The Cathari Treasure (Cameron Kincaid) by Daniel Arthur Smith Page B

the parking lot behind La Sirène
Bleue.  “We can go back to the hotel and plan our next steps from there.”
    From a tall pole, two halide
lamps rained down on the almost vacant lot.  Cameron peered into the far
shadowy corners.  He saw no signs of life.  If the three young men
were waiting for them, they were on the main street in front of the club.
    “This way,” said Cameron. 
He lifted his hand toward the side street that ran along parking lot.  “We
can circle around the block.”
    The three passed the few cars in
the rear of the parking lot and were stepping onto the sidewalk when a
concussion lifted them into the air and thrust them forward.  For a split
second, thunder surrounded them and then silence.  Bright yellow light
flooded the dark side street.  Cameron scrambled to find and shield the
two bodies on the curb.  Nicole squeezed her head between her hands, her
eyes pinched closed.  Marie was yelling something at Nicole that Cameron
could not immediately make out.  A ringing came into his ears and he began
to hear Marie’s pleas, at first muted then, as quickly as sound had escaped
him, he could here what she was yelling, “Nicole!  Are you ok?  Are
you ok?”
    Cameron brought himself up to
his knees and ran his eyes across each of the women, head to toe.  They
were ok.  The corner of the building had shielded them from the worst of
the blast.
    Marie wrapped her arms around
Nicole.  “Nicole, ouvrez vos yeux, ouvrez vos yeux!  Open your eyes,
let me see you!”
    Nicole did open her eyes,
leaving her hands on the sides of her head.  “What happened?” asked Nicole,
“Everything was so loud, then no sound.”
    Cameron helped them to their
feet, “It was the club,” he gestured back.  “They blew up the club.”
    Marie now realized for the first
time that La Sirène Bleue was in flames.  She put her hand on Cameron’s
shoulder to push him aside, “Glenda.  We have to go back.”  Cameron
put his arms around her and held her, shielding her from the fate of her
friend.  She pushed at his chest with her forearms, “We have to go, she
needs our help.”
    “There is nothing we can do,”
said Cameron.  “We have to get out of here.”
    Nicole was composed.  She
took Marie by the shoulders and pulled her back toward her.  “Mister
Kincaid is right.  She has gone to the next life.  We must go.”
    Marie pulled her arms from
Cameron’s chest and pressed her wrists against her forehead.  “You are
right,” said Marie.  Her tone lowered, her hysteria passed.  “We must
go.”
    Cameron turned back to view the
burning building.  Two more smaller explosions murmured from within the
club, the second causing a tall flume to shoot out above.
    “I don’t see anybody.  They
must think we were in the club.  Let’s go now before they start snooping
around.”
     
    * * *
* *
     
     

Chapter 13
    Montreal
     
     
    “Are you back in the city?”
asked Claude.
    “I am in a city alright but not New
York,” said Cameron.
    “Oh, you are still in Boston.”
    “Actually, I left Boston, and my
Mercedes this morning.”
    “So where are you?”
    “Would you believe I’m walking
the streets of Montreal?”
    “I love Montreal.  What the
hell are you doing there?”
    “The hits just keep on
coming.  After I talked to you in this morning in Boston…”
    Claude had answered the phone
expecting Cameron to tell him he had returned to New York.  Cameron
explained to him that was far from the case.  As Cameron led the women
along the side streets toward the hotel he briefed Claude about the skinny
tie-dyed man, the car chase across the Zakim Bridge, the bus ride to Montreal,
and then finally the fate of Glenda and La Sirène Bleue.  Then, as Marie
and Nicole whispered prayers by his side, Cameron told Claude what he knew
about what he had been drawn into.
    After hearing Cameron’s account
of the day’s adventure, Claude was momentarily silent.  Then Claude asked,
“All of that