Tempest Court. Jan Walters
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Название: Tempest Court
Автор: Jan Walters
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Зарубежные детективы
isbn: 9781646540242
isbn:
“Uh, I heard…”
Brett cut the air with a hand. “Shhh! You’re going to wake Lisa up.”
Michael stood, grasping the vase to his chest. “But…”
Brett jerked his head toward the kitchen. “Let’s go.”
Brett tromped down the hall and flipped on the light switch. Gasping, Brett jerked to see Michael already sitting at the table with the vase in the middle of the kitchen table.
“Damn it! Quit scaring me.”
Michael arched his brow. “Really? Is that all you can say?” Michael pointed to the blanketed vase. “I told you something was going on.”
Brett rubbed his head. “What are you talking about?”
Michael expelled an exasperated sigh. “The vibrating noise. I told you I heard something.” Waving his arms in the air, Michael blew out a big breath. “Now…now it’s glowing.”
“Argh! I wish I knew what you were talking about. What’s glowing?”
Michael met Brett’s annoyed gaze. “Wake up, Brett. You need to pay attention to what I’m telling you. The vase is possessed. I think the vase is Egyptian, not Moroccan, and it was making a vibrating noise while you were sleeping. I went to check it out, and the damn thing started glowing. I knew something weird was going on.”
Brett studied the vase, turning it this way and that. “Egyptian?”
“Yes, Egyptian. I hung out at the Art Center and saw some similar vases, but the lids were shaped like different animals.”
“You were at the exhibit tonight?” Brett crossed his arms and glared at Michael. “I thought mummy stuff creeped you out?”
“It does. I wanted to make sure no hocus-pocus stuff was percolating.”
Brett sighed. “Percolating? Do you ever listen to yourself? You talk crazy half the time. How am I supposed to understand you?” He set the vase back on the table. “Well, it’s not making any sounds now. Does it seem odd that you’re the only one who hears it make noises or sees it glow?”
Michael’s eyes narrowed. The vase sat there like a lump of coal. Frustrated, Michael spat, “No. Since I’m a ghost, it doesn’t know that I’m here. It’s obvious you don’t believe me.”
“Don’t be getting all pissy on me. It’s the middle of the night.” Tearing his hand through his thick hair, Brett wearily muttered, “If it makes you feel better, I’ll ask Layla to look at this tomorrow. She can verify what it is.”
Michael bit his lower lip. Why doesn’t Brett believe me? It was as if his grandson had a chip on his shoulder. If Brett didn’t appreciate his help, then he didn’t need to be here.
“Well, I think you’re asking for trouble having that thing in the house, sonny.” Michael grabbed his hat before vanishing. Sometimes it was like spitting into the wind when talking with Brett.
Chapter 11
“It’s a canopic jar,” Layla murmured, studying the vase that Brett brought her. “A very old one from what I can tell. Where did you get it?”
“It was wrapped up in a rug we purchased in Morocco.”
With sparkling eyes, Layla set the jar on her desk. “Well, I’m glad you brought it in. Who knows? It might be something special.”
Brett studied Layla, sensing her excitement at the find. The woman couldn’t take her eyes off the thing. “So exactly what is this can…canopic jar?”
Her hand caressed the side of the jar. “Ancient Egyptians used these to store and preserve the viscera of their owner for the afterlife by placing specific body organs within them.”
Brett winced, wondering what might be stored in his jar. Thank God the lid was stuck on his. He could only imagine how it smelled.
“I’m guessing that this is from around the nineteenth dynasty since the lid depicts one of the sons of Horus.”
“Who the hell is Horus?” Warning signs flashed in his brain. He knew he shouldn’t have bought the rug. Body parts of a dead guy have been sitting in his house. His stomach churned.
“Horus is a god in the form of a falcon whose right eye is the sun or morning star, representing power, and whose left eye is the moon or evening star, representing healing.”
“A god, huh?” Brett stared at the jar, still thinking of the rotting organ inside. “You mentioned the four sons of Horus. So which son does the jar represent?”
Layla rose and took the jar to the window. “The facial features are a little worn and the ears are broken off, but I believe it’s Duamutef.”
“Who?”
Layla smiled at him. “I know. Information overload. Duamutef is a jackal or wild dog who guards the stomach.”
His eyes widened. “Stomach. You mean a man’s stomach would be placed in that jar?”
“Yes. The other sons include Imsety, guardian of the liver. Imsety has the face of a man. Then there’s Qebekh-sennuef, guardian of the intestines, which has a head of a falcon. Lastly, there’s Hapi, a baboon head, guardian of the lungs.”
Brett’s head fell to his chest. Nope, this wasn’t good. Were these jars a harbinger of things to come? Plus, the jars were disgusting. Layla returned the jar to the desk and stood near him.
“Are you okay? You look pale.”
Brett rubbed his eyes. I wonder if Lisa will still think the vase is pretty after she hears this stuff! He needed to get back to work. “I appreciate your help.” He rose to his feet. “There’s one more thing. A friend of mine said he heard the jar vibrate and that it glowed. Is that even possible?”
Layla paused for a second before chuckling. “I’ve never heard of that happening. That said, in working with these ancient relics, I know that many myths and curses surround the items. Leave the jar with me for a while, and I’ll see what we can find.”
Brett nodded and turned; he was anxious to leave and get away from the damn jar. As he opened the door, he slowly turned back, facing Layla. “Why wasn’t one of the jars for the heart?”
“Egyptians believe the heart is the center of the soul, so it was left behind with the body.”
“Hmm, I would have thought the opposite. Thanks for taking a look at the jar. I’ll stop by the end of the week and see what you found out.”
Once outside, he stopped in the middle of the parking lot and took a deep breath. That was more information than he ever wanted to know about mummified body parts. Goosebumps crept up his arms. The entire situation was disturbing. From experience, these situations tended to mushroom into an outrageous calamity affecting the lives of people he loved.
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