Chapter 20 #2
“Stockholm syndrome?” I asked, wondering if we’d ever be able to climb such a mountain in a sensible way—a way that didn’t leave the woman’s victims even more traumatized.
“That’s a possibility. We’re bringing some international organizations into it.
That does mean we can’t act right this instant, but we’re making progress.
I will give Madam Merorie credit; because every sale was appropriately registered, taxes were paid, and the items were all authenticated, everything in the manor is legitimately yours.
The values paid are within the accepted ranges, so any illegal usage of the money would be considered the crime of the seller rather than something we could pin on Madam Merorie.
At most, the books registering the sale of the children could become evidence in any suits against those abroad.
As Dragon Heights is paying out appropriate damages to the victims, and we have verified statements from the victims that their final wishes involve you claiming the woman’s wealth, you’re going to have to deal with the entire collection.
But so far? Nothing was stolen, which spares you from a huge mess.
For a serial-killing psycho, she was oddly ethical. ”
“Do you think the children were unsuitable for her experimentation?”
Pascal sighed. “That I don’t know. Explore the manor and see what you can find. There are more than a few oddities in here I want confirmed actually exist.”
I snorted at his tone, which indicated he disliked what he’d discovered. The remains of the Sumerian girl likely numbered among the oddities. “If you tell me she found the Holy Grail, I’m just going to start screaming.”
“Just hang up before you do so—and if you find it, you can verify it’s the real thing by pouring water into the chalice. It should turn to wine.”
“I’m hanging up on you now.” I pocketed my phone once I ended the call, went to Erik, pressed my face against his back, and screamed for all I was worth, his uniform muffling the sound. After a few moments, I stopped, drew in a steadying breath, and said, “Okay. That’s better.”
“What does she have in here?” Erik asked.
“Apparently, she has the Holy Grail.”
Both Erik and Lan regarded me with raised brows.
“That’s real?” my husband blurted.
“That’s what Pascal said. It seems it can turn water to wine.
The papers in the grave are the purchase records for these antiquities.
We’re going to have to photograph everything and make certain we have a match for all the records.
It is all legal sales from the looks of it, but Pascal is digging around.
And he thinks he has figured out where the children she sold went.
It appears she sent them overseas to one of two boarding schools.
I guess there is some hope for the kids at least. While I have no idea what sort of boarding school it was, Madam Merorie appears to have been paying for their board and keep.
” Puzzled, I regarded the ridiculous number of treasures in the opening room of the secret space on the third floor. “But why?”
Erik turned, gave me a hug, and kissed my cheek. “With a little luck, we’ll find out soon enough.”
* * *
Friday, May 29, 2167
The Fringe
Dragon Heights
Having learned my lesson with the meteorite, I took care to keep my hands to myself, unwilling to witness more death and destruction.
To keep myself busy and control the temptation, I photographed everything so I could send evidence over to Pascal to match with the records from the Merorie gravesite.
Deep in the heart of the museum, we found a stairwell that solved more than a few other secrets of the mansion. The fourth floor proved to be a sorting and storage area. The second floor continued the general exhibits with a focus on more modern times.
On the ground floor, down a short hallway, we located a single room containing two skeletons, one the appropriate size to be of a man and the other that of a child—not just any child, but Adam Merorie.
I doubted I would ever forget the appearance of his bones.
Someone had decorated their remains with roses, which had been left long enough for the petals to dry.
Water pooling in the center of the room indicated the room held one more secret.
After tapping on the white walls, I found another section.
However, all it took was a single push for the secret area to open, popping on a spring and revealing a door.
Beyond, the partially decayed corpse of the Sumerian girl stood in repose, a metal rack holding her body upright.
A tub collected the water, but it had overflowed, leaving me with a nightmare of a mess to clean.
Lan and Erik gaped at the girl’s corpse.
I muttered curses, regretting I hadn’t been able to get any hits in against the woman who had brought so much ruin. “I want to say that was too easy, but there was nothing easy about getting to this point. If anything, the work is just beginning, isn’t it?”
