Discovery

by Maurice Barkley

  We were halfway down the steps before he had finished his instructions. I knew our destination was at least one football field away, but it was difficult to estimate because of the multitude of distractions. We kept a fast pace, but several times I had to reach back to drag Amisi along.

  “Oh, Biti,” she nearly sobbed. “I almost wish you could leave me here. There are five lifetimes of things to learn in this room.”

  “Wait and see the movie,” I said, while pulling her along. “I'll buy the popcorn.”

  When we arrived at the base of the pyramid, Alice said, “You two look around at all of this. I'll take pictures from every angle.”

  “You're the expert here,” I said to Amisi. “I'll just follow along and assist with my flashlight.”

  She didn't answer. I don't think she heard me. Like a ballerina walking in a trance with arms outspread, she floated toward the statue of the queen. Once there, she danced around the base to gaze up at the looming creation, completely mesmerized by the sight. I just stood where we had arrived, on a low flat platform at the base of the pyramid. It had some stuff carved on the front side and it looked as though it had the capacity to hold a large object, but the surface was smooth and empty. I was content to watch Amisi having the experience of her lifetime and follow her with my flashlight as she ran to examine the king. After four revolutions around him, she stopped and looked around as though waking from a dream. When she saw me, she ran to where I was. I was expecting a big hug, but no, she grabbed my hand and ran ahead up the steps to the sarcophagus.

  It was a biggie that took up most of the top floor space. Amisi, totally involved, got busy with a camera to record the intricate decorations. I just stood guard because she might step back and take a tumble. As my photographer inched her way around the big coffin, I noticed the rim of something on the top. I had nothing to stand on so I jumped as high as I could for a quick peek. It was pretty dark up there so I jumped again with my flashlight pointing forward. I didn't believe what I saw so I jumped again, and then I jumped again.

  Amisi was making happy little vocalizations like a small child on Christmas morning. She clicked her final picture of the images on the sarcophagus and handed me the camera. She placed both hands and her cheek against the stone side. “Just think, Biti. This is the first human touch this stone has had for several thousand years. The thought sends shivers up and down my spine.”

  “Amisi, I'm going to squat down halfway and cup my hands together. I want you to put one foot there and hike yourself up to look at the top of this casket. Take your camera along and after you snap a picture, see if you can hand me what you find there.”

  She gave me a quizzical look, but did not hesitate to put a foot in my hands to step up. It took her a minute to digest what she saw.

  “I see,” she said. “My touch on this sarcophagus is the first in sixty-some years, not thousands. What the hell are they doing here?”

  “See how heavy they are,” I said.

  I felt her move around some. “Not too heavy, but there is something inside them.”

  “ALICE!” I called. “can you join us for a minute?”

  “On the way,” she answered from nearby.

  “Talk about thorough,” she said, when she saw Amisi up top.

  “I want to hand down a couple of things,” Amisi said.

  Alice pocketed her camera. “I thought archaeology worked down, not up.” She set down her big light and raised her arms. Amisi awkwardly slid a barrel-shaped object off the side and lowered it into Alice’s waiting hands. She repeated the operation, then stepped down, and just in time. My hands were getting mighty tired.

  “What dost thou havest?” Alice asked.

  I shone my light on the objects. “See for thyself.”

  She squatted down for a closer look. “What in the name of all that’s profane are two cookie tins doing here? The writing is German. What does it say?”

  “It describes the contents which are or were biscuits or crackers,” Amisi said. “According to the printing, it's a military canister.”

  “What I'd like to do,” I said, “is to take a quick peek inside one of them. I have an idea of what they contain.”

  “Me too,” Alice said.

  There was a wire twisted around the snap, but it came off easily. I pulled back the lever and lifted the lid.

  “Tiz black ashes,” Alice said, as she snapped a picture of the black granular contents.

  I replaced the lid and the wire. “Gunter said there were two important passengers on the JU390. I bet we have them right here.”

