No, shed never seen him before, but she had heard his voice.
Sorry. I didnt mean to interrupt. Youre not afraid of mummies, right? he asked again, his expression quizzical.
No, not at all, she assured him. Ah, well, thats a bit of a lie. I might be afraid of some of the bacteria that can be found in old tombs, but as for the mummies themselves...no. My dad was a cop, a very good one. He taught me to fear the living, not the dead.
Sounds like a bright man, he said. He stepped toward her, offering his hand. Micah. Micah Fox.
She shook his hand. Harley Frasier. How do you do? And pardon me, but who are you? Do I know you?
He smiled. Yes, and no. Im an old student of Dr. Tomlinsons, he said. I was at Brown when he was teaching there. About twelve years ago, I was lucky enough to join him on one of his expeditions. Back then, he was looking for the tomb of a princess from the Old Kingdom, Fifth Dynasty. He paused, still smiling, and shrugged. He found her, tooright now shes in one of the display cases in a room not far from here, near the temple. He stopped, studying her again, and asked, Are you surprised by that?
No, no, Im not. You dont look like an Egyptologist, Harley said. Sorry! Its not that Egyptologists look a certain way. I just
Its okay. Im not an Egyptologist, he told her. I meant is it surprising that he found his princess? No, of course not. Henry was the best. But even though I began in archeology, I changed my major. Im with the government now.
FBI? Harley guessed.
He nodded.
Something seems to be coming back. Im not sure what, she said. I know your voice, but I dont know you. I mean
Yes, you know my voice. I guess I should start over. I called you soon after the incident when you were staying in Rome. Your group was shipped from place to place, and we were trying to get a handle on what happened. Im the Fox from those phone calls. Special Agent Micah Foxthough I admit, I was working on my own, and not as assigned by the bureau. And I apologize, because I do know a lot about you, although it wasnt appropriate to bring that up at the time. Youre Craig Frasiers first cousin, and Craig and I have actually worked together. Of course, were in different offices now. Naturally, youve met a number of the men and women with the New York office. Craig told me you finished grad school, and youre deciding what to do with all your educationjoin up with NYPDs finest, remain with the private agency employing you now, or go into a federal agency. But tonight, youre here for the same reason I am, honoring our old professor. For one summer, you were an unofficial Egyptologist. And, as I just explained, you recognize my voice because we spoke on the phone. Im Criminal Division, FBI. Right now, Im assigned down in DC. Ive taken some leave to be here.
I...see, she said.
Did she?
No, not really.
Wait. Foxyes, that was the name of the man shed spoken with about Henry Tomlinson, just once, what now seemed like a lifetime ago.
These days, that time was mostly a blur. Maybe because she didnt want to think of it. But she couldnt stop her mind from rushing back to the night theyd returned to the camp, laughing and loaded down with food and drink for their professor, only to find him on the floor, along with the broken coffin and the screaming mummy. Hed been garroted by his own belt, eyes open and bulging, throat blackened and bruised, a swatch of ancient linen wrapped around it.
Thered been an immediate outcry. Security was convinced that no one from outside had been anywhere near the expedition tents; they kept a tight perimeter around the work area, which included the tents that had been set up for the staff. Egyptian police had come out, ready to help with the investigation.
Then, all hell had broken loose. The computer had picked up more chatter. And word had come that the fledgling, unaffiliated militant group calling themselves The Ancient Guard was bearing down on the expedition. Perhaps they intended to steal the artifacts to finance their cause. Not an uncommon scenario... It meant that everyone and everything needed to go as quickly as possible. Government forces were being sent out, but no one wanted scientists from around the world caught up in an exchange of gunfire.
Security forces from Alchemy, along with the Egyptian police, did their best to preserve what they could from the expedition, as well as the body of Henry Tomlinson so they could discover the circumstances of his death.
Much was lost. But at least no one else was killed. The final inquiry, conducted by the Egyptian police and the Alchemy security force, concluded that the brilliant archeologist Dr. Henry Tomlinson had driven himself mad and committed suicide. According to their conclusions, he believed a mummy had come to life with the intention of murdering him... It was suspected that some unknown bacteria had caused the temporary fit of insanity, and everything from the expedition would be scrutinized using proper precautions.
