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Dark Dig 5 - Dinner Discussion

Ancient Gods and Modern Drama

By Bruce J. SpohnPublished 2 years ago 33 min read
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5 -Dinner Discussion

Dinner Discussion

The noise of heavy silver on fine china made it hard to hear any conversation. Only the briefest of comments were exchanged until the bulk of the meal was consumed. After the dinner plates were removed, a dessert of fresh melons and grapes was served, naturally with more wine.

Jason leaned over to Marcus and inquired, “has your group of inspectors mentioned anything about government patrol boats stopping vessels at sea?”

“No! Why? What are you talking about?” Marcus stammered in surprise.

“My fishing fleet captain told me about how he saw a patrol boat board a small vessel last night and after a few minutes they took two crew members with them,” Jason continued.

“No! The inspectors said nothing about any off shore activities. I just talked to them this morning. Maybe it is not related to this case,” Marcus mused.

Carol overheard the men's conversation and injected, “When I was talking to Ruth, I glanced at a computer screen with some video running. As soon as she noticed me looking at the screen she miniaturized it, so I really can’t say what it was about. At the time I didn’t think much about it. Later, when you mentioned you felt like they were not telling us everything I thought about how Ruth might have been hiding something. Now, with this boat incident, I think there is a pattern developing.”

“Ok, so you did not bring this up earlier because you did not see a pattern. I understand that. At the time there was no reason to think anything was wrong. Can you remember anything on the screen?” Marcus coaxed Carol.

“I only caught a quick glance. It looked like a video of some sort of sea operation. At the time, I thought it might be some sort of training video or something like that. But when I heard Jason tell you about a Greek patrol boat stopping a fishing boat and capturing two crewmen it just seemed to make a connection.” Carol summarized.

Jason filled everyone's glass with more red wine before he spoke, “I’ll put the word out to my crews to report anything they hear about the incident. They are trusted more than the state police and all of them have many friends along the coast. Marcus, I’m not sure you should confront your inspectors about this. Wait and see if they brief you on this topic to see how open and honest, they are.”

With a saddened nod of his head, Marcus raised his glass to toast Jason. Everyone drank deeply. Ellen managed to shift the conversation to lighter subjects. It was clear the wine was warming the atmosphere and the mood was brightened with laughter. The men stood toe to toe slapping each other on their backs. Marcus nodded to Carol and suggested they return to the study. Ellen touched Carol on the arm lightly and whispered, “Maybe we should let the men be alone for a while. We can go out to the garden and continue the conversation we were having before those baboons interrupted.”

Before leading Carol out to the terrace, Ellen instructed one of the servants to bring more wine and set a table with some finger food on the terrace. The women strolled along a path boarded by an amazing array of colorful flowers to a cozy gazebo. Occasionally, they could hear the two men’s laughter float on the evening breeze along with the aroma of expensive pipe tobacco Ellen took a seat on one of the over-stuffed chairs and motioned to Carol to sit next to her.

Carol was still adjusting herself on the chair when the servants arrived with trays of finger food and a large decanter of red wine.

Ellen raised her glass to toast Carol and they touched glasses.

Suddenly a somber expression clouded Ellen’s delicate facial features.

“Carol! You are in danger! The Gods have been rumbling about you from the moment you first arrived,” Ellen intoned as she looked deep into Carol’s eyes.

Carol could almost feel Ellen eye's peer deep into her soul. She felt the warm bond of a kindred spirit. Slowly Carol drew in a deep breath and replied, “Ellen, Strange you mention that, I was not aware of anything happening when I landed’, unless you count the two men who seemed to be following me. Then the night of the storm I felt like there was some power trying to break down my defenses”.

“Carol, I did not hear about you being followed. The Gods were not specific about the threat. All I can say is, more than one of the Gods is engaged,” Ellen recounted with an all-knowing nod.

