“We can narrow the search a bit more,” Daniel suggested.
Chris turned to stare at him.
Daniel held up the photo. “With these.” He pointed to the cluster of gems which studded the bird’s back.
Chris focused on them for the first time and gasped. “Are those real?” he asked in disbelief.
“The outer circle is made of diamonds with two rubies at either end. The gems in the middle are emeralds.”
“This artifact of yours must be worth a fortune!”
Daniel shrugged matter-of-factly. “My father isn’t concerned about its monetary value. It holds some symbolic significance for him.”
“Your father must be pretty rich not to care about rocks like these!” Chris’s eyes were riveted to the gems.
“Other things are more important to him,” Daniel said cryptically. “That’s all I can tell you.”
Chris shook himself out of his daze. “Understood. Sorry about that. I got lost in the moment. I’m back now!” He gave the scion an impish grin. “So, you were saying?”
Daniel forged ahead. “I believe the arrangement of the stones has some meaning. It may be a representation of a stone circle.”
“Let me see that again.” Chris took the photo from his friend’s hands and puzzled over it for a few seconds. “Given how fixated the Minoans were on stars, this might be something more than a simple stone circle. Look at the cluster of emeralds in the middle. What shape does it remind you of?”
Daniel took the photo back. “You mean the emeralds aren’t scattered at random?”
“Hardly.” Chris sniffed in derision. He turned to his computer and pulled up another set of search results. “There,” he said in triumph. “Take a look at that.”
Daniel studied the shape on the screen which bore an uncanny resemblance to the seven emeralds. “Orion?” he asked, still not understanding the significance of the pattern.
“Orion,” Chris confirmed. “It’s one of the most identifiable constellations in the night sky. Its seven brightest stars form an hourglass shape. The three lined up in the middle are known as Orion’s Belt. Their names are Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. The four outer stars are called Rigel, Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, and Saiph.”
“But what does all that mean?” Daniel asked helplessly.
Chris pondered the question. “Let’s suppose the design on the dove’s back isn’t merely symbolic. Maybe there really is a stone circle in Africa that looks like this. I’ve read that megalithic formations might have been used for calendar purposes thousands of years ago. There’s at least one theory that the pyramids at Giza are aligned with Orion’s Belt. Why not a stone circle too? Let’s find out.”
Chris returned to the keyboard. It took several tries to get the search criteria right, but the results amazed both of them.
They stared at the screen in disbelief.
“Nabta Playa?” Daniel asked the librarian cautiously.
“Absolutely,” Chris averred. “It has to be. Nabta Playa.”
Chapter 35—Sounding Bored
Leroy pushed away from his desk and rubbed his strained eyes. For the past three hours, he’d been watching the video feed and listening to the audio recording from the bug he’d planted in the antique shop. One thing was certain. He now knew more about the difference between a Sheraton and a Hepplewhite side chair than any straight, red-blooded American male had any business knowing.
He’d holed up in his apartment to continue his surveillance because he figured it was better to let Miz Rhonda stew about his next move. Unfortunately, after two days of monitoring the shop, he’d learned absolutely nothing. Nothing, that is, about the mastermind behind Miss Hannah’s disappearance and the removal of Miz Sybil’s furniture. He’d learned plenty about the antique business and way too much about the personal life of Senorita Lupe who was filling in while Miz Rhonda was out sick.
He grinned at the thought. Miz Rhonda would have had good reason to develop a case of the vapors and take to her bed after the scare he’d thrown into her. He knew she hadn’t bolted because she phoned in every day to ask Senorita Lupe how business was going. He decided it was safe to let her sit at home and nurse her worries. The more she dreaded what was waiting for her when she got back to work, the more inclined she’d be to call in some backup for protection. Whoever she brought in was sure to lead him to the head of the ring. As far as he could tell, her assistant didn’t know jack about the dark doings at Miz Rhonda’s shop. Senorita Lupe’s conversations were dull as ditchwater. The high point of her day was when one of her amigas phoned to shoot the breeze. That’s when she’d start running off at the mouth about the shortcomings of her latest boyfriend. Exciting stuff.
Leroy yawned and stood up to stretch his legs. He checked his watch. The shop was about to close, and it had been a slow day to begin with. At that moment, his cell phone rang.
“Hello, Mr. Hunt?” It was the preacher.
“Howdy, boss. What’s shakin’?”
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Leroy guessed that old Abe was trying to suss out what he meant. “Prepare yourself for a journey.”
“Hot dang! So, your boy’s ready to get crackin’?”
“Yes, he is. He knows where the next artifact may be hidden. I’ll send the usual driver to collect you in the morning. Be ready at seven o’clock.”
“Where we headin’?”
“To Africa, Mr. Hunt.”
“You don’t say. I never been to the dark continent before.”
“The political situation is somewhat troubled in the areas where you’ll be traveling.”
“Do tell.” Hunt eyed his SIG Pro sitting in its shoulder holster slung over the back of a chair. “Guess I’d best take precautions.”
“We’ll supply you with what you need once you’re off the airplane.”
“Sounds good, boss. I’ll be ready bright and early.”
The other end of the line
