Mummies & Daddies (WAYHAUGHT)

Chapter 24

As soon as Nicole reached the station she rang the number for Agent Dolls. "You called me about Luxor," she said, "about my partner."

"Who's this?" Dolls asked, standing outside the entrance to the tomb.

"Sheriff Nicole Haught."

"What do you want?"

"To know what's going on?"

"Your partner is part of my investigation. I'll need to discuss it with her."

"Do you know her sister was kidnapped?"

Dolls paused, absorbing the information. "What's that got to do with this?"

"From the research complex."

"I'm listening."

"Waverly's laptop and passport were taken too. That's why I was in Egypt, to find her."

"Has she been found?"

"Yes. May have been kept in a warehouse near the river. Could be linked to a fruit exporter, two red circles on sacks. And, a truck in the complex had the same on its side when she was returned."

"And, she wasn't harmed."

"She's okay. Five days. They held her for five days. Speak to Essam at the police station. He'll tell you. Ask him about his cousin."

"One of my team will make contact," Dolls replied. "Anything else?"

There were other pieces of the puzzle she wanted to hold onto until she was sure she could trust this Dolls. "The list," she said eventually. "The investigators had a list. Not from Waverly."

"What's so important about a list?"

"Someone knew what was in the tomb before it was raided. They were looking for something. Something specific. As if the raid was a cover just to get it."

"Get what?"

Nicole paused, wondering if she should tell him about the stone, knowing this whole mess revolved around it. "An amulet. Red. Part of the burial. It was in the antechamber."

"I'll look into it."

Nicole wanted to say more, wanted to tell him about the package they found in the complex and the necklace left in Waverly's room, about the coins and cuffs not being on the list, and about the name Max had supplied in exchange for the stone. For now she would keep all this to herself, let the FBI find out for themselves there was a traitor within the group of researchers. There was nothing they could do but wait this out, pray Waverly's name would be removed from the list of suspects and the real culprit caught.

Stopping by the store on her way home, purchasing the items Waverly had asked her to pick up, she entered the house, the only person to greet her Calamity, rubbing herself against her legs. "Where's Waverly?" she said, placing the bag of groceries on the kitchen table, calling out. "Are you upstairs?" No reply, finding Waverly in bed, the curtains drawn. "Didn't you want to eat first?"

Waverly turned over. "I'll be down in a minute."

"No rush, I can start the dinner. You okay?"

Waverly sat up, the duvet resting on her thighs, the upper part of her body exposed, Nicole drinking in the outline of her form in the diminishing light. "Why am I like this?"

"Naked in bed," Nicole replied, attempting to lift the mood. "Because you're beautiful. And, you know what it does to me."

"Hold me."