“Wow! I wish I could hear what the Gods are saying. I mean all my life I have felt some sort of presence, like a living creature deep inside. In fact, I’m sure I decided to volunteer to come here because of the constant struggle within. Though most people would say there is a much more visible reason,” Carol replied as a deep red blush crawled up her face,

Ellen sat quietly nodding her head. After a long pause, she reached out and touched Carol on the hand. “Dear, you are more in contact than you may consciously be aware of. Yes, I can feel the throbbing presents driving you. Your decision to follow Marcus has deeper roots than you realize. In your soul, I detect the same throbbing presents I have always found in Marcus. The Gods speak to him, but he always hides behind his science. The Gods use him to unearth their story. They guide him in his search for the treasures of antiquity. They want him to reveal to the new world their power and greatness. Marcus refuses to attribute his success to the Gods. He has let the contemporary approach to the universe blind him of any other possible solutions. I truly believe the reason you are here now is to give balance to Marcus. Carol, you are special in some way that is even beyond my level of understanding. All I can say for sure when I touched you, I felt a power, unlike anything I have experienced before,” Ellen recited with her eyes closed. Carol clutched both of Ellen’s hands tightly. She could actually feel the flow of some unknown power. Her skin tingled as if an electric current was passing along her nerves.

“So, you think Marcus is aware of this force but his logical mind refuses to accept anything that can’t be explained by science? Funny that you mention that. The night of the big storm Marcus and I had a really strange experience. I told you it was like an ‘out of body’ event. But what I felt was more like witnessing those other entities take control and frolic in the super charged atmosphere created by the storm that granted it a moment of freedom. Your explanation of Marcus’ nature explains how he must have felt the same way,” Carol recalled.

“My ears are burning. Did someone mention my name?” Marcus joked as he stepped up behind Carol.

“Well, if the truth must be known, we were talking about you, but nothing of any real importance,” Ellen quipped.

“Oh, I did not notice you sneaking up behind us. I thought you and Jason would be smoking and joking all night long,” Carol chided.

“Well Jason and I did have a lot to talk about, but it is getting late and we need to get back to the site early tomorrow,” Marcus replied.

“Yes, it is later than I normally stay up. Remember breakfast is served at 9 AM,” Ellen said as she stood up to leave.

“Oh Ellen. Thank you for taking the time to help me understand more about what you know about the ancient Gods. I hope we can continue the conversation again soon. I still have many questions I hope you can help answer. It is getting late and as Marcus pointed out we must leave early. I’m sure we can take time for a quick breakfast. Again, thank you so much and good night,” Carol whispered to Ellen as she shook her hand.

“Marcus your quarters are waiting for you as always. You two have a good night. I look forward to sharing breakfast with you both before you have to leave in the morning,” Ellen sighed and kissed Carol and Marcus as she hobbled off in the direction of the main house.

“Well, Carol this has been a long and eventful day. I’m exhausted. Come, I will show you my private XANADOE,” Marcus said.

Carol paused long enough to stretch her arms up high over her head and yawn loudly before she took his hand and followed Marcus to the large building located at the back of the garden.

Breaking Fast

The chirping of birds and the ever-present background of the insect symphony served as Carol's alarm clock. The early morning sounds of nature interrupted her dream, dragging Carol back to the world of the here and now. Slowly she rolled out of bed and stretched. Carol was relieved to find her head was cleared of the effects of fatigue and excessive amounts of red wine. A glance at her watch showed it was early, but she chose to wake Marcus up so they could get cleaned up and ready for breakfast.

With only a minimum of grumbling, Marcus rolled out of bed and accompanied Carol to the luxurious bathroom. The night before, Carol, with her mind clouded with fatigue and wine, did not remember the splendor of the accommodations. Now, in the early morning light, she was overwhelmed by the lavish decor.

“Wow, you guys sure know how to live. I mean all this looks like some movie set for a remake of ‘The King and I’. I wonder why you would run off to some Spartan existence at a dirty dig site,” Carol quipped.

As Marcus gathered fresh towels, Carol ran her fingers over the expensive Italian marble. All the while, her eyes keenly swept the area for any tell-tale signs of a feminine presence. There was no hair brush, shampoo bottle, or perfume vile visible. Satisfied with the result of her visual inspection, she blithely slipped into the spacious shower with Marcus.

Being in the warm shower close to Marcus filled Carol with powerful thoughts of passion. Remembering they had a busy day ahead prevented Carol from giving way to temptation. She found she had to divert her gaze from Marcus’ body to keep her mind from wandering down the path of flaming lust. After drying off she set about dressing.

Now she regretted not planning ahead for the layover at Marcus’ home. At least she could “BORROW” a T-Shirt and boxer shorts, from Marcus. Reluctantly she pulled the same desert BDU’s on from the day before. Carol was still fighting her hair when Marcus slapped her on the ass and told her she was running late.

