Following the arrow, he swam into the altar room. His pulse quickened at the sight of the raised dais, where the Thomas Jefferson box had rested.
Nestled in the shreds of wood was a diver’s slate with the words:
WHEN YOU GET TO HELL, ADRIANO, GIVE MR. BALTAZAR OUR REGARDS.
Austin again.
Adriano stared at the message, then threw the slate aside and swam with all his strength along the route that would take him back to the shaft. When he got there, he discovered a pile of rubble that was the only evidence of the collapsed shaft.
He glanced at his air gauge. He had minutes left. Even if there was a way out, he didn’t have enough air to search for it. Adriano sat on the pile of rubble until his air ran out completely. The last in the line of Spain’s official garrotters died, in a twist of irony, of asphyxiation.
Chapter 55
“AHOY, MR. NICKERSON,” Austin said. “Request permission to come aboard the Lovely Lady.”
Nickerson poked his head out the open door of the salon and smiled when he saw Austin. “Permission granted.”
Austin went up the gangway and shook hands with the State Department man.
He tapped a black plastic pouch. “I have something to show you, if you’ve got a few minutes.”
“I always have time for you, Mr. Austin. Come below, and I’ll brew up some coffee. I’ll mix in something to chase away the chill.”
>
“It’s eighty degrees, Mr. Nickerson.”
“No matter. It’s chilly somewhere,” Nickerson said.
They went into the cabin, and Nickerson made a pot of strong coffee, which he laced with slugs of Kentucky bourbon. They clicked glasses, and Nickerson said, “Well, now, what do you have for me?”
Austin opened the pouch and produced the squares of vellum. He handed one to Nickerson. “This is the piece Jefferson acquired from an Indian. Meriwether Lewis came across the other vellum in his travels. Together, they form a map showing the location of Solomon’s mine in Pennsylvania.”
“Wonderful! I knew you could do it. Have you explored the mine?”
“Yes, we have. That’s where we found the vellum sections. They had been placed there by Thomas Jefferson.”
“That’s beyond belief! And what of the relic?”
“The gold Ten Commandments? I think you might know the answer to that question.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“There was another text written under the map. It’s apparently a set of the Ten Commandments that’s quite a bit different from the original. Probably what’s on the gold tablets.”
“Go on, Mr. Austin.”
“These commandments were handed down by several pagan gods, including one who demanded human sacrifice. Now I know you know why you were so worried. The Mideast situation wasn’t the real reason for your concern.”
“Indeed. The Ten Commandments are supposed to be infallible moral guides, declared by a monotheistic god. They provide the foundation for religions followed by millions of people and the underpinnings of Western governmental thought. Some people say they are the inspired source of the legal systems of all Western countries. If the original Ten Commandments were based on pagan writings this frail foundation could be eroded further.”
Austin remembered Baltazar’s predictions.
“Bringing the world yet another source of unneeded conflict,” Austin said.
“Right on the mark. No one knows who had the commandments inscribed on gold instead of clay, but their existence implies validity. Solomon wanted the gold tablets as far away from him as possible. They contained the possibility of instigating unrest in his day. Much as they do today, I might add.”
“You knew when we first talked that the tablets were not in the mine.”