Bhutan—June
From the outside, the building appeared to be a traditional dzong, a fortress temple. It topped a sheer rock face, with a few sparse patches of green where lone trees or shrubs grew. Ashi walked with Ty outside on the stone terrace. She made a sweeping gesture with her arm over the deep valley and toward the distant mountains.
“Is it not so very beautiful?” Her mouth widened into a dazzling smile.
“Yes it is,” Ty replied. She was so compelling; Ty looked at her and he wanted to have the same opinion, to agree with absolutely anything she said.
“There is much to see and…,” Ashi hesitated, “and visit in this valley. Much time can pass to see everything.”
Ty wasn’t sure what she was trying to tell him but he was enjoying watching how she moved, how her face changed as she talked, her expressions fluid. He leaned over the low wall to see how high up they were. He immediately had a dizzy sensation and felt Ashi pull him back by his arm.
“You fall over wall…that fastest way to see valley, Tyler Ty,” she joked.
He peeked over the wall again. The black-clad archers were carefully picking their way down into the valley. They were carrying a stretcher with a shrouded form on top of it. It was evidence he was trying to push to the back of his mind, the fact that a friend was dead. He took a step backwards, as if the sight physically hit him.
An elderly monk approached the two and spoke to Ashi in Bhutanese. Ty observed how the man showed deference to the young girl, bending over in a near-bow. His tone toward Ashi was reverent.
He had the impression that she was a leader at this place and was needed to resolve problems. He quickly dismissed the notion. After all, she was just a kid, like him.
When the monk moved away from them Ty said, “Ashi, it’s a long way down the mountain. How did the archers get to us so fast?”
“I send them. I know you come here on that day,” she said softly and with a gentle smile. “I wait for you for a long time.”
****
The secretary directed them to Professor Neville’s office, where they found a young man with glasses and thinning, blond hair sitting at a desk stacked with papers, his cramped office crammed with books and files. He came from behind his desk to clear two chairs. Ty heard him mumbling to himself, something about never being able to get out from under his mess, as he tossed an ancient-looking piece of a fresco into a corner, atop a pile of papers.
Professor Neville explained that he was just an associate professor, fresh out of grad school, when he came to Bournemouth to research and teach alongside the renowned Dr. Mansfield. But, sadly, he never got to meet the iconic professor.
While his father was talking with the professor, Ty was able to openly look around the office and observe the details. The room was gray, dim, and colorless, with the only light source a single, flickering fluorescent light from above. Besides books and papers, the objects on the shelves and desk were a curious mixture of what appeared to be ancient artifacts and kitschy junk. The professor had a clear glass case of bone fragments on his desk next to a glass Eurodisney paperweight with a smiling, waving Mickey. On the edge of the desk, facing Ty and Vincent sat a black, plaster dog, holding a basket in its mouth that at one time held flowers but were now brown, dried twigs.
Ty turned his attention back to the conversation.
“I looked up to Dr. Mansfield. I had an immense amount of respect for him, so when the teaching opportunity arose, well…” With a sheepish grin, he shrugged his shoulders. “I had to come here.”
A heavy-set, older lady, with curly brown hair and glasses appeared at the open doorway.
“Ah, you’re here, Maryanne.” He seemed momentarily confused. “Perhaps our guests would like a cup of tea or coffee?”
“I’ll have a coffee,” Vincent said and Ty shook his head.
“Imagine my surprise when I arrived to find that my idol had apparently lost his marbles.”
“How so?”
“He traveled half way across the world, chasing the wind.”
“What made him go so far away?”
“A crazy prophecy. At least that’s what all our colleagues thought about it.”
Vincent’s eyes lit up with interest. “What exactly was the prophecy?”
“Oh, it’s around here somewhere.” Professor Neville made a sweeping gesture with his arm. “I’d have to dig it up.” He glanced at Ty. “Heh, heh, a little archaeology humor.”
Ty inwardly groaned but forced what he was sure was a lame smile on his face.
“People were surprised when he came back with some intriguing items.” He leaned back and stroked his chin. “Nobody expected him to find anything. In he strolled with several artifacts.”
“Yes and…?”
“There were some whispers that he obtained them from somewhere other than Bhutan. Really, a Templar in Bhutan? It is incomprehensible.”
