Sands of Time (Out of Time #6) (28 page)

After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. The men had captured the snake and brought it to show them. Elizabeth pressed into Simon’s side at the sight. It was enormous, perhaps four feet long. One of the men grasped it about the neck and held it out. He said something in Arabic and Diana and the doctor both warily approached.

“What are you doing?” Jack said, reaching out to stop her.

“It’s all right,” Diana said. “It’s harmless. Well, relatively.” She leaned in to get a closer look before turning back to explain. “I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never seen it. The lips have been sewn shut with a fine fishing line.”

The doctor cleaned his glassed. “Some of the snake charmers you might find on the streets do this to protect themselves. As you can see, it is an excellent deception, only visible upon close inspection.”

Simon didn’t know whether to be relieved or angry. It wasn’t meant to kill; it was a message.
You are vulnerable.
He glanced down at Elizabeth. They were indeed, and he’d never felt it more acutely.

She squeezed his hand and looked up at him. He could see the same thoughts mirrored in her eyes.

After repeated sweeps and promises that there were no other surprises in their room, Simon and Elizabeth, and Jack and Diana went back into their suite.

“So, it was in the box?” Jack said as he carefully poked the tissue paper inside the box with the tip of an unlit candle.

“I thought it was a gift from Simon,” Elizabeth said. She’d regained her color, although, he noticed she kept her feet up off the floor.

“It sure as hell wasn’t from me,” Simon said as he crossed the room. Sitting inside the box was a small, folded card. He picked it up and opened it. The earlier choice between relief and anger was made. “Jouvet.”

“He wouldn’t—” Elizabeth said. “I mean, the dress, but not the other.”

Simon’s rage was white hot. He would break the man’s bloody neck.

“Really,” Elizabeth said.

Her trust in the man only fueled Simon’s anger. With a remarkable veneer of calm considering the anger boiling inside him, he nodded and slipped the card into his pocket. “I’d like to have a word with the manager. Will you be all right?”

Elizabeth eyed him for a moment and he thought she saw through his ruse, but she nodded. “I’m fine, really.”

“I’ll stay with her,” Diana offered.

“I think I’ll come with you, if that’s all right?” Jack asked.

“I won’t be long,” Simon dismissed him and left.

He was only a few steps down the hallway when Jack grabbed his arm. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Simon stopped and swiftly turned to face Jack. “I am going to hit someone. And unless you get out of my way, you will be the first.”

Jack’s expression changed from concern to relief. “I thought you were going to kill him,” Jack said. “Beating him up sounds good.”

He let go and Simon resumed his march down the hall.

“Leave a little for me,” Jack said.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Despite the repeated assurances from the hotel staff that the room was safe, Elizabeth couldn’t help but look around nervously. Snakes could hide in places. Like big boxes or small crannies. Nagini’s smaller cousin could be hiding somewhere, waiting.

Diana sat down opposite her in the seating area and started to say something, but just offered an awkward, but reassuring smile. Elizabeth gave her one of her own, before the curtain fluttered and she jumped a little.

Diana leaned forward. “I know they said they checked everywhere, but maybe we could give it one more look?”

Grateful for the offer, Elizabeth nodded and got up. She’d definitely feel better if she saw for herself the coast was clear. But she didn’t relish the idea of sticking her head under the bed to find out what was there. “We need something pokey.”

Diana cocked her head to the side.

Elizabeth mimed jabbing something. “To poke with.”

“Right,” Diana sad and chewed her lip in thought.

Elizabeth looked around the room for something that would do, but there was nothing long enough.

“I’ll be right back!” Diana said suddenly, and bolted from the room.

She was back less than two minutes later with two golf clubs and handed Elizabeth one.

“Courtesy of the Everetts’,” she said.

“They let you borrow them?” Elizabeth asked skeptically. The Everetts didn’t seem the generous type.

Diana smiled. “Not exactly.”

Elizabeth liked this woman more and more.

Diana moved to the window and pulled the curtains back with the club. “You start over there. If you find anything suspicious, don’t be a hero.”

Elizabeth laughed. “I’m not feeling all that heroic at the moment.”

“You could have fooled me.” She prodded at the other sheer and looked out on window ledge. “I would have fainted dead away.”

