Washington, D.C.
Back at the White House, Ed received the picture from Captain McCoumb. He quickly uploaded it into his computer and watched the picture of a square piece of stone emerge. Alex and Natalie both leaned in to see it.
“This is from our boys,” Ed said.
“From the cemetery?” Alex asked.
“It looks like an odd-shaped tombstone,” Natalie added.
“Yes,” Ed said. “This is an object they felt we should see.” He leaned in closer and touched the screen. “There is writing in the center of the stone.”
“It looks Hebrew,” Natalie said.
“By George,” Alex said excitedly, “I think you’re right.”
“Now,” Ed said. He thought about it for a few seconds and then asked, “Why would a headstone in a cemetery in West Virginia have Hebrew engraved on it?”
Natalie shrugged, “They’re Jewish.”
Alex observed the image for a moment and asked, “Can you increase the clarity?”
“Let me see,” Ed said, zooming in on the writing. He used the cursor to move the picture around to show different views. “Look. It’s not just Hebrew, it’s Biblical Hebrew.”
“I see that the vowels are evident below the characters,” Alex said. “Did the boys send a message with it?”
Ed scrolled the picture up and said, “Yes, they did, and it says that this square block is placed in the northeast corner of the cemetery.” He paused as he continued reading, “In addition, the message states that a stone tombstone shaped like a podium is positioned in the center of the cemetery, with stone chairs in the center of each side.” He scrolled the picture back into the center of the screen, and scooted over, “Alex, what do you make of it?”
Alex stared directly at the picture for a few seconds and then began writing. He went back and forth a few times while Ed and Natalie watched. Finally, he set down the pen and said, “It’s worn, but if I am not mistaken, I would guess that it’s the Hebrew word for Daniel.”
Ed looked over at it again and said, “I would concur.” He positioned himself back in front of the computer. “Now the question is, why is it there?”
Natalie chimed in, “I don’t want to sound silly, but it’s a tombstone, right? Don’t they all have names etched on them?”
“Yes, they do,” Ed answered and then added, “you may be correct that it’s just a simple flat tombstone, and Alex may be correct that I am on the wrong track, but one thing is certain,” he paused and typed in the name Daniel, “sometimes the clues to many a mystery are, more often than not, directly in front of us.”
Alex leaned back and crossed his arms. “Wait a minute.” He glanced at Ed, “Think about it. What does the name Daniel mean in Hebrew?”
Ed slapped the table as the answer hit him, “How foolish of me for not seeing that.”
“What?” Natalie asked.
Ed grabbed the pen and wrote Daniel and said, “Biblical names have meanings.”
“Natalie,” Alex said. “Daniel means God is my judge.” He watched her response.
She shrugged, “I still don’t get it.”
“You will now,” Ed said. “Go ahead and show her.”
Alex brought the tip of the pen back down to the paper and wrote, whom god judges.”
Natalie perked up, “Oh good grief, that’s what is written on the bone. I should have gotten that.”
“Yes, it is,” Ed said. “So, if this is correct, we now have three of the four messages deciphered.”
Alex laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far but we are at least on the right track.”
She put her hand on Alex’s shoulder. “I feel silly now that the clue was really in front of me.”
“The question is,” Alex said, tapping Ed’s leg, “where do we go from here?”
“Well, let’s take a look,” Ed replied, scrolling to the satellite image of the graveyard. He touched the screen, “The square stone would be right here.” He moved his finger over, “and the podium would most likely be this item here.”
Also observing the scene, Alex added, “The chairs are difficult to make out.”
“Yes, they are.”
“Ed,” Alex said, “pull up the typical layout of a Masonic lodge. I have a hunch about something.”