Page 32 of Savage Seduction

CHAPTER 14

Bretton

I'm in the lab working on unboxing some of the antiquities. The larger objects were removed from their huge wooden crates in the exhibition hall where they are to be displayed. However, many of these smaller items need to be examined for damage under magnification and referenced to their inventory sheet.

This is where my job gets difficult. I’m not exactly a scientist, although I majored in ancient history at the University of Texas. Being an FBI agent has its perks. I can travel the world, pretend to be someone I’m not, meet really interesting people, and make the world a better place. I roll my eyes.Goddammit, I sound like the Quantico brochure.

I brought the camera to my tech guys at the field office and asked them to do their magic. I hoped they would at least be able to trace where the camera was sending the images to, but they had no luck. In the meantime, here I am, faking my way through the latest made-up career.

There are worse places I could have been assigned while looking for a serial killer. Skid Row in the heart of Los Angeles to name just one. Two years ago, I spent four weeks living onthe street amongst the rats, cockroaches, and the ever-growing encampment of the homeless.Now that was bad, I think. Here, the best I can do is try not to break anything or my boss will have my head. Budgets are tighter than ever these days, and replacing an ancient Egyptian… whatever this is, would break the entire department's budget.

I hold up what looks like a golden scarab figure to the magnifier. It is exquisite in both workmanship and splendor.

The door to the laboratory opens and I turn, hoping to see Max walk through the doors. I smile as I get my wish. Max looks a little uneasy, almost shifty as he moves his way through the rows of examination tables. I want to find out what's in his head.

“Hey, bud,” I say as I approach Max, who's settled down at one of the examination tables. “What you got there?”

Max looks up and smiles. “Oh, hey. I didn’t see you when I walked in.”

I notice he seems distracted. “Is everything okay?” My concern is real, even with my ulterior motives.

“Yeah,” Max says. “I’ve got a lot on my mind lately, that’s all.”

I bet you do, I think. I saw Max's response to the ankh that had been left on his car the night of the accident. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to see who put it there. Intelligence agencies had shared information with the Bureau, but they always seemed to be protecting their own interest.

“Maybe work will help get your mind off things.” I nudge Max with my elbow.Good God, why did I just do that? I’m so awkward.

There's something about Max that I find intriguing, and it isn’t simply that the guy had already seen me naked. I stifle a chuckle.What is going on here? I’ve never been attracted to men. I’m totally straight, I think. Right? There was that one time in college, but that didn’t count—it was college and a timefor exploration. No, I've been widowed for far too long and I now know it's time to start dating again once this case is over and done.

“You’ve got a point there,” Max says. “Have you ever examined one of these before?”

I turn my attention to the object on the table. I step closer to get a better look and adjust the bright light and magnifier so I can see more details. “I have not, but this is truly incredible.”

“It’s the mummified remains of a feline,” Max says, the excitement palpable in his voice. “They are truly amazing.” He puts on latex examination gloves and gently picks up the mummy and turns it over.

“Wow,” I say. “I’ve heard of these but have never seen one up close or actually been able to touch it.” I too reach for gloves and don them.

“One of the many cherished and powerful goddesses in Ancient Egypt was the goddess Bastet,” Max says as he sets the remains back onto the table. “She was the goddess of many things including love and war. People would often own cats as beloved pets or purchase sacrificial felines as offerings to Bastet in the afterlife.”

“Sounds like there were many levels to the goings on in Egyptian society back then… much more than previously known to archeology.”

“You’re absolutely right. Animal sacrifice, as much as it disturbs me to think about, was a big industry back then. They had to breed animals of specific species simply to be sacrificed and placed in the coffins and tombs of men and women seeking safe travels to the afterlife.”

“Fascinating.”

“Surely you knew some of that, Bretton. I mean, you were working on this exhibit back at the Field Museum in Chicago, right?” Max cocks his head to the side, curious.

“I was actually brought on board at the museum as theywere finalizing plans to pack everything up and ship it to you guys here in Los Angeles. It’s quite the process. Before that, I was working at the Mammoth Site in South Dakota.” I don’t enjoy lying to Max, but I have to. I only hope that I’ve picked an obscure enough place he wouldn’t know too much about it.

“Oh, awesome! I have always wanted to go there but never had the chance. Have you participated in the digs there? Isn’t it amazing how it’s all indoors and you don’t have to fight the elements?” Of course, Max has heard of the place.

“The weather in South Dakota sucks. If I can give you a piece of advice?”

“Absolutely,” Max says.

“Don’t go there in the winter.” I play it cool. “But yeah, the dig site is badass. Anyway, I should get back to my own workstation. I’m sure that Dr. Austin gets temperamental when he sees people standing around being normal social human beings.”

“My guess is you’re probably right.”

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