The 13th Enumeration (38 page)

Chapter 78

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Darius watched his monitor as the price of AQES dropped. He had fired Dylan two days ago, and he could see it had an additional benefit. Dylan, and likely Ralph and Gavin, were selling as many shares as they could along with anyone else they told. The volume was extremely heavy, and Darius knew many of the hedge funds and bankers who had lent him money were starting to sweat right about now. AQES had dropped over twenty percent in the past two trading days in Chicago. His phone had already started ringing. Concerned investors from all over the world were leaving messages asking if there was something they needed to know. By tomorrow they would be terrified.

Darius smiled with grim satisfaction. If they only knew what was about to transpire. Already many people in Dubai were starting to feel ill. Tomorrow they would start acting irrational and violent. If the toxin acted as it had in the past, Dubai would be a war zone in two days, and in a week the dead and dying would be everywhere.

Darius was already getting reports of employees staying home because of illness. Soon the full effects would be felt, and Darius would send all AES employees home until further notice. He would stay one more night in Dubai to ensure that everything went according to plan. When he left, he would set off the explosive charges that would destroy the entire facility.

Several months ago he had hired a firm to plant explosives throughout the factory and administrative buildings. Darius had paid the owner fifty million dollars to do the work clandestinely. The man had done the task with his son and two of their trusted employees over a period of four weeks, working late at night. No one was the wiser. Darius could remotely detonate the entire factory with a single call from his cell phone.

From Iran, he would have a front-row seat to watch the total destruction of the Order. For a hundred years, they’d had a stranglehold on the world. Two weeks from today, their seats of power would be ghost towns. By the time they figured out what was happening it would be too late. Every person who drank any water in New York, Chicago, New Delhi, Tokyo, Washington, DC, Sydney, or London would be walking dead. Finally, the rest of the world would shake off the shackles of the Order. Then it would be time for Persia to rise again.

At a slight knock, Darius turned and said, “Yes, who is it?”

One of his staff in charge of the daily mail delivery opened the door and walked in. He looked under the weather, and his eyes were bloodshot. “Sir,” he said, “I have some mail for you from the Dubai PO box. I’m sorry, but it is two days old. I have been on vacation for several days and my assistant has not been well . . . I found a pile of mail on my desk when I got back this morning.” Handing the envelope to Darius, he apologized again and turned to leave.

“Hassan, I want you to take the rest of the day off. There seems to be a bug going around.”

Gratefully, the man thanked him and left.

Darius opened the package and pulled out the flash drive. Leaving his office, he went across the hall to the utility closet where he kept the tools. After a few minutes, he reappeared with the flash drive which had a new USB end attached.

Back in his office, he decrypted the file and looked at the message. It was from Contact 13. With surprise and excitement he read the message.

Have made a major discovery . . . Coded Hebrew message found on wall of tunnel.
Yagid, echad, habhab, ahabah.
Related to list of Matthew 1. Twenty-five scrolls, sixty clay tablets, miscellaneous coins, and other artifacts. Very few know of discovery. They have been dealt with. You can have first pick. Provide e-mail address in order to send pictures of artifacts and inscriptions. Payment to be made in advance. Entire collection sight unseen fifty million dollars. Will hold collection for one week after that highest bidder.

Darius thought about the Hebrew words. After twenty years of research, he recognized the Hebrew numbers for thirteen and fourteen after a few minutes of thought. Next he pulled up an Internet version of the New Testament and opened Matthew 1.

At first he didn’t see anything of interest. Just a list from another messianic zealot, he thought to himself. Reading it again, he saw the list was supposed to show three sets of fourteen generations from the Hebrew Abraham to Jesus. Counting out the names, he found only forty-one names. “Three times fourteen is forty-two, idiot,” he muttered under his breath. How did Christians think they could get anyone to believe their myths if their apostles couldn’t even count?

In disgust, he was about to close the web browser when a commentator’s note at the bottom of the page caught his eye. “Four names missing.” He read further and found Matthew 1 had long been a disputed text due to the fact the author had left out four names from the original Old Testament text.
Four missing names,
Darius thought. That would make forty-five names.

Then it hit him. Excitedly, he pulled up File 13. Yes, there it was. The 211 Pearl Street symbol. The symbol on the building of the devout Christian, William Colgate.

