The Grecian Manifesto by Ernest Dempsey Read Free Book Online Page A

the
president was asking about it, however, did present cause for concern. “What’s
going on with her?”
    Dawkins took a deep breath and continued. When he spoke,
his Southern tenor voice commanded the room. “I’ll come back to that, but
first, I need to ask you another question. Have you ever heard of a relic known
as the Eye of Zeus?”
    Sean bit his lower lip and shook his head. It didn’t ring
a bell. He thought for a few seconds, but couldn’t recall ever hearing about
such an artifact. “No,” he said finally. “I don’t think I have. What is it, and
what does it have to do with Adriana?”
    The president reached over to the far side of the table
and picked up a manila folder. He passed it over to Sean and sat back. On the
cover was a white label with a word Sean did recognize.
    Antikythera.
    Dawkins knew Sean recognized the name immediately. He
pointed at the folder. “That’s what most historians call the Eye of Zeus,” he
said matter-of-factly. “Ms. Villa was looking for the antikythera, correct?”
    Sean nodded slowly, beginning to connect the dots in his
mind, dots he didn’t want to bring together. There still wasn’t enough
information, but he had a feeling that was what the president was about to tell
him.
    Dawkins sat up straight, resting his elbows on the arms of
the chair. “This needs a little backstory, so I may as well share that with
you. The Greek economy has been in a nosedive for the better part of the
decade. Their gross national product brings in less than what they import,
jobless rates are soaring, and crime is beginning to rise.”
    Sean knew about all that. He didn’t watch the news often,
but he kept up with it enough to be aware of the current events going on in the
world around him. He kept that to himself and simply nodded, listening intently
to the president.
    “The European Union is kicking them to the curb. Their
government could collapse at any point, and when it does there will be a mad
dash for the seat of power.”
    “That’s the way it usually goes,” Sean interjected.
    “Yep. As far as we can tell, there are three major players
in line to take over. One of them is a guy named Dimitris Gikas. He’s a wealthy
businessman living near Corfu, one of the Ionian Islands near Albania. Gikas
made most of his money in real estate and land development, but he has
investments in everything. About six years ago, he started buying up tech
companies and vineyards, and even owns a significant amount of stock in
American and Japanese companies. His net worth is well over four billion
dollars.”
    “Sounds like a guy that might be able to straighten out
their economy,” Sean quipped.
    Dawkins snorted a quick laugh. “He would be, if it weren’t
for the fact that he’s one of the most ruthless men in Europe. Some of the
businesses he purchased weren’t for sale. Let’s just say he made them an offer
they couldn’t refuse. And if they did refuse, the owners met an unfortunate
end.”
    “Of course, the authorities won’t do anything to a guy
like that. Sounds like a modern-day Capone.”
    “Exactly. Everyone’s on the take. Gikas is planning
something big, we just aren’t sure what it is or when it will happen.” The
president folded his hands and leaned back.
    Sean opened the folder and removed the contents. There were
a few pictures of the antikythera that resides in a museum in Greece. It was
the only one known to be found. Adriana believed that there could be another
one in existence and had taken it upon herself to find it. There was a small
description of the device in the folder, explaining what historians believed it
was used for. Sean had seen that stuff before.
    He scanned the text, and then put all the contents back in
the packet before handing it over to Dawkins. “I’ve read all that stuff before,
Mr. President. I don’t mean to be rude, but what does any of this have to do
with me? I’ve been out of the espionage business for more than a few