Layne hurried over to the first case, her mouth going dry. “Declan, look at this! It’s an Eye of Horus.” It was an ornate eye with graceful swirls made of gold and inlaid with precious stones. Also called a wadjet, it was a symbol of protection, and this one was in pristine condition. “This is museum-worthy.”
“Rush, we’re here to get Hasan’s help. If you berate him about this, he might just show us the door.”
“But—”
“You want your artifacts back? You want to stop Anders?”
She huffed out a breath. “I’m guessing you’re going to be annoying. A huge pain in my…side.”
A faint smile on his lips. “Count on it.”
She wandered down the row of display cases. A bronze of the goddess Hathor. Canopic jars. Sets of amulets. Pottery. Gold jewelry. She flexed her hands. These were some of the best quality pieces she’d seen. “These should all be in museums.”
“Where they’ll be crowded in with other artifacts, or stored in boxes in dusty back rooms?”
The new, accented voice made her spin.
The man was an older, portly Egyptian with a head full of thick gray hair and a strong-boned face.
“No, studied and admired by thousands.” Beside her, she heard Declan sigh. “And by more than just one person with deep pockets.”
The man moved forward, a faint smile on his face. “Have you visited some of my country’s museums? Dark, dusty, overcrowded, limited security.”
She pursed her lips. He wasn’t wrong. But that didn’t make it right for people to sell them on the black market.
“The Egyptian Museum in Cairo alone has over one hundred and twenty thousand artifacts. I can tell you only a small fraction are on display.” He waved a hand. “The rest molder away.”
“Hasan, good to see you.” Declan came forward to shake hands with the man.
“You too, Declan,” the man said warmly. “It’s been too long, my friend.”
“Hasan, this is Dr. Layne Rush. Rush, Hasan Kelada.”
Hasan’s bushy eyebrows rose. “Rush? You’re from Rhodes University.”
She gave him a stiff nod.
“And you run the new dig out near Dakhla.” Now the man’s eyes widened. “My new acquisition…”
“Was likely stolen from my dig,” Layne said.
Declan pressed a hand to her shoulder. “Hasan, can we see it?”
“Of course, of course.” He waved them toward a door. “Come into my office.”
Hasan’s office was nothing like the gallery. A battered wooden desk dominated the space and it was covered in piles of papers and books.
The dealer moved to the back wall and lifted a lovely, framed papyrus showing the famous weighing of the heart scene from the Book of the Dead off the wall. Behind it was a state-of-the-art safe. She watched him enter a code and press his palm to a pad. Biometrics. It was really impressive. She scowled to herself. Who knew that black-market dealers took security of stolen goods so seriously?
Hasan pulled out a tray and set it on his desk.
Layne gasped. “My set-animal amulet!”
“Egypt’s set-animal amulet, Dr. Rush,” Hasan said dryly.
“Of course. But it was my job to safeguard it until the Ministry of Antiquities—”
“Stuffs it in dusty storage. Somewhere to never see the light of day again.”
Her hands balled. “It isn’t for you to decide.”
“I believe in safeguarding my country’s artifacts too, Dr. Rush. But I do it my way, not the bureaucrats’ way. I am doing what I think is best.”
She raised a brow. “And turning a profit while you do it.”
He shot her a charming smile. “A man needs to feed his family.”
“Mr. Kalada, I’m pretty sure that Rolex on your wrist isn’t a cheap knockoff.”
He just smiled at her again.
Declan stepped forward. “Okay, how about you two agree to disagree? Layne, you’re sure this is from your dig?”
She touched the edge of the animal, reading the glyphs inscribed on it. “Absolutely.”
Declan pinned his gaze on Hasan. “Who sold it to you?”
“A man I hadn’t done business with before. A British man. Not the friendliest fellow.”
Layne saw Declan tense.
“He only offered you this?” Declan gestured at the amulet.
“Yes. Said it was the last item in the lot he was selling.” Hasan sank into his desk chair. “But he said he has more pieces coming. Things of far better quality than this.” Hasan laughed, a big bold sound. “He said he was on the verge of discovering Zerzura.” The dealer shook his head. “Many crazy foreigners come to Egypt to try and find the lost oasis.”