Secret of the Ankhs: A Maggie Edwards Adventure (Maggie Edwards Adventures Book 2)

by Nellie H. Steele

  “Okay,” Gio said, “so, this ankh is a piece of the puzzle leading to this famed library in your estimation, doc. Where are the other two pieces?”

  “Antony’s would likely have been buried somewhere in or near Cleopatra’s tomb. They committed suicide together and were buried together. We haven’t found any of his remains at the tomb site though,” Ollie admitted.

  “Okay, so one of them is still missing,” Gio replied. “And the other?”

  “Probably in storage somewhere at an Italian museum,” Ollie guessed. “Or in a private collection. I’d have to do some digging in my research to determine the most likely place.”

  A knock sounded at the door, interrupting any further conversation. A uniformed officer appeared as the door swung open. “We’re almost finished, detective. Nothing’s turned up yet. And we’ve got a pair out there who refuse to leave. Say they know a Miss Edwards who is still in the museum and aren’t leaving without her.”

  “Oh,” Maggie replied. “That’d be Leo and Piper, I’d bet. I’ll go tell them it’s fine to go.”

  Maggie excused herself from the room and followed the winding hallway back to the museum’s exhibit galleries. She traversed through the exhibit rooms leading back to the main lobby. As she plodded along, she glanced to the many cases holding objects from Cleopatra’s tomb. Who else knew the legend her uncle relayed to them? Who else believed it with enough conviction to rob the exhibit while two pieces remained at large?

  With no answers, Maggie arrived in the lobby, spotting Leo and Piper arguing with another uniformed officer. She crossed the room, approaching the trio.

  “THERE you are!” Leo exclaimed. “I was just telling officer whoever here that you vanished with a detective and we haven’t seen you since.” Maggie held back from rolling her eyes.

  “And I was explaining to you and Miss Brooks that you’ve got to leave. We’re clearing the museum,” the officer grumbled back.

  “We’re not leaving until she does,” Leo threatened.

  “Now, look here, mister…”

  Maggie held up her hands. “Just a minute, just a minute,” she interrupted. She turned to the officer. “Could you give us a moment alone? Thanks.”

  The officer withdrew with a shake of his head and an admonishing glance at Leo and Piper.

  “What a total jerk that guy was,” Piper complained.

  “He’s just doing his job,” Maggie said.

  “Where were you?” Leo questioned.

  “Talking to the detectives. And we’re not finished. I just came out to tell you both I’m fine and you can go.”

  “I’m not leaving without you, Mags.”

  This time, Maggie could not hold back the eye roll. She crossed her arms. “I’m fine, Leo. Just go. There’s no need for you or Piper to be here.”

  “Are you in some kind of trouble?” Leo inquired. “If you need an attorney…”

  “I do NOT need an attorney. I’m not in trouble!”

  “Then why did the detectives want to question you?” Leo pressed.

  “Question me?” Maggie retorted. “They’re not questioning me. They asked to speak with me about the theft, not question me. Oh, by the way, you owe me twenty bucks.”

  “Why would the cops want to discuss the robbery with you?” Leo questioned, his brows wrinkling with confusion.

  Maggie’s expression changed from unimpressed to annoyed. She set her jaw, her lips closing to form a thin line. “They have their reasons,” Maggie grumbled. “Which are none of your business, now go. I’m busy, I don’t have time to babysit you, Leo.”

  Maggie spun on her heel, stalking away from the couple. “Oh, yeah? Well, don’t call me if you need bailed out!” Leo called after her.

  Maggie stormed back to the employee’s door. She fumed at Leo’s statements. “Why would the police want to talk to YOU?” she mimicked. “Is he kidding?”

  Maggie reached the door and tugged on it. It didn’t budge. She glanced at the card reader next to the door. “Seriously?” She banged against the door. Her action garnered no response. With a huff, she crossed her arms. Her foot tapped on the penny tiles adorning the floor.

  Maggie’s eyes bore an imaginary hole through the windowed door. At last, she spotted Henry turn the corner and hurry down the hall. Maggie flung her arms out. “Finally!” she exclaimed as Henry pushed the door open.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting, princess. What did the idiot want?”

