Misplaced (34 page)

He found an old polishing cloth and wrapped it around his
hand
.
Retracin
g
hi
s
steps
,
Miele
y
wipe
d
a
w
a
y
al
l
evidenc
e
o
f
his
visit.
Next,
he
collected
the
tape
from
the
camera’s
recorder
an
d
pu
t
i
t
i
n
a
crumple
d
grocer
y
ba
g
h
e
foun
d
i
n
th
e
corner.
He
added
the
bloody
champagne
bottle,
the
flutes,
and
the
pad
Max
had
written
on.
In
the
bathroom,
he
cleaned
his
face
and
hand
s
an
d
pu
t
th
e
napkin
s
he
’
d
use
d
int
o
th
e
bag
,
whic
h
he
took with him as he slipped through the back door.

By
the
time
he
reached
the
street,
Arlan
felt
calmer.
He
had
don
e
onl
y
wha
t
w
a
s
necessary
;
a
sensationa
l
scanda
l
would
ho
v
e
r
aroun
d
th
e
authenticato
r
lik
e
th
e
curs
e
tha
t
follo
w
ed
Ho
w
ar
d
Carte
r
afte
r
disco
v
erin
g
th
e
tom
b
o
f
T
utankhamen.
H
e
ha
d
gi
v
e
n
Ma
x
a
deat
h
worth
y
o
f
hi
s
career
,
on
e
the
authenticator would ha
v
e appreciated.

Th
e
thir
d
bracele
t
mus
t
b
e
found
.
Wha
t
i
f
Elias’
s
contac
t
w
as
astute enough to ha
v
e held it back?
Miele
y
di
d
no
t
worr
y
abou
t
th
e
dar
k
spot
s
o
n
hi
s
jacket.
H
e
e
v
e
n
smile
d
a
t
a
n
attracti
v
e
woma
n
wh
o
sauntere
d
past,
he
r
purpl
e
jacke
t
s
w
ayin
g
a
s
sh
e
w
alke
d
b
y
hi
m
withou
t
the
slightest reaction.

Chapte
r
Fifteen
Kha
r
a

Victori
a
burst
through
the
door
of
the
apartment.
“Elias has agreed to help us.”

“The bracelets!”
Khara
exclaimed. “He
will
be
able
to
sell them?”

“It’
s
no
t
quit
e
a
s
simpl
e
a
s
that
,
bu
t
th
e
proces
s
i
s
under
w
ay. I
f
w
e
ha
d
mor
e
time
,
I
coul
d
safel
y
sa
y
yo
u
w
er
e
o
n
you
r
w
a
y
to
being a
v
ery rich girl. But having to sell on the black market—
w
ell,
w
e
’
re going to get far less than they
’
re worth.”

“W
e need only enough to get us to Egypt.”
Holding
up
the
Lady
of
the
Castle,
V
ictoria
shot
Khara
an
unrepentant smile. “I couldn’t gi
v
e this one up.”

Kha
r
a
’
s
e
y
e
s
w
e
r
e
mo
i
s
t
a
s
s
h
e
s
l
i
pp
e
d
th
e
b
r
a
c
e
l
e
t
o
n.
“Bless
you.
Did
I
tell
you
that
father
ga
v
e
this
to
me
the
day
he
died?”
She
kissed
each
of
V
ictoria’s
hands.
“I
had
no
hope
of
e
v
er seeing it again.”

“If
w
e come up short, you may not ha
v
e it for long.”

“Wha
t
I
wil
l
remember,
”
sh
e
enunciate
d
slo
w
ly
,
“i
s
tha
t
you
cared enough to bring it back to me.”

Exhalin
g
deeply
,
V
ictori
a
stretche
d
he
r
lon
g
limbs
.
“Now
comes the hardest part;
w
e
w
ait.”

“For how long?”

“M
y
uncl
e
wil
l
le
t
u
s
kno
w
a
s
soo
n
a
s
h
e
ha
s
an
y
news. I
n
th
e
meantime
,
w
e
’
l
l
ha
v
e
t
o
d
o
th
e
bes
t
w
e
can
.
I
f I
work fe
w
e
r
hours
, I
shoul
d
b
e
abl
e
t
o
ge
t
bac
k
b
y
earl
y
afternoon.
Something tells me,”
V
ictoria glanced up to the small room on the
second
floor
where
books
w
aited
in
neat
stacks
on
the
floor, “you’
v
e got more than enough to occupy your time.”

“I’
v
e
organized
the
first two
shel
v
es—science,
agriculture, history, and art.”

Th
e
nex
t
morning
,
the
y
embarke
d
o
n
thei
r
schedule.
Co
f
fe
e
i
n
hand
,
V
ictori
a
lef
t
Khar
a
t
o
o
f
fe
r
pra
y
er
s
befor
e
sh
e
plundere
d
th
e
library
.
Whil
e
d
w
ellin
g
o
n
th
e
infinite
possibilitie
s
tha
t
spran
g
fro
m
th
e
books
,
hour
s
dissol
v
e
d
into
days and days into
w
eeks, sometimes without a single thought of
her
father
or
Menefra.
E
v
en
Nandor
could
not
compete
with the
need
to
absorb
this
new,
individualistic
society.
Hers
w
as a
min
d
consume
d
wit
h
possibility
.
Slee
p
becam
e
impossible;
he
r
min
d
o
v
erflo
w
e
d
wit
h
vision
s
o
f
tree
s
wide
r
tha
n
a
boat,
an
d
dog-lik
e
beast
s
tha
t
at
e
honey
.
Th
e
ingeniou
s
transports
capti
v
ate
d
he
r
most
,
especiall
y
th
e
one
s
capabl
e
o
f
flight.
Could
a
mortal
tra
v
el
as
high
and
fast
as
the
gods?
The
thought mesmerized her.

As the days and
w
eeks passed, Khara faithfully made note
o
f
the
m
o
n
th
e
calendar
,
remindin
g
hersel
f
tha
t
i
f
the
y
could reall
y
tra
v
e
l
s
o
quickly
,
sh
e
stil
l
ha
d
time
.
A
n
opportunit
y
to
see what the world had become had been thrust upon her, and she
w
as determined that it would not be in
v
ain.
P
erhaps, she
considered
,
i
t
w
a
s
a
tes
t
t
o
se
e
i
f
sh
e
w
a
s
sufficientl
y
responsible.

Am
I?
By
her
count,
thirty-three
days
had
passed.
Fathe
r
’s
spiri
t
ha
d
joine
d
hi
s
ancestor
s
an
d
Osiri
s
t
o
ensur
e
Egypt’s
strength
in
the
absence
of
a
legitimate
ruler.
I
will
not
fail
you,
Father
,
she
thought
se
v
eral
times
a
day.
Time
became
both
her
friend and enemy.

One
midmorning,
after
defying
V
ictoria’s
wish
to
keep
the
windows
closed,
she
heard
a
musical
clanging. The
instrument
w
a
s
on
e
sh
e
coul
d
no
t
identify
,
bu
t
th
e
cal
l
t
o
worshi
p
w
as
indisputable
,
an
d
curiosit
y
force
d
he
r
t
o
follo
w
it
.
Egyptian
deities
w
ere
notoriously
temperamental
and
prone
to
mischief.
This,
coupled
with
their
unset
t
ling
silence,
convinced
her
that
a
pra
y
er or two to the local gods could not hurt.