“And then there was something about the sword?”
Maryanne returned with two steaming mugs. She appeared flustered when Vincent flashed her his bright smile and nodded.
“Yes. The hilt was embellished and decorated. I’ll show you. I got the objects from storage this morning. Quite unlike a Templar sword.”
Professor Neville unlocked a closet and retrieved the sword, covered in protective wrappings and laid it on his desk. He pulled a few more objects out of the closet and began to carefully and reverently unwrap the items.
Vincent stood and leaned over the sword, running his fingers over the hilt. “Yes, this is the picture I remember.”
“There was talk of him not publishing,” Professor Neville murmured, “Of course, behind his back. He was such an icon in the field. He had the last word on whether to publish.” He continued unwrapping the items and presenting them to Vincent.
After examining each artifact closely, Vincent sat back down and sipped his coffee.
“Was this everything? I’d like to see everything he found even if it seems insignificant.”
“I’m showing you the artifacts that he published pictures of, but there were some other things.” He thought for a minute. “Follow me.”
He led them down the hallway to a locked door. “This was Dr. Mansfield’s office. We use it as a storeroom now,” he said as he fumbled with his keys.
He found the correct key, opened the door and led them inside the dark, musty room. The storeroom burst into light when Professor Neville opened the blinds, coughing.
“Someone needs to clean this place,” he said, mumbling to himself. “I’ll get Maryanne to do it.”
Ty watched the dust dancing in the sunlight as the professor rifled through the messy storeroom.
“This is it. I knew it was around here somewhere.”
“This is the prophecy?” Vincent asked.
“Mansfield found it in Bhutan. It looks like a prophecy.” He peered at it, adjusting his glasses on his nose.
It had been produced by placing a piece of paper over some sort of engraved item and rubbing charcoal over it, copying the raised parts of the item onto the paper, highlighting the engraved portions.
“Eh..Umm…something about an enormous treasure. Its hiding place will be revealed, oh, wait, it will not be revealed until some day when a lady from the ancient house of de Charney awakens from a lengthy slumber.” He stood up and looked at Vincent and Ty. “Well that’s certainly a prophecy.”
“De Charney, hmm. Too bad it doesn’t say where to find it,” Vincent said.
“Maryanne, please come and make photocopies of these rubbings,” Professor Neville called, sticking his head out the doorway.
“You don’t mind sharing this information?” Vincent asked.
“No, now that Mansfield is gone, nobody is much interested in obscure Templar items.” He took off his glasses and scratched his head.
Maryanne rushed in, looking harried, and took the rubbings, giving Vincent a smile as she left.
“So nobody believed him, that he found the artifacts in Bhutan?” Vincent asked
“The general consensus is that they are all authentic. However, maybe he had a reason for keeping the true location hidden.”
“But Bhutan, of all places. If he wanted to make it seem like he found these things elsewhere, wouldn’t he have created a more likely place where he found them?”
“Well…his partner did back him up…”
Partner! Ty focused on hearing every nugget of information.
“Where’s this partner now?” Vincent asked.
The professor shrugged. “I don’t know. He never returned to the university and I really don’t know very much about him.”
There were a few moments of silence. Vincent appeared to be mulling this information over when Professor Neville stood up.
“I really wanted to extend our meeting over lunch today but I have a class to teach and then an important faculty meeting. Will you be in the area this evening?”
Vincent appeared to wake from his reverie. “No. No, we’ll be in London tonight, but I appreciate your spending time with us. This information is definitely invaluable.”
The professor chuckled. “Another piece of the puzzle, right? That’s what we do, isn’t it? Put together pieces of a puzzle?”
The professor ushered them to the door, still apologizing for not spending more time with them.
“What do you think, Ty? Are we at a dead end?” Vincent asked as they walked back down the corridor they had come down just a half hour previously.
“I dunno. What about this partner? I wish we knew more about him.”
They came to an abrupt halt at the end of the hallway. Maryanne sat behind a desk, reading a book. Without taking her eyes off the book, she lifted a sandwich to her mouth, as if in a trance.
“Sorry to interrupt your book, Maryanne. I just wanted to thank you again for the coffee,” Vincent said.
“Oh, not at all. You are very welcome and you were not interrupting.” Maryanne was flustered as she laid her book down to speak to Vincent.
