The Bone Chamber Part 40

Sydney's pulse pounded with each pa.s.sing second. She wasn't sure what Griffin was planning. To dive past the goon and through the window, grab the gun? Surely he wasn't foolish enough to think that Adami was the only man armed in there? The driver was surely armed, as was the man Adami had sent to fetch them. Griffin would be dead before he ever had a chance to pull Tex out. Worse yet, the moment they handed the map over, Tex was dead. He clearly knew it, was warning them off.

Once again why Griffin had wanted her to destroy the map.

She needed to stop him. But Griffin edged closer. Before she could get his attention, a young couple, laughing as they walked arm-in-arm, crossed in front of Sydney, blocking her view, and she had to step aside as the man leaned forward to toss a smoldering cigarette into the ashtray on top of the garbage bin near the door. She felt helpless. As out of control as the smoke that swirled up, and drifted away.

Adami said, "Time is up..." He raised the gun to Tex's head.

She had to do something, or Griffin was going to lose Tex, and maybe his own life.

"Here it is," Sydney shouted.

"No!" Griffin said.

She slid the strap from her shoulder, opened the tube, and slid the parchment out, unrolling it slightly, revealing the lower left corner with the fleur-de-lis and Templar cross, and the very edge of the labyrinth, before she let the map roll shut. But she didn't move forward, just stood there by the door.

"Hand it over," Adami said.

"First," she said, "you hand over Tex."

"You're in no position to argue."

"But I am," she replied. "I'll bet two-hundred-year-old paper would burn pretty d.a.m.ned quick if lit." She held it over the ashtray, allowing the smoke from the cigarette to drift right up to the paper. Francesca cried out. When Adami's goon started forward, Sydney lowered the parchment toward the cigarette. "I wouldn't try it," Sydney said.

"Stop!" Adami ordered. Silvio stilled, and Adami dropped the gun slightly, as though weighing Sydney's resolve against his. "As I said, the map for your friend."

Sydney said, "Have your man open the door."

"Agreed. Silvio, the door." Silvio walked around to the far side of the car and opened the pa.s.senger door. "Now your turn," Adami said.

She didn't remove the parchment. Instead, she picked up the cigarette, and held it closer to the paper. "Tex first."

Adami motioned for Tex to slide out. His hands were tied behind him, and he moved stiffly. "Hand me the map, and I will allow Griffin to a.s.sist him from the car."

"Get your man away," Sydney ordered.

"Silvio," Adami said. "In the car."

Silvio walked back around and opened the front door, got in. Just before he closed the door, she saw the driver, his gun pointed toward the pa.s.senger compartment. "Tell your driver, and anyone else with a gun, that if I so much as hear a click, this thing is going up in smoke."

"Lower your weapons," Adami called out.

Sydney looked at Griffin. He ignored her, walked to the other side of the car. As he pulled Tex out, she dropped the rolled parchment into the tube, leaned forward, handed it to Adami. Tex was in Griffin's arms, and he dragged him back, away from the car. Sydney let go of the leather strap, tossed the cigarette into the gutter as Adami rolled up the window. "Go!" he said to the driver.

The Mercedes took off.

Griffin looked at Sydney, defeat and anger written across his face.

38.

Griffin shook himself. Sure, with Sydney's help they'd rescued Tex, but at what price? The map was lost and he had no one to blame but himself for their failed mission. rescued Tex, but at what price? The map was lost and he had no one to blame but himself for their failed mission.

"Easy does it," Tex said, as Dumas cut the cords at his wrists. When he was free, he rubbed the circulation back, glaring at Griffin. "I spent how many days tied up in some room of his, and you let him get that map? You do realize what it leads to? Why he wanted it?"

"It's not his fault," Sydney interjected. "There's something I-"

"Now isn't the time," Griffin told her. isn't the time," Griffin told her.

"h.e.l.l if it isn't," she said. "When Adami figures out that that map isn't quite what he bargained for, we're going to be in a world of hurt."

"What are you talking about?" Griffin asked.

She lifted her shirt.

Francesca sucked in her breath. Tex whistled. "That what I think it is?"

"When Griffin sent me into the bathroom to destroy it, I figured why not cut out the important parts? Give him what's left over?"

"Jesus Christ," Griffin said. "We need to get the h.e.l.l out of here. Now!"

