Book 5 of the FRESCO NIGHTS saga
An awesome coincidence was brought to my attention last week as I was getting ready to release my new novel, the fifth installment of the Fresco Nights saga. It’s called CAIRO BY NIGHTFALL. Here is the opening scene:
CHAPTER 1
“Do not scream when you see the mummy.”
What on earth could that possibly mean? The message was cryptic. I read it again for clarification but the second reading made no more sense than the first.
My eyeballs slowly slanted skyward, away from the text and the cellphone in my hand. My vision moved sideways to the banner on the left side of the museum’s heritage entrance. In large red letters shadowed in black, one word in bold uppercase had been printed vertically down the cloth banner that now snapped in the gusting breeze. The material of the banner was weatherproof Sports Mesh, and resisted tearing. An answering flap came from high above the other side of the triple revolving glass doors. This was its twin, another banner, lettered identically. Below the metal grommets that fastened the banners to studs on the outside walls the word ran like an accusation:
M
U
M
M
Y!
The message was a warning, but a warning against what? The museum was advertising a special exhibition. So what? The curatorial staff was busily making preparations for opening day. This was normal.
A planeload of Egyptian artifacts had arrived from Cairo last week along with one of their curators. This shipment included the body of Prince Pentawere, the homicidal son of Pharaoh Ramses III.
Wow, did that bring back memories! Memories long forgotten. I had seen more than a couple of mummies in my profession. In fact, my career in museum illustration had begun with a mummy. So—why would I scream at the sight of one?
My cellphone dinged. Aras had not waited for me to respond before a follow-up text appeared.
“Tell no one that we’ve been in touch. It’s essential that no one know. It is a matter of national security.”
I frowned. Tell no one? Not even Luke? Why was Aras even texting me instead of Luke? I am just a friend. Well, maybe more than a friend. I like to take credit for reuniting the estranged brothers. But why trust me and not Luke?
I sat on the limestone steps of the heritage entrance to the Royal Ontario Museum, dressed in designer jeans and lightweight wool sweater beneath a navy blue blazer, basking in the late autumn sunshine, feeling guilty as hell. It was strange. Aras and I were hardly besties, although I liked to think we were friends. I know the billionaire archaeologist, on occasion, still had doubts when it came to his younger sibling. But Aras had shown me the strength of his character more times than I could count.
A grey dialogue balloon immediately followed the message on my screen. “NOT even Luke.”
It was like he had read my mind.
“What about Norman? I have to tell Norman. We don’t have secrets from each other.” I clicked send. My own dialogue balloon, in green, appeared.
“A matter of NATIONAL SECURITY, Lucy.”
So last week my husband came up to me cellphone in hand and said, “Did you know about this?”
He flashed an image in my face, https://www.rom.on.ca/en/exhibitions-...
It was an ad for a mummy exhibit that was opening at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) September 19, this month.
NO, I did not know that the ROM was going to have a mummy exhibit in the same month that I planned to release my book! I wrote that novel over a year ago. An amazing coincidence!
Two chances to win a free Kindle copy of CAIRO BY NIGHTFALL: Amazon Kindle ebook free promotion starts on September 22 and ends on September 26.
Goodreads Giveaway starts accepting requests on September 24 and ends October 15.
Cairo by Nightfall
CHAPTER 1
“Do not scream when you see the mummy.”
What on earth could that possibly mean? The message was cryptic. I read it again for clarification but the second reading made no more sense than the first.
My eyeballs slowly slanted skyward, away from the text and the cellphone in my hand. My vision moved sideways to the banner on the left side of the museum’s heritage entrance. In large red letters shadowed in black, one word in bold uppercase had been printed vertically down the cloth banner that now snapped in the gusting breeze. The material of the banner was weatherproof Sports Mesh, and resisted tearing. An answering flap came from high above the other side of the triple revolving glass doors. This was its twin, another banner, lettered identically. Below the metal grommets that fastened the banners to studs on the outside walls the word ran like an accusation:
M
U
M
M
Y!
The message was a warning, but a warning against what? The museum was advertising a special exhibition. So what? The curatorial staff was busily making preparations for opening day. This was normal.
A planeload of Egyptian artifacts had arrived from Cairo last week along with one of their curators. This shipment included the body of Prince Pentawere, the homicidal son of Pharaoh Ramses III.
Wow, did that bring back memories! Memories long forgotten. I had seen more than a couple of mummies in my profession. In fact, my career in museum illustration had begun with a mummy. So—why would I scream at the sight of one?
My cellphone dinged. Aras had not waited for me to respond before a follow-up text appeared.
“Tell no one that we’ve been in touch. It’s essential that no one know. It is a matter of national security.”
I frowned. Tell no one? Not even Luke? Why was Aras even texting me instead of Luke? I am just a friend. Well, maybe more than a friend. I like to take credit for reuniting the estranged brothers. But why trust me and not Luke?
I sat on the limestone steps of the heritage entrance to the Royal Ontario Museum, dressed in designer jeans and lightweight wool sweater beneath a navy blue blazer, basking in the late autumn sunshine, feeling guilty as hell. It was strange. Aras and I were hardly besties, although I liked to think we were friends. I know the billionaire archaeologist, on occasion, still had doubts when it came to his younger sibling. But Aras had shown me the strength of his character more times than I could count.
A grey dialogue balloon immediately followed the message on my screen. “NOT even Luke.”
It was like he had read my mind.
“What about Norman? I have to tell Norman. We don’t have secrets from each other.” I clicked send. My own dialogue balloon, in green, appeared.
“A matter of NATIONAL SECURITY, Lucy.”
So last week my husband came up to me cellphone in hand and said, “Did you know about this?”
He flashed an image in my face, https://www.rom.on.ca/en/exhibitions-...
It was an ad for a mummy exhibit that was opening at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) September 19, this month.
NO, I did not know that the ROM was going to have a mummy exhibit in the same month that I planned to release my book! I wrote that novel over a year ago. An amazing coincidence!
Two chances to win a free Kindle copy of CAIRO BY NIGHTFALL: Amazon Kindle ebook free promotion starts on September 22 and ends on September 26.
Goodreads Giveaway starts accepting requests on September 24 and ends October 15.
Cairo by Nightfall
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