Page 31 (1/2)

"That’s why Cutter was holding it, surely," Avery told Kelsey He patted her hand

Kelsey was staring at Jaden, and Jaden looked as if she were about to burst But she held silent as a waitress came to take their drink order and ask about appetizers

Kelsey looked at theive her the entire order It was obvious Kelsey was trying to be polite but was far too anxious for reed and discreetly ed "What else are you trying to say? Cutter was using it in soainst evil? That’s why he held the book, too, In Defense froic?"

"We need the next book," Jaden said She reached into her bag and pulled out another It was titled Nazi Treasures Secreted from Germany

"Okay, so the Nazis stole the relic from the monks?" Kelsey asked

Jaden nodded "The relic was at a church in Rouen, in the center of the altar It was taken--not for holy purposes, but for the gold The relic was secondary--the gold hat they valued"

Kelsey sat back, puzzled "I’ in the house, the book, the relic and a shotgun on his lap We’re assu or sohtened him so badly was there, wouldn’t he have taken the relic?"

"If there was soht have tried to take the relic," Jaden said

Liaht, wait He was dead quite a while before I found him If someone had been there to steal the relic, that person had plenty of time to take it"

"Yes But you haven’t heard the rest" She flipped open the second book "Herr Hubert Eichorn She pointed to the picture of a uished pose before a fireplace "He was never in the German military He was a ‘consultant’ He was a consultant on how to most quickly and efficiently kill people--he was a che before Hitler’s last days, and he knew he had to get out of Ger the reliquary"

"All right, so that’s how it left Germany," Kelsey said "I’e in the book They saw a picture of a brilliant-cut but unset diamond It was an old picture, and the caption beneath it announced that it had been taken in 1942 "The reliquary is worth ten to twenty thousand dollars This diaift from a prince to his princess at the time of Joan’s death, is worth a million or more"

"They make diamonds worth that much?" Avery said

"Perfect clarity, perfect hue…nearly ten carats A size that fit perfectly into the reliquary," Jaden said

Kelsey sat back, staring at her "Jaden, you’re telling me that this diamond was in the casket?"

Jaden shook her head "That’s the point The diamond isn’t in this reliquary"

"So it was taken?" Liam asked

"No, I don’t think so," Jaden said

"And why not?" Kelsey asked

"Because this reliquary is a fake!" Jaden announced, sitting back, flushed and triumphant

"What?" Liam, Kelsey and Avery asked si a little gold ball "This is your gold ball, Kelsey, or the gold ball from the reliquary It’s really perfect The workmanship is incredible It’s worth ten to twenty thousand, so it see next to the diamond I don’t knoho made this, or why, but our tests have dated it back to the early twentieth century So, the thief ured out that Cutter didn’t have the real reliquary, and so he left it"

Kelsey stared at her blankly "That doesn’t make sense If you were a thief--why not at least take so that orth twenty thousand dollars or so?"

"I don’t know that," Jaden said She fell silent as their drinks were delivered "I can only tell you what I discovered There was no sign of bone or ash in the little gold ball"

"So as in it?" Liari It was a little swastika on a gold pin "Worth soine, even if distasteful," she said

"None of it makes any sense," Kelsey said

"Actually, it does It makes perfect sense," Liaht away "Hey, Jaden, I saw that you and Ted visited the rare-book roo his iced tea

They both looked at him blankly, and then at each other "Recently, and always," Ted said "How do you think we do research? Online, yes, but we have to look at rare books for the pieces we’re asked to restore Why?"

"Just think back for a minute, did you ever take out a book called Key West, Satanism, Peter Edwards and the Abel and Aleister Crowley Connection?" Lia at him as if he had lost his mind

"I’ve never even heard of such a book," Jaden said

"So fro us--of stealing a book?" Ted asked, sitting back

"No, I was asking if you happened to have it," Lia at an e the reactions everyone had to his questions and comments

"I have never taken a rare book from the library, and I don’t even knohy I would want the one you’re talking about," Jaden said "Nor would I knohy you would want it, Liam!"

He didn’t rise to the bait He leaned back casually himself "I’m interested in the book because it supposedly has a reference to Cutter’s book, In Defense froick," he said

"Where did you even hear about it?" Ted asked