“Yes and no,” Dallas said as the server set down their dishes. “Some of these temples haven’t been looked at in years. With the new technology—with the tool Sam helped invent, we could really find it. There’s more there. There has to be.”
They sat in a silence for a second.
“I was going to run my theory by Caldwell, but that was before I actually met him and realized he was the dude in the exhibit—something about him—”
“What? That’s Caldwell?”
“Yep.”
“Yikes. He seems like sort of a creeper,” Colton said.
“Totally,” Dallas said. “And he’s completely convinced that the tomb is somewhere underwater,” she said. She speared a forkful of avocado and tuna. “And he’s certain he’s the one who will find it.”
“You think he’s barking up the wrong tree.”
“Oh yeah.”
“What’s your plan?”
“I’m not positive, but I think I might need to first go see the temples in person and that will help me narrow them down. I’ve already narrowed it down to the five most likely candidates as far as sites go.”
“Wow. Just last night?”
“Yes. But I’ve been thinking about this for years, Colton.”
He nodded, examining her. She was dead serious and he could see it, she could tell.
“How long will that take you?”
“Like I said, I’m going to ask for a year’s sabbatical. But first I need to go over there and get permission from the Egyptian Minister of Antiquities to even visit the temples. Most are closed to the public because of grave robbers.”
Colton bit his lip thinking and then said, “So you’d be gone a month the first go around? If you got permission?”
She nodded. “If I left right away, I could maybe be back in time for spring semester.
The Adams’ Apple on Colton’s neck bob as he swallowed. He did like her. She knew it. She hadn’t imagined all those moments of almost between them. And the thought of not seeing him for months, or God forbid, even years, didn’t sit well with her.
It was up to her to make the first move.
“I was thinking that I might need some help…” she trailed off, hoping he would get the hint.
“Oh, yeah?” he said and took another bite of what appeared to be broccoli tempura. She waited for him to quit chewing and meet her eyes.
“I would want someone who was very experienced; someone I’ve worked with before…”
Come on, Colton! How much clearer can I make it?
His eyes widened as he got it and a slow smile spread across his face. “I don’t know if I could get the time off. Even though school is out, I have all sorts of boring work to do.”
“Even for like a two-week vacation?” she asked, sort of hating the hopeful pleading she could hear in her voice.
His smile was her answer. “I don’t know but I can sure try.”
She returned the smile.
“Meanwhile, I’ll fill out the paperwork for my sabbatical application,” she said.
“Sounds good.”
It was dark by the time Dallas finished cleaning her office and returned home to her place at the Ice House Lofts. As she walked up to the front door, she knew immediately that something was wrong.
Her neighborhood was pretty safe, one reason she’d bought there with the money she’d inherited from her parents, but a rash of home and vehicle burglaries last summer had the neighborhood on alert.
The front porch light that was set on a timer, was out. She turned her key in the lock and the door swung open but she stayed back for a few seconds listening. Then she reached in and flicked on the line of light switches. The porch light and the inside hall light flickered to life.
That’s when she saw the disarray. Stepping back onto her front porch she got out her phone and dialed 911.
Four
After the police had cleared her loft, saying anyone who had been there was gone, they walked her through the space, asking her to point out if anything obvious was missing.
The Bose stereo system sitting on its spot on the table was the first indication that she wasn’t dealing with a regular burglar. Without stopping to check for other valuables, Dallas immediately headed to her office in the loft space. As she rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, she gasped.
Every book was pulled off every shelf and flung on the floor. Filing cabinets drawers were open and papers covered the floor and furniture. The yellow legal pad with her notes about the temples was gone. Thank God, her laptop was still in the backpack she carried everywhere.
“Did you have anything of value here? It looks like the burglars were very interested in this room.”
Dallas realized she was shaking. The idea that a stranger had violated her home was bad enough, but when she understood what they were after, it shook her to the core. They’d left the expensive items and taken her notepad. With the notes on Cleopatra’s tomb.
The only person she could think of who knew about her research into Cleopatra’s tomb was Colton. And there was no way he would do this. But the creeper archeologist, David Caldwell, and his somewhat pervert partner, Malcolm Land, they knew she had a theory.
Dallas shut the door after saying goodbye to the detective who had come to interview her.
They’d sat on her couch and talked. He didn’t take notes, which surprised her. But when she cleared her throat and told him she could only think of one person who’d be interested in what was on her laptop, he took out his phone and began to type.
“It doesn’t make sense, though,” she said.
He didn’t answer but it looked like his teeth were working the inside of his cheek as if he were thinking hard. “Well, we’ll just have a quick conversation with Mr. Caldwell and see where he was tonight.”
“Or today, right?”
“Or today, but your elderly neighbor was home all day and said she didn’t hear a thing.”
Dallas made a skeptical face. “Not sure she can hear anything, frankly.”
“We’ll see what we can find out. Meanwhile, why don’t you go to a hotel until you can get someone to fix your backdoor?”
They officers had shown her how someone had scaled the tall wall leading into her bricked patio area and then broken the glass on her backdoor window. They then easily reached in to turn the lock.
