by Clay, Verna
"Close your eyes, Rainey." Roth suggested. "I'll let you know when we reach a hotel."
Rainey closed her eyes just as another car jammed its brakes in front of them. Deep breathing, she visualized her eagle and started to relax.
"You can open your eyes. I've located a hotel."
"Already?"
"Rainey, you closed your eyes half an hour ago. What were you thinking about?"
"Um…nothing."
Roth shook his head and pulled into a parking space at the back of a boring, middle class hotel. He retrieved their backpacks and waited for her to exit the vehicle. He shoved her backpack at her. Turning abruptly, he walked toward the rear entrance to the hotel. Reluctantly, she followed.
Within minutes, speaking to the clerk in Arabic, he had secured a room. Rainey followed him down a dark hallway to an elevator at the end. Punching the UP button, he shifted his backpack, ignoring her. After a long wait in uncomfortable silence, the elevator bumped the ground floor and shuddered open. Roth waited for her to enter and when she did, the sliding door started to close on her backpack. Heaving an impatient sigh, he darted his hand to hold it open. After punching the button for the third floor, he leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.
Finally, the elevator gave a little jerk before halting at their floor. The door slid open and Roth exited without a backward glance. He's really pissed. Following him to their room, she waited while he slid the keycard and opened the door. She trudged in behind him.
The room had two double beds. Rainey dropped her backpack onto the far one and walked to the draped window. Pulling the fabric aside, she watched traffic tangle in a dance of daredevils below. She turned back to see Roth pulling his laptop and clothing out of his backpack.
She sat on her bed and emptied her own clothing. After stowing her belongings in a cheap dresser, she again walked to the window and looked toward the sky.
Finally, still facing the window, she summoned all of her willpower and squeaked, "I'm sorry for being a snoop."
Roth grunted.
"Is that all you have to say?" She didn't like her apology being rebuffed.
"What do you want me to say?"
"Jeez, forget I said I'm sorry. I'm not sorry anymore."
"There's nothing between Fawn and me. The note you read was…it's not something I can explain. But I give you my word, we're not lovers."
Rainey gulped.
* * *
For the next two days, Roth spent hours contemplating his next move while waiting to receive an email from Endesha. After setting up the new email, he'd checked it every few hours. By the third day, he was going stir crazy and so was Rainey. She spent most of her time rereading the voluminous information he'd printed for her in Bawiti about eagles. At night, he caught her standing at the window staring into a sky lit by neon lights. He longed to give her what she wanted, a glimpse of the eagle.
Near evening of the third day, he checked his email yet again. He sucked his breath sharply when he saw the new message alert. The subject line read: SUCCESSFUL FISHING TRIP. He opened the message and read every word about a fishing trip on the Nile River. Flipping the switch on his mobile printer, he sent the message to print.
Hearing his printer, Rainey rushed over. Bending near, she read the subject line.
"What! You're printing a message about a fishing trip!"
"Rainey, when are you going to learn to think before you speak?"
Her jaw dropped. "How dare you speak to me in that manner. I think you've forgotten who the employer and employee is in our relationship"
Roth ignored her barb and concentrated on the printout. Reaching for a clean sheet of paper, he set about deciphering the coded message.
Rainey sat in belligerent silence on her bed watching. After fifteen minutes she lay down and turned to face the window. However, a few minutes later she rolled back over and watched his intent expression.
He looked at her and grinned.
"Okay, smart man; are you going to tell me what's going on?"
"Do you actually think Endesha would send the interpretation of the hieroglyphs without encoding it?"
Rainey jumped off her bed. "You've got the interpretation?"
"I have."
"Well, are you going to tell me? Remember, I was in that cave too. I have a right to know."
Roth rubbed the five o'clock shadow on his jaws as if considering her words.
"Roth Beowolf, you tell me the translation or I'll…I'll…"
"Or what, Rainey?"
She sputtered and finally said, "I'll make your life miserable."
"You've already done that. Think of something else."
Before he realized her intent, she rushed over and snatched the paper out of his hand. Without thinking, he grabbed both of her shoulders and pitched her across his bed, straddling her body with his legs. "That wasn't very nice. I think you need to be taught some manners."
"Ha. As if you know anything about manners."
"Give it back," he said, deadly serious.
"No," she replied, with the paper held beneath her body."
He studied her face. When a sudden inclination to smash his lips over hers hit him, he rolled off her and walked across the room to sit in a chair. "Go ahead, read it."
Hesitantly, she pulled the paper from under her and raised it above her eyes to read aloud.
Amun, Lord of silence, without mother, without father, being everything, creates nothing. Mut, Lady of Heaven, without mother, without father, balances everything with a feather. Khonsu, great snake, son of Amun and Mut, fertilizes the cosmic egg with disharmony to create.
"That, is the secret of sound?" Rainey huffed. She sat up and tossed the paper on his nightstand. "I'm ready to forget this nonsense and go home."
"Rainey, Rainey, what am I going to do with you? We've only deciphered the code into English. Now we must decode the code."
"My God, Roth, when are you going to realize this is futile and take me home?"
