THE BOOK OF THE DEAD

THE BOOK OF THE DEAD

JIM CARR

COPYRIGHT 2021 JamesWCarr

ISBN: 9781989425343

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by the author.

CHAPTER ONE

RaviGaber reached into his pocket to feel his knife.

Kate smiled at him, held up a small clay tablet that she had just translated, and walked towards him. “You and I are about to change the history books.”

Ravi read Neferetti’s name before she lowered the tablet.

“You and I shall share in this discovery.” She smiled at him again.

Ravi tried to hide the growing excitement in his voice. “What does it say?”

“That Nefertiti is not the daughter of Aye but his wine steward. Hard to believe the first archeologists didn’t discover it. It was hidden in the dust on the floor. I stubbed my toe on it just a minute or so.” She handed him the thin clay tablet. “See for yourself.”

Ravi, who could read ancient Egyptian as well as Kate, could scanned the tablet to confirm her translation and smiled – a cruel smile she had never seen on his dark face before. The candles that provided light in the gloom flickered uneasily. He looked down at his soiled shirt and trousers, grabbed the handle of his dagger, and thrust it at her. It had served him well. He found that it made people do things for him, and those who refused never lived to tell the tale.

“What’s this?” Kate couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She stepped into his circle.

“If you take one step further, I will slit your throat.” He pushed his arm out in her direction.

“You won’t get away with this.” Her heart was pounding in her ears, and she started breathing hard.

“We’ll see. But for now, this is my passport to a better life. I know your kind. Share with me in the discovery? That’s just talk. I’ve had to take orders from people like you with puffed-up self-importance for years.”

“That’s not true, Ravi. We have been together for almost three weeks. Have I not always kept my word?”

His face twisted in raw hate. “Now, back off.” Ravi poked the knife in her direction. She took a step back.

Ravi backed up slowly, still holding the knife in her direction. In the sunlight from the pyramid entrance, she saw how thin he was and the crazed look in his eyes. For the first time in her life, she didn’t know what to do.

“If you try to rush me, I will kill you.” He turned and ran up to the small entrance they had created. He slid his feet past the opening and disappeared in the late afternoon heat. Kate tiptoed to the entrance and peeked around the corner, careful not to make a sound. Her heart was pounding so hard she had trouble breathing. She held her breath as she glanced around the corner just in time to see him lever one of the rocks to block the entrance. He caught her looking at him and laughed.

She stood directly in the entrance. She knew Ravi could see her. “You can’t leave me here to die in the darkness. I will suffocate. Besides, I only showed you one tablet,” she managed to say just as he levered the second large stone to block the entrance completely. She backed away, feeling dizzy and rubbed her forehead. She tried to control her breathing, but her heart felt as though it would burst at any time.

The one remaining candle flickered, and she panicked. If it went out, she had no matches. It was using up the oxygen, but she needed it. She sat down on a low ledge. Her movements stirred the air, and the candle almost went out. That’s when she spotted the flashlight Ravi dropped when it fell from his jacket pocket when he threatened her. She stopped. She had to get control of herself, she thought. There’s always a solution if you think hard enough. That’s when she remembered something Professor Tilly said to her when she was with him on a dig in Tuscany as one of his students:

When you find yourself blocked, do what mice do. They don’t get upset. They just find another way to get in.

For the first time, she smiled. What did she know about the pyramid? Quite a few things, including that they built shafts, probably air shafts to let air in during construction. Perhaps, the room had one of these shafts, although it wasn’t likely. All the same, it was worth trying.

Hope flooded through her as she picked up the candle and felt around the room for a hint of air or a loose panel. No luck. The walls, plastered white, showed drawings of slaves cutting grain, others carrying grain, farmers ploughing fields, boats in the river, priests making offerings to Ammon, female dancers and musicians. There was a niche with the bust of

a young face on the far wall, probably, she thought, a child who had died early.

She replaced the candle on the main edge when she felt something pass over her feet. A snake. It raised its head, opened its jaws and hissed at her. She raised her leg in reaction and kicked it to the end of the room. She felt the dust move behind her feet and turned to see another snake slithering in her direction. She climbed atop the panel and watched it move in the direction of the other snake.

She stood there, frozen, heart pumping and breathing hard. At the rate she was going, she would never get out of there. She was finding it harder to breathe. The oxygen was getting thinner, and here she was, standing immobilized, scared to move. If there were two snakes, there had to be more.

The candle was almost at its end when she spotted something shining in the corner, where the panel ended against the wall. She knew she was rapidly running out of time and had to find out what it was. She stepped down slowly and took the three steps away to the shiny object when the candle died, leaving her in total darkness. Ravi’s flashlight was too far away to stretch, and she had to risk extending her hand into the corner where she last saw the silver object. Her hand felt around in the dust without success. She took another step closer and felt around again. She felt something. Something hard and smooth. She grasped it tightly and made her way back to the panel wall, and climbed atop of it again.

Kate placed the object between her legs and felt around for the flashlight. She knocked it to the floor beside her. It was too far down to grasp it and had to chance that the snakes had not returned. She put her right foot down and bent to feel around the dust for the flashlight, which she grasped on her first try. Kate could hear the snakes coming back and raised her leg to the safety of the ledge. She turned the flashlight on and could see them move away when she shone the flashlight on them. Kate smiled a second time. She still had to found her way out of there yet, but she felt better somehow. She held the object up against the light. It looked like a tool, a carving tool, perhaps, and the hook at the end suggested something more. Whatever it was, it was a good omen.

Kate shone the light at the opposite wall, where the bust in a niche looked back at her. It was the only place she hadn’t checked. She had no idea where the snakes were but knew that the light sent them away. It might work again if she examined the niche and bust in it. She climbed down and headed for the opposite wall, shining the flashlight on the floor. She was right. She looked down to see something move away from her in the dust.

The bust had stood there for thousands of years, and she wondered what its purpose was. This was not a burial chamber. And there was no reason for a bust to be there. It was made of stone and heavy to move. She held the flashlight between her legs and moved the bust from its place. All at once, the wall began to move with a heavy creaking noise, and she suddenly found herself in another chamber as the wall moved back into place. Kate played the flashlight all around the room, which led to another chamber on her right, which, she judged, was closer to the outer wall.

She shone the light to the right wall, and there it was. A shaft open for all the world to see. Her heart was racing now as she approached it and shone her flashlight up the shaft. It was a narrow air shaft, but she knew this was her one chance to escape. She held the flashlight in the crook of her right arm, clasped both hands, and crawled her way in. The shaft was narrower than she judged. The edges scraped her arms and thighs as she slowly clawed her way ahead. There were places where it was slippery and which sent her back a few feet each time. As she neared the end, she could faintly hear muffled voices. She froze, unsure what to do. She couldn’t go back to certain death. She turned off the flashlight and continued her climb close to the outside. She breathed in the pure air once again.

The voices were louder now. Kate knew enough Egyptian to recognize the word for light. She turned the flashlight on again and started to claw her way to the opening.

Two faces looked down at her. One of them reached out and grabbed her hand, and helped her wiggle out of the shaft. They spoke to her in Egyptian, but she shook her head. The younger one looked at her face and dark blond hair in the moonlight and talked to her in English.

“How did you come to be locked inside a pyramid, lady?”

“My guide sealed me inside the pyramid and left me to die. He threatened to kill me with a knife if I tried to stop him from sealing me in the tomb. I’m an archeologist.” She had to get her breath before adding: “Thank God you’ve found me. I need to get to Cairo. Can either of you help me? I’m prepared to pay for your help.”

“My son has a motorbike. He will take you there,” said the old man.

“What about you? We can’t leave you here by yourself.”

“I will be all right, lady. I have been haunting these places long before he was born. I am a grave robber.” He rubbed his chin and smiled at her. Three of his front teeth were missing, and he tended to wipe his mouth when speaking. He and his son wore dark clothes, and both of them threw back their heads when they laughed.

“At first, when we saw you,” said his son, a young man about 21, with

dark eyes and a handsome face, “my father thought you might be an evil spirit. But I knew differently when I saw the light from your flashlight” He was dressed in the latest clothing style and his pomenated hair shone in the moonlight. “In the daytime, I work at the Museum of Antiquities in Cairo.”

“Then you must know Dr. Ramsis. I was at his office three weeks ago.”

“He is too high up for me to know. My name is Zahur. I am a junior archaeologist. Did you find anything interesting?”

“Yes. That is why my guide sealed me up in the pyramid and left me to die there so that he could take credit for my discovery. You may know him, Ravi Gaber. If you don’t, stay clear of him. He will do you no good.”

“I am Ahmose,” said his father in Egyptian, his eyes shone like a mirror of the bright moon.

Kate shook his hand. “I am Kate Winters, lawyer and amateur archaeologist.”

He nodded and smiled at her.

Zahur helped her down the stones and led her to where he parked his motorbike in dense shadows of the pyramid. She was surprised at how cold the night had become and shivered. All she was wearing was a cotton blouse and slacks. Zahur looked at her and took off his jacket, and handed it to her. “You need this more than I do.”

His father waved to them as they left the sight and disappeared into the shadows with his shovel.

Zahur slowed down his motorbike. “There is an old temple which I know. Someone told me that they still worship Ammon there on nights of the full moon.” He glanced at the moon. “Are you game?”

“Lead the way,” she said, as he fired up his motorbike and headed in a different direction with the wind blowing sand in her mouth, which she kept spitting out, and her hair over her eyes.

About 30 minutes later, Zahur slowed down his motorbike. “We’re approaching the old temple now. Whatever you do, talk in whispers when we stop. We do not want to be discovered.”

She laughed. “Now, you tell me.”

He stopped his motorbike a five-minute walk from the temple. “We walk the rest of the way.”

They could hear chanting when they neared the temple. Zahur parked his motorbike in the shadows and made signs for them to edge closer to the temple’s outer chamber.

The chanting continued, and after a few minutes. Zahur rose and pulled her away with him. “They are talking about offering a human sacrifice to Ammon. This is no place for us.”

A man, tall and wearing white trousers and a shirt, emerged from the shadows. “Sacrifice. I don’t believe it,” he whispered in a decided Australian accent. They moved beyond the temple. “Before I ask you what this is all about, let me introduce myself. Ken Taylor. I’m a freelance photographer for an Australian magazine. I can’t speak for your offsider,” he said to Kate, “but I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“I’m Kate. Kate Winters. Amateur archaeologist and lawyer. My companion, who just rescued me from a pyramid, is Zahur. He works at the Cairo Institute of Antiquities.”

Zahur shook hands with Ken. “I’m heading out, with or without you,” he said to Kate.

“If you decide to stay,” said Ken, “I have a bike and can take you to Cairo if you choose to stay.”

Kate nodded and felt into her trouser pocket and passed Zahur a banknote. Zahur shook his head. Kate put it in his hand and closed it. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

Zahur walked away from the temple before starting his motorbike and disappearing into the night.

“Your friend is a careful young man,” Ken whispered as they reached the outer chamber. He picked up his camera and flash, stepped back and took a picture of the high priest, who had his arms raised.

Ken rolled his film and took a few steps nearer, tripping over his camera bag and falling headlong into the temple.

A cry went up immediately. “Infidels,” shouted the high priest as he took off his mask. It was Ravi Gaber.

CHAPTER TWO

Katestepped back into the shadows and tried to escape in the darkness but stopped. Someone grabbed both Kate’s ankles and hauled her back into the outer chamber. An older man with a shaved head wearing a light brown robe helped Kate to her feet and pushed her into the temple, lit by a hundred or more torches. Two rows of men with shaved heads and wearing similar robes slapped her with wide wood bats until she stood before Ravi.

Ravi raised his hands. “I know this evil woman who tried to seal me inside one of the pyramids earlier today. She didn’t know I had a secret exit. Set be praised.” The others echoed his words as the temple suddenly became silent.

Kate shook herself free from the two priests who held her arms on either side and turned to face the others. “He lies. He threatened me with a knife.”

“She lies, like all foreigners and unbelievers.”

“Sacrifice her to Set,” the other priests kept shouting over and over. Ravi held up his arms again. He was dressed as Set, the God of the desert, storm and evil, with a black headdress with a long nose of an anteater and a dog’s ears and holding a staff. His arms had blue bands, and he wore a yellow and white kilt with a blue belt with a length that touched the floor. “And the other infidel with her.”

Ken shook himself free and pushed back his hair. “I am a photographer for a big magazine. I want to show the world how you have brought Ammon back to life and encourage others to do the same. It will return Egypt to its former glory and you,” he said with a bow to Ravi, “and you others will be revered for eternity.”

There was a loud murmur as the other priests talked among themselves. Ravi pounded his wood staff on the stone floor. In the silence that followed, he lifted his staff to the statue of Ammon and shouted: “There is no other god but Ammon.”

The other priests shouted his words over and over until Ravi raised his staff again. Kate didn’t like the way this was turning, and she raised her hands. “I agree with you all. It is the reason I came to Egypt. I was looking for signs in the pyramid to give me a clue where I might find you. When I was sealed in the pyramid, Ammon showed me not just how to escape but that I should travel the world and tell everyone I meet that Ammon had risen from the dust and his kingdom will once again arise from the mists of time.”

The priest, who was translating her words for the others, bowed to her as the others began mumbling among themselves.

Ravi raised his staff. “Set told me that an infidel would arise in our midst when we least expected it and mock us in front of the world. Set has also told me that we must sacrifice these infidels .”

“Sacrifice them, sacrifice them,” suddenly became a chant rising at each turn until it became deafening.

Ravi smiled. “You escaped once, but you will be sorry you did once the flames devour your body.” He raised his eyes to the ceiling, where a steel cage swung from a large hook. The cage creaked as it was slowly levered to floor level. “The woman who defiled Ammon’s temple will go first.”

One of the priests opened the door and pushed her inside. Kate swung and knocked him down. It was an older man, and she suddenly felt sorry. Two other priests grabbed her and dragged her to the cage, where she was pushed inside. She pushed them away and tried to run out of the enclosure but was stopped before she got ten steps away. Two more priests dragged her to the cage. One of them pushed her inside, and the other slammed the door shut. Then they all moved back from the centre of the room as the floor suddenly opened. Bright flames from the fire below brightened the faces of those nearest to the fire. They raised the cage slowly to the ceiling while the monks prostrated themselves, and Ravi led them in a chant to Ammon. When their prayer ended, four of the monks went to the back of the room and started to lower the cage, stopping it two feet above the fire.

A stranger suddenly appeared in the back of the temple. It was Zahur, with fireworks in his hands. He was lighting them from a cigarette, sending bright yellow and red and explosions amid the monks. Ravi was shouting at them, but the cries from the monks drowned out his voice.

Ken threw off the monks holding his arms, and headed for the cage. Kate saw him standing just below her.

“Open the door and jump. I’ll break your fall.”

She opened the door and stood at the edge of the cage and the heat

from the fire. She was uneasy about heights and was shaking.

“Jump. While you still have the chance.”

Kate closed her eyes and, a second later, found herself on top of him. He pushed her off and helped her up. Now, let’s get to hell out of here.” He grabbed her arm and pushed her to the entrance, where Zahur was still sending off fireworks. Zahur followed them out the door.

Two of the temple guards saw what was happening and ran after them but had no idea what direction they were heading in the darkness. Zahur and Ken headed for their motorbikes. Kate decided to go with Zahur, and seconds later, they were speeding their way to Cairo, first over the sands and finally to a road that led to the city. Kate kept looking back and spotted lights trailing them at a distance.

“They’re trying to catch us,” she yelled in Zahur’s ear, loud enough that Ken heard her as well. “They seem to be gaining on us. The next few minutes were heart pounding as the bikes behind them were getting closer. She could hear the sound of bullets whistle by them. “Did you hear that?”

“There’s a fork in the road not too far from here. The one on the right gets you there sooner. We’ll take the longer route. I’m betting they’ll think we’ll take the shorter route.”

At the fork in the road, they paused for a few seconds. “I’ll meet you both at the Pig’s Sty for a beer when you get there,” said Ken, revving up his engine and heading down the right road.

Kate kept looking back. The road was still dark, and for the first time, she started breathing naturally again. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you,” she shouted in Zahur’s ear. “You saved me twice.”

“Twice is lucky,” shouted Zahur and pointed ahead, where the first houses and stores began to appear and best of all when they started into town and safety of street lights, people and traffic.

They reached the Pig’s Sty about 20 minutes later. It lived up to its name. Ash butts littered the floor from overturned trays, and broken glass bits had been swept near the door. One of the waiters, who looked he hadn’t shaved or changed his clothes in a week, came to their table. Ken noticed them at once and stood and waved his arms

“We see our friend. We’ll sit with him,” said Kate, leading the way.

The waiter followed them. “The same what’s you’re havin’?”

Ken looked at Kate and Zahur, who nodded. She looked around and hunched her shoulders. The waiter moved around the tables, a couple of them with broken chairs leaning against them and walked around the bar, which had been painted dark brown and showed signs of peeling, to talk to a young woman, who was drying a glass while he spoke. She wore a

low-cut yellow blouse and a blue barrette in her brown hair. She had a pretty face that most men found attractive. Beyond the bar area, she could see what looked like a kitchen, with an older man with grey hair, wearing a naval cap on the back of his head.

“I’m scared to ask, but do they serve food here? I haven’t eaten since lunch since yesterday.”

Ken smiled at her. “Believe it or not, they happen to have the best fish and chips in Cairo. When he brings us our beer and chasers, I’m ordering fish and chips. How about you and Zahur?”

Kate nodded. “What kind of fish?”

“Haddock. How about you, Zahur?”

“I’ve never eaten them in my life, but I’d love to try. I’d like to make another confession. I’ve never drunk a whiskey and a beer chaser before either.” He hid his mouth with his hand and looked down. In the light, his face somehow looked younger.

“You saved our bacon, you know,” said Ken. “Whatever gave you the idea to show up with those fireworks?”

“I had a feeling you might be discovered and felt guilty leaving you both there to the mercy of those people, especially after hearing them chanting human sacrifice. There is a small village not far from the temple, and I drove there to find something to free you in the event you were discovered. They happened to sell souvenirs, including fireworks. As soon as I saw the fireworks, I knew I would never find anything better. I used your five-pound note to buy them.”

He bowed his head. Kate lifted his chin. “You’re among friends, Zahur. We certainly think you’re our friend.” She lifted her nose. The smell of urine drifted in from the toilet near the entrance as someone opened and closed the door.

“Out of curiosity, how did you ever find this place?”

“One of the English journalists told me about it. I almost gagged the first time I came with him. But once I got used to the smell and tried their fish and chips, I’ve been one of their loyal customers ever since.’

“If anyone did manage to follow us in town, they’re not apt to go looking for us here. But you never know.”

Kate and Ken laughed when Zahur gulped down his shot of whiskey. His face turned red, and he began to choke. Kate rubbed his back and Ken, his chest. “Here,” he said, placing Zahur’s beer glass to his lips, “it’s part of the ritual. Both Kate and I have gone through it, too. The beer will help.”

The young lady behind the counter brought their fish and chips and smiled at Ken. “I thought it was you. Thanks for introducing this lady and

her friend. I’m glad you’ve come back. Who was that bloke that came with you yesterday?”

“Al Dunfield, a journalist friend from England, licked his lips.. “He thought you were quite a Shiela.”

“Tell him I’d chat him up any day of the week. “ She glanced at our waiter. “My father thought he was a bit too chatty with him. Do me a favour, Luv, and bring him here next time you come. I won’t forget it.”

It was at that point four Egyptian men suddenly appeared at the door. She left them at that point to seat the newcomers, who brushed her aside. Her father, who saw what was happening, grabbed his cricket bat and headed in their direction.

“If you’re spoilin’ for trouble, you came to the right place. Either state your business or leave.”

“We have business with these three people,” said the youngest one, pointing at Ken and Kate.

The waiter turned to them. “Do you have business with these blokes?”

Ken shook his head. “They’re spoiling for a fight, in fact, even tried to have us killed.”

The waiter raised his bat. “Leave now if you know what’s right for you.”

“We’ll be waiting,” said the younger one and spat on the floor as they turned to leave.

The waiter came to their table. “If it’s none of my business, say so, but what kind of beef do these blokes have with you?”

“We went to an old temple in the desert, and they were part of a group of people dressed like monks who discovered us watching their ceremony. They were going to throw us into a fire pit, but thanks to this lad,” he added, nodding to Zahur, “we were able to escape. If we go out, they will surely try to kill us.”

The waiter brushed the grey stubble on his chin. “It’s time to bring in the army police.” He turned to his daughter, now behind the bar, “call up Tom Higgins. Tell him we got a gang outside my place waiting to kill two of my patrons. Tell him to come armed and with some of his pals.”

“I never dreamed they would find us here,” said Ken. “We’re sorry if we caused you any trouble.”

“You’re a regular. I recognize your mug. Regulars get first-class treatment. “

Ken ordered another round of beers and sat back. “Wait until I tell the others about this. I’ll make a point of bringing Al Desmond with me tomorrow. You’re welcome to join us. It should be quite a show with the

barmaid.”

The military police arrived ten minutes later. There were six of them. Sgt. Higgins, a tall, barrel-chested man with a stiff military bearing, marched up to the waiter. “We saw your troublemakers lingering on your doorstep, Harry. I told them if they didn’t disappear by the time I counted ten, we would lock them up and throw away the key. They won’t bother you again.”

“Have a beer, Tom.”

“I’m on duty. Maybe next time, when I’m in for fish and chips.”

The waiter nodded to his daughter, who was drawing a new beer. She put it on a tray and presented it to the sergeant, who took off his hat and sat down at a table nearby. “Just this once.”

The three of them left with Sgt. Higgins and his men escorted her to her hotel while Ken and Zahur on their bikes sped off on their own once they neared their barracks.

“Would any of them know where you are staying?” said Sgt. Higgins.

“There is a possibility. One of them knows and will tell the others.”

“Then pack your bag, check out, and we’ll escort you to another place. A piece of advice, miss, I’d have a couple of friends around you at all times.”

CHAPTER THREE

Katechecked in at a hotel near the military base, frequented by elderly tourists who had come to Cairo to see the pyramids, as well as the husbands and wives of senior government officials. There was always a guard on duty outside, night and day. She loved the lobby, filled with tropical plants and a wonderful citrus scent that floated in the air. A young man, standing behind the hotel’s front desk, greeted her and had her sign in with a straight pen, in which she dipped the nib in bright blue ink. Her hands still shook a bit, and she had to take extra care to sign her signature. On the wall behind were three clocks. One with Cairo time at the left, another with London time in the middle and one with New York time at the right. She smiled as a young Egyptian bellboy picked up her bag and led her to the elevator and her room. The elevator had a grilled front door, which the bellboy shut before they ascended to the third floor.

The first thing she did was take a bath. She felt dirty all over. She poured water into the tub and added sweet-smelling salts to the whirling water and stepped into it, sat down and laid back and closed her eyes. It was like heaven. She knew she had to think about what to do next. But it was not what she could deal with now. It had to wait for the morning.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her dark blond hair, cut short before her trip to Egypt, cried to be washed. Her brown eyes looked tired, and her thin cheeks coloured bronze, lighter than normal. She stood and felt she was a bit shorter than when she went to Egypt. She smiled as she turned in front of the mirror. She still had a figure that would turn heads.

Later, when she had dressed and slid between the sheets, she knew she had to do one thing before anything else. She had to see Sumar Ramsis, curator of the Cairo Museum of Antiquities. She pulled the sheet over her head and closed her eyes.

Kate got out of the taxi and paused before walking down the cement walkway to the museum. She opened the glass door, entered, and was immediately stopped by one of the guards standing just inside.

“Do you have an appointment, miss?” said the guard, a tall young man with a smooth tanned face and dark eyes that seemed to sum her up.

“No. But I’m here to see Dr. Ramsis. If you tell him Kate Winters wants to see him, I’m sure he’ll want to see me.”

The guard bent and lifted the receiver of the black phone from the small desk behind him and talked in Egyptian to someone. A minute later, the phone rang. She could see him nod and replace the receiver.

“Dr. Ramsis will see you now. Do you know the way?”

Kate nodded and walked down a long corridor lined with Egyptian artifacts and statues in high glass cabinets. Dr. Ramsis was standing outside his office and held out his hand when she reached him. “I had a hunch I would be seeing you this morning,” he said as he led her inside his office.

He sat next to her on a large sofa covered with scenes of ancient Egyptian life. The carpet on the floor showed woven images of some of the museum’s most famous artifacts.

“I had a very harrowing experience yesterday. The guide you recommended, Ravi Gaber, attempted to lock me inside the pyramid. He drew a knife and threatened to kill me if I attempted to escape. This was after I had made a great discovery concerning Nefertiti. By pure accident, I found one of the shafts that led to the outside and was rescued by two grave robbers.”

Dr. Ramsis arched his fingers together and cleared his throat. “You should be aware that Gaber came to see me as soon as the museum opened. He told me a similar story, except that he had made a great discovery and that you tried to leave him to die as you blocked his way out of the pyramid, but thanks to all the gods, he was able to find a place where he could crawl out of the pyramid and escape.”

“That’s a lie. You know me enough to know that this is not how I live or treat people.”

Dr. Ramsis bent his head and looked at his folded hands.

“There’s also something you should be aware of. When I escaped, I was led to one of the old temples, where they performed some of the old rites performed. You may be interested in knowing that the high priest was Ravi Gaber and tried to have us thrown into a pit of fire, but the person who brought me there found a way to help me escape Gaber’s clutches again.”

Dr. Ramsis brushed his balding head and shook his head. “Anything else?”

“Nothing. But you might consider having one of your guards with you should he wish to see you again. Or see you home. Especially if he believes you know about his role as the high priest.”

Dr. Ramsis removed his glasses and rubbed them with a handkerchief. He bit his lower lip. “I’ll do a bit of digging on my own and see what others can tell me about him. In the meantime, I would suggest that you take precautions about your safety when walking outside without guards with you.”

Gaber watched her leave and bit his lip. He felt for his knife again but knew he could do little about her at the moment. He would get her before she left Cairo. He would sneak into her hotel and find a way to get into her room and silence her forever. That left Ramsis. Who knows what he heard from her or if he believed anything she told him. He was wise to get to Ramsis before she did and plant seeds of doubt in anything she might have told him. He watched her disappear inside a taxi and bit his lip again.

He decided not to see Ramsis again at the Museum. It was too risky. It was best to wait until he left and then accost him in a place where no one could see what was happening. He felt for his knife and felt strong again.

He ate at a small café not far from the museum, a hangout for some of his friends. He felt into his pocket and pulled out a few coins. Enough for a coffee. He should have held her up when she was still in the pyramid. She had money to throw away. He wouldn’t make that mistake again. If he only knew where she was staying. Perhaps Ramsis might know.

He left a few minutes later and walked down to the waterfront. He looked through the window to see her sitting with three army officers. He would wait outside and follow her to where she stayed and hold her up and kill her there. He looked up at the sky. The clouds were parting, and the sun suddenly came out. Two beggars approached him with their hands out. He showed his teeth to them and made a hissing noise. It was enough the drive them away.

Kate and her friends emerged about an hour later, laughing as they walked down the street away from the harbour. They stopped about 30 minutes later at a small hotel. One of the soldiers escorted her into the lobby. Gaber followed them in and watched them climb the stairs to her room. He let them disappear before following them up the stairs, just in time to see them enter her room. Gaber walked to the door. He could hear them laughing again and walked down the end of the corridor to wait until the

soldier disappeared.

It was some time before they emerged. Kate was dressed in a new outfit, and the soldier was carrying her suitcase. They were leaving. He couldn’t afford to see her go. He ran after them, his knife in his hand and stabbed the soldier in his back before the soldier or Kate knew he was there. She glanced back and saw her face and screamed. He lunged for her, but she ran down the hall screaming. Doors opened, and everyone could get a glimpse of his face. He pulled his cap over his eyes. He ran as he could past her and down the stairs two at a time and out the door and into the crowd before Kate reached the lobby and into the arms of the two other soldiers.

“That man, who just ran past you, stabbed Gerry in the back.”

Some of the people from the other arms followed her. “He’s still alive but needs help now.

“I’ll call for an ambulance,” said the younger one. The other officer raced up the stairs and found Gerry lying back down. He was barely breathing. “Talk to me. Stan has called for an ambulance, which should be here at any minute. Just talk to me.” He knelt and held Gerry in his arms, using his handkerchief to staunch the blood oozing outside Gerry’s shirt.

The ambulance arrived a few minutes later, had him on a stretcher in two minutes flat, and took him down the corridor. Kate, who had come with the ambulance attendants, looked at Brent, the younger officer. “I’ll never forgive myself if Gerry dies.”

“He’s a tough old bird. He’s had worse wounds than that and survived. I gather this is the bloke who sealed you up in the pyramid,” he said as they made their way down the corridor and into the lobby. Brent called for a military guard to take her for the steamer that was leaving that night.”

Gaber knew she was leaving Cairo in a matter of minutes when he saw the soldier carrying her suitcase. He knew he couldn’t afford to have her leave Egypt without killing her and knew he would become a wanted man in Cairo if he did and who knows what she told Ramsis. Gaber had to get to Ramsis as well and tie up any remaining loose ends. He spotted four soldiers with machine guns slung over their shirts escort her to a taxi that rolled up in front of the hotel. He tried to follow them on foot but gave up as they turned one corner after another on their way to the harbour front.

He walked the rest of the way until he reached the harbour. There were several passenger ships tied up at the wharves. He walked by each one in

search of a ship heading for Europe. Looking at the pier further down the harbour, he spotted two soldiers with machine guns examining the papers of everyone who tried to enter the gangplank. His heart leaped. He shook his head with their stupidity. They were advertising what ship she was on.

Gaber spotted three young Egyptian men carrying large baskets of fruit and vegetables and asked the leading carrier if he could help them aboard with their loads. They stopped and gave him a huge smile, downloading some fruit and vegetables into two other baskets. He passed by the soldiers who examined the papers of the leading carrier and waved them through. Gaber smiled. It was almost too easy. He followed the other carriers to the ship’s kitchen, downloaded his fruits and vegetables, leaving them as they proceeded to make his way down one of the carriers. He guessed she would choose a room with a porthole.

Two doors opened, and a man and a woman emerged from their rooms, and then a third. It was Kate. She was letting out the soldier who had escorted her to her room. He walked past him, taking no notice of Gaber, who had picked up a food tray near one of the doors. He knew now what cabin she was in. His heart began to race as he walked slowly down the corridor to her door. She opened it a minute later. He pushed her inside and slammed the door shut before she had a chance to scream.

She was trembling. “What do you want?”

“Your money. All you have.”

Kate went to her purse and drew out some bills and threw them at him. “That’s all I have.” Her hand trembled.

He could sense her fear and smiled. “We have a score to settle, you and I. You went to see Dr. Ramsis, and I can only guess what you told him. That wasn’t very smart. Now I must make sure you never tell another living soul.

Kate moved closer to the bathroom. That would be her best bet, she thought.

Gaber could see what she was doing and blocked her way. He withdrew his knife slowly, savouring it every minute, as he passed it under her nose. “Did I ever tell you I’m an expert at cutting throats?”

He raised his hand, and before he could strike, someone booted in her door. It was the soldier who had escorted her aboard. He had unslung his machine gun and pointed it at Gaber, who lowered his knife and put it in his trouser pocket. Gaber raised his hands and moved closer to him.

“Not too close.” He had turned to look at Kate, who was still shivering. “Go and tell my two friends that I have your would-be murderer at gunpoint and to come in a hurry.”

Kate returned a few minutes later with the two soldiers. Gaber was sitting in a chair near her berth. “You’ve got it all wrong, gentlemen,” he said in a whining voice. “I was merely demonstrating to Miss Kate how I would deal with anyone who tried to kill her.”

They tied his hands behind his back and escorted him up the stairs to the deck and towards the gangplank when Gaber suddenly dashed for it, using his tied hands to flip himself over the railing.

They rushed to the railing. There was no sign of Gaber in the dark blue water. “I told you guys to keep the barrel of your gun in his back.”

“He’ll not be able to do much with his hands tied behind his back. He’ll be very, very lucky if he ever bobs to the surface. You,” said the sergeant,” stay here and keep watch, and you,” he said to the other, “watch the other deck.” *** Gaber held his breath and manoeuvred his tied hands to his right pocket, where he kept his knife. It was hard to get his hand through his pocket, now wet and clinging to his body, no luck. He moved his legs towards the end of the boat. He was ready to burst. He had to chance it and kicked himself up above the surface and let out the air. He glanced up to the railing to see one of the soldiers looking at the water below. He smiled again as he made another attempt to get his hands into his right pocket if he could only get his trouser pocket to stop clinging to his skin.

Time to try something else. He dove down into the water again, where he could bend his legs and manoeuvre his tied hands in front of him and use his feet to push himself further down the pier to where he might find a ladder and use his hands to help himself up it.

CHAPTER FOUR

He had a tormented night. He didn’t know if she had told the soldiers his name and if she did when they would come looking for him. But first, he had to deal with Ramsis, who had listened to him and kept nodding as Gaber made his case to him, or if he believed her story over his. He was a loose end and needed to handle that before he did anything else. He would talk to him and see if the older man believed him.

His one-room rental was hot and sticky. It was already mid-morning, and he rose from his cot and poured water from a cracked pitcher into the basin on the counter, where he washed and prepared his food. There was nothing left. He had eaten the last bit of bread the night before. He would need to get more, but he had only a few coins left. Maybe he could steal it when the baker wasn’t looking. He looked into the mirror. He needed to shave. He lathered his hands with the pale blue cake of soap and used his knife’s blade to cut off the dark hair on his cheeks, neck and chin. He would leave the growth beneath his nose to another time. It might come in handy, he thought with a smile, and help him evade capture, Gaber left shortly after one o’clock. First stop, the rear of his lodgings, where he could look among the scraps left by diners, dumped in large pails from behind the restaurant on the street next to him. He lifted the cover of the nearest bucket and put it back almost immediately. The smell almost made him sick to his stomach. The next pail was virtually the same. By the fourth pail, he was convinced luck was against him today. The fourth pail yielded three whole croissants. He stuffed them into his jacket pocket and dug deeper with his right hand, and felt a slice of bacon and another slice deeper down.

Gaber walked down the street, washing his hands at a fountain, where horses and donkeys lapped up the water. His hands were slimy, and it took

a few minutes to get all the slime off of them. He reached into his pockets and finished two of the croissants within a minute or two. The two bacon slices were still slimy, and he washed them off in the fountain before eating them with the last croissant.

He felt new again. His arms no longer felt sore from his adventure in the harbour, and he decided to make his way to The Cairo Museum of Antiquities. He found a spot at a nearby bench where he could doze off while he waited for Ramsis. Children played in a nearby fountain, with their mothers watching them nearby as they chatted among themselves.

When the children left to leave with their mothers, Gaber took his shirt and jacket off and washed them in the fountain. He laid them out on the bench next to him dozed off again.

He woke suddenly. A soldier was standing over him. “I’ve been watching you all day. Grab your clothes and hop it.” Gaber could feel anger rise within him but decided to be agreeable. “Sorry, I felt hot. My clothes felt damp, and so I washed them. I’m sorry if it’s against the law.”

The soldier smacked his left hand with his baton. “Just hop it.”

“Could you afford a shilling? I haven’t eaten in two days.” Gaber held out his hand.

The soldier felt into his pocket and came up with three copper coins. “Now, hop it.”

Gaber thanked him and put on his shirt and jacket. For all his fears, the soldier didn’t recognize him. He smiled for the first time as he walked down the street away from the museum. He needed to be prepared when Ramsis left and see which direction he was heading.

He sat down on another bench and felt thirsty, and looked around for a fountain. There wasn’t any. That’s when he spotted Ramsis, who had opened his umbrella to keep himself out of the sun. Ramsis was heading in the opposite direction. He broke up into a run, past the fountain, where he paused for a few seconds to drink some water and then breaking into a run again. It didn’t take long to catch up with Ramsis so that he stayed a few paces behind him.

The street had suddenly come alive as people emerged from their offices to walk in the street. Gaber moved closer, using the people in front of him as shields should Ramsis suddenly look back. The crowd slowly became thinner. He felt for his knife and smiled. He made mistakes yesterday, and he certainly wasn’t going to repeat them. He had to be quick and move quickly out of sight afterwards.

He looked ahead. There was a park only a few blocks away, and the fates were with him. There were only three or four people ahead of him

and might be recognized, and it was time for him to have a story ready in case Ramsis suddenly looked behind him. Ramsis stopped at the next corner and waited for the lights to change. He looked in front of him and then behind him before turning his head and walking across the street. Ramsis hadn’t noticed him.

The park was a block ahead, and there was no one in front of him now. Ramsis swung his briefcase in his right hand and turned left into the park. Gaber slowed down and counted to ten before turning the corner. He could see a clump of bushes ahead and increased his step so that he would be behind Ramsis just they went past the bushes.

Gaber rushed and pushed him into the bushes. Ramsis had lost his glasses in the tumble and kept saying, “Where are my glasses? Where are my glasses?”

Gaber hovered over him and withdrew his knife from his pocket.

Ramsis could see what was about to happen and tried to shield his face from the knife with his briefcase. “Take my money but leave me alone.”

Ramsis didn’t recognize him. Gaber reached into his pocket for his knife and slit Ramsis’s throat before Ramsis knew what was happening. Blood gushed into his hands and made them sticky. Ramsis gurgled and suddenly stopped moving. Gaber used his elbow to remove Ramsis’s briefcase to make sure he was dead. He found Ramsis’s wallet, sticking halfway out of his pocket. He opened it, withdrew all the bills and counted them quickly. Enough to keep him going for six months. He decided to take the wallet with him and get rid of it elsewhere.

He stood and used the leaves to remove most of the blood from his hands and left the park. His ears throbbed with excitement, and he suddenly realized how hard he was breathing.

He turned and walked back in the direction of his room. He needed to wash his hands and stuck them into his pockets as he walked in search of a fountain, making a mental note to wash his shirt, jacket and trousers when he returned. He couldn’t afford to be caught on some stupid slip up now. ***

Gaber opened his eyes. Sunlight was streaming through the window in his room, and he could feel the excitement welling up inside him as he thought to himself he had carried it out flawlessly. His clothes had dried from the washing when he came back. He put them on slowly.

He could go to that restaurant and eat there but thought better of it. He did not want to be noticed spending a lot of money. It would only draw

attention to himself. There were plenty of carts where he could get a good breakfast for a coin or two.

He walked out into the street and stopped at the newspaper vendor’s shop, where he bought a newspaper. It was a front-page story and a picture of Ramsis lying on the ground where he had left him. He scanned the report. It indicated that the police had a lead. It came from a soldier who described him exactly, even to what he wore.

He felt himself freeze. He touched his mustache and tried to smile but felt suddenly conscious of being looked at. There was a seller of second-hand clothes down the street, and he stopped there and bought a white cotton suit, a shirt, and a yellow tie. His shoes would have to do.

Gaber walked back to his room, turning his face from everyone he passed. No one seemed to take any notice of him. He felt a heavy weight lifted off his back when he opened the door to his room. He burned the clothes he was wearing in the small stove at the other end of the room. He had one other shirt and trousers. He put them on and went to get enough food to last him a week. He needed to do a lot of hard thinking. It wouldn’t be long before they’d track him down, and he needed to move on before they did.

