Lady Justice and the Pharaoh's Curse

by Robert Thornhill

  “Very well,” he replied, obviously annoyed. “Go ahead.”

  “Mr. Cavendish, if I knew where you could get your hands on some gold and precious stones from the original King Tut tomb, would you be interested?”

  “Of course I would be interested, but where would a fellow like you get his hands on genuine artifacts from King Tut’s tomb?”

  “I can’t really tell you that, Sir, but I guarantee you that they’re authentic. If I can convince you, what would they be worth to you?”

  “My, my, young man. You’re asking me to put a price on something I haven’t even seen yet? Ridiculous!”

  “Let’s say I have enough gold and gems to fill a gallon paint can. What would that be worth?”

  Cavendish laughed. “A small fortune --- if they’re genuine. Just think about it. Those artifacts would have been buried and hidden from mankind for over three-thousand years, possibly crafted by the same hands that designed jewelry for Queen Nefertiti. Yes, I would definitely be interested. I have a personal collection of Egyptian artifacts second to none. I have a staff that belonged to Ahkenaten, Tutankhaten’s father, but absolutely nothing from the reign of the boy king himself.”

  “So how much?” Rollins asked, expectantly. “If I can deliver the goods, what’s it worth to you?”

  Cavendish tugged on his bottom lip. “If it’s what you say, I would easily pay a million for it.”

  That was the number that Rollins wanted to hear. “I can have the artifacts to your suite within an hour.”

  “Can you, now? Well suddenly, I’m not quite as tired as before. Why don’t you run along and ‘deliver the goods’ as you put it. I think I’ll just stay here and have another sherry while I wait. Veronica, darling, would you mind sitting with me until Mr. Rollins returns?”

  “Sure, Oscar. I can do that.”

  “Very well, then. Run along now, Mr. Rollins.”

  Rollins climbed into the unmarked cruiser. “Gary! Did you get all that?”

  “Yeah, I heard everything. This is almost too good to be true. Are you sure they’re legit?”

  “You heard it. The hooker didn’t come on to me. In fact, she wanted nothing to do with me until the King Tut stuff came up. And the old codger, he looks like he has money coming out his wazoo. Look, we had no idea how we were going to cash in that treasure and now this falls into our laps. Let’s don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

  “Whatever you say. I hope you’re right. I can almost taste those margaritas.”

  Kevin and Judy were parked a block away listening to the entire conversation, compliments of the tiny mike that Kevin had hidden in Veronica’s ample cleavage.

  “Yes!” Kevin said, jubilantly, pounding his fist on the dash. “They’ve taken the bait. Let’s reel them in. You got that all on tape, I hope.”

  “Got it right here,” Judy said, patting a cassette recorder. “Are you sure that tracking thing will work?”

  “Does a wooden horse have a hickory dick? Of course it works. Now fire up this jalopy and let’s get going.”

  Kevin turned on his cell phone and pressed the tracking app. A street map with a blinking red dot filled the screen. “See, I told you. Don’t get too close. Stay at least two blocks behind them. They’re cops, after all, and we don’t want them spotting our tail. This little baby is good for a half mile.”

  “What do you think?” Judy asked. “Should I call for back up?”

  “Not yet. I can see the cavalry riding in with lights flashing and sirens blaring and scaring them off. Let’s wait until we know they have the goods, then call. Right now it’s two of us and two of them and we have the element of surprise.”

  “Where are they now?” Judy asked.

  “They’re heading east on Linwood. We’re about five minutes behind them. Wait! They just turned south on Prospect.”

  “Looks like Walt had these guys pegged from the moment he saw Rollins’ name on the evidence sheet,” Judy said. “I wish he and Ox could be here when we take them down.”

  “Me, too. Hold on! They’re still on Prospect, but they’ve turned off the street. It must be where they’ve stashed the loot.”

  “How far?”

  “Like I said, we’re about five minutes behind them.”

