Familiar Mirage. Caroline Burnes

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СКАЧАТЬ the sea,” he said, watching the surprise cross her face at his knowledge.

      “Yes. I guess it was a big story in all the newspapers.”

      “Egypt is a land where the past is often of more interest than the present. Or the future,” he said, unable to keep a hint of harshness out of his voice. “Most of my countrymen pay attention to archaeological finds. They will bring more tourists into our country. The economy will grow.”

      “I see,” Beth said.

      “Do you?” he asked, stepping closer to her. Did she have any idea what would really happen to his land, his people, if she should make a major archaeological find? He doubted it, and he also doubted that she would care.

      “Tomorrow we’ll make the dives,” Beth said, faltering only slightly. “Once we conclude that, we’ll begin the overland trek. From the clues I’ve discovered, I think we’ll be heading somewhere close to the oasis, as I said in my correspondence to you.”

      “Fine,” Omar said. “Then I will meet you here tomorrow evening.”

      “Thank you,” Beth said.

      Omar turned quickly, his desert robe flowing around his legs, and walked into the night. He had gone several blocks before he realized he wasn’t certain of his destination. More than anything he wanted to get back to the desert, back to his people, his way of life. He hated the city. And he hated the chaos that Beth Bradshaw and her colleagues were so determined to bring to his people.

      She would never find the City of Con. For centuries he and his tribe had protected the secret. It was their heritage, their place to worship and to revere their ancestors. The secrets of Con were theirs to protect against the prying fingers of the world. Omar accepted what it meant to be the leader of his people. He would protect them no matter the cost. Beth Bradshaw was a woman who ignited his blood, but she was also a woman who would have to fail.

      Chapter Two

      Beth followed the bellhop to her room, her face still suffused with heat. The encounter with Omar Dukhan was not what she’d anticipated. She’d expected a rugged man, a man of the desert. Omar was so much more than that. In his dark eyes she’d seen the fiery heat of the desert and the swirl of a storm.

      She’d also seen something darker, something that made her heart race and her palms sweat.

      She tipped the bellhop and closed her door, then leaned against it. Her attraction to the guide was unexpected, but she’d always been able to control herself. There had been other attractive men in her life, and she’d never found herself leaning against a door, knees like putty.

      She walked to the bed and began to unpack a bag. She was behaving like a fool. So she felt desire for Omar Dukhan. Big deal. He was a handsome man. That wasn’t what was really bothering her.

      She thought back to the conversation. Although he was a hired hand, he had treated her as if he was in charge. That bothered her.

      There was something else, though. She thought about it as she laid out her sleeveless blouses and shorts. There had been an edge of danger about the man. For everything that he said, there were a million things unsaid. She realized, smiling at her imagination, that she could easily view him as a spy.

      “Bond. James Bond,” she said out loud, mocking herself.

      Her ability to laugh at herself helped ease the disquiet she felt. She went to the telephone and sat, knowing that patience would be required to get a call through to the United States.

      She’d left Arizona without a word to Amelia Corbet or Amelia’s parents, Luther and Susan. The Corbets had been Beth’s family for the past fifteen years, and she wanted to make sure they knew where she was and that she was safe. She hadn’t called them because she was afraid that, in their attempt to protect her, they might fuel her own self-doubt in her ability to bring off this expedition. The Corbets had supported her in every aspect of her work, but they also felt a duty to shelter her from danger and disappointment. Now, though, Beth was too deeply engaged in the trip to pull back. It was time to let them know where she was.

      As she dialed Amelia’s number in New York, she felt once again the thrill of her undertaking. She was actually on an adventure. She was doing something that Amelia would do.

      To her disappointment, when the call finally went through, she got Amelia’s answering machine. According to the message, Beth’s best friend and “sister” was out of town for a few days to meet with a client in Tokyo.

      Amelia worked for a high-powered public-relations firm, and her work took her all over the globe and into the most interesting situations.

      Beth hung up without leaving a message. She wanted to tell Amelia about her expedition, not her machine. She wanted the satisfaction of hearing Amelia’s gasp of surprise when she told her she was in Alexandria, Egypt, on a trip that could gain her the kind of recognition in her field that many only dreamed about.

      Glancing at her watch, she stood up. She was due to meet her team in the dining room. She’d organized an early dinner, a bit of walking around, then an early bedtime. Tomorrow would be a long, grueling day, even for those who were not diving. For herself, John and four others, it was going to be an exhausting day.

      She went downstairs and entered the hotel restaurant. At the happy looks on the faces of her co-workers, she felt her shoulders relax. Everything was going to be fine. They were all going to receive the recognition for which they had worked so hard.

      SO, MISS EXPLORER enters the dining room. I can’t hang around for long. I have a very important date with something fresh and delicious from the Mediterranean and Peter and Eleanor. Besides, everything looks fine here.

      The guy at the airport was obviously her guide. He didn’t make his presence known because he wanted to check out her party before he decided to take them into the desert. I can see his point—I wouldn’t want to be stranded in the sand with a herd of whiners. On the other hand, I don’t really think that lurking behind a pillar and spying on someone is the way to behave, either.

      There’s something about this Omar Dukhan that makes me want to keep him under close surveillance. But this isn’t my case. I’m not here to work. I’m on vacation. Even I need a break from the pressures of solving mysteries every now and again.

      Beth Bradshaw has everything under control. I think I can safely head for the Abbula Hotel and my reserved room. I’ll just make a quick sweep of the hotel rooms here while all the scientists are in the dining room. One last quick check before I trundle out into the night.

      Mauve’s room seems fine. A little trip down the hall, and the other three rooms are good. Silent as tombs, no pun intended.

      Now back to John’s room, right beside Beth’s. I’ll creep in for just a moment. I’m a little curious about him, too. If he’s such a worrywart, why’d he come on this trip?

      Wait. What’s that? Someone is in his room. Listen. What’s that noise? It sounds like a gas valve or air or—someone is letting the air out of his diving tank.

      I’ll put an end to this. Wham! My body slamming into the door has frightened him. He’s running across the room and out the window into the night. He’s fast, whoever he is. Before I can even get to the window, he’s cleared the wall around the hotel garden and disappeared.

      Now СКАЧАТЬ