“I think that’s it,” said Natasha at last.
“What?” asked Bennett, as Erin checked her watch.
“I think that’s the clue we’re looking for!” Natasha said excitedly.
“Which one?”
“‘He then brought me into the inner court,’” Natasha explained. “I think we’re supposed to go into Hezekiah’s Tunnel, into the exact center.”
“You’re sure?” Erin pressed, noting that they had to move soon if they were going to move at all.
“Wait, wait, there’s something else,” said Natasha. “‘Between the portico and the altar.’ That’s another clue. We need to go halfway into the tunnel and then move twenty-five paces from the precise center.”
“How would we know which way?” asked Bennett.
“Well,” said Natasha, “in the passage it says the men were doing something evil. They had turned their backs toward the Temple of the Lord and bowed east, toward the sun. I say we do the opposite. We’ll go twenty-five paces west and try to break through the tunnel wall on the side facing the Temple, digging toward the Temple Mount.”
Bennett’s heart was pounding. Everyone’s was. He didn’t fully understand it, but he trusted Natasha’s experience. It had, after all, gotten them this far. Now all they needed was a plan.
“How can we help?” asked Dmitri.
“Can we borrow your helicopter?” asked Natasha.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No,” said Natasha. “I’m fully rated.”
“Not my point,” Dmitri replied. “I’m going with you.”
Natasha looked to Bennett.
“Dmitri, you know we’d love to have you with us,” he said as tactfully as he could. “But I think you’ve discovered enough treasure for one lifetime.”
Dmitri didn’t bat an eye. “And what exactly are you planning to do, Jon? Fly into Jerusalem, land near Hezekiah’s Tunnel, and just leave the helicopter there? You really think that’s not going to attract attention?”
“He’s right, Jon,” said Erin.
“Of course I’m right,” said Dmitri. “Besides, there’s no manhunt under way for me. I’ll be able to get clearance to land in Jerusalem. None of you can. I’ll fly you in, drop you off, and then hightail it out of there until you call me to come back for you. That’s it. That’s my final offer.”
Bennett looked at Erin and then at Natasha. It wasn’t like they had a lot of leverage. “We’ll take it,” he said. “But we could also use some men to guard the tunnel.”
“As many as you need,” said Dmitri.
“And some weapons,” said Erin.
“No problem.”
“And we’ll need some other equipment, too,” Natasha reminded them.
“What kind?” asked Dmitri.
“Something to blast through those walls would be nice.”
“Done,” said Dmitri. “Now, if you’re all out of excuses, I suggest we get going.”
When they were in the air, Bennett called Ken Costello.
“Hello?”
“Ken, it’s Jon. You got a minute?”
“Jon! Are you all right?”
“We’re fine.”
“I just got a call from the Palestinian interior minister,” Costello explained. “He said there’s been some kind of shooting incident outside of Nablus.”
“No comment,” said Bennett.
“Where are you now?”
“I can’t say. Not yet. But—”
Costello cut him off. “Jon, seriously, I’m telling you this as a friend. If you want the president to go to bat for you, you guys have got to come in now.”
“I need a few more hours.”
“Right now.”
“Ken, I’m only asking for a few more hours.”
“And if you get caught? Or killed?”
“Look, Ken, I give you my word. We’ll come in today. But I need your help.”
“Are you crazy? You’re going to get us all thrown in prison.”
“We found it, Ken.”
“What?”
“We think we’ve found the treasures of the Copper Scroll.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m not.”
“And the Ark?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I mean we haven’t found the treasures yet. But we’re pretty sure we know where they are now.”
“And that’s where you’re headed?”
“Exactly.”
“But you’re not going to tell me where, are you?”
“Not yet,” Bennett admitted. “But look, if something goes wrong, I’ll call you. I’ll tell you officially that Erin, Natasha, and I are ready to come in. And then I’ll need you to send me as much backup as you possibly can. And reporters.”
“Reporters?”
“Lots of them, with cameras, satellite trucks — the whole nine yards.”
“Why?” asked Costello.
“Let’s call it an insurance policy,” said Bennett. “Just promise me you’ll be there for me if I need it.”
“Just promise me you’ll turn yourself in by the end of the day,” Costello replied.
“I promise,” said Bennett.
“Then so do I,” said Costello.
Indira Rajiv tried to remember where she was.
She tried to remember what day it was. But it was all a blur. She blinked hard and stared at the phone next to her. A label on the handset read The Rome Cavalieri Hilton. She glanced at the alarm clock. Was it already Tuesday? Had she really slept so long? It didn’t seem possible. She suddenly realized the phone next to her wasn’t the one that was ringing. She got up, stumbled across the penthouse suite, and grabbed her satellite phone, answering it on the tenth ring.
“Hello?” she mumbled. “Rajiv.”
“Indira, it’s Erin — got a minute?”
Rajiv was instantly awake. “Erin? Is that you? I’ve been worried sick about you.”
“Then where have you been?” Erin replied. “I’ve been calling you for days.”
Rajiv froze. She couldn’t tell her she’d been escaping a mole hunt, of course. Nor could she tell her “best friend” that she’d actually gotten her voice mail and immediately relayed their location on Mount Ebal to Viggo Mariano’s team, though they’d been too stupid to kill them when they had the chance. Come to think of it, Rajiv wondered, what could she tell her? When nothing came to mind, she quickly changed the subject.
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. The point is, where are you right now?”
Erin paused. “First promise me you won’t turn me in,” she insisted.
“Are you kidding?” asked Rajiv. “You know me better than that.”
“You could lose your job if you don’t,” Erin warned.
If you only knew, thought Rajiv, wondering how much longer it would be before Langley told the media she was on the run, wanted on charges of espionage.
“Actually,” said Rajiv, “they’ll probably give me a promotion.”
“Seriously, Indira,” Erin insisted. “You could go to jail.”
“No one’s going to jail,” said Rajiv.