Nicholas shrugged. “I don’t think it’s such a mystery, Kitsune. Secrecy is very important to them and you could talk. They didn’t want to take that chance. They wanted anonymity, and you being dead is the only way to guarantee it.”
Adam ate the last potato chip, tipped up the bag to get the crumbs, then swiped his mouth. “Okay, reenergized. Who do you want me to hack now?”
“You’ll see what we need right on the website. Who currently runs the Genesis Group?”
Kitsune said, “No need to look it up. I know. It’s Cassandra and Ajax Kohath-Maynes. They’re twins, late twenties, very smart, very photogenic.”
Mike looked up from studying the website. “They’re evidently very good at fund-raising, given how wealthy they are. Have you met them?”
“Once, in London, a while ago—six, eight years. Both are trained archaeologists, Ajax is a computer whiz, helps to search out where there is probable payoff for a dig. They are usually together, although I seem to remember that Cassandra was married for about ten minutes when she was very young. I don’t know what happened to her husband.
“Although now I’m more on the edges of the archaeology community, I still hear rumors.”
“Rumors about what?” Mike sat forward in her chair.
“Rumors of instability, I guess you could say.”
“These twins—you mean they’re nuts?” Adam said.
Kitsune shrugged. “More that they’re mercurial, unpredictable, fast to anger—particularly Ajax—but still brilliant, both of them. Could they be my clients? Yes, I think they could. They have not only a house here in Venice, they also have other holdings as well.”
“All right,” Mike said, “let’s say the Kohaths didn’t want to show themselves to you because you would know who they were and why they wanted the staff of Moses.”
Adam said, “Their working budget appears tremendous. But their continuous financial outlay is staggering. My question is, where do they get the money to continue year after year? All from fund-raising? Even the best politicians at home couldn’t fund-raise like they have, for decades.”
Mike said, “And what about the weather? The devastating sandstorm in the Gobi? How does that tie in? Why would they want to devastate Beijing?”
Nicholas paced to the window, turned back to the group. “Have they actually figured out how to start a sandstorm or any other kind of storm, for that matter, from a specific place? If so, there would be no stopping them. They could hold the earth for ransom.”
“Usurping the power of God,” Louisa said. “That’s beyond frightening.”
“These people are supposed to be the descendants of Moses,” Kitsune said. “Kohaths, Levites. The Ark of the Covenant is central to their family history. Their family’s mission has always been to find the Ark, it’s never been a secret. And now that we’ve reached an era of remarkable scientific innovation—”
Nicholas said quietly, “Perhaps the power of God and the brilliance of science have merged at last.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
What are we going to do now?” Adam asked.
“First things first,” Nicholas said, “Louisa, if you would bring a tracker and a glass of water to Kitsune.”
Kitsune looked at what appeared to be an oversize vitamin pill and nearly rose straight out of her chair. “I am not going to run. Where would I go? You are my best hope of staying alive and finding Grant. What is this?”
“We call it an ingestible,” Louisa said, and handed it to her. Now we can keep you safe. We will never lose sight of you. It lasts about seventy-two hours.”
Kitsune stared at her a moment. “Keep me safe? You want to keep me safe?”
“Of course,” Nicholas said. “You’re our bait.”
“Yes, of course,” Kitsune said, and smiled. “I want to talk to Cassandra and Ajax Kohath.”
Louisa said, “Bottoms up. And be sure to wash it down. It can give you heartburn if you don’t.”
Adam looked up. “The twins live on the Grand Canal.” And he gave them the exact address and preened.
Kitsune said, “If they’re not here, they’re in Rome, at the headquarters of the Genesis Group. Six hours if we drive.”
“It would be faster to fly.”