The Romanov Prophecy

THIRTY-NINE

Lord swung the car around another corner, then slowed. In the rearview mirror he noticed no cars following, and the last thing he needed was to attract the attention of the police. The dashboard clock glowed five thirty. He still had half an hour to make the rendezvous. He was trying to remember the local geography. The zoo was south of town center, adjacent to the ocean, near San Francisco State University. Lake Merced was nearby. On an earlier trip, he'd fished there for trout.

That seemed like an eternity ago. Back when he was just an associate in a huge law firm, nobody beyond his secretary and supervising attorney caring what he did. Hard to believe all this had started just a week ago after a simple lunch in a Moscow restaurant. Artemy Bely had insisted on paying the tab, saying the next day's meal would be on Lord. He'd allowed the courtesy, knowing the Russian lawyer made less in a year than he did in three months. He'd liked Bely, a seemingly knowledgeable, easygoing young man. Yet all he now remembered was the image of Bely's bullet-ridden corpse, lying on the sidewalk, Orleg telling him there were too many dead to bother covering them.

The bastard.

He turned at the next intersection and headed south, away from the Golden Gate Bridge, toward the ocean side of the peninsula. It helped when signs started appearing for the zoo, and he followed them through evening traffic. Soon he left the congestion of commercialism behind for the quiet hills and trees of St. Francis Wood, the villas set back from the road, most with iron gates and fountains.

He was amazed that he was even able to drive, but a rush of adrenaline surging through him had charged his senses. His muscles still ached from the electricity and he was winded from repeated strangulations, but he was starting to feel alive again.

"Just let Akilina be there, waiting," he whispered.

He found the zoo and motored into a lighted parking lot. He left the keys in the sedan and trotted to the admission gate where he paid for a ticket, the attendant warning him that the park would be closing in little more than an hour.

The front of his sweater was wet from Orleg's dousing, the bloodied green wool carrying the feel of a damp towel in the chilly evening air. His face ached from the blows, and surely some swelling had contorted his features. He was probably quite a sight.

He trotted down the concrete walkway, amber lights illuminating the way. A few visitors milled about, several more strolling in the opposite direction back toward the exit. He passed a primate center and elephant exhibit and followed direction signs to the Lion House.

His watch read six PM.

Darkness was starting to conquer the sky. Only the sounds of animals muted by thick walls disturbed an otherwise peaceful scene. The air smelled of fur and food. He entered the Lion House through a set of double glass doors.

Akilina stood before a pacing tiger. He sympathized with the animal trapped in a cage-exactly where he'd been the entire afternoon.

Her face reflected relief and joy. She rushed toward him and they hugged, her grip desperately tight. He held her as she trembled.

"I was just about to leave," she said. Her hand gently traced his swollen jaw and bruised eye. "What happened?"

"Orleg and one of the men who's been after me are here."

"I heard you scream through the phone." She told him about her call and the man she'd talked with.

"The Russian in charge called himself Zubarev. There must be others at the consulate helping them besides Vitenko. But I don't think Vitenko is one of them. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here." He told her what had happened just a few minutes before. "I checked all the way here, but nobody was behind me." He noticed the bag slung over her shoulder. "What's that?"

"I didn't want to trust these things to the hotel. Better to keep everything with me."

He decided not to argue about her foolishness. "We're getting out of here. As soon as we're safe, I'm calling Taylor Hayes and getting some help. This is way out of control."

"I'm glad you are okay."

He suddenly realized they were still in each other's arms and drew back to look at her.

"It's okay," she said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"You can kiss me."

"How do you know I want to?"

"I just do."

He touched his lips to hers, then pulled away. "This is really strange."

One of the cats across the viewing chamber suddenly roared.

"Think they approve?" he said, a smile creeping onto his face.

"Do you?" she asked.

"Very much. But we need to get out of here. I used one of their cars to get across town. Probably not a good idea to use it again. They might report it stolen and involve the local police. We'll get a cab. I noticed a few parked out front when I came in. We'll go back to the hotel you found and in the morning find a rental car. I don't think we need to be using the local airport or bus stations."

He slipped the bag off her shoulder and draped it onto his, feeling the weight of the two gold bars. He took her by the arm and they headed out of the Lion House, past a group of teenagers ambling in for a last look.

A hundred yards away, under one of the lights illuminating the walkways, he caught a glimpse of Orleg and Droopy racing his way.

Mother of God. How had they found him?

He grabbed Akilina and they bolted in the opposite direction, past the Lion House, toward a lit building labeled PRIMATE DISCOVERY CENTER. Monkeys screeched from their outdoor habitats. They followed the paved path deeper into the complex, then made a sharp left. Before them was a lighted naturalistic setting of trees and rocks, a deep moat separating a concrete retaining wall from an open enclosure beyond. Gorillas lumbered about in a forestlike setting, a couple of adults and three babies.

