Cross & Crown (26 page)

Alex cleared her throat. “You seem like a CliffsNotes crowd.”

Kelly stood and shook out his shoulders. He helped Julian to his feet. JD came closer.

“Okay, let’s start with the basics. Do you know who the Rosicrucians were?”

“Secret society precursor to the Masons,” Kelly grunted.

“They were esoteric, focused their efforts on nature, healing, and chemistry,” Nick added.

“Impressive. They are rumored to have made incredible breakthroughs, including gaining mastery in alchemy and, most famously, creating the philosopher’s stone.”

“Like Harry Potter?” Kelly asked.

“No,” Alex said, her voice cold. “Not like Harry Potter.”

“Get to the point a little faster,” Nick urged.

“The point is, those are myths and legends, but the reality behind them is true. The Rosicrucians made valuable advances with their equations and formulas. They could cure illnesses in the Middle Ages we could only
hope
to fight against today.
There are even contemporary sources that imply they were able to cure cancer.”

“The Rosicrucians had a cure for cancer?” JD asked. He’d pulled to his true height as Alex spoke, a look of recognition dawning on his face. He winced and smacked his forehead. “They wrote the formulas on gold scrolls to keep them from being destroyed.”

“Exactly,” Alex said. “He hasn’t lost all that knowledge up there after all.”

“Golden scrolls?” Nick repeated.

“When the Masons rose to power, they sought to protect that knowledge. They were at war with the Catholic Church, who was in the midst of a power grab. The Pope decreed everything the Rosicrucians had discovered was magic, of the devil, all that crap. The burgeoning Masonic powers couldn’t risk the Church obtaining the scrolls and melting them down. All that knowledge, lost…”

“I get it,” Kelly said suddenly. “The cross is made of layers of gold. It’s wrapped in the scrolls, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.” Alex was solemn. “They knew the Church would never desecrate a cross. The scrolls would be safe until… well, I guess until more enlightened minds could discover them.”

“Enlightened minds like yourself?” Nick asked.

Alex rolled her eyes. “Don’t pretend you’re after that treasure for altruistic reasons. Please. Dr. Hunt and I were hired by Alco Pharmaceuticals. We’re supposed to find the ancient formulas.”

Julian scoffed at her. “A pharmaceutical company hired treasure hunters?”

“Cancer is big money,” Alex stated almost sadly.

Nick loosened his hold on her arm. “Why’d you pretend to be a professor at Boston College to give me an ID? Why not just come in and claim JD?”

Alex met JD’s eyes. “Because he ran out on us. One night we figured out that the trail led us to Massachusetts, and we finished a bottle of wine in celebration. The next morning, he was gone. I thought he was after the treasure for a rival company, so I had to follow him quietly.”

JD met Nick’s eyes. He was breathing hard, realization sweeping over his face. “Oh my God,” he whispered.

“JD…”

“It’s all true then,” JD cried. “I
am
a bad guy! I’m a murderer and a thief and… and maybe a kidnapper! And I betrayed people who were supposed to be my friends and colleagues! You even said you trusted me! Jesus!”

He ran both hands through his hair and turned away to pace.

“How did he get murderer and thief from what I just said?” Alex asked Nick.

“It’s a long story.”

“Will you untie us now?”

Nick took his knife from his belt and sliced through the zip tie. Kelly followed his lead and released the man, whose name ended up being Colin.

Alex rubbed at her wrists, eyes on Julian. “The man who hired us told us you’d be out there too. He said you were dangerous and motivated. That’s why we bring Colin along everywhere.”

Colin gave a silent nod.

“We didn’t know anyone had been kidnapped,” Alex said. “Who is it?”

“My husband,” Julian said through gritted teeth. “I was told to give them the location of the cross and they wouldn’t harm him.”

“Your husband?” Nick blurted. Julian nodded. “Congratulations,” Nick offered lamely.

“You haven’t found the cross?” Alex asked.

“I haven’t been looking for it. I’ve been looking for
them
. Who are they?”

Alex’s eyes went wide. “I don’t know. We were told rival companies were after the cross and we’d have to move fast.”

Kelly stepped forward, close to Nick, and he lowered his voice when he spoke. “So we have
three
parties in play here? Alex’s group, JD’s group, and Julian?”

“That’s what I’m taking away from all this,” Nick answered. He reached to his belt, pulling his handcuffs from their holster. “One thing I do know…”

Kelly nodded. “Evidence is saying you have to arrest him, huh?”

Nick sighed. JD turned and halted his pacing when he saw Nick watching him. The look in his eyes was one of both resignation and betrayal. “You’re really going to arrest me now?”

Nick held up the handcuffs and moved closer to him. “Turn around,” he said softly.

JD lowered his head and turned his back to Nick, his shoulders slumping. Nick took one wrist in his hand, but before he could put the handcuffs on him, JD jerked his elbow. He landed a blow on Nick’s side, and Nick’s knees buckled. JD whirled and grabbed Nick’s gun from its holster as Nick went to the ground, and his hands were trembling. He backed away, the gun pointing from one person to the next.

“I’m sorry,” he said to Nick. “I’m sorry I hurt you. But I can’t let you arrest me, not yet. I have to find them and find out the truth first.”

Nick braced a hand on the concrete walkway, gasping and wincing as his blazing eyes tracked JD, who was still backing away from them all.

JD’s eyes darted around the hordes of tourists, and then he pointed the gun in the air, aiming it in the general direction of the river. The blast of the shot echoed off the rolling hills and stone monuments and created instant panic: tour groups screamed and scattered, families with children flattened to the ground, kayakers on the river dove out of their vessels into the water for safety.