He had an idea, which had been in his head for a few months. He discovered that a mummy that no one knew where it came from and that only recently believed it belonged to the ancient Etruscans and that the writing was prayers for the dead. The more he thought about it, the more he liked it.

Gaber smiled, and for the first time in two days, he relaxed. It meant going to Italy and meeting someone who could get him into the Italian government’s upper levels, where he could spin his story and suggest that he be authorized to undertake a dig to discover where to find this prophecy.

The first thing he needed was a passport. He had a friend who could forge one for him. He heard that the military police were looking for him and that he had gone into hiding. Maybe one of his friends might be able to help him find someone who might be able to do this.

There was a knock on his door. He didn’t answer it and tried to calm himself—another loud knock and then someone using a key to open his door.

His landlord stood in the doorway. “Why didn’t you answer?”

“Two British soldiers tracked you down here and asked if you still lived here. I told them you had left two weeks ago. What’s this all about? I do not want to get into trouble.”

His landlord, Akil, was old for his years. He had a grey beard and a thin face with dark brown eyes that darted around the room, noticing that amount of food on the counter behind Gaber. He was shorter than Gaber and looked thin and frail. He kept rubbing his brown hands as he waited for an answer.

“It’s about one of the people who escorted me to the pyramids. When we finished, she refused to pay me, so I took grabbed her purse and took what she owed me.”

His landlord had a raspy voice. “I have a feeling it was for more than that.”

Gaber found a one pound note and passed it to him, and tried to smile. “Thank you for helping me.”

Another knock a few minutes later. He recognized Jabare’s voice and opened the door immediately. “The very person I need to see,” said Gaber with a smile.

The police are after you in a big way. They’re calling in favours. If I were you, I’d disappear in a hurry. “

“The military police were already here, and my landlord told them I had moved two weeks go.”

“That doesn’t mean they won’t come back.”

“I agree.” Then after a pause. “Do you know where I can find Hager? I understand he’s also gone underground. I need a passport.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” ***

Hager knocked on his door in the afternoon. He was dressed as an 80-year-old lame man, who used a cane to get around, and had grown a beard he had dyed grey.

“I hear you need a passport.”

Gaber poured him a coffee and made a place for him on the edge of his bed.

“I need to get out of Egypt in a real hurry. Can you help me?”

Hager reached inside his jacket and produced a camera. “I will need your picture,” he said with an easy laugh. It might help you dressed like a businessman or someone important.”

Gaber raised his finger, went to his closet, and put on a shirt and tie and his new white suit.

“You’ve come up in the world.”

Gaber tried to laugh, but nothing came out.”

Hager had him stand in the sunlight, aimed his camera and took three shots. “One of them will be perfect.” He looked around. “You wouldn’t

have something stronger? I’m sick of drinking coffee.”

Gaber shook his head and stood. “When can I expect to get the passport?”

“In two days. I usually want my money upfront, but half upfront will do because we go back a long way. I have people to pay for this.”

***

Hager appeared right to the minute two days later and threw Gaber’s passport on his bed. “Have a look at it and make sure it’s what you expect.”

Gaber sat down on the bed and opened the passport to see his picture and the Egyptian stamp that gave it an official look.

“Does it meet with your approval?”

Gaber had a broad smile, stood and shook his hand. “You’re better than ever, Hager. I won’t forget this.” He walked to his closet and counted out 25 pounds.

Hager stuffed the money into his pocket without counting it. “I had best be leaving in case they followed me here and get both of us at the same time.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Dr. Jim Brent’s office was on the first floor in one of the fashionable houses in town. His nurse looked up to see Kate round the corner into the receiving room.

“The doctor will see you shortly,” said Fran, who was the doctor’s wife. Her soft voice did not hide the proprietary air in the way she smiled and did things. She was short of stature and wore a starched white nurse’s uniform that made a sound when she walked to one of the filing cabinets on the wall behind her to get Kate’s file.

Kate didn’t wait for Fran to sit down. “I feel I don’t need to be here. I think it’s a waste of time.”

Kate heard someone leave by the back door, where she had parked. Fran stood, holding a file folder close to her chest. “This way, Miss Winters.”

Dr. Brent, looking fashionable in a light blue jacket and grey trousers, sat on the edge of his desk as he scanned the note he had made about her a few days earlier when the doctor met her father at the golf club.

“Your father says you’ve had a very traumatic experience and wake up in the middle of the night in a sweat and that someone tried to slit your throat. Yet here you are and looking beautiful and fresh in the morning sunlight.

“So you can see there’s nothing wrong with me,” she said in the softest voice she could muster, rising from the chair.

“Not so fast, Miss Winters. Your hands tremble, and the rapid breaths you take suggest something quite serious is happening to you.”

“That’s nothing.”

He smiled and watched the movements in her dark eyes. “That’s for

you and me to decide together.”

“I’m not crazy if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I never thought that,” said Dr. Brant, glancing at the large window behind his chair that looked out upon his rose garden. Wild roses were one of his passions. “I find it quite peaceful looking,” he glanced out the window at them and could almost smell the flowers.

“How would you describe someone who had a knife at her throat and a killer seconds away from using it or being locked in a pyramid with no way to escape in the darkness.”

She glanced at the large picture over his fireplace of sailing ships leaving harbour for somewhere. It was a beautiful scene, and it made her feel suddenly at peace with herself.

“I can tell you I would react to it exactly the way you have. You’re not insane or making this up, but just getting your balance back. And the best way to bounce back is to start with a thorough physical exam to make sure there’s not something physical that’s adding to your anxiety. Let me call in my nurse. But before you do anything, I want to hear from your lips exactly what happened to you.” ***

Mike Winters opened the door before she pulled out her keys. “What did Jim Brent have to say?”

“First, I’m not insane and need some relaxation, and stay away from anything that might upset me. He also prescribed some meds for me to take for the next few days. I also had a head-to-toe examination, and there’s nothing wrong physically.”

“Then that’s what you’ll do. Jim Brent is a smart doctor and the perfect replacement for old doc Chalmers, who was getting a bit forgetful.”

“The first thing I’m going to do is makeover my bedroom. I want everything joyous in my life around me, including Mr. Moon, my teddy bear.”

“Are you working on any files that need looking after?”

Kate went to work straight out of law school when she graduated four years earlier. “I cleaned all that up before I left for Egypt. They’re on my desk in my office,” she added.

For the next two weeks, she slept in and went for walks in the neighbourhood, watching girls jumping ropes. Then, quite out of the blue, she had a sudden desire to call Dr. Tilly, who introduced her to archelogy during her undergraduate days and the flashbacks when she uncovered a tomb of an Etruscan high priest in Tuscany and the thrill of it all. She

wasn’t sure what to say once she heard his voice. Then, without warning, she unloaded everything that happened to her in the pyramid and when Gaber had his knife at her throat. She couldn’t stop crying.

“You’ve had a bad experience. I’m sorry to hear what you had to go through. Not just you but many other archeologists who have been murdered for no good reason. But you’ve also learned one valuable thing. Never go on another astrological dig unless you’re surrounded with friends and people you can depend on.”

Kate realized she had stopped crying. Dr. Tilly was quiet for the moment. She played with Mr. Moon’s ear. “I’m coming out your way next month. If you wish, I’d like to spend a day or two with you.“

The following day, she met her father at the kitchen table for breakfast. Her mother, Julia, was not feeling well. She was once the most beautiful woman in town but now looked pale and frail. Her father rose to get breakfast, but Kate pushed him aside. She got out the frying pan, eggs and bread for toast. She had her mother sit opposite her father and poured them coffee as she finished getting breakfast.

Mike Winters smiled. “You look like your old self.”

“I called my old professor yesterday. We talked about archaeology, and when we finished, I just felt better. And by the way, he’s headed in our direction in the next few weeks, and I’ve invited him to stay with us.”

Mike Winters looked ten years younger. “Before I forget, Lorne Harris has been asking me if you’ve returned. He calls me every week. What should I tell him?”

“That I’m back, safe and sound, and would love to see him.”

A couple of hours later, she was in her office, located at the rear of their home. She looked in on her father before retiring to her office. “If you have any files that need updating, I’m your girl.”

Her father went through a short pile of folders and handed her three of them. “These are up your alley.”

She had barely got through the first file when there was a knock on the door. Lorne Harris stuck his face inside. “You’re father called to tell me that you’ve returned. You’re as beautiful as ever.”

“Just don’t stand there. Come in and give me a big hug.”

“I can’t stay for very long,” he said, looking at his watch. “The bank is a lot busier these days. I’d best be back.”

Kate picked up the second folder, suddenly feeling bored. She never really took to lawyering and did it to please her father, who counted on her to take over the business one day. Kate opened the folder and closed it again. The garden was one of her favourite places to read over files, and

she picked up the folders and headed outside. ***

Dr. Tilly, looking older with his white beard, suddenly appeared a few days later. I’m on my way to see my favourite nephew, who married a Chinese lady. They have two children. His father is dead, and I’m the only older member of our family who’s still alive. But let’s not think about that. I’m here because I believe you have a great need of someone who understands you and what excites you in your life.”

Kate rose from behind her desk and gave him a long hug. She motioned him to sit down on the light blue-covered sofa in front of the door to the garden. “Can I get you a coffee or tea or something?”

“All I want is a full account of your Egyptian adventure, and don’t leave anything out.”

Kate went to the door and asked her secretary to bring them two mugs of Earl Grey. She remembered it was his favourite. “To start with, there weren’t a lot of places where you might find Earl Grey.”

She then recounted her visit to the pyramid, her discovery and how Gaber threatened her with his knife when he sealed her in the pyramid. Also, how she was lucky to find a way out, her adventures at the temple with Gaber as chief priest, his followers, and the chants to the old Egyptian gods.

When she got to her part where she visited the museum curator and later, when he made another attempt to kill her, Dr. Tilly stopped her with a raised hand.

“It would appear that you’re not up to the latest news from Egypt. The curator you speak of was murdered. The authorities found him dead, murdered by a robber who slit his throat.”

Kate lowered her head and wanted to cry. It all came back to her again. The knife at her throat in the cabin, the look in his eyes and his laugh. She shivered.

“I see I have upset you, Kate. I’m sorry.”

Kate shook her head. “Did they catch the murderer?”

“I gather from news reports, the killer is still at large. But at least, he’s in Egypt and no threat to us here.” He could see the relief in her face and took her hand. “You’re in safe hands now. But let us turn to more pleasant tidings. A couple of the boys from our Etruscan adventure when you allwere still an undergraduate keep in touch with me. They often ask about you. It was the best summer of their lives.”

It was her best summer as well, she thought, scanning the images in

her head of their time in Italy in her head.

“You outshone the rest of us when it came to translating.”

Kate smiled. She had a gift of sensing if the word she saw was one or two words or even a sentence. It was the way the Etruscans wrote on the linen strips in which they wrapped dead. That and leaving out vowels when you least expected it. For some reason, she thought about the Etruscan word for a window was fenester, and her mind went immediately to the French word, fenetre.

Prof. Tilly had a grin. It was as though he could read her mind. He finished his tea and rose. “You’re safe now and surrounded by people who love you.”

She felt suddenly alone when he left and buried her head into the contents of the second folder. It was about a local dentist who was being sued by one of his older clients. She put the folder down. She didn’t care suddenly and decided to go for a walk. But that, as she discovered after a few minutes, that didn’t work either. All her good feelings seemed to walk out the door with Prof. Tilly.

When she returned, there was a note waiting for her. It was from Lorne, asking her to dine with him at the golf club. She smiled as she picked up the phone to ask him what time he had in mind.

“Six-thirty,” he said in a warm voice. I’ll pick you up at your home. “

Lorne, looking handsome in his black tuxedo and crisp white shirt, smiled broadly and kissed her on the cheek as he opened the car door for her. When he sat down, he reached behind his seat and produced dozen white roses. She smiled and leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

Some of her friends were waiting for her as they entered the club. “Welcome back,” said Rebecca Hollingsworth, who hugged and kissed her cheek. Kate felt exhilarated as they led her to a round table with a vase of white roses at the centre. She looked at Lorne, who smiled back at her.

Lorne looked up at the waiter. “Champagne.”

Kate began to feel a bit tipsy by the fourth glass. Her friends seemed to be speaking in louder voices, and so was their laughter. By the time the evening ended, they surrounded her at the door and kissed her on the cheek again.

They didn’t say much on the way back. “Great homecoming,” said Kate, reaching out and holding his right arm. “Thank you.”

Lorne removed his arm. “I’ve got something to tell you, Kate. It’s not

easy for me to tell you this. You were gone so long that I started dating someone else and fell in love with her.”

Kate froze. She looked at the window, and the road seemed to rush up into her face in the headlights. She shook her head. “Then why about tonight? All the others must have known. I feel so embarrassed. They weren’t welcoming me back. They were just feeling sorry for me.”

“They didn’t know. I haven’t told anyone.”

“Do I know this person?”

Lorne didn’t say anything as several cars whizzed past them. “Rebecca Hollingsworth,” he said once the road was clear again. “I don’t know what to say other than I’m sorry. I want you to feel good about yourself. You deserve somebody who shares your passion for archaeology. Someone who will go with you on these expeditions of yours.”

They didn’t speak after that, not until they stopped the car at the front door of their home and he got out to open the door for her. He helped her up and kissed her before turning and getting back into his car and driving off into the darkness. She didn’t know what to do or what to tell her parents. She threw the roses into the ashcan at the corner of their house and entered.

Her father and mother sat in the living room, listening to Fibber McGee and Molly on the radio. She sat down opposite them. “Anything interesting on the radio?”

Her mother looked frailer, and her father had a concerned look on his face. “What’s wrong, Kate?

“Lorne.” She paused, thinking how she would tell them. “We went to the golf club for supper and invited all my friends to wish me back safe. On the way home, he told me he had fallen in love with one of my friends and that he proposed to her.”

Her father pushed himself up from the sofa and came to her and hugged her before leading her back to the couch, where her mother put her arms around her and kissed her cheeks before beginning to cry. “They’ll be another day and someone else who will love you forever.”

Kate got up. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll get over it.” She left them still listening to the radio and headed for her bedroom. She turned on her radio. She wasn’t in the mood for comedy and turned the dial where she found a station playing classical music. Just one more thing where she differed with Lorne.

She felt so desperately alone and didn’t know what to do. She was lost and knew it.

CHAPTER SIX

Gaber looked out the window. He could see the dock where their ship would dock. He could barely restrain the excitement that bubbled up within him. In the next few minutes, he would be free from the military and the Cairo police. He would be a free man again and walk the streets wherever he wanted to go. He felt his knife in his trouser pocket and decided to pack it in his bag until he was passed customs.

He went to the deck with his bag to get ready to embark once the ship was secured, almost bumping into the Italian woman he had met the previous night at their supper table. She had two children, who kept pestering her for sweets.

Gaber knew only a few Italian words, and she was helping him with his pronunciation and laughing. Her husband was in the Italian army and on his way to Ethiopia. She and their children had sailed to Cairo with him before leaving a troopship for the rest of his journey. Her name was Violetta Carlucci in an exuberant voice as though it were Caesar Augustus. She confused him. One minute her dark eyes sent him messages of love, and the next, she would look away to see where her children were.

“We say goodbye, signora,” he managed to say.

“Perhaps we will meet again, signore. I enjoyed our time together.” She looked away in time to grab her son by his neck as he tried to leave the lineup.

“At least, let me give you one of my cards,” he said.

She glanced at it and put it in her purse. “You have an interesting name, Signore Ahmed Gamal. I hope I’m pronouncing your name properly.”

He nodded with a broad smile.

“You must come to dine with us when my husband gets back. He

thinks he will be back in a month. Let me give you our address: 7842 Via Giulia.”

He wrote her address down on the back of one of his cards and bowed to her. When they reached customs, she was waved through quickly. Not even her papers were checked. She and her children disappeared into the crowd. He turned to face an immigration officer, and Gaber passed him his passport. The officer glanced at his passport and checked his face before passing it back.

“Why are you coming to Italy?” said the immigration officer, a tall man with dark hair and tired dark eyes.

“I travel in antiquities, Roman and Egyptian as both a buyer and a seller.”

Gaber passed into the crowd and looked around to see where most people were heading and followed them through a long shed manned with soldiers, who looked at everyone who walked past them. Once on the street, he asked a street peddler who looked like an Egyptian where the secret police offices, OVRA, short for Organizzazine per le Vigilanza e la Repressione dell’Antifascimo, were located.

“You do not want to go there,” he replied in Egyptian. “But if you are bent on going to this evil place, they are located not far from here.” He pointed to the corner. “Turn right and go 11 or 12 streets up and then turn right again. It is an imposing building. You will see OVRA in large letters above the second story. You cannot miss it.”

Gaber reached the tenth street and saw nothing from the corner that resembled what the street peddler described. He found a few minutes later it was a block away. When he turned the corner, he saw the letters OVRA over a building with pillars. He quickened his pace and went up the steps, where he was stopped by a guard dressed in black with a machine gun strapped over his back.

“I need to see the director for Roma,” he said in broken Italian. The guard answered in Italian. The only thing Gaber could recognize was secondo piano or the second floor. He touched his forehead, bowed and entered the building. Mi scusi, he said, a young woman who had chestnut brown hair and almond-shaped Etruscan eyes. “Could I see the director of OVRA for Roma,” he said in broken Italian.

She looked puzzled for a few seconds before waving to a young man in a black uniform to join them. She talked to him for a few seconds and nodded to Gaber to follow him. He led him upstairs and down a long corridor to the office of Col. Luigi Castelli, where she spoke to Castelli in a soft voice and left quietly.

Castelli looked at him for a full minute without a word.

Gaber felt uncomfortable and shifted his weight from his right foot to his left, not sure whether he should talk or not. Castelli finally talked to him, asking what it was all about.

Gaber guessed and blurted, “Egizano, and pointed to his chest. He then pointed to a picture of Mussolini and said, “Il Duce”.

Castelli picked up his phone. “Send someone up here who can speak Egyptian in a hurry.”

Three minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and a young man, dressed in an Italian officer’s uniform entered and saluted. Castelli’s impatience showed in his face. “Ask him why he needs to see me.”

Gaber responded to the officer and tried to smile as the officer talked to Castelli, who kept nodding before talking to him for a minute or two.

“The colonel would like to know why you talk about Il Duce.”

My name is Ahmed Hamal, a deal of Egyptian and Roman antiquities. I have a message for Il Duce.”

“What about Il Duce?” the officer translated Castelli’s curt reply.

“As I said, I am a dealer of antiquities. While visiting the Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, I inspected a man’s mummified body, wrapped in white linen, with strange writing on it. No one seemed to be able to translate it. It has been suggested that it was written in ancient Etruscan. When I looked at the mummy, I was able only to read the outside writing, and there was a passing reference of a great leader rising in Italia, and I immediately thought of Il Duce.”

Castelli rose from his seat and walked around his desk, and sat against it.

“Where are we likely to find more information about this prophecy?”

“Not in Egypt but in Tuscano. In an undiscovered Etruscan tomb. It may take time and dig up more than one Etruscan burial chamber before we find it, probably on a tablet or a dead person’s burial cloth or in the linen wrapped around more than one mummy. Most of these wrappings contain prayers for their afterlife, often called The Book of the Dead. There’s a good chance we’ll find something that will help us discover the prophecy and help us unravel its message.”

“How long will it take?”

“A few months. If not, a year at most.”

“Come back tomorrow, and I will have an answer for you. If we believe your story, we will retain your services and pay you a handsome finder’s reward.”

Gaber rose, bowed and started for the door with the officer, who had accompanied him.

“One thing before you leave us, I saw in the paper that the curator of the museum you mentioned was murdered a week ago. The murderer is still free. It wouldn’t happen to be you, would it?”

Gaber froze. His face paled, and he held his breath. “I heard about it on the boat. I don’t read newspapers as a rule.” Gaber looked back at Castelli as he turned away. Castelli was smiling and had a knowing look on his face.

The young officer stopped at the stairs. “I think you’ve made a friend. If your story pans out, you’ll be even more important than the colonel.” He led him down the stairs and stopped at the door. “Where will you be staying if we need to find you?”

“Not sure yet. Just off the boat.”

“There’s a place where some of our people stay. A five-minute walk from here.” He took out his card and wrote something on the back. “Give this to the man at the desk lobby. Tell him Piero sent you.”

“I hope it’s not expensive.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.”

His steps were lighter as he made his way down the street. He came upon the sign for the Grandioso just up ahead. A few minutes later, he entered the lobby and went straight to the check-in desk. The desk clerk, a 20-year-old trying to grow a mustache and wearing a black shirt of the camicie neve, glanced at the card Piero had given him, had him sign the register, and passed him a key.

The key showed 444, which Gaber assumed was the number for his room. He walked up four flights of stairs, where a large picture of Il Duce hung from the wall. He was breathing hard by the time he reached the fourth floor. His room was halfway down the corridor.

He wasn’t prepared for what he was about to see when he opened the door. The room opened into a sitting room with a bedroom with an adjoining large toilet. He threw his bag on one of the chairs and sat down on the sofa. There was a large radio standing near the couch, and he turned it on, twisting the dial in the hopes of finding some music. He suddenly found an Egyptian station and could make out what was being said despite the static. He took off his suit coat, sat back on the sofa, listened to the Egyptian music that came on next, and fell asleep.

It was mid-afternoon when he awoke. A clock with Roman numerals chimed three o’clock. He rose, stretched his arms and put on his suit coat. He was hungry and hadn’t eaten since eating breakfast on the ship. He washed his face and combed his hair in front of the large mirror fastened to the clothes closet door. He glanced out the window and could see two

black-shirted officers enter the hotel. He panicked. Maybe he failed to understand Castelli’s look. Perhaps they were coming for me and send me back, he thought.

A few minutes later, there was a faint knock at the door, and Piero entered with another man, older and dressed in a uniform that suggested someone important. Gaber held his breath. He would let them do the talking.

“It is my great honour to introduce you to the head of OVRA, Arthur Bocchini. Col. Castelli was pressed for time but would also have come,” said Piero in Egyptian.

Bocchini was a big man dressed in a black uniform, a large officer’s cap with the OVRA crest just above its peak. He had a broad, round face and wore wire-framed glasses and dark eyes that looked through you. It made Gaber shiver, but he managed to extend his hand. Bocchini appeared to ignore it.

“I understand you know of an ancient Etruscan document that foretells the future and paints Il Duce as Italy’s great saviour.”

“Not quite, director. What I do know—“

“Do you or not?”

“I cannot say for certain.”

Bocchini rose from his seat.

“But I can tell you what you what I saw written on a mummy in the Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities.”

Bocchini sat down again.

“It hinted that a great man would arise in Italy and make Rome the centre of the world.”

“What else?”

“That is all I could read. I told Col. Castelli that the answer would be found in one of the unfound Etruscan burial sites in Tuscany. And that it could take a month or many months or even a year before we discover the right burial site where we might find this prophecy.”

“You’re sure it is in one of the gravesites?”

“It can be nowhere else, director.”

“When can you start?”

“Tomorrow if you wish.”

Bocchini stood, nodded and left, leaving Piero behind. “You got your wish, Signore Gamal. We will need your passport for the time being, and you must agree to join OVRA as one of its agents with the rank of captain.”

Gaber nodded. He didn’t know what to say other than to smile and keep smiling.

Piero looked at his watch. I must be getting back. Someone will come this evening and take your measurements for your uniform.”

“I’m starving. Does the Grandioso have a restaurant?”

“Three. But the Italian one is the best,” he said with a toss of his head. “Just sign the bill, and it will be taken care of.”

***

Bocchini waved Col Castelli to the seat in front of his desk. Bocchini’s suite was far grander than his. There was a large picture of Mussolini on the far wall. The other walls were hung with paintings of some of the great masters, and a huge window behind his desk overlooked a garden.

“What did you think?” said Castelli.

“The man is either a charlatan, which I suspect, or will become a revered hero in our new Italia. But charlatan or not, we cannot afford to ignore him. See to his needs and set him digging up all Tuscany if he has to and start as soon as possible.”

Castelli was about to rise but was stopped by Bocchini’s raised hand.

“In the meantime, check into his past. Check his passport and see if he’s here under an assumed name. And see what our agents in Egypt can find out about him and have him followed. One thing more, Etruscan, as I understand it, is devilishly hard to translate. His story to me today suggested that he can, but I somehow doubt that.”

Gaber walked into the Italian restaurant called Trattoria that spilled over into the sidewalk. He took a seat with his back against the wall, as he always did. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and he watched passersby and marvelled how many beautiful women passed before him. There was a soft breeze that fluttered the flags placed at intervals above his head along with the smell of freshly baked bread. His waiter recommended Spaghetti Bolognese and wine from the vineyards in the south, which he ate with Calabrese bread.

This was turning out better than he expected. All his meals and lodgings were paid for, and he made a mental note how to find out how much he could be expected to earn over the next few months. And who knows where this could lead. There were very few people who could translate Etruscan with any degree of accuracy. The first thing he needed to do was to find someone who could teach him Italian. Someone Castelli and Bocchini did not know. He thought about the Egyptian street peddler and decided to find him as soon as he finished his meal. In the morning, he would head for the library and learn all he could about the Etruscans. He would

take the peddler with him.

Nothing was going to stop him now.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Julia Winters suddenly fell off her chair while eating a piece of toast. Kate rushed to her side and tried to help her to her chair. Her mother’s head moved back and forth as she tried to talk and what words she managed to say made no sense.

“She’s had a stroke. I’ll call an ambulance, and you look after your mother,” said her father.

Kate rinsed a cloth and rubbed her mother’s forehead. It was burning, and her mother’s head lay on her right shoulder.

Her father returned a minute later. “The ambulance is on its way. Right now, she needs to be in the hospital. I’m concerned if they don’t get here soon, there may be further damage.”

Kate had never seen him act this way before. His face was flushed, and his hands were shaking. He pushed away his breakfast plate and started pacing the floor and peeking out the window to see if the ambulance was on its way. A few minutes later, they heard a siren, and he rushed to the door and stood outside until the ambulance stopped at his door. Two ambulance attendants left their seats and found a stretcher to take with them into the house.

Kate was holding her mother in her arms and soothing her forehead. The attendants then lifted her to the stretcher and loaded her inside the ambulance.

“Go with them, Kate. I can’t. I had a call from two senior members from the government who requested an urgent meeting. I had to clear all my appointments for the afternoon.”

Kate nodded and hugged her father before jumping into the ambulance. One of the attendants listened to her mother’s heart, and he injected something into her arm. “I just gave her something to calm your mother

down until we get to the hospital and a doctor has had a chance to see her,”said the middle-aged attendant with a comforting smile.

The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever, even though the ambulance had the siren on and was driving above the speed limit. At the hospital, the attendants jumped out and had her mother inside within two minutes. Inside, a doctor waited for her and examined her before being joined by a specialist and a surgeon.

“It’s over for the minute,” said the doctor who examined her, but you can never tell with these things. She might have two or three more strokes before this over. Get her to a room and a drip set up in case we need to move fast.”

The specialist turned to Kate. “We can’t do much at this stage but wait and pray to find out how badly your mother’s brain has been damaged. The first thing we’ll be doing is to inject a drug to break up the clot that caused the stroke and get the blood flowing back to her brain as soon as possible.”

“Is she likely to die?”

“Highly unlikely. She had the stroke less than half an hour ago. She’s unlikely to die and probably not have much damage.”

Kate called her father. “She’s going to make it and hopefully with very little damage to her brain.” She could hear her father sigh and the difference in his voice when she could hear him stop breathing hard. “Great news, Kate. But right now, three men from the government have just arrived, and I must see to them.”

“I plan to stay for the rest of the morning and have lunch here. Once I feel she’s on the mend, I plan to come back in case you need me.”

Kate took a taxi back to her home and entered to hear men’s voices in her father’s office. Her father looked out and spotted her. “Speak of the devil,” he said to the men who were sitting in front of her father’s desk. Her father was sitting on the edge of his desk in front of them.

Kate liked her father’s office. All his law books were in a large bookcase on the left wall and a large picture of her mother hanging from the wall on the right. There was a dark-coloured cabinet behind his desk where his golfing trophies sat.

Kate pushed back her hair and looked in the hall mirror before turning and entering her father’s office. The three men, wearing dark grey suits with red ties, stood when she entered. She stood with her father.

“Let me bring you up to speed,” said her father. “These gentlemen from foreign affairs came all this way to tell me about a development taking place in Italy, in which they may need your assistance.”

“My name is Errol Cushing.” He paused to clear his throat. “We received some pretty startling news from our intelligence group yesterday that the Italians have retained an archaeologist from Egypt to find a tablet or the wrapping on an Etruscan mummy that might contain a prophecy. That prophecy states that a great man will arise in Italy and return Rome to its former glory. I believe it is called The Book of the Dead. You can only imagine what that would mean to a volatile world on the brink of war. We were told you were the right person to go there and perhaps find this fabled prophecy before they do.”

Kate didn’t respond for almost two minutes. “My archaeology days are over, gentlemen. I’ve learned to my regret that it is a hazardous occupation. Now, going back to your Etruscan adventure, it is improbable that such a prophecy exists. And as far as finding this prophecy on the linen wrappings of a mummy or a tablet, let me assure you that they invariably contain prayers for the underworld. That is what fills their so-called Book of the Dead. And translating ancient Etruscan is not simple. It could take weeks, even months and even then, you’re not sure or able to translate everything.”

“We are given to understand,” said a tall, thin man in a black suit,”that you have a gift in this regard. My name is Jack LeBreton, and I work with Errol. If you fear for your safety, we would make sure your group also contained an undercover agent. And you would be in charge with full authority to pick your team. At least, think about it.”

Kate looked at her father, who nodded.

“Shall we meet again at this time tomorrow?” said Cushing, who talked with a smooth voice and had dark blue eyes that danced when he was enthused.

***

“My last adventure cured me from ever wanting to go on another archaeology adventure. And besides, my place is with my mother. No matter how she emerges from her stroke, she’s going to need loving care for some time.”

Her father rubbed his chin and sat back. “We can always get a nurse. This is something you need to get you back feeling like your old self. I think it would be good for you, mentally and emotionally, and help you face your worst demons and conquer them once and for all.”

Kate hung her head and thought about it for a few seconds. “I suspect you’re probably right. But I still want to think about it before I make up my mind.”

When she woke the following day, she knew in her heart her father was right. She just hoped that the cure wasn’t worse than her ailment. The first thing she did after washing was to push back her light brown hair and put on her makeup, and telephone phone Dr. Tilly.

“I’m glad you called. I was going to call you this morning. I had a call from one of the ministries to ask who would be the best person I knew who could go to Italy and find new burial sites in Tuscany. I mentioned your name to them and warned them you might not be in a mood to take on another dig at this time.” His voice crackled in the static on her phone.

“You’re a bit late, Dr. Tilly. They came to see my father and talked to me. We talked about something that might prevent another world war. I thought they were exaggerating. So they explained to me that it involved finding a burial site in Tuscany that contained finding a stone or tablet or on the wrappings of a mummy that might give Mussolini exaggerated ideas about his importance in the scheme of things.”

“My father thinks it would help me get my old groove back if I face the demons that still haunt me from my Egyptian visit.”

“He’s right. There’s an old saying that if you get thrown off a horse, the first thing to do is get on it again.”

The sun from her window suddenly broke through and lit up her room. “They also told me I would have full authority in choosing who would be on my team.”

“You need people around you that you know you can trust.”

“I’m prepared to tell them when we meet again today that I will undertake their mission, but only if you are a key person on the team.”

“As long as you lead it. I’m too old to worry about everything that has to be done on an expedition, especially one this challenging.”

“Then consider yourself the exhibition’s executive manager and start by rounding up old familiar faces, people we know we can trust. I’ll call you back later after I’ve talked to them.”

She was humming as she set the frying pan on the stove, cracked two eggs for her father, and slipped two slices of bread into the toaster. Her father, wearing a grey tweed jacket with a blue tartan tie, sat down as she put his plate in front of him and a stack of toast in the middle of the table. She loved the old table. It was a wedding gift from her grandmother, who painted the legs a light green when she gave it to Kate’s mother.

Her father talked about her mother and the coming day. “I’ve decid-

ed to get a full-time nurse for your mother when she’s released from the hospital. It’s what she needs, especially during her recovery period. Even more so, if there has been any damage to her brain.”

It was over coffee that he pushed his chair back. “I have a busy morning.” Then after a strategic pause, he added: “I see that you’ve decided to go to Italy. I’m proud of you. It’s exactly what you need.”

“Prof. Tilly told me the same thing. He‘s agreed to be the exhibition manager. But right now, I had better do the dishes and get ready to spend the morning with mother. I want to be with her as much as I can before I need to leave. I’ll be back after lunch.” ***

Her mother was propped up against a large pillow and holding a mug of tea in her hands. Her face lit up as soon as she saw Kate enter and pointed to a chair next to her bed.

“You look like a new woman,” said her mother, who reached out her hand to rub Kate’s arm.

“So do you. What do our doctor say?”

“That I will recover almost completely. Those were his exact words. He wants me to go on to a strict diet and cut down on red meat and other foods that cause cholesterol. He also says my arm will be a bit stiff but will prescribe some exercises I can do to help it improve.”

Kate decided not to tell her mother about Italy or what happened to her in Egypt. She brought the morning newspaper with her and passed it to her. She could see that her mother had a hard time holding the paper and folded it for her to read it without any problem. She then left to visit the nurses’ station and introduced herself to the head nurse.

“I’m Julia Winters’ daughter. She looks great. When is she likely to be able to return home?”

“Perhaps in a week. We want to start your mother with some exercises to perform at home and show how she can do household chores. The exercises will help her, and so will be restricting what she eats, not just here but also when she returns home.”

***

Kate could hear the sound of their voices the minute she opened the door. She looked in the hall mirror, brushed back her hair and walked into her father’s office. The talking stopped as soon as she entered.

“Your father tells us you’ve made a decision,” said Jack LeBreton, wearing a light blue sports jacket and grey slacks and his shirt open at the

neck. “We do not always wear suits and ties,” he added when he saw her looking at him.

“So what is it?” said Errol Cushing, who wore the suit he wore the previous day. Cushing rarely cracked a smile. For him, everything was to the point.

Kate looked at LeBreton. “I’ve decided to take up your offer on one condition.”

“Go on,” said Cushing.

“I want Prof. Tilly to come with me as expedition manager. He and I will choose who we want to take with us.”

“We’d like you to consider taking a candidate we had in mind—another woman. Her name is Caterina Toscano.”

“What is her experience in archaeology?”

LeBreton caught the difference in her voice. “Actually none,” he said in a soft voice. “But you will find her a very resourceful person, and I have a hunch, someone like Caterina might come in handy on your trip.”

“I want to see her and talk to her first before making up my mind.”

“When?” Errol’s voice was still stiff.

“Tomorrow.”

“She’ll be here tomorrow morning. We could meet for breakfast at our hotel, and I will introduce her to you.”

Kate nodded and left to call Prof. Tilly. “They’ve given me full control. I told them I had retained you as our expedition manager. One thing more. Could you meet me at my home tomorrow morning, say around eight. They would like me to include someone outside our circle, someone with no experience in archaeology. She has an Italian name and is described as a very resourceful person.”

Prof. Tilly did not comment other than tell her he would arrive at her home in the morning. She had a difficult night, tossing and turning and barely getting in an hour of sleep. She kept seeing a huge serpent trying to swallow her and only just escaping its jaws every time. She woke with her forehead in a sweat. She gave up and staggered out of bed and into the bathroom, where she showered and washed her hair. She took her time dressing and applying her makeup and went downstairs and into the living room to turn on the radio.

Prof. Tilly arrived around 7.30. She could hear him coming as soon as he entered their driveway with the noise in his muffler. It was like him in every way. If it didn’t matter in his mind, he just ignored it. He kissed her on the cheek, and she led him into the living room. Her father was there, reading the newspaper, and looked up when he saw Prof. Tilly. He was

about to rise, but Prof. Tilly had turned to Kate. “Are you ready for the biggest adventure of your life? Before you answer, did you learn anything more about this mysterious lady they want us to entertain?

“Only her name. Caterina Toscano.”

“Do we know what part of Italy she comes from?”

Kate shook her head. Prof. Tilly glanced at this watch. “We had best be going.”

Jack LeBreton was waiting for them when they entered the hotel’s dining room, which was almost filledby that time. “You’re early,” he said, rising from his chair. ‘And you must be Prof. Tilly. I’ve heard so much about you, all of it, praise. A pleasure to meet you finally.” He saw Kate looking at the empty chair opposite her. “Caterina forgot something in her room just before you arrived. She’ll be back any time.”

A minute later, he spotted her coming into the dining room. “There she is now.”

Kate turned and saw a tall red-haired woman with a beautiful face heading their way. LeBreton rose to introduce her, but she had already stretched her hand. Kate could feel her warmth and the power of her smile. “When Jack told me about you, I couldn’t wait to meet you.”

“Mr. LeBreton thinks you would be a welcome addition to our small group of archaeological adventurers. Tell us why?”

“I am a fast study. I master everything I set my mind to, and I love history. I also have a knack for getting out of trouble one way or another.”

“Were you born in Italy?”

Caterina shook her head, Her red hair swayed with it. “I also know how to charm people when I have to. My parents come from Italy, a small farm near Surriento, south of Napoli. And I also speak Italian.”

LeBreton looked at Kate, who was smiling. “Yes, I see where she might come in handy.”

Prof. Tilly had leaned back in his chair and was studying Caterina’s face. Kate could tell he was thinking the same thing she was, and for the first time, started to feel good about things.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Gaber led the street peddler up to his room. He walked with a limp, and Gaber could see the large scar on the peddler’s leg. He sat him on the sofa and sat down beside him. “I need your help, and I am willing to pay for it,” he said in Egyptian.

The peddler looked him over. Gaber smiled back and stuffed ten lire in his shabby jacket pocket.

“My name is Babu Ayman. What do you want of me? You smell of the black shirts.” He smiled, his teeth on the right side showing a green film. “I have done nothing wrong. I just sell my poor wares to earn enough to have bread with my meals.”

“I want you to work for me. Not the black shirts. I want you to teach me how to speak Italian. I pay you every day for that.”

Babu’s face suddenly smiled. “How much?”

One hundred lire every day.”

“Then we start now, and I keep the ten lire you give me now.” He pointed to the toilet and said “gabinetto” and then his bed, “letto.” He stood and pointed to the radio, “radio.”

Gerber decided to take his learning to the streets. Gaber paused at the door and pointed to his room. “Camera d’albergo.”

When they left the hotel, Gaber pointed to the street. Babu nodded. “strada.”

By the time he returned, Gaber’s head was swimming with Italian words. He took out his notebook and started to write down all the words he learned that day.

Babu used the bathroom to wash him and found he looked quite dif-

ferent with his black hair combed back. He even looked younger.

“I think it’s time that we eat,” he said. “We will go downstairs and eat in the dining room.”

Babu looked at his torn jacket and trousers and shook his head.

“Then we shall go first and buy you a new jacket and trousers.” They stopped at a barbershop on the way to the clothing store, where a young barber clipped a few inches off Babu’s jet black hair. By the time they returned to the living room, Babu not only looked like a new person but felt like one.

