The Stone of Archimedes Read Free Page B

“I’ve never been to Crete. Is it nice this time of year?”
    â€œCrete is nice any time of year.”
    That was their code phrase, meaning all was well and on schedule. Halsey glanced around the room and waited for his glass of wine to be set down in front of him. He sipped it and then told the waiter to bring the bottle.
    â€œSo you have someone who can help me find my sister,” Halsey said.
    She smiled. “I like working with Texans. You get right to the point.” Maria hesitated long enough to take another drink, but her eyes surveyed the man across from her as well as the entire restaurant. “Yes. It took some influence, but we were able to get him out of prison in Tunisia. Thank you for your help with that.”
    The waiter set a fresh bottle of the white wine from Crete between the two of them and swiftly walked away.
    â€œWell, we’ve been dealing with the cotton trade in that country for decades,” Halsey said. Really, he had only made a single call to a man he knew in the new government. Money still meant something in that part of the world. “Have you heard anything about the two previous investigators sent to find my sister?”
    Maria took a sip of wine, her eyes concentrating on the senator. “Nothing,” she said, setting her glass onto the table. “We had their passports flagged, so if they’re still alive they will show up eventually.”
    Still alive? Could this situation be that grave? He had simply put the ball in motion hiring the first man from New York, a former detective there, a week after he had found out his sister had vanished in Athens. When that man made only one call to the lawyer brokering the search before also disappearing, Senator Halsey had taken a more active role. He had recommended the second man to go find his sister, a former Texas Ranger from Houston, but just a week ago the senator had found out this man had also gone missing. That was when Halsey took over completely, quietly enlisting the help of his government contacts.
    â€œWhat can you tell me about this new man?” Senator Halsey asked her.
    She smiled. “He’s highly capable.”
    â€œI thought the last two were as well.”
    â€œNot like this man. He’s not a man to be taken lightly.”
    Halsey noticed something in her eyes when she talked about this mystery man. “You have a special relationship with him.”
    Shaking her head, she said, “Not really. We were friends once.”
    But there was more, he knew. “What makes you think he can find Sara?”
    â€œIf she’s alive he’ll find her. If she’s dead. . .you’ll know that as well. He’s never failed at anything in his life.”
    Senator Halsey leaned across the table toward Maria. “The state department said he killed a man in Tunisia. The authorities there were holding him in some disgusting prison for the past week. What do you know about that?”
    She finished her glass of wine and poured half a glass more for herself and topped off the senator’s glass. Throughout the action, her eyes kept watch around the room. “I’ve heard the same thing. But this man doesn’t kill someone unless they deserve it. The man he killed was a wanted international terrorist. A man who had killed the girlfriend of the man you just hired.”
    â€œShucks. Sounds like divine retribution to me. I’d like to meet this man.”
    She laughed. “Only if he wants to meet you.”
    â€œWhere do we go from here?” the senator asked.
    Maria sucked down the last of her wine and got up. “The trail went cold in Rome. Our guy will start there.” She started to leave and turned back. “Next time maybe you could buy dinner.”
    With that she walked off and the senator watched every sway of her hips out the door, as did every other man in the restaurant. Halsey checked the wedding band on his left hand and considered