Valhalla Rising (Dirk Pitt 16)

"You won't have to."

"What are you driving at?" she challenged.

"We're going to launch an expedition to retrace your Dad's trail to the rune stones and have them translated."

"To what end?"

"Call it gut instinct," said Pitt. "But your father didn't chase around the country looking for Viking inscriptions and then hide or destroy his translations for laughs. He set out to accomplish something. He had a mission. I believe it ties in somehow with his experiments."

Her lips were set in doubt. "If so, you're seeing something I fail to see."

Pitt grinned at her. "Can't lose by trying."

"Dad destroyed all his notes revealing directions to the rune.-stone sites. How are you going to find them?"

He leaned over the desk, picked up a book and handed it to her. The title was Messages from the Ancient Vikings, by Dr. Marlys Kaiser. "This lady has compiled a comprehensive record of more than eighty rune stones throughout North America and their translations. Her earlier works are here in your dad's library. I think it might pay to visit Dr. Kaiser."

"Eighty runes-" She stopped herself, a thought tugging at her mind. "But Dad only studied thirty-five. Why did he stop at that number and not study the other forty-five?"

"Because he was only concerned with the inscriptions that related to the particular project he was pursuing at the time."

There was a glint in her blue eyes as curiosity dug deeper into her mind. "Why didn't Dad leave a record of the inscriptions he translated?"

"I'm hoping Dr. Kaiser can provide us with answers," he said, squeezing her hand.

"When do we leave?" she asked, excitement building within her.

"This afternoon, or as soon as your new security guards are positioned around the farm."

"Where does Dr. Kaiser live?"

"A little town called Monticello. It's about sixty miles northwest of Minneapolis."

"I've never been to Minnesota."

"Lots of bugs this time of year."

Kelly gazed at the books on Vikings lining the shelves of her father's library. "I wonder if Dr. Kaiser knew Dad?"

"It stands to reason he would have consulted her," said Pitt. "We'll know some answers by this time Sunday."

"That's four days away." She looked at him questioningly. "What gives?"

He led her from the library and closed the door. "First, I have to make five or six calls. Then we're flying to Washington. There are people there on whom I rely for their expertise. I want to gather all the data possible before we beat the bushes for old rune stones."

This time when Pitt's NUMA jet landed at Langley Field, Congresswoman Loren Smith was waiting to greet him. As he stepped onto the tarmac, she embraced him, snaking her fingers through his wavy black hair and pulling his head down so she could kiss him.

"Hi there, sailor," she said in a sultry tone after she released him. "My wandering one is home."

Kelly hesitated in the doorway of the aircraft, watching Pitt and Loren looking into each other's eyes. She could easily see this was no casual friendship, and she felt pangs of jealousy. Loren was a very beautiful woman. Her face and body reflected a healthy aura from having grown up on a ranch on the western slopes of Colorado. An accomplished horsewoman, she had run for Congress and won. She was now in her sixth term.

Loren was dressed casually for the humid Washington heat and looked stunning in tan shorts, gold sandals and a yellow blouse. With prominent cheekbones set below violet eyes and framed by cinnamon hair, she might have been a fashion model instead of a public servant. Over the course of ten years, her relationship with Pitt had gone from intimate to platonic and back again several times. Once, they had seriously considered getting married, but both were married to their jobs and found it hard to live together on common ground.

Kelly came over, and the two women immediately sized each other up. Pitt introduced them, and, being a male, did not see the instant underlying conflict of territory between them.

"Kelly Egan, may I present Congresswoman Loren Smith."

"An honor to meet you, Congresswoman," said Kelly, with a tight little smile.