John Sneeden: The Hades Conspiracy

“ Sono in paradiso! ” Carmen held up her cup as Zane entered. I’m in heaven!

He gave her a wink. “Something told me you’d like that.”

“Not sure I’ve ever seen her this excited before,” Amanda said.

Zane nudged Carmen out of the way and poured a cup for himself. “I guess you haven’t seen her around some of the dark-haired hunks in Florence.”

“Lavazza is better than any hunk I’ve ever met.”

Zane shook his head. “I seriously doubt that.”

“So you’re my shrink now?” Carmen gestured toward the living room. “This way. I have something for you.”

Zane followed her out of the kitchen while Amanda closed the blinds and joined them. Carmen lifted an unmarked box from one of the couches and set it on the coffee table. “I stopped by the courier’s office on the way in.”

Carmen used the edge of a key to cut the tape and opened the lid. A large cache of weapons and tactical items were stacked inside: a Glock 21, a Beretta 92FS, a Walther PPS, a dozen or so magazines, and a lock pick kit.

Zane looked at Carmen. “What about Brett’s bombs?”

Carmen laughed. “Is that what you’re calling them now?”

“I think it’s a great name,” Amanda said. “We can get some T-shirts printed.”

“They’re supposed to be in a separate container.” Carmen pushed some of the items around before finally lifting a metal box. A key was already in the lock, so she twisted it and opened the lid. Inside were two of the explosive devices.

“We’re going to have a blast using these things.” Zane picked one up.

Amanda shook her head and smiled. “Har, har.”

Zane looked at Carmen. “I know you too well. Don’t tell me you aren’t looking forward to tossing one of these babies through a window.”

“Something tells me we won’t be using them anytime soon,” she said. “Although I guess stranger things have happened.”

Amanda grabbed the Wather PPS and sat back on the couch. “So is Pauling’s residence near here?”

“Now is a good time to go over that. Be right back.” Carmen disappeared into one of the bedrooms then reappeared with a tablet and sat down between Zane and Amanda.

“I think his place is on the other side of town. Isn’t it?” Zane asked.

“Just about.” After entering her map application, Carmen pointed at the screen. “We’re here in south central Venice, just west of the lower end of the Grand Canal.” She moved her finger to the northeast end of the island. “Pauling’s house is here, where the Rio di Santa Giustina meets the Venetian lagoon.”

“Switch that over to satellite,” Zane said.

Carmen tapped, and the map transitioned to satellite images. When it finished loading, she zoomed in on the area.

Amanda pointed. “That actually looks like two houses.”

“Pauling’s is the one closest to the water.”

Zane’s brow furrowed. Standalone buildings were rare in Venice. Almost all structures in the city were contiguous. A freestanding home must cost a fortune. “Do you know if he owns both?”

“I don’t have any information on the other one,” Carmen said. “I suppose it’s possible, but I’m running on the assumption it belongs to someone else.”

“The Oracle wasn’t kidding when he said Pauling inherited a fortune,” Zane said. “I’m guessing the prices on those homes are jaw-dropping. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s the most expensive residential real estate in Venice.”

Amanda pointed at the screen. “Can we get a look from ground level?”

Carmen toggled over to street view. Zane stared at the image, which was taken from about twenty yards away. Pauling’s home seemed even larger up close. It was three stories high with a red brick exterior. While he had no idea what home prices were in Venice, he guessed this would be at least an eight-figure house.

“Where is the entrance?” Amanda asked.

Carmen swiped the screen a few times to bring up the side of the building furthest away from the canal. She pointed at the door hidden inside an alcove.

“The neighborhood seems quiet.” Zane reached out and moved the view in several different directions. “No pedestrians. No boats passing down the canal.”

“It’s a residential area,” Carmen said. “Of course, there’s no guarantee it’s always that quiet. Probably depends on the time of day.”

Zane grabbed the Glock from the box and slipped it into his waistband. “Google has shown us about all it can. Let’s go have a look inside.”

Zane stared at Pauling’s home from the shadows of a nearby building. It was situated at the edge of the famed Venetian Lagoon, which encircled the city. Despite what Carmen had said about seeing a glow in one of the windows, the house looked dark to him.

After watching for a full minute, he pulled back. “I don’t see anything.”

“I’m telling you, I saw it,” Carmen said.

“Maybe it was a reflection from the house next to it.” Then again, that one looked dark as well. Whatever she’d seen, it wasn’t there now.

The loud whine of a boat reached their ears. Zane and Carmen looked toward the water. Seconds later, the running lights of a small craft appeared. It was coming in from the lagoon and seemed to be moving toward the canal that ran alongside Pauling’s home.

“I hope Amanda is out of sight,” Carmen said. While Zane and Carmen kept watch over the area, Amanda had slipped over to Pauling’s house to disable the alarm.

“I’m sure she is,” Zane said.

The boat slowed to a crawl. Zane frowned. Had they seen Amanda? Law enforcement patrols were everywhere on the lagoon, and the last thing they needed was to get arrested for tampering with Pauling’s security system. As the craft came closer, Zane saw it was filled with a half dozen men. They talked loudly and drank bottled beer. He breathed a sigh of relief. Instead of turning down the canal, the boat followed the contour of the city and disappeared from sight.

“Here she comes.” Carmen pointed.

A dark figure strode toward them from the house.

“All done.” Amanda joined them.

“Any issues?” Zane asked her.

“None.”

“Good job.” Zane checked his weapon then looked up. “Ready?”

Both nodded.

Zane led them to the house. A loud conversation drifted out of a window across the canal, but otherwise, the area was quiet. Thankfully, the door was hidden at the back of a shallow alcove, which would allow Zane to open it without being seen. As the other two stood vigil, he removed the lock pick kit and got to work. As he’d expected, the mechanism was high quality. Anyone who could afford this home wouldn’t have cheap locks. A couple of minutes later, a soft click indicated it had surrendered.

Zane reached for the knob with a gloved hand. “Stay here.”

Carmen grabbed his arm. “What if I was right about the light?”

“That’s why I’m going in alone. No need to put us all at risk. I’ll make sure the coast is clear. If it is, I’ll call you up.” He nodded at Amanda. “Remember, we just disabled the alarm. That means it would’ve been difficult for anyone else to get in without setting it off. Unless you think Pauling is alive and up there watching TV.”

Carmen nodded reluctantly. “If you see anything — and I mean anything — come back out, or call us in.”

After chambering a round, Zane slipped inside and pulled the door shut behind him. The bottom floor had no windows, and the darkness was heavy. Zane stood perfectly still, allowing his eyes to adjust. He found himself standing in a large foyer. On the opposite side was a hallway, and to his right was a set of stairs leading to the upper floors.