The Testament of James (Case Files of Matthew Hunter and Chantal Stevens) by Vin Suprynowicz Read Free Book Online

himself and a succession of wives in modest comfort, always keeping the most valuable family heirlooms squirreled away against some future time of need. A wise man avoided ostentation in such things, as Mattieu of course understood. Any object displayed in the dwelling place to tempt a thief to reveal himself would be a mere copy. No list of such valuable possessions was ever written down, or anything as foolish as that.
    “Of course.”
    The trustworthiness of the younger generation also had to be measured, which took time, always time. Certain family members showed a greed for quick profits, for the fancy city life, a scorning of the old traditions, as Mattieu would of course understand. Such disappointing offspring were bypassed. But Hakim and Rashid and their brothers, as Mattieu would remember, were found to show the proper patience and respect. They kept the old ways. Over time the family business, the contacts along the courier routes, where confidentiality and a man’s word could mean life or death, had been passed down to them.
    Till finally, as his time neared an end, and again according to tradition, the old man had revealed the secret location of the most valuable family trove, including this leather-bound book, “the book which is a thousand years old.”
    Hakim waited to see if anyone would scoff. No one did.
    Naturally, he explained after a moment, certain of the objects carried curses of which the brothers had to be apprised. The brothers were used to that, and took certain measures to assure those curses were held in abeyance, did not come to rest on them, so that the shouf of the deceased owner, the shadow, would understand they were mere custodians. Hakim gave Matthew an appraising glance. Matthew nodded soberly. He knew a little of these rituals. More importantly, he knew such things were not to be taken lightly.
    But the old man’s warning about the book was different, Hakim revealed.
    “Not a curse?” Matthew asked.
    “Different.”
    “Because of who wants the book.”
    “Yes.”
    They had been speaking quietly long enough that the cats decided the visitors must be OK. Serafina had crept down the stairs and — just as silently — up into Chantal’s lap. Chantal stroked her reassuringly. Only the black cat’s green eyes showed occasionally above the rim of the table, glowing emeralds. Now Tyrone, an orange giant to match Mr. Cuddles, also leapt up, landing light as a feather on four feet, then flopping on the table in front of her, though whether to protect her, or trusting in her ability to protect him, was not immediately clear.
    The younger Arab shifted his chair back and eyed the big orange cat cautiously. Few outsiders could tell Tyrone and Mr. Cuddles apart. Chantal did not fuss over the cats. She kept her eyes on their visitors. The cats were just there.
    Hakim looked at Chantal appraisingly. Up till now he’d barely seemed to acknowledge her presence. Having a woman at the table was evidently not part of the traditional way, though he understood things could be different here in the West. After all, Mattieu obviously trusted this woman as his bodyguard. And she did wear around her neck not the Christian cross, but rather the ankh.
    “You know the tale of the princess Khawlah bint al-Azwar?” asked Matthew, who could take on the appearance of a mind-reader on such occasions.
    “The woman warrior of the Bani Assad,” Hakim nodded. “It is said she killed five men with a tent pole.”
    Matthew smiled.
    Hakim had seen the authority with which Chantal handled a revolver. So now, for the first time, he spoke to her. “There are two types of buyers, as our friend Mattieu well knows. The buyer who wishes to re-sell is the easiest to find and the quickest to offer, but his price is always low, since he keeps in mind his own profit. The buyer who buys for himself will take longer to decide, but will pay the most. Unless, of course, he can steal what he wants.”
    “Yes,” said Chantal.