The Navigator (NUMA Files 7)

Saxon tried to deflect her glare with a smile. “I don’t blame you for being irate, Miss Mechadi. Please don’t take it out on the guard. I showed him my Explorers Club credentials. They’re authentic, by the way.”

“I don’t care if they’re tattooed on your derrière,” Carina said. “How did you know the statue was here?”

“I have sources who knew of my interest.”

She came over to the camera tripod. “Photos of this statue will be featured in a book that we will sell during the tour. You have no right to take unauthorized pictures.”

Saxon looked past Carina, and his expression changed dramatically. His grin faded. He bared his teeth like an angry pit bull and growled a single word:

“Baltazar.”

The minerals magnate had stepped through the doorway. Behind him was a young man carrying a leather case. Baltazar strode over to Carina.

“Good to see you again, Ms. Mechadi.” He offered his hand to Saxon. “Viktor Baltazar. I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.”

Saxon kept his hand by his side. “Tony Saxon. You tried to buy a boat I had built to sail across the Pacific.”

“Oh, yes,” Baltazar said, unfazed by the snub. “I wanted to give it to a museum. I heard it burned to the waterline. A great pity.”

Saxon turned to Carina. “My apologies, Ms. Mechadi. I hope you will remember our conversation at the embassy.”

He folded the tripod’s legs and hoisted it onto his shoulder. With a final fierce glance at Baltazar, he strode to the door and left the warehouse.

Carina shook her head in frustration. “Sorry if I overreacted. That man is the most infuriating person I’ve ever met. Well, enough about him. Kurt, I’d like you to meet Viktor Baltazar, whose foundation is sponsoring the tour.”

“Very pleased to meet you, Mr. Austin. Miss Mechadi explained your role in thwarting the hijacking. Thank you for saving this remarkable young lady and preserving the collection.”

“Carina has told me about the generosity of your foundation,” Austin said.

Baltazar dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand and turned his attention to the statue.

“At long last. The Navigator. Truly remarkable. I applaud your decision to make him the centerpiece of the exhibition, Miss Mechadi.”

“He was the natural choice,” Carina said. “Even with the damage to his face, he projects a dignity and intelligence. Then there’s his air of mystery.”

Baltazar nodded. “What do you think of our mute friend, Mr. Austin?”

Austin thought about his conversation with Saxon. “Maybe he would be more talkative if we could ask him the right questions.”

Baltazar gave Austin a strange look and turned his attention back to the statue. He walked around the Navigator, his eyes roving over every square inch of bronze.

“Have you had an expert look at the statue?” he asked Carina.

“Not yet. It’s going to be transported to the Smithsonian where it can be readied for the tour.”

“I’ve been a bit concerned about security in view of the attempt to steal the statue,” Baltazar said. “As Mr. Saxon’s unauthorized visit shows, security is lax. The statue might be particularly vulnerable while it is being moved. I’ve taken the liberty of arranging for a trucking company to come in this morning to move the statue under guard. They should be here in a short while. If you don’t mind, of course.”

Carina pondered the offer. As more people knew where the Navigator was, the less secure it would be.

“That’s very kind of you,” Carina said. “I’d be glad to accept your offer.”

“Good, then. It’s done. I know it’s early in the morning, but I suggest we celebrate our success with a toast.”

He signaled his valet who set the case in his hand on a shelf and unsnapped the lid. Inside the case was a bottle of Moët. The valet popped the cork, poured from the bottle into three champagne flutes, and passed them around.

They clinked glasses, and Baltazar held his high. “To the Navigator.”

Austin studied Carina’s benefactor over the rim of the glass. He looked as if he had been carved in stone. Under the charcoal pin-striped suit, Baltazar had the powerful body of a wrestler. Even with his wide shoulders, the head that rested on the thick neck still seemed too big for his physique.