Dahl, behind them, placed a hand on his shoulder. “Need your reading glasses?”
“Funny man.” Drake sighed. “Try to keep your eyes on the walls and off your bird for five minutes, eh?”
“My bird?” The Swede struggled for a moment. “Oh, come on—”
Alicia grunted. “You’d have more luck asking his bitch to stop swinging swords around.”
“She’s not my bi—”
“Kids,” Crouch hissed from a few feet away. “Focus.”
Alicia stared at Drake. “Yes, Dad.” But they returned their attention to the walls, noting the potential CIA spies had moved ahead and were now studying the ceiling in earnest. All around the tomb, people were gazing at pictures and the tour guides answered questions up ahead. The SPEAR team cruised slowly down the length of the passage, taking everything in.
When they reached the end, Crouch turned, eyes expectant.
“Nothing,” Hayden spoke for them all.
Crouch almost looked happy. “For once, finding nothing is a good thing.”
Mai motioned toward the next door. “We haven’t finished yet.”
“I know, I know. Just feeling hopeful.”
The Japanese woman inclined her head. “It’s not easy,” she acknowledged. “Always running, chasing, stopping bad things from happening to good people. But Michael, we’ve just endured almost a week of retirement. Believe me, that’s harder.”
“For some.” Crouch nodded. “For others, it’s a breath of fresh air.”
He turned toward the next door as Alicia vocalized the incredulity that she might agree with Mai for once. Kenzie joined in and Drake envisioned a group hug occurring before they suddenly remembered where they were. Others were gathering at the next entrance and the tour guide was ready to move on. Through they went, a few at a time. Drake studied the doorway carefully as he stepped past but it was unadorned, nothing but crumbly white rock, stark under the bright lights. The dust drifting through the air caused him to sneeze and he heard an older man complaining to his wife in an undertone that he’d simply have to throw the suit away at the end of the night. Even their housemaid wouldn’t be able to adequately remove all the dust.
The spies were three paces in front, along with another potential couple. No mercs were among them though, so Drake breathed easier. The next part of the tomb was slightly smaller and narrower, also containing a door, this time set into the right wall. Drake saw a sarcophagus, set low to the ground, roped off at this time. He moved to study the hieroglyphics upon its surface and those on the wall behind. Maybe one of those represented a capstone.
The strange search continued. Drake knew the spies and mercs above were probably unaware of SPEAR, and used that knowledge to remain highly visible, taking in every inch of the place. He smiled when he saw Kinimaka giving the sarcophagus plenty of space as he walked past. Knowing the Hawaiian, he’d brush against it and trigger an ancient trap, entombing everyone inside. The party split now, some entering the door set in the right wall and then another after that. A guide shouted that they had only eight minutes left. Drake saw dozens of murals and pictures, and tried to study each and every one, but saw nothing like the symbol he was looking for. He kept an eye on the spies too, noting them disappearing into the far part of the tomb.
“Three minutes,” the helpful tour guide said.
Drake dragged Alicia through the final door, anxious to check the entire place before they whisked themselves off back into hiding again. It hadn’t escaped their attention that television or press cameras might capture their faces, but as soon as they were clear they intended to leave Egypt far behind in the proverbial dust.
The final room was small, square and bare apart from more wall art. One of the tour guides told them that the lack of objects was due to ancient grave robbers, prevalent in their time, though one or two items had been ‘liberated’ and would soon be on display. Drake scanned the walls. Alicia glared up at the ceiling.
“Birds, beetles,” she said. “Queens, slaves. There’s even a bloody monkey up there.”
“But no capstone,” Drake murmured under his breath. “For once, I think, we’ve caught a lucky break.”
“You really think so?” Crouch walked up to them, nodding at the far corner of the far wall. “Check down there.”
Drake closed his eyes momentarily. “You’re taking the piss, right?”
“Just look. You tell me.”
They drifted over, aware that the tour guides were already ushering people out. The mural that adorned the far wall was dark, composed of dusky golds, browns and blacks. It depicted two tall figures with Egyptian headdresses, staring at each other; one holding a club and the other a spear. They were seated on low stools and, as Drake bent down to get a better look, a tour guide patted him on the back.
“Sir? Time to leave and allow the next party down.”
Drake stared from him to Alicia, trying to communicate silently.
“What?” the Englishwoman said. “You want me to distract him.” She waggled her eyebrows.
“Shit,” Drake spluttered. “No. I—”
“Happy to take one for the team,” Alicia smiled brightly at the tour guide. “Now tell me. What’s the Egyptian version of the Kama Sutra?”
Drake rose fast, put an arm around her shoulders, and whisked her away from an embarrassed looking escort. “Wait,” Alicia protested. “Don’t you need a look at the thingy?”
“No, Alicia. Crouch got a look at it.”
“Oh, so why are we back here then?”
“Good question. I think we need to catch up.”
They hustled out of the tomb, leaving the guide behind. Before they reached the exit staircase Drake had caught up to the ex-SAS commander.
“Didn’t get chance,” he huffed. “What did you see?”
Crouch made an improvised sign for ‘walls have ears’ and screwed his face up. “It’s not good.”
With that, they climbed the stairs and emerged once more into the fresh air. It was Crouch that stopped quickly and motioned to the ominous line-up of mercs and spies, scattered liberally among the civilians and preparing to go down next.
“Once that happens,” he said. “The race will be on and the world will be a lot less safe.”
“So it’s real?” Drake asked.
“Oh, it’s real,” Crouch cursed quietly. “It’s very real.”
“In what form?”
“Explain later,” Crouch stalled as they were ushered aside. “Basically, a depiction of the capstone set above the picture of another tomb, with a tiny set of specific hieroglyphics.”
“You’re sure it’s genuine?” Kinimaka asked.
“As much as I can be out here, right now. But finding the second seal and another symbol will confirm it.”
“And you think we should minimize the number of people that are about to see it?” Smyth said. “What do you want us to do? We’re criminals right now, bud.”
“I have an idea,” Alicia said.
Drake and Dahl whipped their heads around, suddenly scared.
“Noo—”
CHAPTER NINE
Alicia raised her dress slightly and strutted over, bold as brass, to the forty-strong group that awaited permission to head down to view Amenhotep’s tomb.
“Oy!” she shouted. “Is that you?”
Heads shot around and eyes darted in her direction. A tour guide stopped his spiel. Strangely, several men began to look uncomfortable.
Alicia zeroed in on her target. “It is you? Gavin! Gavin Lucas, you bastard!”
Dahl held Drake back from running after her. “Don’t worry,” the Swede said. “She’s chosen the daftest looking mammal. Just get ready.”