“Okay, now you’re losing me, Einstein.”
Jake’s mind spun with possibilities beyond even his comprehension. He shook his head to ground himself again and lifted the watch. He pointed to the ankh symbol.
“I think this is meant to point us to the lock that fits Dad’s key. Something Egyptian.”
“Okay, I get that much.”
“Then it also explains why those thieves came after the watch today.”
She frowned—then her eyes got huge. “Because tomorrow you and Uncle Edward are taking the train to New York City to go see that show at the museum—an Egyptian exhibit.”
Jake nodded. “That’s why someone tried to steal the watch from us. The new exhibit must hold that lock we’re looking for. Our bodies have been trying to warn us about it, to get us ready.” Jake faced his sister. “Tomorrow we have to go to the museum. Both of us.”
“But I have fencing practice with my team in the morning.”
He gave her an exasperated look.
Like Jake with Tae Kwon Do, Kady had found her own sport: fencing, also known as sword fighting. It seemed that her short stint with her Viking friends in Calypsos had whet her appetite for the flash of blade and the dance of death. And Jake had to admit that she was good—maybe not Viking warrior good—but her natural grace and athleticism served her well. Of course, in typical Kady fashion, she had also begun training her cheerleading squad with swords as props, turning that deadly art into a rousing show. There was even talk of taking the performance to the regional cheerleading championship at the end of summer.
“I don’t want to do this alone,” Jake pleaded.
And he meant it.
As much as he hated to admit it, he needed her. She was the last of his family, and he didn’t want them to be separated, especially by eons of time.
“Quit being a dork,” Kady said. “Of course I’m going. Just try stopping me.” She crossed to the door. “So get reading, Einstein. We need to know as much as we can.”
“What are you going to do?”
Kady glanced back with a raised eyebrow and a mean smile. “I have to sharpen my sword.”
4
MUMMY’S CLAW
Outside the Lincoln Town Car, the great metropolis of Manhattan blared, honked, shouted, and growled as the morning rush hour traffic slowed to a snail’s pace. Jake sat in the back, craning at the stack of skyscrapers. Kady manned the other end of the seat, staring out at Central Park. Between them, Uncle Edward leaned forward to urge the driver yet again.
“Sir,” he scolded with his usual British etiquette, “we must reach the American Museum of Natural History before eight o’clock. We have a strict appointment.”
The driver lifted both hands from the wheel in a forlorn gesture. “Mack, what do you want me to do? Whole city’s a parking lot at this hour.”
Uncle Edward leaned back and folded his hands in his lap.
A grumble rose from the passenger seat up front. “Take that corner up ahead,” Morgan Drummond commanded. “Cut through the park. Quit trying to run up the bloody meter.”
The driver looked ready to argue; but after seeing something in Drummond’s face, he hauled hard on the wheel and bumped over the curb to make the turn.
Kady reached to the pack at her waist. “Uncle Edward, I have my cell phone if you want to call your friend and tell him we’ll be late.”
“We won’t be late,” Morgan said, and turned to the driver. “Will we?”
The driver hunkered lower over his wheel.
Jake studied the back of Morgan’s head, trying to figure out the man. The Brit had insisted on accompanying them to the city to act as their bodyguard after yesterday’s attack.
This morning, Uncle Edward had attempted to talk them out of going—or at least to postpone the trip—but Jake had balked, supported by Kady, who insisted that she wanted to go shopping. Uncle Edward eventually crumbled, knowing it was best not to come between Kady and a sale at Saks Fifth Avenue.
Even Aunt Matilda thought it best to get the children out of harm’s way for the day. She had a cleaning crew scheduled to come in, along with insurance adjusters. The police would continue to keep an extra eye on the place.
So at the crack of dawn, they all headed to the train station for the ride to the city. Now, two hours later, the Town Car finally pulled to the curb in front of the American Museum of Natural History. Stone steps scaled up to the row of giant pillars at the museum’s entrance. The massive building looked like a great temple, one dedicated to science. Over the years, Jake had spent countless days worshipping in its halls and sprawling exhibits.
As he popped the car door open, his heart pounded harder.
He shared a look with Kady. Her eyes shone. Jake knew that she must feel it, too. The pressure of the past day had grown almost painful. He climbed out, anxious to get inside and begin their search.
“C’mon,” he urged the others, and hiked his backpack over his shoulder. In preparation, he had donned hiking boots and loose pants, and wore a vest with scores of pockets, filling them with everything he might need for a return to Pangaea.
Kady was similarly attired in clothes suited for the field: a pair of jeans, a T-shirt under a loose blouse, and boots—though the heels looked more suited for a catwalk than a woodland trail. She also had a chic Louis Vuitton pack snapped around her waist.
She crossed to the trunk of the car and fetched her other bag. It was pink and shaped like the barrel of a bazooka. The long tube held her fencing sword.
Uncle Edward stared at her with his hands on his hips. “I still don’t know why you had to bring that thing with you, young lady.”
Kady shouldered her bag. “Because I’m shopping for a new sword. It’s not like I can find one in North Hampshire. And I needed my old one to compare the weight and balance to the new one.”
“But yours is only three months old.”
“Exactly. Definitely time for a new one.”
Edward shook his head and gave up. Morgan stared at them, his arms folded, his eyes pinched with suspicion.
“Let’s go,” Uncle Edward said.
As a group, they climbed the steps.
A giant banner hung over the entrance, heralding the upcoming exhibit. It depicted King Tut’s golden mask hovering above the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The show wasn’t due to open for another two days.
At the doors, a small figure pounced out to greet them. He wore a huge welcoming smile and was dressed in a brown waistcoat with midcalf boots. His jowls were fringed by shaggy gray sideburns, spreading like wings to either side of his head. He also wore round glasses. His look and large belly reminded Jake of an older Teddy Roosevelt.