Elizabeth found that hard to believe. “You?”

“Snakes,” Diana said with a shudder.

Elizabeth laughed and poked behind a potted palm. “You really are like Indiana Jones.”

“I don’t know him,” Diana said, distracted by her search.

Elizabeth smiled. “You’d like him.”

They poked and prodded the living area to Elizabeth’s satisfaction before moving to the bedroom. “Oh, we should call for ice,” she said as she swiped the club under the dresser.

Diana looked at her blankly.

“For Simon’s bruised hands.”

Diana’s eyebrows arched in surprise. “You mean you know why he really left?”

“He’s my husband,” Elizabeth said simply. “Hopefully, Jack will keep him from getting into too much trouble.”

Diana rested her club on the floor. “You know, in spite of how it looks, I don’t think Henri has something like this in him.”

“I don’t either,” Elizabeth admitted. “But Katherine Vale can be quite…compelling. In an evil witchypoo sort of way.”

Diana thought about it and nodded, before going back to searching the room. “What do you think she’s after? Why would she spend all this money on what most people think is a pointless dig?”

Elizabeth paused. “I don’t know. All those things you found…There must be something in the tomb she needs,” she said. While it wasn’t exactly a lie, she didn’t like keeping Diana in the dark. Magic spells were one thing and time travelers from the future another.

“Well, we’ll—” Diana started as she carefully flipped open the door to the armoire, jumping back a bit as she did.

Elizabeth’s heart raced. Diana fished around inside and laughed as she pulled her club back out. One of Simon’s belts dangled from the end.

She turned to Elizabeth with a smile as she took the belt off the end of the club. “We’ll just have to get it first, won’t we?”

~ ~ ~

Simon found Jouvet in one of the salons holding court as usual. He smiled broadly when Simon entered, looking around him and expecting to find Elizabeth. He frowned when he saw Jack instead.

“Where is your beautiful wife?” Jouvet asked, coming to his feet. “The dress, it is—”

Simon’s right cross connected with the man’s chin so solidly it sounded like a Hollywood sound effect. Jouvet flew back narrowly missing his chair and stumbling around behind it. Simon stalked forward and threw the chair aside. Jouvet’s party of sycophants screamed and scrambled out of the way.

Jouvet grabbed his jaw and shook his head, as he slowly backed away. “What are you doing? Are you mad?”

Simon pressed forward. “Stay away from my wife!”

“It was just a dress,” Jouvet protested, as he found himself trapped between Simon and the wall. “To replace—”

Simon lunged forward and gripped the man by the lapels. “And the cobra just found its own way into the box, did it?”

Jouvet blinked in confusion. “Cobra?”

Simon shoved Jouvet back against the wall and pressed his forearm against the man’s windpipe. “She could have been killed.”

“I don’t understand,” Jouvet croaked.

“Don’t play games with me, Jouvet,” Simon ground out.

“I have seen jealous husbands before but—”

Simon buried his fist in the man’s stomach.

Jouvet grunted and gasped for air.

Simon forced him back against the wall and leaned in. His own chest heaving from effort, from anger. “Tell Vale that your little trick didn’t work. We’re not going anywhere.”

Simon heard voices behind him and shoved Jouvet back against the wall as he released him.

“Vale?” Jouvet croaked out. “What does she—?”

Simon glared at the man and was about to explain things again, when Jack stepped forward. “That present you sent Elizabeth had a little something extra in it.”

Jouvet looked surprised. “A snake?”

“Don’t pretend—” Simon said, as he balled his fist again.

The voices behind Simon grew louder and he felt Jack’s hand grip his arm.

“What is going on here?” the manager said, and then saw Jouvet. He hurried over to him. “Monsieur Jouvet!”

Jouvet stared at Simon for a long moment.

“What has happened?” the manager demanded.

One of the men in Jouvet’s entourage stepped forward. “That man,” he said, pointing at Simon, “simply attacked poor Mr. Jouvet.”

Simon glared at him and the man took a step back, but nodded toward the manager. “You see? He’s raving.”

Jouvet kept his gaze on Simon and then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. “It was simply a misunderstanding.”

