The Book of Spies

13

CHARLES SHERBACK knew he had made a terrible mistake. He dropped off the Citroen at the car rental agency and caught a taxi, his mind in tumult. Ovid was right: Res est ingeniosa dare. "Giving requires good sense." And he had not simply 'given'; he had sacrificed for Eva. In fact, he had risked a great deal for her.
As the windshield wiper slashed across the glass, he stared out unseeing at the rainy London night. She was supposed to be in prison. How could she have been at the British Museum show? And now he had failed to eliminate her.
"We're here, guv'nor." The taxi driver peered into his rearview mirror. He had white hair, a sagging face, and tired eyes that thankfully remained bored.
Charles paid and stepped out of the cab and into the noisy din of Piccadilly. As cars and trucks rushed past on the boulevard, he dodged pedestrians and strode into the five-star Le Meridien Hotel, hoping Preston was not early.
He peered around. The lobby was spacious, two stories high, topped by an intricate stained-glass dome. The appointments were modern and refined, and the air smelled of fresh flowers. The hotel was elegant, just the way he liked it. It was also busy with people.
At the elevator, he stepped inside and punched the button for the eighth floor. The elevator rose with maddening slowness. As soon as the doors opened he ran along the hall, jammed his electronic key into the lock, and marched into the deluxe room. The window drapes were closed against prying eyes, and a hot pot of coffee was waiting on the low table in front of two upholstered chairs. There was no sign of Preston.
"Hello, darling." Sitting on the end of the king-size bed, Robin Miller clicked off the television. "I'm glad you're back. Are you okay?"
A moment of happiness flowed through him. "I'm fine." He peeled off his wet raincoat.
"Is she dead?"
Thick ash-blond hair wreathed Robin's face and draped in thick bangs down to her green eyes. Her mouth was lush and round, and her skin glowed with a ruddy tan. She was thirty-five years old. On the director's orders, all staff members had plastic surgery before they could go to work at the library. He had seen photographs of Robin from those days, and she was even more beautiful now.
"There were complications." He shook his head with disgust. "Eva got away."
She stared worriedly. "Are you going to tell the director she recognized you?"
He fell into a reading chair and poured a cup of steaming coffee. "It's safer for me to take care of the problem myself." He added sugar, then cream until the color turned to that of cafe au lait. He wished he had some good Irish whiskey to add.
"But what will you do?"
"I have to kill her." He heard the determination in his voice. He had come this far, and he had no choice. From the moment he had accepted the job of chief librarian at the Library of Gold, his lot was cast. He remembered the sense of destiny fulfilled. He had faced reality, banished any regrets, and thrown himself into his exciting new life.
"Maybe you should ask Preston for help."
He gave an abrupt shake of his head. "He'll tell the director."
They were silent, acknowledging the threat of it. He saw her hands were turning white from gripping the edge of the bed. He went to her and pulled her close. She laid her head on his shoulder. Her warmth flowed into him.
"I'm frightened," she whispered.
Robin was a strong woman. Until now she had not admitted being afraid. Because she had not told the director instantly, she could be in as much trouble as he.
"This is all Eva's fault," he assured her. "We wouldn't be in this mess if she hadn't recognized me. I love you. Remember that. I love you."
"I love you, too, darling." She wrapped her arms around him. "But you're not a killer. You don't know how to do such things. As long as Eva's alive, she's dangerous to the library--and to us. You need to tell Preston so he can take care of her. If you don't want to, I'll do it."
Four taps sounded on the door.
"Preston's here." She pulled away. "Give me a minute."
"Hurry."
She nodded and stood up, smoothing her hair and straightening her white cashmere sweater and brown trousers.
He crossed to the door, reaching it as another four taps began. He peered through the peephole. A distorted Doug Preston loomed in the hallway, a bulging backpack in his left hand. His right hand was hidden inside his black leather jacket, where he kept his pistol holstered. Everything about him, from his slightly bent knees to the sharp vigilance with which he was checking the corridor, seemed to radiate menace.
Charles took a deep breath and opened the door, and Preston strode into the room. Uneasily Charles watched as he scanned the interior. When he paused to peer at Robin, she nodded in greeting, her eyes wary. Charles focused on the backpack. He could postpone deciding whether to tell Preston about Eva because its contents were of immediate concern.
"You have The Book of Spies?" he demanded.
"I do." Preston set the pack on a chair and started to unzip it.
"I'll take over now."
Preston stepped back.
As Robin joined them, Charles removed the foam bundle. "Move the coffee, Robin. Leave the napkins."
She picked up the tray and carried it away. Although the table appeared clean, he used the linen napkins to wipe it. Then he set down the bundle and unpeeled layers of foam and transparent polyethylene sheeting. At last only archival polyester film remained.
