“Good,” Henry answered. “Where are you?”
“In an examination room with the artifacts!” Maggie exclaimed with a squeal. “There’s two bins. The ankh must be in one of them. We’re starting to dig through the bins now. I’ll let you know as soon as we have it! I don’t know how we’ll get out with it but… we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Maggie removed her glasses. “I can’t see a thing with these on!”
“I’m staying in the museum in case you need something,” Henry answered.
Maggie and Piper dug through the packing materials in the first bin. They carefully removed the items inside. They laid each on the exam table. “First bin is emptied, no ankh,” Maggie reported.
“So, it must be in this one,” Piper surmised.
They dove into the second crate and pulled out the items in a similar fashion. They reached the bottom of the crate. Maggie frowned. She pushed the packing material from one side to the other. Maggie returned to the first bin and shoved the packing material around.
She glanced at Piper and shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not here!” she exclaimed.
Piper did another check of both bins. “Are you kidding?” Henry asked.
“Nope,” Maggie answered. “It’s not here.” She grabbed the inventory list from the table and scanned it. “Okay, wait, there are a few items missing. A dagger, a shield, a helmet and the ankh.”
“Maybe they forget to pull a bin,” Piper suggested.
Maggie nodded in agreement. “Let’s hope,” Maggie said as she crossed to the door.
“Looks like you’re on again, Dr. von Bergenstein,” Piper said. “Oh, wait! Your glasses!”
“Right!” Maggie grabbed the glasses from the table and shoved them on her face. She flung the door open. “Timmy?!” she called in her faux German accent.
“Ah, Tyler, doctor,” the man answered, stepping into the room.
“Ah, whatever, whatever,” Maggie answered, waving her hand at him. “There are several items missing.”
“Missing?” Tyler questioned.
“Yes!” Maggie exclaimed. “Missing! Gone! Vamoose!” She stared at Piper, flinging her arms out.
Piper explained. “There are several items on this inventory list,” she said as she passed the list to Tyler, “that are not in the bins.” Piper pointed out the missing items.
“Let me call Ms. Sheffield,” Tyler offered as he picked up the phone on the wall. He spoke a few words into the receiver before replacing it. “Ms. Sheffield is on her way.”
Maggie crossed her arms and tapped her designer shoe on the floor. Emily appeared in the doorway. “Hello again,” she greeted them. “Tyler says there are a few missing items?”
“Yes,” Piper explained again. “These four items, in particular.” She pointed them out.
“Hmm,” Emily murmured. “Just a moment.” Emily approached a computer station in the corner. She input her username and password before clicking through several screens. She typed into a dialogue box and scanned the output on the screen. “Ah, yes, I see.”
“Is there a missing box?” Piper inquired.
“No. The items you pointed out are no longer with us.”
Maggie’s heart sank. She kept up her tough exterior as she asked, “What?!”
Emily pointed to the screen. “They were sent to the Natural History Museum in Venice two months ago.”
“What?!” Maggie exclaimed again. “Why was I not informed? These pieces are vital to my research!”
“I am so sorry, Dr. von Bergenstein,” Emily answered. “Though the remaining pieces from your list are quite intriguing. Did you notice the…”
Maggie waved her hand in the air to stop the woman’s words. She pressed a hand to her head, then drew in a deep breath. “No. This is quite unacceptable. I must have the other pieces to complete my research. I shall make arrangements at once to travel to Italy!”
Maggie stepped toward the door.
“Oh, just a moment, Dr. von Bergenstein,” Emily said, stopping her. “We must inventory the items here before you leave. I’m sure you understand the protocol.”
Maggie huffed at her, folding her arms across her chest. Emily offered another nervous smile as she pulled the inventory list from the side of each crate. She checked each item on the list before spinning to face Maggie. “Okay! All set!”
“Satisfied?” Maggie inquired without waiting for an answer. She gathered her materials from the table. “Come, Urkel, let us depart from this useless, overcrowded and noisy city!” Maggie spun on her heel and stormed from the room. Piper raced to follow her.
