by Alan Baxter
She saw Crowley in the shadow of the pyramid. He had a bottle of water he’d bought somewhere and was washing the dried blood off his head, gingerly testing the wound with his fingertips. She told him about all she had learned, little though it was.
“Don’t write it off,” Crowley said. “It’s a good lead.”
“Is it, though?”
“Sure. Anything is good if it’s a genuine lead. When a trail goes cold, that’s it. Dead. But all the time there’s something to follow up, we’re in business. An avalanche can be triggered by the tiniest stone moving.”
Rose smiled, encouraged by his enthusiasm even if she wasn’t entirely convinced by it.
“I called Cameron while I waited too,” Crowley said. “……………He still hasn’t had any success hacking Lily’s fake identity, but says he’s getting somewhere slowly. It’s laborious work. Maybe the Colorado lead will help.” He tapped out a message to his army intel buddy as he spoke, then looked up with a smile.
“So it sounds like our next move is to Colorado,” Rose said. “Shall we head back to Cairo and book flights? Where to exactly?”
Crowley shrugged. “Denver, maybe. Let’s see what Cameron suggests.”
“I wish I could see the connection.”
They climbed into their car and Crowley started the engine. “It’s just another puzzle to solve.”
They drove in silence for a long while, Rose lost in thought about the events in the pyramid, the possibilities ahead of them. She assumed Crowley was thinking similar things until she noticed an odd look on his face. They had made most of the journey back to Cairo, one long and uninteresting road, but now Crowley watched the rear view mirror with a frown, glanced regularly to the side mirrors.
Rose sensed his tension. “Jake, what’s wrong?”
“We’re being followed.”
Chapter 21
Cairo, Egypt
Rose was thrown back in her seat as Crowley suddenly floored the accelerator and yanked the wheel over into a hard right turn. She cried out in surprise, sat forward and put her hands out to grip the dashboard, but bit down on her fear. She had to trust his skills now.
“They followed us from the Black Pyramid?” she asked.
“Yep. Think so. Spotted them about twenty kilometers back, realized they were tailing us. Badly.” He grunted, braked hard and turned left. They rocked forward in their seats, the belts pulling hard across their chests. “Once we got into the Cairo suburbs I made some random turns and even went entirely around one block. And they’re still there.”
Rose had been so lost in thought she hadn’t even noticed Crowley had been driving in circles. She was thankful he was on the ball. They barreled into the suburb of Giza, west of the Nile. The old Land Rover roared in protest at the rough treatment, black smoke roiling back from the exhaust pipe. Tires screeched as Crowley drove hard into a tight bend, then braked almost to a standstill to turn hard left.
“I hope this thing doesn’t fall to pieces!” Rose said.
“Me too,” Crowley said through gritted teeth. “Because they’re still there.”
He floored it again, hammering through a junction to a symphony of angry car horns. Rose braced her feet against the floor pan and held the grip above the door until her knuckles turned white. A series of small shops, neon signs and varied stock hanging on racks outside, whipped past her window in a riot of color.
“Hang on!” Crowley said.
She didn’t bother to state the obvious, that she’d been hanging on for some time already, as Crowley mounted a curb, blaring his own horn to make pedestrians leap, faces wide in shock, out of his path.
“What are you doing?” Rose cried, but he ignored her.
Then she saw it. A narrow alley that he needed room to turn into. Some poor trader’s cart exploded into splinters off the corner of the Land Rover, plastic drink bottles thumping and rattling over the roof, as Crowley made the turn into the alley. Rose caught a glimpse of the drink seller’s furious expression, then a crang made her sit back sharply.
The Land Rover barely fit between the high brick buildings, the wing mirrors dragging across the stones with showers of sparks.
“There goes our deposit!” Crowley said, but he sounded strangely elated.
“Let’s just stay alive, Jake!”
He squinted up into the rear view mirror and cursed eloquently.
“Still there?” Rose asked.
“Their car is much smaller than ours. It’s easier for them in these narrow streets. But it’s faster too, so no point trying to outrun them on bigger roads.” He hauled the wheel to the left and the big Land Rover slewed out across the road at the end of the alley, tires screaming. More horns voiced brash displeasure.
“So what do we do?” Rose asked.
“Outdrive them.”
“I don’t know why I’m bothering, but please be careful!”
He grinned. “It’s okay. Defensive driving courses in the Army use scenarios like this all the time. I’ve done this dozens of times.”
“For real?”
“Well, no. In training.”
“Jake!”
He glanced over and winked. “British Army training is the best in the world. Here we go.”
Rose swallowed and held on, determined not to distract him with any more talk. He was surely pushing his limits, but obviously enjoying himself too. She decided it was time to shut up and let him get on with it.
The traffic thickened and Crowley began blasting his horn, pushing through tiny gaps between cars that didn’t look big enough for a wheelbarrow let alone a Land Rover. But he made it work. A swarm of people on bicycles appeared suddenly, dozens of them, their eyes widening at the huge car bearing down on them. Crowley cursed again and swerved, bounced the car violently across a curbed median and then they were screeching left and right to avoid oncoming cars.
