Page 5

LAKE COTTAGE

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

TWO DAYS LATER

T he answer is no, Professor Fallon,” Eve said firmly into the telephone.

“I realize I promised you I’d work with you on the new project, but this is entirely the wrong timing.

I don’t want to have to worry about another reconstruction for the next month.

My son is coming home from school for the summer and I want to have family time with him and Joe until he goes back to Scotland. ”

But Eve could tell Claude Fallon was not giving up.

She had known when the FedEx package arrived from him yesterday morning that she would feel guilty as the devil if she didn’t keep her word to him after he’d pulled all those strings to get her special permission to examine the ruins of that Herculaneum volcano last year.

“I wouldn’t ask you to change your plans if I could avoid it,” Fallon said quietly.

“But it seems I’m behind the proverbial eight ball.

I have to return a favor myself, and I don’t have a choice.

Dominic did me an enormous service that had nothing to do with the university, and now I have to give him what he needs. ”

“This Dominic is another professor at your university?”

“No. That would be much easier to refuse. Alex Dominic is a man of vast and unique experience, and he has contacts who have helped me several times in the past. On a dig three years ago, he even managed to save my life.”

“Then I can see why you’d be grateful,” Eve said. “And if you could delay this job for another couple of months, I’d be glad to try to help you. But creating a death mask would be difficult and time consuming. I’d want to be extra careful and make certain I didn’t make any mistakes.”

“You don’t make mistakes, Eve,” Fallon said.

“Even if you didn’t have the reputation of being the foremost forensic sculptor in the world, I’ve watched you work and I’ve seen the finished products.

If you agree to do this mask, it will be what I want because I know you won’t accept anything but perfection.

” His voice became coaxing. “Look, read all the information that I enclosed in the shipping box about how this new tomb was discovered. It was discovered by a colleague of mine, Dr. Dale Sherwood of Trinity College. The tomb was located high in the mountains of Central Africa and was found sealed in a temple surrounded by almost impenetrable jungles and shrubs. The hieroglyphics on the wall identified her as Queen Folashade, which was a name she took herself when she became pharaoh of her kingdom and loosely means ‘honor confers my crown.’”

“Central Africa?” Eve said. “A bit far from home for an Egyptian pharaoh, wasn’t she?”

“Indeed. Which makes it even more historically significant. We knew Egypt had distant trading partners, but this find suggests their reach went farther than previously thought. It’s no wonder the sarcophagus was only discovered a few months ago—that territory is a virtual maze of tunnels, waterfalls, and caves.

” He added quickly, “However, I understand the working conditions would be excellent. As I said, this new tomb was moved to a small temple in a nice little village that’s not too far from the original burial site.

The headman of the village is Masini Zakira, a priest whose ancestors have lived and worked there for centuries.

He also seems to have a good deal of influence with other chiefs in the area.

I’ve been assured that it’s well guarded, and you’d be welcomed with open arms. You’ll find it interesting if nothing else.

I believe it will persuade you to at least think about doing the mask once you visit and see how cooperative the villagers will be to you.

There’s even supposed to be a statue in the temple of a queen that bears a resemblance to Nefertiti.

Perhaps she’s some relation? You’ve always been fascinated by the Egyptian queens. ”

“Yes, I have,” Eve said. “But you’re using words like ‘supposed’ and ‘perhaps.’ Do you have proof? Somehow I don’t think so.”

“Not yet. But we’re expecting a confirming report from Dr. Sherwood. I’ll get it to you as soon as possible.”

“That’s a little too vague for me to even consider committing myself, Fallon.

Particularly since I also know that we have DNA records that show quite a few relatives have already been found linked to Nefertiti.

” She smiled. “You can see why everyone wants to stake a claim to being related to the glamour girls of history.”

“Does that include you?”

“The glamour doesn’t really appeal to me.

