New Orleans, Louisiana: 10:43 AM, Tuesday, June 12th, 1984
After leaving Coventry, I drove over to the West Bank and stopped in at Buck Forty-Nine Pancake and Steak House. I ordered three servings of red beans and rice and a po-boy, and I think I might have spent five dollars, counting the tip.
Feeling that pleasure, and sluggishness, you only get when you have stuffed yourself to just before the point of pain, I left the restaurant and headed back over to The Court and grabbed another room. I got room 105 this time, and it was bedecked in a winter theme, complete with framed photos of Christmas trees and snowy vistas.
I dropped my day bag in the room, then grabbed the phone. I called Freddy, but was told he was out, so I left a message and the number for the hotel. Then I grabbed my keys and headed back out.
***
"You sure you don't want something bigger? We got a used snub-nose model twenty-nine here for just a few bucks more. If it's good enough for Dirty Harry..."
"No need, I like the little model sixty. It's cute." I said, with no trace of irony.
The gun shop clerk looked at me with a 'better you than me' expression, then brought the piece over to the checkout.
***
Back on the road, I headed for the public library. Inside, I made my way to the publications, and dug through the microfiche. I began hunting thorough the Times-Picayune archives, looking for anything that might be related to the Cultural Preservation Society. I only found a single article, from three years previous, announcing the purchase of the old warehouse building that eventually became their processing center.
The library had a collection of New York Times papers on microfiche as well, so that was my next stop. After a little searching, I hit upon something useful.
***
New York Times - February 5, 1984
Lost Egyptian Relic Gifted to Big Apple Non-Profit
By Laura Wagner
On Tuesday, the John Birch estate gifted the Jar of Nephren-Ka to the Society for Esoteric Knowledge, a museum and research organization headquartered in the heart of Manhattan.
Discovered in 1912, the Jar, also known as the 'Black Pharaoh's Jar', is a controversial artifact in Egyptology, hailed by some as the most important find of all time, and by others as a hoax. The reason for the controversy becomes obvious when you examine the lore surrounding Nephren-Ka.
Nephren-Ka, aka. 'The Black Pharaoh', was supposedly the last pharaoh of Egypt's Third Dynasty, reigning until his death around 2600 BC. However, of the two tablets that contain the 'King Lists' for the Third Dynasty, only one of them, the Manetho tablet, mentions Nephren-Ka.
Additionally, very little is known about the elusive pharaoh. Many of the tablets from this period seem to have been intentionally defaced or destroyed, so archaeologists have very little information to go on. What remains, though, tells of a powerful sorcerer and diviner who brought Egypt great wealth and power through his ability to see into the future.
Scientists, of course, discount these reports, noting that many historical figures were claimed to have sorcery simply because they were unusually lucky or skilled during their reign. Still, the reputation of Nephren-Ka is such in occult circles that the Jar has a very active following, and has been hidden from public display for nearly half a century due to fears of theft.
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The Jar of Nephren-Ka
Mystery / Thriller'Rev' Parata is a PI stuck in the orbit of the Big Easy in the 1980's. Life is rough, and he's barely fending off racists and criminals when a member of the British aristocracy offers him a case that is too good to be true. Chasing down his mark, R...
