Page 42 of The Death
“Yes, and it didn’t take that long. But it scared me. And then after I got to know you I realized I couldn’t let you go when I knew what they probably intended to do to you. Therewas a chance Eve Duncan might come out of it alive if she negotiated. But they weren’t going to let you go until you fulfilled their purpose.” She shook her head in frustration. “And you wouldn’t listen to me.”
“And what was that purpose?” Dominic asked sharply. “Talk! What the hell did you remember, Kontara?”
“It was the placement of those framed pictures in the museum.” She turned and looked at him with something like desperation. “I told you they were hung on separate walls. The Eve Duncan photo was on a wall by itself, and it looked like a place of honor.”
She moistened her lips. “But the Celine photo was on an entirely opposite side of the temple. Her picture was the only photo on that wall, but there was a statue and some other objects on the fancy decorated gold shelves surrounding it. It was those objects that were being honored on her wall.”
“What kind of objects?” Celine whispered.
Kontara looked her straight in the eye. “You’ve probably guessed. Weapons. Daggers. Torches. Guns. Weapons of medieval torture. Even some kind of modern water torture gadget.”
Dominic was cursing softly and vehemently.
Celine reached out and touched his arm. “I see that we agree on what they intended my fate to be. Zakira evidently decided he needed a human sacrifice to go along with Eve Duncan’s death mask.” She smiled wryly. “Not very complimentary. It makes me want to spit in their eyes and spoil all their carefully laid plans.”
“And all I want to do is keep you here and go after them myself.” Dominic added grimly, “I intend to use every one of those weapons to do serious damage to those bastards.”
“I won’t object.” Celine shivered. “As long as you don’t try to cheat me out of my share of the action.” Her lips were trembling as she tried to smile. “Though maybe I should thank Zakira for choosing me for such an important role. And here I thought he only wanted me to be another pretty face in his slave harem. I didn’t realize he wanted to make me a star.”
“I don’t find that amusing,” Dominic said harshly. “And I’ll lay odds that the statue on the shelf with the weapons is a copy of the Nefertiti statue. He wants to ceremoniously replace it with one that you model for before your sacrifice, to show his followers how much more important and splendid his entombed queen is than any other in history.”
“And glorify his own splendor by doing it,” Celine added grimly. “I admit I didn’t think about the significance of the statue at first. But then I was a little bit overwhelmed. I believe I may be starting to dislike Zakira even more than Caldwell.”
“It’s not a contest. They’ll both be dead men before this is over. I promise you.” His voice was absolutely implacable. “And now that you know what you’re facing, will you please stay here at the estate and let me take care of this?”
“It’s because of what they’re making me face that I can’t do that,” she said. “My father taught me that no one has the right to make a victim of me, and if they try I have to fight back.”
“I didn’t think so.” He was gazing at her with a mixture of desperation and helplessness before he threw up his hands in frustrated disgust. “Get into my jeep. I’m not letting you get more than a seat’s distance away from me until this dirty charade is over.” He turned to Kontara. “Front jeep. Keep sharp. Don’t take chances. Your job is to track, find, and report.When you’ve located the target, I’ll take a team in to do the rest. Understand?”
She nodded absently but her gaze was still focused on Celine, and she took a half step forward. “This is wrong. I didn’t mean to—”
“Give it up,” Dominic said. “Drop it. I believe she’s had enough of a shock for the time being. She knows your intentions were good.” He gave Celine a gentle push toward his jeep. “I’m sorry as hell you weren’t successful, Kontara.”
“So am I.” She grimaced as she turned and headed for the jeep at the front of the column. “This isn’t a good idea. I hope she doesn’t regret it.”
“I’m getting a little tired of being spoken about as if I’m not here,” Celine said wearily as she got into the jeep. “You’re right. I’m going to do this, so resign yourselves. Now let me see if I can find something to keep me busy besides thinking about some weird creep of a priest who’s trying to pick just the right ceremonial spot to slit my throat.” She unzipped her backpack and pulled out a few of the maps she’d been studying during the last few days she’d been at Bon Jaka. “I’m going to ignore both of you and check out the trails on the first several miles from the estate that lead toward the falls…”
CHAPTER
12
SHAFIRA
7:40 P.M.
How delightful to meet you, Eve Duncan.” The silver-haired man who was walking toward the helicopter had to be Caldwell, Eve thought. The helicopter pilot who had flown her from Angola to this heliport in the mountains and the man who’d been guarding her from the moment she’d left the Lake Cottage had almost snapped to attention when they had seen him. He was smiling as he opened the helicopter door and helped her out to the tarmac, which was covered with massive fan-shaped banyan leaves, obviously placed there to prevent detection from above. “Though I feel as if we’re already the best of friends. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent with you smiling as you looked down at me.”
“Then you’re hallucinating,” Eve said bluntly. “Because I know I’ve never met you and I’d never willingly smile at you.”
“Well, perhaps it was a forced acquaintance.” He gestured for her to precede him down the rough jungle path toward the thatched roofs of the distant village. “But that doesn’t matter, since I’m the one who created you in Zakira’s eyes, and ifyou want your son to live, you’ll do exactly what I say to keep Zakira happy.”
“Created me?” she repeated scornfully. “You flatter yourself.”
He shook his head. “Perhaps I should say I created the image of the scenario Zakira wants his followers to believe is true. And I’ve worked hard to bring a facsimile to him to use as he sees fit.” He added softly, “But if you destroy that image, he will probably try to reach out and crush us all. You have a lot to lose, Eve.”
“But then so do you. It appears to be to your advantage to keep this Zakira happy, and I’ve already agreed to do the death mask. But you’ll have to help me to make it what he wants it to be.” She added fiercely, “And you’ll have to keep him from harming Michael or I won’t give a damn if he’s happy or not. I don’t want to see any more bruises on my son. Give him a cot wherever you put me so that I can keep an eye on him.”
“You’re being very demanding.” Caldwell was frowning. “You’ll take what I choose to give you.”
