Read Online Lady of Heaven by Kathryn Le Veque - Free Book Online Page B

grandmother knew what she had,” she pointed
out. “Don’t you remember what I told you? I believe that Fanny was killed
because of that papyrus. Now here’s where it gets tricky; the dealer who
translated it knew what she had, too. The papyrus gives clues, like pieces to a
puzzle. In fact, the dealer apparently agreed to help them put the puzzle
together. I believe, based on what she wrote in her journal, that she tried to
follow those clues and was killed because of it. Maybe it was the dealer who
killed her; who knows? I explained this when I went to the museum yesterday.”
    He was watching
her quite calmly. “I know,” he said. “And you wanted me to translate the
papyrus. I’ve done that, which has confirmed that it does indeed sound like
clues to a tomb. So I’ll ask you the question again; what more do you want to
do?”
    Morgan put her
hands on her hips. “Now I go to Egypt,” she said. “I’m going to follow the same
trail that Fanny did and hopefully find what happened to her.  Even if I don’t,
I’m going to follow those clues and find what’s at the end of it.  If she died for
it like I think she did, then I’m going to finish what she started.”
    He digested her
declaration. “I respect and appreciate your passion,” he said evenly. “But just
how are you going to put these clues together? And what makes you think that
you’ll survive the trip if Fanny didn’t?”
    She cocked her
head at him. “Don’t forget that I’m trained to put clues together,” she pointed
out. “I’ll find people who can help me, like you did. And I’ll survive it
because I have what Fanny didn’t – a gun and various other weapons at my
disposal. I’ll make it.”
    He took his
glasses off. “Are you serious?”
    “As a heart
attack.”
    He held her gaze
a moment longer before exhaling sharply and looking to the notes in front of
him.  He scratched his dark head thoughtfully. “Like I said,” he said
carefully. “I appreciate your passion. I understand you feel you need to
vindicate your great-grandmother somehow. But honestly, Morgan, what do you
truly expect to find? Your great-grandmother’s grave? Her body? Her killer if
there is one? I’ve heard of cold cases, but this is pretty far-fetched.”
    She was quiet a
moment; the sun was just starting to rise and a faint glow was beginning to
emit from the edges of the heavy curtain pulled over the enormous library
window.  Rubbing her arms in the chill of the room, she went over to the window
and pulled back the heavy velvet drapes.
    The landscape
beyond was gray with dawn, surprisingly clear.  She stood in the window,
rubbing her arms, thinking on Fox’s words.  As she stood there pondering, he walked
up beside her.
    “I’m not trying
to tell you not to do it,” he said softly, standing very close to her. “I’m
simply saying that this is a ninety year old case. I’m just curious what your
motivation is.”
    She looked at
him. “My motivation is to solve Fanny’s murder,” she said. “But after hearing
the translation from that papyrus, I really feel like I need to finish what she
started. Fox, what if she really gave her life for this? What if this trek
really killed her? For her sake, I feel like I need to finish it.  She loved
Egypt so much that I think she would have wanted me to.”
    “She would have
wanted you to risk your life based on clues from a five thousand year old
papyrus?” he murmured.
    Morgan shook her
head, rubbing her arms. “No,” she said quietly. “But what if there really is
something at the end of all those clues? I’m guessing Fanny thought so. You
spoke of putting her in the history books as having helped the cause of
Egyptology; imagine what finding the tomb that the papyrus alludes to would do
for Egyptology.”
    He snorted
softly. “We would be calling it Fannyology instead.”
    Morgan smiled.
“It would mean a lot to Egyptology and the world. But it would mean more to me.
I feel like I really