Read The River of Bones v5 for Free Online Page B

then she did let him kiss her.  Moments after, he remembered two questions he needed to ask, riddles that had nagged him all night.
    “Sasha, how and where did you find the diamonds?”
    “They were hidden in the legs of my father’s camera tripod.  I grew up under communism and my father taught me all of his little secrets.”
    “You have never mentioned any kind of message.  Why are you so sure your father is still alive?  Maybe he really did drown in the Marcha River.”
    “No.  My father ran six kilometers daily and could swim like a fish.  He hid the diamonds where he knew I’d find them and realize what they meant.”  Suddenly, she looked a little breathless.  “Don’t you understand?  If he’d written anything it might have been found, and everyone would have known he’d simply ran away.  A discovery of diamonds by the authorities would have made them believe just the opposite.  Why would anyone ever leave such riches behind?”
    He did understand . . . yet he didn’t.  The key to connecting all the dots and seeing the big picture lay in the appraisal of the diamond that Molly had in her possession.  He needed to send her back to Fort Worth and find out what it was worth.
    “Molly, take the diamond and leave for home right away.  Get the appraisal done and call Simon on a pay telephone, if you can even find one these days.  He’ll give you a number—don’t use any cell phones.  I don’t want to take any chances that someone might overhear us.
    “Sasha, leave and don’t come back.  More important, pretend that you’re finished with us.  You are the one who’s facing the greatest danger, so it’s critical that you stay near friends who will protect you.  And give me your e-mail address in Akademgorodok and an innocuous message I can use to let you know that we’re on our way.”
    “It’s not my government who’s following me, it’s someone else,” she answered.  “My father worried he might be working for the Mafiya , so I’ve been very careful.”
    Jake wondered if he should tell her about the knife attack, then decided he should, though it might only prove her worst fears.
    “The man who stabbed me said two words, ‘Kto vi?’   I know for sure that you’re being followed.”
    Simon broke the dead silence.  “The bastard asked, ‘Who are you?’  I hope the hell you didn’t tell him.”
    “No, but I busted his nose . . . though somehow I think we’ll hear from him again.  And we will see another threat as well.  The moment Molly wires me money, alarm bells will go off all the way to Washington, because sums greater than ten thousand are traced by the federal government.  What’s more, if we withdraw three thousand or more in cash, the bank will report us to the IRS as well.  We need to hide what we’re doing.”
    Molly’s eyes brightened.  “I know what we can do.  Have Simon fly to Las Vegas and meet me there.  I’ll call my bank and wire several large sums to three or four casinos.  Everyone will think I’m crazy, but that will only make things look more believable.  We will gamble on my credit line, but I’ll simply cash my chips rather than lose very much.  No one will be the wiser.”
    Simon smiled.  “At least this expedition is starting off right, but it must be a dream because I get to have a good time with a beautiful lady.”
    Jake lifted his hospital bed with its electric buttons, straightening himself.  It seemed Molly wasn’t an ordinary woman by any means, and now his plan made a lot more sense . . . although he wondered how she’d feel when he told her what else she must do.
    “There are two more things you have to do, and do the best you can in the short time we have.  I want you to take flying lessons in both airplanes and helicopters, and try to make your solo flights in each.  I know it’s a lot to ask, but we may need your help before this is over.  There are good flight schools in Fort Worth and Dallas, so pick