Tempest Court. Jan Walters
stonework looked authentic and the massive scale was true to size. Huge colorful posters provided details about the monument, indicating it represented the tomb of Ramses the Great. Although the exhibit was not exclusively about Ramses, it offered details and scope of what a powerful ruler he had been.
Winding their way through the gallery, they accepted a glass of wine from a passing waiter. Lisa pointed to the poster. “I didn’t know that Nefertari was one of Ramses’ wives. Can you believe the man had eight wives? How long did the guy live?”
“Too long,” Brett murmured. He jumped as Lisa’s elbow jabbed his side. “It says here, ‘Recent excavations bring the number of discovered corridors and tomb chambers to 150.’”
“Really? Did you see he had an estimated fifty-two sons? No wonder he had so many wives.”
Throughout the gallery, various sacred Egyptian symbols and artifacts with explanations under each decorated the walls. Brett shook his head. He had no idea there were so many antiquities related to death. He sipped the wine, patiently waiting as Lisa read a poster. The room was filling quickly. People stood shoulder to shoulder.
Loud laughter drew his attention. Layla excused herself from another group and walked toward them. Dressed in white from head to toe, she wore her long dark hair loose. The starkness of her clothing emphasized her dark, exotic features.
“Hi, guys. Thank you for coming tonight.”
Layla’s cheeks were flushed, probably from the excitement.
Lisa pressed a light kiss on her friend’s cheek. “I can’t believe all of this. Layla, how did you manage to pull all of this together?”
“Believe me it wasn’t easy. I have a wonderful staff who know Egyptian history as well as I do.”
While the women visited, Brett’s mind wandered. All these tombs and symbols related to death was puzzling. “So what’s up with this eternal life stuff?”
Layla pointed to a symbol that looked like a cross with a loop at the top. “This is the Ankh, which represents eternal life. It’s common to see the gods holding the Ankh to someone’s lips, offering them the Breath of Life, the breath you need for the afterlife.”
Brett tried to wrap his mind around all of this. “So everyone gets eternal life?”
Layla shook her head. A serious look filled her eyes. “No, immortality is not guaranteed. In ancient Egypt, you had to prove yourself worthy of living in the land of Osiris. Supposedly, if you weren’t worthy, you were eaten by the Devourer of Nonexistence.”
Lisa shivered, running her hands up her arms. “Good lord! The Devourer of Nonexistence sounds creepy.”
“Not someone I want to hang out with,” Brett muttered while glancing around the room. “What does this Devourer look like?”
“There are various ideas based on ancient texts. It’s one of those subjects that people preferred not to discuss or write about.” Layla turned away to greet a passing guest.
Brett involuntarily shivered as he took in the array of Egyptian artifacts surrounding him.
As if on cue, the lights in the art gallery dimmed. The emergency lighting immediately kicked on. Conversations ceased as clusters of people stood together in the eerie lighting. Less than a second later, the lights returned to normal. People sighed synchronously before conversation and laughter resumed.
Brett glanced at Lisa and Layla. “That was weird. Do the lights go out often?”
Looking puzzled, Layla shook her head. “Not that I know of. I’ll make a note to have one of my staff check with the maintenance guys tomorrow.”
“At least, it’s not October,” Lisa teased Brett.
His eyes narrowed, giving his girlfriend a little nudge. “Don’t jinx us. Nothing is going on. It was probably a breaker.”
“What about October?” Layla pinned her gaze on him.
“Brett’s been involved with a couple of weird cases the past couple of years. Both cases started in October. I—”
“And I’m sure nothing strange is going on,” Brett broke in, wiping a hand across his damp brow. Why is it so hot in here? His gaze darted about the large hall. The urge to grab Lisa and flee the room was overwhelming. Ignoring the pounding of his heart, he squeezed his eyes shut. Silently, he counted to ten, focusing on his deep breaths. He mentally reined in his wild thoughts. He refused to start imagining things. Nothing was going on. Lights dim all the time, don’t they?
Chapter 10
After walking about the exhibit in silence, Lisa squeezed Brett’s hand. “Are you okay?”
Brett gave a curt nod, dissipating his dark thoughts. “Yeah. Why?”
“You’ve been acting weird since our conversation with Layla. Do you want to leave?”
“No. We might as well see the entire exhibit. Besides, Layla would be disappointed if we left early.”
Lisa glanced around the room. “Speaking of disappointment, have you seen Donnellson tonight?”
He’d forgotten all about his friend. “Let me give him a call.” Whipping out his phone, he dialed the number. The ringing sound behind him drew his attention. He slowly turned, spotting Donnellson with his phone in hand.
“You rang?” Donnellson walked to Lisa’s side and gave her a quick hug.
“You look sharp tonight, all dressed in black.” Lisa grinned at Donnellson.
“Have you two seen Layla? I want to let her know that I’m here—late, but I’m here.”
Lisa’s smile faded. “Damn it, Kevin. You know how important this night is for her.”
Donnellson held up his hands. “Down, girl. I know, that’s why I’m here.”
“I think Lisa’s point is that you’re late.” Brett cursed under his breath. “Damn, Donnellson.”
“For your information, I have a good reason for being late. I stopped and bought flowers for her, as well as arranged for a private dinner later tonight.”
“Well then, you’re excused.” Pointing to the corner, Lisa announced, “She’s over there. You’d better go say hi.”
Lisa turned to Brett, stunned. “I can’t believe Kevin took the trouble to arrange a surprise for Layla.”
He shrugged. “Don’t be looking at me like that. I had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea.”
“If you say so. Let’s go home. I know you’re tired and I’m beat.”
“Without seeing the mummy?” He nodded to an adjoining room. A line of people waiting to get inside to view the mummy filed past them.
Lisa’s eyes widened. “Do you see that crowd? It would be an hour before we’d get close enough to see it.”
Truth be known, Brett didn’t want to look at the mummy. Things had been going well, and he didn’t want to press his luck in case she changed her mind. Grabbing her elbow, he guided her through the crowd. Once outside, he sucked in a deep breath. It felt like the first time he had breathed all night.
Later that night, Brett lay in bed with his arms folded behind his head.
Sleep eluded him. Brett tossed and turned for a couple of hours. Lisa moaned and drew the covers up over her head. He rolled over and punched his pillow, trying to settle in. His body felt jittery, like a current of electricity flowed through his veins. Filled with anticipation or apprehension, whichever one, he sensed that something was going to happen. He didn’t know what or when, but his instincts were rarely wrong.
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Michael’s