“Why haven’t we heard of this before?”
“They were all killed in the battle for Gabes. The sarcophagus was loaded onto a freighter and, well, apparently the Captain of the freighter panicked and left with hardly anyone on board. The freighter didn’t get very far before it was sunk in an air raid.”
“So how has this story come about. I don’t understand why this is the first anyone has heard of it.”
“Because only two survivors knew about it, a German Colonel and an English engineer. The story has been revealed by the Englishman who has recently died. His grandson is a reporter for the British magazine ’The Country’, Peter Dennis. Have you heard of him?”
Natalie hadn’t.
“He’s also a writer, books, history mainly and he has this magazine column. I‘ve e-mailed him many times but never received a reply.”
Natalie’s head was buzzing.
“So what does that have to do with us?”
“The search for Alexander is the dream of every Archaeologist Natalie. Even Carter dreamed of finding him after Tutankhamun. I’m putting up the money for the expedition and I want you to head it.”
Her heart almost skipped a beat.
“Jim are you serious?”
“You should know me. I never joke about my work. I am deadly serious. I know it’s short notice but I need you and your team in Tunis on the next available flight. I’ll meet you there.”
“Jim I’m….I’m tired. I need some time to think. And plus there are the excursions. We’re fully booked for the next two weeks.”
“We’ll have to refund Natalie. This is an opportunity in life we cannot miss. Just imagine it! The sarcophagus of Alexander the Great! Restored to its rightful place in the first city he ever founded and you Natalie….You can do it!”
They talked for over an hour and by the end of it all she was hooked.
“I’ll ring you as soon as I reach Tunis and get us a hotel organised. I’ll give you the details of the operation then.”
“Very well Jim. I’ll see you in Tunisia.”
“A.S.A.P. Natalie. This will make you and your people famous.”
“That’s the one thing I’ve always managed to avoid. Is there anything else for now?”
“Yes. Don’t tell your team, just that it’s important but no details OK. That’s all for now,” Hutchinson went to put the receiver down then brought it back to his ear.
“Nat are you still there?”
“Yes.”
“I’m counting on you.”
“That’s precisely what I feared.”
The line went dead. She picked her mobile up, selected G from the phonebook and pressed green. She didn’t want to do this but had no choice. A sleepy voice at the other end answered.
“George it’s me, listen, I’m really sorry to have to do this to you but something just came up.”
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
Eighteen hours later and a very tired group from the OAI cleared customs at Carthage airport, Tunis, Tunisia. After baggage reclaim they’d proceeded to the passport control where the customs and police had held Natalie up just long enough to ogle her. Once outside they were met by Jim Hutchinson. He embraced Natalie and kissed her on the cheek, shook hands with the others then insisted he wheel Natalie’s suitcase to the waiting mini-bus, leaving her with just her hand luggage. The mini-bus driver, Yusuf, flicked his cigarette butt away and opened the back doors and began loading their suitcases as the six of them climbed in and did up their seatbelts. Hutchinson took the front seat. He turned back to face them, draping his arm over the seatback.
“How was the flight?”
“Awful. We had to fly to London to get to here,” Natalie replied as always the spokeswoman for the group.
“Well done for getting here at such short notice. I know you’re all very tired. Our hotel is fifteen minutes away. Dinner is for nine o’clock and is on me, that’ll give you all time to refresh yourselves. Have you managed to get much sleep?”
No was the general consensus.
“We slept a little in the airport and on the plane. It wasn’t very comfortable.”
“You’ll get a couple of hours each now, before we eat and then tomorrow we leave at eight for Gabes.”
Hutchinson turned round as the mini-bus braked and stopped at a set of traffic lights. A policeman was in the road directing traffic and he blew his whistle every few seconds. The van in front disappeared in a cloud of black smoke and Yusuf nosed forward into the evening traffic. It was hot in the mini-bus so Hutchinson got the driver to put the air conditioning on. Yusuf turned off a roundabout and began doubling back the way they’d come. Hutchinson pointed ahead.
“That’s our hotel for the night.”
They could all see the huge building ahead.
‘Hotel Mediterranean’ spelled out in large red letters along the roof and down the side. Yusuf pulled up at the grand entrance. A bell boy instantly there with a luggage trolley, tough looking men in suits patrolled with walkie talkies.
Hutchinson bounded up the steps, his employees following at a more leisurely pace. When they gathered at check in he was already dealing with their reservation. The receptionist flashed them all a smile as Hutchinson began filling out the check in form. The receptionist smiled again at Natalie and felt himself blush as she smiled back. Flustered he turned and began taking keys from hooks and placed them on the counter.
“Grab yourselves a key each,” Hutchinson said passing them forward, “I’ll have your luggage sent up to your rooms in a minute, you should all be on the same floor, floor 3, if you can quickly check your room numbers, Good? Yes! Excellent.”
He signed the check in form and handed it back to the receptionist. The bell boy stood by patiently as each piece of luggage was rearranged in room order.
“Thank you,” Hutchinson said to him “Now if you are all ready shall we proceed,” he said leading them to the elevator.
Natalie’s room was the last one on the third floor. Hutchinson accompanied her, opening the door for her. The coolness from the air conditioning rushed out at them and they felt it on their faces. Hutchinson entered the room. It was clean and tidy. He went over to the windows. The curtains were partly closed and he yanked them apart, opened the windows and peered down at the noisy traffic. The sound of car horns rising up from the street below. He closed the windows and peered into the bathroom. Everything was perfect. Natalie kicked her shoes off and put her handbag on the bed. Her shoulders were stiff and she moved her head from side to side to ease the muscles. It helped a little. Hutchinson came out of the bathroom. The front door was still open.
“Natalie close the door.”
She did as she was told trusting him fully.
“Let’s sit,” he said sitting on the edge of the bed and patting the place next to him. She sat next to him, flexing her toes.
“I won’t keep you. I know you’ve had a long journey.”
“I’m just so tired.”
“I know,” he said patting her arm “I really do appreciate what you’ve done. What have you told the others?”
“Exactly what you asked me to say.”
“So none of them knows the truth.”
“No. I told them that you’d telephoned and told me that you had an assignment for us and that I couldn’t disclose what because you wanted to tell them in person.”
“None of them were suspicious? They didn’t push you?”
“No. I told them to trust me on this. I told them that none of them would want to miss this for the world. Exactly as you said.”
“Thank you Natalie thank you,” he got up and patted her arm again “I’ll see you downstairs for nine. The main dining room is through the double doors to the left of reception. See you later,” he said as he closed the door behind himself.