Read Online Hunt at the Well of Eternity by Gabriel Hunt, James Reasoner - Free Book Online Page B

bullet drove him backward. One of his companions grabbed him and dragged him out of the doorway.
    Now the fact that there was only one way in or out of this room played in Gabriel’s favor. If the other two men rushed him, he would be able to cut them down as they came through the door. They had to know that as well, and they would be worrying about the alarm, too. They had no way of knowing how soon the police might arrive.
    A hand holding a gun poked around the doorjamb. The gun erupted several times as the man emptied it, but he was just flinging lead blindly around the room. The shots shattered some displays but didn’t come close to him or Dr. Almanzar.
    Then the hand vanished and he heard the swift rataplan of running footsteps as the men fled.
    Dr. Almanzar heard it, too. “Are…are they gone?” she asked.
    “Stay where you are,” Gabriel said. “It could be a trick.”
    He didn’t want to wait too long, though, because he didn’t want to have to deal with the police, either. Any bureaucracy was bad enough; the Mexican legal system was worse than most. He could easily wind up being held in jail for days, maybe even longer.
    After a couple of minutes he got up and risked a look in the hallway. It was deserted. Gabriel held out a hand to Dr. Almanzar and said, “Come on.”
    She emerged from behind the cabinet, hesitated a second, then took his hand. “Where are we going?”
    “That’s up to you, as long as it’s away from here.”
    “But the police—”
    “—will be very upset that we left before they got here, I know. But I’ll live with the guilt.” He held one elbow out to her. “You say you’re expected at an event?”

Chapter 8
    For a moment Gabriel thought that Dr. Almanzar was going to argue with him, maybe even fight to get away.
    Then she said, “This interest in General Fargo’s flag is not just a matter of academic research, is it?”
    Gabriel shook his head. “No.”
    “Then perhaps we should take it with us,” she said as she slipped her hand out of his, went to the display case, and unlocked it with a small key she took from a pocket in her dress.
    Gabriel grinned as Dr. Almanzar took the flag from the case and folded it carefully. “I can put it under my jacket,” he suggested.
    “Can I return to my office for my bag?” she asked as he stowed away the flag, nestling it next to the other flag, which he’d tucked into the waistband of his pants at the small of his back before heading to the museum. Good thing they made flags of thin fabric back then, he thought. It was getting a bit tight as it was.
    “Okay,” he said. “But make it quick.” The alarm was still going off and it was only a matter of time before someone showed up.
    They hurried out of the Special Collections room, Gabriel going first just in case one of the black-clad assassins had remained behind and was waiting in ambush for them. No shots came their way, though, as they headed toward Dr. Almanzar’s office.
    “There’s a back door we can use,” she said once she had collected her purse.
    “Excellent,” Gabriel said. He’d noticed how the doctor avoided looking at Carlos’s corpse as they passed the security station, but other than that she seemed to be holding up well, considering.
    She led the way to a rear door and pushed it open. It was very dark back here in the shadow of the trees of Chapultepec Park, but Dr. Almanzar seemed to know her way around. A couple of vehicles were parked in the small lot she led him to, and she headed straight for one of them, a jeep with enclosed sides.
    “Looks like something you’d use for field work,” Gabriel commented as Dr. Almanzar unlocked the jeep’s doors.
    “It is. Get in.”
    “You’re driving?”
    She patted the jeep’s hood and smiled. “This is my niño . No offense, Señor Hunt, but if there’s a chance anyone is going to be coming after us, I’d rather be at the wheel.”
    Gabriel nodded and swung into the passenger seat. “Let’s