Anubis
Anubis copyright c. 2015 T.A. Chase
Part Twenty-Three-
“Come. We need you to look over the area so we can bag everything up and send it to the lab.” Kasha motioned for them to get moving.
Jamil wasn’t about to argue with anyone as long as they got to the anteroom quickly. He saw the police tape stretched across some of the opening, enough to deter someone from crossing. Kasha lifted it and gestured for them to go in.
Wrinkling his nose at the metallic smell, Jamil stayed at the edge of the room, running his gaze over everything. As far as he could tell, nothing had been taken or even destroyed. That didn’t surprise him. Jamil never thought the vandalism was about damaging anything. Whoever was doing it was interested more in stopping the digging and worshipping whatever god they believed in. At least that’s what he was hoping for.
“The guard still hasn’t been found,” Kasha told them.
Jamil nodded in acknowledgement, but Ahmed and Hutchinson knelt down by the makeshift altar. He eased closer and overheard them talking in some language he didn’t understand. It wasn’t Arabic or any modern language Jamil knew. Even though he couldn’t translate what they were saying, he could sense they were worried about something. He made a mental note to ask after Kasha left.
“Can my men gather the evidence?” The officer asked.
Ahmed nodded. “Yes. I don’t believe this is human blood, though I could be wrong. You may take everything and send your report to Doctor Ahlid.”
Kasha looked at Jamil for verification and he nodded. Ahmed crooked a finger at Jamil, motioning for him to come with him and Hutchison. They went back outside to sit, staying out of the police’s way. He met Ahmed’s gaze.
“What did you find when you looked at the altar? What makes you think it’s not human blood?”
Ahmed shared a glance with Hutchinson then shrugged. “I know what human blood looks like when it dries. I think they used goat’s. Probably sacrificed here and they took the body. Not sure why.”
“They wanted to freak out whoever entered the anteroom first after they left. You’re more likely to panic if you think someone’s been murdered then if you see a goat lying there,” Hutchinson suggested.
“I think if I saw any animal on the ground with its throat slit and blood all over the place, I’d panic,” Jamil mumbled.
Ahmed smiled. “Yes, it would be startling. What we need to figure out is where the guards are. This is the second one to disappear right? When it happens, something like that is found.”
Jamil rubbed his palms on his thighs. “You don’t think they were killed and buried somewhere else, do you?”
“That’s possible. Have the officers found the last place the guard was? Maybe if we take a look at it, we’ll be able to find something they’ve missed.” Ahmed stared down the canyon, watching as others from Jamil’s team started to arrive. “Why don’t you go talk to them and assign them to different areas—if you can?”
“What will you be doing?” His suspicious nature drove him to ask. There was definitely something Ahmed and Hutchinson knew that they weren’t sharing and it annoyed him. “And will you tell me what you were whispering about back there at some point?”
Ahmed reached over, covering Jamil’s hand with his. “At some point, we’ll explain what we think is going on. You’ll think we’re crazy, but we’re used to that. I don’t think this is the right time though. Your people will have questions, plus Thomas and I must discuss some things before we do anything else.”
Hutchinson stood then held out his hand to Ahmed. “Come, brother. Let’s have our talk before we go look through some of the caves.”
“Caves?” Jamil pushed to his feet, not wanting them to tower over him. He did his best to ignore Hutchinson’s calling Ahmed ‘brother’. It sounded as though he truly thought of Ahmed as family.
“Yes. I’m sure the police did that and will do it again, but we’d like to wander through them as well. Maybe we’ll see something they didn’t.” Ahmed pursed his lips, which made Jamil wish the man would kiss him again.
There wasn’t time for that at the moment. Sandy and Eesha were approaching, their faces filled with concern. Ahmed touched Jamil’s cheek, caressing his skin lightly.
“Go talk to the ladies. I’ll come and find you when we’re done.”
Jamil sighed. “Be careful. Some of the caves are unstable and spirits haunt those dark areas.”
Hutchinson huffed. “You believe in ghosts?”
Ahmed nudged the man, but Jamil wasn’t bothered by the question.
“Yes, I do. You might think my job wouldn’t lead me to acknowledging the paranormal, but I’ve spent a lot of time digging in places where I’ve felt the weight of eyes on me while I was alone. I’ve come to believe they exist.” Jamil chuckled. “Of course, all the noises I hear while I’m alone at a dig could be my imagination.”
He was surprised when both Ahmed and Hutchinson shook their heads.
“We’re practical men, Jamil,” Ahmed said. “For the most part, we believe in only what we see, hear and touch. Yet we’ve had experiences like you. We’ve seen things in the deserts. Flashes of color where none should be. Shadows made by bodies that weren’t there. Moments in time relived over and over without the realization of the person’s death.”
Hutchinson shivered. “I was doing a job in a Thailand temple. It was later in the day as the sun was setting and the native people we’d hired to help with the dig always left before night fell. I was supposed to be alone then I felt as though someone had entered the room with me. I turned around to find a small monk standing there, watching me. I knew he wasn’t real because I could see right through him.”
“What did you do?” Jamil held up his hand to stop Sandy and Eesha from getting closer.
“I knelt and asked him to bless me.” Hutchinson’s cheeks tinged with red as though he was embarrassed by what he’d done. “The top of my head went cold like he had touched me and as strange as it seems, peace filled me for several days after that.”
One Response “Anubis”
Thanks, T.A. – great excerpt. I hope you were able to finish the book(s) you’ve been working on. 🙂