The Moses Riddle (Thomas McAllister 'Treasure Hunter' Adventure Book 1) (31 page)

“The Caribbean wasn’t all bad, Thomas. Your color has improved and I don’t detect that little tremor in your hands that you had during your last visit.”

“Excuse me, Taylor. On that visit, I had an open gunshot wound. That didn’t help the little tremor.”
They moved into the living room.
“It was deeper than that. You were unsettled mentally. How’d that wound heal, by the way?”
“Great. It’s a small pink circle, the size of a quarter. Not sore at all.”
Thomas noticed that the Bedouin trunk was back in place as the coffee table again. “You didn’t waste any time getting this out of the bedroom.”
Taylor smiled and said, “I tried something else for a few weeks, but it simply didn’t go with the rest of the room.”
Thomas laughed. “Yeah, there aren’t many rooms that piece of furniture would go well with. It’s very hard to . . . match. So, where did you place it?”
“I’ll tell you during dinner. I’m in the middle of making Spaghetti al Cartoccio. That’s a clue, by the way.”
“Is the clue that you’re cooking? Or that you’re making an authentic Italian dish?”
“The clue is that it’s a central Italian dish. If you can’t figure out who I sold it to from that, you need to look for new work.” Taylor raised his voice, to be heard from the kitchen. “How long are you going to stay and what can I plan for us, Thomas? Last time we didn’t have much fun. There is an excellent off-Broadway play that—“
“No, no, Taylor. No plays. No late nights chatting with New York glitterati. I’d rather take in a few movies, read a lot, and hang out a little. My boat trip up the Intercoastal was just phase one of my R and R campaign. I hope you won’t mind. I need to lay low and figure out what I’m going to do with the rest of my life. I’m not ready to go back Arizona.”
“Afraid our friend, Mr. Warrant, might be waiting there for you?”
“I hadn’t even thought of that, but I’m glad you brought it up. We need to watch our backs for a while. That man is as unforgiving as cold steel.”
“You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need to, Thomas. You’re no imposition at all. If you promise to stop moving my furniture around, that is.”
Thomas dropped into one of Taylor’s large enveloping arm chairs and randomly paged through a book he picked up off of the coffee table. “Feels good just to sit,” he yelled into the kitchen.
They were silent for awhile, both men thinking about DJ Warrant. Finally, Thomas put his head back and closed his eyes. He felt the stress of the travel, of getting to Taylor’s, recede. It was over. Done. He had engineered the treasure into safe hands and had a nice full Swiss bank account to show for it. His mind floated to thoughts of the future but he quickly slammed the door. Not yet. He needed a palate cleanser. He had no desire to think about what he would do next. None.
Then Taylor came back in the room. He set a glass of red wine in front of Thomas and started back toward the kitchen. He rounded the corner and then stood in the doorway. “By the way, Thomas, I spoke with my Chinese friend the other day.”
Thomas drew a blank. He leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling. “Who?”
“You know. You told me to ask around about the Blue Beryl, and I

told you I had an old friend who was born in China. I thought he might be a good person to ask about it.”
Thomas swirled his wine, only half interested. “And?”
“He told me an interesting story.”
“Come on, Taylor, out with it. Don’t play your cat and mouse game with me tonight.”
“He told me he knew of an old healer who had the ability to cure the blind. To correct their vision. Many people have told my friend that it works. People walk away with their sight restored.”
“Taylor, I can turn on the television or walk down Forty-fifth Street and find people who say they can heal the blind. It’s usually a hoax. Hell, it’s always a hoax.”
“My friend told me that this man can really cure the blind. I believe him. The old healer uses a page that was evidently torn from a book a long time ago. He said there were many pages, one for every ailment. But he only has one page. He says the book was called the
Xi Chi Chuan
. That’s Chinese, of course.”
Thomas rolled his eyes. Taylor knew that he didn’t speak Chinese. “Okay. What does Xi Chi Chuan mean?”
“It means . . . .” Taylor said, peering around the corner, “
The Blue Beryl
.”
Thomas rose from his chair and strode into the kitchen. “Now that, my friend,
is
interesting. Where is this old healer located? Did he say?”
“Yes. The old healer is in Tibet.”
Thomas considered the idea that a page from the Blue Beryl might actually have been preserved. Though only one page, if it were found, and if it did contain some type of revolutionary medical information, its value would be priceless. One healing page alone would be worth millions to any of the large pharmaceutical companies. What appealed to Thomas, was that with a little practical detective work and applied archeology, where there was one page, there may well be more. He smiled. Tibet. The land with the mysterious fusion of Indian and Nepalese influences, Hinduism and Buddhism. It would be weeks before he would be physically ready for such an expedition, months before he would be in the right mental frame of mind.
Yet when Taylor went to look for Thomas, to tell him that dinner was ready, he found him in the library, acutely focused on, solemnly studying, a map of Tibet.

