“Well, I hate to burst your bubble,” August said. He reached into the crypt. “May I?”

Xandria nodded, lifting the barrel of her gun.

“The crypt of the Black Queen was the only place the treasure would have been hidden, given her history with the Order of the Dragon. The myth of her undeadness was probably added later to keep curious souls at bay. Who would dare disturb her grave?”

“You, apparently.”

“You’re right about that,” August said. “I’m just too much of a fool to let a ghost keep me away from a fortune.” August pulled out a single gold coin. “You were also right about the inscription,” he said, holding it up. “It does indicate that the coin was made in Jerusalem. But you were wrong about the five-pointed star and the woman.”

“What do you mean?”

“Archaeology has come a long way from the time of the Templars,” August said. “The woman on the coin is a female deity, but not the one you or Barbara thought she was.” He held up the side of the coin featuring the woman’s profile. “Do you know who this is?”

Xandria glared, but didn’t speak.

“The five-pointed star on the opposite side of the coin only makes it easier to prove,” August said. “It’s not even a star at all. It’s a pentagon, surrounded by five rays. The pentagon was the shape of a temple built by Solomon. Maybe you should have read one of those Bibles you stole. The story is right there in 2 Kings.”

“Get to the point.”

August extended the coin to her. “Xandria, meet Ashtoreth.”

“Lies,” Xandria said. She raised her gun. “Lies!”

“It’s not your fault,” August said. “It’s the Templars’. They found the Mount of Olives where Solomon’s temple was built, but it seems they excavated the wrong location. They may have been good knights, but they were poor archaeologists. In spite of the Israelites’ spotty history of faithfulness to Yahweh, no one knew any better, so the Templars were able to pull off the biggest blackmail job in world history. But all that ends tonight, because now you know the truth.”

Xandria leveled her gun, and August imagined the laser-sight pinpricking his forehead. She was shaking.

August raised his hands. “Maybe we can work something out.”

“I don’t think so. I guess this was the one thing Gutenberg didn’t see coming.”

“No,” a voice said. “This was.”

Xandria turned. There was a loud crack, and she fell backward, striking her head against the stone wall. The gun fell out of her hand and clattered to the floor. August raced over and picked it up. He pointed it at her, but there was no reason for it. She was out cold.

“You were supposed to be here half an hour ago!” he said, taking a roll of wire out of the tool bag and wrapping it around Xandria’s wrists and feet.