The Solomon Scroll

CHAPTER 26

Lucas Monroe had fallen in love with Stephanie the second time he saw her. The first time, he'd been attracted to her easy smile and her obvious comfort with him. Like all black Americans, his radar was tuned to a fine pitch for any sign of racism. As far as he could tell Steph didn't have a racist bone in her body. When she'd gotten pregnant Lucas thought that the gods must be smiling on him. He was in his 40s and had long ago given up ideas of children and fatherhood. Now that he was past the dangerous covert work that had formed most of his career at Langley he had begun thinking about leading a normal lifestyle. The loss of the baby angered him to the core.

They could have another child. Seeing Stephanie grieving hurt him more than anything he could have imagined. She would get over it, if that was the right phrase, as much as he would. He knew no one ever really got over a loss like that. The event would fade, the pain would retreat. Still, there would always be something there. The fact that it had happened because of who they worked for didn't make it any easier.

If there was any consolation, it was that his occupation might provide a way to track down the people responsible. For Lucas, revenge was not a dirty word. He had set the relentless resources of Langley to work on the problem, confident that sooner or later whoever was behind the attack would be identified. Then they would pay. It didn't take long to find something

He called Elizabeth.

"I got what you wanted about O'Malley."

"Are you back at work?"

"Not officially. I can do some things. I called in a favor at MI6. O'Malley was interrogated by an agent named Rhoades. He was kicked out of the service three years ago."

"That gives him the right character recommendation," Elizabeth said.

"What's more interesting is the money trail," Lucas said. "The wire to O'Malley's bank came from a corporate account that launders money for a string of false corporations. They're controlled by a man we've been watching for a long time. His name is Al-Bayati. What I don't know is why Bayati would send a hit team after either of us. "

Bingo, Elizabeth thought.

"I think it's about that scroll."

"Why?"

"You know about Yusuf Abidi and what happened in Lebanon?"

"Yes."

"Nick tailed Abidi to Bayati's villa. I think Abidi sold Semtex to Al-Bayati and that Al-Bayati sent someone to take the scroll, then blew up that train to cover his tracks. I'd put my money on him for the murder at the British Museum and the theft of the other scroll."

"I wouldn't take that bet," Lucas said. "Do you really think he'd go to these extremes on the chance he could find a lost tomb that might not even exist?"

"It's not just any tomb," Elizabeth said. "What would the Israelis do to get back the body of Solomon and whatever was taken from the Temple? What would the Arabs do to stop them? Al-Bayati deals in information. What would the location of the tomb be worth? And don't forget that the Temple contained priceless treasures of gold."

"It still seems far-fetched to me," Lucas said. "Like searching for Atlantis."

"We have a dead shooter who is a direct connection to Beirut and Al-Bayati. It's too much of a coincidence. The attack took place not long after we were in Lebanon, trying to piece together who was responsible for stealing the scroll. Al-Bayati doesn't know that Abidi died before he could tell us anything. I think he set up the hit to keep us from finding out what he was doing."

"Then he should've done a better job," Lucas said. His voice was tight and angry.

"Yes. He's made a mistake by targeting us. I'm sorry you and Steph got caught up in this. I'm sure his men were after us. They couldn't have known who was in the cars."

"What else can I do to help?"

"Send someone over with a high enough clearance to work with me on the computers while Stephanie is recovering. I can't call you every time I need something."

"Let me think about it. A couple of people come to mind. I'll talk to Hood about lending you someone. I don't think it's a problem."

"How's the shoulder?" Elizabeth asked.

"Hurts like hell. The painkillers help some."

"Stephanie?"

Elizabeth heard Lucas sigh. "She thinks about the baby all the time. She cries a lot. And she's pissed, really pissed."

"That's a lot better than feeling sorry for herself."

"When she's not talking about stringing up the people who did this or staring out the window she spends most of her time reading romance novels. Right now she's reading a book about a woman who travels back in time to 18th-century Scotland and gets involved with pirates."

"Every good romance novel has a pirate," Elizabeth said.

"I'll get someone over there to give you a hand. Keep me posted on what you find."

"You know I will. Thanks, Lucas."

After she'd hung up, Elizabeth thought about the conversation. Al-Bayati. Her intuition had been right. Now that she had a clear focus, she could begin planning how to bring him down. Before that happened she needed to be positive he was the one behind the attacks. The proof she needed was out there, she was certain. When she found it she wasn't going to stop until Al-Bayati was finished.