Moments later Paine was in the Jeep, glancing in the rear view mirror as she drove toward the gate at full tilt.
“That was a sexist thing to say,” Abby chided. “You wouldn’t have told a man to get married and have children.”
“I told her to shoot squirrels, too.”
Abby shook her head. “Ready to fly?”
“After I show you something.”
He led her around to the back of the truck and opened the box that held the scepter. She touched the egg-size emerald and the diamond J.
“The scepter of Prester John. It’s unbelievably beautiful,” she said.
“And slightly lethal,” Hawkins said. “There’s more to see.”
He enjoyed Abby’s wide-eyed expression as he opened the chests one after the other.
Calvin backed the truck up to the cargo door and they moved the chests onto the helicopter. When they were done, Hawkins looked around the deserted old buildings. Sutherland had vanished.
Hawkins picked up his CAR-15 and started walking toward the buildings, which is when he heard a staccato blast and turned to see a motorcycle speeding his way.
The Harley skidded to a stop only a few feet from where he was standing. Wearing an ear-to-ear grin, Sutherland got off the motorcycle and pushed it toward the cargo door.
“Hope you’ve got room for one more item.”
They loaded the Harley onto the helicopter and lifted off. Within minutes, they had left Camp Kurtz far behind.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
Cait lay on her back on the old cast-iron bed. Her wrists and ankles were tied to the frame even though she was in a deep drug-induced sleep. There was a faint sheen of sweat on her upper lip. Her breathing was shallow.
Marzak sat in a wooden chair next to the bed studying Cait’s finely-sculpted features. At one point, he leaned forward and lifted her head, brought a glass to her mouth and gently poured a trickle of water past her parched lips. His tender gesture had nothing to do with sympathy. It was like watering a plant. The drug in Cait’s system could cause dehydration and he didn’t want her kidneys to shut down. Cait was no use to him as dead bait.
He had passed what appeared to be an abandoned cottage while he was tailing her. The property was only a few miles from the turn-off leading to the Kurtz yacht, and he had returned there with his prize after knocking her out.
The cottage was indeed abandoned, though some furniture remained, and its remote wooded location was exactly what Marzak wanted. He had lifted Cait’s limp form from the trunk of his car and carried her into the bedroom. As she lay on the musty-smelling mattress, Marzak administered an antidote to restore her to consciousness. She gurgled like a baby and her eyes snapped open.
If she had not been on drugs, she would have screamed in terror at the sight of the killer at her bedside. But the drug had a calming, truth serum effect.
Marzak looked familiar, but she couldn’t place where she had seen him. He seemed friendly, helping her to sit up and plumping a thin pillow for her neck.
“My shoulder hurts,” she said, unaware that Marzak had used a Taser on her.
“The pain will go away soon. You’ll feel groggy for a minute, and your tongue will be thick.” He handed her a plastic water bottle. “It’s important that you drink.”
She glugged the water down in almost a single gulp and handed him the empty bottle. “More please.”
“After you answer a few questions. Do you remember Hawkins?”
A dreamy smile came to her face. “Oh yes.”
“When did you see him last?”
She struggled to recall. “We were flying from Afghanistan with some of his friends. They were very nice.” Her voice was slurred.
“Why were you with Hawkins in Afghanistan?”
“Seems so long ago.” She furrowed her brow. “I was looking for the Prester John treasure, and so was he. We met by accident at an ancient caravan stop.”
“Did you find the treasure?”
“It was gone. Kurtz took it.”
“Who is Kurtz?”
“An old explorer. He led an expedition to find the treasure. Moved it out of the cave years ago.”
Marzak gave her another bottle of water and while she drank he pondered the answer. Interesting. So Hawkins didn’t find the treasure after all.
“Why were you at the boat?”
“It was the Kurtz yacht. I’m writing a book. I wanted to see the vessel that may have carried the treasure back to the United States.”
Marzak’s pulse quickened. He leaned forward. “The treasure is in the U.S.? Where?”
The abrupt movement and change of voice stirred a faint eddy of fear in Cait’s memory. Her instincts told her there was reason to be afraid of this man.
“I don’t know,” she said, almost in a whisper.
“Where is Hawkins now?”
“In Colorado.”
“Is that where the treasure is? I must tell you that I will kill you if you say you don’t know again.”
She nodded. “He thinks Kurtz took the treasure there and hid it in a mine.”
“Have you heard from Hawkins since you parted?”
She shook her head and looked around as if she had lost something. “My phone.”
Marzak took a phone from his jacket pocket. “Is this what you’re looking for?”
“Yes,” she said with relief. “It has Matt’s number in it.”
“Would you like to call Matt to say hello?”
“Yes,” she said eagerly. She took the phone and looked up Hawkins’ number in the contact list and pressed the call button. When a voice answered at the other end, she smiled and said, “Matt. It’s me, Cait.”
Marzak reached forward and pressed the drug injector to her neck. There was a soft puff as the vapor entered her skin at high pressure. She blinked her eyes and frowned, then her head lolled and she slumped back onto the bed. Marzak took the phone from her limp fingers and brought it to his ear.
“Hello, Hawkins,” he purred.
The call came when the jet carrying the treasure east from Colorado was about an hour out from Washington.
Abby and Sutherland were stretched out asleep in their own rows near the front of the cabin. Hawkins and Calvin were at the rear of the cabin hashing out a strategy to find Marzak before he could set off the Prophet’s Necklace.
He couldn’t believe it when he answered the phone. It was Marzak. And he had Cait.
Keeping his voice as neutral as possible, he said, “Hello, Marzak. Thought you were still back in Afghanistan.”
“I arrived in the United States not long after you, and immediately arranged a reunion with Dr. Everson.”
“I want to talk to her,” Hawkins said.
“Not possible. She’s under the influence of a potent drug and will be asleep for another few hours.”
Calvin was looking at Hawkins with a curious expression on his face. Hawkins put his finger to his lips and pressed the speaker phone button.
“What do you want, Marzak?”
“You’re very impatient, Hawkins.”
“Why waste time on the small talk? Let’s cut to the chase.”
“I agree. Dr. Everson told me the treasure wasn’t in Afghanistan.”
“We struck out, sad to say.”
“Don’t play games, Hawkins. She told me about Kurtz bringing the treasure back to Colorado. You have it.”
“Only part of it,” Hawkins said. “The Prester John scepter. I’m looking at it now.”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“Hang up and I’ll send you proof.”
“Make it fast. Dr. Everson’s vital organs will shut down if I don’t administer an antidote.”
Hawkins severed the connection. “You heard him. We’ll have to do some fancy footwork if we’re going to get Cait out of this alive.”