He remembered counting the bricks at one time, and the number forty-five had stuck out in his mind. The brickwork was made up of forty-five rows of bricks. At the thirteenth level from the bottom, a row of eight bricks was arranged vertically. Then above that five more bricks, and above that another two. Counting from the bottom row of vertical bricks to the first layer in the triangle were also thirteen bricks. Counting down from the top of the brickwork to the very top of the triangle there were fourteen rows of bricks. Again from the top of the brickwork to the first row of vertical bricks above the triangle were seven rows of bricks. Along the edge of the brickwork between the seven vertical bricks at the top and the fifteen vertical bricks at the bottom were twenty-seven rows of bricks—thirteen plus fourteen. Thirteen starting with half-bricks and fourteen starting with solid.

Darius shook his head in amazement. Old William Colgate had made a symbolic list of Matthew 1 right on the side of his building. The one row of bricks above the triangle and the three rows of bricks below it might even be a marker representing the missing names. Pretty clever, but why? Why go to all the trouble to make a symbolic brickwork representing a genealogy from the New Testament?

Darius was not satisfied. There had to be more to it than that. Well, he would have to save it for another day. He had an appointment to go to, and it looked as if he was late already. Making a few notes in the folder, he saved it and turned off his computer. Clever man, that William Colgate, clever man.
But what are you trying to tell us?

As he was leaving his office, he couldn’t help but wonder what he was missing.

* * *

Anton Ramirez arrived in Dubai later that night and checked into his hotel. His room was on the fourth floor. Once inside, he took out a small package addressed to the PO box he had been given by the Baker. He walked back down to the front desk and asked them to place it in the outgoing mail. By tomorrow it would make it to the post office, and with any luck, the next day he would be able to track it to whomever was receiving Capsule 13.

Once back in his room, he removed a state-of-the-art GPS tracking device from his luggage. This he turned on and tested to make sure it was still working. You never knew how the bag handlers would treat your luggage, he thought. This device could track his little package from up to ten miles. Anton doubted he would have to test the range on his equipment. He’d bet the person he was looking for was not far from the Dubai World Trade Center.

Turning on the TV, he watched the news for a few minutes with mild interest. World stock markets were crashing again for some reason. Turning the channel, he looked for a good horror movie. He really didn’t care about the news unless he was making it.

Chapter 79

On his way home that night, Marcus received a phone call from his agents on night-shift detail at the bakery. When they arrived for their shift, they had found the day-shift observation team dead—shot with a low-caliber weapon. Marcus turned his car around and headed for the bakery as he called in reinforcements. There were two probable scenarios regarding his agents’ death. The first, and what he considered the most likely, was that the Baker was dead. The guardians of the secret were at work again, eliminating those who had any connection to Capsule 13. Likely, whoever was responsible had interrogated the Baker and now knew the destination of the capsule.

The other option was that the terror network had somehow found out they had been compromised and were eliminating any possible connections between the capsules and their destination. Marcus picked up his phone again and called the operations center. He had another set of agents dispatched to check on Efran Finkelstein. If this was related to the secret, then he was next on the list—if he was not already dead.

When Marcus arrived on scene, he found only sober faces tinged with anger. These two dead agents brought the number now to six, all dead in the past few days.
These too had been marked with an unknown symbol.
He would not be able to keep this contained any longer. With six dead Mossad agents, this investigation would move to the highest priority. After looking the crime scene over, Marcus grabbed two agents and headed over to the bakery. The light, which was normally on at this time, was still out. There was no evidence of activity inside. As they approached the front of the store, they found the door unlocked. They walked in and called out to see if anyone was about. Finding no one, they walked back into the bakery and found everything as it had been left the night before.

“Do you think he got scared and ran?” one of the agents asked.

Marcus replied, “I doubt it.”

Marcus said no more but headed upstairs, the other two agents a few steps behind. When they reached the living room, they had their answer. The Baker had been tied to the chair. Marcus noticed right away that only seven fingers remained. Three on his left hand and four on his right. They had removed thirteen of his fingers and toes. He knew without a doubt this was a warning to him. Marcus felt the skin on his arms and legs prickle. If he did not find a way to get some leverage on the Guardian, he was soon destined to become a victim as well.

Turning to one of his agents he said, “Call in a forensic team; see if they left anything behind we can use to find them.”

