Europa Conspiracy (Babylon Rising 3) (14 page)

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TWENTY-FIVE

AS ABRAMS CLIMBED through the broken window, he looked up. He could barely see Ibrahim climbing the fire escape stairs about a floor above. Abrams yelled for the man to stop even though he knew it was useless.

Their shoes made a lot of noise against the steel of the fire escape. Above that sound, Abrams could hear Ibrahim shouting death threats in Arabic.

There were eight stories to the old tenement, and by the time Abrams reached the roof he was breathing heavily. He paused for a second before sticking his head up to see. As he peeked up, he heard the sound of a gunshot and felt the spray of brick next to his face. Instinctively he ducked down.

He must have had a gun hidden on the roof somewhere.

Abrams took out his gun, raised his arm above the wall, and fired three times in the direction of the gunshot. Then he could hear Ibrahim running on the gravel of the roof.

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As he popped his head over the wall again, he could see the Arab disappearing around the elevator shaft. He fired and saw a brick explode close to Ibrahim's shoulder. Abrams leaped onto the roof and ran toward the small building. By the time he had reached it, Ibrahim was nowhere to be seen.

Abrams poked his head around the building, staring into the darkness. Just then the zealot fired. Abrams fired off several rounds, and then there was silence.

Murphy was just starting up the fire escape when he heard the first shot.

Maybe there were more Arabs!

He began to climb as fast as he could as gunshots echoed through the night. A battle was taking place, and he had no idea who was winning.

By the time Murphy reached the roof, there was silence. As he peered over the wall, he couldn't see anyone, just a small building. Carefully he made his way over the wall toward the building. He had almost reached it when he heard two muffled shots in the distance--not from the roof. Had they come from the apartment?

Murphy reached the small building and peered around it. Levi Abrams was standing upright, his hands raised. The zealot Ibrahim was yelling at him, "You are going to die, you Jewish pig."

Murphy shouted.

Ibrahim turned at the sound and fired. Both Murphy

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and Abrams hit the ground. Ibrahim then turned back toward where Abrams had been standing and pulled the trigger, but the gun was empty. Abrams leaped up and rushed forward. His right hand hit the inside wrist of the Arab's gun hand just as his left hand hit the back of the gun hand. The gun went flying.

Ibrahim ducked down as Abrams's body weight came forward. He too had been trained to fight.

The zealot then rose and flipped Abrams onto his back. The wind was knocked out of him.

By now Murphy was running toward the battle. Ibrahim heard him coming, and ran, with Murphy trailing after him. Once he'd regained his breath, Abrams too pursued the terrorist.

It only took a few moments for Ibrahim to reach the edge of the building. He leaped onto the outer wall, then hesitated. The adjacent building was about ten feet away His only chance for escape was to leap.

Murphy yelled. "Don't do it! You'll never make it!"

Ibrahim briefly crouched down and sprang. His hands were up and his entire body was extended as he crossed the gap, crying "Allah be praised!"

Abrams had just reached the edge in time to see the zealot's hands grasping bricks on the top of the other building. Then the rest of his body hit the wall. The impact jerked his hands free and he began to fall.

Murphy and Abrams watched helplessly as Ibrahim dropped eight stories, desperately flailing his arms and legs. His body hit the alley below with a sickening thud.

Abrams and Murphy looked at each other. There was a

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split second of silence, and then the same thought seemed to hit both of them at the same time: Jacob!

They ran across the roof and back down the fire escape. As they clambered through the window, they could see Jacob on the floor with his eyes closed and the gun in his hand.

At the sound, Jacob opened his eyes and pointed the gun at them.

"You're alive!" Abrams exclaimed.

"Yes. After you left I could hear the gun battle. Then I heard some noise in the hallway The other Arab must have woken up. I could hear him but couldn't see him. All of a sudden he dashed to the front door. I fired twice but I don't think I hit him."

"We have to get you out of here and to the safe house," Abrams said, reaching down and lifting his partner. Murphy grabbed his other arm, and the three limped to the elevator. They could hear noise behind other doors; some of the other tenants were probably calling the police. But they also knew that no one would leave their apartment to see what was happening--not in this neighborhood. There was too much danger of being shot yourself.

"I'm sorry to get you mixed up in all of this, Michael. You don't need this kind of trouble," Abrams said ruefully

"I'm just glad I was here to help. When I know terrorists are planning to do something to the country I love, how can I just stand around and do nothing?"

"Michael, after you drop us off at the safe house, get back to your hotel. Act as if nothing happened. We must

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get information back to our group. I'll try to contact you later. Thanks again for your help--especially on the roof."

"What happened up there?" Murphy asked.

"I guess I got sloppy. During the gun battle Ibrahim yelled and hit the ground like he had been shot. I ran over thinking he'd been wounded. He was just faking and got the drop on me. If you hadn't yelled when you did, I wouldn't be walking out of here now."

Abrams, wearing gloves, went through the dead zealot's pockets, searching for clues. Murphy, holding the flashlight, looked at the body and asked, "What's that on his neck?"

Abrams moved the collar of his shirt slightly "A crescent moon with a star. You see it on the flags of many Muslim countries."

Murphy got closer and shined the light directly on the tattoo. "No. This is different. Look closely, Levi. In all Muslim symbols, the points of the crescent moon point to the right or up, with a five-pointed star or several stars. This crescent moon is pointing down to a star with six points made up of two triangles, similar to the Star of David. And look at the points of the crescent. Three small lines are coming off each point."