“I can’t believe this,” Maggie breathed as Piper caught up to her. She pulled off her glasses. “Did you catch all that?”
“Yeah,” Henry answered. “Meet me at the entrance and we’ll get out of here.”
“Looks like we’re headed to Venice,” Ollie chimed in.
“Oh good! Another country I can illegally enter,” Piper complained.
“I’ll take you on a gondola ride, fair maiden,” Charlie offered.
“Ah, there you go!” Maggie said to Piper as they wound through the halls. “That’s totally worth committing a crime for!”
They reached the door leading to the museum. “I want a bonus for this,” Piper joked as Maggie pulled the door open.
They stepped into the crowded museum beyond the door. Maggie’s eyes scanned the exhibit room as she got her bearings. As she searched for the way to the front entrance, a man caught her attention. His clothes did not fit with a standard tourist or even a Londoner on a day trip. His behavior drew Maggie’s attention. He milled around the hallway, paying no attention to any exhibits. His eyes darted around the space.
Maggie stared at him a moment as her instincts warned her something was amiss. Before she could mention this to Piper, the man turned to face her fully. He stopped in his tracks. The wrinkle between his brows deepened. They locked eyes for a moment as Maggie’s heart thudded in her chest. Something was not right, she surmised. She grasped Piper’s wrist with the intention of making a beeline to Henry at the front entrance. Then darkness consumed the room.
Chapter 11
The room plunged into darkness as the lights overhead went black. Shouts echoed in the large space.
“Ugh, again?” Piper groaned. “What is it with museums and the lights going out?”
“I’m not sure, but something is very wrong here,” Maggie answered.
“Maggie?!” Henry’s voice called through the earpiece.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m here. We’re coming. Something isn’t…” Maggie’s voice cut off. As her eyes adjusted to the minimal light streaming from the skylights above, she spied the man moving toward her. “We need to go.”
Maggie grabbed Piper’s wrist and pulled her along. She moved away from the man, pressing against the wall behind them and sliding along it.
“What are you doing? The entrance is that way,” Piper objected. She yanked against Maggie’s arm.
Maggie shook her head. “No,” she said. “Something’s not right. Trust me.” She continued away from the front entrance, moving toward a lit EXIT sign.
“What?” Piper questioned as she followed Maggie.
“Maggie, what’s wrong?” Henry’s voice asked.
“There was a man. Something was off about him. He didn’t fit. His clothes, his behavior. He was waiting for something. Or someone. If we go toward the entrance, we’re going to run right into him, and I’d rather not do that. We’re following exit signs. Meet us outside.”
“Copy that,” Henry responded.
“We’ve got the van on the move, heading to the front entrance,” Charlie chimed in.
Maggie hurried toward the sign. People scurried everywhere, some shouting, others on their phones. Maggie hoped the chaos further separated her and Piper from the man following them. She glanced back, unable to spot him in the dim light and crowded space.
As they rounded the corner, following the arrow on the
exit sign, Maggie risked another glance over her shoulder. She spotted the man behind them. He threaded through the crowd and pushed toward them.
“Come on,” Maggie urged. She fought through a throng of school children grouped together as their chaperones called out their names. Maggie’s breath quickened as they neared a door leading outside.
Light streamed in from the cloudy sky. She pushed past a few people and into the outdoor air. Piper emerged behind her, still clutching Maggie’s forearm. Maggie searched the outside. Several museum-goers milled around in the area, likely waiting for the lights to come back on and resume their tour.
She took a few more steps away from the museum. The man emerged behind her, spying Maggie. “Let’s go,” Maggie breathed. She shoved Piper in front of her toward the main entrance. “We’re on our way to you,” Maggie informed Henry.
“I’m outside the main entrance. Which way are you? I’ll come to you.”
“No,” Maggie answered. “We’re being followed, we can’t wait here. We’re coming to you.” As she pushed Piper forward on the path toward the front entrance, she checked behind her. The man was weaving through the cluster of people toward them. She pushed Piper to walk faster. As they approached the building’s corner, another man, similarly dressed, emerged in their path. He locked eyes with Maggie, a smirk forming on his face.