“Ok, I know you want to get back to the site, but can’t a girl take a minute to make herself presentable. I really don’t want Ellen to think badly of me.” Carol protested.

“Don’t worry about Ellen. I think she really likes you. I bet she spent the entire time brainwashing you about her crazy stories and the ancient Gods. But that means she really likes you,” Marcus replied as he pushed Carol out the door.

Ellen was seated at the table sipping coffee from a large mug when Carol entered the room. Marcus helped Carol with her chair next to Ellen before he sat down next to Carol. Ellen motioned to the servant and mugs of hot coffee were delivered to the new arrivals.

“Where’s Jason?” Inquired Marcus.

“Oh, Jason just left. He seemed to be in a real rush. He grabbed a cup of coffee and ran out the door shouting something about needing to meet the fishing fleet,” Ellen answered as she blew steam from the rim of her cup.

“I hope he has his cell phone with him. I will call him later to see what has him running around so early,” Marcus stated.

“Ellen, I want to thank you so much for the wonderful evening, but as you can see Marcus is chomping at the bit to get back to the dig,” Carol announced.

“Oh, Carol I’m so happy we had a chance to meet. I enjoyed every second and hope you can convince Marcus to bring you by more often.” Ellen beamed.

“Ellen, thank you. I promise to bring Carol back again, but we really need to get going. We have a new security team setting up today and a lot of work piles up when you are out of the net,” Marcus explained.

A Feeling of Security

Marcus was more than just a little surprised to see a new temporary building erected next to his storage/cataloging facility. He parked his land rover next to the new structure and hurried to see what was going on. Immediately upon his arrival, he was greeted by Todd.

“Good morning, Marcus. As promised, your new security system is set up and fully functional. All of your people have been screened and have their new ID Cards with GPS trackers. Let me show you the drone monitors,” Todd beamed, as he directed Marcus to the far end of the room.

At a loss for words, Marcus mutely followed his guide. He was even more surprised to see the complex of high-tech security systems housed within. He followed Todd past the mind-boggling display of blinking lights on the bank of computers lining one entire wall. The room was silent with just the slightest hint of a hum produced by the climate control system and the mute operation of computers crunching data. Tucked in a small cubby were two techs, totally focused on the images on the pair of larges Hi Resolution monitors that dominated the wall before them.

After giving Marcus a moment to gaze in wonderment at the activity, Todd slapped Marcus on the shoulder and said, “this is the view from the drones that will be deployed 24/7. At the moment they are in general surveillance mood. That is, they are high up with wide angle optics to keep the entire camp and a wide perimeter under constant observation. No one will be able to “SNEEK” up on the area. As soon as any movement is detected the techs can zoom in to get a closer look”.

At that moment, one tech busied himself on the keypad before him. Suddenly the display flashed and the image tightened to a close up of one of the people clearing the latest excavation.

“My God! That is Kevin,” exclaimed Marcus as the face of Kevin Rodgers filled the screen.

“The system uses the very best facial recognition algorithms so we can determine instantly who is friend or foe,” Todd explained.

“I’m impressed! This is more than I hoped for. I mean, I was really impressed with the presentation you gave at your office but seeing everything working in real time is blowing my mind. I want Carol to get briefed on this also. She is the one who will be doing most of the admin work and needs to understand how the system works,” Marcus replies as he continued to marvel at the spectacle of hi-tech security.

“I was planning on spending the afternoon with her. I’ll make sure she has all the security codes and how to access all the data files and how to use the interfaces to notify the swat team in case of an attack.” Todd assured Marcus.

Marcus assured him Carol would be there after lunch to get the training. Before he shook hands and headed toward the admin office, Marcus leaned closer to Todd and in a hushed voice asked, “Have you or your office heard anything about the Greek military stopping and searching boats recently?”

“Nothing that I know of. Why do you ask? Have you heard about some activity and do you think it might be connected with the investigation? Have you asked your trio of investigators? But with all the shipping offshore they might be doing routine searches for drugs or weapons you know there is so much contraband being smuggled the authorities really can’t keep control,” Todd replied

“I’m not really sure what to think anymore. I heard a rumor and thought you might have some input. You might be right about it being a routine customs raid. Thanks again for all your efforts here. I will send Carol over right after lunch,” Marcus concluded.

