Book of Days_ A Novel - James L. Rubart [57]
"The Middle East, South America, China, Scotland, Turkey, and Egypt."
Cameron opened Word on his laptop and started taking notes. "Spread out all over the globe."
"Very spread." Cameron heard Scotty tapping a pen or pencil against his desk. "That's where it gets weird." Again the line went silent. Cameron watched five seconds tick by on his watch.
"This type of stone is somewhat the holy grail to geologists. When I say this type of rock exists in only a few places in the world, I don't mean there are big deposits of it. I mean in each of those places, there are two, maybe three pounds of this type of rock, and while it has no intrinsic value like gold or platinum, its rarity makes it highly desired among us professional rock hounds.
"Carbon dating says these rocks are only around five thousand years old, so where did they come from? What made them? Volcanoes? No one knows.
"And for the final chapter in Weird Rocks of the World, their basic properties are almost the same as diamonds. They look pretty ordinary, but guys like me would pay hundreds for a piece. Where did you say you got the stone?"
Cameron felt light-headed. The words Susan Hillman had said skittered through his mind. "A good choice, Cameron. A very, very good choice."
"I need to get that rock back, Scotty. As soon as you can."
"You wouldn't be able to get another one, would you?"
Cameron pulled out his brown leather notebook and started jotting down every detail of his conversation with Scotty. This was a revelation he couldn't afford to forget.
"Cameron?"
"Huh?"
"Get me another stone, okay?"
"Sure. Gotta go, Scotty."
He ended the call and punched up Susan's number. It was time to find out exactly what she knew.
Moments later Susan answered. "Hello?"
"Hi, it's Cameron. I have to talk to you about the rock you gave me."
"I wondered how long it would take you to figure it out."
From behind a cluster of western larch, Jason watched Taylor Stone apply his ax to a pile of pine stumps with considerable force and waited for the right moment to step into his line of vision. Stone hadn't lost much size since their football days; Jason had surrendered even less.
If it came to blows, both would have a shot at taking the title. Taylor a mite quicker, Jason certainly holding the size advantage. But it wouldn't come to blows between two middle aged men. Ridiculous.
This was his time. He and his followers held their destiny in their hands. The universe had spoken through Cameron—telling them the book was real—and Jason would not be stopped from responding with a shout that would reverberate through the ages.
All he needed were a few answers.
Cameron would provide none. He would have joined Jason by now if he was going to. Banister? She might be wavering, but she considered the book a fairy tale. Plus she feared him. Which he enjoyed, but she would stay away because of it.
He needed to break Stone, chip his resolve into grains of sand he could sift through his fingers. Taylor knew hidden things about the book. Jason was sure of it.
"Stone!" He stepped into view, his hands on his hips.
Taylor squinted into the setting sun. "Well, Jason. What a pleasant surprise."
"It's been quite a while, hasn't it, Taylor? Just the two of us chatting about life, with no one else around to distract us from meaningful conversation."
Taylor stared at Jason, his face like granite, the ax held stiff in his dark-brown leather gloved hands.
He strolled across Taylor's lawn. "It's been interesting to have some new blood focused on the book, this time searching for a real one, wouldn't you agree?" Jason folded his arms, smiling. "There is so much out there for us. Such power that is drawing us. It is time we looked into those pages of power and let people control their own destiny."
Taylor slapped the ax handle against his palm. "I suppose at some point you'll tell me why you're here, but why don't you stop the pompous guru bit since none of your flock is around to hear you." He narrowed his eyes.
Jason grinned