  “Okay, slow down. They’re just ahead --- stop! Right here!”

  “It’s one of those twenty-four hour storage places,” Judy said. “They must have the stuff stashed in one of the rental units.”

  “Yeah, and of all the luck, it’s got one of those gates where you need a key code to get in.”

  “That chain link fence is only about six feet,” Judy said, looking out the window. “Can you climb?”

  “Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back? Hell yes, I can climb. I may be old, but I’m not dead.”

  “Then let’s do this and get our guys out of jail.”

  Judy pulled the car to the side of the road and they quietly scaled the chain link fence.

  They had walked a few steps when Judy held up her hand. “Hold on. I think I heard a door roll up in the next aisle.”

  They peered around the corner and saw Rollins and Fricke entering a unit stacked high with boxes. A lone box sat on a folding table.

  Rollins opened the box. “Right where we left it. Gary, this is our ticket to paradise.”

  “Okay, that’s it,” Kevin whispered. “The goods are in that box. We’ve caught ‘em with their hands in the cookie jar. Let’s wrap this up.”

  “Give me a minute to call for that backup,” Judy said, pulling out her cell phone.

  The call completed, they both pulled their weapons and quietly advanced to the open storage locker.

  “Okay boys, keep your hands where we can see them,” Judy said. “Kansas City Police. I’m placing you under arrest for the murder of Lester Figg.”

  Rollins and Fricke looked over their shoulders and saw the two pistols pointed in their direction.

  “That’s Judy Wilson, Ox’s wife,” Rollins whispered. “I don’t know the old guy. What do you want to do?”

  Fricke sighed and shook his head. “Phil, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in prison. How about you?”

  “Me neither. On three?”

  Fricke nodded.

  “One --- two --- three!”

  They split and ran for cover behind the stack of boxes, pulling their guns and firing a volley over their shoulders.

  Judy and Kevin ducked and returned fire.

  Behind the boxes, Fricke grabbed his side and slumped to the floor. “Phil. I’m hit!”

  “How bad?”

  Fricke pulled his hand away and blood gushed from the hole in his shirt.

  “It’s bad.”

  Rollins peered around the boxes and fired two rounds. “We have to get you out of here, partner.”

  “Too late,” Fricke replied. “It’s a gut shot. I’m not going anywhere, but you are.”

  “The hell I am! I’m not leaving you behind.”

  “Don’t be stupid, Phil. No sense in both of us going down, but you need to act now. I’m fading fast. Give me your gun.”

  “Why? What ---?”

  “Just give me your damn gun. I can keep those two out there pinned down while you make a run for the car. Come on! Don’t let me die for nothing!”

  Rollins hesitated, then handed Fricke his gun. “Thanks, partner. I won’t forget this.”

  “Now get out of here! On three. One --- two -- three!”

  Fricke staggered from behind the stack of boxes with both guns blazing. Rollins sprinted toward his car when he saw Wilson and the old guy duck for cover.

  He glanced in the rear view mirror just before slamming the transmission into drive and saw his partner stumble and fall into the stack of boxes, driven by a hail of bullets.

  “I’ll make them pay,” he muttered as he sped away. “I’ll make them pay!”

  Kevin turned to fire at the fleeing car, but it was around the corner before he could get off a shot.

/>   The two stood in silence for a moment, collecting their wits when they heard a ‘crash’ in the distance.

  “I don’t think Rollins stopped to open the gate on his way out,” Kevin said. “He’ll be long gone before the cavalry arrives, but we’ve still got him on the tracker.”

  They turned to survey the damage inside the storage unit.

  “Damn!” Kevin muttered, as he looked at the gold and jewels strewn across the floor. “So that’s what all the fuss was about. That stuff is over three thousand years old. Must be worth a small fortune.”

  “Good Lord!” Judy gasped as her attention was drawn to the fallen cop.

  Fricke’s momentum had carried him into the stack of books which fell to the floor under his weight.