JD met Nick’s eyes one last time as he moved away. “I’m sorry. I’ll turn myself in after, I promise!” he called, and then he bolted into the crowd.

elly loitered near the park ranger’s office, listening as Nick gave a report to someone on the phone. From the tone of his voice, he wasn’t enjoying the conversation. When he was done, he emerged from the office and gave everyone a grim smile.

“How’d it go?” Julian asked.

Nick laughed bitterly. “Well. I brought a suspect to a public place while I was supposed to be on guard duty, lost control of my department-issued sidearm, and then allowed the suspect to abscond with it into a crowd. Oh, and fire it. Apparently it hit a goose downriver.”

They all stared at him, wide-eyed and waiting for him to continue. “Let’s just say it didn’t go too well.”

“Have you been shelved?” Kelly asked.

“No. I’ve been given forty-eight hours to fix it.”

Alex had been keeping her distance, but she was edging closer. “You know the only way to find where he’s going is to find the treasure, right?”

Nick narrowed his eyes at her. “Thank you for at least being transparent in your motives.”

Alex shrugged. “What do you say, Detective? You want to work together in this?”

“No,” Nick growled. He headed for the door, and Kelly fell into step beside him.

They reached the door, and Kelly glanced back to find Julian hadn’t moved. He tugged on Nick’s damp shirt, and Nick turned as well.

“You jumping ship?” Kelly asked Julian.

Julian smiled softly. “I have to find Cameron.”

“Good luck to you,” Nick told him. “You have my number if you need it.”

“And you will have mine.”

Nick turned and left the office without another word. Kelly gave Julian a small wave before following his lover out.

“We going after the treasure?” Kelly asked as Nick stalked toward his Range Rover.

“No,” Nick said through gritted teeth. “We are going after my fugitive.”

He opened up the back of the SUV and rummaged around for a duffel bag he kept there. Kelly leaned against the car as Nick pulled out a fresh pair of clothing and began to change, right there in the middle of the parking lot.

Kelly pursed his lips, leering when Nick took his shirt off.

“You’re staring like a pervert,” Nick said without looking over at him.

“So is everyone else in the parking lot,” Kelly shot back. “You should put on dry boxers too. You know. For your health.”

Nick glanced around the lot, then glared at Kelly.

“Come on, Irish. You did everything right, here. You were careful and he still burned you. No way to see it coming.”

“Maybe. Don’t have to bend over and enjoy getting played, though.”

Once Nick had gotten dry clothes on, they climbed into the Range Rover, but Nick didn’t start the car.

“You okay?” Kelly asked him.

“I just… if this was a dead end, what was the point? The plaque we saw on the way there said the original bridge had been dismantled in 1793. Why the hell would you create a clue in 1831 that led to something you knew was gone?”

Kelly nodded, resting his head on the seat. “Maybe we had the clue wrong?” Nick’s green eyes sparkled. “Maybe it didn’t lead us here. I mean, why should it? The treasure was stolen at a tavern between here and Boston. The British were retreating to Boston. They wouldn’t have come back here with the treasure; it’d be hidden between the original theft and the city. So why put a clue that brings you
past
the treasure? It was a long way by horseback, why all the wasted mileage?”

Nick was nodding as Kelly spoke, his eyes going unfocused.

“What was the whole name on the gravestone?” Kelly asked.

“Russell,” Nick answered. “Russell B. North.”

“We took North as the clue, but what if it’s just the direction we were supposed to head in? Or nothing at all?” Kelly mused. “Is the name Russell important? Is it a town or something?”

Nick sighed heavily and shook his head. “I don’t know. Get your phone out, look it up. I’m going to call Hagan, see if he’s come up with anything in those letters.”

Kelly did a few searches on his phone, trying to combine the words Russell and Revolutionary War with Lexington and Concord. He got results for several soldiers and historians, but one result popped up over and over. “Think I got something,” he told Nick.

Nick had his phone to his ear, but he raised both eyebrows at Kelly. He put the phone on speaker and lowered it to his lap. He was apparently on hold.

“The Jason Russell house?” Kelly said. “This says it was the bloodiest part of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.”

“Where is it?”

“It was in a town called Menotomy. Where is that?”

“That’s what the town of Arlington used to be called,” Nick said as he stuck the keys in the ignition. “It’s not far from here.”

Nick pulled out of the parking lot, sliding his sunglasses on. Kelly grinned at him, kicking his feet up onto the dashboard. “I know I always used to make fun of you and Owen for being history nerds, but I got to say, it’s kind of doing it for me right now.”

Nick glanced at him, and the sun flashed in his aviators.

Kelly nodded, still smiling widely. “The way you just pull facts out of your head like it’s magic? It’s hot.”

Nick chuckled and returned his attention to the road.

“O’Flaherty?” Hagan’s voice came from the phone on Nick’s lap. Nick picked it up and held it against the steering wheel.

“Hey, what you got for me?”

“What do you mean?” Hagan asked.

“The letters you were supposed to be reading over. Have you found anything?”

“Bro, you took the letters with you.”

Nick looked down sharply, then at Kelly. “We didn’t take anything,” Nick told Hagan.

“Your buddy Cross came in before you left, told me you wanted him and JD to skim over the letters last night for a lead. Said you’d decided they would catch more than I could.”

“Fuck!” Nick shouted.

“Did I get played by a CIA hit man?” Hagan asked dejectedly.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck! That’s why Cross ditched us, and that’s why he wasn’t interested in finding anything on the bridge. He has the right location already.”