The Keepers of the Rose Read online

  Part two to free respond with me.

  “Just me,” Rock said.

  “Let’s hope. I’m Benji,” the boy held out his hand.

  Rock reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet. He started thumbing through and took out a couple of dollars. He placed it in Benji’s outstretched hand. “Take it,” he said. “Decide a time this evening and a place, I’ll meet you.”

  Benji grasped the two dollars and stuffed it in his pants. He looked down and scratched his head. “Boston Beer Works, across from Fenway, 9ish,” he muttered.

  Rock put his wallet away and turned his back, “Done, see you then.” He walked away. He glanced back once before disappearing into the subway tunnels and was happy to see Benji continuing with his harassment. Rock was right. The boy was smart.

  He climbed on the subway and took a seat on a rather empty car. He rested his head against the glass behind him and wanted to shout in excitement. Somehow, a meeting had been set up over 300 years ago for two people who didn’t even exist and that date has now been fulfilled. The planning and dependability was a game of trust that somehow avoided corruption through countless generations. It was astonishing and Rock couldn’t fathom the dedication it took to come to this point.

  The rest of the day, he shuffled between the subway, public buses and cabs. He stopped in various shopping malls and business buildings entering one way and coming out another. He changed clothing and bags and even sported a red sox hat simply to blend in. If they could follow him through this, he would be impressed. But then he couldn’t think of any reason why Malcolm and Michael just let him so easily move beyond their reach. Perhaps they already had what they needed and he was deemed useless. If that was the case, it didn’t bode well for Anna.

  As the sun fell beneath the horizon, Rock made his way towards Fenway Park. The building was old and in bad need of repair. But as a historical stadium it would be hard to tear down. Also, the people here didn’t want any more taxes than what they already had.

  He found the Boston Beer Works without a problem. It belonged here. The front was run down and looked old and faded. But when he walked in, he was pleasantly surprised. The place was busy. On every wall there were at least three televisions, pushing some sport. Most were baseball, but there were some beginnings of Olympic coverage, some football analysis, and even soccer. That particular sport had grown fast in the last few years.

  He casually walked through the bar, looking for Benji. Rock was almost an hour early but he expected the young man to be here, waiting in anticipation.

  “Over here,” he heard a voice shout. Rock found him tucked into a booth, in the corner. There was a pitcher of light colored beer and two glasses. “I hope you don’t mind I ordered for both of us.”

  “Not at all,” Rock sat down across for him. He started pouring himself a drink, realizing how very thirsty he was. He took a big swig and set down the glass. “Well, Benji. I’m Rock Tilton.”

  “It’s nice to meet you Rock. Where do we begin?”

  “We should probably just get to the point. I need help.”

  “With what?”

  Rock took out the old piece of leather and slapped it in front of Benji. “Translating this,” he flattened it so his new acquaintance could see the marks. “This is where you come in, no?”

  Benji didn’t answer for a moment, studying the map in front of him. “I never thought this day would come under my watch,” he said. “To be perfectly honest I didn’t think this day would ever come to anybody, I was just doing this to honor a promise I made.”

  “A promise to whom,” Rock asked

  “A professor of mine. He taught history at BC. When he retired he told me I was his best student and he had something to ask of me. He said he needed someone young who was planning to stay in the area and I already had a job lined up after I graduated, so I told him sure. He made me promise, and then handed off the responsibility.”

  “So you know why I’m here.”

  “Not really. But I know it’s important and I think I have what you need.” He looked down again. “I can translate what that says, but after that, I have no idea.”

  “Well, what does it say?”

  Benji took a small sip and looked across, staring Rock in the eyes. “First, I need to know everything. That includes, who you are, how you came by this, why the hell did you scare the shit out of me today by running off and most importantly, what’s in it for me?”

  Rock knew this was coming. Nobody gives up the only leverage they have without something in return. “Fair enough, let me start from a few months ago. But first, have you ever heard of Oak Island?”

  “Nope,” Benji replied.

  “I think we’re going to be here awhile,” Rock leaned back and took another swig of beer, emptying his glass. He let it fall hard to the table. “Let me start from the beginning.”

  Chapter 24

  Colorado, August 2012