Ghosts of Karnak Read Online Free

wrong—the ship was right there, in the dock, in front of him.
    He fished another cigarette from his pocket and pulled the ignition tab. The flood of nicotine in his lungs was a reminder of his cracked ribs, and he coughed, wincing in pain. Frustrated, he tossed the cigarette on the ground and began pacing instead.
    The crowd was thinning now, with only a handful of stragglers still dragging their cases down the ramp.
    It struck him then that she wasn’t coming. Her brief telegram, relayed through Henry, had informed him she was planning to return to New York, that she’d bought a ticket for the
Centurion
and he should meet her at the docks when it arrived. That, though, had been weeks ago. There’d been plenty of opportunity for her to change her mind and decide to extend her trip. Surely, though, she would have written ahead?
    He watched the last of the passengers file off the ramp, an elderly lady in a wicker wheelchair, pushed along by a smartly dressed manservant. There was no one to meet her, and they disappeared a moment later beneath the stone arches, the wheels of the chair creaking loudly as they crossed the concrete.
    Moments later, the dockworkers assembled around the disembarkation ramp and started to wheel it away.
    Gabriel hurried over. “Hey there! Excuse me, but I’m still waiting for someone,” he said, gesturing to the ramp.
    The nearest dockworker shook his head. “I’m sorry, sir, but all the passengers have disembarked. We got word from above.” He inclined his head, indicating the ship. “You sure you didn’t miss them? It sure was busy down here.”
    Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure I didn’t miss her. Thanks.” He stood aside to allow them to roll the ramp back toward the storage hangar. Behind them, others continued to unload the cargo, shouting directions to one another as they sorted the crates into neat stacks.
    It was surprising how quickly the dock seemed empty again, as the passengers all filed off, melting away into the city as if they’d never been gone.
    He wondered what had happened to Ginny. Something had gone wrong and she’d missed the boat, or else she’d had a last-minute change of heart about coming back to New York. Whatever the case, she hadn’t been onboard. He was certain he hadn’t missed her.
    Battling a creeping sense of disappointment, Gabriel quit the dock. It was still early, and he knew a great place nearby to get more coffee and eggs.

FOUR
    It wasn’t so much the sweltering heat, she decided, but the dreadful taste of the water that was causing her to feel so unwell. Every time she took a mouthful of the tepid stuff she had to fight the urge to gag. Even
here
, in the hotel bar, which was supposed to cater to tourists. She pushed the awful thing away from her, sliding it across the table. She would order a gin and tonic when the waiter returned. She’d been told that alcohol didn’t mix well with the heat, but what else was she to do? She’d been here for three days now, and if she didn’t drink something soon, she was going to be as desiccated as the mummies she’d seen in the museum earlier that day.
    Ginny mopped her forehead with her handkerchief, and tried to focus on her book. She planned to take in the Luxor Temple the next morning, rising in the early hours to journey out into the starlit desert, and so was anxious to read up on what to look for. She’d hired a guide, of course, but she didn’t know whether to believe half of the stuff they told her, and she was anxious not to miss anything important.
    The words swam on the page before her, all muddled, as if lost behind a shimmering heat haze. With a sigh, she leaned back in her chair, fanning herself with the pages. Had she made a terrible mistake, coming out here alone? It had seemed such a romantic notion, taking a steamship across the ocean to a distant land, steeping herself in its history and mythology. A real adventure, and a chance to get away from everything that had happened