Barry probably broke every speed limitation set enroute to the old churchyard...he had no choice. If Sydney showed up at the museum with that spear he would never get the chance to use it. His administrative superiors would want it examined and placed under lock and key before anyone could test its mythical powers. These powers were what Barry Nelson believed in and wanted more than anything to prove did indeed exist. He was certainly no slouch with women, but where Sydney Fox was concerned, he knew he had no chance. What better way to determine the age-old theory than to see if he could make a woman who loathed him, love him?
Nigel stood up brushing black, fresh soil from his trousers and gathered up the shovel, just as anxious as Sydney was to get out of the dark and back into the car. She stowed the spear on the floor of the back seat and jumped into the driver’s side, barely waiting long enough for Nigel to slide in beside her before hitting the gas. Off they drove in a spray of gravel and mud, Sydney wasn’t wasting any time.
"This place is getting creepier by the hour!" She finally admitted about ten minutes down the road, trying to see past the range of the headlights. The dark seemed to be playing tricks on her eyes all night, and now she was seeing things. Was that something lying in a ditch beside the road? It was almost lost in the shadows ahead, and until they got a lot closer it was impossible to identify. "Do you see that?"
"Sydney wait, it’s a car...stop, stop!"
"No!" She glared at him as if he was crazy.
"It looks like an accident Syd, we can’t just drive by and not offer to help! What if there’s someone seriously injured?" He fervently insisted.
He was right. As much as Sydney didn’t like it, she slowed to a crawl and pulled up alongside the other vehicle. Slamming theirs into park, she turned to Nigel. "Do NOT get out of the car under any circumstances. I don’t want the spear left unattended."
He nodded. "Got it."
Sydney stepped out and hesitantly waded into waist high grass towards the driver’s side door, and as she came around the rear quarter noticed something not quite right. She couldn’t see anyone in the driver’s seat, and assumed that they must me unconscious, slumped over inside. "Hello? Are you all right?" She called out, and leaned over to get a better look. The wind started to rush around them again when she discovered the cab to be empty.
‘S-Sydney..." Nigel’s stuttering voice startled her.
"Nigel, I thought I asked you to stay with the...." she turned to find her assistant being held at gunpoint, with Barry Nelson at his back, "spear..."
"Hi?" He waved his hand at her sheepishly.
"Barry! What’s this all about?" She demanded, and took two defiant steps towards them.
"Ah, ah, ah... Sydney." Barry thrust his pistol into Nigel’s lower back and spoke with an unnerving calm. "I wouldn’t try to disarm me if I were you. You’ll lose a wonderful linguistics expert. You know how difficult it is to find a qualified person these days."
"I suppose you came to get the spear." She stated rather indignantly.
"I suppose you did too. I understand you saved me the trouble, thank you both. Now, where is it?"
Sydney knew she couldn’t do anything as long as Barry was using Nigel as a shield, and tried to think of a way to save them and the spear without getting anyone killed. "It’s in the back seat." She motioned towards her car.
"Thank you. Now go and get it." He ordered, poking at Nigel again with the gun.
Sydney locked eyes with her friend and nodded some assurance before walking over to the car. If she could somehow get the spear out of the box without Barry noticing, maybe she could distract him and could knock him off his feet, but how? Opening the door she bent down into the car, blocking Barry’s view for only a moment. She had an idea, she just hoped it would work...
"Come on Sydney, it doesn’t take that long to bend over and grab something. Move it!"
"Okay, here it is!" She stood up, facing him with Shelagh’s deadly spear poised in her hands, ready to break it over her knee at any moment. "How bad do you want it?"
Go to Part Eleven.