They landed at JFK and dropped Therese at Penn Station so she could take a train home. She said she was finally tired and looking forward to seeing her roommates and her cat. They continued on to the St. Regis Hotel, where Vincent booked a suite.
“It is so beautiful,” Ashi murmured, walking around the living room, running her hand over the polished wood tables, the silk-upholstered chairs, touching the silk drapes. She looked through one of the oversized windows, past the ornate iron railings just outside the window, down onto Fifth Avenue. The throngs of people gathering at the lights, then crossing as a group, along with the curb-to-curb traffic, made no sound this high up.
The first thing Ty did was pull out his cell phone. When he heard Jenna's voice answer, he felt as if he was truly home. Now, after all the traveling, he felt as if she were right around the corner.
“You're coming home soon, aren't you?” she asked, her voice rich with excitement.
“Well...,” Ty hesitated. “Last night, in London, my dad decided that this whole search is getting too dangerous.”
“And what does that mean? You still have to come home.”
“Actually, he feels it might be better if we were out of sight for a while.”
“Where are you going?” There was an intense edge to her voice.
“I don't know. Dad hasn't arranged it yet.”
“You'll let me know, right?”
“I can't tell anyone.”
There was silence on the other end and Ty felt miserable.
“Jenna, people are getting killed because of what we're looking for.”
There was still silence.
“I really miss you,” Ty said. “I can't wait to get back to New Jersey and see you.”
“I know. Me too.” Her voice was small on the other end. “I guess it's best. It's more important for you to stay safe. I'm just disappointed. That's all.”
Instead of being relieved that Jenna was so understanding, Ty ached to go home and see Jenna again. “I’ll be home soon.”
The breeze wafted the drapes over the large open windows. Ty flopped down on a couch, laced his fingers behind his head. Ashi went to her room, picked up one of her new books and returned. She pulled her legs up underneath her on an overstuffed chair, leafing through the pages. Vincent emerged from his bedroom, holding his open laptop, and sat down at a desk.
“How about some dinner out, one more time before we disappear. Let's hope we're anonymous,” Vincent said.
“Do you think anyone knows you're here, Dad?”
Vincent sighed. “I've tried not to go out at all today except for seeing Oliver's parents and one quick meeting. It seems like someone always knows where we are. Well, this is it. We're having dinner tonight. Tomorrow I have one more meeting. After that, we'll leave. Safe at last!”
Ty assumed the meeting was with Vincent's publisher, whose headquarters were in New York City.
“Where are we going?”
“My lawyer, Sam Kennedy, is finalizing the details as we speak.”
“Great. I hope he found us a good place.” He thought about the many times Sam came to the house, the old house. He'd come to dinner or just to hang out with his dad on a Sunday. They had been friends since college. Sam was the big-shot lawyer and his dad was just the hard-working college professor. Then, when Vincent's book hit the bestseller lists, he hired Sam as his lawyer.
That night, Vincent, Ty and Ashi had dinner at an outdoor restaurant under stone, arched ceilings, held up by massive pillars. The arches led to a beautiful view of the boat basin on the Hudson River. It was dark by now, but the lights of the city, along with the moonlight, sparkled on the water. The restaurant reminded Ty of a castle, transporting him to another place.
“I not think I in New York City,” Ashi said, echoing his feelings.
The restaurant was very dimly lit, mostly by candlelight. “I'll bet nobody will recognize you here,” Ty commented.
“No, I agree. For once, that's a good thing,” Vincent replied, a worn-out look crossing his face.
Vincent usually thrived on media attention but Ty had the sense that his father was finally growing tired of it.
A soft wind was blowing, as Ashi chatted over dinner, laughing often. Ty thought that if she wasn't present, the dinner would have been morose. Ty and his dad would be thinking about Oliver, Garrett, and their imminent run into hiding.
Vincent took a phone call at dinner, apologizing, “Sorry, I have to take this. It's Sam.”
When he finished talking he told them. “It's settled.” His voice was so low Ty could barely hear him. “Jersey Shore. Sam rented us a house on Long Beach Island.”
“How long will we be there?”
“I don't know. Look at it like this. There are worse ways to spend your summer than in a beautiful beachfront house.”
“School! I have to take finals. There are still a couple of weeks of school left.”
“All taken care of. You've got the all clear to go,” Vincent said with a smile. His face turned serious. “We have to, Ty. It's too dangerous. If something happened to you, I just don't know...”
“Okay, okay. Can I tell Jenna and Eduardo?”
“Nobody,” he replied vehemently.
“Oh, come on, Jenna…and Eduardo—he’s my best friend. We can trust them.”
