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Karna’s left eyebrow arched. “Spot-on. They were here a few months ago.”
Sam and Remi shared a glance. Silently, they agreed they could and should trust Karna. They were in as remote a location as they’d ever been, and the attempt on their lives the day before told them Charles King had taken the gloves off. Not only did they need Karna’s knowledge but they needed a trustworthy ally.
“Their names are Russell and Marjorie King. Their father is Charles King—”
“King Charlie,” Karna interrupted. “I read an article about him in the Wall Street Journal last year. Bit of a cowboy, I gather. A bumpkin, yes?”
“A very powerful bumpkin,” Remi replied.
“Why on earth does he want you dead?”
“Why, precisely, we’re not sure,” Sam replied, “but we’re convinced he’s after the Theurang.”
Sam went on to recount their affiliation with Charles King. He left nothing out. He told Karna what they knew, what they suspected, and what remained a mystery.
“Well, one mystery I can address immediately,” Karna said.
“These evil twins, the King children, clearly gave me a bogus name. But during their visit, they did mention the name Lewis ‘Bully’ King. When I told them what I’m about to tell you, they reacted with no apparent shock. Strange, given who they are.”
“What did you tell them?”
“That Lewis King is dead. He died in 1982.”
19
LO MONTHANG,
MUSTANG, NEPAL
Shocked, Sam and Remi didn’t speak for several moments. Finally Remi said, “How did he die?”
“Fell into a crevasse about ten miles from here. In fact, I helped recover his body. He is buried in the local cemetery.”
“And you told the King twins this?” Sam asked.
“Indeed. Their reaction was one of . . . disappointment, I suppose. Now, knowing who they are, it seems particularly coldhearted, doesn’t it?”
“In keeping with the family character,” Remi replied. “Did they tell you why they were looking for him?”
“They were very evasive, which is why I found an excuse to cut our visit short. All I could gather was, they were looking for King and
had an interest in the Theurang. I didn’t much care for the cut of their jib. It’s nice to know my instincts were right. So, it seems clear that Charles King knew his father was dead when he contacted you.”
“And knew it when he hired Alton,” Sam said. “The report about the photo showing Lewis here was another fabrication.”
“All designed to get you involved in the hunt for the Golden Man,” Karna added. “Not much of a deep thinker, this King, is he? He expected you would come here to find your friend, then pick up the hunt for the Theurang without getting suspicious, then lead the twins straight to it.”
“So it seems,” Remi said. “The best-laid plans . . .”
“Of country cretins and loathsome offspring,” Karna finished. “The larger question is, why is the Theurang so important to King? You don’t suppose he’s some kind of closet Nazi, do you, picking up the banner of his father’s expedition?”
“We don’t think so,” said Sam. “We’ve started to wonder if it’s simply an obsession or a side business like his black market fossil endeavors. Either way, the Kings have kidnapped and murdered for the Theurang.”
“Not to mention enslaved,” Remi added. “The people at the dig site can’t come and go as they please.”
“That too. Regardless of his motives, we can’t let the Golden Man fall into his hands.”
Karna picked up his teacup and raised it in salute. “It’s decided, then: we are at war with the King family. All for one?”