Indiana Jones & the Peril at Delphi

'Of course, but—'

Dorian walked away without another word, and dis appeared into the crowd.

'She's angry with me,' Doumas said. 'Because of the rope.' He picked a slice of sweetbread off his plate and bit away half of it.

A beat passed as Indy considered the man's audacity. 'I'm the one who should be angry. What the hell happened, anyhow?'

'The rope was rotten. Then in the confusion, we lost the other one. Sorry. I was going to apologize earlier, but I didn't want to disturb you.'

Indy was about to accuse him of going into the hole himself and cleaning the tablet when Doumas leaned close and spoke in his ear. 'If I were you, Jones, I'd be careful around Dr. Belecamus tonight. Her boyfriend is here, you know. That's him over there, the man in the colonel's uniform. He's jealous, I understand.'

Indy almost gagged from the putrid odor emanating from Doumas. He stepped back. The man Doumas nod ded toward had a ruddy face and a prominent hooked nose. He looked to be in his early fifties, maybe twenty years older than Dorian.

'Thanks. I'll remember that,' Indy said. One day Dou mas was trying to kill him, the next he was warning him of danger. It didn't make sense.

And what about the way Dorian had reacted in his room to his comments about the tablet? She'd seemed shaken, not by the fact that someone had cleaned the tablet, but by what it said. Particularly, the last lines which were

about the Oracle returning, and some great secret being revealed.

The number of coincidences connected with the old man's predictions were growing, he thought. The earth quake had happened. A Dorian had shown up. The king had arrived. Now the tablet seemed to confirm what the old man had said. Hell, no wonder she'd blanched. She was probably starting to wonder if she actually was Pythia. But coincidences happened all the time. They were only mysterious if you were looking for mystery.

'Indy, there you are.'

He turned at the sound of the squeaky voice. 'Madelaine.' She looked as if nothing had changed and she was just at another bal musette. 'I heard you'd be here, but I hardly believed it.'

'Isn't this just splendid. I just love Greece, don't you?'

'It grows on you.'

'Your friend, Dorian, said you had an accident. But you look fine to me.'

Indy was about to tell her what had happened when she said something that stopped him cold. 'Isn't your buddy, Jack Shannon, going to be here?'

'What are you talking about? Shannon's in Paris.'

'No, he's here. I saw him earlier today in the little taverna. He was with someone else who said he knew you, too.'

'You saw him here?'

'That's what I just said.'

'Who was the other man?'

'I don't remember. Jack introduced him, but there was so much going on. Tom, Terry, maybe Larry. He was older.'

'How much older?'

'He was maybe thirty-five, forty. You know, old. He had a beard. He was a Canadian, I think. I don't know.'

Who did he know who had a beard and would travel to

Greece with Shannon? He couldn't think of anyone, no one who was older, no one he knew.

'Are you sure about this? Did you talk to Shannon?'

'Of course. We had a glass of ouzo together. He said they were looking for you. He seemed worried.'

She glanced around. 'Now where did Brent go with my drink?'

'How did Jack know I was hurt?'

'Don't think he did. They'd just gotten here, about an hour before us.'

'You met Dorian. Did she talk to them?'

'I don't know.' She was getting annoyed by the ques tions. She craned her neck, and stood on her toes, looking about the room.

But Indy persisted. 'Did you and Brent come to the hotel to see me after you heard I was hurt?'

She smiled awkwardly. 'Well, we really didn't get a chance yet.' She squeezed his arm. 'But now you're here, and everything is okay.'

'Yeah. First rate.'

Just then the king was announced and a tall graying man entered the room. He shook hands with one person after another as he moved through the crowd, walking with a slight limp. Madelaine slipped away, either for a closer glimpse of the king or in search of Brent and her drink.

Indy spotted Dorian standing with the colonel. He was sure that they'd both been looking his way. He wanted more than anything to ask her about Shannon and the other man, but he hesitated, remembering that Nikos had said it was soldiers who had taken the pair away. What reason would Dorian give this time, and where the hell had they taken them?

He couldn't hold himself back any longer. He wanted answers. He headed across the room, but suddenly he found himself face to face with the king, who extended his hand. Indy quickly introduced himself as they shook hands.

'Oh, yes. You must be the one I heard about who fell into the hole.'

Indy nodded, uncomfortable at the royal attention. 'It won't happen again.'

The king laughed, and clasped him on the shoulder. 'Let's hope not. Tomorrow morning I'm going to visit the ruins. Will you be there?'

Indy had other things on his mind right now, but what could he say? 'Yes. Of course.'

'Good. Then maybe you can tell me all about what happened. See you then.'

Indy stepped back as the king turned and began talking with someone else. He didn't see Dorian or the colonel now. He wandered about the room, and out onto the veranda. She was nowhere in sight.

'You look lost, Indy,' Doumas said from behind him.

'Have you seen Dr. Belecamus?'

'She's gone. She left with Colonel Mandraki a few minutes ago.'

17

Around the Fire

Indy quietly slipped out of the mansion, and walked to the rear where the drivers waited near their carriages. He asked after Doumas's carriage, and was directed to the driver. 'Mr. Doumas said you should take me back to the hotel.'

The driver looked dubiously at him. 'Are you sure? He told me to wait for him.'

'He's staying the night.' Indy leaned forward. 'Too much ouzo.'

'Already?'

'Already,' Indy said gravely.

The man nodded, and climbed into his seat as Indy slid into the carriage. None of what he'd said was true, but he didn't feel guilty about stranding Doumas.

When he arrived at the hotel, Nikos was lying on his cot intently reading a book. 'Have you seen Dorian?'

'No. She hasn't returned,' the boy said, rising to his feet. He ran a hand over his short-cropped hair.

'You are back early.'

'Maybe not early enough. Who is this Colonel Mandraki?'

'That's what I was going to tell you about when she came into the room. He is Alex, her boyfriend.'

No wonder she'd turned cool towards him since they'd arrived in Delphi.

'He is a very dangerous man, and I think Dr. Belecamus is the same when he is around. That is why I