“Yes?”
“We’re in Alba Iulia,” said Sam. “Any news?”
“Yes, but it’s all bad,” Tibor said. “Bako is still at home. He’s working in his office at the factory right this minute. But his favorite five security men have all packed up and driven eastward into Romania. I have my brother and two cousins following them and, so far, they’re heading straight for you.”
“Thanks for the heads-up,” Sam said.
“They’re traveling in two vehicles, both American-made SUVs, both new, both black with tinted windows. They’ve been on the road since early this morning, so they might already be there. If you see them, don’t let them see you.”
“Thank you, Tibor. We’ll look carefully before we do anything.”
“Good luck.” Tibor signed off.
Remi said, “We could find some central place in town and watch for them.”
“Not this time. They know we had a chance to see the inscription on the shield before they did and they’re rushing here. They must have gotten a call from the people at Compagnie Le Clerc and left within an hour or so. If Bako isn’t with them, they won’t be coming into the center of town for good hotels and restaurants. I think they’ll be out searching until they find the grave even if it means sleeping on the ground in the woods.”
They went back to their car, drove to the 
River, and followed the road that ran parallel to it, searching for any landmark that might signal an undisturbed piece of ancient masonry. They kept going for a couple of hours, then turned around and started to drive in the other direction. As they did, Sam’s cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Sam, this is Tibor again. Bako just went home and came out with two of his men. They were dressed in gear like they were going on a safari. Then a third man pulled up in a truck. I think it means that Bako got a call saying that his men have found the burial chamber. I’m in a car following them at a distance, and I’ve got another car to switch places with me now to keep them from spotting me.”
“This is the second chamber they’ve beaten us to,” said Sam.
“You ended up with both treasures so far, and maybe we’ll end up with this one,” Tibor said. “It can still be sent to a museum and not melted down into bars in Bako’s bank.”
“We’ll try to accomplish that much, at least.”
“I’m calling my brother next to see what Bako’s men have found.”
“I’ll be waiting for word,” Sam said. He ended the call and said to Remi, “We might as well have lunch while we’re waiting.” He drove into Alba Iulia and stopped at a cafe, where they could see the twelfth-century cathedral and two of the seven gates in the city walls. The oldest city architecture had a hint of Roman influence to it, with rounded arches and square, multilayered towers. Sam set his cell phone on the table.
They had rosol, a stewed-duck-and-vegetable dish, and 
red wine, and had just begun their dessert of baklava, when Sam’s phone rang. He and Remi looked at each other, then looked at the phone. Sam picked it up. “Hello, Tibor.”
“They’re in the forest on the east side of the town and it looks like they’ve dug a hole. They’ve stopped. Apparently they’re waiting for Bako to arrive before they enter the chamber. I guess he wants to be the first.”
“Where’s Bako now?”
“He’s still about thirty miles away, and we’re driving along the . My brother and cousins are watching the crew at the chamber, but there’s not much they can do. It’s too late to keep Bako from getting there first.”
Sam thought for a moment. “All right, then. Let’s move our strength away from the treasure.”
“
“Yes. Give me the location and then get everyone back to Hungary. Remi and I will see what we can do on our own.”
“What are you going to do?”
“If it’s too late to keep Bako from finding the treasure, we’ll try to keep him from taking it home.”
“How?”
“I’ll think about it on the way.”
“I have confidence in you. I have many friends, but not one of them has a mind like you—a machine for grinding out crazy ideas.”
“He’s got your number,” Remi said.
“Thank you, Tibor. Please get your brother and cousins back to Szeged. And all of you, take a different, less direct route home.”
“I’ll call you with the exact location.”
“Thanks.” Sam looked at Remi.
“We both meant good crazy.” She kissed his cheek.
The phone rang again, so soon it surprised them both. Sam picked it up and Tibor’s voice said, “I’m close now and I can see where Bako has pulled over. It’s five kilometers from the east city walls of Alba Iulia. It’s a heavily forested area just past the beginning of a hiking trail. There’s a parking lot and a picnic area. The two black SUVs and the truck are all parked there.”
“Good,” said Sam. “We’re on our way.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”
“Positive. Have you sent your brother and cousins home?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent. Now head for the border a different way.”
“I’m going now.”
“Good luck.”
“I give it back. You’re the ones who will need it.”
Sam and Remi drove past the place that Tibor had described and kept going. They found a second parking lot and a marked trail that might have been the other end of the first trail. They turned around and drove back past the parked vehicles toward the Hungarian border.
They drove past Alba Iulia, and then, a few miles on, they reached an area that was more mountainous. As they drove, the highway became a narrow road, with winding pavement and nearly vertical canyon walls that were a tangle of rocks, trees, brush, and vines. Sam kept driving, scanning the land for the perfect spot.
At last, he was sure he had found it. There was a quarter-mile ribbon of road that wound to the left and right, then rose and disappeared over a crest. The mountains of Transylvania held the largest remaining area of the virgin forest that had once covered most of Europe, so the vegetation was thick and wild. Sam stopped the car, then backed up at a high speed until he reached a turnout to allow cars to pass, killed the engine, and popped the trunk.
Remi got out too and retrieved the two shovels, climbing rope, and a crowbar. As she reached for the night vision goggles, Sam said, “We can leave the goggles.”
“Good. That means we’ll be done by dark.”
“Come to think of it, we’d better take them.” He took a shovel, the crowbar, and the rope and began to climb up the wall at the side of the road to the rocky slope above. Remi took the second shovel and began to climb beside him.
“While we’re climbing,” she said, “you can help me find a title for my memoir. Do you like
“How about
She laughed, then climbed harder to get ahead of him. As they climbed higher and higher, she realized that the bulges in the rocky wall and the curve of the road made it impossible to see their car below them. On second thought, it also meant that while they were up here they were not visible from the road. Anyone on the road looking up would see only the rocks.
After more climbing, Sam walked along near the crest for a few hundred feet. Then he took his shovel and began to dig.
“I hope what I’m doing is undermining this boulder. If it rolls straight down the hillside, as round heavy things