Roth returned to his laptop and signed off, locking it and his mobile printer back in his briefcase. After stowing it under his bed, he said, "I'm going out for a few minutes. Don't leave this room."
"Where are you going?"
"Not somewhere I can reveal. Just call it 'bodyguard' business." Contemplating a plan he'd entertained since interrogating the detective in Luxor, he crossed the street and entered another hotel. He checked in, making sure the clerk knew it was for him and his wife. However, instead of going to the room he'd just rented, he returned to his first hotel.
Retrieving his briefcase again, he fired up his laptop. Rainey started to walk toward him, but he shook his head. Giving him a nasty look, she veered toward the window and stared outside. He sent two emails.
Afterward, he called room service and ordered dinner. While Rainey ate, he said, "I'll be gone for awhile. Like I said, do not leave this room. Understood?"
She lifted her fork to her mouth. "Yeah. You go do your covert operations."
He paused at the door. "Do not open this door for anyone. Oh, and while I'm gone, try to think outside-the-box and decode the message from the Sacred Cave." He quietly closed the door.
Chapter 15: Set-Up
Roth entered the hotel across the street and slipped past the empty front counter before the clerk had time to check out the bell that rang every time someone walked in. In the hallway he bowed his head and prayed, shifting into a harmless spider. Scampering up the wall and following the line of the ceiling, he quickly reached his destination; a spot overlooking the check-in counter. Patiently, he waited, hoping his plan to lure a snitch to the hotel would pan out.
Three hours later, while considering whether to leave his post long enough to check on Rainey, a balding, heavy-set, middle-aged man in a wrinkled suit approached the desk. From his vantage point, Roth observed the exchange between the clerk and the man.
"I'm looking for a couple; a man and a woman." The man surreptitiously palmed a large bill acro
ss the counter. The clerk reached and accepted the bill under his own palm, pulling it over the edge of the desk and into his pocket.
"And who might that be?" the clerk asked pleasantly.
"Here are a couple of drawings. I don't know the names they're using. I received word from a good source that they checked into the hotel earlier this evening."
The clerk studied the pictures. "The man checked in. I didn't see a woman, but he rented a room for himself and his wife."
The man in the wrinkled suit palmed another bill.
"What room number would that be?"
The clerk scanned his register. "Fourth floor, room 29." He grinned and slid the second bill into his pocket.
When the inquisitor turned to leave, Roth hastened across the ceiling and back into the hallway. While still on the ceiling, he prayed and landed on his feet running. He ignored the clerk's surprise as he rushed past the desk. At the front entrance, he caught site of the man hailing a cab. A recess next to the building afforded him cover and he prayed. Opening pigeon's wings he soared upward.
He followed the cab several miles before it pulled to the curb and released its passenger. His target entered an office building. Shifting in an alley behind the building, he stepped out and circled to the front. The man he was following had already disappeared. A flight of stairs ascended to additional offices.
Spying a directory, he scanned the listing of occupants and grinned. Yep, I believe I've found him.
Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached the second floor. Locating the office number indicated on the directory, he opened the door. A huge desk took up most of the space in the tiny office. The man who'd made inquiries at the hotel glanced up with a smile on his face. His smile waivered and he abruptly stood.
Roth said, "Looks like you've found me. Or is it the other way around?"
The man stuttered but nothing intelligible came forth.
With incredible speed, Roth rushed behind the desk and grabbed the overweight private detective's right arm, twisting it behind him. The man groaned and stopped struggling when he twisted higher.
"Do you feel like answering questions?" Roth asked with the same inflection he would use while inquiring about someone's day.
"Okay…yes," groaned the P.I.
He loosened his grip. "Who sent you to find me?"
"I don't know. I received a call on my cell phone."
"Okay, let me guess how things went down: the person's voice sounded electronic; after you agreed to accept the job, a courier brought money and pictures; the courier was a kid who made the drop and ran. Am I right?"
"Yes."
"If you found me, what were your instructions?"
"I didn't have any except to wait for another call."
"Okay, I'll tell you how it's gonna go down now. Cooperate and you won't get hurt. Give me grief, and we've got a problem. Get my drift?"
"Yes; whatever you want. I'm just a small-time private detective trying to make a living."
"I kinda figured that. Here's the new plan. When you get your second call, you're gonna play hardball and tell the caller you got the information, but you want more money; name a reasonable figure. After electro-voice agrees, you're gonna tell him/her you won't be in your office for a couple of hours cause you're on another job. Next, you'll find a payphone and call the number I'm about to give you. Just leave a voicemail that you were contacted." Roth nodded toward the desk and the detective grabbed a pencil with his free hand to scribble the number on a post-it note.
Roth continued, "Then, for the remainder of the two hours, you'll pretend you're working a case; after that, you'll return to your office and wait for the drop. When electro-voice calls again, tell him/her what the hotel clerk told you. Simple as that."
"You want the caller to know your hotel information?"
"It really doesn't matter. Looks like you've earned your money."
Chapter 16: Sting
Roth fired up his computer and listened all night for the beep alerting him to a voicemail on the virtual phone he'd given the detective. Shortly after daylight, he wondered if the P.I. had double-crossed him.
