The Moses Riddle (Thomas McAllister 'Treasure Hunter' Adventure Book 1) (29 page)

“How’s your mom?” Thomas asked. This was the time of day that Ann’s mother usually called from her new home off the coast of Washington State.

“She’s doing well. You were right. They’re liking it there. My brother had just walked in from shopping and she was going to help him unload, so she told me she’d call back later.”

“Good. I’m glad they like it. It’s important for them and for you.”

“You seem pretty absorbed today. Is that one of the books you got from the library the other day? Let me see what my competition is.”
Before Thomas could protest, she had snatched one of the three books stacked on the towel. “Hmm. “
Studies in Tibetan Medicine.
Going to Tibet?”
Thomas didn’t mind her curiosity about the books. This would be a new project. One that shouldn’t interest the government. But still, once in a while, when she was running indoors to get the phone calls from her mother, he’d fight with his demon of doubt. Was she talking to someone else? Was someone other than her mother calling her? She had been on the phone more and more, and the calls had increased to a daily rate, but they were always from her mother, or brother. She always told him about the conversations, what both her mother and brother were doing, and how they liked it on Whidbey Island.
But, ever watchful, it did seem that she always arranged to receive or make her calls when he was running errands or on the beach. He had begun to wonder if there were stores in Cuba, like there were in the States, that sold phone recording equipment.
Stop it
! He refused to let these paranoid thoughts creep in. He reminded himself to get over his tendency toward paranoia. He must not let the feeling of distrust rule his relationship. Everything was fine as long as she showed no interest in the location of the Commandments. That was how he would regulate his trust. She wasn’t asking about the Ark, so it didn’t matter how much she was on the phone.
Ann picked up another of the books. “I’ve never seen this one.
Medical History Across Ancient Cultures
. What are you into this time, Thomas? The theme is medicine. Are you already starting your next . . . what should I call it? Treasure hunt?”
“No time like the present. Only, I’m finding it a little hard to retain information in this environment. A topless girl on one side of me. A cold beer on the other. Blue ocean in front of me. Tropical sun above.”
She put the book down, straddled him, and kissed him softly for a long time. Then she looked at him and said, “You know, Thomas, I’ve never told you this. I know you’re the one who stole the Ark from the National Museum . . . after you traded it to them for me.”
His heart sank. His breathing stopped. Fear poured through his body. “Really?” he said, trying to act uninterested.
“Uh-huh. As soon as Arturo said you had placed that tracking device in the original crate and that you knew where they’d taken it, I knew.”
Thomas rolled onto his side, forcing Ann to roll off his lap. “Really?”
“Yes, I mean, come on! I’m no dummy. It was stolen two days later. Who else could have possibly known it was there? And the thieves didn’t take anything else. You’d think they would have taken something, with all those priceless treasures sitting around everywhere. If they were professional art thieves, they wouldn’t have been able to resist. But you. You could resist. You found some of the artifacts that are in that museum. You didn’t want the art. You only wanted what was yours.”
She was right. Thomas felt sick. Why was she bringing this up now? Did it have something to do with the recent increase in phone calls? Thomas prayed she wouldn’t ask a direct question as to where the Commandments were. She knew the topic was off-limits.
“How did you know it was stolen
two
days later? And that nothing else was stolen? I never told you that.”
Her hesitation was barely discernable. “Before you came to me at Yale, I had gotten a call from the government. They told me that the Ark had been stolen two days after its arrival and that nothing else was taken. That’s when they warned me to keep an eye out for you.”
Thomas rolled over onto his back and squinted against the glare of the sun. He followed the course of a particularly fluffy white cloud. It seemed so far away. “What if I did take it back, Ann? What difference would it make?”
She turned toward him and smiled. “Well . . . that would only leave one question to be answered.”
Thomas was screaming at her from inside, pleading with her not to ask it. He knew she wouldn’t. She didn’t care where it was.
“No, Ann. There are no questions left. I can’t think of a single one.”
“Oh, come on, Thomas, stop being such a tease. You can tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
“You know what, silly. Where you hid the Commandments!”

CHAPTER
49

where he hid the Ark, Ann came

home from the grocery store to an empty beach house. She’d only been gone an hour and a half. The minute she entered the bungalow, she knew something was different. It was not just quiet. It was still. The silence was eerie. She didn’t even have to go to the bedroom to check his closet. She knew she was alone. She knew Thomas was gone.

