“In Roslin, Scotland?”
“Yes. I’m surprised you remember that, Nicholas.”
Nicholas simply raised an eyebrow.
“Never mind, of course you remember. Lilith and I lived close to each other. She went to my school.” She frowned over the photo. “Maybe not, how can it be? This is simply too big of a coincidence.”
“Let me see what I can find out about her.” Adam dusted the potato chips from his hands, sat down, and started typing. “Bingo. Lilith Leigh Forrester-Clarke, age thirty-six, from Roslin, Scotland. Attended Cambridge, majored in archaeology—copied you in her studies, Kitsune. What’s this? She joined MI5, was with them for four years. Her current address is in London, and she works for the Genesis Group, headquartered in Rome.”
“What’s the Genesis Group?” Mike asked.
Kitsune still clutched both photos in her hands. “The Genesis Group is one of the leading archaeology firms in the world right now, very powerful, very wealthy. They fund digs all over the world.
“Yes, they are headquartered in Rome, but they got their start in London, more than a hundred years ago, under a man named Appleton Kohath. He founded the firm around the turn of the century and it’s been passed down through the generations, has always been run by family members. They are well regarded in the archaeology community.” She paused. “And now everything makes sense.”
Adam had the Genesis Group website up. He turned the computer around to show everyone the slick, well-designed page, then began to read from the About section.
He read, “The Genesis Group is the preeminent archaeology firm in the world, with an annual endowment of over a billion dollars.”
Kitsune said, “The accepted wisdom in the antiquities world is Appleton Kohath founded the Genesis Group to go after the Ark of the Covenant. And that’s how he got his start. He was a contemporary of Howard Carter of King Tut fame. Kohath was there, at the dig. And he was a part of every major dig thereafter during his lifetime. Again, most of them centered on discovering possible sites of the Ark of the Covenant. I read Kohath’s biography, written by Elizabeth St. Germaine, an English writer.”
Nicholas was shaking his head. “Elizabeth St. Germaine. Her family and mine have been friends forever. Elizabeth died quite suddenly a couple of weeks ago. It came as a shock to everyone.” He paused, then, “So, Kitsune, you think the search for the Ark continues, and you think the Kohaths running the Genesis Group today hired you to steal the staff of Moses. Why? Perhaps it would hold some clues to the location of the Ark?”
Kitsune shook her head. “No, if they indeed are the clients, I think they hired me to steal the staff of Moses because they wanted to know for certain it was a fake, then they would know the staff is still inside the Ark. Wherever it is.
“That’s another reason this is so puzzling. It was a professional job, one of dozens I’ve completed successfully over the years. I simply do not understand why they would risk trying to kill me. They want me dead so much they even kidnapped Grant to get to me? And look what it got them.” And she waved her hands around at the group.
Nicholas shrugged. “I don’t think it’s such a mystery, Kitsune. Secrecy is very important to them and you could talk. They didn’t want to take that chance. They wanted anonymity, and you being dead is the only way to guarantee it.”
Adam ate the last potato chip, tipped up the bag to get the crumbs, then swiped his mouth. “Okay, reenergized. Who do you want me to hack now?”
“You’ll see what we need right on the website. Who currently runs the Genesis Group?”
Kitsune said, “No need to look it up. I know. It’s Cassandra and Ajax Kohath-Maynes. They’re twins, late twenties, very smart, very photogenic.”
Mike looked up from studying the website. “They’re evidently very good at fund-raising, given how wealthy they are. Have you met them?”
“Once, in London, a while ago—six, eight years. Both are trained archaeologists, Ajax is a computer whiz, helps to search out where there is probable payoff for a dig. They are usually together, although I seem to remember that Cassandra was married for about ten minutes when she was very young. I don’t know what happened to her husband.
“Although now I’m more on the edges of the archaeology community, I still hear rumors.”
“Rumors about what?” Mike sat forward in her chair.
“Rumors of instability, I guess you could say.”
“These twins—you mean they’re nuts?” Adam said.