While considering whether to pay another visit to the detective, his computer sounded.
"Why is your computer beeping?" asked a sleepy Rainey.
"Someone left me a voicemail."
"Someone…as in…"
Roth ignored her hint for a name and played the message that simply said, "I've been contacted."
"I have to leave for a few hours," he told Rainey.
"I want to go with you."
"Absolutely not."
"You've been up to something and I want to know what. I'm going crazy staying in this room day after day."
"You may not have to here stay much longer."
"And why is that?"
"Rainey, if I could answer your questions, I would. I'll be back soon. Do not leave this room! While I'm gone, why don't you busy yourself by pondering the translation from Endesha."
"Roth, you have a strange fixation on those hieroglyphs. They have no meaning to the scientific community."
"I think you're wrong. Keep trying."
He left the room. Outside the hotel he darted to the back parking lot. Bending behind his car, he lifted skyward again as a pigeon. After reaching his destination and landing in the alley, he shifted back into his human form and entered the detective's building. Locating the men's restroom on the second floor, he washed his hands while waiting for the only other occupant to leave. Before the door completely closed, he'd become a mouse and scampered into the hallway. He darted toward the detective's office and squeezed under the door crack, wedging himself into a space between the wall and a bookcase. All he had to do now was bide his time. Years of shapeshifting had taught him the art of patience.
Eventually, the office door opened and the P.I. entered. Sitting wearily behind his desk, he drummed his fingers on the surface. Looking across the room at the bookshelf, he spotted something and went to retrieve it. Roth backed further into the dark space hiding him. The P.I. grabbed a book off the shelf and returned to his desk. For the next hour the detective read a detective novel.
The door to the office burst open and a boy of maybe seven or eight tossed a sack on the floor and ran. Roth and the P.I. made their moves at the same time. Roth scampered for the open door and the P.I. rushed for the sack. The P.I. saw him and growled, "Damn mouse. I killed one of you last week. It's your turn now."
Don't think so. Roth darted into the hallway. Praying the prayer, he rose on feline paws and raced toward the fleeing child.
Behind him he heard the detective shout, "That's impossible!"
Staying several feet behind the boy, Roth followed him outside the building. The child continued running until he reached a narrow side road and then stopped and glanced around, apparently looking to see if he was being followed. He then turned onto the side road and walked until he reached an alleyway between old buildings. Deep inside the alley, the boy sat on a rusted metal stool. He grinned and reached into his pocket to pull out some coins.
Roth rose from behind a trash bin and approached the child with his palm outstretched and coins jangling. The boy jumped up and his startled look evidenced his intent to run. Speaking in Arabic, Roth said quickly, "Would you like to earn some money?"
The child's countenance changed to one of calculation. "What do you want me to do?"
"I just want you to answer some questions." Roth stepped nearer, but the child stepped back.
"What kind of questions?"
Roth flipped a coin on the ground. Wary, the boy looked from him to the money.
"All I want to know is who gave you the sack you just delivered to the man in the big office building."
Roth flipped another coin.
"That's all you want from me?"
"Yes."
"I don't know who it was."
"What did he look like?"
"It wasn't a he, it was a she. She was beautiful
with blue eyes and black hair.
Roth felt a change in the atmosphere at the same time the boy glanced beyond him to someone else in the alley. He whirled to face another shapeling—someone he recognized from pictures at the Childress mansion, Rainey's mother.
* * *
Rainey swatted at the pesky fly buzzing her face. She laid the printout about the mating habits of eagles aside. She'd read it a zillion times and could quote it by heart. After being stuck in a shabby hotel room for days, she felt like a prisoner again—a prisoner with no bodyguard.
She pondered her dilemma: dare she escape for awhile? Once the thought entered her mind, it taunted her. If Roth found out, she'd be in the doghouse for who knows how long. Unfortunately, the pull of freedom kept getting stronger. Her alter ego goaded her. He won't find out because you'll just stroll around the hotel for a few minutes.
Making her decision, she jumped out of her chair, grabbed her wallet, and ran toward the door. Just in time, she realized she wouldn't be able to get back in without a keycard. Pondering a solution, she grabbed the pages Roth had printed about eagles and tried different thicknesses jammed in the door frame. After a few disappointments, she found the perfect number to keep it from shutting completely. She laughed at her success and resourcefulness—freedom!
* * *
Roth watched Stella's approach. When the boy had described the woman, he'd felt certain it was Fawn. He'd never imagined Rainey's mother could be involved, much less be a shapeling.
He'd sent two emails—one to Fawn and one to Rainey's father saying he'd changed hotels. He'd given the location without revealing his room number or his assumed name. He'd wanted to draw a spy to the hotel. Was Rainey's father involved in a plot against his own daughter?
As if reading his mind, Stella said, "If you're wondering whether Hank knows about me—he doesn't."
"Did he confide Rainey's location to you?"
A slight smile quirked her mouth but she didn't answer.
Roth heard a commotion and suddenly the boy streaked past him, running for the entrance to the alley. Although either of them could have stopped him, they let him pass.