She walked back to the open door and listened to the coastal breeze. The beach looked so different now. So lonely. With two people in the house, the breeze and the beach had been exciting; now, it was nothing but sad. Tears flooded into her eyes and she made no attempt to wipe them away. It was her fault. She had made her choice. She surveyed the room and noticed the letter Thomas had propped up on the library table he’d used as a desk. That confirmed it. She stayed in the doorway a long time, mustering the strength to cross the room.
Wait a minute, Ann. You’re listening to your guilty conscience. Maybe he’s just run back to the library for more books.

She rushed across the tile floor and snatched up the notepaper, unfolding it with shaking fingers. When she saw that it was a long note it confirmed what she already knew. He was gone.

Dearest Ann,

By the time you read this note, I’ll already be back in the States. Don’t try to catch me. You can’t and it wouldn’t matter if you did. I have so much I want to say and despite having had a few days to organize my thoughts, I haven’t been able to. When it comes to you, my thoughts have never been logical or even sequential, and now is no exception. I am left to ramble like the love-struck, thrice-betrayed idiot that I have been. And now, in my final act of this relationship, an avalanche of emotion is weighing me down, making each letter, each word, each breath, a difficult task.

I suspected you were consciously working against me, not just brainwashed, after you shot me that terrible day in New York. It was all so professional, even the way you held your gun. I didn’t want to believe it, though. When you explained it away so perfectly, with such a plausible story about your mother being kidnapped and threatened with death, I eagerly accepted your story. There were always little things that bothered me . . . like your hair smelling of citrus that day at the Harvard Club, the little .22 in your skirt at Yale, and all of the phone calls you’ve been making to your mother recently. But, Annie, even those, in aggregate, did not make me doubt you. My love for you never wavered. I was true to the end.

One of the things I agreed upon with the man who rented me the house on Whidbey Island was that he would check on it once a month, to make sure everything was all right. The man checked on the house a week ago, Annie, and no one was there. As you know, no one had ever been there. The door was still padlocked shut. Your family never went to Washington. You lied to me every day. So, I became suspicious about all the phone conversations you’ve been having recently with your mother.

Very early into this adventure, Annie, I decided that even if I never found the Ark and the Commandments, I’d still found my treasure. You. You became everything to me. I loved you. My mission had been successful before I’d even started. I’d found my true love. God, it was great, Annie. I’d found you! A gem. A diamond. A girl who could make a man want to do good in this world. It’s taken me a long time, too long, to learn that my diamond is a fake, my pearls, cultured. The jewel that I once prized above all others, mere costume glitter. You’re lucky, Ann, that I was able to get the real treasure back, the Ark and the Commandments, or you’d be getting a lot more than a good-bye letter.

I know DJ is your father. I know you had your name changed from Warrant to Davenport when you entered the FBI, so you wouldn’t be given preferential treatment. When you call your father today, tell him that I no longer have the Ark and the Commandments, they’ve found a safe, secret home.

And tell him this, Annie . . . I’ve got so much on you, your father, the FBI, and even the President that I know none of you will ever bother me again. As proof of that, and justification for leaving you, I’ve left a present for you in the drawer of the table. It’s a copy. If anything happens to me, the originals go to the Attorney General, and the media, of course.

I wish things hadn’t turned out the way they did. Amid all your lies, perhaps you can take comfort in this one bit of truth. You broke my heart.

Thomas

Her tears had already smeared the letter, but Ann carefully refolded it. They’d want to see it later. It was evidence. She pulled out the desk drawer. Inside was a tape recorder, an old, heavy Panasonic. It had been a popular model in the seventies and was probably the best Thomas could find on the island.

A tape had been left inside the machine. She ejected it and read the label written in Thomas’s handwriting. ANNIE AND DJ. It was dated six days ago . . . the day after she had asked Thomas the location of the Ark. She shoved the tape back into the player and wiped the tears from her face. The sides of her mouth involuntarily turned down, as she fought off more crying. Her future was being handed to her.

She raised her hand and gently pushed the PLAY button. The spindles began turning. She didn’t bother to check the volume. She knew Thomas would’ve pre-adjusted it. She heard a hissing noise, then the sound of a standard dial tone, followed by someone dialing. It seemed like a lot of digits. A phone rang. After four rings, a man answered.

Male Voice
: DJ Warrant.
Ann
: It’s me.
DJ
: Is he there?
Ann
: No. He said he was going to the library. He should be gone for at least an hour.
DJ
: How are you holding up?
Ann
: Not great. This isn’t getting any easier. You’re putting me in a very tough place. I told you earlier today—

DJ
: Annie! Annie, I know all that
we’re in love
stuff. We’ve been through it before. Just hang in there. You’ve got to hang in there. We’re almost home.

Silence.
DJ
: Did you get a chance to ask him about the Ark? Did he steal it? Where has he hidden it?