  “These should go with us,” Alice said. “I've photographed everything here. Let's hike on back.”

  We were at about the halfway mark when we heard M1's voice. “Pack it in. Time to leave.”

  “Oh, shoot,” Alice said, while snapping her fingers, “I forgot to show you the door.”

  Amisi grabbed Alice's arm and dragged her to a halt. “A door? What door? Where?”

  “This place is so enthralling,” Alice said, “you two walked right past it and didn't notice a large, but sealed door directly behind the pyramid. I have some pictures of it. Strange thing—it had that Black Sun symbol carved over the arch. I didn't know it went back that far.”

  “It didn't,” I said. “At least until today it didn't.”

  Amisi released Alice, but grabbed both of my arms. “We will try to return, understand?”

  “I'm with you, kiddo,” I said.

  M2 was there when we trooped up the steps lugging our canisters.

  Before he asked, I told him about our cookie tins. “Found these on top of the sarcophagus. They are German military canisters. I believe they contain the ashes of the two important passengers that were on the JU390.”

  M1 joined us. “Keep your lights on. We can't leave for another minute or two. Harry is bringing Kosey in. I want him to see this.”

  We all held our lights forward, but turned our heads to see his reaction and his face was a sight to remember. He walked in briskly, ahead of Harry and almost lost control of his legs. Harry grabbed his arm to steady him and walked him to the edge. He could have been one of the statues. For a full minute he took no breath nor did he blink his eyes while desperately trying to take it all in. M1 gave him another minute to look, then took his shoulders to tear his gaze away from the sight.

  “Kosey, my friend,” M1 said, “this belongs to you and your people. Do you understand?”

  Kosey was having difficulty pulling his eyes away from the vista. “I understand. What is your plan?”

  This Egyptian is a fast thinker, I thought.

  “We're leaving now,” M1 said. “We have what we came to get. We may or may not return, but it is important that no one else knows we were here. After you deliver us to our meeting place, you must come back and seal up the entrance. The backhoe is yours to keep because when the time is right you will be the one to discover this place and show it to the world. Before that happens, we will come to take the Nazi loot in the first room. Then the tomb will be yours. Kosey will be a famous name in Egypt.”

  While M1 was talking, I dug the key to the backhoe out of my tea pouch and gave it to the new owner.

  “What will you do about the two men who would harm us?” Kosey asked.

  “I'll give you a special radio,” M1 said.

  We extinguished the big lights and reluctantly left that magic place.

  CHAPTER 24

  The lowering sun cast long and deep shadows in the canyon as we clambered out of the excavation. One new arrival was a sad-faced mule, standing quietly with the GPSRand its accessories lashed securely to its sides. To save weight, M1 decided to leave the generator behind. In all, we were in good shape as we left the dig and headed west toward the gully, leaving behind a small contingent to guard and fill the hole.

  Things were happening ahead of schedule and we expected to be in the air before dark. My concern was about the mule’s climbing ability as we approached the gully. I soon
learned that a fully-loaded mule could climb faster than the guy holding the guide rope. The animal reached the top ahead of all of us and waited quietly for us to catch up. I looked, but saw no trace of amusement on its solemn face. During the climb, a load of sand infiltrated the fake bandage on my leg. I removed it, took out the bullets and tucked the gun away in a marginally cleaner place.

  We now had Kosey and five of his men to escort us back down the trail. They and the mule went ahead and we brought up the rear, walking about six abreast because there were no edges to define the track. All we had was room, miles and miles of room.

  We had passed the spot where Macho Man had stopped us. Alice was on the far right of our group and I was walking next to her. Without warning, a large number of desert fighters rose from the ground where they were lying under sand covered canvas. They formed a complete ring around our party.

  We had our guns pointing out while they had their guns pointing in. It was a genuine standoff. The final surprise was when another hidden fighter, laying right next to Alice, leaped up and grabbed her from behind. He swung her around to face our group and I saw the large, ugly knife he was holding to her throat. Of course, it was Roy.

