The Solomon Scroll

CHAPTER 6

Nazar Al-Bayati sported a heavy brush of a mustache like the one worn by Saddam Hussein. He was heavy, thick around the waist. His arms were the size of many men's thighs. He had once crushed a man to death with those arms to make a point.

Some made their money selling guns or drugs or women. Nazar sold all of those, but his main source of income was information. He lived at the center of a web of thieves and spies that reached across the Middle East and Europe, from the back alleys of Damascus to the corporate board rooms of London and Paris.

Not much of importance in the Middle East escaped his notice. For Al-Bayati, the endless wars were a blessing from God. Not that he believed in God. He believed in an insatiable deity of a darker nature, worshipped by his Carthaginian ancestors in centuries past. Nazar's god was old, older than the one revered by Christian, Jew and Muslim alike. It was to him that he directed his prayers and supplications.

The only other thing he believed in was greed. An intelligent and cunning man, Nazar found his most profitable information came from new developments in technology. New weapons, new discoveries, better ways to wage war. All these things equaled new ways to make money. The man who knew what was coming would always stay one step ahead of his competitors. To that end he had informers watching for information he could turn into profit. He had eyes in the nuclear facilities of Russia, men who watched the Israelis, and men in the temples of science in Europe. It was one of these who had told him about the odd looking Italian and his volcanic scroll. Nazar had dispatched his agent at once.

Professor Caprini's overnight bag rested on the desk in front of him. Nazar looked up at the man who had brought it. His name was Addison Rhoades, a disgraced British spy who'd become one of Bayati's most valuable assets. Rhoades was Bayati's fixer, the man who took care of problems. A small problem, Rhoades took care of it himself. A large one, he knew men who could do what needed to be done.

At first glance Rhoades looked like a successful European businessman. He was dressed in a good suit, a light blue shirt and a lavender tie knotted to perfection. A closer inspection revealed the dissipation in his face, the tight lines around his eyes and the darkness under them. He was tall, stronger than he looked and a highly trained assassin.

"You opened the bag?" Nazar said.

"Yes. The scroll lies in a case within."

"Are there notes?"

"There's a computer. I haven't looked at it but if there are notes, that's where they'll be. There are copies of the x-rays."

"Excellent. I assume you left no traces behind."

"You haven't read the papers today?"

Nazar thought. "The train in Italy?"

"Yes."

"Ah. A bit extreme, wasn't it?"

"It seemed best," Rhoades said.

"Who else knows about the x-rays?" Nazar asked.

"As far as I know, only one person. The technician who operated the machine."

"I want you to go back to Grenoble," Nazar said. "Eliminate him. Destroy any records of the results as well."

"That may involve damage to some very expensive equipment," Rhoades said.

"It's of no importance. The French will repair it. Make it look like some kind of terrorist attack."

"As you wish."

"You've done well, Addison."

Nazar reached into a drawer. He took out a small, foil wrapped ball. Rhoades wet his lips. Nazar saw the longing on his face.

"Make sure this doesn't interfere with your mission."

"Of course," Rhoades said. He took the ball, placing it in his pocket.

When Rhoades had left, Nazar opened Professor Caprini's laptop and booted it up. The screen requested a password. Nazar inserted a flash drive loaded with a program stolen from Russian intelligence. The screen went dark for a moment then cleared, revealing a dozen file folders against a blue background. Nazar clicked on the one marked Herculaneum.

The file contained the pictures taken in Grenoble, showing what lay beneath the crusted surface of the scroll. Even crystal x-ray tomography wasn't good enough to show what was written on most of the ancient document. But what had been revealed was enough to set Nazar's black heart beating.