Ann
: I asked him again yesterday. Nothing I did worked. He was silent. I asked him again and he said he didn’t want to talk about it. The subject was closed. He won’t confide in me.

DJ
: Couldn’t you read between the lines a little? Or couldn’t you shame him into telling you? You’re an archeologist. You helped him find it! You deserve to know!

Ann
: It’s not like that with him. He doesn’t have that kind of an ego. And, let’s not forget, Dad, he may not be ready to fully trust me again, after New York.

DJ
: Annie, you have to get it out of him
. Force
it out of him! You have to! Get him drunk. Drug him, like the first night you met. Do whatever it takes! Hold a gun to his head!

Ann
: What wrong with you? I’m not one of your case monkeys! I love him! I’m not going to drug him! I’m about ready to call this whole thing off. We’re not going to get anywhere. You don’t understand how resolute he can be. He’s through with the Ark. He’s already thinking about his next project.

DJ
: Ann, Ann, listen to me, honey. You have to wind this up so we can get on with our lives, too. I cannot . . . I
will not
retire with this failure hanging over my head. Think about
me
, Annie. I don’t deserve to be labeled a fucking failure by my peers. You know how it is with the FBI. Hargrove and the guys are treating me like dirt. After the
career
I’ve had. You and I are teammates on this. Case partners. If we don’t get this done, we will never have a chance to get to know each other again.

Ann
: Get to know each other
again
? What the hell do you mean “
again”
? You left Mom and me when I was two years old, you bastard. I never knew you the first time! There is no
again
here! There’s only the first time.

DJ
: I meant
again
from
my
perspective, Annie. I’ve always felt like I knew you. I can understand how you wouldn’t feel that way. Look, I’m sorry about the past. I’ve been on the road for the FBI all my life. If I can retire with pride, I’ll be the father you never had. Trust me, Annie. Okay? I can’t do it without your help. The President has given me permission for one last try. He’ll have my head, as well as my badge, if I don’t come through.

Ann
: Dad, I really think we’re pushing things here. He’s going to suspect something. He’s too clever not to. And if we lose him here, then we’ve lost him for good. Plus . . . I mean, haven’t you already had your chance with Thomas?

Silence.
DJ:
No. This is not over yet. You will help me finish this.
Ann
: He’s going to suspect. I don’t think he has yet, but what do I tell him when he does? What then?
DJ
: Ann, you shot him and he forgave you. Do you think a few phone calls are going to make him stop trusting you?

Ann
: Damn it! How could you bring that up? I was under duress. I would’ve never, ever done that on my own and you know it! I was forced. So don’t you dare flippantly say I shot him as if I had a choice.

DJ:
You’re right, you’re right, calm down. You were following an Executive Order. There was no way for you to refuse. What I meant by what I said was that he trusts you fully. That’s all. Okay? Find out where it is and let’s get past this, okay? I don’t like putting you through this any more than you like doing it. I understand that you’re having trouble with this. I know it gets confusing when you’re working undercover. I’ve been there, honey. Just remember your job. Always remember your job.

Silence.
DJ:
Okay, Annie?
Silence.
DJ
: Annie?
Ann
: I hear you. I’ll . . . try.

DJ
: Atta girl. Let’s plan to talk again in a few days. When you get a few minutes, give me a quick call to let me know what’s happening. And be careful. Are you using the sniffer I gave you?

Ann
: Yes, I used it before I called today. This phone is not bugged.
DJ
: Good. Don’t take anything for granted. You’re a professional, but he’s as tricky a man as I’ve ever come across.
Ann
: He’s not tricky. He’s smart. It’s one of the many things I like about him. I’ll call soon. I’ve got to hang up now. Good-bye . . . Daddy.
DJ
: Good-bye, Annie. Take care of yourself. I’m proud of you.

The tape continued to run, but it was only filled with silence. She wondered how long Thomas had been recording her conversations. It didn’t really matter anyway. That conversation encapsulated everything he needed to know.

All she’d ever wanted was a father. A dad. She’d watched the other girls getting picked up and dropped off at school by their fathers and it hurt. She had cried herself to sleep a thousand nights, wishing her daddy would come home. Every Christmas and every Birthday of her life, every time she saw a shooting star or found a penny, she’d made the same wish.
I wish my daddy would come home
. And now, she’d thrown away the most important relationship in her life in her attempt to get closer to her father. Trying to please him had cost her the man she loved. And, in losing Thomas, she would most probably lose her future with her father. Now that Thomas was gone, her father wouldn’t need her anymore. She put her head down on the table and cried. And didn’t stop crying for a long time.

CHAPTER
50
Washington D.C. The Oval Office.