The Library of the Kings: A Tom Wagner Adventure by Roberts M.C. & Maclay R.F

Author:Roberts, M.C. & Maclay, R.F.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-12-14T16:00:00+00:00

39

Close to St. Peter’s Square, Rome

“Hellen, give me a minute to explain what happened in Cairo. Please.”

After they had left the Vatican, Tom had managed to persuade Hellen to talk in private.

Hellen looked at Tom in a way he could not put into words; rejection and disillusionment were etched on her face. She sighed. She had heard Tom explain his way out of things too many times. She was starting to tire of his justifications.

“I don’t know what it’s supposed to change, but go ahead. Explain to me why you killed my boyfriend. Explain to me why you solved yet another problem with a gun and not like a normal, civilized human being.”

Hellen’s voice was icy. The hot wind that swept the streets of Rome did nothing to lessen the chill that had settled over Tom and Hellen, colder than ever before. They had never been as distant from each other as they were now; not even when she had told him in Vienna, after the Florentine diamond affair, that she was going to take the job she’d been offered at UNESCO—and in doing so, deprived their relationship of any hope of a future. Tom decided not to try to match her cynicism. That was a game he could only lose. For the first time, he found himself speaking to Hellen with a clear mind, instead of launching himself headfirst into an argument. Instead, he focused on the facts.

“We searched the museum for the room where the amphoras were being kept. We had no idea you or your friend would be there.“

He knew he was not telling the complete truth; he and Cloutard had actually seen them enter the museum. But, erring on the side of caution, Tom decided to leave that detail out for now.

“And?” Hellen said, annoyed. She had turned away, and was looking absently into the display windows outside the Teatro Ghione. She wouldn’t, or couldn’t, look him in the eye.

“We came around a corner and ran practically head first into that guy. Arno, I mean. He had a gun in his hand and he shot at me without warning. Cloutard just managed to push me clear of the line of fire. Then we were both facing each other with guns drawn, but he didn’t listen to my warnings. I pulled the trigger before he fired a second time.”

Hellen suddenly stopped. For the first time since Arno’s death, one thing suddenly stood out: she had completely ignored the question of where Arno had gotten the gun. Everything had happened so fast, and emotions and events had been tumbling over each other: Noah’s liberation, the library in the Vatican, the memories of her father.

“Arno really did fire first?”

“Yes. I’ve been trying to tell you that the whole time.”

Normally, Tom would have had more to say at this point. You never listen to me, for instance. But he bit his tongue and swallowed the words. He knew exactly what Hellen looked like when she was thinking. And right now, her gray cells were definitely working overtime.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.