Kate asked
The man snorted and took another long toke on his hookah. “Is that what you think is there?”
Kate’s brow creased. “What else would be there?”
“Perhaps you don’t know or perhaps I don’t know. I just know of the legends. None of my people will go near there. But you haven’t paid me to tell you the dangers of what is inside, you’ve paid me to tell you where the legend says the tomb is and I will comply because to do anything else would be wrong.”
“Okay.” Kate pushed away the uneasy feeling that was spreading in her chest. The man was probably referring to the curse and they’d taken care of that … not that she believed in it in the first place.
The hookah bubbled as he took another long toke. He sucked in the smoke, held it and then blew it out in a slow stream that wafted up to the ceiling. Kate’s nerves crawled around annoyingly inside her skin as she waited for him to speak.
“The site is outside the town. Fifty miles due north. Take a left when you see the mountain on the old dirt road. It is overgrown there now, almost jungle, but if you look with care, you will see the signs. It is reputed the tomb is near there.” The man gave a little half-nod, then pushed the curtain aside, latching it on the corner and letting the light in before turning his attention back to the hookah.
“Thanks.” Kate stood. The man nodded slightly and Kate stepped out of the hut.
As the sunlight washed over her, she felt relief, then the familiar excitement started to bubble up inside her. There was nothing Kate loved more than being on the hunt. She sensed that she was just about to discover something extraordinary. She hurried back to the hotel feeling alive with the excitement of the discovery in front of her and the man’s ominous words about some things being better left buried quickly forgotten.
10
“ T ake a left at the mountain ?” Vic stared at Kate incredulously after she relayed the details of the meeting with the hookah man. “What kind of directions are those?”
Kate shrugged. “That’s what he said. I figured we could use the painting to orient ourselves and figure out where to take the left.”
Vic glanced down at the photocopy of the painting they’d brought with them. The real painting was still back at the museum with Gideon who was working on it to try to see if it would give up any more clues. “Too bad we only have half of the painting.”
“I’m sure we can figure it out,” Carlotta yelled from the bedroom of their suite.
“Anyway,” Vic said. “I take it we’ll be camping out?”
“I guess so. The man said it was fifty miles from here. It’s not practical to drive there every day and there are no hotels out there. We need to be on site so we can cover ground as quickly as possible. Gideon sent out the appropriate equipment right?”
“Yep.” Vic spread his arms to indicate several duffel bags of khaki-colored canvas. “We’ve got tents, we’ve got mosquito netting, we’ve got metal detectors, we’ve got tools for digging, and we’ve got weapons.”
“Weapons?” Kate’s brows tugged. “What do we need those for?”
Vic shrugged. “You never know when you might run into in animal … or an enemy.” He picked up a long, javelin-like object and handed it to Kate. “Gideon sent this especially for you. You can swoosh it in the thick underbrush and scare any snakes away. Some of them are poisonous down here, not to mention the other creepy crawlies we don’t want to step on.”
Kate shuddered at the thought as she took the weapon from her father. It reminded her of a fencing foil or saber with a long, thin blade and a guarded handle at the end. She swished it in the air, thrusting and jabbing as if she were fencing an invisible opponent.
“That reminds me, you were pretty good at fencing in college, weren’t you?” Carlotta appeared, leaning against the door frame to the bedroom.
Kate laughed. “Yes, and it looks like I've still
The man snorted and took another long toke on his hookah. “Is that what you think is there?”
Kate’s brow creased. “What else would be there?”
“Perhaps you don’t know or perhaps I don’t know. I just know of the legends. None of my people will go near there. But you haven’t paid me to tell you the dangers of what is inside, you’ve paid me to tell you where the legend says the tomb is and I will comply because to do anything else would be wrong.”
“Okay.” Kate pushed away the uneasy feeling that was spreading in her chest. The man was probably referring to the curse and they’d taken care of that … not that she believed in it in the first place.
The hookah bubbled as he took another long toke. He sucked in the smoke, held it and then blew it out in a slow stream that wafted up to the ceiling. Kate’s nerves crawled around annoyingly inside her skin as she waited for him to speak.
“The site is outside the town. Fifty miles due north. Take a left when you see the mountain on the old dirt road. It is overgrown there now, almost jungle, but if you look with care, you will see the signs. It is reputed the tomb is near there.” The man gave a little half-nod, then pushed the curtain aside, latching it on the corner and letting the light in before turning his attention back to the hookah.
“Thanks.” Kate stood. The man nodded slightly and Kate stepped out of the hut.
As the sunlight washed over her, she felt relief, then the familiar excitement started to bubble up inside her. There was nothing Kate loved more than being on the hunt. She sensed that she was just about to discover something extraordinary. She hurried back to the hotel feeling alive with the excitement of the discovery in front of her and the man’s ominous words about some things being better left buried quickly forgotten.
10
“ T ake a left at the mountain ?” Vic stared at Kate incredulously after she relayed the details of the meeting with the hookah man. “What kind of directions are those?”
Kate shrugged. “That’s what he said. I figured we could use the painting to orient ourselves and figure out where to take the left.”
Vic glanced down at the photocopy of the painting they’d brought with them. The real painting was still back at the museum with Gideon who was working on it to try to see if it would give up any more clues. “Too bad we only have half of the painting.”
“I’m sure we can figure it out,” Carlotta yelled from the bedroom of their suite.
“Anyway,” Vic said. “I take it we’ll be camping out?”
“I guess so. The man said it was fifty miles from here. It’s not practical to drive there every day and there are no hotels out there. We need to be on site so we can cover ground as quickly as possible. Gideon sent out the appropriate equipment right?”
“Yep.” Vic spread his arms to indicate several duffel bags of khaki-colored canvas. “We’ve got tents, we’ve got mosquito netting, we’ve got metal detectors, we’ve got tools for digging, and we’ve got weapons.”
“Weapons?” Kate’s brows tugged. “What do we need those for?”
Vic shrugged. “You never know when you might run into in animal … or an enemy.” He picked up a long, javelin-like object and handed it to Kate. “Gideon sent this especially for you. You can swoosh it in the thick underbrush and scare any snakes away. Some of them are poisonous down here, not to mention the other creepy crawlies we don’t want to step on.”
Kate shuddered at the thought as she took the weapon from her father. It reminded her of a fencing foil or saber with a long, thin blade and a guarded handle at the end. She swished it in the air, thrusting and jabbing as if she were fencing an invisible opponent.
“That reminds me, you were pretty good at fencing in college, weren’t you?” Carlotta appeared, leaning against the door frame to the bedroom.
Kate laughed. “Yes, and it looks like I've still
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