But now, closing the door on the detective, Dallas knew she wasn’t going to any hotel. The detective must think her position at the university garnered her a whole lot more money than it did. Right now, she needed to save every penny for her upcoming trip to Egypt. The way it stood now unless she was granted paid sabbatical her trip would wipe out her meager savings, clean out her bank account, and probably max out her credit cards. But it would be worth it. Tonight’s burglary made that clear. If someone was trying to scare her or stop her from going to Egypt, the plan had backfired.
So instead of a hotel, she’d hunker down here. Remembering her childhood, she wished she had a shot gun. Or at least a dog or two. She’d have to work with what she had. Before heading to bed, she pushed her large vertical buffet over a few feet so it blocked the door. If anyone tried to get in, they’d be sure to knock over the heavy piece of furniture and it would surely wake her.
Hopped up on adrenaline, Dallas lay awake most of the night, thinking about what the break in meant. Had Caldwell really been so desperate based on a random comment she’d made at his book signing? The implication that she had a different theory than him? Was he that insecure about his own theory that he’d broken in to try to find what hers was? And why her home office and not her work. It didn’t add up. What about someone else in the room? Had someone followed her from the reading?
It was still dawn when she dialed the number on the card the detective had given her. She examined it more closely. His name was Alfred Dunnigan. Poor, unfortunate soul. Didn’t parents realize what power names had. He answered immediately.
“I’m sorry if I wo
ke you,” Dallas said.
“Nah. I’m still up. Night shift you know. Plus, I wanted to make some progress on your case. I’m leaving town later today.”
“Oh.” She knew she sounded dejected. “Anything?”
“Well, yeah. We were able to track down Caldwell. Unfortunately, he’d already left town early yesterday morning, probably based on the timelines you gave me, before you’d even left for work.”
“He’s out then?”
“Looks like it.”
Dallas was stumped. But then she remembered why she’d called. “My office at the school? I’m heading there in a few hours, but I guess it doesn’t make sense that someone would break into my home office and not my work one?”
“Stay put. I’ll send some officers over to check on it and get back to you asap.”
Dallas made an espresso and downed it and then decided to venture into her living room. Unlike her office, her living quarters were fairly Spartan and modern. A sleek couch. A slim leather chair. A TV and a few pictures. The only knick-knack type items were a small statue of a sphinx and a ceramic replica of a cuchimilco couple from 1200 A.D. Peru that was supposed to keep evil spirits away.
“Guys, you didn’t really do your job,” she said, scolding the couple who were standing with their arms out. “Or maybe you did.”
Surprisingly few things were out of place in the room, mainly pillows and cushions tossed around and books torn off bookshelves. She had the room straightened up before Detective Dunnigan called back.
“I’m sorry to have to ask you this, but is your office at the university is usually, um, well, messy?”
Dallas rolled her eyes. But it wasn’t his fault. “Yeah, it’s normally a train wreck. But I spent all day cleaning it yesterday.”
“Well, sorry about that. You’re going to have to start over again. Someone clearly was in here based on the mess we’ve found, but also the school’s security company reported an alarm going off there early this morning. When officers went to investigate last night, however, they didn’t find anything suspicious.”
“I’m on my way,” Dallas said, reaching for a hoodie that was on a hook by the door.
“Did you have a laptop or computer in the office?” he asked.
“No, I have a laptop I cart to school and back home every day.”
“Oh good. Glad they didn’t take that.”
“Me too,” Dallas said. “I’ll head to the U now and take a look.”
“Meet you there.”
The first thing Dallas realized was that the picture she kept on her desk was gone.
“Anything missing?” Dunnigan asked. He stood in the doorway watching as Dallas looked around.
“They took a picture,” she said. Her voice was low.
“A picture?”
She swallowed. “Of me with my mom and dad.”
The detective didn’t answer.
After a few seconds, he spoke to someone behind him in the hall. “Can you get Jackson in here to scan for fingerprints? He turned back to Dallas “Anything else?”
Dallas’s eyes searched the small space. She took a step toward her bookshelf. It was mostly empty with all of her books now on the floor. What she saw made her freeze.
“Ms. Jones?”
“Um, detective? Have you ever heard of a burglar leaving something instead of taking something?”
In fact, Detective Dunnigan had heard of burglars leaving mementos behind after they broke into homes. And they weren’t items anyone would want to find. Gross things. Dallas knew that he was trying to lighten the mood but the stories he told her were disgusting.
“I mean I guess someone leaving a picture of a black crow is a lot better than the guy who would take a dump on the kitchen table.”
“That’s a fact,” Dallas said. She glanced again at the small card featuring a black crow. She knew enough about ancient Egypt to know crows were bad omens.
“They say people do that—defecate—as a kind of power trip,’ Dunnigan said, still talking about pooping burglars.
Dallas was half listening. The picture was a warning. Left by the intruder.
Someone was telling her to back off her search for Cleopatra’s tomb. She grabbed her cell. It went straight to Colton’s voice mail.
