"But on the wall slabs, the depths of all the lines and flourishes are perfectly uniform." Rachel squatted next to the stone floor slab. "And look at this figure holding the torch. The flame is indented, with carved-out channels that connect to adjacent areas." She looked up at him. "In the carvings back in Egypt, how much sillicyprium oil did it say was Nemop to take with him to the hereafter?"
"The equivalent of about twenty-two ounces."
"What was it used for?"
"It's basically castor oil."
"Was it used for lamps?"
Tavak nodded as he followed her train of thought. "I'm pretty sure it was."
Rachel stared at the torch etching. "If we were to pour that amount into the torch, the oil would run to the surrounding lines. It would pool in the deeper cut areas, and drain away from the shallower lines… "
Tavak gazed at her and then nodded slowly. "A message written in fire."
"Exactly." Rachel's heart was pounding with excitement. "If we lit the oil, those pooled areas might form our message… "
Tavak smiled. "It might. Aren't I lucky to have you here to supply the brainpower in our little enterprise?"
"And you'd probably figured out this possibility yourself. So stop being sarcastic."
"I'm not being sarcastic. I feel very lucky to night… and very proud."
There was something in his tone that made her eyes fly to his face. No, there was no mockery in his expression, but there was something else there that disturbed her. She glanced away from him back at the walk. "It's a possibility, but it doesn't mean I'm right. We need to see if it actually works."
He nodded. "Yeah. Trouble is, there's never twenty-two ounces of sillicyprium oil around when you need it."
"How about a substitute?"
Tavak thought for a moment. He unzipped his knapsack, pulled out a bottle of water, and emptied it on the ground. "Wait here. I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?"
He was already moving through the trees. "Wait here!"
Less than ten minutes later, Tavak returned with the bottle and a paper cup.
Rachel sniffed the air. "Gasoline. Where did you get it?"
"I used a garden hose to siphon it out of a landscaping truck. This water bottle holds twenty ounces, and I can pour another two ounces from this paper cup I found in the trash."
"Two ounces? Are you sure? If we're even a little off, the wrong etchings might fill up and totally throw off the message."
"I've mixed enough drinks to know what I'm doing. Trust me, I know what two ounces looks like." Tavak leaned over and poured a small amount from the cup into the carved-out flame on the walk. "There." He handed the bottle to Rachel. "Would you like to do the honors?"
"Yes." Rachel took the bottle and poured the gasoline into the same place. The liquid ran through the adjacent channels and settled in the deeper-set lines and carvings.
Tavak produced a lighter and a Hearst brochure, lit it, and dropped it on the slab. The gasoline ignited and raced through the lines. The shallower parts quickly burned off, but deeper lines held the flame.
Several recognizably Egyptian characters suddenly appeared, etched in fire.
"Holy shit!" Rachel gasped.
"I see it, I see it." Tavak was already snapping photos with his digital camera.
"Can you read those characters?"
Tavak shook his head. "Not immediately. And if it's in code, it may be a job for your Jonesy."
What had she been thinking? Of course it wouldn't be that simple. Nothing had been easy or simple since the moment she had received that first e-mail from Tavak.
"I'll transmit these pictures to Val at the lab as soon as we get back to the car."
Tavak leaned over for a closer look.
A bullet whistled past the place where his head had been. A tree branch splintered behind him.
Rachel's head lifted. "What's hap—"
Two black-garbed figures were running toward them.
Another gunshot.
"Down!"
Whoosh! The sidewalk exploded into flame.
Before she could register what was happening, she was thrown to the ground only inches from the wall of flame.
Tavak. He'd tackled her, she realized. And even as he'd brought her down, he'd tossed the rest of the gasoline onto the flame, erasing the message.
"Get the camera!" one of the men shouted.
Tavak rolled across the walkway with her, then pulled her to her feet. "Come on!"
Another bullet whistled past them.
They ran through trees, down a steep incline.
"Faster!" Tavak said.
"Dammit, I'm going as fast as I can. I can't see where I'm going."
"Neither can they."
Branches cracked behind her. They were gaining on them.
Tavak yanked her to the left. "This way."
How did he know where to go? He hadn't seen any more of the place than she—
"Get down!" He pushed her to the ground, half beneath an outcropping of earth on the hillside.
She twisted to see Tavak kneeling, lifting something long and snakelike from the ground. Was that a—
"Aughhh!" A scream issued from the throat of one of the men as they both tripped, appeared to take flight over the embankment, then disappeared into the darkness far below. The next moment Rachel heard cursing and the crunch of foliage coming from the area where they'd fallen.
"A water hose." Rachel gazed at Tavak still holding the end of the water hose two feet above the ground. "You led them here to make sure they tripped on that water hose. How did you—"
"It was the landscape hose I used to siphon the gasoline." His gaze was on the hillside to the west. "Oh shit."
Blinding white lights were dotting the darkness. Suddenly shrill, earsplitting alarms sounded from the trees.
"Those gunshots screwed us. It's a security alert. We have to get out of the park, or we'll be sitting ducks."
"Then stop talking and move." Rachel was on her feet. "The main entrance. And we'll have to steer clear of the trails."
They worked their way down the hillside, dodging the glaring security lights shining down from the trees. Security vehicles were driving slowly down the roads. Tinny voices blared from radios and walkie-talkies.
"We have to be close to the main gate," Rachel said. "I hear the sound of cars on the highway."
"We are." Tavak was peering through the brush. "Wait."
A white security pickup truck was parked at the main entrance. Two officers were standing by the truck surveying the hillside with their high-powered flashlights.
"We have to go for it," Tavak said. "The local police could be here any minute. Are you ready?"
"Hell, no." But she was already slipping through the brush and sprinting across a dark stretch of the highway. She heard Tavak right behind her.
Had the guards seen them?
No, she realized with relief. No shouts. No blaring horns.
They ran past the hotel, the restaurant, and finally to the narrow beach. The blue-and-white motorboat rested on the sand where they had left it.
Rachel and Tavak pushed the small boat into the water and climbed in. Tavak started the engine, then motored quietly away under cover of darkness. "I think we're okay. We should be back to our car within the hour."
Rachel looked back at the hillside, where the lights indicated that even more security vehicles had joined the search. "This is why you insisted on taking the boat to the estate. What are you? Psychic or something?"