Twenty minutes later, the road emerged from the woods near the mountain’s peak. Carmen slowed and pointed. Darkness had fallen, but Zane was able to see the outline of a one-story home just ahead.
“You didn’t see this on the maps?” Amanda whispered.
“To be honest, I do remember seeing a few rooftops near the top of the mountain,” Zane admitted, “but I never related them to the GPS coordinates since they were so far away.”
“It doesn’t look like anyone is home,” Carmen said.
Zane studied the windows. As far as he could tell, she was right. It was pitch black. There was no light anywhere, indoors or out.
“Let’s have a look.” Zane gestured to the right. “Just to be safe, we’ll loop around and come in through the back.”
Zane led them across the open space. The residence was encircled by a short stone wall, which they followed around to the rear. After listening for any signs of activity, Zane moved over to the gate and undid the latch.
Carmen entered first with her gun drawn, sweeping to the right and to the left. “All clear.”
The small courtyard was mostly bare. To the left was an untended garden, and to the right was a table and chairs. Against the wall behind the table was a lawn mower and gas can. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Zane walked to the rear door and removed the lock pick kit. The lock was an older model, probably the norm in the relatively crime-free areas surrounding the mountain lakes. Two minutes later, there was a loud click as the lock snapped open.
“I’ll go in first,” Amanda whispered.
As part of her training, Brett had taught her how to disable most commercial and private security systems. If one beeped upon entry, she knew how to remove the casing and turn off the alarm with a series of quick wire cuts. After removing a pocketknife, Amanda opened the door and entered. Thankfully, there was no sign of an alarm, so she waved them in.
“Well, we know this is Dr. Pauling’s house,” Carmen noted as she entered. “Not one bit of clutter.”
A large living room ran from one side of the house to the other. As Carmen had noted, the interior was consummate Pauling. There was very little furniture, and the only personal items in view were a stack of magazines on a coffee table.
Carmen frowned as she looked around. “This is it.”
“This is what?” Zane asked.
“This is the room the video was filmed in. The windows, the curtains, they’re all the same.”
“She’s right,” Amanda said. “If it was light outside, I’d bet we’d see the mountains.”
“At least we know we’re at the right place,” Carmen said.
Zane glanced around the room. “Let’s begin our search. Since we’re using this door as our exit, let’s start at the front and work our way back here.”
He clicked on a flashlight and led them down a center hallway that ran toward the front of the house. They passed a kitchen on the left, followed by a couple of crisscrossing corridors. The house was only one story, but it covered a lot of square footage. As they neared the front, Zane shone his light into a room on the right. It looked like a study, so he signaled Carmen that he’d begin searching there.
Carmen peeked in the room across the hall. “This looks like a bedroom, so I’ll start over here.”
“I’ll see if there is anything further down.” Amanda kept walking.
Zane entered the study. Like the living room, it was simply decorated with a desk and chair on one end and a bookshelf on the other. Unfortunately, there was nothing in plain view — no papers lying around, no stacks of important folders, and no electronic devices. Zane decided to begin his search at the shelf. The first clue had been hidden inside a book, so why not do the same again? Using his light, Zane began a slow examination of the spines. Unlike the library in Venice, these books weren’t exclusively about archaeology. There were a few, but most were a diverse mix of history, geography, astronomy, and travel.
He had just pulled out an atlas when he heard Carmen call to him from across the hall. “Zane.”
After sliding the book back, he crossed to the bedroom. Carmen stood in front of a wardrobe on the right. The doors were open, and she trained her flashlight on something inside. “Check this out.”
As he came alongside, he saw a small laptop on the top shelf. “Who puts their laptop in a wardrobe?”
“An eccentric archaeologist?” She looked at him with a smile. “I think we just found our map.”
“Perhaps.” Zane pulled it off the shelf. “But let’s not get our hopes up until we can take a look at the files.”
As Zane moved toward the bed, he felt a vibration in his pocket. The phone. He frowned. They were using burners, so he knew there were only two possible callers — Amanda or someone from Delphi Headquarters. He guessed the former.
Carmen fished for her phone as well.
Zane unlocked the screen to find a text message from Amanda. Get up here quick.
The urgency bothered Zane. If she’d found the map she’d simply have brought it back to them. He tucked his phone away quickly. “Let’s see what she’s got.”
After setting the laptop back in the wardrobe, the two made their way to the front. After finding the foyer empty, Zane noticed a sitting room through a doorway on the left. Amanda held silent vigil at the window.
She waved them over. “Here we go again.”
Zane and Carmen stood on either side of her. The fog outside was thick now, making it hard to see more than twenty yards or so. A brisk wind swept across the yard, causing the chime on the front porch to sway and jingle. Other than that, Zane saw and heard nothing.
He gave Amanda a confused look.
“The woods,” Amanda said. “Look at the woods.”
Zane shifted his gaze toward the trees.
Carmen’s body stiffened next to him. “I see it.”
Zane saw it too, several beams of light moving back and forth in the fog. Vehicles made their way up the drive.
“It was providential,” Amanda said. “I just had a feeling something was out there, so I came to the window. At first, I didn’t see anything, then a little tiny glow appeared way back in the woods. As soon as I saw the light, I knew it couldn’t be good.”
Zane continued to stare at the trees. A few seconds later, a black SUV broke out of the woods. There were more behind it. “Let’s go. We’ll exit through the back.”
He led them back through the foyer and down the hallway. Car doors were already opening and closing outside. His pulse quickened. They were moving faster than he’d imagined. At most, they had a minute to get out of the house.
If they didn’t, they’d be trapped inside.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Carmen drew her pistol as she followed Zane to the back. She’d heard the doors slamming outside as well but was still confident they could get out without being seen. For one, the new arrivals probably didn’t expect to find anyone here, making it doubtful they’d encircle the home. Zane crossed to the rear door and stared through the glass. A few seconds later, he gave the all-clear signal and reached for the knob.
An image flashed in Carmen’s mind. How could she have forgotten? “Zane, wait. The laptop.”
Zane paused with the door half open. “Hurry. We’ll wait here.”
“No, both of you get out and hide in the woods. This will only take a few seconds.”
Zane hesitated.
“Go!” Carmen shouted. As she turned and sprinted down the hall, she heard them leave through the back door. It was the right thing to do. There was no sense in endangering three people when it wasn’t necessary. Zane knew that. He was just glad she’d remembered the sole item of interest. The house was about to be turned upside down, and there was zero chance the intruders would miss it.