He paused, feeling a visceral reaction. His throat full, he gazed at the illuminated manuscript glowing through the clear protective barrier.
"Ready?" He lowered himself into the reading chair and looked up.
Preston nodded.
"Hurry," Robin said.
He unfastened the polyester and let it fall to the sides.
"Oh, my Lord," Robin breathed.
"It's a beauty, all right," Preston agreed.
Charles stared, drinking in the sight of the fabled Book of Spies, compiled on orders of Ivan the Terrible, who had been fascinated by spies and assassins. Covered in gold, the volume was large, probably ten by twelve inches and four inches thick, decorated with fat emeralds, great rubies, and lustrous pearls--a fortune in gems. The emeralds were arranged along the edges of the cover, a rectangular frame of brilliant green. The pearls were gathered into the shape of a glowing dagger in the top two thirds, and beneath the dagger's point lay the scarlet rubies, shaped like a large drop of blood. The jewels caught the lamplight and sparkled like fire.
Awed silence filled the room. Robin handed Charles clean white cotton gloves. Putting them on, he opened the book and slowly turned pages, savoring the style, the paint, the ink, the feel of the fine parchment between his cautious fingers. Each page was a showcase of lavish pictures, austere Cyrillic letters, and intricate borders ablaze with color. He felt a thrill at the effort involved not only in gathering the knowledge but in creating such art.
"Six years of painstaking labor went into this masterwork," Charles told them. "Twelve months a year, seven days a week, twelve to fourteen hours a day. The crudest brushes and paints. Only sunlight and oil lamps to work by. No good heating during the brutal Moscow winters. The constant attack of mosquitoes in summer. Imagine the difficulty, the dedication."
Robin sat on the floor and leaned an elbow on the table to be closer. Preston pulled up a chair and sat, watching the turning pages. The paintings showed secretive spies, rotund diplomats, monarchs in furs, soldiers in colorful uniforms, villains with wily faces. It was a rich compendium of stories about real and mythical assassins, spies, and missions since before biblical times.
"You're sure it's authentic?" Robin asked in a low, excited voice.
"The style's correct, tending toward naturalism," Charles told her. "The final touches are in liquid gold--not gold leaf." Naturalism and liquid gold appeared only at the end of the Middle Ages, which matched the year the manuscript was finished in Moscow--1580. "What clinches its authenticity are the tiny letters beneath some of the colors. See? They're almost invisible. Even the best forgers forget that telling detail."
He pointed without touching the page. The letters stood for the Latin words for the colors the long-ago artist had been instructed to use to fill in the line drawings, which had been rendered by a previous artist. R for ruber, meaning red; V for viridis, meaning green; and A for azure, meaning blue.
"It was painted by an Italian who was working in Ivan's court," Charles explained.
"I remember the book well," Preston said. "The stories about spies are inspiring. Those who find the secrets and take them to their graves are the real heroes. That's what we signed on for when we went to work for the Library of Gold. Complete loyalty."
As Preston talked, Robin stared at Charles. Her eyebrows knitted together with determination, and her lips thinned. The message was clear: If he did not tell Preston, she would.
"We've got a problem." Charles steeled himself as Preston focused on him.
"There's no reason for the director to know about it, Preston," Robin urged. "You can handle it."
Preston did not look at her. "What's happened, Charles?"
He sighed heavily. "It started in the museum. I'd just finished photographing The Book of Spies and was walking away when I noticed Eva. My wife. God knows how she got out of prison, but she was there, and she recognized me." He rushed on, describing the chase through the museum and her arrest. "I rented a car. When the police released her, I followed and found a quiet street. Then I was almost able to run her down. But she got away. I drove everywhere, looking for her again."
"Does she know about the Library of Gold?" Preston asked instantly.
"Of course not. I never talked with her."
"What else?"
"She recorded me on her cell phone," he admitted. "I don't know whether it was photos or a video."
"Please don't tell the director, Preston," Robin pleaded.
Preston was silent. Tension filled the room.
Charles rubbed his eyes and sank back in his chair. When he looked again, Preston had not moved, his gaze unreadable.
"Where would she stay in London?" Preston demanded.
"There were two hotels we preferred--the Connaught and the Mayflower. When she came alone, she stayed with a friend, Peggy Doty. At the museum I overheard a conversation that Peggy had moved back to London. I don't have her address, but my guess is Eva's with Peggy. They were close."
Preston tapped a number into his cell. "Eva Blake may be staying at one of these hotels." He related the information. "I'll e-mail you her photograph. Terminate her. She has a cell phone. It's imperative you get it." He ended the connection, then told Charles, "I'll handle Peggy Doty myself."
As Preston walked toward the door, Charles rose to his feet. He was sweating. "Are you going to tell the director?"
Preston said nothing. The door closed.