Page 57 of Wild Escape

Vendors sold T-shirts and mementos from the gathering. Kiosks served overpriced fast food—nachos, pizza, hot dogs, and burgers. Of course, there were some high-end vendors with ancient tomes in glass cases. Armed security guards stood by.

The real deals went down outside the ballroom, in the lounge or the bar. Upstairs in hotel rooms. What was on display here was fodder for the public. The real treasures were under lock and key somewhere.

Hendrick stood out among the crowd. In his late 50s with wavy silver hair, a narrow face, and a trimmed mustache and goatee, he was dressed impeccably. With a three-piece suit and a walking cane that was mostly for show, he looked regal and scholarly.

His brow wrinkled with surprise when I approached and flashed my badge. "Hendrick Van der Valk? I'm Deputy Wild with Coconut County. This is Deputy Donovan.”

Nervous blue eyes flicked between us. "What can I do for you, gentlemen?"

"We just have a few questions for you about Douglas Caldwell and the Anselm Codex.”

Hendrick frowned. "Terrible what happened to Douglas. I hope he pulls through.”

"It’s my understanding you made an offer for the Codex.”

"I make offers on a lot of books. Sadly, Douglas turned me down. I felt my offer was more than fair.”

"To put up that kind of money, you must have wanted it pretty bad."

"When I set my sights on something, I rarely ever give up.”

I shared a look with Jack, then asked, "How far would you be willing to go to acquire the Codex?"

Hendrick’s eyes narrowed at me. He knew exactly what I was getting at. "I wouldn't go as far as shooting a man, if that's what you're asking?"

"Of course not. You seem too sophisticated an individual for that kind of thing. To make an offer like that, you must be a wealthy man. Wealthy men have ways of influencing people."

He sneered at me. "I did not hire someone to break into Douglas's house and steal the book. I don’t condone violence of any sort. Gentlemen, I believe in karma. What comes around goes around.”

"I suspect you have your ear to the ground when it comes to the book market," I said.

"I like to know what's going on in the industry.”

"I'm sure if that book became available, you'd know about it.”

"Every collector worth his salt would know when the Codex hits the market.”

"It's a small market."

"There are probably only a handful of people who have the resources and the interest to purchase something like that. Of course, nowadays, private equity has its hands in just about everything. I'm sure some conglomerate will try to snap it up, put it into a vault, and hold onto it for the next hundred years,” he said in a sigh. "If you ask me, I think the book could fetch upwards of $100 million at auction.”

"You offered $47 million, if I'm not mistaken."

A slight smirk tugged his lips. "You've done your homework. I would have gone to $57 million, but Douglas had no interest in parting with the book. It meant too much to him.”

"Is it strictly an investment for you?”

"Gentlemen, that book could hold the secrets to the origin of our civilization,” he said in a voice full of awe and wonder. “Perhaps a connection to other worlds.”

"It could just be ink on paper."

"Ink on paper often has value beyond the sum of its parts. For some, it's meaningless. For others, it's artwork. For some, it's spiritual."

"Where were you last night?" I asked.

"I was here at the hotel,” he said in an innocent voice. “I've been here all week and will stay throughout the convention. In the evenings, I'm an easy man to find. I close down the bar most nights, then stagger back to my hotel room. Talk to the bartender if you want to verify that.”

"I'm sure a well-connected man like you would know who would be able to move a hot property like the Codex.”