Maggie’s eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. The second assailant blocked their path to Henry. With the first man closing the gap behind them, they had no choice but to veer off away from both men. The new direction would take them further from the entrance and the van.
Maggie cursed under her breath. “This way,” she said, redirecting Piper on their new course. She increased their pace. Piper puffed with exertion as Maggie hurried away from the museum. “We can’t get to you. There’s two of them,” Maggie informed Henry via earpiece. “Heading north away from you.”
“Keep moving, keep me informed. I’m coming for you,” Henry responded. Labored breathing resounded in the earpiece, then the sound of a door slamming. “Go,” Henry called.
Maggie dragged Piper across the street, dodging cars in an attempt to put as much distance between them and their assailants as possible. The men were closing the gap. She raced up the sidewalk and darted down a small alley surrounded by buildings.
“Maggie, where are you?” Henry’s voice crackled through the earpiece.
“Queen’s Gate,” Maggie reported.
Maggie traveled further down the alley, ducking into a smaller side street. “Turning off on first right.”
They made their way further down the building-lined street. As they continued, they realized the street ended. A dead-end faced them. They had nowhere to go. Maggie spun around to find the two men approaching. They were trapped.
Maggie’s heart raced and her pulse pounded as her fight-or-flight instincts kicked in. As the men approached, Maggie spotted a van turn onto the road. It raced toward them. Relief coursed through her as she recognized the nondescript white van even at a distance. The engine roared as the van lurched toward them.
The noise drew the attention of their assailants. They whipped their heads in the direction of the vehicle, which threatened to run them down. The two men dodged out of the way, each flinging themselves in the opposite direction. The van sped past them and screeched to a halt near Maggie and Piper. Ollie flung the side door open. “Get in!” he shouted.
Maggie shoved Piper ahead of her and raced toward the van. Piper climbed in, followed by Maggie. The men, already recovering from their mishap, climbed to their feet in the hopes of catching one of the women. Before Maggie could shut the van door, Ollie shouted, “GO!” and the vehicle lurched forward. Behind the wheel, Charlie gunned it as he turned sharply. The van’s wheels squealed as it fought to gain traction on the pavement while making the sharp turn.
Maggie struggled to cling to the door without toppling out. Piper clutched at Maggie’s jacket as Maggie nearly pitched to the pavement. Ollie reached out and grabbed hold of Maggie’s arm. As the van swung around, one of the men sprinted toward them. He reached out and grabbed Maggie’s flailing limb. Maggie screamed as she attempted to cling to the van. The man ran alongside as he attempted to wrench her from the moving vehicle. Ollie grasped Maggie with both hands and pulled her toward him. Piper still grasped Maggie’s jacket and kicked the man’s stomach. He lost his grip for a moment, allowing Ollie and Piper to haul Maggie back into the van as she slid the door shut.
They collapsed to the floor; their breathing labored. “Is everyone all right?” Henry called from the passenger seat.
“Yeah,” Maggie gasped. “Yeah, we’re good.”
Maggie let her head fall back against the van’s side wall. “Ugh,” she moaned. “That so did not go the way I hoped.”
“Dude,” Piper choked out between gasps of breath, “remind me never to travel with you again.”
Maggie shot her a glance but offered a weak laugh in response. Maggie crawled across the van floor and poked her head between the two front seats. “What’s our plan?”
“Well, we can’t go back to Ollie’s, that’s for certain,” Henry answered.
“How’d they find us?” Charlie questioned.
“Must have followed us,” Ollie surmised. “In case I was lying.”
“I thought they were going to Germany, whoever ‘they’ is. I’m still not clear on that,” Piper said.
“People you don’t want to know about,” Henry assured her.
Maggie sighed. “They most likely have someone in Germany checking out that lead. They probably discovered pretty quickly the fire didn’t kill us. Somehow they tracked us here.”
“We’ve got to get to Italy,” Ollie replied. “Before they figure that out.”