Rose began praying to any gods who might listen, though she really didn’t believe in any of them. Perhaps if they got through this she might start. Crowley turned sharply again, slamming Rose across her seat and back again, then they were rattling along a narrow cobbled street. Much quieter for traffic, but with carts and pedestrians everywhere. The people quickly dove aside and Crowley braked hard, turned right.
A green wagon piled high with bright yellow bananas suddenly rolled out in front of them. Crowley braked, but there was no time and the cart spun away from the front bumper with a loud crack. Fruit sailed up and around, bounced off the hood and the windshield. The fruit seller, an old woman with a gnarled cane, hammered against the side of the car and Crowley yelled, “Sorry!” and drove on.
“It’s not worth killing someone over,” Rose said.
“I know. But I think we’ve lost them.”
Relief flooded through Rose. “Have we?”
“Pale metallic blue Peugeot,” Crowley said.
A small car turned into the road directly ahead of them. “Like that one?” Rose asked.
“Bollocks!” Crowley yelled, and slammed the Land rover into reverse. The car whined as he roared backward and the old woman began battering the side door with her cane again, glad of another chance to berate them.
“Hold tight,” Crowley said, then braked and hauled the wheel, spinning the car one hundred and eighty degrees in a reverse bootlegger turn.
Rose yelled out, unable to endure the screeching slide without giving voice to her panic, but Crowley pulled it off and accelerated away again, the Peugeot hot on their tail.
“Don’t go back out onto that road with all the traffic!” Rose said. “It’s too dangerous.”
Crowley turned again. More cobbled streets rumbled under the car’s large tires, then another side street packed with market stalls and milling crowds. Crowley cursed, braked and turned the other way. The Peugeot was right on their tail. Rose saw it in her side mirror, even though the glass was cracked from its previous encounter with the alley wall. An arm appeared from the passenger window holding a pistol.
Crowley roared wordlessly and slammed the pedal down. A junction came up on them fast, traffic busy left and right. Crowley let out a yell of defiance and yanked the wheel left and right, dodging between two cars and a bus that screeched and blared their horns. Traffic was suddenly mayhem behind them as Crowley shot the Land Rover out the other side, into a street strangely quiet. More screeches echoed to them and Rose saw the Peugeot skid sideways, then slam into the broad side of the bus Crowley had narrowly missed.
“They crashed!” she said excitedly. “You can slow down! They’re gone.”
Crowley let out a long breath and eased up on the accelerator. “Thank goodness for that.”
“How much did you just risk our lives?”
He grinned at her. “I was in total control the whole time.”
She shook her head, laughing despite her fear at the relief of it all. Crowley drove them on to the airport and the company they had rented the Land Rover from. When they arrived, the owner stepped out and his mouth fell open. He pressed one palm to each cheek, staring dumbfounded.
Rose and Crowley climbed out and saw why he was so upset. Not a single panel was free from dents or scratches. Most of both front wings were bent out of shape, one almost torn completely off. All the lights and indicators on the front were smashed. One side was pebbled with a field of small dents, all about the size of that old lady’s cane.
“We ran into a little trouble,” Crowley said. “Really sorry about that.” He turned to Rose. “I’m glad we paid extra on the insurance waiver though, to get the excess down to a sensible amount.”
“My car!” the dealer managed, finally finding his voice.
Crowley threw the keys to the man, who scrabbled in the air and managed to catch them. “The paperwork’s all in order,” Crowley said. “Really sorry about the car, but the insurance will cover it, right?”
He turned and walked away, pulling Rose along with him.
“We should fill out forms or something, surely?” she said.
“No doubt. But do you want to? Let’s make the most of his shock.”
They hurried away and ducked into the crowds heading for the airport as the man began shouting streams of invective.
“Let’s just get on the first plane to America,” Crowley said. “We need to leave this country behind, especially before whoever was chasing us catches up again.”
Rose nodded. She couldn’t agree more.
Chapter 22
Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean
On the plane to New York, the first destination out of Egypt they had found, Crowley and Rose found themselves exhausted and slept as much as was possible in the cramped economy seats. Crowley’s body ached from the exertions of the last few days and his mind ached at all they’d had to learn and figure out. Not to mention the throbbing headache from the blow that git Leonard had given him. He was pleased to note that he showed no signs of concussion and the wound had dried well. He was less pleased to know that he would probably never get a shot at evening the score with the guy.
Of greater concern was the threat of whomever Leonard must have called, who had subsequently chased them through Cairo. That had been too close for comfort and Crowley didn’t know how much information about himself and Rose those people might have garnered. Was it enough to track them down further? They had escaped this time, but he had to assume they had a permanent tail now and he would need to keep his wits about him. Getting a head start out of the country was the best thing they could have done, but it wouldn’t stop him fretting over it. Regardless, for now, dozing in the airline chair, however fitful, was a decent reprieve.
He woke with a couple of hours flying time left as the flight crew pushed trolleys up the narrow aisles offering food. He realized he was ravenous and woke Rose so they could both eat. Over plastic trays of dried out chicken and soggy vegetables, they tried to go over all they had learned thus far.