“You don't want to put them in the position of knowing where you are. That information can put them in danger.”
“Okay,” Ty conceded, “but who are you telling?”
“Nobody.”
“What about Sam?”
“Just Sam. He helped find the house. I told him what I had in mind and he found it. In fact, it's rented in his name. Anyway, he's the one person I trust. We've been friends for such a long time.” He laughed.
“What's so funny?”
“Oh, the crazy things we did in college. We were roommates freshman year and then we lived together each year after that.”
“What did you do?”
“He was into pranks. We used to raid the football players' frat house during the games, eat their food, drink their beer, then leave a note letting them know “Hamster” struck again.”
“Hamster?” Ty wrinkled his nose.
“He looks a little like a hamster, doesn't he? Anyway, I can't believe he's a bigtime lawyer now. I never expected him to be so responsible. Oh, he was big into paybacks too. One time he and this guy, “Rick the Stick” researched a paper together but the Stick took all the credit. Well, Sam worked the lunch line and somehow the Stick ended up with a couple of drops of phenolphthalein in his food the day of the paper presentation.”
“What's that do?”
“Let's just say the Stick couldn't present his paper because he was stuck in the bathroom. Yeah, he was a character. He had this thing for your mom for a long time. Lizzie, Lizzie. He talked about her endlessly.”
“Really?” Ty had never heard this before.
“Thankfully, she chose me. Still, I was happy when he found his own wife.”
“He's married? I didn't know that.”
“Divorced now, but he always has a new girlfriend. Anyway, I trust him and he's practically the only person I do trust. You never know who might sell you out.”
“But, the team...,” Ty started to say.
“The team. Yes, we are working together. Yes, we are colleagues, united for a common purpose, but I would not trust them all.”
Ty was surprised. He always thought the professors, Richard, Preston, Tullio and Vincent were tightly knit friends.
Ashi was digging into a dish of vanilla and chocolate ice cream, first taking a bite of one flavor and savoring it, then trying the other flavor. Even though she was intent on the dessert, her eyes moved back and forth between them, following the conversation. Ty wondered if she understood anything they were saying.
“Dad you really don't trust the professors? You've worked with them for years.”
“Working with someone is one thing. Trusting them with your life is another. And, I feel that letting any of them know where we are, is trusting them with our lives.”
“It just seems that you are all looking for the same thing...that you're all on the same side.”
“Yes, we are all on the same side and focused on finding the Templar treasure.” Vincent leaned forward. “You know that before the book was published, one of them came to me, believing he should be co-author of the book.”
Ty couldn't speak as he let this information register.
“You look shocked. Yes, even though I pieced together the whole idea and wrote every word of the book, he thought he had enough of a part in the discoveries that he should share in the authorship.”
“But Dad, that's crazy. Who was it? Preston, right? He thinks he's all that. How could he think he was an author? You're the one who formulated the underlying ideas of the book. What arrogance.”
“Yes. You know it was me who wrote the book. Anyway, I'm not going to name any names,” Vincent said, waving away Ty's question. “He dropped the whole thing when I showed him how I painstakingly worked out all my theories and arrived at conclusions he never could have. It's water under the bridge now.”
Vincent was silent as he picked up his coffee cup and looked out over the water. “Still, you can't trust anyone,” he said absentmindedly.
****
The next morning Ty was eager show to Ashi the city. They left Vincent at his desk, working at his laptop, early in the morning.
“Just be back around 3:00, okay? I have a meeting so I have a late check out. Then we'll pick up the rental car and be down there in plenty of time for a sunset walk on the beach,” Vincent called after them.
Even though he lived in the suburbs, Ty felt that when he was in New York City, he was home. A person did not have to be doing anything in particular to sense the enormous energy of the city. Just walking down the street evoked a whole host of emotions in Ty, the primary one being joy and a feeling of limitlessness.
Walking up Fifth Avenue together, he glanced at his new friend to see if she felt the same thing. Ashi's shining, smiling countenance signaled she sensed it too. But then again, that was her usual demeanor.
Ty noticed something that raised an alarm. “Hey, listen. You can not make eye contact. Do not look anyone in the eyes.”
“Why not?”
“Because...because...” It was a rule that had been repeated to Ty ever since he started coming to the city. The reason why was never questioned. “If you make eye contact, people will come up to you, harass you, make trouble. They see you don't belong here and you will be an easy target.”
“Hmmm.” Ashi was busy, nodding and smiling at everyone she passed.
“We're lucky we're in a good part of town and there's not too may creepy people here.”
“Creepy people? I greet every person, even creepy person, and give them so much love.”
“You what? You can't do that,” Ty sputtered, beside himself with the “rule” being broken so flagrantly.
