Eddie turned to Seretse. ‘Looks like I need to get to Turkey, then.’
‘Turkey?’ Rothschild laughed. ‘The altar isn’t in Turkey any more, Mr Chase. It was taken to Berlin in the late nineteenth century. It’s the centrepiece of a whole museum.’
‘Berlin? Even better, it’s nearer. Ozzy, can you sort me out a flight?’
‘I think,’ Seretse said carefully, ‘it may be a good idea for you to accompany Mr Chase, Maureen.’
‘Me?’ she exclaimed, startled.
‘After all, you know Dr Derrick, I believe you speak German… and as an archaeologist, you should be able to help locate this mysterious angel.’
‘What, you’re suggesting that I drop everything and fly to Europe first thing tomorrow morning with’ — a disapproving stab of her finger at Eddie — ‘him?’
‘I wasn’t thinking first thing tomorrow,’ said Eddie. ‘I was thinking, pull strings to get on the next flight out tonight. Or a private flight, even. I know the IHA can set them up at short notice — Nina did all the time when she was running it.’
Rothschild seemed about to make a biting comment, but Seretse headed her off with slightly more diplomacy. ‘Yes, the UN’s accountants and I remember very well.’
The Yorkshireman glared at him. ‘This is important, Ozzy. Nina’s life depends on it. And the baby’s.’
‘Baby’s?’ the old woman echoed. ‘You have a baby?’
‘Nina’s pregnant,’ Eddie told her. ‘Four months. You didn’t know?’
‘I haven’t exactly been following her on Twitter. But no, I didn’t. My God.’ She appeared genuinely shaken. ‘Kidnapping a pregnant woman? That’s… that’s evil, is the only way to describe it. I’m sorry.’
Despite the expression of sympathy, Eddie still couldn’t let her abrupt change of heart pass without comment. ‘If she hadn’t been pregnant, though, you wouldn’t have been bothered?’
Rothschild straightened, regarding him down her thin nose. ‘Let me be clear, Mr Chase. I don’t like you, and I especially don’t like your wife. In my opinion, you’ve cost the field of archaeology far more than you’ve brought to it, with all the death and destruction you’ve caused.’
‘Oh, is that right?’ Eddie replied, bristling.
‘But,’ she went on, ‘I don’t believe that a child should suffer for the sins of the parents. Especially not an… an unborn child.’ Her voice quavered for a moment, but then she recovered. ‘I want to ask you a question, and I expect — no, I demand — an honest answer. If I help you find this angel, do you really believe you’ll be able to use it to bring Nina and her child home safely?’
‘Yeah, I do,’ he said without hesitation. ‘I’m not an archaeologist, but this kind of thing? It’s what I do best.’
‘Everyone has one talent, I suppose… Very well. I’ll help you.’ She turned to Seretse. ‘Although I would like something in return.’
The diplomat tensed at being put on the spot. ‘And what would that be?’
‘Nothing major. Just some consultancy work for the IHA. With a stipend, of course. I’m getting on in life, and extra income is always welcome.’
Seretse looked at Eddie, who gave him a do it! nod. ‘I will see what I can arrange,’ he said wearily.
‘And what about a plane?’ Eddie asked.
‘It will take a few hours, but I can get a private jet to take you to Germany. Exactly how I will explain it to the accountants, I am not yet sure.’
‘You’re a diplomat, you can justify anything.’ Eddie stood. ‘We’d better get going.’
‘What about my dog?’ said Rothschild, waving at the animal, which sleepily got to its feet and padded to her. ‘Someone needs to look after him.’
‘I will take care of that too,’ Seretse assured her, with an air of resignation. ‘Now, you will both need your passports.’
‘I’ll have to go home for mine,’ said Eddie. ‘Where’ll this jet fly out of?’
‘LaGuardia.’
‘Okay, I’ll meet you there. Both of you.’
Rothschild finished petting the dog, then stood. ‘Going on a mission with you, Mr Chase. I would never have imagined it.’
‘Yeah, over eight hours on a plane together?’ Eddie said sarcastically. ‘Can’t wait.’
Even with Seretse’s best efforts to expedite the process of chartering a private flight, it was still well after two o’clock in the morning by the time all the arrangements had been made. But finally he led Eddie and Rothschild across the damp concrete of LaGuardia airport towards a Gulfstream G550 business jet. ‘You will be landing at Berlin Tegel,’ the official told the two travellers over the whine of its idling engines. ‘With the flight duration and the time difference, it will be late afternoon by the time you arrive.’
‘Hope the seats recline, then,’ said Eddie. ‘We’ll need some kip on the way. What about when we get there?’
‘I’ve already spoken to Markus,’ Rothschild said. ‘We can go from the airport directly to the museum, and he’s arranged for us to stay after hours to examine the altar. I should warn you, though,’ she added, ‘I mentioned that we were looking for some sort of angel or Christian symbol, and he’s absolutely certain there isn’t any such thing on the altar itself, or on any of the pieces awaiting restoration. He’s been overseeing the work for almost a decade, so if there were anything, he would already have seen it.’
‘Yeah, I was afraid of that,’ replied Eddie. ‘Can’t imagine there’d be many places to hide something in an altar.’
‘Have you learned anything more about the men who kidnapped you?’ asked Seretse. ‘You told me your friend in the NYPD was investigating.’
Eddie shook his head. ‘She ran his fingerprint, and it came up blocked. Not unknown; restricted. So did the other dead guys. That means they were all US intelligence or special forces. Past or present, it doesn’t matter — spooks always cover their people’s arses.’
Rothschild gave him a nervous look. ‘And these are the people who’ve kidnapped Nina?’
A sardonic grin. ‘Welcome to our world.’
They reached the plane, a uniformed attendant waving them to the cabin steps. ‘This is where I leave you,’ said Seretse. ‘I hope you find what you are looking for. And that you recover Nina safely,’ he added to Eddie.
‘Thanks, Oswald,’ the Yorkshireman said, offering his hand. The diplomat shook it. ‘See you when we get back.’
‘If I still have my job,’ he answered with a sigh, followed by a faint smile. ‘Good luck, Eddie. And to you, Maureen.’
Eddie hopped up the steps. ‘Okay, then. Let’s go.’ He ducked through the entrance, Rothschild exchanging a polite kiss on the cheek with Seretse before following. The attendant pulled in the steps, then sealed the hatch.
Ten minutes later, the Gulfstream left the runway. It climbed into the sky, leaving the lights of New York behind as it headed east into the night.
10
Nina slowly emerged from a troubled sleep. The room was already uncomfortably warm, even early in the morning. She pushed the sheet down her body, shifting to find a cooler patch on the mattress—
Someone was standing over her.
‘Jesus!’ Nina shrieked, sitting bolt upright. Her unexpected guest was Miriam. The young woman squealed and jumped backwards. ‘What the hell, Miriam? Why didn’t you knock?’
‘I did, I did!’ she replied, hands flapping. ‘You didn’t answer, and I was worried, so the Prophet unlocked the door.’