The Atlantis Stone

CHAPTER 17

Nick, Selena and Ronnie flew into Cairo on diplomatic passports, posing as UNESCO officials reviewing potential world heritage sites. Their luggage wouldn't be searched by customs. They'd brought their handguns with them.

The connecting flight touched down three hours later at Marsá Matruh. They rented a Land Rover at the airport.

"We need tools," Selena said, "in case we have to dig. "

"If anything's deep we won't find it," Nick said.

"I wasn't thinking of deep. But if something is part way exposed, a shovel might come in handy."

They stopped at a store on the way to their hotel and bought a shovel.

Selena had booked a four-star hotel on the Mediterranean coast. It turned out to be a tourist trap decorated in marble and gilt. An enormous crystal chandelier loomed over the lobby. The decor was supposed to convey wealth and elegance. It didn't quite work.

"This place looks like a Vegas casino, only chintzier. Way over the top," Ronnie said.

Nick looked up at the chandelier. "At least it's not all pyramids and pharaohs."

"Would you rather be in a hostel somewhere?" Selena asked sweetly. "Maybe a tent out on the desert?"

Ronnie held up his hands in protest. "Hey, I'm not complaining."

"It is a little overdone," Selena said, "but it will be comfortable."

"Comfort is good," Nick said.

The rooms were on the fifth floor. Nick and Selena took a suite. Ronnie was in a single room down the hall.

The central sitting area of the suite featured a desk, mini bar, couch and chairs. The room looked out over a pool surrounded by tables shaded by palm thatched umbrellas. A long, thatched bar with wooden stools added to the generic resort feel. Beyond the pool was the Mediterranean. The hotel could as easily have been in the Pacific or the Caribbean as in the Middle East. Past the pool, a white sand beach crowded with sunbathers gleamed in the sun. The fear of terrorist attacks wasn't making much of an impact here.

Nick stood at the window looking out at the scene. "Lot of people out there. I don't see any Westerners, just locals."

Ronnie and Selena joined him.

"What about him?"

Selena pointed at a cadaverous man sitting at the bar wearing a tan suit and a brimmed hat.

"He looks like that movie actor, what's his name," Ronnie said. "You know, the guy that played in those black and white horror movies."

"Boris Karloff," Nick said.

"That's him."

Selena sat down on the couch.

Nick sat down next to her.

Selena said, "They get sandstorms here, don't they?"

"They get them in Cairo, they must get them here."

"Big ones?"

"I suppose so. Why?"

"It would explain why no one has noticed what we're looking for. Sand could have covered it up."

"If it's buried we'll never find it."

Ronnie looked at his watch.

"Must be time to eat."

"Not yet, amigo," Nick said. He held up a hotel brochure from the coffee table in front of the couch. "Says here the restaurant doesn't open for another two hours."

"There are snacks on top of the mini bar," Selena said.

Ronnie went over to the mini bar and picked up a tiny package of cashews. Prices were listed in Egyptian pounds.

"Sixty pounds. How much is that in dollars?"

"An Egyptian Pound is worth about twelve or thirteen cents," Selena said. "So that bag of nuts is a little less than eight dollars."

"Eight bucks for a dozen nuts." Ronnie shook his head. He picked up a small plastic bottle of water. "Water is a deal, only fifty pounds."

"Not much different from anywhere else," Nick said. "Did you ever find a mini bar where things were cheap?"

"Come to think of it, no."

Ronnie took a package of nuts from the rack. He opened the door of the refrigerator and took out a Coke.

"I'll have one of those," Nick said.

Ronnie tossed him a can. Nick popped the tab and the soda sprayed out over him.

"Damn it, Ronnie."

Selena smothered a laugh. "When do we head out to the ruins?"

"Tomorrow morning. I was thinking around eight."

"Cool. We'll have time for breakfast," Ronnie said.

That night Nick and Selena lay in bed. A gentle breeze that smelled of seaweed and saltwater came through the open windows on the balcony. A silvery moon cast soft light into the darkened room.

Selena lay with her head on Nick's shoulder, her arm stretched across his chest.

"It's almost like a vacation," she said.

"When was the last time we had a vacation?"

"That's easy. We haven't. Every time we try, something happens and we get called back."

"When this mission is over, we have to take time off. I'm getting burned out."

"Me too." After a moment she said, "Do you think what we do makes a difference in the long run?"

"The way our so-called world leaders run things? I doubt it. I'll settle for the short term."

"I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it," Selena said.

"Thinking about what we do reminds me of a song."

"Which one?"

"The Thrill is Gone. B.B. King."

"He was singing about a lover, not a job."

"Whatever."

Nick turned on his side to face her.

"I'll tell you one thing."

"What's that?"

He kissed her. "When I look at you, the thrill is definitely not gone."

They didn't talk much after that.