Kitsune shrugged. “More that they’re mercurial, unpredictable, fast to anger—particularly Ajax—but still brilliant, both of them. Could they be my clients? Yes, I think they could. They have not only a house here in Venice, they also have other holdings as well.”
“All right,” Mike said, “let’s say the Kohaths didn’t want to show themselves to you because you would know who they were and why they wanted the staff of Moses.”
Adam said, “Their working budget appears tremendous. But their continuous financial outlay is staggering. My question is, where do they get the money to continue year after year? All from fund-raising? Even the best politicians at home couldn’t fund-raise like they have, for decades.”
Mike said, “And what about the weather? The devastating sandstorm in the Gobi? How does that tie in? Why would they want to devastate Beijing?”
Nicholas paced to the window, turned back to the group. “Have they actually figured out how to start a sandstorm or any other kind of storm, for that matter, from a specific place? If so, there would be no stopping them. They could hold the earth for ransom.”
“Usurping the power of God,” Louisa said. “That’s beyond frightening.”
“These people are supposed to be the descendants of Moses,” Kitsune said. “Kohaths, Levites. The Ark of the Covenant is central to their family history. Their family’s mission has always been to find the Ark, it’s never been a secret. And now that we’ve reached an era of remarkable scientific innovation—”
Nicholas said quietly, “Perhaps the power of God and the brilliance of science have merged at last.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
What are we going to do now?” Adam asked.
“First things first,” Nicholas said, “Louisa, if you would bring a tracker and a glass of water to Kitsune.”
Kitsune looked at what appeared to be an oversize vitamin pill and nearly rose straight out of her chair. “I am not going to run. Where would I go? You are my best hope of staying alive and finding Grant. What is this?”
“We call it an ingestible,” Louisa said, and handed it to her. Now we can keep you safe. We will never lose sight of you. It lasts about seventy-two hours.”
Kitsune stared at her a moment. “Keep me safe? You want to keep me safe?”
“Of course,” Nicholas said. “You’re our bait.”
“Yes, of course,” Kitsune said, and smiled. “I want to talk to Cassandra and Ajax Kohath.”
Louisa said, “Bottoms up. And be sure to wash it down. It can give you heartburn if you don’t.”
Adam looked up. “The twins live on the Grand Canal.” And he gave them the exact address and preened.
Kitsune said, “If they’re not here, they’re in Rome, at the headquarters of the Genesis Group. Six hours if we drive.”
“It would be faster to fly.”
“Your own plane, Nicholas? I am impressed. Imagine, now you’re officially in the American FBI. Amazing step for you to take. Just look what you and Mike have done in such a short time.”
Nicholas raised an eyebrow.
“Nicholas, you must understand that people are watching you and Michaela’s every move. You didn’t save just anyone’s life, you saved the president of the United States’ life, brought down Zahir Damari, no mean feat. You’ve become an active threat to a number of people, especially now that you’ve been given more power, and that’s exactly what we’re going to need if we’re going up against the Genesis Group. Their money, their influ
ence, the number of bad guys on their payroll—we’re going to have to be very careful.”
Mike said, “We should hit them now, here at their home. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
Kitsune stopped cold. “Wait, wait. I just remembered. Okay, the cataclysmic sandstorm in the Gobi—the twins’ mother went missing in the Gobi Desert a decade ago. She was on a dig and was caught in a sandstorm. The site was never found, and word was the twins were devastated. The entire company shuts down every year on the anniversary.”
“And who was their mother?”
“Helen Kohath-Maynes. Brilliant archaeologist, an amazing woman. I studied her in school. She was a leading Ark scholar, and led the foundation for a short time but allowed her husband, David Maynes, to handle the day-to-day running of the foundation’s business so she could be out on digs, searching for the Ark.
“Rumor also has it that the twins kicked their father out of running the Genesis Group when they turned twenty-one and took control. They also dropped his name, which has to tell you how much they distrusted and disliked him. Now they’re only called Cassandra and Ajax Kohath. I believe he died a short while ago.”