” Eve thought about it for a moment. “But the strength and the intelligence of those queens who had to fight to keep their thrones and their lives against all odds makes me want to pitch in and investigate how they managed to do it. I believe they had to struggle much harder than the pharaohs. For instance, the tale you told me about how Folashade named herself to tell everyone that honor conferred her crown on her fascinated me. It made me want to know more…”

“Then are you certain you wouldn’t want to see what you can do about trying your hand at creating a fantastic death mask for perhaps one of the most beautiful and intelligent queens who ever existed?”

“Now you’re really reaching, Fallon,” Eve said dryly. “You’re trying to meet my every wish? It’s not going to get you what you want.”

“Sorry about that. But you have to admit that statue of Nefertiti at the Berlin museum is absolutely wonderful. It’s incredibly beautiful.

And, according to what I’ve heard about this new bust that’s been found with the mummy in the mountains in middle Africa, both the mummy and the statue are even more fantastic and authentic than the one in the museum in Berlin.

Tell me you’ll think about it. We’ll make sure you have everything you need in the village so the death mask won’t take more than three or four weeks to complete; then you can get back to your husband and child.

I don’t believe you’ll regret it.” His voice became almost coaxing.

“It will be an exciting project, and I’ll be very grateful. ”

“Three or four weeks? That’s still too long.”

“Think about it. It’s really the chance of a lifetime to bring something that will last an eternity back to life. Wouldn’t your son be proud of you?”

“Michael is proud of me whatever I do,” Eve said.

“Just as I’m proud of him.” She was looking down at the box at her feet.

“I admit it’s an interesting job and a challenge that would be exciting.

I’ll discuss it with Joe and Michael when I call them tonight.

But I can’t promise you that I’ll do it.

I’m sorry if that’s going to interfere with your being able to repay your friend for services rendered. ”

“Just think about it. Suppose I call you in the morning?”

“You are determined,” Eve said. “By all means, call me tomorrow. But it may be for nothing.”

“I’ll be willing to waste a little time if it might mean getting what I want in the end. You’re definitely worth it.”

“But then so are Joe and my son,” Eve said gently.

“They’re pretty terrific. I’m sorry, Fallon, but you’re up against exceptionally heavy competition.

Like I said, I’ll let you know tomorrow, but don’t be surprised if I decide to stay here and just enjoy being with them.

Find someone else to give your queen her death mask.

I’m very much into enjoying life right now. ”

Fallon hesitated for only a few minutes after he hung up from Eve to start dialing again. Alex Dominic was definitely not going to be pleased with Eve Duncan’s response. He might as well break it to the man right now.

“Duncan is probably going to tell me to go to hell,” he said as soon as Dominic answered the phone.

“She’s going to talk to Quinn tonight, but tomorrow she’ll probably give me the bad news.

I used every argument I had at my disposal, but she wasn’t buying it.

She didn’t offer much hope. Her family are coming to visit, and they mean too much to her. ”

“I’m sure you understand,” Dominic said. “You’re a family man yourself, Fallon. But I was hoping you would have been able to strike a sympathetic note.”

“Maybe I didn’t want to,” Fallon said bitterly. “I like Eve Duncan. I also like the idea of letting her stay home with her family instead of turning her over to you and hoping that I’m doing the right thing.”

“You are doing the right thing,” Dominic said. “It’s much better that you let me handle this and try to keep Duncan’s family out of it. I guarantee that she’ll be much safer with me. Trust me.”

“I do trust you. Why else would I have let you talk me into this?” Fallon asked sourly.

“But it would help if you could tell me that you’re certain that the information I was giving Eve Duncan was at least close to the truth.

Look, do you think that I’d just blindly go into deceiving Eve if I hadn’t realized who and what you are?

Over the years, my university has done quite a bit of investigating with some of my friends at Scotland Yard.

I found out that you’re rather a mystery man, Dominic, but you’re not a crook.

You own several casinos in Africa and Europe, and you also have quite a prosperous farm near Johannesburg.

You appear to have contacts all over the world.

You’ve had dealings with not only Scotland Yard but also the FBI, the CIA, and several other similar organizations.

Yet no one at any of those places seems to have in-depth reports on you.

Or at least none they’d reveal to us. Which probably means you’re some kind of secret agent. ”