As he was leaving the bakery, he got a call from the apartment of Efran Finkelstein. They had f
ound Efran dead, his throat cut.
There went another connection to Capsule 13. Soon others would realize there was more to these deaths than just the terror network. The next likely victims would be whoever was behind Capsule 13 in Dubai, then the Neumanns and Mr. Harrison.

Marcus called Chief Yadin. When he answered, Marcus explained the events of the past few hours. He also explained that he was concerned there might be a link between the Capernaum dig and the terror network. “If there is some greater conspiracy here related to the Capernaum dig, then both the Neumanns and Mr. Harrison might be at risk.”

The chief replied, “Do you have any tangible evidence as to a link between the Capernaum dig and a bigger conspiracy?”

“No, sir, nothing I can prove other than each of the victims have been marked with a strange symbol. We have some of our people trying to track down the meaning of the symbol, but that avenue is not looking to promising right now.
Unfortunately, we just lost the o
ne person who might have known
. Efran Finkelstein was the only connection we had between the Capernaum dig and the terror network. Sir, I would also suggest we pull in every person we have been watching on the list the FBI provided. Once whoever is behind this terror network realizes that two of their people have been killed, they will likely shut the network down and either move or eliminate their people. We only have a small window of opportunity to get any information from them.”

“Okay, go ahead and bring them in. And Marcus, I want you to warn the Neumanns that there is a possible danger to them. If he would like a security detail on his house, get him one. See if you can get some local law enforcement involved. We are spread pretty thin right now. Jacob Neumann is one of the good guys. He is not political, and he is a true patriot. If anything happens to them, Marcus, I will hold you personally responsible.”

When Nigel Yadin ended the call, Marcus made several more calls. First he called Jacob Neumann and explained his concerns. Jacob Neumann listened and then said, “Agent Nayat, I appreciate your concern. Thank you for calling and telling me, but until you have something more concrete, I would prefer not to waste the precious resources of our law-enforcement officials.”

“Very well, Mr. Neumann, but should you change your mind at any time, please call me personally.” Marcus gave Jacob Neumann his number and then made a call to the other Mossad agents watching those on the list the FBI had given them. He directed them to bring in all the suspects. Finally, Marcus called David Johnson and explained the possible danger to Zane Harrison.

David took the call from Marcus Nayat and listened while he explained the situation. Zane was busy typing on his computer, rewriting his research on Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy.

David snapped his phone closed. “Zane, I just got a call from the Mossad agent in charge of the terror network investigation. They lost two more agents tonight. They believe it is possible that you and the Neumanns might be in danger due to your connection to the Capernaum dig. Right now they don’t have anything concrete, but they cannot explain why four highly trained Mossad agents were killed out there the other night. Tonight Efran Finkelstein was killed along with the person he was passing his messages to. Apparently he was sending messages through the sewer system, and they were collected at a local bakery. The baker has been under surveillance for several weeks, and the two agents watching him were killed tonight. The assailant entered the bakery and killed the baker as well. Thirteen of his fingers and toes were removed
and he was marked with a strange symbol
. Whoever is out there doing this is one sick dude. You should be very careful until you leave for the States.”

Zane looked skeptical. “How can the events of the Capernaum dig and the terror network be connected, David? That makes no sense.”

David was quiet a moment. “Zane, I know it doesn’t make sense right now, but don’t you think it’s just a little too coincidental that the baker lost thirteen fingers and that he was forwarding a flash drive, sent through the sewer by Efran Finkelstein, which was marked by the number thirteen? Now you show me a Bible code hidden for almost two thousand years, the key to which is the number thirteen.”

Zane interrupted, “You said Efran was passing secrets through the sewer and marking them with the number thirteen?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I don’t think we can discount a possible connection between what you found down in that cave and this network. What if there’s a bigger picture we’re missing here?”

David was animated now, his logical brain processing the information as he spoke. Talking more to himself than Zane, he continued, “So to date we have a terror network which uses the sewer to communicate. One of the members of this cell who just happens to mark his messages with the number thirteen. One of the greatest archeological discoveries in Israel in the last twenty years completely destroyed. In addition to priceless scrolls, tablets, and other artifacts, we had a coded inscription whose key in part was the number thirteen. A key, I might add, which you believe proves that in fact Jesus fulfilled a twenty-five-hundred-year-old prophecy in the book of Daniel.”