He wiped the blood from his lip, arching his eyebrow in surprise at how much there was. He looked again at Simon as he dabbed at his lip and then refolded his handkerchief, stuffing it back into his pocket. “Isn’t that right, Mr. Cross?”

Simon didn’t say anything. What was the man up to?

The manager looked nervously between Simon and Jouvet. “Do you want—”

Jouvet raised his hand to silence the man. “It is a private matter. But thank you for your assistance, Monsieur Taylor. You may return to your work.”

The manager hesitated, but bowed and hurried off again.

Simon, his chest still heaving from his efforts, glared at Jouvet.

“Despite your…feelings,” Jouvet said as he smoothed his jacket down. “I would never do anything to harm a woman. Especially—”

Simon clenched his jaw and his fist, but Jack stepped in again.

“Better stop while you’re ahead, pal,” Jack advised him.

Jouvet cocked his head to the side and looked back into Simon’s eyes. He raised a hand in surrender and nodded with a small smile.

Jouvet was damned lucky Jack was there. The rage that had built up inside Simon had only partially been sated. He would have happily wiped that smug smile off the man’s face with his fist.

“Come on,” Jack said, tugging on Simon’s arm.

Reluctantly, Simon let Jack pull him away.

“I am happy she was unharmed,” Jouvet called out to him.

Simon paused for a moment, clenched his jaw, and then kept walking.

~ ~ ~

Elizabeth checked her pillows, again, before piling them up behind her against the headboard. She smoothed out the blanket. Any wrinkles or rumples looked too much like hidden snakes. Not that there were any snakes in the room. She and Diana had given it a thorough going over, something Simon had repeated when he’d returned from his errand.

He’d calmed considerably since then, but the tension in his jaw and shoulders was still noticeable as he took off his robe.

He reached to turn off the lamp on the end table.

“Would you mind? Just for a while?” she asked, looking meaningfully at the light.

He smiled, a little sadly, and shook his head. “Of course not.”

He pulled back the covers and climbed into bed. Leaning closer, he kissed her temple before shifting his pillows to sit against the headboard with her.

He folded the sheet down around his waist and smoothed it with his hands. The ice had done its job; the knuckles of his right hand looked almost normal.

Elizabeth felt a pang of guilt. She should have stopped him. Jouvet hadn’t deserved his anger, not all of it anyway. She reached out and let her fingers trace the strong contours of Simon’s hand.

“Why do you think Hen—Jouvet didn’t want the manager to call the police?” Elizabeth asked.

Simon turned his hand over and held hers. “I don’t know. Perhaps he and Vale don’t want the police poking around. Might stumble onto something.”

Elizabeth hadn’t thought of that. “Maybe.”

Simon sighed. “It was a mistake. Don’t get me wrong,” he amended quickly. “It felt incredibly good to hit him, but I’m afraid it might have been short-sighted.”

Elizabeth knew what he meant. “We need him to get into the tomb.”

Simon nodded. “As much as I hate to admit it, yes.”

Elizabeth shifted toward him. “Jack said he looked surprised at the whole snake thing and he didn’t call the cops. Maybe he’ll look past it, if…”

Simon closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the headboard. “If you ask him.” He turned his head toward her. “There are not enough words to express to you how much I hate that.”

Elizabeth smiled and kissed him.

He grunted again, and tried to hide his smile. “That helps a little.”

“Just a little?” she said.

He leaned toward her, one hand on the back of her neck as he guided her into a deeper kiss. Elizabeth’s heart sped up the way it always did when he touched her.

After a lingering moment, he pulled back and smiled. “More than a little.”

Elizabeth nestled into his shoulder and he put his arm around her.

“Do you think she can really talk to the dead?” Elizabeth asked.

She could feel Simon’s body move as he shifted to look down at her. “Vale? I doubt it. Once an impostor, always an impostor.”

“I don’t know.” Elizabeth tilted her head to look up at Simon. “She knows things.”

“Nearly all of which can be explained without witchcraft.”

He sounded so sure. Elizabeth wished she shared his certainty. “Why does she keep bringing up children?”

Simon’s hand slid down to her arm and urged her to sit up. He looked at her with his Most Serious Face. “It’s part of her act, Elizabeth. She finds weaknesses in people and exploits them.”

“How does she know that’s mine?”