Bedford, Connecticut, part 2

"The Ark of the Covenant is a wooden chest covered in gold, containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments."

Bella tried to remain as professional as possible while explaining the details surrounding the lost Ark of the Covenant.

“The Ten Commandments from the Bible?” Eaton asked.

“Yes, those very ones. The Ark was kept inside a kind of tent they called the Tabernacle, divided into the courtyard, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. The Ark was kept there, in the Holy of Holies—the most sacred part of the sanctuary. Only the High Priest could enter that place, and only once a year.”

“The Day of Atonement,” Marcus added. “The day of forgiveness.”

“Exactly. When Solomon built the Temple, the Ark was placed in a special chamber. But one day, it simply vanished.”

“Some accounts claim that a group of faithful men hid it inside an unknown cave,” Marcus said, gesturing with his hands.

“Yes, but to this day nobody knows where that cave is. Some believe it lies beneath the Temple Mount, others near Mount Nebo in Jordan. Its location remains unknown.”

“But around 980 BC, it is said that Pharaoh Shishak invaded Jerusalem and carried the Ark away to Tanis. One year later, the city was consumed by a sandstorm that lasted an entire year. The whole city was buried beneath the wrath of God.”

Eaton smiled, followed by Musgrove.

“It seems we found the right people,” Eaton said. “You appear to know everything about the Ark.”

“Actually, no.” Bella leaned back against the desk, staring down at her shoes. “The man who truly knew everything about the Ark was Abner. He was obsessed with it. He spent years in Egypt searching for it, but never found it.”

“Which brings us back to the matter of Ravenswood and his connection to the Nazis,” Eaton replied.

“Oh no,” Marcus interrupted, standing abruptly. “Marcus was never a Nazi. Never.”

“Then why is his name mentioned so many times in a Nazi telegram?”

“Like I said before,” Bella explained, “perhaps they believe Abner possesses the Headpiece to the Staff of Ra—the first part of the Staff itself.”

“And what exactly is the Staff of Ra?” Eaton asked.

Bella picked up a piece of chalk and walked toward the blackboard.

“The Staff of Ra is a wooden staff with a crystal mounted on its tip.” She sketched the object while maintaining her professional tone. “The staff had to be placed in a special chamber at a precise hour of the day. Sunlight would strike the crystal, creating a beam that revealed the exact location of the Well of Souls, where the Ark is supposedly hidden.”

“Can you show us this Ark?” Eaton asked.

Bella grabbed a large, heavy Bible bound in leather with metal clasps along the sides. When she opened it, it fell directly onto an ancient illustration showing four men carrying golden poles. Suspended between them was a rectangular chest covered by a blue cloth.

Golden rays burst from the object, striking people who appeared to be in terrible agony, as though the Ark itself were destroying the enemies of God’s people.

“What is that coming out of the Ark?” Eaton asked.

“No one knows. Lightning, fire… the power of God, according to the Hebrews. It’s powerful, if you believe in such things.”

That night.

Bella returned home with her heart heavy in her chest. What had begun as disappointment—the failure to bring the precious idol back to the museum—had now become something much worse: the possibility that her friend Abner was in danger.

As she entered her house, she knocked the dirt from her shoes and stepped inside. She removed her clothes and went to take a bath.

When she came out, a Ford automobile was pulling up outside.

Marcus stepped out smiling at her.

Marcus was one of the very few people who knew where she lived. Being somewhat reserved, Bella preferred not to tell her coworkers where she lived—or the fact that she lived alone. A young woman living alone was not viewed kindly in those days.

She slipped on a robe and opened the door.

“Well?” she asked, stepping aside to let him in.

“They accepted the proposal,” Marcus said without ceremony as he hung his coat on a rack.

Bella did a small celebratory dance.

“That’s wonderful!”

She grabbed a large suitcase and began tossing dresses into it.

Bella noticed Marcus’s suspicious expression.

“What’s troubling you, Marcus?” she asked while pouring herself a glass of grape juice, which made Marcus smile.

“The Ark of the Covenant has remained hidden all this time,” he said carefully. “Wouldn’t bringing it back into the world disturb something sacred? Might it not bring down the wrath of God?”

Bella sat down on the sofa.

“That’s ridiculous, Marcus. You’re making it sound terrifying. We’re going after one of the greatest mysteries in human history, and you speak of it as if it were some cursed monster.”

Bella picked up a Colt pistol, small and slender with a long barrel.

“And you know I’ve always been careful.”

Then she tossed the gun into the suitcase alongside her dresses.

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