"Xavier is waiting at the cafe for Alfredo," Dumas said. "My car is there." Dumas took one side of Tex, Griffin the other, just in case he needed help, but Tex held his own as they raced around the corner.

"Where are they?" Griffin asked.

Dumas looked about the piazza. "There!" he said, pointing to a table at the cafe.

Alfredo and Xavier saw them and ran across the cobbled piazza, Alfredo carrying Sydney's black bag on his shoulder. He held it out. "This was left in my van."

Griffin took the bag and handed it to Sydney. "Right now, the farther you are from us, the safer you'll be," he told Alfredo. "Adami will undoubtedly be coming after us and the map."

"Where should we go?" Alfredo asked.

"Take Xavier to the nearest carabinieri carabinieri office. Have them contact the office. Have them contact the vice-comandante generale vice-comandante generale in Rome. Give them my name and they'll know what to do." in Rome. Give them my name and they'll know what to do."

"Very good," Alfredo said.

"And thanks for your help. Both of you."

The two took off toward Alfredo's van, and Dumas directed the others to his car parked nearby. He unlocked it, then threw Griffin his keys. "You're better at evading," he said, getting into the front pa.s.senger seat.

Francesca and Sydney got into the back. Tex was just about to slide in beside them when Griffin looked up, saw a black Mercedes drive past the intersection. The telltale sound of tires skidding on pavement told them that he and Tex had been spotted. "h.e.l.l," he said, digging out his phone and tossing it into the backseat for Tex, before he got in. "HQ has a chopper on standby at the airport. Get it here."

Tex called HQ as Griffin hit the gas, sped off. Traffic was incredibly thick on the main street. He pulled in at the first opening, not pausing to see if Adami was following.

"May I see it?" he heard Francesca ask Sydney.

Griffin eyed Sydney in the rearview mirror. "Do not not pull that thing out under any circ.u.mstances." pull that thing out under any circ.u.mstances."

Francesca wasn't about to let the matter drop. "I have to know how you did it?"

"Did what?" Sydney asked.

"Fooled Adami into making him think he had the map?"

"Technically he did have it. Just not all of it."

"But I saw it!"

"Only what was left of it. I unrolled it just far enough so he couldn't see that I'd cut out most of the labyrinth from the middle and the list of words of what I presumed was some sort of key or legend."

Francesca gave a horrified gasp. "Do you realize what you've done? The history you've decimated?"

"And the lives she saved?" Griffin replied, braking to avoid a motorcycle that pulled out in front of him.

That, at least, shut Francesca up, but any chance of peace was lost when Dumas slammed his hand on the dashboard. "What about the lives I may have lost?"

Griffin checked the mirrors, saw the roof of a black vehicle about four cars back. "You sure it can't wait for Sunday confessional? I could use your help trying to save the lives in this car right now. He's behind us."

"But what he told you about the amba.s.sador."

"What the h.e.l.l? You didn't think I believed that s.h.i.t?" When there was no answer, Griffin glanced over, saw the look of self-loathing on the priest's face. "For Christ's sake. You mean you knew knew the amba.s.sador was relaying info to Adami?" the amba.s.sador was relaying info to Adami?"

"No. But I should should have known." have known."

"How?" Griffin said, looking into the mirror. Adami's driver veered into the opposing lane, pa.s.sed two cars, then jumped in again. "He was as much a part of ATLAS as you and I."

"Yet you didn't pa.s.s on information, thereby endangering the team."

Griffin felt Sydney's gaze on him. "No, but my failure to pa.s.s on information caused issues." He hit the horn, trying to get the car in front of him to pull aside.

"That makes us quite the pair. You trust no one, and I put all my trust in G.o.d."

To which Tex said, "This k.u.mbaya s.h.i.t is all well and good, but I could sure use a shot of Johnnie Walker and a shower, and if Adami catches up to us, I'm not getting either."

Griffin checked his mirror. The black Mercedes was closing in on them. He whipped the wheel, made a hard right turn down a narrow street. "Find out where that chopper is, Tex."

Tex made the call. "They're tracking our cell now."

Griffin turned left down an alley, then down another street that opened into a plaza. He blasted the horn. Pedestrians fled. The Mercedes was on their tail. Silvio leaned out the window, pointed a gun at them. And then the welcoming thrum of helicopter rotor blades filled the air. Griffin looked up, saw the military helicopter hovering above an Egyptian obelisk in the plaza's center.