Harley had fought the verdictvociferously. She was a criminology student; she knew what should have been done and a lot of it wasnt. Pretty much nothing had been done, really, not as far as a crime scene examination went.
Not in her opinion, anyway.
How many men committed suicide with their own belts in such a manner? She sure as hell hadnt seen or read about any. And she was studying criminology.
Nope, never heard of it!
Her friends backed her up, at first. And then, one by one, it seemed, they all decided that the poor professorso caught up in his love and enthusiasm for his workhad gone mad, even if only temporarily. No one could find a motive for murdering him. Henry Tomlinson had been respected and dearly loved by everyone. No one could find a clue.
The police assigned to them had been incompetent, to Harleys mind. Authorities in Egypt and in the United States hadnt done enough.
And the Alchemy people...
They wanted it to be a suicide. They didnt want to deal with a murder. They accepted the verdict without a whimper.
They were so sorry and sad, theyd claimed, and in hindsight, they could see so many mistakes.
They shouldve known to be more careful!
Henry shouldve known to be more careful!
But in fact, they said, the professors enthusiasm for the project had caused them all to bypass modern safety regulations that might have kept him alive.
A great company line, Harley thought in disgust.
And what was the matter with her? They might all have been killed by a crazy insurgent group that hadnt defined exactly what it was fighting for or against. It was a miracle that theyd gotten out, that they were all alive.
Well, most of them. And Henry, poor Henry, hed done himself inaccording to the authorities and to Alchemy, who went on to say that now theyd never completely understand the biology of what had gone on. They werent allowed back on the site; the Egyptian government had stamped a foot down hard.
And that night...
First, they were shuffled to Cairo, then, almost immediatelyon the orders of the Egyptian authorities and the US State Departmentthey were put on planes to Rome, and from Rome they were flown to New York City.
But, thinking back, Harley recalled that it was while shed been staying at the little Italian hotel near the Spanish Steps that shed spoken with this man. Fox. Hed wanted to know whatever she knew about the situation, and shed told him everything, adding that she didnt believe a word of the official explanation.
There was no way Henry had killed himself.
Special Agent Fox had seemed to accept her version, but apparently hed been just as stonewalled as she had.
Like her, hed been forced to realize in the end that no one was going to believe him. Or her.
And even if the authorities had believed him, they didnt care enough to make a killer pay!
Here, tonight, for the first time in a year, everything about that horrible occasion was suddenly coming back.
Tonight was about honoring Henry Tomlinson. This would be an event during which people would shake their heads sadly, missing the professor whod done so much, declaring it tragic that hed lost his mind because of what hed loved so deeply.
Ms. Frasier?
She blinked, staring at the man in front of her, wondering how long shed been lost in her own thoughts.
In a way, she did know him. Theyd just never met in person. Shed left the Sahara before he reached it. Then shed been flown out of Cairo, and soon after that she was back in New York.
Im sorry! she said softly.
He shook his head. Hey, its all right. I know you really cared, and that you tried to do something. It must have been hard to maintain your own belief that hed been murdered when everyone else was telling you otherwise, Micah Fox said.
It had been and still was. Oh, dont you know? she muttered. Henry went crazy. Bacteria in the wrappings. He just had to dig in before proper precautions were taken. Its so tragicdont make it worse by rehashing every little thing!
Her tone, she knew, was heavy with sarcasm.
They were alone in the temple areaor so she believed. Still, she looked around and repeated, Im sorry. I tried... I do believe he was murdered. They did find bacteria, but not enough. Henry was murdered. And I couldnt do a damned thing to prove it.
Micah nodded at her. She liked his face. Hard-jawed, somewhat sharp-boned. His eyes, she saw now, were actually bluesky blueand they seemed to see a great deal.
Remember, I was a student of his, too. And now Im an FBI agent. And I couldnt do anything, either. You have nothing to be sorry for. He paused. I should explain. I knew about you through Craig, of course. And also through Henry. We kept in touch when we couldhed let me know what was up, what was going on. I went into law enforcement, but I still love Egyptology. Henry thought the world of you. He shook his head. I can only imagine what it was like that last night. I hope youre okay now. Time...heals, so they say.