Zane was listening carefully now, and David carried on. “Tonight we have the death of the only person who could possibly connect the Capernaum dig and the terror network, the same person who was marking secret messages with the number thirteen. Tonight we also have the killing of two Mossad agents and a baker who was the subject of their surveillance. This baker was the person responsible for passing on the messages marked with the number thirteen. Coincidentally, this poor fellow had thirteen of his fingers and toes removed. Now, tell me there is not something more going on here! Until we figure out what is going on you should not take any chances.”

“David, I see your point. It does seem to be a little bit more than coincidence. To put your mind at ease, I promise you I will pay attention. I plan on leaving for home the day after tomorrow anyway. I don’t plan on going anywhere between now and then except for dinner with Rachael to
morrow night. If you don’t mind
, I will stay right here in the room and work on my research notes and paper the rest of the time. That way you will not have to worry about me. Deal?”

David smiled. “Okay, Zane, but I think you should cancel your dinner date with Rachael Neumann.”

Zane started to protest.

“Just joking bro, just joking. If I was in your shoes, nothing short of the second coming would keep me away from a date with Rachael Neumann.”

Zane, a smile and just a touch of embarrassment on his face now, laughed with David at his own expense. The rest of the evening they spent catching up on the events of the past year. They made plans for climbing that winter at home—Arizona was a perfect place to go rock climbing during the winter.

Finally, David yawned and said, “I’m going to hit the hay, Zane. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a long day. I’ll be out most of the day tomorrow, so you’ll have the place to yourself. There is a pullout couch, and linens are in the closet over there. Good night.” With that, David walked into the bedroom and closed the door. Zane stayed up for another hour working on his research notes for the prophecy of seventy weeks. Finally satisfied, he saved the file and inserted it in an e-mail.

Sam,

If you have some time take a look at this, will you. I think you will find it fascinating. I would sure like your input on it when you have time. Hope you are well. David said you have a new customer. LOL. Take care and talk to you soon.

Zane

P.S. I will be heading home in a couple of days. I would like to get together and talk when I get back. Maybe we could get together on the weekend and find some rock?

Zane hit send and then addressed a new e-mail to Rachael.

Dear Rachael,

I finished up some of my notes on Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy tonight. I’ve added some of the information we’ve found relating to the subject. I thought you might like a copy. As always your thoughts and opinions on it are appreciated.

Regards, Zane

Zane hit send and turned in for the night. He was both physically and mentally exhausted. He fell asleep with pleasant thoughts of Rachael Neumann and their date tomorrow night.

* * *

David lay in bed thinking about what Zane had shared with him. The information seemed almost incredible. He wondered about the connection between the terrorist network and the Capernaum dig. Why the symbolism of the number thirteen—why was this number important to a terrorist network? Who was really behind this?

Exhausted as David was, he couldn’t shut his mind off. He lay there thinking about the implications of Zane and Rachael’s discovery. What were the unintended consequences of this information? And there was something more. Something just out of reach of his conscious mind. Turning off the light, he closed his eyes and tried to shut his mind down. David lay there for some time, and just as he was drifting off to sleep, he sat up in bed.

“Pi!” he exclaimed.

That was what he had been trying to remember. That was what had been nagging him. He knew he had recognized the numbers. “Nah, that couldn’t be it,” he said to himself as he lay back down.

In college, David had minored in mathematics. He loved numbers, their order, and their mystery. In his second year of college, he had written a term paper on the properties of pi. The great irrational number. A number with a fractional representation that never repeats and never ends. Believed to be a transcendental number, the value of which cannot be systematically rendered by any algebraic process. During the course of writing his paper, David had memorized the value of pi up to the fiftieth decimal place. Now he recalled those first fifty digits.

David sat up in bed and turned on the light. Looking at the clock, he could see he had been lying in bed almost two hours now. David slid out of the covers and walked over to the small desk against the wall of his room. Getting out a piece of paper, he wrote down the first seven digits of pi:

3.141592

Next, he turned on his computer and opened his BibleWorks software, looking up the reference for the instructions of the Feast of Tabernacles during the seventh month. He remembered Zane telling him about the number of sacrifices: there were thirteen, fourteen , and he thought he remembered seven, but he wanted to make sure of the number and their order. He finally found the reference, and with incredulity he muttered, “Oh, come on, you have got to be kidding me!” The reference was Numbers 29:13.