Algorithm - Book 1 - The Medallion

Chapter 7

Hedda was farthest along the hallway, near the back door which led outside. Adam had his arm around Linda, awaiting imminent discovery, when he heard several car doors slam in the street outside. The shoes stopped and skipped their way toward the front door. Adam rose with Linda in tow. Hedda was one jump ahead of them, opening the back door just as they heard the front door jingle. When they regrouped in the backyard, Adam glanced along the side alley and sighted the hood of his Pathfinder. The visitors might be entering the museum. It would take only moments before they would realize the place was empty. The alley connected the main street with a parallel back street. Adam ran up to the front, peered around the corner and saw a black four-door limo parked behind his car. The uniformed cop was standing at the museum entrance. Hedda and Linda slinked up the alley and crouched behind Adam. The police officer was looking in through the entrance door, probably curious about happenings within and not paying much attention to the scant traffic. Adam began having second thoughts.

Was this really the same guy as the one back on campus? Maybe the police were here for some other reason.  

He began to think this was all just the result of an overactive imagination, one which pieced together unrelated events into a totally overblown conspiracy theory.

A wacky conspiracy theory.

Maybe he should simply approach the officer and find out what was going on.

What could it hurt?

Adam stood up from his couch and was about to show himself when he heard the squawk of a walkie-talkie. "Did you see anyone out there?"

"Everything's quiet out here."

"They must still be inside, and it looks like they may have Hedda's piece."

That clinches it.

Any doubts Adam had were blown away. These people, police or whoever, were here specifically for them and the artifacts. He found that he was still holding the medallion and quickly pocketed it. Hedda overheard the discussion and did the same with her piece.

The front door cracked open with a jingle and orders barked from within. "Go around back. Make sure no one gets out that way."

Adam's stomach tightened. The three of them stood up in the alley, faces ashen and prepared for the inevitable. They waited. And waited. Adam, closest to the corner, poked his head out again, and much to his surprise, saw no one. He craned his neck a little farther and his eyes focused on the far side of the building. There was another alleyway. The uniform must be rounding the building on the other side. The time to move had arrived. Adam turned to the other two. "Let's go. Into the car. Quickly. And don't slam the doors."

As Linda ran past Adam, he grasped Hedda's sleeve. "You don't have to get mixed up with this. Those people are probably more interested in the artifact I have than anything else. You could just go back in and pretend to know nothing."

Hedda was quick to reply. "While we were sitting in this alley, Linda told me some more. I know about the explosion, and about your missing friend. I don't feel like goin' missing quite yet. So, if ya don't mind, I'll be joinin' ya for now."