“Who do you think Lily is traveling with?” Crowley asked.
Rose shook her head, swallowed with a grimace. “This possessive guy? No idea. Like I said originally, we’ve been largely estranged for years. She could have any number of friends or associates I know nothing about. Or she could have only recently met him.”
Crowley considered that. “Maybe he’s connected with the Anubis Cult?”
“Or maybe he’s equally interested in learning more about it.”
Crowley knew he was on thin ice with some questions that rattled in the back of his mind, but he needed to consider all the angles. It seemed that although Rose and Lily were largely estranged, as she put it, Rose still acted fiercely protective of her sister. Family dynamics had always mystified him. He was an only child, after all, his father having died in the Falklands War before Crowley was born. Raised by his mother and maternal grandmother, he’d had few other family members around, never liked school, and quit at sixteen and joined the army, in order to be like his dad. He did eight years and the army became the closest thing to a real family, besides his mother and grandmother, he had ever known. He still had several friends he considered as close, or closer, than siblings. But for all that, he had no idea how things might be between two actual sisters, who had grown up together, shared everything, even if things drifted or broke apart later on. He still needed to ask hard questions to understand Lily’s motivations now, and perhaps predict what she might do next.
He finished his meal, pushed the empty container aside. Then he took a deep breath. “Why would Lily get involved in this hunt for the Anubis Key, do you think? I mean, whatever it really is, why is she so driven?”
Rose glanced over at him, her expression wooden. “Lily’s an archeologist. An Egyptologist. She probably wants to find something no one else has. Make a name for herself.”
“You think that’s all?”
Rose frowned. “What are you trying to say?”
“Back in her apartment you mentioned that she was devastated when your grandfather died. You said he was the most important person in your lives.”
“Sure. My parents worked hard. Dad comes from generations of working class Londoners, always driven his cab day and night. Still does. Mum’s Chinese, so her work ethic is maybe more ingrained than Dad’s. She worked eighteen-hour days in hospitality and hotels for years when I was little, then finally managed to retrain as a bookkeeper. And she still works hard. They’d love to retire, but claim they can’t afford to. I think they can, but they won’t listen to me.” Rose laughed softly. “You can’t tell a bookkeeper about budgeting for retirement. Not one like my mum anyway.”
“So your grandfather was around a lot to take care of you?”
“Yeah. My dad’s dad. He was so kind. He’d collect us from school, play with us at home, often put us to bed and sometimes still be there in the morning for breakfast and to take us back to school.”
Crowley nodded, understanding why the connection was so strong. “No grandmother?”
“We never knew her. She died when Lily was a baby, before I was born. And my mum’s parents are still out in Guangzhou. It’s time I visited them again, to be honest. They’re getting really old.”
“And your grandfather died recently?”
Rose smiled sadly, eyes a little wet. “Last year. We both loved him dearly, but Lily was especially broken up. His death was sudden, unexpected. I mean, he was old, you know, in his late seventies. But a stroke took him in an instant with no warning. Lily grieved hard. She and he were always closer than he and I. It’s like they, I don’t know, like they shared a secret or something. Some bond that never quite took with me. He loved us both equally, of course, but Lily loved him far more deeply, I think, than I can quite understand.”
Crowley took the plunge to raise the concern he harbored. “You don’t think she’s trying to, I don’t know, bring him back or something?”
Rose flared up suddenly, her cheeks reddening. “What?”
Crowley raised a
hand to placate her. For all her talk of Lily grieving hard, this was clearly a strongly emotive subject for Rose as well. “I just mean that perhaps she thinks this Anubis Key, if it’s real, might mean she can talk to your grandfather again.”
“Bring him back, you said!”
“Well, maybe she thinks that’s possible.”
Rose shook her head, looked away. “No!” They lapsed into stony silence.
Crowley decided to let it go and pulled out his laptop to check his email.
“Hey,” he said, keeping his voice light to try to break the tension he’d inadvertently triggered between them. “I’ve got a message from Cam.”
Rose quirked an eyebrow. “What’s he say?”
Crowley was pleased to see that she didn’t appear to harbor any anger toward him. He had to trust they were good enough friends to disagree without taking personal offense. He read through the email, then paraphrased for Rose. “Says he’s still trying to hack Lily’s credit card account, and he thinks he’s getting close. But this is more interesting. With the help of a buddy in Russia, he’s accessed security footage at Denver International Airport and he found Lily and her companion.”
Rose turned in her seat, excitement brightening her expression. “Found her?”
“Well, found evidence of her, not where she is now. I told him about the Colorado comment, so he obviously started trawling through their CCTV. Cameron says he has no clue where she went afterward, but she did spend a lot of time examining something unusual. He’s attached a video clip.”
“So let’s watch it!”
“I’m downloading it now. The airplane WiFi is slower than old dial-up modems! And you pay a fortune for it.”
Rose laughed. “You act outraged, but you are sitting at thirty thousand feet on the way to New York, downloading video footage from a contact in England.”