Read Online The Norse Directive by Ernest Dempsey - Free Book Online
Authors: Ernest Dempsey
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information about the coin?”
“Not yet,” Charlie piped up. “That’s what we were coming to talk to you about. We need some information from you.”
“Oh?” Coop pouted his lips in a curious manner. “What would you like to know?”
Sean spoke next. “Charlie said that the coin was a family heirloom, handed down for several generations.”
“That’s correct, yes,” Coop nodded. “It was handed down by some great grandfather several times removed. I don’t know how many greats I would have to include in that description. But you get the idea.” He snickered a little at the thought. “Anyway, apparently, the original owner of the coin was a distant relative named Francis Jackson.”
The name didn’t ring a bell to Sean. History was littered with famous Jacksons from the founding of the first colonies all the way down to Michael and Janet. Francis wasn’t one he’d heard of.
“How did your ancestor get the coin?” Sean asked. “I’ve never seen one like it before, and I’ve seen my fair share of historic coinage.”
Their host’s face puckered. “That, my good man, is an excellent question. I’m not entirely sure how Francis came by the piece. I was hoping that my esteemed friend, Mr. Fowler here, could assist with that endeavor.” He pointed at Charlie with an open palm as he finished.
“I put the image on one of the forums I use for these sorts of things, but nobody seems to recognize the image of the guy on the face. The back of it is a mystery too. The inscription is small, and in ancient runes.”
Sean interrupted the two. “Would it be possible to see the coin?” Sean asked cautiously. He didn’t want to intrude on someone’s personal historical collection, but at the same time, his curiosity was raging inside him. Not to mention the fact that someone had tried to kill Charlie over the object earlier in the day.
“Absolutely. I’d be happy for you to see it.”
Coop stood and walked over to an antique writer’s desk in an adjoining room. He leaned down, opened the middle drawer, and shuffled through a few papers before withdrawing a small plastic bag. After reclosing the drawer, he stepped back over to the living room and handed the object to Sean.
“Would you mind if I remove it?” Sean asked reverently.
“Of course. Be my guest. You’re the expert, Mr. Wyatt.”
Charlie leaned in close as Sean parted the seal on the plastic and removed the golden coin. It was barely larger than a quarter. On the front, a heavily bearded man stared off into the distance, his head capped by a domed helmet. Other than that, there were no other identifying features on the image. Sean flipped over the coin and examined the back. He recognized the runes from his previous glance on the Internet, but had no idea what they meant. While Sean was capable of speaking a few different languages, reading ancient Viking script wasn’t one of them.
“This looks like it comes from a Viking land,” he said after flipping the coin back over and staring at the head for a minute. “These runes are definitely some kind of Norse language. And the guy on the front has to be a Viking based on the headgear and his appearance.”
“Can you read the runes on the back?” Coop asked, now leaning forward in his chair.
Sean shook his head. “No. But I know some people back at the IAA lab in Atlanta that could figure it out. They could run an analysis on the metal the coin is made from, and tell us what those letters mean. Might even be possible for them to cross-reference the face with some possible matches.”
“You really think they could do that?” Coop sounded hopeful. He rested his elbows on his knees.
“It’s worth a shot,” Sean shrugged. “They’ve got some pretty advanced stuff there at IAA. My friend, Tommy, spared no expense. And their research department is top notch. They’re a couple of regular bloodhounds when it comes to this sort of thing.”
Coop leaned back in his chair and
“Not yet,” Charlie piped up. “That’s what we were coming to talk to you about. We need some information from you.”
“Oh?” Coop pouted his lips in a curious manner. “What would you like to know?”
Sean spoke next. “Charlie said that the coin was a family heirloom, handed down for several generations.”
“That’s correct, yes,” Coop nodded. “It was handed down by some great grandfather several times removed. I don’t know how many greats I would have to include in that description. But you get the idea.” He snickered a little at the thought. “Anyway, apparently, the original owner of the coin was a distant relative named Francis Jackson.”
The name didn’t ring a bell to Sean. History was littered with famous Jacksons from the founding of the first colonies all the way down to Michael and Janet. Francis wasn’t one he’d heard of.
“How did your ancestor get the coin?” Sean asked. “I’ve never seen one like it before, and I’ve seen my fair share of historic coinage.”
Their host’s face puckered. “That, my good man, is an excellent question. I’m not entirely sure how Francis came by the piece. I was hoping that my esteemed friend, Mr. Fowler here, could assist with that endeavor.” He pointed at Charlie with an open palm as he finished.
“I put the image on one of the forums I use for these sorts of things, but nobody seems to recognize the image of the guy on the face. The back of it is a mystery too. The inscription is small, and in ancient runes.”
Sean interrupted the two. “Would it be possible to see the coin?” Sean asked cautiously. He didn’t want to intrude on someone’s personal historical collection, but at the same time, his curiosity was raging inside him. Not to mention the fact that someone had tried to kill Charlie over the object earlier in the day.
“Absolutely. I’d be happy for you to see it.”
Coop stood and walked over to an antique writer’s desk in an adjoining room. He leaned down, opened the middle drawer, and shuffled through a few papers before withdrawing a small plastic bag. After reclosing the drawer, he stepped back over to the living room and handed the object to Sean.
“Would you mind if I remove it?” Sean asked reverently.
“Of course. Be my guest. You’re the expert, Mr. Wyatt.”
Charlie leaned in close as Sean parted the seal on the plastic and removed the golden coin. It was barely larger than a quarter. On the front, a heavily bearded man stared off into the distance, his head capped by a domed helmet. Other than that, there were no other identifying features on the image. Sean flipped over the coin and examined the back. He recognized the runes from his previous glance on the Internet, but had no idea what they meant. While Sean was capable of speaking a few different languages, reading ancient Viking script wasn’t one of them.
“This looks like it comes from a Viking land,” he said after flipping the coin back over and staring at the head for a minute. “These runes are definitely some kind of Norse language. And the guy on the front has to be a Viking based on the headgear and his appearance.”
“Can you read the runes on the back?” Coop asked, now leaning forward in his chair.
Sean shook his head. “No. But I know some people back at the IAA lab in Atlanta that could figure it out. They could run an analysis on the metal the coin is made from, and tell us what those letters mean. Might even be possible for them to cross-reference the face with some possible matches.”
“You really think they could do that?” Coop sounded hopeful. He rested his elbows on his knees.
“It’s worth a shot,” Sean shrugged. “They’ve got some pretty advanced stuff there at IAA. My friend, Tommy, spared no expense. And their research department is top notch. They’re a couple of regular bloodhounds when it comes to this sort of thing.”
Coop leaned back in his chair and
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