The Viking Seal

CHAPTER 36 - New Ends New Beginnings

Gretta slipped into the outer office and took in the two bodies. She recognized Stefan in spite of the hole in his face, and she frowned at the young secretary lying face down in a pool of blood. Moving quietly to the office door she leaned her ear against the wood and listened.

She could hear voices or what sounded like voices; she couldn't make out anything clearly. The handle turned slowly and quietly, and Gretta held her breath as she eased it open and peered around the edge.

Moira was standing sideways to the door, looking down at Gordon Volk. She rubbed her finger over her gums and swayed slightly. Gretta moved silently into the room, gun levelled at the ready, and took in what she assumed was Moira's revenge for being Declan's target.

Gordon Volk was staring in her direction, sprawled across his desk, arms hanging down. Around his nose and mouth was a dusting of white powder, the same white powder Gretta figured Moira was rubbing on her gums. A pool of blood covered the desk under his stomach, and it appeared as though she had overdosed him with coke and then extracted a most gruesome price for whatever wrong he'd done her.

Gretta took an aggressive stance and ordered Moira to drop her gun and not turn around. Moira froze and teetered on her high heels; the coke was flooding her system in a warm rush, and it made her feel unreal and invincible. She turned slowly in spite of another warning and smiled widely as she wavered back and forth.

"The great Gretta Lawrence . . . again. A little late this time I think." She pointed her gun at Gordon. "He sent Declan after me, then when I arrived here he had that munchkin outside ready to take me out. Gordon learned a hard lesson."

"Drop the gun, Moira."

"Do as she says, Moira." Both women jerked at the new voice and in the split second that Gretta's attention was diverted, Moira's gun swept up and rapid fired four shots. Gretta fired automatically in response, and Moira let out a small cry as she fell across Gordon's back then slid sloppily to the floor.

Wayne Jenner leaned against the open office door, one hand on the knob for support, the other patting the front of his blood-soaked shirt in disbelief.

"I'll call an ambulance." Gretta hurried to the phone and dialled emergency, then she placed another call to the professor. She helped Wayne to a chair and got a towel from the office bathroom and told him to hold it tight against his chest then she hunted around and found Moira's bag with the Viking papers and the discs she'd burned. "I'll alert the security people, Wayne. Don't move and keep the towel pressed tight."

"Wh- where are-"

"I'm outta here my friend; this is your mess to deal with." She tilted her head in apology and quickly left.

EPILOGUE

Arny and Gretta sat in the airport lounge with Mel and Stone. They had about an hour before flight time and suddenly it seemed not enough to say all the things on their minds. Professor Stilton had made the flight arrangements, then begged off seeing them away because he was busy, contacting authorities for museums around the world regarding the disposition of the Congress discoveries.

"So what happens to all that stuff now?" Stone asked.

"Likely a number of countries will want access but I think that aside from Canada, the Scandinavian countries will come first. I know that the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark will definitely want the poems and the maps. A number of governments will want to be in on the excavation of the tunnel so I guess that will be a political football for a while." Gretta yawned.

"Oh, excuse me."

"Must be all that gun play," Arny chided.

"Stow it, Arny. This is not the time for that argument."