Sean looked up as she entered the room. Her dark hair was tousled. In the black leather jacket and tight, black pants she was quite the vision. His mind, though, could only think about his friend. The bond he and Tommy had was brotherly. They’d known each other a long time. And they took care of each other. Tommy had offered Sean a way out of the Justice Department. And he’d had always tried to protect his friend from unsavory characters. In the last three weeks he’d failed twice.
Adriana put a gentle hand on his shoulder and stood next to him, not saying a word. Her thoughts were understood. She didn’t need to ask how he was feeling. And he appreciated that. “What are you looking at?” She looked at the computer screen as she spoke.
He turned the laptop slightly so she could see a little better. “It’s a text from the Bible,” he answered. “Second Kings five, verse ten.”
She leaned over and read what was on the monitor silently. “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan River, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed. “What does it mean?” she asked.
He turned the computer back to where it had been then quickly typed in a few more commands.
She was impressed with how fast he could type. Obviously, he had some kind of computer training. The realization caused her to think back to her father and for a second, she glanced out the window and down at the city. Somewhere down there, he was up to his old tricks. Worry started to creep into her mind again, but she had to push that away for now. Her father could handle himself, at least a little while longer.
Sean turned the screen back towards her again. It displayed a map of Ecuador and all the main rivers. He was particularly interested in the region around Cuenca. “We found the Bible text engraved on a wooden cylinder last night at Crespi’s church. It was hidden under the baptismal font.”
She raised an eyebrow. “What was inside it?”
He shrugged. “The map, we think. We don’t know for sure. Before we could open it all hell broke loose. There was a bunch of shooting. We barely got out the back of the church alive. When we did get out, Maury came with me. Tommy and Will got in the second truck.”
His face washed over with regret. “That was the last I saw them.”
“What happened to the other truck?”
He tipped his head towards Mauricio who was still on the phone. “We don’t know. But Mauricio is trying to find out. He’s talking to the local cops. My gut tells me the car was hijacked during the shootout. So whoever was following us has Tommy and Will now.”
She looked at him sadly. “I should have been there. Perhaps I could have helped. I am so sorry.”
He shook his head. “It’s okay. I’m glad you weren’t. You might have been in trouble now too. “Did you get to do what you needed?” He changed the subject for the moment.
She just nodded and offered a forced smile, which he returned.
Delgado hung up the phone and joined in the conversation next to the desk. “The local police haven’t found the vehicle yet, and no one has seen or heard anything. Whoever took them left town immediately and didn’t say a word to anyone. They found my driver’s body outside the church, along with a few other unknowns.”
The news was what Sean had expected. That still didn’t make it easy to hear. “We have to assume that whoever has them wanted whatever was in that cylinder,” he said. “Without knowing what is on the map, it makes it a little harder to figure out exactly where they might be going. “I tried calling Tommy’s phone but he didn’t answer. Whoever jacked the car probably took whatever they had, including their phones.”
Her mind was racing as she took in all the new information. “So, you think that the Bible text from the inscription is meant to refer to one of these rivers?” she pointed at the screen again while she spoke.
Sean nodded. “Problem is, there are several rivers within a hundred miles of here. And even if we can figure out which one is the right one, you’re potentially talking about hundreds of miles of shoreline on both sides we would need to cover.” It was a big problem and Sean knew it. “We have to assume that the map pinpoints the location on a specific river,” he added.
“Do you have any idea what we are looking for?” Mauricio asked.
“Not really. It could be a cave or maybe a big rock that marks the location. We really have no idea what we’re looking for.” Sean sighed in frustration and closed his laptop. His fingers rubbed tired eyes.
“You need to get some rest,” she spoke firmly.
He shook his head. “I won’t be able to sleep.”
“There is nothing you can do right now. It’s late. In the morning maybe we can go into town and see if there is anyone who can help us.”
He knew she was right. They could stay up all night trying to figure out where Tommy and Will were or the location the clue eluded to, but they would most likely be unsuccessful with both. He doubted he would sleep much, but even a few minutes of rest would be welcome.
“Okay,” he nodded finally. “We’ll get up early and see what we can find out.”
Mauricio agreed. “I’ll check around first thing in the morning. Perhaps I can find a clue as to what happened or where they headed.”
She patted Wyatt on the shoulder as if confirming his decision was a good one. “We will find them.”
He wished he had her confidence.
Chapter 60
Alexander Lindsey stood silently overlooking the mountain range from the third floor office in his mansion. It was early in the morning. The sun was just beginning to slip above the horizon to the east. He wore his usual morning robe, featuring a burgundy silk with a dark green collar and belt. It looked more like a smoking jacket. The coffee in his hand was still steaming, a stark contrast to the cold outside. Snow covered the mountains as far as he could see, a possible look into the season to come. Cold winters were something he’d grown accustomed to over the years. There was something about the cold that afforded him a great deal of privacy. The harsher the winter, the fewer people bothered him. However, soon the comfort of privacy had been unable to soothe his nerves for the last few days, though. He’d tossed and turned each night for nearly a week and his eyes had big bags under them as a result. The deprivation of sleep was something he loathed. He usually needed a full eight hours to be completely functional.
Agent Weaver had called him late in the night to report that her team was staked out at a hotel in Ecuador, observing Wyatt’s group.
In her report, she had informed him that Agent Collack had been killed in a gunfight at the church, as had three more of her men. Weaver had tried to assure him that things were under control but shootouts in the streets of Cuenca were hardly easy to cover up. A quick search on the web confirmed her story. Local news outlets all over Ecuador were covering the odd killings outside the Iglesia de Maria Auxiliadora.
He’d spent a tremendous amount of time and money making sure that the policing agencies of the world had no way to track his operatives. When a mercenary signed up to take a mission for him, they were completely removed from the grid, untraceable except by him. Still, it was unsettling that Collack had been killed. James Collack was one of the best assets to have ever worked for the Order. How many missions he’d completed was difficult to remember for Lindsey to remember.
Another issue on his mind was the lack of communication between he and his other agent in play. Will had not reported in for nearly two days, which was very untypical for him. Lindsey understood Will’s plan. He was no doubt in the midst of the enemy at this point and most likely couldn’t get time for a phone call. It was still unnerving, though.