Part 1
JANUARY 2012
Prologue
Sunday 1st January 2012, Midnight.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Lights flashing, music blaring, bells ringing out, people everywhere…
“Happy New Year” a chorus of voices sang out in unison, as fireworks exploded around the Twin Towers.
Connor cursed as his drink was spilt over him, it wasn’t his clothes he was bothered about, just a waste of good alcohol.
He tried to smile at the people around him, hugging and kissing strangers, he didn't really want to be here, but he couldn't refuse the invitation for free drinks. His smile became less strained as an attractive woman, one he'd been observing since he came in, dressed in a short cut white dress, approached him and flung her arms around him, like a long lost friend. As she kissed him, he was conscious of the smoky taste in his mouth, he'd only extinguished his last ever cigarette twenty minutes ago.
“Happy New Year”, she whispered in his ear “I’m Paula, glad we finally met”. He didn’t instantly recognise the accent, there was something unusual about it, it certainly didn't match her asian appearance, he tried to focus into her green eye's, she appeared as drunk as he felt.
“Hi, I'm Conner, “, his arm slipped around her slim waist, “and I just love Kuala Lumpur”.
***
Sunday 1st January 2012 Midnight.
Aberdeen, Scotland.
Lights flashing, music blaring, bells ringing out, people everywhere…
“Happy New Year” a chorus of voices sang out in unison as Big Ben triumphantly brought in 2012.
Lucy and Claire, crammed in the middle of the dance floor, squeezed each other tightly,
“Happy New Year,” Lucy beamed, helped by a few Vodka shots, “It can’t get any worse than last year”.
Auld Lang Syne, a traditional song which was a custom, in Scotland, to be sung on New Year Day, began 'Should auld acquaintance be forgot - as was tradition everyone crossed arms and sang there very own muddled, drunken version, no one knew anything other than the chorus, and still got it wrong. Robbie Burns must turn in his grave every time is sung, although he never actually wrote it, mearly transcribed it and sent it off to the British Musuem in 1788, now to be forever associated with him.
A drunk, dishevelled, teenager approached Lucy, and ,as was typical, didn’t even give, the 20 Stone Claire a second glance, he managed to steady himself long enough to blurt out “Happy New Year, gorgeous,” he slurred, pulling Lucy towards him, “Give us a kiss”.
“Get lost,” Lucy’s disgusted face should have been enough for him to leave, but he persisted, lips puckered, eyes closed, desperate to kiss the most attractive girl he’d seen all evening, “Now get off me, and go back to your mum”. She pushed him off violently.
The unfocused teenager didn’t seem very perturbed, he fell back, staggered then swung round to Claire, and gave her a kiss instead. Claire didn’t resist. Afterwards he staggered off to get more kisses from willing drunken victims.
Lucy and Claire laughed together as they took off for the all-important toilet break, a chance to ensure no make up had moved out of place.
“Nothing could be better than being in your twenties in Aberdeen at New Year”, Claire said.
***
2nd January 2012 Early Morning.
Cairo, Egypt.
His lone steps echoed down the empty hall.
Even at this time in the morning, he was perspiring, but not just from the heat, his heart was racing, he’d never put himself in such a dangerous position before.
The guards he’d bribed handsomely had promised him that the museum would be empty, but as he passed the massive stone structures he could feel the stare of the stone Jackels, he quickly moved from room to room, desperate to get in and out as quickly as possible.
The vast museum, constructed in 1900 contains over 120000 objects from the pre historic to the Greco-Roman period. It was world renknowned though, for housing the treasures discovered by Howard Carter on that fateful day in November 1922, the Treasures of Tutankhamun. The maze of corridors displayed the contents of many royal tombs, from the 3500 artifacts taken from the tomb of Tutankhamun, 1700 are displayed in the museum, but he knew exactly where to find the artifact he was looking for.
He passed the main treasure room that contained the wondrous golden mask of Tutankhamun, but as priceless as it was, it wasn’t his target.
Where was it? Should be down here at the bottom of this corridor, he took a deep breath, trying to keep any panic at bay.
It had taken him 30 years to get to this moment, he’d dreamt of it many times. Too bad Jack couldn’t be here, he thought, again wiping the sweat from his face.
Finally it was there in front of him.
Made of wood and completely covered with gold, silver and inlayed with coloured semi-precious stones and glass paste, the golden throne was an impressive site to behold. The back depicted Tutankhamun siting with his queen, Ankhesenamun, standing in front of him, anointing him with perfume, beneath a floral pavilion. The rays of the sun god Aten shine down from the sky covering the couple in the sign for life, the Ankh.
“Yes, oh Yes”, he shivered with excitement, placing the toolkit he was carrying down beside him. “Oh baby, look at you, you are glorious, after 3000 years come home to Pappa”.
A sound in the room, made him hold his breath, and turn around.
“Who’s there?”
Silence.
He took a deep breath, “Control yourself man, “ his hands shook as he picked up the toolkit “Just get on with the job and get out of here”.