  Lying in the detective’s lap was a blood-soaked copy of Figg’s novel, The Curse of the Pharaohs.

  A low whistle escaped Kevin’s lips. “That’s five bodies since this King Tut caper started. I’m beginning to wonder if this mummy’s curse thing is for real.”

  “And it’s not over yet,” Judy replied, as the wail of sirens filled the night air.

  CHAPTER 16

  I was surprised to see Suzanne Romero and Ox trailing along behind the jailer.

  A moment later, the door to my cell swung open. The jailer stepped aside. “You’re free to go. You may pick up your personal items at the booking desk.”

  To say that I was surprised would be an understatement.

  “Suzanne, I knew you were good, but I had no idea ---!”

  “I’d love to be able to take credit for this, but I had nothing to do with it. It was all that goofy brother-in-law of yours. He cooked up this elaborate scheme to draw Rollins and Fricke out into the open. I’ll let him give you the details. The bottom line was that Rollins and Fricke led Kevin and Judy to a storage unit out on Prospect. Figg evidently had rented it to store the books for his personal appearances. It looks like he also stored the Anubis there after stealing it from Bernard Maloof. Apparently, Rollins and Fricke coerced the location of the unit out of Figg, emptied the treasure from the Anubis and planted the thing in the Three Trails to frame the two of you. Judy and Kevin confronted them and a gunfight ensued.”

  Ox grabbed Romero’s arm. “A gunfight? Is Judy ---?”

  “Yes, she’s fine and so is Kevin. I can’t say as much for Gary Fricke. He died at the scene.”

  “What about Rollins?” I asked.

  “He got away, but Kevin had put some kind of tracking device on his car. I haven’t heard if they’ve found him yet.”

  “So, it’s all over?”

  Romero nodded. “It is. All charges against the two of you have been dropped. After you pick up your personal items, the captain would like to see you in his office. I think he has a couple of badges that belong to you.”

  “Thanks so much for your help, Suzanne. It was a comfort knowing you were there. I’ll be looking for your bill.”

  “Not this time, Walt. All I did was go to your arraignment. I owed you one for giving me the tip on Councilman Carson. This one’s on the house.”

  “Thanks. I just hope there won’t be a next one.”

  Romero grinned. “Hey, I know Mary Murphy and that crowd of rowdies you hang around with. I doubt I’ve seen the last of you.”

  I knew she was probably right.

  When we entered the squad room, Officer Dooley was waiting for us.

  “Got a little present for the two of you,” he said, handing us each a card.

  They were ‘get out of jail free’ cards from the old Monopoly game.

  “Better carry these in your wallets. You never know when they might come in handy.”

  The captain stepped out of his office and waved us in.

  When we entered, Detective Blaylock rose to greet us.

  “Ox, Walt, I wanted to come in person and tell you how happy I am that things turned out the way they did. I also want to tell you how bad I felt having to bring you in. I never really believed that you were guilty, but the evidence ---.”

  “Detective,” I said, cutting him off, “you were just doing your job. You have to go where the evidence takes you and we can’t blame you for what happened. Rollins and Fricke were cops and they did a heck of a job setting us up. What about Rollins? Have you brought him in?”

  Blaylock shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. We followed that tracking device your brother-in-law attached to his car, but we found it abandoned in a convenience store parking lot. Even without knowing about the device, Rollins would have figured we would put out a BOLO on his car. Undoubtedly he’s stolen another one by now. I’m afraid he’s in the wind. We’ve staked out his apartment, but he’s too smart to go back there.”

  “So the treasure was in that storage unit all along?”

  “Yes,” the captain replied, “and it really was something special. The mayor contacted the State Department and they’re contacting the Egyptian embassy. We’ll see where it goes from there. Oh, by the way, you two may be wanting these.” He handed us our badges and service revolvers.

