Part Nineteen
by Cari Loran

Syndey tossed aside the rich wool shawl, sitting up with mingling shock as Claudia burst in the room like a chattering cyclone. As the package was thrust into her hands, her mind began to reel as it tried following the secretary's non-stop commentary. Finally she had enough. "Claudia!"

"Hmm?" The blond broke off mid-ramble, and for the first time, got a good look at her employer. She rushed towards the chaise. "Oh Sydney! Are you okay? You look pale..." She turned to Preston with light speed. "She's not supposed to be out of the hospital you know, she was stabbed." And just as fast, turned to regard Sydney again. "Can I get something for you?"

Sydney held up her hand in the universal 'no' pose. "I'm fine." She studied the mysterious box, turning it over and looking for any identifying marks. Overall, it was fairly nondescript... plain cardboard, about two feet foot tall and one foot wide. The address was scratched on the top flap in permanent ink. Derek curiously moved over and sat beside her on the couch. "Where did this come from?"

"It came to the office the other day..." the blond fidgeted slightly, wringing her hands, "...the day you were stabbed actually. I started thinking it might be important after I made your travel plans, and then I was about to open it and Nigel called..."

"He called?!?!" The other three occupants of the room blurted in near synch.

"You talked to him?" Derek demanded before Preston or Sydney could. "When was this?"

"Yesterday." Claudia answered. "About thirteen hours ago." She frowned. "There was some guy in the background telling him what to say, but Nigel didn't listen to him and told me you should stay away. Then the other guy got on the phone and said he'd kill Nigel if we didn't give him Ichriem. I thought maybe that was what was in the box, so I told him I'd give it to him if he let me drive over and pick Nigel up, but he said I couldn't because..." she tried to recall the exact wording. "...I'd only be able to get there by caravan."

"Cairo," Sydney muttered darkly, exchanging a knowing look with Derek. The agent nodded in response. At least they were on the right track.

Preston frowned in confusion, being left out of the loop. "You think he's holding Nigel in Cairo?"

"Yes." Sydney looked up, suddenly realizing there was a lot Preston didn't know about recent events. All he knew was what he'd learned in the last half-hour: Nigel had been stolen away and it would take eleven million dollars to get him back. "We were actually on our way there."

Gears in Preston's previously shell-shocked brain began to turn once again. They were already on their way there? He'd only learned anything was wrong just over thirty minutes ago and Claudia'd spoken with Nigel and his kidnapper *thirteen* hours ago?

Along with everything else he'd learned about the situation, this information incited Preston to a surge of fury. "How long have you known about this?" he stared squarely at his brother's colleague. "He's been missing for what? Hours? Days? How bloody long Sydney?!?" The anger intensified. "Was anyone ever going to tell me?" He snatched up the ransom note and waved it in the air. "Would I even have known if not for this??"

Sydney bowed her head, momentarily forgetting about opening the box. In honesty she had thought of Preston... not very much given the rapid clip of events, but she had thought of him, even before Derek brought up the matter of inheritance. Not telling him had been a judgment call, the same as with Claudia. She'd seen no reason to worry him until she learned something more definite. But maybe... Maybe Preston needed to worry, needed to feel that link after so many years of detachment. "Of course you would have known!" Sydney tried to defend herself, "I've been in the hospital for two days Preston, I just haven't had a chance to tell you."

Preston regarded her with a blank expression, then muttered a curse and tossed the note aside in frustration. He could see Sydney was sincere. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I just should have known sooner." He seemed to deflate as his anger tapered away. "He's the only family I have... I should have known." He ran his fingers through his hair and plopped dejectedly into the nearest wing chair.

Claudia drifted to his side like an angel of mercy and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry," she comforted. "Syd and Derek have worked together before, and they've never failed." She looked to her boss, her eyes pleading for confirmation. "Right Syd?"

The relic hunter nodded. "Derek knows his job Preston." It was true, the agent followed his own agenda, but he was better than Dudley DooRight at bringing in his man. "I haven't seen him fail yet."

Derek arched an eyebrow, secretly pleased with the comment, but keeping his agent persona intact. "We'll do our best," he agreed. "And I think we should start with whatever's in this box." He leaned over and tapped the package, having been preoccupied with it since Claudia dropped in their laps. Could getting Ichriem really be that easy?

Sydney took the hint. "Right." She turned her attention back to the box. Claudia had obviously opened it, the sealing tape was neatly sliced with either a pair of scissors or a letter opener. She lifted the top flaps, and with a curious frown, reached into the box and withdrew the bulky contents.

It wasn't Ichriem. Not the real one anyway.

Sydney somehow wasn't surprised. If The Viper's description were accurate, there was no way the real Ichriem would fit in a box that size, and there was no way Claudia would be able to carry it. The Viper claimed the statue was a meter tall and made of solid gold. If that were the case, it would weigh several hundred pounds... gold was an extremely heavy metal.

"Is that it?" Claudia asked hopefully. Preston stood, slipping away from Claudia's comforting arm and wandering towards the chaise for a better look.