  Maggie waved her hand in the air. “Just Leo being Leo. Believing he was the only one who could help the situation because I was somehow in trouble. Never mind, what’s the latest? Any leads?”

  Henry smirked at her. “What?” Maggie questioned as they traversed the halls back to the director’s office.

  “Nothing. Just you being excited to pursue a lead.”

  “I enjoy a good adventure,” Maggie answered.

  “I’ll remind you of that if we have to ride another camel into the desert and sleep in a tent,” Henry said with a wink as he pulled the director’s door open for her.

  “Oh, please,” Maggie groaned with an eye roll. “Let’s hope this library is within the city limits.”

  The couple entered into a heated argument between Ollie and Stan. The two debated the working theory that the ankh’s value stemmed from its ability to lead to the famed Library of Alexandra’s final resting place. The two detectives watched the scene unfold, unable to interject any pertinent comments.

  Maggie raised her eyebrows at the scene. She stuck her fingers in her mouth and gave a loud whistle. All faces spun to face her. “THAT is ENOUGH!” she declared. “It’s pointless to debate the reason the ankh was stolen. It’s gone. Period. The fact that it’s gone lends some credence to Uncle Ollie’s theory. But that argument aside, the thing is gone. Where are we on identifying who took it?”

  Maggie placed her hands on her hips, facing the detectives. When they failed to respond, she raised her eyebrows. “Well?” she demanded.

  “Oh, ah...” Gio began. He flipped his notebook open and relayed his notes to the group. “Okay, power cut at nine thirty-seven, generators’ power already cut or cut at the same time, no video surveillance, nothing found on any departing guests. That’s where we are. We got bubkas.”

  “No video surveillance?” Henry inquired. “Is there no coverage on the ankh or is the footage missing?”

  “The camera covering it was malfunctioning. There’s no footage,” Gio answered.

  “Malfunctioning… right,” Maggie said, her eyes narrowing. She shot a glance to Henry who raised his eyebrows at her.

  “Did any of the guests see or hear anything? You questioned them, right?”

  “We…” Gio hesitated. “Searched them all and…”

  “You didn’t ask anyone if they saw or heard anything?” Henry questioned.

  “Well… no,” Gio answered. “Look, we’re not broadcasting the theft here, okay?”

  Henry guffawed. “Crikey,” he groaned.

  “All right, all right,” Maggie said. “Given the lack of information, the best place to start is the guest list. Anyone have a criminal record? Anyone known for collecting this type of stuff?”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Gio responded, holding up a hand to stop Maggie’s questions. “As much as I’d love to partner with you, Miss Edwards, this is a job for the police.”

  Maggie shot him an unimpressed stare. She crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. Gio opened his mouth to continue when a knock sounded at the door. Without receiving an invitation, the door swung open. A man in a dark suit entered, his dress shoes clicking across the bare floor. His chiseled features appeared even more sculpted thanks to his closely cropped haircut.

  “Who the hell are you?” Gio questioned.

  The man reached into his pocket, withdrawing a small black wallet. He flipped it open, flashing a badge. “Agent Thomas, FBI,” he said, pocketing the badge again.

  “FBI?” Gio queried.

  “Ye
s, you must be Detectives Sharpe and Russo, I presume?” the man asked.

  “Yeah, that’s us,” Gio replied.

  “Perfect. Can you fill me in on the specifics of the case so far?”

  “Fill you in?” Gio questioned. “I thought you were advising not boots on the ground.”

  “There isn’t much,” Maggie answered for him. “Power was cut, generators were tampered with and video surveillance is missing. No one left with the object that we are aware of and no one was questioned. That’s about as far as we’ve gotten.”

  Gio shot Maggie a confused and annoyed glance.

  “Thanks,” Agent Thomas answered. “All right, gentlemen, unless you have anything else to add to Ms. Edwards’ summary, you can go.”

  “Go? What do you mean go?” Gio exclaimed. “We’re in the middle of an investigation here!”

