us as someone like that ever gets.’
‘I suppose.’ She stared into the crudely carved sockets representing the figure’s eyes for a moment, then returned it to the case. ‘I suppose the next question is: how do we destroy them?’
‘Just find me a hammer,’ Eddie suggested. ‘Five minutes of bashing, then we chuck the gravel into the river. Sorted.’
‘That’s one way, I guess. But we need to wait for Glas’s representative before we do it. If he acts as a witness, at least we know that Glas’ll call off his dogs.’
‘When’s he coming?’
‘Glas said he’d be here today.’
Eddie sat back. ‘Let’s hope sooner rather than later, eh? I want to get all this over with.’
‘Me too, honey. Me too.’
The phone rang ten minutes later. ‘Nina?’ said Lola. ‘Mr Penrose is here.’
‘Damn it,’ Nina muttered. She had been fending off demands from the United Nations bureaucracy to know exactly what had happened at Atlantis practically from the moment she reboarded the Gant, but knew that sooner or later she would have to deal with the matter directly. ‘Okay, tell him to come in.’
Penrose entered. ‘Nina, Eddie,’ he said, voice grave. ‘I’m glad you’re both all right. And Mr Trulli too.’
‘Thank you,’ Nina replied. ‘I just wish I could say the same about Lewis and the others. Look, Sebastian, I know the UN wants my full report as soon as possible, but there’s, ah, a personal matter that Eddie and I have to deal with first. I’d really appreciate it if you could give us time to take care of it. There’s someone we have to speak to.’
‘I know,’ Penrose replied. His manner became hesitant, even nervous. ‘It’s, er . . . the person you’re waiting for is . . . me.’
‘What?’
‘Harald Glas sent me. I’m here as a witness, to watch you destroy the statues.’
‘You’re what?’ Eddie barked, advancing on him with his fists balled. ‘You’re in this with Glas?’
‘Let me explain, please!’ Penrose said hurriedly. He held up his hands. ‘I have, ah, a confession to make. I’ve been . . . I’ve been working for the Group.’
This admission of a spy in their midst chilled Nina. ‘Sebastian, what do you mean?’
‘I’ve been providing information to the Group for some time. About the UN, behind-the-scenes political arguments, that kind of thing. But I’ve also been telling them about the IHA’s operations – specifically, over the past year and a half, about anything relating to the statues.’ He glanced at the case on Nina’s desk. ‘It’s how Jindal knew about the connection between the two statues in the IHA’s possession and the one in South America so quickly. I told the Group; they told me to pass the information on to him immediately.’
Nina remembered that Kit’s interest in the discovery had been surprisingly quick. ‘But if you’re working for the Group,’ she said stonily, ‘why are you here on behalf of Glas?’
‘It was Harald who first involved me in all of this,’ said Penrose, not quite able to look her in the eye. ‘Many years ago. He, ah . . . he did a huge favour for my family. For my daughter, specifically; I don’t want to go into the details. But I owed him for that. So I started to repay him by providing useful information, and before long I was involved with the whole of the Group. When he split from them, I was, well, torn. I was still working for them – but I also had an obligation to Harald.’
‘You were a mole,’ said Eddie in disgust. ‘A double agent.’
‘I didn’t have a choice. These people – once you’re in with them, there’s no way out. Even if, like Jindal, you agree with their goals, they still have power over you. I had to keep helping the Group, but at the same time I was secretly helping Harald as much as I could.’
‘You told him I was in Rome!’ Nina realised. She rounded her desk, jabbing a finger into his face. Penrose flinched. ‘And you told him that we were going down to Atlantis. You got Lewis and the others killed, Sebastian. It was your fault!’
Eddie hauled him across the room. ‘You’re going out of the fucking window!’
‘No, Eddie!’ said Nina, as Penrose gasped in fear. ‘Let him go!’
He angrily released the other man. The sweating Penrose straightened his glasses before stammering out a reply. ‘I – I know it was my fault, I know. I’m sorry. As I said, I had no choice.’
‘You’re still responsible, though. There’s no