“Why are you doing this for me?”

“I want you to work, eat and sleep where I do. You are the only person I can trust. If you are always good to me, I will treat you this way. I need a friend. In Italy, I have only one friend, you, Babu.”

Babu ate two plates of spaghetti and all the bread. Gaber looked at him eating in his new clothes and close-cropped black hair, and knew he had a friend all the time he would be in Italy. When it came time to sleep, Gaber pointed to the sofa while he slept in the bedroom. That night, he had the best sleep in years. ***

Col. Castelli was not happy to see Babu with Gaber, who left word at the hotel to see him in the morning. “I have seen this person before and do not feel comfortable having to meet with someone I do not know.”

“He is my interpreter. He is an Egyptian like me and will faithfully translate everything I say to you and what you say to me. He is also teaching me Italian so that when I start my excavations, I will have no problem hiring a crew for our digs. I need someone to help me when we start digging, especially when we find things, someone who can tell our team precisely what I need them to do every morning and to make sure I get anything they discover, no matter how small.”

“Understood. I have to say I have some misgivings, but should you discover what you’re looking for. I will be the first one to congratulate you. In the meantime, I would like you to start as soon as possible. I have called Col. DeLuca in Firenze and told him you would be leaving Roma by train on Monday morning. He will be expecting you and find a place where you and your associate can stay before starting your excavations. He will also have maps for any area you wish to start digging.”

He reached into his drawer and withdrew a manila-coloured envelope. “There is 10,000 lire here, and you will be responsible for all of it should it be stolen. So guard it with your life. All expenditures will require

receipts.”

Gaber had Babu carry the money for him. Ordinarily, he did not trust anyone. But for some strange reason, he had an affinity for Babu he could not explain.

They spent the next few days wandering around Rome. Gaber was slowly learning a lot more Italian words and how to string them into sentences. He talked to Babu about archaeological digs, what went on at the site, and what to watch out for. Gaber didn’t have a lot of experience in this regard, but he was a fast learner and was confident he would be an expert by the time he finished digging at the initial site. He also knew no such prophecy existed and was surprised how easy they fell for his story. Yet, something nagged at him. He wasn’t sure what. He could feel it in his stomach, as he always did, when something was wrong, something important he didn’t know about. ***

Gaber knew it was Col. DeLuca the moment he spied him from the train window. A tall, thin figure dressed in a black uniform kept slapped his leg with a riding crop. He kept looking up and down the cars and at everyone who descended from the train and back again.

Babu picked up their bags, followed Gaber down the car and onto the pavement. He nodded in DeLuca’s direction, stopping in front of DeLuca and made a salute. “Ahmed Gamal at your service, colonel. Sorry to have kept you waiting.”

DeLuca smiled and took their bags to a black car waiting just outside the train station. He glanced back at Babu.

“Babu helps me with my Italian. I need someone who can convey my instructions accurately to my crew. Speaking about the crew, will I have an opportunity to meet them tomorrow?”

“You will have an opportunity to meet them tonight. We have scheduled a welcome party for you. It’s in the hotel where you’ll be staying, and tomorrow, you and I will drive around the area, and you can have a look at possible digging sites. Should you need anything, just call me,” he added, passing Gaber his card.

Later, after being checked in, they had supper, and five minutes to seven, they left to attend their welcome party. Red and green streamers were strung out just below the ceiling, and a bar off to the right served local wine. They could hear the excited voices even before they entered and smiled as they stuck their heads past the door. Col. DeLuca pointed to them in the doorway, and everyone started clapping and shaking Gaber’s

hand as he wove his way to where Col. DeLuca was standing.

“When you welcome someone, Col. DeLuca, you do it in style.”

“For great men like yourself, signor, I regret it is not piu grande. And welcome to Tuscano. You will love it here. Tuscano people are the best in all Italia.”

DeLuca made a short speech and introduced Gaber.

Gaber wasn’t sure what to say. It was the last thing he expected. When the clapping stopped, he decided to talk about the wonders of Tuscano and its people and then announce to his crew he would meet them at ten o’clock the following day.

“It went well,” said DeLuca, smoothing out his thin black mustache with his forefinger. “You are a great speaker as well,” he added as he left the hotel.

They all came the next morning as a group. Babu seated three of them on the sofa next to the radio and the two others on chairs close to the couch. Babu had made coffee and offered each one a croissant to go with it.

“First, I’d like to know all your names and what you’re good at. But before then, I want you to know there will be a lot of hard work, as well as a lot of digging and wheelbarrowing of dirt from the burial area. If this is not to our liking, leave now with no hard feelings.”

No one moved. They just looked at each other and shrugged. One of them, a young man, raised his hand. “We’re used to hard work.” The others clapped and laughed.

“Then let’s start with you. Your name?”

“Alberto Moretti.”

“Your age, Alberto?”

“Nineteen. But I’ve been working in the vineyards since I am sixteen.”

“Good, Alberto, and you?” he said the young man sitting next to Alberto.

“Federico Regio. I work at my family farm since I am ten years old.”

“Stefano Florentino, I amalso used to hard work” Steffano was in his thirties and had dark stubble on his cheeks and chin.

The remaining two, Domenico Sabbatini and Salvatore Marcello, stood behind the others sitting on the sofa.

“You all will do. I’ll be leaning on you when things get difficult at the dig. Understand, I am not always easy to work with. But those who stick by me will do very well out of it. More about what we’ll all be looking for. The person who finds it will be a wealthy man and become famous throughout Italy. But it would be best if you did not breathe a word of it to anyone outside our little group. That includes your wives.”

Alberto Moretti raised his arm. “When will we be starting,” said Alberto. “I’ve never been on an archaeological expedition before. I can’t wait to start.”

Steffano Florentino smiled. His face looked as though he had been out in the sun too long. He was quite happy to wait a week or more. He knew what it was like to have blisters from shovelling all day.

“I like your enthusiasm,” said Gaber, who was also suppressing a smile. “My assistant will call Col. de Luca, and he will arrange for our transportation to our site.”

He and Babu sat back after they had left. Something was bothering him again. He didn’t know what, but his sixth sense was never wrong. He would keep it to himself for the time being. He reached for the telephone. “Col. DeLuca. It’s Ahmed. Just to let you know, I’m very pleased withthe group you sent me. Could you arrange transportation for me in the morning? I’d like to visit some of the existing sites. Sometimes previous exhibitions may have missed something important. I had that experience recently in Egypt. I discovered something about Neferetti that will change the history books.”

“I’ll have a driver at your hotel first thing in the morning.“ DeLuca’s voice sounded tired. “Is there anything else?”

Something was not right. Maybe it was Ceber’s imagination. But he could sense a change in DeLuca’s voice. He knew then he had to be on guard and keep his thoughts to himself.

Later, he woke after a night of troubled sleep and felt tired. He washed his face and took a shower before shaving. He thought about his knife and decided to have it with him at all times again. He went to his bag and found it almost at once. It made him feel safe just holding it in his hand. He put it in his trouser pocket before shaving.

Babu was already up and dressed. He looked younger in his new jacket and trousers, shaven and turning on the radio in search of the Italian station. At breakfast, he piled his plate high with everything offered and started eating as though he hadn’t eaten in days.

“Do we know where we’re going?” he asked.

“I want to see some previous sites and see if I can find something there. Drink up. I see our driver is waiting for us at the door.”

The driver had grey hair, a lined face and a nervous tic in his left eye and was dressed in a black Secret Service uniform.

CHAPTER NINE

“Wewill also need a camera,” said Kate after Prof. Tilly told her the request from their old university to undertake a dig in Tuscany had been approved by the Italian government.

“They also named me as head of the expedition as you suggested,” he added. “I’d rather not but have to agree with you. Their eyes will be on me, not you, and this will give you more elbow room.”

“We don’t know what it’s really like. It’s not 1926 anymore and withith Mussolini’s gang in power, who knows what we’ll be facing.”

Kate was dressed in light brown slacks that matched her hair and a yellow blouse she wore at meetings with her legal clients, and only a touch of makeup. They met in her office, seated around a small table next to the window on the right side of her desk that led to their garden. “And also a professional who knows how to take pictures under all conditions. He or she will need to bring along our own development chemicals to process them on site.”

“Stu Chapman and Garnet Jarvis will be here tomorrow. I’ve told them we’re reprising our 1926 expedition, and both of them can’t wait to start. I know we can count on them if things suddenly get rough. Perhaps they might have someone in mind who’s good at photography. That’s a smart idea. We didn’t do that in 1926, and I have often felt sorry we didn’t.”

Kate had other reasons for including a photographer. If they discover something that could change history by some chance, she knew it would be almost impossible to bring it back to them. “Did you ever find out why the government wanted us to include the young lady they introduced us to?”

“Caterina Toscano. She’s a charmer. Maybe one of them is attracted to her. Who knows? Is there something wrong?”

“After one bad experience, I don’t want to repeat another. That could be it, but there’s something more that I can’t explain. I would appreciate it if you do some digging before including her in our meetings.”

***

Garnet Jarvis had grown a beard since they last saw each other -- a dark brown beard, which covered most of his face and was trimmed in the latest fashion. But his voice was was as she remembered. He reached out and hugged her and kissed her on the cheek.

“I wouldn’t know you anywhere,” she laughed.

“But I would know you,” said Stu Chapman. “You have the eyes of a born flirt. I have often thought about you and if you had married.”

“Not married,” she laughed, holding out her hands.

“I hear from Prof. Tilly that you’re assembling the old team for one last dig in Tuscany. Count me in.”

“Me, too. I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Garnet.

Kate’s secretary came in with four mugs of coffee and left as quietly as she came in. In the silence that followed, she prepared in her head what she planned to say to them, especially about Caterina.

“It is like old times, I agree, but with a fascist government in charge, we’re all going to be careful what you say and who you talk to. That includes anyone else who might join our expedition in the meantime. I know I can count both of you if things should suddenly get rough. When we arrive in Italy, all our meetings will include only the four of us. Understood?”

They both nodded. “This sounds like cloak and dagger stuff,” laughed Stu.

“In a way, it is.”

The room suddenly went silent until Garnet ventured: “This is not something where we might lose our lives, is it?”

“It might be, but I think as long as we confide in only the four of us, we should be fine.”

“What’s this all about?” said Garnet.

“There is talk that some Egyptian adventurer has talked the Italian government of a prophecy that paints a flattering future for Mussolini and Italy on the world stage.” She paused. In a flash of insight, she knew who the adventurer was. Gaber. She could feel herself freeze.

Prof. Tilly reached out and touched her arm. “Are you all right, Kate?”

“Yes.” She took a deep breath. “I must tell you that I think it is a hoax, dreamed up by an adventurer. In all the Etruscan writing I have seen and been able to translate, their Book of the Dead contained no more than a series of prayers.”

Garnet was stroking his beard and thinking over what she had said. He was working as an executive in an engineering firm. It was pretty deadly stuff. What she had just told them excited him more than he wanted to admit.

“Any questions?” said Prof. Tilly.

“How long would be gone?”

“At least six months. Perhaps a bit more.”

“Will we be getting paid?” said Stu.

“There will be a stipend at the end of the expedition. Now that you’ve heard everything, what’s your verdict?”

Stu looked at Garnet, who nodded. “We both are. When do we start?”

“As of now.” She paused to make a point. “Right now, we need someone who would fit into our group, someone who is a whiz at taking pictures under all conditions, who has a good camera and all the things he or she will need to develop pictures on site.”

“Booker Kaplan,” Garnet blurted immediately. “You’d like him, Stu. He’s as nutty as you are and loves taking pictures.”

“Could we meet with him today?”

“Get me to a phone, and we’ll find out.”

Garnet left and came back a few minutes later. “He’ll be here by two o’clock.” He looked at his watch. “It’s after eleven now. When’s chow time?”

“I see you haven’t changed a bit,” said Kate as Prof. Tilly sat back and smiled. It was already like old times when Garnet kept asking him when lunch would arrive during their 1926 dig.

“In the meantime,” said Kate, reaching down to for a folded paper at her feet. She moved back their mugs and unfolded the paper on the table. “This is where we’re going?”

“I gather it’s not where we dug in 1926,” said Garnett.

“A few miles from there. Closer to Volterra. It’s an overhang of a hill that suggests a burial site. I didn’t think more about it because our focus was on the site we worked on and found several artifacts and a small statue of one of their gods with writing on it.”

They bent over the map and pinpointed their site in 1926. Kate moved her finger to the right. “There, gentlemen, is where we will be hanging our hats in the next few months.”

“There’s a passenger liner heading for Rome next Wednesday. I would like to sail then.”

They spent the rest of the time talking about old times at university and catching up on each other’s lives and jobs. Kate had ordered steaks and creamed potatoes with gravy for them. Garnet cut off a piece of the steak and popped it in his mouth and smiled and closed his eyes with delight.

Booker Kaplan, wearing a camera around his neck, arrived shortly before two. Garnet rose and put his arm around him as he led him inside. “I’d like you to meet my buddy, Booker Kaplan. He’s as nutty as we are.”

Prof. Tilly cleared his throat and sat back, not sure what was going to happen next. Booker shook his hand and snapped his picture with the flash on. The others clapped.

“Now, Booker, I’d like you to meet our motley crew. Stu Chapman and Kate Winters, old classmates of mine. We all were on an expedition to Italy ten years ago with Prof. Tilly, whom you just blinded. We’re reprising our 1926 and want a photographer to come with us. We didn’t have one ten years ago to our regret. What do you say?”

“How much does it pay?”

Garnet and the others laughed. He put his arm around Booker. “You’re smarter than the rest of us. We volunteered before we offered to join the expedition.

“You will be paid the full fee for every day you’re on the expedition. That includes the time it takes to sail to Italy,” said Kate. “A couple of things before you say yes. We may be away for six months at least. Maybe more. And with the new fascist government, it might even be dangerous. You are also not to discuss any of what I have told you to anyone else, other than the people you see before you. So what do you say?”

“Don’t you want to see my pictures before you close the deal?”

Kate shook her head. “Garnet’s recommendation is enough.”

“One thing more. You will need to bring with you everything you need to process pictures at the dig.”

Booker, who wore a T-Shirt with a woman’s figure on it, unpressed trousers and scuffed shoes, nodded. “No problem.” He lifted his camera to see them through the lens. “When do I start?”

“You’re on the clock now.”

“Where and when do I get paid?”

“Your wages will be deposited to your bank account every Friday.”

“Who’s the old geezer?”

“Prof. Tilly. He is in charge of the exhibition,” said Garnet. We all re-

port to him, and whatever he says, goes. And Kate works directly under him. She’s next in charge.”

Booker nodded and stood back a couple of paces before aiming his camera at them. Prof. Tilly tried to hide his face from the flash but was a second too late.

Jack LeBreton popped by the next day. “I see you’ve hired a photographer to join the expedition. Is that really necessary?”

“I have my reasons. I thought I was in charge of the expedition. If I tell you I need a photographer, that should not be a problem.”

LeBreton tightened his lips. “Caterina has not heard back from you.”

“That’s because I have not made up my mind about her. And I would appreciate it if you would not ask me again.”

“It’s not me, Miss Winters. It’s for your own good. She’s trained to help you should you find yourselves in harm’s way.”

“Please understand, Mr. LeBreton, that that I am very concerned about the welfare of everyone on his expedition. We will be operating in a hostile environment, and I cannot take any chances, especially on someone I have only met once.”

“I fully understand. Could you at least see her one more time?”

“If you wish. Ask her to have dinner with me tonight. It will be in more relaxed surroundings, and I may see her in a different light.”

Caterina Todesco was waiting in the lobby of the golf club when Kate arrived. It was the first time since she visited the club since Lorne told her he would marry Rebecca Hollingsworth. Neither of them called her since then, even though they had been friends for years. Rebecca bent her head to tell him something confidential, and she saw Lorne turn and look in their direction. After that, he would glance at them, which rubbed Rebecca the wrong way. Kate could read the anger in her eyes, and she smiled.

They finished the coffee and stood suddenly and walked in Kate’s direction. Lorne stopped as Rebecca continued to walk away and stand waiting for him at the entrance. “Good to see you again, Kate. You look marvellous,” he said, all the while his eyes were on Carlotta.

“Let me introduce you to my friend, Caterina. Caterina, this is Lorne. We had an understanding, but he decided to dump me for the lady you see at the entrance.”

Caterina didn’t know what to say and looked to Kate for an answer. Lorne just smiled. “Is Caterina one of your recruits? If so, I must pop by more often.”

“That’s what our dinner will decide. Now, if you don’t mind, Lorne, Rebecca is waiting for you.”

Lorne looked back as he headed for Rebecca. Kate could hear Rebecca raise her voice as they disappeared from the doorway and smiled. Her old groove was coming back.

“I think you just made a conquest, Caterina.”

“I hope this will not put you out. I am not interested in him.”

Kate smiled. “Anything but. I’ve come to see you in a new light and how you might be useful on our expedition. Now, shall we toast to our friendship and as our most interesting member of the team?”

Caterina wasn’t sure how to take it. Kate took her hand. “As from this minute on, you are a member of our team, and I have lots of things for us to do before we take a ship for Italy next Wednesday. Most importantly, everything you hear me or Prof. Tilly or the others say is not to be repeated to another living soul. If you are not sure about anything, ask Prof. Tilly or a member of our inner team. We are all sworn to secrecy. That means not informing Jack LeBreton or anyone else in the government about what we’re doing or our work status. “

Caterina nodded. “What should I be doing in the meantime?”

“There’s a lot of logistical work to be done before we set foot out of my office, where you will work with me as my special assistant. I’d also like you to keep track of our finances.

“How will I get paid? I have my mother to look after. My father has died, and my brother, Carmen, has returned to Italy. He’s bewitched by Mussolini. My mother is not, and neither am I. I should also mention that Carmen and I are twins.”

“Are you apt to run into him when we are in Tuscany?”

A look of sadness crossed Caterina’s face. “The last time he wrote my mother, he was in southern Italy. He is a private in the Italian army. He believes every word that comes out of Il Duce’s mouth. Even if they are blatant lies, maybe if Il Duce dies, we might be a family again. But I will not forgive him for what he has put our family through.”

Caterina had a way of drawing her into her circle, and Kate found herself nodding. They ordered dinner and talked about the challenges that lay ahead.

“What do you know about archaeological digs, Caterina?”

“Only what I read in the library. But I am a fast learner. Tell me some-

thing once, and it is in my head forever.” She touched her head and smiled widely. “You will see.”

Lorne suddenly appeared in the doorway and sat down next to Caterina. “Sorry about my hasty departure, but Rebecca suffers from migraines and wanted to get home as soon as she could. I stayed with her, but she threw me out. She said I only made it worse.”

“We were just leaving.”

“Is Caterina?”

“I came by taxi.”

“Then let me be your carriage home.”

CHAPTER TEN

Caterina was at the front door as Kate and her father were having breakfast. Kate rose and let her in. Caterina was wearing a multi-coloured skirt and a white blouse. She twirled, and her skirt twirled with her. “My father bought it for me just before we left Napoli.”

“We were just finishing breakfast. Have a coffee with us, and you and I will start work presently.”

At that point, the nurse and her father helped her mother down the stairs and to the kitchen table. Kate got up and went to the stove and prepared oatmeal for her mother. Caterina had followed her in. “What is wrong with your mother?”

“She is just back from the hospital. She had a stroke.”

Caterina nodded. “Then let me help. My mother had a stroke when my brother told us he had joined the Italian army and was now a soldier of Il Duce. He accused my mother of making it up and left in a huff, leaving me to nurse my mother. I had a nurse come and tell me what to do for her. When she recovered after a few months, my father told us he wished us to leave Italy for good.”

Kate cocked her head for a minute and felt uneasy. Prof. Tilly arrived an hour later, along with Garnet and Stu, who started chatting up Caterina almost immediately. Garnet and Prof. Tilly weren’t sure what to say until Kate mentioned that she had decided to ask Caterina to join our expedition. Stu shook her hand and kissed her on the cheek. Garnet and Prof.

Tilly shook her hand and nodded.

“For the moment, Caterina’s duties will be strictly helping me and getting everything ready for the dig.”

“I’ve never been on a dig before, so I’m not sure what I should be getting for us.”

“I”m sure Stu would be happy to assist you.”

Caterina smiled at everyone. “I am sure I shall need help from you all.”

Stu Chapman tapped her on the shoulder. “Where should we do this?” he said, holding up a rolled map.

“Use my office for the time being. “

Kate offered them coffee and toast. “I’d love the toast,” said Garnet.

Prof. Tilly spread his hands out and shook his head. “Perhaps, later.”

Garnet munched on two slices of toast. ‘I gather you would like to talk to us both privately.”

“When she and I dined last night, I saw her in a different person. Someone who could charm authorities and use her wiles on all authorities we meet along the way.”

Prof. Tilly rubbed his chin. “I somehow how hear a but.”

“You always knew what was in my head,” she laughed. “She always has a story to reinforce that she is loyal to us in every way. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”

“Trust your feelings,” said Prof. Tilly.

“If you think she might be an Italian spy of some kind, that can work two ways,” said Garnet. “In the meantime, I’ll warn Stu to be careful what he says around her.”

Prof. Tilly nodded. “Do you think he’ll listen? He seems quite taken with her.”

“Taken or not, he would let the rest of us down. All he talks about is going on the dig again. Every time I’ve talked to him over the past ten years, he always talked about our old dig. And no matter what he says or pretends, he loves each of us in his way. And he will not let any one of us down.”

Prof. Tilly rose to get another cup of coffee and started talking to Kate’s father, who had the same idea in mind. They spoke about the expedition. “Italy is a dangerous place for someone like my daughter who doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut sometimes,” he said, passing a new cup to the professor.

“I’ll make sure nothing bad comes to her.”

“Thank you for agreeing to join her on this expedition. If the Italian

authorities get wind of what she’s really there for...”

“The three of us are devoted to her. We will see no harm comes to her.”

Stu and Caterina had returned from Kate’s office with a book. “We’ve gone through everything we think we would need on the trip and would like to review it with the three of you. We’ve made three copies, one for each of you,” he added, passing each of them a copy.”

Stu sat back with a big smile on his face and waited until they finished.

Kate looked at Prof. Tilly. “What do you think?”

“There are a few more items I’d like to add, just to be on the safe side. I’ll make a note of them and give them to you tomorrow. How will these things come?”

“They will be sent to you by a shipment from the university, professor. We think it may be the safest way to ensure nothing gets missing.”

“Good thinking, Stuart.” Prof. Tilly liked using proper names.

“Is there anything else that needs to get done,” said Caterina, “that’s what I’m here for.”

Garnet ignored her. “I’ll handle all the travel arrangements.”

Kate nodded and looked at Prof. Tilly. “Could you get copies of the areas that show the most promise so that we can go over them before we leave? Stu and Garnet, I’d like you to get as many pictures of the targeted areas so that we can find out if we need to add more things to our list.”

“Anything else?” said Stu.

Caterina looked at Kate. “It may be prudent for each of you to provide biographies of yourself, your education, your backgrounds in archaeology and what each of you hopes to achieve. I’ll be happy to type them out for each of you. Please have them ready when we meet two days from now.”

Prof. Tilly watched the hoist lower their large container being lowered to the hold of the passenger liner. He turned to Garnet. “I’d like you and Stu to go aboard as soon as possible and go into the hold and make sure our container landed in one piece. If you can’t locate it or if it has been opened with our materials strewn all over the place, let me know immediately.”

The day was sunny, and Kate pulled her cap over her forehead to escape the glare. It didn’t seem so to Caterina, who was standing next to her and pointed to the ship, where the crew was lowering the passenger gangway. A large number of people had gathered at the spot where they thought the stairway to the boat would land. A crew member was pushing them back and trying to urge them to make room for a stretcher that would

be boarded first, along with a doctor. Prof. Tilly could see what was going on and smiled when he saw Stu and Garnet elbow their way near the front of the crowd. A few minutes later, they began hoisting passenger luggage in a large net to the deck, where porters were waiting to take the luggage to their owners’ rooms.

Kate led the way to the passenger stairway a few minutes later. The crowd had thinned, and they were soon aboard the liner. A member of the crew led them to their cabins. Caterina and Kate occupied the first, the third was Prof Tillyand the second by Stu, Garnet and Booker.

“You take the top bunk,” said Kate. “I’m always scared I’ll roll over in my sleep and land on the floor with a broken wrist or arm.”

***

The hold contained a maze of large containers, and where they thought they saw the container being lowered was now occupied by a stack of large containers with strange names stamped on them.

“You take the left side, and I’ll take the right,” said Garnet as they set off to examine the markings on the containers lined up on each side of them. When they came to the end and met, Garnet shook his head. Stu did the same. “We either go back and tell the professor or do the other side.”

Halfway down, they spotted a smaller container that looked like the university’s but too far up to know for sure. Stu looked around and saw a small ladder at the end of the row and ran down to get it. The ladder was a bit shaky, but Garnet just shook his head and started to climb up it. Halfway up, one of the rungs splintered and gave way. Garnet managed to hang on and slowly inched his way up. When he came within a few feet of the roof, he could barely make out the university’s name and crest. Garnet gave a thumbs up to him as Stu started on his way down. He stood directly under the ladder to break his fall in case he missed the splintered rung.

Garnet landed on his feet from two rungs up and grabbed Stu by the arm. “The professor will be pleased,” said Stu, keeping pace who regretted jumping off the ladder and was walking slowly with a limp. They knew their cabin number and that they were next to the professor. They could hear him pacing the floor inside and rapped on his door.

“You’re a welcome sight,” he said, stepping back from the door. “I had feared something bad had happened to you or our container.”

“You will be glad to know it is in perfect shape,” said Stu. “We had a hard time finding it. And when we did, it was on top of all the other containers, just beneath the roof. So when we reach Rome, it should be one of

the first containers lifted off the ship.”

They heard someone banging on metal. Garnet looked at his watch. “It’s lunchtime. So let’s get the ladies and head for the dining room.”

Stu rapped on their door, which was opened almost immediately. “We heard,” said Kate, putting on a deep blue jacket with Caterina in tow.

Two armed Italian sailors stood at the dining room entrance and asked to see everyone’s passport. “What is the purpose of your visit to Italy?” said the older sailor.

“We are archaeologists and will be doing a dig in Tuscany,” said Kate.

Prof. Tilly was ready for them. He reached into his jacket pocket and produced the Italian approval for the university to allow their expedition. The older sailor scanned the papers and passed them back to him.

“Are you all members of the expedition?”

“Yes,” said Kate, whom the older sailor ignored.

“And you?” he said to Caterina.

“I am also a member of the expedition,” she said in Italian.

“Why is a young Italian woman with this group?”

“They hire me. I come from Tuscano, and I know the country there. Now, can we eat?” she said in an imperial voice.

“Good thing you were with us,” said Stu. They sat down at a round table, with a waiter passing each of them a menu as they took their places. The menu mainly featured pasta dishes.

“If you like spicy spaghetti, then you must have arrabbiata. Fantisco. If not, spaghetti bolonese may be more to your liking.” She asked the waiter for pane Calabrese and olive oil to dip the bread in.

It was a night to remember, Stu was to remark later. They drank lots of wine and tried to sing Italian songs with the rest of the guests to the music of the ship’s small accordion band and laughed until it was time to return to their cabins.

They had made friends with an older couple in their late 60s, who immediately liked Prof. Tilly. So when they learned he was a professor, they insisted they join Kate and her crew at every meal.

“Where will you be going on your expedition? What do you hope to find?” They kept asking this at every meal. Finally, by the end of the third day, Caterina got tired and spoke Italian.

“Mi scusi,” said the man. “We do not know you need to talk business. Perhaps we can talk again before the ship docks in Roma.”

“What did you tell those people, Caterina. They meant no harm,” said Kate.

“Maybe. Maybe not. In fascist Italia, you must be very careful when

you talk to people. You never know when they might be spies or secret police.”

***

The ship docked at ten o’clock. It took at least a half-hour to set up the passenger exit and start off the ship. One of the crew saluted each person as they stepped onto the gangplank. They headed for a shed on the pier, where all the luggage was being trucked from the ship. Prof. Tilly stayed behind to see their container leave the ship and placed it in the freight shed. Kate picked up his suitcase as they headed outside and onto the dock where taxis were waiting.

Stu and Garnet caught up with Prof. Tilly in the freight shed, trying to make himself heard to one of the loaders. Caterina had followed them in unnoticed. “Let me help. Where do you want the container shipped once it leaves here?”

“At the freight depot in Firenze. We will pick it up there.”

She left them, talked to the loader, wrote on a piece of paper where the container should be sent and walked back with a broad smile. Finally, they caught up with Kate, who was waiting for them in a taxi.

“Tell him to take us to the railroad terminal,” said Kate.

A few minutes later, they were aboard the train and heading for Firenze. It was getting near noon, and they decided to lunch in the dining car. The couple from the boat saw them as they entered and waved to them. Kate and Prof. Tilly waved back.

“People in Italy are very friendly,” said Kate.

Caterina set her mouth. “Perhaps.”

The train reached Firenze about three hours later. Several black shirt OVRA soldiers checked the faces of everyone who left the train. A young man about Garnet and Stu’s age was grabbed as soon as he stepped off the train.

The Andresano family waved as soon as they saw them get off the train. Professor Tilly, Stu, Garnet, and Kate lived with them during their previous expedition and waved back.

Caterina heard the family cry out their names and stood back, wondering what would happen next.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Gaber walked inside one of the burial sites, followed by DeLuca. He felt every crease in the wall. There were two mummies of a man and a woman, sitting on a bed carved out of the rock. He felt the coldness of their stoned arms and heads in the hope of finding a passage that could lead him to another discovery.

“Is there a point to all this?” DeLuca was almost breathing down the back of his shirt.

“A great point. And I would appreciate it if you would leave me to examine what I hope I find something interesting, something that may tell us about the hidden prophecy.”

“I’ll be out in the car.”

“If you find something, get my assistant to come and tell me.”

He had no sooner left when Gaber felt his hand go through something soft. He used his fingers to dig a deeper hole and see where it might lead. His fingers touched a small object. A small figure of someone or thing. He took it out and studied it under one of the lamps. It was a faceless figure.

When he left the site and climbed back into DeLuca’s car, he showed DeLuca the statue. DeLuca brushed the small statue with his hands and handed it back to me. “What is it?”

“I suspect the statue of Tinia, the mother goddess or Culsan, another benevolent god. It’s hard to tell for sure without the face.”

DeLuca nodded and drove back to Firenze, feeling he had wasted an entire morning and afternoon on a useless errand. “Tomorrow, one of my assistants will drive you to your next site. Be sure to bring back anything you find, no matter what it is. In the meantime, I’ll send your little statue and your other findings to the history department at the university.”

Two hours later, his secretary followed him into his office. “Col. Castelli has been calling you.”

“Did he say what it was about?” DeLuca knew. It was about the Egyptian. He picked up the receiver and dialled Castelli’s number. “Just back from a fruitless visit to one of the existing Etruscan burial sites. It was a total waste of time. All he had to show for it was a small, faceless statue of some Etruscan god or goddess.”

“Il Duce has heard about it and wants a daily report. As if we didn’t have enough to do.” He paused. ‘I have a feeling he’s playing for time. That he is not the expert, he would like us to believe.”

“Just had another report from our people in Cairo about the murdered museum curator. There is a growing suspicion it was a guide for people who wanted to see the pyramids. His name is Avi Gaber. They think he escaped Cairo under an assumed name. Probably for Italy. Sound familiar?”

DeLuca could hear Castelli laugh. “If Il Duce has heard about it, what can or should we do?”

“Continue to act professionally. And do not forget that this individual is prepared to slit your throat at the drop of a hat. So make sure you and your men are armed every time they’re with him.”

DeLuca put the receiver down slowly. How was he to tell his men? His gut told him to tell his men to carry a gun with them every time they go with the Egyptian, and every time they visit a site. And no one else. Otherwise, all he would do was alert Ahmed they were onto him. He would tell them it was to protect them should they encounter grave robbers at the sites they visited. Yes, he thought, that would work well.

Gaber threw his jacket on the sofa and fell on it. It had been a tiresome day, with very little to show for it. He was saved by what he had learned in the Rome library about Etruscan gods and goddesses and their burial rites. He might not be so lucky the next time. Fortunately, DeLuca had decided to send one of his people to drive and help him when they visited the next site.

“I picked up some interesting news while visiting the market today,” said Babu, who had just prepared breakfast for Gaber. “There was talk that a new group has landed in Firenze and plan to look for new gravesites.”

Gaber had just raised his coffee mug. “Anything else?”

Babu shook his head. “But I have made friends with one of the ladies in the fruit market, who likes to talk and talk and talk. If anyone knows, she will know.”

Babu brushed Gaber’s jacket down with a whisk that came with the

room. Gaber smiled. Babu was worth his weight in gold.

The car and the driver were waiting for him outside. Gaber sat down next to the driver, unrolled a large map of the area, and showed the driver with his finger where he would like to go. The driver nodded and started the engine, and five minutes later, they were heading out of Firenze towards Volterra to visit burial sites in that area. The driver stopped at Volterra to get them coffee and head out into the countryside. They reached the designated site about an hour later.

It was deserted. The driver jumped out first and let him out. Gaber grabbed a shovel and a brush and pointed to a lamp and some rope to bring with him. The site was pretty well open to the elements and anyone who happened to pass their way. Gaber stuck his head inside and out again to light the lamp. The lamp showed a picture on the wall of a woman and a group of individuals following her. They wish her a safe trip to the underworld, with the god of death offering his arms to her. He moved the lamp closer to the wall. The painting was faint and was getting fainter by the year.

No prophecy there. Gaber stepped back and started to brush the floor to see if he had missed anything. Nothing. Then around the corner to another chamber area to feel the cracks in between.

The driver followed him with the torch, moving it closer in the corners. Nothing there either.

The next site was only a few minutes away and getting closed to noon. The driver was about to get out, but Gaber stopped him. He reached into a bag a pulled out the sandwiches and coffee thermos Babu had prepared for them. He offered a cupful of coffee and a sandwich to the driver. He sipped on the coffee as he unravelled the paper around his sandwich.

“Bring your pick and a shovel. I’ll bring the lamp and the brush. We may be doing a bit of excavating.” They entered to see that the new site much larger. Around four o’clock, he had to give up. No matter where they looked for a hidden opening, there was nothing that had not been examined before.

They drove back in silence. Gaber hated coming back with nothing to show for it. He looked at the driver, a young man, who had streaks of dirt across his face and forehead, and decided not to face DeLuca, at least for today.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Bahman

Ramsis hid in the shadows as he watched Gaber return. It was a month-long journey, and he finally found him at last. He had been watching Gaber leave and come back in a police car with a black shirt at the wheel and knew enough to keep his distance. He had also stayed long enough to know he had an Egyptian living with him and knew then his business with Gaber had to be done with no one else present.

He recognized Gaber from a photograph of him taken at the Museum and remembered his father telling him and his mother about Gaber and his story and the foreign woman who told a different story. His father had ordered the guards never to admit Gaber again. Ramsis decided to wait until he could see the lights of their room go out before calling it a day.

It was around ten o’clock the folloqing moring when he saw the Egyptian open the door and head down the street, twirling a shopping bag in his right hand and then disappear as he turned the corner. It was his chance. He entered the hotel lobby and asked for Gaber’s room. The clerk was an older man with a bent back, tired grey eyes and long grey hair who searched the register.

“We don’t have someone by that name registered with us.”

“Are there any Egyptians registered?” he said, watching the clerk open the register and and use his finger to look down the list of signatures again. Finally, he looked up and smiled, showing yellow teeth. “There is a gentleman by the name of Ahmed Gamal. Would you like me to ring for him?”

Bahman nodded. The clerk shuffled to his left where the hotel switchboard was located and tell Gaber that a gentleman wished to speak to him. Instead, he shuffled back and pointed to the black phone on the other side of the counter.

Bahman lifted the receiver. “A voice from your homeland, Mr. Gaber.”

“You must be mistaken. There is no Gaber here. Sorry.”

“We have a mutual friend who asked me to look you up.”

“What is his name?”

“He told me not to mention his name to anyone. So how do I know you are not Mr. Gaber?”

“Sorry, you’ve got the wrong person.”

“He said if you were in hiding and if I had a problem reaching you, to say to you the word Passport. He said you would recognize his recent service to you.”

“I’m on the second floor. The first door on the right-hand side of the corridor. There is no number on my door.”

Gaber was waiting for him when Bahman reached the second floor and waved him in. “It’s wonderful to see a friend of our mutual acquaintance. Are you also one of his clients?”

Bahman nodded and smiled back.

“What’s the latest news?”

“Still a lot of talk about the murder of the curator of the Cairo Museum of Antiquities. He wanted you to know that the police think that murderer had left Egypt and that they were no longer actively looking for him.”

There was a rap at the door. Babu had returned with the groceries, and Gaber headed for the door.

“Please do not admit anyone. You should know that I am a wanted man and do not wish the police send me back to Egypt for trial for murder. I do not want to be seen by anyone else or to be introduced to him. Kindly ask him to come back in a few minutes.”

“Babu. I’m entertaining someone. Can you come back in an hour?” He returned to his seat. “Don’t worry. I feel the same way. But I would like to know whom I’m entertaining. You remind me of someone.”

“My name is Bahman Ramsis.”

Gaber looked at him carefully. It couldn’t be. The museum curator. He stood behind his chair.

“Yes, Mr. Gaber. The son of the curator of The Museum of Antiquities.”

“Why are you here?”

“To do to you what you did to my father,” he said, withdrawing a long knife, tossing it back and forth between his hands the way Gaber did.

Gaber was about to withdraw his blade when Bahman’s long knife stopped him. “If you are trying to withdraw the blade you keep in your trousers, you will be dead within seconds. My knife will be sticking out of your heart. But that can wait until I find out why you killed my father. He

did nothing to you.”

“He knew something about me that would send me to prison for years. I liked your father, but I could not take the chance that he would forget what he held over me. If it is any consolation, he suffered no pain and was dead within a few seconds.”

“It is not a consultation. I plan to kill you now in the most painful way I know how.” He raised his hand and aimed it at Gaber.

Gaber looked past him. “Thank you, Babu. What made you come back?”

Ramsis turned, and at that split-second, Gaber reached into his pocket and threw his knife into Ramsis’s chest. Ramsis fell, and he raced to his side. “You should have left everything alone,” he muttered, withdrawing his blade.

He could see that Ramsis was no longer breathing. He went to the sink and washed his blade and hands. He had to dispose of Ramsis’s body somehow and leave it in some alley while it was still dark.

He heard the key in the lock turn and saw Babu standing in the doorway. “Shut the door.”

Babu was looking at the body and shivering. “What happened?”

“This devil tried to kill me. You can still see the knife in his hand. But I was faster.” Gaber was breathing hard now and tried to calm himself. “I don’t think the police will believe me. I need your help to get his body out of the hotel and leave it on the street a few blocks from here.”

Babu placed his bag of groceries on the kitchen counter. “The first thing we need to do is wash the floor and the sink and then find something we can wrap his body in before we try to remove him.”

Gaber nodded as Babu scanned the closet, found an extra blanket, and laid it on the floor. It took them both to roll his body onto the blanket and then wrap it around his body.