It took him a further hour to take the display case apart, more money had bought him the security plans of the museum, and he knew how to dismantle the display.
For the first time and last time he laid his hands on the throne.
If he hadn’t been quivering with such excitement, running his hand over the chair, he may have heard the man approaching.
No warning was given, no goodbye speeches, no chances for retribution, Lorenzo was killed the instant the knife penetrated his back, and embedded itself in his heart.
He slumped over the throne, his warm sticky blood discolouring the 24 carat gold seeping into the 3000 year old wood.
***
2nd January 2012 Morning,
Cairo, Egypt.
Inspector Ahmed-Kamar surveyed the scene again, he was confused, and he didn’t like being confused.
The once golden chair was occupied.
The naked man sitting on the chair was staring straight ahead, as if he had recently been crowned king of Egypt. His eyes never blinked, since his life had been removed a few hours earlier. The chair was no longer golden, but covered with the dead mans blood.
“Bloody Curses”, swore Ahmed, “more stories for the conspiracy lunatics to say this museum is cursed”.
“The man was 55 year old Lorenzo Azeer”, Lieutenant Spencer explained to the Inspector, “he was found when the museum opened at 8am. Whoever killed him doesn’t appear to have taken anything”, he stepped around to the back of the chair. “Now why would anyone break into the most famous museum in the world, and then not steal anything?”
This wasn’t the only thing unsettling Ahmed.
Looking closely at the body, he read again, the numbers cut out from his chest.
211212
“Freaks, they watch too many damn movies”.
Chapter 1
5th January 2012 Early Morning,
Aberdeen, Scotland.
Lucy rubbed her bleary eyes, and thought she really ought to get to sleep, but once she started on the computer she could never stop.
She typed another message:
‘Where are you from?’
A slight pause…
‘Aberdeen.Scotland’
‘Really? :) me too’
‘:)’
On and on she would go, Instant messaging was nothing new, but it changed the way people met and flirted, having mundane meaningless conversation with stranger after stranger. She was in no way unusual, using the Internet was how most people met these days, chatrooms, online dating agencies, texting. It was 3am and this was her fourth online flirt this evening. Her only problem now was figuring out which one she would meet up with at the weekend.
‘Where do you work?’ she enquired, enjoying the thrill of chatting up unknown guys.
‘Offshore, on for next two weeks. You?’.
Plenty of money, she liked him already.
‘Assistant PA. Do you drive?’
‘Cool. Yes BMW’
‘Hey Lucy!’ another message, from someone else – Jonathan - flashed up on her screen. Damn, just as she was getting interested.
‘Hi Jonathan. Up late tonight?’
‘Just home, missing you. Why you not called?’ Whilst she thought over her answer carefully, she typed another one for her yet unknown admirer. ‘Got a girlfriend? What’s your name?’
‘Busy Sorry’ was her abrupt response to Jonathan.
‘Paul. No girlfriend. Want to meet?’
Yes, she thought, this one will do.
“Got to go’ she typed to Jonathan, ‘sorry tired and work tomorrow’
‘Call me :)’
‘Will do’
An hour later she was still typing away to Paul, as the evening wore on the messages became more and more intimate, some photos had been passed, and they agreed to meet the next evening. Lucy was already considering what to wear, and thinking she really needed to tidy up her apartment.
***
7th January 2012
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Beethoven’s 5th Symphony disturbed Connor just as he was scuba diving toward the wreck, gliding weightlessly 30 meters under the sea. Sharks swam around him keeping their distance since he had just killed one of them with his bare hands. He was just going to save the women trapped in the wreckage of the car that had plummeted off the cliff as he drove away from the terrorist’s that were chasing him down.
‘Damn, who’s this calling at this time on a Saturday morning?’ he picked up his mobile and although he didn’t recognize the number, pressed the pick up button.
‘Yes’.
‘Connor, Hi’
A sultry woman’s voice, ok, he thought, I should know who this is. Stalling techniques were required.
‘Yes, Hi’, who was this again, something about her accent was familiar? ‘How are you?’
‘Good. Good thanks.’
Still no idea. He sat up in bed and looked at the clock. 11am, later than he expected, he must have drunk more last night than he thought. He tried to think back to the previous night, all he could remember was being in a club, surrounded by beautiful woman, could this be one of them?
‘I’m just surprised you haven’t call me this past week. Didn’t we have fun?’
Still not sure. Damn, why did he always drink so much? A week ago she said?
‘Sorry, I’ve been diving on the east coast this past week, just got back,’ he lied, ‘I would have called you tonight,’ If I could remember who you were.
‘Don’t mean to sound pushy, it’s just I’ve never had such a good New Years Day before and was looking forward to repeating the evening again.’
New Year, oh no, now he recognized the slight Scottish accent, Chinese appearance, attractive at night, but by the morning, he couldn’t get out quick enough. He’d had no intention of ever returning her calls.
‘
