Celtic Empire (Dirk Pitt 25)

“Maybe they didn’t realize what we knew, or were to find out,” she said. “That’s not what’s bothering me. When they came into the tomb, Rod said he glimpsed one of them wearing a surgical mask and rubber gloves.”

“Both the mural and the stela mention an epidemic.”

“Yes, but the gunmen hadn’t seen either one. It’s no secret that an epidemic had struck Amarna, yet those precautions seem odd for some ordinary grave robbers.”

“Unless,” Dirk said, “they were specifically aware of the disease and had targeted the tomb for that reason.”

“Exactly my point.”

“You know, Riki told me something interesting. A few years ago they discovered another child’s tomb in Thebes. She said how furious Dr. Stanley had been when they returned to the site and found it had been ransacked.”

“Strange he’s had two mummies of children stolen from under him. Someone’s been watching his fieldwork with a close eye.”

“There are no mummies to be had in Faras.”

“True. Only the stela”—Summer tapped the screen—“and the Apium of Faras.”

“Both relate to Meritaten,” Dirk said. “Maybe someone doesn’t want her, or the apium, to be discovered.”

“The Egyptians didn’t exactly leave us the recipe. But, we do know Meritaten took it with her when she fled.”

“Then there’s only one way to discover the apium,” Dirk said. He finished his drink in a gulp and gave his sister a willful smile. “We find Meritaten’s grave.”

PART III

SECRETS OF THE LOCH

32

The shoes,” said a voice on the phone in the measured tone of a robot. “Where did you say they came from?”

“A reservoir called Cerrón Grande in El Salvador,” Rudi Gunn replied. “A U.S. aid worker named Elise Aguilar wore them into the water there.”

The voice on the phone paused. “Wasn’t that where that dam broke?”

Dr. Susan Montgomery’s methodical nature suited her occupation as a research epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

“Yes,” Gunn said. “That’s what made acquiring a sample so difficult.”

“I never did receive the samples from Dr. Nakamura. I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“His water samples were destroyed, that’s why we sent the shoes. We have reason to believe the samples may have had something to do with his death.”

“How is the health of Miss Aguilar?”

“I saw her yesterday, and spoke with her again this morning,” Gunn said. “Aside from an unrelated injury to her arm, she appears to be doing fine.”

“Are you aware of any reported illnesses in the vicinity of the water sample?”

“Elise believes there may be a pattern of child deaths in some of the villages surrounding the reservoir.”

“Can you put me in touch with Miss Aguilar? I’d like to send a CDC team down to Cerrón Grande to investigate.”

“I’ll have her give you a call. What have you found?”

“I can’t say for certain at this point, as we just extracted a sample,” Montgomery said. “It does appear to contain a waterborne bacterium that resembles cholera.”

“Cholera usually results from poor water sanitation, doesn’t it?” Gunn asked. “Could the reservoir water just be tainted from an unhealthy runoff?”