  “I want you to take a couple of days off, with pay of course, to unwind from your ordeal. You’ve both got your recertification coming up in a few days. Maybe you should spend some time on the firing range. I’d hate to have to put either of you on desk duty after what you’ve been through. Oh, one more thing. I’ve given Judy the day off as well. I think she’s waiting for you at Walt’s apartment. You’re dismissed.”

  When we pulled up in front of my building, I was surprised that no one was waiting on the porch to greet us. We figured that someone would have shared the news that we had been liberated from our cells.

  “Kinda quiet around here,” Ox observed as we climbed the stairs. “That’s unusual.”

  I put the key in the lock and when I opened the door, we were hit with a barrage of, “WELCOME HOME’s!”

  The whole crowd was there.

  Somebody must have hit ‘play’ on a boom box. The unmistakable voice of Elvis filled the room.

  The warden threw a party in the county jail.

  The prison band was there and they began to wail.

  As Jailhouse Rock continued to blast away, one by one our friends rushed up to give us hugs.

  When it was eighty-six year old Bernice’s turn, she pulled me down so she could whisper in my ear.

  “Walt, while you were in stir, did some lifer make you his bitch?”

  Bernice had been watching too many old movies.

  “No,” I whispered back. “I was in solitary.”

  “Thank goodness!” she replied, patting my arm, obviously relieved.

  At the tail end of the reception line were the two people we wanted to see the most, Maggie and Judy.

  Maggie held me close and I could feel her warm tears soaking through my shirt.

  “I was so worried,” she sobbed, “and I missed you so much.”

  In a feeble attempt to lighten the moment, I summoned my best Jimmy Cagney voice.

  “Yeah, babe. I missed you, too. The only thing that kept me alive all those long lonely nights in that damn, rat-infested cell, was the vision of your smiling face and the memory of your soft voice and gentle touch.”

  “You’re an asshole,” she said, pulling away and punching me in the arm.

  Then her face broke into a big smile. “I’m so glad you’re home, you big galoot.”

  “Okay,” Ox said, “I want to hear all the details about this sting that sprung Walt and me out of the clinker.”

  That was Kevin’s cue. We took our seats and for the next thirty minutes we heard every detail of his elaborate scheme.

  As I listened to his narrative, I marveled at how life can be so full of twists and turns that you never see coming. My mind wandered back to the evening several months ago when Kevin had showed up at our door hoping to talk Maggie out of one of her kidneys.

  I had an instant dislike for the guy and wished that he had never come into our lives, but since that time, he had actuall
y pulled my fat out of the fire at least three times and I had grown to respect him and love him like a brother.

  Everyone in the room listened intently as he described the bloody shootout that ended with the death of a fellow cop.

  “I’ve never been one to put any stock in mystical, magical crap like this curse thing,” he said, in conclusion, “but five people have died since that Anubis was stolen --- it sure makes you wonder.”

  The room was silent for a minute, then Jerry saw his opening.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming this evening. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. I have the names of our Oscar winners right here,” he said, holding up an envelope.

  “First, for leading man in a mystery drama, our winner is the Professor for his portrayal of Oscar Cavendish, the eccentric, but wealthy collector of antiquities. Professor, please come up and accept your Oscar.”

  With some difficulty, the Professor lifted himself out of his chair and took the little plastic figure that Jerry had most likely bought at the Dollar Store.

  “Professor, what was it that made you accept this dangerous and challenging role?”

  The Professor thought for a minute. “I think Confucius said it best, ‘The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security, he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. To see what is right and not do it is want of courage.’ It was simply the right thing to do.”

  He gave a graceful and dignified bow and returned to his seat.

  Jerry pulled another name from the envelope. “For leading lady in a mystery drama, our winner is Victoria for her portrayal of --- well --- herself.”

  Victoria giggled and jiggled her way to the center of the room.

  “So, Victoria, you seemed to be a natural for this part.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Well, duh! I was playing a hooker.”

  “What was your motivation for this role?”

  “Those vice guys are always giving me a hard time, so maybe I figured this gig would be a little payback for all the grief they’ve caused me.”