Still running, it took Lord only an instant to register the fork in the path ahead and the fact that the concrete walk apparently encircled the exhibit, making a teardrop-shaped loop that both began and ended before him. A high fence ran the length of the property to his left, and beyond to the right was an open area designated MUSK OXEN EXHIBIT. About ten people were intently watching the gorillas feeding on a huge pile of fruit in the middle of the habitat.

"There's nowhere to go," he said, desperation in his voice.

He needed to do something.

Then, in the far rock wall of the gorilla exhibit he spotted an open iron gate. He studied the animals and the portal. Perhaps it was where the beasts ventured at night. Maybe they could get there and close the gate before the gorillas became interested.

Anything was preferable to the alternative. Orleg and Droopy were racing toward them. He knew what that sadistic pair were capable of and decided to take his chances with the apes. Through the open portal in the rock wall he spied a door with lights. There was movement inside. Perhaps an attendant.

And maybe a way out.

He hurled the travel bag through the air into the ape exhibit. The bundle landed hard near a pile of fruit. The gorillas reacted to the intruder with a vocal start, then moved forward to investigate.

"Come on."

He hopped onto the retaining wall. The other visitors gave him a strange look. Akilina followed. The distance across the moat was about ten feet. The wall itself was about a foot wide. With a running start he leaped forward, propelling his stocky frame through the air and praying he hit solid earth on the other side.

He did, pounding the ground, pain searing up through his sore legs and thighs. He rolled once and looked back just as Akilina landed on her feet.

Droopy and Orleg appeared at the retaining wall.

He was counting on the fact they wouldn't follow or use weapons with people around. Several of the spectators cried out and he heard one of them scream for the police.

Droopy leaped onto the wall. He was about to jump when one of the adult gorillas raced forward to the edge of the moat. The animal raised up on its hind legs and bellowed. Droopy retreated.

Lord scrambled to his feet and motioned for Akilina to head for the gate. The other adult gorilla lumbered his way. The massive animal waddled on all fours, soles and knuckles skipping off the hard ground. From the size and manner, Lord reasoned this was a male. The fur was a satiny brown-gray highlighted by jet-black skin on the chest, palms, and face, a silver saddle decorating his back. The animal stood upright, his nostrils flaring, broad chest extended, bulky arms waving. The ape let out a roar and Lord stood perfectly still.

The smaller gorilla, more reddish brown, apparently a female, moved toward Akilina and was now challenging her. Lord wanted to help but had problems of his own. He hoped everything he'd ever seen on the Discovery Channel about gorillas was true. They were supposedly more bark than bite, the physical display an attempt to generate some reaction in their opponent, perhaps enough to scare him away, or at least to distract.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Orleg and Droopy watching, then saw as they headed back from where they came. Perhaps the attention was becoming a bit much.

Not only did Lord not want another meeting with his Russian pursuers, but he didn't want to have to explain any of this to the local police-at least not yet-and surely they'd been called.

He needed to get to the portal. But the big male standing before him started pounding his chest.

The female concerned with Akilina started to back away, and Akilina used the moment to inch toward him. Suddenly the female surged forward and Akilina reacted, vaulting toward the outstretched limb of one of the poplars that dotted the habitat. She quickly rolled up onto the limb, her acrobatic grace obvious as she leaped to a higher branch. The female ape seemed almost astonished by the move and started her own climb. Lord noticed that the female's face had softened. It was almost as if the ape thought the whole thing play. The trees dotting the enclosure were heavily intertwined, surely an effort to provide the animals with a more natural habitat, but what it did now was provide Akilina a way to avoid her pursuer.

The male before him stopped pounding his chest and hinged down on all fours.

From behind, a female voice whispered, "Whoever you are, I'm the tender of this exhibit. I would strongly suggest you stand perfectly still."

"I can assure you, I'm not moving," he said in his own low voice.

The ape's gaze stayed tight, the head cocked at a curious angle.

"I'm inside the rock wall. Beyond the open gate," the disembodied voice said. "They come in here for the night. But they won't bother until all the food's gone. You've got King Arthur there. He's not overly friendly. I'll try to distract him while you make your way inside."

"My friend out here has her own problems," he said.

"I see that. But we'll take it one at a time."

King Arthur slowly backed away, toward the travel bag. Lord could not leave without the bag. He eased toward it. The ape rushed forward and screeched, as if commanding him to stay still.

He obeyed.

"Don't challenge him," the voice said.

The gorilla bared his canines. Lord harbored no desire to feel their effects. He watched as Akilina and the female ape vied with each other through the branches. Akilina did not appear to be in any danger, staying outside the reach of the animal, winding herself up, then down over a thick branch, landing square on the ground. The female tried to mimic the action, but her great bulk drew her downward in a swinging arc and she slammed to the earth. Akilina used the moment to rush into the portal.

Now it was his turn.

King Arthur jerked up the travel bag and fumbled with it in an attempt to see what was inside. Lord moved to grab it, hoping he might be quick enough to snatch the satchel and make it into the opening. But King Arthur was quick, too. The ape's arm swept up and a hand grabbed a bundle of his sweater. The gorilla now had him in his grasp and he tried to fall back. The ape, though, did not relinquish his grip and the sweater slowly tore from his chest. King Arthur stood with the travel bag in one hand, sweater in the other.

