Her nerves were getting the better of her. That was all. One more day and she’d hand off the scarab and be done with this. Although she wasn’t at the dig site, she was supposed to be working. A small recorder held her verbal notes and assessments from the excavation and her thoughts needed to be written into a report for the university chair and for Xavier Wells. Benefactors rarely interfered in projects but a requirement of his funding was that he be kept updated on progress.
A young bellhop dressed in a black suit pulled open the glass door for her when she arrived back at the hotel—The hotel was charming and she was reminded it was being paid for by Wells. She’d never met him in person, and only knew that he was a self-made millionaire who liked to surround himself with extravagant objects. What a sad existence that must be.
Back in her room, she kicked off her leather sandals and removed the heart scarab from her bra. It still felt warm, but not as much as before. Had the man on the street somehow affected the relic? The tissue she’d kept it in still sat on the nightstand and she re-wrapped it and put it in the drawer.
The small closet held a few different outfits she’d brought with her. The closest thing she had to fancy was a black skirt and charcoal blouse. In the event she might need to meet with museum curators or patrons, she always had something business appropriate with her. That ensemble would have to do for the party. She wasn’t inclined to go out and spend too much money on a dress she’d probably only wear once.
Olive had no plans to leave the room again for the day. She could order in dinner. So she removed her bra and replaced her jeans with a pair of sweatpants.
The room had cable but nothing held her interest so she pulled out her tablet to read. After an hour or so, a knock on the door pulled her out of the imaginary world of Aloysius Pendergrast. She glanced through the peephole but didn’t see anyone in the hall. Olive pulled the door open to find a single blue water lily placed on the dark gray carpet. She peeked her head out to look down the corridor but there was nothing in either direction. Just empty hallways
She picked up the flower and brought it inside. The blue petals transitioned into a stunning midnight color at the outer edges. She had no idea who would leave it outside her door though. There was no vase in the room, so she put a little water in the ice bucket and dropped in the flower. Its scent was strong and the bloom’s significance wasn’t lost on her. The lotus symbolized death and rebirth, and in ancient Egypt people believed the scent of lilies signified the presence of the gods.
Her heartbeat accelerated and chill bumps rose on her skin. Maybe someone knew what she’d done and they were taunting her. Or maybe she was just paranoid and making connections that didn’t exist. The flower was fresh, probably from the florist downstairs. Maybe Xavier had sent it. She already didn’t like that asshole and it would be just the kind of joke a lowlife would find amusing.
She bolted the door and checked the peephole. Once again an empty hallway greeted her. Her skin tingled and she checked under the bed and in the closet and bathroom to make sure the room was empty although she already knew it was.
“Stop it,” she said to herself. “You’re overreacting and freaking yourself out.”
With a deep breath, she sat again, fingers spread over her thighs. While her fingernails were clean, they were in desperate need of a manicure. If she didn’t do something mindless, she’d lose her composure. She fished an emery board out of her makeup bag and began shaping her nails.
*
Room service brought up a chicken wrap and rice dish. As much as she wanted a drink, something in the back of her mind told her to abstain, so she ordered a black tea with milk instead. A text message from her father gave an address for the hotel that Xavier would be at tomorrow evening. How convenient...he would be staying in the same hotel as Olive when she’d assumed he’d go fancier with one of the hotels in Cairo.
The price of his silence about her father’s deception was to eat four million bucks he’d paid for the fake Renoir and another million to fund the dig in Alexandria. And he’d get the heart scarab from the tomb of Amenken. Olive’s gain was to save face, keep her father out of prison and possibly secure more funding for future digs. Before she handed the relic over, she would ask for that concession.
Like the night before, sleep came easily, but she was dropped into the same dream. However, this time, the men were wrapping her in bandages, starting at her ankles and working their way up her legs. Blue lilies were placed on her belly and the floral scent was so strong it burned her eyes. The circulation to her feet was cut off as the bandages were wrapped tighter and tighter. Pins and needles prickled her toes until all the feeling disappeared.
Osiris stood over her again, his green face looming in judgment. “Tell me of your trespasses.”