Since you’ve read a book involving a riddle, I thought you might like to try to solve one. But, beware, before you get to the riddle, you must decipher the ciphertext used to encrypt it.

What is the contest?
The Moses Riddle Cipher Challenge is an opportunity for readers of the Moses Riddle to test their riddle-solving, cipher-cracking skills to win a prize worth $5,000. The winner can either chose a cash pay-out or a cache of ancient Egyptian treasures valued at $5,000. Deciphering the ciphertext will generate a riddle. Solving that riddle will generate three code words. You must correctly identify all three code words. Clues that can be used to solve both the cipher and the riddles are contained in The Moses Riddle text.

How do you claim the prize?
No purchase necessary. Contestants may enter as many times as they like. The first contestant to identify all three code words will win their choice of either $5,000, or a cache or Egyptian treasures valued at $5,000. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the winner.

All claims must include three code words, the contestant’s name, address, phone number and e-mail address (if applicable). All claims must be sent by registered mail to: The Moses Riddle Cipher Challenge, P.O. Box 9082, Winnetka, IL 60093. The winner will be the first to send the three correct code words, based on postmark date. The winner will

be notified within 28 days by regular mail, phone, or e-mail. All updates on the Challenge will be posted on Mr. Kingsbury’s web site: www.huntkingsbury.com.

The winner will be required to claim the prize and to execute an Affidavit of Eligibility and Promotional Release within 28 days of the date notice is sent or the prize will be forfeited. If Winner is a minor, a parent or guardian may execute the release. If the prize notification or prize is returned undeliverable, the prize will be forfeited and may be awarded to another winner.

If an entry contains at least one correct code word, Mr. Kingsbury will respond to the contestant within 28 days by regular mail as to which of the code words is correct.

Incomplete or illegible entries will not be honored. Mr. Kingsbury is not responsible for late, lost, misdirected, damaged, illegible, incomplete, incorrect, misrouted or postage due entries. Mr. Kingsbury is not liable for printing, typographical, or other errors contained in the ciphertext. Entries become the property of Mr. Kingsbury and will not be returned.

What is the contest duration?
The contest duration will be determined by Mr. Kingsbury, based on progress made in the first year. If, after one year, no one has solved the cipher, Mr. Kingsbury may, at his discretion, provide clues on his web site.

Who is eligible to play?
This Challenge is open only to legal residents of the United States. By submitting an entry, the contestant agrees to be bound by these Official Rules. Entry constitutes permission for use of the winner’s name, address, likeness, biographical data, and contest entry, for publicity and promotional purposes, with no additional compensation (except where prohibited by law).

Mr. Kingsbury shall have no liability and shall be released and held harmless by contestant(s) for any damage, loss or liability to person or property, due in whole or part, directly or indirectly, by reason of the

acceptance, possession, use or misuse of prize or participation. Any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this contest, or any prize awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by arbitration. Claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of- pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this contest, but in no event attorney’s fees. Offer void where prohibited and subject to federal, state and local laws. This prize is not transferable.

Mr. Hunt Kingsbury c/o Bimini Road Enterprises, P.O. Box 9082,
Winnetka, IL 60093.

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I’d like to thank the following people for all their help and assistance: Nancy Johanson, Ann Collette, Bob Aulicino, Angela Washelesky, Susanne Kirk (and her anonymous assistant), Jack Matosian, Kit Williams, Doug and Dina Isern, Carolyn Patterson, Dana Roeser, MaryAnn Atkinson, my mom, Winnie Kingsbury, and wife and children for their encouragement and patience.