Sydney turned the statue over. "Sort of... It's a replica." It was a rough wooden statue, about 18 inches tall and adorned with polished rocks in place of the precious gemstones. It depicted two figures standing back to back, one was feminine with the head of a lion, but the other was a plain human arrayed with a decorative feather. "It's Tefnut and Shu."*

"Tefnut?" Derek questioned.

Preston furrowed his brow. "Tefnut was the Egyptian goddess of moisture and clouds… among other things. She was married to Shu, the god of dry wind, air, light, that type of thing. Besides being married, they were also twins, both children of either Tem or Amun-Ra depending on which text you read."

Sydney nodded absently still engrossed with the statue. "Right, and because they controlled opposite parts of the atmosphere, it was said they both worked together to hold the sky up."

"They're also major players in tarot and astrology," Claudia spoke up. "Did you know they're the Gemini twins?" She noticed she had everyone's attention and continued. "Yeah, their card is called `The Lovers', and it's a very good card, even if it doesn't really have anything to do with lovers. It usually means a choice made from the heart, not the mind. It has to do with partnerships and innocence and youth without earthly desire."**

Sydney arched an eyebrow, even Derek managed to look impressed. For his part, Preston inched a little closer to the petite blond. "That's fascinating," he praised, once again feeling drawn to her. How could Nigel work with this lithe pixie and ever get anything accomplished?

"So what does this mean?" Derek gestured to the idol. "Who sent you a replica of the statue?"

"I don't know," Sydney mused, passing the idol to Derek while she reached for the box. "Maybe there's a clue in here."

Lloyd accepted the statue and scrutinized it, as though the carved figures would suddenly spring to life for a hearty interrogation. Forced to accept it was nothing more than an elaborate piece of wood, he watched Syd rifle though the box. "Find anything?"

"A lot of packing chips," Sydney grew tired of probing and upended the box, dumping styrofoam peanuts all over Preston's Turkish rug. A slip of paper drifted among the colorful popcorn. Sydney snatched it from the pile and read it aloud.

"Dear Sydney,

Ichriem has been found.

I made this replica for you myself... I intended to give it to you when I announced the discovery, but something is going on. My dig assistant disappeared last week when he went into Cairo for supplies. His jeep was found overturned about a two miles out of the city, but the police haven't found a trace of him yet. And yesterday when I was coming from the police station, I know someone was following me.

Before my assistant's accident, we were about to enter the chamber where I believe the statue is housed. But until I know what's going on, I've stopped the excavation.

If you receive this and don't hear from me, then I fear the worst has happened. Please come to Cairo and look for a restaurant called `El Kadid's'. It's owned by a very good friend of mine, and he'll be able to help you.

God's Speed,
Bernard Reynold"

Sydney finished reading and looked around the room. "Bernard Reynold...BMR! Of course!" She couldn't believe she'd missed the connection. It all made perfect sense, Bernard always had a fascination with the legend of Ichriem. "I just didn't think of it because nearly everyone calls him Artie."

"Bernard Reynold..." Preston mused, looking thoughtful. The name rang a definite bell. "He donated an artifact to the museum last year... a dagger I believe." He didn't catch the look that passed between Derek and Sydney. "He said he thought he'd have another one for us if his dig went well."

"A dagger?" Sydney repeated incredulously. "Short, with a decorative handle and a thin blade?"

Preston arched an eyebrow. "Yes, that sounds like it."

"Is it still in the museum?" Derek demanded.

"To my knowledge." The elder Bailey looked at the couple seated on the chaise and had the feeling he was missing something. Why were they so interested in a dagger of all things? Then it suddenly hit him: Sydney had been stabbed. "Good Lord!" Notes of appalled shock ran through his voice. "Was that the sort of knife you were stabbed with?"

"Unfortunately." Syndey winced, not needing to be reminded of the fact. She idly wondered if it was time for another painkiller. It seemed like days since the one she'd taken on the plane.

"Yeah, but now we know where it came from." Derek pointed out. "If this Reynold actually found a second one, The Viper must have taken it from him."

"You think he killed Reynold?" Preston ventured, reading between the lines of Lloyd's statement. His worry for his little brother was growing by leaps and bounds. The thought of Nigel in the hands of a cold-blooded killer... his eyes drifted back to the old photograph on the piano and he found himself blinking back unshed tears. He liked to think he had reign over his emotions, he was an adult male and chalk full of British sensibilities. It was his heritage to keep a stiff upper lip... but dammit all, he was on the verge of failing miserably.

"It's possible." Sydney confirmed. She happened to glance up and see Preston was no longer looking at her, focusing instead on a collection of family photos. She felt a wave of sympathy and pushed herself off the chaise lounge, making her way to his side. She placed her hand on his back and followed his line of sight to picture of a very young Nigel and Preston. "We'll get him back," she vowed quietly. "I promise you."

End of Part Nineteen

Notes:
I admit to doing a little research on this one...
*Tefnut and Shu are real Egyptian gods.
**They really are the Gemini twins and are depicted on a tarot card.

Go to Part Twenty.


people have been to this page since November 11, 2001.