So they say.
It heals when youre at peace with the past.
And Im not, she said grimly, and added, And neither are you.
No. Anyway, Id like to find out about the last time you saw him. If you dont mind.
There wont be a chance tonight, she said.
I know. At a later date.
Harley nodded. Ill be happy to speak with you. Im not sure what I can tell you, though.
You found him.
Yes.
Id just like you to go over it with me. I realize its painful, but...
The verdict was ridiculous! You know what the ME said! That he killed himself.
An Egyptian ME, who wanted out of there as quickly as possible, with armed insurrectionists about to attack the place.
True!
But then...
The company, Alchemy, brought in a medical examiner, too. He agreed with the Egyptian MEs findings.
Im sure that all happened in about two minutes in Cairo or Rome. And as soon as they made their decision, Henry was shot through with preservatives and packed into a box. So anything that could be construed as evidence was compromised. I could be way off base. We could be way off base. Thing is, Id feel better if we could talk.
Yes, of course, she said.
Of course?
She didnt want to remember that night!
And yet, here was someonesomeone in law enforcementwho agreed with her, the only person who did. Like her, Fox believed there was a truth out there that everyone else had denied.
They looked at each other awkwardly for a moment.
Well, a pleasure to meet you in person. I guess Im going to head over to the party area, Micah said. His voice softened. I didnt mean to interrupt you. You might want more time here. On your own. By the way, as I said, I really do know your cousin fairly well. We worked together years ago on a case in DC. Hes a great guy.
Yes. Craigs great, Harley agreed.
She sensed that he wanted to say more.
Like maybe when or where they could meet again?
But he didnt speak. They werent alone anymore.
Jensen Morrow came striding through the temple area. He apparently saw Harley, but not Micah Fox, probably because he stood in the shadow of a carved obelisk.
I knew Id find you here! Jensen told Harley, heading toward her for a huge hug.
Hed written his thesis, gotten his graduate degree and taken a job here as an assistant curator, making use of his doctorate in Egyptology. Hed been her friend through her suspicions, her anger, her demandsand her final defeat, when shed realized that nothing was going to be done.
No one was ever going to make her believe that Henry Tomlinson had been convinced that a mummy was attacking himwhile strangling himself with his own belt.
Jensen, she was certain, had just given up. Hed been told the lie so many times that to him, it had become truth.
Harley accepted Jensens hug; she still cared about him. When theyd first met, theyd hit it off as friends. They might have become more at one time; he was fun, energetic and thoughtful, not to mention tall, dark and handsome. But everything had changed the night Henry Tomlinson died.
Even though she didnt see the friends shed made in Egypt very oftenthey were all busy working, getting on with their livesthey had all stayed friends. They were, in fact, oddly close; they had shared the experience of the dig, Henry Tomlinsons death and the escape from the desert under dire circumstances in the middle of the night. All of that meant they had an emotional bond few people shared.
And yet it was a closeness stained with the loss of the man theyd all adored. Stained, too, by the way theyd fled on the very night he died, swept up in a reign of terror.
Shed gone on to finish her own graduate work, head bent to her studies, and had taken part-time work with a prestigious investigation firm in the city so that she could still take classes when she chose while deciding what path to take for her future. It felt right, for the time being. But she had to make some real decisions soon. And yet, even as shed worked toward her educational and career goals, she had felt that she was waiting. A temporary postwith flexible hours!was all shed been willing to accept at the moment.
Theyre about to start, Jensen said, pulling away from her to study her face. That was when he rather awkwardly noticed there was someone else in the temple exhibit.
He offered Micah Fox a hand. Im sorry. How rude. I didnt see you. Im Jensen Morrow.
Micah Fox, the other man returned. And actually, weve spoken. Over the phone.
Oh! Hey, that was you? Jensen said. Wow. Was I vague when I talked to you? Or worse, rude? If I was, I didnt mean to be. Its just that...well, you had to be there that night. We found Henryor, I should say, Harley found Henryand by the time the medical examiner arrived, they were screaming that the insurgents were a few miles out and we had to break camp ASAP! I know Harley and I were going crazy with concern and disbelief and...well...hey, he finished lamely.