  “Okay, folks,” he snarled, “time for negotiations. Either that or I use the knife.”

  No one moved. All the guns remained pointed in and out as we watched and waited. I did move some, but it was only to raise both of my arms in the universal sign of surrender. The only sound was my crutch clattering to the ground. I saw Alice look at me with a puzzled expression. I was glad my back was to the others. I lowered my arms to rest my hands on my head; the way cops have the bad guy do when they are about to cuff a suspect. Roy glanced at Amisi and me, then did a double take as he recognized us. I gave him the old gap-toothed smile and saw his eyes go round and hard.

  Possibly a mistake, I thought.

  While this was happening, a pickup bounced over the horizon and pulled up near where we were. It was Carl. He jumped out and ran up to Roy.

  “What are you doing? This is crazy, stop it!”

  “Too late, little man,” Roy said, without looking at Carl. “I now own the controlling interest in our partnership. Just get back in the truck and wait.”

  “It can't work, Roy,” Carl pleaded. “Too many people know about the tomb. All we can do is get away from here.”

  “We will,” he said, “as soon as I finish this business. I don't allow anyone to beat me at games like this.”

  Carl stepped back, a desperate look on his face, not knowing what to do. I, meanwhile, with my hands still on my head, had been making motions with my fingers as though I was wiping sweat off my brow. There was sweat there, but the idea was to get Roy used to seeing my fingers move.

  “You,” he said, looking at Kosey while nodding toward his fighters, “you must be the leader of these other men. Lay down your weapons and walk away and we will let you live. If you don't, she dies right now.”

  Kosey looked at him with contempt, said nothing, but spat on the ground.

  Roy put his mouth close to Alice's ear. “Well, Alice, what'll it be? If you have any influence over Laurence of Arabia here, best you use it now. You know I won't hesitate.”

  “You talk too much, Roy,” she said. “Look what I have for you.”

  She slowly raised her stiff right arm. Her hand at the end of that arm was clutching one of her hand grenades. Her other arm followed the first and in that hand she displayed the pin from the little bomb. All she had to do was open her fist and BOOM! Another stalemate.

  I saw all of this out of the corner of my eye because I had my gaze fixed on the blade denting Alice's throat. As soon as he saw the grenade, his blade turned momentarily flat and I moved my own right hand. Through the cloth of my pillbox hat, I wrapped my fingers around the butt of the derringer I had stashed there. I swung it out and shot Roy in his head, point blank.

  Luckily, the surprise was so great that no one else fired. We were all as still as the statues in the tomb as Roy slumped over, then slid down to collapse in an awkward pose on the ground. No one needed to check his pulse. Ol' Roy had finally lost one.

  “Everyone stop!” Carl shouted. “Stop right now. It's over.”

  He walked over to one of Roy's fighters and spoke to him for a moment. The man gave a signal to the others and they all raised their rifles to point at the sky and in single file walked away to the west.

  “Biti my dear,” Alice said, as she was putting the pin back into her grenade.

  “Yes, Stinky,” I replied.

  “Wait a moment.” She reattached the grenade to her vest. When finished, she stepped over, wrapped both arms around my chest and buried her nose in my neck. “You now own me,” she murmured, “but if you say I have nice grenades, you get a knee in the crotch.”

  “Ah,” I said, “the Alice giveth and the Alice taketh away.”

  Suddenly, there was a crowd pressed close—including Jean.

  “You dirty rat,” M2 said, with a hoarse whisper. “That was badass.”

  “I hate to break this up,” Alice said, “but we must press on.”

  We had quite forgotten poor Carl. When I turned and looked, he was standing alone with his cell phone pressed to his ear.

  Alice walked over to him. “Who have you been trying to call, Carl?”

  “My sister. She hasn't answered her phone for a full day now.”

  “Why does that concern you so much?”