Mike said, “Well, if David Maynes is dead, he isn’t a player in all of this. Here’s what I don’t understand: Why would the world’s leading expert on the Ark of the Covenant believe it was buried in the Gobi Desert? It makes no sense.”
“And that, I believe,” Louisa said, “brings us right back to the huge sandstorm and controlling weather.”
Kitsune said, “It does. And it makes no sense to me, either.”
Nicholas said, “At least we’re finally starting to see a pattern emerge. Adam, get us everything you can find on Cassandra and Ajax Kohath. We don’t want to trot up to their front door unless we know what to expect. If they are behind this, they’ve already tried to kill us and Kitsune, twice now. They even want her so badly, they took her husband.”
Adam said, “The Genesis Group has an extensive online presence, pretty typical for a company these days. They’re an open book—all aboveboard, so far as the public can tell. I’m searching through their files, so far nothing at all alarming. Their holdings are all over the globe, and they appear incredibly flush with cash. I’ll have to get inside to see about their actual cash flow. On the surface, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a healthier balance sheet. We’re talking billions of dollars. Ah, listen to this. Lilith Forrester-Clarke is listed as their chief of operations.”
“Interesting,” Kitsune said. “I’d also suggest taking a historical look at the Kohaths as well. There’s only so much to be gleaned online.”
Louisa said, “I’ll call Ben, ask him to take the lead on that angle.”
Nicholas said, “Louisa, also ask Ben to get in touch with Melinda St. Germaine in London. Since her mother, Elizabeth St. Germaine, was the biographer of Appleton Kohath, the creator of the Genesis Group, perhaps there is information there that will help us. Hopefully Melinda will agree to let Ben look at her mother’s materials. Tell him to use my name.”
“Got it,” Louisa said, and turned away to dial Ben in New York.
Nicholas stretched. “Now, this Lilith character. Tell me about her, Kitsune.”
“I remember she always seemed to be hanging around me, always wanted my attention. I didn’t like her much, tried to ignore her, lose her when I could, but she always managed to find me. But she was a little kid then—I can’t imagine she’d even remember me.”
“Oh, she knows exactly who you are,” Nicholas said. “And I’ll wager she recommended the Kohaths hire you to steal the staff because she’s followed your every step through the years. She was MI5, remember? She would have had complete access to everything known about you and your world. She doubtless followed your exploits. Did she envy you? Probably so.
“I’ll also wager she managed to find the location of your home. Did she know about your marriage to Grant Thornton, and his leaving the Beefeaters? Sure she did. And I’ll bet she was at the Topkapi to check on you.”
“To see if I was there?”
“If her bosses were your client? It makes sense. When we see her, we’ll be sure to ask about her visit. And about her fascination with you.”
Mike shrugged, drank some water. “If Nicholas is right, it means she’s been watching you for years from the shadows. Maybe that’s why she also studied archaeology. Because you did. As Adam said, she copied you.”
Kitsune was silent, trying to take it all in. She said, “We still don’t have a definitive link from the Kohaths to the Genesis Group to me, and we need that.”
Nicholas said, “We’ll get it. Now, you guys carry on. I need to talk to Savich. I have an idea.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
While Mike called Zachery to give him an update, and Louisa talked to Ben, Nicholas walked into his bedroom and punched in Savich’s number. It was just short of 2:00 a.m. in Venice, so that would make it dinnertime at the Savich house.
Savich answered on the first ring. “Nicholas—how is Lia?”
“She’ll be fine, her dad will be here in the morning. Another couple of days in the hospital and he’ll take her home.”
“I’ve had several calls from Zachery. Both he and I have seen how you shot up Saint Mark’s Square and made a big-time enemy of a higher-up in the Carabinieri.”
Nicholas laughed. “His name is Major Russo. We’re looking at his files, checking to see if he was really detained, or purposefully called off. Or called himself off. We’ll see.”