Babu went to the liquor cabinet and withdrew a bottle of Brandy. “I think we both need a bit of this before we start out. He sat on the newly washed floor, took a swing out of the bottle, and passed it to Gaber.

“You’re a prince among men, Babu. It was a lucky day when we met.”

A few minutes later, when they felt rested, they each took an end of the wrapped body and headed into the corridor. Babu led them to a servant’s elevator, which he opened and entered. It took them to the basement floor, where they carried the body out of the hotel.

“Stay in the shadows,” said Gaber. “The last thing we need now is being caught carrying a dead body. It was past midnight by then, and there was no one on the street. They had to drop Ramsis’s body a couple of times

to get their breath before coming to a side street four streets down, where they turned and carried the body halfway down the street, fronted on both sides by darkened two-storey houses. They dumped the body and decided to take the blanket back with them.

They both turned at the same time and walked briskly without turning to look back.

It had started to rain, and Ramsis could feel the drops running down his face. He tried to move his arms, but he lacked the strength. He ran his fingers across his chest and could feel the blood oozing from his chest.

The next thing he remembered was seeing a woman’s face hovering over him. “I think he’s still alive. Go and get him help,” she said, “while I keep watch over him.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Donatello gave Kate a big hug and shook Prof. Tilly’s hand until he thought he would lose it. “And who are these raggazi?” he said, looking at Garnet, Stu and Booker.

“You should remember at least Garnet and me,” said Stu. We nearly ate you out of house and home. And we’re no longer boys.”

Annunziata Andresano, Donatello’s wife, now 20 pounds heavier, looked at Caterina. “I do not remember this young lady,” she added, glancing at Caterina’s face.

“Booker and Caterina are new to our group,” said Kate. “Booker is a photographer to take pictures of any discoveries we find this time. And Caterina is my assistant.”

Annamaria, their daughter, had grown into a lovely young lady of 22, who hung her head when her father introduced her to them. Her black hair matched the colour of her eyes. Her face was brown from the sun, and there was a vibrancy in her smile and eyes when she talked to you. She was short like her mother and had a ready smile that made everyone around her feel instantly comfortable. Her brother, Francesco, named after Annunziata’s favourite saint, had his arm around his sister. He was now 24 and had his mother’s good looks. He was staring at Kate, who remembered

the day ten years ago when Francesco told her he was in love with her and asked to wait until he grew up when they would get married. She smiled as she remembered.

Donatello marched them to Donatello’s old truck. “As before, Kate and the professor will stay with us,” said Annunziata, “but we have made arrangements for the others to stay at the home of Donatello’s relative. But our first stop will be a la Casa Andresano, where we have a wonderful dinner with your favourites waiting for us. I remembered them all, and when I forget, Annamaria remembers for me.”

She laughed as she boarded the truck with Donatello. The others climbed onto the back. Booker helped Prof. Tilly, who found it hard to climb aboard. Things had changed a lot for him, and he hoped he would be able to hold up his end. Caterina and Kate sat on a rug atop a wooden box and hung on as best they could. There were a lot of hills along the way. Kate had forgotten about the hills over the years, and she remembered almost falling out on one occasion when Donatello picked them up.

They could see the Andresano home’s lights and smoke rising from the chimney as they started down the hill. Donatello was out of the truck first and came to the back to help the others off. Then, he sent Francesco off to find a box the professor could stand on as he climbed down from the truck.

Francesco managed to sit beside Kate. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see his face burn and smiled. Stu was chatting up Annamaria, and Garnet and Booker were seated beside Donatello, who tapped on his glass for silence.

Francisco stood and raised his palm to his mother for her to stand. “I take great pleasure in introducing my mother. It is she who created this great feast for us this wonderful day.” He raised his wine glass to his mother. “Salut. May you be with us always.”

The meal included vegetables from Donatello’s garden, beef and three different spaghetti with grapes for dessert. Kate could see Francesco glance at her from time to time and smiled. Stu had not given up on Annamaria, who was laughing at his jokes. Booker was testing out his camera by taking pictures throughout the dinner.

When it was time to break up, Donatello escorted Stu, Garnet, Booker and Catriona to the home of his cousin, Vittoria. She was in her early 50s but looked at least ten years younger. “I’m sorry,” she said, looking at Donatello and the faces behind him. “I thought it was tomorrow. I think I’m losing my memory,” she said with a light laugh. “I see a young woman with you. Unfortunately, I am not prepared for a female guest.”

“I understand, Vittoria. I did not know there would be a woman in our group. Could you not make an exception in just this one case. She could stay with your lovely daughter, Sabrina.”

Vittoria thought for a moment. “Come to think about it, that would be safer for both of them.”

Sabrina, dressed in a Giovanessa uniform, opened the door wider and offered an inviting smile, especially at Stu, who gave her an alluring smile back. It was not lost on Caterina, who was left to carry her own suitcase.

“Your mother asked me to share your room with you,” said Caterina when Sabrina returned. Sabrina swirled her shoulder-length hair and sat down beside Caterina. It wouldn’t be forever, she thought, and tried to smile, even though she could feel that the young woman sitting on her bed did not like her. Well, it won’t be forever, she thought again, and there was a good chance Caterina might confide in her and tell her things about the expedition. Moreover, her superiors were undoubtedly interested in what they were doing.

There was a knock on the door. Stu opened it as Caterina unloaded her suitcase but it was Sabrina who gave him a knowing look as he passed her downstairs.

“My name is Stu Chapman. Just stopped by to say hello and hope we’ll have a chance to have a chat together when you have the time.” He looked at Caterina and winked at her. She winked back. ***

Prof. Tilly was feeling tired. “Old age has caught up with me,” he said to Kate as she helped him from the chair in the kitchen. “I’m tired. This trip has taken a lot out of me.”

Donatello watched Kate help the professor up. “Is the professor all right?”

“He’ll be all right after a day or two. The trip has tired him out. But he’s as sharp as ever, and that is why I want him with me.”

Francesco, who had been sitting beside his father, stood and left to listen to the radio. They played Verdi around this time of the night. He liked beautiful things, and Verdi’s music always lifted his spirit.

“You know he cares deeply about you. Ten years ago, I thought he would get over it after a few months. But he hasn’t. He bruises easily.”

She stood and got ready to go to bed. “I understand.”

She awoke with the crowing of roosters. It started at one of the farms

not far away and was joined by one of Donatello’s roosters and other roosters down the line. The sun was already on the horizon, and she looked out the window at the faint markings of hills in the distant blue haze. She could hear the stirring in the kitchen as Annunziata got ready to prepare for breakfast.

She also caught Donatello coming in from the barn. She remembered how he carried two pails of milk into the kitchen, the largest room in the household, where they usually prepared and ate meals, and then stamping his feet on the step outside before entering.

Annunziata appeared in the doorway with Prof. Tilly. She ground some coffee beans and put the pot on, and cut large slices of bread. When coffee was ready, she poured it into large bowels. When they sat down, they dipped the bread into their coffee. “Annamaria and Francesco usually fight over the toilet unless one happens to wake first.”

Kate could see that Annunziata had faint lines around her mouth and at the corner of her eyes. Her hair was still jet black, and her round face always had a smile on it. Annunziata had baked a cake from the night before and cut a piece for each of them before adding more coffee to their bowls.

Annamaria appeared first and poured herself a large bowl of coffee and a thick slice of bread. She took a large mouthful of the coffee and put it down with a smile. They could hear Francesco walking down the stairs a few minutes later.

“I will need your help again, Francesco. First, I need you to take a note to Garnet after you’ve had breakfast. Give it to him only. No one else.”

“He will do as soon as No. 7 (her name for Donatelli’s cousin) has finished breakfast. Otherwise, they will not answer the door. I know Donatello’s lazy cousin. And I know her for many years.”

Kate smiled at Francesco, who had a wide grin.

“Pay no need to my good wife. She and Vittoria had a big argument at our wedding.”

Garnet and Stu appeared an hour later. “Caterina was surprised she was not included in our meeting,” said Garnet. “I told her it was to talk about our timetable and to assemble all the things we will need on the dig. She didn’t look pleased.”

“When it comes to when and where we plan to dig, I want that kept strictly among the four of us. Caterina and Booker will join us at the site and help out with everything.”

They were sitting in the kitchen, and Prof. Tilly spread out an enlarged map of the area on the table. “Come and stand behind me, so you can get a better idea of where we’re going and get your comments.”

“Professor and I have chosen areas with high hills as well as overhanging rock formations. These are areas the Etruscans favoured to create tombs,” added Kate.

“What about this area?” said Garnet.

“We looked at it as well. It’s close to a body of water for that to be a choice, but you never know.”

“What exactly are we looking for?” said Stu. “And why all the hush, hush?”

“The professor and I will be looking for something special. And that is not to leave this room. As far as everyone else is concerned, we are looking for Etruscan writings that will enlarge our understanding of the Etruscan religion.”

“So it involves trying something written?”

“Let me say again, no one else must know that,” said Prof. Tilly. The secret police have made it very clear. They want to see and examine everything we find. Everything. If we don’t, they may shut down our dig.”

“What about mummies – the kind we found ten years ago?”

“We will tell them we have found a mummy that has markings on it. And that they can examine it with their experts as long as they return it to the site,” said Kate.

“So when do we start?” said Stu.

“Tomorrow morning around seven o’clock. Prof. Tilly and I will be visiting Col. DeLuca this afternoon with our map to show him where we plan our dig.” ***

Col. DeLuca could hear their voices and came out of his office to greet them. He shook hands with the professor and offered him a cigarette. The professor shook his head. “They’re Tre Stelle. They’ve been my favourite since I was young.”

“Tre Steele, Three Stars, I’ve heard of them,” said Kate.

“Then you must try,” he said, offering his open pack to her. “Take a couple in case you like them.”

Kate took three. “Three for good luck,” she said and puffed on the light DeLuca offered her.

“We’ve come to show you this,” said Prof. Tilly, opening his briefcase and taking out the map they intend to start digging. “It’s not far from our original dig ten years ago.”

“That was the year I joined the party,” said DeLuca, who ushered them into his office and stood behind his desk, his six-foot-plus head towering

over them. He had a thin, tanned face and wore his pencil-thin mustache like a metal. He constantly touched it as he scrutinized the map in the light of the table lamp on his desk. He took out a pince-nez from his jacket pocket and put it on his nose.

“I hope everything is in order,” said Prof. Tilly.

“Absolutely. Absolutely,” DeLuca said, smiling as he returned their gaze. Then, he suddenly started coughing and took out a handkerchief and put it to his mouth. “Sorry. I have an allergy.”

He saw them to the door, his hand on the professor’s shoulder. “When do you plan to start?”

“Tomorrow, if that meets with your approval,” said Kate.

“The sooner, the better. In fact, I’ll make a point of visiting your site tomorrow.”

“That would be wonderful,” said Kate. “I hope you won’t be disappointed. It takes quite a while to set everything up before we start the actual digging.”

Back in his office, he called Col. Castelli first thing. He started to cough and took out his handkerchief again to cough into it.

“Are you all right, DeLuca?”

“Just my allergy, colonel. Just wanted to bring you up to date. I met with two people from the university. They brought a map along with them to show me where they planned to dig first.”

“Wunbar, colonel. We also need to keep tabs on them in case they find the Egyptian’s tablet.”

“I have already told them I would be visiting them tomorrow.”

“Good.” Castelli was about to hang up. “What’s the word from our Egyptian friend. He’s visited three existing sites, and the only came he came up with so far is a small doll of some kind. I’ve sent it off to the university to see if they can tell me what it is. I’ve also told him he was wasting his time examining old sites and that he start immediately looking for a likely new site.”

“Be sure to tell him about the university crowd. And that they’ve already begun digging. Maybe that will get him moving.”

***

Kate and Prof. Tilly arrived back an hour later to see Francesco assembling the items they would need to take to the site. Annamaria was arguing with him.

“She usually gets her way,” said Donatello. Garnet and Stu also stacked things in piles and looked up to see Donatello’s truck enter the yard.

“How did things go?” said Garnet as soon as they left the truck.

“He couldn’t be nicer,” Kate shouted back.

“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts,” said Prof. Tilly, who left them to talk to Francesco and Annamaria. “You remembered what goes with what, even after ten years,” he said to Annamaria. “You were just a girl at that time.”

Annunziata suddenly appeared in the doorway, wearing a white apron with fresh flowers sticking out of her apron pocket. “Annamaria, come and help me set the table.”

They followed Annamaria inside as she went to the cupboard in the dining room corner and stacked a pile of plates to carry to the table. Five minutes later, the table had knives and forks and napkins as her mother marched in, almost on cue, carrying a large tureen of soup.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Bahman

Ramsis opened his eyes and blinked.

“You’re in a hospital. My boyfriend and I found you lying in the street and oozing blood.”

He felt his chest and winced when he touched his chest. He also found it hard to breathe. Even to turn his head to look at them hurt. A nurse appeared out of nowhere and bent down to take his blood pressure and pulse rate. “So far, so good,” she smiled at him. “Good thing these two people found you when they did. Otherwise, you would be dead by now.”

Bahman tried to thank them but had a hard time forming the words.

“Did you see who attacked you?” said the young woman’s boyfriend. “When we discovered you, there was no one in sight.”

He could see someone in a uniform standing behind them. “All I can remember is seeing someone with a knife advancing towards me. Thank you for saving my life.”

They seemed to fade into the background. “Good luck, and we hope you get well soon.”

They were replaced by a young Carabiniere, holding his hat, who sat

down on the chair next to his bed. “My name is Marcello Ferranti, Carabiniere, from the district where you were attacked. We want to find the person who tried to kill you. We see you are a visitor to Italia. Do you know who it was?”

Bahman shook his head. It was coming back to him now. The man who lunged at him with a knife. “Sorry. Everything is still foggy in my head at the moment. Perhaps I will have a clearer memory of what happened to me and how I came to be stabbed.”

The Carabiniere stood. He closed his notebook and bowed. He looked so young and had a soothing baritone voice that put him at once at ease. “I will look in on you again over the next day or two.”

He had to remember how he came to be knifed almost to death. He hoped to see the young woman and her boyfriend again. He should do something for them for saving his life. The only thing he could see in his head was someone rushing at him with a long knife. He was thinking in another language from the others who had talked to him. It meant he came from a different country. He drifted off to sleep.

A nurse woke him up a few hours later to give him a shot to make sure he had not become infected. “You’re an Egyptian,” she said as she plumped up his pillow. “Spent a great two weeks in Cairo a couple of years ago. That’s how I knew you were Egyptian. I could tell by your accent when you talk in Italian.”

Egypt, he thought. He was from Egypt, and he was on a mission to Italy. What exactly?” He felt so tired and closed his eyes and could see an image of an older man in a casket before he closed his eyes and drifted off again.

When he woke, he could see the young woman who had rescued him. “I hope I didn’t wake you. You need to rest to get your strength.” She looked around before bending down and whispered in his ear. “We found this next to you.” She held up a cotton label with the name of a hotel on it. I thought you might have stayed there or that you knew someone who lives there.”

He glanced at the label and shook his head. “I would like to help you and your friend in some way. I’m not sure if I have any money, but.”

She put her hand over his mouth.

***

Gaber glanced over the newspaper for the third time. No mention of anyone found murdered that fitted the description of Ramsis. Maybe I

only wounded him. He shook his head. He was not breathing when they left him on the street. He mentioned it to Babu, who told him no one he had talked to mentioned anything about a murder in the neighbourhood.

“I want you to come with me. I want to go to the place where we left his body.”

“He won’t be there.”

“I know that. But we might discover something or give us an idea of what happened to his body.”

It was late morning, and would not have to see DeLuca until the afternoon. So they headed out into the sunshine, quickly walking up five streets and turning right at the corner. Then down the street, past men with loads on their shoulders and women, heading out to get food for the evening meal.

Babu pointed to a dark red stain near the drain. Gaber nodded. Nothing. No sign of murder other than the stain. Babu rubbed his elbow against Gaber’s arm. “That man across the street has been watching us ever since we stopped.”

“Let’s head back to the hotel. I will go first. Wait for five minutes to see if the man is following me. If he is, and I see you wave to me, we’ll meet at the post office, just up the street from the hotel.”

He left and walked slowly to the corner, and turned left. He checked his watch. He looked back and saw Babu waving to him about 60 paces behind the man. He picked up his pace, walked past their hotel, reached the post office, and waited behind one of the columns. The man who had been following him entered the post office, and Gaber headed back to the hotel. Babu spotted him coming and waited for him outside their hotel. They entered the lobby just as their follower emerged from the post office.

Gaber sat down on one of the chairs in the lobby, breathing hard with his heart beating in his ears.

“We need to go upstairs now. What if our follower saw us enter the hotel and finds us here?”

The man, dressed in a black coat, walked directly to the desk. He talked to the desk clerk and looked at the register, leaving a few minutes later without glancing in their direction.

They walked quickly to the stairs and up to their suite, panting by the time Babu let them in. He looked at Gaber, who was sweating and breathing furiously and made him a tea. “Drink this. It will help to calm your nerves.”

If he knew anything about the police, Gaber knew they were patient once they found the person they wanted. But, if he were arrested for the

murder of Ramsis, he knew one thing for sure, he could kiss his prospects goodbye. They had to move. Somewhere closer to the dig he had started the day before. But first, he had to see DeLuca, who called and insisted he see him at two o’clock.

At 1.45 sharp, the car to take them to see Col. DeLuca was waiting for him at the entrance. Gaber held his head down and slid into the back seat as quickly as possible. The car started with a jerk and headed out into the main street.

“The colonel is expecting you and asks you to go directly to his office,” said the young receptionist just inside the door.

He walked through the office, somehow feeling conscious of the eyes that followed him to DeLuca’s office. He rapped lightly before opening the door and entering.

“I wanted to alert you that a university group, which had some success when they were here last, has returned and will start on a new dig tomorrow. We will keep tabs on them, but we would much prefer if you redoubled your efforts and beat them in finding the prophecy you believe exists. For your information, Il Duce has been told of your efforts and expects a daily report from us.”

“And if they do discover it before we do?”

“They are required to provide us with anything and everything they discover. We will have a man on-site to make sure they do,” said DeLuca, who seemed nervous for some reason.

“I’d like your permission to move to Volterra, where I can be close to the site we’ve started working on. Given what you just told me, we could put in more time at the site than we can now.”

DeLuca nodded. “Is there anything else? If not, I have work to do.”

“I will need two more men.”

Gaber told Babu his news when he returned to his suite. “I had the car wait outside so that we could go to Volterra and look for the place to set up their operations. It’s time to find a new place.”

The drive to Volterra excited Babu. The rolling hills and the upturned soil on sloping hills and the smell of flowers in the wind reminded him of Egypt, and he closed his eyes. When they rolled into Volterra, the driver stopped the car to ask a passerby for the secret police location. It was just a street away.

The driver motioned to them to follow him. Compared with Firenze, the secret police station was a quarter of the size. There were two desks behind the counter, where two black-shirted officers were chatting. The one nearest the counter turned to face them.

“How can I help you,” he said to their driver.

I come from the Firenze office. These two gentlemen are looking for a suitable place in Volterra. They are on a mission for Il Duce.”

The other officer, about ten years older, turned when he heard Il Duce’s name mentioned and came to the counter. He had a broad, large face and bright blue eyes and was at least six inches taller than his companion with a deep, authoritative voice. “May I be of help?”

“We’re looking for accommodation for these two. They are working on an assignment for Il Duce.”

“Your names?”

Their driver was getting impatient, and he glanced at his wristwatch and made a face.

Gaber stepped up. “My name is Ahmed Gamal. I am an archaeologist, and this is my associate, Babu. We are working on a site near Volterra and need a place where we can bring our work back with us and where we will not be disturbed.”

The older officer rubbed his chin. “There is a place, not in the best of shape, at the edge of town. I would be pleased to take you there myself. But permit me to warn you. It needs a bit of work.”

“I assume you have people in Volterra who can make any necessary repairs?” It suited Gaber perfectly. A place without prying eyes, where they could handle any problem without being noticed. “Can we see it now?”

“They call me Diego, and I will drive you there myself.” He turned to their driver. “You may wish to follow.”

He stopped in front of a small house just beyond the walls of Volterra. “It hasn’t been lived in for some years. An old couple owned it, and when they died, their son moved to Roma. Who will be paying the rent?”

“OVRA,” said their driver, who had joined them.

Diego smiled. “Va bene. Then let us go within.” He unlocked the door and led them inside. “Watch for cobwebs. Stray cats have made it their home in recent years. But as I said, it just needs a bit of repair and blocking any and all entrances for our feline friends.”

Gaber walked around. A black cat was in the kitchen and hissed at seeing him. He picked up a broom in the corner of the swatted cat that ran away from him. Babu opened the door and let it escape into the bushes around the house.

The wallpaper had pealed in the front room and needed replacement. Babu followed him and made a note of things that needed done. The kitchen had a large old-fashioned iron stove. The stovepipe that led to the chimney was askew. There were two bedrooms—one with a large bed, where

they found another cat, which ran out into the bushes. The room smelled of cat urine, and so did the mattress. So did the other bedroom, which had a much smaller bed.

Their driver held his nose and retreated into the kitchen.

“What about a toilet?”

“I am sorry to say it comes with no toilet, but I’m sure the workmen could provide something you could use in the meantime.”

“We’ll try it for a week – but only after the changes we want done are completed – and decide then.”

“Va bene. You will not regret it.”

They drove back to the station with Diego, who could not stop talking about the wonders of Tuscano. Their driver followed them, still shaking his head.

“We will need a place to stay until the house is repaired and where we can be picked up to work on our project.”

“If you wish, you may stay at my home. No rent. I do for Il Duce. I will call my wife now if you say yes.”

Gaber looked at Babu, who was smiling. “We’ll take you up on your offer.”

Gaber called Col. DeLuca and told him about their adventure. He could hear DeLuca laughing. When he hung up, he nodded to Diego. “Col. DeLuca asked me to convey his thanks to you and your hospitality. He makes one request only: That someone from your station drives us to ourdig in the morning and back to our home in the evening. In addition, he will make a note of your assistance to Roma.”

Diego lived only a short distance away in a small house near the town wall. His wife, who had a pretty face and had a thin figure, was waiting for them at the door. “Please come into our home. Dinner is ready. I hope you like it. I make spaghetti only, I’m afraid.”

They sat down at their kitchen table. Diego poured them all a glass of wine. “Salute,” he said, raising his glass in their direction. His wife brought him a giant tureen of spaghetti and started dishing it out on their plates. “I hope you like the seasoning. I try it new today in your honour.”

Gaber could easily guess Diego and his wife were going out of their way for them so that the powers-to-be might add a checkmark against his name in Rome. A posting to Firenze or another prominent place would bring them more money and possibly, a promotion.

Diego left and came back later with three older men an hour later. “They are expert craftsmen and are willing to set the house to your specifications. I believe you have a list of things you want to be done.”

Babu tore it from his notebook and passed it to Diego. He huddled with the men for about ten minutes and then turned to Gaber. “They say they can make like new in three or four days. “

Booker had returned with the first. Caterina looked at her hands and rubbed them together. “Spit on them,” Stu whispered to her and rub it in. It helps.”

“I hope I won’t have to do this all day.”

“Just at the beginning. But as we work our way in, it will get much easier. If the professor is right, we should know in two days at the most.”

Caterina rolled her eyes and went back to shovelling. Booker called out to Prof. Tilly, who ran to his side to see booker looking up at a piece of brown ceramic. The professor smiled.

“Booker found a piece of broken ceramic. It’s a good sign. He looked at Caterina, who was having a hard time keeping up with the others. “Caterina, I want you to trade places with Booker.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Prof. Tilly looked around the site he had chosen on the map. It wasn’t quite what he had imagined, and it made him feel a bit unsure now where to exactly put the first spade into the side of the hill. He looked at the expectant faces around him, and he knew he had to make a decision.

“I thought I knew where the best place was to start, but the lay of the land is not as it appears on the map. I don’t want to spend two weeks doing a lot of digging to find out it’s not leading us anywhere.”

Kate saw his hands shake and how quickly he put them in his pockets. “That’s all right, professor. We’ll start where you originally planned and see where that leads us.” She raised her spade, and Garnet and Stu did the same. Caterina just stood there. “That includes you, Booker and Caterina. We’ll all put our spades a foot apart and dump our first shovel of dirt in the wheelbarrow behind me. Booker, you grab the wheelbarrow and follow me.”

“I thought I was here to take pictures.”

“Point taken. “The rest of us will put our spades in the side of the hill and let Booker take a picture for posterity. You, too, professor. Stand on the other side of me. This way, all of us will be in the picture.”

Prof. Tilly bent down to see what the shovels produced and spread out the dirt to get an idea of what they might be up against. He turned to Booker. “When the wheelbarrow is full, wheel it up to where we placed the screen and use your spade to throw the dirt against it. If you manage to see anything on the screen, let me know at once and place whatever you find in the box next to the sifter.”

It took them ten minutes to fill the wheelbarrow and start on the other wheelbarrow. By the time they had finished the second wheelbarrow,

Booker wasn’t happy about the change and kept mumbling to himself. “I’m a photographer and a damned good one at that.” Kate caught his words and smiled.

Donatello arrived with enough food to feed a regiment. They sat down on tarpaulins and passed around buttered pieces of fresh-baked bread, spaghetti, meatballs and bottles of wine. When they finished lunch, they laid down on the tarps and let the sun re-energize them.

Prof. Tilly was the first to get up and rouse them to their feet.

“My back hurts,” said Booker.

“Tomorrow, I will ask Donatello to take a picture of us eating and relaxing. It will be a great memory,” said Kate.

“I’ve also arranged for Donatello to bring along his son tomorrow. He will spell Caterina and Booker, and that should speed things up. We’ve made great progress. But there’s still a lot to do before we find the tomb. I do not doubt that it’s here. And when we do, we’ll celebrate with a holiday.”

“Just as we did in 1926,” said Garnet. ***

The next day, everyone’s arms and backs were sore from digging, but it seemed to fade away as the morning went on. Then, a black shirt from DeLuca’s office suddenly appeared and inspected what they had done. He held up two pieces of ceramic. “What are these?”

“Pieces of ceramic,” said Booker. “What did you think they were? Gold?”

The black shirt set his mouth, and he decided not to say anything more. He was in his late 20s and walked with a swagger.

Prof. Tilly walked over to him. “It’s his way to make friends. You should hear him talk to us. One thing, though. We have a rule. If you come to see us work, we expect you to work with us as long as you’re here. If you intend to visit us every day, bring some work overalls, and we’ll have a spade with your name on it.”

Booker passed him a spade and took his picture with the others standing behind him, smiling.

Donatello was late in coming. His wife made him wait until her new batch of bread had cooled. He found the professor and the rest of them sitting on the large tarpaulin that also served as a tent if it rained. Everyone shouted as they heard Donatello’s truck stop just outside the dig.

“Don’t blame Donatello. That is all that I say,” he said.

Francesco walked behind him, carrying a large box deposited in the middle of the tarpaulin and stood back. Garnet was the first one up, passing a large pot of spaghetti, a bowl of lettuce and a plate of meatballs to Stu. There were six loaves of bread that Annunziata had already buttered for them.

Kate waved to the young black shirt to join them. Garnet passed him a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs along with four or five slices of bread. Francesco disappeared and returned with four bottles of Donatello’s wine. Donatello poured each of them a large glass with a reminder, “Donatello makes the best wine in Tuscano.”

They lay on the tarpaulin in the warmth of the sun and chatted among themselves. Prof. Tilly had drifted off to sleep. Kate took off her sweater and covered his shoulders.

Garnet rose first and roused the others. Kate helped Prof. Tilly get up and motioned to Francesco to join them in the digging. He had small hands for a young man but muscular arms and legs with an olive colour from the sun.

“You will work with me and do exactly what I do,” said Kate, shoving her spade into the earth. He worked beside her for a solid hour before stopping to catch his breath. Kate touched him on the arm. “Pace yourself. When I pause, you pause with me. Understand.”

Garnet looked his way and gave him a thumbs up. Francesco nodded and smiled to himself as he started digging again. The black shirt, who joined Caterina in wheel borrowing the dirt to the screen, stopped to talk to him. “Where did you learn to work like that?”

“Working in the fields on our farm.”

An hour later, it started to rain—just a few drops and then gradually into a downpour. Kate tried to loosen a stubborn ridge of dirt above them

without success. Francesco, who watched her stretch, pushed his spade under the bank, which suddenly gave way, covering them in a pile of mud.

The others rushed to them, trying frantically to wipe away the mud caked to their bodies, using their hands. “Use our shirts to dig. We’ll remove more mud that way,” said the black shirt, taking off his shirt and the first to dig large pieces of mud from their heads. The others quickly joined in. Finally, Prof. Tilly and Caterina left to get a pail of water and poured it over their heads.

Kate and Francesco were gasping for air and trying to spit the mud out of their mouths. Caterina and the professor returned and doused them again. Garnet and Stu withdrew their bodies from the mud while the young black shirt kept pounding their backs.

Booker was taking pictures, rolling the roll one after another as fast as he could. This was history in the making, and he knew it. Stu and Garnet let them set up a tent from the tarpaulin and returned to take Francesco and Kate by their arms to the tent. The others followed.

It was a cold rain that showed no let up. Kate started shivering, and Caterina took off her jacket and put it around her shoulders. Prof. Tilly was also coughing but insisted she take his coat to warm her.

It was the longest hour any of them could remember. Caterina had started crying. Stu put his arm around her and tried to calm her.

“I hear something,” said the young black shirt.

“It’s my father,” said Francesco with a broad smile. “He’s come for us early.”

They heard his truck stop and his footsteps stop outside the tent. “It’s time to call it a day. I would have been here sooner, but I had a hard time finding things to cover you all on our way back.”

“Kate should sit in the front seat with you,” said Prof. Tilly. I fear she may be coming down with pneumonia. If there is a heater in your truck, be sure to turn it on.”

The black shirt got on the back of the truck first and helped the others climb aboard, where they found old tarps and umbrellas to shield them from the rain. The truck got stuck a couple of times in mud holes during their journey to the main road. The back wheels were spinning in the mud, and Francesco, Garnet and Stu got out to push the truck out of the hole.

They arrived at Donatello’s home about 20 minutes later. It was difficult driving, with the rain beating against the windshield and making it difficult to see the road at times.

When they finally drove into the yard at Donatello’s home, the door opened suddenly. Annunziata was wearing her apron and watched them

leave the truck. Donatello carried Kate inside and had his wife take her upstairs and put her to bed. Prof. Tilly led the others inside. Francesco and the black shirt followed Garnet, Stu, Booker and Caterina.

Annunziata looked at the black shirt suspiciously and at Donatello with questions in her eyes.

“What is your name, young man?”

“Gabriello Zampa.”

Gabriello saved your son’s life this day,” said Donatello. “He worked alongside your son at the dig with the others. Francesco was working with Kate when the dirt from a ridge collapsed and covered both of them. Prof. Tilly told me it was his intervention that your son is with us this day. We owe him everything. So set a place of honour for Gabriello.”

Annunziata nodded and headed into the kitchen to talk to Annamaria. Donatello added another board to the table, and Annamaria brought in knives and forks and plates to set the table. Garnet rose to help her. He took the plates and placed them at the setting, tailing her with the knives and forks. Donatello placed Gabriello at the head of the table and sat next to him.

“Do you have a telephone?” he asked. “I need to call my station to let them know where I am.”

Donatello took him to the phone.

“What is your address?” he asked as he dialled the number. “It’s Gabriello. There was an accident at the dig today, and I am now having supper with the Andresano family. You can pick me up here in a couple of hours.”

He smiled as he replaced the receiver and took his place at the table. Annunziata and Annamaria brought in the food. “We are having rigatoni tonight and a wonderful dessert Annamaria wanted to make for you. But that will come in later,” she added as she sat down next to Gabriello on the opposite side of the table. Annamaria returned with the bread and wine.

Francesco, sitting next to his father, could hear Kate coughing from upstairs. His father looked at him and nodded. Francesco rose and excused himself and headed upstairs two at a time. When he reached Kate, she was holding her chest and coughing violently. He felt her forehead. She was burning up. He poured a glass of water for her from the pitcher on the dresser and held her up to help her swallow a few mouthfuls, stopping only when she started to gag.

He ran downstairs. “She is burning up. I tried to give her water, but she gags on it.”

Annunziata rose and headed upstairs. Prof. Tilly looked at the others.

“It’s pneumonia, as I feared. She needs a doctor immediately.”

Gabriello rose from his chair and went to the telephone and returned a few seconds later. “There will be an ambulance at the door in five minutes.”

Everyone stopped eating. They had somehow lost their appetites and did not know what to say or do.

They could hear the siren from the ambulance grow as it neared them and finally stopping in the yard. Two attendants, dressed in white uniforms with a stretcher, opened the door without knocking. A young doctor from the hospital followed them in and up the stairs, where he did a preliminary check of her vital signs. He took the thermometer out of her mouth and glanced at it. He nodded to the two attendants, who had a bit of a problem taking her down the stairs. They rushed her outside and into the ambulance.

Francesco went with them. “I’ll call from the hospital and let you know what’s happening,” he yelled as he ran out the door.

Annunziata returned to the table and tried to smile. “Mange. Mange.”

But no one seemed to want to eat. “You must eat to keep up your strength. It is what Kate would say to you if she is here,” said Donatello.

Annamaria brought in a cake with a candle on it. “You must try my cake. I work on it all day.”

“Cut me a big slice,” said Garnet, followed by Stu, Booker and Gabriello.

No one talked much after that, and after a few minutes, the others decided to leave. Vittoria’s house was only a three-minute walk away. Gabriello’s ride arrived a bit later. Annunziata hugged him, and Donatello saw him to the door with his arm around him.

“Something’s wrong. I can see it in your faces,” said Vittoria in a deep voice. She cornered Caterina. “What happened?”

“There was a mudslide at the dig today, and Kate was badly hurt. They think it’s pneumonia, and she has been taken to the hospital.”

Standing on the bottom stair, Sabrina could hear what was said and went to Catriona and put her arm around her. “Come to our room. I have something to cheer you up.”

When they reached the room, Sabrina went into her closet and produced a bottle of Brandy. She poured a small glass and passed it to Catriona. “Sip it slowly. It will stop your jitters. Your hair’s a mess. Let me do it up for you.”

Sabrina sat Caterina down in front of her makeup mirror and brushed her hair slowly. “Now, take a bath, and when you’re done and ready for bed, I should be finished brushing my hair.”

Catriona emerged from the bath, looking ten years younger. In the mirror, Sabrina was surprised at the evil smile on Catriona’s face.

FCHAPTER SIXTEEN

rancesco decided to spend the night sleeping on the chair beside Kate’s hospital bed. She was encased in an oxygen tent, and from time to time, a nurse would appear to check her pulse and lungs. One of the nurses brought him a sandwich and a mug of coffee, and on a return trip, a pillow he could use to lie on.

He looked at the nurse’s face as she checked Kate’s lungs. “How is she?”

“She’s not out of the woods yet, but I can see some improvement. Are you related to her?”

“I love her every day since I am ten. But, if she dies, life will not be the same.”

The nurse smiled as she closed the door. If I only had someone who loved me that way, she thought, as she entered the next room to check on a 90-year-old woman.

He lay back on the pillow and closed his eyes. When he opened them, the room was bright with sunshine. There was a faint rustling behind the oxygen tent and then more coughing. He rang for the nurse, who smiled at him as she checked Kate’s lungs.

“Her lungs sound a bit better, and the strain in her face has disappeared. All good signs. If you need to wash up, there’s a bathroom around the corner.”

He found a telephone in the lobby and called his home. His mother answered. “Where are you?”

“Still at the hospital. The nurse has just seen her and feels she looks a bit better. If you and papa come, be sure to bring a razor with you. I do not want her to see me looking like this. And Prof. Tilly as well.”

The word got around, and quite a crowd assembled in her room. Kate was still sleeping. Annunziata looked at her inside the oxygen tent, withdrew a plaster she had made from her handbag, and placed it on Kate’s chest.

Booker had his camera with him and had Francesco hold back the oxygen tent’s flap while he took a picture. He then assembled everyone around her bed and had the nurse take a picture of them all.

Gabriello arrived a few minutes later. “I tried calling to see if you were going to the dig today and when I got no answer, I knew where you all were. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Mind?” said Prof. Tilly. “Not at all. It only because of you that she now has a chance of surviving her ordeal. And for the record, we’re not going back to the dig today and won’t be until we know that Kate has recovered. “

Their clapping could be heard in the corridor. Finally, a passing nurse popped her head in. “Is everything all right?”

“Just celebrating,” said Prof. Tilly.

Francesco decided to stay when the others took their leave. His mother, who knew all things about him, brought him a change of clothing and kissed his forehead.

Prof. Tilly asked Garnet and Stu to meet him at Donatello’s home after lunch. They met in a small room off the dining room, where Prof. Tilly had his map laid out on the table. “I’m beginning to think this dig is cursed in some way,” he started. “Perhaps the inhabitants of the tomb – if there is a tomb there – have put a curse on anyone who disturbs the eternal rest.”

Garnet shook his head. “The only curse was that ridge and the rainstorm. We’re near to breaking in. I feel it in my bones. We can’t stop now.”

“I agree,” said Stu. “When Kate is up and about and rarin’ to go, we should go back and find behind that mound of mud. Hopefully, it will dry out before we go back. Otherwise, I’ll be digging out heavy mud.”

“I thought you might say this, but I wanted to make sure. I feel we’re close to something as well. In the meantime, I’d like your assessment of the other members of our team.”

“Francesco is top-notch. Works like two of us. Booker is Booker. He is a photographer first, last and always, but he tries. But Catriona. I have the

feeling her heart is not in this,” said Garnet.

“I feel the same way. We haven’t talked about Gabriello. He’s a hard guy not to like. What he did to rescue Francesco and Kate and have an ambulance at our door in a matter of minutes makes him a member of the team in my books,” added Stu.

“But how do we handle him?” said Prof. Tilly. “He is a member of the Secret Police, and he owes his allegiance to them.”

Garnet had a big smile on his face. “What about making him an honorary member of the dig and let him figure it all out for himself.” ***

Dr. Cesareo wore thick, black-rimmed glasses and walked with a stoop. He was celebrating his 50th anniversary as a doctor and had a friendly, soothing voice. Prof. Tilly asked him how Kate was progressing.

“She will survive. We flushed out her stomach to get rid of all the parasites, bacteria and viruses she might have swallowed with the dirt. We hope that will solve the problem. If not, we will need to take other measures. On a more happy note, she is breathing normally now, and we will be taking her off the drugs we used to keep her sedated until her condition improved.”

“What about Francesco? He was also caught in the mudslide. He seems fine,” said Professor Tilly.

Dr. Cesareo looked at him and had him open his mouth. “What was your secret?”

“I shut my mouth and kept it closed, even when they were pouring water over me.”

Dr. Cesareo checked his nostrils and inserted them first in one nostril and then in the next. Both showed traces of a dark brown substance.

“I also held my breath for as long as I could.”