He laughed when he saw the title. “How do you like my book so far?”
Maryanne blushed. “Professor Neville told me you’d be paying a visit and I’ve been meaning to read it for such a long time. Everybody I know has read it. I just love it so far,” she gushed. “I can’t put it down.”
“Hmm, do you have any ideas for me?” Vincent asked, dropping down onto the chair in front of her desk. He leaned forward on the desk with his chin resting on his fist and looked into her eyes.
If possible, Maryanne appeared even more embarrassed and flustered. Ty had seen Vincent’s effect on women many times before but it was still disconcerting to see a lovestruck older lady. Vincent appeared to thrive on it.
“I…uh, I…no, not really.”
“I was just speaking with the professor.” He leaned forward and nearly whispered, as if sharing a secret. “We were talking about Professor Mansfield and his looking for Templars in Bhutan. He couldn’t tell me very much about Professor Mansfield. It seems he never met him.”
“Yes, Professor Neville arrived just a little bit after we buried Trent.”
“Trent? Were you friendly with him?”
“Oh yes. He was a wonderful man. Such a shame.” She leaned forward too and said with the same conspiratorial tone, “Hit by a car, you know. The bastard never even stopped. Witnesses say he never even looked back.”
“That is awful,” he replied with heartfelt sympathy. “But what about this partner he had? How did he fit into all this?”
“Oh, Garrett Cooper? Another wonderful man. He was a professor here too. He was still in Bhutan when Trent was killed. He sent in his resignation by mail and I haven’t seen him since.”
“Really. Were you friendly with him, as well?”
“Garrett and I got along famously. He was quite a baker. I am too. We had our own cookie parties, so to speak.” She glanced at Ty. “We were very good friends.” She sighed. “Back then…well, it wasn’t just seeing each other at the department picnics.”
Ty hovered behind his father, listening. The conversation took a melancholy tone.
“It must have been hard to never see him again,” Vincent said.
“It was very difficult.”
“And how could he? Never another word to you, just like that?” Vincent snapped his fingers.
Maryanne hesitated, looking away, and Ty knew. Dad is a master at this.
“Weeelll, he completely severed ties with every single person around here except for me,” she said proudly.
“Well, good!” Vincent said, slapping the desk. “I’m glad.”
“He phoned me to say he had to drop out of sight and that he wasn’t coming back. He didn’t want me involved in whatever it was that was bothering him.”
“Something was bothering him?”
“Yes. He never told me what it was but he seemed nervous about it.”
“And where is he now?”
“I can’t say.”
Vincent spoke slowly and sincerely, measuring his words. “I am very sure if there is one person he might like to talk to it might be me.”
“I don’t know. He made me swear never to tell.”
“I might have the information that would make him come out of hiding. I could possibly help him...possibly he could come back...”
Maryanne locked eyes with Vincent and regarded him intently for a long moment.
She closed her eyes with resignation. “I do hope I am doing the right thing.” She took a deep breath and told him quickly on the exhale, “He’s teaching at a boys' school in London. Haverford’s Prep School for Boys.”
“I’ll speak to him.” Vincent stood up.
“Please don’t do anything that would reveal his whereabouts. Please. I am nervous too. Help him.” She looked up at him pleadingly.
“I will certainly try.”
****
Two hours later they were parked diagonally across the street from Haverford’s. The car windows were down and they were silently enjoying the sunshine and warm breeze. Ty felt drowsy after lunch, thinking about Jenna, wondering what she was doing at that moment.
Ty felt Vincent suddenly sit up straight. The school was set back from the narrow street, which was lined with low, brick apartment buildings. A chain link fence separated the street from the schoolyard. Ty stared as the double doors opened and boys in dark pants and white shirts and ties poured out.
Vincent and Ty had rushed discussions as each adult man emerged. They pinpointed one grayish, balding, portly man with a briefcase as the best match with Maryanne’s description. They emerged from the car at a near jog, slamming the car doors. The teacher heard the noise and glanced behind him. He picked up his pace. As several boys around him attempted to speak to him, calling, “Dr. Cooper,” Ty knew they had the right person.