Carol did not notice his arrival, as her back was turned toward the door. She was busy conducting an impromptu meeting. She wanted to make sure all the tasks were tended to and get an update on what changes the new security would involve in the daily routine. Marcus stood patiently next to the door listening to Carol as she briefed the staff about what she expected them to focus on. As Carol finished her review, she noticed an accountant cough behind her hand while nodding toward the door.

When Carol looked over her shoulder, she saw Marcus leaning against the wall patiently waiting. She returned her focus to her staff and sent them back to their desks before she turned to Marcus.

“Wow, am I running late? I thought you said you would come by to pick me up on your way to lunch,” Carol said as she moved closer to Marcus.

“No. you are doing fine. I was done early. Todd only wanted to give me a quick overview of the new security system. You will really be surprised to see all the things this system can do. When I told him that you would be the one in charge of all administrative functions, he said that he wants to give you the full training this afternoon. I really want to check with the teams that have been working the new area of interest. So, if you are finished here, we can go to lunch,” Marcus replied.

“Great. I really am very hungry. Maybe I should have taken better advantage of the breakfast at your sister’s home,” Carol joked as she took Marcus by the arm.

On the way to the dining area, she filled Marcus in on some of the scuttlebutt she heard from her staff. “I’m not sure how much of this info is verifiable, but there are stories that the attack was an inside job. The roomers indicate that the Greek girls may have been connected to some cult. You know one of those ‘tin hat’ groups. Even your sister mentioned the possibility of some splinter group of lost souls trying to scare you away from the area so they could set up some temple to their brain-dead cult,” Carol confided to Marcus.

“That’s Interesting. But if it were just some local groups, why have they not been caught? From what we have seen and what the inspectors have told us, these people are using some very sophisticated methods to evade detection. There must be more to this than some band of nuts seeking to uncover some portal to the ancient aliens! After all, I have not seen a film crew from ‘HISTORY CHANNEL’ around. Why would anyone be interested in this little operation? I’m sure there are many sites in Egypt that would be more interesting. That is what has me so puzzled. At first, I thought it was some local group trying to get us off the land, but when the local police called in the national security and INTERPOL and then the FBI, I knew this must involve more than a small group of crazies,” Marcus mused while they worked their way along the serving line.

Carol laughed out loud at the image of Marcus appearing on the HISTORY CHANNEL being interviewed by one of the ancient alien theory supporters. Fighting to regain composure, Carol said, “Oh Dear just the thought of you trying to talk to those people makes me laugh”.

“I’m sure you would get a laugh when I punched one of them in the nose, but on a more serious note. I’m really anxious to hear what the survey team found in my absence. While I was with Todd, he demonstrated the drone cameras. I could see the new area was cleared of vegetation and the grid was laid out. I can’t wait to hear what they have to say about that strange outcropping,” Marcus continued while gulping his food.

“Well, you can run-a-long and play in your sandbox. I promise to become the ‘CHIEF OF SECURITY’ and have total control of the administration of this operation SIR,” Carol exclaimed in a brisk military voice as she snapped a solute.

“Well make sure you have everything committed to memory by 5 PM. Ellen is expecting us for dinner and you know how long it takes to drive back down to the village,” Marcus reminded her.

“I haven’t forgotten. I’m really looking forward to talking to Ellen again. I do think we have a lot in common. You should be more understanding of her. I’m sure she has had some sort of out-of-body experience that accounts for her beliefs. I must admit, some of the things she said seem to resound within my own childhood experiences,” Carol explained.

Without any warning, he grabbed her by the shoulders, pulled her close and kissed her full on the mouth in front of God and everybody still lingering over their lunch. Carol was totally unprepared by Marcus’ response.

“Wow! Marcus what will the people say?” Carol stammered.

“Will nothing more than they already say. I think you were the only one who was surprised,” smirked Marcus as he escorted her out and sent her on to her meeting with the security team.

Marcus waved to Carol one last time before she entered the security building. Now he was eager to find what the survey team had unearthed. The new area was a long walk from the original dig site, but from what he could see on the photos the FBI Agent showed him it might be a really big opportunity.

As Marcus approached the area, Robert came jogging over to greet him.