Dr. Cesareo smiled and rubbed Francesco’s head. “You have a lot of common sense for someone your age.” Then, turning to Dr. Tully: “You patient should begin to open her eyes within the hour. She’s been in a deep sleep and will likely be confused for the first few minutes when she wakes up.” He leaned over her bed and removed the oxygen tent. The nurse, who had accompanied him, took the tent and turned off the oxygen before following him out.

Francesco looked at her face. She was sleeping peacefully, and he smiled for the first time in two days. Prof. Tilly left to tell Garnet and Stu the good news.

“Can she have visitors?” said Garnet, who was always the practical one. “I let Donatello know.”

A few minutes later, Donatello parked his truck, and he and his wife started walking towards the hospital entrance, followed by Stu, Garnet and Booker. When they reached Kate’s room, Garnet suggested they take turns going inside. Booker and Annunziata went in first. Booker wanted to record her sleeping and Annunziata to feel her face and hands. She looked at her son and smiled. “She will be with us forever, Francesco.” She bent down to kiss him before leaving.

The others joined her when she returned. “We asked her nurse,” said Garnet, “and she said Kate could have visitors now. Stu and Garnet had their picture taken with her, one on each side of her bed.

“Also, take a picture of her with Francesco. He has not left her side all the time she has been in hospital,” said Annunziata.

An hour later, Francesco saw her move her head from side to side and alerted Prof. Tilly, who was looking out onto the hospital grounds. They both stood, the professor at the foot of her bed and Francesco by her side. Her movements became rapid, and then, suddenly, she opened her eyes. The first face she saw was Francesco’s and the professor standing at the foot of her bed.

“Where am I?” she said after taking a deep breath. She squeezed Francesco’s hand.

“In the hospital. Do you remember the earth coming down on you and Francesco? If not, that’s what happened to you. You swallowed some mud, and they had to pump out your stomach and put you in an oxygen tent to help your lungs. You were gasping for air by the time we got you here.”

Kate shook her head. I don’t remember a thing. It was just as though I’ve awakened from a long sleep. When I first opened my eyes, all I could hear was an enormous roar in my ears.”

“It’s your system ramping up to life again.”

“I wish I could recall even something. It’s as though it never happened.”

Well, Booker photographed everything – the dirt falling on you and Francesco, of you and Francesco covered in mud, of me dumping a bucket of water over your heads, you being put in the ambulance, and when they were putting you in bed and you in the oxygen tent.”

Kate squeezed Francesco’s hand again.

Prof. Tilley noted the way she held his hand. “You do right to thank him. He hasn’t left your side since you were put into your bed. Night and day. He’s been our watchdog all this time. He slept on a pillow in his chair

and ate without leaving your room.”

Kate twisted her head towards Francesco again, pulled her to him with both her arms and kissed him.

“What did the doctor say?”

“That you should stay another day at least to be on the safe side.”

“Then you two go back home and get a good night’s rest.” She pointed at Francesco. “Especially you.”

Francesco shook his head.

“Then we’ll let the doctor decide. Agreed?”

A few minutes later, Dr. Cesareo entered with a bright smile. “I have something that rightfully belongs to you. He held a small object in his palm. It was a short, thin object. “It belongs to you,” he said to Kate. “We found it while we were fishing in your stomach.”

He passed it to Kate, who studied it for a few minutes. She looked up at Prof. Tilly. “It’s called a littus. She traced the white object with her index finger. “See the staff,” she said, raising the object closer for Prof. Tilly to examine, “and the coiled top. It was carried by Etruscan augurs. It has something very faint on the other side. When I’m discharged, we’ll examine it with a powerful magnifying glass.”

Excitement was rising in her voice. “I think we’re onto something. I’m sure of it—Etruscan augurs who were the ones who make prophecies. But, I would not tell the others just yet. I want to be back to my old self and plan on what we do next.”

“We’ve just given her the elixir she needs to get her old strength back,” said Dr. Cesareo as he headed for the door.

Gabriello left his driver and entered Donatello’s house without knocking. “How is Kate?” he said to Annunziata, who heard him enter.

“The doctor says she may be able to be released by tomorrow. So drop by in the afternoon. I will prepare a special meal to welcome her home, and we would like you with us when we celebrate her homecoming.”

Gabriello smiled. “Thank you. I can’t wait until we start digging again. It is the most interesting thing I have ever done.”

Annunziata hugged him. “You saved her life and my son’s life. You are always welcome in this house.”

Garnet and Stu stopped Gabriello as he was about to leave. “Glad we caught you,” said Garnet, out of breath. “Stu and I have been at the site and have removed quite a bit of earth. You’re one of us, Gabriello, and you’re

welcome any time we go to the site. We leave around nine, in case you’re interested. We haven’t told Prof. Tilly yet. We wanted to surprise him.”

Gabriello tipped his hat and left with a smile. He had something finally for Diego to report to Col. DeLuca. He was sure that Col. DeLuca already knew that Kate had an accident and was in the hospital. She probably talked to her doctor.

“So,” he added as he finished his report to Diego, “I will be joining the two male diggers tomorrow morning to spend the day at the dig. I understand there is a good chance she will be coming back to Donatello’s home tomorrow, and I want to be there and see what I can pick up when she returns. So I may be late returning.”

***

Garnet picked at his supper and watched Sabrina make eyes at Stu, who kept telling Garnet he could handle Sabrina and not to worry about him spilling information about the status of their dig and what they had already discovered.

“When I’m dealing with women, I am always in charge.”

“Yea. Right. That’s why you’re not accepting her invitation for you to walk with her in the park after supper.”

“It can’t hurt. It’s just a walk in the park.”

“And a walk and a talk in the park more likely.”

When supper was over, Sabrina went to help her mother clean up. An hour later, she had changed from her uniform and into a skirt and a lowcut blouse. She twirled her head to see her hair swirl before adding some mascara to enhance her eyes. She walked down the stairs and offered Stu her best smile. He held the door open for her, and they walked out into the coolness of the setting sun.

She held his hand. “You talk only of me. I am not interesting. I do not have the excitement you have every day. And you never tell me what you do there,” she added, sitting down on a park bench away from the nearest light.

She pulled his face to her and kissed him long and hard. “You are the most exciting man I have ever known. And you excite me in every way.” She pulled her mouth from his. “You do exciting things every day. I do the same boring thing every day. I want to share in your excitement in every way.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Three of the four men they hired to repair the house were sitting on the small veranda at the front of the house. The job was done, and they waited for Gerba to come and approve their work. One of them had brought a large bottle of grappa. By the time they had their second shot, they were laughing and telling stories about their wives.

When Gerba and Babu arrived about an hour later, they were feeling the effects of the liquor. The oldest man struggled to his feet. “We’re done. We think you will like the results.” His voice was slurred, and one of the others pulled him down.

Gaber entered first. The front room was repapered and smelled of new paint. The smell of feral cats had magically disappeared. They added a new window to the kitchen, the floor covering had been changed, and a new floor laid beneath it. The bedroom was also brighter and newly painted a lime green colour matching the carpet on the floor. And new mattresses and sheets and blankets were placed on their beds.

Gaber went back to the veranda just as they were pouring another shot of grappa. The oldest, with thick grey eyebrows and white hair, offered Gaber his glass.

“Thank you, but not tonight. My stomach is out of sorts.”

They stayed for another half-hour before joining arms and staggering up the road.

Night was falling, and Gaber and Babu returned inside and flicked on the light switch. Everything worked. There was also a large box of wood beside the old iron stove. Babu lit a fire and unpacked the food they had bought for the week. An hour later, they were eating and laughing.

Gaber was pleased with everything he saw. It wasn’t a hotel, but fields surrounded them, and no one could ever surprise them. He would be able

to see anyone coming a long way off and they could hide if need be in the bushes a short distance behind the house.

If only his dig could produce something, anything that hinted at a more significant thing. But just one day after another, with no hint of a tomb, only a few shovels away. And that university crowd. What if they come across something significant? How would he handle that with DeLuca? They were amateurs like himself and were interested in the Etruscan religion. Even if they did uncover something that hinted at being a prophecy, that was not where their interest lay and would not consider it essential. He would go to see them one day, a couple of weeks from now, just to be on the safe side.

He tossed and turned and saw in the darkness what appeared to be images of Etruscan gods. He raised himself on his elbows. His forehead was sweating. He had to get to sleep, one way or another and be fresh for another hard day ahead. ***

It came just before noon, as they were about to stop work for their lunch break. One of the workers shovelled through and into what appeared to be a cave. Gaber smiled for the first time in days. The others were smiling and laughing, too. The cook doled out large plates of spaghetti and side dishes of thick-cut bread. He ate until he could eat no more, lay out on the grass, and closed his eyes. He suddenly felt tired and closed his eyes.

When he opened them, it was an hour later, and the others were widening the hole in what appeared a cave, an ideal place for an Etruscan burial site. He rose and walked to see into the hole. He sent one of the crew to light a lantern and held it inside the hole. It was large now and they could almost walk through it. He could dimly make out images and what looked like a mummy lying on a table and bits and pieces of food, now centuries old, along with drinking mugs below the mummy table. He stepped back. “We need to dig faster and inspect what is inside before we leave for the day.”

Thirty minutes later, they lit up four lanterns and entered, lowering their heads as they moved inside. There was an enormous sarcophagus at the end of a man’s wall and a woman sitting on what looked like an altar. The man held what looked like a small statue of Charun. He could barely make out the snakes and hammer.

Gaber offered his team a bonus at the end of the day and hinted at more significant rewards if they find something larger with writing on it. Everyone was singing when they left, carrying their tools over their shoul-

When Gaber returned, he showed the small statue to Babu, who held it under the tap and dried it with his shirt’s front. The telephone suddenly rang. Gaber froze and lifted the and slowly put it to his ear.

“Ahmed?”

“Col. DeLuca. I hear there was quite a celebration at your dig today.”

“I was just about to call you. We discovered a new burial site that hasn’t seen the light of day in thousands of years. I was just studying a small statue we found and was looking for clues that might lead us to the prophecy when you called.”

“I’ll let Roma know.” Then, after a short pause: “If you need more men, or anything else, just do whatever you need to do to find that prophecy.”

It rained the next day, and they returned to the site to find a mudslide that covered the entrance. It was hard work to shovel the mud from the entrance. When it was cleared and Gaber returned inside the tomb, he searched every place he could find that might conceal a hidden niche. He knew the Etruscans often visited the tombs of their loved ones and banqueted with their spirits with food offerings, and left holes in the ground to put their offerings of food and wine for the dead. He felt along the walls where they met the ground and found three places where offerings had been made. The first two were dry, but the third hinted of something buried beneath.

He dug deeper with his fingers and poured water into the hole to loosen the earth that had hardened. He scraped out chunks of mud to feel something like a thick concrete slab. He tried to get hold of it with his right thumb and index finger, but it kept slipping out of his hands. Worse still, the hole has begun to fill with water. He could no longer see it. He closed his eyes and used his left hand this time and feel for it. He tried to pull it free again, but it just would not budge, as though it was placed in concrete there.

Then, something strange happened. The hole drained, baring the concrete slab. This time he could see where he could place his hand and used his thumb and right hand to get a good grasp of it and pulled with all his strength. He tried again. This time the slab gave way and he held it in his hands. His heart was pounding in his ears. He tried to slow down his breathing before taking it out into the daylight, where he cleaned it with water and a damp cloth.

He laid it on the table where they put everything found in their screening. There was writing on it. He counted the lines. Sixteen in all. It set his heart pounding again, and he lay back in the grass to calm himself by watching the strange formation of the clouds that were scudding by.

Gaber had no idea what was written on the tablet. He needed someone who could read the markings and make some sense of them. He would tell DeLuca the tablet had markings he could not decipher, that he wasn’t sure if it were an earlier form of ancient Etruscan.

The first thing he did was call DeLuca. “I scoured the tomb today with my bare hands and found, hidden into one of the holes used by Etruscans to offer their departed, a stone tablet with curious writings on it. The writing is strange to me. I”d like it picked up as soon as possible.”

He heard DeLuca shouting to someone before he came back online. “A car to pick it up should be there in a few minutes. Wrap it up so that the driver doesn’t know what you found. We have someone at the university who might be able to help us. I’ll call you once we get the translation.”

Gaber ate the biggest meal he had since he had come to Italy and fell asleep within minutes after leaving the table. Great things were beginning for him, and there was no stopping him now.

Babu helped him to bed and read the newspaper. There was no mention of the man they had dumped on the street. Instead, he smiled and would mention it to Gaber when they woke in the morning.

DeLuca held an unwrapped tablet in his hands. If it is what he hoped it was, his next stop will be Roma. After that, he could take no chances. He would take the tablet himself to his friend, Federico Ricci, at the university. He picked up the phone and caught Ricci just as he was leaving. “I have something significant for Il Duce and the future of Italy.”

“What is it?”

“A tablet with Etruscan writing on it.”

“I will still be here when you come.”

DeLuca had his driver put on the siren as they sped through the streets to the university. Being a member of OVRA had its perks, he thought, as they wheeled into the university’s driveway. The driver took him precisely to the door. DeLuca was inside in a matter of seconds. Federico was standing beside a large fountain spurting water in all directions.

“I can see it must be important, Alfeo. You were here in less than 15 minutes from the time we talked,” he said as he led DeLuca into his office.

“I gather you have something you would like me to look at.”

DeLuca passed him the carefully wrapped stone tablet and took out a large magnifying glass, and went down the 16 lines without a word if he was able to tell him anything. “Etruscan, as you are no doubt aware by now, is not an easy language to cipher. This may take me a day or two before I can tell you what is on it with any degree of certainty.”

“When do you think when I might hear from you?”

“Call me on Friday, and I might be able to give you a hint of what it’s about.”

DeLuca returned to his office. Everyone had left for the day. He reached for his phone and called Col. Castelli at home. He could tell by the way Castelli answered the phone that he wasn’t happy about being disturbed at home. “Just want you to know that Ahmed discovered a tablet at the dig and that I’ve taken it to the university for translation.”

“Couldn’t Gamal have done that for you?”

“He says he can’t make out the writing.”

“Do you think it might be what we’re looking for?”

“I have my hopes up, but with Gamal, I’m not sure about anything. We had to put him up in a house closer to his dig and had us pay for refurbishing it.”

Gaber and his driver were the first persons at his site the following day. He wanted to make one last examination of the tomb before giving up on it. Anything more, Gaber would clinch things. He hoped DeLuca would track hm down with either good or bad news. He hated being on the edge of something big and not be able to ride it to the end.

The others arrived about 20 minutes later. Gaber picked two crew members and had them join with him inside while the others screened the dirt around the corners of the entrance.

Gaber showed his two helpers how to look for hidden openings in the floor around the bier and where the walls ended and the floor began. He was starting to realize there was nothing straightforward about how the Etruscans did things.

One of his helpers held up his finger, his face twisted in pain and shaking his hand. Something had bitten him, and he kept shaking his hand in pain as a giant ant disappeared in the corner of the floor. Gaber took a

crowbar and tried to widen the crack in which the ant had disappeared. It ended nowhere, and he examined the young man’s hand. It was beginning to swell. “We need to get you to a doctor in a hurry.”

He left with the young man and signalled his driver to get the car started. “He’s been injured and needs to see a doctor as soon as possible. Where’s the nearest doctor?”

The car stopped in front of a farmacia. “They have a doctor there.”

Gaber took him inside and found the doctor, who doubled as the pharmacist. He held the young man’s hand and cut where he had been bitten, squeezed out the poison, and then put some iodine on the cut and sealed it inside a cloth bandage.

They then drove him to his home. Before letting him out, Gaber whispered to him. “Take tomorrow off as well.” He remembered being docked in pay by a couple when he showed them the pyramid and became ill. “You will be paid in full for both days. Go home now and rest.”

Gaber was dropped off at his house and headed for the entrance. When he reached the veranda, he suddenly stopped. He saw the Egyptian hieroglyphic for the old Egyptian god of death, Anubis, with its jackel head and his sceptre in black chalk. He called out to Babu.

When Babu opened the door, and he looked down at the hieroglyphic. He shivered and left to get a basin and water to wipe it away. Gaber looked down and saw where the grass had been bent from someone walking in it.

“Did you hear anything,” said Gaber, having a problem keeping his voice steady.

“It’s been quiet ever since you left. Even the birds have been silent.”

“He has either come back to haunt us as a spirit, or he is still alive and has left this warning of what’s in store for us. If he did manage to survive, how did he track us down here? Tomorrow, I’d like you to go into Volterra and find out if there are any new strangers in town. The next time, I suspect he won’t be so subtle and will make an attempt on our lives.”

Babu washed the veranda clear of the sketching and returned inside. Gaber was pacing the floor and muttering to himself. “I don’t quite feel like eating just yet.” Then, after a pause: “Forget about Volterra. Instead, take the bus to Firenze, visit the hospital and see if if they have patient named Ramsis. Or if they had a patient by the name of Ramsis, who might have been discharged. We need to find out if he is still alive, and if he is not, who is trying to rattle us and why?”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Annunziata decided to hold a party for Kate’s homecoming, and everyone connected with the expedition was invited. She arrived back in a special ambulance Prof. Tilly had arranged. He helped her inside, and Annunziata placed her in Donatello’s reclining chair, where she could lie back any time she felt tired.

Kate was anything but tired and would have gone to the dig if Prof. Tilly hadn’t put a stop to it. However, she did manage to get up and enter the kitchen to help Annunziata and Annamaria get ready for the party. Annamaria had created her favourite cake and made a giant lasagna and sprinkled Parmigiano cheese over it. Kate stirred the Stracciatella soup with pasta. Annamaria opened the oven door to see if the big pizza was done.

“Spare no expense,” said Prof. Tilly had told Donatello, who left to get ground beef as an added layer to the lasagna and a large block of cheese for grating along with some dinner wine.

Stu and Garnet arrived first. “If you’re up to it,” said Garnet, “Stu and I have a surprise for you. We want to take you to the dig and show you what we’ve done in your absence. “

“We’ll go before it gets dark.”

Caterina arrived a few minutes later with Gabriello in tow. First came the Stracciatella. Annamaria filled the bowls with the soup while Annunziata joined them with a large platter of pizza, which was passed around the table. By the time they got to Annamaria’s cake, just about everyone shook their heads. Garnet produced his plate, and she gave him an extra-large slice. “You need it with all the work you do,” she said and added another piece and topped it with whipped cream. Gabriello also had his plate ready for a slice and bowed his head to her.

Annunziata noticed and elbowed Donatello, who smiled.

Kate also took a small slice and offered a forkful to Francesco. Booker had already developed all his photographs and passed them to her to see what happened to them in the mudslide. “We look like Etruscan devils in need of a bath.” She looked at a few more and passed them to Francesco, who kept shaking his head as he flipped through them.

Garnet stood and announced that he and Stu were taking Kate to the dig to show what progress they had made in her absence. Kate looked at Prof. Tilly, who decided to join them along with Booker.

Garnet used a black cloth to blindfold her as they neared the site and helped her out of the car. Gabriello took one of her arms, and he and Francesco guided her onto the site. When they removed the blindfold, Kate didn’t say anything for almost a minute as he examined every inch of the dig. The earth that covered them had been cleared away, and the entrance to a large tomb inside was open and large enough for anyone to walk through without bending.

She quickened her pace, and a minute later, Francesco was lighting one of the four lanterns. “I just can’t believe it. Tell me you also found a tablet or something else with writing on it.”

Garnet escorted her to a niche in the right wall, where there was a small stone tablet. Kate held it in her hands and kissed it. “Booker has taken pix about the tomb as well, from the moment we broke through until now.”

She looked sideways at Booker, who snapped a picture of her holding the tablet.

“Any idea what it says?” said Gabriello.

“I’ll need to spend a day going over it. If I’m lucky, I should have an idea by this time tomorrow.”

Gabriello made a mental note to let Diego know before he returned to the dig the next day. Then, he dropped Kate and the others off at Donatello’s and sped to see if Diego was still in the office. ***

Prof. Tilley passed by her room the following day and popped his head in. Kate looked up. “Ancient Etruscan has to be the most difficult language to translate in the world. I’ve spotted a few of the words I remember already without consulting the dictionary I complied in 1926. But it seems to have been written a bit earlier than what we discovered then.”

“It’s past breakfast. You need something to keep you going.”

“I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

It wasn’t until noon before the growling in her stomach got the best of her, and she descended into the kitchen. “We were worried about you,” said Annunziata, who sat next to Prof. Tilley. Stu and Garnet, along with Booker, had just sat down when she entered the dining room.

“Find anything interesting?” said Garnet.

“Making a bit of a dint in it, but this one has a few things in it that aren’t in my dictionary.”

“What do you intend to tell Gabriello?” said Garnet. “He saw the tablet, and I am sure the secret police know all about it.”

“Nothing for the moment.” She paused. “Do you recall that small piece of ceramic they extracted from my stomach? There were two words scraped on the inside: The Etruscan words for temple and sacrifice pit. I’m looking for a connection. Gabriello does not need to know about this. I will keep it in my jewelry box.”

After lunch, she became exhausted and was awakened by Annamaria to tell her supper was being served. She could hear their voices as she descended the stairs and into the kitchen. Gabielo was there and talked excitedly about the figures they had unearthed in their examination of other secret niches.

“How is your translation coming?” he asked.

“Having a problem and trying to figure out where some words end and others begin. Foreign words, at least to me. It’s slowed me down. I was a bit tired today and intend to get to bed early for what promises another great day. Anything written on what you unearthed today?”

Prof. Tilly showed her five small figures while Kate borrowed a magnifying glass from the professor to scan them carefully. She handed them back to Prof. Tilly. “Just statues of Etruscan gods.”

“What about this one?” Gabriello pointed to the scratching at the bottom of the figure.

Kate used Prof. Tilley’s glass again. “It just says Leinth, goddess of death. Before we’re done, we are likely to see more than a few of these.”

ning out of space for what they wanted to write.”

She scanned the other 16 lines and found similar word groupings. By the time lunch arrived, she told Professor Tilly that the tablet contained prayers and a tribute to the dead man’s wife. His name was Tarquin. She could almost feel his presence as she translated his name. The words “temple” and “sacrifice pit” appearing twice in items from the same tomb had to be more than coincidence. It had to be a clue.

When she told Prof. Tilly about it over lunch, he nodded in that knowing way of his. “I’m glad you told me this. For the past day or two, the tomb has yielded nothing new, and I’ve begun to think we might have more luck by trying another place. I suspect the two words you found to hint at another tomb alongside the remains of a temple and its sacrifice pit.”

After lunch, they poured over the map of the area but could find no place that might suggest a place for a buried temple. “I think we should stop everything until we find someplace that where we might have better luck.”

He broke the news to Booker, Stu and Garnet and Caterina when they stopped by at the end of the day.

“What happens next then?” said Caterina, wondering what to tell Diego.

“We’ll spend the next few days looking for a likely spot,” said Prof. Tilly, “so I will need you two to scout the area with Kate and myself, starting tomorrow.” ***

Kate could never get over the incredible rolling hills and the overturned earth sprouting new life as they went from one likely area to another. They found three sites that showed some promise but nothing that suggested a tomb nearby.

Garnet just shook his head. “Does it have to be close to a tomb?”

“That is where we are most likely to be successful,” said Kate.

Kate felt like her old self when she woke up and spent the rest of the morning pouring over the 16 lines. She had copied them to her notebook. That’s when she noticed two words that were contained in one long word on the stone tablet. The exact two words – temple and sacrifice pit –appeared on the ceramic the doctor had found. It enabled her to find three other words in that one long word. It was frustrating, and she recalled what an Etruscan scholar had told her in 1926. “They were probably run-

Later, when they were eating supper together, Annunziata mentioned that an officer from the secret police had dropped by. “He left his card,” she said, “and would like you to call him when you came back.”

Prof. Tilly looked at the card and passed it to Kate, who kept the card. “Let me call instead. I’ll tell him you’re feeling tired. DeLuca doesn’t have much regard for women, and he’s more likely to let a few things slip if he’s talking to a woman.”

They gathered around as she dialled DeLuca’s number. She heard his

voice. Strong and intimidating and sure of himself. “It’s Kate Winters. Prof. Tilly is quite tired after a long day and asked me to call you on his behalf. I hope you don’t mind.”

DeLuca didn’t respond immediately. “I called on him to ask why he has abandoned his dig. I was told it yielded a few things that you were examining.”

“They did. But nothing of any importance. It was Prof. Tilly’s view that we had got everything we could out of it. Based on what I saw, I had to agree with him. We’re looking for another site that might show greater promise. I’m sure you’ll agree.”

Another long silence. “We were hoping you might find something that would suggest a clue to what I’m looking for. Be sure to tell your professor that we have another site that were are digging ourselves. Maybe that will light a fire under him.”

“Are you looking for anything in particular, colonel?”

“Just something different,” he said after a pause.

“Is there anything else, colonel?”

She could almost see him shake his head as he hung up. “He told me to tell you they have another group digging in the area. But he did not tell me what they were looking for, although we all know what it is.”

“Now what?” said Garnet.

“We wait for a few days until we see what happens.” ***

They didn’t have long to wait. Col DeLuca arrived with Gaber, who looked at Kate with an open mouth. He seemed to shrivel in his seat and left DeLuca to do all the talking. Kate could feel the old fear creep up her back.

“I thought you’d like to meet the leader of our dig. Perhaps you two can work together to bring about our desired results.”

“Not on your life. I know this man, and he locked me inside a pyramid to die, and when I escaped, he murdered the curator of the Cairo Museum of Antiquities. He carries a knife in his right pocket and is ready to use it on any of us, including you, Col. DeLuca.”

DeLuca looked at Gaber for a full minute. “Be as it may, we would like you two to work together. If not, I will see to it that your licence is revoked and send you packing.” He then turned to Gaber. “I do not want to hear that this lady or any member of her crew is murdered. If I do, you will be found knifed to death by persons unknown. Understood.”

Gaber nodded and kept his thoughts to himself.

“If that is all,” said Kate, “I have one proviso. I want you to guarantee that I or any member of our crew are never left alone with him.”

“I hope you heard that,” said DeLuca, he said to Gaber as he headed out the door.

“You should have told me,” said DeLuca as they entered the colonel’s car.

“I did not even know she was in Italy, let alone a member of another dig. I was under the impression some university organized the dig.”

“Stay clear of her for a few days and send her a couple of bouquets of roses. She’s a woman and will get over it. We need her, and so do you. Unfortunately, Il Duce is not a patient man and only waits so long.”

***

“Where does that leave us? None of us want to see anything bad happen to Kate,” said Garnet.

“Kate told me about him before the dig came about. She still felt uncomfortable after she returned from Egypt. It was I who convinced her to join the dig. I told her it would help her get over it.”

“I should have guessed when they told you about an Egyptian adventurer who told Italian authorities of the so-called prophecy. It had all his earmarks,” said Prof. Tilly.

Annunziata brought them coffee, and Donatello added a few drops of grappa to it.

Prof. Tilly was looking at the floor. “I, for one, am ready to pack things in and leave Italy all together.”

Kate shook her head. “Not on your life. I do not believe such a prophecy exists. I still do not. But no one is going to run me out of town without a big fight. I hope this prophecy does exist, and I hope we find it and leave them with empty hands. That will be my revenge.”

Francesco raised his hand. “Someone asked what we should do next. My suggestion is that we start another dig, and on the side, without anyone else knowing, find the place that might find this prophecy.”

Garnet looked at him open-mouthed.

Stu was smiling. “Intrigue. Love it to pieces. I’ll let the others know we’ll be finding a new site and starting work in a day or two and for them to get themselves ready.”

“And the rest of us will look for a site that might offer some prospects,” said Garnet.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Kate was awakened by the sound of a man singing O Caro Bambino Mio. She washed and dressed and descended into the kitchen to find a stranger sitting with Donatello. Annamaria was clapping her hands. “One more time, Zio Enrico.”

Enrico turned to find her standing in the doorway. “You’re early. Supper is not until six,” Enrico shouted and slapped his knee. He turned to Donatello. “Who is this lovely creature?”

“Her name is Kate, and she knows how to speak Italian, so be careful what you say,” said Donatello. Enrico bowed his head slightly. “She is with us, working on one of those digs. She stayed with us when she was a student and worked on dig. That was ten years ago.”

Enrico moved on his bench. “Come and sit beside Zio Enrico so that I can smell your perfume.”

Kate sat down beside him and shook his hand. Annunziata brought her a bowl of coffee and some bread to eat with it. “Be careful around him. You never know what he’ll say or do next. He’s always in some kind of trouble or another. God knows what he’s dodging now.”

Enrico put his hand inside his jacket pocket and produced a folded piece of paper. “Some of Il Duce’s underlings took offence to a cartoon of Il Duce in the magazine I was working for in Roma. I escaped just in time and headed north to see my great brother and his gorgeous wife. The authorities do not know we are related.”

“I bet,” muttered Donatello.

Francesco and Annamaria, who had been listening, started to laugh as Zio Enrico put on his black fez and began imitating Il Duce’s walking with his stomach sticking out.

Donatello looked around. “This is not a joke, Enrico. If one of my neighbours happens to see you doing this, we will all be sitting in one of Il Duce’s prisons.”

“And,” said Annunziata, pointing her finger at him, “what makes you so sure they won’t trace you here?”

Enrico stuck out his chest. “The only thing they know about me is that I live in a rat hole in Roma with memories of past lives.” He paused to see if Kate was taking it all in.

“You will never grow up, Enrico. “

“I hope I never do. Italia needs someone to poke find at that stuffed-strutting fool and the squeaking chickens following in his wake, hoping to gobble up some of the seeds that escape from his hands.

At lunchtime, Enrico made a point of sitting beside Kate. “Donatello tells me you work at a dig,” he said, taking a slice of bread from Annamaria. “I was on a dig once, but it didn’t payout. I was working for a newspaper in Roma at the time. I hope you do better.”

“So do we. Tell me what upset the black shirts about the cartoon.”

“I did a cartoon of Il Duce with the buttons popping off his belly and ignoring beggars. It was printed secretly, and thousands of copies are making their way all over Italia. I need a place to hang out until they get tired looking for me.”

“Isn’t Zio Enrico incredible?” said Annamaria, who added another ladle of spaghetti onto his plate. “Did he tell you he’s on the run?”

Kate nodded and smiled. “I agree. He’s exactly what we need right now.”

“He’s done all kinds of things like this all his life. He can speak five languages, play the violin and can even sing opera. My father told me that when Zio Enrico was young, he wanted to leave home and join the circus. My grandfather used to say: too bad he didn’t.’”

Enrico lifted her spirits in a way Prof. Tilly or Stu or Garnet could. He wasn’t afraid of Il Duce or anyone else and was prepared to make fun of him at the risk of his life. By supper time, Kate had finished translating the stone. Aside from the two words – temple and sacrifice pit – it was what she expected. In this case, a summary of an Etruscan augur’s life by the name of Tarquin, whose wife died from a strange illness that ate her insides.

She finished early and was helping Annunziata and Annamaria prepare for the evening meal. First, Annunziata showed her how to cook spaghetti – to let the pot boil before adding the pasta.

Prof. Tilly arrived in good humour. Garnet and Stu gave her a thumbs up. “We found a place that looks interesting. I think we should start first thing tomorrow morning.”

Kate introduced them to Zio Enrico, who shook their hands. At the

end of the meal, he turned to Stu. “You guys look too serious for your own good. Loosen up. We’ll all be dead soon enough.”

Zio Enrico had a broad face with a flower in his ear. His dark eyes danced when he talked and laughed. “Pour some Grappa into your coffee. It won’t hurt you,” he added, pushing the neck of the Grappa bottle lower so that it brimmed the edge of their mugs.

He turned to Kate. “You don’t look too happy. Things not going well for you?”

“We’re looking for something special that’s eluded us so far,” said Prof. Tilly.

“Then find another place.”

“We have, but we’re not sure about this place either.”

Enrico shook his head. “This is not something I know a lot about.” Then, with a wide smile. “I remember something when I was a boy. I was hiding from the others in a game during a family picnic and fell into a hole. It was too deep to climb out of, so I shouted and kept on shouting until my father finally heard me. When he found where I was, he lay on the ground and dangled his arms so that I could grab them. He hauled me out and warned me never to back there ever again. I never did. Guess I was too scared about going there by myself.”

Kate was nodding as he spoke and looked at Prof. Tilly. “Can you recall where it was?”

“That is something you ever forget.” Enrico laughed, and Francesco and Annamaria started laughing with him.

When the laughing stopped, Kate pressed him. “If we went there tomorrow, could you help us locate it?”

Enrico offered a sly smile. “As long as you know that if I’m caught, they won’t ask questions, and you may end up sharing the same cell as me.”

Kate looked at the others, who just shrugged. “I’m an optimist. Would ten o’clock be too early for you?”

Enrico’s eyes glittered. “A lady after my own heart.”

“I hope not,” Donatello muttered.

Kate saw Garnet and Stu at the door. “A word about Enrico. He’s a journalist and cartoon author. Draws cartoons that make fun of Mussolini, and authorities want him. But he doesn’t give a damn what people think, and he’s also someone whom we can trust, no matter what. So treat him accordingly.” ***

Donatello took them outside town to a forested area not far from an old graveyard. A green field that had not been ploughed for many years was the first stop. “This is where we had our picnic, and Donatello and I played a game. I turned my back, and he hid. I found him first thing, just beyond those trees. I decided to go deeper into the forest when it was my turn. That was when I fell into that pit.”

They walked to the edge of the forest, where Enrico paused to check the wind. He nodded and led them through bushes and thick undergrowth. And from there to a clearing and a large rock. “It’s here somewhere. Walk carefully so that you don’t tumble into the hole as I did. It will be hard to get you out.”

They went through every inch without finding anything. Enrico scratched his head. “If it isn’t here, it’s someplace nearby.” He led them through another thicket with large trees at its edges. He walked through thick underbrush and disappeared.

They heard him shouting for help. They walked through the undergrowth carefully, using sticks to check the path in front of them. A minute later, they saw the deep hole Enrico had fallen into. They looked down at him. “We’ll have you out of there in a jiffy,” said Prof. Tilly.

“It’s dark down here. I seem to remember seeing ghosts down here. Throw me down a flashlight and let me see if it was just a childish dream I had or something I saw. If you brought a flashlight with you, now would be a good time to throw it to me.”

Prof. Tilly, who believed in being prepared for anything, even an umbrella on sunny days, searched his sack and produced a flashlight. “We’ll send it down attached to a rope. Not sure about the batteries. Haven’t used it in some time. Here it comes.”

Enrico grabbed the flashlight, rope and all, and pushed the On button. The light was weak, but he used it to disappear. He stooped to enter a low-hanging entrance to another world. The ghosts turned out to be mummies wrapped in linen and standing upright as if to guard the entrance, and behind them, a stone-paved floor ended past a large altar and a large pit. He shone the light into the pit to see a pile of bones and shivered. The flashlight was getting weaker, and he walked back to the entrance. “There’s a whole new world down here. Wait to you see it.”

Garnet found the branch among the growth from a nearby tree and lowered it into the hole. “Grab hold of it and hang on, and we’ll pull you up.” It took Garnet and Stu to bring him to the surface.

“Tell us what you saw?” said Garnet.

“I saw a large altar, and the ghosts that I thought I saw years ago were

mummies, wrapped in linen and standing up against the altar. The floor was paved with large flat stones, and there was a large pit a short distance from the altar. That’s where I saw bones and someone’s skull.”

He was out of breath and sat on the grass to rest. Prof. Tilly passed him his thermos. Enrico swallowed the water and scrunched up his face. “I thought a civilized man like yourself would have filled it with wine.”

Prof. Tilly smiled and produced a writing pad from his knapsack. “I think we should sketch the area of what we’ve seen. Then, we’ll come back tomorrow, fully equipped to examine what Enrico has seen.”

They walked back slowly, snapping twigs and branches along the way to identify their path.

“I assume we do not mention this to the others?”

“Just to Booker, and he can come with us here tomorrow. Definitely not Caterina.

“What do you have against her?” said Stu.

“It just seems that our friend, DeLuca, seems to know what we are doing as soon as we do. I am not saying she is the source. Just tell her that we are examining several sites and will resume digging when we find one that offers us ‘something special. Be sure to use the words – ‘something special.”

“I will, but it’s going to sound stupid.”

‘I’m not finished, Stu. Both Prof. Tilly and I are worried about your relationship with Sabrina. We understand you see her every night.”

Stu smiled and clapped his hands. “She has tried to pump me for information about our dig, and I always change the subject no matter how artful she is. I have deliberately misled her instead on a couple of occasions. I’ll add that when we go for our nightly walk in the park tonight.”

“Prof. Tilly would like you to stay with the dig while Garnet, Prof. Tilly and Francesco and I start work on the new site.”

Stu was about to say something but was stopped by Prof. Tilly. “Tell them we are studying the site carefully in the hope of discovering a better entrance to the site. Be sure Caterina join in the digging.”

Zio Enrico, who had joined them, raised his finger. “And, please, do not mention my name with any of them. If you do, that friendly lady of yours will have me behind bars before the day is out.” ***

They sat down on one of the park benches. Stu put his arm around Sabrina, who snuggled up against him. For the first time, he kissed her on the lips. She returned the kiss and held him tighter. They smiled at each

other as she removed her arms. Stu lit a cigarette and offered one to lit one for her. They sat back and smoked, staring at the stars. She slowly crept her hand in his and looked at him.

“You must be tired after working all day at the dig. You need to rest. I do not know how hard you work and wish I could help you.”

“There isn’t much to tell. However, Prof. Tilly and Kate think our new dig might produce ‘something special’. And will take a few days off to check all the maps of the area, trying to find a better entrance.”

“Something special?”

“That’s all they said. They never tell me too much.”

“They should. You work so hard for them.” She reached out and touched his face. “You have such a beautiful face for a man.” Sabrina suddenly froze. “I hear footsteps.” She stood. “I’m scared. I want to leave this place.” She started to walk away. “Are you coming or not?”

“What was that all about?”

“Nothing. It’s just that I am scared of being in the park at night sometimes.”

They walked in a hurry, away from the sound of the footsteps and took another way back to her home.

A young man, dressed in a black shirt, was standing outside. “How long has this been going on?”

Sabrina stepped away from Stu. “I would like you to meet Mr. Stuart Chapman. He and his associates are working on a dig for Col. DeLuca. He asked me to show him around the area.”

Stu stretched out his hand. Franco, who had strong muscles that bulged under his T-shirt and an unshaven face, gripped his hand so hard Stu thought he was trying to break his fingers. Stu backed away. “You’ve got a mighty grip.”

“Nothing if you try to monkey around with Sabrina. If you don’t understand me, you will find out.” He turned and walked away into the darkness. Both Sabrina and Stu let out their breath.

“Don’t take heed of him. He threatens everyone who even looks at me. I would like to dump him, but I’m scared of what he might do.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Gaber’s heart was still beating hard when Cpl. DeLuca dropped him off.

Seeing that woman again shook him more than he was willing to admit. If they had crossed paths by themselves, he would have slit her throat and hid her body somewhere in the dig, where no one would have found it in a thousand years.

When he told Babu about it, Babu crossed his arms. “Everything is possible if you go about it the right way.”

Gaber looked up. “You are a wise man on some days, Babu. “How would you do it?”