Dr. Cooper didn’t stop to talk to the boys, but rushed past them. He kept glancing fearfully over his shoulder. He walked quickly, reached into a brown bag he was carrying and pulled out a handful of whatever was in it and threw it at Ty and Vincent.
“Go away!” He threw another handful at them. “Leave me alone.”
Ty realized the frightened man was throwing peanuts at them. He would have laughed at how comical it was except that he felt sympathetic for the teacher’s terror.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” Vincent called, holding his hands up to shield his face. “We just want to talk.”
The teacher only quickened his pace.
“Please stop. We don’t want to hurt you.”
Dr. Cooper broke into a jog.
“Someone I cared about died for this too. I know how it feels,” Vincent called.
The man slowed to a stop and a curious crowd of boys was gathering. His eyes widened in recognition.
“I know you. Yes, Vincent Scalisi, right?” The terror on his face morphed into puzzlement.
“Yes, Garret Cooper? I just wanted to ask you some questions. That’s all,” Vincent replied.
Dr. Cooper eyed the schoolboys. “Let’s go someplace we can talk. Come with me.”
He led them through narrow streets until they arrived at an open door, where they stepped through into darkness, except for a bright flickering light in the corner- a TV. A bright beam of light from the doorway created a square of yellow on the otherwise dark floor. When Ty's eyes adjusted he saw they were in a pub, a long bar, edged with empty barstools. There was only one person there, the bartender, staring at the soccer game on TV and absentmindedly wiping out the inside of a glass. The smell in the bar was a mix of wet dog and stale beer.
The bartender barely tore his eyes away from the game to glance at his customers and ask, “The usual?”
“A double, and one for my friend here.” Garrett tilted his head toward Vincent. “Young man, a pint, Coke?”
Ty shook his head.
Garrett tossed the drink back and motioned for another. The bartender apparently knew him because he was standing with the bottle, ready to refill his drink. Vincent sipped from his glass.
“What brings you to this part of the world?” Garrett questioned.
“Templar artifacts...connected with Bhutan.”
“Who told you?” Garrett asked sharply. “Did someone tell you?”
“I remembered a publication from a few years back. Your partner found some sort of items in Bhutan.”
“Trent, yes.” Garrett relaxed.
“Where were you in Bhutan?”
He shrugged. “Here and there. We went all over the bloody country. How did you say you found me?”
“I didn't. We paid a visit to Bournemouth and Maryanne...”
A smirk crept over Garrett's face as he lifted his glass. “I knew she couldn't keep quiet.” He sighed and tossed back the rest of his drink and gestured to Vincent to do the same.
“This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be.” Dr. Cooper tapped his finger on the bar to signal the bartender. His hair was bushy and gray. He wore dress pants but his shoes looked worn. His shirt buckled as the buttons were stretched across his huge belly, revealing his tee shirt underneath.
“I was a full professor. I have a doctorate. I published regularly and was very well respected in my field.” He waved his glass. “Which as you know, was archaeology, specializing in the medieval period. Drink, drink.” He waved his glass around in wide, uncontrolled circles.
Vincent watched the ex-professor guzzle the hard liquor and raised his own glass.
“Yes, I know. I’ve read your work. You quit the business.”
“I didn’t quit,” he roared, his eyes flashing. “I was forced out.”
Dr. Cooper hunched over the bar with both hands wrapped around his glass. His burst of energy appeared to be over and now he seemed deflated.
“I made the most important find of my life and I had to keep it secret. I feel fortunate to have escaped with my life…” He took another sip and added, with a sarcastic little smile, “so far.”
“Please tell me what happened,” Vincent implored.
Ty, as usual, remained the silent observer.
“Trent and I went to Bhutan. We had reason to believe we were following the trail of an important Templar. We, of course, were thinking about treasure.”
“You thought the Knights’ treasure was in Bhutan?”
“Hmm? Yes.” He looked at the bartender. “The bottle please?” He reached for it and poured himself another, extended his arm and refilled Vincent’s glass.
“Did you find it?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did find treasure, an unexpected treasure. Trent was to return back home before me. I was to remain behind and continue the investigation until Trent could rejoin me. Unfortunately, Trent didn’t make it back.” He gave a mirthless laugh.
“I’m very sorry. I know he was your partner.”
“My very dearest friend. Murdered, you know.”
“Murdered! I thought he was the victim of a hit and run.”