The chopper maneuvered down, and two uniformed carabinieri carabinieri leaned out, submachine guns in hand. He saw Giustino behind the crew, talking to someone on his headset. "The cavalry's here," Griffin said. leaned out, submachine guns in hand. He saw Giustino behind the crew, talking to someone on his headset. "The cavalry's here," Griffin said.

"Adami's backing off," Tex replied.

"They're leaving!" Dumas cried, and he made the sign of the cross.

Not until they'd landed safely at the carabinieri carabinieri helipad, and Giustino guided everyone into an office, did Griffin agree to let Sydney pull out the map. She spread it out on the table and he studied the portion of the labyrinth she'd cut out, as well as the words listed down the side. "Not bad, Fitzpatrick," he said. "But it would've been nice to have gotten us the whole thing." helipad, and Giustino guided everyone into an office, did Griffin agree to let Sydney pull out the map. She spread it out on the table and he studied the portion of the labyrinth she'd cut out, as well as the words listed down the side. "Not bad, Fitzpatrick," he said. "But it would've been nice to have gotten us the whole thing."

"I was working on a time crunch."

Francesca ran her fingers against the cut edge, looking sick to her stomach. "Ruined. Almost half of the labyrinth is missing. To be so close..."

"These words," Sydney asked her. "Any idea what they mean?"

It was Dumas who answered. "Possibly Old French, archaic. They'd need to be researched. That of course can be done once it is rightfully returned to the Vatican."

"Like h.e.l.l it will be," Griffin replied. "And even if it does belong to the Vatican, you think the pope will do a better job protecting the world from the threat of a plague released by a madman?"

"With G.o.d's help."

"What were you saying earlier about putting all your trust in G.o.d? Maybe a little trust in ATLAS's capabilities?"

Dumas gave a heavy sigh. "Agreed. There has been too much death where this thing has been concerned."

"Maybe you should put it away," Griffin told Sydney, taking out his phone to call headquarters. "Less temptation for everyone."

Sydney removed her sketchbook from the bag Alfredo had returned. She opened it to slip the map in, and Father Dumas saw one of the sketches of the loculi in the columbarium. "May I?"

"Sure," she said, handing him the sketchbook. "I wish I'd had more time there. It was an amazing place."

Giustino was talking to a fellow carabinieri carabinieri near the door, arranging vehicle transportation for Griffin and the others back to Rome. He looked up, stopped when he realized Griffin was trying to make a call, and signaled for the other officer to step out with him. Even so, Griffin moved to the far side of the room for some privacy. The thought of telling McNiel about Amba.s.sador Harden weighed on him, but he had no choice. near the door, arranging vehicle transportation for Griffin and the others back to Rome. He looked up, stopped when he realized Griffin was trying to make a call, and signaled for the other officer to step out with him. Even so, Griffin moved to the far side of the room for some privacy. The thought of telling McNiel about Amba.s.sador Harden weighed on him, but he had no choice.

McNiel answered.

Griffin heard several people talking in the background. "You're up late."

"Damage control," McNiel replied. "The thing we tried to avoid by keeping Alessandra's murder from the press? It's happening now. Amba.s.sador Harden unwittingly started a firestorm at his daughter's funeral, stating he wouldn't rest until he learned who had killed her. We barely got him away from the press, before they started asking if he knew if his daughter was having an affair with Congressman Burnett. It'd be nice to bury this thing without exposing ATLAS."

"About that," Griffin said, watching as Sydney pointed out the details on one of the sketches, talking avidly about the columbarium to Dumas and Tex. "It might be too late. Who's there with you?"

"I'm sitting here with the directorate and half the ATLAS oversight committee. What do you have to report?"

"Good news and bad. I'll give you the good first, which you can can relay," he said, emphasizing the word as a warning. "We found Tex. He's safe." relay," he said, emphasizing the word as a warning. "We found Tex. He's safe."

"Thank G.o.d." He heard McNiel repeat the information. Heard the congratulations being pa.s.sed around the room. After a moment, McNiel said, "And this other news?"

"Amba.s.sador Harden. He's been pa.s.sing on information to Adami. And Adami hinted that Harden was reporting to someone higher up."

A long stretch of silence on the other end, then finally, "Yes, of course we heard about the warehouse and the bioweapons being destroyed. Everyone here is ecstatic."