“I am a peaceful man, but if I were not, I would invite her to investigate your dig on a day your crew is off for her advice about a slab you had with a lot of writing on it. Also, tell her she must come alone, and you will not share it with anyone else. Tell her you think it may be the prophecy they are all digging for.”

Gaber rubbed his chin while Babu was talking, and a light started to shine in his eyes. Babu was right. It would have to be something she would be interested in. And she would also understand his reluctance to show it to others. She would know from past experience that he did not want to share his glory for discovering it. Yes, it or something like that, it might very well work. Next, he needed an excuse not to be accused of her disappearance, even if they did not find her body. It had to be something that could not be disputed.

He would wait a week or two before springing it on her and see how things were progressing then. But now, he must bite his tongue and pretend he would like her to be his best friend.

“I thought I should tell you something I learned about our mutual friend, Gamal, before anyone else knows about it,” said DeLuca. “It appears he tried to entomb one of the people on a dig in a pyramid in Egypt. She somehow escaped and turned up as a member of the university dig. She accused him in front of me of trying to kill her and for the murder of the curator of the Cairo museum. We talked about him before and even suggested you would not be surprised if he did it.”

“How do you plan to handle it? My guess is that her group is more likely to find the prophecy if it exists than Gamal. They know what they are doing and have the capacity to translate it, assuming they happen to find it.”

“I told him he would pay for it with his life should anything happen to this lady and told her that she would have to work with him. Otherwise, their licence to dig would be revoked.”

He was still a bit rattled by that young woman’s accusation. It would be a stain on the prophecy should Gamal find it, and the world also knew he tried to kill someone who may have found it.

He called Gamal and asked him to see him in the morning. He had to come up with a better solution. He didn’t trust Gamal but had to live with it because Il Duce already knew his name and what he was searching for. His only solution, he realized, was if this young woman murdered Gamal. That would be difficult. She was surrounded by many people who could vouch for her presence every hour of the day. He needed them both for the moment. An idea would come to his mind in a day or two.

When Gamal arrived the next morning, he was still feeling queasy. His instincts told him it was about the accusation that the woman had made. But no, Col. DeLuca offered him a cigar from his private stock. “I’ve been worried about you and about that woman’s accusation. I do not like it and do not believe it for a second. No one could blame you if she were found dead one day after the prophecy has been unearthed and when least expected.”

Gaber sat back, not quite sure what to say next. “I will take your advice to send her two dozen roses and try to find out if they’ve found anything. I will also endeavour to help her forgive me for what I did.”

At that second, he knew what would draw her to the dig – a tablet that contained the prophecy. He would create one if he had to. That would get her there. He would have her discover it. Then, he would kill her when she was admiring her discovery in the excitement of the moment.

“But for the present, my energies must be on finding the prophecy for Il Duce and you, colonel. I want to thank you for your support.”

Col. DeLuca nodded. “I asked you here today to see if you need any more helpers or anything else that might speed up your discovery.”

“I could use two extra men. We need to widen our scope of discovery, and that could make a difference.”

Not two but three new faces of older men appeared at the site the following day. Gaber put them to work immediately, removing soil from the hillside where the tomb entrance might be. Everyone put in extra effort. They knew there would be a bonus for each of them once they uncovered the face of the tomb. An extra wheelbarrow was added to increase screening. A few pieces of bone were unearthed but very little else. The young man, who had been detailed to do the screening, never stopped until noon. The morning mist had given way, and the sun was now baking the earth and making it harder to shovel.

After lunch, a black-coated secret service officer appeared. He asked for Gaber, who escorted him around the site, stopping a few times to explain what they were doing. One of the stops was at the screen, where the officer picked up pieces of bone and tried to look interested when a shovel full of dirt covered his boots. He stepped back and tried to smile as he kicked the dirt away.

Later in the afternoon, they found a tablet with only seven lines inscribed on it. Gaber blew away the dust and waved to the officer to join him. “We’ve just unearthed this. I’m not sure what the scratches on it, but Col. DeLuca has access to someone at the university who can translate this for him.”

Later at his home, Gaber congratulated himself on finding the tablet. He could tell by the number of lines it would not be the prophecy if one existed, although he was starting to believe a prophecy of some kind did exist. He would have to try harder and dig eight or nine new places to uncover it.

He also needed to know what was happening at the other site. Their current site was a dud, and they were trying their luck at another site. He could feel their frustration and hoped he would be the first to discover the prophecy.

But what if the prophecy is negative, he suddenly thought. He would not find out until someone else had translated it, and by then, it would be too late. And who knows then what would happen to him.

But first, he needed to get on the good side of Kate and her friend, Prof. Tilly. He would not wait two weeks to do it.

His first stop the following day was at the florist shop in town. He bought two dozen red roses and inserted a card the florist gave him. From an admirer who would like to be your friend. He then added the word forever. The florist told him his son would take the roses to her address on his scooter. Gaber watched the boy, still in his teens, disappear down the road and felt relieved. He would pop by at supper time and see if they received them, and with the hope, it would soften her attitude towards him.

He appeared just after supper at Donatello’s home. Annunziata had just finished the dishes with Annamaria, who answered the door. She froze when she saw who it was.

“If Miss Winters is available, I would appreciate it if you would let her know I am downstairs and would like to talk to her briefly.”

It seemed to take forever before Kate and Prof. Tilly came downstairs to the kitchen. Annamaria pointed to the dining room. “It’s the creepy guy you saw yesterday,” she whispered as she escorted them into the dining room.

Kate had already seen the roses, and Prof. Tilly warned her not to smell them. “With a character like that, you never know if he has poisoned them somehow.”

“Forgive me for dropping by like this,” Gaber started. “I can imagine you must be busy, but I was wondering if you and your team would like to visit our site. Perhaps together, we can give Col. DeLuca what he wants, sooner rather than later.”

Kate could tell it was a speech he had practised before coming. She smiled quickly at Prof. Tilly, who shook his head. “First of all, thank you for the lovely roses. They are truly beautiful. About getting our teams together, we have high hopes for our new site. Prof. Tilly and I are busy going over old and recent geographical maps of the area to see if we can reduce our time discovering the entrance to a tomb that might yield what Col. DeLuca is looking for. Perhaps later if our kind offer still holds.”

She could tell by the look on his face that he was disappointed. What did he expect? For someone who tried to kill her, did he really expect that she would suddenly go for something as stupid as this or that she would swoon because she received a few roses? She grew out of that when Lorne sent her roses to apologize.

“I’m sorry, but we’re tired, and unless you have something else you would like us to know, I can tell you both Prof. Tilly and I are tired from scanning old maps of the area and will be going to bed early. We will be doing more of the same until we find the right place to start digging.”

Gaber bowed and closed the door softly behind him. He could see it in

her eyes that she was softening. A great first step. He made a mental note to send her a box of chocolate Baci from Perugina after a few days. Leave it to the Italians to call their chocolates“kisses”.

For the first time since he suddenly saw her, he slept in peace. The first steps of his plan were taking shape. In the morning, he would make a point of visiting DeLuca and let him know about his progress.

***

Col. DeLuca was interrogating someone in the basement, where the cells of his station were located. Gaber could hear him yelling at some poor soul, who had begun to cry. He winced every time the prisoner was lashed, followed by the crying and begging. DeLuca emerged some time later. He was in his shirt sleeves, and his face was covered in sweat. When he spotted Gaber, he put his jacket on and stopped in front of him. “That could happen to you should you ever attempt to cross me. You’ve come for a reason. Did the men show up?”

Gaber nodded. “Thank you, colonel. I came to tell you I’ve made a bit of headway with Kate Winters today.” He went on to tell DeLuca about the flowers and his invitation to have her team join ours to exchange our findings and help you find the prophecy we all want to find.”

“Did you mention the word prophecy to her?”

Gaber could not remember. “Not once.”

“Did she?”

Neither of us did. I think their interest lies elsewhere.”

“Maybe so, but right now, I’m not sure about any of you. Just to remind you, unlike young ladies, I cannot be softened by roses or candies. One further question. Did she of the professor mention anything about ‘something ‘special’?”

Gaber looked at him for a few seconds, trying to recall “something special”. He shook his head.

“I have reason to believe your lady friend’s group are looking for ‘something special’. We have reason to believe that the so-called “something special” they talk about is the prophecy. Should you talk to them, see if those two words come up in their conversation.”

“Do you mind me asking how you came by it?”

DeLuca ignored him as he escorted him out of his office. ***

“I think your outing did you a world of good,” said the surgeon, who sewed him together after he was knifed by Gaber and left for dead on a rainy street. “In fact, we think you might be discharged tomorrow or the

next day, depending on what our heart doctor says. Were you exhausted when you returned today?”

Bahman Ramsis winced when he turned on his side to face his doctor. “I had no trouble walking. It’s only when I try to sit and especially when trying to get up.”

“That will come easier once your body adapts to it. So what do you plan to do when you leave here?”

“Not quite sure, doctor. The first thing is to get my family to send some money to me at one of the banks. I’m running low.”

When his doctor left, Bahman rose and headed for the nurses’ station. “An elderly matron was on duty along with two younger women. “I need to send a message to Egypt or call my family to send me money.”

“The best way is to send a telegram to your family. If you can tell me whom I should send the telegram to, I would be happy to help you,” said one of the younger nurses, whose white uniform and beautiful face made him feel uncomfortable in her presence. “I’ll also need some money to pay for it. Unfortunately, the hospital does not send telegrams for free.”

They both laughed. Ramsis passed her his last twenty lire bill and winked at her.

“What do you want your telegram to say?”

“Am in hospital. Firenze. Need 10,000 lire to finish for what I came here to do and for boat passage to Cairo.”

It would not take long. Ramsis knew where Greber lived. He would not kill him there with his servant watching. Ramsis had to be careful about what Greber’s servant could tell the police. If he did, he would not get to the boat before getting caught. When his money came, he would watch Gaber’s movements and learn when and where to kill him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“Beforeyou do anything, make a ladder we can take with us to the site,” said Enrico. “Donatello can create one for us in his workshop. Otherwise, we’ll have a devil of a time going down and climbing back, not to mention bringing up anything we find down there. What about it, Donatello?”

Donatello shook his head. “I’m not sure I have enough lumber to build anything. I used up the last of the lumber when I enlarged the hen house.”

“Then get in your truck and get it. Take Francesco with you and teach him how to make a ladder while you’re at it.”

Prof. Tilly just shook his head. “Does he often talk to you like that?”

“You don’t know, Enrico. Before long, he’ll have the rest of you doing his bidding.”

Donatello returned an hour later and unloaded the lumber as Francesco took each piece to his father’s workshop. Kate could hear the hammering from the kitchen and was tempted to have a peek.

Booker had come with his cameras and three rolls of film. “We’re also going to need seven or eight lanterns to create enough light for any pictures you want to be taken down there. Light is everything when it comes to film. The more light, the better.”

It was late afternoon when they were equipped and ready to go. Francesco and Donatello had packed everything and hid it all under the largest tarpaulin Donatello had. ***

They left before daybreak. “DeLuca is already suspicious of us. We do not want him or any of his officers watching us,” said Prof. Tilly. “Especially if we find something they want.”

The ‘something special’ you keep talking about?” said Stu.

“That and other things,” said Kate. as Donatello swerved off the highway and drove into a small lane shaded by large trees. Donatello and Francesco unloaded everything, and the others carried the shovels, picks, lamps, a screen, wine, water and their lunch. Daylight was breaking, and they followed the trail of broken twigs to the pit in silence. Birds flew from the trees they passed, and there were sounds of the earth coming to life around them. A cool breeze flowed through the trees, and they could feel the first warmth of the sun.

Francesco suddenly stopped. He could hear the sound of a motor vehicle nearing them. Kate held her breath. They could hear the sounds of the vehicle grow and then grow faint. She let out her breath slowly and helped Francesco carry the ladder to the pit and place it inside. Garnet and Stu gathered the shovels together and passed them down to them. No one spoke. Prof. Tilly was the first one to go down. Kate fastened a lamp to a rope and dropped it into his hands. He stepped inside and lit the lamp. It was like an apparition at a séance. His eyes went greedily from the altar to the long table where a sculptured figure of the dead person reclined holding a bunch of grapes. The mummies were exactly as Enrico had described them. Painted figures of what appeared to be Etruscan gods covered the walls. What intrigued him most of all was the remains of a votive candle that had been snuffed before it burned itself out.

He left to look up at the expectant faces of the others. “It’s incredible. You can’t believe what’s hidden down here. Stu and Garnet were already descending the ladder, followed by Kate and Booker, carrying a lighted lamp.

Francesco returned to the truck to be on the outlook in case someone spotted the truck. He sat in the back seat and closed his eyes. The sounds of another truck coming and going woke him. At noon he left the truck to join the others for lunch.

Enrico had drunk most of the wine and was humming opera arias. Francesco looked at him and shook his head. Zio Enrico would never change.

Booker came up first to photograph the others as they were climbing the ladder. Prof. Tilly had to be helped up when he left the ladder. Kate looked at him, set her mouth, and said a silent prayer that nothing would happen to him. After that, she decided to ask Stu and Garnet to be there for him if he fell and broke his arm or, worse still, his thigh.

They sat in a small circle with Enrico at the head. They ate in silence for the most part.

“Will the pictures you took in the tomb come out?” said Garnet.

“I’m not sure, but I plan to add another two lamps when we go back down this afternoon. That will help.”

After lunch, they lay on the grass and watched the clouds in the blue sky and dozed off for a few minutes. Prof. Tilly walked with a limp when he got up. “I did something. I’m not sure what,” he said to Kate, “but not so bad that I can’t go back and catalogue everything we’ve seen.”

Kate helped to steady him. “We need something down there that you can sit on and made your notes.” She turned to Francesco, who was sitting next to Donatello. “Is there anything on the truck that Prof. Tilly can sit on while he makes notes down there?”

Donatello answered for him. “Yes. A box that I keep all the things I need to fix my truck if something happens when I’m on the road. Go and empty the box and bring it to us.”

Later, after Prof. stepped down the ladder after Garnet, who decided to go down first in case Prof. Tilly lost his grip and fell, he could break his fall. Francesco returned with the box smelling of old grease and oil, and he passed it down to Garnet. Francesco followed Booker down. He was carrying his camera on a strap over his shoulder. The camera kept swinging as he descended, hitting against the earth wall from time to time.

A new world he never dreamed of opened his eyes when Francesco ducked and walked inside. Prof. Tilly was sitting on the box near the tomb. He wrote in his book and sketched the tomb and its figure while Kate looked in every corner. There were no holes for the man’s family to poke down food and wine for him. Yet her instincts told her this was where she would most likely find the answer to the two words – temple and sacrifice pit. The floor looked as though it was the temple floor and the sacrifice pit was just beyond the altar.

She grabbed a shovel, motioned Garnet to do the same, headed for the earth wall at the end of the tomb, and started digging. It was hard going. The earth was packed so hard from the weight above that it took all her energy to loosen the soil and remove a shovel of dirt. After a half-hour, they had a pile of dirt behind them and were out of breath.

Garnet left and went outside and called up for Francesco. “We need a wheelbarrow down here and a sling to lift the dirt from the wheelbarrow.” Francesco found the sole wheelbarrow beneath a tarpaulin and slid it down to Garnet on a wide board Donatello had added to the load.

Garnet wheeled it inside, forgetting to duck and hitting his head. He rubbed his head that pained until he wheeled it to where Kate was continuing to add to the pile behind her. He stopped behind her and shovelled the

dirt in the wheelbarrow.

When he wheeled it outside, he discovered that Enrico had made a sling out of a small tarp from the truck, which he and Francesco pulled up and spread it among the bushes that surrounded them.

This went on until it was time to return. They climbed the ladder slowly, Prof. Tilly found it hard to hold onto the rungs. Garnet pushed him up and followed behind him, and Francesco helped Prof. Tilly out. He touched his knapsack. “I’ve made a complete inventory of everything we saw down there and added sketches as well.”

Booker was the last to come up and took a picture of them sitting around the pit, resting their arms on the ground. Once they were rested, Stu and Garnet laid the tarp over the hole and cut bushes and covered it with them.

At dusk, refreshed and rubbing the aches in their arms and legs, they left everything and headed for Donatello’s truck. There had been no sound of any vehicle on the road for hours except the sounds of men talking. They didn’t bother to wait to see who they were. Donatello had his truck on the road without looking back and heading for Volterra two minutes later. ***

Kate looked out the window at Donatello’s backyard. The sun was just rising, and she decided they should take the morning off and go back to bed. Her gut told her that the tomb had a mystery just waiting to be discovered. It’s there. She could feel it in her bones and everything she knew about tombs and the Etruscans and their cleverness.

When she told Prof. Tilly about it, he just nodded. “I also have the feeling there’s something big that we’re somehow missing. I believe I’ve exhausted just about everything in the tomb. It’s as though this is not the place where we’re searching but elsewhere in the tomb. The temple is too huge to dig and would take a much larger crew to find out.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“When we go back after lunch, I think we should search the tomb for a secret room that is attached to it.”

After lunch, the entire team assembled and headed to the new dig. Donatello parked in the same spot. Francesco stayed behind to cut branches from low-hanging trees and place them in the back of the truck before heading for the dig. There was no one left above ground. Zio Enrico had even joined them. He spent an hour looking for some kind of level somewhere on the bier containing the statue of the reclining man. All he could find was a small etching at the left corner of the bier. He waved to Kate.

“I am not sure if this means anything,” he said, touching the etching with his forefinger. She bent over the bier with Prof. Tilly’s magnifying glass and read the inscription. “It says Trutnot, the Etruscan word for soothsayer.”

“Is this what you were looking for?”

“It’s probably a clue of some kind. But it does show that we’re on the right track.”

Enrico pressed his finger above the etching and found it made a slight indentation in the wall. The floor suddenly gave way, and they suddenly found themselves rubbing their heads. The others stopped what they were doing and look down at her and Enrico.

Francesco dropped down three lit lanterns for them on a rope. They entered an expansive room with a high ceiling, “probably part of the temple”, Prof. Tilly was to say later.

For one brief minute, they were transported into a different dimension. At first glance, it appeared like another tomb. That’s where we’re going to find what we’re looking for, she thought and stepped back to let Francesco drop a ladder to them that Enrico had just made. The honours went to Prof. Tilly. Kate took one step down and then the other foot on each rung before reaching the bottom. Stu followed him. They just stood for a couple of minutes staring at the new tomb with a sense of awe.

Another figure, similar to the outer shelf, lay on an ornate bier. But this time, the figure was holding onto a clay tablet. Kate went back to the hole, now large enough for two people to pass through at a time. “Ask Booker to come with his camera,” she said to Francesco. “And tell the others to stop what they’re doing and come here. And bring all the lanterns.”

A few minutes later, everyone was standing around the bier and the sculptured figure holding a tablet. Garnet and Stu stood on each side of the clay tablet with lanterns. Francesco found a pole, attached two other lanterns on it, and held it over the clay tablet while Booker took shots head-on and from each side and then of Prof. Tilley and Kate standing next to the tablet.

“I have an idea,” said Stu. “Prof. Tilly’s sketchbook and rub his thickest pencil over it. They do that to copy the faces of famous nobility in English churches.”

“It depends,” said Prof. Tilly, “how hardened the letters are on the tablets.” He bent down and touched some of the letters.” He looked up with a smile. “If it’s done with the touch of a feather, I might have a rubbing of what it says.”

He ripped out a sheet from his notebook and found a flat pencil with

a large lead. Stu and Garnet held the paper over the tablet as the professor touched it faintly. When he finished the first line, he stepped back and showed the result to Kate.

“I can make it out just barely, but with the help of your magnifying glass, I think I’ll be able to ink in all the letters.” She bent up and backed off to let Professor Tilly copy the rest.

“Is there a way to free the tablet from the side of the bier?” said Francesco.

Everyone looked at Enrico, who had joined them when they discovered the new tomb. Enrico held up his hands. “I am just a poor cartoonist. I know nothing about such niceties.”

“If we could, there would be no disputing anything,” said Kate.

“Pour some water around the tablet,” said Garnet. “That might loosen it up a bit.”

Stu emptied his water bottle around it with no noticeable results.

“In the interest of science, I will make the greatest sacrifice of all,” said Enrico, pushing Stu aside and pouring some grappa over the top. He stepped back and held up his finger. “Give it time.”

A couple of minutes later, Stu went up to the tablet with Prof. Tully’s magnifying glass and studied it under the lamp. He shook his head. “You’re not going to believe it, but there is a small crack above the tablet.”

“You should not doubt Enrico or the magic of grappa,” said Enrico, pouring more grappa over the top of the table and rubbing it into the sides and the bottom three times.

“Even if it does work,” said Prof. Tilly, “remember it is clay and might crumble if we are not very, very careful.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The sun was low on the horizon when they emerged from the hole. Enrico took another swing of the wine from the bottle he had hidden in his jacket and passed it to Garnet. “May I suggest that we cut down a few branches and throw them down in the hole and then pack the dirt that came from inside the tomb on top of everything.”

“There won’t be enough,” said Stu.

“We are sitting in a wide field with no one stopping us from digging up some of the bushes and their roots and the earth as well as more bushes to grow on top of them.”

Kate could hear Stu grumbling about someone sitting down all day and eating and drinking wine and grappa as he and Garnet dug up a load of bushes at different parts of the field and wheeled them to the hole. Francesco filled the rest of the hole and set them with other bushes into the soil. When they left, they stopped at the edge of the clearing. Booker took a picture of them

Prof. Tilly held the clay tablet on a cushion on his lap as they drove back home. Kate took it to her room, set it on her dresser, and positioned her lamp over the tablet before returning to the kitchen.

Supper was already on the table, and everyone had washed up and took their places at the dining room table. Hardly anyone spoke. There was a strange emptiness inside each of them. They had found something almost impossible to find. In the end, Kate thought, it involved a series of pure luck. It was as though they were destined to find it.

“What about tomorrow?” said Stu, trying grappa for the first time and almost choking as it made its way down his throat. Enrico laughed and slapped him on the back. Stu sat back, red-faced and shaking his head. “So

what about tomorrow?”

“I’ve been thinking about that and would like you and Garnet to go back to the other site and start digging. We’ll close it down once we reach the tomb and inspect it carefully. Who knows what else we might find? And if anyone thinks we were at another site, they will think differently once we start on this site.”

“I just had a horrible thought. What if that tablet is not what we were looking for?” aid Garnet.

“We’ll soon enough after I’ve had time to translate a few lines. And if it isn’t, the other site might be the answer. So let’s think of the other site as insurance.”

When she returned to her room, the first thing she did was to consider where to store the tablet. There wasn’t any place she could think of as she checked her room. Any suitable site was too obvious.

She went downstairs. Annunziata and Annamaria were busy cleaning up. When Annamaria left to talk to Francesco, who was listening to Mussolini making a speech over the radio. She rolled her eyes, and he smiled. Next came one of Verdi’s operas. Zio Enrico joined in with a voice that reverberated throughout the house. Donatello hummed along with him.

“You look puzzled,” she said to Kate.

“I have a tablet that I am translating and need to find a place to hide it.”

Annunziata lifted her finger and took Kate to her flour barrel. This is the last place anyone will think of looking. Just wrap it so that no dirt gets into the flour.”

Kate hugged her. “You are the brains of this house. I think Francesco takes after you in many ways.”

“He is a good boy, and the girl who gets him as a husband should offer their rosary to the Blessed Mother for their good fortune.”

When she returned to her room, Kate looked for something to wrap the tablet in. The only thing large enough was one of her blouses. In the end, she settled on the white blouse, a hand down from her mother. It was soft and perfect for the flour barrel.

She smiled and positioned her lamp over the tablet. The first thing she did was use Prof. Tilly’s magnifying glass to compare when she saw on the tablet with the sheet the professor produced with his rubbing. There was one small error, a figure she never saw before in any Etruscan writings she had translated. She looked in her dictionary. It wasn’t there either. She inked in the letters and sat back to admire her work. “Line one,” she whispered to herself. She could spot two things immediately, the name Tarquin

and the word for augur or soothsayer. They were both joined together. The rest of the sentence was harder, but by midnight, she was able to translate the first sentence: I, Tarquin, augur, saw the birds fly south and knew my wife, Sethra, had flown away with them.

Kate knew how the following line had to start. She died, and her spirit went with them. The next lines were far more challenging. It took her the rest of the night to get what she hoped was an accurate translation. There were four strange alphabet figures she could not recognize. It read: I dreamed last night of an unknown future in which the Kingdom of the Etruscans.

She covered the tablet with her blouse and slipped into bed. But sleep would not come easy, and when she did manage to doze off, she was awakened by the faces of Etruscan devils and a great figure warning her of doom. It was daybreak before she finally found sleep.

“Go and see if Kate is awake yet. It is late for her,” said Annunziata to Annamaria. She rapped a number of times on the door with no result and decided to open the door. Kate was sleeping on her side, and Annamaria rapped on the door, this time as loud as possible. Kate turned and raised her hands above her head before opening her eyes and seeing Annamaria.

“You gave me a fright,” she said, lifting herself on her elbows.

“My mother wanted me to see if you were all right.”

“What time is it?”

“Almost noon.”

Kate jumped from her bed. “I’ve slept the best time of the day out. If I ever do this again, be sure to wake me, only earlier the next time. Tell your good mother that I’ll be down as soon as I wash and get dressed.”

Kate descended the stairs and made her way to the dining table, where Donatello was holding court with Prof. Tilly and Enrico, who stood and invited the questa bella regazza to sit next to him. She felt anything but a beautiful young lady as she took her seat.

“Like you,” said Prof. Tilly, “I slept in. It was an exhausting day, to say the least. But, feel like my old self today. Did you make any headway with the translation?”

“It took me well into the night to translate three lines. Just a soothsayer lamenting the loss of his wife and something about the Etruscan Kingdom.”

“I thought it was the reason you slept late,” Said Prof. Tilly. Enrico poured her a large glass of wine and insisted she drink half of it before touching her plate of rigatoni.

“If I drink anymore, I won’t be able to translate my name,” she said, digging her fork into the rigatoni. ***

She had a hard time focusing when she returned to her desk and decided to have a nap, falling asleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes. Two hours later, she woke up and looked at the clock, feeling fresher than she had felt in days. She removed her blouse from the tablet and went down to the fourth line. A half-hour later, she was able to translate the fourth and fifth lines.

It began where she had left off: Rome will swallow up the Etruscan kingdom, and the Italians would spread throughout the land. A rogue leader will arrive from the North.

By supper time, she had translated another three lines: He will steal power and unite the entire land that I see very only dimly far into the future, and lead the land into a period of darkness.”

When she glanced at the clock, she knew she would also be late for supper and headed downstairs. She was the last one sitting again, next to Caterina. Gabriello, who had joined the dig, was seated next to Enrico. Garnet, Stu and Francesco sat on the other side next to Prof. Tilly.

“We missed you at the dig today,” said Gabriello. “You and the professor.”

“We were just plain tired out. I don’t know about the professor, but I think I’ll need another couple of days testing out all the potential sites we visited.”

“I’ll leave the work at the site to Garnet and Stu and Caterina.”

“They worked magic,” said Francesco. “They think we’re close to the entrance.”

“If only,” added Caterina.

“How was your day,” said Garnet.

Kate tried to smile. “Slept most of it. Just managed to get up for lunch and then went back to sleep. Digging is damn hard work.” ***

“The professor and Kate failed to show up for the dig today, saying they were exhausted from testing another potential site. The rest of us made great headway. That’s about it.”

Col. DeLuca offered a cigar to Gabriello. “Stay with it. If they do not show up tomorrow, let me know, and I will make a point of visiting them.”

Gabriello spotted Gaber waiting for DeLuca talking to another officer and looked back to see Gaber knock and disappear behind DeLuca’s door. Gabriello had a feeling that DeLuca was more on edge than usual and wondered what it was.

“You’re failing me, Gamal, if that’s what your name is. The university bunch has opened a new site and is making headway and visiting five other potential sites. What have you done?”

“We’ve broken into the tomb and are checking every inch of it to see if we can find it. Other than starting another dig, there’s not much more than we can do. Finding that tablet is like finding a drop of oil in the ocean. It will be just plain luck if we find the right tomb.”

“Then make a point of visiting their dig in a couple of days and bring along some of your people so we can broaden our scope and whether I’m getting all the information I should be.” ***

Kate decided to stay up as long as necessary to translate the rest of the lines on the tablet. She was in a mood to work and felt refreshed. The rest of the message had some lines with a number of words strung out in one long word and the odd, strange letter and the odd Greek word.

By ten o’clock, she was able to add more lines: The rogue will make dubious friends and terrible enemies and bring misery to his people. The people will rise up and put him to death.

There were only a few lines left to translate. Kate was excited now. She couldn’t stop now, even if she wanted to. The lines were the hardest of all, but by three o’clock, she was done. Even the part that had nothing to do with the main message:

The land will rise from despair, and The Etruscan Kingdom will become once again great and prosper exceedingly.

The rest of the message was to the god of the underworld to unite him with his wife and prayers to other gods for his voyage.

She folded the tablet and the inked copies that Professor Tilly had made into her blouse, crept downstairs and switched on the light in the kitchen. She approached the flour barrel when she heard a door open and someone behind her. It was Annunziata walking towards her.

“Are you hungry?”

Kate shook her head. “I came to bury this treasure in your flour barrel.”

“Put it on the table,” Annunziata found a ribbon a tied the tablet and

paper copies inside the blouse and then scooped out a hole in the flour and deposited it into the barrel. She then scoped more handfuls of flour over the tablet.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“Mussolini won’t want this to see the light of day,” said Prof. Tilly as he finished reading her translation. “How accurate would you say it is?”

“Quite. A couple of places are guesses on my part, but the rest will stand any test.”

“What next?”

“We have to leave Italy with the tablet and your rubbings, and we should leave as soon as possible.”

“We could leave Stu and Garnet behind to carry on with the dig. Or have Francesco sneak the tablet out of Italy into France. And we all could meet him there. We’ll need a day or two to talk to Stu and Garnet and get their input,” said Kate.

There was a knock at the door. Donatello opened it to find Col DeLuca standing with the sunlight in the back of him. “I’m here to talk to Kate and Prof. Tilly.”

“They’re sitting at the table. Please join them. Could we get you a coffee or something else?”

DeLuca shook his head. “I don’t plan to stay for long.” Then, turning to face Kate and Prof. Tilly. “I understand you’ve found the tablet we’ve all been trying to find and that you promised to provide me with anything you find every day. I have yet to see the tablet.”

Kate looked at Prof. Tilly and shook her head. “I don’t know where you’ve got your information, Col. DeLuca. We have lived up to our obligations to you in every way. For the record, we have not discovered the fabled tablet you speak of. Instead, our focus is on what the Etruscans left behind in the way of their religion and government.”

Deluca just looked at them for a few seconds. “Then you will have no

objection if I search your rooms.”

“Not at all,” said Prof. Tilly. “But do so in a hurry. We’re both a bit tired from our peregrinations to find other likely sites for future digs.”

DeLuca just smiled. Donatello called for Annamaria. “Please show Col. DeLuca all our rooms and anyplace else he would like to see.”

“Where first, Col. DeLuca as she led him into the kitchen. He looked among the pots and pans and cold areas in the basement where Annunziata kept their vegetables and fruit. He nodded and followed her upstairs.

“Where is Kate’s room?”

“I’ll take you there first.” Annamaria led him to the head of the stairs and opened the door to Kate’s room. DeLuca nodded and searched among her clothing and her books and journals. He then turned his attention to a lump in the carpet, ran his hand, and the upper moulding of her window and along the moulding sides. Next, the wastepaper basket. He found two pieces of paper and reached down to see what was written. It contained the opening sentence of a letter to her mother and father.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to take all the sheets and blankets off her bed.” Still nothing. Annamaria remade the bed and led him out and into Professor Tilly’s room with the same results. “Next, your bedroom.“ He fingered her beads that hung on the wall opposite her bed and among her clothes and private things.

Prof. Tilly led him back down into the kitchen, where he spotted Annunziata getting ready to make bread. “I’d like to look in your flour barrel. It won’t take long, and you can go back to making your bread.” He removed the covering board and used a long spoon to search among the flour, touching the corners before handing the spoon to Annamaria.

He then returned to the dining room and looked at Donatello, who was pouring him a shot glass of grappa. “Has your half-witted brother shown up?”

“He is in Roma, where he belongs. The only time he comes is when he is broke and wants money. Why do you ask?”

“Not important,” said DeLuca. “Just let me know if he does. If you do not, it will go hard on you.” He swallowed the grappa and shook his head before reaching out for Annamaria’s hand and kissing it. “You have a charming daughter,” he said, opening the door. “I must come again.”

Kate headed for the kitchen. “I thought I would die when he fished around the flour barrel. What did you do?”

Annunziata laughed. “When I saw he was about to check everything – from the kitchen to the beds upstairs, I knew then he would get around to the flour barrel. So I shifted your package to the place where I keep the

pots and pans, where he had already looked.”

Enrico emerged from the shed behind the chicken coop. “Good riddance. Was he asking for me?”

“That was his second mission. I told him you were not here,” said Donatello. “I’m glad you did not make me a liar.”

***

“Let me show you what we’ve accomplished so far,” said Garnet when Kate and Prof. Tilly arrived at the site. The others stopped work to watch them as they walked to the hill where the digging had started.

“We need to see you and Stu by yourselves at the end of digging,” said Prof. Tilly. Garnet nodded and started talking about their progress. “I have a strong feeling we’ll break into the tomb either tomorrow or the next day.”

“Let it be tomorrow,” said Caterina, rubbing the dirt off her face. She was digging beside Francesco, who smiled as he talked to her.

Gabriello was digging while Booker, his camera strapped around his neck and chest, was wheeling the dirt to the screen at the end of the dig. A strong wind blew the red dust into swirls that danced around the site. Everyone stopped to look at it as a wind from the North swept across the area, blowing dust in their eyes.

“I think we had better call it a day,” said Stu, guiding everyone to Donatello’s truck. Everyone started singing as the truck sped along the road. It had been a good day at the dig, and everyone was glad to get off early. Gabriello met them at the house. Francesco helped Kate off the truck and Prof. Tilly from the cab before returning to help Catriona to the ground. Everyone was in high spirits and started singing again. With Gabriello around, Enrico made a point of having his supper in the basement.

Gabriello sat next to Prof. Tilly, and Annamaria, who was bringing in a plate piled high with bread just out of the oven, sat down next to Garnet, loading his plate with spaghetti and meatballs.

“It was good to see you two out at the dig today,” said Gabriello. “It lifted all our spirits. Will you be with us again tomorrow?”

“Until we finish the dig,” said Prof. Tilly. “We hear that there will be a breakthrough tomorrow. We want to be part of it.”

An hour later, Catriona and Gabriello left, leaving them free to discuss the next step. Prof. Tilly lifted his coffee mug to Kate. “First, the tablet has been translated.”

“It’s a real eye-opener,” said Kate. “It talks about a rogue who robs the Romans of their government, becomes their leader and leads the country

into distress and poverty.”

Garnet was smiling and reached across the table to shake Kate’s hand. Stu, who was sitting close to her, got up, rubbed her shoulders, and kissed her on the cheek.

“So it’s over,” said Garnet.

“Not quite,” said Prof. Tilly, stroking his white chin beard. “There is the question of getting the tablet out of Italy and into other hands. People who will know what to do with it. If the secret police get wind of the contents, they will do everything in their power to prevent us from taking it away with us and probably destroy the tablet.”

“The floor is open to suggestions,” said Kate.

The table suddenly went quiet. “What if Prof. Tilly comes down with a strange illness and he has to leave to help him get help from a famous doctor in France. I would be required to go with him.” Then after a pause: “That would leave the both of you holding the bag and feel the ire of Col. DeLuca and God knows who else.”

Annamaria’s face drained of colour, and she grabbed Garnet’s arm. Annunziata noticed it but said nothing.

“Or,” said Stu, “Francesco and Enrico could find their way to France with the tablet, where we all could meet.”

Enrico nodded. “For Enrico, it is nothing. But for Francesco, he is not used to living off the land and running away from the secret police.”

“Then let’s sleep on it. Maybe tomorrow we’ll come up with a few better ideas,” Stu added, looking at the others’ faces.

***

“We’ve got a problem,” said Garnet helping Kate off the truck. “There’s been a cave-in. I’m not sure when it occurred, but probably during the night.”

Stu, who had gone to the cave in, joined them. “It’s worse than it looks.”

“What are you leaving out?”

“From what I saw, I suspect it was not natural. It’s something I’ve seen before in my work.”

“What are Gabriello and the others saying?” said Prof. Tilly.

“If they suspect something, they’re not saying.” He smiled and whispered: “I’ve saved the best to the last. The reclining figures are nothing but rubble, but in doing so, they revealed a secret compartment containing four stone tablets. I’ve told the others to stay put until we have a chance to see what the tomb contains.”

Kate and Prof. Tilly hopped over the pile of dirt and scanned the four

stone tablets. Garnet went back to the truck to find something to wrap them up.

“We’ve found a stone tablet,” he told Caterina, Gabriello and Francesco. “And Kate wants to translate it before we do anything further.”

Garnet carried the tablets to the truck. “Stay with this. We won’t be long, and do not let anyone else see what you got.”

“That’s it for today, ladies and gentlemen,” said Garnet, hopping aboard the truck and helping the others get aboard. “We do not want to do anything further until Prof. Tilly has had a chance to translate them. Then, and only then, will we know if we’re on the right track.”

***

Kate didn’t bother with supper and had something sent to her room as she tackled the first stone tablet. It was a lot heavier than the clay tablet but far more legible. She put her pad beside her and took Prof. Tilly’s magnifying glass to read all the lines, which were easy to translate. It was a man offering prayers to the god of death. There was also a list of the sacrifices he had offered on his and his wife’s behalf for their lives in the underworld. The second was a record of his achievements and the wealth he had accumulated in his lifetime. The third talked about his achievements in the great war against the Romans. The fourth was shorter but harder to translate.

Annamaria came to get her plate. “You’ve hardly eaten anything. Stop whatever you’re doing and eat something. Otherwise, I will stay here until you do.”

Kate took the plate and started eating. Annamaria sat beside her. “I want to talk to you about something. And you promise never to tell anyone else, especially my mother.” She paused before beginning. “It is about Garnet. Do you think he likes me?”

“I’m not sure. Garnet has never mentioned you in any of our conversations, but I have noticed that he changes once you come into the room. Has he made any overtures to you?”

Annamaria shook her head. “I’m in love with him.”

“Would you like me to ask him?”

Annamaria nodded, but you must never tell my mother what I just said.”

Kate dug into a large slice of bread and drank the last of her coffee. “Thank you, Annamaria, and your secret is safe with me. I will ask him if he is attracted to you and let you know what he says.”

The fourth tablet was a hymn to a woman named Ramtha and that the

writer will search for her when she enters the underworld. She turned off the light and dreamed of Lorne and everything she did not like about him.

***

Everyone stood around and waited until Kate and Prof. Tilly arrived. Garnet was inside the tomb and looking for other surprises, perhaps hidden in dark corners and into the holes made to offer food and wine to the departed. He emerged from the tomb when he heard Donatello’s truck stop outside the dig area.

