache exploded behind his eyes. He rubbed his forehead.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." He took out his phone and entered the code. Harker picked up after one ring.

"Yes, Nick."

"Director, we have a situation." He ran it down for her. When he finished, there was silence at the other end.

"Director?"

"I'm here." Nick heard her pen tapping in the background. "Tell Herzog that the file led you to Mount Nebo. Don't mention Mount Sinai or what we talked about earlier. I'm going to have to go to the President. You can't say anything else until I consult with the White House. There are international complications now that Israel is involved."

"You intend to follow up with him?" Nick asked.

"Pending the President's okay, yes."

"What if he wants the file?"

"Stall him. I don't want the Israelis to get it just yet. Tell him I will forward a copy to him. Now get home." She ended the call.

Nick looked at Ari.

"Director Harker is concerned about the political implications. She wants to consult with our President. I can tell you what we've got but the truth is we don't know where the Ark is hidden. She says she'll send you a copy of the manuscript and keep you in the loop."

"The Ark is not on Mount Nebo, everyone knows that. Why come here?"

Nick told him about the Nostradamus quatrain that had led to Mount Nebo. He didn't mention his idea about Moses and the Ten Commandments.

"What is the American expression?" Herzog said. "You might be on a wild duck chase?"

"Goose chase. Goose, not duck. If it's a wild goose chase, why are people trying to kill us?"

Herzog evaded the question. He looked at his watch. "You can still make your flight. Lev will drive you to the airport."

He got up. Nick and Selena stood.

"We need to go to our embassy first."

"I have your word you will keep me informed? If you catch a goose?"

"You do."

"That's good enough. Shalom, Nick."

Herzog watched Lev drive away with Nick and Selena.

"Why didn't you tell him about the Americans?" Gabriel said.

"Because we're not certain. His unit is good. If something is there, he'll find it."

"Why would he tell us if he did? He's not one of us."

"No," Ari said. "But he's a friend."