"What is this all about?"
Higgins eyes squinted into slits as he pursed his lips, his mouth showing distaste and irritation. He glanced at Pasquale before looking once again at me.
"I’m afraid there was an most unfortunate accident with the General. My associates went to his hiding place while he was away and retrieved the book you hold in your hands. But before they could leave the General returned and surprised them in his apartment. A fight ensued and the General suffered a mortal knife wound. Please believe me Mr. Rowe but this is not now I normally conduct business."
I looked at the two gray suited men standing by the window. To look at them you would think they hadn’t a care in the world much less the death of a man on their hands. There was no look of smug self-satisfaction on their faces, just the professional stare of men who did their job and did it well. I looked back at Higgins who sat there with a guarded look on his face.
"Is this book really worth a man’s live?"
"Mr. Rowe it pains me to have to be the one to tell you the facts of life in the Middle East. This is a world filled with vile and perilous men who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. They chew up people like you and spit out the remains like you spit out phlegm. Am I getting through to you Mr. Rowe? If you aren’t willing to shed a little blood you’d better turn around and run back to your safe little college in the other Washington!"
I didn’t like what Higgins was saying but I knew he was right.
Higgins took a deep breath and visibly calmed himself.
"Now where was I? Ah yes. The General’s death was most regretful but possibly it solves another problem that we faced. The General was meeting with several knowledgeable men in ancient lore who were knowingly or not helping him understand what it was he really had. I believe he finally found something hidden within this manuscript of great importance. I also know that the General was corresponding with our competitors and we were worried that he was passing on information vital to our quest. While in the General’s apartment Mr. Green found a letter addressed to these men and brought it to me. And as I feared he was indeed passing on information to them that we needed. If they’d received this letter our enterprise would be in grave danger."
Higgins paused. And reached over for his glass of wine and took a healthy sip all the while never taking his eyes off me. I still had the feeling that I was being spoon fed by Higgins and I was coming to the conclusion that it was time to take the knife and fork in my own hands but to do that I needed answers.
"Since you have the book what information did the General find that you can’t?"
Pasquale started to speak but a quick hand gesture from Higgins silenced him.
"Unfortunately it isn’t as simple as that. In Istanbul in my little meeting with the General he related to me the interest that he had in Middle Eastern history. From his youngest days he could remember his father reading to him from different parts of the book. Later he learned Latin so that he could read it himself. This familiarity with its contents, I believe, proved a great help to him once he realized that there was more to the book than met the eye. But even then it has taken him weeks of research to find that morsel of information that he planned to send off to our rivals. We don't have weeks or even days to study the book and find out what the General found. So you see Mr. Rowe this is not just a book but much, much more. Maybe it would help you to understand if you read the letter that my men found in the General’s room? It will enlighten you as why I place such importance on this ancient tome. Perhaps it will even help explain why I felt that our little adventure was in danger of failing."
Mr. Higgins reached into his inside right breast coat pocket and withdrew a single sheet of paper folded in half. Suddenly a dog started barking outside on the street followed by someone shouting. Mr. Brown and Mr. Green leaned out of the window to see down to see the street below. After a moment they turned back and shrugged their shoulders. Higgins turned back to me and imitated his men’s shrug but his took on an added meaning of amused apology at everyone’s nerves. He then quickly thrust his hand forward and held the sheet of paper out to me.
"Here read this and tell me what you think? The General was rather careful with how he conveyed his message so you will have to read between the lines."
I reached out my hand almost taking the letter then hesitated.
"You mean it’s written in code?"
"Ha, Code! I wouldn’t raise it to such lofty heights and praise as to call it a code. Might as well compare a child’s stick figure drawing to the Mon Lisa as compare this with a code. No dear sir he merely wanted to write it so that it would appear to be nothing more than the innocent writings of a professor or other scholarly person. It simply appears to be a collection of arcane information nothing more. This way if anyone read it and were not enlightened with the knowledge that there was a hidden message in this letter it wouldn’t be found."
"Why would he have to worry about it being intercepted by a third party? He felt he was safe here didn’t he?"
"Have you had your head buried so deep in the London Museum that you aren’t aware that Europe is in turmoil? There are German, French and English agents throughout the Middle East. The English control Egypt and don’t hesitate to intercept and read anything they damn well please. The General couldn’t ignore even this unlikely chance. Call him paranoid if you will, I on the other hand applaud his precautions. He planned to safely send this letter to our competitors of that I have no doubt. However we have the letter and hopefully it will be a day or two before they become suspicious. We must use those few days to put as much distance between them and us as possible."
"Where are these confederates?"
"My guess is they are now somewhere in Cairo."
"They don’t know where the General was hiding?"
"I think not. The General wanted to be sure of his new companions and I’m sure he was checking into their reputations. You can’t blame him for wanting to live to spend his promised newfound fortune can you? The man wasn’t a complete fool, only partly so. Now sir would you like to read it or not?
Higgins' hand with the letter was still stretched out to me. I couldn’t stop my hand from reaching out and taking a hold of it. There was a momentary tug as if Higgins was suddenly reluctant to let go, then he weakly smiled opened his hand and sat back. Only the crinkling of the paper as I unfolded it disturbed the quiet in the room. Before I starting reading I looked at my newly acquired companions. Green and Brown were once again imitating wall fixtures standing by the window. Mr. Pasquale had stopped his search for the mother load under his fingernails and sat watching me much like a cat staring at a mouse. And of course Higgins was sitting like a judge waiting to hear what the accused had to say before passing judgment. I started reading…