“You are just in time! We cleared the brush away and it looks like you were right. That outcropping does not appear to be natural. In fact, we all think it is the remains of some foundation. We did not want to do too much more before you had a chance to study the formation and make a decision on what to do next,” Robert explained as he guided Marcus to the area he was referring to.

Marcus dropped to his knees and started examining the outcropping. He saw where the team had scraped away some of the surface material exposing what appeared to be some sort of masonry.

“Good work guys! I think this might be some sort of entrance to some underground chamber. I need two men with shovels, one on each side of this protrusion,” Marcus shouted as his enthusiasm grew.

Instantly two of the team members were busy working shovels into the rocky area on either side of the outcrop. After just a few minutes it was clear there was a sloping stairwell on the left-hand side of the stone outcropping. Marcus took a closer look and then instructed everyone present to grab a shovel and start digging to find where the stairs led.

At first, the digging was rather easy. The soil was mostly fine sand and loss gravel. In relatively short order, they had three steps cleared. But then the composition of the ground suddenly changed. The workers were now hitting larger rocks even borders, making it very hard to make progress.

After three hours of back-breaking effort, the team took a much- needed rest. Marcus examined the progress and tried to assess the size of the stone blockage. After a few minutes, he determined the stone was too large to be moved with picks and shovels. Judging by the low angle of the sun, Marcus decided it would be best to call it a day. Before leaving, he told the team chief to bring block and tackle and some sledgehammers with them in the morning.

“It seems like someone really did not want anyone going past this point. So naturally, I have to find out what is behind this barrier,” Marcus said to the team leader as they both wiped sweat from their brow.

“Yes, it sure looks like that stone was meant to prevent anyone from doing any snooping. In fact, it does not appear to be a stone from around here. From what I could see, it looks like granite. That would mean it was brought here from a very long distance. Now that is a hell of a lot of work for a doorstop, Richard commented as the two men started walking toward the dining hall.

“You have a very good point, Rich. It really does lead one to think about what might be hidden behind that stone. The history of this area is not very well documented. All the research I have done only mentioned that many rich Athenians had massive estates and ‘pleasure palaces’ way out here to escape the city and enjoy nature every way possible. I think that is why we have seen so many references to Eros. He was their main guy for fun and just plan debauchery,” Marcus explained to Richard. “But you go on and have a good meal and get some rest. You will need it tomorrow. I have to go to my sister’s house for dinner. She wants to talk with Carol. Speaking of Carol, have you heard any rumblings around the camp about her? I mean, is there any hard feeling about me bringing in a stranger to take over the admin section, “Marcus queried?

“Well, us diggers don’t have a lot of social contact with everyone, but I have only heard good things. Mostly everyone is happy you have a special someone. That seems to put the women’s minds to rest. Now that you will not be bogged down in the admin/paperwork swamp will help operations. So, I think most everyone is happy. I heard a few of the admin staff talking about how she took a personal interest in each of them and seemed to want to be friends. I hope you enjoy your sister’s dinner. It is bound to be better than what they are serving here. See you bright and early in the morning,” Richard concluded.

Dinner and Diversion

Carol was standing outside of the newly erected security building talking to Todd when Marcus stepped up next to her. He heard her thanking him for the detailed training and how she was sure this system would have prevented the kidnapping of the twelve women.

In an effort to cut the conversation short Marcus loudly cleared his throat and said, “well Carol are you an expert on the new system? You know the lives of real people depend upon you now,” he quipped just before he slipped his arm around Carol’s waist.

“Oh! You are here already! I thought you would have your head stuck in some hole in the ground and leave me here to dine with Todd. But remember your sister is expecting us to have dinner with her and Jason. I know you missed him this morning because he got called by one of his boat captains Maybe Jason has some news from his fishing crews. By the way did you ever call him to find out what made him dash off before breakfast?” Carol inquired in greeting Marcus while she shook Todd’s hand.

“Well, if we had not run into a big problem, you might have been right. As it is we ran into a really big slab of stone blocking the passage, so we stopped for the day to come back in the morning with more equipment and fresh muscles. I was so bogged down with the problems at the new site I never had a chance to call Jason. I’m sure he will give me a report over dinner. So, how about you? Are you ready to call it a day? I know Ellen really wants to see you again and she gets really upset when I’m late,” Marcus intoned.

