A shuffling sound came from the entryway, and the group spun around as two silhouettes entered, surrounded by the bright light from the antechamber. As they drew closer, the faces were revealed from the shadows.
“Cut it a little close there, Mac,” Sean said, grinning.
“You’re welcome,” Joe said, returning the smile.
Helen holstered her weapon and stepped over to Sean. “We hung back to make sure they didn’t know we were around. Looks like they didn’t figure on you having us follow them while they were following you.” She put a finger to his cheek. “You’re going to need to put some ice or a steak on that. Don’t want it to swell.”
Sean chuckled. “I’ll get around to it.”
Joe and Helen looked down at the dead madman. “Was that true what you said about global agencies taking down his ships?”
Sean nodded. “I hope so. Emily is on it. Knowing her, that means it’s probably done. From the sounds of it, she put a ton of resources into the operation.” He sighed, just now starting to catch his breath. “Their little scheme is done.”
Muhammad’s confusion was written all over his face. “I don’t understand,” he said, pointing at Joe and Helen. “You had them follow you? Don’t get me wrong, Mac, I’m glad to see you. Very glad. And you as well, Helen.” He changed his expression to one of gratitude and bowed low to both.
“Yeah,” Joe said, “Sean knew where they were headed, but he also knew Mamoud and his friends probably had no idea where to go once they got to Susa. If they were left to their own devices, they’d have been rummaging around the tourist site above us.” He motioned to the ceiling with a flick of the head.
Nehem listened to the conversation, standing behind the others. He turned his eyes to the mysterious stones resting on the sarcophagus and moved closer. He noticed for the first time a thin engraving on the lid. The others noticed he’d turned his attention to the box and watched as he ran a finger along the lettering. “Here lies Daniel, a servant of the one true God,” he read aloud.
Sean and Tommy passed each other a knowing smile.
The Israeli archaeologist turned his attention to the breastplate. He picked it up with the greatest of reverence and stared at it for a long moment. No one said a word, letting him have the time he wanted with a relic he’d chased for so long. A tear trickled down the side of Nehem’s face. He quickly wiped it away and turned to Sean. “Thank you, all of you, for this.”
Sean gave a single nod; his satisfied grin said enough.
Then Nehem turned to Muhammad. “Long ago, our people were brothers. We came from the same father. You are my brother. I thank you.”
Muhammad bowed his head low. “The side of good does not choose religions, races, or countries. It only chooses good. These men had evil intentions. It is a shame the few discredit the many. But I thank you for your gratitude.”
The two smiled at each other for a second, and then Tommy interrupted. “So, not to put a damper on this tender moment, but we’re surrounded by a bunch of dead bodies. Any chance we could take this party somewhere else?”
Adriana shook her head and punched him in the good shoulder.
“What?” he genuinely looked offended. “I’m just saying.”
Helen interjected. “And there’s the matter of the young woman we found in their vehicle. She was unconscious but alive. They’d left her in the back, not sure why. We put her in our van for safekeeping. It’s warm in there, but she’ll be fine.”
Nehem’s eyes perked up. “A young woman? What did she look like? You said she’s alive?”
Joe nodded. “Yep. You think you know her?”
Tears welled in the corners of Nehem’s eyes. His voice trembled. “My daughter.”
37
“That’s a remarkable contraption,” Sean said. He stared at a case made from three-inch thick glass. Inside, the Hoshen gleamed in the yellowish gallery light. On the opposite side of the room, the two stones sat on a pedestal in a similar case.
“Thank you,” Nehem said, beaming with pride. “They were both designed to lower the artifacts to one of two locations. Same as the Isaiah scroll, there is a safe level, and then there is a research level, all deep below ground. The three pieces we found are still undergoing evaluation and analysis.”
Following the events in Susa, Nehem had extracted the artifacts in secret. He wasn’t about to let the Iranian government get their hands on what he believed rightfully belonged to the people of Israel. He knew that if that happened, the relics would be put in a basement somewhere, or worse. Based on the interaction of the stones with the breastplate, there was something mysterious and potentially dangerous going on.
Once the group left the country, Muhammad set about sealing up the entrance to the tomb. He reasoned that anyone who wanted to pay homage to Daniel could do it in the tourist spot above ground. No one needed to know about the actual crypt. Sean and the others agreed. Within a week, the entire antechamber was blocked off with cinder blocks and concrete.
At the new display’s opening ceremony, Tommy was standing nearby, next to Adriana. He raised a suspicious eyebrow. “I hope your scientists aren’t trying to figure out a way to replicate it and put it to military use.”
Nehem shrugged, stretching out the cream-colored suit he’d chosen for the opening ceremony. “I honestly do not know. I can only speak for my research team. We want to know how it works. We’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Neither have we,” Sean interjected.
“Right,” Nehem agreed. “And we owe it to ourselves to at least ask the questions. Don’t we?”
“Doctor,” Adriana said, “those relics are in their rightful place. We trust that you and your government won’t do anything foolish.”
Tommy seemed irritated, but he pushed those feelings aside. “Well, either way, Israel is an American ally, so I guess at least we’re on the right side.”
Nehem raised a playful eyebrow and nodded. “Indeed.” His eyes drifted over to the opposite side of the room. His daughter stood by the wall, talking to a pair of the honored guests. Her bright smile charming everyone within fifteen feet.
Sean spent the next half hour shaking hands with diplomats, archaeologists, researchers, and curious visitors. Gradually, he let himself slip through the mob and out the door. The late afternoon sun splashed onto his face and instantly warmed his skin. He realized how cool the inside of the museum was kept, probably more for the protection of ancient artifacts than the comfort of the visitors.
He put on his sunglasses and strolled leisurely over to a railing that looked out over the city. White apartments and office buildings towered in the distance among the sprawl of smaller, similarly colored dwellings. Dark-green cypress trees waved in the breeze nearby. Sean stopped at the polished steel railing and rested his hands on it. Behind him, the bright-white stone of the museum reflected the sunlight in the corners of his sunglasses.
He’d only been standing alone for a minute before he realized someone was behind him.
“That’s good work you did, taking down all of those shipping vessels.” He didn’t turn around as he spoke. He didn’t need to. Sean knew who was standing behind him. Partly because Emily always wore the same perfume. She’d worn it for years.
She didn’t bother asking how he knew it was her. She just assumed he was good. “I appreciate the compliment.”
“It’s why you’re the director.”