“Nicholas? Sherlock here. Your shoot-out at Saint Mark’s Square is all over the news. Unfortunately, yours and Mike’s names were given out, the Italian government raised a ruckus, and yes, I believe the vice president got involved. Dillon, tell them what she said to you.”
Savich said, “The vice president was still fired up when she called me. She spoke to the Italian president, currently, Giorgio Grasso, but she mentioned he probably wasn’t long for the office, which was sad because she rather liked him, said Grasso voiced all the proper apologies. She also said she trusted you and Mike implicitly and hoped you would save the world from destruction one more time. Do you have Kitsune?”
“Yes, she’s here, working with us.”
“Hmm,” said Sherlock. “We see she’s now wanted for murder in Venice.”
“She was set up,” Nicholas said. “If what’s going on is as serious as we believe, then Kitsune’s a heroine for alerting us.”
Savich said, “I hope you’re only fifty percent serious about possible world destruction.”
“It’s all very complicated, Savich, and to be honest, I’m still not sure, but we have an excellent lead now. I need a favor.”
“Tell me.”
“Can you program MAX to explore possible past ventures into controlling weather?”
“Yes. MAX will enjoy that.”
Adam came into the room, and Nicholas put the phone on speaker. “Hi, Agent Savich. Don’t have MAX go much earlier than the turn of the twentieth century.”
“Adam, glad to hear your voice. You’re still operating under the assumption the massive sandstorm in the Gobi was somehow engineered, and not a natural disaster?”
Adam said, “Yes, sir. We’ve already verified several storms hit nearly the same spot in the Gobi over the past decade.”
Nicholas picked it up. “None of us think nature could be so precise, and this feels very precise. So I got to thinking, has there been any work done along this line in the past that might have been used as a building block, that might give us some clues? Some understanding into how controlling the weather could actually be accomplished.
“And one other thing, Savich. If MAX could also have a hard look at those who made great profits from Hurricane Katrina. The oil companies, for example—the price of oil went through the roof. If someone knew about the severity of Katrina beforehand, shorted the stock, bought oil futures, they made millions.”
Savich whistled. “For argument’s sake, let’s say an
outside force can control the weather, that this outside force has built upon earlier work, and has managed to create disasters and reap the profits. Do you know who’re the most likely candidates?”
“The Genesis Group is at the top of our list, privately owned by the Kohath family. Both Adam and Gray are deep into their files as we speak.”
“There’s a lot more to this, isn’t there, Nicholas?”
“Yes. If you have two minutes, I’ll boil it down for you as best I can.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“It all goes back to the Ark of the Covenant and why Kitsune called me.” And Nicholas filled him in quickly on what had happened since they arrived in Venice.
When he finally came up for air, Savich said, “This is the stuff of nightmares.”
“Yes. The world would be scared if it knew.”
“All right, I’ll have MAX look into past efforts in weather control, the results, the protocols, as well as the big winners with Katrina, which I suppose you want me to try to connect up to huge profits for the Genesis Group.”
“Exactly. As fast as you can find something useful the better. Thank you, Savich.”
When Nicholas hung up, Adam said, “I’d sure like to get my hands on MAX. Yeah, yeah, like that would ever happen. I’ll keep searching.”
Nicholas did some quick research on his own computer. Nothing popped. He wished he had the mainframe at MI5 at his disposal again.
It was nearly 3:00 a.m. when he walked back into the living room to see Adam slouched over his laptop, asleep. Everyone else was dragging. Time to hang it up. He sent Kitsune with Louisa to bunk down with her. “Be back here in the suite at nine. We’ll have breakfast and decide our next step.”
He looked over at Mike, who was headed toward the second bedroom. “Mike.”
She turned, leaned against the door of the second bedroom, as if she needed to prop herself up, and gave him a silly grin. “Sure was a long day, Nicholas,” and she yawned. Her hair was ratty, half out of its ponytail, her clothes wrinkled, and she was lightly rubbing her wounded arm. She looked ready to fall over.