Boyd Morrison - The Midas Code

“I purchased the tablet several months later,” Cavano said, finishing the story. “It had been found with the hand and the manuscript, but it wasn’t part of the original auction. After the theft, the seller didn’t trust the auction house, so I was able to make a generous preemptive offer. I believed that tablet might have something to do with the search for Midas, but I could not divine its purpose. I thought I never would. Until now.”

“What makes you think we know anything about this search for Midas?” Stacy said.

“Because Jordan must be alive and in possession of the manuscript. He knows I’m days from returning to the Midas chamber myself, and he’s trying to beat me to it. Loyalty is prized above everything else in my culture, and Jordan betrayed me. For that, I will make him pay.”

She pressed a button, and her bodyguard opened the door. He came in carrying the pack Tyler had put in the Range Rover’s trunk. The bodyguard laid it on the desk. Cavano reached in and pulled out the pack’s only content.

The geolabe. Cavano’s eyes glittered as she looked at it.

“Fascinating device. You’ll have to explain what it does later.”

She put it back in the pack and spoke to the man in Italian. This went back and forth for a minute, and the man finally said, “Si,” and left with the pack.

“What do you want?” Tyler said.

“I want you to help me find Jordan.”

“We’d like to,” Stacy said, “but we don’t know how to find your cousin.”

“You’re not a very good liar, Dr. Benedict.” Cavano drummed her fingers on the desk. “So. How much for you to give up your search and tell me where he is?”

“How much?”

“I’ll give you a share of the gold.”

Tyler and Stacy looked at each other as if they were contemplating the offer. Tyler knew this offer would be made only once. If they turned it down, they would be forced to do what she wanted anyway. Tyler briefly considered allying with Cavano against Orr, but it was too risky. If he and Stacy weren’t able to complete their task, Orr would know they had failed. Then Sherman Locke and Carol Benedict would die.

“Supposing we know anything about this,” Tyler said. “How do we know you can deliver our share if we turn him in to you?”

Cavano smiled. “Remember the Ministry of Health building? I now own it. Or I will on Monday. Italian austerity measures forced its sale. Once I take possession, my demolition team will tear the foundation apart until we find the tunnel. After that, it will merely be a matter of time until I find the chamber. You can either get nothing with Jordan or you can name your price with me.”

“And if we don’t know him?”

“I’ll soon find out the truth if you don’t cooperate.” Cavano obviously meant torture.

Tyler paused, then said, “Three million dollars. Each.”

Stacy swung her head around so fast, her own hair hit her in the face. “What are you doing?”

Tyler put a hand on her arm. “It’s okay. If she wants to triple the million Orr is paying each of us, I’m happy to go with the high bidder.” He looked at Stacy, who nodded slowly.

Cavano arched her eyebrows. “Done. Three million.”

She pressed the button again, and the bodyguard returned, this time holding a gun. He frisked Tyler and took his Leatherman multi-tool and cell phone. Stacy handed over her phone as well.

“What’s this?” Tyler said. “What about our deal?”

“I’m sorry,” Cavano said, “but I’ll have to detain you until our business is complete. If you fulfill your end of the bargain, you will get your three million dollars each, but until then you will have to remain here as my guests.” She spoke Italian again, leaving Tyler to guess that she was telling the bodyguard which room to lock them up in.

“I am needed elsewhere at this time, so Pietro will show you where you’ll be staying. I assume you don’t mind sharing a room.” She grinned at her intimation and left.

Pietro motioned with his pistol for them to get up. English didn’t seem to be his forte.

Tyler and Stacy stood.

“You know,” Tyler said, “you could shoot your eye out with that thing.”

Nothing. The bodyguard’s face didn’t change a bit. Not that Tyler thought his joke was funny, but if the man understood even a bit of English, he’d at least expect a roll of the eyes.

They began the walk down the hall, confident that they could talk without being understood.

“So what do we do now?” Stacy said.

“We get out of here.”

“How?”

“I’m working on it.”

“Work faster.”

The bodyguard said something in Italian and gestured for them to start climbing a wide marble staircase that wound around and up to a second-story balcony.

At the first corner, an enormous porcelain vase was precariously perched on a wooden pedestal.

Tyler nodded at it. “Be careful.”

Stacy shot him an annoyed look. “You’re worried about a stupid vase-” That’s when Tyler pushed her into it with his hip.

Stacy bumped the table, and the vase teetered over. Her instinct was to try to steady the delicate artwork, and that was exactly the first impulse of the bodyguard as well.

Pietro was distracted for only a moment, but it was enough. He reached out to catch the vase, and when he did, Tyler slammed him into the wall. Pietro’s head knocked against the hardwood, and Tyler bashed his wrist at the same time. The pistol dropped to the marble, and so did Pietro, who cracked his head again. He tumbled down the stairs, still breathing but out cold.

Tyler picked up the gun and took back his Leatherman and his phone. He also took Pietro’s phone and handed Stacy’s back to her. “Fast enough for you?”

It had all happened so quickly that Stacy was still holding the vase.

“What… I… ” she stammered as she pushed it back onto the stand.

“Come on.” Tyler grabbed her arm, raced down the stairs, and turned toward the study.

“Aren’t we getting the hell out of here?” Stacy said, looking over her shoulder.

“Not without that tablet.”

They ran into the study and closed the doors. Tyler flipped the gun around and used the butt to shatter the glass around the tablet.

“Let me take it,” Stacy said. “It’s very fragile.”

She plucked the hinged pieces of wood out of the display case and folded them together. Tyler was about to open the door for a dash to the Range Rover when shouts outside the office stopped him. Somebody had found Pietro.

“Crap! What do we do now?” Stacy said.

Tyler pointed to the field outside. “Through the window.”

He took out Pietro’s phone and dialed a number as quickly as he could. He was relieved when it was answered on the first ring.

“Aiden MacKenna.”

“It’s Tyler.”

“Whose phone are you-” Aiden started before Tyler interrupted him.

“Aiden, start recording this call, and whatever you do, don’t hang up.”

Tyler took the phone, reached as high as he could on the bookshelf, and placed it out of sight on top of a row of books.

Stacy waved her hands at Tyler to hurry. “Let’s go!”

He threw open the window. By now, alarms would be going off throughout the estate. Tyler didn’t know how many other Pietro types Cavano had, but he wouldn’t be surprised to see a small army materialize.

He lowered Stacy to the ground, then jumped down. She started to run around the house, but Tyler pulled her in the other direction.

“But the cars are that way,” she protested.

“That’s where they’ll expect us to go.”

“Aren’t we going to get the geolabe?”

“We can’t right now. This way.” They ran for the stables. Tyler was hoping to find a workman’s car inside because it wouldn’t be long before Cavano’s men realized where they had gone.