  Carl said nothing. He just fingered his cell phone and looked at the ground. A couple of things clicked in my mind so I joined Alice and poked him in his chest to get his attention.

  “Carl, is Anna a glider pilot?”

  His reaction reminded me of Gary at the Sleep Tight Wad. He dropped the cell phone and looked at me open mouthed. “How... How did you know?”

  I pulled Alice back to the group and gathered them around while Carl just stood where he was.

  “Remember back in the cavern,” I said to Alice, “you thought you heard a scraping noise?”

  “I did,” she said, “but it was so faint and it didn't repeat. I thought it was nothing.”

  “Also,” I said, “as we were leaving with Fritz, we saw a glider down in that field. I think that Anna, at Carl's request, was watching the ruin from above. When she saw us enter the tunnel, she landed and followed us inside. The scraping noise was most likely Anna opening or closing the outer door.”

  “Oh, my God,” Amisi gasped, “we locked her inside that place. She's all alone in there.”

  “Well, she's safe at least,” M1 said, “and she's only been in there for a short time.”

  “But what a time,” Alice said. “She doesn't know what happened or if anyone will come to her rescue. The poor thing must be going crazy.”

  “Okay,” M1 said, in a calming voice, “here's our new plan. We take Carl with us and hustle back to the puddle jumper. By the way, Harry, can it hold the extra weight of Carl and the GPR unit?”

  “No problemo.”

  Good old Harry knew when to be brief.

  “Excellent,” M1 said. “I'll call in from the C-130 and see if they can set up clearance for us to Germany. We have to get her out of there. Let's get moving.”

  Kosey volunteered to take care of Roy's body. “We will find a burial place where he will lie undisturbed.”

  That wrapped up our activities. With Carl in tow, we all moved on south at a fast pace. My pals left it up to me to tell Carl what we thought happened to his sister. The guy was ready to collapse, but when I told him we were on our way to rescue her, he sucked it up and trotted on without complaint. Alice asked him if he knew how Roy was able to determine our path to set up his ambush. He told her he had put a GPS locator into the GPR unit. We stopped and took the time to find and remove the device.

  CHAPTER 25

  The appalling wreck was waiting for us. We piled in and were on our way in a celebratory mood. Harry flew us straight to the spot where he had left the big transport. The C-130 l
ooked absolutely gorgeous in the desert moonlight. There was no delay in takeoff.

  When we leveled off, M1 told Alice that she needed to be the one to report. She grabbed his wrist, gave it a shake and nodded. On her way up the ladder, M2 made no comment other than a request for coffee, food and vodka.

  Carl, who had been silent, leaned over and tapped M1's shoulder. “Excuse me.”

  “That's my line,” I said, but no one had the energy to respond.

  “Yes?” M1 said.

  “I was wondering. I had no idea that you knew about me, but obviously you know most everything. I can't ask you for details, but I am very concerned about my sister.”

  His voice trailed off without forming a question.

  “Look, Carl,” M1 said, “we know the extent of your crimes and we know you aren't a bad or dangerous man. When we get to Germany, you may come with us to rescue Anna.”

  Carl lowered his head. He was close to crying with relief. “Thank you. None of this was worth placing Anna in danger.”

  “Well, it wasn't deliberate so don't beat up on yourself too much.”

  Carl raised his head. “I'm the only criminal, not Anna. She knew very little of this, nothing about the radar unit.”

  “I think she has had punishment enough,” M1 said, “don't you?”

  Carl nodded his head, closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around his trunk and rocked back and forth. There was a man who would provide punishment aplenty for himself, no matter how things turned out. The guy was half in shock.

  The overhead door opened and Alice descended carrying a large box. The food was plain, but wonderful. Cold cut sandwiches and the coffee was as good as before.

  “Harry sends his regrets about the booze,” Alice said, “but he says we are welcome to hit his private stash when we get back to Bill's Garage.”