The camera views offered inside the car cycled through, but to no avail. Whatever Lourds worked on remained hidden.
A few minutes later the team on-site in the hotel suite radioed that they were cleared from the scene. Mullins confirmed the information, then came out of the shop carrying a small bag.
‘Looks like the professor’s working away,’ Mullins said on the way back to the car. ‘We could take what he’s got.’
Dawson thought about that. Whatever Lourds had seen was definitely more useful than anything the cryptology department had put together at the agency. He had to wonder if the few crumbs the professor had assembled would be enough to find the answers to translate the information in the book.
‘Well, how do you want to handle this?’ Mullins asked as he reached for the car door.
Lourds only then noticed Mullins at the door. Quietly, feigning disinterest and boredom, the professor put the book away and tucked his notebook into his shirt pocket.
Mullins slid in behind steering well.
Dawson took in a big breath and let it out. Guys like the professor liked to play things smart. He’d already stonewalled the Istanbul police. Playing things smart would also mean that Lourds had created a code of his own to keep his notes in. They had already seen evidence of that in the notes Mullins had found in the backpack. Since the guy was so good with languages, there might be more than one code.
‘No,’ Dawson answered. ‘Leave him room to run. We know where he is. We can pick him up anytime we’re ready.’
As he watched, Mullins started the car and eased out into traffic.
Eserin Crown Hotel
Sultanahmet District
Istanbul, Turkey
March 17, 2010
At the door to his suite, Lourds swiped the keycard through the slot, turned the handle, then eased into the dark room. He halted before he was halfway through the door. Someone was inside. Or had only just left. The smell of expensive perfume lingered in the air. As interesting as that scent was, and perhaps familiar, he didn’t feel like trying his luck. The trip to Istanbul – except for the interesting manuscript – was turning out to be something of a surprise.
He eased back out of the room, contemplating getting a berth in another hotel. One that wasn’t quite as heavily travelled. As he closed the door, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
Lourds started violently and almost yelled in fright. He raised his empty arm up defensively before him, clutching his backpack to his chest with the other.
‘Thomas?’ Olympia Adnan yelped as she dodged backward. ‘What do you think you’re doing? You could hurt someone flailing around like that.’
‘Olympia!’ Embarrassed, Lourds stood a little straighter. ‘You shouldn’t go around sneaking up on people like that.’
Still somewhat confused, Olympia shook her head and looked rather cross. ‘I had hoped you’d be glad to see me. After all, we haven’t seen each other in almost three years.’
High cheekbones and wide-set brown eyes made her beautiful. Her thick black hair lay in shimmering waves of ebony past her shoulders. Her clear olive-tinted complexion gave her an exotic aura. She stood only an inch or two above Lourds’ shoulder. The teal skirt suit she wore emphasized her lush figure to its best advantage. Spiked strappy heels, which also explained how she came up to Lourds’ shoulder, showed off her trim calves. A ruby pendant on a white gold chain was held just above the hint of cleavage Lourds could see in the V of the jacket.
‘Has it really been three years?’ Lourds asked, wishing he wasn’t grinning so foolishly.
‘It has.’
‘You look amazing.’
‘Thank you. I work at it.’ Some of the old playfulness flickered in her brown eyes. She reached out and pulled at his shirt collar. ‘Perhaps it’s something you should do.’
‘The last couple of days haven’t been anything like what you promised when you invited me here,’ Lourds countered.
Olympia wrinkled her nose. ‘I know. The news programmes have been full of that. I’m sorry for it. But you have to admit, most of this has been far beyond my control.’
That reminded Lourds of the perfume he’d smelled inside the suite. He put a finger to his lips.
Intrigued, Olympia narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer to him. ‘What?’ she whispered.
‘Someone’s in my room.’
‘Nonsense!’ Olympia looked affronted. ‘This is a very good hotel, I’ll have you know. I’ve stayed here myself, and I arranged for your booking.’
‘The security isn’t what it could be,’ Lourds replied quietly.
‘The security is good here.’
‘They let the police in earlier.’
Olympia put her fists on her generous hips. ‘They were the police, Thomas. Of course the hotel had to let them in.’
‘They could have mentioned it at the desk.’
‘Mentioned what? That they let the police into your room?’
‘Yes.’
‘Maybe the police told them not to tell you. Have you thought about that?’
‘Of course I have. And of course they probably did. I’m beginning to strongly dislike surprises.’
Olympia rolled her eyes. ‘I rather gathered that when I tapped you on the shoulder and you nearly wet yourself.’
‘No, I was preparing to defend myself.’
‘Well, in case no one has mentioned it before, as an expert in self-defence, you’re a great linguist.’
Lourds frowned in response. ‘Maybe you have changed. I really don’t remember you being this unkind three years ago.’
‘Nonsense. Any time you got overly pompous, I was always there to prick you.’
‘I’ve told you before that I really think that should be my line.’
She smiled at him disarmingly. ‘Then you should concentrate on getting it in sooner.’
While Lourds was engaged in the latest bit of double entendre, Olympia slipped past him. She plucked the keycard from his hand and, before he knew it, was opening the door.
‘Don’t go in there.’
Olympia arched an eyebrow at him. ‘Really? That’s supposed to stop me?’
‘Seriously, Olympia. Someone is in there.’
‘How do you know?’
‘I smelled her perfume.’
‘Well, you’ve got a fabulous nose for perfumes. But maybe it’s something left by another woman who’s been in your room.’
‘If there’s been a woman in my room, I don’t know about it.’ Even as he said that, Lourds was more than a little intrigued by the suggestive nature of their conversation as well as the flirting and hint of jealousy. ‘How’s your love life?’
Olympia grimaced at him. ‘What love life?’
‘I thought you were involved with the Belgian archaeologist.’
‘I was. Sadly, he and I both discovered that he’s a lot like you.’
‘Me?’
‘Yes. Too involved in your own pursuits to let any woman slow you down for long.’
‘Ouch.’
Olympia patted his cheek. ‘You never hurt me, pet. You made it very clear from the beginning that what we had was fun. And it was.’ She caught him by the shirt collar and pulled him down for a lingering kiss.
Lourds’ head swam at the intoxicating feel of her lips pressed against his. Definitely looks like it can be fun again.
‘Thomas,’ she whispered raggedly as she pulled away.
‘Yes?’
‘The door, pet, opens inward.’ Olympia slid the keycard, turned the handle, and pushed the door.
For a moment, Lourds was caught flatfooted between sensory overload from the kiss and surprise at seeing how quickly she’d outmanoeuvred him. Despite every instinct in him screaming to flee the premises, he trailed after her and went inside the room.
12
The Oval Office
The White House
Washington, D. C.
United States of America
17 March 2010
Vice-President Elliot Webster walked along the carpeted hallway to the president’s sanctum. Excitement vibrated through him because he knew everything he had planned for so long was coming to a head. He’d actually thought this time might be as much as two or three years away. He had had a handful of plans in mind to trigger the coming events, but Professor Thomas Lourds’ arrival in Istanbul had been too good to pass up.