This excerpt from Chapter 1 was written before hostage drama began. It now seems almost prophetic. Jacques was in his late thirties, and I was pleased that he'd recently found someone new, or so I'd picked up in a comment he'd posted on Facebook. It was someone I had not yet personally met, but I understood that she was an archaeologist as well, which to me sounded like a good match. He led me into his study where his laptop was open, with several notes and a diary lying beside it. I assumed he was writing an article about his visit to Israel, and more specifically about Qumran. I also knew that he'd recently done research about the Biblical Exodus, so I assumed he was writing something about that as well. "And where is that girl you met while you were in Israel?" I asked. "She was at Qumran, not so? By the way, I saw your recent article about the Scrolls in the Sunday Times , and also on Facebook. It was absolutely brilliant." Jacques nodde...