“Listen, I’m leaving tonight on a flight to Cairo whether I got the sabbatical leave or not and wanted to let you know,” she paused for a second before adding, “I hope you understand. I have to do this.”
Once she put her office back together, Dallas took her laptop out of her bag and got online to make arrangements for trip to Cairo.
The Happy City Hotel was only $18 a night, which both excited her and worried her. At least it wasn’t $18 an hour, right? She scrolled through the pictures. The rooms looked like a little old grandma’s house – pink walls and pink rose bedspreads. The rooms even had towels folded into those little swan things, which seemed happy enough.
The dining area oddly enough had white padded walls hung with pictures of tigers. But the best part of all, was that breakfast was included. Although as Dallas enlarged the pictures of the breakfast buffet and couldn’t identify a single food, she decided to pack an abundance of protein bars. Just in case. She was adventurous about food, but she also wanted to eat healthy. It would all work out. She was fretting over silly details. The truth was she wanted to avoid thinking about the possible consequences of her action: Losing her job.
But she needed to act now before she wimped out. And before the supposed threat to stop her grew more serious.
She mapped out a plan in her mind.
The first person she needed to convince was Sam. He knew how to run the software mapping system that would help her find the tomb.
She found him at the nearly deserted campus coffee shop, head bent down over his laptop, a coffee cup and the remains of a bagel nearby. He was sitting with Colton. For some reason, Dallas felt herself blush seeing Colton. They hadn’t spoken since she left the message telling him she was leaving no matter what.
“I think I know where Cleopatra’s tomb is,” Dallas said, not wasting any time.
“Surely, you can’t be serious,” Sam said.
“I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.”
The friendship formed between Sam and Dallas five years ago had blossomed out of their mutual obsession with movies. Sam was always hoping to stump Dallas with an unrecognizable movie line. But she’d always held her own, thanks to a childhood where she was insecure about her weight and looks and buried her loneliness by watching movies.
Colton was almost always lost when they started their back and forth.
“Airplane. 1980,” Dallas said, looking at Colton.
“Aha. That’s a good one,” Colton said. He turned to Sam. “By the way, she is serious. Dead serious.”
Dallas set her bag down and plunked into a chair to explain her plan. She would land in Cairo and head to the Ministry of Antiquities office for permission to visit the temples. She would fly or drive to each of them and determine which one was most likely the site of Cleopatra’s tomb.
“I’m sure he’s only going to grant me a temporary permit until I can gather evidence that I’m on the right track. That’s where you would come in.”
As she spoke, a frown spread across Sam’s face. It worried her and made her speak faster.
“With the scanning program, we could simplify the process, speed it up, have solid results to bring back to the minister to get a permanent permit to excavate—for as long as we needed.”
She paused, holding her breath, watching Sam’s face, waiting for his reaction.
“Dallas, I’m sorry.”
Her heart sunk. It felt like her entire body deflated.
“I would go. You know I would. In a heartbeat. It sounds amazing. But I’m leaving town right after this. That’s what Colton and I were meeting about.” He gestured toward a duffel bag on the floor by his feet that Dallas hadn’t noticed. “I got a call. A family emergency. My
older brother was in a car accident. He’s fine, but he’s the primary caregiver for my mother. My mother lives with him and he drives her to her appointments and so on. It’s a long story. But I just told Colton I need a leave. I’m not sure when I can get back.”
Dallas felt like a heel. “I’m so sorry. I just barged in here and interrupted. I’m so sorry about your brother. Is he going to be okay? Is there anything I can do?”
He smiled. “Thanks. It’s just a matter of me moving home for a few months to help care for mom while he’s recuperating. Mainly until he can drive again.”
“A saint is a human being we celebrate for the sacrifices they make, for their commitment to making the world a better place,” Dallas said.
“Hardly.”
“You are, though,” Dallas said, her voice growing soft. “A saint.”
The three of them sat there for a minute until Sam said, “St. Vincent.”
“What?” Colton said.
“That was the movie she quoted,” he said.
“Damn. I thought maybe for the first time I’d stumped you,” Dallas said.
“No way.”
Dallas stood and grabbed her bag.
“I’ve got to go—meet the window repair guy at my place.”
Before she walked away, she turned to Colton. “I don’t suppose you heard back from the provost about my sabbatical?”
Colton shook his head. “I wish I had.”
Then Dallas realized what both she and Sam leaving meant.
“Oh my God. Are we totally leaving you in the lurch for the spring semester?”
“I think I can figure it out. I’ve got a grad student chomping at the bit to get some hours in. Don’t worry about that.”
After the window repair guy finished, Dallas grabbed her large backpack that worked as a small suitcase and carry on and packed a few items. Toiletries and a few extra pairs of cargo pants, tank tops and a jacket along with boots. She had no plans to dress nice anywhere so that made it easy.
While she was finishing business up with the window guy, Colton had returned her call and left two message: “I went in and talked to the provost. There’s no way to get the sabbatical approved right now. Best-case scenario is to get it approved before the spring semester begins.” He paused. “Do you have time for coffee before you go?”
Buried Secrets Page 4