Erik nodded. “Depending on how Madam Merorie acquired her, we may have a legal battle on our hands.”
I grabbed my phone, found Pascal’s number, and dialed.
“Find anything interesting?” the FBI agent answered.
“Is it possible to legally purchase and import mummies or other types of human remains?” I asked.
“It depends on where the mummy or body was acquired. If it was found on private property and not part of protected land, and if there were proper cadaver forms filed, it is possible to import a corpse regardless of its state. It’s funny you asked, as I have a copy of such forms here, all legalized.
The body in question is registered as being an ancient mummy found on private land, sold by the government of Iraq to a private buyer quite some time ago, who happened to be Madam Merorie. I take it you found her?”
“I believe we may have found both her husband and son as well. There is a secret room in the mansion with two skeletons, both of which were recently covered with roses.” I returned to the main room, stepping around the water on the floor.
“There has been some flooding in here that needs to be cleaned up. Is there enough left of Madam Merorie to bury?”
“There is,” Pascal confirmed.
“Can you make arrangements for the three to be buried in neighboring plots? Using one of the plots the clan owned is fine. We’ve already torn up that part of the cemetery, so we may as well put them together there with a proper headstone. There are no more Merorie dragons left, correct?”
“That’s right. The entire line has gone extinct, I’m afraid. That was the first thing that the FBI checked. There aren’t even any dragons with blood relations to them anymore. People married into their clan. They did not marry out. As such, the line is truly dead and gone.”
“Can you get information on that private land in Iraq? Particularly, I would like to know if it is up for sale.” Some problems would be easier to solve than others, and if I could buy the oasis, I could then secure the girl’s body, have her laid to rest, and follow the tradition of protecting those who had sacrificed everything for their homes.
“But being serious, is the Holy Grail an actual purchase she made?”
“If these records are correct, it is; nobody knows if it’s the actual Holy Grail, but its ability to turn water into wine plays well with the parent religion’s belief system. Apparently, there are offers to buy it up on market, and the cheapest of those is twenty million dollars.”
I bet I could buy a lot of land in Iraq for twenty million plus pay to remove the unfortunate number of mines plaguing the region.
“I don’t suppose you can help hook me up with somebody who can sell this Holy Grail and use the funds to buy as much land around that private area in Iraq as possible?
I’ll also need a demolitions team to make certain the area is fully cleared of mines. ”
“Iron dragons can do that for you with no problem,” Pascal promised. “But yes, as you are a traumatized little hatchling and need to soothe your poor, hurt feelings, I’m sure we can help you with those problems. I do need a reason why, however.”
“The mummy needs to be reburied where she was found, and if I own the land and everything near it, and I hire dragons to help safeguard it, I can lay her to her proper rest so that she can be at peace. I can’t help the other dead, not as much as I wished, but I can help her.”
Pascal made a satisfied sound. “I’ll put some calls around, find out who you need to talk to, get the permits you need, and help you hire an expert to handle all the transactions. A piece of advice if I may?”
“Sure.”
“The Vatican has put in an offer of sixty million for the Holy Grail; if you sell it to them, I am certain you would be able to gain assistance with your other issues, including how to help the European boys and girls, assuming they need help. For all we know, Madam Merorie could have been attempting to do some good amidst all her evil. At this stage, we need to do as little harm as possible, and if the victims who are at those boarding schools are happy, then it might be more to their benefit if the lives they know now are maintained.”
I read between the lines: the children no longer had families, as Madam Merorie had murdered their mothers, fathers, and siblings.
“We do what is best for the children, but if the Vatican is willing to buy for sixty million, and that gives me enough money to purchase the land, remove any hazards that may be there from their past wars, and safeguard the girl, then it is worth every penny spent. What isn’t spent on the victims and the girl’s final resting place, I will have put into trust for them for their futures and towards safeguarding the girl’s burial site.
I may not be religious, but if the Vatican wants it and is willing to pay that much for it, then I am happy to sell it. Any idea what it looks like?”