I put my hand to my forehead, not exactly having to falsify this headache. “I can’t recall, but it was unusual, and impossible.”
“Did he happen to mention it could make the wearer invisible?” Cec asks.
Bes clears his throat, giving his cousin a look he can’t appreciate and makes little sense to me.
I reply anyway, shocked to hear the same ridiculous rumor come from Cec’s mouth, “He did.”
Their silence hangs in the thick air. I have no idea what it means that two very different people have heard this rumor about the amulet that I could find in none of my research. It’s all superstitious nonsense anyway.Right?Did my nonna know anything about this? I imagine she did. Though it wasn’t in any of the books I read and she never mentioned it to me.
However, having it confirmed doesn’t change my plans to leave this place as soon as possible. It can’t.
Cec clears his throat. “Well, I think you’re right to keep it on your person, at least for now.”
“Why?” Bes demands before I can. I’m surprised by how charged the word is. “She was hired to acquire an object the museum couldn’t obtain itself without raising suspicion, and she’ll be compensated for it and then sent home. It’s an exchange of goods and services.”
Glad I could be of service, I think, Claude’s blood spurting between his fingers in my mind’s eye.
Cec shakes his head. “It has nothing to do with being compensated.”
I raise my hand. “I heartily disagree—”
But I stop when he leans forward, beckoning us closer. Bes eyes his cousin apprehensively, before shifting along the desk and perching on it beside me. Something about his nearness reassures me, flushing my face. I push away the sensation.
“It’s no coincidence Miss Hawkins was intercepted in Luxor by not only a charlatan claiming to be from the museum, but one of the God Men as well. I’m not sure the museum is as safe a place as it once was.”
“You got all that from your back channels?” I mutter.Does every archaeologist in the world know I’m here?
Cec doesn’t respond.
Bes crosses his arms. “You think someone here is a Third Reich sympathizer?”
He nods solemnly. “Who else here knew of her arrival?”
“The museum director, of course,” Bes offers. “And the recently-retired curator, who’s been here for years.”
“Anyone new to the staff?” I ask, picking up on Cec’s line of questioning.
Bes scratches along his jaw with uneven nails. “The curator’s assistant was hired about a year ago. I don’t know much about her, but I do know she’s from Tokyo.”
Cec sighs. “I was afraid you might say that. Word is Japan has plans to bring war to China—they’ve been concerned about their hold over Manchuria and the railroads. Arturo claims that there are rumors of secret talks happening between Hitler and Hirohito.”
I stare at Cec in disbelief, heart pounding in my ears. Who the hell is this man and how could his uncle possibly know anything about secret meetings between dictators?
I nearly ask, but click my jaw shut. I don’t care—can’tcare. I have to keep telling myself that I’ll be on the next flight out of here. I’ll forget about Bes and his mostly-blind cousin, forget I nearly drowned inside the Temple of Seti I, forget I… killed someone, all of it.
Like it never happened.
Bes’s posture stiffens. “She’s more than qualified for her post. I vetted her myself.”
Cec holds up his hands. “I’m not saying she betrayed you, but I wouldn’t trust her, or anyone else here. There’s a good chance one of them alerted the God Men about the museum’s interest in the amulet.”
I allow myself another modicum of curiosity. “Why would the Thule Society want the Amulet of Amun?”
“Because of what it’s rumored to do,” Cec explains.
“Do they know how to activate it? Do either of you for that matter?” I ask, almost wishing they did for how curious I am.
“I can honestly say we don’t,” Bes replies. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible.”