“Tell them you have discovered three more stone tablets and make sure Gabriello gets them to take to Col. DeLuca,” said Prof. Tilly. “Kate tells me they contain nothing new, just the usual prayers to the god of the underworld.”

Stu had brought Sabrina to the dig and was showing her around. “Sabrina is very interested in archaeology and asks me what it’s like. So I brought her today. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” said Prof. Tilly. “Do not hesitate to ask me or any of the others if you need an explanation.”

Sabrina got caught up in the process and volunteered to dump the wheelbarrow at the screen and check for anything their eyes might have missed. Kate noticed her picking up an item a couple of times and putting it in her pocket. She spotted Garnet and waved him to join her.

“A simple question. And please answer me honestly. Are you interested in Annamaria?”

Garnet nodded. “When I sit beside her, I find it hard not to reach out and touch her. Why are you asking?”

“I noticed her rubbing your hand one day. I think her mother noticed, too. So, if you’re interested in her, talk to Donatello and ask his permission to see his daughter. He likes you and often describes you as the engine of the dig.”

“When do you think it might be an appropriate time?”

He’s sitting alone in his truck for the moment. Why not approach him now.”

Garnet started and turned. “Wish me luck.”

Kate crossed her fingers while nodding and smiling.

Garnet was scared witless when he opened the cab door and slid in beside Donatello. He sat there for almost a minute and looked at Donatello, not sure how to start.

“Is anything wrong?”

Garnet shook his head. “I would like your permission to see your daughter.”

Donatello stroked his chin for a few minutes and hid a smile behind his hand. “That is up to Annamaria. And if she says you must ask her father, tell her you already have. She will probably think about it for a few minutes and then nod. We hold you in great regard. So does Enrico, who is usually critical of people.”

He returned to Kate. “You knew all along. But what about Annamaria? How is she likely to respond?”

“I know women better than you ever will. If I were you, I would invite her to go for a walk in the park with you after supper.”

“What if she says no?”

“She will look at her mother, who will nod.”

Kate looked up at the road to see another truck come up and stop. A minute later, she saw Gaber surrounded by a small crew walk into the dig.

“This is a surprise. When we last talked, you agreed to seek my permission to visit7 our dig. We happen to be very busy. So why are you here?”

“I have been directed to visit you by Col. DeLuca. He heard that you found a tablet with writing on it.”

“Actually we uncovered three more tablets. We gave them to Gabriello to put them in DeLuca’s hands.”

Gaber inspected the dig with his crew and scanned the site for any other finds. When they were satisfied, Gaber approached Gabriello. “Col. DeLuca asked expressly for me to bring any discoveries directly to him. He and his crew left a few minutes later.

“So that’s the great co-operation he proposed in his talk with you,” said Prof Tilly with a smile.

“I fear they will become more aggressive now,” said Kate. “I think it is time to take our leave of Italy.” ***

It was time to tidy up and leave for supper. Gaterina used the mirror in Gabriello’s car to dab the dirt from her face and apply lipstick and makeup around her eyes. She smoothed out her hair with the flat of her hand and smiled at herself in the mirror. She and Gabriello drove off to have supper with themselves while Booker and Stu returned home by themselves. They were exhausted. Stu flopped into the big armchair in Vittoria’s outer room and closed his eyes. Booker decided the lie on the floor and turned on his side to go to sleep. The floor smelt of new wax and helped him to drift off. Booker awoke with someone shaking his shoulder. He looked up to see Sabrina, dressed in her black uniform, shaking her finger at him. “Supper is ready. If you don’t get up, you’ll miss it. My mother wants to clear

the table in an hour from now.” She helped him to his feet. He felt a bit shaky, and the room seemed to whirl around him, and he grabbed her arm to right himself. She took it off almost immediately. “Don’t ever do that to me ever again.”

Booker sat on the chair to get his equilibrium before standing and going into the dining room. Stu was just finishing off. He dabbed his bread in the spaghetti and wiped his plate clean. “You looked dead to this world,” said Stu. “I didn’t want to wake you. You looked so tired. So I waited a bit and asked Sabrina to wake you so that you wouldn’t miss it.”

After supper, Sabrina and Stu sat on the sofa in the outer room. He had his arm around her, and he played with her hand. There was a knock on the door.

“It’s Bruno. I’d recognize him anywhere. Go upstairs until he leaves.”

Sabrina saw the anger in Bruno’s face as soon as she opened the door. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I saw you sitting with someone through the window.”

“It was my mother. She was complaining about our guests, and I had to comfort her.”

Bruno sat back, trying to control his heavy breathing and started mumbling to himself. He drew his fist and hit his other hand with a smash that would break someone’s jaw. Sabrina inched away from him.

“Are you going to continue acting this way or hold my hand?”

Upstairs, Stu thought he should look in on Booker. He was surprised to see papers scattered all over the floor and Booker searching frantically, looking under the bed, under his quilt and even under his pillow. Next, he took out everything from the drawers from his desk. His carrying case and camera were on the bed. He opened the carrying case, dumped all the rolls of film, counted them slowly, and shook his head.

“What’s wrong, Booker?”

“I’m missing one of my rolls. I think it’s my last one. I don’t know what to tell Kate.”

“She has to know. You and I will leave here with your camera now and see her immediately. You hold the camera, and I’ll carry your camera bag.”

They walked down the stairs and past the outer room and out the door. Bruno and Sabrina watched them go. The anger returned to Bruno’s face. She closed her eyes and dreaded the anger that was rising in his body. He smashed his fist against his hand again and turned from her.

“I’ve let everyone down,” said Booker as they entered the Donatello’s dining room. Kate was in the kitchen talking to Annunziata and Enrico. “Hello,” said Kate in a loud voice when she heard the front door close.

Booker and Stu waved to her. “We need to talk to you. It’s urgent.”

She looked at Booker’s face and knew instantly something big and bad had happened. “Let’s sit at the table and talk about it.”

Enrico heard male voices and joined them, carrying a bottle of grappa and three glasses.

“It’s Booker. He has lost one of the rolls in his camera bag.”

“The one where you and Prof. Tilly are holding the tablet.”

Kate closed her eyes. “Did you check everywhere?”

“Everywhere. Even under his pillow.”

Kate shook her head. She knew as well as they did that all the work and sacrifice had disappeared in a single breath.

“Do you think someone stole it?”

“I can tell you that someone in the house did, and you can guess who,” said Enrico. “That daughter of Vittoria’s would turn in her own father if he were still alive.”

Kate looked at Stu. “I think it’s time we left Italy while we still have a chance. When Garnet comes back, we’ll brief him and set out before the sun rises. We’ll ask Donatello to drive us as far as he can and then walk the rest of the way if we have to. In the meantime, go back to Vittoria’s and plan to meet us here at four o’clock.”

Stu and Booker made their way back slowly. Bruno had left, and there was no one in the outer room, and they crept up the stairs to their rooms. “Be sure to put everything back the way you found it. I’ll wake you at 3.30 in time to wash and dress and leave here with all our baggage as silently as possible. Once they see that we’ve flown the coop, DeLuca will know in minutes.”

They crept down downstairs. Booker dropped his camera bag. They both stood still. Nothing moved in the house. They reached the ground floor with Booker sweating and wiping his forehead. They closed the door behind them and headed out into the dark. There was a chill in the air. Stu shivered. Donatello’s house was only a few steps away, and they could see the lights in the dining room and kitchen were on. They tapped on the door, and Enrico, washed, shaved and dressed in a shirt and tie, and dressed in one of Donatello’s best jackets, was waiting for them with a smile. Garnet was standing in the doorway, still in his pyjamas and smoking an Italian cigarette. “I heard what happened, Booker. But maybe it’s for the best. I know Kate and the professor were thinking about leaving Italy and wondering how to do it without suspicion. All you’ve done is reset the

“You’re not dressed,” said Stu.

“I’m not going.”

“Not going?”

“I’ve decided to stay. I’ve asked Annamaria to marry me, and we plan to marry next month. Donatello wants me to get used to the Italian way of doing things so that I fit in.” He lit a cigarette and passed it to Stu. “Remember me every time you light a cigarette. Our adventure is something we will all take to the grave.”

Annamaria put her arms around him. “This nightmare we are going through now will not last forever. Promise us that you will come back and spend time with us.”

Stu nodded and nodded to Booker. Prof Tilly said goodbye to Annunziata, who was wiping tears from her eyes with the corner of her apron. She found an old battered suitcase Donatello owned and had stuffed old cloths around the tablet, now encased in a bag with a crucifix on the outside. If anyone asks, tell them it is a prayer book once used by San Francesco. Then, for good measure, she used White chalk to make a large cross on the outside.

“There is a train leaving for Roma from Firenze at 5.30. If we leave now, we will be able to buy our tickets and even get a compartment for us alone.”

Donatello was at the door and waving to them. “Donatello’s taxi leaves in five minutes. So bring your bags and climb aboard.” ***

Donatello stopped in front of the main termina and helped them off the truck. He then picked up the bag with the cross and led the others into the termina. The ticket wicket was open, and there were about ten travellers in front of them, many of them smoking cigars. Prof. Tilly and Kate started coughing and were not able to stop. Stu passed her his handkerchief, and she used it to stop coughing. Prof. Tilly did the same. They kicked their bags and suitcases ahead of them as the line slowly shortened.

The man behind the ticket office stared at Kate, who tried to smile. “I would like four first-class tickets to Roma. Would it be possible to have a compartment for ourselves? Some of us are allergic to cigarette and cigar smoke. We have a hard time breathing.”

He looked at her face and then consulted a book and shook his head. “Sorry, all special compartments have been sold.” He showed his teeth, yellow and crooked, in a faint smile. “There is one compartment that has

not been taken up yet.”

Kate added an extra 1,000 lire and looked him in the eye as she added another 1,000 notes. He smiled and took the 2,000 lire from the counter. “If the other owner does not show up in the next minute or two,” he said, glancing at the clock behind her. “They lose their standing.”

The clock had a large face with Roman numerals and hung from the ceiling from a large chain. The station was starting to fill. Other travellers sat on benches behind the clock. Some of them rose to get a coffee on the other side of descending lane to the trains, smoking cigarettes and holding magazines under their arms.

“You should be aware that this train to Roma has several stops. Should you wish to board the express train to Roma, I could transfer your tickets to it now as well as your compartment reservations.”

Kate shook her head and picked up the tickets, which showed their compartment number. She turned to see Stu returning with four coffees and what looked like sandwiches. She passed the tickets out to them and accepted a pork sandwich and a coffee from Stu.

“When do we board?” said Prof. Tilly.

Kate looked at the clock and saw others looking at their wristwatches. “In just under 20 minutes.” Stu was getting edgy and kept looking at the entrance every time the door opened, looking for black shirts.

“If you’re wondering if the back shirts made the rounds of train stations, the answer is yes. But rarely, if ever, at 5 a.m.” Enrico sat back and focused his attention on the young women who passed in front of them.

Stu got up, lit a cigarette, and started walking around the station. He knew he would not feel safe until they were safely ensconced in their compartment and pulling out of the Firenze’s railyard. The walking helped him feel more comfortable, and he returned to hear Enrico tell one of his stories and his days as a young journalist before Mussolini came to power.

At five o’clock sharp, there was an announcement that the train to Roma was now ready for boarding. Enrico led the way with the old bag with the tablet, showing his ticket to a train official and heading up the ramp to the walkway. The others followed him up the ramp and along the walkway, showing their tickets to another train official, who told them their car was two cars ahead. Enrico, who was accustomed to the process, stopped to show his ticket to the trainman in front of their car and led the others to their compartment.

Dr. Tilly started to feel fidgety, as did the others. Stu kept looking at his wristwatch. At precisely 5.30, their car started to jerk and then move along the tracks and then outside the station and through the outskirts of

Firenze. They all let their breaths out slowly as the train picked up speed and into the countryside.

A macchinista passed their compartment and returned about 30 minutes later to check their tickets. He was a tall older man, clean shaven with grey hair and thick glasses. He moved slowly as he passed them back their tickets. He bowed as he took his leave.

Stu got up and closed their compartment door. “Are all train conductors like this guy?”

“When Mussolini came into power, the younger ones were pressed into the army,” said Enrico. “So was I but escaped by telling them I had a mental problem and became quite ill every time I heard a loud noise. Not sure they believed me, but I had a doctor’s certificate saying I was not fit for duty. For Italy, I would go to war but not for that fat-bellied imposter who sits on the throne these days in Italy.”

No one was sure if it were the truth or not. With Enrico, you never knew. ***

Vittoria woke and looked at the clock. It was past six, and she was late. She rose and washed, dressed and woke Sabrina. “It’s past six.”

She walked past the rooms of the others and rapped on their doors on her way downstairs to start breakfast. At seven o’clock, Caterina was the only person sitting at the table.

“The others must have slept in,” Vittoria shouted to Sabrina, who was putting on her makeup. She got up from her dresser mirror and knocked loudly on each of their doors. When Victoria didn’t get an answer, she opened their doors. Stu was nowhere in the room, so she looked in the other rooms. Stu, Booker and Garnet had disappeared. She raced down the stairs to tell her mother.

“I hope they’re not trying to play tricks on me.”

“I think they’re gone for good. Their bags and clothes were gone with them.” Sabrina picked up the phone and dialled Col. DeLuca’s number. She let it ring until he finally answered it.

“Our guests have suddenly disappeared from us, taking their clothes and everything else with them. I thought you should know.”

“Call up Donatello’s household,” he said, breathing hard from running to get the phone. “Maybe they decided to move there.”

Sabrina dialled Donatello and heard Annunziata on the other end. “All our guests have suddenly disappeared from our home. Are they at your place?”

‘I’m glad you called. We were about to call you. Prof. Tilly and Kate have also disappeared. Their rooms were empty when Francesco went to wake them. She also took all their bags and suitcases with them.”

“Did they hint they were going elsewhere?”

“Only Prof. Tilly told Kate and Garnet that they should leave this area and see what they could find elsewhere. They left Donatello and me with a big food bill and failed to pay us before they disappeared. We went out of our way for them. Just ask Donatello. He’s so furious he could eat rocks.”

Sabrina hung up the phone and then dialled Col DeLuca back. “They also left Donatello without paying. He and his wife were left with a big food bill.”

Col. DeLuca replaced the receiver slowly. He knew then they had the tablet and were trying to escape with it. He had to think quickly. How would they go? By car or train. With a car, they would be taking a chance of getting caught. It had to be by train. He pushed his hair back from his receding hairline. He grabbed the phone. “Gamal, it’s DeLuca. I need you here as soon as possible. Every second counts.”

He called in his assistant, a young officer with dark black wavy hair, searching eyes and a build that could take on professional wrestlers. “Our pigeons have flown the coop. I believe they’re either on a train or waiting for a train to take them to Roma. I want you to check the railway station either here or other nearby railway stations and find out what trains will be travelling to Roma, and if any have left yet. I need that answer in five minutes.”

Salvatore rapped and entered a few minutes later. “The first train to Roma left at 5.30. It stops at several places along the way. They have another train to Roma at eight o’clock. “

“I want you to board it and see if they are on that train.”

Gaber entered as soon as Salvatore left. “I’ve got news for you.”

“So have I,” said DeLuca. “It appears your university friends have pulled up stakes and are in the process of trying to leave Italy. I believe they have the tablet we have been looking for.”

Gaber wasn’t sure what to say and kept his thoughts to himself. He knew DeLuca could change moods in a blink of an eye and wondered what was coming next.

“I want you to track them down in Roma, and you have my order to kill any of them if they give you any trouble.” DeLuca looked inside his desk drawer and placed a folder on his desk. “I had a hunch they worked on a third dig they did not mention to us. So I called Sabrina, where some of them were staying. She found a roll of film and sent it to me. I had it

printed. The film showed our friends holding a tablet with writing on it. It has to be enlarged for translation.”

“But getting the tablet would be a thousand times better,” said Gaber.

“There will be a huge reward for you if you can get it for me, but with one proviso, the tablet must not be disfigured in any way. I leave you to your own devices.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Kate had been sleeping with her head on the window when the train jerked and came to a stop. The others were sleeping and she tapped their knees with her book She glanced at her watch. It was 8.30, and looked up to see four armed soldiers walk by their compartment.

“We need to leave the train. Now. Grab your things and follow me to the station platform.”

Three minutes later, they were putting their suitcases into a taxi and cramming themselves inside. Stu sat beside the driver, holding the old bag with the cross on it. The driver noted it and smiled.

“We’re on our way south, sightseeing along the way,” said Kate. Yesterday morning we were in the basilica in Assisi to honour San Francesco.”

They passed several small towns, with Marco giving them a running commentary along the way. They got out in front of a small town hotel along the way, paid Marco, and carried their bags to a taxi stand around the corner.

The next taxi driver also liked to talk as they headed south. “They call me Gianni. I know this area very well.” He could see a good tip from these foreigners and stopped to get them food and coffee at a small restaurant in the countryside. They left the taxi and sat on the grass, drinking coffee and spicy chicken sandwiches. Kate ordered another order to take with them.

They left Gianni in a small town about an hour later. It was getting late. Kate paid him, adding a large tip. She had him drive them to the train station. They stood at the door to the station and waved him goodbye. Stu

bargained with a young man to sell his wheelbarrow. They stacked their bags aboard it and branched off onto a path that led through a thick forest.

At nightfall, they stopped at a small clearing where they unloaded their bags. Dusk was falling, and Stu and Booker gathered some fallen twigs and were able to get a fire going. Kate unpacked the sandwiches and the container that came from the restaurant. After eating, they hid their leftovers in a small hole at the edge of the forest and opened their suitcases to find something to lie down on. They lay with their feet to the fire. Stu and Booker took turns replenishing the fire throughout the night.”

They gathered up their clothes in the morning and hid the ashes of their fire under ferns and bushes. Booker led the way. Ahead they could hear running water, and he ran ahead and yelled out to them.

Stu put his mouth into the stream and swallowed great gulps of water. Prof. Tilly had a tin cup and filled it. He passed it to Kate, who drank it all. “Before we start again, fill up the coffee container with it. Who knows when we’ll see water again.”

The trail led them to the outskirts of another town. ***

Col. DeLuca was pacing his office. It was the way he did his best thinking. He had black shirts board the train to Roma. He felt sure that was how they left Firenze. A car would have been too obvious and too easily noticed. They could not find anyone they saw in the pictures of Kate and Prof. Tilly. He had other black shirts join the train at different towns the train passed through. Still nothing. It meant they jumped off the train along the way and probably found a car to go the rest of the way.

He called his secretary. “I need to send a message to our offices at every town and village from here to Roma. Find out if any cars were stolen or if any taxi driver drove them anywhere. They weren’t going to slip through his fingers that easily.

An hour later, Mia, his secretary, knocked and stuck her head in. “Got word from our office in Casentino. A taxi driver there drove four people who fitted their description two hours south and left them at the train station.

“Call the train authorities and find out who was the macchinista on the train headed for Roma this morning.”

Ten minutes later, she had the macchinista on the phone. DeLuca picked up the receiver. Did you see four foreigners board your train this morning?”

“Just locals.”

DeLuca had to admit, he was having a hard time trying to track her down. She’s not going to walk all the way to Roma. Not without losing the professor, who had a heart problem. She had to find a different way.

“We’ll stop here and steal a car if we have to and drive to the coast and get aboard a boat heading to Rome. They stopped at a small restaurant and had breakfast, and loaded up for their trek west. They walked all afternoon and decided to spend the night in the forest. It was a cold night, and Prof. Tilly talked in his sleep and kept them awake most of the night. Kate got up and covered him with her jacket. She put two branches on the fire and found some twigs, and inserted them under the branches so that they would catch fire faster. The night was cool, and she moved closer to the fire.

In the morning, they ate the sandwiches they had bought at the small restaurant. Stu led the way through the forest and to the outskirts of a small village. Kate scanned the buildings, spotting a small car parked close to a two-storey house.

“Can any of you start a car without a key?”

Enrico raised his hand. “The trick is getting inside the car, but that should not be a problem in a place like this where they probably do not lock their doors at night.” He crept up to the car, opened the door, sat in the driver’s seat, and waved them to join him. They dumped the wheelbarrow at the edge of the clearing and carried their suitcases to the car.

“It’s going to be a tight fit,” said Stu as they squeezed in among their suitcases.

“Are we all tucked in?” said Enrico. He saw their nods in the rearview mirror and turned the key. The car started up on the third try. Enrico backed from the driveway and headed the car west. They drove for almost two hours when the car started to sputter and jerk to a stop in the middle of the road.

“We’ve run out of gas. Everyone out. We need to push it into the bushes just up ahead. It’ll be a dead tip-off of where we’re heading if some back shirt happens to find it an hour from now.”

They pushed the car deep into the bushes and cut branches to make it harder to spot. They then picked up their suitcases and walked down the road, stopping every half hour to rest. Their next rest was at the top of a hill, where they could see the waters of the bay only two or three miles

away. About 20 boats of different sizes were bobbing on the tide.

***

Babu mentioned to Gaber that the morning news had only one interesting item. A farmer in a small village woke up to find the car and who stole it.

“Did they happen to say where it was?”

“They didn’t say. Ask your friend, DeLuca, to find out for you.”

Gaber shook his head. “My instincts tell me that is where I’ll find them, and I want to be the one who finds them and gives him the tablets. Then, if I call him, he’ll call his people in the area, and they will stop them and find the tablets.”

He took out the map of Italy that showed all the towns and villages. He focused his attention on the last place they were sighted. He drew his finger down from there, looking for small villages. What would he do if he were running away from DeLuca? Try to get to Rome the easiest way possible. It would take days on foot, and he could not board a train for fear of being seen and held. He moved his finger slightly to the right. Then it hit him. That’s where they would have driven the car. He looked for a village that had a road to a port. He found it almost at once.

“Call our car and drive us south to where they were last seen.”

The car was at their door ten minutes later. They headed south as fast as they could before being stop being stopped by local police. They reached the town where they were last spotted four hours later.

“Another car has been following us for the past 90 minutes,” said their driver.

“Stop in front of the first restaurant you see. Let’s see if they are still with us.”

They entered and ordered lunch, spending over an hour until Gaber stood. “It’s time for us to see if our friend is still with us.” They got into the car and started down the road. “Take the first main road you see to the right and pick up your speed.”

A few miles down the road, they came across a small village and drove through it. Gaber nodded to Babu. “I’m willing to bet that this is the place where the car was stolen.”

The driver glanced at the rearview mirror for the umpteenth time since leaving the restaurant. “There’s been nobody following us since we turned on the road.”

Gaber felt himself breathe easier. He sat back and closed his eyes and fell asleep. He awoke with a start about an hour later when the driver screeched to a stop and backed up. He sucked in a mouthful of air. “What

“I think we’ve discovered the stolen car.” He pointed to the bushes on the right side of the road. “Do you see what looks like grey paint between those bushes?”

They got out and pushed the bushes away. Their driver got in and tried to start it. “They ran out of gas.” He looked down. “Look at all those footprints.”

Geber smiled. “There’s a fishing village not too far from here. Step on it.”

Five minutes, they crested the hill to see the bay and boats of all sizes bobbing on the tide and the long curve of the harbour. They stopped at the first boat they saw. Gaber got out and rapped on the side of the cabin. The head of an old man appeared around the corner. “Can I help you?”

“Did you see a young woman and an older gentleman pass by here?”

The old man shook his head. I’ve been busy painting the inside to notice anything.”

“Drive around the bay, and let’s see if we can spot them.”

They were not in sight, and hardly anyone was on their boats. “It’s too early to go out for any of the fishermen,” said their driver. “Best to wait an hour or two.”

Kate looked out the window of the fishing shack. She didn’t see anyone at any boats they might hire. She looked back to see Enrico take his hand from his bottle of grappa and rub it between his toes and the bottom of his feet. Prof. Tilly and Stu were sleeping with their heads against the studs of the shack.

They were just a short distance away from where they could board a ship for safety.

Stu stirred, stretching his arms and yawning a second time. “Any luck?”

Kate shook her head. She looked at her watch again. “It shouldn’t much longer.”

Prof. Tilly awoke and tried to smile. His face looked tired. “I was dreaming we were all back safe and sound.” His voice sounded weak, and Kate wondered if he would get him to a boat to take them away.

Enrico took a swing from his bottle and offered it to Prof. Tilly, who took a small mouthful and started coughing as he swallowed it.

“Once you are safe aboard a boat and heading out of the harbour, I plan to take my leave of you,” said Enrico. “There are plenty of places I

can find himself a place to lay my head, brooks where I can heat water and shave, farmer’s barns to steal from and when all this blows over for you and me, I’ll head back to the home of my brother.”

‘I, for one, will be sorry to miss your company,” said Prof. Tilly.

“That goes for the rest of us,” said Kate glancing out the window.

***

“Park the car on the side street,” Gaber said, pointing to the left. The driver turned and drove up the dirt road. “Find a place to turn and go back and park where we can see anyone walking to their boats.”

The driver lit a cigarette and was about to turn down his window to let the smoke out when Gaber stopped him. He put his finger to his mouth for silence. “I think I hear a voice I know.” He bent to hide his face and looked at the backs of the four people who passed the car.

When they were a few feet away, he jumped out of the car and ran after them. Babu and the driver waited inside the car to see what was going to happen.

Stu turned around at the sound of Gaber’s footsteps. “We’ve got company,” he shouted.

The others turned around. When she saw who it was, Kate walked out in front of the others. “The rest of you leave. It’s me he wants.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” said Enrico. “If he makes any attempt to hurt you, I will kill him with my bare hands.”

Gaber reached into his right pocket and withdrew his knife, and stopped a few feet away from them. “If you want to live, you’ve got ten seconds to give me the tablet you found in the tomb you forgot to tell the rest of us about.” He took a couple of steps towards them, tossing his knife from one hand to the other with a cruel smile.

Kate reached into one of the bags and suddenly stopped. “How do we know you will let us go killing us after we show you where we’ve hidden it.”

He stopped tossing the knife and pointed it at her.

The driver suddenly saw a man racing towards Gaber and honked the horn. Gaber turned to see Ramsis slit his throat from ear to ear before he knew what had happened. Gerber’s knife cut into Ramsis’s hand as he fell. Ramsis withdrew it quickly and walked towards them in a daze.

Stu started to vomit, and Kate suddenly felt faint. Enrico grabbed her before she hit the ground and held her until she regained consciousness.

The driver in Gaber’s car started the engine and spun his wheels as he tried to run them over. Kate saw him coming and pulled the stranger who

had just saved them aside. Stu and the others got off the road and found a stone and hurled it at the car as it sped to the corner and turn right, heading east and away from the fishing village.

Kate noticed that the stranger’s hand was bleeding. She took a handkerchief from her sleeve and dabbed his hand with it. “Thank you for saving us from that mad, evil man.”

“He slit my father’s neck, and I vowed to slit his. He tricked me once but not this time.”

He was young and looking at his face, she saw the resemblance. “Are you the son of Sumar Ramsis?”

He nodded and rubbed his bleeding hand with her handkerchief.

“The secret police are trying to track us down. We plan to charter a boat to take us to Rome. You’re welcome to join us.”

“I have done what I came to Italy to do. I suspect the other two will tell the secret police in a matter of minutes about what I did and be after me as well.” He glanced at his car. “I stole it in Firenze when I followed him here. I’ll leave it here and let them think about it as they may. In the meantime, let me help you with your suitcases.”

Enrico looked at his hand. “You have a nasty gash from that devil’s knife.” He took out the bottle of grappa from his trouser pocket. “Hold out your hand. I am going to pour a bit of this on the gash. It will hurt like hell, but it will help. Then Kate will make a bandage from her handkerchief and wrap your hand in it.”

Prof. Tilly, who always carried a handkerchief to wipe the corner of his eyes, pulled it out of his jacket pocket.

Enrico nodded to Kate. “When I remove your handkerchief, tie it to the professor’s handkerchief to make a longer bandage, and after I pour some grappa on his wound, tie it tightly around his hand.

Ramsis screwed up his face as Enrico poured a few drops of grappa on Ramsis’s hand. Kate waited for about a minute before wrapping the bandage around his hand as tight as she could.

“My hand feels numb,” said Ramsis.

“That is the grappa working its magic. After two hours, loosen the bandage and keep it on until tomorrow.”

At the corner, Enrico kissed Kate and embraced Ramsis, Stu, Booker and the professor. “This is where we part company.”

“You’re welcome to join us, Zio Enrico,” said Kate.

Enrico smiled at her. “Grazie. But I have other cartoons to draw, print and circulate throughout Italia that will drive that fat goose and Donatello crazy.”

They walked along the pier, turning a few times to see him grow smaller in the distance before disappearing. Kate started to cry for a few minutes before drying her eyes on her sleeve. The fishermen were appearing out of now where at what seemed the same time.

Kate scanned the waterfront. They needed a speedboat that can put miles between them and the fishing village in a hurry, she thought. They walked down the boardwalk until their arms ached with their luggage before Kate saw what she wanted – a large fishing boat, big enough to hold them and their luggage. She left them standing on the boardwalk to go aboard the boat and talk to the young fisherman, filling his tank with gasoline.

“We’d like to charter your boat for my friends and me.”

The young man in his late twenties, with a clean-shaven face, bright blue eyes, and sun-bronzed skin, could smell money. “For how many? And for how long?”

“For however long it takes to get us to Rome.”

“Five thousand lire,” he said, knowing she would haggle with him.

Kate shook her head.

“Then four thousand lire, but you must pay the gasoline.”

Kate nodded. “What is your name? I like to know the names of people I deal with.”

“They call me Lorenzo,” he said with a wide smile.

Kate beckoned to Prof. Tilly, who boarded the boat and stood beside her. “This is the man with the money. He will kill me if he knows how much I pay.“ She turned to the professor. “Lorenzo will take us to Rome for four thousand lire.”

Prof. Tilly took out a few bills and slowly put four thousand lire into Lorenzo’s hand.

“And Seven hundred for gasoline,” said Lorenzo.

“Give him five hundred,” said Kate.

Lorenzo shook his head. “It must be seven hundred.”

“Five hundred or we walk away.”

He shook his head and sighed. “You have me over the barrel. But I will do for the sake of my starving family.”

“Then listen carefully. I will ask the man for two thousand more if you can put us ashore at Rome by eight o’clock tomorrow morning. Let me say it one more time. It must be by eight o’clock tomorrow morning.”

He nodded and started to get the boat in readiness. Kate stopped him. “I want you to repeat after me. Tomorrow morning by eight o’clock. Good. I do not want any confusion if we arrive late at Rome.”

Lorenzo repeated it word for word and started the engine. The boat sped around the shoreline. “We must stop and fill up with gasoline as well as a dozen cans of gasoline to take with us.”

Kate left the boat and returned with a large bag of sandwiches and two large containers of coffee. Stu helped her aboard and find a place to sit until the boat was ready to leave.

It took almost 20 minutes, but they were heading out into the waters of the bay, with the wind blowing in their faces. Stu found sleeping quarters for two people in the cabin below and helped Prof. Tilly down the ladder and onto the left bunk. He closed his eyes and was asleep almost immediately.

The waters of the Mediterranean were getting rough as they lost sight of land. Lorenzo pointed to the steering wheel and the compass. “Maybe you like to drive the boat for a while. I will watch and make sure you stay on course. I think if you and Lorenzo and the young man with you take turns, we will surely be in Roma before eight tomorrow morning.”

Kate soon learned holding the boat on course was not easy in choppy waters, but she found that she could keep the boat on course if she kept her strength on her left hand. Lorenzo took over when a rising wind from the south made the steering even harder and showed her what to do.

They were in calmer waters by supper time and sat down on the deck to have the big cardboard containers filled with spaghetti and meatballs and paper cups to drink coffee. Lorenzo had also brought lunch and ate with them, leaving Stu to keep them on course. He and Kate laughed as Prof. Tilly tried to show them an old sailor’s jig, falling on them as the boat crossed an errant wave. Lorenzo looked over the waters. “Maybe we have rough waters ahead. I do not like the way the wind is blowing.”

A couple of hours later, just as the sun drifted below the horizon, the waves suddenly grew larger and the boat harder to steer. Lorenzo took over the steering and unloosened the bright red handkerchief from around his neck and used it to attach the steering wheel to a metal knob below it. It started to rain, and sea spray began to drench them. Stu and Kate’s clothes were completely wet and clinging to them within the first five minutes. The boat started to weave up and down with each successive wave.

Prof. Tilly woke up and called out for them. He tried to turn on the light switch, but he couldn’t find it. Kate barely heard him in the sound of the wind-whipped waves crashing on the deck. She looked in and found him on the floor. He had been thrown off his bunk by one of the waves that almost capsized their boat.

She had to hold both rails to make her way to him the four stairs. He

was vomiting and trying to wipe his mouth with his sleeve. “Use this,” she said, finding him a small bowl, cleaned his mouth with a rag and knelt on the floor to wipe up the vomit. “Hold onto the railings on each side of the bunk so you won’t land up on the floor again. They need me upstairs,” she said, climbing the stairs to the deck.

Stu met her at the doorway. “Lorenzo thinks we should head for port. I think we should, too.”

“We can’t. DeLuca will put two and two together once he hears about Greba. His driver is a black shirt and will report it to DeLuca. And he will also figure that we are planning to do and have other black shirts at all ports along the way ready to take us into custody.”

Stu climbed up to yell in Lorenzo’s ear and told him we couldn’t land anywhere until we reach Rome.

Lorenzo shook his head. “If we do not, we shall surely capsize, and I will lose my boat and probably my life. Two thousand lire is not enough to risk everything.”

Stu decided to take a chance. “The black shirts are after the old man, who wants to tell the world how things are in Italy. They want to silence him for good.”

Lorenzo set his mouth. “Then stay with me. If I am not able to stay on course, then jump in and help me.”

Rain dripped off Stu’s nose, and he shivered in a new gust of wind. The waves seemed to be getting larger and flooding the deck with each new crash.

Lorenzo passed the steering wheel to Stu. “I must go down and bail the on the deck.” He found Kate already trying to bail the water in one of the pails near the front of the boat. The door to the downstairs cabin was closed, but it failed to stop the water from seeping through the bottom of the door. He bailed one pail after another until he could bail no more. He sat on the ledge of the boat and watched Kate continue to bail without stopping. When he got his strength back, he joined her again.

Ramsis grabbed her pail. “You go rest. You are our strength. Go.” He immediately started bailing like an engine at full speed.

Kate watched him for a minute. “Your hand,” she shouted in the wind that swept her voice away. “Be careful about your hand.” She tried to grab her pail from him, but he swung away from her grasp.

“Go. Go now,” Ramsis shouted between pails about an hour later.

Kate appeared and stopped him and grabbed his hand. The bandage was slipping off, and she unfolded it to look at his wound. It had stopped bleeding, and she saw that it had healed a bit.

Ramsis smiled at her. “It’s the salt in the seawater. It’s healing the wound.”

Lorenzo reappeared, caught sight of Ramsis’s hand, and offered a thumbs-up as he climbed the ladder to give Stu a spell. He scanned the shoreline and nodded to Kate. “A few more hours, we are in Roma. He sat on the edge of the boat and noticed that the wind had started to die for the first time.

Lorenzo almost fainted as he made his way down the stairs and into the cabin. Kate was already up and took one look at him and led him to the bunk. He lay down and went to sleep almost instantly, still in his boots and wet clothes. She covered him and went up to the deck.

The moon had come out, and the sea was smooth again. Their boat picked up speed, and she looked at Stu, who was waving to her and rejoiced inside. They finally had a chance, she thought, and wondered with the coming day would bring.

Prof. Tilly joined them an hour later, looking pale and green. “I dreamed we had all downed, that the boat had capsized and we were thrown into the sea. Perhaps, it’s a bit late to mention it, but I never learned to swim.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Lorenzo climbed up to the deck. He looked at the sky and the sea and outstretched his arms. He looked around the boat to see what damage the waves had caused. They had escaped almost unscathed. He looked up at Stu with a broad smile. “Your watch is over. But before I replace you, I think we need more gasoline. He took three of the large gasoline cans stored tightly in a net just under the rear end. He emptied them into the boat’s gas tank and replaced the cans in the netting again. He sat on the edge of the boat and dangled his hands into the water, wiping them on his trousers. They had begun to dry while sleeping.

He glanced at Stu’s watch. “Half-past six. I have to tell you that I am not sure we will reach Roma before eight. See, I remembered.”

Kate smiled. “Just get us there in one piece today, and you’ll get the extra two thousand lire.”

Lorenzo spotted it first. A plane headed in their direction and flying low. “Get into the cabin as quickly as you can. If they’re looking for you, the only person they’ll see is me.”

A minute later, the plane passed low to the left of them. Lorenzo could see the pilot clearly and waved to him. The pilot waved back and gathered height as it sped ahead of them before disappearing into a cloud.

Kate stuck her head out of the cabin. “Is it safe?”

“For the moment. Ask Stu to come up and open the small cabin on the left side, where he’ll find a net. Get him to throw the net overboard. If they come back, I want them to see that we’re fishing. In the meantime, I will steer us closer to shore.”

Stu came up and threw the net overboard and attached it to a bent

spike. “You’ll find one of my T-shirts downstairs. Put it on and come up and steer while I start pulling in the net should they decide to return. They won’t bother us if they think we’re just out fishing.”

The plane didn’t return, but a boat headed in their direction. “They’re going to board us sure as the sun is in the sky,” said Lorenzo. “There are a few life preservers on the other side of the boat. I want the rest of you, except for Stu, to put the life preservers under your shoulders and hang them on the right side of the boat. Once they see you’re not here, they’ll leave us alone.”

Kate placed the life preserver around Prof. Tilly’s shoulders and helped him get into the water and hold onto the looped rope along the side of the boat. They could hear someone ordering Stu to stop the engine as the patrol boat floated alongside. Two sailors on board the patrol boat pointed machine guns at them as Lorenzo helped the officer who jumped aboard steady himself.

“Stand aside.” The officer pushed Lorenzo aside. He searched every inch of the boat, even glancing down into the sleeping cabin. “You don’t keep a very tidy boat. And what are you doing in these waters? You’re not from around here.”

“I had no luck this week, and one of my friends told me to try my luck in these waters. When I saw him last night, he told me he came back with a boatload.”

“You shouldn’t be in these waters. Tell your friend if we ever catching fish in this area again, we will confiscate his boat and put him in jail. That goes for you as well,” he said, climbing aboard the patrol boat. Lorenzo started hauling in his net.

“You didn’t happen to see another finishing boat in your travels?”

“Yes. I passed one about an hour from here. It had some people aboard. I thought it might be a group of men out on a fishing holiday. Why do you ask?”

“They’re wanted for questioning by the Squadista.”

“As I said, the boat I saw was heading for shore. That was a couple of hours ago.”

The officer saluteeed, and Lorenzo grinned and saluteeed back.

Lorenzo watched them reach shore just as another plane flew over them. When he thought it was safe, he and Stu helped the others climb back aboard. Prof. Tilly was shivering. So was Ramsis. Kate brushed them down with a piece of canvass on the deck. She helped Prof. Tilly step down into the cabin and undressed him, and helped him put on one of his shirts. Kate then made him lie down and covered him with two blankets. She felt

his forehead. He was burning up.

She went up on deck. Lorenzo was back at the wheel and steering further out to sea. “Do you happen to have any medications aboard? I think Prof. Tilly has pneumonia.”