“I tell each person I love them with my eyes. I always do that. I do not stop.”
Indeed, the people who they were passing, smiled back or looked at them curiously. Some even turned around and stared at them after they passed. Nobody was harassing them so Ty decided to let it go for the moment, to watch and observe.
Ty sighed. She certainly is different...and a little hard-headed. She's not taking my advice.
They entered the park on the south side, passing the horses and buggies, lined up and waiting for passengers. The horses had blinders on but they turned their heads to look at them as they passed the low, stone wall that delineated the greenery of Central Park from the brick and steel. They wound their way along the jogging path that paralleled Central Park West. Even though it was a weekday it was crowded with people who were inspired by the warm weather to be outside.
They continued walking, reaching Bethesda Terrace a short distance away.
Ashi gaped, dumbstruck by how lovely it was.
The path led onto an overpass, with ornately-carved, stone railings, topping stone arches below. Flanking either side of the stone arches were wide staircases, again made of stone, with the same elaborately-carved railings. A gigantic, round pool of water was in the center of the brick terrace and, in the middle of the pool stood a water fountain, which reminded Ty of a wedding cake. The first round level was held up by pillars; the second level, by a gaggle of cherubs and where the bride and groom should have been standing, was a bronze angel, who was slightly bent over, reaching her hand out.
There was a multitude of people milling around the fountain, sitting on the sides of it or on the circular, stone benches that ringed the brick terrace. They were eating their lunches, talking to friends, or just sunning themselves. There were also people walking or jogging on the overpass and traveling up and down the stairs.
“It's really incredible, isn't it?” He was silent for a moment, then began to recite, 'Now there is at Jerusalem, by the sheep market, a pool, which is called Bethesda. Whoever then first stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.'”
“What does that mean?”
“My mom told me a long time ago. It's a quote from the bible that belongs with this water fountain. That's what the angel is doing, reaching out. She's healing people who step in the pool.”
“Oh, I like that very much. Will we stay here a minute?”
“Sure. Let me make a movie of you.”
They stepped down one of the grand staircases and sat in the sun on the stone bench that circled the entire terrace. Ashi silently regarded the imposing structure.
“What do you think, Ashi?” Ty pulled out a camera and began to record the scene.
She stared at the angel. “It’s beautiful.”
A sudden movement caught Ty's eye and he swung the camera around. At the top of the overpass, a bicyclist, traveling very fast, swerved toward the steps to avoid a toddler who darted in front of him. It looked as if he was going to squeak by, but his front tire caught the balustrade and the bike skidded and slipped out from under him. They watched in horror as the man’s shoulder hit the top steps hard and he proceeded to tumble down the entire flight of stone steps. There was a second of silence, then a scream as someone spotted his leg, bent in a grotesque angle, with the bone sticking up through the skin.
Ty gasped as Ashi ran toward the man. Several people had their phones out, calling 911. Some bystanders came closer, trying to help, while others, with tears and looks of distress, were backpedaling. Ashi slipped between the people and knelt at the groaning man’s side. Ty’s camera was by his side, forgotten for the moment but now he lifted it and began to record the scene.
“Aaaah, aaaah,” he moaned. His eyes locked onto Ashi’s and he said, “You can help me.”
“Yes, I help.” She held his head in one hand and stoked his face with the other, all the while murmuring, “No hurt, no pain.”
There was absolute silence in the surrounding crowd except for the sound of someone retching.
She surveyed his injuries. His head, with no helmet, was bleeding profusely. His face was scraped. Ashi moved to his feet and held his ankle.
“Miss, don’t touch him,” cried an alarmed voice. “An ambulance is on the way.”
Ashi ignored him and pulled gently on his ankle and the bone slid easily back under the skin, the leg straightened. She placed her hand over the open wound and closed her eyes.
All Ty could think was, Germs are getting in, but he really wasn’t thinking straight.
The sound of sirens emerged from the distance.
Ashi’s eyes opened and she moved her other hand to the head wound, as the cyclist stared up at her, not comprehending what was happening. Although the blood remained on the bricked terrace, his head stopped bleeding. Maybe the most astonishing thing Ty witnessed was the scrape on the cyclist’s face disappearing, miraculously replaced by perfectly healed skin.
The sound of sirens became louder as the ambulance pulled up onto the terrace and the crowd parted to make room for the EMTs.
“Please, miss, can we get in there?” an EMT asked.
Gentle hands took her by the arms to help her move away. When her hand moved from his open leg wound there was nothing underneath except for smooth, intact skin.
There were gasps from the crowd.
The cyclist stared at Ashi. “Nothing hurts…nothing!”
