The Milestone Protocol, Ernest Dempsey [100 best novels of all time txt] 📗

waiting for everyone else to have their turn. She even allowed a few people to cut in front of her, clearly wanting to be the last in the room with the two men.

Tommy noticed her twenty minutes before she stepped up to meet him. Her dark brown hair dangled in curls around her light brown face. Her athletic figure wasn’t hidden by the tight, black business dress. The skirt fluttered around her legs just above the knees, revealing only a few inches of skin above tall, matching leather boots with two silver buckles keeping straps in place. Something in her brown eyes gleamed, and Tommy wasn’t sure if it was curiosity or outrage. He was certain he’d said nothing wrong during his talk, though it was difficult to know given the social climate.

When she stepped up to meet him, he greeted her with a warm, welcoming smile. “Hello,” Tommy said. “What’s your name?”

“Tabitha Strong,” she said in an English accent; southern England, he guessed. “I loved your talk.”

“Thank you very much,” Tommy said. “Do you have a question for me?”

“Yes.” Her intense gaze sucked him in. “I’m curious if you know anything about the archaeology team that was attacked in Russia yesterday.” Her tone wasn’t accusatory, but it wasn’t innocent either.

“I’m sorry?” Tommy passed a sidelong, confused glance at his colleague.

Magnus’ expression changed from welcoming to concerned.

“Agent Tabitha Strong, MI6,” she said, holding up an ID. She only allowed the men to examine it for two seconds before putting it away. “There was a team of archaeologists in Russia, near Volgograd,” Tabitha said. “They were working on something related to finding the lost cities of Sarai.”

Tommy again questioned Magnus with a look, but the man shrugged and turned his head twice. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tommy said, bringing his eyes to meet hers again. “I’m aware of the history surrounding the mysterious cities of the Khans, but I didn’t know someone was conducting a dig there. Was it someone I know?”

“Yes,” Tabitha said. “Actually, it was.”

Tommy waited patiently for a few seconds, sensing she was holding back for some reason. “Well, who was it?”

“I guess you could say he’s an acquaintance.” She let the foreshadowing words linger for a second. “Kevin Clark was in charge of the dig.”

10

Stockholm

“Kevin?” Tommy managed.

“Dr. Clark was attacked?” Magnus asked. The worry in his tone matched the expression in his eyes. “What do you mean, attacked?”

Tabitha shook her head. “There was a fire east of Volgograd, out near the river. Some tourists traveling through the area happened to see the smoke. They went to the camp and found it destroyed. They also found the bodies, or what was left of them. Everyone was dead. They called the local authorities. It looks like a terrorist hit, so we got involved.” She scanned the room, as if concerned someone might be listening, and then continued.

“It didn’t take long for me to figure out that Dr. Clark was in charge of the dig. Except there’s another problem.”

Tommy waited without interrupting.

“Dr. Clark wasn’t there. He’s gone missing.”

Tommy did his best to feign ignorance. He didn’t know exactly where Kevin was at that moment, but he hoped his friend had been able to intercept the archaeologist. “Any idea what happened to him?”

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be talking to you, Mr. Schultz.”

He blushed, feeling stupid. “Good point.”

“Do you have any reason to believe that Dr. Clark would do something like this?” Her question struck him as odd.

Tommy suppressed the urge to scoff at the question, but it still came out in his tone. “Kevin? No, I don’t think so. And how many people are we talking about? I imagine a dig site like that probably had a dozen or more folks on the team.” The gravity of the number hit him like a sledgehammer. They were just archaeologists, people like him, maybe even a few who knew him. Now they were gone. Something deep down in Tommy’s gut burned with rage with every passing second.

“We thought the same thing, though it’s possible he could have hired a team—perhaps based in Russia.”

Tommy didn’t buy it, and he showed that with a disparaging twitch of his left cheek. “Look, it’s no secret that Kevin and I haven’t really agreed on much over the years. In fact, he doesn’t like me very much.”

“Yes, I was going to address that, too, Mr. Schultz.”

“Please, call me Tommy.”

Magnus inched forward. “I’m sorry, but if you’re insinuating that Tommy might have had something to do with this, I must insist you tread carefully.”

Tabitha’s eyes flicked to the blond man long enough for her to say, “I’m not suggesting Tommy is a suspect, Dr. Sorenson.” Then her eyes fell back to Tommy. “We know you were traveling to Stockholm, and before that you were in Atlanta. All our records, flight manifests from your private jet, everything shows you weren’t directly involved. Of course, you could have hired someone to do the job for you.” Her right eyebrow lifted slightly. “Tell me more about this…strained relationship with Kevin Clark.”

“There’s not much to tell,” Tommy admitted. “He’s been outspoken in several historical and archaeological circles about the way we conduct our agency. He doesn’t agree with how we do things.”

“Which means what, exactly?”

Tommy crossed his arms over his chest and relaxed with a sigh. “He thinks we’re treasure hunters. Truth is, sometimes we take on that persona. But it’s never for profit. That’s the difference. And frankly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with treasure hunters. If people spend the time and money to hunt for lost valuables or artifacts, they’re free to do so. And if they find something, good for them. We are primarily in the business of securing and transporting artifacts once they’re discovered. We offer research services in our state-of-the-art lab located in our Atlanta headquarters, if clients prefer. On occasion, we find ourselves in the midst of more adventurous jobs.”

“Which is how you’ve gained notoriety so quickly.”

“And