The Secret of the Stones by Ernest Dempsey (reading fiction .TXT) 📕

nodded, “I love this part of the country. Been to a lot of places all over the world, but the Southeast just has something special about it.”

“Are you so passionate about everything in your life, Sean Wyatt?” She laughed.

He thought for a moment, semi-pondering the question then replied, “I have no opinion concerning cats.”

A full laugh erupted from her chest. “What?! Cats? What in the world are you talking about?”

“Well, I’m just saying, I can take or leave cats. I could have one or not. Doesn’t matter to me.” He cast a wry little smile at her. “You asked.”

She continued laughing as the car whirred down the country road.

19

Blue Ridge Mountains

Tommy sat at a table situated in the corner of a cavernous kitchen. The ropes that had previously bound him had been replaced by two security personnel who were almost as large as the room. He’d been sitting there for almost two hours, waiting. For what, he wasn’t sure. Ulrich had left quickly, determined to bring back what Tommy had said he needed from his house.

When he had received the correspondence from Dr. Borringer, there had been no explanation as to what the coded sentences meant. It was simply a translation of the ancient languages that had been combined to mislead and confuse those who would try to decipher it.

A nervous chill went up Tommy’s spine as he considered the consequences. What his captors would do if he couldn’t figure out the riddle from the stone? He figured they would surely dispose of him just as easily as they had done with Frank. Killing, it seemed, was not a moral dilemma for them.

He thought about his friend, Sean, and wondered where he might be at that moment. Internally, he shook the thoughts of uncertainty and fear out of his mind. His demeanor had to stay cool.

“You guys play football when you were in high school?” He tried to crack their stone exterior. They simply stared at him, cold and direct. “No?” Tommy continued, “Well, you should have. Couple of big rascals like yourselves, I know a lot of coaches that would have loved to had you guys playin’ O-line or D-line.”

Still no response.

After a few moments of awkward silence and thought, Tommy chirped up again, “You guys even speak English?” They still didn’t respond. “Well, could one of you at least grab me a glass of water? I am freakin’ thirsty.”

Finally, something he said got a reaction. One of the large men turned his head slightly to the shorter one on his left and gave a quick nod in the direction of the sink. The neck-less behemoth resumed his stare at the prisoner while the other guy stalked over to the kitchen sink, grabbing a glass out of one of the overhead cabinets. After filling the glass, he clomped back to the table and set it in front of Tommy.

“Thanks. Much obliged.” He truly was grateful and tried to act as natural as possible. The shorter giant had resumed his spot where he’d been standing previously.

Tommy took a big swallow of the water and set the glass back on the table. “So, you boys from around here?”

Apparently, he’d got all the interaction he was going to receive from the two guards.

“Yeah,” he went on, as if they were listening, “I grew up just outside of Atlanta. Lived in these parts my whole life. Love it. Not a place on earth I would rather be.” His friendly demeanor seemed to do nothing to crack the frozen exterior of the two suits. “Some people complain about the humidity, but I don’t mind it. I always tell ‘em at least it’s a wet heat…”

Silence.

“So…you guys listen to music? Wait, let me guess. Techno? ‘Cause you look like you would be into that. Me? I pretty much like it all. Rock, bluegrass, even some of that Euro-electronic stuff.”

Tommy looked from one guard to the other, waiting. Then, finally, he said, “You boys heard of Jimmy Buffet?”

This time, the non-response was accompanied by the double doors at the end of the kitchen bursting open. Ulrich had returned. He carried a letter in his hand. “I believe this is what you needed, Herr Schultz.” The statement was calculated but not sinister.

Tommy’s reply was sarcastically defiant. “Oh, good. You found it. I wasn’t sure if it would still be where I left it, pesky police searching the premises and such after the kidnapping.”

“The police were quite accommodating.” The evil smile from earlier returned to the pale face.

Tommy wasn’t sure what would happen when Ulrich went to recover the document. Part of him had hoped the police would detain the blond foreigner. Of course, if that happened, his own chances of survival might actually go down.

These two brutes in the black Secret Service outfits probably had a set amount of time to wait for their boss to return, at which point, they more than likely had execution orders. It was certainly a mixture of relief and disappointment as Ulrich stepped over to the table and laid the envelope upon it.

“Are you surprised that I returned?” His voice was sarcastic.

“No,” Tommy’s reply was quick. “I was just wondering what was taking you so long.” He motioned to the two henchmen, “We were just talking about Jimmy Buffet when you came barging through the door.

Ulrich stood up straight and cast a quick glance at his employees, who were staring straight ahead. The shorter one had a somewhat dumbfounded look on his face.

“The time for your little wisecracks and games is over, Mr. Schultz.” Ulrich leaned in close to Tommy’s ear then added. “You have twenty-four