No Rules(30)
She crossed her arms and sat back, her part done. Evan frowned, thinking. Avery raised an eyebrow at Donovan. “You said this would be easy to figure out.”
“Maybe it’s easier than we’re making it,” he mused. “Maybe it doesn’t represent something else. It’s a vase. But a special one, old. A certain ancient vase. We are talking about Luxor, Egypt, remember. The Valley of the Kings and King Tut’s tomb are right outside the city. The place is thick with ancient history. Maybe there’s a famous vase that represents the information we need. Like, where it was found, or where it’s kept now. That’s what all this is about—discovering a location. The location of the hostages.”
“In a museum?” Kyle sounded doubtful.
“Anything’s possible.” Evan nodded. “I’ll buy that explanation. It’s Wally’s style. But how are we supposed to know what vase he’s talking about?”
“You were a professor working with Wally in Egypt,” Donovan reminded him. “I think this part is for you.”
“I taught architecture, not history. I was researching a theory on the construction of the pyramids when we met. I don’t know anything about vases.”
All five exchanged puzzled glances, eventually looking at Jess.
She shook her head adamantly. “I have no idea. This is your puzzle; I’m just the messenger.”
“Maybe you’re more than that,” Donovan said. “There’s some reason Wally involved you, Jess. Maybe you know more than you think you do.”
It was the same theme he’d been expounding since he found out about her dinner with Wally, and she was tired of it. Tired of the Omega Group. Tired of reliving a two-hour chunk of time until her whole life revolved around it. “I’m a writer and an illustrator. I’m not a historian. If there’s a vase from some New Kingdom pharaoh’s tomb that’s of significance here, I have no idea what it is.”
Donovan’s eyebrow quirked up. “New Kingdom?”
“That’s what they call the era when Luxor was prominent in ancient Egypt. The city was called Thebes then, back when they buried all those dead pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings.”
“And you just happened to know that?”
She didn’t care for the interested looks from the five people gathered at the other end of the table. “So what? My dad was a fanatic on ancient Egypt, so yeah, a few things rubbed off. Me learning to recite the dynasties and the names of each pharaoh is the same as you memorizing batting statistics for the Boston Red Sox. Kids do stuff like that.”
Donovan nodded. “Yes, they do. For me it was dinosaurs. I could identify dozens you’ve never heard of.”
“My point exactly.”
“While you learned the dynasties of ancient Egypt.”
She narrowed her eyes, determined not to get sucked into their mission any farther than she already was. “I don’t know a damn thing about vases.” Unless he meant the canopic jars that held the organs removed from the pharaoh’s body…No, don’t say it.
Donovan smiled as if he didn’t believe a word of it. Evan said, “We’ll see.”
She didn’t want to ask what that meant. It meant nothing. She was going home to Houston ASAP. Home to her safe, predictable life.
Mitch had been listening thoughtfully. “So the vase is probably a clue, and Jess might be able to figure it out. But I think you’re part of the story, too, Tyler.”
Donovan was finally distracted from whatever he’d been planning that was sure to keep her from going home. “How’s that?” he asked.
Mitch glanced around the group. “Come on, you guys didn’t catch it? Tyler’s the wolf.”
Avery blinked, then chuckled. “He’s right. Wally always said you were a wolf.”
“But that was in relation to…” He hesitated, with a quick glance her way. “Women.”
“Yup,” Kyle agreed. “He said they couldn’t tame you. You devoured women like a wolf, but you couldn’t be domesticated.”
Donovan looked uncomfortable but considered it. “So what’s that mean?”
“If the wolf takes the rabbit to the beavers’ lodge, maybe it means he wanted you to take the lead on this mission.”
Donovan didn’t appear to have any objections to that interpretation. Maybe he had some special skills that would help in this case.
“So who’s the rabbit?” he asked. “Avery?”
“Why me?”
He grinned at her. “Because I don’t think Kyle or Mitch would make a good rabbit. It sounds too soft and fuzzy.”