Contract with God aka The Moses Expedition

Catholic education, and sins of omission were as persistent and painful as any other.

She went into the tent and saw Dr Harel, who turned away. It was obvious that she had had an argument with Larsen.

‘I’m glad you’re all right. We were worried about you.’

‘Turn around, Doc. I know you’ve been crying.’

Harel faced her, rubbing her reddened eyes.

‘It’s silly really. A simple secretion from tear glands and yet we all feel embarrassed about it.’

‘A lie is more embarrassing.’

Then the doctor noticed Andrea’s ripped clothing, something that Larsen, in her anger, seemed to have overlooked, or hadn’t bothered to comment on.

‘What happened to you?’

‘I fell down the stairs. Don’t change the subject. I know who you are.’

Harel chose each of her words carefully.

‘What do you know?’

‘I know that combat medicine is highly regarded by Mossad, or so it seems. And that your emergency substitution was not as big a coincidence as you told me.’

The doctor frowned, then went over to Andrea, who was rummaging around in her rucksack for something clean to wear.

‘I’m sorry you had to find out this way, Andrea. I’m only a low-ranking analyst, not a field agent. My government wants to have eyes and ears on every archaeological expedition that’s after the Ark of the Covenant. This is the third one I’ve been on in seven years.’

‘Are you really a doctor? Or is that a lie too?’ Andrea said as she slipped into another T-shirt.

‘I’m a doctor.’

‘And how is it that you get along so well with Fowler? Because I’ve also found out that he’s a CIA agent, in case you didn’t know.’

‘She already knew, and you owe me an explanation,’ Fowler said.

He was standing near the door, frowning but relieved after having looked for Andrea all afternoon.

‘Bullshit,’ Andrea said, pointing her finger at the priest, who stepped back surprised. ‘I almost died from the heat under that platform, and on top of that, one of Dekker’s dogs just tried to rape me. I’m in no mood to talk to the two of you. At least not yet.’

Fowler touched Andrea’s arm, noticing the bruises on her wrists.

‘Are you all right?’

‘Better than ever,’ she said, pushing the hand away. The last thing she wanted was male contact.

‘Ms Otero, did you hear the soldiers’ conversation while you were under the platform?’

‘What the hell were you doing there?’ a shocked Harel interrupted.

‘I sent her. She was helping me break up the frequency scanner so I could call my contact in Washington.’

‘I would have liked to have been informed, Father,’ Harel said.

Fowler lowered his voice until it was almost a whisper.

‘We need information and we’re not going to get it trapped inside this bubble. Or do you think that I don’t know you slip away every night to send text messages to Tel Aviv?’

‘Touche,’ Harel said, pulling a face.

Was that what you were up to, Doc? Andrea wondered, biting her lower lip and trying to work out what to do. Maybe I was wrong and I should trust you after all. I hope so, because there’s no other choice.

‘Fine, Father. I’ll tell you both what I heard…’

44

FOWLER AND HAREL

‘We have to get her out of here,’ whispered the priest.

The shadows of the canyon surrounded them, and the only sounds came from the mess tent, where members of the expedition had begun eating their supper.

‘I don’t see how, Father. I thought of stealing one of the Hummers, but we’d have to get it over that dune. And I don’t think we would get far. What if we told everyone in the group what’s really going on here?’

‘Suppose we could do that and they believed us… what good would it do?’

In the darkness, Harel fought back a moan of rage and impotence.

‘The only thing I can think of is the same answer you gave me yesterday about the mole: wait and see.’

‘There is one way,’ Fowler said. ‘But it’ll be dangerous, and I’ll need your help.’

‘You can count on me, Father. But first explain to me what this Ypsilon protocol is.’

‘It’s a procedure by which a security detail assassinates all the members of a group they’re supposed to protect, if the code word comes over the radio. They kill everybody except the person who hired them and anyone he says should be left alone.’

‘I don’t understand how something like that can exist.’

‘Officially it doesn’t. But a few soldiers in mercenary outfits who were in Special Forces, for example, imported the concept from Asian countries.’

Harel stood very still for a moment.

‘Is there any way of knowing who’s included?’

‘No,’ the priest said weakly. ‘And the worst part is that the person who contracts the military detail is always different to the one who is supposed to be in charge.’

‘Then Kayn…’ Harel said, opening her eyes.

‘Exactly, Doctor. Kayn isn’t the one who wants us dead. It’s someone else.’

45

THE EXCAVATION

AL MUDAWWARA DESERT, JORDAN

Saturday, 15 July 2006. 2:34 a.m.

At first, there was absolute stillness in the infirmary tent. With Kyra Larsen sleeping with the other assistants, the breathing of the remaining two women was the only thing that could be heard.