  “Not anymore you’re not,” Agent Thomas answered. “This investigation now falls under the purview of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

  Chapter 3

  A moment of silence fell between them after Agent Thomas announced his role with the FBI. Gio recovered first.

  “Says who? This is our jurisdiction, bub,” Gio spat. “And I ain’t rolling over for nobody.”

  “Says the Director of National Intelligence. This investigation is now a matter of national security. We thank you for your time, gentlemen. Now, if you wouldn’t mind.” Agent Thomas motioned to the door.

  Gio glanced to Detective Sharpe, who shrugged. He shook his head in disgust. “Unbelievable! Since when did some stupid ceramic cross become a matter of national security.” He snatched his blazer from the nearby chair with a huff before he stormed from the room. Detective Sharpe followed him, plainly less frustrated than his younger partner.

  The door slammed shut behind the two men, cutting off Maggie’s view of Gio’s glare.

  “Nice to see you again, Frank,” Henry said.

  “Henry, Maggie, Ollie. Good to see you all. Got yourselves in the thick of it again, I see.”

  “I warned you,” Ollie said.

  Stan eyed the exchange curiously, his forehead wrinkled as he listened. “Director Stan Gibson?” Frank questioned.

  “Yes,” Stan answered.

  “Agent Frank Thomas, FBI,” Frank said, extending his hand.

  Stan shook it slowly. “Yes, I got that part. What I don’t understand is why the FBI is involved. Does this have to do with the pieces being on loan?”

  “No, it has to do with the stolen piece pointing to the Library of Alexandria,” Ollie corrected.

  “Correct,” Frank confirmed. “We would like to ensure the piece is found as quickly as possible. Despite at least one other piece still being unaccounted for, it’s vital this doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.”

  Stan’s face was incredulous. “Are you saying the FBI really believes Ollie’s conjecture about the ankh containing a clue to the location of the Library of Alexandria?”

  “We do,” Frank answered. “And we’d like you to cooperate fully with Agents Keene, Taylor and Edwards to ensure the piece is found.”

  “Agents?” Stan gasped.

  “Yes,” Ollie confirmed.

  “Of what? The FBI?”

  “No, DARPA,” Henry chimed in.

  “The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency?” Stan repeated, spelling out the acronym.

  “One and the same,” Ollie answered. “We work on special projects related to ancient civilizations that could prove beneficial to the government. Obviously, the Library of Alexandria falls into this category. The knowledge gained there would be extensive.”

  Silence filled the room as Stan digested the information. “Well… I…” he began. “Ah… how can I help?” he finally managed.

  “We need a copy of the guest list,” Maggie answered. “And I’d like to speak with your security guards about the security camera footage. We know the camera covering the ankh didn’t catch anything, but maybe one of the other cameras did.”

  Stan glanced around the room at everyone. After a breath, Frank raised his eyebrows. “Is there a problem, Director Gibson?”

  “Ah, no,” he answered. “No. Let me just make a copy of the list and then I’ll show you to the security surveillance room.”

  Stan dashed from the office to retrieve copies of the guest list. “Good job, princess,” Henry said, beaming at Maggie.

  “Thanks!” she said with a demure smile.

  “Yes,” Ollie agreed, a smile on his face, “your training proved most successful!”

  Maggie reflected on the three-week crash training course with DARPA. She had learned so much. This time around, she would control the investigation, unlike the search for her uncle and Cleopatra’s tomb. The smile on her face broadened. She was ready for another adventure.

  Maggie scanned the guest list while lounging on the couch. Nothing jumped out at her. They still waited on the background checks for each name on the list, but neither Ollie nor Henry flagged any suspects. Maggie recognized some of the names on the list. They were prominent citizens of the area. She doubted any of them would be involved, but with no leads, everyone was a suspect.

  “Put it down and relax, princess,” Henry prodded. He sat on the opposite end of the couch.

  Maggie lowered the page, glancing over it at Henry. “There has to be SOME clue here!” Maggie exclaimed.

