The Oracle (Fargo Adventures 11)

“Well, even with Rube’s help, I think we’ll be here for several days. The police still haven’t signed off on the shootings.” Remi nodded at Amal as she and Osmond wandered off. “One good thing came out of all this. Looks like she finally noticed him.”

“Let’s hope so. It’ll be nice to see her like her old self.”

Two hours later, they hadn’t found anything near the stairs that appeared to house a hidden staircase. Renee looked out over the ruins. “José, bring up the photo of the mosaic. There’s got to be something we’re missing.”

CHAPTER NINETY-THREE

Looking for something can get in the way of finding it.

– AFRICAN PROVERB –

José had loaded the photos of the mosaic onto a tablet and he pulled it from his backpack. As everyone sat on the steps in the shade of one of the olive trees, taking turns looking at the tablet, Nasha wedged herself between Remi and Lazlo for a better view. “That doesn’t look like a map.”

“It’s a secret map,” Remi said.

“How?”

Lazlo enlarged the photo, bringing up the area of the blue and white tiles. “This is supposed to be a pool of water in front of the temple.” He pointed to the flat field in front of them. “It used to be there.”

“How do you know it’s water?”

“Because the temple’s reflected in it. See the columns?” He looked over at her, then back at the screen. “And here, where Narcissus is pointing at the reflection, which is darker than the reflection on the other side. It looks like steps.”

Remi studied the reflection in the mosaic while Lazlo spoke. The six temple columns depicted at first looked identical in height and width. But now that Lazlo pointed it out, she realized the base of the second column on the left contained far more blue tiles. “You’re absolutely right. It does look like stairs. If the map’s accurate and we’re sitting where Narcissus is sitting, the stairs would be located somewhere out there in the pool.”

Renee looked over Remi’s shoulder, then turned to Amal. “What was it your grandmother told you? I mean, besides the show you put on to distract Hank?”

“Something about the Usurper finding the scrolls from the Underworld through the eyes of the penultimate king.”

“What’s penultimate mean?” Nasha asked.

“Second to the last,” Amal said.

“Like the column that’s different from the others?” she asked Lazlo. “Second to the last?”

“Exactly like that column.”

Nasha’s eyes sparkled at the praise in his voice.

“Where was I …?” Amal furrowed her brow. “Something about the Festival of Saturnalia and he’ll lose that which he holds dear until all that is left is shadow, and naught remains but vanity.” She stood. “My grandmother and I used to explore down here together. Maybe if I follow the same route, that’ll stir up memories of what she told me.” Nasha saw her walking down the stairs and quickly followed.

As they wandered toward the other end of the ruins, Lazlo returned his attention to the photo. “Oracles and riddles. The festival around Saturnalia was all about role reversals …”

“Saturnalia.” Remi smiled. “You’re brilliant, Lazlo. If the penultimate king sees it from the Underworld, he’s looking up. Vanity, water, Narcissus … And, Amal had a vision where she was looking up through the water.” She nodded at the photo on the tablet. “Alice through the looking glass.”

“Remi,” Sam said. “We’ve already gone down that rabbit hole.”

Renee looked at Lazlo. “Is it always like this between those two?”

“Always.”

“If,” Sam said, “it has to do with obscure history and leaps of logic, then yes.”

Renee laughed. “I’m with Sam about the leaps of logic. How’s a children’s book going to help?”

“Not a book,” Remi said. “The concept. We know the ancient Tunisians put water on the floor to act like a swamp cooler in the summer. If we’re correct about a map being hidden on the floor, the artist would’ve known this and used it to his advantage. He would’ve also known that Saturnalia was a festival that had to do with role reversals. It fits with everything we’re seeing here.”

Sam nodded at the photo. “The only thing I see is Narcissus pointing to the water.”