Herculean (Cerberus Group Book 1) by Jeremy Robinson, Sean Ellis Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jeremy Robinson, Sean Ellis
letter.
That might have been Pierce’s plan, but there was no way she was going to leave him behind. Still, maybe there was another way she could make use of the Society’s resources.
She opened the Internet browser on her phone and found the contact information for the company that managed logistics for the Society. She called the international number, and then identified herself as a passenger on the Gulfstream. She hoped that would accord her VIP status, but the operator promptly put her on hold.
A moment later, the canned music was silenced as someone picked up the line. “Fiona? Are you safe?” It was Pierce.
She heaved a sigh of relief. “I’m safe, Uncle George.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the old fort.”
“What are you doing there?”
“After I left the museum, an old friend of yours offered me a ride. I think the actual word he used was ‘colleague.’ Liam Kenner.”
There was a long silence over the line.
“Uncle George?”
“Kenner,” Pierce said in a low, almost menacing voice. “Son of a bitch.”
5
“Colleague? That’s what he said?”
Fiona sank into the passenger seat of the rental car and gazed over at Pierce. “Happy to see you, too,” she remarked, more amused than sarcastic. She had not been waiting long, less than ten minutes, though it had seemed a lot longer.
Pierce looked mildly embarrassed. “Sorry. I’m still trying to process this.” He took a breath. “It was clever of you to draw him off like that.”
“Thanks. So what’s the story with you and Kenner? He seemed to know an awful lot about your search for Hercules.”
Pierce stared straight ahead, as if driving the deserted streets required his full attention. “Several years ago, when I first came across some documents that mentioned Hercules in a historic context, I made the mistake of sharing that information with some other members of the archaeological community. At the time, I was merely looking for more of the same, inquiring to see if anyone else had found similar evidence.”
“Then Kenner is a colleague? An archaeologist?”
“His specialty is paleopharmacology, a multi-disciplinary field that focuses on the medical treatments used by ancient cultures. When I originally proposed the idea that Hercules might have been an ancient scientist, Kenner was intrigued by the possibility of an elixir to explain Hercules’s strength and invincibility. Evidently, he was more interested than I realized at the time.”
“Interested enough to stalk you for the last seven years?”
Pierce shook his head. “It’s possible that he was here conducting research of his own, and noticed us touring the museum earlier.”
Fiona raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You don’t actually believe that, do you?”
Pierce checked the rearview, prompting Fiona to look over her shoulder, but there was no one following them. “I wish I did,” Pierce replied. “But no. It’s probably not a coincidence.”
“So what do we do about it? About him?”
Pierce sighed. “He’s just fishing.”
“He knew that we broke into the museum. What if he goes to the police?”
“He won’t. Not right away. He’ll want to talk to me first. Maybe try to blackmail me, but it won’t do him any good. He can’t prove anything.” Pierce drove in silence for a few minutes. “This isn’t the first time someone has gotten close, you know. There are protocols for dealing with situations like this.”
“Protocols?” Fiona did not like the sound of that. “Like making him disappear?”
“Nothing so dramatic. At the very worst, we might have to destroy him professionally. Discredit him, so that no one takes him seriously ever again. But I doubt it will come to that. He has other…pressure points.”
Fiona sensed that Pierce did not want to elaborate further, so she changed the subject. “So we’re still going to do this?”
“I don’t think we have a choice. Especially not now, with Kenner sniffing
That might have been Pierce’s plan, but there was no way she was going to leave him behind. Still, maybe there was another way she could make use of the Society’s resources.
She opened the Internet browser on her phone and found the contact information for the company that managed logistics for the Society. She called the international number, and then identified herself as a passenger on the Gulfstream. She hoped that would accord her VIP status, but the operator promptly put her on hold.
A moment later, the canned music was silenced as someone picked up the line. “Fiona? Are you safe?” It was Pierce.
She heaved a sigh of relief. “I’m safe, Uncle George.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the old fort.”
“What are you doing there?”
“After I left the museum, an old friend of yours offered me a ride. I think the actual word he used was ‘colleague.’ Liam Kenner.”
There was a long silence over the line.
“Uncle George?”
“Kenner,” Pierce said in a low, almost menacing voice. “Son of a bitch.”
5
“Colleague? That’s what he said?”
Fiona sank into the passenger seat of the rental car and gazed over at Pierce. “Happy to see you, too,” she remarked, more amused than sarcastic. She had not been waiting long, less than ten minutes, though it had seemed a lot longer.
Pierce looked mildly embarrassed. “Sorry. I’m still trying to process this.” He took a breath. “It was clever of you to draw him off like that.”
“Thanks. So what’s the story with you and Kenner? He seemed to know an awful lot about your search for Hercules.”
Pierce stared straight ahead, as if driving the deserted streets required his full attention. “Several years ago, when I first came across some documents that mentioned Hercules in a historic context, I made the mistake of sharing that information with some other members of the archaeological community. At the time, I was merely looking for more of the same, inquiring to see if anyone else had found similar evidence.”
“Then Kenner is a colleague? An archaeologist?”
“His specialty is paleopharmacology, a multi-disciplinary field that focuses on the medical treatments used by ancient cultures. When I originally proposed the idea that Hercules might have been an ancient scientist, Kenner was intrigued by the possibility of an elixir to explain Hercules’s strength and invincibility. Evidently, he was more interested than I realized at the time.”
“Interested enough to stalk you for the last seven years?”
Pierce shook his head. “It’s possible that he was here conducting research of his own, and noticed us touring the museum earlier.”
Fiona raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You don’t actually believe that, do you?”
Pierce checked the rearview, prompting Fiona to look over her shoulder, but there was no one following them. “I wish I did,” Pierce replied. “But no. It’s probably not a coincidence.”
“So what do we do about it? About him?”
Pierce sighed. “He’s just fishing.”
“He knew that we broke into the museum. What if he goes to the police?”
“He won’t. Not right away. He’ll want to talk to me first. Maybe try to blackmail me, but it won’t do him any good. He can’t prove anything.” Pierce drove in silence for a few minutes. “This isn’t the first time someone has gotten close, you know. There are protocols for dealing with situations like this.”
“Protocols?” Fiona did not like the sound of that. “Like making him disappear?”
“Nothing so dramatic. At the very worst, we might have to destroy him professionally. Discredit him, so that no one takes him seriously ever again. But I doubt it will come to that. He has other…pressure points.”
Fiona sensed that Pierce did not want to elaborate further, so she changed the subject. “So we’re still going to do this?”
“I don’t think we have a choice. Especially not now, with Kenner sniffing