Carol led the way back to the Land Rover. She hopped into the passenger seat and put all the manuals and study guides Todd burdened her with in the back seat. She sighed deeply and felt the stress of the day lift when Marcus pulled out to the access road. Marcus had to focus on the narrow serpentine road. They both sat in silence. The stress-filled day had left them drained.

“I wonder if Jason got any new information from his fishing fleet.” Mused Marcus just as he pulled to a stop in front of the family mansion.

“Well. I hope he gets you off to the study like he did last night. I really want to continue the conversation I started with Ellen last night,’ Carol commented as Marcus helped her out of the car. “Oh, good you are on time,” Ellen’s voice came from the top of the veranda.

“Yes, Marcus told me you would spank him if he got me here late for dinner,” Carol teased.

“Ellen, is Jason home? I want to check with him before we sit down to dinner,” Marcus called out.

“Hey, Marcus! Get on up here and go wash up, dinner is being served. We can adjourn to the study for drinks and a smoke after we eat.” shouted Jason from the massive doorway.

Ellen greeted Carol with a kiss on both cheeks and took her by the hand and guided her to the bathroom so they could talk while she washed her hands. The spacious room became cramped when Marcus crowded in to wash up.

“Marcus you better get to your room and put on some fresh clothes you smell like you have been wallowing in a pig sty,” Ellen scolded her younger brother.

“Ok! I might even take a quick shower while I’m at it,” Marcus answered.

“Now that is the smartest thing, I have heard you say in a long time. Is Carol’s positive influence the reason for this ‘new Marcus”? Ellen chided.

Without further comment Marcus departed, leaving Carol alone with Ellen. Ellen led Carol into the dining room and summoned a servant to serve some sherry. Ellen sat down at the head of the massive oak table and indicated Carol should sit to her right. While they waited for the sherry, Ellen leaned toward Carol and inquired in a whispered voice just barely audible, “have you been thinking about what we talked about last night?”

“Yes, well there was so much we talked about and you brought up so many topics that I have pondered over the years. So, all day I have been thinking about your connection with the ancient Gods. You know Marcus thinks you are one tin hat away from the loony bin. I reminded him of a quote from a famous scientist, ‘just because you can’t understand something only means you have to do more research to find a better working theory’. As for me, I’m not sure I believe in GOD or anything like an old gray-haired guy on a fluffy white cloud looking down on us, but at the same time, I must admit there must be some power – some force – some order in the universe. You know, like in Star Wars: ‘the force be with you’ kind of thing. That is why I’m interested in what you are saying about how you can feel the GODS yet you say they do not speak directly to you,” Carol summarized.

While the servant served the sherry Ellen looked deep into Carol’s eyes and nodded her head showing she understood her point. After a pregnant pause, Ellen said, “I can tell you have been thinking about this topic for a while. I understand your lack of belief in the traditional GOD concept. I must admit I no longer think of the ancient Gods as they are presented so graphically in all the Greek myths. As to Marcus and his opinion of my beliefs, he knows better than to cross them. He owes a lot of his success to the guidance he has received over the years.”

“All I can say is, all my life I have some force within me pushing me – guiding me – giving me insights into topics I never studied, maybe this is what you feel are the ancient Gods. I really want to learn more about your ability to interpret the meanings. I want to be able to get a better understanding of who or what is driving me to do the things I have done, mused Carol in response.

Suddenly the dining room was filled with the boisterous voices of Jason and Marcus as they took their places at the table. They both had two bottles of dark red wine and Jason was eagerly working to open his bottle.

“We may have missed the sherry, but I think you will love the bold flavor of this vintage wine,” Jason beamed.

Marcus sat next to Carol and kissed her in a more than a family greeting. “After I took a quick shower and changed, I found Jason in the wine cellar and he has been filling me in on some of the details he learned from his fishing fleet captains. The reason he was not at breakfast this morning was the fleet found two dead men floating in the same area where the small boat was boarded and searched just the day before. When they pulled them on deck it was easy to see they were not Greek. They looked for some form of ID but found nothing. They were shocked to see their hands were chopped off and their mouths were totally destroyed leaving no trace of teeth. It appears someone wanted to make identifying these men as hard as possible. I really doubt they have any DNA records on them,” Marcus reported to Carol.

“So, what do you make of all this? I mean are they somehow involved with the kidnapping? Oh, and by the way, why have we not heard anything from our little multi-national police force?” Carol asked.

