“Not really.” She reached over on the bed, picked up her tablet computer, and typed in a keyword. “Or maybe you are. When we were looking through the history books from MacDuff’s library, we found a story in which this Drakeman swore that a part of Cira’s treasure was hidden in the area. There was even a map with instructions. It included landmarks. A waterfall, limestone cliffs, an ancient cemetery. Several others I can’t remember.” Jane swiped her screen until she pulled up a hand-drawn image. “Here. The instructions are very detailed, with the starting point at the end of the railroad branch line.”

Caleb looked at the drawing. “Interesting.”

“But that’s all it is. The archivist checked it out, and none of the landmarks on the map match up with what’s actually in the area. It’s a total fabrication. He did some further research and found that this map was offered up by a local laborer to his landlord as payment for his back rent. He was probably buying time so that he wouldn’t get evicted.” She looked speculatively at Caleb. “But what if Bohdan believed we were on the verge of finding this?”

Caleb nodded. “If we could make him believe it, it would definitely be a good lure.”

“Back off,” Rodland said flatly. “Let me do more research and see if I can find someone who would be a better fit for our purpose. And it’s going to depend on who you choose as Judas whether he can sell a specific story.”

“Sorry, Rodland,” Jane said. “By all means, research.”

“Thank you. May I go back to sleep now?”

“If you insist.”

“I insist. Good night, Jane.”

“Good night, Rodland.” After she pressed DISCONNECT, she turned to Caleb. “He’s really amazing with computers and research. I’ve never seen anyone who could do as well, even among some of the heads of tech companies I’ve worked with. He may get us answers.”

“He learned from Palik.” He was staring thoughtfully at her. “But you gave him something to work with.” He grinned. “Along with a little sting of the whip to goad him along.”

“I wasn’t doing that, I was just being persistent. He understands that.” She gestured at the files scattered on the bed. “Do you want to read those two files that I chose? We should really make a selection right away so that Palik can get to work on bringing them over to the dark side.”

“Only it’s just the opposite.” He smiled. “He’s on the dark side now and we’re trying to save his soul.”

“Whatever. Do you want to read them?”