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

The guy in the video footage from the museum doesn’t come up on any of our known databases. This Jurgenson’s a ghost.”

Sean considered this last bit of information. He’d run into men like this before, assassins, hit men, contract killers. They come by many names. Sometimes, they were sloppy. Usually, they were very good. He was unsure which category this Jurgenson fell into. So far, the guy’s only mistake had been ignoring the presence of the security cameras in the museum. Maybe he’d not even thought that such a small place would have measures like that in place. Either way, the man was lethal. But something was making him impatient, a fact Wyatt might be able to use to his advantage. Or so he hoped.

And then there was the other component of this mysterious man’s existence. If he was a hired gun, as Sean suspected, that meant that someone else was pulling the strings. This was somewhat more disconcerting. Usually, even if the contractor was taken out, the guy behind it all simply disappeared, leaving the trail cold. Just like with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. No one will ever know who really ordered the hit. One thing is certain, though, Lee Harvey Oswald was no mastermind.

Joe changed lanes, glancing back in the rearview mirror to make sure no one was following. A white luxury sedan passed in the far right lane and continued farther and farther ahead.

“Sean, you there?” Morris’s voice snapped him back to the moment.

“I don’t think Jurgenson is the one calling the shots.”

“No?” Trent sounded surprised.

“Nah. The way that this whole thing has been going down, it makes me think he’s just the manager of the team.”

“But not the owner?”

“Right.”

“So who is?”

Sean could tell the cop’s voice was being kept a little low. He imagined an entire crime scene investigation going on in the background. Trent must have surely been huddled in a corner of the church somewhere so no one else could hear the conversation.

“I’m not sure. There are only a few people in the world who even know about the legend of the lost chambers. Until this whole thing started, I didn’t really know much. And most of what I knew about it came from Tommy.”

“You said a few people. Who else would fit into that category?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure that out, but no one comes to mind. Tommy never did any presentations about the chambers story. It was something that he and I talked about in private. He was always really secretive about his research on it, too. I can tell you this though: Tommy put his life into that search. He wants to find the lost chambers more than anything else. It’s completely absorbed him.”

“Not one person comes to mind that he may have been in contact with?”

For a moment, Sean looked out the window of the truck, watching the fiery colors of the forest blur by. “There was one guy that I saw leaving Tommy’s office once, about six months ago. I had never seen him before. Now that I think of it, I don’t think I ever saw him after that either. He was an older gentleman, walked with a fancy-looking cane and dressed in a pinstriped Armani three piece. Not sure why it was, but he had a scowl on his face, like someone had just stolen his last piece of candy.”

“Didn’t get his name?”

“I went in and found Tommy sitting at his desk with his hands crossed. Guess he was thinking pretty hard about whatever he and the old guy had discussed. But he never told me what they talked about or who the man was.”

The detective silently contemplated the scenario and the few details they had.

Sean decided to go on. “All I know is that I have a chance to stop these guys, and that is exactly what I intend to do.”

Resignation came from the other end. “I guess there’s no changing your mind, Sean. You know that I could call the police down where you’re headed.”

“I realize that. But you know as well as I do if you get other authorities involved, we may never get Tommy back.”

Morris contemplated the problem. “Ok, Sean. I will give you a little more time, twenty-four hours. But that’s it. After that, I want your full cooperation with this. You hear me?”

“Yeah. I hear ya.”

“Good. Just don’t get yourself killed.”

“We’ll see.”

The line went dead.

52

Southeastern Tennessee

“You sure that was a smart thing to do, tellin’ that cop where we’re headed?” Joe cast his friend a skeptical look in the mirror. “I mean, why wouldn’t he just set up a road block and bring us in?”

“I don’t think he’ll do that.”

“Well, why did you tell him where we were going then?”

Sean smiled, “Because, Mac, we might need some help when this thing goes down.”

“Well, I don’t like it.” Joe cast a glance at Allyson, who had remained somewhat silent the last few minutes. “Isn’t there someone you can call on this? I mean, you work for Axis, right? Can’t they do something?”

“I’m not sure what they would do at this point. The FBI is already involved. As Sean knows, our agency tries to keep a very low profile. I’m afraid we might be on our own in this one.”

Sean nodded in agreement.

“On our own again, huh?” Joe echoed. “Great. So, tell me something, Sean, how did you figure Rock Eagle was the next place we need to go?”

“The thought had crossed my mind before. It seemed like the only logical spot on the continent. But what really gave it