“I have been wondering about that all day and when I asked Todd if he heard anything about the ship boarding, he said he has not heard any scuttlebutt. So now I really can’t say what is going on. One thing for sure, this is not some local group of pranksters. All I can do right now is hope the new security system is really as good as advertised,” Marcus speculated.

“Wow! You have a lot on your mind, but there is nothing you can do now! You need to drink some of this wonderful wine and let it work its magic. Get your mind off the problems. I already feel a buzz from the sherry.” Carol teased internally slurring her words.

“Marcus, I think Carol deserves a day off. She has had to put up with you and your outrageous work schedule too long. I talked to Fronia about driving us into Athens to spend a day doing ‘GIRL’ stuff and she is really eager to have some time to get to know Carol better,” Ellen interrupted.

“Well, I guess the operation will not collapse if Carol chooses to abandon me for some frivolous activity down in the big city,” Marcus proclaimed in a very theatrical dramatization.

“Ok everyone, sit down and enjoy the meal. You can clown around later. I’m old fashioned and like to have a quiet conversation over a well-prepared meal,” scolded Ellen as she was being served by one of the servants.

Instantly everyone stopped and turned their attention to Ellen and took their places at the table. Carol smiled to herself thinking how Ellen commanded such total obedience from everyone without question.

After all the plates were filled and wine decanted the servants withdrew to stand ready should a glass need to be refilled or the next course to be served.

Carol was not completely comfortable in the presence of such opulence. At least she knew what fork to use and avoided most of the faux pau. The dinner conversation centered on the meal.

After a delightful dessert, Jason tapped Marcus on his shoulder and said in a boisterous voice, “Marcus come with me and let's find something to drink. I have some other disturbing news you need to know before you meet with the inspectors again.”

“You mean there are more than the two bodies your men pulled out of the water? If it is worse than that I think I will need something a bit more powerful than wine. You got any Scotch?” Marcus asked.

The two men headed in the direction of the study and Ellen signaled the servants to clear the table and bring a decanter of port. While they waited for the port Ellen drew her chair closer to Carol and said.

“Carol, I have been getting a lot of strong signals from my Gods. The two dead men are but one omen. I feel there is some group, perhaps misguided, trying to gain control of some ancient power of which there are only mythical references. I fear that I might know a few of these misguided fools. I have seen them at the events honoring the different Gods of antiquity. They are members of a strange cult who have focused on the ancient Gods and they are led by a mysterious person or maybe persons as there are never any physical identity. His followers just refer to the ἑλληνική, that is ancient Greek for GUIDE.” Ellen confessed in a very hushed clandestine tone.

“Ellen, you mean there really are cults practicing some sort of ritual re-enactment of the ancient cultures. Do you think they might be involved in the kidnappings? When I suggested that to Marcus he laughed and pointed out how the people responsible seem to be very sophisticated. He does not think some local group ‘of tin hat crazies’ are all that sophisticated,” Carol responded.

“Dear, I really don’t know who is behind this. The Gods have no tongue nor have I ever heard a voice. They never speak directly to me they only give signs and omens. The fact no one has seen who this, ἑλληνική, makes it hard to tell what his level of sophistication is,” Ellen intoned.

“Now you have me really worried! I will let Marcus know what you have told me. Maybe he can get the inspectors to look into cults and their activities along with the pirates and terrorists. Thank you for sharing your impressions with me. I really want to become more receptive to the messages like you are. I’m not sure if I feel the Gods stirring within me, but I know I have a very strong drive deep within that seems to guide me to do things people would never think of doing,” Carol commented.

A sudden burst of raucous laughter attracted their attention. Marcus and Jason were heading in their direction. Both seemed to have long passed the point of feeling no pain. Their voices were loud and slurred to the point of just understandable.

“Ellen, it looks like we will have to continue this conversation tomorrow. I need to get Marcus to bed so he will be able to function in the morning,” Carol exclaimed as she stood up to greet Marcus.

“Yes, I think we all need to get some rest. Fronia well drive us to Athens and we can have a ‘GIRLS’ Day out. It will give us a chance to get to know each other better,” Ellen said as she turned toward her room. The rhythmic clacking of her cane on the tile floor slowly drifted into the depths of the imposing structure.

Mystery
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