  “We don’t have to find it tonight, though. Patience, princess, patience.”

  Maggie tossed the paper onto the coffee table and let her head fall onto the cushion behind her. “You’re sure you didn’t recognize any of these names?” she asked after a moment.

  “Positive,” Henry responded. “Though it’s more than likely they’re using an assumed name that no one would recognize.”

  Maggie continued with her questions. “No one looked familiar at the party?”

  “Nope.”

  “Is that because you were hiding in a corner most of the time or because you actually didn’t recognize anyone?” Maggie queried.

  “I didn’t recognize anyone. I had a pretty good vantage point from that corner, I’ll have you know.” Henry cocked his head and raised one eyebrow at her.

  “Too bad you weren’t in your perfect vantage corner when they stole the ankh,” Maggie said with a sigh.

  “No, we were distracted by the antics of that bloody ex of yours.”

  Maggie rolled her eyes at the reference to Leo. “He has never been good at losing,” she commented. She crossed her arms, staring into space. “I can’t believe none of the cameras picked up anything related to the theft.”

  After hours of combing through footage, Maggie and Henry had found nothing suspicious. Outside of the guests, no one entered or exited the museum through any doorways in the time leading up to or following the theft.

  “Did they climb out a window? Did they loop the video footage? What are we missing?” Maggie pondered aloud.

  “There was no evidence the footage was looped. We could see movement on the cameras before the power was cut.”

  “Maybe they sneaked out while the cameras were down,” Maggie suggested.

  “When and how did they get in?” Henry queried, testing Maggie’s theory.

  Maggie lifted her head, her brow crinkling as she worked out the details in her mind. “They came in as guests, cut the power, stole the ankh and slipped out before the cameras were restored.”

  Henry shook his head. “All the guests were accounted for. Everyone in attendance was searched before they left. No one was missing from the guest list.”

  Maggie threw her arms up in disgust. “And none of them had the ankh on them.”

  “Nope,” Henry agreed. “It’s small, but not small enough to hide for a pat down. And all the ladies’ purses were searched.”

  “So, we’re at a dead end.”

  “Seems so,” Henry agreed.

  Maggie sunk down, plopping her head against the cushion behind her. Henry gave her leg a quick pat before s
tanding. “Well, we aren’t going to work it out tonight, princess. So, I’ll leave you to get some rest.”

  “Rest? Are you kidding me? This will play through my mind all night!”

  “You? Maggie Edwards? Overthinking a situation.”

  Maggie rolled her eyes at him. “Yeah, I know. A novel concept, but I can’t help it. Ever since I met you, I’ve turned into an overthinker.”

  “Oh, so this is my fault, huh?”

  “Yep. I take no blame in this,” she joked.

  Henry approached her, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. “Put it out of your mind, princess. You won’t solve it tonight. We’ll start fresh in the morning. Things have a way of looking differently after some sleep.”

  “Yeah, right,” Maggie said, her arms still snug against her chest. She sighed as he sauntered away, still pouting. Before he reached the door, Maggie popped up, glancing over the back of the couch. “Hey, Henry!”

  “Yeah?” Henry asked, pivoting to face her.

  “Good night, babe,” she said with a wink.

  “Good night, princess.”

  Maggie spent a few more moments lounging on the couch before she dragged herself to her bedroom. As she readied for bed, her mind poured over the mystery. Maggie had never been an overthinker before, but she certainly was turning into one. She searched the information for the clue they were missing.

  With a shake of her head and no new conclusions, she climbed into bed. After snuggling into the covers, she stared at the ceiling. Perhaps there was a clue they were missing in the video feeds. Some telltale sign that an expert could glean. Maggie reached to her night table, grabbing her phone.

  Her thumbs flew across the tiny electronic keyboard on her smartphone. She fired a message to Henry: Possible to get Charlie here to look at that video footage? Maybe he’ll see something we missed.

  Henry answered within a minute: You’re supposed to be sleeping

  Maggie sighed and sent a reply text: Can you call him or not?

  She smiled as she received the response: Your wish is my command, princess