“Yes,” Maggie responded. “We need to get moving as quickly as possible. Please tell me we brought everyone’s fake passports.”
“In the duffle, chicky,” Charlie responded, tossing his head toward the bag in the back.
“Great,” Maggie answered as she collapsed against the van’s side again. “What’s our best way to get there as fast as possible.”
“Air is fastest,” Henry responded, “but the last-minute arrangements may be tricky.”
“Could do the train, mate,” Charlie suggested. “Eurostar goes to Paris early tomorrow morning. Then we can head into Italy from there. Takes about a day.”
“That may be our best option,” Ollie chimed in. “We’ve got some down time, though.”
“I’d like to buy a change of clothes,” Maggie suggested.
“Yeah, we should pick up a few things,” Henry agreed. “Then lie low until the train tomorrow.”
Everyone agreed. They parked the van in a parking garage, wiped it down and left it behind. They spent the afternoon hours shopping for various necessities before settling into a hotel suite with takeout.
Shortly after ten, Maggie rose from the bed she shared with Piper. She stalked toward the living room area. Henry slept on the pull-out sofa. Maggie stared down at him. His presence comforted her. She stretched and rolled her neck around, working out the kinks. Her left arm ached from where the assailant grabbed her.
Maggie paced the living room. Impatience and frustration filled her. She raked her hands through her hair, wincing as her left arm offered a complaint.
“What are you doing, princess? You’re supposed to be sleeping,” Henry murmured.
Maggie’s heart skipped a beat. “You startled me,” she answered.
“Try waking up to you pacing around the room,” Henry replied.
“I can’t sleep,” Maggie admitted. “My mind is spinning. I’ll feel better once we’re on our way to Venice. I HATE waiting.”
“You don’t say,” Henry noted. He patted the sofa bed next to him. Maggie sat on the edge, then relaxed into his embrace. “You need to get some rest.”
“I’ll have a day to rest on the stupid train,” Maggie complained.
“We’
ll need to vet a plan while we’re on the train,” Henry countered. “Preferably one that doesn’t involve you risking yourself and Piper to gain access to the ankh.”
“Well, it was better than your usual plans, which always involve less-than-legal methods like rappelling from one dangerous location to another.”
“I quite like my plans, princess,” Henry said with a chuckle.
“Your plan wouldn’t have gotten us the information about the current location of the ankh. We’d be at a dead-end right now if not for Piper’s brilliant idea.”
“True. All right, I admit defeat. Piper’s plan was better. But next time, let me play the rude researcher, huh?”
“Hey,” Maggie objected, “I thought I fit the role quite well.”
“Mmm-hmm, I especially loved that German accent,” Henry teased.
“Watch yourself, Mr. Taylor,” Maggie said in her fake German accent, “I am not to be trifled with.”
“Not to be trifled with, huh?” Henry asked. “We’ll see about that.”
Maggie giggled as she closed her eyes. The simple conversation lulled her mind into a relaxed state. She drifted off to sleep next to Henry within moments.
Henry woke Maggie a few hours later. “Huh? What?” she groaned without moving or opening her eyes.
“Time to get up, princess.”
“Ugh, you’re kidding. Are you kidding?” Maggie questioned.
“Nope. We’re moving out in ninety minutes. Figured you’d want to hop in the shower before we go.”
Maggie whined for a moment. “I DETEST mornings, especially early ones,” she moaned.
“What happened to the ‘I can’t wait to be on the train’ attitude?”
Maggie’s eyes popped open, and she glared at Henry. He raised his eyebrow at her. “I hate you sometimes,” she said as she climbed from the sofa bed. She stalked two steps toward the bathroom before she returned and kissed Henry on the cheek. “But that sensation usually doesn’t last long.” She winked and disappeared through the door into the bathroom.
Maggie emerged from the bathroom forty-five minutes later. “What the hell takes you so long?” Piper questioned. “I got up like ten minutes earlier than I needed to figuring you’d be finished.”
Secret of the Ankhs: A Maggie Edwards Adventure (Maggie Edwards Adventures Book 2) Page 13