The sarcastic smile returned to Dr. Cooper’s face. “Then why was his house torn apart, ransacked before they could get Trent into an ambulance?”
“I had not heard that.”
“Someone, or I should say, some organization thought Trent was onto something and did not want him to reveal what he knew. They searched his house to insure there was no evidence that would be revealed after his death.”
“But what did he know?”
Garret Cooper stared at him, laughed and shook his head. “I’ll take that information to my grave.”
Vincent laughed along with him. “Are you afraid to reveal something or are you hoarding the treasure?”
“You know there’s a third possibility.”
“I can’t imagine what that might be.”
“Well, anyway, there I was in Bhutan when I got word of Trent’s murder,” he said, ignoring Vincent’s implied question. “I certainly did not want to come back and meet the same fate, no I did not. And, I was fascinated, intrigued. No, those words are not strong enough. I was absolutely, completely captivated by what I found.” He took a long swig. “And no, I will never reveal it. So I stayed. I stayed in hiding, but I was happy to be there.”
“But you came back.”
“I laid low for nearly two years. I felt I was in the safest place in the world, a place nobody could find me. But then I felt it was time to come back. You might say I got homesick. However, I couldn’t come back to my old life. It was too risky and I didn't want to join Trent in the afterworld.”
“So here you are.”
“Here I am--a shadow of what I could have been.” He took on a morose tone.
“You know, you weren’t that hard to find.”
Dr. Cooper raised his eyebrows. “That’s right. So Maryanne told you. Huh, I thought she could keep a secret better than that.” He thought for a moment. “No, I hoped she could keep a secret. I just couldn’t leave her without another word. When a dear one disappears from the face of the earth, the wondering and speculation could drive a person mad. No, she deserved better than that.”
He seemed very sad and by now was slurring his words. Ty felt pity for him.
“I still want to go back. But you can never go back, can you?” He stared at the floor and seemed to be talking to himself.
“You don’t think you can ever get back in the business?” Vincent asked.
“No, no, go back to Bhutan. I want to go back some day.” He reached over to fill Vincent’s glass again.
“No, thank you very much.” He covered the glass with his hand.
The silence signaled that the interview was over. Vincent and Ty thanked Dr. Cooper repeatedly and sincerely and shook his hand. They left the pitiful man sitting in his chair with his bottle and glass in the gloomy room. When Ty turned for a last look he was staring at the floor, deep in thought.
When they were out on the street Ty took a deep breath in the warm, late-afternoon sun. It was a relief after the oppressive little pub.
“Whew. That was something, huh? My head is spinning after that,” Vincent said.
“Yeah, mine’s spinning too.”
“No literally it’s spinning. He kept filling my glass.” Vincent tossed the car keys to Ty. “You’re up, bud. I can’t drive.”
Ty felt relief that he wasn’t about to have another hair-raising ride with his father. He was about to put the key in the car lock when he said, “Wait, Dad. I just thought of something. Let’s go back.”
When they entered the pub again, Garrett was still sitting in the same spot, staring into his glass.
Ty stood next to him until Garrett, with a start, became aware of his presence.
“The treasure will not be revealed until some day when a lady from the ancient house of de Charney awakens from a lengthy slumber,” Ty recited. It was the prophecy he had heard earlier in the day.
Garrett stared at him as if he were looking at a ghost.
“What do you know about it?” he asked in a whisper.
“Nothing. We are asking for your help.”
They locked eyes. Garrett continued gazing at him until finally, he said, “Yes, I will help.”
****
In their hotel room, Vincent kicked off his shoes and lay down on the bed.
“I don’t know, Ty—so many unanswered questions. I’m exhausted. What a day. And you knew the magic words--great! Do you mind ordering room service for us?” Vincent asked, closing his eyes.
Ty was left to his own thoughts, wondering about the Templar treasure and what the unexpected treasure was that Dr. Cooper and his partner found in Bhutan. He thought about Dr. Cooper hoarding treasure, and what the third possibility could be. What had captivated him? Mostly he wondered about what Vincent had shouted earlier to convince Garrett to stop. Who had Vincent cared about that died for the treasure?
Vincent’s eyes opened his eyes again. “Oh, and if anyone calls tell them we’re going to Bhutan.”