Page 98 of Anatomy of the Immortal Species
He ran his hand down the curve of the young woman’s spine. Suddenly, he was ready to offer her the approval she sought.
***
Hours later, back in his car, Constantine checked his phone. Twelve missed calls from an unknown number. His thumb hovered over the call-back button while he debated whether to spare himself whatever nonsense awaited him. Just then, the phone rang again.
He answered, not recognising the shrill voice on the other end at first.
It sounded like… “Alex? Is it you?”
“Yes, yes…”
“What’s going on?”
“The mummy!” she yelled, making him pull the phone away from his ear. “The mummy’s gone!”
“Stop screaming and explain.”
“I dozed off, and when I woke up, it was gone!”
Damn.
“On my way.”
***
Constantine scanned the room where the mummy had vanished. Three stone tables with drainage channels for water and blood, a sink with a hose, a cupboard against the wall, and ametal gurney. And his entire team – Helena, Nyavolski, Amelia, Viktor, Zacharia, and Alex – were all present.
His brilliant team of scientists.
Helena and Nyavolski were yelling over each other. The surgeon’s curses were directed at nobody in particular, while the nymph’s threats were aimed at Alex.
“I was guarding it day and night!” Alex pleaded, pointing to a chair in the corner and a book on the ground beside it. “I know how important it was. I failed… I’m sorry. Really, I am…”
“For crying out loud! I made you guard the mummy to punish you! I never thought someone would actually steal it,” Constantine snapped. His voice was higher than he’d heard it in years.
“Alex, tell us again what happened,” Viktor cut in.
She threw up her hands in frustration. “I was sitting by the table with the mummy, reading C.’s journal, but I must have dozed off. I always asked Viktor to cover for me when I needed a nap – I even did that yesterday, becauseI knewhow tired I was! And I’ve been taking it seriously, because I thought I was doing something important…”
“Idiot!” Helena hissed.
Constantine glanced around. No mummy, obviously.
Damn it!
“Didn’t Mikhail say he’d put surveillance cameras in the Hospital after the attacks last year?” Amelia asked.
“I already checked. Nothing,” Zacharia said. “There are a few blind spots. The thief must have known about them.”
Of course.
“Who knows about these blind spots?”
“Everyone in security.”
Perfect.
Viktor rubbed his chin, thinking out loud. “Okay, let’s think about it… Why would someone steal a mummy? Who wouldeven need one?”
