Bodie shifted in his seat as winds gently rocked the plane. “You’re saying that the man who forged the statues nine thousand years ago also made a compass? And you’re saying that’s the next clue?”
“If I am reading the verse correctly, yes. Don’t you see it?”
“Well, I guess so, but you’re the historian.”
“Of course. So true. In fact, I already found out the man’s name. It is Danel, and was carved on the base of every statue. A signature.”
“So we’re searching for Danel’s Compass, a little known historical relic, in the whole of Europe?” Jemma asked, looking confused. “Surely you have more to go on than that?”
“I seriously doubt you would need more.”
Jemma bit her tongue. “If you’re about to say ‘We’re the relic hunters,’ I’m gonna—”
“Not at all.” Lucie looked confused. “I was merely offering the floor to Agent Moneymaker here, and the CIA.”
Jemma inclined her head. “All right, I admit the reasoning’s sound.”
Heidi moved over to stand next to the history expert. “Of course, Lucie is right. She suggested in private that we should search for an object by the name of Danel’s Compass. We’ve been scouring the databases for the last few hours.”
“You couldn’t just tell us before all the… rhetoric?” Cassidy asked.
“Again,” Lucie said with confusion in her eyes, “don’t you want to know why you’re going where you’re going? Don’t you want to question the evidence? I present it as best I can, but even my reasoning can occasionally be flawed.”
Bodie turned to address the others. “She’s right, you know. Who here would embark on a heist without questioning every blueprint, every camera position, every laser sight?”
Lucie cleared her throat. “Umm… laser sight? I hope this won’t be too dangerous.”
“Don’t worry about it, love,” Bodie said. “That’s the least of your worries now that you’re working for thieves who work for the CIA who may or may not have the full backing of the US government. Depending on who you speak to. Is that about right, Heidi?”
The agent ignored his question. “I, for one, wouldn’t join an op that hadn’t been scrutinized down to the last possible element. Thank you, Lucie.”
“You’re welcome, I think.”
“Listen,” Cross spoke up. “We’re about halfway into this journey. Do we know where we’re even going?”
Now Heidi smiled. “Oh yeah,” she said. “Have you ever visited the Swiss Alps?”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
As the flight wore on, the team readied themselves for a fast assault, preparing weapons, gear, and communications devices as Heidi and Lucie continued to talk.
“Danel’s Compass,” Heidi told them. “One of those obscure, unknown artifacts that wealthy men and women buy at auction houses around the world. Probably desired and sold at great price on account of its age. Probably—”
“Wait,” Lucie said, thinking of her history. “Surely the sale of a nine-thousand-year-old compass would have been widely reported?”
“Ah, you’re sweet.” Heidi smiled. “I’m talking about underground auctions. Those attended by collectors burdened with untold wealth, desperate to possess that which cannot be possessed and store their new assets where only they can see. Of all the incredible, important, relevant historical objects we know are in the world today, our inventory would double if we could include all those stolen items that we don’t. From art to sculpture to crafted eggs, to golden objects and even papyrus. The list is endless. Danel’s Compass was bought by a man named Carl Kirke some decades ago. A quick check into Kirke’s history and we find that he is a successful entrepreneur, a man of many fortunes. The good news is that none of his ventures appear to be illegal. The bad news is that he’s still a criminal, keeping an artifact once stolen from a museum without informing the authorities.”
Cross shrugged. “Aren’t we all?”
“Unless the CIA needs to borrow your skill set,” Bodie said. “Then you’re an agent.” He laughed to confirm the joke before Heidi got any bright ideas.
“Well, we can always drop you off where we found you,” Heidi said sweetly before continuing. “We’re aiming for a hard landing in the Swiss Alps, a few miles from Kirke’s house. The rest will be up to you.”
“We’re stealing the compass?” Cross said. “Shit.”
Gunn was mouthing words like a goldfish. “When you say ‘hard landing’—”
“Carl Kirke is a well-heeled hoarder,” Heidi said. “Probably forgotten he even has the compass.”
“Maybe. But that’s not the problem,” Bodie said.
“Listen,” Gunn said. “Just how hard is this landing going to be?”
Heidi skimmed the faces before her. “Not too hard. What is the problem, Bodie?”
“You keep dumping this shit on us. We’re thieves, bloody good ones. The kind of job we do — it takes months of planning. It takes discussions, sketching, more discussion, the review of several plans, options. It takes scheduling, organization, the perfect gear for the perfect job. Now, like I said, we’re decent thieves but we’re not magicians.”
Heidi found a seat to slump in. “Well, shit. I guess we’d better turn around and forget all about Atlantis.”
“If it means that we get what we want and walk free…” Bodie said quickly.
Lucie took it at face value. “No, no! Surely you can give them some time to plan. I must say — I don’t remember the part where you mentioned they were thieves, but Guy is right. A professional in any field needs space to plan and execute a good job.”
“Ahh,” Cassidy sighed. “Then there’s something else Heidi Hotpants didn’t tell you. Atlantis, the compass, and the statues have already attracted the attention of several undesirables. Gangs. Mafias. Mercs. Thugs. You know, the usual circus show.”
Lucie looked stunned. Bodie felt a moment’s sorrow for her before shaking his head slightly under Heidi’s gaze.
“Are you people ever up front with anyone?”
“You can leave at any time,” Heidi grated.
“That’s easy to say when you’re flying at thirty thousand feet,” Cassidy pointed out.
“I know, and I don’t expect Lucie to accompany you on the mission,” Heidi said. “But I do expect the best heist team in the world to have worked out a plan in the next four hours. Get on with it.” And she turned away, staring hard at the bulkhead and cockpit door in front of her.
Cassidy made a face at Bodie. “See how her curls get tighter when she’s mad?”
Bodie kept it professional, but with difficulty. “We’re here,” he said, “so we’ll make the best of it to get what we want. Lucie’s done her job. Heidi’s done hers. It’s time for us to do ours.”
Cross leaned forward, a sign of excitement. “Do we have a photo of the place?”
Jemma turned her laptop around so that everyone could see it. “Already loaded up.” The house was ultramodern, a three-story structure that clung to a hillside. It wasn’t terribly imposing, raising no ominous warning signals, but its progressive appearance gave the impression that it would have state-of-the-art security measures.
Bodie looked around at the team. “Then let’s get to work.”
The airplane touched down, wheels skipping along the well-lit runway. The wings distended, dipped. Runway lights skimmed by at almost two hundred miles per hour. By the time the plane came to a halt, the team finally realized they were no longer in the air.