Lord did not move.

The gorilla tossed the sweater aside and returned to rummaging the bag.

"You need to come on," the woman said.

"Not without that bag."

The ape tugged and pulled at the stitching, several times sinking long teeth into the exterior. The stiff green cloth held firm and, in obvious frustration, the gorilla slung the bag hard against the rock wall. Rushing over, King Arthur again flung the bundle into the stone.

Lord winced.

The Faberge egg could not withstand such abuse. Without thinking, he lunged forward as the bag fell to the ground from a third throw. King Arthur came with him, but Lord reached the bag first and snatched up the bundle. The female dashed over and moved between him and the male, reaching for the bag herself, but King Arthur wrenched her neck hair, eliciting a belch and grunt from the smaller gorilla. The male pulled her away, and Lord used the moment to dart for the open gateway.

But King Arthur cut him off only a few steps from safety.

The big ape stood not five feet away, his body odor nauseating. An intense stare accompanied a low growl. The animal's upper lip flared, displaying incisors as long as Lord's fingers. The gorilla slowly reached out and fingered the travel bag, caressing the cloth exterior.

Lord stood still.

The ape poked his right index finger into Lord's chest. Not enough to hurt, just enough to test the skin beneath his shirt. It was an almost human gesture, and for a moment Lord's fear abated. He stared deep into the animal's glowing eyes and sensed an acknowledgment that he was in no danger.

King Arthur withdrew his finger and stepped back.

The female had likewise withdrawn after her rebuke.

The big male continued to inch away until the path into the portal was clear. Lord crept inside and the iron gate closed after him.

"I've never seen King Arthur react like that before," said the woman, who locked the gate shut. "He's an aggressive ape."

Lord stared through the bars at the gorilla, who continued to watch him, the sweater now back in hand. Finally, the animal lost interest and headed for the pile of food.

"Now you want to tell me what you were doing in there?" the woman asked.

"Is there a way out?"

"Not so fast. We're going to wait for the police."

He could not do that. No telling how far the reach of those after him extended. He spied a closed exit door with a hallway beyond visible through wire-reinforced glass. He grabbed Akilina and headed that way.

The uniformed woman intercepted him. "I said we're going to wait for the police."

"Look, I've had a rough day. There are men trying to kill us and I just stared down a three-hundred-pound gorilla. I'm not in the mood to argue, if you get my meaning."

The attendant hesitated, then stepped out of the way.

"Good choice. Now, where's the key for that door?"

The woman reached into her pocket and tossed him a ring with a single key. He and Akilina left the chamber, and he closed and locked the door behind them.

They quickly found an exit that led beyond the public viewing areas, toward two large sheds filled with equipment. Farther on was an empty parking lot. A sign noted that the space was for employees only. He knew they could not return to the main entrance, so he headed toward the ocean and a road that paralleled the shore. He wanted to get out of the area immediately and was relieved when a cab appeared. He flagged the vehicle down and they climbed inside, the driver depositing them at Golden Gate Park ten minutes later.

He and Akilina walked inside the park.

A darkened soccer field spread before them, a small pond to the right. The grounds extended for miles in all directions, trees and meadows nothing but featureless shadows. They stopped at a bench and sat down. His nerves were shot, and he wondered how much more he could take. Akilina put her arm around him, then laid her head on his shoulder.

"That was amazing what you did with the ape," he said. "You're a hell of a climber."

"I don't think the animal would have hurt me."

"I know what you mean. The male could have attacked, but he didn't. He even prevented the female from charging."

He thought about the travel bag slamming into the rock wall. He lifted the bag from the damp grass. An overhead streetlight gave off an orange radiance. No one else was in sight. The air was chilly and he wished he still wore his sweater.

He unzipped the bag.

"When King Arthur slammed this thing, all I could think about was the egg."

He withdrew the velvet sack and slipped the egg out. Three of the legs were broken and many of the diamonds were loose. Akilina quickly cradled her hands underneath and caught the precious debris. The egg was cracked down the center of its oval, laid open like a grapefruit.

"It's ruined," he said. "That thing was priceless. Not to mention it may spell the end of our search."

He studied the gaping slit in the masterpiece, a sick feeling grew in his stomach. He dropped the velvet bag and, with his finger, gently probed what was inside the egg. White and fibrous. Like some sort of packing material. He squeezed a pinch and discovered it was cotton, stuffed so dense it was difficult to loosen even a sample. He continued to probe, expecting at some point to find the mechanism that controlled the rising of the three tiny portraits, but instead he struck something else.

The tip of his finger explored farther.

Definitely something hard.

And smooth.

He moved close to the ambient glow from the overhead light and continued to bore with his finger.

He caught a glint of gold with something etched on it.

Writing.

He grasped the sides of the egg with both hands and parted the divide, opening up the thin gold exterior as if it were a ripe pomegranate.