"Yes. I see them. They almost look like claws that are closing in on the Star of David."

"Those aren't claws like a cat's; they look more like the talons of a bird."

Abrams looked up at Murphy "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

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Murphy glared at Abrams. "Do you think Talon has Arab terrorists working for him now? How does Presidio tie in to all of this?"

"I don't know, Michael. But I do know I'm going to Texas for sure."

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TWENTY-SIX

MURPHY HAD a difficult time going to sleep that night. Adrenaline was still coursing through his system. His mind kept reverting to the evening's events. He could see Matthew sitting up in the car staring into space with a slight trace of blood dripping from his lips.

He could hear Jacob yell as the bullet tore through his leg. He remembered Ibrahim leaping onto Levi's back attempting to choke him to death. He could feel his fist strike the Arab in the temple.

Man, that really hurt
, he thought, grimacing as he flexed his knuckles.

He then flashed to Isis's face and her words to be careful. If she only knew how close he had come to death. He thought back to his emotions as he saw Ibrahim attempting to leap through space only to fall to his death... and the crescent moon with the talons. Finally he drifted into a restless sleep, thinking about one word: Presidio.

The sound of the phone ringing startled Murphy It

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took him a moment to remember where he was. He groped for the receiver, muttered "Hello," and heard the automated voice announcing his seven A.M. wake-up call.
Great!
He slammed down the receiver. Then reality hit him.
Breakfast with Isis at eight!

Murphy had decided that it would be best not to tell Isis what had happened last evening with Abrams just yet. He would wait for a more appropriate time. They had a lot to do today, and he didn't want her to worry After breakfast, they headed for the Federated Bank & Trust to retrieve the contents of Dr. Anderson's safe deposit box.

In the bank, Murphy spoke with the manager, explained the situation, and handed him the notarized letter with the power of attorney.

"Oh, yes," the manager said. "I've already received a copy of the letter. I also had a phone call with a Mr. Lenny Harris from the Quiet River Nursing Home who explained {everything. We were expecting you." The manager took the key from Murphy, retrieved Dr. Anderson's box, and left Murphy and Isis alone in the safe deposit customer room.

Murphy looked at the key the old man had directed him to take as he lay dying. Could the contents of the box be worth Dr. Anderson's life?

Murphy looked at Isis. He could tell that she was excited. She loved new adventures. Slowly he opened the large safe deposit box. It was filled with file folders and a journal. He read the titles aloud as he removed the files from the box one by one.

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"The first folder is titled Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky--The Theosophical Society Annie Besant--Lucifer Magazine. Zigana Averna--now, that's a mouthful. Alfred Meinrad--I've heard of him; he's a scientist. Carmine Anguis. Calinda Anguis. J. M. Talpish. The Friends of the New World Order. The new age. And a handwritten journal. It almost looks like a daily log of some kind."

"I wonder what this is all about."

"I'm not sure. All I know is that when I spoke with Dr. Anderson, he mentioned the end of the world and a one-world leader. This may provide clues to what he was talking about."

"Michael, there's a library right across the street. Let's go over there, where we can spread out, and read through these folders. If we both read, it will speed up the process a little."

"Great idea." Murphy put the folders and the journal into his briefcase, and they left the bank.

As they crossed the street, Isis looked at the old four-story library It had six tall Roman pillars in front and a set of marble stairs. The soot of many years had turned the white marble a dull gray Pigeons milled around cooing on the roof and the steps. Carved into the marble above the pillars was this motto:

THROUGH WISDOM A HOUSE IS BUILT
,

AND BY UNDERSTANDING

IT IS ESTABLISHED.

PROVERBS 24:3

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A chill went down her spine as Isis looked at the library. Something was wrong. She couldn't put her finger on it. Was it the building itself? Was it something inside the building? Something in the material they were going to examine? Or was it something else? She couldn't shake off her unease. She almost felt that someone was watching them. But when she looked around, she didn't catch anyone looking in their direction. Everything seemed normal--except her feelings.

That's silly
, she told herself.
Don't mess up the excitement of Michael's find with women's intuition.

As they entered the old building, they came into a great hall filled with tables, rows of oak book card catalogs, racks filled with books, and an old information desk. Behind the desk was a dowdy, chubby woman in a white dress with large blue polka dots.

Isis looked up and could see each floor of the library circling the center hall. Anyone standing above could look down on those in the center of the open hall. Behind the railings above, Isis could see stacks and stacks of bookshelves with people milling about. If it had not been for her uneasy feelings, Isis would have enjoyed the library. It made you want to come in and spend the day soaking up great thoughts. If only she could shake off the eerie sensation and relax in the friendly environment of books!

Murphy and Isis climbed the marble stairs and went to the back of the library on the third floor. There they found a secluded table where they could lay out the material and begin to read.

The thousands of books that surrounded them seemed to soak up sound. They could talk softly here without

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bothering anyone. It was almost like they were in their own little world. It was even a little romantic, just the two of them.

I just wish I didn't have this chilling feeling
, Isis thought.
Maybe I should say something to Michael.

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TWENTY-SEVEN

STEPHANIE KOVACS CALLED Shane Barrington from her cell phone. His secretary told her that Barrington was in a meeting and would be back about 4 P.M.
Good
, Kovacs thought.
That will give me about two hours before he'll be back home.
She drove quickly to Barrington Towers, parked in the lower garage, and took the elevator to the top floor.

Although she had her own apartment, she'd been spending most of her time with Barrington at his penthouse. She remembered back to when she first moved in and how excited and how much in love she'd been.