“Nothing like that. But there is some wine in one of the cupboards. Rub his chest with that. That is what my mother used to do when my father came down with it. Try that.”

The engine was running at full throttle. Kate could barely make out what he said. She returned to the cabin to find Prof. Tilly having a tough time breathing and wheezing with every breath. She searched the two cupboards and found two large bottles of wine. She uncorked the first one and undone his shirt before pouring the wine into her cupped hands and rubbing it over and over onto his chest. She rebuttoned his shirt before helping him into his jacket and adding two folded blankets over him. She had him sip on some water before closing her eyes.

She was joined by Ramsis sometime later. “How is he? I would not want to see something happen to him. In some ways, especially in his manners, he reminds me of my father.”

“You don’t sound so good either. How is your hand?”

“Much better. But I can’t stop shivering, no matter what I try to do.”

“Then put on another layer of clothing and cover yourself and try to sleep. In the meantime, I’ll check on the others.”

Stu and Lorenzo never looked better. They were trading jokes and laughing. Stu had just hauled the net back aboard and found six or more large fish that flickered their tails on the deck.

“If you ever want to become a fisherman, come and see me,” said Lorenzo.

Lorenzo motioned her to join him at the wheel. “Do you see what I see?”

“Land and lots of houses.”

“My advice is for us to dock just outside Roma. They could be waiting for us there.”

“Then dock where you feel it is best for you and us.”

A short time later, Lorenzo headed for land. “There a landing up ahead. We can dock there. There are not many people there yet. He glanced at his watch. It is precisely one minute past eight.”

They both laughed. Stu saw them laughing below and laughed with them. “We’re here. And we’re docking outside Rome, away from prying eyes.”

Kate descended and found Prof. Tilly’s wallet and took out four thou-

sand lire. She waited until the boat was tied up to the landing before placing three thousand lire in Lorenzo’s hands.

“Our agreement was for two thousand,” said Lorenzo.

Kate nodded. “The extra thousand is our way of saying thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

He followed her downstairs. Ramsis was already up and making up the cot.

“What else can I do for you?” said Lorenzo. “Could you go onto the street and get a large taxi for us to a hotel closer to Rome.”

“I think it would be wiser for all of us if I docked myself in a different location, not so close to Roma. I can come back after you are all in the hotel.”

“Smart thinking.”

Kate needed Stu and Ramsis to help her dress Prof. Tilly and get up the stairs and onto the landing, just in time to see Lorenzo come down the stairs and waved them to follow him. Stu and Ramsis each took one of Prof. Tilly’s arms and walked him up the stairs. At the top, Lorenzo was holding open the door. Once the professor was put in a comfortable position and the others climbed aboard, Kate suddenly burst out. “We forgot about our luggage.”

The others jumped out and started to go down the ladder when Lorenzo stopped them. Three black shirts were aboard the boat and searching it. One of them slipped on the fish near the back of the boat.

“They’ll find our luggage,” said Stu.

Lorenzo shook his head. “I hid all the luggage below the floor, where the engine is. They are land people and do not think about it. After a few minutes, they left the boat and started to climb the ladder.

“Let’s get back to the taxi and get out of here in a hurry,” said Lorenzo.

They raced back and parked the taxi in the first street with cars they saw. They waited 15 minutes and returned to the boat, picked up the luggage, stashed it in the taxi’s trunk, and were on the road to Rome minutes later. Stu wiped the sweat off his forehead and smiled at Kate. Ramsis opened his jacket. “This certainly warms you up in a hurry.”

The taxi followed several cars into the outskirts, past two or three hotels, before stopping at one further down the road. The taxi driver took out their bags from his trunk and placed them beside them. He waved goodbye as he disappeared into the traffic.

“What now?” said Stu.

“Lorenzo, find us another taxi.”

Lorenzo came back with another taxi. Five minutes later, they were on

the way again. “Where to now?” he said.

“You choose.”

They went to a small place where visiting fishermen stayed overnight. “No one pays much attention to you here, and no one asks questions. And the food is great.”

They passed into what appeared to be a lobby. It was almost empty. Everyone greeted them with a wave as he led them to the sign-in counter. “Be sure to sign in under assumed names. Everyone does, and no one asks you anything.”

They stopped at the counter – a make-shift desk – with a young woman behind it. She had dark eyes and a small face, and a mass of dark brown curly hair. She smiled at them. How many rooms do you want?”

“Three,” said Lorenzo. One for the young lady and her ailing father. One for the two young men and one for myself.”

“That will be ten lire. Money in advance.” She pushed the register to them. Lorenzo found a ten lire note in his pocket. “Is the dining room open yet?”

The young woman smiled at him and looked at her watch. “In another hour. Be sure to ring me if you need anything.”

This lady’s father is quite ill. Does the old doctor still come here?”

She smiled at him again and nodded. “I’ll dial him now if you wish.”

Lorenzo nodded and passed her a small bill which she folded and slid under her bra.

The room for her and Prof. Tilly was not the best she had ever seen, but it had two clean beds and a register in front of the window that poured out heat with the flick of a dial. There was a large picture of Mussolini over the big bed, where she and Stu undressed Prof. Tilly and slid him beneath the covers. Kate felt his forehead. It was burning, and she wondered if he were about to die.

Lorenzo arrived with the doctor, an older man, about Prof. Tilly’s age, whose hands shook when he pulled back the covers. He took out his stethoscope and listened to his lungs and heart. “He has pneumonia and needs mediation.“ He wrote out a script for Lorenzo. “There is a farmacia around the corner. It is for sulfa, and it will help him.”

After Lorenzo left, he turned to Kate. “I understand he is your father. How did he come to have pneumonia?

“We were out in the country, and we got caught in a sudden rainstorm. Prof. Tilly seemed fine at the time but began to shiver and then burn up. By the time we made it here, I had feared he was about to die.”

“And might he would have had you not called for me. Tonight will tell

the tale. The sulfa will help.”

When Lorenzo returned, the doctor helped the professor sit up while he gave him a shot that came in the envelope from the Farmacia. He gently helped Prof. Tilly lean into his pillow. He held up another packet that came from the farmacia. Give him one every four hours.” He wore a black suit, reached into his vest pocket, pulled out his card, and passed it to her. He bowed, picked up his bag and headed for the door. Lorenzo followed him out, returning about 15 minutes later.

“He was quite curious about us and asked me a lot of questions. When he asked your names and where you were from, I made up your names and told him you had come from Milano and were vacationing in southern Italia. I also added another 200 lire to his fee. I hope that was all right.”

“What would we ever do without you, Lorenzo.”

He returned to go. “I need to move my boat, but I will be back in a couple of hours.”

“We’ll wait for you for lunch. Just knock on my door, and we’ll get the others, and all go down for lunch together.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The young woman they met when they signed in was also their waitress. The dining room was small, sitting no more than 30 people at once. They sat at a large round table.

“How is the professor?” said Stu.

“A lot better since he was given sulfa by the doctor. His fever has abated, and he sleeps better.”

“They serve only fish here. I hope everyone likes fish.”

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could eat octopus if they put it in front of me,” said Stu.

They ordered two plates of fish, along with a huge bowl of spaghetti and two loaves of cut bread. Stu, Booker and Lorenzo ordered wine. Ramsis picked at his fish and ate it with a mouthful of spaghetti.

The dining room had a special coziness for all its size, a place where assassinations could be plotted without anyone listening. Stu and Lorenzo lit cigarettes and told each other jokes.

“You know,” said Stu, “I could very easily live here and go fishing every day with Lorenzo.

“You have a standing offer. My wife has a sister who does not have a husband.”

DeLuca had just returned after a long walk. He felt he needed it to clear his head. And he also knew that if they escaped with the tablets, all the blame would fall on his shoulders. Mia, his secretary, could see he was

in a foul mood. He went directly into his office, picked up the phone and dialled Corsetti. “They are in Roma,” said DeLuca. “I feel it in my gut.”

“We think they are hiding out here as well. We think they are hiding out here as well. We have not been able to track them down so far, but we will,” said Corsetti. “They seem to have disappeared into the air. We had a good lead that they were coming to Roma by boat. We’ve had air patrols and even boarded fishing boats, and there was no sign of them.”

“They are in Roma. We cannot afford to have them escape. Not now.”

“I understand. DeLuca. And I understand what’s at stake. If you would like to take over from us, you’re welcome to all the success that comes with it and also totally responsible if you fail. If you need any resources in carrying it out, they will be made available to you. And should someone question your authority, tell them I have ordered you to do so.”

DeLuca buzzed for his secretary. “Order me a plane to take me to Roma immediately.”

His driver took him to the airport, where a plane was waiting for him. He boarded an old open-air and cramped two-seater and sat down behind the pilot. Excitement rising in him like a burst of fireworks. It seemed to take forever to ascend, and when it did, he found himself shivering in the wind. He passed the time looking at the green fields and trees and towns below. By the time they reached Rome, they had to circle the air force field three times until a passenger plane carrying a German general landed. Col. Corsetti was the first person to shake his hand when he descended the plane.

“I have a car waiting for us to take our headquarters. There you can plot where and how you plan to capture them.”

The ride to OVRA headquarters was slow, and he had to calm himself down. He could not afford to upset Corsetti or any of the other high-ranking officers at headquarters. A half-hour later, they stopped in front of a large building. An officer opened the car door and saluted. Corsetti led the way, past a long line of desks occupied by young men and women dressed in OVRA uniforms.

When they entered, DeLuca sat down in front of Corsetti. “I gather you have a plan to track them down that has escaped the rest of us.”

“Not exactly, Col. Corsetti. But after one frustration after another and losing our friend, I concluded two things. It was a waste of time trying to capture them on their way to Roma.”

“We thought about that, too. We have one of our people sitting in every hotel’s lobby here on the lookout for them. Sorry to disappoint you, but no one has come up with anyone even remotely answering our descriptions.”

“That was very astute, Col. Corsetti. I also planned to do that but did not entertain any hopes I would be successful.”

Corsetti looked away. “I hope you succeed for your sake.”

“I realized when I found it impossible to track them down that their main object is to leave Italia as quickly as possible. That meant by train or bus or by car, which I dismissed out of hand. I think they will attempt to leave by a liner leaving Roma for France or some other port.”

“So you think they will do that from Roma? What if it is from the other side of Italia? They could find a boat there to take them across to the other side and beyond our jurisdiction. Or they might have decided to head north instead and cross into Switzerland. I’ll alert our offices in both places to be on the lookout for you.”

It hadn’t occurred to DeLuca, and it showed on his face. If that is the case, I could lose my command if I disagree, he thought. He reluctantly nodded.

Castelli could tell DeLuca had not thought about that and smiled. “Good. It may be prudent to post some of our officers at all train stops along the way.” He brushed back his hair, now thinning and brushed artfully back. He crossed his hands and looked at DeLuca. He was getting too big-headed and was hoping to get a big promotion if he’s right.

After lunch, she asked Stu and Lorenzo to her room. She had an idea and wanted to fly it past them. Stu arrived first in the company of Ramsis. Prof. Tilly was sleeping peacefully and groaned from time to time when he attempted to sleep on his side. She sat on the edge of his bed and brushed his forehead. It was no longer hot.

“I’ve been thinking. We need to get out of Italy and can’t get out by train. They’ll have all the trains covered if we head south or east. And I have to believe they’ll look at every passenger who boards a liner at Rome. I’d like your opinion.”

Stu looked at Lorenzo, who shrugged his shoulders. “You could head north by train and cross over into Switzerland,” said Ramsis. “Myself, I will leave by boat to Cairo. They do not know I am connected to you, so they will not be looking for me.”

“Or,” added Lorenzo, “you could sit here undisturbed for two or three weeks until they tire looking for you. Myself, I shall leave tomorrow. My wife will be worrying if I have died.”

“We will be sorry to see you leave. When Mussolini is no longer in

power – and that day will come – I will invite you to come and visit us.”

“So what is it, Kate?” said Stu.

“I think we will do what Lorenzo and Ramsis suggest. The longer we wait, the less likely we are to be found out. When we do make a break for it, I want Prof. Tilly fit and able to travel.”

The following day, they met in the dining room for breakfast. “In a way, this is our farewell breakfast. She took out a small pad, wrote down her address, and passed a copy to Ramsis and Leonardo. Now, I will need your addresses. I will write to you once we back home.”

Kate wanted to cry but forced it back. She didn’t want to leave their departure that way.

Leonardo waved to the waitress, who served them the day before. He took out 500 lire note and placed it in her hand. “Promise me you will look after these good people until they leave. The lady will be the one who pays you when they leave. Treat her well, and she will reward you.”

She pushed back her hair and kissed him on the lips. “I will be waiting for you the next time you come.”

When she and Stu returned to her room, the first thing she did was check Prof. Tilly. He was sleeping quietly. She felt his forehead and smiled. “We’ll let him sleep until he awakes.”

Stu lit a cigarette as he always did when he was under stress, and Kate sensed it immediately. “What do you think, Stu?”

“I’m not quite sure. You make sense, but sometimes I feel they’ll track us down and kill the three of us, and we’ll never be heard of again.”

She rubbed his hand. “Not if we suddenly bolt like cornered jack rabbits. Lorenzo chose this place because it is probably listed anywhere. You heard of him. It’s a place for fishermen. Unless we go out, they’re not going to see us. And you saw that Lorenzo paid her to keep our presence here a secret.”

She withdrew her hand and waved the smoke that had gathered around them. “To make double sure no one sees us, we’ll have all our meals set to our room. You and Booker can join Prof. Tilly and me here to eat.”

“You’re a smart lady, Kate.”

She shook her head. “Had I been smart, we would have gone north and crossed the border into Switzerland.”

Prof. Tilly turned on his side and cleared his throat. Stu looked at her and smiled for the first time.

The following eight days were the most difficult Stu could remember. He took to walking around his room, and when that got tiresome, he walked up and down the corridor. Kate went back to adding new words to her Etruscan dictionary and ordering meals. Prof. Tilly was now up and walking but still a bit shaky. She arranged for a curtain to separate the room when she went to sleep. He would talk about everyone they met until she turned off the light and said good night.

“I think a cane or walking stick might help me navigate better,” said Prof. Tilly.

They were eating lunch at a card table one of the waiters had set up for them. Stu looked at Kate. “I wouldn’t mind looking for a store that sells them. What do you think, Kate?”

She was nodding absently and looked up. “If you were to camouflage yourself in some way. And by that, I do not mean wearing glasses or a beard. Something that somehow looks normal.”

“What about wearing the kind of clothes people associate with fishermen?”

Kate nodded. See what the lady downstairs at the lobby counter can dig up for you.”

Stu walked down the stairs and into the lobby. The young lady at the counter was talking to a man wearing a black coat and hat. She was nodding her head as the man spoke to her. She showed him her register and shook her head repeatedly to his questions. The man had the bearing of a black shirt in the way he talked and how he walked. Stu emerged from the shadow of the stairs and approached her.

“Lucky you didn’t show your nose a minute or two ago. I think it was a black shirt. He asked me if we had visitors from another country. He asked if we had someone by the name of Kate. I know you are a friend of Lorenzo’s. So I kept my mouth shut.” She gave him an inviting smile. “He asked for someone by the name of Prof. Tilly.”

“Please keep it up, and I’ll make sure you’re looked after when we leave.”

“You already owe us 1,400 lire. Are you sure you have that kind of money?”

“I won’t answer that, other than you will know how much we appreciate your kindness. But I do have a request. I need to go out, and I’d like the kind of clothes people would take me for a fisherman.”

“My name is Adrianna.” She left him for a few minutes and returned

with trousers, a gaudy T-shirt and rubber boots. “They belong to my father. So don’t lose them.”

Stu showed them to Kate.

“All you need to do now is grow a bit of a beard.”

Three days later, his face had enough black stubble that she thought he’d try it out with Adriana. Prof. Tilly hobbled to the washroom. Stu watched him and the way he winced when he put too much weight on his left foot.

Kate watched, too. “I think it’s long enough to change it.” He left to get into the clothes and worn cap Adriana had given him and returned.

“It will do,” said Kate with a critical eye. “When do you plan to attempt it?”

“This evening. My beard should be a bit darker by then.” ***

Stu went down to the in his new clothes at supper time and asked Adriana to buy a cane. “Just don’t use it when you get it. Don’t do anything that makes people notice you.

“There’s a shop about four blocks from here. But you’d better hurry. It closes at six. And it’s five-thirty now.” She pushed back her hair and smiled at him. “I would never have recognized you. But I have to say you look handsome no matter how you dress.”

Stu didn’t know what to say. He returned her smile. “I think you’re exceptional as well. You’ve been very good to me.”

She hung her head and smiled.

He wasn’t prepared for the cold wind that seemed to come from nowhere, blowing dust and bits of paper into his face and a rancid smell of rotting fish from the harbour. Men and women were holding on to their hats with their faces bowed. He bowed as well and walked as quickly as he could up the street, counting each block as she trudged on. He spotted the shop Adriana had described and crossed the street at the corner of the fourth block.

A bell over the door tinkled when he closed the door behind him. The owner, an older man shuffling his feet, entered from an open door behind a counter. He had a grey mustache and bright blue eyes and a thin face that creased when he smiled. “Prego. How may I help you?” he said in a gravelled voice.

“I understand you sell canes.”

The old man smiled and looked up at the ceiling, where at least a thou-

sand canes of all sizes and colours were hanging. “About this high,” said Stu, slapping his hip. “It’s for my father.”

The shopkeeper nodded and took a pole with a v-shaped hook and slapped it against the canes until he found one of dark wood. He hooked it with a rod, brought it down and placed it on the counter.

“How much?”

“Fifty lire.”

Stu paid him and took the cane and headed out into the wind, which had grown even fiercer. Newspapers were blowing in all directions. One of them slapped him in the face, and he had almost to tear it off his face. He let it go, twirling as it left his hand. He held the cane in his right hand and used his left hand to shield his face. The wind shifted as he crossed the street. It was at his back now, and he hurried along as fast as he dared. He couldn’t trust the wind, which shifted from time to time. As he neared the hotel, another newspaper hit his chest and stuck there until he reached the door. There was a sharp peal of thunder as he opened the door and just as the downpour began. He did not see the man standing wearing a black coat standing in a nearby doorway.

He took the newspaper off his face, noticing it was today’s edition. He tucked it under his arm and winked at Andriana as he passed her, holding up the cane as though it were a trophy. He bounded up the stairs and knocked on Kate’s door. He entered quickly, holding up the cane and presenting it to Prof. Tilly, who smiled when he felt it in his hand. He began walking around the room, picking up his pace as he went.

It was supper time, and Kate dished out the spaghetti and meatballs on their plates. Prof. Tilly turned the cane over and over in his hands and smiled. “The cane was made for me. Look at the craftsmanship.” He laid it on his knees and started eating.

“By the way, I have a copy of today’s newspaper.” He reached down and passed it to Kate. “I had to walk to the cane shop and back against a fierce wind. This blew against my chest just as I was entering the hotel. It just stuck to me.”

“We’ll look at it after we finish eating to see if there is anything about Volterra or us.”

Later, while Prof. Tilly was listening to music on the radio, Kate picked up the newspaper. She went through it with a smile. Then, nearing the end, her expression changed. She let the rest of the paper drop and passed the remaining page to Stu, with her finger on Harbour News. It listed the ships in port and their destinations.

Stu understood her excitement as soon as she lifted her finger. Then,

halfway down the column, he spotted a ship named The Northern Star, a Norwegian cruise ship from Oslo, leaving for France at ten a.m. the next day.

“I want you to go out again, go to the ticket office and get four tickets for this ship. I’m afraid you’ll have to leave now. The ticket office will not be open forever.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Stu stopped on his way out of the lobby. “I have to go out again.”

“Would you like me to go with you?”

Stu nodded and waited until she dressed. “Unless it has stopped raining, we might need an umbrella.”

It was still raining, but the wind had abated, and Stu flagged down a passing taxi and the driver to take them to the boat ticket office. The office was in Rome’s harbour area, and it took them almost 30 minutes to reach it.

The ticket office handled tickets for all the passenger ships that docked at Rome. Its walls were plastered with brilliantly coloured posters showing Spain, France, Greece and Greek Islands, and Morocco, Libya, and Egypt.

A young woman, dressed in a Moroccan-style dress. With long, wavy hair and red-coloured nails. She was piling her hair high on her head which she kept inplace with a silver clip. It was the first thing people noticed, including Stu. Her face was round, and she had large wet lips. Her eyes were green and seemed to dance when she waved her hands.

“I need tickets for four passengers aboard The Northern Star.”

She had a deep voice and smiled when she spoke. “May I see your passports?”

Stu didn’t know what to say. Adriana spoke up for him. “Our passports are at our hotel. Can’t we present them when we board the ship?”

“Your office will be closed by the time we go back to our hotel and come back here again. And the boat leaves Rome at ten o’clock tomorrow morning,” he added.

“Can’t you help us?” Adriana pleaded with her eyes.

The clerk held up her finger. “Give me a minute.” She left her desk and consulted a large book on another desk.

“I will give you the tickets, but I must warn you that I must stamp them “No Passport.”

“That will do, and thank you for coming to our aid,” said Adriana, grabbing Stu’s arm and drawing him closer to her.

The clerk smiled. “I gather you’re newlyweds. Good luck tomorrow.”

“That was fast thinking,” said Stu as they entered the street and looked for another taxi.

“You owe me an evening at an expensive restaurant, where there is dancing.” Her dark brown eyes looked up at him, and she drew him close to her again.

What have I got myself into, he thought. I can’t be seen in public places. Sure as hell, I’ll be recognized, and everything we all worked for will go up in smoke.

“If you’re worried about being seen, the place I have in mind is very discreet and not frequented by people who may harm you.” She snuggled up to him and kissed him before they reached Mondo Libero. He helped her out and paid the taxi driver. Adriana led the way into the club. A man dressed in a black tux escorted them to a table near the wall. A band, dressed in white coats and black ties and located on a dais at the opposite wall, suddenly started playing some old hits from his university days.

“You like?”

“Love it. You are an astonishing young lady.”

“I hope so.”

The waiter appeared, and Adriana did all the ordering. Adriana looked at the couples dancing after the waiter left. “We can dance in this area if you wish.”

Stu rose slowly and helped Adriana to her feet. She was light as a summer wind in his arms, and before he knew it, they had danced three songs before their meal arrived. He withdrew her chair to seat her and sat. Adriana started to eat and kept smiling at him with her eyes. She poured him a glass of wine and toasted him.

They left two hours later. Adriana slid her arm in his. It was raining, and she passed him her umbrella to hold while they waited.

They arrived back at the hotel 15 minutes later. Stu was too preoccupied to notice the man in black, who was still standing in the doorway next to the hotel.

Adriana led the way in and almost immediately sat behind her desk. Stu paused. “We will be leaving in the morning. You might want to get our

bill ready for us.”

“I know. I didn’t think the tickets you bought were for my family.”

He looked at her for almost a minute. “I will never forget this night. Or you.”

“Nor I. Write to me,” she said, passing him her address on a hotel slip.

He would also never forget the sadness in her eyes.

***

“Where were you?” Prof. Tilly and I were scared that you were picked up by the black shirts and were now sitting in one of their jails. What took you so long?”

“I got the tickets,” he said, passing them to her.

“It says “No Passport” stamped on them.”

“That goes back to why I’m late. As I left, Adriana, the lady downstairs, asked if she could go with me when I went to buy the tickets. Our safety depends a lot on her, I thought, and so agreed. We went there by taxi, and she came into the ticket office with me. It was a good thing.”

“Go on,” said Kate in a tired voice.

“When the lady who was making out our tickets asked for our passports, I didn’t know what to say, and Andriata suggested we could present them when we boarded the ship. The ticket lady then checked and made out our tickets.”

“What about the “No Passport” on them?”

“It was either that or no tickets.”

“That didn’t take three hours.”

“No. I volunteered to take her to supper. We went to a place that was safe from the police. We ate and then came back to the hotel.”

“You might have been noticed.”

“We ate at the back of the restaurant in semi-darkness that lovers usually use on dates. And we were not followed back. I checked at least ten times to make sure.”

Kate looked at Prof. Tilly, who nodded. “Let’s focus instead on tomorrow morning. Kate will be in charge, and we will take our marching orders from her.”

“We will need to rise as we discussed and leave here early. We want to be among the first in line where we board. So, let us say good night and pack our bags and not be late leaving.”

Stu rose but was stopped by her. “One other thing. There won’t be many taxis at that hour. Go down and ask your date if she could arrange a taxi for us at six.”

Adriana spotted him as soon as he appeared from the stairway. “I’m

afraid I need your help again. Could you arrange for a taxi to take us to the boat in the morning? My friends want to be first in line.”

He was leaning over her desk. She picked up the phone, consulted a piece of cardboard with names and telephone numbers on it, and dialled a number. “They will be here at 5.55 in the morning,” she said, standing up and kissing him again.

The taxi left them off at the stairway to The Northern Star. Kate counted the number standing in line ahead of them and looked at her watch. It was already 6.43. By seven o’clock, there was a long line behind them. A young man walked down the stairway and unchained the entrance. The line moved slowly as he checked their tickets and placed their luggage on a cart beside him.

Kate held out their tickets to the young man, who spotted the words “No Passport.” Kate handed him their passports. “The lady at the ticket office told us we could present our passports when we boarded.”

The young man stroked his chin, wrote something on their tickets, gave them back to her, and then placed their luggage on the cart beside them. Kate kept the old bag with the cross on it and offered him a hushed thank you. Prof. Tilly saluted him with his cane, and Stu Booker followed him up the stairway.

Kate could hardly constrain herself as she stepped aboard, turning to help Prof. Tilly climb from the stairway.

A young man dressed in a white sailor’s uniform escorted them down the deck to a door. He opened it for them and led them down a flight of stairs to the floor below. “The dining room is on the main floor,” he said and turned down the corridor, stopping at the second door on the right. He opened it and escorted Kate inside to show her the bathroom before leaving. He stopped at the third door and helped prof. Tilly inside. Stu guessed the next door would be the fourth. It was the second door on the opposite side.

Kate went to the porthole and looked out. A crane on the ship was lifting a large net filled with suitcases aboard. Her bed was against the left wall, and a desk and a chair and a radio on the other. A clothes closet was on the other side. She rose from her bed to inspect her bathroom. The room has a fresh smell that reminded her of her garden back home. She thought of her mother and was wondering if she had recovered. Kate felt a bit guilty leaving her to go on this goose chase, but it was just what she needed to get Gaber out of her system and leaving Lorne out of the limb

with Rebecca. They both deserved it. She smiled and rose to stash the bag carrying the tablet inside the clothes closet.

Someone outside was walking down the corridor, beating on a pail and announcing that breakfast was being served in the dining room. Kate opened the door to see Stu, Booker and Prof. Tilly looking out as well.

“Let’s go,” said Stu. “I’m starving.”

Prof. Tilly opened his door and hobbled out with his cane. Kate and Stu joined him. “Make sure you lock your door,” she said.

DeLuca put down the morning paper and started pacing again. No matter where they looked, they had seemingly vanished into thin air. Maybe they’re hiding somewhere outside Roma, he thought but dismissed it. No. They were hiding somewhere in Roma and waiting for a chance to escape once they stopped looking for them.

He sat down and picked up his coffee and glanced at the paper again. Just news about the Ethiopian campaign and a front-page picture of Il Duce leading a parade through old Roma. The back page had three travel ads and today’s train and ship departure times. His eyes went down the list and stopped at the departure time for The Northern Star. So that’s what they’ve been waiting for. He smiled. It was already nine o’clock, and their ship wouldn’t leave for another hour. He strapped on his sidearm and drove himself to the dock. The sailors were in the process of untying the ropes that held the stairway in place.

The seaman at the entrance stopped him as he tried to step onto the stairway. “No more visitors allowed,” and stood in DeLuca’s way.

“I am a colonel of the OVRA. I have reason to believe that you have four escapees aboard your ship. If you do not move aside, I will make sure your ship does not leave the port for another week.”

The officer stood aside and let him pass. DeLuca ran up the stairway and jumped aboard. He glanced back to see them dismantle the stairway and swing it aboard. The creaking sound of the crane suddenly stopped. It didn’t matter. He would have a boat come out, take him and his prisoners off, and return to Roma. He smiled as he walked down the deck, looking for a door to enter.

“Where’s the dining room?” he said to the sailor standing just inside the door, who pointed it down the stairs. “You’ll find it on your right.”

He heard the engines start to churn and looked out the porthole to see that the ship was moving out from the pier. He was excited and could

hear his heart hammering in his ears and growing louder by the minute. He opened the door and entered the dining room, and spotted them rising from their table. They didn’t see him as they headed in his direction, and he slipped outside.

They opened the door and came face to face with him. He had a smile on his face, and his gun aimed directly at them. “You will go up the stairs and find a place on the deck where we can talk without being heard.”

Kate helped Prof. Tilly up the stairs, followed by Stu. He stopped them down the deck to a quiet place where the ship’s lifeboats were positioned in the event of an emergency. He looked past lifeboats and saw quite a distance from the shoreline now.

“Where is your other thief?”

“He decided to stay in Roma,” said Prof. Tilly. “He gets seasick and did not want to come with us.”

“You have not lived up to your promise to me. You made an undertaking that you would provide me with everything you found in your explorations. You have something that belongs to Italia. I am not interested in any of you. Only what you found. Get me that, and I will leave you all in peace.”

“How do I know you will keep your word?”

“Look around you. We are leaving the shores of Italia,” He aimed his gun at Prof. Tilly. “You have five minutes to bring it to me. I will shoot them both and dump their bodies overboard.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “The clock is ticking.”

Kate raced down the deck, opened the door and flew down the stairs and unlocked her door. She picked up the tablet and held it in her hands. Kate wanted to cry but knew that DeLuca would do what he said and then come looking for her if she did not return. She locked her door and climbed the stairs to the deck and down where the lifeboats were located. DeLuca had shifted his position. He was now standing with the railing behind him so that Stu and the professor to make it more difficult for them to escape.

Kate reached them seconds later and stood next to Prof. Tilly.

“You’re a brilliant lady. Now bring it to me.”

“If you want it, catch it.” She threw the tablet above his head. He reached out it grab it before it went overboard. But someone appeared out of nowhere and pushed him over the railing and into the water. DeLuca’s hand was still outstretched as he disappeared in the foam of the engines.

“You’re a hard person to find.”

“You’re –“

“Ken Taylor, freelance photographer. My only regret is that I didn’t

have my camera with me to catch him just before he hit the water.”

Kate smiled. “I often wondered what happened to you. This is twice you’ve saved my life. Once in the Egyptian temple and now aboard this boat.”

“I wrote you, but your father answered for you and told me you were in Italy on a dig near Volterra. From there, I met Zio Enrico, who told me you had gone to Rome. I tracked you down through your friend,” he said, pointing at Stu. “Sorry, I couldn’t save your tablet.”

“Not a problem,” said Prof. Tilly. “We still have my inked rubbings of the tablet and Kate’s translation.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

“Your mother had been asking me for days now when you’re coming home,” said her father, who looked stunned when he opened the door to see her along with Prof. Tilly, Booker, Stu and Ken Taylor.

He turned. “Julia, you’ll never guess who’s at the door.”

Her mother knew by the tone of his voice who it was and hugged her hard. “And who are these wonderful people you brought back with you.”

“Prof. Tilly, whom you know; Stu Chapman and Booker Kaplan, our photographer, who was with us in Italy; and Ken Taylor, who rescued me twice from sudden death – once from the Egyptian temple; and aboard the ship when someone was aiming a gun at us. And now he wants me to marry him. What do you think I should say?”

“If it keeps you home and out of harm’s way, I’d suggest tomorrow.”

Mike Winters put his arm around Ken and walked him into their living room. “What do you do for a living, son?”

“I’m a freelance photographer.”

Mike noticed the accent. “I can hear that you’re from Australia.”

Ken nodded. “It pays well when I get assignments.”

Mike put his hand on his shoulder again. “Have you ever thought of becoming a lawyer? Kate is one, in case you don’t know.”

“I didn’t know. But I’m not sure I’m cut out for it.”

“That’s what I told my father, and he said you never know until you find out. I loved it after my first month at classes.”

Julia Winters came to the door. “Why are you keeping that poor boy in the living room? The rest of us are at the table and getting hungry waiting for you.” ***

Three days later, three men from foreign affairs were at the door. Kate

led them into her father’s conference room. She seated them, and before getting her father, she looked around his office and loved all the things she took for granted before she left – the bookcase filled with law books, the garden outside, the large oval table with its light green cushioned chairs. She returned with her father a few minutes later.

Mike offered them coffee, but they wanted to get down to business first.

“We understand you were able to find the so-called Book of the Dead. It actually existed? We must tell you that we thought it was a hoax,” said Arthur Cushing.

“That’s what I thought right up to the moment we discovered the tablet, and I had a chance to translate it.”

“Then can we assume the Italian government does not have it,” said Jack LeBreton

“They do not. And I have a bone to pick with you, Mr. LeBreton. You pressed me to take Caterina with me against my better judgment. It turned out that she was an informer for the secret police.”

“I was ordered to convince you to take her. But, unfortunately, we learned she was an OVRA informer too late for us to warn you about her.” He sat back, thin-lipped and stony-eyed. “Please do not ask me who it was. When it was revealed, he lost his position.”

“Is the tablet in your possession now?”

“I’m sorry. No.”

“But you said the Italians do not have it.”

“That is true. It is now at the bottom of the Mediterranean, along with the body of the secret police officer who fell overboard when he tried to grab it from us.”

“Then,” added Cushing, “we have no idea what was on the tablet?”

“We still do. I made a rubbing of the tablet, and Kate inked and translated it,” said Prof. Tilly.

“Would it be possible to see it or know what it said?” said LeBreton.

“Not at the moment, gentlemen. I believe it is prudent to keep it under lock and key until such time, as it is safe to make it available. What I can tell you is that it was a Book of the Dead of an Etruscan soothsayer. His prophecy is not what it is purported to be.”

They stayed for another coffee and smoked cigarettes and cigars until the room was full of blue smoke.

seemed to know where you went or what happened to you,” said Rebecca Hollingsworth. “And who is the handsome gentleman sitting beside you?”

“We were worried that you had died,” said Lorne Harris.

“No such thing. I was on the adventure of my life where I met this handsome gentleman who tracked me down and saw me safely home.”

They were sitting in the golf club and listening to a DJ playing popular music. Rebecca leaned forward and whispered: “Lorne and I got married a few months after you disappeared. We worried about how you felt about it. We wanted you to know before you heard it from someone else.”

“That’s wonderful. I knew my friend, Caterina, was a distraction for a while, but she had an itchy foot and is elsewhere, I understand. You are lucky she left with me. She turned out to be an Italian police informer.

Lorne passed Ken his card. “What is your name, if I may ask?”

“Ken Taylor.”

“You sound like an Australian.”

“I am.” He glanced at the card and put it beside his plate. “At the moment, I’m in the process of studying law. Kate’s father has offered me a junior partnership the day I graduate.”

***

“I don’t see Lorne’s name on the list,” said Ken, using his finger to go down the list of invitees.

“You won’t either. So that you know, Lorne and I had an understanding and saw each other for a few years. When I was in Egypt, Rebecca managed to lure him away from me. It hit me hard, and I was scared to show my face around town. I was saved by Prof. Tilly, who talked me into heading a dig in Italy. The government approached him to get me to join him. They had heard about the story making the rounds about an Etruscan Book of the Dead that prophesized a great leader would arise in Italy and return it to its former glory. That great leader was aka Mussolini. Our government wants to make sure the Italians did not get their hands on it. Ironically, despite all the threats on all our lives, it saved mine. The professor was right about it.”

Then, after a long pause: “If you want Lorne to come to our wedding, I will shoot you.”

***

“Glad to see that you’re back, safe and sound with us again. No one

As she walked down the aisle, Kate thought she saw Gabriello seated halfway down the pews. Her father felt her flinch and steadied her arm. “What’s wrong?” he whispered.

“Nothing. Just someone I thought I saw. I was mistaken.”

The ceremony went off without incident. In her heart, she felt uneasy and looked down the row of pews where she thought she saw Lorne and gave him a big smile. As they walked back, she saw someone she did not know smile and nod to her. Her heart began to thump. She shivered. Ken felt her arm suddenly move and looked at her face.

Her face was white, and she began to shake. They could hear running footsteps behind them.

They turned to see the stranger run running towards them with something in his right hand.

Ken pushed her into two latecomers’ arms and turned to face the stranger, who stopped in front of Ken. “Where is the signorina. I have a gift for her from the OVRA in Italy. I am to give it to her only.”

Ken tried to pry it from him, but the stranger wasn’t letting go. Ken looked for Kate, who was being hugged by a woman and man at the door. He waved to her to join him.

“I come with a gift from the OVRA in Italia. It is yours to open,” he said with a slight bow.

Kate untied the large blue and red ribbon and peeked into the box before opening it all the way. “A christening set for your first bambino.”

“Three times lucky,” said Ken, brushing the tears off her face.

She looked up at him. “I would like you to meet two friends of mine. These are my good friends from Italy – Annamaria and Garnet.”

“We stayed at their home while we were in Volterra.”

Ken shook their hands. Stu and Booker had joined them in the meantime and congratulated them while Booker took pictures of everyone. “Be sure to take one and send it to the OVRA.

“How did you find out that I had returned and was getting married?” Kate said to Garnet.

“Stu sent a letter to Annamaria and mentioned that you were getting married.”

“The letter was opened. I knew someone else had seen it. But I thought we should leave Italy for good and be here in time for your wedding,” said Garnet, giving Stu a big hug. “I also guess it is how the OVRA knew you were still alive and sent best wishes.”

“Probably a bribe for us to keep what was ever on the tablet quiet,” said Kate, “and to tell us in their way, good luck.”

“Zio Enrico and my parents also wish you a happy marriage,” said Annamaria. “Francesco also sends best wishes. He has found a beautiful lady in Firenze and hopes to come and visit us one day.”

“By the way, they found Col. DeLuca’s body lying face down somewhere in the Mediterranean. It created quite a stir,” said Garnet.

They walked slowly from the church. At the top step, Kate turned and threw her bouquet over her head. Rebecca Hollingsworth, who had not been invited, caught it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jim Carr’s adventure with words began as a Latin grammar teacher for the first five years. He studied Latin for seven years. His Latin grammar for beginners is called Lingua Latina. He has a degree in Classics and English.

This was followed by a lengthy career in print journalism as a reporter, columnist and editor on two daily newspapers before leaving to become a communications specialist for several national and international corporations and institutions.

He returned to journalism in retirement and is associate editor of Spa Canada magazine and freelances for other publications. He writes a blog about Thai resorts and spas, which is featured on Spa Canada’s website. His book on Thai resorts and their spas, called Spa Magic, includes outstanding resorts and hotels in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Koh Samui, Krabi and Phuket. It is currently being updated. His four mystery novels – Gravediggers, Death Star, Abbot’s Moon and Rogues Retreat and his book of short stories, Betrayal, He has also written a novel called The Alchemist, a wartime romance, There’s Always Tomorrow. Yesterdays is a historical romance. They are available an ebook and as print books at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and iBooks.