Temple of the Gods - Andy McDermott [78]
‘Thanks for that, Eddie. I always like being reminded that a murdering psychopath has a grudge against me. But no, I don’t know why she did it. I’d guess she was there to make sure Agnelli didn’t blab to me about whoever paid him to raid the Brotherhood’s archives. And so was the other guy – only she double-crossed him.’
‘Sophia stabbing someone in the back? No!’ said Eddie sarcastically.
‘But whose side is she really on? Apart from her own, obviously. She didn’t save me because she wants a bridge partner – she needs me alive for something.’
‘Something to do with those bloody statues, probably. Even Dalton mentioned them.’
‘Dalton?’ said Nina in surprise. ‘As in, out-on-his-ass president?’
‘Yeah. Turns out he set me up to be killed in Japan. Sophia’s not the only person who holds grudges. I popped round to his house to have words.’
She put her head in her hands again. ‘I need the Cliffs Notes to follow all this. What the hell is going on?’
He patted her shoulder. ‘Well, you tell me what you know, I’ll tell you what I know, and maybe between the two of us we’ll get a clue.’
‘I’d be happy with even half a clue,’ she said.
It took some time to exchange stories, long enough for the barman to cast annoyed looks in their direction, compelling Eddie to buy some drinks to justify their stay. But eventually they had all the pieces.
Not that they made much sense.
‘Okay,’ said Nina, still turning over what she had learned in her mind, ‘so this . . . this Group has some plan in mind that requires the statues – and me – in order to work. Harald Glas was a member of the Group, turned against them, and is now trying to sabotage their plan.’
‘By killing you,’ said Eddie.
She smiled thinly. ‘Again, thanks for that. But Takashi was a member of the Group, Stikes gave them the statues, and Sophia . . . I honestly have no idea how she fits in. You said that in Peru she seemed to be working for the Group – so why was she with a guy who tried to kill me? And then she killed him. So is she with them, against them, or just taking a murder vacation in Italy?’
‘Buggered if I know,’ he said. ‘I suppose if we knew what this plan was, it’d help.’
‘Takashi said it was about bringing peace and stability to the world, whatever that means. But I don’t know how the statues would accomplish that.’
‘You said something weird happened to you when you put them together,’ Eddie reminded her. ‘Like what?’
‘It’s hard to describe. Just that I felt . . . connected to the world somehow. And that I knew where to find something important. But it’s gone now – it’s hard to remember.’
‘The Group probably want this important thing, then.’
‘And Glas and Dalton want to stop them.’
‘Which makes them the bad guys, I guess.’
‘Stikes is working for the Group,’ she reminded him. ‘And based on past experience, when billionaires start making plans for the entire world I get a bit nervous.’ She gazed into her drink. ‘They knew what would happen when I brought the statues together. Part of that they got from the Brotherhood . . . but what about the other part? Where did that come from? Popadopoulos said that some governments have their own secret archives, and you said Dalton told you that the Group has influence over governments . . .’ She looked up at her husband. ‘Maybe that’s how they got the rest of their information.’
‘Dalton might know,’ Eddie suggested. ‘I could have another little chat.’
Nina shook her head. ‘It’s too risky. Hell, you’re taking a huge risk just coming back to New York – back to the States, even. All it takes is one cop to recognise you from a watch list . . .’ She sat up, determination entering her voice. ‘We’ve got to clear your name – prove that you were acting in self-defence when you killed Kit. Otherwise you’ll be spending the rest of your life running. And I’m not going to let that happen.’
‘I like the thought,