Read Online Newton’s Fire by Will Adams - Free Book Online Page A

weeks ago,’ he said. ‘The day of the earthquake. The
hour
of the earthquake.’
    ‘Then it
is
true,’ said Shlomo, awed. ‘It
is
time.’
    ‘What have I been telling you?’
    ‘And the sacrifice? When do we do it?’
    ‘Tonight.’
    ‘No,’ said Shlomo. ‘I can’t get my men together that soon.’
    ‘Your men?’
    ‘Of course. A perfect red heifer. The first for two thousand years. And you expect us not to be there?’
    ‘I’m afraid there isn’t time for—’
    ‘Then we make time. For this, we make time. First thing tomorrow morning. I can have them ready by then. Where is she?’
    ‘Near Megiddo,’ said Avram. ‘But I—’
    ‘There’s a car park by the archaeological site. We’ll meet you there. Seven o’clock tomorrow morning.’
    ‘Yes, but—’
    ‘Seven o’clock.’ He got to his feet, the meeting over. ‘And then tomorrow night we’ll do this thing, just as we’ve planned. Tomorrow night, we take the Mount back for Israel and the Lord.’
     
II
     
    ‘What happened to the Alfa?’ asked Luke, climbing in passenger side of a red BMW convertible. ‘I thought you’d never sell that beast.’
    ‘And I never will,’ said Pelham, belting himself in. ‘She’s in the shop. Some bastard telephone pole leapt out in front of us, fucked her bonnet right up.’
    ‘There ought to be a law.’
    ‘There is, apparently. But I’m the one it holds liable, would you believe? One rule for us, another for telephone poles.’ He turned on the ignition, made to lower the roof.
    ‘You couldn’t leave that up for the moment, could you?’ asked Luke.
    ‘Sure,’ said Pelham. He glanced quizzically at him. ‘Why?’
    ‘There are some bikers out looking for me. And the police.’
    ‘The police?’
    ‘It’s nothing to make you ashamed of me. I swear it isn’t.’
    ‘Of course not, mate. I know you better than that.’
    Luke nodded. After the day he’d had, such a simple vote of confidence moved him more than he could say. ‘If the police do stop us, just tell them I turned up out of the blue. You know nothing about anything. I’ll back you up, I promise.’
    ‘You quiet ones, eh,’ grinned Pelham, pulling away. ‘What was it? A bank?’
    ‘That’s where the money is,’ agreed Luke.
    They reached the junction with the main road. ‘Where are we going?’ asked Pelham.
    ‘I need to find a woman.’
    ‘What have I been telling you?’
    ‘Her name’s Rachel Parkes,’ said Luke. ‘She works at Caius College. But she’s not there this afternoon. I already checked.’
    Pelham slid him a glance. ‘You haven’t turned into some weird stalker-man, have you?’
    ‘Look who’s talking.’
    ‘Fair enough.’ Pelham pulled out his phone. ‘Caius, right?’
    ‘Yes. Why? Do you know someone there?’
    Pelham grinned as he scrolled through his address book. ‘Mate, I know someone everywhere.’
     
III
     
    The man had a Midwest accent, and he sounded to be in his fifties or even his sixties, though Croke had been wrong in such assessments before. ‘You don’t need to know my name,’ he said. ‘But my boss was just called by a friend of yours. A
reverend
friend.’
    ‘Ah,’ said Croke. So this was the Office of the Vice President calling. Instinctively he set down his glass and sat up a little straighter, only to smile when he caught himself at it.
    ‘We’ll speak only this once,’ said the man. ‘If you ever breathe a word about it, you’ll regret it.’
    ‘I’ll bet it turns your wife on when you talk like that,’ said Croke.
    ‘Don’t get smart with me. You’ve already made a bad impression coming in through the back door like this.’
    ‘Would I have got in through the front?’
    ‘That’s not the point.’
    ‘Maybe not to you.’
    ‘If we’re going to work together—’
    ‘We’re going to work together just fine. You know why? Because your boss just ordered you to help us, or we wouldn’t be talking. So stop wasting my time and get on with it.’
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