The other man cocks his head. “There’s one country in the West that will resist. They’ll do everything to foil your plan.”
Kurt’s face darkens. “That thorn in my side will soon disappear, swallowed up by France and Italy.”
Half of the room nods at that, while the other half looks skeptical.
Kurt rolls his shoulders back. “In a few years, my friends, all small countries will disappear, absorbed by bigger ones.”
“What’s our endgame?” someone asks.
“A global empire, of course! Haven’t you been paying attention?” Kurt tilts his face upward. “It will be a magnificent, a prosperous, glorious Reich! One government. One media conglomerate. No citizens, but a manageable, surveilled, compliant population of consumers.”
“A paradise on Earth,” a woman says in a dreamy voice.
“Exactly!” Kurt beams. “And you will help me build it!”
The recording ends.
Theo slips his phone back in his pocket. “The ‘thorn’ in Kurt’s side is my home.”
“Monaco?” I ask, processing that information. “The Principality of Monaco is what stands in the way of Kurt’s global empire?”
He gives me a long, unblinking stare.
I squirm. “I don’t mean to come across as ironic, but the premise is a little wild.”
“My country is in grave danger, Elise,” he finally says. “I’ll do whatever it takes to save it.”
“I can relate to that.”
His expression softening, he adds, “The key Simon hid in the Mesnil farmhouse is crucial to my success.”
THEO
When our espressos arrive, Elise leans forward over the table and whispers, “Do you work for the royal family?”
“Yes.”
“But isn’t Monaco too small to resist Kurt if all the other countries support his plan?”
“Small but well-connected European monarchies have more influence than you think.” I smile. “We talk to bigger monarchs and heads of state, and they listen. We have a vote in various international instances. In some cases, we have the power of veto.”
“Cool.”
We finish our meal. I pay and stand up, feeling a little nervous. It’s time to go back to the Mesnil farm.
I expect Virginie Mesnil to double or triple the price, which is fine. I’m prepared to pay much more than that, anything, really. But I was advised against offering too extravagant an amount from the get-go. It would’ve made her suspicious. She may not have believed me when I said the key had no value.
That’s also why I offered she hang around while we dig.
So, whatever price she names now, I’ll pay it, and then we’ll search the cellar. It is my biggest hope, my most ardent wish that we find what we came for. If we do, I’ll be able to complete my mission, fulfill my role in the oracle’s revelation and return the third of the nine keys to Mount Evor.
Elise and I join Roberto and Abdel as we leave the restaurant. The four of us head back to the other end of the village where the key awaits.
The moment the farmhouse comes into view, I know something is wrong. The neighborhood that was quiet this morning isn’t now. There are people loitering around the Mesnil house. A bunch of people.
As we get closer, I realize they are guards. A dozen of them line the façade. Big guys in protective gear, possibly armed, with more posted along the sides glare at us threateningly as we approach the house.
Virginie Mesnil is waiting outside.