“All better,” she replied.
The EMTs tried to help the man onto the lowered stretcher but he stood and said, “I’m fine. I don’t need help.”
Seeing the blood on the ground, they insisted he get onto the stretcher to get checked out at the hospital. As they were about to load him into the ambulance he stopped them and twisted toward Ashi.
“I don’t understand,” he said, befuddled. “What you did…I don’t get it but thank you.”
“You are very welcome,” Ashi said in her hesitant English.
“I saw you and knew you could help. How did I know that?” He stopped speaking for a second, looking into her eyes. “My leg was broken.” he whispered.
“You healed,” she repeated.
“Thank you again.”
The crowd remained after the ambulance left, quietly talking, trying to make sense of what they had seen.
Ashi turned toward Ty, who lowered his camera. He was stunned.
“Ashi, what did you do to that man?”
“I help him,” she giggled.
“No, really. What did you do?” Ty's mind struggled to understand.
There was a little amused smile on Ashi's face as she explained, “I look at him and tell him with my eyes that we are the same and that I am whole so he is whole. I make him remember.”
They moved on the path and continued through the park. “I don't understand. Ashi, you cured me in Bhutan.” Then he remembered what he had tried to push out of his mind because it made no sense to him. “You cured my father too.”
“Yes, there is no need for a person to be sick,” she declared.
“But you didn't cure your teacher.”
“It his time to go on,” she said simply.
Ty continued to think about how this all could be possible but his mind was so confused he could not even formulate any questions. They kept walking in silence until they reached the Central Park Zoo.
Ashi was delighted. “What that animal, Ty? I never see it. Ty! I see ice cream!”
With her eyes on the ice cream vendor, she walked past the admission booth.
“Hey, girlie. Where do you think you're going. Hey!”
Ty quickly pulled out his wallet to pay and said, “Sorry, she's not from around here.”
“Damned foreigners,” the man in the booth muttered.
Ashi turned around, realized her mistake and smiled at him.
“You love everybody but not everybody loves you,” Ty commented.
“Yes, it is so. I give message. Not everybody hear it.”
She was totally immersed in the zoo but Ty was still trying to piece together what he had seen. He bought her vanilla ice cream with crunchy, chocolate coating and they sat on a bench. Ty pulled out his camera and watched what he had recorded before. What is she doing here? Is it real? Of course it’s real. I saw it happen.
He looked up. Ashi was licking her ice cream and looking over his shoulder at the camera. She met his eyes and smiled. “I have nice boot on today.”
“That's not what I was looking at.”
“Can we stay here? I never see these animals. You tell me names.”
Ty put his camera down. “All right. But you have to tell me what you did to that man, deal?”
Ashi just laughed.
In fact, they laughed all afternoon. They laughed at the penguins. Ashi barked at the sea lions. She called, “Pretty. Hey, pretty,” to a toucan and Ty could swear the bird turned and looked back at her.
They were still laughing when they got back to the hotel. When they arrived at the elevator Ashi jumped in front of Ty.
“Let me push the button.”
Ty laughed at how she was still thrilled by “pushing the button.”
The elevator door opened and a crowd emerged. Ty put his hand on the open door to hold it for the people. Another hand appeared above his hand--one of the last people to get off the elevator, holding it open for himself. Ty stopped laughing when he saw the ring with the same ancient writing, surrounding the black onyx oval, containing Solomon's star over three arches. He looked up but the man was rushing away with his back to Ty.
Ashi saw his eyes fixated on the ring and her face turned serious. Ty shrugged it off, thinking, Maybe it's a college ring. Maybe there are millions of those around.
Ty looked at Ashi and she was no longer smiling. He felt there was something very wrong. The feeling grew until Ty was thinking it was a surreal scene, as if he were walking in slow motion, in a dream. He briefly wondered if he was having a panic attack but dismissed the idea, knowing deep down there was something terrible occurring.
They walked down the hall to their suite, where the door was ajar. Ty stood in front of the door, afraid to open it, afraid of what he might find inside. A terrible feeling gripped his insides and twisted them. Dad! Are you okay? Dad! screamed through his head. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. The curtains billowed on one side of the open, nearly floor-length window. On the other side, the curtain was torn, as if somebody had been falling over the curved iron railing outside the window, and made a last, desperate attempt to save himself by clawing at the curtain.
“NOOOOO!” he screamed, trying to run to the window but he felt something holding him back. He half turned and saw Ashi, pulling back on his arm, trying to keep him from looking out the window. Two hotel security people rushed past them to the window. When the windows were closed the room was silent. But now, they could hear panicked sounds of people yelling and the wailing of an ambulance coming closer.