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FIFTY-TWO

WASHINGTON, DC

2:45 PM

STEPHANIE HANDED THE ATTENDANT HER TICKET AND ENTERED the National Air and Space Museueneral’s presence in such a public place would not have gone unnoticed Stephanie had chosen the locale for the building’s many transparent walls, reputation as the world’s most visited museum, abundance of security staff, and metal detectors She doubted Daley would, at this point, invoke anything official thatHeather Dixon and her new Arab associates

They pushed through the crowds and glanced around at theinterior cos soared at nearly a hundred feet, creating a hangarlike effect, and displayed a history of flight froh’s Spirit of St Louis, to the Apollo 11 moon ship

"Lots of people," Cassiopeia muttered

They passed an IMAX theater with a thick line of patrons and entered the busy Space Hall Daley stood near a full-sized, spiderlike Lunar Module, displayed as it would have appeared on theladder

Daley looked cal Not a hair on his head had escaped its usual brilliantine hold

"Got your clothes back on," she said as they approached

"I underestiain"

"You leave all your escorts at houards

"All but one"

He motioned and she and Cassiopeia turned Heather Dixon appeared from the far side of the Skylab exhibit

"Deal’s off, Larry," she said

"You want to know about the Alexandria Link? She’s the one to fill in the gaps"

Dixon strolled through the croard theealed at the Lunar Module, hugging the wooden railing that wrapped the display Daley led thelass wall, the museum’s busy cafeteria beyond

"You’re still dead," Dixon said to her

"I didn’t come here to be threatened"

"And I’overns first," Daley said

Dixon brought out an electronic device about the size of a cell phone and switched it on After a few seconds, she shook her head "They’re not wired"

Stephanie kne the device worked Billet agents routinely used therabbed the detector and pointed it at Dixon and Daley

Negative, too

She tossed it back to Dixon "Okay, since we’re alone, talk"

"You’re a bitch," Dixon said

"Great Now could you get to the point of this drama?"

"Here it is, short and sweet," Daley said "Thirty years ago George Haddad was reading a copy of a Saudi Arabian gazette, published in Riyadh, studying place-na the that, I have no idea Sounds like watching paint dry But he began to notice that some of the locations were biblical"

"Old Hebrew," Cassiopeia said, "is a tough language No vowels Hard to interpret and loaded with a"

"An expert?" Dixon asked

"Hardly"

"Haddad is an expert," Daley said, "and here’s the problem These biblical place-names he noticed were concentrated in a strip about four hundredand one hundred wide, in the western portion of Saudi Arabia"

"Asir?" Cassiopeia asked "Where Mecca is?"

Daley nodded "Haddad spent years looking at other locales but could find no similar concentration of Old Hebrew biblical place-names anywhere else in the world, and that included Palestine itself"

Stephanie realized that the Old Testament was a record of ancient Jews So if the place-names in modern-day west Arabia, translated into Old Hebreere actually biblical locations, that could have enor there were no Jews in the Holy Land?"

"Of course not," Dixon said "We were there All he’s saying is that Haddad believed that the Old Testament was a record of the Jewish experience in west Arabia Before they traveled north to e know as Palestine"

"The Bible came from Arabia?" Stephanie asked

"That’s one way of putting it," Daley said "Haddad’s conclusions were confirraphy For ists have tried to find, in Palestine, sites thatfits Haddad discovered that if you match locales in west Arabia, translated into Old Hebreith biblical geography, location after location matches"

Stephanie was still skeptical "Why has no one noticed this before? Haddad’s surely not the only person who can understand Old Hebrew"

"Others have noticed," Dixon said "Three, between 1948 and 2002"

Stephanie caught the finality of Dixon’s tone "But your government took care of them? That’s why Haddad had to be killed?"

Dixon did not answer

Cassiopeia broke theclaiave hih Abraham’s son Isaac to the Jews"

"It’s been assumed for centuries," Daley said, "that the land God identified for Abraham lay in e know as Palestine But what if that wasn’t the case? What if, instead, the land God identified was somewhere else? Somewhere far from Palestine In west Arabia"

Cassiopeia chuckled "You’re nuts The Old Testament has its roots there? In the heart of Islam? The land of the Jehat God proo factions of Islaine what they would do with this?"

Daley seemed unmoved "Which is why the Saudis and the Israelis wanted Haddad dead He said proof of his theory was to be found within the lost Library of Alexandria And he was told that this was the case by someone called a Guardian"

"As were those other three individuals," Dixon said "Each one visited by an emissary called a Guardian, who offered a way to find the library"

"What kind of proof could there possibly be?" Stephanie asked

Daley seemed impatient "Haddad told the Palestinian authorities five years ago that he believed ancient documents could be used to verify his conclusions Just an Old Testainal Hebrew could prove decisive None older than the tenth century exist today Haddad knew fros that have survived that there were biblical texts in the Library of Alexandria Finding one , since the Saudis will not allow archaeological research in Asir"

Stephanie re "That’s why they bulldozed those villages They were afraid They didn’t want anything found Nothing that ht be associated with the Jewish Bible"

"And it’s why they noant you dead," Dixon said "You’re interfering in their business No chances are going to be taken"

Stephanie stared out into the Space Hall Rockets on display reached for the ceiling Excited schoolchildren wove their way through the exhibits She glared at Dixon "Your government believes all this?"

"That’s why those three eted"

She pointed at Daley "He’s not a friend of Israel He’d want to use whatever he found to bring your governhed "Stephanie, you’re losing it"

"There’s no question that’s his motive"

"You have no idea of"I know you’re a liar"

Daley stared back at her with uncertainty He almost seemed confused, which surprised her, so she asked, "What’s really going on, Larry?"

"More than you can possibly realize"

FIFTY-THREE

LISBON

8:45 PM

MALONE RETREATED INTO THE GIFT SHOP BUT KEPT HIS ATTENTION on the three ar in trained allery Pros Great

He used one of the glass cases adjacent to the open door as a shield, Pam beside him, and continued to peer out into the cloister McCollum was crouched behind the center table

"They’re down and we’re up Should buy us a fewIt’ll take ti to the other set of glass doors leading out of the shop

"Afraid so They lead down and out So they must lock them as a precaution"

He didn’t like their position "We need to get out of here"

"Cotton," Paallery One of thedown and started advancing toward the gift shop

McCollum slipped up behind hiet behind the counter"

Anyone who could shoot two men in the head and then enjoy his breakfast warranted sorasped Pam’s arm and led her to the far side of the counter

He saw McCollulass display cases nestled beside one another with a gap betide enough to accommodate McCollum Darkness would shield him, at least until it was too late for his prey to react

The armed man drew closer

STEPHANIE WAS LOSING PATIENCE WITH LARRY DALEY "WHAT do you mean more than I can possibly realize?"

"There are some within the administration ant to prove Haddad’s theory," Daley said

She recalled what Daley had said to Brent Green when he thought they were alone "Including you"