“There’s another kind?” Pierce examined the animal skin more closely. He knew that some large cats were mistakenly identified as ‘lions’—cougars, for example were often called ‘mountain lions’—but there were visible differences between the two species. The Nemean Lion, at least to Pierce’s untrained eye, appeared to be a member of the true lion family, albeit a monstrously large example of it.
“There are actually several different lion species that all fall under the umbrella term African lion,” Carter explained. “Some, like the Barbary lion, were only recently hunted to extinction—in the last two hundred years or so. But in ancient times, lion species could be found all over the world—the Middle East, Europe. I suspect this specimen may belong to one of those species.”
“Europe? Well, I guess that would explain the presence of a lion in Greece.”
She placed the tissue sample into a test-tube and carefully measured out drops of a reagent solution. “Lions were once fairly common all over Asia. I think they even show up in a couple Bible stories.”
“Right. David killed a lion with his sling, and Samson killed one with his bare hands.” The recollection triggered a painful memory of Fiona paraphrasing Ecclesiastes in the Labyrinth. Live dogs and dead lions. He grimaced.
“Those were probably Panthera leo persica, the Asiatic lion. The only place you’ll find them in the wild today is India. They once ranged as far west as Turkey. But I don’t think that’s what we’ve got here either. The Asiatic lion is even smaller than the African species, with a less developed mane. This specimen is considerably larger than an African lion. That could be the result of the contribution from the other species, but I don’t think so. Also, the fur is thicker, suggesting that this animal was adapted to colder climates. It might be a late extant European cave lion. Panthera leo spelaea.”
“One that survived to the first millennium BC?”
“Possibly. There are still a few pristine ecosystems where species long believed extinct are still alive and well.” She cast a knowing nod in Lazarus’s direction. “Or if your hypothesis about some kind of chemical agent is correct, it might have been a primitive cloning experiment involving DNA recovered from a fossilized specimen.
“The question of how may not be as important as where. If it is a P. spelaea, then there’s a good chance your source is somewhere in Europe. Hopefully, there’s still enough of the lion left in this hybrid for a match in the ADW genetic database.” She placed the test tube into one of the devices Pierce had provided for her in Liberia—a Pacific BioSciences SMRT—single molecule real-time—sequencer. As the machine hummed to life, Carter crossed her arms. “You know, if I’m going to work for you, I’m going to need better facilities. Preferably, somewhere not in a cave.”
“Are you going to work for me?”
“We’ll see.” Carter looked away from him, meeting Lazarus’s patient gaze. The big man gave her a reassuring nod.
Before Pierce could express his gratitude, a trilling sound from his computer signaled an incoming teleconference request from Dourado. Bracing himself against the possibility of yet another disappointment, he tapped the button to receive the call. “Please have good news, Cintia.”
Beneath a mane of cobalt blue curls, Dourado was grinning. “I do have good news, Dr. Pierce.” Excitement caused her words to blur together, exaggerating her distinctive Brazilian accent. “Cerberus has a jet. I compared airport data from the week of Van Der Hausen’s arrival in Monrovia against all the data from the last three days in Crete and Athens.”
“What data?”
“Everything. Customs. Passport control. Car rental agencies. Flight plans. There were no names in common, but that is not surprising. They must be using aliases. But I did discover a private aircraft—a Learjet 60—that arrived in Monrovia the day before Van Der Hausen flew in from Stockholm. It left three days later. That same plane was in Heraklion when you were there, and it was in Athens late last night. It arrived shortly before…ah…Dr. Gallo’s disappearance.”
Pierce was suddenly giddy with the possibility of tracking Cerberus to its lair, finding Gallo and Fiona. “Who owns it?”
“It belongs to one of the Cerberus shell companies, based in Grand Cayman Island.”
“Where’s the plane now? Is it still in Greece?”
“No. It took off again early this morning. It flew to Barcelona, then Rome. It was there for a few hours but it left again. They refueled in the Azores, but then took off again. It is in the air as we speak.”
“They have to file flight plans, right? Do you know where it’s headed now?”
Dourado’s excitement nearly matched Pierce’s for feverish intensity. “Yes. It is coming here.”
“To Brazil?”
“To Belem! They’ll be arriving in less than three hours.”
“Is that a stopover or a final destination?”